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Minutes 08-10-15 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BLVD., BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA ON MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2015, AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT: Barbara Ready, Chair Warren Adams, Historic Preservation Planner Eric Salomonsson, Vice Chair Jason Shaffer Cheryl Black, Alternate ABSENT: Roger Cope Michelle Dion Susan Oyer Dr. Ginger Pedersen 1. Pledge of Allegiance Chair Ready called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. Mr. Shaffer led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. 2. Agenda Approval Warren Adams, Historic Resource Preservation Planner, added Item 6 F, Student Volunteer to New Business. He noted there were people in the audience. He suggested moving Public Audience after Communications and Announcements as Item 4 A and there were no objections. Motion Mr. Shaffer moved to approve as amended. Ms. Black seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 3. Approval of Minutes Motion Vice Chair Salomonsson moved to approve as written. Ms. Black seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 4. Communications and Announcements Mr. Adams announced Dr. Pedersen and Ms. Dion would not be present. Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 10, 2015 Mike Fitzpatrick, City Commissioner, advised demolition of the Old High School arose and he was opposed to it. He was having a meeting at his house. He invited individuals and logged on to Facebook and encouraged individuals to email opposing the demolition. The 42 individuals from Facebook copied him and he invited them to form a special interest group to save the Old High School. If no one else steps up to the plate, he will Chair the group. He invited all of the Board members to attend. The issue was not over. If anyone had any questions they should contact him. His email will be distributed. David Merker, City Commissioner, applauded Commissioner Fitzpatrick for his leadership on the Old High School issue. He commented the problem with government is officials have to think of "we as the people." He received many emails regarding the Old High School and he was part of the team to support its preservation. He looked forward to helping. He advised he spoke to John Markey who gave him an education regarding Black Rock, and Rick Gonzales was still interested in the effort as were others. The matter was now a team effort. His passion in life was American history and this effort was an add on to it. He thanked Chair Ready and all for educating him. Michael Wilson, 1224 Isle Court, thanked Commissioners Fitzpatrick and Merker for going above and beyond on this one item. He is a 43 year resident of Boynton Beach and he noted for many years there were several ideas proposed for the downtown and it would flourish. Many of those projects were good, but not much has occurred. A 1912 school, years ago was in the condition the Old High School was in today. Residents had a vision to do something for the City and residents. He commented the Old High School was a vision and anchor for the downtown. The Library, the Schoolhouse Children's Museum and whatever use the Old High School could be used for and the Civic Center could be the anchors. He believed the building was structurally sound. He read the interior, structural and asbestos reports and advised they are on some of the Facebook pages and it appears the building was in better shape than was reported. Mr. Wilson commented the 2003 asbestos report compared to the 2014 asbestos report showed most asbestos was abated. He agreed the interior was not in great shape, but from what he read, it was one option that can be undertaken to save the building. He believed it was heritage. He thanked the Board and two Commissioners supporting preservation of the Old High School. He noted 275 people signed the petition to save the building. Over the years, there have been efforts to save the building, but the present movement is a grass roots effort. Saving the building says we care about Boynton Beach, and he noted the infighting and rush to demolish the building makes the City look bad. He hoped they could come together and the matter have a good conclusion. 5. Old Business: A. Cultural Resources Mobile Application update Mr. Adams explained the application went live on June 30th. It can be accessed via the City website in the Historic Resources Preservation section and he gave the path to follow 2 Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 10, 2015 to access the information on the Historic Resources Education website and follow the links. The application has two sections, an interactive map and database section. One can click on the interactive map and have the option to click for more information, which links to the database. Ten of the sites have audio. The database could be accessed separately and was searchable by address, style, decade and type. The final grant report with the final grant claim was submitted to the Division of Historical Resources and he noted the City came in about $1,000 under budget, so the extra was returned. They were waiting on the final grant check, and he did not anticipate any problems with the payment. Vice Chair Salomonsson noted there was a nice news article in the paper just after the application went live. B. Division of Historical Resources Small Matching Grant Application for 2016/2017 Mr. Adams advised the application was submitted June 1st, and they were requesting $32,942 to create an interactive website focusing on the area formerly known as Boynton Colored Town. He had not received requests for supporting information on the application from the State. The applications will be reviewed September 1st and 2nd, and he hoped they had an increased chance of being funded. C. Boynton Woman's Club Special Category Grant Application Mr. Adams explained the application for the Woman's Club was successful and they will receive $140,000 towards the cost of repairing and installing the wood-framed doors and windows. The City has volunteers to help monitor the application. The $140,000 along with the $50,000 from the CRA and $10,000 worth of time and materials and $10,000 cash from the Woman's Club totaled $210,000. He hoped that would repair all the remaining wood frame doors and windows, but it was difficult to determine with historic buildings. He hoped no additional work would be required The City was doing well with grants and the Historic Preservation program was gaining momentum. 6. New Business: A. Barton Memorial Park Cemetery monument proposal Mr. Adams explained the City was unsure who was actually buried in this cemetery. He had a list of 50 burials and only half were named, and there are 20 headstones. The ground penetrating radar survey showed there were other burials at the Cemetery, but it was affected by the construction of 1-95. The Cemetery is a designated site. Mr. Adams thought it would be good to have some type of memorial to recognize the individuals that are buried there and who do not have headstones. The issue was they did not know who was buried where and they could not just put up a headstone. He suggested having one memorial with people's names on it that they know are buried there. 3 Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 10, 2015 Mr. Adams was contacted by Richard Pinsky, the Public Policy Manager for Ackerman LLP, about five weeks ago on behalf of a family who has a family member buried there, and they want a memorial for those buried in the unmarked graves. Mr. Adams had previously met with the family on site to determine where the family member was buried, and later contacted Mr. Pinsky. This project was in the early stages, and it was very important to involve the community to try to help to find who is buried there and what the memorial should look like, if there should be an epitaph, where the money will come from, and what qualifies an individual to have their name on the memorial. It is also important to have the memorial designed in a way to be able to add names to it. Mr. Adams thought this was a great project to focus on. Chair Ready inquired if the memorial would indicate the Cemetery was designated on the local register and Mr. Adams thought community input should be sought. Mr. Adams could help facilitate the process, but the family and community members would be driving the effort. Chair Ready suggested they approach the City Cemetery Board if they have difficulty underwriting the effort. Mr. Adams thought the first step was to get the community together and start gathering names. B. Florida Master Site File survey Mr. Adams explained the survey was ongoing and he was focusing on demolitions to get the files done and submitted. The next batch will be submitted to the State when about 100 forms are completed. This project was way overdue and he was finding quite a few errors and mistakes, so the existing sites will be updated and new sites added. C. National Register eligibility of city sites Mr. Adams explained while he was working on the Florida Master Site File, there is a section on the form inquiring if the site was National Register eligible, and he was unsure if a few sites would be eligible. He sent three sites to the State regarding a determination of eligibility to see how they evaluate the sites. The Woman's Club and Children's Schoolhouse Museum were two National Register sites and considered nationally significant, but noted the structures have to retain their internal and external integrity, There is no review by the Board of National Register sites. Mr. Adams submitted the Audrey Gerger house on NW 1st Avenue which was a two-story, mission-style duplex home. He felt an application for that home for a National Register designation would not be supported as there were alterations made. If that pattern were to be reinstated, then they would support an application for the house. Additionally, because the home was partially rented, it may be eligible for 10% tax credits. The second home was the Sophie Amachai house, which was a two-story, mission-style home. This home could potentially be supported. Mr. Adams and Ms. Black would be meeting to discuss changes to the home. The third site Mr. Adams submitted was the Barton Memorial Park Cemetery. He thought the Cemetery would be eligible or supported, but the State needed more information on 4 Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 10, 2015 who was buried there, so he was holding off on the Cemetery until they conducted their research for the memorial monument and the interactive website grant funding. Those two projects would provide them with a lot more information. The State recognizes a lot of African-American, Indian burial sites and early settler graveyards were destroyed by road construction and it seemed to have been common practice. When they submit the application, they will have solid information on who was buried there. This was important because the individuals buried there had to have a significant effect on the town or local or national history. Mr. Adams anticipated they would focus on local history, and pointed out Boynton Colored Town grew into a separate, thriving community so it was almost certain the decedents buried in Barton Memorial Park would have an appropriate history and the Park could be a potential site for the National Register. Chair Ready inquired if alterations or additions to historic properties made 50 years ago would affect the structure's ability to be on the National Register. Mr. Adams responded normally additions to properties that were made 50 years ago could be classed as significant. If an addition was made to the back of a property built 80 years ago, it could be significant. It depended on whether the character of the building was affected. Most additions are in the back of the building and could not be seen. D. CLG and Preservation Program presentations to the cities of St. Cloud and Vero Beach Mr. Adams explained the State was constantly referring others to the City for the Historic Preservation Program, Heritage Education program, and Certified Local Government Certification. About a year ago, Mr. Adams gave advice to the City of Anna Maria on the West Coast and was recently contacted by the cities of St. Cloud and Vero Beach. St. Cloud has a Main Street program. They want to become a Certified Local Government and introduce a Historic Preservation Program to assist the Main Street Program. He will speak with them in January to advise how to move forward. A few weeks ago, Vero Beach contacted him and they were in touch with the State. Their program was established eight years ago, but has not moved forward and the State advised them to contact Boynton Beach to assist in moving the program forward. He thought it was good the City was being recognized and the program was gaining momentum. The State actively refers municipalities to the City and the Board members credited Mr. Adams for his valuable expertise and experience. E. Potential designation of the First United Methodist Church Mr. Adams met with two representatives from the First United Methodist Church, which was a gothic, revival-styled church. Board member Susan Oyer initiated contact and they were interested in historic designation. The earliest part of the Church was the Church Hall next to the Church. He spoke with representatives and discussed potential grants. He spoke to the State and religious organizations that are 501(C) 3 eligible to apply for small matching and special category grants. They discussed designation details and the 5 Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 10, 2015 process and they thought it was worthwhile. They will contact him after discussing it with their Boards. He also spoke to the owner of 117 S. Seacrest Boulevard and discussed designation. This was a one-story, mission-style house. The new owners will take possession in three weeks and they want their house designated. He spoke to several people interested in the home on NW 1st Avenue that was on sale across the street from Audrey Gerger's home and several people showed interest. The program is being recognized. Realtors were telling people about the program and have spoken with him about what designation entails, how designation was an option, obtaining the tax credits, and he would work with them on alterations. The Board may have three upcoming designations if all fell into place. F. Student Volunteer Mr. Adams announced he has a student volunteer from North Broward Preparatory School who will return for a few weeks before school starts. He had made a presentation to the school, to discuss what he does. One student was very interested, and was very sharp. The City has a program called the Footprint program that allows younger students to volunteer. The student is 14 or 15 years old. He advised it was great to have her. The next time she comes in, they will survey some properties for the Master Site Plan file. Mr. Adams will also make a presentation to the North Broward Preparatory School next April. 7. Other A. Possible change of date for September meeting Mr. Adams advised the City Clerk informed him Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown on September 13, 2014 and the Board meets September 14th. He advised if the members wanted to reschedule he would need some dates. Mr. Shaffer would not be able to attend and there was consensus is to keep the date the same and meet on September 14th 8. Comments by members Vice Chair Salomonsson went on record opposing the decision by the City Commission to demolish the Old High School. Ms. Black thought the City could restore the building. Vice Chair Salomonsson commented there was an old train station in Worcester, Massachusetts and the roof caved in. The station was restored and it housed restaurants and was a train stop. The building was restored to its original condition and was a showpiece. There was consensus the members were disappointed and dismayed at the decision and recognized they have no power to force the Commission to do anything. The members could write as citizens expressing their dismay and it was noted the letter can indicate they are Board Members. 6 Meeting Minutes Historic Resource Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 10, 2015 9. Public comments Mr. Wilson thought the Board did a wonderful job. 10. Announce date of next meeting — September 14, 2015 11. Adjournment There being no further business to discuss, Chair Ready properly adjourned the meeting at 7:21 p.m. Catherine Cherry j Minutes Specialist 090915 7