Loading...
Minutes 04-09-18 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC RESOURCES PRESERVATION BOARD MEETING HELD ON MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018, AT 6.30 P.M. IN CITY COMMISSION CHAMBERS, 100 E. BOYNTON BEACH BOULEVARD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Barbara Ready, Chair Mike Rumpf, Board Liaison Dr. Ginger Pedersen Susan Oyer Hollis Tidwell, III Michael Wilson Jesse Feldman, Alternate Richard "Brian" Bonnell, Alternate ABSENT- Eric Salomonsson, Vice Chair Cheryl Black 1. Pledge of Allegiance Chair Ready called the meeting to order at 6:29 p.m., followed by Ms. Oyer leading the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. 2. Agenda Approval Chair Ready requested hearing Item 6. A Poinciana Elementary School "Rosenwald School" Marker— Discussion before Item 5. Old Business. Motion Ms. Oyer moved to approve the change. Mr. Wilson seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Motion Ms. Oyer moved to approve the agenda as amended. Dr. Pedersen seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 3. Approval of Minutes Ms. Oyer wanted to add to the February 12, 2018, minutes, in reference to her working on the bus tour fort Conrad Pickel event, she did not realize the event conflicted with the Royal Wedding so she will not participate inthe tour. She notified Ms. Coles-Dobay and someone will get a calla out giving the tour bus talk. The tour is scheduled for May Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 9, 2018 19th. Motion Ms. Oyer moved to approve the updated minutes. Mr. Tidwell seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 4. Communications and Announcements None Item 6A. Poinciana Elementary School "Rosenwald School" Marker— Discussion (Heard out of order) Janet Naughton, formerly known as Janet Deyries, 806 Windward Way, Lantana, wanted to discuss the history of Poinciana Elementary School. As an undergraduate, she wrote a paper about the 11 Rosenwald Schools in Palm each County, which were built between 1925 to 1931 during segregation to house the African American or "Colored Citizens." At that time, education was lagging for those residents across the country and Boynton, at the time, was part of the rural south. The area had cows, pineapple fields, and children were picking beans in the fields. Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears Roebuck, & Co., established a private partner community partnership across the country through his relationship with Booker T. Washington. The 1925, Boynton School, which replaced the 1900 Boynton Colored School, was a fabulously constructed building located near the current Poinciana School on two acres of land. The school cost $17,500 to build and Mr. Rosenwald put up the seed money through his Foundation. This was only one of the 5,000 schools throughout the south, including South and North Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Florida, and others. Two books entitled You Need a Schoolhouse: Booker T. Washington. Julius Rosenwald and the Building of Schools in the Segregated South and The Rosenwald Schools of the American South speak about the initiative to preserve the schools. Of the 11 Palm each County Rosenwald schools, none survived to present day, but the 1925 school, which was the first school in Palm each County was so strong, the1928 hurricane damaged the 1926 high school, but not the 1925 three-room Boynton School which the school district used as a model. The engineers who designed the schools were from the Tuskegee Institute and later on, Mr. Smith designed the schools. Ms. Naughton commented this was very significant for the community. A few years ago, while she was working as the City of Boynton each Library Archivist, she interviewed Cecil Adderly, who had attended the school and he had mentioned it was the first time he flushed a toilet. Boynton, especially on the north side of the Town, was rural until the late 1950s, until certain mayors pushed for plumbing and sewer in the area. He described it in an interview. Local resident, Blanche Hearst Girtman was one of the 2 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 9, 2018 first teachers and there was a photograph of her in the school included in the book. Ms. Naughton noted the Tusk egee Plans are completely online and she created a guide with all of the information. She always wanted to put a marker on site to recognize the school in the community and recently Jerry Klinger, President of the Jewish American Heritage Society, contacted her. He had found her research guide and he agreed there should be a marker for the school and he would pay for it. Ms. Naughton was present at the meeting to see if the Board would like to be a secondary sponsor on the marker. She contacted the School District and they contacted the school and principal, but she has not heard back. She would do the research and any of the Board members could conduct research as well. They would like the marker placed outside the gates so pedestrians and motorists passing by could see the marker and it would be part of the City's Cultural Heritage. Dr. Pedersen and she had worked on obtaining a marker for the Inlet and she worked on the markers for the 1913 Schools. She expressed her belief this would be a continuum of more things to come and more historic markers in the City. It is a no cost item to the Board and they get to put their name on the marker. One stipulation Mr. Klinger requested was that somewhere on the marker it mention Julius Rosenwald as a Jewish American Philanthropist. Mr. Wilson asked if the markers were typical State of Florida Heritage Markers and learned they were. Mr. Tidwell asked if the school was on the same site as the current school and learned it was. Mr. Adderly shared with her when he and his brothers and sisters were going to school, farmers would slow down, stop and wave dollars at the children to convince them not to go to school and instead, work in the field for $1 a day. She noted Mr. Adderly did not take the money. Motion Ms. Oyer moved to approve support of the program and marker. Messrs. Feldman and Tidwell seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 5. Old Business: A. Boynton High School (125 E. Ocean Ave.) — Rehabilitation and adaptive reuse project update (see accompanying combined staff report for update). Mike Rumpf, Planning Director, took pictures of the school. He explained the meeting backup contains information on the P3 Program and this was a key part of it. Other components would begin soon this summer. He advised he walked through the Old High School with the new foreman or supervisor. Pictures of ongoing work under the gym and first floor covered with scaffolding to support the roof were viewed. He pointed out Phase 1, to secure the building and roof was still underway. The original metal rafters were there and some of the ceiling joists were replaced, but a few were preserved. Phase 11 has 3 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton each, Florida April 9, 2018 necessary agreements to complete. Mr. Rumpf advised they of paper over the roof and then tar. Mr. Rumpf will email pictures to the members. B. 2018 Florida Historic Preservation Grant Applications—Status update on Historic Boynton High School (125 E. Ocean Ave.) Special Category Grant - NOT AWARDED, and Boynton School/School house Children's Museum (129 E. Ocean Ave.) all Matching Grant-AWARDED (no additional back- up provided). Mr. Rumpf announced the City was awarded a grant for maintenance costs for the Schoolhouse Children's Museum, but was not successful in obtaining the Special Category Grant for the Old High School (OHS). A very competitive group from Miami that had many big projects was awarded the grant. He noted the grant of have been a bonus, but when the City started planning for the Town Square, they did not count on receiving the funds. C. Historic plaques for designated properties — Status of establishing a marker program (see accompanying combined staff report for update). Mr. Rumpf explained Mr. Tidwell gave him another name to contact in reference to plaques for designated properties. He contacted Tilden Manufacturing Inc., a maker of bronze plaques that Palm each County uses for its preservation program. He had not updated all of Mr. Adams costs, but they had costs from Erie Landmark who supplies West Palm each with their plaques. He contacted Lake Worth and obtained information on Franklin Bronze. Cerametallics was the oddball option, manufacturing non-bronze plaques. Mr. Rumpf noted the plaques are about the same size of 6' to 10'. The costs varied, but he did not investigate why, nor did he research alternative materials. Discussion followed regarding concerns out how bronze weathers and that bronze was more likely to be stolen than a polymer-based plaque. Dr. Pedersen had given the information about Cerametallics, the 3-D company that made the polymer plaques, to Mr. Adams and later in the meeting gave information about Cerametallics' parent company to Mr. Rumpf. Mr. Rumpf thought the cost, per unit of be about $150 to $200. Cerametallics was the cheapest at about $50 each. Ms. Oyer suggested contacting Irene Revelas at Hack Lab and she gave him her number. Mr. Rumpf agreed to contact her if the final product looked good and was of good quality. Chair Ready supported the polymer plaque and had approached the Historical Society to see if they were interested in subsidizing the plaques, but they needed to know what the Board selected and the cost. She thought they would help pay for some of the as the Board did not have a budget. The more the Board could reduce the cost, the better. She also thought people who own historic properties may be willing to pay for the plaque. Mr. Rumpf commented he would try to obtain samples. Chair Ready liked the 6" by 10" size. The sample from Palm each was 6" by 8" and West Palm Beach's was 10" by 7". 4 Meeting iuts Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 9, 2018 The members discussed where to place the plaques. Mr. Tidwell had seen acrylic signs in Venice, which did not detract from the structure, but was still noticeable. He had not seen the plaques used in Lake Worth or Palm Beach, but he was aware the markers were all on the buildings next to the door. Some homeowners, if they have a wall or a gate, mount the plaque there, but normally they are on the house. Mr. Bonnell thought the homeowner would pay for the marker as they would recoup the cost at resale and it helps increase the value of the home. Mr. Feldman commented he would want a marker on his home next to his door. Mr. Tidwell commented the Palm Beach County Civic Association is giving the plaques to houses they like. They are all the same and it just contains their address. It fools the eye to people that do not know about historic markers. The Board had previously discussed if they wanted a standardized marker or if they would include the date the structure was built. Ms. Oyer had brought up blue and white or black and white plaques used in Europebecause they are just printed metal plaques, which would keep the cost down if they wanted to individualize the plaque versus a standard. The Board had also discussed whether they would use the City Seal or the ribbon design to match the ribbon architectural features on the high school. If cast metal is used, the Board could have a blank area on the plaque sent out for engraving if the Board wanted o include additional information or the Board could make the seal smaller to add the address and the date on the smooth area. The Palm Beach County markers are similar. One side of the marker says "Est." and the other side contains the actual date. It was also noted more significant structures have a bigger plaque with more information. Of all the homes, except for one has the subject plaque which is for the owner offering a sense of pride. Larger buildings such as Town Hall or Bethesda have a bigger plaque. Ms. Oyer thought the Board should consider a marker with the word "Est." and the date, which anyone could get for their home and have a plaque indicating why it was significant or facts the Board could select. Mr. Tidwell agreed it would be more like the historic marker Ms. Naughton had discussed for significant structures such as theWoman's Club. The embers viewed a picture of the plaques. Ms. Oyer liked the clear plaque and then for things the Board liked and decided were significant, they could include additional facts on second marker. Ms. Oyer favored atwo-plaque system: one for the Board to pick in clear so the Board can explain why it is of significance and then have a plaque the owner or the historical society could pay for or partially pay. Mr. Tidwell would find the photos. Mr. Feldman explained T. A. Ward lived in his home a long time ago and he had the first grocery store in Boynton Beach, he was also a volunteer firefighter. Every snippet of history would be cool for people walking down the street to see while learning alittle bit of history, increasing pride in the town. Chair Ready commented the City already has that with GPS and markers with QR Codes. Dr. Pedersen commented the markers are starting to look decrepit and the QR codes are gone. Mr. Rumpf explained he had a beat up marker in his office. The marker was damaged and taken off its post. Ms. Oyer asked if anyone would step up and fund the item whether putting a clear coat on the marker or a plexi-glass affixed to the marker with sunscreen to Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 9, 2018 protect the QR Codes. She did not think the work would qualify for grants, but someone or some business may sponsor or pay for them. Chair Ready commented most of them were in the Town Square and she thought maybe they would consider doing so as the cost was small compared to the price of the project. Mr. Feldman suggested having a combination of the two styles of plaques including additional brief information on a material that will not be faded by the sun and below it, a smaller piece with a QR code. They could replace the QR codes later, and have the bigger text engraved with some type of 3-D printing. Ms. Oyer commented the QR code was supposed to be replaced, every few years, but it fell by the wayside when Mr. Adams left. Mr. Tidwell commented the plaques are still a work in progress and the Board was narrowing information down to a smaller and more informational version. Chair Ready recommended everyone conduct research, submit drawings and the Board could compare and put something together. Chair Ready liked the 6" by 10" plaques because it could accommodate more information. She requested all research the issue and return to the next meeting with ideas. Mr. Bonnell inquired if the Board could indicate to homeowners what was available to them and the homeowner pay for the marker. Mr. Rumpf explained in Lake Worth, the property owner pays for their marker. Chair Ready explained there is a procedure in place for people to apply for a historic home designation and she suggested sending Mr. Bonnell the link. The blurb would say what was cool about the house,which was separate from Historic Designation. D. Original street name signage — Recognition of original street names through adding name plates to existing signage, and options and costs (see accompanying combined staff report for update). Mr. Rumpf explained there was past discussion on this its to add original street names to the signs on the street, concentrating on the Town Square blocks. He did not find a photograph of what he thought would work best, but he suggested taking the original platted name and placing the name underneath the street name, in perhaps a different material and size. The sign could be center-mounted over a stop sign rather than on its end. He included images of contrasting original names. One staff member was concerned it may be confusing to see the street sign overhead. After speaking with Jeff Livergood, Public Works Director, and Andrew Mack, Development Director, who had differing opinions, they recalled what was done on MLK Jr. Boulevard as an option, which was not included on a street sign to reduce confusion. Mr. Rumpf thought it would work well for an isolated street, but not if it was on multiple streets. The cost is minimal and Mr. Livergood indicated it was not uncommon to turn over the poles and street signs on a regular basis so he did not recommend Mr. Rumpf include the cost, as the plates are inexpensive. The members deliberated which signs they favored and after some discussion, there was agreement the members favored the green ands ller brown sign underneath which was typically used. 6 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton Beach, Florida April 9, 2018 ININNEENNINNEEMOM There was discussion where to locate the signs is were proposed at Woolbright Road, Boynton each Boulevard, and Ocean Avenue where they intersect with US 1, but not on the cross streets Mr. Wilson noted there are stacked street signs with four plates: two in one direction and two in the other. Mr. Tidwell also recalled seeing a street name in the main road and in the crosswalk on the ground. It was an inlay and Palm each had it downtown with raised stone and engraved letters. Dr. Pedersen pointed out they have one west of Publix's. There is a double name street, NW 31st Terrace and it says Collins Lane underneath. It was believed Mr. Collins was a police officer. The Board had talked about this issue for three or four years. It was important for the Board to have some way to differentiate the names and the City recognize its history as Boynton is one of the older original cities. Mr. Tidwell inquired how the Board wanted people to enjoy the atmosphere and inlays can create a different tactility and an older feeling. Mr. Bonnell inquired if there was any information on how the City handled street signs before FDOT. He noted Key West has the old street names painted on the curb. There was consensus the Board would use the green sign with the smaller brown sign and the word "Historic". Mr. Feldman thought it might be interesting when the Town Square is in its the final phase, to come back and decide where to put an inlay or a raised concrete piece to draw attention to various areas of historical elements. E. Conrad Pickel Celebration — Status update for annual event scheduled for Mayl 9th (see accompanying combined staff report for update). Mr. Rumpf explained Ms. Coles-Dobay was working diligently to organize the event and the latest version of the schedule was not final. She wast in to finalize the event quickly so they could begin the advertising. Work was still ongoing on obtaining the bus and other details. Chair Ready liked to see the giant window at the church and had no idea the St. Thomas Church in Delray hada Pickel piece. Her only concern was the timeframe to see each site as they are only allowed 30 minutes to visit some of the further sites. Ms. Oyer commented the tour is starting and ending at the UCC Church as it has two pieces and this tour of be the only chance to see them. 6. New Business: A. Poinciana Elementary School "Rosenwald School" Marker— Discussion on the support for placement of a historic "Rosenwald School" marker (see description of a "Rosenwald School" attached to accompanying combined staff report). This it was heard earlier in the meeting. 7. Other 7 Meeting Minutes Historic Resources Preservation Board Boynton each, Florida April 9, 2018 Brian Bonnell, explained he has been in Boynton each for almost six years. He is on active duty in the Army and he would be off active duty in a few months. He was unsure what he would do after that, although he would stay in the area. His wife is a construction engineer with DPR Construction building hospitals. She was now working in Pompano Beach. He was a history major in college, and he has been trying to attend City Commission meetings and get more involved. He saw an opportunity to be involved with the Board and expressed he was happy to be here. 8. Comments by members Chair Ready announced next Monday at 6:30 p.m., at the Presbyterian Church on 6th Avenue, there will be a program about African American history. The Annual Historical Society of Luck Dinner will be held on May 6th,also at the Presbyterian Church at 5 p.m. if bringing a covered dish, it is free, but if not, it is $10. She noted there was a good article in the Coastal Star about the Town Square. Ms. Oyer announced the Sister Cities Annual Art Award will be presented on Friday, April 13th, at 6 p.m. by the Christ Fellowship Church at the Boynton each all. All are welcome to attend. Last year, a student from Boynton each won the local competition and won on the international level. He will be present when they give out the awards. She noted there were two winners from Boynton each at the international level and there is the possibility they will dine at the East West Bistro afterwards. Ms. Oyer thought all the advisory boards should be invited. Mr. Wilson asked about any updates on the Andrews Home, noting The Villages project was moving through Planning and Development, and the project includes the Andrews home. Mr. Ru explained the plan does not show the home replaced. There was discussion about relocating it for an alternative use such as office space. Mr. of advised if retained, the building will remain an office use. Chair Ready inquired if the home could be moved to the CRA Cottage district and learned it could if someone wanted to pay for it. 9. Public comments 10. Announce date of next meeting — June 11, 2018 11. Adjournment There in no further business to discuss, Chair Ready properly adjourned the meeting at 7:32 p.m. Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 8