Minutes: Historic Preservation: July 2007

Evansville Historic Preservation Commission
Minutes
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 7:00 P.M.
3rd Floor, City Hall

Present: Steve Culbertson, Rich Modaff, Dennis Wessels, John Decker, Steve Christens,
Betsy Ahner Absent:

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by chair Rich Modaff. Motion by Steve Culbertson, second by Dennis Wessels to waive the reading of the June 25, 2007 minutes and approve them as read. Motion carried. Chair Modaff noted that Susan Finque has stepped down from the commission.

Applications – Appearances

309 W. Main Street – Gallagher garage roof. The owners would like to replace the current roof with a standard pro rib steel roof in white. Motion by John Decker to approve the application. Second by Steve Culbertson. Motion carried.

At this point Steve Christens joined the meeting.

137 East Main Street – Lisa and Mathias James explained the roof needs immediate replacement and they are planning on restoring the 2 bedroom upstairs apartment and rear windows. The false face also needs repair as it is rotting. In the long term the downstairs may be their gallery, in the short term it may be rented out. Motion by Dennis Wessels to approve the application. Second by Steve Christens. Motion carried.

23 N. First Street – the Kathers explained they would like to shorten a back window to allow room for a kitchen counter and they will replace a casement window with a more appropriate window. They also plan to restore the front pouch. Motion to approve by Steve Culbertson. Second by Dennis Wessels. Motion carried.

Administrative

Budget – commission members agreed it was reasonable to submit the same budget request as the past three years.

WAHPC Fall Convention – John Decker displayed a copy of the newsletter announcing the meeting. He is working with the chamber of commerce on publicity. On the night of the 20th Susan has agreed to do her play. Help will be needed on Saturday with the buffet breakfast. We are also looking for hosts for the trolley tour/house tour.

Bricks on Main Street – the bids came in below the estimates of the engineers and below the budget on utility work. The question now is should we still quit with the bricks at Maple Street or should they go down to Railroad Street? The net increase for the extra block is $70,000 and even with this expense the project will still be under budget. In addition Chris Eager has resumed his private fundraising. A decision needs to be made in the next week. If we don’t do it now we will have excess bricks but it won’t be practical to put in asphalt and tear it up in the future to lay the bricks. Motion by John Decker to urge the Common Council to continue the brick to Railroad Street. Second by Dennis Wessels. Motion carried.

The lampposts on Main Street are being replaced with new ones to match Union Street. It has been suggested that the old ones be installed on West Main Street, Church and Garfield Streets. Commission members thought it might be possible to ask the high school shop classes to refinish the exterior of the poles.

Grove Society – the 4th of July open house was a success with approximately 100 visitors. A new back door and window have been purchased with the money contributed by the HPC. The wall dividing the west side of the building has been removed because of dry rot. It will be reconstructed later. John Decker and Steve Culbertson were thanked for all their hard work in the building and organizing of the event.

Redevelopment Authority – no one has asked for funds lately and there are no new projects to report. The committee has considered the policy question, “ should property owners have their projects approved by the HPC as a condition of receiving TIF money?” As a result they will use the HPC Guidelines for Commercial Buildings in the Historic District.

Easement Form – the form has been amended to allow homeowners outside of the historic district to request local landmark status. This will allow them to sign an easement for their property. Motion by Betsy Ahner to approve the use of the easement form. Second by Dennis Wessels. Motion carried.

Plaque Program – it would be nice to make a plaque presentation at the WAHPC Convention.

Other Business

The City is planning to add more forms and documents to its website. This includes the Exterior Rehabilitation Guidelines, design guidelines, and commercial guidelines. John has also added links to several good websites to the list.

Comments: we need to submit a letter of intent to file for money for the Standpipe project.

Motion by Dennis Wessels to adjourn. Second by John Decker. Motion carried.