Minutes: Historic Preservation: May 2007

Evansville Historic Preservation Commission
Minutes
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 7:00 P.M.
3rd Floor, City Hall

Present:, Rich Modaff, Steve Christens, Betsy Ahner, Dennis Wessels, John Decker
Absent: Steve Culbertson, Susan Finque
Others present: Mayor Decker


The meeting was called to order at 7:02 PM by chair Rich Modaff. Motion by John Decker, second by Dennis Wessels to waive the reading of the April 18, 2007 minutes and approve them as read. Motion carried.

Public Hearing: A public hearing on the designation of the historic Baker Office Building located at 15 Antes Drive, Evansville, as a Local Landmark was called to order. John Decker, 143 West Main St., Evansville and president of the Evansville Grove Society stepped up to the podium and explained that because the building has been moved it is no longer eligible to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. (The survey of 2006 identified the Baker Manufacturing Complex as being potentially eligible and this building was a part of that complex.) The intended use of the building when it is finished will be as a visitor’s center and offices for the Grove Society and possibly the chamber of commerce.

The Local Landmark designation will protect the building and may help in getting relief from some Americans with Disability Acts requirements and building codes that would require a change to the small entrance area of the building. There were no comments from the public and no objections to the designation were presented. After a brief discussion and question and answer period a motion was made by Dennis Wessels to designate the Historic Baker Office Building as a Local Landmark. Second by Steve Christens. Motion was passed with John Decker abstaining.

Applications

227 West Main Street – Sandy Spanton was present to describe the work to be done. She has a hydro-pool, which is a swim against resistance pool in her backyard. There are a number of children in her neighborhood and she would like to fence the backyard as a safety precaution. The fence will be 4 feet tall and you will be able to see through it. Motion by Decker to approve the application. Second by Christens. Motion carried with Dennis Wessels abstaining.

309 West Main Street – Gallagher property, an application to replace a fence and to replace a garage roof with a metal roof. Commission members reviewed the information provided but had questions about the work that were not answered in the written application. The property owner was not present. Motion by Christens to table the application until more information could be provided. Second by Decker. Motion carried.

24 E. Main Street – ramp at rear entrance for handicap accessibility and an alternate entrance during street re-construction. The building inspector had told the property owner a building permit was not necessary for the work but the application was submitted for the information of the commission. Photos of the project were distributed.

234 West Liberty – Julio Lima was present to ask for permission to repair stairs leading to a second story entrance and to build a deck. His application was not received by the chair and was not included on the posted meeting notice so action could not be taken. Commission members discussed the proposed work with him and established that the stair repairs needed to be done as soon as possible. It was recommended that he talk to the building inspector who could give permission for emergency repairs. This application will be considered at the June meeting. The chair apologized for not being able to move on the application at this meeting.

Administrative

WAHPC Fall Convention – John Decker explained he is impressed with the people in the organization – they spent 3 to 4 hours meeting here and looking at buildings and proposed meeting sites. Locally we need to provide a presentation by the chair about local activities. The Friday afternoon program will be at UB&T with the evening program/reception at the Eager Building. The Saturday program will be held at the Lutheran Church and they would like the lunch catered by Real Coffee. John will do a morning presentation on the Main Street brick project and we will need to provide breakfast and arrange tours for Saturday afternoon. The trolley is owned by Badger Bus and will cost about $500. They would really like a house walk and Karen and Doug Zweizig are willing to host the group at their barn.

Update on Main Street bricks – we are still waiting to hear on the Department of Commerce application.

Grove Society – Betsy reported that John Decker and Steve Culbertson have been leading work groups on the removal of the ceilings. John explained they are severely water damaged and rotted. The good thing is the millwork is in good condition and is being removed and stored so it can be cleaned and put back in place after the insulation and reconstruction of the walls and ceiling.

Redevelopment – Greg wants to start construction on the Night Owl project on June 1. However neither the RDA nor this commission have given him the go ahead. While he doesn’t need the approval of the HPC to be eligible for RDA funds he does need our approval before he can be issued a building permit. His plan has been in flux so much he hasn’t been able to come with a final plan and budget. It was suggested that if the RDA holds a special meeting for this project that we make it a joint meeting.

Easement – John has discovered that the easement cannot be used to protect trees, as Susan had suggested. However, it can be used to protect a significant site and if that has trees on it, they would be protected. Motion by John Decker to approve the easement form we have been discussing including the revisions suggested by the City Attorney. Second by Dennis Wessels. Motion carried unanimously after the following discussion. John has been reviewing the ordinance and it states that only houses in a historic district or local landmarks can be plaqued. Some of the current plaqued homes are not in a historic district but Mayor Deckers research indicates that in 1977 the City Council passed a master plan that identified 147 local landmarks, some of which were not in the historic district. She has not been able to complete her research on this. It was suggested that the ordinance be reviewed and possibly revised. We now have a process in place to designate local landmarks and it includes publishing once in the newspaper, notifying everyone within 200 feet and holding a public hearing.

Plaque program – it was suggested that we need more info on the tax implications of this before we present it to homeowners. We do not want them to have unrealistic expectations of the results of signing an easement for their property. We can publicize that we are reinvigorating the program and it would be nice to make a plaque presentation at the fall WAHPC meeting.

June meeting agenda should include a review of the nomination for the Evansville Standpipe. Steve Christens suggested that people need to be told it is important for them to attend the meeting so we can move forward on their projects and avoid delays in their plans. We also need to watch more closely the plaqued buildings not in the historic district.

Motion by Christens to adjourn. Second by Dennis Wessels. Motion carried.