Historic Preservation Commission

Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes July 13, 2023 This meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was held at the Parks, Recreation & Tourism (PRT) Office at 1224 Progressive Drive on July 13, 2023. Vice Chairperson Wallace called the meeting to order at 5:03 PM. ANNOUNCEMENTS None. Members Present: Ms. Amelia Wallace; Dr. George Reed; Mr. Ernest Lowery; Mr. James Ervin Young; Mr. Gerald Martin. Members Absent: Ms. Jennifer Knight; Mr. Kyle Taduran Staff Present: Planner II Kevin Finn; Historical Services Office Specialist Kimberly Putland; Historical Services Manager Jessica Cosmas; Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Director Mike Barber. Ms. Cosmas called the roll. Attendance reflected a quorum with 5 voting members present, and 2 voting members absent. MINUTES: Approval of Meeting Minutes: Vice Chairperson Wallace asked if there were any corrections to the June minutes as presented. There were no corrections. The minutes stand approved. HEARING OF CITIZENS: None. REPORTS: A. Staff Reports: I. Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp a. On June 15, staff met with the Cornland School Foundation to discuss exhibition designs. Number, type, and placement of interpretive panels were decided as well as what furnishings may need to be collected. Foundation is currently working on defining content for the panels. i. Chairperson Wallace inquired about procuring artifacts for the museum and if the list of desired artifacts is public. ii. Dr. Reed answered that potentially six desks may be donated by Cornland foundation members. The foundation is conducting research to source additional artifacts that would be appropriate for the school museum. b. Vendor submitted updated plan and fee schedule for the bat mitigation at the Superintendent’s House on June 16. The proposal was submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), the current property owners, for comment on June 20. The next meeting with ACOE is scheduled for Monday, July 17.  c. The consultant hired to compile the Environmental Review report (ERR)’s submitted a final draft on June 21. The consultant determined that the Village project will have no significant impact on the environment. The ERR was submitted to state and federal HUD staff on June 23. i. State HUD staff requested public notice procedure be executed. A public notice stating, “finding of no significant impact” and the City’s intention to “request federal funds” was published in The Virginian-Pilot on Sunday, July 9. ii. The public may submit comments directly to staff until July 24 and/or speak at a public hearing during a City Council meeting on July 25. Once comments are closed at the city level on the 25th, state HUD officials may receive comments until August 9. iii. Once comments are closed at the state level, federal HUD officials may furnish their approval and funds can be wired to the city. d. Bid documents for the rehabilitation of the Cornland School and the regrading of the area around it were submitted to the Procurement Office on June 22. As of July 12, the package is under review at the City Attorney’s Office. II. Earthwork Fort at Jolliff Road. a. As of June 9, the City now owns the parcel containing the earthen fort near Jolliff Road that is believed to have been built during the Civil War. VDOT transferred 4.82 acres to the City with the intention to create a public park featuring the fort structure. b. As part of the transfer of the property from VDOT to the City, the City agrees to conduct a Phase I archaeological survey. The City has contracted the survey out to Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc (JMT). Lauren Gryctko is the archaeologist who has been assigned as JMT’s project lead. c. On June 29, the City submitted proposed scope of work for the survey to DHR for their review. They are expected to submit their comments and approve the plan by the end of August. Once DHR has accepted the proposal, then a survey can be scheduled. d. On July 12, the City met with project lead Lauren Gryctko at the fort so she may be familiarized with the site. III. Improvements at Elizabeth River Park. On July 3, four new interpretive panels were installed on the site. Panels include images and text related to the original Jordan Bridge connecting South Norfolk to Portsmouth. Additional enhancements are planned, to include artifacts on display at the park. IV. July Social Media Campaign Staff shared that the social media campaign for the month explores the history of popular city parks in conjunction with July being National Parks and Recreation Month. The parks featured are Northwest River, Oak Grove Lake, Indian River, and Bells Mill Parks. V. Arboretum Overlay/Williamson Farmhouse Text Amendment Kevin Finn shared that the text amendment was approved by the Planning Commission on June 14. It is scheduled to be considered by City Council during their July 18 meeting. VI. HARB South Norfolk Design Guidelines Consultants toured the district with City staff on June 29. The consultant group will soon begin meeting with stakeholder groups regarding the guidelines. Staff also requested the commission consider sharing their thoughts about the design guidelines during the regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, August 10. 2 UNFINISHED BUSINESS: A. PLN-REZ-2022-015, Proposed Rezoning at 4168 S. Military Highway (includes parcels within Sunray Agricultural Historic District) The City Council’s review of this application has been scheduled for their July 18 meeting. B. Historic Preservation Video Series Chairperson Taduran provided an update via e-mail about his contribution to the series. He has gained access to the City’s mapping software so that he can create a new map that shows the evolution of the subdivisions/boroughs/planning areas of the city. He has also met with Kay Zeigler at the Wallace Room to discuss what historic maps he may use for this project. HEARING OF BOARD MEMBERS: None. NEW BUSINESS: None. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 5:47 PM. NEXT MEETING: The next meeting will be on Thursday, August 10, 2023, at 5:00 PM at PRT Office at 1224 Progressive Drive. Minutes submitted by Jessica Cosmas, Secretary. 3