Historic Preservation Commission

Edwardsville Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes May 11, 2016 I. CALL TO ORDER ~ Casey called the meeting to order at 7pm II. ROLL CALL: Kurt Ackerman, Debbie Caulk, Joe Hutton, Cara Lane, Tom May, Bob Nickrent, Andrew Payne, Casey Weeks, and Kathryn Biarkis. Also Present: Alderman William Krause, Walter Williams, and Clerk/Collector Dennis McCracken. Absent: Jennifer Wilkins, Elizabeth Edwards, Cheryl Jett, and Cindy Reinhardt. III. CLERK/COLLECTOR DENNIS MCCRACKEN REVIEWS ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER a. Agendas ~ we are timely in meeting the state’s 48 hour notice b. Minutes ~ add the number of people who said aye; also include the time that the meeting adjourns c. Role of Chairman ~ It is Mr. McCracken’s interpretation that the chairperson is allowed to vote d. Role of Vice-Chairman ~ To be the chairman in the absence of the regular position e. Need for Chairman pro tem ~ may not be necessary for our purposes f. Quorums ~ 5 with 9 voting members; g. Open Meeting certification ~ On the IL Attorney General’s site there is an educational webinar that covers our rules; there is no expiration for this—it’s “a one-time” deal. Once members are certified, they are covered for their lifetime. h. Motions and roll calls ~ we are following procedure on this; Mr. McCracken does recommend that we do a roll call vote to document the votes accurately. The motion may be amended at any time before the final vote. Discussion ensued regarding the correct verbage to suggest discussions for COAs. i. Statement of economic interest ~ The deputy clerk should send out a roster. The associate members will not receive one of these statements, but Cara will (she was left off the general list last time, but that has been corrected). This is moving to an online platform. j. Minutes Overall Mr. McCracken was very complimentary of our procedures and administrative IV. CITIZENS WISHING TO ADDRESS HPC V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF HPC MEETING in April ~ Bob motioned for approval; Tom 2nd; motion approved VI. FINANCIAL REPORT – Landmark plaques $1,000; Casey reported and Walt confirmed that we have a $2,000 budget after cuts were made. Joe Weber will be sending an invoice for the recent landmark plaques. Walt says that Joe will be sending that within the week. Walt will be overseeing the COA process postcard and the money will be taken from other areas in the economic budget, and there are plans to send the postcards in both the spring and the fall. VII. CORRESPONDENCE ~ Casey reported that these dues run about $200. We will vote on this next month. VIII. NOMINATION FOR COMMISSION Chair ~ Tom made a motion to discuss Jennifer Wilkins for chair, 2nd by Cara; Tom shared that he has been in contact with Jennifer and that she was interested with the concern that daytime meetings might be an issue. Tom indicated that he would be willing to cover. Tom made a motion to recommend Jennifer as co-chair with Casey Weeks for the remainder of the year (April 2017). Bob 2nd; All in favor: Ackerman, Caul, Hutton, Lane, May, Nickrent, Payne, Weeks; motion passed IX. COMMITTEE REPORTS a. Route 66 – June 10 and 11. Covered times: Friday 5 p.m. – dusk – Kathryn Biarkis (she’ll come after work around 5:30); Saturday 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Jennifer Wilkins, 1-3 p.m. Mike Reinhardt, We are still in need of people between 3 p.m. and dusk on Saturday. Bob can set up the easels and take them down and get them back by the following Monday. b. Archi Room update ~ No programing in the summer c. Attaboy letters ~ Bob is in need of the letter template, so Walt will send it. Bob is going to follow up with COA fulfillments d. Historic Districts and Landmarks updates i. Stephenson House ~ None at this time ii. Brick Streets ~ None at this time iii. Downtown ~ They have started work on the Metcalf Building. The Main Street clock repair has also been approved in the budget. iv. Leclaire ~ There will be a replacement of the Leclaire ballfield sign and new sidewalks that are currently a trip hazard. There has been a Leclaire Lake area clean-up day and more flowers have been planted. e. St. Louis Street ~ The gate that has been put in on St. Louis St. appears to be non-compliant with what HPC approved on their COA; Walt will investigate the newly installed gate tomorrow. X. Amendment to Design guidelines regarding removal of paint and cleaning a. Discuss proper methods to removing paint and cleaning of historic structures. i. Casey asked Joe to address this issue. Joe commented about the vast variables that affect removing paint, particularly from large commercial buildings. Joe did comment that Peel-Away and the like products are what should be used because they will not damage the structure. Joe did comment that abrasive paint-removal methods tend to be cheaper, which may lead to a higher popularity for this method—which is not recommended. ii. Casey asked if the following language (see below items b. and c.) should be added to our guidelines. Discussion ensued regarding how appropriate this issue is to the Historic Preservation of any building/structure. iii. Walt recommended that a professional come in and do a recorded meeting so that we could refer back to the information. Casey recommended that we do it as a workshop. It was also suggested that we could address this issue at a time earlier that the regularly scheduled HPC meeting. This will be moved to committee so that something can be planned. Walt will be joining the committee on this as well. Joe recommended a professional to be hired in this matter, Andy Kohler. b. New language: What is abrasive cleaning and paint removal? Abrasive methods include all techniques that physically abrade the building surface to remove soils, discolorations, coatings, or paint. Such techniques involve the use of certain materials which impact or abrade the surface under pressure, or abrasive tools and equipment. Sand, because it is readily available, is probably the most commonly used type of grit material. However, any of the following materials may be substituted for sand, and all can be classified as abrasive substances: ground slag or volcanic ash, crushed (pulverized) walnut or almond shells, rice husks, ground corncobs, ground coconut shells, crushed eggshells, silica flour, synthetic particles, glass beads, and micro-balloons. Even water under pressure can be an abrasive substance. Tools and equipment that are abrasive to historic building materials include wire brushes, rotary wheels, power sanding disks and belt sanders. c. Problems of Abrasive Cleaning – An abrasively cleaned historic structure may be physically as well as aesthetically damaged. Abrasive methods “clean” by eroding dirt or paint, but at the same time they also tend to erode the surface of the building material. In this way, abrasive cleaning is destructive and causes irreversible harm to the historic building fabric. If the fabric is brick, abrasive methods remove the hard, outer protective surface, and therefore make the brick more susceptible to rapid weathering and deterioration. Grit blasting may also increase the water permeability of a brick wall. The impact of the grit particles tends to erode the bond between the mortar and the brick, leaving cracks or enlarging existing cracks where water can enter. Some types of stone develop a protective patina or “quarry crust” parallel to the worked surface, which also may be damaged by abrasive cleaning. The rate at which the material subsequently weathers depends on the quality of the inner surface that is exposed. XI. OLD BUSINESS ~ None at this time XII. NEW BUSINESS- a. We will need someone to take notes for the June and July meetings, since Cara will be absent ~ Debbie will do it in July and Andrew will do it in June b. Walt shared that there was a home on St. Louis Street that wanted solar panels. With new laws being passed on solar panel restrictions, the city will be reviewing these requests. c. Walt shared that one of the fences that was approved was in violation of the ordinance and will either have to be approved or there will be something on top of the points. d. Walt discussed the 301/303 Main St. building that is wanting to add a porch. Walt wants our feedback regarding this activity. There will be a COA for the fence—the design appears to fulfill the guidelines. HPC requests that there should also be a COA for the stairs and the screen for the porch. e. Walt did reach out to the 901 Holyoake. There will be a porch, windows, and doors (fiberglass with a half-moon; right now it’s a solid door—he is adding a side door) f. 1215 Troy Road ~ Stop Work Order (April 2016), but then a COA was filled out for windows that were non-original. Alderman Krause spoke about the administrative aspect of cross-referencing the building and its materials. Mr. Krause’s does not recommend that HPC fine the individual at this time. For future cross-referencing purposes, the database should be used. Further, Mr. Krause added that from his perspective that working with the owners is the best route so that the problem itself is fixed in order to add value to the mission of HPC. Prior to the presentation of the COA next month, it is recommended that the applicant be informed of examples of doors that would fulfill the requirements. g. Casey recommended that, for now, any work be presented to the standing commission. This will be on the agenda for next month. XIII. ADJOURNEMENT: a. Kurt made a motion to adjourn, Bob 2nd; All in favor, Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m. b. NEXT MEETING IS Wednesday, June 8, 2016