Historic Preservation Commission

Edwardsville Historic Preservation Commission February Meeting Minutes Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2019 Time: 7pm Place: Council Chambers, City of Edwardsville City Hall, 118 Hillsboro Avenue, Edwardsville, IL 62025 I. CALL TO ORDER Commission Chairman Jennifer Wilkins called the meeting to order at 7pm. II. ROLL CALL Present: Joe Hutton, Kurt Ackerman, Ryan Downey, Tom May, Kerry Smith and Jennifer Wilkins (excused absences: Jeanne Coyle, Bob Nickrent, Andrew Payne, Casey Weeks) III. CITIZENS WISHING TO ADDRESS HPC 1. Karen Zimmerman (6633 Fox View Drive) – proposed that HPC and/or the City of Edwardsville reference the list of contributing properties along North Main Street to see which ones are subject to demolition. Zimmerman said that at this time, the historical district and TIF district overlap, making it difficult to group them for future development. This list of properties hasn’t been updated in 10 years, she added, suggesting that it be updated. IV. COA DESIGN REVIEW a. COA #1: 108 North Main Street. Application for new awning. Proposed Metro Hair awning. Business owner is Dawn Wiser. Cover material is canvas (100% dyed acrylic), frame is aluminum. Action: Motion to accept made by Tom May, seconded by Joe Hutton. Unanimous approval to approve COA #1. b. COA #2: 228 North Main Street. Property owner is EGG Development, LLC. Proposal is to remove paint from the building. Matt Pfund spoke and had industry experts available in person and on speaker phone to answer any questions from HPC. Matt had asked to use a vapor-blast…comments from HPC’s January meeting, Pfund said, were that he could remove paint but from Florida – Corey Lamonte, technical specialist with Graco and Michael Wise, 2 technical specialists with Graco, and Michael Beasley with Sherwin Williams, technical coating rep. In audience is Brock Spindler, local Sherwin Williams rep, and Corey Elliot with Midwest Service group (abatement contractor). Matt’s brother, Cory Pfund, has been removing coatings for 26 years in Edwardsville. Matt is proposing the same removal process as what he did on the side of this historic building (a low-pressure, abrasive technique with a machine pressure range between 25 and 50 pounds per square inch (the equivalent of a garden hose, pressure-wise). Abrasive on this building is proposed to be glass beads. HPC asked Matt Pfund what the anticipated percentage paint removal would be (all the way down to the brick?) Matt said it depends. Cornice work on front of building would be tough to try paint removal (with glass beads). Building has been painted since 1912. Joe Hutton  said painting may be the best option if we can’t remove 100% of the paint (to take it down to the brick). Kurt Ackerman said buildings that were supposed to be brick had a permeable paint that was used to cover them, even back then. This is an 1880s building. If we know that it was painted in 1912, HPC members agreed that it was a fair assumption that this building was meant to be painted. Action: Joe Hutton made motion to accept the proposed manner of paint removal as described in the COA, given that the loose paint is removed only and that the paint that has bled into the brick – or that has bonded in such a way that it would adversely affect the brick to remove it entirely – be limited to the use of these products, and that building would be tuckpointed and repainted, adding to the motion that if the brick is coming clean, someone from HPC should be called upon to physically inspect it. Motion was seconded by Tom May. Roll call vote: All in favor except for a nay vote from Kurt Ackerman. Motion passed to approve COA #2. c. COA #3: 512 North Main Street. Property owners Matt and Kristi Pfund. COA is for the proposed demolition of this apartment building to make way for new building construction, specifically a parking lot. Joe Hutton and Jennifer Wilkins commented that although the human history associated with this structure is profound, structurally it is no longer sound and able to be saved. Tom May suggested that a plaque be created and positioned at the site to reflect the significant history that took place there. Tom May reminded the commission that safety, health and welfare are relevant conditions. Action: Tom May made a motion to accept the COA as submitted (to allow the demolition of the apartment building at 512 North Main Street). Joe Hutton seconded. Roll call vote was all ayes except for two nays, one from Kurt Ackerman and one from Jennifer Wilkins. Motion passed to approve COA (demolition). d. COA #4: 511 North Main Street. Proposed demolition of a commercial building for a parking lot. This is a renewal of an COA approved in 2017. Since there are environmental issues associated with the site, the proposed parking lot is a solution to cap those. Action: Joe Hutton made a motion to accept the COA, Kurt Ackerman seconded. Roll call vote was unanimous in favor of approving the COA. e. COA #5: 1109 Lake Avenue. Owners are Tom and Penny May, and Joe Hutton’s contracting firm, Miller & Maack General Contractors, will be doing the work. Proposal via the COA is to put an addition on back of the house. Wood windows with epoxy coatings. 1 over 1. Steel door. Action: Kurt Ackerman made a motion to accept the COA as presented. Ryan Downey seconded the motion. Tom May and Joe Hutton abstained from voting. Roll call vote was unanimous with four aye votes. f. COA #6: 106 North Main Street. Property owner is EGG Development/Randy Gori. Project is signage. Asking for new signage, painted aluminum attached with anchors and mortar. Action: Joe Hutton made a motion to accept the COA, and Tom May seconded. Roll call vote was unanimous in favor of approving the COA. V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF HPC MEETING in January 2019: Action: Kerry Smith moved to approve, Kurt Ackerman seconded. Unanimous approval. VI. FINANCIAL REPORT – Walt Williams, city liaison to HPC, says we have $2,000 more in HPC’s budget than we did last fiscal year. J VII. CORRESPONDENCE – Per council’s instruction, Walt Williams wrote an atta-boy letter (on behalf of the City of Edwardsville) to Jay Beard, praising him for the exceptional renovation he did on what is now known as The Lodge, the space directly above Sacred Grounds in the 200 block of North Main Street. Walt also referenced a recent Illinois Business Journal story written about Beard’s co-working space project. Tom May agreed that the building stands out as a much more attractive edifice than it was a year ago (particularly the cornices and window frames). Instead of just a flat space, it has some dimension to it now, May said. VIII. COMMITTEE REPORTS a. Atta-boy letters - none b. Historic districts and Landmarks updates - none IX. OLD BUSINESS a. Preservation Awards (Preservation and Design Awards/Awards of Excellence): Jennifer Wilkins led discussion about the HPC’s first-ever annual HPC awards that will recognize excellence and celebrate National Historic Preservation Month in May. Suggested are awards that are intended to recognize properties that have been restored or rehabilitated in keeping with the historic character of Edwardsville and the requirements of the city’s commercial or residential design guidelines. The proposed awards would be given primarily for exterior improvements that can be enjoyed from the public right-of-way; projects should be located in historic districts or should be an individually-listed landmark. In future years, projects outside of designated districts/properties could be considered if the work continues to the historic character of the neighborhood and reflects work that would be appropriate under the design guidelines as if the work required a COA; projects should be fully complete to be considered for an award; projects much have been completed within the past 3-5 years to be considered; buildings considered must be at least 50 years old. In future years, new construction projects (and/or additions) may receive an award for contextual new design in historic districts or neighborhoods; categories for award include commercial, residential and new construction. HPS may award any number of awards in each category every year. Jennifer Wilkins, Ryan Downey and Bob Nickrent worked on this project. Suggested that we award one per category. Action: Prior to the next regular HPC meeting on March 13, each member of HPC is asked to search around town, photograph potential award recipient projects, add a brief back story and email these to Jennifer Wilkins. Suggested additional category called Attention to Detail. Walt will check into costs and lead times of award plaques. b. HPC Calendar: Stay tuned for updates later. X. NEW BUSINESS – none XI. ADJOURNMENT: Our next regular HPC meeting is March 13, 2019. Meeting adjourned at 8:28pm. Joe Hutton motioned, Tom May seconded. Minutes respectfully recorded and submitted by Kerry Smith