Historic District Commission

HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Council Chambers, City Hall 70 Maple Street Manistee, MI 49660 MEETING MINUTES July 9, 2009 A Meeting of the Manistee City Historic District Commission was held on Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 70 Maple Street, Manistee, Michigan. Meeting was called to order at 3:04 p.m. by Chair Kracht. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Dave Carlson, Teena Kracht, Nathaniel Neider, John Perschbacher Members Absent: Maria DeRee (excused), T. Eftaxiadis (excused), Vacancy Others: Elbert Purdom (369 River Street), Travis Alden (Main Street/DDA Director), Jon Rose (Community Development), Steve Harold (Manistee County Historical Museum) and Denise Blakeslee (Planning & Zoning) APPROVAL OF AGENDA: MOTION by Dave Carlson, seconded by John Perschbacher that the Agenda for the July 9, 2009 Meeting be approved. With a voice vote this motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: MOTION by John Perschbacher, seconded by Dave Carlson that the Minutes of the June 4, 2009 Meeting be approved. With a voice vote this motion passed unanimously. Since the applicant for items on the agenda was not present, the Commission allowed Elbert Purdom - Big Bear Investments, 369 River Street asked to speak to the Commission about his project. City of Manistee Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes of July 9, 2009 Page 2 The demolition to the front of the building has been completed and arches above the lower cornice were revealed. Mr Purdom and Steve Harold discussed including the arches in the renovation of the front elevation of the Building. The Architect has done drawings including the arches for the members to review and the Contractor said there would be no increase in cost to incorporate the new elements. Discussion on the request included the following: Commissioner Perschbacher asked if there are any pictures to authenticate that this was originally reveled on the building? He felt that they would have been covered by another element that has since been removed. Steve Harold said that there are no photographs on file at the Museum to authenticate that the arches were originally exposed. He thought that originally there would have been columns and smaller windows on the storefront that would have been removed in the early 1900's. Commissioner Carlson said that this is an emergency situation and that a Special Meeting should be called to allow this project to stay on schedule. He likes the look of the arches and the new plan. Commissioner Neider thought the arches looked great! Chair Kracht said that there may not be any photos to authenticate if the arches were left exposed, you can see that they are original to the building. There is documentation for the building at 435 River Street that the elements that covered the window arches were removed. Incorporating the arches in the renovation does not set a precedence because there is no documentation that they were covered originally and are an architectural feature. The Commission declared this an emergency situation because it is a renovation project where original architectural features were discovered during demolition that would result in a hardship to the owner to wait until the August Meeting. With consensus from the members that a quorum would be available the Chair scheduled a Special Meeting for Monday, July 13, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 70 Maple Street, Manistee, Michigan. NEW BUSINESS: Paula M. Rozmiarek and Jeff Gordon, 347 River Street - Reconstruction/Rehabilitation of store front HDC-2009-14 Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for reconstruction/rehabilitation of storefront as submitted with Application HDC-2009-14. City of Manistee Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes of July 9, 2009 Page 3 The Applicant was not in attendance. The Commission discussed each of the elements of the request and conditions that would be applicable to the request. MOTION by Dave Carlson, seconded by Nathaniel Neider to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness with the following conditions for the reconstruction/rehabilitation of the storefront at 347 River Street as submitted with Application HDC-2009-14 as follows: Remove red planks from exterior, exposing historic store front. Remove cement tiles and expose deck of historic window displays. Reconstruct the window frames and store front matching the historic details found behind the current facade. The Museum Director will oversee the project and if needed refer any issues back to the Commission. Following Historic Preservation Brief #2 - Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings tuck point the bricks on the building front, using lime mortar. If any bricks need to be replaced, original bricks from building will be used. Any paint removed shall be removed following Historic Preservation Brief #1Assessing Cleaning and Water-Repellent Treatments for Historic Masonry Buildings. The Historic District Commission will allow the wood oak trim to be stained and varnished BUT STRONGLY ENCOURAGE use of pigmented finish (paint). Paint Color and Stain Colors to be approved by the Museum Director. With a roll call vote this motion passed 4 to 0. Yes: Carlson, Perschbacher, Neider, Kracht No: None Jeff Gordon and Paula M. Rozmiarek, 411 River Street Reconstruction/Rehabilitation of side and rear of building HDC-2009-15 Application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for reconstruction/rehabilitation of building as submitted with Application HDC-2009-15. The Applicant was not in attendance. The Commission discussed each of the elements of the request and conditions that would be applicable to the request. MOTION by Nathaniel Neider, seconded by Dave Carlson to approve the request for a Certificate of Appropriateness with the following conditions for the reconstruction/rehabilitation of the building at 347 River Street as submitted with Application HDC-2009-15 as follows: City of Manistee Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes of July 9, 2009 Page 4 East Elevation: Remove the cornice from the upper portion of the building and re-seal the roof. Replace any missing bricks with those of similar color and size. Following Historic Preservation Brief #2 - Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings Remove the lower cornice that currently runs along the East side of the Building. The roof will be edged by a pre-painted steel back with either a brown or low-luster copper color. South Elevation: Remove existing deck and deck roof. Rebuild deck to be similar in size, eliminating deck roof with final approval of design by the Museum Director and that the deck be finished with pigmented finish within one year of completion. With a roll call vote this motion passed 4 to 0.. Yes: Neider, Carlson, Perschbacher, Kracht No: None By-Law Update City Council has developed language that will be used by all the City of Manistee Boards and Commissions for absences. This language has been incorporated into the Historic District Commissions By-Laws. MOTION by John Perschbacher, seconded by Dave Carlson that the Historic District Commission amend their By-Laws to reflect the new language relating to absences. With a roll call vote this motion passed 4 to 0.. Yes: Neider, Carlson, Perschbacher, Kracht No: None Travis Alden, Main Street/DDA Director - Update Travis Alden, Main Street DDA Director will give an update on the Activities in the District. The Main Street Design Committee is working on displays that will be placed in vacant storefronts to generate interest in the Downtown and Community Activities. City of Manistee Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes of July 9, 2009 Page 5 Spoke of looking at recycling containers for the district. Showed samples for the Commissions input. OLD BUSINESS Policy #13 Murals The Historic District Commission has been working on developing language for a policy on murals. The Commissioners received a draft of new language that reflects the discussion from their Worksession on June 4, 2009. MOTION by Dave Carlson, seconded by John Perschbacher to adopt Policy #13 Murals. With a roll call vote this motion passed 4 to 0. Yes: Carlson, Neider, Perschbacher, Kracht No: None PUBLIC COMMENTS AND COMMUNICATIONS CONCERNING ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA Commissioner Perschbacher spoke of the Masonic Temple Emblems and the language that was placed in Policy #10. Richard Knechtges Jr. - Said he was in support of the recycling efforts and commended Mr. Alden on his efforts. CORRESPONDENCE R&J Raven Corporation, 225 Cottage Grove S.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan - Letter of introduction & copy of Builder/Architect Magazine, West Mcihgain Edition, June 1998. This firm supplies historical windows and doors. STAFF REPORTS Steve Harold Approved repair and maintenance of the retaining wall at the City Drug building. Approved a change to the painting plan on the Haley Sisters Building. City of Manistee Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes of July 9, 2009 Page 6 Denise Blakeslee Spoke to the Commission about re-scheduling the October Historic District Commission Meeting from October 1, 2009 to October 8, 2009. Both she and Jon Rose will be attending the Michigan Association of Planners Conference. MOTION by Dave Carlson, seconded by Nathaniel Neider to re-schedule the October Historic District Commission meeting from October 1, 2009 to October 8, 2009. With a voice vote this motion passed unanimously. Spoke to the Commission about John Smith’s Building at 435 River Street. The Oak Street entrance that was removed and covered up needs to be addressed. The Commission directed Jon Rose and Steve Harold to contact Mr. Smith and see if he would attend the next meeting of the Historic District Commission for design assistance. The Next regularly scheduled meeting of the Historic District Commission will be on Thursday, August 6, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 70 Maple Street. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION by Dave Carlson, seconded by Nathaniel Neider that the meeting be adjourned. Motion passed unanimously. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 4:57 P.M. MANISTEE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION __________________________________________ Denise J. Blakeslee, Recording Secretary