Russellville Historic District Commission

RUSSELLVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES Council Chamber City Hall – Thursday, July 22, 2021 6:00PM Commissioners Present: Betsy McGuire - Chair Leo Cantu - Vice Chair Judy Galloway – Secretary Suzanne Alford Polly Hardin Beverly Hooten Nathan George Commissioners Absent: Steve Newby, Greg Barborek City Council Liaison Absent: Phyllis Carruth Staff Present: Victoria Marchant - Historic Preservation Officer and Planner 1 Advisors Present: Sara Jondahl - City Planner Liaisons Absent: Danielle Housenick - MSR Director, Trey Smith - City Attorney, T. Kirt Sloan - Fire Chief, Richard Setian - Deputy Building Official Call to Order, Roll Call & Welcome: Ms. McGuire called the July 22, 2021 meeting of the Russellville Historic District Commission to order at 6:01PM. The roll was called and a quorum was established. Approval of Minutes: Ms. McGuire asked if everyone had read the minutes of the May 27, 2021 meeting. Ms. McGuire noted a misspelled word on page 2, paragraph 2. This error was corrected. Ms. Hooten made the motion to approve with the correction and Ms. Hardin made the second. The motion passed by a voice vote. Agenda: The first item on the agenda was a discussion of the graffiti on the common wall on the north side of John Paul Davis' building at 203 N. Commerce Avenue and the recommendations made by Hannah Ratzlaff, Exterior Design Consultant with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program. The commission will be reviewing a COA for the remediation of the graffiti at the meeting in August. There are also small areas of graffiti on the rear west wall of 209 N. Commerce, the east rear wall of 312 West "B" Street and the rear of 311 West "C" Street. Painted areas with graffiti can be repainted as a part of regular maintenance. Unpainted buildings with graffiti would need to use an appropriate product for removal. Breathable graffiti control can also be considered. The City of Russellville has Ordinance 1865 addresses graffiti and the responsibility of the owner to restore the property to an approved state of maintenance and repair. Cameras and motion-activated lighting were brought up in the discussion. Graffiti needs to be addressed immediately to discourage the perpetrators. RUSSELLVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Meeting July 22, 2021 Page 2 The second agenda item was discussion of revised guidelines for paint colors in historic districts. Ms. Galloway presented her suggestions. Ms. McGuire pointed out that the guidelines were very similar to the current guidelines only were more specific. There was some discussion, but no vote was taken. The north upper wall of the Jackalope building was the next item for discussion. The applicant cleaned the brick and it matched the brick on the front of the building. The wall has now been covered with some sort of sealant to prevent water penetration. It is unknown whether or not the sealant is breathable. The building owner did not consult with the commission and has performed work that was not approved. There is an upcoming virtual short course presented by the NACP on August 24th and 25th for commission training. Ms. Jondahl was asked if we had money to pay for the course for commissioners. She indicated that the commission has no money. Ms. McGuire will check and see if grant money is available from AHPP CLG grants. There was the suggestion that the City might give the commission the money for the training ($440 for all 9 commissioners and 2 staff). Mr. Cantu said that he had spoken to the Mayor and Mayor Harris indicated that the City could provide operating some money for the commission. Prior to this meeting, Mr. Newby had asked Ms. McGuire if the commission needed to have a walkabout to review the downtown properties that members review. Should it be during a meeting time or another time? Should we wait until the weather cools? The consensus was that October would be a good month. The walkabout would be advertised and interested parties invited. Parking in the Downtown Historic District was discussed. Ms. Galloway noted that during her drives downtown that there seemed to be plenty of parking. There would be more parking if business owners did not park in front of their businesses. Revised Design Guidelines were discussed. Ms. Galloway failed to send out the document to commissioners with the information for this meeting. The revision will be sent out tomorrow. Everyone was asked to review and make suggestion. Ms. McGuire noted some misspellings of names of people whose quotes appeared in the document. She will email those revisions to commissioners. Ms. Galloway again pointed out that the design guidelines do not have to be approved by the City Council. Ordinance 2023, Section 2: Commission Powers (a) gives the commission the power to adopt design guidelines based on the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and adapted specifically to Russellville's Historic Districts. Unfinished Business: Ms. Jondahl gave a report on the revised milestone approved by Catherine Barrier of AHPP. Terracon must have the Draft survey forms to the City of Russellville and to Travis Ratermann, AHPP Survey Historian, by July 30, 2021. This is a hard and fast deadline and no more time will be allowed. Mr. George gave a report on the progress of the brochure and letter to property owners. He has sent all of the information to a graphic designer who is doing the work pro bono and hopes to have the final letter and brochure to the commission by next month's meeting. It is important for the commission to have a professional looking document for business and property owners. Ms. Jondahl reported on the downtown streetscape. Everything is on hold while City Corp applies for an EDA grant to help finance the work. It will most likely be 2022 before the commission has anything to review. Ms. McGuire gave a short report on the progress with Latimore Tourist Home and handed out buttons and an information sheet on history, design, leadership and goals. The Board of FOTLTH is seeking local donations totaling $50.000 for relocating the home to a new site. Tee shirts are available for purchase to help raise some of the money RUSSELLVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Meeting July 22, 2021 Page 3 New Business: There was no new business. Adjournment: Mr. George made the motion to adjourn at 7:20PM and Ms. Alford made the second. The motion was approved by a voice vote. Betsy McGuire - Chair Date