Russellville Historic District Commission

RUSSELLVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES Council Chamber City Hall – Thursday, September 22, 2022 6:00PM Commissioners Present: Betsy McGuire, Chair Judy Galloway, Secretary Suzanne Alford Polly Hardin Steve Newby Beverly Hooten Commissioners Absent: Greg Barborek, Nathan George, Leo Cantu City Council Liaison Absent: Rick Harrell 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 The September 22, 2022 meeting was called to order at 6:00pm, the role was called and a quorum was established. Approval of Minutes: Ms. McGuire asked if everyone had read the minutes of the August 8, 2022 meeting. There were some corrections due to typos noted by Ms. Alford and Ms. Hooten. Ms. Alford made the motion to accept the minutes as corrected and Ms. Hooten made the second. The minutes were approved by a voice vote. Agenda: First item on the agenda was review of a COA application for re-pointing the mortar on the north, west and south sides of the W.J. White Building at 318, 320 and 322 West "B" Street by J.P. Leonard. The north side has been repointed and sealed as an emergency measure because of water entry into the building. The west and south sides will be repointed as needed with Type-N mortar in a color to match the original mortar. The HPO, Ms. Marchant, recommended approval of the COA application since it meets specific guidelines in Section 10.6 Brick, Masonry and Sealers in the Russellville Downtown Historic District Guidelines Parts A-I. Original material will be preserved and re-pointing will include only the parts of the brick where repair is needed. Cleaning will be done by hand with a water hose rinse and brush. No chemicals will be used. The west and south walls will not be painted or sealed. The north wall that was previously painted will be repainted in a matching historic color. No stuccoing will be done. The intent of the applicant is to match the width, depth, color, raking profile composition and texture of the original when doing re-pointing. No Portland cement will be used, only Type N mortar mix. Mr. Leonard spoke to his vision for the building and emphasized that he was intent on trying to complete the project correctly and according to the guidelines. He was provided with Preservation Brief 2 on Repointing Mortar Joints in RUSSELLVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Meeting September 22, 2022 Page 2 Historic Masonry Buildings and information on the different types of mortar joints so that he can identify the profile appropriate for his project. Ms. Galloway pointed out that some of the joints on the north side of the building were still missing mortar and that the problem needs to be addressed. HPO Marchant told Mr. Leonard that he is able to get free consulting on technical issues, interior and exterior design services and other services from Main Street Russellville by going through Danielle Housenick, the Russellville Main Street Director. Ms. McGuire noted that he might also be eligible for state and federal tax credits and could speak to Tom Mar at the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program about how to proceed. Mr. Newby made the motion to approve the COA and Ms. Hardin made the second. The motion was approved by a voice vote. Unfinished Business: The first item of unfinished business was reported by Ms. Jondahl. The first reading of revised Ordinance 2021 was held at this month's City Council meeting. The second and third readings will occur at the next two council meetings. The revised ordinance that combines all the previous ordinances should be passed by the end of this year. The second item regarded the updated brochure for property owners and renters. Each commissioner was provided with a print copy for review. Mr. Newby will center the first panel of pictures on the front flap. Commissioners are to review and report any problems that they find in the print. HPO Marchant will get an updated list of property owners and renters for distribution of the brochure and letters. The commission plans to distribute the information in person on the second week of October 2022. Owners not located will be mailed the information by certified mail with return request. Ms. McGuire gave the commission an update on the Latimore Tourist Home. Combs House Moving has already jacked the house up about four to five feet and it is on steel beams and cross-hatched railroad ties, ready for the move. The foundation stones have been removed and stacked on wood pallets with wire cages. The house will be moved on October 5th, rain or shine. There will be coordination with the police department and utilities for this move. Arkansas Historic Preservation Program personnel will be in Russellville on Tuesday, September 27 to review the project. The AHPP has never before been involved in moving a National Register property. Ms. Alford reported on the progress with the Old Town Neighborhood Historic District. She explained that there is a choice between a National Register Historic District and a Local Ordinance Historic District (that requires oversight and approvals from the HDC). There will be a town meeting at the Russellville Depot as soon as a date is approved by Main Street Director Housenick. Ms. McGuire suggested that our CLG Director, Iain Montgomery, be invited to the meeting to answer questions. New Business: There were two additional items that Ms. McGuire wanted to bring to the attention of the commission. The first item was regarding DIG Russellville, an improved and enhanced downtown is the objective. This Open House occurred this morning at the Central Fire Station and tonight during our meeting from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. It is a look at the big infrastructure improvement that will be taking place in the downtown during the coming months. Commissioners were given a card with a brief explanation of the streetscape, utilities, and water and sewer improvements. It also included contacts for the project with emails and phone numbers. Currently the project is concentration on underground utilities. Blackstone Construction has the contract for the project and probably has the plans. According to staff, not much has changed with the project since the commission saw the plans in May of 2020. The second item of new business concerned a change of zoning for an advertising billboard at 128 East Main Street by Mobley Law Firm. This type of billboard has constantly changing advertisements for different businesses and is used to generate business revenue for those advertising. It will be located at the entrance to Russellville's RUSSELLVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Meeting September 22, 2022 Page 3 Downtown Historic District. In order for the sign to be installed the property would have to be "spot zoned" from C-1 Downtown Commercial to C-2 Highway Commercial. This would lead to more inappropriate development encroaching on the Russellville's Downtown Historic District. This would not be in the best interest of the community or the historic downtown. This item was tabled at the last Planning Commission meeting. It is understood that Mr. Mobley will ask the First Christian Church to change their zoning so that his property will be contiguous with other C- 2 property to the west if his property is rezoned. The Planning Commission will meet again on October 6th at 5:30PM. Commissioners are encouraged to attend. Adjournment: Mr. Newby made the motion to adjourn at 7:05PM and Ms. Hardin made the second. The motion was approved by a voice vote. Betsy McGuire - Chair Date