Russellville Historic District Commission

RUSSELLVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MINUTES Council Chamber City Hall – Thursday, January 26, 2023 6:00PM Commissioners Present: Betsy McGuire, Chair Leo Cantu, Vice-Chair Judy Galloway, Secretary Suzanne Alford Steve Newby Beverly Hooten Greg Barborek Commissioners Absent: Polly Hardin City Council Liaison Absent: Emily Young 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 January 26, 2023 meeting was called to order at 6:00pm and the newly elected Mayor Fred Teague was welcomed. The role was called and a quorum was established. Approval of Minutes: Ms. McGuire asked if everyone had read the minutes of the October 24, 2022 meeting. Mr. Newby made the motion to accept the minutes as corrected and Ms. Hooten made the second. The minutes were approved by a voice vote. Agenda: The first item on the agenda was reappointment of commissioners whose terms are expiring. Ms. Alford and Mr. Newby both want to continue on the commission. Ms Galloway made the motion to approve the reappointments and Mr. Barborek made the second. The approvals passed by a voice vote. The second item was to consider the appointment of a new commissioner to take the seat vacated by Mr. George after his election to the City Council. The commission has two appointments to consider. One of the applications was made by person who did not live in the city limits and was not a registered voter. This application was disqualified since the applicant must live in the city limits and be registered to vote by ordinance. The second applicant, Dr. Kelly Jones, is an assistant professor of History and Political Science at Arkansas Tech University. Mr. Barborek made the motion to accept Dr. Jones as the new commissioner and Mr. Newby made the second. The motion passed by a voice vote. The next item was a question by Ms. Galloway wanting to know when the Commissions NAPC membership will expire. Ms. Marchant said that she had renewed October 3, 2022. RUSSELLVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Meeting January 26, 2023 Page 2 Ms. Galloway next requested a change in the meeting time back to 5:00PM. The commission began meeting at 6:00PM when Mr. George became a commissioner. His business did not close until 6:00PM and the time to meet was changed to accommodate. None of the commissioners or staff had a problem with the change. Mr. Cantu made the motion to change the meeting time and Mr. Barborek made the second. The motion passed by a voice vote. Commissioners were reminded about the Design Review courtesy of the NAPC on February 2, 2023 from 12 - 1PM CDT. Ms. Galloway sent out the link for commissioners to sign up for the training. The training will be available after this date but commissions will not be able to ask questions or interact with the presenters. Ms. McGuire asked that the sign up email be resent to commissioners. Ms. Galloway will resend. Ms. Galloway asked for suggestions on how the HPO can keep up with training of commissioners as required by ordinance. Ms. Marchant asked that commissioners send her an email whenever a commissioner takes part in training. This can be done monthly or quarterly and she will create a spread sheet to keep up with commissioner training. Unfinished Business: Ms. McGuire reported on the Latimore Tourist Home. Phase 1B, includes site prep for utilities and the move of the house from its temporary location to the permanent site on the east side of S. Houston Avenue and facing James School Park. Phase 2 will involve consultation with design professionals and the restoration of the house. Ms. Alford reported on the status of the Old Town Neighborhood Historic District. The ballots were sent out to residents of the district regarding listing as a National Historic District. This type district does not require design review by the Historic District Commission. Letters were sent to residents of the designated area and the votes had to be submitted by the end of this month. Voting should be counted by next week. Any resident who does not vote is counted as a yes by the AHPP. Ms. McGuire asked if the new brochure had been completed. Ms. Jondahl reported that the brochure was completed and fifty copies printed. She will make sure commissioners get a digital copy. Ms. McGuire informed the commission that Timothy O'Donnell, associate editor of Preservation Magazine, a publication of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has asked for information on the Latimore. In his initial email he requested a high resolution photo of the home so Ms. McGuire provided a couple of Steve Newby's photos from moving day and a link to the video by Hans Stiritz. Mr. O'Donnell emailed her and asked if he could call. Ms. McGuire had the opportunity to speak with him earlier in the week and has contacted Randy Hendrix, president of the Friends of the Latimore Board, to let him know that Mr. O'Donnell had asked for his contact information and would be reaching out to him. Ms. McGuire also forwarded him the contact information for the full board of directors in case he would like to hear additional perspectives regarding the effort to bring the Latimore back to life. It is very exciting that Preservation Magazine has gotten wind of the project. New Business: Ms. Marchant mentioned that one staff approval for a COA application by Emily Young for a sign at 317 West "B" Street for Brainstorm Agency was approved. May is National Preservation Month. There is a pending ice cream social at the Depot to celebrate. There are plaques shaped like the state of Arkansas at the Depot designating a building as a property on the National Register of Historic Places. Ms. Marchant will reach out to MSR Director Housenick to see if she will be willing to present those plaques to qualifying businesses in the Main Street District during the social celebration. Ms. Jondahl advised commissioners that she is applying for a 25 million dollar grant (application due February 28th). RUSSELLVILLE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Meeting January 26, 2023 Page 3 This grant is for a 13.8 mile hard surface trail system beginning at the lock and dam and traveling 13.8 miles along Whig Creek, the D&R Railroad, Prairie Creek to south of I-40. The Corp of Engineers is approving of the system pending obtaining easements and relocating utilities. This trail system would be a great asset for the City of Russellville. Adjournment: Ms. Hooten made the motion to adjourn at 6:46PM and Mr. Cantu made the second. The motion was approved by a voice vote. Betsy McGuire - Chair Date