Historic Preservation Committee (Meets 4th Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m.)

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE FOR THE CITY OF SUPERIOR MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, January 12, 5:30 p.m. The HPC meeting for the city of Superior was called to order by Jeff Skrenes at 5:32 p.m. The meeting was held at City Hall in room 270 and by web and phone conference. ROLL CALL Members Present: Brian Finstad, Matt Osterlund, Tom Wondolkowski, Kathleen Laakso Member Absent: Tim Meyer Staff Present: Jeff Skrenes Others Present: Shelley Nelson, Superior Telegram; Jason Tish, Wisconsin Historical Society There being a quorum present, the meeting was in order. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION by Board Member Wondolkowski, seconded by Laakso, to approve the December 8, 2021 minutes, carried unanimously. NEW BUSINESS 1. Election of Chair – Members present preferred Tim Meyer as chair, but Mr. Meyer was not present. MOTION by Board Member Finstad, seconded by Laakso, to nominate Tim Meyer as chair of the HPC subject to his acceptance carried unanimously. 2. Certified Local Government Presentation, Wisconsin Historical Society – Jason Tish presented on the requirements and benefits of Certified Local Government status. The City of Superior is actually quite close to qualifying already. Certain elements of city code would need to be adjusted. Minor tweaks include allowing the committee to approve certificates of appropriateness and adjusting language for a quasi-judicial status. The most contentious element is likely to be a requirement that code must allow for the HPC to designate a property as historic without the owner’s consent. Although it is a step that is almost never taken, this element of city code is a federal requirement for CLG eligibility. The reason for such a requirement is that a property is historic on its own merits and whether or not an owner wants it to be recognized as such has no impact on the historicity of the property. Committee members discussed ways to present this change to the broader public, as well as how to emphasize the positive elements of the code and CLG status – such as access to renovation funds and assistance with national registry applications. 3. Presentation by staff, options for dealing with vacant, abandoned structures – Jeff Skrenes gave a presentation on several possible ways for the city and the HPC to address long-term vacant and abandoned properties, especially in light of recent fires.  He promised to email those strategies to the committee for review and discussion at future meetings. OTHER BUSINESS 1. Update on application process for Superior Museum sites – Jeff Skrenes updated the committee that he will meet with Fairlawn and museum staff in early February with the intent of presenting application documents to the museum board at their February meeting. An application for the Fairlawn and Meteor, and possibly the fire hall museum, should be complete by the March HPC meeting. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:42 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jeff Skrenes