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, March 9, 2022, 5:30 p.m. The HPC meeting for the city of Superior was called to order by Tim Meyer at 5:35 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, Kathleen Laakso, Tim Meyer Member Absent: Tom Wondolkowski Staff Present: Jeff Skrenes, Linda Cadotte Others Present: Mayor Jim Paine, Megan Meyer There being a quorum present, the meeting was in order. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION by Board Member Finstad, seconded by Laakso, to approve the February 9, 2022 minutes, carried unanimously. NEW BUSINESS 1. State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) Presentation and Discussion a. The Meteor is applying for a grant from the National Park Service to perform needed repair and restoration work at the site. The grant requires a 50/50 match and the total project cost is $800,000. This means that the grant applicant would have to provide funding for $400,000. The time frame for work would begin in 2023 and be completed by 2025. SLFRF program funds are an eligible source. Megan Meyer gave a summary of the work to be done under the grant, if it is approved. That includes removal of oil, abatement of lead paint and asbestos, draining water from the interior, adding lifeboat covers, and upgrading electrical systems. If the grant is approved by the National Park Service, the applicant would have to do the entire scope of work proposed. They could not, for instance, do only two-thirds of the project because the funding partner did not agree to the full amount. If the HPC would not recommend $400,000, or if the City were not supportive, it would be better to scale back the scope of work at the point of application. The HPC expressed a willingness to support the full amount. The grant required a letter of support as part of the submission. Mayor Paine indicated that other City budget sources could also be used between 2023 and 2025 to fulfill this obligation. The mayor’s office would send a letter of support for the application. Specific funding allocation requests for SLFRF program funds may come at a future date. Because no action was needed from the HPC at this time and because the letter of support was not coming directly from the HPC, no motion of support was needed. b. Housing Coordinator Skrenes gave a summary of the preservation and restoration proposals that HPC members had sent in scoring sheets on. The top priorities,  receiving two or more votes were the Carnegie Library, the Tower Avenue Arch, the Princess Theater, the Meteor Museum, the Old Fire Hall Museum, and general restoration along Tower Avenue. Other items receiving at least one vote were the Nemadji Cemetery, general restoration along the industrial waterfront near downtown, the Hammond Park fountain, the Billings Park grandstand, general park pavilion restoration, the First Church of Christ, the Presbyterian Organ Bells, 1307 Tower, the Ritchie House, the Dennis Dean House, the Fairlawn, and the former City Hall building. Committee members had also indicated support for a revolving loan fund to help maintain or restore historic properties that were privately owned. c. The committee and others present discussed how to prioritize these and other ideas, and how to gather input from the public. Mayor Paine reminded the committee that some items could be paid for from other parts of the City budget. The parks and outdoor recreation could cover some costs, or could share the costs for restoration, preservation, or maintenance. The mayor also encouraged the group to put an emphasis at this time on the projects that were most important, and that perhaps could only be done with SLFRF program funds. He asked that the Committee focus its area of expertise, namely what is important in regards to the history of the City of Superior. From that guidance, the mayor and council could then work on the process. Commissioners Finstad and Meyer discussed the importance of a revolving loan fund to help with privately-owned historic properties, and the impact of historic preservation of features that might be lost to disrepair or neglect. Skrenes reminded the Committee of a 2019 Intensive Survey. The survey identified properties and sites that were considered historic or eligible for historic designation. That could be used as a standard for where to focus revolving loan funding. Certain corridors could be targeted as well, either based on high visibility or inclusion in the 2019 survey as historic districts. The Committee decided to hold a public event to gather input prior to the April meeting. OLD BUSINESS None ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:40 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jeff Skrenes