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, April 13, 2022, 5:30 p.m. The HPC meeting for the city of Superior was called to order by Tim Meyer at 5:33 p.m. The meeting was held at City Hall in room 270 and by web and phone conference. ROLL CALL Members Present: Brian Finstad, Kathleen Laakso, Tim Meyer, Tom Wondolkowski Member Absent: Matt Osterlund Staff Present: Jeff Skrenes Others Present: Mayor Jim Paine, Council Members Lindsey Graskey and Brent Fennessey, Miles Ringsred There being a quorum present, the meeting was in order. Due to scheduling concerns for several present, a MOTION was made by Board Member Finstad and seconded by Board Member Laakso to amend the agenda and discuss old business before new business. The motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION by Board Member Finstad, seconded by Laakso, to approve the March 9, 2022 minutes, carried unanimously. OLD BUSINESS 1. State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) Presentation and Discussion a. Miles Ringsred presented information about the site at the waterfront, where one wall remains after a fire destroyed two warehouses. The possible deterioration of the site means the wall may need reinforcement very soon. Mayor Paine informed the committee that since a decision to recommend SLFRF funds for this purpose was not an agenda item, it would be inappropriate for the committee to take such action. But a continued discussion of potentially eligible sites could continue. Ringsred stated one wall remains after the fire, and the site had been nearing the end of the process for designation on the National Register of Historic Places. Jepsen, Inc. has provided an estimate of $185,000 needed to preserve the façade. Once properly preserved, it could be backfilled as part of a new building or used as bandshell-like backdrop for outdoor gathering space. The Mill City Museum in Minneapolis, once the site of an explosion, is a good example of this. The owners are open to purchase by the city, or would look for developers. They had spent $20,000 on a feasibility study prior to the fire. As the ground thaws, the remaining and unsupported wall could become a safety concern for the public in general and the neighboring railroad specifically. The $185,000 estimate includes the parts needed to stabilize the site, but does not include as much as $49,000 in costs to remove footings and other debris after the completion of work. The bid from Jepsen also referenced $6,800 in monthly payments needed if their materials remained onsite for more than 12 months. However, the $185,000 amount plus removal is expected to stabilize the wall prior to this cost becoming necessary. The owners are in the process of litigation with the party responsible for the fire. That litigation is unlikely to be settled in a timely manner, relative to the risks the wall poses if it remains unsupported. The owners are also open to a lien that could be repaid once insurance funds are resolved. There are back taxes, which could present a concern for public investment. A developer is potentially interested. The HPC stated they would like to visit the site in person if possible, before making a final recommendation. b. Skrenes summarized community input. Staff put out a survey online and held a community event to ask for how people would prioritize historic preservation projects. Community members were asked to assign a value to proposals named by HPC members, and could also present their own ideas. There were seventy-one responses from the online survey. That survey allowed respondents to rank each of the nineteen proposals from 0 (not at all important) to 5 (very important). There were no limits to how many items could be ranked as 5. The intent was to gauge priorities if there were little to no limit on resources available. No new ideas were proposed from the online survey. A public event was held at the Thirsty Pagan, with forty-eight members of the public in attendance. The same nineteen projects were presented, with the option to add more. This event introduced forced scarcity, with attendees only having three stickers to place on their desired projects. Two other items were added by people in attendance. For the online survey, the proposals with the top number of points were the Carnegie Library (62), the Princess Theater (61), the Meteor (59), and the Old Fire Hall Museum (58). The Tower Avenue Arch, Fairlawn Mansion, and former City Hall each had 57 points. For the public forum, the Princess Theater received 30 votes, the Carnegie Library and Fire Hall each received 20, and the Tower Avenue arch received 17. The committee discussed which projects could receive funding from SLFRF versus other city budget sources, such as a neighborhood development fund for revolving loans that assist historic property owners. The committee discussed how much of the SLFRF process they would like to monitor, from either having an application process or being more flexible in seeking public input and providing recommendations to the Common Council. The committee also discussed whether to make some recommendations immediately (because certain structures need to be secured as quickly as possible) or waiting for more input. It was decided that committee members and staff would attempt as much on-site visits to key project areas as possible, and move recommendations to the Council at the May meeting. NEW BUSINESS  1. 810 E 3rd Street, aka Lenroot House Application for Historic Designation Brent Fennessey submitted his residence for historic designation and inclusion on the city’s municipal register of historic places. Staff has reviewed the application and deemed it complete on 4/12/22. Staff recommends approval under the criteria that the applicant listed. Mr. Fennessey recounted the amount of work that he and his wife have put into property restoration since acquiring it, and provided the committee with a history of the home and some potentially significant architectural connections. MOTION to approve the nomination of 810 East 3rd Street for historic designation and inclusion on the City of Superior municipal register of historic places made by Board Member Finstad and seconded by Board Member Laakso, carried unanimously. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jeff Skrenes