Historic Preservation Commission

Tybee Island HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSION Meeting Minutes Date & Time: April 10, 2023 6:00PM Present: Holly Grell-Lawe (by phone), Cassidi Kendrick, Jackie Boiling, Marty Harrell, Sarah Jones, Mike Goldberg, Mary Anne Butler, Spec Hosti Absent: Spec Hosti Observers: Dawn Shay, Forever Tybee, Pat Leiby Location: Burke Day Public Safety Building, Conference Room, 78 Van Horne Ave. Call to Order The meeting started at 6:00PM, a quorum was present. The phone line for call in members was open at 5:45. Approval of Minutes 1. Motion to Approve Meeting Minutes 3/13– Approved with two corrections by a motion from Mike Goldberg and a second from Marty Harrell. Cassidi will make the following corrections: a. Mary Anne’s name to be corrected b. Under Historic Preservation Month, the last sentence to be corrected to state: “Marty Harrell disagreed with the method and limitation of sponsorships.” On-going Business 2. HPC Member Vacancy- Marna Lewin, an applicant for the open position on the HPC, introduced herself and was welcomed to the meeting. The HPC Chair reviewed the primary responsibilities and authorities of the HPC as established under Tybee’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. As agreed upon in the March meeting, the HPC open position has been outreached through the three churches. The vacancy was also included in the Main Street monthly newsletter, social media outlets, and the TIHS website. 3. City Hall Renovation Update: Cassidi Kendrick is working on a possible tour of the City Hall renovations for HPC members and staff and the HPC Advisor. Hard hats would be required. In response to a question about the murals, Sarah Jones stated that the murals would be covered up with sheetrock. 4. Update on Mid-Island Historic District Nomination- Sarah Jones will email Bob Ciucevich for an update to be provided at the May meeting. 5. Fort Screven Beach Signage- The HPC Chair noted that she had received one additional negative comment about the beach sign and two positive comments. Members were advised that the anonymous donor who funded the new Fort Screven signage did not care for the beach sign. There was a discussion that a directional beach sign is needed in that area. Possible other locations for the beach sign discussed included attaching it to the bottom of the City’s directional turtle sign at the intersection of North Campbell and Van Horne or near the Guardhouse. The HPC Chair motioned to remove the beach sign  from its location underneath the new Fort Screven sign and to move it to another location in that area. Mike seconded the motion.The motion passed unanimously. Subsequent to the motion passing, Mary Anne Butler stated that there should be no conditions by donors on donations accepted by the HPC. The HPC Chair clarified that the opinion of the anonymous donor was only provided for consideration by HPC members and was not intended to be the decision to remove the beach sign. The meeting did not address who should draw the sign and how to determine an alternative location. 6. Historic Preservation Month (May 2023)- Jackie Boiling and Cassidy Kendrick provided updates on the Historic Tybee Island Trolley Tour. A draft of the tour map/brochure was shared. The routes for the tours vary a little. The tour sponsorship solicitation was included in the Main Street monthly newsletter. Five sponsors were secured on a first- come, first-served basis. The tour and how-to-buy tickets have been posted. In response to a question from Pat Leiby, Cassidi Kendrick stated that in last Fall’s time, the Oyster House was a bit of a logistical challenge due to beachfront entry. They are working on a black history trail stop. The tour will include the UNESCO site, the wade-in marker, and the Gilyard Cottage Cassidi Kendrick can make arrangements for the Mayor to issue a proclamation/announcement for Historic Preservation Month during the first City Council meeting in May. 7. Status Update on Investigation of Deconstruction Ordinances in Other Municipalities- Mike Goldberg reported that he had received a lot of research and information on this topic, covering a variety of cities in CT, TX, WI, OR, etc. He advised the group that there are many studies and our HPC does not need to reinvent the wheel. Benefits include jobs, resale of affordable building materials, workforce, and contractor training. Mike Goldberg further stated that Savannah is developing a deconstruction ordinance. Sarah Jones noted that she has mixed feelings about deconstruction, which may be viewed as an acceptable alternative to saving historic houses. But she did learn that some of the wood from the study of 80 Van Horne made its way to Davenport House in Savannah. Holly Grell-Lawe commented that HPC would need to know what infrastructure is required for a deconstruction ordinance to work, such as qualifications for contractors, an application process, maintaining an approved contractors list, and identifying markets for materials. She suggested this might be an opportunity to partner with Savannah on infrastructure requirements for deconstruction. 8. Status Update on Elevating Historic Buildings- Guide to Permit and Historic Preservation Reviews (draft companion document to Guidelines for Elevating Historic Buildings)- The HPC Chair stated that a virtual meeting with George Shaw had not been scheduled due to calendar conflicts. The purpose of the meeting is to review the content of the draft Guide to Permit and Historic Preservation Reviews to ensure that it accurately reflects the process as its works on Tybee within the Planning and Zoning Department. The meeting is expected to be scheduled between the HPC Chair, HPC Advisor, Main Street Director, and the City’s Planning and Zoning Manager in the coming week or so. 9. Status Update on City Attorney Reviews of (1) Revisions to Tybee Historic Preservation Ordinance and (2) Revisions to HPC Administrative Procedures- Cassidi Kendrick reported that both documents were submitted to the City Attorney. [2/15/2023]. She  also stated that Revisions to the Tybee Historic Preservation Ordinance were communicated as the higher priority since changes to meet CLG requirements must be approved by City Council before September 2023. 10. Saving Cottages and Bungalows 1. Proposed Revisions to STR Ordinance to Address Impacts on Preservation and Relocation of Historic Houses- The HPC Chair announced her intention to make a motion to propose that the HPC’s continued in-person discussion of this agenda item be postponed to the June meeting. The reasons for the motion were presented. By June, HPC will be past Historic Preservation Month and hopefully will be finished with some other topics/projects. HPC needs to explore all options so this issue is addressed correctly. Also, HPC is currently down one member (since December 2022). And, importantly, the HPC had heard concerns from some of our partners and community members. The Chair stated that all views, whether positive or negative, warrant our attention and consideration in addressing the historic preservation concerns associated with the City’s current STR Ordinance. The motion was made by the HPC Chair, seconded by Mike. The motion was unanimously approved by roll call vote. 2. Saving Historic Cottages and Bungalows: Local Economic Incentives for Historic Preservation- The revised draft proposing that the City implement local economic incentives for historic preservation was sent to HPC members for comment on 3/29/23. The revised draft incorporates edits suggested by Sarah Jones and Holly Grell-Lawe. HPC members should review and provide comments on this latest version. Mike Goldberg and Holly Grell-Lawe will continue to work on the document. 11. North Campbell Neighborhood Conservation District New Business 12. List of City Owned Historic Properties- The HPC Chair noted that in the past, the HPC was updated on maintenance and repairs to city-owned historic properties. She suggested that the HPC should have a listing of the historic properties owned by the City of Tybee Island and be updated on maintenance and repairs. Cassidi Kendrick and HPC Advisor Sarah Jones agreed to initiate compiling a list. 13. Island-Wide Historic Signage Replacement/Refurbish Needs- In response to a request from HPC Chair, Sarah Jones agreed to provide an update at the next HPC meeting (May 2023) on the Island’s historical signage that needs to be replaced or refurbished. 14. Report on 3/23/2023 NAPC Webinar on Preservation Planning- HPC members who attended the NAPC Webinar on Preservation Planning reported their takeaways from the training. 15. Permit Reviews- An Application for a Building Permit for 52 Solomon was reviewed. Work includes replacing windows, painting brick, and unspecified work on the front porch. House built 1910. Sarah Jones stated that 52 Solomon could be one of the few historical brick houses on the island. She believes the windows have been replaced once and are no longer the original ones. Discussion ensued about the potential impacts of painting brick, including trapping moisture. A letter from HPC to the property owner is needed if the brick is historic—the HPC Chair to draft the letter. Announcements- 15. Tybee MLK- Pat Leiby reported that the virtual black history trail is running and has a QR code. The site was not ready in time for Lazaretto Day. Discussion followed about a ribbon- cutting ceremony during Historic Preservation Month (May). In order to achieve a successful ribbon cutting, Pat Lieby and Sarah Jones are looking to go in front of City Council regarding the Black History Trail Ribbon Ceremony. The deadline to add themselves to the April 27 th city council agenda is April 20th. Pat Leiby reported that Julia Pearce is on the City Council for this week (4/14/2023) she will be speaking about her trip to Ghana as part of retracing the Middle Passage. 16. Lazaretto Coalition- Pat Leiby reported that Lazaretto Day was a success. Excellent feedback has been received. Photos from Lazaretto Day are posted on the City’s Facebook page. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 7:35PM.