Historic Preservation Commission

Tybee Island HISTORIC PESERVATION COMMISSON Meeting Minutes Date & Time: September 9, 2024, 6:00 pm Present: Holly Grell-Lawe (Chair), Cara Cole, Mike Goldberg, Marna Lewin, Maggie Wright, Cassidi Kendrick Absent: Observers: Jacilyn Ledford (Pending New HPC Member), Bill Garbett (Tybee Island City Council Member), Dawn Shay (Forever Tybee) Guest Speaker: Ellie Issacs, Director of Preservation & Historic Properties, Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) Location: Burke Day Public Safety Building, Conference Room, 78 Van Horne Avenue Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00pm. A quorum was present. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the August 12, 2024 HPC meeting were unanimously approved upon motion by Cara Cole and seconded by Marna Lewin. The minutes of the August 20, 2024 HPC Promotion & Education Committee meeting were unanimously approved with some name corrections upon motion by Mike Goldberg and seconded by Cara Cole. The minutes of the September 4, 2024 HPC Promotion & Education Committee meeting were unanimously approved with some name corrections upon motion by Mike Goldberg and seconded by Marna Lewin. Guest Speaker Presentation Ellie Issacs, Director of Preservation & Historic Properties, Historic Savannah Foundation, delivered a presentation on the topic of “Façade Easements.” Topics addressed included: Brief History of HSF; Why a Preservation Easement Program?; Evaluation for Determination; How Do I Get a Preservation Easement on My Property?; What Happens After I Get a Preservation Easement on My Property?; and, Expanding the Easement Program. The slide presentation is attached to these meeting minutes and Ms. Issacs comments are available on the HPC meeting video. In addition to discussing façade easements on historic structures, she discussed how HSF is expanding the easement program to include open spaces, such as gardens and cemeteries. Announcements Tybee/MLK & Lazaretto Coalition 1 Marna Lewin, HPC’s Liaison to these organizations, reminded the group that there will be a combined meeting of Tybee/MLK and the Lazaretto Coalition on September 16, 2024 at the All Saints Episcopal Church from 4:30pm-6:30pm. HPC Chair Holly Grell-Lawe will be participating by phone in the October 14, 2024 HPC Meeting. Ellie Issacs with HSF will present on HSF’s Revolving Fund at the December 9, 2024 HPC Meeting. The November HPC Meeting is rescheduled from November 11 to November 4, 2024 due to Veterans Day on November 11, 2024. Ongoing Business Central Tybee Island Residential National Historic District Application Update Bob Ciucevich emailed an update on the revisions to the Central Tybee Island National Historic District Nomination Application. The Summary Statement and the Statement of Significance have been completed and the Developmental History has been significantly expanded. Mr. Ciucevich will be updating the map and retaking the photos (requested by SHPO). “Central Tybee Island Residential Historic District” is the most appropriate name for the district. To avoid arbitrary boundaries, SHPO is asking that the eastern boundary go to the beach. This will increase the number of non-contributing buildings, but Mr. Ciucevich thinks we will still have a healthy ratio of contributing/non-contributing buildings. After the map is updated, the number count will be finalized. It was noted that the blow-up map of the Central Island District used at the HPC Open House in May will need to be modified and reprinted. Mr. Ciucevich is hoping to resubmit the application by the end of the month. Promotion & Education Committee Update on Tour of Homes Planning (May 2025) The Committee met on August 20 and September 4 and the meeting minutes are documented. Plans and logistics for the event were discussed. Forms for participating properties and for sponsorships are now available. The next meeting of the Committee is October 8, 2024. Maintenance of City Owned Historic Properties/Arts Center Mike Goldberg reported that obtaining another estimate for restoration of the 23 windows of the Arts Center is still in process. There has been no word yet from the City Engineer about an estimate for galvanized metal ductwork to replace the flexible ducting at the Arts Center. The 1772 Foundation Grant Program and Callahan Grant Program from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation (“Georgia Trust”) were discussed. Both require 1:1 cash matching funds. The former requires a fiscal agent agreement with a 501(c)(3)—in this case, either the Arts Association or the Tybee Island Historical Society. The question of whether the city can enter into such an agreement was forwarded to the City Manager at the recommendation of the Finance Manager. The city has not entered into such an agreement in the past. The current grant cycle has opened and grants are made up to $10,000. A Letter of Inquiry would be due December 2, 2024. The Georgia Trust reviews the Letters of Inquiry and decides which organizations will be invited to apply for funding under the grant program. The Callahan Grant Program cycle is also open and offers grants up to $5000. The City is eligible to apply for 2 a Callahan Grant, a fiscal agent agreement is not needed. To apply for both grants, HPC would need to have a “Condition Assessment” completed on the Arts Center Building. HPC Advisor, Sarah Jones, and HPC members Mike Goldberg and Cara Cole agreed to conduct a Condition Assessment on the Arts Center before Thanksgiving 2024. It was clarified that Public Works does not have a budget for window restoration or replacement as Public Works had planned to glaze the windows, not replace them. The onsite assessment by Mike Goldberg and a window restoration contractor determined that the windows need much work. The Arts Center is a historically contributing building within the Fort Screven National Historic District and window restoration needs to conform to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Submitting a Letter of Inquiry to either grant program requires that HPC have the matching funds. If the pre-requisites can be met, Holly Grell-Lawe is willing to draft Letters of Inquiry and to develop an application if an invitation to apply was issued by the Georgia Trust. Several ideas were discussed about how to generate the matching funds, including asking the city for the funds, additional trolley tours, and window sponsorship. The idea of window sponsorship was received favorably. Maggie Wright will follow up on the idea before the next HPC meeting. CLG Grant Update The CLG Grant MOU is on City Council Meeting Agenda for Thursday, September 12, 2024. Cassidi Kendrick will be present to answer any questions from Council. This is the agreement between the City of Tybee Island and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs with respect to the CLG Grant that must be approved by City Council for the project to move forward. The MOU includes the scope of work for the project. The MOU has already been through legal review. The Request for Proposal (RFP), a document that solicits a proposal from contractors to do the project, has been sent for legal review. The RFP will include the project timeline documents as exhibits. An HPC public kick-off meeting for the project will be held in November. Cassidi Kendrick will check for available November dates at the Public Safety Building. Permit Reviews There were no new permits for review. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:34 pm with unanimous approval upon motion by Cara Cole and seconded by Mike Goldberg. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9