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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHistoric Preservation Commission November 10, 2025 • Historic Preservation Commission MINUTES November 10, 2025 President Ed Siewert called to order the November 10,2025 Historic Preservation Commission meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the Building Commission Conference Room at City Hall, 500 Quartermaster Court. Roll Call Members present were Lisa Green, Maggie Moore, Jason Schlatter, and Paul Torp. Members Johnna Anderson and Jourdan Ford were absent. Also present were Laura Renwick, Historic Preservation staff advisor,and Administrative Assistant Shane Shaughnessy. Approval of the Agenda Lisa Green made a motion to approve the agenda for the November 10,2025 regular meeting, seconded by Paul Torp and approved unanimously,4-0. Approval of Previous Minutes Lisa Green made a motion to approve the August 11, 2025 minutes, seconded by Jason Schlatter and approved unanimously,4-0. Member Maggie Moore entered the meeting at 5:32. Certificates of Appropriateness 1. 600 Kentucky Avenue Ed introduced the next item on the agenda-a certificate of appropriateness for 600 Kentucky Avenue and asked the applicants,Paul Sirek and Clayton Pace,to describe the project.Paul S. stated that they are working to convert the building into office space and in doing so,will be replacing the roof with asphalt shingles,closing off some existing doorways, adding a new entrance,replacing awnings, adding signage on the building and adding a monument sign, and opening some windows at the top of the building. He said that they are planning on repoint the masonry and would like to expose the brick by removing the paint using walnut blasting which will help identify where tuckpointing is necessary. He said that there is some spalling of the brick perhaps due to moisture getting behind the paint. Paul Torp asked what the awnings will be replaced with which Paul S. said that they would be black and of a similar size as the current ones. Paul T. asked if they had read the staff comments that were provided by Laura. Paul S. said he did and that the paint removal method mentioned in the comments was cost-prohibitive but that they were willing to reduce the PSI of the walnut removal system to not damage the brick. Paul T. said that the building has been painted for a long time and that the paint may actually help to accentuate the details of the brick. 1 Jason asked that when the roof is done,if they would be doing new flashings for possible leaks in the roof. Paul S. said that part of the roof was terra cotta and that portions of the flashings will be replaced where needed.Jason asked if they would be closing the entrances with limestone which Paul S. said their intention would be to match the current pattern of the building with limestone. Ed asked about the movement of the entrance which would be done by closing one existing entrance and cutting a new one. Paul S. said they looked at keeping the entrance where it is,but that it didn't work with the interior design. Jason asked if the existing windows had a faux arch which Paul S. said they did and a portion was a filler panel.Jason asked if the Commission would be ok with them being allowed to use filler if they can't find windows that would fit the openings. Laura said that they would have to use a lot of fill because of the angle of the windows and Lisa said that the windows were a distinct feature of the building.Paul S. said that their intent would be to try and find matching windows that would match the arc. Paul asked about the guideline that says to retain the paint and if that guideline was there to ensure the brick would be protected. Laura said it was probably in the guidelines for protection reasons rather than aesthetic ones. Paul asked if the building ever had exposed brick which Laura said she wasn't able to find historic photos of the building unpainted but that because it was a later-built building,the brick would likely be of a better quality than older buildings. Laura asked if the arches over the doorways would be impacted which Paul S. said those would remain. Laura asked about the proposed signage which is still being finalized and asked if the Commission would be ok if the signage was deferred to staff if they were also ok with the idea of a monument sign. Jason asked if once they start to strip the paint off the brick,would they have to come back to the Commission if they didn't want to continue or if additional finishing is needed. Laura said that they could come to her if the Commission was comfortable with that. Jason said that he doesn't have an issue with the paint coming off. Lisa said she was comfortable with the applicants going to Laura with the final details. Laura said that they should be careful with how they move in this case to not set precedent regarding paint removal.Jason asked if the paint guideline was based on the building being originally painted which Laura said wasn't necessarily the case but rather likely has to do with wanting to preserve the historic brick. Paul T. said that it's difficult to tell if the building was built with the intent to be painted or if it was painted later. Laura said they could do a test patch of paint removal to see how the blasting would affect the brick. Paul S. said they would be doing their best to preserve the brick. Paul T. asked what the building was originally built for,which Maggie said it was originally an electrical or power house which Paul T. said that it could be that the building was originally a plain brick building.Jason asked that once the brick is stripped,if they would be putting a permeable vapor barrier on the brick which Paul S. said they did not have plans to put anything back on the brick. Paul asked if their intent was just to tuck point the areas where it's needed which Paul S. affirmed. Jason made a motion to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness with the conditions that the PSI of the walnut blasting is reduced and that once the blasting starts,that they confer with staff should 2 issues arise,that all details regarding signage are deferred to staff, and that the aluminum windows are allowed approved to have filler panels as long as they are consistent with the filler panels on the other windows on the building. Motion seconded by Lisa. Roll call vote. Motion passed 5-0. Other Business Ed introduced the next item on the agenda-Discussion of Historic District expansion. Laura said that she reached out to the acting president of Rose Hill and haven't heard anything from them. Ed asked what areas are being thought to be included in the expansion which Laura said the discussion was to include parts of Rose Hill and Franklin Commons as that is where the development pressure was at.Ed said that Port Fulton will be meeting in January and invited Laura to speak at the meeting. Paul T. said that it seems that most people living in these areas want to be there because of their historic value and that some limited restrictions might be welcomed to preserve the neighborhood. Jason asked what the procedure would be for adopting the expansion which Shane said that it would likely be a zoning code update that would eventually go to Council for their approval and that they had talked about a small increase of the Historic District coupled with the adoption of a broader protection area. Jason asked what they could do to facilitate the next steps which Shane said that the next step would be to engage in neighborhood meetings and broach the subject of expansions and protections.The members of the Historic Board should help with explaining that. Laura said they would typically prepare a report showing what is being proposed and that the Board would vote on that and forward their recommendation to Council. Paul T. asked who would be involved in the neighborhood meetings which Laura said she would assist and encouraged members of the Board to attend as well. Paul T. said he likes the idea of creating a handout to educate the community. Paul asked if they should do this expansion a little at a time which Shane said that their thought would be to do as much as possible rather than trying to restart the process multiple times. Paul said that thinking about the definition of"historic"being 50 years old which isn't that old.A lot of Court Avenue would fall under that definition. Shane said that Planning Staff is willing to help facilitate the meetings but would be relying on the Board to champion the idea. Laura provided a handout about Board procedures she thought would be helpful for future meetings. She also provided updates about future webinars. She said she approved changes to signage at 300 Spring, 310 Spring Street and 438 Spring Street,masonry repairs at the Grisamore House, some cornice repairs at Leslie Lewis's house,and changes to doors on the Masonic Lodge. Ed asked if the owners of the old Post Office had reached out to Laura which she said the hadn't but that she knew about them fixing the steps. Maggie said that she had heard the asking price was too high for the amount of work that is needed at the building. Paul asked about the door at 409 Spring Street which Laura said that they had modified the door to be more proportionate to what was approved. Lisa Green made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Maggie Moore. The meeting was adjourned at 6:13pm. • Minutes Approved:Cf \ Submitted by: lb_ ,�/ 3