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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/02/1997 - Regular Minutes - Historic Preservation Committee HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING COLLEGE STATION CONFERENCE CENTER 1300 GEORGE BUSH DRIVE WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1997 -- 5:15 P.M. HISTORIC COMMITTEE Bill Lancaster, Chairman Deborah Jasek, Co- Chair Elton Abbott Bryan MEMBERS PRESENT: Howard Brett Estes Carol Wagner Sharon Menn Aaron Ffrench, Old Main Society Liaison MEMBERS ABSENT: Dennis Maloney Mary Jane Hirsch Bill Fox, Council Liaison STAFF PRESENT: David Qerling, Special Facilities Superintendent Pamela Einkauf, Senior Secretary VISITORS PRESENT: Michelle Folkestad, 4th Grade Teacher at Pebble Creek Elementary Eppie Moore, TAMV Student I. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 5:18 p.m. by Bill Lancaster, Chairman. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes for March, 1997, were reviewed and approved with no corrections. 3. HEAR VISITORS: Mike Luther had nothing to present to the Historic Preservation Committee (HPC). Eppie Moore stated that she was writing a paper on historic preservation and was present to observe. 4. REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF HISTORIC HOME APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED: There were no new applications for review. Bill L. told David that his letter to the homeowners who had outstanding applications for historic home plaques was a good one, and wanted to know if there had been any response from it. David said not yet. Bill stated that it shouldn't be too hard for the owners to find information on those particular houses. He asked if it would be appropriate to give out a copy of the Hierth's home application to use as an example, since it was so well written. David said it was a good idea. 5. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS: Historical Tourism: Mary Jane was not present to report. Carol said the Arts Council was gathering the information to go in the binders, which would be distributed around town as discussed at the last meeting. She said Judy Holt was the volunteer working on that. David said he'd contact her. Bill L. said there was a lot about tourism that was pending and asked how the City's strategic tourism project was going. David said the group had met twice, but that he hadn't heard anything more. Historic Preservation Committee Page 4 Oral History: Bill stated that nothing else had happened since the Military Memory Lane had been held on February 19. David said he believed that another Memory Lane would be held on July 16, 1997, from 9:00 a.m. until noon, but he didn't know what the topic would be. Bill said any member who would like to conduct an oral history interview with someone on an individual basis, on any historical subject, could do so. He said to just volunteer and the equipment would be provided, as well as a name of someone to interview. Elton asked who was doing the Memory Lanes project. David said it was a subcommittee of the HPC, made up of a lot of the Conference Center Advisory Board members and coordinated by Grace Calbert, the Conference Center Supervisor. Elton said he'd be interested in attending a session to observe, and then perhaps he could conduct an interview. Bill said that was great, explaining that there were 13 different Memory Lanes which the subcommittee wanted to cover. The Campus Kids Memory Lane, for example, would be interviews with people who lived and grew up on campus. Bill explained the procedures for conducting the interview. Elton said he thought it would be interesting to see the video tapes of the interviews. David said there were video tapes, audio tapes, and the transcriptions of the audio tapes. Elton said putting the information together once the interviews were completed would be a great project for someone's master thesis or dissertation. Bill agreed saying that Brett had given the HPC the name of a contact person at A &M who could help with that. Research and Archaeology: Bryan said he wanted comments /revisions /deletions from the members about the city marker guidelines he'd handed out at the last meeting. If there weren't any, he said he would revise the copy and get it out to everyone before the next meeting so that it could be voted on it at the next meeting. David told Bryan that if he would get a copy to him before the next minutes went out, it could be included in the packets. He said he had a question about what the next step would be, after all the information for the state markers had been gathered. Deborah said it would need to be written up. David said after it was written and appropriately footnoted it would be passed out to the HPC for suggestions /editing. It would then be passed on to Charles Schultz, the Chairman of the Brazos County Historical Commission, who would do the same thing and then it would be sent back to the originator. David said once the narrative has been edited and cleaned up it's sent back to the County for final approval, and that's the group that sends it to the State. David said he could get Bryan a copy of a narrative done for a previous state marker to use as an example. Bryan said that would help, and told the HPC that he was currently concentrating on gathering information for a marker for Aggie Muster, since the background information was readily available. Photo Document: Sharon said she had nothing new to report. Education /Churches: Deborah said she'd met and talked with Reverend Clark, the pastor at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, and also some of the members of Washington Chapel and they were all very happy about getting a marker done. She said they would get started toward the end of the month and both groups promised that they would help. She said Pleasant Grove would be having a homecoming /reunion in July. Deborah explained that was something that happens quite often, especially in the black churches. Everyone comes home for one Sunday -- it's like a reunion for the church membership. She said on that weekend they were planning to target getting some interviews and history taken down. She added that, based on the Southside meeting, she would work through the churches and they will try to get some of the black homes documented for historic markers. She said this will help with the goals of taking more pride in the community and getting Southside more united and organized. She said she hadn't had a chance to go talk to anyone at St. Mary's yet, but she would. Carol said that someone was already working on the history and the diocesan archives were working with them on that and it had been started about two years ago. Historic Preservation Committee Page 3 David introduced Michelle Folkestad, a teacher from Pebble Creek Elementary School. She said according to the State, third grade children have to learn about how the community has changed, the historical landmarks of their city, the community's founding, and its traditions and customs. She said there was a group of five teachers at Pebble Creek who were trying to collect information about College Station that could be presented to the students. David told her that he'd brought information that she could borrow -- a notebook listing all state historical markers in Brazos County, information on the Richard Carter historic site, the Brazos County history book which has some College Station history in it, and the book College Station 1938 - 1988. David told her that if she came by the Central Park office, she could go through the historical home files and make copies of any information she might need in order to put to a unit together. Ms. Folkestad said they would be happy to share the unit with the HPC once it was completed. Bill L. said that would be great, and thanked Ms. Folkestad. Community Appearance: Dennis wasn't present to give a report. Carol said that at past meetings, the HPC had discussed putting lights around the park on Deacon. She knew nothing could be erected in the park, but wondered if public art could go there. David said according to the deed restrictions, nothing at all could go there unless it was voted on and approved by a majority of the College Station voters. Carol explained that she'd attended a meeting with the City Council which dealt with arts and culture in College Station, and that the council was very interested in public art, particularly at entries into the city. She thought there might be a historical tie -in there, if logical choices of public art could be made which would be appropriate for gateways. She said not all the public art would have historical significance, but the HPC could lobby so that some of it would. David said that statues, sculptures, and murals -- all different forms of art -- would be considered. Bill L. said that Sharon had brought in a Round Rock newspaper article regarding tax abatements for historical properties in that city. Sharon wanted to know how the HPC could pursue this for College Station. Brett said an ordinance would have to be passed to set guidelines and that meant creating a historical district. He said it would be a little difficult to pass an ordinance of that type in College Station because most of the historical properties in Southside are in good condition. He said most of the time historical abatements go for areas where there are problems with upkeep and restoration, and currently in College Station, there's not a problem with dilapidation. Brett agreed that it was something the HPC needed to consider down the road, and as College Station gets older, an ordinance of that type might be beneficial. He added that he had given quite a bit of information to Dennis about historical districts. Bill L. said that Sharon's article could be included as a part of that file. Sharon wanted to make the HPC aware that there was a group of people who wanted to turn the vacant tin building on Marion Pugh, into a dance hall called Traditions. She stated that she was against the business going in at that location. Mike Luther stated that it was the old Drew Woods Mechanical Shop. Elton asked what the zoning on that property was. Sharon said the current zoning would allow for that type business there. Sharon said Planning and Zoning had denied it, but it would go in front of the City Council again on April 10. Sharon said she hoped it would be voted down, and appreciated any support she could get. Bill L. said Dennis was working on the lamps for Brison Park and asked David if there were any updates on that. David said the idea was to put a lamp on each corner of Fairview Park -- soon be renamed Luther Jones Park. He said the problem with Brison Park was that the deed restrictions wouldn't allow anything to be installed, and it was located outside of the CDBQ funding area. Historic Preservation Committee Page 4 6. OTHER COMMITTEE CONCERNS: Deborah said that Southside was organizing, and that she and Dennis were on the initial committee. She said the City has defined Southside -- not as the historical district alone -- but from Timber to Wellborn, George Bush to Holleman, and then the state streets (Georgia, Alabama, etc.). She said they had decided to organize as one large neighborhood association, very loosely defined, and she would keep the HPC updated. Deborah told the HPC that the dedication of the Presidential Corridor had been tentatively scheduled for April 11, 1997. She said the Riverside Campus area, where Highway 41 and Highway 47 meet, had been selected as the dedication site. She said something would officially come out in the paper. She said there was also a September date for the dedication of the school for Presidential Studies and International Affairs. Carol said that the dedication for the Bush Presidential Library would be three days in November, adding that Friday, November 7, would be Community Day in the celebrations. All of the past presidents with the exception of Ronald Reagan were expected to attend. David reminded the HPC members whose terms were set to expire, that they should be receiving a letter from the City Council office, and if they would like to sign up for another two -year term, they would need to fill out another application. Bill Lancaster, Mary Jane Hirsch, Deborah Jasek, and Dennis Maloney's terms would be expiring. David said Aaron had calendars for sale with some very interesting old pictures in it. Aaron said the Old Main Society was selling them for $5.00 each. 7. ADJOVRN: The meeting adjourned at 6:01 p.m.