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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/06/1996 - Regular Minutes - Historic Preservation Committee HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1996 -- 5:15 P.M. CENTRAL PARK CONFERENCE ROOM 1000 KRENEK TAP ROAD HISTORIC COMMITTEE Bill Lancaster, Chairman; Sharon Menn Deborah Jasek Carol Wagner MEMBERS PRESENT: Dennis Maloney; Bill Fox, Council Liaison Aaron Ffrench, Old Main Society Liaison MEMBERS ABSENT: Mary Jane Hirsch; Gary Halter Steven Smith STAFF PRESENT: David Gerling, Special Facilities Superintendent; Pamela Einkauf, Senior Secretary; Bridgette George, Staff Assistant VISITORS PRESENT: None I. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 5:16 p.m. by Bill Lancaster, Chairman. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes for January and February, 1996 were approved as written. 3. HEAR VISITORS; There were no visitors present. 4. SWEAR IN NEW MEMBER: Carol Wagner took the oath of office and was sworn in by Bridgette George. Bill L. welcomed Carol as an official member. 5. REVIEW OF APPLICATION FOR CITY HISTORIC HOME PLAQUE: Bill L. stated that he'd learned that the address of the home being considered for the plaque was 1111 Park Place, not 3101 Westchester Avenue, as stated on the agenda. David added that 3101 Westchester was the mailing address for the owner. Bill L. commented that the house was being extensively remodeled, and he that he could attest to the fact that it was over fifty years old. Dennis made a motion to approve the application and Deborah seconded. The application was approved with no objections. Bill L. stated that this house would have historic home plaque #30. Dennis asked for several applications so that he could give them to people interest in the historic home plaque program. 6. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS: Historical Tourism: Mary Jane was not present to give an update. Bill L. stated that Mary Jane had given him some photos to turn over to Sharon, however, he'd left them at home. He added that Mary Jane was very enthusiastic about Steve Smith's idea of holding a workshop on preserving family documents. Mary Jane had wanted Steve to know that there were some people she worked Historic Preservation Committee Page 2 �n_�.- •a CO-Q- W a W`-- P.At)1 C with at the George Bush Library who • • • • • ' • - • • - • • • - audio and video tapes. Since Steve had commented that he didn't deal much with tapes, Mary Jane thought he might want to include those people in any workshop he put together next fall. Bill wanted to know if the HPC (Historic Preservation Committee) would be interested in touring the facility where the Bush collection is being worked on. Deborah said she had toured it, and that it was wonderful. She added that she would love to go again. Bill L. stated that they had told him that normally they didn't give tours, but the HPC could probably get in. Bill said it would probably be during the day, sometime after March 26, 1996. That's when some of the current docents will have completed their training. He wanted to know if the members could get together in the afternoon sometime for a couple of hours and take the tour. It was decided that late afternoon (after 3:00 p.m.) was best. Sharon said she was off on Fridays, otherwise it would be closer to 3:45 before she could be anywhere. David said that he could call and try to set something up and then let everyone know. Bill said he had the name and number of a person to contact. Oral History: Bill told the members that the fifth oral history session was coming up on April 17, 1996, and that it would be on early transportation. He said that Deborah was the chairman of the group, and he was the publicity chairman. He asked the members to let him know if they knew of anyone who could offer any information on transportation from the 1920's through the early 1950's. This could include roads, trains, taxis, buses, automobiles, planes, trolleys, etc. Deborah said that the time period may be extended into the early 1960's, to include the opening of the Highway 6 bypass. Bill said he'd been hying to contact some of the people involved with the airlines and Easterwood Airport. He also thought that there might be a woman in Huntsville who was a child or a second generation of the Edge family, which had owned the bus company that bought out the trolley company. Paul Edge had been the superintendent of the school system in College Station before 1940, and Bill said he could remember Mr. Edge as a young man driving the buses between Bryan and College Station. He just died within the last year, and Bill wanted to contact his widow to see if there was anyone in the Edge family who had any information, and possibly even a lead back to the trolley company. Bill commented that when Greg Keith had been a member of the HPC, he had prepared a report on the Bicycle Club of 1898, which could also be incorporated into the oral history session. Research: Gary was not present to give an update. Photo Document: Sharon wanted to know if Dennis had a chance to contact Mrs. Mitchell. He said he'd gone to see her however, she was asleep at the time. He said he'd try again. Education: Deborah stated that she had nothing new to report. Southside Signage: Dennis briefly reviewed the Special Event Parking Plan proposal. He showed the members pictures of the two choices for the signs which would be used in the Southside and Eastgate areas. Dennis stated that the HPC needed to go to the City Council and let them know which of the two choices it preferred. Everyone agreed on the sign with the beige background and red lettering. The colors looked historical, and the depot and wording appeared much clearer. He reminded the members that the signs with the depots would be located in the Historic Area only, with the rest of the Southside having the signs with the College Station logo. Bill said he wasn't real pleased with the black background chosen. David explained that the color was actually a dark bronze. He said it had been chosen so that when you stood at the end of the street the signs weren't Historic Preservation Committee Page 3 the first thing you saw, but when the signs were flipped down, the message would be highly visible. When the design for the signs was worked up they were trying to do away with visual pollution. Deborah asked how many blocks the signs would go on. Dennis stated that he thought the parking would be controlled all the way to Holleman. David told the members to look on the maps of Southside which had been distributed to them. He told everyone that the area defined in the Special Events Parking Plan was from Wellborn Road down Luther, Luther to Montclair, Montclair to Eleanor, down Eleanor across Holleman to South Dexter, up South Dexter to Park Place, and from Park Place to Timber. The members defined the historic district as from Wellborn down George Bush to Timber, Timber to Park Place, Park Place to Dexter, Dexter to Winding Road, Winding Road to Hereford, Hereford to Park Place, Park Place to Wellborn, and Wellborn to George Bush. In this way, Luther Jones' house, Professor McDermott's house, and a 112 year old house that was renovated right next to the McMurray's on Winding Road were included. Sharon asked Bill L. which houses he had been concerned about getting into the historic district. He said the ones Dennis had just mentioned, as well as the Williamson house on Hereford. Dennis stated that by extending the Historical Area down Hereford, five historical houses were picked up. Bill L. asked if both sides of the streets were included, and Dennis said yes. Dennis added that this was just the first phase of the historic district, and at a later date the boundaries could be pushed further out. He felt that the Special Event Parking signs going up outside the historical area, should look the same as the signs in the historic area, but without the words "Historical Area ". Those words could be added if the historical area boundaries were ever extended. Bill Fox stated that the original intent of the City Council was to place special significance on the historical district. Not that they were intending to ignore the Southside, but to try to identify the area on the southside as having historical significance. He said that hopefully the people living in the area defined as historical would take interest knowing that they were living in a historical area. Dennis stated that if the same sign was up all over Southside, then there would be no difference between someone living in a historical house and someone living in a run down place. Bill F. said that "Southside" would denote a section of the city, but probably not add any significance, whereas, "Historical District" would tend to preserve an area that was special. Dennis agreed saying that it would be called "Historical Area ", since "District" implied a lot of zoning and restrictions and a lot of people balk at that. Bill F. asked Bill L. if the age of the homes in the area designated as historical was sufficient. Bill L. said that yes, the majority were fifty years old but there were some exceptions. Bill L. asked what had been decided about the signs, and Dennis said that the only signs with the depot would go in the designated Southside Historical area, everywhere else the signs would have the city logo on them. Dennis said that Park Place used to be the end of the world, and Luther Jones' house stood out in the meadow by itself. He said that when he first moved into southside, his house was on part of Luther Jones's land. Bill L. stated that Luther Jones used to own the entire hill. Dennis added that there used to be a golf course down there, and Bill L. said airplanes used to land there. He said that as a young boy he'd flown in a Ford Tri-motor airplane out of that area. He said that a fellow by the name of Greg Robbins, a well known barn simmer at the time, had flown out of there, and landed right where Dennis' house is now. Bill L. said he'd seen some publicity on Mr. Robbins just recently, and that he needed to be included in the upcoming memory lane oral history. Sharon asked how the banners were going to fit in with the signs and lamp posts on George Bush Drive. Dennis said that it was his understanding that another city committee had decided on what the banners would look like, and the HPC wouldn't have anything to do with it. Sharon asked if Historic Preservation Committee Page 4 the HPC was still looking at installing the lamps. Dennis said yes, but not on George Bush because the city already had street lights up, and nothing could be done on Wellborn either. He said the lights needed to be put up on Fairview, which got the most traffic of any other street in the historcal area. He said he didn't know if that it would happen because of the installation cost the city had quoted David. Bill L. said that the HPC did coordinate with the City Beautification committee on the banners, and David agreed stating that they were taking the lead on that project but that they would meet with the HPC when they got into areas the committee was concerned with. 13111 L. asked if the banners would go up in the residential area, and Deborah said at $475 per banner they would only go on the perimeters. Bill F. said that original intent was to start out by putting banners up on University Drive because it's an entry-way into the city. Bill L. asked how long the banners would last and Deborah said they were guaranteed for ten years. She said in addition to the $475 for the banner, the hardware to install them was about $100 per banner. Bill L. stated that at one point the HPC did discuss an entrance into the historical area, but he didn't envision that as being banners. Sharon said she'd like to see the decorative lamp posts with something on them -- not necessarily banners -- but a plaque or something -- along George Bush. She understood that Wellborn Road was like a highway and nothing could be done there, but she envisioned a decorative lamp with a decorative sign on it. Dennis said that since the City had the big galvanized metal lamps all along George Bush already, the HPC wouldn't want to put up lamps as well. He added that the city wanted $1,000 to install each lamp and they would not maintain them. Dennis asked if anyone had a problem with the parameters set for the historical area. Bill L. commented that the HPC would have to defend its decision. The members all agreed on the parameters. Bill L. stated that on the corner of Park Place and Hereford there was a Sears Roebuck house. It was actually the second house from the corner on Hereford. He said he had the information at home, but the president of Stephen F. Austin University built it and lived in the house. Bill F. asked if the materials were ordered through Sears, and Deborah said you ordered the whole house. Bill L. added that going towards Hearne coming off the hill at Highway 6, there's a great big house on the left with columns, and he wasn't certain, but he believes that may be a Sears house as well. He saw a house that looked just like that in a 1908 Sears Roebuck catalogue. You ordered it and they brought it in by train with all the parts numbered and you put it together. Sharon stated that the HPC needed to purchase six small decorative light posts that could be placed alongside the street lights on George Bush. She stated that she knew the HPC would have to maintain them. She said that they needed to be in the same bronze background color as the Special Event Parking/Historical Area sign, and then have the metal plaques (or whatever the HPC decides on) hanging from the post. These would be installed at the corner of Highlands, Montclair, Fairview, Dexter, and on down, while the rest of the interior of the Historical Area would have the coordinating Special Event Parking signs. Dennis told Sharon it was a good idea, and the decorative post wouldn't have to have a light on it, just an arm that extended out with a double -sided sign hanging off of it. Sharon said the cost would decrease considerably without the lights, and they weren't really needed since George Bush already had street lights. Dennis asked how many posts she was talking about, and she said seven. One at the corner of each street going into the Southside Historical Area. Bill F. stated that the Council had voted to divert some Community Developement Block Grant (CDBG) funds and that money could be used for this project. Dennis said the money could only be used for security lighting, and the type of lights the HPC wanted didn't classify as security lighting but decorative lighting. He added that with the original $10,000, however, the HPC should be able to pay for six decorative lamp posts easily. He told the members that Ed Hard, with the City, had said that they would be willing to place the "Historical Area" signs on Fairview Historic Preservation Committee Page 5 for the HPC. The signs wouldn't open though, because according to the Special Event Parking Plan, Fairview will have parking on both sides of the street. Dennis said he would ask Mr. Hard if they could make enough so that the signs could be double - sided. Then, all the HPC would have to be concerned about was purchasing the decorative posts to be used to hold the signs. Those same posts could be used later if the HPC chose to put up lights. He said the HPC needed to find out if the people who made the posts also made sign holders, adding that if they were far enough up off the ground they'd be harder for vandals to get to. David said when he got back with Ed Hard he'd let him know that the members wanted to go with the beige and red sign. Pam stated that by adding only three more decorative posts, Wellborn Road could also be taken care of. It was agreed, that if cost permitted it would be great to get the signage on Wellborn Road taken care of at the same. Bill F. asked if the issue of the decorative lighting had been fully researched to make sure it wouldn't qualify for the CDBG funds. David said that CDBG funding states that the money has to be used for lighting in an economicaly depressed area, which it is. However, according to city regulations, those lights don't put out enough foot candles to be considered security lights. Deborah asked if that was a city or a federal regulation. David said city. Deborah said that the security lighting on campus walkways was the lower, downward - shining lights. They are below the tree canopy and actually provide better lighting than the taller ones. Deborah said she didn't see how the city could charge the HPC $1,000 to install each light. Bill F. said the HPC could probably be contract the installation out to a private contractor, but the issue would be long term maintenance, which would have to be factored into future budgets. Dennis asked if the HPC had access to the CDBG money until September, and Bill F. said he believed the money would carry over from year to year. Dennis said he thought the HPC should go ahead and spend $10,000 on the signage, get the lamp post bases that they wanted, and at the next meeting discuss what David found out about lighting. Perhaps a less expensive, downward - shining light that would be less expensive to maintain could be found and placed on Fairview. Sharon said she'd like to see decorative lights on George Bush as well, and Dennis said it wouldn't look good putting the small decorative lights right next to the taller street lights the city just installed. Deborah felt the HPC should look into it, and Bill F. agreed saying it was a mistake for the HPC to walk away from the CDBG money without exploring the issue further. He said the HPC may be able to approach the City Council on getting a variance, particularly if it was just a city ordinance and not a federal one. In that way the HPC could go forward with the lighting portion of the project. The members agreed that $10,000 would be used to purchase decorative posts for George Bush and Wellborn Road. The $10,000 CDBG money could be used for lights to be installed on Fairview, if it could be worked out. 5. OTHER COMMITTEE CONCERNS: Sharon wanted to know how the HPC could go about changing the city logo permanently. Bill F. said the HPC needed to approach council and check with the City Manager and make the suggestion that council consider changing the logo. He knew there were people on the city council who weren't happy with the "snail ". Dennis suggested that Sharon go forward to the Council and let them know that the members wanted the signs with the beige background and red lettering, and at the same time ask for the council's consideration to change the city logo to the College Station depot. David said that it may be difficult for someone outside the city to know what the depot is. Someone suggested adding a railroad track to the picture so everyone would know it was a depot. Bill F. said the HPC should take into consideration that the council likes to think of itself as progressive minded, and the train depot may denote more of a backward philosophy. He said the depot was appropriate as a logo for the historic district, but questioned whether it was appropriate for the entire city. Historic Preservation Committee Page 6 Dennis asked when the Special Event Parking Plan was going to be presented to council and David said it was being done on March 47, 1996, at 4:00 p.m. Bill F. asked David if he'd talk to Ed Hard to see if Sharon could present the HPC's idea of changing the city logo to the depot at that workshop, as well as the members choice for sign color. 6. ADJOURN: The meeting adjourned at 6:34 p.m. •