HomeMy Public PortalAbout20100511minutesMINUTES
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF JEFFERSON HISTORIC PRESERVATION
COMMISSION
May 11, 2010
MEMBERS PRESENT
ATTENDANCE
Ralph Bray, Chair
5 of 5
Cathy Bordner, Co -Chair
4 of 5
Russ Mitten, Secretary
5 of 5
Diane Light
5 of 5
Ric Telthorst
5 of 5
Jim Chilcutt
4 of 4
Art Langston
4 of 5
Jenny Smith
4 of 5
Richard Moore
1 of 1
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
COUNCIL LIAISON
Carrie Carroll 5 of 5
STAFF
Ron Davenport, Community Development
OTHERS PRESENT
Jo Ann Radetic, State Historic Preservation Office
CALL TO ORDER
The Historic Preservation Commission ("Commission") met for a regularly scheduled meeting on
Tuesday, May 11, 2010, at 6:30 p.m. in the Small Conference Room of the John G. Christy
Municipal Building, 320 East McCarty Street, Jefferson City, Missouri. The meeting was called
to order by Chair Ralph Bray.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The members reviewed the minutes from the April 13, 2010 meeting. A motion was made and
seconded to approve the minutes. The motion carried.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW MEMBER
The Chair introduced Richard Moore as a new member of the Commission. Mr. Moore briefly
described his background and experience and was welcomed -by the other Commission members.
CITY ISSUES/COUNCIL UPDATE
Ron Davenport reported that a new ordinance has been proposed that would establish standards
for accepting donations of preservation easements in the "Old Town" section of the City.
Although the proposed ordinance was not sponsored by the Commission, Ron believed the
Commission should be made aware of it because it deals with historic preservation issues. He
suggested that the Chair and other interested members should consider attending the next meeting
of the City Council's Administration Committee where the proposed ordinance initially will be
considered.
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the City of Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission
May 11, 2010
Chair Bray explained to the members that federal law allows private parties to donate historic
facades to qualifying non-profit organizations as a way to encourage and provide financing for
historic preservation. He stated that his cursory review of the proposed ordinance suggested it
was intended to facilitate that process in Jefferson City. Information regarding applicable federal
laws and actions that have been taken by communities to implement those laws is available on the
Internet, and he urged the members of the Commission to peruse some of that information on
their own. He further stated that he did not know who had proposed the ordinance, but did believe
it was something about which the Commission should have input.
A g eneral di scussion o f t he p roposed o rdinance f ollowed w ith several C ommission m embers
raising questions and expressing concerns. At the conclusion of the discussion Commission
members expressed the consensus opinion that the progress of this ordinance should be carefully
monitored so that members of the City Council could be made aware of the Commission's desire
to be involved in any further discussions of, or revisions to, the proposed ordinance.
Mr. Davenport also reported that the City has begun a sweep of public records to determine the
owners of certain structures on Jackson Street so that those property owners can be urged or
forced to perform necessary maintenance on or shore -up those structures. He noted that
deteriorating structures tended to destabilize the neighborhoods in which they exist. He stated that
the City is considering expanding its efforts to identify and hold responsible negligent property
owners to areas on High Street and Capitol Avenue, and also noted that the City already has
commenced efforts to force owners of derelict structures on Elm Street to maintain or stabilize
certain structures in that area.
Council Liaison Carrie Carroll reported on the status of ordinances that had been drafted by the
Commission several months ago for possible submission to the City Council. She stated that the
Council would take action to correct what appeared to be a clerical error in the ordinance dealing
with demolition petitions. She further stated that the Council was considering ordinances that
would: 1) allow persons who own property within the city limits but live outside the city limits to
be eligible to serve on the Historic Preservation Commission, and 2) provide a means to bring
Commission actions on demolition applications before the City Council.
Commission members Mitten and Telthorst asked Ms. Carroll how the ordinances drafted by the
Commission had come to be presented to the Council as actual proposals of the Commission.
They noted that the Commission had requested, and was still awaiting, input from the City
Attorney before a final decision would be made regarding whether the Commission would
recommend any or all of the draft ordinances. Ms. Carroll stated that there apparently was some
confusion regarding what the Commission was seeking from the City Attorney and suggested that
the Commission invite the City Attorney to a future meeting to clarify remaining questions.
Councilmember Carroll also reported that the City has nominated the old County Jail as a historic
structure in Jefferson City. She further stated that Sheriff Greg White has been invited to the
Landmark Award presentation ceremony to receive the award previously conferred on the old jail
by the Commission.
OLD BUSINESS
Preservation Plan
Chair Bray reported that the proposed Preservation Plan has been posted on the City's website for
public comment but that no public comments were received. Jo Ann Radetic appeared on behalf
of the State Historic Preservation Commission and presented written comments to the Plan from
Michelle Diedriech and Tiffany Patterson. Ms. Radetic stated that she had difficulty finding the
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Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the City of Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission
May 11, 2010
proposed Plan on the City's website and suggested that may be one reason no public comments to
the Plan were received. Commission member Telthorst stated that he, too, had experienced
considerable difficulty in locating the proposed Plan on the website.
Chair Bray stated that he understood and appreciated the concerns expressed about the lack of
publicity regarding the proposed Plan and the difficulty people experienced in trying to access the
Plan on the City's website. He therefore proposed delaying final consideration of the Plan to give
interested members of the public more time to review and comment on it. A general discussion
followed among the members as to how the proposed Plan could be better publicized to give
interested parties the opportunity to review it and provide comments.
Landmark Awards/Greg Stockard_Distinguished Service Award
The Chair reminded the members that the Landmark Awards ceremony will be held May 27th and
urged all members to attend. He stated that the ceremony will begin at 4:00 p.m, in the Council
Chamber. In addition to Landmark Award winners and the recipient of the Greg Stockard
Distinguished Service Award, art and essay contest winners also will be recognized at the
ceremony.
NEW BUSINESS
Demolition Applications
The Commission considered the application for demolition of the structure located at 2309 West
Main Street. Several members noted that critical information was missing from the demolition
application, including the age of the structure and the reasons it was proposed for demolition. Ron
Davenport offered to contact the applicant to see what additional information regarding the
structure could be obtained. Pending Ron's report at a future meeting, the Commission deferred
formal action on the demolition application.
DATES TO REMEMBER
The Chair again stated that the Landmark Awards ceremony would be held on May 27th. He also
noted that the next scheduled meeting of the Commission will be June Stn
There being no further business to come before the Commission, a motion was made and
seconded to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried and the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
itted,
Mitten, Secretary
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