Committee Minutes


Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission
1405 First Avenue North
P. O. Box 13876
Grand Forks, ND 58208-3876
701-772-8756

Minutes
November 24, 2009
City Hall

Present: Marsha Gunderson, Chair, Sharon Bures, Chuck Flemmer, Gordon Iseminger,
Ted Jelliff, Sylvia Kloster, Melinda Leach, Dale Sickels, Sandy Slater
Others: Peg O’Leary

Motion: to approve the minutes of the November 10, 2009 meeting as presented. (Flemmer, Jelliff)
Motion carries.

Chair Report – Marsha Gunderson
Downtown Design and Review Board – The DDRB is sponsoring meetings to provide a forum for the downtown owners/operators to discuss with city staff the possible changes to the signage regulations. The meetings will be Thursday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., in the Community Room of the Grand Forks Herald. Gunderson said there is ambiguity, with regard to the use of signs in downtown windows, that needs to be resolved. The meetings will give owners input into the process.
Train Quiet Zone – Gunderson said the downtown area is well on the way toward being free of train whistles and at a much lower cost than anticipated. Other areas of town are more difficult because of the proximity of multiple sets of tracks and/or because less work has already been done by BNSF toward Quiet Zone requirements.

Coordinator Report – Peg O’Leary
UND Nomination Update – The update package is complete, signed by Merl Paaverud, and sent to the National Park Service.
Fairgrounds NRHP Plaque – O’Leary requested authorization for payment of the remainder of the cost of the Fairgrounds plaque: $692.50.
Motion: to authorize payment of $692.50 to Erie Landmark Company as final payment for the Fairgrounds NRHP plaque. (Slater, Leach)
Motion carries.
Central Fire Station Energy Retro-fit – The City is requesting funding from federal stimulus monies to make the DeMers fire station more energy efficient. The station was built in 1974 and, except for changing windows to operable windows and adding an air-lock entry, all the work is interior work. Jelliff noted that the fire station sits on the site of the old Grand Forks Chiefs ball park.
Motion: to concur with a determination of no historic properties affected by the proposed work at the DeMers Avenue Central Fire Station. (Leach, Slater)
Motion carries.
Donor Reports – Members completed donated time/resources reports for Sept. - Oct. 2009.
HPC Meeting Time/Dates for 2010 – HPC currently meets at 7:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays eight months of the year and only on the second Tuesday the other four months. The city personnel director, who is responsible for maintenance staffing in City Hall, has asked us to consider an earlier meeting time or an alternate location to help alleviate overtime costs in City Hall. Our ordinance stipulates that we post our meeting schedule a year in advance and that we meet at least four times a year. Housing Authority/Urban Development have offered the conference room in their building for HPC meetings. Flemmer stated that the building on 1st Avenue N. is much harder to find than City Hall and, since our meetings must be open to the public, they should be easy to access. Sickels noted that meeting there seems too removed from city government and that the public perception of the Commission as a city entity would be eroded. Other members had concerns about being responsible for the HA/OUD building after hours. Members determined that the Commission needs to meet in City Hall. Members then considered whether meetings could be held just once a month, but it was decided the spring workload is heavy and this option would probably not reduce the amount of overtime, just the frequency, and it would reduce the Commission’s ability to respond to the public in a timely fashion. The discussion turned to time. Three members regularly work until after 6 p.m. It was determined that the meeting time could be moved up to 6:30 p.m. without loss of membership. Several members wondered if the overtime problem could be addressed by having the evening custodian come in later on HPC meeting days, thus reducing overlap with the morning custodian and reducing extra hours. Consensus: to continue to meet in City Hall and to change the meeting time to 6:30 p.m.

Other Business
Central High School Architectural Plans – Kent Anderson has shared photo negative copies of some of Central’s original drawings with the Commission. O’Leary is not sure, at this point, if he is donating or loaning them. The plans are details of the fenestration and of the north and south facades. They are beautiful and were admired by everyone.

Motion: to adjourn. (Sickels, Slater)
Motion carries. Meeting adjourned. 8:15 p.m.
The next regular meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009, in A101 City Hall.


Respectfully submitted,



Peg O’Leary
Coordinator