Committee Minutes

Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission
1405 First Avenue North
Grand Forks, ND 58203
701-772-8756
Minutes
7:00 p.m.
August 26, 2003
Grand Forks City Hall


Present: Marsha Gunderson, Dave Beach, Chuck Flemmer, Gordon Iseminger, Ted Jelliff, Randy Lee, Sandy Slater
Others: Peg O’Leary

Motion: to approve the minutes of August 12, 2003, as distributed. (Jelliff, Flemmer)
Motion carries.

Storefronts – Held over for more information.

Fourteen Residences Mitigation Report – Held over.

Sub-committee Report
§ Friends of Preservation – Ted Jelliff reported that Eileen Nelson had written about the organization in her column in the Shopper. Gunderson said guidelines for by-laws and a copy of the affiliate agreement came in from Preservation North Dakota.

Chair Report – Marsha Gunderson
§ de Mores Ball – Invitations have been sent from the State Historical Society for the Marquise de Mores Costume Ball being held to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the one Madame de Mores gave before leaving Medora. It’s a fundraiser and everyone is welcome.
§ Minnesota Avenue Granitoid – Gunderson said she visited with Lonny Winrich about the widening of Minnesota Avenue from the bridge to S. 4th St. He reported back that the engineers said they have no intention of continuing to widen the street; the completed section is to accommodate a turning lane. Granitoid and mature trees were removed to widen the street. The SHPO has been asked if they approved the removal of the Granitoid; we’ve had no response from them to date.

Coordinator Report – Peg O’Leary
§ CLG FY03 Budget Report – The State Historical Society has approved the $4,000 for the annual meeting and is likely to approve the $10,000/$5,000, state/city split for the Downtown Historic District Nomination.
§ Campbell House Archaeology – At GFHPC request, former member and archaeologist, Fred Schneider reviewed the proposed recovery plan and expressed several concerns, especially regarding the depth of the proposed work. He said that research has shown there may be substantial prehistoric deposits buried more than a meter below the present ground surface in the Red River Valley. He advocated for deeper digging. He also expressed some concerns about curation procedures and the stabilization of metal artifacts, and he pointed out the need for a copy of the report to go to Special Collections at UND. His comments have been relayed to the SHPO and the Corps with our support.
§ Near Southside District Nomination – O’Leary reported that the Nomination has been reviewed by Mary Kate Ryan, SHSND Architectural Historian. She has made extensive comments but, in general, approved of the boundaries and the nomination itself. Ann Emmons, nomination contractor, feels the comments can all be addressed in time for the Oct. 24, 2003, meeting of the State Historic Review Board.
Motion: the Historic Preservation Commission approves submitting the Near Southside Historic District nomination for the next level of review: the State Board Meeting on Oct. 24, 2003. (Iseminger, Slater)
Motion carries.
It was also decided to hold the Grand Forks Public Hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at 7:00 p.m., in City Hall. The public will be notified of the pending review through an ad placed in the Grand Forks Herald and individual notices sent to property owners in the proposed district. Lee suggested that the notices include a flyer which explains what national register listing does and doesn’t mean and, also, include local contact people to respond to questions. O’Leary will convey these suggestions to the SHSND.
§ Transportation Enhancement Projects – The Commission decided to propose historic signage for the Near Southside Historic District.
§ Lewis and Clark Elementary School – The school is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year and they are looking for pictures and other memorabilia from the early years.

Other Business
§ Meadowbrook is moving from the blue building downtown to Griffith’s. General discussion ensued about potential businesses for downtown. It was mentioned that an equipment rental store, to service needs of Greenway users, might work well in a downtown storefront.
§ O’Leary reported that Tom Kenville is continuing to look into possibilities for the Metropolitan Opera House. He is having drawings completed so people can better understand what he would like to do with the building.
§ The Shelter for the Homeless has begun building its addition at 420 Division Avenue.
§ Beach recommended travel to the Maritime Provinces. He said a recent visit to St. John’s, Newfoundland had given him an interesting perspective on historic preservation. The town has burned several times, the last being in 1892. Consequently, most of the downtown buildings date to that time period and many are wood frame buildings. The local historical zoning requires that the buildings be painted specific, bright colors. The resulting effect is known locally as the “jelly bean” effect.
§ Lee recommended Port Townsend, WA for historic views on the Pacific Coast.
Meeting adjourned. 9:15 p.m.
The next regular meeting will be at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 9, in City Hall room A101.

Respectfully submitted,


Peg O’Leary
Coordinator