Committee Minutes

Minutes
January 25, 2011
6:30 p.m.
City Hall

Present: Marsha Gunderson - Chair, Sharon Bures, Chuck Flemmer, Gordon Iseminger,
Sylvia Kloster, Melinda Leach, Cory Lien, Dale Sickels, Sandy Slater, Judy Swisher
Others: Kevin Severson, Mike Sullivan, Jason Schaefer, Jim Schothorst, Red River Valley Community Action; Peg O’Leary

Minutes
Motion: to approve the minutes of the December 14, 2010, meeting. (Lien, Burres)
Motion carries.

Red River Valley Community Action Weatherization Program - Mike Sullivan
813 S 17th St., built 1946 – A weatherization grant will be used to install attic and interior basement insulation, replace the rear exterior door with an insulated steel door, install two vinyl window units, and perform general air sealing procedures. A federally subsidized loan will be used to modify the addition’s flat roof to a hipped roof, install nine vinyl window replacements and two basement windows, install new gutters and downspouts, and perform various interior projects. The house in not on the National Register and is not in a Historic District.
Motion: to concur with a determination of no historic properties affected by the proposed work at 813 S. 17th Street. (Lien, Slater)
Motion carries.
1320 S. 14th St., built 1957 – A weatherization grant will be used to install a new rear entry steel door, insulate the attic and perform general air sealing procedures. The house in not on the National Register and is not in a Historic District.
Motion: to concur with a determination of no historic properties affected by the proposed work at 1320 S. 14th Street. (Leach, Swisher)
Motion carries.
110 Conklin Ave., built 1926 – A weatherization grant will be used to insulate the attic, the exterior walls (removing and reinstalling original siding to prevent damage to original materials), interior basement walls, replace two exterior doors with steel insulated doors, replace six existing windows with vinyl replacements, and perform general air sealing procedures. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing element in the Riverside Neighborhood Historic District. Gunderson quoted from the architectural survey, which notes, in part, “… unaltered, nearly-original exterior materials.” The survey cites the book-matched house next door at 108 Conklin, also in near original condition. The original 3:1 double-hung windows are particularly noted as reflecting “a modest Craftsman inclination on [these] two delightfully unpretentious working class residences.” The fact of the matched pair makes each more important than it might be alone. Commissioners questioned whether the windows could be repaired. The preferred treatment for historic fabric is repair, followed by partial replacement of elements of the material. If replacement is absolutely necessary, replacement material should be the same as the original material and in the same configuration. So, wood 3:1 windows having the same profile and in the same sized openings as the existing windows. The same criteria would apply to the original doors. Sullivan said state regulations require that he replace wood doors whenever they are part of a project. The state guidelines stipulate an R value that wood doors cannot meet.
Motion: the work described would adversely affect the house at 110 Conklin Avenue. (Flemmer, Slater)
Motion carries.
Sullivan and O’Leary will look for ways to meet both the weatherization guidelines and those of the Secretary of the Interior for work on Register listed houses.

Red River Valley Community Action Rehab Loan Program – Kevin Severson
806 Cottonwood St., built 1900 – The owner plans to use a federally subsidized loan to replace eleven house and ten porch windows with vinyl windows, replace the rear entry door with a steel door, rebuild the NE corner of the foundation and complete several interior projects. The house is not on the National Register or in a historic district but the 1994 architectural survey indicated possible thematic nomination potential. The house has been steel sided but original siding is said to be under the steel. This would appear to be true based upon the recessed nature of the window profiles. Severson said the windows are in bad shape and he thought the owner would be unlikely to pursue the loan if required to repair instead of replace the windows. General discussion ensued regarding the possibility of a thematic nomination and the virtues of the house if such an eventuality transpired.
Motion: to concur with a determination of no adverse effect if the replacement windows are vinyl 3:1, having the same configuration, profiles and openings as the existing windows.
(Bures, Lien)
Discussion: General consensus that the windows would be acceptable because of the already existing steel siding, the lack of individual eligibility, and the fact that a historic district in this area was ruled out during the process to establish the Near Southside Historic District.
Motion carries.

Red River Valley Community Action Sustainable Energy Resources for Consumers (SERC) – Jason Schaefer
RRVCA has received a $500,000 Department of Energy grant to “…allow local weatherization agencies to install materials and technologies that have promise for energy savings and benefits to customers, and cannot currently be installed under the traditional Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP).” The program will focus on ways to mitigate home heating costs for income-eligible applicants by using, primarily, geothermal and solar technology. In Grand Forks, they expect to focus on owner-occupied homes in the near-northside and near-southside residential areas. The program is just being rolled out; RRVCA will bring individual projects to the Commission for Section 106 review.

Chair Report – Marsha Gunderson
No report.

Coordinator Report – Peg O’Leary
FY11 CLG Budget – The CLG grant request for FY11 is due in Bismarck on February18, 2011. Commissioners need to decide on projects for the funding period. Possible NRHP nominations include Hariman Sanitorium on University Avenue, the old Grand Forks Airport (Brekke Travel) on N. 43rd St., the Ambassador and President apartments on N. 6th Street, the Hampton apartments on 5th Ave. N., and the Williams Brothers Pipeline office building on Gateway Drive. There is also a cluster of flat or low-sloping roofed houses south of 17th on Chestnut that may have thematic nomination potential. A UND Historic District brochure would create more awareness on campus and among visitors of the historic nature of the campus. A virtual tour of the Downtown Historic District would appeal to a technologically-oriented market segment. O’Leary was asked to draft a budget that would include one nomination (probably Hariman Sanitorium), a small survey area, a UND brochure, the costs to build an iPhone app for a virtual tour of the Downtown Historic District, and operating costs. The budget will be reviewed and a final budget approved at the February 8, 2011 HPC meeting.
Synagogue Nomination – No new information. The contractor has not reported in since O’Leary tried to contact her in November.
The Kegs NRHP Nomination – The nomination was distributed for review prior to the Public Hearing, which is scheduled for the February 8 HPC meeting.
Downtown Traffic Signals – The city is changing out ten downtown traffic signals. HPC was contacted for comment and none was required.
Riverside Brochure – O’Leary has selected pictures and housing styles for the brochure. She is in the process of writing the narrative.
Donor Reports – Donated time reports for December 2010 were signed.
UND Oxford House – The University copied HPC on a letter to the SHPO regarding work on the south porch of Oxford House. The SHPO holds a covenant on Oxford House in perpetuity; projects must be preapproved by the SHPO.
Grand Forks South Washington Street Shared Use Path – Commissioners concurred with a determination that no further investigation is warranted regarding cultural resources along the proposed work at South Washington between 47th Ave. S. and 55th Ave. S. However, the potential always exists for buried features and cultural deposits. Should such deposits be encountered during earth-moving activities, all work should cease and the situation should be reassessed by the State Historic Preservation Officer.
National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC) – The annual fee for membership has increased from $115 to $130 and has come due for 2011.
Motion: to authorize payment of $130 annual dues for NAPC membership.
(Slater, Swisher)
Motion carries.

Motion: to adjourn. (Sickels, Flemmer)
Motion carries. Meeting adjourned. 8:30 p.m.
The next regular meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011, in A101, City Hall, and will include a Public Hearing on the nomination of The Kegs to the National Register of Historic Places.
Respectfully submitted,



Peg O’Leary, Coordinator