Committee Minutes

Grand Forks Historic Preservation Commission
1405 First Avenue North
Grand Forks, ND 58203
701-772-8756
Meeting Minutes
February 27, 2007
7:00 p.m.
City Hall

Present: Marsha Gunderson, Chair, Chuck Flemmer, Gordon Iseminger, Melinda Leach, Cory Lien,
Sandy Slater, Dave Vorland
Others: Kevin Severson, Red River Valley Community Action; Peg O’Leary
Motion: to approve the minutes of the February 13, 2007 meeting. (Leach, Iseminger)
Motion carries.

Red River Valley Community Action – Kevin Severson
  1203 Shakespeare Road (built 1972) – RRVCA is proposing a low-interest loan to the owner for the following work: replace nine original windows with vinyl windows, put steel siding on the house, add metal gutters and downspouts, and repair drainage in back yard. Current siding is Masonite/particle board; replacement steel will be 8” wide to replicate appearance of original. Pictures of windows show significant deterioration. Severson said the owner is paying for the upgrade to steel siding since RRVCA authorizes only vinyl siding replacements.
Motion: to concur with a determination of no historic structures affected by the work, as described, for the house at 1203 Shakespeare Road. (Slater, Vorland)
Motion carries.

Chair Report – Marsha Gunderson
  Downtown Design and Review Board – At the recent meeting, the primary discussion centered on the new signs for 10 N. 3rd St. (formerly The Edge). The building will now house two new bars (O’Really’s and the Level 10) for which signage was proposed. DDRB members worked with the sign people to obtain more appropriate signage for the historic downtown area than was originally proposed.
  Rolf Ottum Resignation – Gunderson announced that Ottum had been asked to reconsider his resignation but he still feels he is unable to give the Commission the time and effort he would like to and asks that his resignation be accepted and forwarded to the Mayor’s office. O’Leary will forward the resignation; she said it is likely the seat will be filled along with the other appointments that come due in the spring. Members requested that a letter be written to Ottum expressing their appreciation for his service on the Commission.

Coordinator Report – Peg O’Leary
  Web Page Designs – O’Leary distributed three tentative designs for the GFHPC homepage. Members preferred the example that has both the Griggs statue and a building. They also preferred the brown tones over other possibilities. It was suggested that the building might scroll through a number of buildings in the city and link to explanations of each.
  Wooden Windows Handout – O’Leary noted that this article deals with an issue the Commission has recently confronted, so she had made photocopies for them.
  South Dakota History, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 335-366 – There is a long article about South Dakota Lustron houses in this issue. It’s available for checkout from the office.
  County Courthouse Card Reader System – O’Leary relayed information about the system the County is planning to install at the Fourth Street entry to the Courthouse. No federal funds are involved in the project. The exterior doors are replacement doors in a metal to match the framing and with an existing panic bar. The only item on the outside of the building will be the reader
(1½” x 5 ½”x ¾”) in a dark gray. Interior hardware includes a 4”x4” box and a cable from the panic bar to the floor, both of which can be painted to fade into the background. Members questioned why the reader will be on the front door instead of the north door by the parking lot. O’Leary said she believed it was because the system would be integrated with the handicapped accessible entry function when the ramp is installed in the future.
Motion: to authorize O’Leary to write a letter concurring with the County that the installation, as described, will not adversely affect this historic property. (Slater, Leach)
Motion carries.

Other Business
  Iseminger requested an update on the previously proposed demolitions at 3200, 3302, and 3500 Gateway Drive. O’Leary will request a report from Urban Development.
  Gunderson noted that the Marilyn Hagerty column (2/27/07) included a reference to the referral of the final plans for St. Michael’s Hospital in 1907.

Meeting adjourned. 8:00 p.m.
The next regular meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 13, 2007, in room A101, City Hall.


Respectfully submitted,



Peg O’Leary
Coordinator