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Meeting
August 11, 2009
7:00 p.m.
City Hall A101

Present: Marsha Gunderson, Chair, Sharon Bures, Chuck Flemmer, Gordon Iseminger, Ted Jelliff,
Sylvia Kloster, Melinda Leach, Dale Sickels, Sandy Slater, Judy Swisher

Others: Joe O’Neil, Urban Development; Kevin Severson, Red River Valley Community Action; Peg O’Leary

Gunderson introduced the new commissioners: Sylvia Kloster, attorney/member-at-large, and Judy Swisher, member-at-large.

Motion: to approve the minutes of July 14, 2009. (Flemmer, Bures)
Motion carries.

Office of Urban Development – Joe O’Neil
O’Neil explained the city’s Infill Program and added that this infill house is to be built by Habitat for Humanity and may used federal HOME funds. The use of federal funds is the reason for Commission review in addition to the Infill Committee review.
421 Cherry Street – This is a corner lot surrounded by one- and two-story homes and an apartment building. Habitat is planning to use the house plan that they used for 901 N. 3rd St.; a one-story, front gable with a porch.
Motion: to concur with a determination that no historic properties are affected by building this plan at 421 Cherry. (Slater, Sickles)
Motion carries.
Mayor’s Near Northside Neighborhood Walk – O’Neil reported that the Mayor will be leading a walk thru this neighborhood at 6:00 p.m. Thursday. There will be general discussion about the history of the neighborhood and of the recent improvements.

Red River Valley Community Action – Kevin Severson
220 Chestnut St. (built 1905) – Listed as a contributing element in the Near Southside Historic District. The owner plans to use a federally-funded, low-interest loan to strip and paint the siding, windows, and trim, and to purchase wood combination storms.
Motion: to concur with a determination of no adverse effect resulting from these actions at 220 Chestnut St. (Leach, Jelliff)
Motion carries.
209 Seward Ave. (built 1929) – Listed as a contributing element in the Riverside Historic District. The owner plans to use a federally-funded, low-interest loan to replace 15 main floor windows with new vinyl or wood single hung units to match existing in size, style, and design; and to replace 6 basement window sashes with new wood sashes, in a 3-lite design to match existing windows. Discussion centered on the condition of the existing windows and whether they are sufficiently deteriorated to require replacement. The Secretary of Interior Standards stipulate repair over replacement whenever possible. Pictures of the windows were not available because the computer in the meeting room was down, but Severson said that the windows are not beyond repair; the caulking is loose and the windows are single paned. The owner believes significant energy savings would result from replacement. The benefits of caulking, weatherizing and, possibly, new storms were discussed. Slater noted that an energy audit of her same-vintage home revealed that the original windows were tight and only insulation in the roof was needed to improve energy efficiency.
Motion: that replacement of the main floor windows would result in adverse effect for the house at 209 Seward. (Slater, Iseminger)
Discussion: It was recommended that the owner repair and weatherize the existing historic windows. Severson suggested that they will also research new storms.
Motion carries.
Motion: to concur with a determination of no adverse effect from replacement of the basement windows if the replacement windows conform to the specs provided. (Flemmer, Jelliff)
Motion carries.

Chair Report – Marsha Gunderson
Downtown Design and Review Board – Gunderson reported that DDRB will meet at 8 am, Wednesday, Aug. 12, to discuss new windows and signage to be installed at 102 S. 3rd Street.

Coordinator Report – Peg O’Leary
Riverside Plaque and Office Chair – The plaque has been delivered and is awaiting installation; the chair is also in place. O’Leary asked the Commission to formally approve final payment for the plaque and for the new office chair.
Motion: to approve payment of $1,671.50 for the plaque and $454.50 for the chair. (Flemmer, Sickles)
Motion carries.
FY09 Nomination Projects – O’Leary explained the nature of the nomination projects and noted that Steve Martens contract is signed and he has begun work on the cemeteries’ WPA stone structures. O’Leary spoke with Kim Porter and the contract is ready pending a review of the deadlines.
HPC Appointments – O’Leary said Gunderson, Jelliff, Lien, and Sickels had been reappointed and Judy Swisher and Sylvia Kloster were new appointments. These six terms will expire in 2011.
SHSND Granitoid Survey – O’Leary distributed copies of the Review Board draft copy of the survey. She said she was surprised that the survey is actually an amendment to the Granitoid nomination; this drastically shortens up time for review and for discussion with the city about the ramifications of the survey and of delisting some areas of the Granitoid. O’Leary said she has asked the state to split the issue and deal with the survey separately from the proposed amendment. She noted that there are some errors that need to be cleaned up, which could have been avoided if the contractor had visited with commissioners or staff while he was in town. Leach expressed concern that the local commission was not consulted during the survey and suggested that it is hasty to proceed before we have time to review it properly. Members agreed that the matter needs more attention than can be given in the two weeks before the State Review Board meeting. O’Leary will visit with Lorna Meidinger and Fern Swenson about possibilities. Members will read the material and get comments back to O’Leary as quickly as possible.
Downtown Plaques/Stands – O’Leary reported that Meredith Richards has approved locating the Clifford Annex plaque on the DeMers Ave. façade of the Corporate Center but has asked that tenants be consulted before final placement.
Fairgrounds Plaque – The County Fair Board is considering funding up to $800 toward the purchase of a marker style plaque, which is the style that we currently have in Triangle Park identifying the Near Southside Historic District. Combining their money with ours to purchase the marker style makes selecting a location for the plaque much easier; the style is also less susceptible to theft and will not damage the buildings/structures.
Motion: to contract for the marker/pole style bronze plaque provided that approximately half the cost is funded by the County Fair Board. (Slater, Iseminger)
Motion carries.
ATO House Plans – Original architectural drawings of the 1923 ATO House were available for perusal. The plans are being donated to Special Collections at UND by Bill Schoen.
MN Certified Local Government Meeting – Minnesota’s annual CLG meeting is being held in Minneapolis/St. Paul on Sept.17-18. The agenda is interesting and the Commission has some travel funding available.
ND CLG Meeting – North Dakota’s annual CLG meeting is being held in Fargo on Sept. 19. Members were asked to save the date. It is important for as many as possible to attend.
Governor’s Conference on North Dakota History – Scheduled for Sept. 25-26 in Bismarck, this year’s conference focuses on the history of education in ND. The Friday night awards will include honoring the new National Register properties, including the Grand Forks County Fairgrounds WPA Structures and Grandstand.
Near Southside Historic District Certificates – Gunderson displayed the certificate from the State Historical Society that was sent to owners whose property is listed as a contributing element in the district.
Historic District Street Signs – The white on brown district signs are being put in place this week along the perimeters of the three districts.
UND Medical School Construction at Aurora Medical Park – The Med School has returned to a 2008 plan to erect a small building at the Aurora Medical Park. Their grant required proof that they are not disturbing significant archaeological deposits. Leach reviewed the site and provided the following determination: “On July 23 and 24, 2008, I drove by the Aurora Medical Park project area on 44th St. and South Washington. I briefly observed two margins of Project Locations A and B. The area has been graded and heavily disturbed, and includes significant earth movement and piling. I observed no historic properties and the likelihood of archaeological features or sites in this area seems low. However, if any historic or archaeological features or artifacts or human remains are encountered during construction, all work should stop immediately and the State Historical Preservation Office should be contacted.” This will be filed by the Med School with the SHPO and with their grantor.
State HPC Newsletter – Copies of the newsletter were disseminated. It was noted that the state is issuing an RFP for compilation of data on Federal Relief Construction in ND. This information will be a welcome addition to the existing data.
Historic Building Insurance – Copies of an article from the Forum News, a publication of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, were distributed. The article contains clear and concise information about getting real coverage for historic buildings.
Cultural Heritage Grants – Grants are available from the State, primarily for museums and libraries to assess and catalogue their collections. The press release was passed around.

Other Business
Margaret Kelly Cable House – Gunderson said she visited with Rick Tonder at UND about the disposition of the tiles and fireplace that were salvaged from the house prior to demolition. Tonder says the material is still in storage awaiting an appropriate spot for reconstruction.

Motion: to adjourn. (Flemmer, Bures)
Meeting adjourned. 9:15 p.m.

The next regular meeting will be at 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009, room A101, City Hall.

Respectfully submitted,



Peg O’Leary
Coordinator