Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutApproved Minutes - 2001-09-18 PM OI LAI![OS CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES September 18, 2001 i Of[WN� Mayor Judie Hammerstad called the City Council special meeting to order at 5:10 p.m. on September 18, 2001, in the Municipal Courtroom. Present: Mayor Hammerstad, Councilors Graham, McPeak, Hoffman (arrived 5:45 p.m.), Rohde, Schoen and Turchi. Staff Present: Doug Schmitz, City Manager; David Powell, City Attorney; Robyn Christie, City Recorder; Sidaro Sin, Long Range Planner; Stephan Lashbrook, Community Development Director HRAB Present: Jeanie McGuire, Kasey Holwenda, Gary Mimnaugh 3. Study Session with the Historic Resources Advisory Board The members of the Council, staff and Historic Review Advisory Board introduced themselves. 3.1 Updating the First Addition/Old Town Self-Walking Tour Brochures Mayor Hammerstad recalled that several Councilors took the walking tour recently, accompanied by an HRAB member who pointed out additional items of interest. She agreed that the walking tour brochures needed updating. She asked what the Board thought of establishing a summer docent program to provide guided tours. Ms. McGuire recalled that the HRAB created the brochures for Old Town, First Addition and Marylhurst for pre-1995 programs. She said that the Board would like to update those brochures and finish the one they started for Lake Grove. She mentioned possibly doing a taped drive through tour for Lake Grove, given how spread out that neighborhood was. She observed that HRAB had no budget. She indicated that the Board would start a docent program. Mayor Hammerstad told the Board to ask for money from the Budget Committee. Sidaro Sin, Long Range Planner, indicated to Councilor McPeak that, although they missed the budget cycle last year, they would get into the next budget cycle. Mayor Hammerstad mentioned that the Board could give a list of projects and their costs to Mr. Schmitz at any time. 3.2 Block 138 Ms. Holwenda referenced their memo listing the ideas they developed for how to incorporate possible historic elements into Block 138. Councilor Rohde suggested that the Board talk with Barry Cain of Gramor who was open to these kinds of ideas. Councilor McPeak suggested that the Board talk with the Arts Commission who also had ideas for Block 138. Doug Schmitz, City Manager, mentioned that Gramor's presentation of the plans for Block 138 to the Development Review Commission tomorrow night at 6 p.m. would be a timely occasion for the HRAB members to introduce themselves. Mayor Hammerstad noted that the Thursday evening meeting of the Boards and Commissions chairs would be a good time to contact the Arts Commission. Ms. McGuire described Board member Howard Shapiro's idea to create a memorial in Millennium Plaza Park and/or on Block 138 of a stand of the US flag, the Oregon State flag and the City of Lake Oswego flag. She mentioned lighting the stand at night and including a bronze plaque to honor those who died. She commented that she did not know if this fell within the City Council Special Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 4 September 18, 2001 Board's purview but they were willing to work with the City as necessary. She indicated her strong support of the idea. Mr. Schmitz noted that the final phase of Millennium Park did include a flagpole. Mayor Hammerstad spoke of a temporary solution with a permanent solution at the completion of the second phase of Millennium Park. 3.3 Historic plaques Councilor Graham spoke to making the historic marker plaques consistent, whether placed on Block 138 or on the historic homes in the city. She noted the Board's intent to place two to three plaques a year on the homes. Councilor Rohde suggested creating a plaque with the City logo on it and selling to through the City store. Ms. Holwenda described the Board's offer to the historic homeowners on their list to purchase a plaque, as opposed to waiting for the City's slow process of posting three a year. She explained that they started with the homeowners in Old Town and First Addition. She mentioned their attempt to find a foundry to do a plaque with some sort of logo on it. Ms. McGuire pointed out that, depending on their budget, they could do more than five a year ($120 a piece). Councilor Rohde observed that it was likely that people would purchase the plaques themselves once they saw the first ones installed. Ms. McGuire indicated to Councilor McPeak that the Board's intent was to restrict the plaques to those on their list of landmark building/house owners in order to maintain the specialness of the plaque. The Council generally concurred with the idea. Ms. McGuire mentioned the interest they have heard in the community for historic markers as a reason they decided to proceed with the project. She indicated to Councilor Schoen that their criteria for the plaques was inclusion on the landmarks list. Ms. Holwenda mentioned the Board's notebook of houses. She noted that many of those houses have been taken off the landmarks list. She spoke to revising the Code to make it more attractive to historic homeowners to want to be on the list, as currently it was somewhat of a detriment to be on the list. 3.4 Code Revision Councilor Turchi concurred that the requirement in the City Code to bring older homes up to the current Code during a remodel or expansion functioned as a disincentive to remodeling in favor of tearing the old home down. He noted that the Infill Task Force was looking at the issue. He spoke to relaxing the Code to provide an incentive for the remodeling of historic homes. He mentioned the lack of design standards and the need to develop something reasonable. The Board indicated its full support of finding a way to encourage historically appropriate remodeling. Ms. McGuire noted that Chapter 58 has never been revised. Mr. Sin noted that the Board wanted to soften some of the language. He speculated that it would take a year, including public involvement, to identify exactly what the Code issues were. Ms. Holwenda indicated to Mayor Hammerstad that she had training as a lawyer and could work with the Board on writing a draft revision. She mentioned that Mr. Mimnaugh's experience as a remodeler would also be helpful. 3.5 Additional Board Appointments Mayor Hammerstad noted that, while the Board had three applications for the one position at this time, it also had three other positions coming up at the same time. She suggested that the Council put out a call for applications or reapplications for the other three positions and interview for all four positions at the same time. Ms. Holwenda confirmed to Mayor Hammerstad that they had one member who has never showed up. She mentioned the Board's intent to send a letter to the Council asking for City Council Special Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 4 September 18, 2001 permission to handle the situation. She commented that they were having difficulties reaching a quorum. Mayor Hammerstad indicated that they would try to expedite it. 3.6 Iron Smelter Ms. Holwenda mentioned the Board's surprise upon learning that the City had applied for a grant for the smelter, and their feeling left out of the process. She commented that they had been trying to figure out some way to approach the matter. Councilor Graham asked what was the total cost of bringing the smelter up to Code and preserving it. Mr. Sin indicated that the cost of the first phase of restoration and stabilization was $150,000; the second phase of an interpretive center was in the $800,000 range. Mr. Sin indicated to Councilor Graham that the matching grant from the Historic Preservation Office was for $20,000, which would help with the restoration phase. Mr. Schmitz mentioned that the City did budget some money for the project and has applied to the County Tourism Development Council for funding. Mr. Sin indicated to Councilor Rohde that what needed to be done now was the engineering assessment as part of the first phase of restoration and stabilization. Ms. McGuire indicated to Mayor Hammerstad that the Board has never had a relationship with the Heritage House organization, although the Oswego Heritage Council has recently made some overtures to the Board, which they could follow up on. Ms. Holwenda mentioned talking with the new president Larry Keating. She observed that the Heritage Council was a privately funded group with money while the Board had no funds and many good intentions. She expressed her hope that they could work together to accomplish mutual goals. Mayor Hammerstad suggested recruiting a couple of Heritage Council members for the HRAB openings. Councilor Graham suggested looking the Adult Community Center also for potential HRAB members. Ms. Holwenda mentioned that, in the past, some of the Heritage House people and the Board have had an adversarial relationship because the Board would not let those people take their homes off the list for remodeling. She indicated that they were trying to patch up that rift and to find a way to work together to preserve the history and to be more flexible with the homeowners. Mr. Schmitz mentioned a fundraiser of the smelter as a holiday ornament sold through the City store. Councilor Graham suggested selling bricks as a way of raising funds. 3.7 Headgate Ms. McGuire indicated that, over the past six year, the Board took the headgate project as far as it could, and it was now with the City's special project people. Mr. Schmitz reported that staff had an appropriation for $2,000 for engineering work at the selected site in Roehr Park. Staff spent $1,400 on the project, and then some members on the previous Council wanted to locate it some place else than Roehr Park. With some members on this Council also wanting to locate it elsewhere, the project halted. Ms. McGuire commented that she had thought that the Bryant Woods site was agreeable to everyone. Councilor Hoffman arrived at 5:45 p.m. Councilor Rohde stated that he was one of the Councilors who most strongly objected to locating the headgate at Roehr Park because the park had no affiliation with the Tualatin River Canal. He recalled his argument that the headgate would make an excellent monument at Boones Ferry Road where the Tualatin traffic entered the city, given that the headgate had been the control element over the Tualatin River coming into Oswego Lake. He indicated that, even with the building of Nature's, there was still land available for a water sculpture using the headgate, which would serve as an historic and visible entrance to Lake Oswego. City Council Special Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 4 September 18, 2001 Mayor Hammerstad asked the Board to bring a proposal to the Council for disposition of the headgate as an entrance monument. 3.8 Preservation easements Councilor Rohde asked if it was legal for the City to have a pot of money to use for the purchase of historic homes, place a covenant on the home to prohibit tear down, to resell the restricted home and to put the money back into the pot for purchasing another home. He observed that it would be a steadily declining fund but it could offer some protection. The Board indicated that that was possible. Ms. McGuire noted that the George Rogers home had that type of restriction on it. Ms. Holwenda mentioned a prestigious home on a triple lot for sale on Lakeview that had been removed from the landmarks list. She held that it was the next candidate for tear down and replacement by one or two monster houses, unless an historic-minded person bought it. Mayor Hammerstad mentioned that the homeowner could not find buyers interested in historic preservation. Ms. McGuire commented that the Board would like nothing more than for the City to become involved in historic preservation in a tangible way. Councilor Schoen asked if the City could provide a tax incentive. Mr. Powell said that he would have to research that question. Mayor Hammerstad confirmed to Ms. McGuire that the Council did know about the outcome of the Hillsboro trial and the requirement that the resources on the landmarks list had to go through a procedure now. Mayor Hammerstad reviewed the items discussed during the meeting: • The Council encouraged the Board to pursue the bronze plaque program, with plaques located at Millennium Park, at Block 138, at random locations throughout the town and historic markers on homes • Selling smelter bricks sounded like a good idea. • Discussion of the flag trio as a memorial • The Board would make a proposal to the Council regarding the headgate • The Board wanted to be involved with the smelter project • Possible Board projects included the update of the First Addition and Old Town walking brochures and/or taped informative guides • Mr. Sin said that Code revisions could take up to a year • Code revisions could include preservation easements • Legal issues regarding someone who did not protest the listing of his/her property requesting that the Board take his/her property off the list • The need to get new members on the Board • Tree ornaments of the smelter for sale next year 4. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hammerstad adjourned the meeting at 5:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted,a/virkiy Robyn Christie City Recorder APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: ON October 16. 2001 . /V J ie Hammerstad, Mayor City Council Special Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 4 September 18, 2001