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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - Cultural Resources Preservation Committee 02/24/2015CITY OF PALM DESERT BUILDING & SAFETY DEPARTMENT INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM To: Rachelle Klassen, City Clerk ,86c, From: Suzanne Cicchini, Administrative Secretary Date: February 23, 2016 Subject: Submission of Approved Minutes for the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee Meeting held on February 24, 2015 Attached is a copy of the February 24, 2015 Minutes of the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee Meeting approved by the Committee on February 23, 2016. Please include on the next City Council agenda. Thank you Attachment G \BldgSfty\Suzanne Cicchini\Word Files\Cultural Resources Preservation Committee\Meetmg Hems\Memo-City Clerk -Minutes 2-23-16.doc CITY OF PALM DESERT CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE Minutes February 24, 2015 Administrative Conference Room I. CALL TO ORDER Committee Chair Don Graybill called the meeting of the Cultural Resources Preservation Committee to order at 9:00 a.m. II. ROLL CALL Present: Don Graybill Kim Housken K. Gary Olesen Thomas Mortensen Bob Pitchford Leslie Deane Roth Pamela Williams Also Present: Susan Marie Weber, Mayor Russell Grance, Director of Building and Safety Suzanne Cicchini, Recording Secretary III. SWEARING IN OF NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS Thomas Mortensen and Pamela Williams were sworn in by Rachelle Klassen, City Clerk, just prior to the beginning of the meeting. Committee Chair Don Graybill thanked the new Committee Members and appreciated their new input and fresh ideas. Pamela Williams has been coming to the desert since she was little and has lived here for 10 years. She was on the Strategic Planning Committee. She works on political campaigns. Thomas Mortensen has lived here for 14 total years; 6 years as a full time resident. He is on the Sister City Committee. Mr. Mortensen loves being in Palm Desert and thinks it is the greatest place in the whole world to live. Committee Member Kim Housken wanted to know where Mr. Mortensen moved from. He is from Danville, California. Ms. Williams is from Kansas City, Missouri. IV. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF 03-25-14 CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 24. 2015 Committee Member Kim Housken clarified for the new Committee Members that the Committee has met more frequently than just once a year since March, 2014. The Committee met for Work Shops. If there is no formal business such as a public hearing, or matters that require a vote, the Committee meets for Work Shop discussions. City Staff does not have to develop Minutes for Work Shops, as no formal business is conducted. Committee Member Kim Housken requested a change to the Minutes of 3/25/14. On Page 2, the sentence should read: Motion carried by 4-0 with Roth, Olesen, Pitchford and Housken voting AYE; Graybill abstaining, and none dissenting. It was previously written as polled with Mr. Graybill's abstaining vote in the middle between the other Committee Member's AYE votes. It was confusing and could be misinterpreted. Committee Member Housken appreciated reading all of Kay McCune's comments. She noted that it was really nice to have the history of Ms. McCune's house in our Minutes. Motion was made by Committee Member K. Gary Olesen to accept the Minutes as amended. Motion was seconded by Committee Vice -Chair Leslie Deane Roth. Motion carried by 7-0 vote with Graybill, Roth, Olesen, Pitchford, Housken, Mortensen and Williams voting AYE; none dissenting. Motion passed unanimously to accept the Minutes as amended. VI. CONSENT ITEMS HELD OVER None VII. NEW BUSINESS A. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR FOR 2015 Committee Member Kim Housken noted that if the Committee were to meet in January, elections normally are held during the January meeting. Traditionally, it has been the Committee's policy, that the Vice -Chair ascends to the Chair position. If the Vice -Chair is willing, that would be Committee Vice -Chair Leslie Deane Roth. Discussion commenced. Committee Member K. Gary Olesen wanted to nominate Committee Member Kim Housken as Chair again. Committee Member Kim Housken politely declined. She mentioned that she was happy to help Ms. Roth. We are a working committee and are all very willing to step up and do what is needed to get things done. Motion was made by Committee Member Kim Housken to nominate Committee Vice -Chair Leslie Deane Roth to Chairperson position. Committee Vice -Chair Leslie Deane Roth accepted the nomination. Committee Member K. Gary Olesen seconded the nomination. Motion carried by 7-0 with Graybill, Housken, Olesen, Mortensen, Pitchford, Roth, and Williams voting AYE; none dissenting. G:\BldgStty\Suzanne CicchinlWord Files\Cultural Resources Preservation CommitteeNinutes 2015\2015 02 24 Minutes.docx Page 2 CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 24, 2015 New Chairperson, Leslie Deane Roth was congratulated. Discussion commenced about the Vice -Chairperson position. Committee Member Kim Housken inquired if Mr. Graybill would have a little more time; was he wrapping up his Historical Society Presidency? Mr. Graybill replied that he would be President for another year. Ms. Housken mentioned that by the time Mr. Graybill was finished with his term at the Historical Society, he would be ready to ascend to the Chairperson position for this Committee. Motion was made by Committee Member K. Gary Olesen to nominate Committee Member Don Graybill as Vice -Chairperson. Committee Member Don Graybill accepted the nomination. Committee Member Kim Housken seconded the nomination. Motion carried by 7-0 with Graybill, Housken, Olesen, Mortensen, Pitchford, Roth, and Williams voting AYE; none dissenting. Committee Chair Leslie Deane Roth indicated that she has been very busy with her work, but her business is in escrow, and as of next week, she will have a lot more time to dedicate to civic pursuits. Vill. CONTINUED BUSINESS None IX. OLD BUSINESS A. UPDATE: STATUS OF LETTER OF INTEREST FOR PROSPECTIVE FUTURE DESIGNATIONS The revised letter is ready. Committee Chair Leslie Deane Roth announced that she and Committee Member K. Gary Olesen developed a letter to send out. There are approximately 150 possible designations in the City of Palm Desert. The goal was to figure out ways to gently persuade property owners to apply for a designation. This letter will be finalized and the process can move forward. Committee Member Thomas Mortensen wanted to know if there was a list of people the letters were sent to. Russell Grance, Director of Building and Safety explained that a previous version of a letter was sent to the top thirteen prospects from a list of the Committee developed. Some people were interested in a designation; some were not. The Committee's hard work and face to face contacts resulted in the designations we have now. The initial letter used did not get a good response. The Committee thought it was time to revisit the letter to see if it could be revised and sent out to the potential applicants. Property owner participation is needed because a designation is voluntary. The letter is good at breaking the ice, but it does not compare to the face to face contact Committee Vice -Chair Don Graybill has pursued. Committee Members Pamela Williams and Thomas Mortensen requested a copy of the letter and the unofficial list. Ms. Williams inquired as to how the Committee decides who will go to which location. Committee Chair Leslie Deane Roth responded that she needed to develop a campaign. Committee G.\BldgSfty\Suzanne Cicchini\Word Files\Cultural Resources Preservation CommitteeMnutes 2015\2015 02 24 Minutes.docx Page 3 CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 24, 2015 Member Kim Housken provided a brief history for the benefit of the new Committee Members. This Committee was formed about 10 years ago. The first job as a working committee was to develop an unofficial prospect list. There was no consultant that performed a survey. The Committee got information from the Historical Society of Palm Desert and the Riverside County Historic Survey, which was done in 1983. The Committee worked off forms that they had completed. The Committee started digging in old newspapers and examined old records trying to find out what was of historic value in our city. It took a long time, a lot of hard work, and it has been a slow process to finally get designations in Palm Desert. There are 7. The Committee started with buildings owned by City of Palm Desert and the Fire Station on El Paseo. The Committee moved on to Shadow Mountain Golf Course. Ms. Housken suggested that Suzanne Cicchini, Recording Secretary, send the new Committee Members a link to the Cultural Resources web site, which is as follows: http://www.citvofr)almdesert.ora/index.asi)x?page=490 Committee Member Kim Housken commended Russell Grance, Director of Building and Safety for featuring designations and many different resources online. The Committee started working off a list they created and continued adding to it. Committee Member Bob Pitchford is an architect. Mr. Pitchford has the ability to look at a potential designation and have an idea of who designed it. The former letter was spruced up and made a little more informative. Committee Member Don Graybill has been really great about going out and making contacts that led to designations such as the First Church. Ms. Housken liked Committee Chair Leslie Deane Roth's idea that they needed a campaign. This would be an appropriate Work Shop item. More individual contacts and familiarity with the Ordinance is needed. This Ordinance is also linked on the web site. Ms. Housken noted that once on board this Committee, Committee Member K. Gary Olesen noticed how slowly things can move along. It seems so easy to sign people up, but it really is not. Committee Member K. Gary Olesen asked if the letter had been sent out yet. Mr. Grance responded that the letter had not been sent. Everyone will need to approve the letter. The next step is a campaign, or a new top ten to focus on. The letter will be sent and we will see what is generated. Committee Chair Leslie Deane Roth suggested focusing on the exact mechanism of how the campaign will work. Familiarity with the items on the unofficial list is important because some things on the list don't exist anymore. Mayor Weber expressed that she is very grateful to our two new members for agreeing to be on the Committee. Committee Vice -Chair Don Graybill thought Mayor Weber was the Committee Liaison. Mayor Weber clarified that she was technically not the liaison. She noted that she is just a visitor from the City, and she is really grateful that the Committee changed their meeting hours so she could participate. Mayor Weber and Committee Vice -Chair Don Graybill are both on the Board of the Historical Society of Palm Desert. Committee Member Kim Housken was on the Board and K. Gary Olesen is still going to the Historical Society. Mayor Weber expressed that we clearly are all very interested in the history of our City and that she is very grateful and thanked everyone for working on this. She requested that if there is anything she can do to help, to G'\BldgSfty\Suzanne Cicchini\Ward Files\Cultural Resources Preservation Committee\Minutes 2015\2015 02 24 Minutes docx Page 4 CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 24, 2015 please let her know. Committee Vice -Chair Don Graybill thanked Mayor Weber. Committee Member K. Gary Olesen thought that the Committee should focus on a certain number of designations at a time. If all 150 responded, this Committee would be overwhelmed. Russell Grance, Director of Building and Safety concurred. Last time, the top 13 were selected. Assess the feedback. The best attack is to take it in little bunches. Committee Chair Leslie Deane Roth wanted the potential designation candidate to know the reason why their property was selected; it improves the connection to the designation. X. REPORTS AND REMARKS A. REPORT: DON GRAYBILL — SITE VISIT RESULTS — POSSIBLE FUTURE DESIGNATIONS Committee Vice -Chair Don Graybill reported that he stopped by the First Church/Center for Spiritual Living, Palm Desert to discuss the plaque location. The plaque is located right above Mr. Henderson's site plaque. It's on a nice smooth surface. Committee Vice -Chair Don Graybill floated the idea of considering a potential designation of the Cross. Discussion commenced, but no application has been filed and no action took place. Committee Member Kim Housken discovered that the tree at the corner of Portola and Highway 111, address: 73980 Highway 111 was owned by the Saini brothers. The address of the owners is listed as the address of the property. She checked with the City of Palm Desert and the trees are in an easement. The land owner is in charge of the tree trimming and watering. Ms. Housken inquired if someone was going to look into the 76 ball at the 76 Gas Station. Committee Member Don Graybill volunteered to look into it. He contacted the owner. The current owner's father used to own it. He received a handsome offer for the property. The owner was deciding whether he would accept it or not. The sphere would be passed to the new owner. The current owner did not want a designation of the ball at this time. No information was available as to whether the property would continue as a gas station. Discussion commenced about the 76 sphere and touched on how important landmarks like that can be. Committee Chair Leslie Deane Roth commented on whether the plaque might be re -designed. She was reminded that quite a lot of deliberations and discussions commenced during the design of the plaque. It was a special project designed by our very own Committee Member, Bob Pitchford. The design was approved by the City Council. Committee Member Don Graybill mentioned that one can easily look up information about each of the designations on the City of Palm Desert website. There is a nice map and many different resources to look at. Discussion commenced about ideas to provide information at designation locations. Mr. Graybill noted that there was some discussion by the Arts in Public Places Commission about the potential of a cell phone application that works with art G:\BldgSfty\Suzanne Cicchini\Word Files\Cultural Resources Preservation Committee\Minutes 2015\2015 02 24 Minutes docx Page 5 CULTURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 24, 2015 installations to provide information about each piece. Perhaps this might work with the designation plaques. Information about each designation location could be provided. Committee Member Kim Housken noted that it goes hand in hand with the book the City of Palm Desert produced, Palm Desert Art and Architecture. It features both of the things the Committee considers to be significant. Some properties have not been designated yet and there is art work. A great tie in! Russell Grance, Director of Building and Safety suggested an interactive map, similar to the website. Click on it, another window could open up and provide a condensed history of the site. Mr. Grance will check with Deborah Schwartz about the possibilities of tying into that. Discussion commenced about potential designations, but some property owners are not quite ready to commit to an application at this time. Mr. Grance reported on the Miles Bates house located at 73697 Santa Rosa Way. Martin Alvarez, Economic Development Director, City of Palm Desert, told him that the property is on the list of properties to be dispersed and sold by the State of California Department of Finance. The parcel is L shaped. They would like to create another parcel off of the larger piece, for expansion of the senior center. A new lot line adjustment will create a parcel which has the Miles Bates house on it, and existing apartments in back. Staff considered if the property would be more attractive for purchase if the apartments were demolished. It was discussed and decided that the demolition of the apartments would be left to a future owner. Mr. Alvarez mentioned that there are people associated with the architect of record that may be interested in purchasing the property. The fate of the property is unknown. The purchaser will have to be the successful bidder and purchase the property. We will then have a new owner to discuss a landmark designation with. A discussion commenced regarding how unique the Miles Bates house is. It has a butterfly roof and is a very interesting property. XI. ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Committee Vice Chair Don Graybill to adjourn the meeting. Committee Member Kim Housken seconded the Motion. Motion carried by 7-0 vote with Roth, Olesen, Graybill, Housken, Pitchford, Mortensen and Williams voting AYE; none dissenting. Committee Chair Don Graybill adjourned the meeting at 9:45 a.m. ,. Suzanne Cicchini, Recording Secretary G \BldgSfty\Suzanne Cicchini\Word Files\Cultural Resources Preservation Committeeftnutes 2015\2015 02 24 Minutes dock Page 6