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CHC Minutes-2009-04-28MEMORANDUM May 5, 2009 TO: Dave Adams, City Manager Steven Apple, AICP, Community Development Director FROM: Teri Delcamp, Historic Preservation Manager' Cultural Heritage Commission Secretary SUBJECT: Cultural Heritage Commission Actions of April 28, 2009 This memorandum summarizes the actions taken by the Cultural Heritage Commission at their Tuesday, April 28 meeting. No action is required unless the City Council wishes to hold special review of an item. CALL TO ORDER Vice -Chair Siegel called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Present: Janet Siegel, Vice -Chair Ed Nunez Lorie Porter Don Tryon Absent: Nathan Banda, Chair (excused) Staff: Teri Delcamp, Cultural Heritage Commission Secretary ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None. OLD BUSINESS NEW -- NEW BUSINESS Consideration of Montanez Adobe Structural Improvements, 31745 Los Rios Street (CIP No. 474). Project Manager Teri Delcamp presented a report on the preliminary plans for the restoration and seismic retrofit of the City -owned Montanez Adobe, including removal of the existing interior steel frame and wood beam, new structural elements in the attic space, new roof and historically appropriate porch posts. With the CRC's concurrence, staff will direct the consultants to complete the construction drawings so staff can take the plans and specifications to the City Council for bidding authorization. Michael Martinez, representing the City's historic preservation architect consultants IS Architecture, was present to respond to questions. Dave Adams, City Manager 2 May 5, 2009 The CHC commended staff and the architect on the restoration and repair plans. Discussion ensued regarding proposed finishing for the underside of the porch roof. Currently, the roof shingles are visible on the underside of the porch roofs because there is no roof underlayment there. However, the seismic retrofit requires plywood sheathing to extend from the roof down to the porch roof. This means that the plywood would be visible on the underside of the porch roof. The approach being suggested by the architect is to lay tule reeds on the underside to hide the plywood. There are no extant roofs in San Juan Capistrano outside of perhaps the Mission that have tule reeds. However, the reeds were used historically as the first roofing material on many of the adobes before clay tiles were made or before wood shingles began to be shipped down to Southern California. in the late 1800s. The CHC ultimately decided that the tule reeds would be an educational opportunity to talk about the history of this roofing material and supported the use of the reeds on the underside of the porch roofs. The CHC recommended completing and forwarding the project to the City Council for bidding authorization. INFORMATION ITEM 1. Consideration of Forster Mansion Events, 27182 Ortega Highway. Project Manager Teri Delcamp presented an informational report on the status of an application requesting a wedding and special event facility at the privately -owned Forster Mansion. The application has been revised since its submittal to the City in November 2008. The assembly use/events and their supporting set-up are proposed in the exterior grounds for up to 200 people. No physical changes are proposed to the Mansion, or to the grounds' other than temporary event equipment such as a large tent at the rear of the property and rental tables and chairs, etc., for each event. No changes are proposed to the existing commercial occupancy of the Mansion either. Because the project does not involve physical changes to the Mansion,and does not involve any permanent physical changes to the grounds around the Mansion, a Site Plan Review application is not required. Therefore, the CHC will not formally review the project as part of the process. However, staff wanted to make the CHC aware of the project and obtain any input the Commission may have. The Planning Commission will consider the project in May which will include several land use issues that the applicant has not yet adequately addressed. The CHC was in consensus that they support the project because it is an excellent opportunity for increased public access to, and enjoyment of, the Forster Mansion site. Dave Adams, City Manager 3 May 5, 2009 COMMISSION/STAFF COMMENTS Staff reminded the CHC about the upcoming Historic Preservation Week events and activities. This year the Historic Preservation Week Committee has developed the theme of "Old Roads Traveled in Historic San Juan" with a focus on the buildings and sites along the historic roads in our Downtown. On May 5, the City Council will proclaim the week of May 10 through May 16 as Historic Preservation Week in San Juan Capistrano. The week will start with a training reception at the Mission Soldier's Barracks for week's volunteer docents. There will be a screening of Gene Autry's classic "Bells of Capistrano" at the Library on May 15. The highlight of the week will be the historic building tour on May 16 featuring several sites on Camino Capistrano, EI Camino Real and Acjachema Street, and exhibits, demonstrations, refreshments and entertainment; living history personalities at the sites and along the streets; and unique sites that are rarely seen by the public including the historic jail cells below the EI Adobe Restaurant and the interior of the Esslinger Building. There will be guided tours of the Library and the Mission Basilica including presentations about .the Retablo. A performance by Ballet Folklorico in HTC Park will cap the day's tour. Tour tickets are $10 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under, and are available at City Hall, the Library and the Garcia-Pryor/O'Neill Museum. Historic Preservation Week T-shirts are also still available for $10 each and feature the logos of the week's co- sponsors and 10 additional underwriters for the week's events. Staff recently attended the California Preservation Foundation' annual conference in Palm Springs. The conference theme was "The Culture of Leisure - Rethinking the California Dream" and featured excellent educational sessions, workshops and tours. The City had no training budget this year, but staff worked as a volunteer at the conference and was able to attend sessions at no cost. In addition, Ms. Delcamp was one of the speaker/presenters for a day -long educational track called "Preservation Planning from A to Z" along with former San Juan Capistrano Historic Preservation Manager Erin Gettis (now the City of Riverside's Historic Preservation Officer), preservation professionals and other cities' preservation staff and commission members. ADJOURNMENT Vice -Chair Siegel adjourned the meeting at 5:44 p.m. cc: Cindy Russell, Assistant City Manager Grant Taylor, Assistant Community Development Director Teri Delcamp, Historic Preservation Manager Christina Gomez, Administrative Specialist CHC Members CHC Minutes File Douglas Dumhart, Economic Development Manager