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