CHC Minutes-2009-07-28MEMORANDUM August 5, 2009
TO: Joe Tait, Interim City Manager
Steven Apple, AICP, Community Development Director
FROM: Teri Delcamp, Historic Preservation Manager
Cultural Heritage Commission Secretary
SUBJECT: Cultural Heritage Commission Actions of July 28, 2009
This memorandum summarizes the actions taken by the Cultural Heritage Commission
at their Tuesday, July 28 meeting. No action is required unless the City Council wishes
to hold special review of an item.
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Banda called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Nathan Banda, Chair
Janet Siegel, Vice -Chair
Ed Nunez
Lorie Porter
Absent: Don Tryon (excused)
Staff: Teri Delcamp, Cultural Heritage Commission Secretary
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
OLD BUSINESS
SPR 09-001 Denial (CC McCary House Addition.
Vice -Chair Siegel presented a letter she had prepared to present at the meeting
next week. The CHC had denied the project and the letter encourages the City
Council to deny the appeal and uphold the CRC's decision. The CHC concurred
with the contents of the letter.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Discussion on Participation and Roles for Los Rios Park Grand Opening
Celebration. The event is planned for August 29, 2009. The intent is to have the
Montanez Adobe open for the event, showing an image board regarding the
Joe Tait, Interim City Manager 2 August 5, 2009
pending repair project and so docents can relate the building's history to
attendees. There would also be docents by the Park's Historic Depiction Program
(HDP) wall to explain about the plaques that portray images and the history of
the Los Rios Historic. District. Various CHC members volunteered for shifts at
either the Adobe or the HDP wall during the event.
INFORMATION ITEM
Consideration of Preliminary Concept for Blas Aguilar Adobe Repair, 31806 EI
Camino Real (CIP No. 455). Project Manager Teri Delcamp presented the
preliminary drawings for the roof repair and restoration at the Blas Aguilar Adobe.
The current roof form, even though it was there when the Adobe was listed in the
National Register, is after the period of significance identified in the National
Register listing. In about 1900, the Adobe still had a lower roof at the rear of the
Adobe that was covered in clay tiles whereas the front slightly higher portion of
the roof had wood shingles at that time. The plans, based on prior direction of Gil
Sanchez's assessment as updated by the City's current preservation architect
consultants, IS Architecture, call for the removal of the later era garage addition
due to the need to lower the roof height as part of restoring this historic roof
appearance circa 1900. Staff also presented an update on the future restoration
items that were listed in Gil Sanchez' earlier assessment. Michael Martinez,
representing the City's historic preservation architect consultants, was present to
respond to questions.
Ilse Byrnes does not want the garage to be removed. The garage was there
when the building was listed in the National Register so it can and should remain.
The Adobe shows many layer's of history all the way through the time it was
owned by the Catholic Diocese and was turned into a duplex.
David Belardes understands the concept of restoring the roof line, but he is
concerned about losing the storage space, unless he could build a separate
storage shed behind the Adobe. He is also concerned about security in the area
that would be a "notched out" at the rear of the building since it cannot be seen
from ti uamino Keai ana tnere's aireaay issues witn nomeiessness ana peop
congregating due to events in the area that do not involve the Adobe.
The CHC discussed the restoration of the roof line with staff and the preservation
architect and questioned if there are other alternatives. One suggestion was to
remove the garage and lower the roof, but to re -build the garage where it was to
maintain important storage space for the Blas Aguilar Adobe. Staff and the
architect responded with significant concerns that a re -constructed, non -historic
garage would not comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the
Treatment of Historic Properties. In addition, the purpose of the project is to
move toward restoration of the historic appearance of the Adobe based on the
direction of the 1990 assessment that the City has been following.
Joe Tait, Interim City Manager 3 August 5, 2009
Commissioners Nunez expressed concern about needing to comply with the
Secretary of the Interior's Standards and supported roof restoration.
After due consideration, the CHC encouraged staff to look further into whether or
not the existing garage could be retained or re -constructed, or a separate shed -
type structure could be built, in order to preserve an existing storage area. Staff
committed to investigate and return at a future meeting.
COMMISSION/STAFF COMMENTS
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ADJOURNMENT
Vice -Chair Siegel adjourned the meeting at 6:10 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