HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-07-08- HSPB minutesCITY OF PALM SPRINGS
HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Large Conference Room, City Hall, 3200 East Tahquitz Canyon Way
Palm Springs, California 92262
BOARD MEMBERS
Present at
this Meeting
Present FY
Year-to-Date
FY 2008-2009
Excused Absences
To-Date
Sidney Williams, Chair X 1 0
Brian Strahl, Vice Chair X 1 0
Sheila Grattan X 1 0
Shelly Saunders
Tom DeLeeuw
John Gilmer
Barbara Marshall
X
X
X
X
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
STAFF REPRESENTATIVES:
Craig Ewing, Director of Planning
Diane Bullock, Associate Planner Loretta Moffett, Administrative Assistant
1. The HSPB regularly scheduled meeting was called to order at 8:17 a.m. on Tuesday, July 8,
2008 by HSPB Staff Liaison Diane Bullock who reported that Chair Sidney Williams was
delayed about an hour
2. ROLL CALL: Present: T. DeLeeuw, J. Gilmer, S. Grattan, B. Marshall, S. Saunders,
B. Strahl. Chair S. Williams was delayed, she joined the meeting at 9:01 a.m.
3. POSTING OF AGENDA: This Agenda was available for public access at the City Hall exterior bulletin board
(west side of Council Chamber), City Clerk’s office, and Planning Services’ counter on or before 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 3, 2008.
4. ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Director Craig Ewing called for the election of the Chair and Vice
Chair for the coming fiscal year 2008/2009 to serve from July 2008 thru June 2009.
M/S/C (Saunders/Strahl) to elect Sidney Williams as Chair for another year – 6 Yes, 0
No, 1 Absent (S. Williams), 0 Abstentions.
M/S/C (Saunders/Grattan) to elect Brian Strahl as Vice Chair – 6 Yes, 0 No, 1 Absent (S.
Williams), 0 Abstentions.
In the absence of Chair Williams, Vice Chair Strahl opened the business meeting.
5. INTRODUCTION OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS Tom DeLeeuw, John Gilmer, and Barbara
Marshall gave brief self-introductions and commented on their goals:
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Barbara Marshall, a 2-year Palm Springs Resident, would like to accomplish the designation
of Historic District(s) somewhere in Palm Springs.
John Gilmer, 4-1/2-year resident and Architect in Palm Springs, commented that his goal
would be education of the public about historic preservation.
Tom DeLeeuw, 5-year Palm Springs resident, would like to see HSPB work together toward
historic districts, preservation education, and more properties designated as Class 1 sites.
6. PUBLIC COMMENTS: This time has been set aside for members of the public to address the Historic Site
preservation Board on Agenda items; and items of general interest within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City.
Although the Historic Site Preservation Board values your comments, pursuant to the Brown Act, it generally
cannot take any action on items not listed on the posted agenda. Three (3) minutes assigned for each speaker.
William Kopelk, 12-year Palm Springs resident and President of P.S. Preservation
Foundation, explained that the “Class One” booklet will be updated and republished by PSPF
and will be sold in packages of 50 at the net wholesale cost of $10 to HSPB. Tracy Conrad,
Doug Hudson, and William Kopelk were available to answer questions.
Tracy Conrad, PSPF Board member, shared the history from her copy of the Palm Springs
Brief History and Architectural Guide, with a note from E. Stewart Williams as to how it might
be revised. She was instrumental in the revision and rewriting of the Guide when she served
on this Board.
Robert Imber, PS Modern Tours, caters to year-round visitors interested in local architecture
and historical properties. He thanked the Board and outgoing members for their diligence,
accomplishments, and for volunteering in the interest of preservation. He expressed his
support and encouragement for HSPB, and left a copy of Preservation magazine for members
to review.
Frank Tysen welcomed new members and thanked outgoing members. He briefed the Board
on the efforts to save La Serena Villas and reported there is a willing buyer and current
owners are willing to sell. He asked for the Board and public’s help and support in saving
historic structures because Palm Springs is in the business of selling nostalgia and history,
and it is vital to save the economic base of the Palm Springs community.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
7. APPROVAL OF MINUTES of the June 10, 2008 Meeting. There were only three continuing
Board members present – not enough for a quorum vote. Director Ewing asked if new Board
members had read the Minutes, reviewed the tape, or attended the June meeting, and felt
qualified to vote on the Minutes, otherwise it can be continued to the next meeting. New
Board members Gilmer and Marshall were at the June meeting and have read the Minutes.
Board member Sheila Grattan asked for corrections on page 4 at ...“there “have” has been
several instances of vandalism”, and the paragraph quoting Craig Ewing’s advice to the Board
members needs to be clarified. Staff will edit into bullet points for easier understanding.
Page 7...the paragraph referring to “another joint meeting between HSPB and PSPF...” She
commented that it really wasn’t a joint meeting, and asked that the word “another” be
removed.
Vice Chair Strahl referred to page 4 – word “refuse” be corrected to “recuse” (7th line from
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bottom of page), Page 12 ...8th paragraph down...”there are several buildings on that site...only
one of the buildings that burn BURNED
M/S/C (Saunders/DeLeeuw) moved to approve the Minutes of the July 8, 2008 meeting
as corrected – including rewording the paragraph on page 4 to bullet points for
clarification – Vote 6 Yes, 0 No, 1 Absent (S. Williams), 0 Abstention.
8. REPORT FROM THE CHAIR: Vice Chair Strahl commented that all applicants for the HSPB
were interviewed by the full Council rather than a sub-committee.
9. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None 10. CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL REQUEST(S): None
11. OTHER BUSINESS:
A. Policy on Historic Markers: Adoption of Policy
Staff Liaison Bullock reviewed the issues outlined in the July 8, 2008 Historic Markers memo
to the Board, and asked that the Board resolve issues related to sponsorship of the markers
and establish new policies and procedures.
Board discussion included sizes, materials, sponsors donating funds for markers, sponsor
names, and/or logos on the markers. No decision for revisions to the current policy and
procedure was made.
Donations for Markers:
An account has been established whereby funds received from outside sources will be held
pending completion of the markers, and they will be paid for from sponsor donations when
applicable. If there are no donations, markers will be charged to the HSPB budget.
M/S/C (Grattan/Saunders) moved to continue the Historic Markers subject until the
August 12, 2008 meeting – Vote 6 Yes, 0 No, 1 Absent (S. Williams), 0 Abstentions.
Chair Sidney Williams arrived at 9:01 a.m.
B. Review of FAQ Text for Historic District Brochure
Staff Liaison reviewed the details outlined in the Memo to HSPB dated July 8, 2008 and re-
emphasized that criteria for Historic Districts is outlined in the City’s Ordinance in Article III,
Section 8.05.125 “Historic District”. The draft of user-friendly Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ) prepared by Chair Williams for Board information was reviewed.
Board member Barbara Marshall recommended modification of the first sentence of the
answer to the third question - What is the process for nominating and designating a historic
district to? She suggested: “A historic resources survey can be recommended by a variety of
sources, for example, the Historic Site Preservation Board, a neighborhood organization, a
non-profit organization, or private citizen to inventory structures in the area and determine
whether they meet the City’s criteria for designation.” She also stated that historically the term
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used has been “historic resources survey”. To say that it is “usually initiated by a
neighborhood association” can appear to relieve the Board of their responsibility as outlined in
the Municipal Code. Ms. Marshall added that one recommendation in the 2004 Historic
Resources Survey was that a historic district evaluation be conducted. She suggested that
staff be requested to obtain an estimate of costs and resources necessary to conduct a
citywide historic district survey of the Palm Springs neighborhoods. When that is available,
the Board can discuss and determine its role for making the survey a reality and help guide
HSPB in prioritizing eligible neighborhoods.
Director Ewing explained that the Board would have to give staff that direction, staff would
outreach to experts in the field for estimates, then it becomes a budgetary issue for Council.
Staff Liaison Bullock asked Board members to offer their suggestions and comments in writing
and email them to her at Diane.Bullock@palmsprings-ca.gov. With Board input, this will be
refined and reviewed again at a later meeting.
12. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS:
A. Work Program and Budget Planning 2007/2008 – 2008/2009 Budget
Staff Liaison Bullock briefly explained the July 8 memo and Council approved a $6,500 budget
for 2008/2009. Work Program and Budget Planning were discussed – historic markers being
the most expensive of all budget items. The tri-fold brochure Historic Site Preservation in
Palm Springs can be reprinted at 50 cents each.
HSPB’s P.S. Brief History and Architectural Guide was discussed at length and it will be
corrected with minor revisions and reprinted. It will be sold at the $1.25 plus sales tax at the
Planning Services’ counter and to other agencies or private individuals who may re-sell it at
their determined price.
Motion: Board member Sheila Grattan moved to accept the Class One booklet for
resale at cost from the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation, and that HSPB revise
and reprint their Architectural Guide.
Discussion:
Staff asked for clarification between the “handout” (HSPB’s tri-fold brochure), and/or
Architectural Guide which is a for-sale at cost item. If the City buys a collection of the Class
One booklets to sell out of City Hall – the booklets will be sold at the same price the City pays
for each booklet - the City is a government agency and cannot add on for profit.
Chair Williams summarized for clarity:
- PSPF will sell their Class One booklet at their locations around the City, HSPB will not
sell it at City Hall; and
- HSPB will reprint and sell (at cost) the P.S. Brief History and Architectural Guide at City
Hall to those businesses and private parties who may wish to purchase them;
- the tri-fold (orange) handout brochure (Historic Site Preservation in Palm Springs) will be
reprinted at 50 cents each; and
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Minutes from the July 8, 2008 Meeting
- HSPB will work on a Historic District brochure estimated at 50 cents each ($500 est.)
plus a design cost ($500 est.)
Board member Saunders left the meeting at 9:50 a.m.
VOTE: M/S/C (Grattan/Gilmer) to approve the motion as stated above–Vote 6 Yes, 0 No,
1 Absent (Saunders), 0 Abstentions.
CPF Conference April 16-19 2009 in Palm Springs. The CPF Program Committee is working
on this and it is essential that all Board members and staff participate and attend.
Long-Term Yet to be done: Items 3,4,5,6 & 7 of the Work Plan were discussed individually
and will be worked on.
A subcommittee of Board members Gilmer and DeLeeuw was formed for the Web Site (Item
6). They asked for parameters required in setting up the HSPB web site. Board members
were asked for their lists of suggested issues, pages, links, etc. Historic tours were suggested
for new Board members – John Gilmer and Tom DeLeeuw have not taken the tour and are
interested. This will be arranged by staff. Membership in California Preservation Foundation
for each member was suggested. Those members who are not already members will be
registered...John Gilmer, Shelly Saunders, Sheila Grattan, and Brian Strahl. Tom DeLeeuw,
Sidney Williams, and Barbara Marshall are current members of CPF.
Staff Liaison Bullock distributed a “worksheet” based on the budget items from last year’s
budget. Items were discussed and allocations were made.
Staff Liaison Bullock asked the Board to write the Work Plan for this fiscal year 2008/2009.
Based on today’s meeting, the Board suggested using the Memo as a guideline with their
edits so staff can write the Work Plan.
M/S/C (Grattan/DeLeeuw) moved to accept the proposed Budget and Work Plan
2008/2009 as amended by the Board and staff – Vote: 6 Yes, 0 No, 1 Absent (Saunders),
0 Abstentions.
B. Assigning New Members to Various Committees: (see below)
Director Ewing asked if the purpose of these assignments is to attend other organization
meetings and report to the Board or to represent the Board in front of those groups based on
Board direction -- what is the role of these assignments? If there is communication from this
Board by representatives to one of those other groups, it should be limited to factual
information only or decided actions by this Board. As a caution – if you represent this Board,
be careful to not represent decisions that have not yet been made.
Chair Williams explained that Committee reporting (C, D, E, F, & G below) has been
informational representation -- Board members report to HSPB based on the activities of
various organizations.
Staff Liaison Bullock reminded everyone that this was discussed at length and is reported,
almost verbatim, in the June 10 Minutes. If there are any questions – review the Minutes or
call staff for clarification.
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C. P.S. Preservation Foundation - Shelly Saunders (new Board member representative)
No report
D. P.S. Modern Committee - Barbara Marshall (new Board member representative)
No report
E. P.S. Historical Society - Sheila Grattan (new Board member representative)
Chair Williams received word from Jeri Vogelsang that PSHS is working with Moya
Henderson on a book for Arcadia Publishing coming out this Fall that will tell the story of
Palm Springs in photos and includes hundreds of historic images. PSHS is also working
with Ms. Henderson on the 2009 Historical Calendar – “Then and Now”. There will be a
summer volunteer orientation July 10 for those interested in volunteering – various
summer jobs will be filing, cataloging, display, scanning, and clerical work.
F. Architecture and Design Council - John Gilmer (new Board member representative)
Chair Williams reported that ADC is planning its season for 2008/2009.
G. Outreach Subcommittee - Sheila Grattan
(This Committee will be specific to projects as they evolve and not a standing
committee.)
Director Ewing explained that a standing committee can take on Brown Act status by being a
permanent committee of its own, even if it has less than a quorum of the group. Members will
need to work with “ad-hoc” issues and make it project specific, i.e. Web site, annual Marketing
Campaign - - something with a discreet time limit.
A ‘common design theme’ for the handout brochures will be researched as part of the
Outreach project, Board member Sheila Grattan will discuss ideas, costs, etc. with Clara
Nelson who designed the tri-fold Historic Preservation in Palm Springs brochure.
The Budget Subcommittee (Saunders and Strahl) has been dissolved and a new Budget
Subcommittee will be appointed when the 2009/2010 budget is prepared.
There are four Palm Springs aerial maps from different historic times (1939, 1953, 1974,
1985) in the courtyard between the two City Hall buildings. Staff suggested a project to
research history and place small informational markers on various parts of these maps to
identify specific and historically significant construction, periods of time or changes within P.S.,
i.e. building of the Fashion Plaza, La Plaza, etc. Barbara Marshall and Sidney Williams
volunteered for this project. Board member Grattan volunteered to take digital photos of the
maps in a large format for studying in a different location.
13. STAFF & OTHER REPORTS: A. Board availability for August meeting – Board will meet August 12, 2008. One important topic for the August meeting will be designation of properties – the priority list. Staff will email all suggested properties for Board member’s input for this meeting. B. Staff Liaison Bullock reported that the Casa Cody Inn Staff Report for Class 1 designation is in process, and the owners are agreeable to this being heard in September.
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14. BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS:
Vice Chair Strahl asked if staff has an update on Orchid Tree. There have been no changes.
Chair Williams recognized and thanked:
- Outgoing Board member and Vice Chair Jade Nelson for all his work, writings in the
Class One booklet, and service to the City and HSPB during the last three years;
- Outgoing (termed out) Board member and past Chair, John Williams, for six years of
hard work and service to the City and HSPB;
- Greetings go out to former member Bud Riley who resigned earlier this year for medical
reasons – his particular interest was Historic Districts; and
- Welcomed and thanked new Board members Marshall, Gilmer, and DeLeeuw for
already volunteering for projects and interest in serving on this Board.
15. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the meeting, motion to
adjourn at 10:46 was unanimously approved, and the July 8, 2008 HSPB meeting adjourned
to a regular meeting on August 12, 2008, at 8:15 a.m. here at City Hall in the large conference
room.
Respectfully submitted,
Diane Bullock, Associate Planner
HSPB Staff Liaison