Loading...
06-15-17 CPC MinutesCITY OF BEVERLY PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES COMMITTEE /COMMIS SION SUBCOMMITTEE: DATE: LOCATION: Community Preservation Committee June 15, 2017 Beverly City Hall, 191 Cabot Street MEMBERS PRESENT: Wendy Pearl — Chair, Marilyn McCrory — Vice - Chair, Nancy Marino, Thomas Bussone II, Christy Edwards, Robert Buchsbaum, Heather Richter MEMBERS ABSENT: James Matz OTHERS PRESENT: Amy Maxner — Environmental Planner; Rick Lord, Hastings House, Suzanne Lamont — Ward 2 Civic Association, Wes Slate - City Clerk; Greg St. Louis — City Engineer; Peter Johnson — Hastings House, Aaron Clausen — Planning Director Pearl calls the meeting to order at 7:06 pm. Jon Paddol addresses the Committee to say thank you and goodbye as he is stepping down from his seat on the CPC. He notes his schedule has gotten too busy to give this Committee the time it deserves and he has enjoyed his time working with everyone. Members thank Paddol for his service and wish him well. Powder House, CPC Project #R3 - -8 Request to Amend Memorandum of Understanding St. Louis said he is seeking to amend the memorandum of understanding (MOU) as matching Essex Heritage grant funds for the Powder House restoration project are set to expire at the end of this month. He notes there have been discussions about Windover Construction, now Beverly Crossing, about their pledge to provide matching funds for the project, with up to $25,000 as matching funds. The current MOU says that "no funds may be expended until all funds are secured." St. Louis said securing project consultants and addressing the envelope of the structure are the most important issues right now. Floorboards are a lower priority item (unless the building becomes a public attraction). The modification would allow St. Louis to move forward with engaging a structural engineer and historic preservation architect, hoping that he could find a person that could wear both hats. He notes high priority preservation work would be next step. Maxner said consultant services fund a site survey and high priority preservation work. Pearl asked if St. Louis was taking the project in a different order. St. Louis said that CPA funding ($102,000) should be included in the scope of matching funds. Pearl asks if Windover wants their money to be the spent last. St. Louis confirms this. Community Preservation Committee June 15, 2017 Meeting Minutes Page 1 of 3 McCrory is reluctant to change the language of the project, but she wants the project to move forward. The historical study would run $5,000410,000 and St. Louis said the scope of the study has been approved. Pearl asked about the hard number to award a contract. Edwards said the MOU does not distinguish the two phases of the project, the study phase and the construction phase, as separate entities. Edwards said the initial award included money for the study. St. Louis said professionals think the total project will cost in the range of $100,000 to $150,000. Buchsbaum arrives at 7:14pm. St. Louis notes he is required to solicit three bids and take the lowest qualifying bid. Richter arrives at 7:27pm. Bussone motions to amend the Powder House memorandum of understanding to allow up to $25,000 to be spent on the historic structure report, survey, and title examinations as necessary notwithstanding language to the contrary. Edwards seconds the motion. The motion carries 7 -0. Hastings House Architectural Study, CPC Project #Rl -5 — Update on study progress to date Johnson provides an update on Hastings House. They are working to make the property compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He provides copies of floor plans and architectural renderings. The Association is proposing to keep the exterior of the property as is and to keep the interior woodwork of the building preserved. To use the 2nd and 3 d floor of Hastings House, they would need to add fire escapes. The installation of external fire escapes would impact the property's aesthetics and historical significance. Johnson said they have a plan to build an addition to the front of the building so that they have ADA compliant restrooms and a second entrance at the front of the property. Johnson said the second entrance would be accessible to everyone. Pearl said she would like to talk about accessibility to the main entrance as the intent of ADA is to avoid second class treatment of any citizens. She suggested adding an earthen ramp on the side of the porch. Pearl said that code compliance would qualify for preservation funds, but there are several aspects of the project that would not be eligible for CPA funding, particularly with respect to renovations related to renting units on the 2nd and 3 d floor. Edwards said she would like to see an itemized breakdown of the treatments and costs. Johnson said he would bring this to the June 28t Historic District Commission meeting. City Clerk Municipal Document Preservation Slate provided copies of list of documents to be restored along with an revised itemized budget page. He is focused on preserving vital records (births, deaths, and marriages) with CPA funds and for documents that are less than 100 years old, he will charge these restoration expenses to his own budget ($10,000), which was approved by the City Council. CPA funds will only be used for documents that meet the historic requirement for funding. Community Preservation Committee June 15, 2017 Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 3 Marino motions to fund City Clerk's CPA grant request in the amount of $50,000. Bussone seconds the motion. The motion carries 7 -0. GAR Hall Exterior Restoration LaMont said she expects to have an updated quote by June 16, 2017, but there are questions about some of the contingency costs and architectural fees. Clausen said the construction contingency is typically about 10 percent of the total project cost. He said that architectural fees may be 10 to 12 percent of the phase cost of the project. The total fees for the first phase of the project are estimated to be $61,381. The initial proposal that LaMont submitted asked for funding in the amount of $290,825 plus contingency costs and architectural fees. LaMont said the project is currently eligible for $50,000 or more in State funds as the project was recently approved by the Senate. Governor Baker could issue a line -item veto for the project, but LaMont said they should know about state funding by early July. Clausen said the project may also be eligible for up to $7,500 in funds from the Facade Improvement Program, which is run in conjunction with Beverly Main Streets. Pearl said the project is really important and she would like to see funding in place so that the renovations can begin. Buchsbaum motioned to fund the project up to the amount of $350,706 with the contingency that any monies secured from the State or Facade Grant program be subtracted from the total CPA award amount. McCrory seconds the motion. The motion carries 7 -0. Livermore House Roof & Windows Bussone and Marino express their reluctance about providing public funding for private homes, noting it might set a precedent or put CPA in a bad light for some. Pearl said she does not expect that many private homeowners would provide a deed restriction on their property as the Haight's have indicated they would. Edwards said she would consider this project only if there is a permanent deed restriction on the property. McCrory is torn about giving private money to a homeowner to do home renovations, and this is not a priority given all of the other projects before the CPC at this time. Marino said the public benefit of the tax dollars is much more evident when they see improvements at public places such as Obear Park or Lynch Park. Richter said she has no problem with private homeowners applying for funding as preserving their properties can also be beneficial to the City's history. Discussion ensues as to whether the Haight's would accept a permanent restriction and if there is an entity that has the ability to hold it. Pearl asks Maxner to inquire with Mr. & Mrs. Haight and the Historical Society on these questions. The Committee agrees to continue deliberations until the next meeting pending information on these questions. Meeting Adjournment and Next Meeting Bussone makes a motion to adjourn the meeting. Marino seconds the motion. The motion carries 7 -0. The meeting adjourns at 9:18 pm. The next CPC meeting will be held at Beverly City Hall on Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 7:00pm. Community Preservation Committee June 15, 2017 Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 3