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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-01-09 " COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 01/09/02 A meeting of the Community Preservation Committee took place on January 9,2002, at 2:00PM at the Land Bank Meeting Room, Broad Street, Nantucket. Members present were: Chair Barry Rector; Vice-chair Patricia Butler; Secretary Norman Chalecki; Frank Spriggs; Neville Richen; Polly Miller; Ken Beaugrand and Rich Brannigan. I. The meeting was called to order at 2:05PM, and a quorum was established. II. The agenda was approved. III. The minutes of 12/18/01 were approved, Norman and Neville abstained. There was a discussion about ethical considerations and disclosure forms were made available. IV. CPC Applications ( The committee discussed procedures for reviewing applications, deciding to take the Historic Preservation applications first, followed by Affordable Housing. If no representatives were present, the application would be considered after those with presenters, noting that all applications would be considered equally. Christine Silverstein asked for clarification regarding the Nantucket Housing Authority's place on the agenda. The CPC decided that that would continue the meeting until all Preservation and Housing applications were reviewed. Representatives from Sherburne Commons and the Nantucket Atheneum asked for consideration despite submissions after the deadline. After some discussion, the CPC decided to take both applications up under New Busine:;s. ( · Nantucket Historical Association (NHA): Executive Director Frank Milligan and Curator Niles Parker presented the NHA's application for $60,000 for partial restoration of the Quaker Meeting House. As owners of 24 historic properties on Nantucket, the NHA's budget was stretched to maintain each property. Boston Building Consultants, structural engineers, found dry rot in the sills and corner posts of the 1838 building, the only surviving example of a Nantucket Quaker Meeting House. CPC funding would be a lifeline, since no other funding was available. Pat asked about the appropriateness of using wolmanized timbers, and Frank asked whether the island's Society of Friends was contributing to the restoration. Frank Milligan said that in-kind materials would be used, and that four members of the Friends had contributed $200. Norman asked whether any leftover funds would be returned to the CPC. The CPC decided to take up the question in future discussions about disbursement procedures. Rich asked about the project timing, which was answered by 1 ( Frank Milligan, as ready to go now, noting that the project would be on view to the public during Preservation Week in May. Frank Spriggs noted that Town Meeting must approve all CPC recommendations before the checks were distributed on July 1, 2002. The CPC thanked the applicants for their presentation. ( · Two Centre Street Restoration Project, Inc. President Bill Ferrall and Treasurer Emily Avery presented an application requesting $120,000 for restoration of twelve of the 173-year old church windows. Bill Ferrall told the CPC that the Two Centre Street Restoration Board was a non-profit formed inl995 that had raised $666,000 in funds from private donors and with matching state grants from the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The restoration project was proceeding in phases. First, the building envelope _ roof structure, foundation, columns and portico were repaired and sealed _ now, the windows and trim. Bill explained that the restoration was a grass roots project, with 98% of all funds raised were devoted to the building project. In addition, the congregation consisted of 40-50 people in the winter, and that the building was used year round as a downtown community center for theater performances, arts groups and public meetings, in addition to its primary church function. Emily Avery said that the building had a perpetual preservation restriction held by the Massachusetts Historical Commission, meaning that it must be preserved in accordance with the highest standards. Bill Ferrall said that the future interior restoration as a Downtown Community and Arts Center was expected to cost between $2-4 million. The current restoration work is on view to the public, as a teaching tool, using the Secretary of the Interior's Standards. Responding to Rich Brannigan's question about the recipient of funding, Emily said that the corporation was formed in 1995 because the congregation was not capable of applying for grants. She noted that the corporation was . audited by Ff:1nk Berger each year. To Frank's question about who the owner(s) were, and whether the building could be sold, Emily replied that the United Methodist Church owned the building, but that the preservation restriction protected the architecture. Bill Ferrall said that each window was estimated to cost approximately $3,700 to restore by Millstone Construction Company. The total window restoration cost is $207,000. The CPC thanked the applicants for their presentation. ,.--- ( · Nantucket Sustainable Development Corporation (NSDC): Christine Silverstein, Executive Director presented the NSDC's application to fund a Housing Needs Assessment. Christine began by saying that instead of$35,000; the NSDC was requesting $15,000, because FleetBoston Financial Foundation had recently awarded $20,000 towards the proposed Assessment. This project would expand the data 2 ( collected by the 1998 Jonathon Rose Affordable Housing Study. The current study will provide a quantitative look at the bricks and mortar needed, to present to private funding sources. Martha's Vineyard has just completed a similar study, which outlines the exact number of ownership and rental units needed, which were 237 units at a cost of $14 million. Responding to questions about the time and money already spent, in developing the Comprehensive Plan, for example, Christine said that the proposed project provides the meat and potatoes for the rationale established in the Comp Plan. Further, she said that the CPC would be the biggest administrative user of the study. Polly asked where the housing would be sited, to which Christine said that the Comp Plan was a blueprint for public and private partnerships, and that the consultant will look at every initiative, every single stakeholder will be brought together and identified. Responding to Norman's comment that there are 13 housing studies on the shelves, Christine said that NSDC will make a tremendous public relations effort to collect information from renters, rentees, and the homeless. The CPC thanked the applicants for the presentation. / ( A discussion about conflict of interest and ethics issues resulted in the following motion, so moved: That representatives from any given organization are capable and should speak on behalf of applications but should recuse from voting on the applications. · Nantucket Preservation Trust (NPT): Executive Director Patricia Butler presented the NPT's applications, with Norman Chaleki as recording secretary, as noted: Four projects: 1. Support Arch. & Preservation 2. Arch. Heritage Series 3. How to Build 4. Lecture & Walking Tours $9,500.00 $25,600.00 $5,000.00 $10,000.00 The next meeting was scheduled for January 16,2002, from2-5:00PM in the Land Bank Room. There was discussion about CPC procedures, timetable and Town Meeting. V. New Business: Four applications were asked for consideration for submission after a discussion about confusion concerning the CPC's public deadline notice for submitting applications. r- ( · Sherburne Commons: President Joan Craig and Nancy Whitcomb, representing an application for assisted living residential housing 3 ( · Nantucket Atheneum: Christine Turrentine, representing an application for partial restoration of the Atheneum · Nantucket Resident Housing Partnership (NRHP): Bill Snowden, representing an application for Town Employee and Resident Housing on Town Land · Nantucket Youth Hockey, Inc: Bill Snowden, representing an application for Start-up of the Nantucket Youth Hockey and Learn to Skate Program After additional discussion regarding the CPC's public hearing, timetable, procedures, and noting that since this was the first year for the CPC, Frank moved that the committee accept the four submissions by 4:00PM, Friday, January 11, 2002, and that the applicants be present at the CPC meeting scheduled for 2:00PM, January 16,2002. Ken amended Frank's motion to accept any application submitted by 4:00PM Friday, so moved. The meeting was adjourned at 5:30PM. Respectfully submitted, ( Patricia Butler Recording Secretary (' 4