Harford News

Harford County Historic Preservation Commission met August 1.

Here is the minutes provided by the commission:

Call to Order:

The regular monthly meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was called to order on Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at 7:03 pm.

Welcome & Introduction:

Ms. Deibel welcomed our guests and introduced new HPC member Jacob Bensen.

Review and Approval: June 6, 2018 Meeting Summary

Mr. Sherrill moved to approve the meeting summary. Mr. Coates seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Historic Preservation Awards:

Time-

Ms. Merritt suggested moving the ceremony time to the afternoon, with either a 4:00 or 5:00 pm start time. Ms. Merritt said that Jenny King, Deputy Director of Planning and Zoning, was in favor of having the ceremony start in the afternoon.

Ms. Deibel and the other Commission members were in favor of having an afternoon start time for the Awards ceremony in May 2019.

Venue -

Ms. Merritt also asked the Commission if they would be open to looking for other venues, instead of using the Liriodendron. Ms. Merritt suggested possibly Tudor Hall, if Parks and Recreation would allow it. She will check with Parks and Recreation to find out if Tudor Hall could accommodate a small event. A tent and chairs may need to be rented.

Ms. Deibel and others were open to having the event at another historic site in the County. Ms. Merritt will look into other possible venue locations.

Nomination Packet-

Ms. Merritt shared with the Commission her changes to the nomination packet. She explained several of the additions that she added to hopefully resolve issues that arose for the 2017 awards. Ms. Merritt said that she just expanded on what already existed.

General-

Ms. Merritt explained that now with the awards are every other year, she added a specific two-year project completion window. In addition, she added that preservation projects must demonstrate that work was completed in a way that respects, preserves, and maintains a resource’s historic and architectural character and integrity (ie. How it follows the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards).

Project Awards-

Ms. Merritt would like the awards to be given to the particular project, rather than the property owner, organization, etc. Those that worked on the project and responsible for it would still be recognized and honored at the Awards ceremony just as they always have been, but the nomination should focus on and highlight a particular project.

In addition, Ms. Merritt added that the projects need to show that they followed proper preservation standards and that the project is substantial, rather than something that would be deemed maintenance. Mr. Sherrill gave an example of a Victorian House that was repainted matching its original colors after paint analysis was completed. He asked if that would be considered maintenance. Ms. Merritt said that it wouldn’t. It falls under exterior restoration, as long as the homeowner describes the paint analysis and process of finding out the original paint colors. It would not qualify if they just found colors they liked with no explanation or if the house was just repainted the same color.

Special Preservation Awards-

Ms. Merritt explained that she expanded on what already exists in this category based on previous nominations and award recipients; presentations, workshops, exhibits, publications, etc. She broke Special Preservation Awards into four subcategories. Two subcategories involve projects: Communication (publications and media coverage) and Education (education programs, exhibits, workshops). The other two subcategories involve stewardship and advocacy efforts: Community Involvement and Grassroots Advocacy. These two subcategories would be eligible for nominations, but they are not clearly described in the current category description.

Local Government Award-

No changes.

Preservationist Honor Award-

No changes.

Photo Requirements-

Ms. Merritt told the Commission that from her experiences making the award posters from the 2017 awards, she lacked quality digital photographs. She added provisions to the nomination packet to include good digital photographs that will be used on the posters or other county publications for the event.

Mr. Coates had a comment about having people in photos and the organization having photo consent. Ms. Merritt said she can reword to make it more generic, like “photos of or from the event/workshop/exhibit.”

Ms. Diebel asked if we should limit the number of nominations or awards given. Ms. Merritt said that because the number of nominations each year vary, it isn’t necessary to limit the number of awards.

Stewardship Award-

Ms. Merritt told the Commission to start thinking about possible nominees for the Stewardship Award. She said that she will send an email to all members with the criteria for the award.

Other Business:

Public Comments:

Mr. Rick Herbig addressed the Commission about the Emily Bayless Graham property and his concerns about the historic buildings, particularly the brick house. He mentioned that the security fence from the approved Site Plan has not been put up and the house has been recently defaced with graffiti and is a safety hazard. Mr. Herbig said he has tried to contact Rec and Parks, but the only answer he received is that the fence won’t be installed until a caretaker is in place. He asked the Commission if there was anything they could do because he fears the loss of these resources.

Ms. Diebel, thanked Mr. Herbig for addressing the Commission. She said that the Commission only has preview over designated County Historic Landmarks, but we can relay this information to Planning and Zoning and Rec and Parks.

Mr. Herbig asked if there was any way to enforce provisions on the approved Site Plan. Ms. Merritt said that she would need to check with Planning and Zoning. She also said that she would touch base with Paul Magness with Rec and Parks.

Adjourn:

Mr. Sherrill moved to adjourn, the motion was seconded by Ms. Presberry. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting ended at 7:50 pm.

https://www.harfordcountymd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08012018-971