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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-06-1984 HPC Minutes CITY OF SARATOGA HERITAGE PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES DATE: Wednesday, June 6, 1984, 3:30 P.M. PLACE: Saratoga Community Library, 13650 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga TYPE: Regular Meeting ROUTINE ORGANIZATION Roll Call Present: Commissioners Cameron, Held, Henderson, Mc Arthur, and Chairman Landsness Absent: Commissioners Kvamme and Voester Minutes The minutes for the meeting of May 23, 1984 were not available. I. OLD BUSINESS Commissioner McArthur spoke to representatives from the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) and indicated that Jane Ellison from that organization will be speaking at the upcoming town Meeting. Ms. Ellison will be sending a written description of the items she will speak on. The focus will be on the benefits of historic preservation. Norman Koepernik will also do a slide show of the Henslee Historic District in San Jose. Chairman Landsness stated that the Commission should prepare a "Viewpoint" article for the newspaper prior to the town meeting. The Commission then discussed the issue of Saratoga being at the "crossroads" (between Los Gatos and Cupertino). Chairman Landsness mentioned several articles she had read which stated that people ignore the histoi~ aspects of their own town and travel to find history. Commissioner McArthur asked if there were any other ideas for the Town Meeting. Commissioner Cameron thought Mardi Bennett would be a good speaker. Commissioner Mc Arthur asked about inviting the planner from Gilroy. Discussion then followed on how many speakers should be invited to the meeting and it was decided that 3 speakers with questions would be enough. Commissioner Heid stated that it was important to get the meeting announcement out as soon as possible. Commissioner Cameron indicated that the invitation list should include property owners on the in- ventory and members of the Historic Foundation as well as the Planning Commission and City Council. The Commission then discussed the use of a logo on the invitations. Commissioner Heid mentioned that one of the purposes of the meeting was to generate enthusiastic support. He also indicated he had given his inventory binder to Melitta Oden and that she had some suggested changes. Minutes Heritage Preservation Commission Page 2 6/6/84 Commissioner Heid stated that the phrasing of the invitation could be important. Discussion then followed on whether there should be different invitation letters for different segments of the potential audience. Commissioner Mc Arthur indicated that the focus should be on saving Saratoga's heritage resources. She suggested preparing a brochure explaining how these resources can be saved. Discussion then turned to City adoption of the State Historical Building Code. Commissioner Heid moved that the Commission recommend that the City Council adopt the State Historical Building Code. Chairman Landsness seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Staff indicated that this matter would be placed on the City Council agenda as soon as possible. Commissioner Heid offered to write a report to the Council explaining the purposes and benefits of this code. Commissioner Cameron stated he had talked with Nancy Shanahan of the NTHP and that she would be relaying her critique of the City's Heritage Preservation Ordinance over the phone. It appeared that the City's ordinance may be too general. Discussion then followed on the Interior Department's criteria for landmark designation and that structures must meet N.R. of H.P. criteria to qualify for ta~ benefits. Commissioner Heid then stated that Melitta Oden had given him further information on the past ownership of the Central Park property and that she offered to help the Commission research this further. She had con- cerns with some of the information in the inventory and indicated that neither the Welch home or the Paul Masson Lodge were lodges as indicated in the inventory. She also expressed concern about the era's used in the inventory and indicated that there were really no lumbering or resort eras- Commissioner Henderson stated that better era titles and time periods can be incorporated into the inventory. The Commission indicated it welcomed Mrs. Oden's contribution. The Commission then discussed firming up the Historic District boundary. It was indicated that the representative from the State Office of Historic Preservation would be in Saratoga in the beginning of August. II. NEW BUSINESS A. Report from Committees Chairman Landsness indicated that the Education Committee was looking for funding, particularly from the Rotary Club, for the historic school program dicussed at the last meeting. The committee was also looking for a fourth house for the April 14, 1985 Historic House Tour. A tentative notice for this tour was examined by the Commission. Chairman Landsness stated her desire that the Commission should read the historic preservation materials she handed out. She mentioned a Federal Court decision which supported heritage preservation over the objections of property owners. B. Heritage Commission Log~ Chairman Landsness presented a logo for the Commission. The Commission discussed using it for their letterhead. Commissioner Mc Arthur moved to adopt this design as the Commission's logo. The motion was Minutes Heritage Preservation 6/6/84 Page 3 seconded by Commissioner Cameron and approved unanimously. III. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Michael Flores Secretary SF/bjc