HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC minutes 012915Attachment 1
Orange County
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Meeting Summary
January 29th, 2015
Old Orange County Courthouse
106 East King Street, Hillsborough
Approved March 3, 2015
MEMBERS PRESENT: Todd Dickinson (Chair), Susan Ballard, Rob Golan, and Bob Ireland (Vice -
Chair).
MEMBERS ABSENT: Jaime Grant and Grace White
STAFF PRESENT: Peter Sandbeck
GUESTS: None
ITEM #1: CALL TO ORDER
Chair Dickinson called the meeting to order at 7:08 pm.
ITEM #2: CHANGES OR ADDITIONS TO AGENDA: None.
ITEM #3: APPROVAL OF MINUTES (January): Golan noted several corrections, then moved to
accept the minutes corrected as noted; seconded by Ballard; motion passed.
ITEM #4: ITEMS FOR DECISION: None
ITEM #5: DISCUSSION ITEMS
a. Schedule for holding a joint public hearing with BOCC for the White Cross School:
Staff reviewed the process for moving forward with the proposed landmark application for
the White Cross School. The next step is to hold a required joint public hearing with the
BOCC at the Whitted Center to take any public comment on the proposed application.
This is just a routine event, and normally nobody from the public has any comments. Right
now it looks like we will hold this on March 3 but staff will confirm. It sounds like we only
need one member to attend but more are welcome. Staff will check to verify the
attendance requirement. Staff (or the chair) can make a very brief presentation about the
landmark, then wait a few moments for public comments, then the hearing will be closed.
We will then adjourn to a small meeting room in the same building to hold a slightly
abbreviated regular meeting.
b. Overview of planning for Orange County's Blackwood Farm Park (Attachment 2):
Members reviewed the master plan map and related documents in their package. The
cost estimate of $5.8 million shows funding for the construction of a new office for
DEAPR; that has now been scaled back to a parks operations base building. Blackwood
was proposed as a possible site for a regular County Fair but that plan has been shelved.
Discussion followed about the possible use of the barn for special events. Fire and liability
issues will preclude this. There is some discussion of having limited living history activities
in the distant future; this could include some livestock. Should the farm be designated as a
County Landmark? A possible landmark designation could include the whole site or just
the central historic farmstead; members favored landmarking the farmstead and possibly
the old road, but not the entire 152 acres. This existing master plan dates from 2011 and
will eventually be updated. Staff reported on current repairs to the porch and the
installation of fence -type gates in the barn bay openings. There is funding still on hand for
restoring the exterior of the house, right now planned to retain its ca. 1920 -30
appearance. Restoration would remove the aluminum siding, modern decks etc but
generally maintain the house in its present form. Family photos show some older
outbuildings now lost, like the potato house and outhouse. Staff will bring back a proposal
in the future outlining a restoration plan for HPC review and recommendations. The
current plan is to open the park for low- impact or "soft" use this spring. Golan raised the
question of the long -term preservation of the land around the farm, especially the
Strayhorn property at the main intersection as well as the parcel along 1 -40. Members
hoped the county would seek to protect those adjoining parcels to preserve the scenic
qualities of the site.
c. Planning for the "second reconstruction" of the Occaneechi Village at River Park near
the Farmer's Market (Attachment 3):
Members reviewed the package of photos and maps showing the village and the
archeological work at the original village site between the 1930s and the present. Staff
described the outcome of a recent meeting with John Jeffries, who represents the
Occaneechi tribe, regarding a possible project to rebuild the village that he first
reconstructed between about 1999 and 2003. Discussion followed about the importance
of accurately recreating the village size and layout. Mr. Jeffries worked closely with Steve
Davis and Trawick Ward with the UNC Research Laboratories of Archaeology. There is
some money in the upcoming county budget for River Park that could be used to help
undertake the village restoration. Members noted that the village in the early 2000s was
very popular. The material used to cover the huts should be reconsidered to give a more
accurate appearance. The tribe now owns land in Alamance County, where they would
like to develop an Occaneechi cultural center so it is not clear if there would much tribal
involvement other than Mr. Jeffries. Tourism grants were used for the first reconstruction.
Members expressed a lot of interest in volunteering to help make this happen.
ITEM #6: UPDATES AND INFORMATION ITEMS
a. Town HDC agrees to participate in publication project
Staff made a second presentation to the Town HDC in early January to review the project
again and seek their final vote of support. The HDC members were impressed with the
Chapel Hill book that was published in 2006. They voted to support the Town in a project
to do a joint publication and to have the town staff seek a CLG grant from the state this
year, with the town to be asked to allocate $10,000. This may or may not make it through
the Town budget process this year but is a strong show of support. Claudia Brown at the
State Historic Preservation Office says that their highest priority is to complete the survey
update or inventory of the Town outside of the existing National Register Historic District.
Her office says that town inventory will get priority in the Federal review ranking process
and would be ranked higher than our application. She indicated that we could still submit a
CLG application but if they give a grant to the town then our grant will be small. We still
have County matching funds showing up in the next year's budget, so that will allow us to
move forward even if we don't get much CLG grant funding. There are a lot of moving
parts and this all has to be worked out by the grant deadline of Feb. 27th, so staff will
report back on the outcome at our next meeting. Our consultants are getting underway
right now and can come to meet with us, probably in April.
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b. Uocomina trainina workshops in Greensboro and Wake Forest (Attachment 4):
Staff reminded members that one of the requirements of being a CLG is that at least 2
members and staff must attend approved CLG training programs each year. Greensboro
is hosting such an event at the Greensboro Historical Museum on Feb. 19th, and then
there will be one in Wake Forest at their history museum on May 15th. Staff encouraged
members to attend one of these two options as they are close by. Anyone wishing to
attend can hitch a ride in the County truck. These always include interesting tours.
c. Plans for a tour of the Hackney House
Dates are still being discussed for this tour.
d. Colonial Inn Update
The Town has hired the UNC Kenan Flagler School to evaluate the financial feasibility of
the various options associated with preserving the Colonial Inn. This is a necessary step
by an outside, impartial and respected organization, to provide the Town with information
needed to make informed decisions as they move forward.
e. Open airtime:
Golan reported on the current plans by the Presbyterian Church to expand Strudwick Hall
into an area of the Town Cemetery that is likely to have a high potential for burials. Brett
Riggs from UNC Archaeology has been called in by the church to investigate and has
located what appear to be multiple burials in the area that was being proposed for the new
addition. Brett indicated that there is fill there, over the graves. Ireland discussed the
ongoing speculation that the present Presbyterian Church was built on the foundation of
the original Anglican church; this is not true but the stones may have been reused. The
first church was used as a hospital during the Revolution and those who died in the
hospital were buried there, often without markers. Ireland says that there are stones even
in the back yard of the Brewer family home, adjacent to the cemetery. Golan reported that
over in Alamance County, there is a movement to re -open the old Glencoe Mill School as
a Charter School.
ITEM #7: Staff Presentation: Members viewed a Powerpoint by staff as a follow up to earlier
presentations by staff showing the National Register and Study List properties all over the
county. This time staff showed properties in Bingham Township that might be worthy of
including in our proposed publication. This will cover half of the Bingham properties, due
to time. This is a test, to see if this is a useful way to share the properties with members,
sort of a winnowing process, or a first cut. Members agreed that they needed to see all the
properties in order to be able to make thoughtful selections for the publication. Staff
proceeded to go through the list of properties shown in the Excel table handed out to
members, starting with OR 3 (Bingham School) and ending with OR 1108 (Oak Grove
Church). Members will provide their notes back to staff.
ITEM #8: ADJOURNMENT: Golan moved to adjourn, seconded by Ballard. Meeting adjourned
at 9:07 pm
Meeting summary by Peter Sandbeck, DEAPR staff
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