Minutes 2024-07-17

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MINUTES OF MOUNT VERNON HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION July 17, 2024

The Historic Preservation Commission met at Mount Vernon City Hall on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. Commissioners present at City Hall were Sherry Brayton, Mary Evans, Randy Brown, Duane Eash, Guy Booth, Sue Astley, Mike Guerber and Wade Squiers. Edith Dawson attended via Zoom.

Minutes of the meeting of July 6, 2024 were approved.

A design review request has been filed by John and Marti McGrane for re-siding a shed at 418 3rd St SW, Mount Vernon, IA. This property is in the Cornell College Historic District. The shed that is being re-sided is at the southeast corner of the property along the City alley. The shed is not very visible from either 3rd St. or 5th Ave. Mr. and Mrs. McGrane have had Jim Englebrecht assist in finding a siding material that is similar to the siding that was on the building. It is a wood-based product molded in the design of normal siding. The product can be painted and seems to have a good reputation for providing long-term siding in this climate. The owners will do the siding themselves. The house is one of the beautiful stone homes built by Mr. Miller in the late 30’s or early 40’s. It is unknown the date the shed was built. The house is not listed as a contributing structure in the historic district records.

Upon motion by Duane Eash, seconded by Wade Squiers, the Commission shall issue a certificate of appropriateness for the re-siding project. The motion passed unanimously.

Suzette gave a report on response to the proposal for providing assistance in the preparation of new design guidelines for the Commission. As of this date, there are four companies that have submitted a proposal. There may be one more that will be submitted by the end of this date. The four completed proposals come from JMI of Columbus, OH with a bid of

$24,927; MIA of Evanston, IL with a bid of $32,260; RGB of Des Moines, IA with a bid of

$39,770; and Lakota Group from Chicago, IL with a bid of $30,880. Sue has briefly reviewed the proposals and will have the members of the Commission who volunteered, to assist in reviewing the proposals and making a recommendation to the Commission. The Commission members on this committee will compare the proposals to determine how they differ and which seems to most comprehensively meet our requirements. We agreed that while the cost of the project is one factor in making a selection of a company for the contract, it should not be the primary factor. If one company appears to be best for our situation, we will then negotiate to see that all of our needs are being met, and that the price for the project may be adjusted based on any changes that need to be made.

Wade Squiers has indicated that he will assist with the Committee as they review the proposals. It is hoped that the selection can be made within 30 days. Once the company is selected, we will then determine if additional funds are needed for the project. We can either approach the Mount Vernon City Council for additional funding, or attempt to determine if there are any grants that may be available. The members on the committee will do this review and make the decision as the best way to be sure the project was adequately financed.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm.

Respectfully Submitted, Guy Booth, Secretary