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HAPB Minutes 12/16/2022 Draft December 16, 2022 1 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COLLIER COUNTY HISTORIC/ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRESERVATION BOARD December 16, 2022 LET IT BE REMEMBERED, the Collier County Historic/Archaeological Preservation Board in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 9:30 A.M. in REGULAR SESSION at the Collier County Growth Management Division – Planning and Regulation, Conference Room #610, 2800 Horseshoe Drive North, Naples, Florida, with the following members present: CHAIRMAN: Austin Bell VICE CHAIR: Barry O’Brien Elizabeth “Betsy” Perdichizzi Candace Johnson (excused) Zachary Burch Vacant Vacant ALSO PRESENT: Andy Youngblood, Operations Analyst Ray Bellows, Zoning Manager Tim Finn, Principal Planner Amanda Townsend, County Museums Director December 16, 2022 2 Any persons in need of the verbatim record of the meeting may request a copy of the audio recording from the Collier County Growth Management Department. 1. Roll Call/Attendance: Acting Chairman Bell called the meeting to order at 9:29 a.m. Roll call was taken and a quorum of four was established. 2. Additions to Agenda Mr. Bellows said he wanted to add an item, 6.e., to discuss having an orientation overview at the January meeting for new members to go over rules and procedures, application types and petitions the HAPB is involved with, as well as how to do a historic designation. We’ve put together a workbook with documentation, so it would be helpful to discuss it at the next meeting for new members, and as a refresher for old members. 3. Approval of Agenda Ms. Perdichizzi moved to approve the agenda, as amended above. Second by Mr. Burch. The motion passed unanimously, 4-0. 4. Approval of Minutes: July 15, 2022 Mr. O’Brien moved to approve the July 15, 2022, minutes. Second by Ms. Perdichizzi. The motion passed unanimously, 4-0. 5. Old Business A. Rosemary Cemetery (Plot W) historic designation [Amanda Townsend] Mr. Bellows noted that Amanda Townsend is here and gave us an update last month, when we didn’t have a quorum. He asked if she could refresh the members about it and provide an update for the new member, Mr. Burch. Ms. Townsend reported that:  Rosemary Cemetery historically served the Naples area in the 1930s and 1940s and was originally plotted from U.S. 41 to the railroad tracks, which is now Goodlette-Frank Road, south of Pine Ridge Road.  Currently, the museums manage Unit B, which is in front of the CVS at the corner of U.S. 41 and Pine Ridge Road.  Although the entire plotting of the cemetery was not necessary because it ended up not being popular and not many ended up being buried there, there are two small outparcels where people are buried. They’re in private ownership, the owners aren’t interested in owning a cemetery and are amenable.  We’re working on transferring ownership of plots W and N and have ordered title work, which has involved technical and legal wrangling to determine how to transfer ownership.  A week ago, county Real Estate Services said they had not received the work back, but she just received an invoice from the title company, so it’s complete and she’ll check again with Real Estate Services.  We took this to the Board of County Commissioners as a request to pursue acquisition of the properties to manage them as a historic cemetery and obtain historic designation. The BCC approved that, so it’s a matter of getting it done. Mr. Burch said he lives a block away and is familiar with the graves in front of CVS, but where are the other two plots? December 16, 2022 3 Ms. Townsend reported that:  Plot W is in front of the Lee Asian Market on Pine Ridge Road, in a grassy area in the strip plaza parking lot.  Plot N is at the corner of Pine Ridge and Goodlette-Frank roads, in the right-of-way in front of South Street Grill.  Plot N is of interest to the NAACP and almost abuts Goodlette-Frank Road.  The most reliable records from 1944 say “eight unknown negro graves” are located there, so it’s important to us. Mr. Bellows asked if they’d seek a historic plaque. Ms. Townsend reported that:  We’re hoping to manage the two outparcels similarly, a fence with commemorative headstones.  The headstones or grave markers that were there are gone.  There’s a nice plaque at Unit B that was erected by the Collier County Historical Society.  Her goal for Plot N is to seek a state historic designation marker, which carries more weight. The process requires you to apply and justify the significance. There’s a small expense, but you get a nice bronze plaque and the state maintains them. B. Vacancy status Mr. Bellows reported that three additional candidates applied: Louise Dowd, Janice O’Connell and Henry Sentowki. Acting Chairman Bell asked if they had two vacancies now. Mr. Finn said Austin holds the historian position; Zachary, Betsy and Candace are citizens-at-large; and Barry holds an archeology position. They need to fill law/construction and finance. A discussion ensued and the following points were made:  Two candidates have strong finance backgrounds, Janice O’Connell and Henry Sentowski.  They need to choose two candidates for law/construction and finance.  Mr. Sentowski has a finance, real estate background and is on an HOA’s architecture board, so he could fill multiple roles.  Ms. Dowd and Ms. O’Connell have experience with historic boards.  Ms. O’Connell also has finance experience. Mr. Burch recommended appointing Henry Sentowski for the finance seat and Janice O’Connell to fill the law/construction/landscaping position. Second by Ms. Perdichizzi. The motion passed unanimously, 4-0. Mr. Bellows said the Board of County Commissioners will make the appointments prior to the next HAPB meeting. 6. New Business A. Cultural Resource Assessment – The Immokalee Expansion East Property Acting Chairman Bell said the assessment looks cut and dry. The report was thorough and excellent. Mr. Youngblood said Maranda Kles, who wrote the report, is on the phone to answer questions. Acting Chairman Bell asked Ms. Kles for her summary and findings. December 16, 2022 4 Ms. Kles said the findings were consistent with what we expected and we didn’t find anything. If you have any questions, she can answer them. Acting Chairman Bell said he was glad to see there was little to no potential impact and no known archaeological sites within the two miles of the project, so it looks like we can approve it. Does anybody have any comments or questions about the report? Mr. Bellows said we’re looking for the HAPB to accept the recommendations and findings as presented in this cultural assessment. The findings and recommendation of this board will go into a report that will be presented to the Planning Commission and then the Board of County Commissioners for final approval. Ms. Perdichizzi accepted the findings of the Immokalee Expansion East Property Cultural Resource Assessment. Second by Acting Chairman Bell. The motion passed unanimously, 4-0. B. Reordering of the Historic and Archaeological Preservation Guide Booklets Acting Chairman Bell said they hand out the booklets at our museum and other historic sites and locations countywide. It’s very good educational material put out by this board. How many do we need to order? Mr. Finn reported that:  The county is running low so they recommended getting more updated bids.  He obtained bids from Palm Printing, Ray Lepar Printing, Direct Impressions and Prestige Printing.  Direct Impressions was the cheapest bid at about $5,100; they did the last printing.  We’re in discussions with one of their managers and they still have all the information from the last reprinting two years ago.  They just need the $5,114 payment to print another 10,000 booklets.  He contacted Paul Beirnes, the tourism director, who is looking at various funds to pay for this. Acting Chairman Bell asked when the new booklets would be delivered. Mr. Bellows asked Ms. Townsend if she’d asked Mr. Beirnes about that. Ms. Townsend reported that the last reprinting was paid for under the past tourism director, Jack Wert, and she hasn’t spoken with Paul Beirnes yet. These booklets fly out of the five museums. We’ve distributed 10,000 in the past two years. They make people more aware of our historic resources. Mr. Burch suggested that the demand for booklets could increase due to the county’s and city’s centennial celebrations next year. He’s working on both for the Naples Airport and believes that will prompt an increase in awareness and visitation to historic sites and museums. Ms. Townsend noted that Collier County created a centennial celebration emblem and suggested asking Direct Impressions to add that to the cover to make it a centennial edition. Ms. Perdichizzi said that was a wonderful idea. Ms. Townsend said the emblem’s graphic designer, Santiago Arenas (County Digital Media Supervisor), can provide anyone with the emblem to use. You can send that to Direct Impressions to use on the cover. A discussion ensued and the board agreed the emblem should be on the cover for a centennial edition. [No vote was required.] December 16, 2022 5 C. Welcome New HAPB Members Acting Chairman Bell welcomed Mr. Burch to the board and asked him to introduce himself. Mr. Burch provided details on his background:  He grew up in Southwest Florida, mostly in Lee County and has lived in Collier for several years.  He’s the Community Outreach and Communications Manager for the Naples Municipal Airport.  The airport’s 80th birthday is in 2023 and the Airport Authority will be about 60 years old.  He does many of the presentations, speeches and media for the airport.  We like to promote its history as a World War II U.S. Army air base.  The airport was the link to the outside world prior to I-75 being built.  When the first troops from Buckingham came down to the Naples Army Airfield, it took about 12 hours in military vehicles. Now you can take the trip in 30-35 minutes.  He’s happy to promote the area’s history and correct misconceptions because many think there’s nothing historic here. Acting Chairman Bell said their friend and fellow board member, George Thompson, passed away unexpectedly. He gave a lot to this board, so he will be missed. Other longtime board members left, so it’s good to have new faces. He heads the Marco Island Historical Society and is its curator of collections. Ms. Perdichizzi said the airport has a nice history museum. Mr. Burch said they’re very proud of the Military Heritage Museum, which is in the old terminal and is operated by veterans who volunteer. They’ve had exhibitions from the Revolutionary War to the most recent conflicts. We give them storage space in a hangar, they have a storage unit off-site and keep items at NCH. The exhibits change all the time. The veterans’ ultimate goal is to build an independent, permanent museum structure and we’re supportive of that, but happy to have them. It’s not huge, but there’s a lot packed into the museum. Ms. Perdichizzi noted that the veterans give museum visitors a star made from an American flag. Mr. Burch said the museum is at 500 Terminal Drive in the same building as the North Road Terminal, where the car rentals are. They’re adding first responders to the military aspect, so they’re expanding Acting Chairman Bell noted that they welcomed the other new member, Candace Johnson, at the last meeting. She couldn’t be here today. D. Election of Chair and Vice Chair Acting Chairman Bell said the former chairman, Eugene Erjavec, moved since the last meeting, so they need to nominate a chair and vice chair. He asked how to handle this. Mr. Bellows said they could nominate members and then vote. Ms. Perdichizzi said that if Austin agrees, she’d nominate him as chairman, and nominate Barry as vice chairman. Ms. Perdichizzi nominated Acting Chairman Bell as chairman and Mr. O’Brien as vice chairman. Second by Mr. Burch. The motion passed unanimously, 4-0. E. January Orientation Mr. Bellows reported that:  It would be a good idea to have a presentation to show how our Historic and Archaeological Probability Maps work and how they were created. December 16, 2022 6  We hired a consultant, an archaeologist, who prepared a series of maps that cover the entire county and they were based on a scientific study of soils and known archaeological sites.  That was in coordination with the Florida Historic Preservation Bureau, which created a map series covering Collier County. The maps show known archaeological sites, historic structures and areas of archaeological probability.  We use the maps for Land-Use Petitions, when a developer proposes to rezone property and develop a vacant site. We check the maps and if the intend to develop in a probability area, they’re required to hire an expert to conduct historic research, the historic significance of the site and what should be done to help protect the site if there’s something significant.  Our rezone projects consider the historic potential of the sites. We want that information to be studied just as if it were an environmental or drainage issue before making a recommendation to the Planning Commission.  The HAPB makes that recommendation – to support the findings of the cultural assessment, to alter it or make them do it over again if it’s not sufficient. The recommendations are ultimately brought before the Board of County Commissioners.  We’ll go into more detail at the next meeting about what the maps look like, how we use them and will go over other applications, such as designating a site locally historic or going through the National Register of Historic Places process. Chairman Bell said that would be a great refresher for everyone. 7. Review of Project and Activity Log The Board reviewed the “Collier County Historic and Archaeologic Preservation Board Project & Activity Tracking Log.” [Discussed out of order, prior to the nominations.] Acting Chairman Bell noted that they already covered Rosemary Cemetery and the vacancies and asked if the board vacancies could be moved off the activity log. Mr. Bellows said that section would be removed. 8. Public Comments: Bruce Kennedy said he wasn’t aware of the rules and procedures but wanted to speak to Amanda Townsend and could speak to her after the meeting. 9. HAPB Comments Chairman Bell noted that “The Art of the Dig: Wells Sawyer’s Watercolors,” paintings of archeological artifacts from an excavation on Marco Island, is at the Marco Island Historical Museum until January 19. [See exhibits listed at: https://colliermuseums.com/exhibits ] Ms. Townsend reported that:  The Collier Centennial website is now live at: www.Collier100.com  You can view an archive of historic photos, most of which come from the Collier County Museums’ archive, as well as brief descriptions of different communities in Collier County and their histories.  The site also offers a list of upcoming centennial events and that list will continue to grow.  Local businesses and organizations who want to participate in the centennial in some official capacity can request use of the centennial logo by filling out a web form on the website.  Local historian and author Lila Zuch, who authored several publications, prepared a centennial publication with the centennial emblem. December 16, 2022 7 Mr. Bellows asked if there was a location anyone preferred to put the emblem on the guide. Should it be below the script of the Historic/Archeological Preservation Board? Chairman Bell suggested centered underneath would look good. Ms. Perdichizzi agreed. Ms. Perdichizzi asked if it was possible for the January meeting to be held at a museum such as Marco Island if the Sawyer exhibit is still on. Chairman Bell said the Sawyer exhibit would be taken down a day before that. Ms. Perdichizzi asked when the next exhibit would be up. Chairman Bell said the Clyde Butcher exhibit wouldn’t be up until the next week. Ms. Townsend said all the museums have meeting rooms with the technology to hold meetings. Chairman Bell said that in the past, we held HAPB meetings at remote locations. Mr. Bellows noted that since they’ll be discussing the board rules and procedures, it would be better if they met here. Mr. Burch said if anyone is interested in the history of the airport, he’ll be speaking as part of the county centennial at the South Regional Library on February 8 and on February 24 at the Little Palm Cottage, as part of the city’s centennial, so they would probably be similar presentations. 10. Adjournment The next HAPB meeting will be held on January 20, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. Mr. Burch moved to adjourn the meeting. Second by Vice Chair O’Brien. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting was adjourned. There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the chairman at 10:10 a.m. HISTORIC/ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRESERVATION BOARD __________________________________ Austin Bell, Chairman These minutes were approved by the board on ___________________, as presented (check one) _______, or as amended__________.