By JAMES POULSON
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Sitka Planning Commission had only one item on its agenda Wednesday night, but it occupied nearly two hours of conversation, including heart-felt public testimony, and concluded with a commitment to take up the topic again at a special joint meeting of the Planning and Historic Preservation commissions.
The topic: plat note enforcement.
After an item to rezone land at Baranof Warm Springs was pulled from the agenda, the only item remaining was “a discussion, direction and decision on historic preservation plat notes for the Sheldon Jackson College National Historic Landmark and/or referencing certain lots within the landmark.”
Interim Planning Director Scott Brylinski, who was attending his final meeting in that position, outlined the topic, which had come about as the result of public comment at the March Planning Commission meeting.
At the March meeting a resident was concerned that a remodel plan for Stevenson Hall, a contributing building to the Sheldon Jackson School National Historic Landmark, did not comply with a plat note requirement to follow the best practices outlined in the “Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.”
Stevenson Hall, one of the five main buildings on the campus, is owned by the Sitka Summer Music Festival. The question the commission addressed was who, or what kind of a mechanism, should be responsible for overseeing enforcement of plat notes, which are statements recorded with a plat that sellers write and buyers agree to follow.
Brylinski said Wednesday’s meeting was not to hear about details of the specific project on the old SJ campus, but to address the broad topic of enforcement of historic preservation plat notes. He said the Stevenson Hall notes were written to assure that federal historic preservation grants for the campus could continue to be applied for.
All five commission members were at the meeting: Chris Spivey, Darrell Windsor, Randy Hughey, Victor Weaver, and Taylor Colvin. Colvin participated by phone. About 15 members of the public attended.
After saying he wasn’t too familiar with the Secretary’s Standards, chairman Chris Spivey said the city has not enforced plat notes in the past. He opened public testimony by having a letter from Judith Bittner, Alaska State Historic Preservation officer, read into the record.
In the letter, Bittner encouraged the city to enforce the historic preservation requirements in plat notes, saying that following the Secretary’s Standards is essential for maintaining a National Historic Landmark status, and not doing so might cause adverse effects for the community.
Sitka National Historical Park Superintendent Mary Miller was the first audience member to speak at the meeting, and echoed Bittner’s comments. Miller noted that Sitka has eight federally-designated national historic landmarks, “the highest honor for historic places.”
The National Park Service, under the U.S. Department of the Interior, oversees the implementation of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and its guidelines for historic preservation.
Miller said the SJ campus has entered a new era with multiple owners, and the Secretary’s Standards are meant to guard against cumulative effects of changes to historic sites. She said she hoped a design review board would be formed to assure compliance with the historic preservation standards. She said the National Park Service is glad to help others interpret and follow guidelines, and mentioned NPS architectural historian Grant Crosby, who works in Anchorage but has held workshops in Sitka.
Former Sitka Historic Preservation Commission Chair Peter Gorman, who now lives in Mexico, spoke over speakerphone about the history of preservation on the SJ campus that began in 1995 when a group of local residents formed a non-profit dedicated to keeping Allen Auditorium from being torn down. The group secured grants of over $1 million to restore the 1911 centerpiece of the campus. He said when Sheldon Jackson College trustees subdivided the campus property for sale in 2010 to cover debts, the plat notes on the historic buildings were included to protect the character and integrity of the campus. He agreed that there should be a local design review board.
Anne Pollnow, who is a member of the Sitka Historic Preservation Commission, said she recalled working with an attorney with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to draft the 2010 plat notes. She said she hoped the city would adopt a historic district ordinance, and that major work that might not comply with applicable standards be put off until then. She said the Landmark designation means the campus is important to the nation. Scott Saline, also a Historic Preservation Commission member, spoke about setting precedents.
Owners of property on the campus were invited to speak next. Sam Skaggs, board president of Alaska Arts Southeast, said present owners are the stewards for maintaining the historic integrity of the buildings for future generations.
Skaggs said his board has used the Secretary’s Standards in its restoration work on its campus buildings. Alaska Arts Southeast operates the Sitka Fine Arts Camp programs and owns 23 acres of land including five of the six 100-year-old “contributing structures” of the NHL. He said a design review group that would allow professionals to guide the restoration process might be the best mechanism for enforcing plat notes.
Ted Laufenberg, an engineer who was project manager in 2011 for the Fine Arts Camp when it assumed ownership from SJ College trustees, said the notes are legally binding and should be enforced. He suggested making the Historic Preservation Commission the review board that could make binding recommendations. He said a consultant could be brought in when there was a disagreement.
Jim Steffen, a member of the Sitka Summer Music Festival board, said the standards are voluntary and that the current dispute boils down to a choice of windows in the festival’s plans for renovating Stevenson Hall. He said complying with the Secretary’s Standards would be too costly.
Planning commissioner Victor Weaver asked if federal grants were available to help with costs of complying with the SI Standards. Karen Lucas, who had come to the meeting to speak on the Baranof Warm Springs item that had been pulled from the agenda, came forward to speak on the topic. Speaking of her own experience with the Cape Decision Light House Society, which maintains the 1932 lighthouse, she said the society had secured grant funding to repair 21 windows on the lighthouse in accordance with “best practice” standards. She said it took time but that “It’s absolutely doable.”
Roger Hames, who was an SJ trustee when the college sold the Stevenson property, recalled the conversation trustees had when they included the plat notes. He said they wanted to maintain the campus as a campus. He thought the current dispute is a matter of “the intent versus the letter of the law.”
Rebecca Poulson, who is on the Alaska State Historical Commission, spoke as a member of the public about information available regarding historic preservation best practices and technology, and said following the Secretary’s Standards is not difficult. She said following the guidelines maintains historic character and will save money in the long run. She also endorsed creating a design review board.
Commission members stopped taking comments at 8:30 p.m. and deliberated about next steps. They spoke about the history of not enforcing notes and easements in Sitka, what exactly the SI Standards are and if they should be adopted for other projects in the city.
Commissioner Randy Hughey asked about who would be on a design review committee and if the Historic Preservation Commission could fill that role.
Taylor Colvin, participating by telephone, said he thought the issue of plat notes and adhering to them should be decided locally. Weaver said he thought the Historic Preservation Commission should be involved in the discussion. The board voted to set up a work session with that commission to again take up the issue.
The city has hired a new planning director, Bruce Wall, who is moving here from Soldotna and will begin work here July 1. Brylinsky said Planner 1 Amy Ainslie will represent the planning department at the Planning Commission meetings before Wall arrives.
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