e e e e we're not waiting on any other good evening everyone the time is now 7:07 this is the historic and environmental preservation Board of the city of opaka happy Friday junr um Madame clerk roll call Board member Ben benel here board member Samar Brown board member Ferguson here board member McIntyre here board member Williams presid board member Smith chairwoman Ben and is confirmed thank you and at this time we'll have a moment of silence and now the Pledge of Allegiance please stand alance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation godible liy and justice for all all right Madame clerk do we have any add-on items this evening no item items am I able to add on an item if you can get a majority of the board to vote on it thank you okay I think if I'm not mistaken my membership on the board is expiring and so it was my it was already taken care of you were brought back onto the board at the last commission meeting love it thank you so no add-on items congratulations boy member Williams we're glad to have you contining your role um and we don't have any approval of minutes um at this time do we have any public comments specifically on any agenda items this evening anything virtual any registered speakers no all right without further Ado um Madame attorney I guess we'll go forward with the first resolution a resolution um item A1 a resolution of the city Commission of the city of opaka Florida approving an authorizing the city of opal's application to the survey and registration section of the Bureau of historic preservation for the city's inclusion in the Florida certified local government program providing for incorporation of recitals provid for an effective date all right and vice chair and members of the board we have Mr um Robinson who is our city planner who has been basically working very well with getting this particular aspect of the application moving forward this is going to be very essential in helping us to um seek out uh historic preservation grants going forward so he has a presentation that he would like to make think we need a little assistance on the mic please is it underneath the microphone that thing right there hope is coming we're all going to learn today so uh before I go into the CLG item I just wanted to I'm sure you've Are all uh met her at least through the telephone but I introduce Diana Chang our new board secretary secretary to executive assistant and secretary to this board and the Planning and Zoning appeals board she's brought a new level of professionalism to the boards and we're very happy to have her so thank you welcome welcome we're very happy to have you thanks for being here thank you Mr Robin um so thank you Mr Robinson speak right into the M okay yes so certified local government basically um the way this certified local government status works is that the grant funding is a carrot to get uh Municipal governments to bring their historic preservation programs in line with standards of the Department of the interior and I can tell you just by writing the application I learned about what the strengths and weaknesses of our ordinance are and and you can see areas where we need to amend and improve our ordinance so just the application ation itself is an education to me as someone that Minds the historic preservation house and um and it compliments beautifully what Miss Chang brings to us in that there's a lot of basic managerial things that we should be doing that we don't completely do there are some eyes and some tees that we don't cross for for good reason you know because staff's time has been limited but now we have more staff time we have a level of experience uh that will enable us to do all these sorts of things that are required so it um it it makes us eligible to uh to compete for these Grant funds and it helps to bring us um helps to bring our historic preservation program to a level of best practice and so basically um you um saw the application and you all um participated in writing a portion of it with with your backgrounds and so uh it's before you to uh hopefully get your support to move forward to recommend to the city commission that this is something that the city should supp and with that I'll take any questions board members any questions comments the application looks great thank you for pulling this together it's a great learning experience from what I'm in charge of I think that as opaka um is in pursuit of as you said greater funding opportunities this is a perfect alignment with the division of historical resources and all the leaders at the state level um I think that there's going to be a lot more credibility and respect for what we're working toward here and this is long overdue and I'm so happy that you were part of leading this effort Randall so thank you for for your work on this and for bringing the bringing this as a resolution it's a very important actionable item uh I guess without further Ado I guess we just need a motion oh I'm so sorry did you wanna I'll I'll make the motion oh there you go motion to uh present the application to the city for approval second uh Madame clerk roll call Vice chair ven Mel yes board member Ferguson yes board member McIntyre yes board member Williams yes board member Smith yes okay fast I'm very excited about the next item because by my calculation this could be the first excuse me I think we need to read into record first Madame attorney thank you um item A2 82 a resolution of the city Commission of the city of opaka Florida designating the Harry hert house located at 305 dunad Avenue within the city as a historic site pursuant to ordinance 15-3 historic preservation providing for an effective date all right uh please continue yes uh very excited about this next item by my calculation um and Mr G can correct me if I'm wrong this could be the first historic designation in the city of opaka since 1991 wow so this is something very special and um couldn't be anything more appropriate than the house of Harry hurt of our famous HT building one of the signature buildings of opaka and uh board member m meel has uh written the uh the um designation report so he's going to uh make a brief uh summary of it and also recuse himself so it's not to have a conflict so I'll turn it over to Alex thank you very much uh board members staff and for anyone paying attention um as Randall had so poignantly uh stated Mr Vice chair if you could uh as a part of the recusal you would need to remove yourself from the deis but you can make a presentation from from the sure thing let me transition hats thank [Laughter] you nice hat thank you I should have brought a spare um good evening board and uh City Vol Baka um I come to you well first of all 806 Jan Avenue um historic home in opaka Resident um Alex Van mechold um I'm really proud of this moment this is a long time coming and I have to stress that this would not have been possible without those that came before um there's quite a few people to name but most notably Michael Maxwell and Emily Perry that uh were very much a part of the active and very um encouraging historic preservation movement of the late 1980s this is the work that since that time and as Randall had pointed out since about 1991 this work has not been Revisited hasn't been dusted off has been sitting in an archive and with a m a level of intersections and different opportunities and identifications it came to it came to to be known that there were a handful of our original morish Revival structures that do not have a historic preservation status or designation in the city I think we have approximately 24 that still stand that's on our local registry uh around 17 or so on the national register of historic places um needless to say and on the eve of preservation month which is every May that I'm very excited to celebrate I think this is a pretty momentous occasion about what this means where we're at as a community with our preservation activities as well as being able to put out into the world like other communities such as Miami Shores um doing some important work in protecting these landmarks for generations to come um so in addition to the 1980s movement and these two specific players that really helped to really catalog and uh rigorously document all the infrastructure if you will a comprehensive survey that was done um Linda Stevenson associate professor AR preservation architect at the University of Florida clearly Lin um the director of the Department of historic preservation studies at UF and about 10 students had come a year ago this time um and during the Spring to essentially do a study of opaka at the invitation of the city and with a quick Bridge of introduction to myself as a historic homeowner and it was in that trip that we were physically out on the streets documenting cataloging conditions of the historic homes both registered and non-registered essentially getting a current um somewhat complete snapshot of where opaka original plat is in relation to its morish Revival architecture its uh post-war and brutalist style as well as art deco and yes we have a few of that too um in the process of doing that one of the homeowners um that we had an interaction with and essentially gawking at and appreciating her house from the street was Marissa Hernandez a longtime resident of opaka since 2010 and the owner of the now identified Harry hert house and coming up to the house we knew exactly whose house this was and this is through the work that Emily Perry and Associates had done in the 80s but also a very important uh source of information being a dream of araby the book uh the Bible if you will of opacus history from Frank Fitzgerald Bush that clearly denotes defines and shows several pieces of evidence that that was in fact our first Town Council member's house Harry hurt um who as Randall had mentioned we have the hurt building named after as he was an entrepreneural a real estate agent and a town council member in early and founding opaka um so was through this process and then arriving up to this house having this interaction with Marissa and becoming quick fast and close friends that awarded us this opportunity this evening um to take a further examination into this property its current condition um most of which has stayed fairly intact for these last 96 97 years and now affectionately can be known as the hurt house which Marissa has proudly started calling since finding out that that's exactly who lived at her house originally and um furthermore the significance to the founding of this community both and starting off as a town and then migrating to a city status the following year is rather significant so um it means a great deal to me I don't think that mer well not meritz is not here this evening I know she would have liked to be um but it it means a great deal that this house can now um be appreciated as a Heritage Landmark as a historic site of our community that the State of Florida will add it and has already added it to its Florida Master site file and that's thanks to Linda Stevenson and her team um and now it's one of these homes that we can pass by and have a name for a story to and have a connect to the larger fabric of our Arabian Knights and orientalist identity so um it was very important that I took part in helping to um populate and to organize the information that you're being presented with this evening including original photos of the House of Harry HT himself as well as some of his other contributions that he made in between 1926 and 1928 um so with that being said um I welcome any questions if you have any um but I just appreciate you guys taking a moment to to look look at this and to know that you're part of a historic moment this is obviously a collaborative effort so since our vice chair is uh down there I'm happy to assume the chairmanship just to guide this uh resolution so I'd like to open it up for any questions comments well I don't have I have a question about procedure if Alex has recused himself do we have a quorum yes you do great question okay well I don't have really have a question I just wanted to make a statement um as a valuable member of this board as well as a part of this neighborhood we appreciate everything it is that you have done to bring knowledge to us about our environment in okalaka most people don't look at it for what it is they pass through and keep going but because we are residents here we pay attention to a whole lot and I want to say to you from the depths of my heart I appreciate everything you and this board is doing in our community and whatever we have to do to push forward to build open lock up I'm all the board with it and I thank you thank you it's wonderful any other questions yes will the house be designated with a plaque or anything uh that is a question for staff I know that we had had initial discussions of what the plaque would look like my recommendation was to continue the work of those that came before and keeping with the same style it's essentially a a rectangular brass plaque that says it's an official um site of a historic site of the opaka historic registry um there are opportunities of exploring something else but I think in keeping with that great work and the fact that it's been 30 or so years to to have gotten to um it just seems a faithful continuation of what others had decided and put a lot of effort into but that's certainly a discussion that I think that um staff would be willing to receive from from the board um Randall did you want to add anything to that we'll be bringing an information item to the board in the coming months on the CL I do have a question yes do we have any documentation where the home owner has signed and she's agreed for this I've looked through the materials in in that that are in the board packet they're great thank you for this but I noticed that there's nowhere where the homeowner has actually agreed and so maybe there is some type of application that she has signed yes this is a very good point and we do have that application and going forward this is something that we will include in these uh designation items great thank you I'm glad to hear that we do have that okay any other questions if not we can I do have one comment slash feedback um this is where I hope to be on that side to be part of um but inspired by Bob Smith and his recent designation of his beautiful mid-century home in Miami Shores um I think it's incumbent on us to have and be part of collectively each one of us a ceremonial of course unveiling of Marissa's plaque and an installation of it at her house or perhaps at her physical house the same way that they did at um board member Smith's home um I think it's it's more than deserving and I think it's something that the commission would certainly uh like to support if it's physically at the house or in a more public setting like this that's of course broadcast um it's it's definitely the next looking at the next uh kind of Step In where we're going with this hopefully the plaque will be ready ideally in may possibly um and we can invite mariss and her family to accept it and uh basically give the same presentation but in a larger setting so that would be my only hope and recommendation and what's to come after the commission reviews our resolution this evening thank you for that I'll entertain a motion any seconds board M Ferguson second the motion than can we call for the vote Vice chairman van Mel can't vote okay board member Ferguson yes board member McIntyre yes board member Williams yes board member Smith yes motion passes thank you I hand the gavel back over to you next time I'll have my happy my proxy uh Madame attorney okay so for your next resolution you have item 83 that will need to be pulled because it was already passed by the city commission so they already passed the tree City application okay thanks for letting us know um so item four oh I think he there's an item I'd like to say a little bit about it just to summarize what was going to go before the board and I just want to say that opaka is distinguished by its architecture it's distinguished by its trees opaka has more big beautiful trees than most other places perhaps that has something to do with the fact that agriculture was such an important part of earliest opaka and we can't leave out that opaka is distinguished by the economic engine of its industrial areas but this item is about the trees and um opaka has been a Trea off and on since 2014 um and hopefully going forward we will get status every year um I love working here because my boss is it takes great pride in having Tree City USA status and it's great to be you know making that happen um and just real quick uh prerequisites for Tree City USA status our tree board you are our tree board by virtue of being historic Environ environmental preservation board that the municipality spend 2 2% per capita on trees which comes in opaka to about 32 32,000 and last year opaka spent about 121,000 on trees and finally an Arbor Day observance and we are planning an Arbor Day observance for National Arbor Day on Friday April 26 I have a quick question are we going to get new signage or additional signage denoting Tre we're gonna get a new flag we're really looking forward to that's kind of where Mr Gay started on this is we need a new flag and we can't get a new flag until get our status so that's part of what's driving us is getting that new flag so we can the flag pull and have it the Tre City where say flag as where as the American flag out there sure I would like to just make a recommendation as they basically work to revitalizing the city gateways that we also include that since most municipalities put it at their gateways as well we actually do have signage at the Gateway presently and we have of course downstairs by the elevators AR Tre say recognition perfect in additional note about trees the uh tropical flowering tree society which puts on the annual World Pana Fest every year is going to be working with Alex on a tree planting of point sias in opaka in June as part of the fiesta great what a great addition to our great tree canopy more Ro sianas that's great to hear thank you board member for [Music] that all right uh moving on to item four do we need to pass that resolution this was already three was approved by the commission as I understand correct item 84 a resolution of the city Commission of the city of opaka Florida approving the recommendation of the historic environmental preservation board to approve the annual report from January 1 23 through December 31 2023 providing for severability providing for conflict and repealer providing for an effective date and board um you will also find that this particular item was also forwarded to the city commission for consideration they voted on this last night as well so we're basically presenting it to you as as information um normally the municipal alties are required to submit their annual reports and they're usually due at the end of March this year they fell a little behind schedule and um but but we felt that we wanted to have be a little bit more proactive in getting our report put in place so we presented the report to you as well as to the city commission for for your consideration so in essence we're providing it to you as information since the commission has already taken action on it to approve I have a quick question so in the um the write up that I see in this document it mentions the the allocation of $100,000 to fund the competitive grant program and so I know we talked about that and it was actually one of my points that I wanted to ask about whatever happened with that did we actually give away th that $100,000 we did not we are still working on the application aspect of that particular document that that we did with you all uh a few months ago um we wanted to make sure that it was legally sufficient so we're we're in the process of having that review done once that is done and once the city manager is comfortable with it we will be releasing it I anticipate that we will be releasing the application process sometime in miday no later than June with uh hopefully a lot of applications for people who have historic homes or people who want to do some restoration to their potential historic home um to be a part of that application process great thank you look um when uh Mr van and I went out to distribute flyers on the grant Workshop Mr Gay had us distribute to not just designated houses but houses that are our list potential to be designated it was a bit more work but it did generate interest from an owner a house that is potentially to be designated to to apply for designation so so I'm learning that applications and programs have more function than just the face of getting the money it really has a they have broader uh powers to you know move things along like in this case the existence of this grant maybe next year got a homeowner to to apply for designation so is going oh we were talk we're already on the last item okay so finally yes um I think I don't think there's much I can add this is something that is required by Miami D the report is required by Miami D County to assure that Municipal histor preservation programs are functioning properly and and and so it uh helps the county ascertain whether a historical preservation program may continue as independent and not uh receive oversight by on the county historic preservation office and so I didn't notice that Mr walkner was putting up the slides but um if we could uh just go to the last slide Phil so yes it's required to have a fully functional process as required by m County in order to maintain separate independent uh ordinance briefly States the basic information of the board members and staff and Consultants um and uh the number of designation reports and certificates of appropri prepared uh last year we didn't have any designation reports but we did have several important uh certificates of appropriateness stor Renovations of houses which are the building block of what makes opal architecture so special and then finally a copy of the agendas and minutes and that's very grateful to have Miss Chang on board to ensure that that happens so again we're looking for the board to recommend to the commission uh for the um this year's report filed with the K can I move approval of the annual report after the fact yes you may okay I will second I move uh Madam clerk roll call Vice chairman Beckel yes board member Ferguson yes board member McIntyre yes board member Williams yes board member Smith yes item pass all right uh item nine discussions and presentations I have a couple of items to present uh Alice you mentioned that may is National preservation month and I would like to propose that we um ask the city Commission to pass a proclamation recognizing that I have it drafted I it's very it's pretty sure I can read it if you like or you can just take my word for it I think maybe we'll take your word for it what okay so who do I give this to I'll take it okay I I love that we need a vote from this board to do that yes yes so you're what you're trying to provide a recommendation to the commission that they um recognize the preservation month that's right abouta letterhead I move I move we presents proclamation to the commission I second that Vice chairman Michel yes board member Ferguson yes board member McIntyre yes board member Williams yes board member Smith yes item five the second item is uh to inform you of the national preservation National Alliance of preservation commissions annual meeting which be held in Palm Beach this year from July 31st to August 4th and because it is nearby hopefully some of our board members and other interested parties will make an effort to attend I've just passed out um the basic information and where to get details on their website I have a question is this something that um as a part of our board service that the city would be able to cover the cost for at least part of it registration we're actually checking into that to see if there could be some funding available um there was an allocation for the historic preservation board so we're going to follow up with that and see if there could be some type of a stien or some type of support to assist that's great thank you for sharing this with us uh to follow board member McIntyre's introduction of this um I would very much encourage the board um to join uh for those of you that haven't already the napc has a wealth of resources and regular webinars that they give as part of their membership which is a pretty nominal fee I would think only $35 a year yeah I just got an expiration notice so this is ironic that you're bringing this forth I'm also happy to let you know that the last day of this a August 4th I made a pitch to napc to present opaka as a seminar and I'm presenting at this conference so um that was going to be something that I would sh uh like to share with each of you and of course for all to be able to enjoy um just for a little bit of background uh Linda Stevenson who worked with me with the Harry hert designation and the inventory from last summer uh we both presented at preservation on Main Street in Okala last summer talking about opaka preservation work as well as art deco weekend earlier this year in January for the Miami Design preservation league so we're taking the dog and pony show to West Palm and we hope that all of you are able to join us and to join napc because they're great great excuse to take bright line to West pal that's a great idea actually thanks for the reminder well you do have trro right next to that's true too thriftiness is important but if you want your meal you know you got to go backwards to go forwards um thank you board member McIntyre did the any of the other board members have any discussion items I do have some comments I don't know the difference between I know we've got discussions and then board comments I had um Madam attorney I guess I had the same uh question if I have a question or comment but it's kind of more or less discussion item could it be one or another or should we just go forward to item 10 um you could probably go forward to item 10 but usually what discussion and presentations it's usually something that's more structured and something that uh you guys have set out in your agenda previously and then board comments will be you know stuff that you guys individually would like to speak on sure okay so I guess um are are we comfortable moving forward to 10 yep member okay well let's go forward to board comments uh board member Williams yes so I wanted to see if it would be possible for us to set a schedule for our meetings so I know that we have a really hard time getting uh meetings on the calendar this is one busy group of people and so I wondered if it would be uh feasible for us to say that we would meet the second Monday of every month or maybe every other month and call that our dates and hopefully if folks put it on their calendar we might do a better job at getting uh Quorum but wanted to make sure that this group is coming together on a more consistent basis if possible um it's understandable that you might not be aware but the board does have the fourth Thursday of every month as its time slot okay so I think it's about us sticking to that okay so I will put that on my calendar the fourth Thursday of every month and would love to then hopefully just March towards uh that happening even if we're not coming together to vote I think there's probably some discussion sometimes that we can have as well so would love to see us just getting together more frequently yes and on that note we're required to have six meetings a year don't have to meet every month we have to have a minimum of six meetings a year which probably leaves every month left in the year except November and December okay I do have one other uh thought I wanted to see if we can update our city of opaka website with information about uh historic preservation I think uh this the administration and the board has done a lot of great work getting us to where we are and so even if it's a description of our you just the historic offerings here a list of some of uh the the buildings and structures like I wonder if that is something that we can make happen and even for us homeowners uh having something on the site and it might actually already exist but like the color scheme and things that we need to know as homeowners of historic structures what are the the rules that we need to follow if that can also be included on the website demystifying things yep just to let you know um the city overall is going through an update process with its entire website and there are some aspects that we'd like to include from our planning and zoning department and to have a subsection specifically for historic preservation in that so we are looking to include that wonderful do we know what the timing is on that new website um there's some guys that are in a glass room behind us that are working feverishly on it um as as soon as they let us know that we're ready to go public we'll let you know sounds good um and then I think the last plea that I have is for us to include more tree uh topics on this agenda so I really love that we had one today so thank you guys for uh pushing that forward and I just wonder what this board can do to be more involved in tree discussions particularly since I know the Board of Commissioners the yeah the board the Commissioners are um are tackling this on a regular basis I know that they've passed a few uh pieces of legislation and so I wonder how we can make sure that we're utilizing our voice knowing that is it is included in our Charter and so I just wonder how we can begin to engage in this discussion knowing that many of us are quite passionate about this I'm very glad you brought that up because if you take a look at the memo that I is included in your packet regarding the Tre C USA application I have a suggestion in there for how possibly to engage the board in the city's ongoing work with regard to the urban forest and that is perhaps perhaps if everyone's agreed and amable to it perhaps we could have Mr King Leonard who oversees uh the city's urban forestry program to give a report at a board meeting on the things that his crew has done over the past month it's a suggestion I would love that that's a great start yep thank you and hopefully Mr King Mr Leonard will have the the time to be able to do that we have to make sure that he's available okay just just I could just add a little bit to that um over over the past two years um Mr Leonard along with um our Capital Improvements department has been very active in in planting trees around the city um you may notice along opaka Boulevard and then some other areas through our Parks um we've had a series of tree plantings that have been taking place over the past couple years I think we've had in excess of maybe 120 to 130 trees planted um and they're actually looking at doubling that number over the next year so at as we find out the information as to where these plantings are going to take place um we would like to celebrate that and would like to let the board know as well um in addition to that um this board is supposed to be entertaining um certificates of appropriateness as it relates to the removal of tre trees y um we have not really had a lot of applications in relationship to that I I think there may be one or two that could be pending um and it really depends on whether the tree that's being asked to be remove is an evasive tree or whether it's a native tree uh evasive trees in most cases um you may not necessarily need a permit to remove those because of of their nature but when it comes to um native trees there is a mitigation process so that is supposed to be brought before this particular board and you're supposed to have a say on that so we are looking forward to bringing that aspect to this uh historic and environmental preservation board for Action I would just like to make a request that the powers that be plant shade trees Palms are nice but they don't provide shade and with the heat rising we need all the shade we can get I'd like to say that the urban Forest is like a birthday cake the trees are the cake and the palm trees are the icing you can't have a birthday cake without cake and icing so both are important uh board member Smith Ferguson any comments I had a question I I have a question um with the removal of the trees instead you know most people they want to cut them down and get rid of them but um with the case of removal from The Yards once they put the application in can we just relocate the trees um through the chair we have had that aspect take place a few times um it's really especially if if it's a native tree um it it becomes somewhat of a delicate situation to basically maintain the tree through its change in location um so so that is something as a part of the mitigation process that that is uh negotiated there is language in in our tree protection ordinance that speaks to uh having moving a tree as if it's a significant tree then it lays out moving it as one option in addressing getting rid of it okay um second question um with the um removal or relocation of the tree let's say that we can get it where it's relocated um does that expense fall on the city or does it fall on the homeowner that's trying to get it removed that's another good question is and that's usually answered through the mitigation process um there's a cost associated with either cutting down the tree or relocating the tree and in most cases the relocation cost is much higher than just cutting the tree down so uh that's that's something that will have to be handled on a case-by Case basis okay okay but it's great that you are thinking about this and wanting to know now seriously thank you all excellent questions thank you um since we're on the topic of trees uh for those on the board that don't know there's quite a discussion about one of our stately uh Slash finds that very well might go back to the city's founding date that's on shaherzad on a vacant lot that's to be developed between Baghdad and perves and I know that this is um it's started to go viral amongst arborists and environmentalists in the south Florida region um people have been coming to take my tours specifically to know where this tree is located and inquiring about what's going on with it so for the benefit of anyone that's watching is there any status because I know that the commission I believe recently reviewed the site plan or the development that's supposed to be happening on that location and parcel um through the chair the the site that's being considered for development is still being uh reviewed in essence um it has it has not been presented before the commission for their consideration as of yet and the reason being is that a portion of the site is also being considered which which is under City ownership to be a part of a joint venture project so we have not fully fleshed out that particular process and brought that before the commission but the administration is aware of the concerns as it relates to that tree on that particular site and it's actually on the portion that's under private ownership so we are working through that particular process hopefully we'll be able to convince the developer to build around the tree if that can be an opportunity to do that and basically keep the tree as it as it is on site but if we have to go through a mitigation process we'll have to look at whether there would be need to be a relocation possibility for the tree or whether additional Landscaping would need to be planted if the treat is to be removed quick question do we know what is being developed on that site it is u a multif family mix development um the scale of it is somewhat in flux but it it it is going to be a significant type of development to take place it's really um that tree is like I feel it here and I want to see it live on absolutely but I also have to say that it's exactly the kind of development that we need in op opaka especially in downtown of baka thank you um since one last thing on the tree we are uh probably going to have our AR day observance at the corner of sharizad and peris so it'll be in view of the tree so it's the tree will be there at the observance and it's a great opportunity if you come to be able to see the sh thank you um I know that some time ago and early on I had I had identified that opaka was a bird sanctuary and I don't know if that's an annual renewal of any sort or if it's a kind of a one-time thing that has a sign in a Gateway or two but it's springtime y'all and I don't know if you've been hearing how many birds are outside but I'm very proud that my property is home to many of them so I'm just curious to know since we're on the topic of trees but we also think of um ecosystems that are taking advantage of those trees is there anything further that we can consider or build upon as it relates to bird sanctuary and habitat creation um uh Alex you have mentioned that before and it's something that I need to educate myself on and I will and uh by this time or by the next board meeting I will have the answers to that that was just a genuine question the blue jay outside my window yesterday reminded me of it um okay so this is a this is a question that I have for staff as it relates to well this is two parts it's historic preservation and and oversight of the maintenance and protection of these sites but it's also just like standard living conditions um in particular a property that I'm concerned with that is a Historic Landmark of our registry on Sesame Street doesn't appear to have a roof on it and yet people are very much occupying the land that it's around and I know there's a lot of conversations going on at the commission level I believe there was something that had passed or was discussed last night about adus in the form of trailers but it just so happens that this one property in particular is one of these problem properties in this particular regard but also the structure itself is not livable does not have a roof on it it's just the four walls and it can be quite clearly seen from the street so you know I would like to believe that we're not like hovering over our historic Property Owners but there are some that are very questionably being maintained or in some way potentially being illegally occupied um so I don't know I'm just instead of asking the question I'm making more of a point to say that we need to be mindful of this because this is a flaring example of what's happened in other vagrant properties but unlike those properties where people are TR trespassing on them uh people are very much thriving and living off of and have erected a fence a new fence around this particular one and I imagine that they would have had to go through a building permitting process to even just get the fence and have that be inspected which then would have prompted the question of what's going on on this property and why is there no roof on it um and I can I'm happy to follow up with staff on that but I just want to make sure that that's on somebody's radar because it's it's it's unsightly and it just looks unusual especially for a landmark that's essentially half compromised and collapsed one one thing um that we are very sensitive to and is basically a mandate that's a part of this particular board um is demolition by neglect and we know that in in some cases you have properties that are acquired through whatever particular means and they may not necessarily be for home ownership it may be more of an investment um so we have to be very careful as we approach the property owners and trying to make that determination um but none nonetheless there are tools that are disposal through Code Compliance and through through through the natural permitting process um if if if they got a fence you know that does begin to put eyes on the situation um especially if they went through a permitting process and we signed off on it so we we will definitely bring that to the attention of the um other the Departments that we work with and make sure that there is some followup I appreciate that um second item that I wanted to bring up that we've talked about in the past that the county has moved forward with and other municipalities have adopted is a matrix you know administrative approvals of permits versus what would required Board review more considera of you know Aesthetics or uh you know characteristical changes to the exterior do we have any status on that because I know that we have a model from the city we talked about and I remember board member Williams talking adding her contribution about carports and things of that sort um is there any status on or is there something that we can review in the near future or this year as an agenda item um that is something that we've been kind of working on for quite some time we've had changes in Personnel in in during that time period so um we we have to basically get back on that particular process and bring bring that up to Snuff so I would say if not at the next meeting but the following meeting probably during the summertime we should have something some some type of information in place that we can bring forth to the board thank you and I think the question is two parts both as a follow-up just in improving our systems and protocols especially as an incentive because even in the experience of the hurt designation the first comment was I don't want more oversight of my house or an an additional kind of uh blockage to me being able to take care of my property and it was a teachable moment for the homeowner to be told like Beyond just this board ensuring that the windows and the door and keeping with the style true to the period Etc that there really wouldn't be any sort of um uh preventative sort of actions for them to make improvements to their home so uh the the second part of the question really was about in what instance Here and Now with there not being a matrix would a permit be approved for a historic property other than for instance a roof which I imagine like for example I pulled a permit on my house that's designated and it doesn't prompt the review of the board but for example windows I would assume that that needs to come to the board still as it currently stands as it stands right now pretty much anything that is visible from the public right away is subject to this board's approval for historic properties from the right like essentially the the main street that it sits on if you can see it from the Main Street it has to be brought before this board okay I guess I asked because I had the experience of pulling a permit that I didn't imagine would have review anytime soon for Windows on my house that went straight forward for approval for a contractor to Begin work with no historic Board review and you know rather than calling it for what it is which is exactly what I'm I'm doing but my hope in saying that is that it's not becoming a regular practice of our historic properties because then it defeats the purpose of a preservation uh board or Advisory Board let alone a program I know and I'm very sensitive to and I've had countless discussions with homeowners about what it is to designate a home and that a Coral Gables is the antithesis of what I would want for opaka because unlike them I do believe in somewhat of a compromise related to making concessions but also doing the best we can to inform decisions that are in keeping with the character and the uniqueness of these landmarks in this particular case I'm not sure exactly what happened thankfully it was in keeping with and was bringing back what should have been um I just want us to be valued as an Advisory Board the board members to be able to review and to see what it looks like to see period appropriate windows do and things of that nature and to also be a resource to our homeowners to know that a lot of these decisions are in fact not cost prohibitive um Colonial grid Styles certain types of finishes of wooden doors on the front um they're very much comparable market value to other standard designs that have been allowed on our historic homes so at the moments in which we can interject the decision that is being made to put this style door but in fact us as a board are going to make the request and recommendation to go with another option that's around the same value that is what we're here to help do for our historic homeowners for staff um and we certainly between all of us have a wealth of knowledge we're not trying to tell people what color to paint their house but when it comes to those characteristics it's it's very important well actually in some aspects we are kind of well making a suggestion as to painting houses that's great but just to let you know in in that in that particular case because we were aware of the previous application that had come before the board and that was approved there were certain aspects of improvements that we saw the permits coming through for those particular improvements because that had already had been approved to take place the administration basically stepped in and said that that particular item has already been dealt dealt with by the board and we approved it administratively I see and I guess that's exactly my point is to enable staff to be able to do that I just wanted to know if that I mean I I'm you you answered my question essentially that it's in place to allow for in some way um I just wanted I wanted that to to be checked out accordingly so yes um the only last thing I want to say um mainly for the benefit of historic homeowners is the Florida trust for historic preservation Dolly I'm sure you've caught sight of this recently but they actually released a preservation toolkit that's available digitally on their website so I would encourage um anyone that's interested um that has a historic home or wants to be a resource to an owner of one the florid trust.org has a has a newly minted preservation toolkit and um they're entertaining potentially coming down I was going to say next may but it's actually next month May uh to do a workshop potentially for opal loins and historic homeowners so I'll be sure to let staff know what date time that might look like that they're looking at um they're just taking advantage of the trip they're already making down to South Florida um but because of their their awareness of what we're working toward in our first designation in 30 years they're particularly eager to kind of use opaka as a um not use but Pro essentially provide a resource to homeowners which I think would be wonderful in dispelling some of the concerns about restoring and cost Associated of which many you can't get away from um but needless to say I'll I'll make sure to let staff know as soon as they are gonna come forth with a decision on that and that's all for me I have one more thing yes um question how long do the chairmanship uh positions last like do those expire um I'm going off of memory I believe the chairmanships are supposed to be um dealt with on an annual basis um that's usually the way that they've been done with other boards so we have to pretty much check the calendar to see when that is supposed to take place I believe it's supposed to take place in January of each year okay and I don't think we met in January so would love it if we could potenti this is actually your first meeting of the year so okay so I'd love it if we can add that to our um agenda for our next meeting absolutely thank you yes board member Smith um I I just wanted to inquire who or is it being done at all is taking care of the monitoring of board members uh attendance in terms of the absences I know on any municipal or County Board I've ever served on that it was if you had three unexcused absences um over a period I believe it was then um you're automatically removed from the board and replaced and I just wanted to see if that's actually taking place because you know of our past problems and trying to J up a quorum for a meeting and um you know I would like to see that U improve I'm I'm glad that you brought that up because that is something that internally we've had numerous discussions on and it's not just your main to this board it's all of the boards overall um it it's great that we had an opportun have an opportunity here um to meet quarum but there have been numerous times when when we did not meet cor we have put together a package which I believe we will be bringing before you at your next meeting to basically say that we have some new rules and criterias for the board members to meet um and within that package there there is a section that will deal with absenteeism um BAS basically making sure that those board members that want to be on the board do the proper protocols to let people know if they're not going to be available for the meetings as well um we are looking at also changing um the number of board members um this particular board has a board member that goes board membership number that goes up to about nine um but there is some flexibility ility in regards to that um being that we only have seven members in place right now so we are looking at modifying those those particular numbers um and looking at having alternate members for the board so we're about 80 to 90% complete with our rules and regulations package uh we will be bringing that forward to you it was always my understanding that this was governed by State Statute basically as opposed to U municipal or County uh rules and I say that because on other boards that I've served it's always been the same thing whether it was a Dade County Board or whether it was a Miami Shores village board or anything like that so I mean if it's already I if there's already a ruling in place it's like you know are we observing that ruling and does it exist um this is one of the things that um the application for certified local government status requires you to to to realize where you're at and what the best practice is so that's the that's in the application I and I think what it goes back to is the Department of the Interior standards for best practice in preservation programs so so that's a benefit of CLG application is is um doting eyes and crossing the tees on board membership and and terms and so on absentees thank you thank you for bringing that up um board members any last comments no uh before I forget uh I encourage and welcome I know some of our board members are coming uh for the first annual Manifest this Saturday which ALS o serves as the launch of the city's first permanent historical uh experience uh which is very exciting it's 15 stations for those that don't know 15 stations of interpretive markers that have been placed very strategically and um sequentially throughout the downtown area starting with chapter number one of 15 at our historic fire station which is the founding of opaka as a town in 1926 so man EST was inspired um rooted in and surrounding opal's Heritage and its architectural connection to the Middle East and North Africa AKA Mena um and it's also a playoff of manifest in case you guys didn't get that but needless to say it's a dayong festival we've got belly dance workshops not just performances but you can learn how to belly dance from a certified uh wonderful woman valer uh we've got the sassa African dance group um hopefully full of food trucks um as well as a number of other experiences that we're very proud to bring to the city as a co-produced event with 10 North group um and some other Community Partners and sponsors so um big invitation and welcome and it's free most importantly other than what you want to buy in terms of food and Etc um so please come out board members uh 11 amm is the official ribbon cutting VIP for the Heritage Trail itself I personally would like to invite you and welcome you for that as well as the community watching and staff of course um and then to follow with the 12 to 5 day long Festival which will certainly put opalak on a higher Echelon of not just event production but to also bring the public to this forum the space to see the very much in progress and very exciting work that's being done at our historic City Hall um so I'm very excited about Manifest this Saturday April 3rd 13th and uh motion to adjourn thank you very much have a good night everyone all right thank you