The Historic District Commission held a short meeting last week, which would have been much shorter without an extensive discussion about ethics.
The HDC had voted Feb. 7 to contribute $350 as a partial sponsor of a seminar on repairing wooden windows. Main Street Eureka Springs is the primary sponsor of the event, which will be held March 2-3 at the Wanderoo Lodge, which lies within the historic district.
City Historic Preservation Officer Kyle Palmer said he had been approached by several people with questions about the arrangement. The seminar will be held at a local business, and Palmer and HDC Chair Dee Bright both serve on the Main Street board.
Palmer agreed that commissioners should have been told Feb. 7 about his and Bright’s relationship with Main Street. He went on to explain the choice of Wanderoo Lodge as the location. That business has wooden windows suited to the seminar, and the building is large enough to accommodate the number of attendees expected. Palmer said no city-owned businesses had suitable wooden windows.
Palmer also noted that with only four commissioners in attendance Feb. 21, the HDC would not be able to reconsider the decision, since Bright would have to abstain. Although the next HDC meeting will be held after the seminar, commissioners will still have the option to contribute to the event.
Palmer read from the HDC’s Policies and Procedures, and also cited the National Association of Preservation Commissions Code of Ethics for Commissioners and Staff. Palmer had also checked with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, and they recommended holding another vote while fully informing the commission.
In other business:
- Bright said only two commissioners have committed to attending an out-of-state forum for commissioners from July 31 to Aug. 4.
- A Level II application was approved to add a storage building at 53 Alamo St. for David Renko. Although no one attended the meeting to represent the application, commissioners noted that the packet included detailed elevations and a site plan. All approved the application. The house on the property dates to 1970 and is considered non-contributing.
- The commission still has one vacancy, although an applicant has come forward, and city council may vote to fill that vacancy at the Feb. 26 meeting.
- The HDC will next meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6. Level III applications were due Feb. 22, and Level II applications are due by Feb. 28.