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Minutes Historic Pres 2 14 01M~NUTES SPECIAL SESSTON Wednesday, February 14, 2001 4:00 p.m. Conference Room B, City Hall 50 W. 13th Street, Dubuque, Iowa PRESENT: chairperson Terry Mozena; Commission Members Pam Bradford, Ken Kdngle, Audrey Henson, Chris Wand, Jim Gibbs, and Suzanne Guinn; Staff Members Laura Carstens, Guy Hemenway and Wally Wernimont. Also present: County Supervisors Jim Waller, Donna Smith, Alan Manternach; Sheriff Leo Kennedy, Deputy Ken Runde; Dubuque County Historical Society representatives Jerry Enzler, Tacie Campbell, Alan Spensley, Chadie Glab; City Manager Michael Van Milligen, and Barney Bishop of Durrant Architects. ABSENT: None. AFFIDAVI'T OF COMPLIANCE: Staff presented an Affidavit of Compliance verifying the meeting was being held in compliance with the Towa Open Meetings Law. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 4:07 p.m. Chairperson Mozena opened the meeting stating that this was a joint work session of the Historic Preservation Commission and the Dubuque County Historical Society to review and comment on the Dubuque Law Enforcement Center's jail expansion project. Barney Bishop, project manager from Durrant Architects, reviewed the history of the expansion project. He discussed an alternative design that was examined and eliminated. Supervisor Jim Waller indicated that the Board was willing to look at changes to the design of the building exterior if such changes did not incur additional costs. Mr. Bishop reviewed the existing and proposed facades for the current law enforcement center building and the jail expansion structure. He reviewed a sedes of elevations and photos of the proposed structure. He noted that the building height is 21/2 stories, which he stated is similar to many of the structures along Central Avenue. Supervisor Smith noted that the new addition could be expanded by adding another level. Mr. Bishop stated that the proposed design was an attempt to "marry" the new facade with the existing facade. He stated there would be minimal breaks in the new facade, in an effort to cut costs. He stated that the entrance to the expansion would be on Central Avenue and would be recessed. He said this would be the new main entrance to the Law Enforcement Center. He stated that 8~ Street would be closed to traffic, but the alley between Central Avenue and Iowa Street would remain open. Minutes - Histodc Preservation Commission Meeting February 14, 2001 Page 2 Chairperson Mozena asked if historic elements would be incorporated into the expansion to make it more in character with the surrounding historic properties. Mr. Bishop reviewed the design limitations on the facade due to restrictions inherent in creating a secure facility. He stated that the small windows are necessary for security reasons. He said he could possibly explore introducing Dubuque Stone as a design element into the building. Chairperson Mozena asked if the roofline could be modified to make it look more interesting. Commissioner Henson asked if designers had considered incorporating elements of the existing Dubuque Fire Headquarters into the expansion structure. Mr. Bishop stated that the intricate brickwork on Fire Headquarters would be costly and was therefore not deemed feasible. 3erry Enzler, Dubuque County Historical Society, asked at what point' in the design process- Durrant was. Mr. Bishop stated that he was approximately 10 days from producing the schematic design, which would be submitted to the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff's Deparb~ent. He stated that the next stage would be design deveJopment. Mr. Enzler asked if costs were fairly well established. Mr. Bishop stated that costs for the exterior fa(jade were well established; however, the interior design costs were not fully established. Mr. Enzler asked if the design options could be provided as altematives for the bids. Mr. Bishop stated this would be possible if it did not involve an excessive number of drawings for various options. Alan Spensley, Dubuque County Historical Society, asked if there was a great variation in cost between brick and stone. Mr. Bishop stated that it depended on the amount of stone and where it was placed on the building as to what kind of cost would be incurred. Hr. Bishop said that he would have to develop cost estimates for vadous stone design alternatives. Mr. Enzler stated that through the design process, there was an opportunity to define the presence of this large building, which will be as large as a foothall field directly across from the County Courthouse and the Old .1ail. He said these buildings are Dubuque landmarks. Mr. Glab asked if the design incorporated a different color bdck along the Central Avenue facade, or if the drawing represented relief in the brickwork. Mr. Bishop noted that this was not an actual color change but was intended to show relief on the building, which he said is not currently part of the proposed design. Charlie Glab said that he was speaking as a representative for the Dubuque County Historical Society. Mr. Glab stated he felt the design was appropriate and that it would not be advisable to try to replicate or duplicate the Old .1ail or Courthouse across the street. He suggested that some changes could be made to the primary street fa~de through the use of color, relief and limestone accents. He said that these elements, if used as part of a grid, along with window fenestrations, could create a flow or rhythm to the building that would break up the long horizontal wall. He said that some simple elements could be added to the edge of the cornices to add depth to the two-dimensional structure. He said that this building serves a utilitarian purpose and was not intended to become an architectural masterpiece. Mr. Glab added that the emphasis on design elements should be on the pdmary fa~de along Central Avenue, consistent with the facades of historical commercial buildings. Mr. Bishop said he would consider Mr. Glab's suggestions. Minutes - Historic Preservation Commission Meeting February 14, 2001 Page 3 Commissioner Gibbs asked if the expansion area was flush with the existing structure. Mr. Bishop reviewed the site plan, the building footprint, and the location of the sally port for law enforcement vehicle access. Tacie Campbell, Dubuque County Historical Society, asked if the setback for the proposed expansion would be the same as the existing histodc structure. Hr. Bishop stated that the building would be placed with the same setback as the existing Buettel Brothers building, which is doser to the street than the Law Enforcement Center. Commissioner Gibbs asked if there was any way to soften the building facade by bumping-out the sidewalk and adding landscaping, similar to the Dubuque Museum of Art. Mr. Bishop said this might be possible if the City was willing to eliminate metered parking on the street. Chairperson Mozena stated that it might be advantageous to eliminate parking in front of the entrance to the Law Enforcement Center and add landscaping. He stated that he felt the building's functionality was very important, and he suggested exploring different ways to soften the building and to break up its long monolithic facade. Commissioner Wand suggested softening the building with landscaping and using a setback at the entrance to break up the long facade. He also agreed that changing the bdck color would further enhance the appearance of the building. Mr. Bishop reviewed the potential for introduction of glass block on the alley side of the expansion. He stated that glass block would reflect the design and rhythm of the existing historic buildings, which he said have an industrial-like quality. Supervisor Smith asked about the incorporation of skylights and windows into the structure. Hr. Bishop said it was difficult to use skylights or add many windows in a jail because of security concerns, Commissioner Guinn asked if designers had considered using a small piece of the existing Buettell building, such as a cornerstone, to mark the history of the site. Mr. Waller stated that there was no cornerstone for the building, and this had not been considered. Commissioner Wand stated it would be wise to document the building for historic record. He stated it might also be advantageous to remove what materials could be salvaged for historic purposes. Mr. Waller stated that he would defer to the demolition contractor regarding salvage materials. He said it was not part of the original demolition contract. Mr. Bishop stated that the building has some hazardous materials, which will be surveyed, documented and abated prior to the demolition. He said there might be a liability in allowing people to gain access to inventory and catalog the building. He stated the hazardous materials included PCBs from light ballasts in the florescent lighting, asbestos and lead-based paint. He stated that he was not certain whether these substances exceeded allowable levels. He said there are also some concerns about possible subsurface contamination from the adjacent gas station. Minutes - Histodc Preservation Commission Meeting February 14, 2001 Page 4 Chairperson Mozena asked if the Supervisors had considered the cost of the hazardous material removal. He asked if it was possible this could exceed the cost for the entire project, and if so, how would the budget be adjusted. Mr. Bishop stated that demolition and hazardous materials abatement should not represent a large cost. Mr. Bishop itemized the following comments and suggestions from those in attendance: Some relief in the building mass should be accommodated at the Central Avenue facade. Nlinimal corbelling of the masonry might be considered as a recall of the existing Law Enforcement Center. 2. Consider a change in either color of masonry or partial change from brick to Dubuque limestone. 3. Consider the Use of a couple colors of brick, one for the main mass and one for the more subtle, to help relieve the mass. 4. Consider detailing at window and door surrounds that will break up the massing. 5. Consider detailing omamentation at roof edge that caps the top of the masonry in a more historic nature. Consider the introduction of trees and other planting areas along Central Avenue. In part, this might include the elimination of one or more metered parking spaces to "open" up the front of the building. Barney Bishop will discuss the issue further with the City. Hr. Bishop said he would look at the various aitematives discussed by the group, estimate costs, and report the results to the Board of Supervisors. ~lerry Enzler thanked the Board of Supervisors, the Historic Preservation Commission, City of Dubuque staff and Durrant Architects for the cooperative effort in this design review. Chairperson Mozena echoed these sentiments. Supervisor Smith thanked the Historic Preservation Commission and the Dubuque County Historical Sodety for their leadership in historic preservation in the community. AD3OURNMENT: The meeting adjoumed at 4:54 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Guy Hemenway, Assistant Planner Adopted