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HDC_01 04 2001City of Little Rock HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION 4 JANUARY 2001 MINUTES LITTLE ROCK HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Commissioners Present: John Greer, Chair Howard H. Gordon Wyatt Weems Commissioners Absent: Jean Ann Phillips Mark Zoeller Staff Present: V.Anne Guthrie Debra Weldon The meeting of the Little Rock Historic District Commission (LRHDC) was called to order. As there was a quorum, the minutes from the previous meetings, 2 November and 7 December 2000, were approved separately. The November minutes were approved after being amended to correct the spelling of a specific legal process related to the 1000 Rock property. As there were no applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness, the meeting focused on amending the LRHDC by-laws. The purpose of the proposed amendment is to allow a review of district design guidelines every five years in order to take into account, and if necessary incorporate, new materials and techniques. Weldon distributed a draft of the new article allowing a periodic review of the design guidelines. There was discussion regarding the amendment process; evidently, previous amendments were not incorporated into the official by-laws. Weldon stated that it would be necessary to review LRHDC files and minutes in order to have an accurate accounting of previous amendments. It was decided that the proposed amendment would be placed on the agenda of the next meeting for approval. The next agenda item was discussion about the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process to review the design guidelines. Staff reviewed the packet enclosures, which were a RFQ ad for the newspaper, a more detailed version of the RFQ for mailing, the criteria for evaluation, etc. Weldon raised the legal process of putting it out to bid, which requires an action of the Board of Directors (with the appropriate and required public hearings and readings) to amend the city ordinance in order to incorporate a historic preservation consultant onto the listing of "professional services." She explained the state and city legislation and the necessary steps to advertise for a professional service. Discussion focused on previous RFQ actions, which were for design guidelines for the following areas: MacArthur Park in 1993; Hillcrest in 1995; and Little Rock Historic District Commission 4 January 2001 Minutes, Page 2 Central High in 1996. It was decided that staff would research previous advertisements for bids that were for a historic preservation consultant. There was discussion about the RFQ process, contacting preservation consultants and the benefit of incorporating a historic preservation consultant onto the city's "professional services" listing. Gordon made a motion to move ahead with the preparation of the Board of Director's Communication to amend the city ordinance by adding preservation consultants. It was voted on and passed. There was a brief discussion about establishing a time line for the BOD action and the RFQ publication. The issue was raised about the possibility of using staff and LRHDC as opposed to contracting out to and paying a professional to review the design guidelines. If a contractor is hired, there is the possibility that the review will clarify that the guidelines need no revision. Greer stated that he views the process in two parts; the first is to obtain the most qualified person to review the guidelines. If the LRHDC reviews the design guidelines, an objective expertise would be lacking. Issuing a RFQ allows the opportunity of contracting a qualified person, a third party, to review the guidelines. After they are on board, the scope of work would be decided to review the design guidelines in light of changes or trends in preservation and construction, etc. The LRHDC has the final say-so; the RFQ process provides the opportunity for the LRHDC to produce top-notch design guidelines for the MacArthur Park historic district. Funding for the review of the guidelines is through the city manager's office. There was brief discussion of who to contact about the RFQ (National Trust, CLG, National Center for Preservation Technology, National Alliance of Historic Preservation Commissions, AIA, etc.) It was decided by vote to accept the RFQ as discussed and to go forward with its process. The noncompliance of the 1000 Rock structure was discussed briefly in order to have an update and to pursue the legal process of its noncompliance. As there was no business, the LRHDC meeting adjourned.