HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-05-28 email russell to D pekar1
Minyard, Brian
From:Jeremiah Russell <jeremiah@roguearch.com>
Sent:Friday, May 29, 2020 8:03 AM
To:Dale Pekar; Collins, Gilbert
Cc:Mayor Scott; Catherine.Barrier@arkansas.gov; Patricia.Blick@quapaw.com;
laurasergeant@sbcglobal.net; Minyard, Brian; rob@hcglawoffice.com;
ambercj@swbell.net; jimpfei6@aol.com; holderheuvel@yahoo.com;
lindseymboerner@gmail.com; caleman@fridayfirm.com; susanmtaylor13@gmail.com;
LRzoning; lfrederick@hosto.com
Subject:Re: Historic district Commission - May 28th Meeting
Mr. Pekar,
I’m happy to address your comments and concerns below. We appreciate your interest and participation in the Historic
District Commission and hope that you will continue. If anything remains unclear I encourage you to contact City Staff or
the City Attorney and they will be happy to provide additional clarification if it is needed.
Thank you.
Jeremiah Russell, AIA, NCARB
Principal Architect
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet. 300 S Spring Street, Suite 720
Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
501.412.4525
www.roguearch.com
On May 28, 2020 at 6:13:41 PM, Dale Pekar (dale.pekar@gmail.com) wrote:
I realize we're just now getting used to this technology but I feel the need to provide this feedback on the
Historic District Commission today.
First off, no one ever called me for public input even though I registered to be called to provide input.
It’s my understanding that you registered to speak regarding the application which was deferred. If you had wished to
speak during public comment portion I believe there should have been a mechanism to do that via the Webex platform. If
it did not work properly I recommend you send that information specifically to Brian Minyard, Jamie Collins, and the
technical staff so that they can address it.
Second, a LOT of the audio was clipped.
This likely has more to do with your internet connection than the software. The audio was very good within the chambers
even though the vast majority of attendees were remote.
Third, it seems that Ms. Frederick has a substantial financial association with the applicant. In such
cases, when the Commissioner fails to self-recuse, I think it would be proper to allow discussion and
questions by the Commissioners and the public--with the opportunity for a Commissioner to call for a
motion of directed recusal.
2
This was discussed in the public hearing, of which you were in attendance. Ms. Frederick disclosed her relationship with
the applicant and the City Attorney disclosed that there was no direct financial link to the application and therefore the
recusal was at the discretion of Ms. Frederick. If you have further concerns about this I suggest you make it known to the
City Attorney whom I’m sure will be happy to help clarify the issue for you.
Fourth, I did try communicating with the Chat feature before and during the session with the Host and with
other Panelists but got no feedback.
Again, if that is the case I recommend letting City staff know about it so that they can address it prior to the next public
hearing. We want all citizens to have an opportunity to speak at our public hearings without exception.
Fifth, as Ms. McSwain pointed out, a LOT of comments were received prior to distribution of the Staff
Report. The statement in the Staff Report needs to be changed as there have been dozens of such prior
submissions.
You can request a copy of the meeting minutes once they are compiled to verify that the public comments were properly
logged. Additionally you can request a copy of all documents pertaining to the public hearing via a FOIA request through
the City Attorney’s office. All public comment was distributed to all of the commissioners prior to the public hearing.
Sixth, we all want to be nice. We all want to be pleasant. We all want to hold out hope. And we all want
to help applicants avoid the additional ~$400 cost associated with a new proposal. But it would be good
to flat out state to applicants that their proposal does not meet guideline factors X, Y and Z. And that
some Commissioners may think it does not meet factors A, B and C. And that Commissioners may
properly vote against a proposal for other reasons as mentioned in the City Ordinance. In such cases,
when an applicant still sees fit to make such a proposal, the HDC should entertain a motion to deny the
application rather than deferring it. These seemingly perpetual deferrals make a mockery of the process.
As a former commissioner, Mr. Pekar, you should know better. The By-Laws clearly state that when the commission has 5
or fewer members present that a deferral is offered to all applicants and that such deferral will not count against them but
will be a deferral by the commission, thus avoiding the added expense to the applicant. It is a courtesy offered so that all
applicants have the opportunity to present their applications to the full commission when at all possible.
Also, as a former commissioner you should know that the guidelines are exactly that - guidelines. They are a framework
within which the commission has latitude to review all applications as they are without respect to precedent and in their
own unique context. When the application is finally heard by the commission all commissioners will be required to give
their reasoning and rationale for approval or denial of the application. These deferrals are unfortunately part of the
process, not a mockery of it.
If you are truly unhappy with the way the commission operates I would encourage you to lobby the State Legislature to
change legislation which governs us. Or at least be part of the process within which we work.
---Dale
Dale Pekar
On Thu, May 28, 2020 at 11:03 AM Collins, Gilbert <gcollins@littlerock.gov> wrote:
Everyone,
Below is the event information. I have also attached Webex best practices and tips.
3
Event: Historic District Commission May Meeting
Type: Unlisted Event
Event address for attendees: https://littlerockgov.webex.com/littlerockgov/onstage/g.php?MTID=e91fb5d54aafd4185ce24460f52ba1faf
Date and time: Thursday, May 28, 2020 3:00 pm
Central Daylight Time (Chicago, GMT-05:00)
Duration: 2 hours
Description:
Event number: 133 744 1005
Event password: hdc052820
Video Address: 1337441005@littlerockgov.webex.com
You can also dial 173.243.2.68 and enter your meeting number.
Audio conference: To receive a call back, provide your phone number when you join the event, or call the number below
and enter the access code.
US Toll
+1-415-655-0003
Show all global call-in numbers
Access code: 133 744 1005
Sincerely,
Jamie Collins, PE | Director
City of Little Rock | Planning and Development
723 W. Markham | Little Rock, AR 72201-1334
Phone: 501-371-6818 | Fax: 501-399-3435
https://www.littlerock.gov/