Board Members Present: Elizabeth Doak, Craig Wallace, Robert Stembridge, Gordon Reiselt, Tom Ocken, James Montalbano, Katy Braziel. Attachment 1
Guests: Jeremy Sment, Michael Pitula, and Mary Ellen Hennessey (Senior Planner, City of Albuquerque Historic Preservation). Attachment 1
Meeting called to order: 7:03pm
Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the April meeting will be reviewed when our secretary returns in June.
Presentation and Q and A regarding the Historic District (HD) and the Historic Overlay Zone (HOZ) in Silver Hill – Mary Ellen Hennessey, Senior Planner, City Historic Preservation Department: Mary Ellen discussed the history of the HD and the HOZ in Silver Hill. She was able to contract for a house-to-house survey, removing historic status from a few houses which have been irremediably altered since 1986 when the first survey was done and adding some houses not previously eligible (pre-1947) . These will now qualify for state historic tax credits.
A new Preservation Handbook addressing the history and guidelines for the Early Automobile Suburbs is being developed. Photographs are being added. Silver Hill requested 20 copies when it is printed. These will be used in the HD/HOZ workshop to be presented this summer by Robert Stembridge and Katy Braziel for the neighborhood.
Mary Ellen also stated that she will get a postcard out to all property owners in the SHNA HOZ explaining the procedure which is mandatory for any exterior alterations to properties in the HOZ.
KAB Great American Cleanup: A group of 4 SHNA members and 4 UNM students from the Omega Delta Phi Service group picked up trash on Lead and Coal, as well as University Blvd. on April 25, 9:00-12:00. Thanks to all who participated! We’ll participate again in the Fall Cleanup, maybe with block captains getting more people involved.
Keep Albuquerque Beautiful/Solid Waste Department report: Katy met again last week with employees and contractors with Solid Waste Dept. This time the focus was on substandard maintenance of Lead and Coal. We agreed that:
1) The contractor for Lead/Coal will complete maintenance (pruning trees and plants, raking up pruning debris)
2) SW will get a count of dead and missing trees and plants from the two streets, Yale to Sycamore, to Katy ASAP, and SHNA will approach Councilor Benton about funding the replacement if existing City funds are not available,
3) SW will clean up the remains of the accident at Coal & Pine where bollards and landscaping were destroyed for the 4th time in 3 years,
4) SW will approach Traffic Safety Division about funding a guard rail in that location (A SHNA Board member voiced disapproval of this), and SHNA will ask Traffic Safety to do a Crash Analysis of the Coal & Pine crash site.
Zoning:
1924 Silver – Isaac Chavez has withdrawn his request to build a two car garage off the alley. The first coat of stucco has been applied on the house. (reported by Mary Ellen Hennessey, Historic Preservation Div. of C of A.
210 Sycamore, 1721 Silver, 1609 Silver, and 1810 Gold all appear to have done unauthorized modifications to the properties, including unapproved windows and adding illegal units. All of these have been reported to Zoning to no avail. We will request a meeting with a Zoning Dept. representative, possibly Matthew Conrad to discuss.
Juntos-Conservation Voters New Mexico: Mike Pitula, and new neighborhood resident presented an update on the PNM request to the PRC to increase our utility rates. The increase would compensate PNM for the closure of two coal-fired power plants in the 4-Corners area of the state and would assure shareholders that they wouldn’t take a financial hit. Instead of a rate increase Junto advocates that the PRC vote “NO” on the rate increase and a fee for roof-top solar panels and “YES” on the use of renewable energy sources (solar, wind). Several of those present will contact Karen Montoya, our PRC representative, at karenl.montoya@ state.nm.us or (500) 827-8015 to provide our input. Attachment 2
Street-side Trash Bins: Tom will locate the assessment Matt Sexton did a few years ago so that the Board can re-allocated some bins. Elizabeth will order a couple more bins. The Board voted to spend some of our Keep America Beautiful Bin money on replacing the tree identification plaques in the medians on Silver.
Meeting adjourned: 8:15 pm