Black Heritage Preservation Committee

Meeting of the Black Heritage Preservation Commission August 21, 2025 6:30 PM City Hall Room 101 & Zoom NOTE: The August 21, 2025 Black Heritage Preservation Commission meeting was held in person and online via Zoom. Members: Minister Monique Jones, Chair Lois Bryant, Veronica Huff, Vice Chair Wendell Huggins, Shawn Walker, Janet Allured, and Braziel Hatch City Staff: Kylee Cole – Long Range & Preservation Planner, Britin Bostick - Long Range Planning & Special Projects Manager Call to Order: 6:31 pm by Vice Chair Huggins In Attendance: Lois Bryant, Wendell Huggins, Shawn Walker, Janet Allured, Kylee Cole, and Britin Bostick. Approval of Minutes from the June 26 Meeting: Motion to accept by Bryant, second by Walker. Approved by voice vote. Unfinished Business Theressa Hoover Historical Marker Update – Commissioner Allured: Allured said the board approved an etched plaque like the design of the West Ave. marker in the Upper Ramble. The wording is approved and Allured will proceed with ordering the marker. She requested assistance from staff in organizing an unveiling with a preferred date of February 28, 2026 (Saturday), and alternate dates on March 7 or 14. Staff will check on these dates and report back to Allured directly. New Business Local Historic District Petition – Staff provided an overview of the legislative framework that guides how local historic districts are created and administered. Specifically, the roles and limitations of the HDC and BHPC were noted. Discussion followed on the preferred role moving forward of the commission since two neighborhoods are actively working on petitions to create local historic districts. Vice Chair Huggins stated that representatives of the BHPC or the Black community should have a seat on the HDC since they are the legal decision maker for local historic district applications for certificates of appropriateness (for exterior changes on properties within historic districts). There was general interest in pursuing adding 2 additional positions to the HDC, though Chair Bryant cautioned that additional commissioners could lead to a more inefficient process. Staff will explore options for moving forward and discuss this with the HDC. CLG 2026 Project Ideas – Staff reviewed the CLG grant program and discussed ideas for phase II of the historic property survey and guidelines for one of the neighborhoods working on a local historic district petition. Commissioners were generally supportive of the two projects, but did not provide any formal recommendations. Announcements – Cole introduced the new long range staff member, Kaci Black. Bostick updated the commission on the downtown master plan project and noted that public outreach will begin in September. 2