The Cultural Heritage Board of Santa Rosa met on April 17, 2024, at 4:30 PM in the Council Chamber. The meeting covered approval of minutes, public comments, election of a Vice Chair, and a detailed review of the Historic Resource Study for Fremont Park. The board discussed the park’s eligibility for historic designation, rehabilitation strategies, and community input.
Okay, good afternoon. Like to um open the City of Santa Rosa Cultural Heritage Board meeting April 17th 2024. So Ms. Camp, if we could get uh roll call. Thank you, Chair. Board Member Borin. Board Member Carney. I'm here. Board Member Fennel. Is absent. Board Member Klein. Board Member Marslin. Here. Vice Chair Garrett. Here. Chair Muser. Here. I'll let the record reflect that all board members are present, with the exception of board member Fennel, who is absent, and board member Carney who is joining virtually. Board Member Carney, go ahead and make your introductions. Hi, I request to attend this meeting remotely under AB 2449 and applying the just cause provision of AB 2449 due to contagious illness. I will participate with both audio and video turned on throughout the meeting in this room. I'm accompanied by no one over the age of 18. Okay, thank you. Glad you could make it uh and hope you're feeling better. Um to item two approval of the minutes. Um does anyone have any changes to the March 20th 24 draft minutes, and seeing no changes, um the March 20th are approved as submitted. Uh Ms. Camper, do we have any public comment on item two approval of the minutes? Uh we do have public comment in person. I do want to just let the record reflect that due to a board member joining virtually, we will be accepting a public comment via Zoom or dial-in as well. I'd like to use the overhead projector. Are we ready? All right, my name's Duane DeWitt. I'm from Roseland. And the reason why I'm here to speak with you today is because cultural heritage often involves more than just buildings. We're here hundreds of years before anyone else. Stayed for an hour or two, and uh talked about the efforts to preserve the creek and an oak woodland nearby and other good things we were working on. So up until last year, no other governmental official came to us on any of these days. We do a uh creek cleanup on Earth Day, and we do one on Make a Difference Day in October. But last year we were fortunate to have the mayor of Santa Rosa, Natalie Rogers, and District One representative council member Eddie Alvarez. They both came for a few moments, they said and liked the effort so much they stayed for a full two hours before they left. They got a chance to see this beautiful area. I also bring this up because at the time that this was being purchased by the Agon Open Space District, six acres to the south of the creek, and it was deeded to the City of Santa Rosa. There was a discussion there would be a bikeway and a greenway. There was a house on that property, and then another property that was purchased most recently by the city outright, with Agon Open Space helping again, had some other historical houses. They'd actually been called out in the 1994 Southwest Area Plan as cultural resources. But unfortunately, the assistant city manager here for Santa Rosa didn't take that into account and went ahead and had them demolished. And we were thinking they'd be saved, like over where there's a community clubhouse at Doyle Park, or there's a house up at Howard's Park that was also saved, and yet they wouldn't save the ones over on the west side of Santa Rosa. It was disturbing to some. Thank you, Mr.