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CITY OF MUSKEGON
HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
MINUTES
June 6, 2017
Chairperson J. Hilt called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. and roll was taken.
MEMBERS PRESENT: J. Hilt, S. Kroes, S. Radtke, A. Riegler, D. Warren, L. Wood, K.
Panozzo
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: M. Franzak, D. Renkenberger
OTHERS PRESENT: K. Kampenga, 1508 Clinton St; T. Kling & T. Sanocki, Muskegon
Polish Festival, H. Sherman, 1347 Peck St;
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
A motion to approve the regular meeting minutes of May 2, 2017 was made by D. Warren,
supported by S. Kroes and unanimously approved.
NEW BUSINESS
Cases were heard out of order, with case 2017-09 being heard first.
Case 2017-09 – 1508 Clinton Street. Applicant: Ken Kampenga. District: Clinton-Peck. Current
Function: Residential. M. Franzak presented the staff report. The applicant is seeking approval to
replace the current wood garage door with a similar but more secure vinyl garage door. A picture of
the proposed door was provided. It appeared that the current door may have one window that had
been painted the same color as the door.
K. Kampenga stated that the new garage door may also have a window in it, but the look of the door
would otherwise be the same as the picture he had provided. A. Riegler asked what year the house
was built, so she could determine if the proposed garage door fit the style of the home. K.
Kampenga thought it was built in the 1920’s. He stated that the current door was falling apart and
was too heavy to lift. A. Riegler asked if the door handles shown in the picture would be included.
K. Kampenga stated that they would; however, the door would be shorter than the picture showed.
A board member was able to pull up a picture of the house online. S. Radtke noted that the garage
door style matched the windows of the house so he had no objection to the door as proposed. In
addition, the garage was set back quite a distance from the road and not easily visible from the
street.
A motion that the HDC approve the request to replace the garage door as proposed as long as all
zoning requirements are met and the necessary permits are obtained, was made by S. Kroes,
supported by L. Wood and unanimously approved, with J. Hilt, S. Kroes, S. Radtke, A. Riegler, D.
Warren, L. Wood, and K. Panozzo voting aye.
HDC Minutes 6/06/17 1
Case 2017-08 – Hackley Park. Applicant: Muskegon Polish Festival. District: National Register.
Current Function: Park. The HDC board had discussed this case at previous meetings. The
applicants are seeking approval to install a permanent, concrete dance floor at Hackley Park for
their Polish festival, held in September. They provided renderings that show five different options
they would like to offer for consideration. A copy of the Hackley Park Master Plan was provided
by staff at the April meeting. The Parks Department and Planning Department are both opposed to
the request, as it is not called for in the park’s Master Plan.
S. Kroes stated that she preferred that the area remain grass rather than being turned into concrete,
especially considering that city staff was opposed to the concrete. M. Franzak stated the city was
fortunate to have many events held in various parks, but staff had to exercise caution with historic
landmarks such as Hackley Park. The Polish Festival was very successful in its first year, and it
was possible they could outgrow Hackley Park in a short time. K. Panozzo asked if the applicants
had met with Parks Department personnel. M. Franzak stated that yes, city staff had met with the
applicant at the park and he was under the impression that they had agreed to level the dirt off so a
wooden dance floor could be temporarily installed for the festival. T. Kling stated that they would
use a wooden dance floor this year since it was late in the year, but the yearly cost to install a
wooden floor was about the same as putting in the concrete. He also thought that a concrete dance
floor would be beneficial to the city. S. Radtke asked why they didn’t use Heritage Landing. He
stated that the Hackley Park plan mentioned a bandshell, which is why the current stage was
allowed, but there was no mention of a dance floor. He was not in favor of adding a permanent
dance floor and changing the park’s function and aesthetics. T. Sanocki stated that the cost to use
Heritage Landing was too high for a newer festival. D. Warren pointed out that the Irish Festival
followed a similar path of starting out small at Hackley Park and then moved to Heritage Landing.
T. Sanocki stated that they preferred to use Hackley Park and may consider moving to a different
city if that were not possible. M. Franzak stated that, at the last meeting, a bracket system to hold a
wooden dance floor in place was also discussed. This was something that would remain in place
but not be visible the rest of the year. J. Hilt asked T. Kling if they had looked into that. T. Kling
stated that they had. The board and applicants discussed the different types of dance floors. D.
Warren noted that a wooden dance floor sounded like the best option for dancing, not a concrete
one. T. Sanocki stated that that was correct, but they could work with a concrete one. T. Kling
stated that the most important thing was to have a flat surface; the wooden dance floor costs were
much higher and it would be an annual cost rather than a one-time expenditure. M. Franzak stated
that the HDC had to vote on the request based on the proposed use of a historic resource. They
were not supposed to base their decision on the needs of a particular group, or cost factors. A.
Riegler asked for clarification on what the board was voting on for this case. M. Franzak confirmed
that the original request was for the installation of a concrete dance floor.
A motion that the HDC deny the request to install a permanent concrete dance floor at Hackley Park
was made by S. Radtke, supported by D. Warren and approved, with S. Radtke, D. Warren, S.
Kroes and A. Riegler voting aye, K. Panozzo and L. Wood voting nay, and J. Hilt abstaining due to
being on the board of the Polish Festival. D. Warren stated that, although the board members
supported the festival, the HDC’s responsibility was to maintain the historical integrity of Hackley
Park. M. Franzak stated that a non-permanent option was preferable, and encouraged the applicants
to continue exploring other options.
OLD BUSINESS
HDC Minutes 6/06/17 2
Case 2017-06 – 1347 Peck Street. Applicant: Helen Sherman. District: McLaughlin. Current
Function: Residential. Ms. Sherman updated board members on her request that was considered by
the board in May. She had obtained permits to repair the siding.
OTHER BUSINESS
M. Franzak stated that this was his last meeting at staff liaison to the HDC. J. Pesch, a new
employee with an architectural background, would be taking over. He thanked board members for
their dedication and hard work over the years.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
HDC Minutes 6/06/17 3