The Brownsville Historic Preservation Commission voted to ratify a rehabilitation plan for a house near East Fifth Street and Saint Charles, approving restoration of historic exterior features and allowing a cyclone fence on the front façade to match existing conditions.

Staff told commissioners the property had been heavily burned and that research showed the owner as Pontiano Guajardo; the house is not listed as a contributing resource in earlier surveys, but the owner or applicant sought to rehabilitate it to its historic appearance. The commission’s certificate of appropriateness (COA) specifies replacement of nonhistoric siding with original‑style “bottom‑button” wood siding at roughly 12‑inch exposure, replacement of the roof structure in kind per the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, use of single‑hung transparent glass windows as shown on the elevations, and preservation of the porch facing Fifth Street.

Olivia Rescio, who identified herself as the person who will renovate the house and stated family ties to the property, told the commission she has contractors lined up and expects exterior work to take about six to eight months and possibly be finished before the end of the year. Rescio said she has been in contact with staff and the building inspector, and that she plans to install a cyclone fence at the front to deter trespassers and security cameras for monitoring.

Commission discussion clarified fence placement: staff recommended allowing the existing cyclone fence to remain and to match a second period cyclone fence so the front presents a consistent appearance, with a wooden fence running from the façade to the alley at the rear. The COA adopted by the commission includes siding, porch posts, door style suggestions, single‑hung windows, roof replacement, and standard conditions that work comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, UDC and the International Building Code. A motion to approve the ratification passed by voice vote; the transcript records no roll‑call tally.

Staff noted that some historic elements predate 1914 according to the presentation materials and that certain earlier additions had been removed. The commission closed the public hearing before taking the approval motion; no public opposition was recorded in the transcript.