Carbondale preservation commission sets Nov. 6 open house, finalizes outreach plan for design guidelines

The Carbondale Historic Preservation Commission on Sept. 4 scheduled a public open house for Nov. 6 (in lieu of that night’s regular meeting) and agreed to an outreach push that will include First Friday and Potato Days booths, 24-by-36 posters with maps, and QR codes linking to the Carbondale Connect website for comments.

The outreach is part of the commission’s process to update the town’s historic preservation design guidelines. Staff told the commission the project timeline begins from the grant award and runs through an April 1 target date for guideline completion; commissioners were told a draft would be available by about Sept. 15 for review and to inform poster copy and distribution.

Commissioners discussed staffing for public events. First Friday was reported as already scheduled; Potato Days requires confirmation of a table next to the historical society booth. Commissioners volunteered shifts and asked staff to confirm booth placement with event organizers. Staff said the public works crew will set up booths and that volunteers should plan for peak hours around lunch (about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.).

On outreach materials, staff presented a poster draft that emphasizes a large map, project goals, a short “ideas we are exploring” section, and QR codes for feedback on Carbondale Connect. The commission asked that the map be separated onto its own board and recommended keeping public-facing text short and prominent so passersby understand the review is a courtesy process and that no approval is required to attend or comment.

Commissioners discussed three review-options language to include on outreach materials: continued courtesy review, courtesy review with opt-in incentives, and a mandatory review option with incentives. Staff said the mandatory-approval option had not been adopted and that the outreach should solicit public preference among options; no policy change was adopted at the meeting.

The commission also reviewed refreshment budgeting for the open house. Commissioners recalled a prior event bill of about $170 and discussed a proposed guideline of $100 for simple snacks and drinks for the broader-town open house. No formal appropriation was voted at the meeting; commissioners recommended keeping food simple and proportional to expected attendance.

Next steps identified: staff will circulate the design-guidelines draft when it is available (staff indicated a mid-September draft date), finalize poster copy and layout, confirm booth placement at Potato Days, and publish event notices on social media, the monthly newsletter and in the local paper.

A separate administrative motion to approve the commission’s prior meeting minutes was taken by voice vote during the meeting; the minutes were approved and recorded in the meeting minutes.