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Historic Resources Board refines Certificate of Appreciation design, asks staff for architectural alternatives
Summary
Board members reviewed a revised Certificate of Appreciation design, debated imagery (agricultural vs. built environment), and asked staff to bring alternative designs and final guidelines back at the January meeting ahead of Council review for a May rollout.
The Salinas Historic Resources Board reviewed a revised design for a Certificate of Appreciation and directed staff to prepare alternative designs that emphasize the built environment.
Grant Leonard, planning manager, briefly summarized the design-development process and said staff and board members had refined an initial concept. The packet shows iterations that incorporate a Salinas chrysanthemum motif and imagery of agricultural workers and fields; several board members said those images reference the city's agricultural heritage but may not clearly represent an award focused on built historic resources.
Board debate centered on whether the round medallion images should show agricultural themes or historic built-environment imagery such as art-deco storefronts and other Salinas landmarks. One board member suggested a ghosted vintage Main Street photograph be used as a subtle background; another said both round images should be replaced with architectural images to more closely match the board's mission to recognize preservation of structures.
The board praised staff for collaborative work on the draft and asked staff to return to the January meeting with at least one alternative that uses architectural imagery; staff said the program and application materials will later be packaged for City Council approval and that the board expects to collect applications in May for National Historic Resources Month.
Procedure and schedule: staff confirmed that the Certificate of Appreciation program and application guidelines will be taken to City Council for approval; there was no formal vote on the design at this meeting, and staff will continue refining the artwork with assistance from interested board members and city archives.
Why it matters: board members emphasized that the certificate should be recognizable as Salinas but also align with the board's focus on preservation of historic structures and districts. Several members indicated flexibility to use the current draft until a more architecturally focused alternative is available.
