The only topic of discussion at the Dec. 15 Green Historic Preservation Commission (GHPC) meeting was the proposal to form a historic district. This involves 117 properties along Greensburg and Massillon roads.
Several Green residents attended the meeting and at times speakers on both sides of the discussion were heated and emotional.
The discussion began with reading of correspondence from the public.
Green Law Director Stephen Pruneski addressed a letter to the GHPC.
The Planning Department provided Pruneski with a copy of a document titled, “Public Hearing Regarding the Proposed Greensburg Historic District for the Hearing on Nov. 17, 2009,” which was distributed at the Green Post Office.
“The Public Hearing notice was not generated by the City of Green or any of its employees, instead it was prepared by some unknown person and or the Historical Preservation Commission,” Pruneski said in his letter. “The Historical Preservation Commission as a Commission of the City can only act during its minutes. It cannot publish information which has not been approved by all members. Most disturbing is the fact that the notice contains several untrue statements regarding the laws and or the facts.”
The letter outlined the inconsistencies of the points in the document verses the laws and facts.
Historical Preservation Commission Chair June Sloan admitted to writing the document along with another person but would not state the other person’s name.
“We originally asked Wayne (Planning and Development Director Wayne Wiethe) if we could send out anything or go talk to the people and he said not until after I send the initial letter out. So this was not done maliciously. And we had no intent to say the wrong things.”
Green resident Susan Ridgeway spoke in support of the work of the commission.
“They spent countless hours going down to the library and collecting information,” said Ridgeway. “Nothing that they brought before you was made up. And for a lot of you they knew more about your properties than you do. Nothing that they did was done out of maliciousness. They did it because they volunteer to save properties in our city.”
Ridgeway worked on the commission prior to her election to the city council.
“When did you people come around and ask any of us before you got this far if we wanted this?” asked Green resident Alfred Grzeschik, who spoke in opposition to the district. “The results that you had from the last meeting everybody was totally against it. This has to stop. Just because you are interested in this, think that everybody else is.”
All commission members spoke regarding their intentions in proposing the district.
The commission came to a unanimous decision to withdraw their proposal.
Residents wishing to have their properties deemed a historical landmark would be done solely on a voluntary basis.
Vice Chair Carol Baltrinic submitted her resignation from the Historical Preservation Commission on Dec. 15. Joleene Ross said she would be submitting her resignation on Dec.16 to Mayor Dick Norton.
