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northern Indiana Construction January 28, 2004 Ms. Karen Hammond -Nash Historic Preservation Commission of St. Joseph County County/City Building South Bend, Indiana 46601 RE: U.S. Army Corps Contract DACW35-03-C-0014 Leeper Park Restoration and Bank Protection, South Bend, Indiana Section 14 Dear Karen; Thank you for the opportunity to attend the January 26`h meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission..I now have a better understanding of the Commissions role in the referenced project, the specific conditions and requirements imposed on the project, and how a Certificate of Appropriateness works. After discussing several issues relating to this project, Mr. John Oxian requested that I recap the items of concern and formally request a revision to the Certificate of Appropriateness for Leeper Park. . Our discussion began with a recapping of the current condition of trees and tree roots impacted by construction activity on Leeper Park Island. Recommendations from the City Forester, Brent Thompson; that were outlined in Betsie Harriman's memorandum dated January 20, 2004, were reviewed. The highlights include protecting trees within the construction area by wrapping snow fence around the drip line of the trees. Also, additional protection of existing tree roots exposed during the excavation for the retaining wall construction. In addition, when the weather warms up and spring thaw begins we will protect root areas from equipment traffic with mulch and matting, to assist the trees maintaining moisture in their system. Mr. Thompson will continue to monitor the trees on Leeper Park Island and. alert us to any further needs or problems he feels should be taken care of. Considerable discussion took place regarding the lack of communication to Northern Indiana Construction Co., Inc. of the Historic Preservation Commission's requirements during the preconstruction phase of the project and involvement of the Historic Preservation Commission and the City Forester during the tree removal process. The Commission believes Northern Indiana Construction should have received a copy of the Certificate of Appropriateness that identifies the projects specific requirements, the Commission will furnish a copy of the certificate Northern Indiana Construction Co., Inc. The question *was asked why the Historic Preservation Commission was not in the. communication loop for the project, Northern Indiana Construction Co., Inc. could not answer the question, the project is being administrated jointly between the City of South 55803 DOGWOOD RD. P.O. BOX 1333 MISHAWAKA, IN. 46546.1333 PH: 574-256-1811 FAX: 574-256.1879