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page 15 <br />population had been fairly represented. If the bill <br />were shelved, there would be more time to properly <br />inform all area residents about the proposal, and to <br />gauge their support. <br />Ms. Karen Holtzworth of 911 Cottage Grove said she <br />had gone to the meeting simply to learn more about <br />the proposed district. Though at first she had been <br />neutral about the proposal, she now felt the <br />standards could be administered flexibly. She noted <br />that the neighborhood had become so dangerous that <br />she was ready to leave it, simply to protect her <br />family. Many of her neighbors felt the same. She <br />now hoped, however, that a historic district --or some <br />other mechanism --might save the neighborhood. <br />Mr. Oxian then asked each commission member for a <br />statement. <br />Mr. Herendeen spoke first. He said that he advocated <br />preservation of all significant buildings, but felt <br />the petitioners greatly overestimated the HPC's <br />powers. There were so many structures within the <br />proposed district that the HPC could not possibly <br />administer it. It was a struggle to obtain funding <br />for the existing HPC staff; the notion of increased <br />funding was unrealistic. <br />Before he could consider approving such a large <br />district, he continued, he would have to see evidence <br />of a large and committed group of homeowners, willing <br />to support the district and to do the intensive <br />preparation work a district required. The 123 <br />signatures on the petition did not constitute such <br />evidence. Even when a district was created with <br />majority vote, as the Lincolnway East historic <br />district had been, serious conflicts arose. <br />The HPC, he said, had no power to change existing <br />structures. It could do nothing about abandoned or <br />neglected houses, such as the Potpourri on Lincolnway <br />East. It did not administer the district; this <br />difficult task was left to the neighborhood <br />associations. Creating a historic district would not <br />change the zoning, or have any effect on the <br />interiors of houses. Only city departments could <br />take action to correct unsafe conditions, install <br />curbs, and fight crime. <br />In conclusion, he urged__the_peti_tio_ners_to_mai_ntain <br />their good intentions, but to seek more support for <br />their district. <br />Mr. Eide sympathized with the petitioners' concerns <br />