{"id":9142,"date":"2023-02-24T18:54:23","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T18:54:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=9142"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:59:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:59:37","slug":"too-few-appearances-at-appearance-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2023\/02\/24\/too-few-appearances-at-appearance-commission\/","title":{"rendered":"Too few appearances at Appearance Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"

Members of the Durham City-County Appearance Commission waited in a conference room on the ground level of City Hall on a recent February evening, ears attentive to the sound of footsteps. The committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m \u2014 except the most recent \u201cmeeting\u201d never began.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Four members were accompanied by the staff liaison, Kayla Seibel, as the clock crept to a quarter past 6. The bylaws specify that the majority of members, liaison excluded, must be present for the meeting to be valid. The group needed just one more member, hence the eyes and ears glued to the door.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cIf a quorum is not present within 15 minutes of the advertised start time of the meeting, the Chair \u2014 or the highest ranking officer present \u2014 may cancel the meeting at any time,\u201d Seibel read from the bylaws. The chair, Brandt Smith, was not at the meeting, so it was decided that member Imani McCreary would fill in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

McCreary looked across the room at me and a 9th Street Journal photographer and had a half-serious moment of inspiration. \u201cDo either of you guys wanna be on the committee?\u201d But then she realized, \u201cWe can\u2019t even vote you in.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since a quorum was not present, the meeting was forced to operate as a \u201cdiscussion.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The goal of the City-County Appearance Commission is to \u201ccultivate <\/span>visual appeal and recognize the benefits of good design, which enhance quality of life.\u201d The group accomplishes its mission of beautifying Bull City by promoting attractive landscaping and exemplary architecture (ambitious for a town lovingly referred to as \u201cDirty Durham\u201d).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The meeting \u2014 sorry, discussion \u2014 began by clarifying the qualifications to be a commission member. Prior to 2017, the bylaws required three architects, three landscape architects, and two real estate agents, making it even more difficult for the group to fill the seats. This was revised to \u201call members of the Commission shall have a demonstrated interest\u2026 in community aesthetics, and a majority of the Commission shall have expertise in a design field.\u201d Seibel loosened this further, removing the need to have expertise in a design field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As long as Durham residents display an interest in the county\u2019s good looks (or, apparently, happen to be a journalist in the conference room), they can serve. The modifications would help address the Appearance Commission\u2019s problem with members failing to appear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Seibel then asked for opinions on reducing the number of seats from 15 to nine. But discussion was interrupted by the sound of footsteps (Brandt Smith?!). Unfortunately, it was just a City Hall security officer. Discussion resumed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up on the not-a-meeting agenda: the Golden Leaf Awards (new name pending). These awards, named after a tobacco leaf, lost traction once the pandemic hit. The purpose was for the appearance commission and the nonprofit organization Keep Durham Beautiful to collect nominations for properties that are \u201coutstanding for (their) design, preservation, curb appeal, or stewardship of the natural and built environment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

McCreary wanted a rebranding. \u201cThe idea is to start influencing the appearance of Durham through awards that are voted on by the people,\u201d she said. The awards could recognize anything from citizens\u2019 favorite bike paths and public spaces to outstanding architecture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For a city (and a commission) in need of a facelift, members were excited about the awards and the community engagement they promised. Citizens would\u00a0 be involved first with a call for submissions and then with voting. McCreary suggested a tentative title for these accolades: the \u201cDurham Nation Awards.\u201d However, its implication that Durham itself is a country had her worried about whether officials would approve it.<\/span><\/p>\n

The largest award would be decided by a panel of architects, to supplement the community\u2019s voice with a professional opinion. \u201cSo it would be\u2026 two different ones. One legit award that\u2019s like \u2018Keep Durham Beautiful\u2019 and then the people\u2019s choice awards,\u201d said McCreary.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, they struggled to receive a lot of submissions. The new-and-improved awards might incentivize citizens to nominate architecture by entering them into a sweepstakes (\u201cmight\u201d since no vote on the matter could be held). Conversation wrapped up soon after this, having exhausted the realm of \u201cmaybes\u201d and \u201ccould-bes.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Still no Brandt Smith. The discussion over, the next footsteps heard were the members walking out the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo at top: There were more chairs than members at the February Durham City-County Appearance Commission meeting. From left: Alva Horton, Kayla Seibel, Charles Simpson, and Imani McCreary. Photo by Abigail Bromberger – The 9th Street Journal<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Members of the Durham City-County Appearance Commission waited in a conference room on the ground level of City Hall on a recent February evening, ears…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9144,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[359],"class_list":["post-9142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-government","tag-under-the-radar","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nToo few appearances at Appearance Commission - 9th Street Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Never mind Durham's mishmash of architecture. 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