An attorney for the Junior League of Little Rock told the Little Rock Board of Directors on Tuesday that his client won't agree to the board's request that a mediator help settle a disagreement with preservationists about the replacement of 18 historic windows on the organization's downtown building.
The board was set to vote Tuesday night on whether to allow the Junior League to replace the windows, a move the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program said would provoke it to move to have the 1908 Woman's City Club building taken off the National Register of Historic Places.
The Junior League needs the city's approval for the window alteration because it bought a 50-year facade easement to the structure in 2003 in the form of a $20,000 grant to the Junior League that restricted any exterior changes in order to preserve the historic building. The easement can be changed only if mutually agreed upon by both the city and League.
Mayor Mark Stodola first advocated for a deferral of the vote until the Oct. 6 board meeting to allow time for the state group and the Junior League to come to an agreement. Several city directors objected, however, and At-large Director Joan Adcock's motion to put off the matter failed with a tie vote.
But then Ward 4 Director Lance Hines, who voted against the deferral initially, said he would be in favor of a delay only if an independent third-party mediator facilitated the negotiations. His motion passed 6-4, with Directors Brad Cazort, Dean Kumpuris, Gene Fortson and Ken Richardson voting against.
"We are not going to agree to a mediator," Junior League attorney Philip Kaplan said from his front-row seat in the crowd.
Stodola replied that the matter would be up to the Junior League's board, not Kaplan. Then Kaplan and a large part of the audience walked out of the meeting.
Earlier Tuesday, Stodola alluded to "conflicting information" regarding the window issue. He wanted time to get answers so the board could "vote intelligently," he said.
At issue is whether the 18 windows on the Junior League building at Scott and Fourth streets are in good enough condition to be repaired or whether the league should be allowed to instead replace the original window material.
The Quapaw Quarter Association is against the replacement of the windows. In an advocacy alert emailed to members Tuesday, the association said the windows are in good condition "by all accounts."
"We have not seen sufficient evidence to justify removal of historic windows in good condition," the email states. The association noted that the league "has been a good steward of the building thus far" and received the group's 2005 Jimmy Strawn Historic Preservation Award.
Richardson, who was against putting off the vote, said he was flummoxed by the number of emails the board received on the issue. Fortson agreed.
"This may be the most emailed subject we have considered in some time," Fortson said. "I don't see a lot to be gained by deferral. So many times this board votes to defer something of this nature, and all it does is generate more heat instead of more light."
Hines also expressed skepticism about the deferral at first, saying both sides are "stiffened and put their stances in concrete and I do not know we would get anywhere substantial in three weeks." He said he was in favor of delaying a vote if a mediator gets involved because someone who "doesn't have a dog in the fight" could help bring to light facts instead of assertions from two subjective parties.
Cazort and Kumpuris, both directors who wanted to vote on the issue Tuesday, said they were opposed to approving regulations that would be counter-productive to progress. Cazort had previously noted that designation on the national historic register is purely honorific.
"I find it a little bit strange that an organization that has bought, restored and maintained the building, that we are holding them hostage for a $20,000 grant," Kumpuris said. "That's really the way I look at it. They have done a great job of saving that building and fixing that building."
Every seat in the board room Tuesday night was filled. Several people signed up to speak on the matter but weren't called on because the board approved the deferral.
Kaplan declined to comment afterward.
Metro on 09/17/2014