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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHPC Packet 03.14.19 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION EMMA J. HARVAT HALL February 14, 2019 MEMBERS PRESENT: Kevin Boyd, Zach Builta, Helen Burford, Gosia Clore, G. T. Karr, Quentin Pitzen, Lee Shope MEMBERS ABSENT: Thomas Agran, Sharon DeGraw, Cecile Kuenzli STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow OTHERS PRESENT: Ray Heitner, John Yapp, Michael Nolan RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL: (become effective only after separate Council action) CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Boyd called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: Stone Railroad Bridge. Bristow said the Development Committee asked that this item be brought before the Historic Preservation Committee as a late addition to the agenda. Bristow said Florence Stockman researched this stone railroad bridge in 2007 and her document is filed with the State Historical Society. Handouts of this document were provided. Bristow said the bridge was located on the northeast side of Iowa City. She used an 1892 Sanborn Fire Insurance map to show the railroad branch. The railroad was started around the 1870s. It was a branch line that connected a junction point called Elmira to the railroad that ran through the south side of Iowa City around the station on Wright. Boyd asked if the bridge was near the southwest corner of Taft and Lower West Branch. Bristow confirmed. She shared a 2011 aerial map from the Johnson County Property Information Viewer. She pointed out some stone abutments that were visible due to tree leaf loss. She believed there to be one on each side of the stream and another in the middle. She said she was able to trace the rail line from a 1930s aerial map. The stone bridge abutments are the last remaining visual representation of the rail line. Bristow noted that historically Iowa City and some of its subdivisions were platted to follow this train line. On a 2011 aerial map she showed the line went right through the corner by the coop. It jogged over across Iowa Avenue, followed Jefferson Street, went behind the Woodlawn District, then cut down through an area where there are still some alleys and some evidence of the rail line running through. The Chadek Green Park had a factory for many years. The rail line had a point where they could off-load material to that factory. Bristow said the newer developments in town obliterated evidence of the rail line, but the older developments show an outline of the rail line. Bristow displayed the preliminary plat for the area being discussed. In this development, where the stream jogs, the rail line was going north-south. She pointed out the general location of the limestone abutments; giant, dressed limestone. One of them has the date of 1892 carved into it. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 2 of 12 She said in order to get sanitary sewer line across this stream, the stream bed would need to be regraded, and the remaining abutments could then cause in flooding. Bristow said it was her understanding that only the middle abutment would need to be removed. The Development Committee was looking for feedback from the Commission regarding this possibility. Bristow had provided the Commission with copies of Other Planning Districts from the City’s Historic Preservation Plan. She said this area was not included in the Historic Preservation Plan directly but would be included in the category other districts. She went over the objectives outlined in the plan for these other areas, which included consideration of transportation resources such as bridges and early roadways. Bristow noted the North District Plan included an image of part of the stone bridge and talked about it. The plan said according to a longtime resident, a portion of a Rock Island Railroad spur connected Iowa City with a small settlement northeast of Iowa City called Digby. This railroad spur generally followed the south branch of Ralston Creek out from Iowa City through what was now called Scott Park and cut diagonally across the Lindemann Hills SE quadrant, the area being discussed. It said although the rail spur had been abandoned and virtually disappeared as agricultural uses displaced the line, a remnant of the original stone railroad bridge over Ralston Creek was located on the Jerry Lindemann farm near Taft Avenue. Bristow explained the bridge remnant is barely visible when there is plant growth. Bristow also shared a drawing showing the planned sanitary sewer line and new trail. Bristow said the Development Committee wanted to know if the Commission felt it was important to retain any portion of the stone bridge. She said Staff recommended the idea of removing the minimal amount necessary to prevent flooding. If removed, direction is needed on what to do with the remnant. Boyd said he was a little uncomfortable having the Commission weigh in formally on something they hadn’t had time to read and that members of the public weren’t aware was going to be discussed. He wondered why it was added to the agenda in this manner. Bristow was not certain of the scheduled timeline for this project and deferred to representatives present at the meeting. She believed the Development Committee wanted HPC to be aware of this project to determine if it should be added to a future agenda or, if HPC did not feel it was important to look at in more depth, they could move on from here. She agreed if this needed formal discussion, it should be on the agenda so the public would know about it in advance. Ray Heitner, Neighborhood and Development Services, said this issue did have a bit of urgency, which is why it was being discussed at this time. Ray said the applicant was committed to listening to the Commission’s feedback and incorporating any suggestion that might come out of discussion here. He said City engineers and the applicant’s engineers have gone back and forth with several iterations, several concepts of how this site might be properly designed and engineered. Heitner said City Engineering Staff felt removal of the middle pier would probably be all that would be necessary to accommodate adequate flow level for the creek. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 3 of 12 Karr asked if they were worried about flooding houses that were being added on the lower side of the creek. He wondered if that’s what made this an urgent issue now. Heitner said with the elevation change from raising the creek bed in order to accommodate the sanitary main, flooding could occur upstream from where the current stone abutments are located. Heitner wanted to know if the Commission wanted more research and discussion or if it didn’t engender much thought or discussion. John Yapp, with Allen Homes, representing the developer, said he understood the concern about this not being on the agenda. Yapp said originally, when they started planning for this development, their goal was to use those abutments as a trail bridge and to preserve them in place. After inspection by their engineers, it was determined this was not possible because of the age and because there had been some scouring underneath those stones and uncertainty as to whether they could survive as a trail bridge. Yapp said their second goal was to leave them in place, maybe putting up a plaque explaining the history of them. He said the sewer line will require raising the creek bed because of City requirements for separation between water and a sewer line. Through that process, the City Engineering Staff became concerned about the flooding issue. If you raise the creek bed, that decreases the capacity of the creek. The stone piers become a pinch point in the creek. Yapp said if they had to remove the stone piers, their goal would be to create a monument adjacent to the trail to help explain the history. He said they recognize the history they provide. He noted that currently the piers are not accessible, in the middle of a creek, and not visible in summer. As a monument example, he shared slides showing a girder off the old Benton Street bridge that was turned into a trail monument with a plaque explaining its history. Boyd confirmed there were three pieces of bridge remnant and asked Yapp if he was suggesting moving all pieces to the monument. Yapp said they wanted to have the most minimal impact, removing only what was necessary to prevent flooding. Shope asked if the remaining two piers would be inaccessible to the public if left in place. Yapp believed that to be true because there is a steep creekbank with a lot of vegetation. Shope asked if there was any provision for a park along the trail. Yapp said to the south of the creek, Stonebridge Estates Part 8 will be land dedicated to the City as park space. He said the area to be dedicated goes to the creek. The east-west trail already is in place and they will be building the north-south trail all the way through and to the street. Pitzen asked if the stones were dry stacked, which would make them easier to move and restack. Yapp said they would probably need a small crane to move the stones. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 4 of 12 Bristow asked about timing. Yapp said they prefer not to wait a month. Karr asked if they were moving dirt in March and trying to get everything permitted. Yapp said they would begin when weather allows. Bristow noted that upper level City Staff asked her to find out how the Commission felt about this subject instead of waiting to put it on the March meeting agenda officially. Builta thought it might make sense to remove all the pieces to prevent flooding and because they are not serving their original purpose. He thought the pieces could be used for a better purpose, whether that be a monument or something else. Karr liked the idea of removing the middle stone and using it for a monument of some sort, while keeping the remainder intact. Pitzen agreed. Burford said she liked the idea of making a monument or incorporating it into the neighborhood. Boyd liked the idea of the monument and said if the middle piece needed to go for engineering purposes, his preference was to preserve in place the other pieces and hopefully find a way to make them more accessible in the future. He thought this would add character to the neighborhood. Clore agreed with Karr. Shope agreed with Boyd. He said it was fortunate there was a park space planned in that area. Bristow wondered if accessibility to the remaining parts might be improved with the planned regrading of the stream. Yapp said he would talk to the engineers about that. Boyd said in terms of due diligence, at the next meeting this should be a Commission Information and Discussion item. That way members of the public would be aware and could come and comment if desired, and any additional information or questions could be discussed. Boyd asked if there was any other public discussion. There was none. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: 1117 Seymour Avenue – Longfellow Historic District (garage demolition and reconstruction and house addition). Bristow explained this property is the farthest west in the Longfellow Historic District. She said it was unique because it had frontage and sight line from Seymour Avenue but, because of the alley right next to it, you can also see the side of the house Bristow shared a head shot of the house. It is a minimal traditional house, a very popular post- war type of construction and infill that we had in this district and others in town. It has a side HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 5 of 12 gable with a front gable projection. She said it had a little bit of a bump-out in the back originally, but it did not have a gable there. A view showing the relationship of the house and the garage was shared. Bristow assumed the metal awnings would be removed. She said they were not original and could be approved as a minor review. She said they also plan to redo the concrete slab used as an entry stoop. Bristow explained there would be an addition to the house and removal of the synthetic siding, as well as removal of the garage and the construction of a new one. Bristow said the garage is in poor condition. Staff had worked with the architect through the idea of saving it and building another one to moving it, to finally to taking it down and building a new one. She said the whole sill plate is rotted at the bottom and has had structural issues that previous owners have unsuccessfully tried to remedy. A shot of the garage from the alley showed a typical, small garage. She said the windows do not have any trim around them and are not in good condition. The siding is a Dutch lap that is weathered and split. Bowing and warping of the structure, in multiple directions, can be seen. Bristow showed a picture of the garage interior showing the poor condition of the sill plate and some of the bracing. She said they had the roof completely redone with sheathing and shingles at one point in time, but it now needs to be replaced. She said the slab underneath is cracked and everything has shifted. She said there is a slope from one side of the overhead door to the other that is probably 4 inches or so because of the settling of this garage. Because of its condition, Staff recommends taking it down. While the new garage would be a two-car garage, they would match some of the details like siding and the same kind of windows. Bristow said on the house, a side entry door will be removed because of interior space reconfiguration. Bristow said the greatest setback of the new addition would be on the west side of the house, with some visibility from the alley. Bristow showed a picture of the rear of the house. A screened porch was added in 1996. She said removing that would not be an issue for this Commission. Bristow said the house had an interesting roof line. Instead of copying the front facing gable on the back with the projection, they just slopped the roof down further. The east side of the house is closest to the neighbor and where the foundation wall is the easiest to see. The concrete block would be replicated with a facing block on the new foundation. Bristow said in the past they had some foundation issues with this house. They had parge-coated the area below in some attempt at waterproofing. She said the buttresses were not original and were probably added to help stabilize the foundation from bowing. Bristow explained this house will have the windows replaced. It does have typical double-hung windows. She said it was right at that time when builders were moving from the minimal traditional to a ranch style, but this house does not have ranch style windows such as a big picture window in the front. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 6 of 12 Bristow pointed out the sashes have some rot. They have broken panes, broken cords; those typical things we look at to repair. She said this house also had some issues in the frames, leading to a recommendation for replacement. She said when they put the synthetic siding on, they wrapped all the frames with metal. The metal trapped in moisture and has caused the frames to rot away. Some of the metal trim cover has been removed to verify this. Bristow shared the demolition plan showing the screened porch, garage and windows to be removed. The side door would be removed because of the reconfiguration of the spaces inside. It would just be walled over. A window would be removed since the addition is going to come up there. With the addition there is a slight step-in on the east side, only about 9 inches. The corner of the house will be retained. That’s also where the neighbor is the closet, so being able to see that side from the street is not possible. Bristow thought retaining the corner and stepping it in a bit would be considered acceptable. Bristow showed the other, larger step-in on the west side. A dashed line showed where the actual wall will be. She said the roof comes over this space because they want to keep it as a covered porch and entry. They will enter here into a mudroom space. Bristow said the new two-car garage would enter off the alley. Bristow shared the basement plan; a new full basement. There will be an egress window because all new basements are required to have one by code. The plan showed the existing house was 30 feet and the new addition will be 25-27 feet in length. The roofline will also be stepped down so the height of the roofline on the new addition will be lower than all of the existing roofline on the house. Bristow explained it will have a couple bedrooms and a master bath in that space. Because of the door being relocated, they are relocating the basement stairs into this new addition. On the front of the house the changes will be siding and windows, and removal of the awning. The existing trim around the door, a Colonial Revival trim, will be repaired – stripped/painted. Bristow said the garage will be further back on the property.She said they are looking at plain, flat-panel doors here. Bristow explained Sanborn maps and other evidence say this house was originally clad in asbestos siding. No one knows what is underneath the existing synthetic siding and insulation. If they find asbestos shingle siding in good condition, they may keep it. She said nothing would require that they remove it. If the original siding was completely removed or found to be in poor condition, staff recommends new cement board shingle siding to capture the original intent. Bristow reiterated that this project has a large scope: Removal of the garage, construction of a new garage, a house addition, and window and siding replacement. Staff recommends approval. Boyd asked if anyone had clarifying questions. Pitzen wanted to know if the new garage would be using Dutch lap siding because that’s what the old garage had. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 7 of 12 Bristow said yes, to match what was already there. She said the garage was built at the same time as the house and was not sure why they had different siding. Pitzen thought the garage probably did not have sheeting behind it, so that’s why they used the Dutch lap siding. Michael Nolan, architect with Horizon Architecture, thanked the Commission and Bristow for reviewing the project. He explained the family living in the house love the location and the neighborhood and wanted to get it to a level wher e it will keep the same character and style for the neighborhood, but also take the next leap to be a livable home for a slightly larger family and also add in single-level living so it can continue to grow with them as they get older. He acknowledged the many what-ifs with this project. He said they planned to use hardieplank shingle siding of some sort. MOTION: Shope moved to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for the project at 1117 Seymour Avenue as presented in the application and Staff report with the following conditions: x All door and window products approved by Staff. x Existing siding and trim assessed, and removal/replacement approved by Staff. Clore seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. REVIEW DRAFT CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT (CLG) ANNUAL REPORT. Bristow explained the annual report is the Commission’s time to show the State all the great work we have done. Bristow explained the Commission should review what had been written and add or tweak the report as needed. She said the Commission had been very busy over the last year and this increased work could help demonstrate the need for additional staffing hours. In 2018 Bristow said there were 104 reviews, a 28% increase in reviews since 2015 when there were 81. There were other additions to staff time including the new preservation fund, new local landmarks, the Facebook page and increased public outreach, and the many grant projects currently underway. During 2018 Staff temporarily had an extra 10 hours per week, for a total of 30 hours per week. She said the last time they had only 20 hours per week was in 2017. Between 2017 and 2018 there was a 13% increase in reviews. Now they were back to 20 hours and had lost the assistance of the intern and the assistance of the Senior Planner, so it had been a really big cut. Bristow said that senior staff said that they will be looking at cutting back on Staff’s responsibilities. Bristow noted the Commission had reviewed quite a few National Register nominations. For project reviews, Bristow said the State only counts any reviews that are for a primary structure, not a garage, and only those that are in a National Register Historic District. She said all our historic districts were also on the National Register, so we could count all of those, but we could not count the ones in the Conservation District. Bristow said certificates of no material effect were not counted because they are basically a repair or replacement with like materials. Even so, she said last year we had 28 reviews and this year we have 34. Local designations are included in the report. Bristow said the Commission did present seven local landmarks and five of them were approved. She said we did have a change to a locally designated property. That was approving the demolition of the house in the Conservation HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 8 of 12 District on South Lucas. The State wants to make sure we go through and work on protecting properties, so we have the work plan from last year. Bristow included another attachment for information. The Assistant City Manager and Tracy Hightshoe, the Neighborhood and Development Services Director asked in November 2017 for some strategic planning information just from Staff. This wasn’t something that went through the Commission. This strategic planning document was included in the packet. Boyd said he had never seen this before. Bristow explained it was for overall strategic planning by upper level City management Staff. They wanted to know what we were doing in historic preservation. It does not get into the staffing shortfalls, but it does talk about the work of staff and the Commission. This Commission and historic preservation in our community have done quite a bit and will continue to do quite a bit. It includes the idea of the preservation summit held in Iowa City that they asked us to postpone. Generally, City management still wants us to try to move forward with holding a preservation summit here as soon as we can. This is not something we can do with the current staffing level, but it would be great for our community. Bristow said the next thing in the annual report to the state is to list all the ways that the Commission and Commission Staff provide technical assistance to the community and property owners. Bristow said the report talks about educational programming. She noted an outpouring of requests for interviews in the last year and said the podcast she and Agran were involved in went well. HPC former chair, Ginalie, and the former Executive Director of Friends of Historic Preservation, Alicia Trimble, presented for the Women’s Club. This presentation could be repeated for other organizations. Bristow said no ordinances or resolutions were amended this year, but guidelines were updated, moving a few things from major reviews to minor reviews. Particular issues, challenges, and successes are included in the report. Bristow said she did add one because she thought it was important. The Commission approved seven potential local landmarks and five were approved by City Council this year. Two were not approved by City Council because of owner objections. No local landmarks have been approved when the owner objects. She noted some districts were approved when 20% of the owners objected, but not a local landmark, an individual property. She said recently we had a local landmark that would have protected some affordable housing which is a huge agenda for our City, but was not approved by City Council. Bristow noted that she thought Staff maintenance of the Facebook page would be cut due to short staffing. Without regular postings, she thought the Facebook page would also be at risk for removal. Bristow said a page would be filled out for each Commission member and training would be noted. She said the report is due at the State February 28th and must be signed by the Mayor prior to that. She asked that any report additions or modifications be submitted as soon as possible. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 9 of 12 DISCUSSION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN PRIORITIES AND ANNUAL WORK PROGRAM. Bristow explained that staff feel short of time to discuss this at this meeting and requests that it be deferred to the next meeting. The Commission agreed. She said once it is discussed, she will write up the HPC work plan and give it to City Council and the City Manager, including a memo. A few things were discussed so that the Commission could consider them for the future. Local Landmarks Bristow noted the City owns three properties that are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places but are not local landmarks: The Senior Center, which is the old Post Office, the Ned Ashton House, and the City Park Cabins. The goal is to designate them as local landmarks. She said Parks is looking at having a celebration sometime in early or late May for the cabins project. We would like to have that landmark designation completed by then. That means these will need to come before you next month so they can get through City Council on a contracted schedule by the time the celebration happens. Montgomery Butler House. Bristow wanted to mention the Montgomery Butler House as something to be considered for the work plan because it has been tabled. It was mothballed years ago and the enclosure had been compromised. She said that in 2015 a meeting was held with interested people from the public and some Staff about what to do. The problem with the Montgomery Butler House is there is no potential use. It is on the hill next to Dubuque Street with the Waterworks Park. She said in 2015 it was so overgrown with poison ivy it was hard to get to. Bristow said staff suggests the Commission take it on as a project since the mothballing has been compromised. Boyd asked the Commissioners to review the plan and, if they had specific things to add, to submit those items ahead of time for discussion at the next meeting, as well as adding a timeline. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR JANUARY 10, 2019 Boyd had emailed Bristow to make sure to fill in the time sheet in the back of the minutes. This has been done. MOTION: Karr moved to approve the minutes of the Historic Preservation Commission’s January 10, 2019 meeting. Pitzen seconded the motion. The motion carried on a vote of 7-0. COMMISSION INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION: Iowa City Downtown Update. Bristow said City Council was onboard with the idea of pursuing the National Register nomination. The State has approved the idea of using the urban renewal boundary as long as the additional necessary research is completed. An estimate for the project has been requested HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 10 of 12 from the consultant. It will still probably be early 2020 before we have a Downtown National Historic District. The idea of a downtown steering committee was discussed. Bristow said staff recommended that specific questions were answered before the committee was formed, including: x What is the role of the committee? x How often would they meet? x What kind of agenda would they have? x Is the entire goal of that committee a potential local district or is the goal somehow greater than that? Sanxay-Gilmore House Update. Bristow said a consultant was hired to do a study, which has been completed. She said soon the report will go to the Commission and City Council. The report includes costs for preparing it to move and mothballing it, which involves monitoring it to make sure it does not deteriorate. It does provide some conjectures on possible rehab costs, but since the site and use are unknown, the rehab costs are a really wide range. It could be anything from just a rehab to make it function to a total historic rehab that makes the main staircase intact. She said they suggested completely removing the chimney on the exterior, as it had been added. All chimneys would be taken down to the roof to move the house and then rebuilt, except for this piece that runs up along the side of the house. She believed the City Manager and the Mayor were in talks with the University to just see if it could remain in place because of the costs, which are very high. 225 North Gilbert and 229 North Gilbert. Boyd noted these two houses are north of the Haunted Bookshop and just east of Dr. Smollen’s office, which was a proposed landmark that was unsuccessful. The City purchased them from Mercy Hospital and put out an RFP for people interested in rehabilitating and occupying them in a commercial use. There were several proposals in. The Council gave guidance to the City Manager to start pursuing conversations with these. The house that’s directly north of the bookstore would potentially go to public space one, possibly a public gallery. He said there is a broader proposal so if you want more information, it’s there. The Community Foundation is interested in buying the second building, the one to the north of there that’s on the corner, for their offices. They are currently renting some space in the Chamber of Commerce. Their lease is up soon, and they are probably moving out. They are looking for their own space. Boyd emailed the City Manager about the houses. The City bought them at the direction of the City Council to preserve them. If there is not enough evidence to make them eligible as local landmarks, they will be preserved in the contract. The potential future owners know they could be landmarked. Bristow said she toured the houses with the consultant. She said the one to the north at 229 could be a house museum. It has its original wallpaper and everything. She said the consultant will likely have a draft of the study by April 2nd. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 11 of 12 Preserve Iowa Summit Theme: Reinvention through Rehabilitation, Newtown IA, June 6-8. Bristow said the summit will be nearby and drivable. If interested in attending, she asked the Commissioners to let her know sooner than later, as well as if they would want to stay there or commute back and forth. Other. Boyd handed out an article with interesting ideas about natural light in the second floor and how to make older buildings more useful. He said Nancy and the Downtown District asked him to share it. ADJOURNMENT: Clore moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Karr. The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m. Minutes submitted by Judy Jones HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION February 14, 2019 Page 12 of 12 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2018-2019 NAME TERM EXP. 3/8 4/12 5/10 6/14 7/12 8/9 8/23 9/13 10/11 11/08 12/13 1/10 2/14 AGRAN, THOMAS 6/30/20 X X X X O/E X X X O/E X X O/E O/E BAKER, ESTHER 6/30/18 X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- BOYD, KEVIN 6/30/20 X X X X X X X X X X X X BUILTA, ZACH 6/30/19 X X X X X X X X X X X X X BURFORD , HELEN 6/30/21 -- -- -- -- X X O/E X O/E X X X CLORE, GOSIA 6/30/20 O/E X X X X O/E O/E X O/E X X O/E X DEGRAW, SHARON 6/30/19 X X X X X O/E X X X X X X O/E KARR, G. T. 6/30/20 X X X X O/E X X X X X X X X KUENZLI, CECILE 6/30/19 X X X X O/E X X X X X X O/E MICHAUD, PAM 6/30/18 X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- PITZEN, QUENTIN 6/30/21 -- -- -- -- X X X X X X X X X SHOPE, LEE 6/30/21 -- -- -- -- X X X O/E X X O/E X SWAIM, GINALIE 6/30/18 X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- WAGNER, FRANK 6/30/18 X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --