Landmark Commission

Ellwood House Visitor’s Center 509 N. First Street MINUTES Landmark Commission November 19, 2015 7:00 PM A. Chairman Gable called the meeting to order at 7:18. Present were Chairman Gable, Commissioners Collins, Whitmore, and DeFauw. Also present were Community Development Director Divita, and resident Amanda Durik, who is interested in serving on the Commission. B. Approval of Agenda – Additions / Deletions. With no additions or deletions, the agenda was approved as submitted. C. Public Participation -- The Commission reviewed the agenda, prepared in a template now used by all City Commissions. Chairman Gable noted that that in the past when building permits were reviewed, these were put at the top of the agenda. It was determined that in the future, with such items the agenda can be amended to place reviews first and help local property owners first in the event they didn’t wish to stay for the remainder of the agenda. Dir. Divita asked for history on the Commission’s past reviews. The Women’s Center was the last historic landmark reviewed. It has been quite some time since any building permits were reviewed. The Commission review is advisory, not binding. Properties cannot be placed on a historic register without owner permission. D. Approval of Minutes -- October 29, 2015 were approved with an update on the status of the Walking Tours. E. Old Business Membership. Amanda Durik is interested in joining the commission. She will submit a letter of interest to Mayor Rey, with a brief background. The Commission has prepared a letter to the Mayor asking that additional appointees represent local groups involved in historic preservation and history activities; the Commission by-laws reference this type of composition for the commission, but the municipal code does not. Director Divita reported she had talked to the Deputy City Clerk to identify ordinances related to the composition of the Commission and will bring a copy of each to future meeting. There had been question about a reduction of members, but no ordinance is  found. Copies of the Commission by-laws were passed out and will be discussed at the next meeting. The Commission asked Dir Divita to look for Landmark Commission files they have not been able to locate include old Commission minutes, prints of 19th century glass plate photos donated by former Commissioner Roger Keys. Possibly they are in the Cold Storage building. The Commission would like the survey documents and notebooks on the Fifth Ward Historic District and the downtown survey to be available for public viewing. Review status of Walking Tour revisions. Commissioner DeFauw has prepared a draft of the Walking Tour. The last four entries in #4 need to be edited; Tour #1 – nothing has been done, Pam Collins offered to key in and send to everyone; Tour #5 – half has been keyed in; Tour #6 has been edited; Tour #3 – the text has been typed but not edited; Tour #2 has been edited and keyed in. Gable will put photos on drive and bring to December meeting. F. New Business CAMP Workshop Report Gable found informative and helpful. Fifteen communities were represented including St. Charles, Geneva, Lake Forest, Oak Park, Villa Park, Elmhurst, Evanston. Dir Divita will make copies of the disk for commissioners. Chairman Gable indicated it would be worthwhile to host a similar workshop in DeKalb. Topics discussed were legal basis for preservation work, commission ethics, building design, and promoting preservation work. Dir. Divita will obtain copies of the resource materials for commissioners. The Landmark Commission used to sponsor an annual Preservation Award to recognize noteworthy work. Last year an Illinois Historic Preservation Agency representative met with the Commission to discuss obligations under Certified Local Government to retain status. Dir Divita will look into the status of the meeting and identified tasks. The commission discussed resources available in the way of training. Illinois Association of Historic Preservation Commissions and Landmarks Illinois membership. Monthly magazine, news bulletin, news blasts. Dir. Divita will look into current memberships and resources. Dir. Divita suggested the Commission meet with Mayor Rey to discuss their work and future Commission activities. The Mayor will attend a meeting with the Landmarks Commission on December 10, 2015 at City Hall. Dir. Divita requested that all future meetings of the Commission be moved back to City Hall. G. Announcements H. Adjournment at 8:28