Landmark Commission

Ellwood House Visitor’s Center 509 N. First Street MINUTES Landmark Commission December 10, 2015 7:00 PM A. Chairman Gable called the meeting to order at 7:00. Present were Chairman Gable, Commissioners Collins, Whitmore, and DeFauw. Also present were Community Development Director Divita, and Kristy Nguyen, and Tiff Meadows. Bessie Chronopolous joined the meeting at 7:25 PM. B. Approval of Agenda – Additions / Deletions. Under new business, the façade discussion was moved to the top of the agenda with approval of minutes to follow. With this addition, the agenda was approved. C. Public Participation -- D. New Business Kristy Nguyen has purchased 237 E. Lincoln and is renovating for a nail salon on the first floor; with a dwelling unit on the second floor. Her plans include a reception area in the front of the first floor. She originally contemplated changing the footprint, replacing the front walkway with interior space but is open to a redesign, retaining the original windows. Contractor Tiff Meadows is not sure what they will find if they open up the retail windows, or under the façade. S. DeFaux said even though not original windows, they are from a time period in the past and could be an advantage for the business. Having the full windows would be an advantage. T. Meadows agreed that there is a marketing advantage with the street appeal. They are here to talk with the Commission for preservation advice and input. The upper level of the building needs to be cleaned. Upstairs is 1200 s.f., main level is 1800 s.f., basement is large. About 60% of the tile on the front façade is broken; there is also tile in the walkway. Suggestions: • contact IHPA for information on cleaning the upper façade. • Keep full length windows • Investigate what is under the transom window area  • Consider the flooring in the window area. May need support from the basement to support the area. • T. Meadows will investigate the basement wall at the front of the building, under sidewalk vault. • T. Meadows will work with K. Nguyen’s architect regarding the accessibility code and determine if the access ramp needs to be lengthened to decrease the slope; it may, however be o.k. • S. DeFauw suggested she consider retaining a retail display window. • Preserve as much tile as possible. • T. Meadows will investigate leaving the western window area as a display area and modify the eastern window area for waiting area E. Approval of Minutes – November 19, 2015 minutes were approved with a correction regarding the missing resources and reference to the by-laws Old Business F. New Business 1. Discussion with Mayor Rey regarding mission, by-laws, goals and potential projects for the Commission. S. DeFauw voiced the Commission’s observation that there was a common thread in the community conversations regarding a desire for preservation. Commission now knows on-going training to retail Certified Local Government status. Catherine O’Conner from the State Historic Preservation Agency came to meet with the Commission and reviewed the CLG requirements including composition and number of commission members, number of meetings, continued education for members, and outreach and activities. E. Divita stated the City has renewed membership in Landmarks Illinois and Illinois Association of Historic Preservation Commissions. The Commission referenced past training sessions they have attended, even hosting a Landmarks Illinois conference which was held at NIU. D.Whitmore briefed the Mayor of early coordination between local preservation groups when brick streets were threatened. P.Collins referenced the CLG status which originates in federal legislation and can provide a path to funding resources. The CLG status implementing ordinance must have some clout to promote preservation. The minimum is that if a landmark structure which the owner wishes to demolish, the Landmark Commission can prevent the demolition for 60 days for consideration of alternatives and education. In one case the Commission did a stay of execution and the building was not torn down. The old Post Office was privately owned and the City Council amended the ordinance to require owner consent for local landmarking. The building was ultimately demolished. The DeKalb Landmarks Commission cannot place a building on the local landmark registry without owner consent, but anyone can nominate a structure to the National Register. The State recommends a minimum of 5 and preferably 7 commissioners. The Mayor referenced the City 2025 Strategic Plan and indicated his direction is to review the commissions and create a system that can deliver actions that address the items in the plan. The Council will again discuss the draft plan at a January meeting. P. Collins  indicated part of the mandate was education of the community and they would like to develop that aspect of the Commission’s work again which would fit into the plan and provide help in executing the plan. The Mayor indicated he believes the work of the Landmark Commission complements the branding and placemaking that is in both the City and ABC strategic planning work. This alignment is important. S. DeFauw stated that in the sessions she participated in the community is hungry for the sense of place and history that is DeKalb; it is important to honor the history. Preserving uniqueness creates a sense of pride. The Commission would like to work on education initiatives again. P. Collins indicated a mandate is to do survey work and then people turn to the Commission for information on their buildings. The Commission discussed past educational activities including displays, a scavenger hunt. P. Collins lives in a home that qualified for the 12 year state property tax freeze program. She believes other homes would qualify. This would help with community goals for property maintenance and upkeep. Why was downtown not made a historic district? P. Collins stated that was a long time goal of Steve Bigelow as president of the Commission. The Dr. Smith’s building is landmarked; Oscar Henson came to the Commission and requested the status. DeKalb was a Main Street program which was beneficial. The City’s Architectural Improvement Program and the Paint the Town program changed the complexion of the building. The Commission thanked the Mayor for meeting with them and expressed interest in continuing the dialogue. He referenced E. Divita’s liason work as a positive. 2. City 2025 Strategic Plan –The Commission complemented the Strategic Plan as well done. The Council will hold a public retreat in January to discuss it. 3. The Commission will discuss the Walking Tour at their next meeting. It will be beneficial to view the document on the screen. The Commission requested the meetings be held in the conference room as it works well with the large screen. 4. January 28, 2016 will be the fourth Thursday of the month, followed by February 25, 2016. The Commission would like to hold more regular meetings. 5. The Commission discussed potential changes to the by-laws; they must contain certain elements related to the Certified Local Government obligations. D. Gable will send a copy of the SHPO report to E. Divita. The Commission believes the by-laws should be the way they are, with a change in the number of commissioners. F. Announcements a. The Library has extended an invitation to all the City’s Boards and Commissions are welcome to come tour behind the scenes at the new Library before it re-opens.  Tours will be on Dec. 28 at 10am and Dec. 29 at 7pm. These tours would take approximately 45 minutes. B. Chronopolous spoke with the Commission about the grant work she has undertaken to benefit the Egyptian Theatre. She has found that it is hard to access historic surveys. Somethings are at the NIU Regional History Library. She doesn’t know if the Library will expand archival offerings. She asked the Landmark Commission if they had desire to start a drive to collect archival documents. There could be missed opportunities to identify and catalogue materials. There should be a viewing room for people to access documents. She would be willing to volunteer and research and archive. There needs to be a way to transition this knowledge to another set of hands; don’t want history to get lost. H. Adjournment at 9:00 pm.