Landmark Commission

Municipal Building 200 S. Fourth Street Glidden Conference Room MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB Landmark Commission March 24, 2016 7:00 PM Chairman Gable called the meeting to order at 7:00p.m. A. Roll Call - Chairman Donna Gable called the roll and the following members of the Landmark Commission were present: Don Whitmore, Robert Glover, Amanda Durik, and Donna Gable. Members absent were: Pam Collins. Also present was City of DeKalb Community Development Administrative Assistant Natalie Nelson. City of DeKalb Community Development Director Ellen Divita was absent. Natalie Nelson acted as recording secretary. Also present were Donna Schultz Xidis, Jill Cutts of 604 S. Second Street, Fred Cardella contractor, and Marty O’Connor. B. Approval of Agenda (Additions/Deletions) – New Business was moved to the first item. C. Public Participation – None. D. Approval of Minutes 1. February 25, 2016 – A. Durik motioned for approval of the minutes, D. Whitmore seconded the motion, and all were in favor by voice vote. E. New Business 1. 604 S. Second St. – Jill Cutts, Fred Cardella Fred Cardella presented full-sized architectural drawings of the plans for the project, which is located at the corner of Second and Roosevelt. Since the house is on the corner, the back of the house will be visible from the street. Mr. Cardella gave an overview of the details on the drawings, namely that the entry door will be moved and a footing will be poured for the three-season screened-in porch. A new area will be created for a new kitchen, and the current kitchen will become the dining room. The current 9-1/2 foot ceiling height will be kept. The original interior woodwork, which has not been painted over, will be carefully matched in the new areas. Landmark Commission March 24, 2016 Page 2 of 4 The new exterior stairs will be painted cedar. The screened-in porch will consist of wrapped cedar. The height of the horizontal railing on the porch will comply with code requirements, while the railing on the stairs will be shorter. The lattice at the bottom of the addition will be diagonal, not square, as is indicated in the drawing. The siding on the addition will be vinyl that is a close match to what currently exists. The new windows will be the same size as the other windows on the first floor. The entry door will be a ¾ window with a screen door with trim that complements the house’s exterior. Jill Cutts presented a 1930s photograph of her home taken shortly after it was built and offered some history of the previous owners of her home. Some driveway work will be performed. There will be a new 5x5 square of earth for planting to hide the trash cans. Chairman Gable advised the petitioners to include the necessary trim on the edges of the addition and the windows to be in keeping with the period of the rest of the house. Chairman Gable asked for a motion to approve the plans presented. A. Durik motioned to approve the plans, D. Whitmore seconded the motion, and all approved by voice vote. 2. Preparation for State presentation on tax credit programs 5/18/16 a. Marketing Newspaper press releases will be sent to the Chronicle as well as the Commission members, so they can distribute it. Natalie Nelson will ask Darius Bryjka from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency for assistance with the press release language. Natalie Nelson will also research forms of social media through the City to help promote this event. Other venues for publicizing this event were explored, including local contractors and realtors, the DeKalb County Home Builders Association, Lowe’s, R.P. Lumber, Menards, and Gordon Hardware. Fliers may be created and distributed at Ellwood House and Glidden Homestead, as well. D. Whitmore recounted the Landmark Commission used to hold a contest during Historic Preservation week, or possibly month. Chairman Gable related that there used to be an historic building scavenger hunt for structural elements in the downtown and Fifth Ward North Historic District. There was a lot of positive feedback for this event. The person who developed this activity is no longer with the Commission, so the current Commission members would have to redevelop the activity. Chairman Gable offered to contact the former Commission member to see if she still has the electronic files with photographs that might be used. It was suggested that DeKalb could hold its own Historic Preservation Week during the time of the presentation. A. Durik commented that if an historic architecture scavenger Landmark Commission March 24, 2016 Page 3 of 4 hunt is not possible at this time that maybe in the future the library would willing to have the activity available for people who are interested, or maybe the activity could be offered during Corn Fest when people are outside anyway. The Commission turned its attention to historic materials the library has in its collection. Marty O’Connor mentioned that the public library has a non-circulating publication that contains photos from a survey of the Fifth Ward North Historic District (the City also has a copy), which might be helpful to developing an historic architecture scavenger hunt. It was suggested that the library could scan and digitize the publication; however, the library staff is very busy since the opening of the building addition. It was also suggested that NIU might be approached to take on the digitization of the publication. Chairman Gable reported that the downtown area has never been designated as an historical district, perhaps because there would be resistance to it. Chairman Gable stated that some structures in the Huntley Park Historic District need some attention. b. Letters of invitation Property owners in the two historic districts and the downtown Central Business District will receive a letter of invitation. Natalie Nelson offered to ask City staff to provide a mailing list. Natalie Nelson will find out if the City is willing to fund such a letter and postage. c. Approaching property owners for one-on-one meeting with Darius Bryjka Chairman Gable presented an overview of the workshop seminar on using tax credits for historic presentation, through the Illinois Historic Preservation. Darius Bryjka is willing to meet with property owners one-on-one to discuss their concerns. The IHPA has guidelines that must be followed in order to participate in the tax freeze and/or tax credit. Chairman Gable reported that Commissioner Pam Collins used one of the programs herself to help fund work on her home. Chairman Gable gave an overview of the historic register and the two historic districts for the new members of the Commission. F. Old Business 1. Walking tour update Chairman Gable distributed copies of the Six Self-Guided Walking Tours booklets, which were published in 2004. This booklet needs updating and amending as it contains some errors and some properties no longer exist while others should be added. The original plan for this booklet was to updated the text, add historic and current photos, and make the electronic file available to download on the City’s website—not to print physical copies. The Mayor, however, requested that some printed booklets be available. Ellwood House, the library, and Glidden Homestead used to distribute printed Walking Landmark Commission March 24, 2016 Page 4 of 4 Tour booklets. The City also had copies. Unfortunately printing is expensive. It is thought that there may be grant opportunities to pay for the publication or perhaps NIU could be involved. Chairman Gable reported that most of the Walking Tour text has been revised, but new photos are needed. Now would be an ideal time to be taking some photos while the trees are still bare and buildings are easier to view. It was proposed to have a workshop meeting, which would need to be posted in advance so that the public has notice, to work on the Walking Tour booklet. It may be possible to hold such a meeting outside of the City building. Chairman Gable suggested that a workshop meeting should take place before the next regular Landmark Committee meeting. The venue must be considered before a date and time are set. G. Announcements The meeting of the Landmark Commission will be April 28, 2016 at 7:00pm in the Glidden Conference Room at City Hall. H. Adjournment There being no further discussion, Chairman Gable adjourned the meeting at 8:20 pm. __________________________________________ Natalie Nelson, Administrative Assistant Minutes approved by the Landmark Commission on April 28, 2016.