Historic Preservation Commission

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES 109 James Street - Council Chambers Geneva, Illinois 60134 January 15, 2013, 7:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order Chairman Roy called the January 15, 2013 meeting of the Geneva Historic Preservation Commission to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll call followed: 2. Roll Call Present HPC: Chairman Roy, Commissioners Adams, Andersson, Bruno, Zinke Absent: Commissioner Hiller and Wehrmeister Staff Present: Historic Planner Michael Lambert Others Present: Mayor Kevin Burns; Ms. Liz Safanda, Preservation Partners; Mr. Collin Campbell, 18 S. Sixth Street, and Mr. Noble with Geneva Patch; Recording Secretary, Celeste Weilandt 3. Approval of the October 16, 2012 Minutes Minutes of the October 16, 2012 meeting were approved on motion by Commissioner Bruno, seconded by Commissioner Zinke. Motion carried by voice vote of 5-0. 4. CLG Review and Comment A. National Register Nomination - Pure Oil Station - Historic Planner, Mr. Michael Lambert, reviewed the background of the application and explained that the application for National Register nomination was brought before the commissioners because it was part of the National Register review process. The steps that followed in the nomination process were explained as well as the four criteria the nomination must meet for the National Register. Per Mr. Lambert, the Pure Oil Station National Register nomination would be reviewed at the February 22, 2013 meeting of the Illinois Historic Site Advisory Council in Springfield, Illinois. Mr. Lambert continued to summarize how the criteria for the National Register nomination was streamlined in recent years, and, in reviewing the four criteria for this nomination and after reading the Pure Oil’s file, Mr. Lambert stated that early on in the application process, he read that the Pure Oil station would satisfy Criteria C or D. Details followed on how the proposal met those two criteria. Staff concluded that the nomination was complete, following all requirements of the National Register process, and staff was now seeking a motion for a recommendation to list the Pure Oil station in the National Register of Historic Places. Commissioner Zinke inquired about the rehabilitation status of the building to date, wherein resident, Mr. Colin Campbell, spoke up and stated that he passes the site almost daily and speaks to the foreman and workmen. From his observation, he feels the workers were doing “a very careful job.” Other updates followed. As to the history of the Pure Oil station, Commissioner Bruno added that he could not challenge the nomination at all and believed the other commissioners felt the same.  Historic Preservation Commission January 15, 2013 A question arose regarding the owner seeking a tax credit and who was, in fact, the true owner of the building. Mr. Kevin Burns, 1630 Kaneville Road, reported that the correspondence he has received has been from the St. Charles Bank and Trust, as the owner. Mr. Colin Campbell also added that prior to commencement of the station’s work, there was a notice in the Geneva Republican that the property was transferred from Mr. Stanton to the St. Charles Bank and Trust. Ms. Liz Safanda, with Preservation Partners, reported that the reason the owner had to apply for the nomination was because the Pure Oil building was constructed in 1937 and was not old enough to be included in Geneva’s historic landmark district, which was established in the 1970s. No further comments followed from the commissioners. Chairman Roy agreed that all of the commissioners knew the significance of the building. He opened up the meeting to additional comments from the public: Mr. Collin Campbell 18 S. Sixth Street, Geneva, commended and congratulated the commission for standing its ground on this building and believed the results would be a win-win for everyone involved -- the bank, the commission, and the community. He believed the process worked well and the landmark process would add yet another layer of protection for the “priceless” building. Commissioner Bruno made a motion to approve the nomination for the National Register of Historic Places for the Pure Oil building, as presented. Seconded by Commissioner Adams. Roll call: Aye: Adams, Andersson, Bruno, Zinke, Roy Nay: None MOTION CARRIED. VOTE: 5-0 Planner Lambert reported that the application would be on the Committee of the Whole agenda for January 28, 2012 followed by the City Council meeting on February 4, 2013. The state’s Preservation Commission was also aware of this commission’s process before receiving the nomination paperwork. 5. Secretary’s Report (Staff Update) Planner Michael Lambert provided highlights to his professional, personal, and educational background. He also added his fondness for John Jayko (phonetic spelling), a cultural geography professor at the University of Illinois, who shaped his approach to preservation, i.e., the importance of understanding how and why people build their environment as compared to just admiring and appreciating what is built. Mr. Lambert closed by stating he looked forward to bringing his expertise and to the commission and to assist the commission in meeting its goals. Commissioner Bruno welcomed Mr. Lambert and commented on how supportive the Geneva community was, in general. Ms. Safanda and Commissioner Andersson also conveyed that the City’s community and City Council had a very strong support for the Pure Oil building and that this commission was very professionalism and respectful of its applicants, etc. 2  Historic Preservation Commission January 15, 2013 Resident, Mr. Campbell, commented positively about the community’s support in strategic planning, such as its downtown planning initiatives, developing the historic district, etc. He closed by sharing a story about Geneva’s reputation going well beyond its boarders. 6. New Business a. From the Commission: Commissioner Zinke brought up the recent school board’s discussion about Coultrap School, stating that the school board will be voting in two weeks on whether the building should be demolished or not. She added that the Historic Preservation Commission is on record stating that the building should be preserved and re-used in some way. Asked what the next steps were, Chairman Roy stated he was not sure anything could be done until the application was brought before this commission. Commissioner Bruno agreed. Mr. Lambert shared his working hours (part-time) for the commissioners’ reference. b. From the Public: Preservation Partner Chair Liz Safanda announced this week that the residents of the Village of Wayne nominated the Dunham Castle to be considered for the Landmark Preservation Council’s 10 most endangered structures. She did send the council a letter of support. Ms. Safanda reminded the commissioners that back in 2007 the Geneva Viking ship was nominated for the same endangered list and it received much community support. She wished the Wayne residents the same. She briefly talked about the deterioration of the castle. 7. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:43 p.m. on motion by Commissioner Bruno, seconded by Commissioner Adams. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote of 5-0. 3