Historic Commission

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 Gamon Room, City Hall I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm Present In-person – Louise Ferrebee (Chair), Bob Purdy (Secretary), Mike Hill (Treasurer), Debra Corwin, Nancy Flannery, Elizabeth Krecisz Absent – Syed Hussain II. Public Comments None III. Approval of February Meeting Minutes Approved on a motion by Nancy, seconded by Mike, and passed unanimously. IV. Treasurer Report None V. Old Business A. Preservation Month 2025 i. Timeline. Louise presented the check list for our projects, with due dates, point person assignments, and status. Each task was reviewed for understanding and commissioners were asked to assist the chair whenever and wherever possible. ii. French Market presence. This will be April 19 and will serve as advance publicity for Preservation Month activity, along with the other benefits of this important communication tool for the commission. Commissioners made commitments to working at our table during the market. B. June 5th “Meet and Greet” i. Rental Agreement. This was distributed by Deb for commissioner review, so that room layout choices and other details can be finalized at our April meeting. ii. Focus of event. a. Position the Commission as an official “arm” of the City to inform, educate, advocate, etc. Clarify that we are NOT involved in Historic Preservation. b. Describe the Historic Register program as it exists today. Talk about its evolution from the “Landmark” program that WHPC started. c. Explain the missing file information for homes that were researched prior to the Commission’s involvement and our need to update the records. iii. Announcement Letter to invitees, Draft 2. This was discussed and a few revisions were agreed to. The final version is now ready for printing and mailing.  iv. RSVP Email. Will be sent in May to secure reservations for the Meet and Greet. Louise will develop this. v. Address and name database status. Louise has completed some of this intensive work. When done it will be a valuable resource for us not only for the Meet and Greet but also for our record-keeping going forward. VI. New Business A. New Register Application – 723 E Willow Ave. Copies were distributed for commissioner review and discussion at April meeting. B. Understanding Landmark Status Mike gave a complete overview of the preservation arena and its organizations, including i. Programs at the federal, state, and local levels. ii. Descriptions of the National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Landmarks, National Historic Sites and Parks iii. Roles of the IL State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) iv. State Financial Incentives: Historic Property Tax Freeze and 25% Illinois Tax Credit v. Local preservation, requiring a historic preservation ordinance. vi. Additional financial incentives: 203(k) Rehabilitation Loans, Preservation Easements, Grants. VII. Tabled Walking Tour of Main Street – What is possible with GIS Map? VIII. Commissioner Comments  Louise shared the information about the Adams Park Potential Equinox Solar Alignments, which was passed along to us from an astronomer. His data showed that the sun was in alignment with the Adams Park sidewalk grid (fountain in the center) at sunrise, meridian, and sunset on the Vernal (March 20) as well as Autumnal Equinoxes. Wheaton was the original home to the Grote Reber Radio Telescope and apparently Adams Park is one of several structures around the US that were constructed to align astronomically with the equinoxes and solstices.  Bob noted that Brian and Joyce Ostberg had contacted us regarding possible future lectures, including this Fall. Commissioners were asked for ideas, topics, and areas to discuss. The Ostbergs are anxious to do more talks for the commission; past talks have proven to be very well attended. IX. Adjournment A motion to adjourn was made by Bob, seconded by Lizzy, and passed unanimously. The meeting concluded at 9:00 pm. VI. Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Respectfully submitted, Robert Purdy, Secretary 2