Historic Preservation Commission

HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES September 23, 2024 City Council Chambers 1. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL: A Meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Woodstock was called to order by Commissioner Marilyn Cuevas at 7:07 PM on Monday September 23, 2024, in Council Chambers at Woodstock City Hall. COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Marilyn Cuevas, Tom Ellinghausen, and Jose Rey COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Chairman D. Day and Erica Wilson STAFF PRESENT: City Planner Darrell Moore and Commission Clerk Melissa Bauer 2. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES: a. August 26, 2024 There was a motion made to approve the August 26, 2024, meeting minutes as presented. MOTION: T. Ellinghausen SECOND: J. Rey All present voted aye. ABSENT: Chairman D. Day and E. Wilson Motion carried 3. PUBLIC COMMENT: There were no public comments. 4. OLD BUSINESS: There was no old business. 5. NEW BUSINESS: a. Amendment of Certificate of Appropriateness – 124 Hutchins St. Petitioner Keith Parr COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Marilyn Cuevas, Tom Ellinghausen, and Jose Rey COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Chairman D. Day and E. Wilson Mr. Parr approached the Commission and advised that he was requesting an amendment to his current Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) in order to obtain a Certificate of Occupancy from the City of Woodstock Building Department. Mr. Parr advised that he had two items that he did not comply with regarding the approved COA: 1. Stained glass window in the front of the house 2. Windows were required to be wood or Aluminum Clad in the front  Historic Preservation Commission 9/23/24 Page 2 of 5 Mr. Parr advised that he deviated from the approved COA due to the cost to fix the stained-glass window ($2,500 to $3,500) and the aluminum-clad wood windows were significantly more in cost then the vinyl. J. Rey stated that Mr. Parr has done a great job on the home repairs and the property looks great but noted that the front window, as installed, does not fit the character of the historic district and that was the reason for the requirement to repair and use the portion of the window that was stained glass. M. Cuevas stated that Mr. Parr should have come before the Commission if he was going to deviate from the COA and stated that Mr. Parr could have met with the Commission and requested an alternative window style to replace the stained-glass window to try and keep the same character of the home. Mr. Parr offered to install corbel brackets along the porch as an alternative to replacing the window. Discussions ensued and alternatives discussed were to encase the original stained-glass window and re-install it above the current window, install a decorative panel above the current window, install small rectangle window above the current window, install larger window with a transom. It was noted whichever method is used, it should match the dimensions of the original window and stained-glass transom and the trim between the window and transom should be approximately 1 inch. There was a motion made to amend the Certificate of Appropriateness at 124 Hutchins St based on modifications to the front window in one of three ways: 1a. Install decorative wood panel in the location and proportion of the original stained-glass window; or 1b. Encase the original stained-glass window and reinstall it in the original location; or 1c. Install a new rectangular window proportioned to the original stained-glass window. 2. All options must fit the original sized window with the stained-glass as well as the proportioning of the trim. 3. Modification contingent on review and approval of the City Planner MOTION: T. Ellinghausen SECOND: M. Cuevas A roll call was taken AYES: M. Cuevas, T. Ellinghausen, and J. Rey NAYS: None ABSENT: Chairman D. Day and E. Wilson Motion carried b. 2025 Calendar Planner Moore advised that the 2025 calendar is proposed for the fourth Monday of every month excluding May and December due to holidays. There were no questions or amendments by the Commission. There was a motion made to approve the 2025 Historic Preservation meeting calendar as presented.  Historic Preservation Commission 9/23/24 Page 3 of 5 MOTION: T. Ellinghausen SECOND: M. Cuevas All present voted aye ABSENT: Chairman D. Day and E. Wilson Motion carried 6. REPORTS AND DISCUSSION: a. Courthouse Updates i. IEDC Excellence Awards ii. APA-IL Sep 25-27 iii. Landmarks Illinois Oct 18 Planner D. Moore advised that he attended the annual International Economic Development Council (IEDC) conference in Denver, Colorado where the City of Woodstock was awarded the gold award for Innovative Financing. Further, the City was awarded “Best in Show” for overall best project. A press release is being formulated and will be released in the near future with a plaque presentation to be held at the October 1, City Council meeting. Planner D. Moore advised that he will be attending the annual APA conference September 25 – 27, 2024 and will be presenting on the courthouse renovation project. Planner D. Moore advised that in Chicago on October 18th Landmarks Illinois will be awarding the City of Woodstock with an Adaptive Use prize for the renovations of the old courthouse with tickets being $75 if anyone wanted to attend. b. Opera House Updates Planner D. Moore advised that the Opera House renovations are moving along, and the brick has been delivered and onsite. Further, Planner D. Moore advised that Opera House staff will be utilizing space in the Old Courthouse Center as temporary offices during the Opera House renovations. i. WGN Camera Planner D. Moore advised that the WGN weather camera has been installed on the opera house and submitted pictures of the installed camera. c. Downtown Lighting Upgrades  Historic Preservation Commission 9/23/24 Page 4 of 5 Planner D. Moore advised that there has been some controversy on the looks of the rope lighting around the square and their appearance during the day. The proposed new lighting with be LED lights that will be in a colored frame to match each building it is on. It was noted that almost all the business owners on the square have approved the upgrade and the frame mounting on their buildings. The mall will be the first business to receive the new lighting. d. Past Agenda Items Planner D. Moore provided pictures of the newly installed trash enclosure on Judd St. Planner D. Moore reviewed the newly painted Liquid Blues building noting that the color may not be as proposed and that he will be approaching them about the color. e. City Surplus Sales Planner D. Moore reviewed State law noting that City staff, commission members, and family members are not allowed to bid on City surplus items for sale at auction. Violation of this regulation can result in a felony charge. 7. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: a. City Hall Door Replacements Planner D. Moore advised that the Facilities Department has not been able to find a vendor to replace the City Hall front doors as they currently are. Planner D. Moore noted that changing the front door style would require approval from the Historic Preservation Commission. General Discussion M. Cuevas inquired how properties are adopted into the historic district specifically pointing out the oldest house in the city on Dean St. is not located in the historic district and is not a landmarked property. Planner. D. Moore reviewed the creation of the Historic District forming from a Central Business District. Further Planner D. Moore noted that properties within historic districts are required to be contiguous. However, while landmarking a property does not bring it into the historic district, it does require the property to meet the same standards as if it was in the historic district. T. Ellinghausen advised that the City does have an inventory of the historic district properties with thorough information on the building, the condition, contributing or non-contributing to the historic district and location. M. Cuevas and J. Rey both stated that they would like to see more clarified information and guidelines for properties located within the historic district as well as a better way to inform those purchasing properties within the historic district. It was noted that some of the petitioners are poorly prepared for meeting presentations, and it was suggested that some form of check list be provided to petitioners prior to being placed on the agenda. 8. ADJOURNMENT:  Historic Preservation Commission 9/23/24 Page 5 of 5 There was a motion made to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m. MOTION: J. Rey SECOND: T. Ellinghausen AYES: M. Cuevas, T. Ellinghausen, and J. Rey. NAYS: None ABSENT: Chairman D. Day and E. Wilson Motion carried The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Melissa Bauer, Commission Clerk