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Home My WebLink AboutEHC Reg 03-03-15 apprvd on 4-7-15City of Elgin Elgin Heritage Commission March 3, 2015 Proposed Minutes A. The meeting of the Elgin Heritage Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers by Chairman Bill Briska. 1. Members Present: William Briska, Elizabeth Femal, Rebecca Hunter, Tom Krebsbach, Judith Rivera, George Rowe, Scott Savel, Judith Van Dusen, and John Wiedmeyer 2. Members Absent: None 3. Others Present: Dan Miller 4. City Staff Present: Sarosh Saher, AICP, Senior Planner B. Approval of Minutes: 1. A motion was made by Commissioner Wiedmeyer to approve the February 3, 2015 minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Rivera. The motion passed 8‐0 with 1 abstention (Savel). C. Recognize Persons Present: the Commission recognized Dan Miller. D. Plaque applications: 1. 72 North Liberty Street ‐ The plaque nomination received the following average scores: Historic Significance: 8.1; Architectural Significance: 7.0; Current Maintenance: 7.8. A motion was made by Commissioner Rowe to approve awarding the plaque for the property with the inscription that would read 1892, F. & F. Allen (Abbreviated for Frank E. and Frances V. Allen). The motion was seconded by Commissioner Wiedmeyer. Vote: 8‐0 with 1 abstention (Krebsbach) Mr. Saher indicated that the plaque would be awarded at the Mayors Awards in May with the two plaques that were carried over from December 2014 for a total of three at this time. There was potential to consider additional plaques at the April meeting of the Commission E. Old Business 1. Elgin Bungalow Initiative Update Mr. Saher updated the Commission on the project. The city’s legal department had verbally informed him that the proposal submitted was acceptable and could move Elgin Heritage Commission: Minutes Page 2 March 3, 2015 forward. However, it was also recommended that the pending issue of the modification to the Elgin Design Guideline Manual for Landmarks and Historic Districts related to window replacement could also be considered by the council at the same time. Mr. Saher indicated that it was likely that the proposal would be transmitted to the city council during a meeting in April. The Commission additionally requested Mr. Saher to transmit the scoring criteria to the Commission for their reference. This was documentation prepared by Eric Pepa during the initial project proposal. 2. DRSC Composition Text Amendment Update Mr. Saher indicated that this item would be transmitted to the city council for consideration at the same time the bungalow initiative was also transmitted for consideration. 3. Historic Preservation Planner position update Mr. Saher indicated that staff of the Community Development Department was in a 2nd round of interviews with potential candidates. A decision would likely be made in the following weeks. 4. Preservation Month Schedule ‐ May 1 – 31, 2015. A list of events planned for the month was included in the packet for review of the Commission. Mr. Saher also added that Judy Brownfield of “Books at Sunset” proposing the “Roaring 20s” trolley tour of Elgin had indicated her intention to present a proposal to the Commission. However, she was unwell and unable to make it to the meeting. The deadline for accepting event information for Preservation Month was March 27. Following that date, the information would be compiled into the brochure and information for the various media outlets to promote. 5. Reports from Neighborhood Groups on Heritage Related Activities None F. New Business 1. Mayors Awards ‐ Scheduled for May 5, 2015 at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division Street (Professional Building) Seven nominations had been submitted to the Commission for consideration of a Mayors Award. Each of the nominations was discussed by the Commission based on the criteria for selection. The following nominations were selected to receive an award following individual action of the Commission: 1. Altrusa International Club. Nominated by Claire Ollayos Elgin Heritage Commission: Minutes Page 3 March 3, 2015 For over 50 years of service as a women’s civic organization in promoting literacy, community health and education in the community. A motion was made by Commissioner Femal to recommend the nomination for a Mayors Award. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Krebsbach and passed unanimously. 2. Gail Borden Public Library. Nominated by the Elgin Area Historical Society For the Gail Borden Public Library Timeline Exhibit. A motion was made by Commissioner Rowe to recommend the nomination for a Mayors Award. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Van Dusen and passed unanimously. 3. Paul and Jean Bednar. Nominated by Dan Miller For the restoration of the properties at 141 Hill, 12 Rugby and 16 Rugby Place. A motion was made by Commissioner Rivera to recommend the nomination for a Mayors Award. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Femal and passed 8‐0. Abstained: Commissioner Savel. 4. Tom and Maureen Lee 359 Park. Nominated by Dan Miller For the restoration of their home at 359 Park Street. A motion was made by Commissioner Savel to recommend the nomination for a Mayors Award. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Wiedmeyer and passed unanimously. 5. Anne LoCascio. Nominated by Elizabeth Marston of the Elgin History Museum. For promoting an awareness of Elgin’s heritage through program publicity at the Elgin History Museum. A motion was made by Commissioner Hunter to recommend the nomination for a Mayors Award. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Krebsbach and passed unanimously. 6. Tribute to the Troops. Nominated by Michael Hunziker For publicly honoring the heritage of Elgin’s veterans through this annual radio show. A motion was made by Commissioner Wiedmeyer to recommend the nomination for a Mayors Award. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Savel and passed unanimously. 7. Downtown Neighborhood Association’s Design Committee. Nominated by Deirdre White, DNA. For preparing the nomination to list the downtown commercial district on the National Register of Historic Places. Elgin Heritage Commission: Minutes Page 4 March 3, 2015 A motion was made by Commissioner Savel to recommend the nomination for a Mayors Award. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Femal and passed unanimously. Following the selection of the awards, Commissioner Wiedmeyer proposed to the Commission, the creation of a new award category. Commissioner Wiedmeyer proposed that the Commission consider an award for a restoration project. He explained that in the past, the Commission had organized a contest to select restoration projects on homes that had used grant funds to be restored. He suggested that that the award category would consist of two categories ‐ an exterior project and an interior project – with both categories recommending awards for projects that were in keeping with the style of the home. Commissioner Wiedmeyer stated that these categories deserved the special recognition of a special award. He proposed to call it the Henry Jensen Award after the architect and builder whose work spanned the 1880s to the early 1900s. There are a number of books about him. Commissioner Wiedmeyer finally stated that he would prepare a proposal and bring it before the Commission at the April meeting for consideration. Guide by Cell Usage Reports Chairman Briska explained that he and Mary Hill had developed the cell phone tour a few years ago. The tour consisted of 30 sites at various locations in the community. The locations were selected based on the amount of foot and bike traffic at these locations. Each location had a sign with a phone number and a code to enter which would then provide the listener with information on the site. He indicated that some signs were mossing, or not properly installed. Information on the usage of this tour was provided for the reference of the Commission. It was suggested that the 166 calls made during the year was very low based on what was originally anticipated. Alternate suggestions were discussed to see if there was a better way to provide the information at a lower cost. Suggestions involved reexamining the current cost package from “Guide by Cell” for alternatives, or use other means such as QR codes, markers and plaques at the site itself. It was finally decided that the Commission would explore new alternative means to depicting information on the locations that were highlighted on the tour. A motion was made by Commissioner Femal to explore alternative new methods to highlight the properties along the various locations of the tour. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Rivera and passed unanimously. G. Other Business 1. Residential Grant information flyer and submission deadlines. Mr. Saher had intended to include the flyer in the packet but had inadvertently not included it. However, he explained that the flyer had been used to briefly describe the various programs offered by the city. Elgin Heritage Commission: Minutes Page 5 March 3, 2015 H. Adjournment A motion was made by Commissioner Savel to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Rivera and passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sarosh Saher, AICP Senior Planner, Community Development Department Approved: