Landmark Commission

Ellwood House Museum Visitor’s Center 509 N. First Street DeKalb Landmark Commission Minutes August 27, 2015 Meeting was called to Order at 7:03PM by chair Sally DeFauw. Commission members present: Sally DeFauw, Pam Collins, Donna Gable, Don Whitmore. Absent: Jamie Smirz, city staff liaison. Agenda: Approved with the addition of 1 report. Minutes: No minutes approved, at next meeting minutes from several meetings will have to be approved. Suggestion was made to ask Jamie Smirz or the commissioner who took the minutes to send draft versions to commissioners. No New Business Old Business Membership: Current commissioners should work on identifying and contacting potential new commissioners. Direct them to City website for information about duties or print it out for them. Explain they would have to be approved by the City Council with 3yr term. Further terms would have to have Council approval. Mission statements: Commissioners should try to look at the mission statements from other city’s historic preservation commissions. Walking Tour Booklet: DeFauw has not talked with NIU professor Georgia Brown recently but was told earlier that it would be possible for NIU students to create a website for the walking tours. Most of the content is ready but more work needs to be done. Donna Gable will work on getting photos on a thumb drive so they could be added to the website. DeFauw will check on what text editing is ready and what still needs work. Reports Reports – Discussion of changes made to the Wedberg building at 248 E. Lincoln Hwy. All the original terra cotta tile façade was removed. Could commission have done something? The fact that the property is not landmarked meant Commission was not informed of changes and also does not have any input. Gable will forward to other commissioners a survey from Landmarks Illinois and IAHPC regarding experiences of statewide historic preservation commissions. Commissioners can respond online and should do so ASAP. DeFauw reported about attending one of the Strategic Planning meetings the City scheduled to gather input for a 10 yr. plan. Information about the plan should be available on the City of DeKalb website. Announcements DeFauw will resign as commission chair as of tonight’s meeting and will resign from Landmark Commission as of the end of the year. Pending new members, the current Commissioners will rotate as chair. Next two meetings will be on September 24 and October 22 at the Ellwood House Museum Visitor Center. Meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM. Respectfully submitted, Donna Gable Secretary pro tem