Landmark Commission

Ellwood House Museum Visitor’s Center 509 N. First Street DeKalb Landmark Commission Minutes September 24, 2015 Meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm by interim chair Donna Gable. Commission members present: Pam Collins, Sally DeFauw, Donna Gable, Don Whitmore. Guest: Amanda Durik. Agenda: Collins moved and Whitmore seconded to approve agenda as amended. Added to new business was future meetings and Gurler House landscaping. Minutes: Minutes of the 8/26/15 meeting were approved as presented. New Business: Collins reported a conflict with the October 22 meeting time. Gurler House Board will be meeting. All members agreed to move next meeting to October 29 at 7 pm. November meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19 tentatively. There will be no December meeting. The Gurler House hedgerow project is proceeding. They want to make an entrance from the Lutheran Church parking lot to the Gurler House property. A chicane is proposed and the DeKalb Garden Club has given them a grant for materials which will be an opaque fencing, six feet high. The chicane will give access and provide screening. Whitmore suggested masonry instead of wooden fencing. Old Business: 1. Membership Amanda Durik was welcomed and Landmark Commission members introduced themselves. Gable proposed sending a letter to various local historical groups to solicit members for the Landmark Commission. All agreed this was a good idea. Suggested agencies were : Egyptian Theatre, DAAHA, Gurler House, Glidden Homestead and the DeKalb Historical and Genealogical Society. Debbie Armstrong may know of potential candidates as well. Those involved with historic restoration trades may be considered too. DeFauw offered to send an email to the Ellwood Historic Neighborhood Association. Whitmore suggested the NIU art department be notified. 2. Mission statement members were encouraged to find other preservation commission's mission statements. DeFauw will investigate what the Illinois Association of Historic Preservation Commissions has. Whitmore will look at the IHPA requirements. 3. Walking Tour Booklet DeFauw will contact Georgia Brown at NIU about working to place the information on the city website. Gable will prepare to send Brown photos for the tours. The Commission will work on editing the booklet at their next meeting in October. Reports: None Announcements: None The meeting adjourned at 8:03 pm Respectfully submitted by Sally DeFauw