Joliet Historic Preservation Commission

150 West Jefferson Street City of Joliet Joliet, IL 60432 Joliet Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes Commission Members Quinn Adamowski Brian Bessler Mary Beth Gannon Kevin Heinemann Candace Johnson Kailee Lowry Sharon Merwin Aaron Mikottis Sara Stovall Steven Wright Wednesday, November 17, 2021 7:00 PM City Hall, Council Chambers As of August 30, 2021, Governor Pritzker announced a statewide indoor mask mandate for all Illinois residents, regardless of vaccination status. In compliance with Governor Pritzker’s mandate, any individual appearing in person must wear a face-covering to cover their nose and mouth. Citizens who are unable to attend the meeting can email comments in advance of the meeting to publiccomment@joliet.gov. CALL TO ORDER DECLARATION OF QUORUM Present Quinn Adamowski, Candace Johnson, Kailee Lowry, Sharon Merwin, Sara Stovall and Steven Wright Absent Brian Bessler, Mary Beth Gannon, Kevin Heinemann and Aaron Mikottis APPROVAL OF MINUTES July 28, 2021 Regular Meeting Minutes TMP-2800 Attachments: 07-28-21 Minutes JB.pdf A motion was made by Candace Johnson, seconded by Steven Wright, to approve the July 28, 2021 Regular Meeting Minutes. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Adamowski, Johnson, Merwin, Stovall and Wright Abstain: Lowry Page 1 of 4 Joliet Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes November 17, 2021 CITIZENS TO BE HEARD ON AGENDA ITEMS COMMITTEE AND STAFF REPORTS a.Staff Report Ms. Bernhard read the staff report into the record. Ms. Bernhard gave an update on the design guidelines project with the Lakota Group, a draft has been submitted. Ms. Bernhard said the next step would be reviewing the guidelines at the January 2022 public meeting. Mr. Adamowski after if there will be two things to review with Lakota Group in January 2022, Ms. Bernhard said yes. Lakota Group will come in to the January meeting. Ms. Bernhard said the St. John's Survey project and the Downtown National Register of Historic Districts project are still ongoing. Mr. Peerbolte, Mr. Wright, Mr. Adamowski and Ms. Bernhard received seven proposals from consulting firms for the Illinois State Penitentiary Joliet National Register Historic District project. Three firms were selected to come in for an interview next week. The Commissioners will be updated as the project moves forward. Ms. Bernhard said she was not sure how much the RFQ would be. Ms. Bernhard said she does not think there will be a December JHPC meeting because the Joliet Area Historic Museum booked an event on December 15th. Mr. Wright announced December 15th will be the formal reception for the Joliet Focus Exhibit. Ms. Johnson said you must download the Joliet Focus app for more information. Ms. Bernhard said if any applications are received by the deadline, the Commission must figure out a date for a December meeting. Ms. Bernhard stated talked about the garage current requirements and the need for variances for taller garages. b.Committee of the Whole (COW) There was no discussion on this subject. OLD BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS PUBLIC HEARING: CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS TO CONSTRUCT A 24' X 30' ADDITION TO AN EXISTING GARAGE, LOCATED AT 606 WESTERN AVENUE (COA-25-2021) (COA-25-2021) Certificate of Appropriateness to construct a TMP-2751 24’ x 30’ addition to an existing garage, located at 606 Western Avenue. Attachments: COA-25-2021_Staff Report 606 Western Avenue Ms. Bernhard read the staff report into the record. Page 2 of 4 Joliet Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes November 17, 2021 Mr. Adamowski asked the petitioners if they would like to make comments. Ms. Merwin asked if the homeowners if they had any difficulty with the Zoning Board of Appeals approval. Mr. Ben Komar answered that they did not have any difficulty with the ZBA, he said everyone was reasonable. Mr. Komar said he started working on the garage project 2006. Mr. Komar said he specifically had the garage designed with the French doors and dormers. Mr. Komar said the garage door will be on the alley side. Ms. Johnson said that the City of Joliet does not plow alleys, she asked if the back-alley entrance will be the only entrance. Mr. Komar said it will be the only entrance, he and the neighbors clear the alley. The other garage has a driveway entrance off of Western. Mr. Adamowski asked if anyone else would like to speak about this petition. No one came forward. A motion was made by Sharon Merwin, seconded by Steven Wright, to approve (COA-25-2021) Certificate of Appropriateness to construct a 24’ x 30’ addition to an existing garage, located at 606 Western Avenue. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Adamowski, Johnson, Lowry, Merwin, Stovall and Wright COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Ms. Merwin found the real estate listing for 422 Whitney Avenue, Ms. Merwin went the Will County Recorder's website to search the address and she could not find the recorded ordinance. Ms. Merwin said she requested a copy from the City Clerk's Office, which shows that it is recorded with the Will County Recorder's Office. Ms. Merwin said if the designation ordinance has multiple addresses listed, like this one, the Recorders Office will not add the ordinance to each individual address included with the ordinance. Ms. Merwin contacted that Recorders Office and was told you have to search by PIN number. Ms. Johnson talked about some home buyers who were not aware they were purchasing historically designated homes. Ms. Johnson believes the issue may have been searching the Recorder's records by address instead of PIN numbers. Ms. Merwin believes home purchasers should be aware that they must search by PIN number or they could miss important information. Ms. Bernhard said she would reach out to the City Clerk's Office about how information is reported to the Will County Recorder's Office. Ms. Johnson asked if there are any updates on the US Steel property. Ms. Bernhard said she does not have any updates. Ms. Bernhard asked Mr. Wright what will happen when the files are removed, since he is working on moving them from the U.S. Steel Administration building. Mr. Wright said he does not have time to go through everything to find out what is there . Mr. Wright said it will be contingent on what US Steel wants. Ms. Johnson asked how it was going with Oakwood Cemetery. Ms. Bernhard said the landmark nomination project has stalled. Mr. Wright said Joliet Township is on board, but that there has not been enough time to work on the nomination. Ms. Bernhard said her next priority is completing the Railroad Museum project because its due by the end of June 2022 to Page 3 of 4 Joliet Historic Preservation Commission Meeting Minutes November 17, 2021 the state. Mr. Adamowski invited everyone to the Joliet Area Historic Museum holiday membership party. New members can sign up that night. Ms. Bernhard announced that Mr. Wright is a voting member now. PUBLIC COMMENT ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Sharon Merwin, seconded by Steven Wright, to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: Adamowski, Johnson, Lowry, Merwin, Stovall and Wright This meeting will be held in an accessible location. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact Christa M. Desiderio, City Clerk, 150 West Jefferson Street, Joliet, Illinois 60432 at (815) 724-3780. Page 4 of 4