Historic Commission

APPROVED Minutes of Wheaton Historic Commission June 16, 2015 Meeting at Wheaton City Hall, Wheaton, Ill. In attendance: Nancy Flannery (Chair), Tom Kay, Steph McGrath, Bob Shuster, Frank Principe, Maureen Fogerty and Barbara Dutton (Secretary). Absent: Emelie Engling and Greg Morrison Public Comment: None. The meeting was called to order by Nancy at 7:04 p.m. Minutes of the May 19, 2015 meeting were approved as amended, upon vote, following a motion made by Steph and seconded by Tom. Old Business Commission Membership: Nancy announced that the Commission has two new members: Frank Principe and Maureen Fogerty. Tom, it was noted, has renewed his term of service. Election of Officers: Barbara was elected Vice Chair and Steph was elected Secretary of the Commission, in a vote following a motion made by Bob and seconded by Maureen to approve a slate naming these candidates. Preservation Week: Attendance at a recent home history research event was discussed. Nancy reflected that this year’s annual celebration went well, and shared newspaper coverage along with a note from State Senator Michael Connelly that was generated by publicity accorded. Nancy expressed the hope that plans for next year’s celebration would be finalized earlier, and asked Commission members to be thinking now about ideas for Preservation Week 2016. Success of the Maas lecture and the Dart open house were voiced. Nancy articulated a desire to publish more pieces such as maps. Steph advocated using local websites for presenting material. Barbara talked about possibly developing a project to find out about businesses that occupied historic buildings in town. Nancy wondered about the Commission’s role in light of the Wheaton History Center being in chaos. Maureen suggested highlighting local businesses, perhaps asking them what they remember about community history. Steph thought “era-based” themes might be interesting, recalling a booklet that had been produced for Wheaton’s centennial. Maureen volunteered to put together some ideas. Steph referenced a website that superimposed old pictures over an interactive map; Nancy wondered if this concept might foster a theme. Frank asked about the composition of a repository of archives, as well as referenced a Wheaton Park District initiative from 1979 called the “Youth Conservation Corps.” Bollards: Nancy related that prior Commission Chair Trent Nichols is still trying to obtain an estimate for work to get the Masonic Temple bollard installation corrected, and that the City’s Public Works Department indicated that the Historic Commission would be responsible for any costs associated with work to address the issue. Annual Report: Nancy commented that next year’s annual report of Commission activities is half complete. She passed around the current, completed and recently submitted such report. Wheaton Register of Historic Places: Vendor information regarding plaque color options is still awaited, reported Nancy, who will call to follow up, as well as will e-mail recent Register application packages to Frank and Maureen. She reminded Steph that she (Steph) had volunteered to inquire as to whether the Library would house Register archives. Recent applications were reviewed: • 123 W. Elm: Steph would like to see more information as to the importance of the house to the community. Bob remarked that since the property is a Dart-designed structure, it meets the criteria. Nancy said that it being among this group of homes is significant, but acknowledged that guidance given in the application directions was a bit “foggy.” Bob moved that the application be approved on the basis that the structure meets architectural significance and age requirements. Steph seconded the motion, which passed unanimously by vote. APPROVED • 1114 Greenwood: Bob posited that this “Alcoa Aluminum House” built by Graeme Stewart met the age requirement and was architecturally significant due to materials. Steph observed that the application provided research, though it had to be drawn out of responses to questions asked in the application format. Bob thought the instructions might be amended to instruct applicants to develop a narrative to provide context, but that this property should be approved based on the form as it is. Steph understood the merit of the property but thinks an executive summary is in order. Nancy said that any change to the application form would have to be approved by the City Council, to which Steph responded that the Commission has expressed it wanted a narrative. Bob opined and Nancy concurred that the application meets the Register criteria and that it provided what was literally asked for. Steph would still like to see more information and suggested requiring a narrative. Bob moved to accept the application as submitted, and Tom seconded the motion. With the exception of a dissenting vote by Steph McGrath, the motion passed by vote. The Commission will look into revising the form, to which Steph suggested adding a “here’s how” explanation. • 816 W. Elm: After brief discussion of plumbing fixtures associated with the house, and further dialog about the application form vis á vis documentation, Bob rendered a motion to accept the nomination based on the criteria of architectural significance and age. Following a second by Steph, the motion unanimously passed. Declaring that the application form is indeed inadequate, Nancy recommended a Commission review and going back to the City Council for approval of resulting changes. Steph proposed adjusting the form to make applications more “lickety split” for review. She would also like to see a way to present information supporting a nomination without too much paper. Nancy will look to find out what other municipalities, such as Glenview, do. Maureen advocates for a “user-friendly” approach, and Steph thinks the application could be left “as is,” but additionally articulate what is wanted; such instruction should be on the website or outlined in an “add-on” page. In response to being asked about altering the instructions, Steph suggested either convening a subcommittee meeting to discuss or gathering individual Commission member suggestions on the topic. She also suggested as a resource the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, and said she’d revisit the Commission’s application process and make observations. She stressed that she doesn’t want to see a “mish mash” of instructive language. Nancy asked that discussion of application improvement be continued to the next meeting, with thoughts conveyed via e-mail in the interim. FOIA Request Update: Nancy reported receiving word from Sharon the City Clerk that a first response to the Commission’s request for information from Wheaton Center for History’s Alberta Adamson was met with a refusal. A second draft request is in the works, and any legal action relative to the request would be up to the City Council. New Business Financial Report: Nancy explained that the fiscal year budget, less costs incurred primarily by the purchase of new bollard signs and expense to repair the Masonic Temple bollard, stood at $3,700 remaining. Commissioner Comments Frank recommended a book titled, Legendary Locals of Wheaton, and suggested for longer-term planning that the Commission might consider organizing a program in 2017 to recognize the 100th anniversary of World War I. Maureen suggested as relevant reading a book titled, The Silent Generation, and reiterated that she would work on developing parameters for a business theme for next year’s Preservation Week. Nancy said she wants to photograph the bollards. She also mentioned that Landmarks Illinois is interested in pushing preservation to a higher level in Wheaton, specifically over recent concern about the Loretto Convent’s Jarvis Hunt-designed house. She suggested organizing a “retreat” to focus on preservation issues in Wheaton. Tom moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Maureen, the motion was approved by vote, and the meeting concluded at 9:11 p.m.