Historic Commission

Tuesday, June 18, 2019 Held at City Hall, Wheaton, Illinois I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:06 pm. Present: Nancy Flannery (Chair), Barbara Dutton (Vice Chair), Bob Purdy, Andrew Welker (via phone) and Emelie Engling (via phone), Linda Moran Absent: Steph McGrath (Secretary) II. Public Comments None. III. Approval of Minutes Minutes of the May 21, 2019 meeting were approved as amended on a motion by Bob, seconded by Linda and passed unanimously. IV. Old Business A. In a Preservation Month review, Nancy said she thought the celebration went well, and related that the Wheaton Public Library reported that patrons showed interest in the slide presentation on home history. Nancy said a new procedure for reporting Pride in Preservation sign issues is in order: Report a sign not removed to the Commission Chair or, alternately to the Vice Chair. The duration of sign posting was discussed. The idea of keeping them up for two weeks was considered, with removal permissible up to one day before or one day after the official dates of posting. Nancy will post the distribution maps for Commission member review. B. Nancy recommended tabling the Register application for 617 N. West St., as she hadn’t yet had a chance to reach out to the new or old owners of the property. C. Bob reported progress in drafting text for the CA&E sign planned. He was able to get from the DuPage County Historical Museum information that was already approved. He will run the text by Bob Goldsborough and Steve Hyett, a CA&E expert. Nancy assessed that the length of the text would fit the sign size, and said that donation of the baluster should be noted on the plaque. She will send the sign production contact information to Bob so that he can inquire about photo specs. She advised Bob to identify suitable photos and share them with the Commission, as well as commended him for his work on this project. D. In follow up to last month’s discussion of the proposal for the Roosevelt Corridor redevelopment, Nancy expressed that she would like to see the Commission advocate for preservation of the historic Jarvis Hunt golf cottage at 534 Roosevelt Rd. V. New Business A. Nancy said that stickers for the signs had been suggested to indicate that the signs designate Register landmarks. Since about a third of the signs are not in good shape, another option would be to have new ones printed with language concerning landmarks. Nancy thought the newest signs were about eight years old, but will check. She suggested that Register-designation wording be discussed at the next meeting. B. The Register application for 811 Scott St. was introduced and documentation distributed. Nancy invited questions or requests for information be submitted to her by email. She, in turn, will funnel any concerns to Linda.  HISTORIC COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES May 21, 2019 C. The landmark program in general was discussed, with Nancy asking whether the Commission would like to reduce the number of properties listed. Bob thought a renewal effort might be helpful in determining whether current homeowners wish to have their property retained on the Register, as well in obtaining background on those properties for which the Commission lacks documentation. A review of the Register program would be useful, perhaps developing a survey to ask about the value of a landmark. A greater emphasis on outreach could serve to raise awareness of the program. Ideas for education and recognition, such as a seminar about the Register-listing process, a dinner for landmark property owners, and publicity and advertising efforts, were mentioned as ways to generate interest. Bob thought the slide show of landmarks is useful in promoting the program; Nancy said the City is to run it with music on cable TV. She suggested a Commission member might also appear on the local cable channel to talk about the Register-listing process. Speaking to community groups was also brought up. Nancy said more one-on-one home research sessions could be helpful, and Linda is convinced that a segment of the population loves older homes. VI. Commissioner Comments -Barbara said she attempted to locate the Dart-designed home in the “Chesterfield golf club” area in Glen Ellyn. -Nancy mentioned that the 2019 Landmarks Illinois Annual Meeting would be held June 26th. VII. Adjournment Bob moved to adjourn, Linda seconded; the motion passed unanimously, and the meeting concluded at 9:17 pm. 2