Historic Commission

Tuesday, January 16, 2024 Gamon Room, City Hall I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:58 pm Present In-person – Louise Ferrebee (Chair), Bob Purdy (Secretary), Lisa Buchanan (Treasurer), Nancy Flannery, Mike Hill, Joe Szczepaniak. Absent – Syed Hussain II. Public Comments None III. Approval of December Meeting Minutes Approved on a motion by Joe, seconded by Lisa, and passed unanimously. IV. Treasurer Report: Lisa presented the revised report, updated in line with previous discussions. V. Ongoing Business A. OMA Guidance and Review: The noticing requirements for discussions of City/Commission business were clarified and discussed. All agreed to comply. B. Wheaton Register of Historic Places 1. Status Update: The Application Form, Support Documentation, and DuPage County Tax Books Research parts of the Register Application are being converted to web pages, rather than PDFs as previously discussed. All of it will be available on the City website once completed. 2. Self-guided Walking Tour homes to be listed on Wheaton Register of Historic Places Map a. More text is needed for some homes. b. Google Maps plug in. Mike researched this along with some other possibilities. He found that Google Maps/MyMaps is limited in text capability and does not display photos. Google Earth was also not suitable, requiring too much phone storage space. He has, however, found five map creation apps and is now checking their demo versions and pricing. C. Self-guided Cemetery Tour Fall 2024 1. Current research. The research completed earlier by Lisa is being turned over to Nancy, who will continue this project. We are awaiting details of the October 23 Ostberg lecture on Wheaton cemeteries as well. 2. Timeline. This is a work in progress and the Fall date is tentative. D. Review of 2024 Events and Activities. Louise presented the updated plan for this year, with point persons and known task backoffs for each activity.  HISTORIC COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Month Date, Year VI. New Business A. Review of future historical marker sites. The list of possibilities that the commission developed earlier was discussed, and priority ranks were assigned to each. The sites getting highest priority are: o Adams Memorial Library (DuPage County Historical Museum) o Chicago Aurora & Elgin Railroad Wheaton Shops & Yard, Dispatcher’s Tower o Gentlemen’s Driving Club (former clubhouse of Wheaton Driving Park harness race track) now 1115 N Wheaton Ave residence o Prairie Path/CA&E railroad/Rails to Trails (Mrs. May T. Watts) o Jesse Wheaton home, 310 W Evergreen St o Red Grange o WPA Northside Park (design and buildings) B. Election of Officers. The slate of officers nominated in December were presented for a vote on a motion by Nancy, seconded by Bob, and passed unanimously: o Louise Ferrebee – Chair o Joe Szczepaniak – Vice Chair o Bob Purdy – Secretary o Mike Hill – Treasurer C. Old Courthouse Bell Tower Restoration Discussion. Louise was recently made aware of the need for this work, which is now necessary because the bell tower was poorly restored the first time when the courthouse was converted to condominiums. The owner is apparently looking for funding sources and it was agreed that more detailed information is needed. D. Listing of Endangered Wheaton Historic Buildings. A discussion led to the following candidates for endangered status at this time. List to be continued at upcoming meetings. o Jesse Wheaton home o Wheaton Grand Theatre o Golf Cottage, 534 W Roosevelt Rd VII. Commissioner Comments. Lisa Buchanan was thanked for her hard work and many contributions to the Historic Commission. Her management of the GIS Map project for the Wheaton Register was especially valuable. The map is not only a major achievement in the commission’s work but also a resource that is already becoming useful in other projects. VIII. Adjournment. Joe moved to adjourn, Lisa seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. The meeting concluded at 8:54 pm. IX. Next Meeting: Tuesday, February 20, 2024 Respectfully submitted, Robert Purdy Secretary 2