City of Wheaton Historic Commission met Jan. 17.
Here are the minutes provided by the commission:
I. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm.
Present in person: Nancy Flannery (Chair), Joe Szczepaniak (Vice Chair), Stephen Beach, Lisa Buchanan, Louise Ferrebee, Bob Purdy,
Present virtual: Emelie Engling, 3 unidentified attendees
Absent: Sophia Ruffolo
Public Comments: none
II. Approval of Minutes
Minutes of the December 20, 2022 meeting were approved on a motion by Joe, seconded by Bob, and passed unanimously.
III. Old Business
A. Illinois Attorney General Case 2021CH000460: Next hearing is Jan. 31 at 11 am, at which the judge will issue his decision on the motion, whether to dismiss or proceed to trial. The hearing will be viewable on Zoom.
B. Preservation Month 2023:
1. Bob reported that the subject of our sponsored May 9 lecture by Brian and Joyce Ostberg will be the 1869 Wheaton Mastodon discovery. Much of the history of this find has been under-reported and the Ostberg talk will position the Wheaton mastodon story within other mastodon and mammoth discoveries in our area, including the Perry Mastodon and the Blackwell Mammoth.
2. New yard signs: Nancy will order 200 from Allegra. Louise has developed the QR code which will point to the GIS map page on the city website. The PDF file of historic register photos will be removed from the web site since the photos are already on the GIS map.
3. Home History Research: Two sessions for Historic Register applicants will be held at WPL, May 15 and May 20. Nancy will coordinate training for commissioners with Gretchen Murphy, research librarian, in advance of the sessions.
4. May 16 meeting: A motion to cancel this meeting was made by Steve, seconded by Bob, and passed unanimously.
C. Publication of Wheaton and its Homes update: Louise has located the link to the original 1892 publication content on Internet Archive, a collection of public domain items. She is checking on whether there are any restrictions or conditions on use of the link.
D. Wheaton Register of Historic Places application process revisions: Nancy added items back into the previously edited document and also suggested simplifying the application form. Members agreed the document wording needs to have a more user-friendly, personal tone. Steve and Joe agreed to take over this revision project and will update at the next meeting.
E. 108 E. Wesley, former Wheaton Chamber of Commerce building: Contacting new owner Mesa Properties to determine their plans. Tabled until next meeting.
IV. New Business
A. Election of new officers: The new slate of nominated officers was presented. A motion to accept was made by Joe, seconded by Lisa, and passed unanimously.
Chair: Stephen Beach
Vice Chair: Louise Ferrebee
Secretary: Bob Purdy
Treasurer: Lisa Buchanan
B. Downtown Design Review Board; Downtown Design Review Overlay District position: Joe Szcepaniak accepted this position and will fill the available vacant slot.
C. Calendar of Commission filing dates: The new document outlining the annual requirements and due dates for Boards and Commissions was presented to the membership.
D. Miscellaneous: Nancy reported receiving an historic register application and fee for 515 W. Park. She hopes to have the complete documentation for review at the next meeting.
V. Commissioner Comments
None
VI. Adjournment
Joe moved to adjourn, Steve seconded, the motion passed unanimously; the meeting concluded at 8:39 p.m.
https://www.wheaton.il.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_01172023-2206
Alerts Sign-up