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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 11/5/1996 - Landmark Commission THE CITY OF MCHENRY LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 5 ,1996 THE LANDMARK COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:20PM BY CHAIRMAN NANCY FIKE. SUE MILLER OF MCHENRY WAS PRESENT AS A GUEST. MEMBERS PRESENT WERE: BARB BYRON, NANCY FIKE, GREG LOFGREN, CAROL JEAN SMITH, LORI WILLIAMS, MARIA ARZA, CHRIS NOVAK, AND BOB NOVAK. MEMBERS ABSENT WERE: TOM BOLGER AND DONNABELLE GLOSSON. NANCY FIKE SPOKE ABOUT OCTOBER'S INTERESTING MEETING WITH THE PRESENTERS FROM THE ALGONQUIN HISTORIC COMMISSION. CHRIS NOVAK MOVED THAT THE OCTOBER MINUTES BE APPROVED. MARIA ARZA SECONDED THE MOTION,AND THE MOTION CARRIED. NANCY FIKE INTRODUCED SUE MILLER AND ASKED HER TO TALK ABOUT HER PROPOSAL FOR A FACADE IMPROVEMENT GRANT AT 1310 AND 1312 N. RIVERSIDE DRIVE. SUE MILLER REPORTED THAT THEY HAVE AN ESTIMATE FOR POWER WASHING, SEALING, AND TUCKPOINTING FROM BILL'DECORATING OF MCHENRY. INCLUDED ALSO WAS A PROPOSAL FOR AWNINGS FROM HUNZINGER CANVAS CO. OF LAKE BARRINGTON. THE TOTAL PROPOSAL IS FOR THE AMOUNT OF $5061.00. NANCY FIKE CALLED FOR THE TREASURER'S REPORT. GREG LOFGREN REPORTED EXPENSES OF $15.36 FROM ACE HARDWARE FOR SIGN REPAIR. HE CORRECTED THE TREASURER'S REPORT TO READ$4.69 FROM DRAKE OFFICE SUPPLY FOR COPIES OF PHOTOS FOR THE LANDMARK SIGNS INSTEAD OF JEWEL FOOD STORE. ALSO, AN EXPENSE OF $20.00 FOR THE LANDMARK COMMISSION'S MEMBERSHIP IN THE MCHENRY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. THE TOTAL AMOUNT IN THE LANDMARK COMMISSION BUDGET IS $17,899.32. MARIA ARZA MOVED THAT THE TREASURER'S REPORT BE ACCEPTED, BARB BYRON SECONDED,AND THE MOTION CARRIED. GREG LOFGREN MOVED THAT A RECOGNITION LETTER FROM THE LANDMARK COMMISSION BE SENT TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS AT 3809 W. JOHN STREET, AND THAT THE COMMISSION WAIT FOR A RESPONSE FROM THE OWNERS BE BEFORE WE MAKE UP THE RECOGNITION CERTIFICATE AND SEND IT. BARB BYRON SECONDED THE MOTION. SOME PEOPLE DO NOT WANT A RECOGNITION CERTIFICATE SO IT IS BEST TO SEND THE LETTER FIRST AND THEN WAIT FOR THE OWNER'S RESPONSE. THE MOTION PASSED. GREG LOFGREN REPORTED THAT ALL THE PICTURES HAVE BEEN CHANGED IN THE LANDMARK SIGNS. AN ORANGE BACKGROUND HAS BEEN PUT IN TO HELP SHOW OFF THE PICTURES. HE REPORTED THAT ALL OF THE REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. CAULKING THE OPEN CRACKS IS THE ONLY JOB LEFT TO BE DONE. BOB NOVAK REPORTED ON DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION. THE OPENING CEREMONY FOR THE REVITALIZED RIVERSIDE DRIVE WAS ATTENDED BY MANY. THE NEWSPAPERS REFUSED TO COME AND DO PUBLICITY OF THE OPENING CEREMONIES. GREG LOFGREN REPORTED ON THE WEST MCHENRY WALKING TOUR HELD ON OCTOBER 19, 1996. FIVE PEOPLE ATTENDED. LORI WILHELM DID THE OCTOBER 19th WALK OF RIVERSIDE DRIVE,ELM AND GREEN STREETS, MR. AND MRS. WURM ATTENDED AND FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING AND TOOK MANY PICTURES. MR. AND MRS. DON DORHETY WOULD BE GOOD PEOPLE TO CALL UPON FOR FUTURE GUIDES. NANCY FIKE REPORTED ON THE STATUS OF THE PRESERVATION ORDINANCE. THE CITY COUNCIL IS GOING TO DIRECT THE OTHER COMMITTEES TO LOOK AT THE LANDMARK PRESERVATION ORDINANCE. NANCY FIKE HOPES THE COMMISSION WILL HEAR FROM OTHER COMMITTEES. PAM ALTHOFF INFORMED NANCY THAT THE PROCESS SEEMS TO BE GOING SMOOTHLY. NANCY FIKE REPORTED THAT SHE HAD CONTACTED MR. JOHNSON AT WEST CAMPUS TO TRY TO GET A SOPHOMORE TO SERVE ON THE LANDMARK COMMISSION AS STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE FOR THREE YEARS. GREG LOFGREN BROUGHT UP THE CITY'S POSSIBLE REQUEST TO MOVE LANDMARK SIGNS. BARB BYRON MOVED THAT THE SIGNS SHOULD STAY WERE THEY ARE LOCATED NOW. CHRIS NOVAK SECONDED. DISCUSSION FOLLOWED ON THE FACT THAT DON'T KNOW HOW THE BUSINESSES ON WHOSE PROPERTY THESE SIGNS ARE LOCATED FEEL. THE COMMISSION ALSO DOESN'T KNOW ALL OF THE CITY'S PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE SIGNS. THE COMMISSION FELT WE ARE GETTING GOOD EXPOSURE FROM OUR PRESENT LOCATIONS. BARB BYRON WITHDREW THE MOTION. MARIA ARZA MOVED THAT WE DEFER ANY ACTION ON THE FUTURE MOVEMENT OF SIGNS UNTIL MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE. LORI WILHELM SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. NANCY FIKE ASKED US TO CONSIDER THE FACADE IMPROVEMENT GRANT FOR 1310 AND 1312 N. RIVERSIDE DRIVE. CAROL JEAN SMITH MOVED THAT A FACADE IMPROVEMENT GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,687.00 BE GIVEN TO THE PETITIONERS AT 1310 AND 1312 N. RIVERSIDE DRIVE. BARB BYRON SECONDED. MUCH DISCUSSION FOLLOWED ON THE AMOUNT AND HOW IT SHOULD BE DIVIDED, THE IDEA THAT SOME ACTUAL STRUCTURAL PRESERVATION IS INVOLVED, AND THAT MANY BUSINESSES BENEFIT. SOME THOUGHT THE AMOUNT WAS TOO LOW, OTHERS THOUGHT THE AMOUNT WAS TO HIGH, AND THE AMOUNT THE COMMISSION APPROVED FOR THE MILLER BUILDING WAS TOO HIGH. THE MOTION WAS DEFEATED. CHRIS NOVAK MOVED THAT WE DISBURSE $2000.00 TOWARD THE IMPROVEMENT AT 1310 AND 1312 N. RIVERSIDE DRIVE. LORI WILHELM SECONDED. THE MOTION CARRIED. NANCY FIKE INTRODUCED THE TOPIC OF DEMOLITION AT 3007 AND 3009 W. ROUTE 120. WE HAD A DEMOLITION LETTER FOR THE STRUCTURES ON THOSE PROPERTIES, BUT THE STRUCTURES WERE DEMOLISHED BEFORE THE COMMISSION COULD ACT ON THE REQUEST. NANCY FIKE REPORTED THE PROPERTY BELONGED TO THE LARRY BRUSSO FAMILY WHO MOVED THERE IN 1952. WE DONT KNOW WHEN THEY SOLD IT TO ADAMS. THERE WAS BOTH A HOUSE AND A GARAGE THERE WHEN BRUSSO BOUGHT IT FROM KALFUS. KALFUS BUILT THE HOUSE IN 1929 AND THE GARAGE IN 1949. IT WAS A PERMANENT HOME AND THE GARAGE WAS BUILT AS AN AUTO REPAIR SHOP. THERE HAD BEEN SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE STRUCTURE OVER TIME. CHRIS NOVAK MOVED THAT NO HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE WAS FOUND IN THE STRUCTURE DUE TO MANY ALTERATIONS. MARIA ARZA SECONDED, AND THE MOTION CARRIED. CHRIS NOVAK MOVED THAT A LETTER STATING THE COMMISSION'S DISPLEASURE WITH THE ADAM'S BLATANT DISREGARD OF THE THIRTY DAY APPROVAL PERIOD FOR ASCERTAINING HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ON STRUCTURES BEFORE DEMOLITION BE SENT TO THE BUILDING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT TO BE READ INTO THE RECORD. BARB BYRON SECONDED. THE MOTION WAS APPROVED. CHRIS NOVAK BROUGHT UP THE FACT THAT CLARIFICATION NEEDS TO BE MADE ON WHAT STRUCTURES ARE NOT PART OF THE OF THE DEMOLITION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE LANDMARK COMMISSION. IT APPEARS THAT OUT STRUCTURES ARE NOT REQUIRED TO HAVE DEMOLITION PERMITS. THE BUILDING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT IS NOT CLEAR ON WHAT KINDS OF STRUCTURES NEED DEMOLITION PERMITS. THE LANDMARK COMMISSION NEEDS TO REVIEW THIS. NANCY FIKE SHOWED THE FIRST RUN OF THE SLIDE SHOW FOR THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. SHE ASKED THE COMMISSION MEMBERS TO THINK ABOUT OTHER FACTS FOR THE NARRATION OF THE SLIDE SHOW. BARB BYRON MADE A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT AT 9:05 PM, CHRIS NOVAK SECONDED THE MOTION, AND IT CARRIED.