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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 8/7/2001 - Landmark Commission 1 THE CITY OF MCHENRY LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 7, 2001 THE MEETING WAS CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:26 PM BY CHAIRPERSON GREG LOFGREN AT THE MUNICIPAL CENTER. MEMBERS PRESENT INCLUDED: JUDY FRANKS, MERLE JANSSEN, DAWN JOHNSON, GREG LOFGREN, HANK NELL, PAT SCHAFER, GRETCHEN THOMAS, SHELLY TROST, ILENE WIEDEMANN, AND LORI WILHELM. MEMBERS ABSENT: NONE GUEST PRESENT: SUE HENDRICKSON, SUSAN KOTOMSKI, AND KAREN JAMES. DAWN JOHNSON MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JULY 3, 2001 MEETING. PAT SCHAFER SECONDED THE MOTION. NO DISCUSSION OR CORRECTIONS WERE NOTED, AND THE MOTION CARRIED. GREG LOFGREN REPORTED THAT THE BALANCE IN THE GENERAL FUND STANDS AT $31110.00. EXPENSES REPORTED WERE AS FOLLOWS: MICHAEL'S BISTRO-$380.00,MCHENRY COUNTY DEPT. OF HEALTH-$60.00, MURPHY'S TENTS-$1,650.00, K'S INVESTIGATION AND SECURITY-$300.00, MINUTEMAN PRESS-$79.00, AND OTHER REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES OF $420.82. THESE EXPENSES WERE INCURRED FOR FAMILY HERITAGE DAYS, JUNE 23-24, 2001. THE �-- FACADE GRANT BUDGET STANDS AT $12,800.00. HANK NELL MOVED TO ACCEPT THE BUDGET REPORT, DAWN JOHNSON SECONDED THE MOTION, AND THE MOTION CARRIED. THERE IS STILL SURVEY WORK TO DO ON WAUKEGAN AND MAIN STREET. GREG AND SHELLY WILL MAKE A TAPE OF SURVEY PROCEDURES. THEY WILL SCHEDULE A CONVENIENT TIME. SEVERAL MEMBERS INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN GOING ALONG. ONCE A TIME IS SELECTED MEMBERS WILL BE CALLED. ONCE THIS PROCEDURE IS DONE THE COMMISSION SHOULD CONTINUE WITH SURVEY WORK. A CHECK FOR$1,000.00 WAS GIVEN TO THE CITY TO HELP DEFRAY COSTS IN BUILDING A REPLICA OF THE SPRING HOUSE ON MAIN STREET IN THE POCKET PARK BEHIND WALGREENS. HANK NELL HAS BEEN WORKING ON THIS AND STATED THAT THE AMOUNT TO REPRODUCE THE REPLICA IS APPROXIMATELY $4, 532.00. THE COMMISSION'S GENERAL FEELING WAS THAT CENTRUM HAS NOT MADE A LARGE ENOUGH COMMITMENT. ONE POSSIBLE IDEA WAS APPROACHING THE HIGH SCHOOL TRADE CLASS TO SEE IF THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE PROJECT. WALKING TOURS CONDUCTED ON SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2001 AND WEDNESDAY JULY 18,2001 WERE VERY WELL ATTENDED. THERE WERE OVER 75 WALKERS. GREG LOFGREN WOULD LIKE TO THANK GRETCH THOMAS FOR INVITING THE GROUP INTO HER HISTORIC HOME. PAT SCHAFER AND SHELLY TROST MENTIONED AGAIN THE NEED FOR A PORTABLE PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM. THE KAREOKE MACHINE ON THE CART WAS NOT THE BEST. GREG WILL CHECK ON SYSTEMS WHEN HE ATTENDS THE PRESERVATION CONFERENCE IN SEPTEMBER. THE COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO THANK PAT SCHAFER FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THE VERY INTERESTING SET OF PHOTOS FOR THE RIVERSIDE, ELM AND GREEN STREET TOURS AND FOR THE VERY INNOVATIVE PRESENTATION DEVICE. GREG THANKED ALL OF THE MEMBERS FOR THEIR ATTENDANCE AND HELP AT THE TOURS. GREG LOFGREN ASKED THE COMMISSION TO BEGIN A GENERAL DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE JUNE 23-24, 2001 HERITAGE DAYS. COMMENTS WERE INFORMATIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE. THERE WERE TOO MANY OTHER EVENTS GOING ON IN THE COUNTY THAT WEEKEND WHICH CAUSED A CONFLICT. POSSIBLY WE SHOULD CHANGE DATES AND NOT FOLLOW THE STATE DATES FOR THIS EVENT. THE FAMILY HERITAGE DAYS DOES NOT HAVE TO HAVE AN AGRICULTURAL THEME EVERY YEAR. IT WAS FELT THAT FOR ANY EVENT MORE PLANNING TIME IS NEED, START PLANNING EARLIER. THE COMMISSION NEEDS TO FOCUS THESE EVENTS ON THE HISTORIC AREAS OF MCHENRY, FOR EXAMPLE MAIN STREET OR THE RIVER. THE EVENT DOES NOT NEED TO BE TWO DAYS LONG, THE EVENT COULD BE JUST ONE DAY TO FOCUS ON A SPECIFIC EVENT OR SITE. MORE TIME AND PLANNING FOR PR, MEDIA AND SIGNAGE, POSSIBLY �-- BUILD MONIES INTO THE BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR THE FISCAL YEAR SPECIFICLY FOR HERITAGE DAYS. BETTER COORDINATION OF SPEAKERS, GAMES, AND OTHER ACTIVITIES. FOOD SHOULD BE CLOSER TO THE MAIN TENT AND BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR FAMILIES. THERE NEEDS TO BE AN AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM. THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE "DRAWS" TO BRING IN THE CROWDS. THERE NEEDS TO BE A BETTER SYSTEM TO RECORD NUMBER OF PEOPLE ATTENDING. HANK NELL LOOKED AT THE FOUNDATION OF THE HOUSE AT GREEN AND JOHN STREETS. HIS OPINION WAS THAT THE OLD FOUNDATION DID NOT INDICATE THE HISTORIC AGE THE COMMISSION IS LOOKING FOR. WHEN THE SIDING ON THE PRESENT STRUCTURE COMES OFF THE COMMISSION WILL BE INTERESTED 1N LOOKING AT THE INTERIOR WALL CONSTRUCTION. GREG LOFGREN THANKED COMMISSION MEMBERS FOR THEIR PHONE RESPONSE CONCERNING THE DEMOTION OF THE STRUCTURE AT 711 COUNTRY CLUB DRIVE. THE PHONE VOTE RESULTED IN A LETTER TO THE CITY STATING THE COMMIISSION VOTED 7 YES, 1 NO AND 2 ABSTENTIONS NOT TO DENY DEMOLITION. PAT SCHAFER WILL TRY TO DO SOME HISTORY. NANCY FIKE STATED THERE ARE TWO SUMMER COTTAGES IN THIS AREA THAT NEED TO BE PROTECTED, AS THEY REMAIN FAIRLY ORIGINAL, THE LILLY AND HACK COTTAGES. 3 THE CHAIRMAN MENTIONED THE DATE FOR TURNING IN INFORMATION FOR THE CITY NEWSLETTER WAS AUGUST 10, 2001. INFORMATION ON THE WALKING TOURS WILL BE TURNED IN TO THE CITY CLERK. GRE LOFGREN STATED THAT THE PRESERVATION CONFERENCE SWILL BE HELD IN SPRINGFIELD, SEPTEMBER 13-15, 2001. GREG ATTENDED THE CONFERENCE IN QUINCY TWO YEARS AGO AND FOUND IT INTERESTING AND VALUABLE. HE ENCOURAGED MEMBERS TO ATTEND. NO REGISTRATION INFORMATION HAS BEEN SENT OUT YET, BUT WHEN IT COMES IT WILL BE COPIED AND SENT TO MEMBERS. GREG LOFGREN QUESTIONED MEMBERS ON WHETHER THEY HAD HEARD OF ANY PLANS FOR A STAND ALONE OSCO DRUG AT THE CORNER OF CHAPEL HILL AND 120. HE HAS A PLAT MAP FOR THIS BUT DOES NOT KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM OR WHY HE HAS IT. HANK NELL MOVED THAT THE $20.00 ANNUAL DUES FOR THE MCHENRY COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY BE PAID. GRETCHEN THOMAS SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. GREG LOFGREN WILL HAVE THE CITY SEND THE CHECK. SHELLY TROST MADE A MOTION FOR THE COMMISSION TO SPEND $25.00 TO �-' PURCHASE A BRICK FOR THE COMMEMORATIVE WALK AT LANDMARK SCHOOL, AS IT CHANGES TO A YEAR-ROUND FACILITY. THE MOTION WAS SECONDED BY PAT SCHAFER. THE MOTION PASSED 9 YES AND 1 NO. GREG LOFGREN MENTIONED SOME UPCOMING EVENTS THERE IS A CONFERENCE CALLED QUINCY PRESERVES BEING HELD SEPTEMBER 22-23, 2001, IN QUINCY, IL. THE CITY OF HUNTLEY IS CELEBRATING THEIR 150 BIRTHDAY. THERE IS A HOUSE TOUR SCHEDULE FOR AUGUST 18, 2001. SIX STRUCTURES WILL BE OPEN TO TOUR, A COST OF $10.00 PER PERSON WILL BE CHARGED. A FACADE GRANT APPLICATION WAS TURNED IN FOR CINNAMON CREEK ON RIVERSIDE DRIVE FOR AWNINGS. THE COMMISSION FELT THAT THE APPLICATION WAS NOT PROPERLY COMPLETED. NOTES FOR PROPER COMPLETION WERE MADE ON THE COVER LETTER AND RETURNED TO THE MAYOR FOR RESUBMISSION. THE COMMISSION'S INTEREST IS IN PRESERVING THE INTEGRITY OF THE STRUCTURE. MEMBERS ARE ASKED TO LOOK AT THE BUILDING AND EVALUATE THE FRONT FACADE, ESPECIALLY, FOR NEEDED REPAIRS IN BRICK WORK, DOORS , WINDOWS AND OTHER STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS TO PRESERVE THE FACADE. IF THERE IS NO NEED FOR PHYSICAL REPAIRS TO THE STRUCTURE THEN THE APPLICATION FOR AWNINGS WILL BE CONSIDERED. y SHELLY TROST ASKED WHY THE COMMISSION IS NOT INVOLVED IN HELPING TO PICK CITY STICKERS. DAWN JOHNSON WILL INVESTIGATE THE PURCHASE OF A DIGITAL CAMERA AND WORK WITH THE CITY STAFF FOR PURCHASING. A WORKING TAPE RECORDER IS NEEDED FOR MEETINGS IN ORDER FOR STAFF TO TRANSCRIBE MINUTES. LORI WILHELM MOVED FOR ADJOURNMENT AT 9:11PM, DAWN JOHNSON SECONDED THE MOTION, AND THE MOTION CARRIED.