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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 3/4/2003 - Landmark Commission • The City of McHenry Landmark Commission Meeting Minutes March 4, 2003 The meeting was called to order at 7:17 PM by Pat Schafer at the McHenry Municipal Center. Members present: Marya Dixon, Karen James,Merle Janssen, Pat Schafer, Dawn Johnson, Gretchen Thomas and Sue Hendrickson. Members absent: Greg Lofgren, Judy Franks, Ilene Wiedemann, Lori Wilhelm. • February 11,2003 Meeting Minutes: Marya Dixon moved to approve the minutes of the February 11, 2003 meeting. Sue Hendrickson seconded no discussions and the motion carried. Treasurer's Report: The following was discussed: Dawn Johnson will send a memo to Mayor Althoff regarding the credits that were to be applied to the treasurer's report that she agreed to at the February 2003 meeting. Gretchen Thomas moved to approve the treasurer's report; Marya Dixon seconded the motion carried. Facade Grant Report: Dawn Johnson moved to approve the Façade Grant Report, Gretchen Thomas seconded,there was no discussion and the motion carried. Business: Petersen Barn and Silos: Marya Dixon reported that she and Greg Lofgren attended the February 13, 2003 Parks and Recreation departments monthly meeting. This meeting takes place on the second Thursday of each month. The department is pleased that the Landmark Commission will be assisting them with the Petersen Farm. The city of McHenry will be taking over the property in early May, after the auction takes place in April. During the meeting a resolution was passed to keep the property as a historical farm. Pat Schafer suggested that a member of the Landmark Commission be available for all meetings that the Parks and Recreation department have concerning the Petersen Farm. A number of members agreed to assist. CLG: The correct copy of the McHenry Preservation Ordinance was obtained by Pat Schafer from Doug Martin; copies were made and distributed to the Landmark commissioner's for their review. A copy was also sent down to Catherine O'Connor at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. She will review and determine if McHenry's ordinance will meet the State Historic Preservation Office's requirements as specified in the Certified Local Government regulations. Commissioner Sue Hendrickson's resume is the only paperwork that is holding up city staff from submitting the official application to the state. A copy was obtained and Sue will submit it to city staff as soon as possible. Historic District Survey: Discussion regarding the survey replies and how to move forward. Various points were reviewed by members. The first being all members must review the ordinance and the plaque program to enable them to answer any questions that the public may ask. It was also determined that a thank you note will be sent to those homeowners that replied, with a follow up in the form of a newsletter to the entire proposed area. A sub-committee will be assembled to simplify the ordinance, and highlight the most frequently asked questions and `-- concerns of homeowners. 1 Resident Interview Forms: Gretchen Thomas has presented a draft copy of the interview forms. Dawn Johnson will have copies sent by city staff to all members to review. Coloring Book: Marya Dixon gave hard copies of the drawings to Sue Hendrickson for another "mock up"of the coloring book. Gretchen Thomas and Sue Hendrickson will get together to complete the next phase of the process. Sponsorship was further discussed. Gretchen Thomas suggested that the major businesses in McHenry be contacted for donations via a letter with a reply date. Pat Schafer suggested that the president of the local business association be asked to present it to business owners and ask for donations. It was also suggested that local stores may purchase the book and sell it directly to the public. All of these avenues will be attempted to offset the printing cost. Sub Committee Reports: No reports at this time. Development Guide: This was tabled until April's meeting Other: Dawn Johnson reported that a memo was sent to Mayor Althoff with a copy to Pete Merkel of the Parks and Recreation department regarding covering the Petersen Farm silos. No reply to the request has been received. New Business: Demolition Requests: A request from Doug Martin regarding the following properties was received. 3903 John St. and 921 N. Front St. submitted a request for demolition. After reviewing the pictures sent by Doug the commission made the following motion: Gretchen Thomas made a motion not to deny the demolition request for 3903 John St. and 921 N. Front St. Merle Janssen seconded no further discussion and the motion carried. Doug also asked on the status of our decision on the Krumholz property and the Jack Franks building at 4104 W. Elm St. The members of the commission would like to view each of these properties; Pat Schafer will set up a date as soon as possible. It was also reported by Pat that she was in contact with a Ruth Wohmrade who is familiar with the Krumholz property and has volunteered to submit a history to the commission. Dawn Johnson will send a memo to Doug by March 5, 2003 to update him on the status. Official Plaque Status: Gretchen Thomas reported that at this time she is reviewing her options of plaguing her home. She would like to see the Historic District in place prior to individual plaguing. The plaque paperwork was also sent to a number of interested homeowners throughout McHenry. We are awaiting calls for assistance or completed paperwork from them. A follow up by members will ensue. McHenry Walking Tour Brochure: Marya Dixon and Gretchen Thomas will review the draft of the revised walking tour brochure. Changes will be given to Dawn Johnson and a new copy will be created. Doug Martin will be contacted for the city map to be inserted highlighting the properties. 2 Chamber of Commerce: Pat Schafer reported that the Chamber of Commerce will give the Landmark Commission article space in their annual year in review that is distributed through the local newspaper. She also noted that the Chamber would be happy to distribute the new walking tour brochure through their office. Karen James motioned for adjournment at 9:04 pm, seconded by Marya Dixon, no further discussion and the motion carried. 3 Re: Possible Return to Original Boundaries of Proposed Main Street Historic District The proposed Main Street Historic District originally included the north side of Waukegan Road from Third Street to Green Street, which included Landmark School. Mayor Althoff removed this area from our proposal because she feared it would interfere with the formation of the T.I.F. District. The T.I.F. District is now in place. There are other locations in our region where the boundaries of a T.I.F. District and Historic District have successfully overlapped. Mayor Althoff will be resigning soon to focus on her new position, and we are no longer able to rely on her good intentions to protect Landmark School. I suggest we realign the Main Street Historic District proposal to include the north side of Waukegan Road from Greet Street to Third Street. The original proposal also included the south side of Waukegan Road from Green Street to the Carey Electric Building. I propose we include this area as originally planned because it includes East Campus High School and several historic homes east of the school. East Campus was recently remuddled with less than optimal results. I would like to insure that no further harm comes to what was once a beautiful building.