McHenry Times

City of McHenry Landmark Commission met Sept. 7.

Here are the minutes provided by the commission:

Roll Call

Landmark Chairwoman Beth Staley called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Members present: Beth Staley, Zelinda Paluch, Pamela Kellogg, Thomas Hillier, Robin Schmidt, Jeff Varda, Mary Kay Welter, Bettye Sowinski. Members absent: Celeste Heidemann

Approval of Minutes

A motion was made by Zelinda Paluch and seconded by Jeff Varda to approve the minutes of the August 2, 2022 regular meeting minutes. Voice Vote: 8-ayes, 0-nay, 1-absent. Motion carried.

Green Street Project

Members of the Commission gave updates on their research for the Green Street project. Jeff Varda gave updates on the Gladstone property. Beth Staley explained that some files at Petersen Farm show surveys already done for many Green Street properties. It was discussed if those surveys were architectural in nature, contained pictures, or had property history included. Robin Schmidt explained that many property owners in the past were resistant to getting a business district established because they did not want to be restricted on what could happen to their properties. The Commission is now focused on the history of the properties and getting the appropriate properties Landmark status. Landmark members should concentrate on getting their research done by the end of the year.

National Registry Plaque

The stone has been completed at the farm. It was discussed if a celebration should be planned at the farm for the honor. Jeff Varda suggested having people with experiences on the farm come and talk to share and record their stories.

Display Cases

The City’s Parks & Downtown Department will inspect the display cases and have them repaired, painted, and re-locked by the end of the year.

Petersen Farm Key

Beth Staley has a key to the gate at Petersen Farm if anybody needs to access that property. Brochures – Update, QR Code, and Reprint

The brochures need to be updated and given a QR code. It was suggested that each of the plaqued buildings be visited to see what condition they are in and if repairs need to be made. Beth Staley distributed a list of plaqued buildings and Commission members chose which landmarks they would visit to fill out a survey on for their conditions. Pam Kellogg will go through the brochures and make sure they are updated.

Travel Kit

Thomas Hillier has binders full of handouts for the walking tours, information about Ignite, and a lot of pictures. Pam Kellogg suggested that all of the files get scanned in so everybody could access them as needed. I was suggested that a computer be placed at Petersen Farm to make it easier to scan the items in. One issue is that there is no internet access at the farm. Another use for the computer could be to load a visual program for visitors to watch about the history of the farm.

Jeff Varda suggested a scanner be purchased so that Landmark members could start scanning documents. Commission members debated the topic and if this should be tabled for future discussion. A motion was made by Jeff Varda and seconded by Mary Kay Welter to purchase an Epson Perfection V39 color scanner from Office Depot. Roll Call Vote: 6-ayes: Jeff Varda, Mary Kay Welter, Beth Staley, Zelinda Paluch, Pamela Kellogg, Thomas Hiller. 1-nay: Robin Schmidt. 1-abstain: Bettye Sowinski. 1-absent: Celeste Heidemann. Motion carried.

Jeff Varda explained that even though Pat Schaefer is no longer an official voting member of the Landmark Commission, he feels that she needs to hold some sort of official title. He stated that she has unmeasurable amounts of history and knowledge of McHenry and she can still be a valuable resource. A motion was made by jeff Varda and seconded by Mary Kay Welter to give Patricia Schaefer honorary status as a member emeritus on the Landmark Commission. Voice Vote: 8-ayes, 0-nay, 1-absent. Motion carried.

Adjourn

A motion was made by Mary Kay Welter and seconded by Jeff Varda to adjourn at 8:01 p.m. Voice Vote: 8-ayes, 0-nay, 1-absent. Motion carried.

https://cms8.revize.com/revize/mchenryil/Document_Center/BoardDocs/Landmark/9-7-22%20Landmark%20Minutes.pdf