Sangamon Sun

The Sangamon County Historic Preservation Commission met Dec. 7 to review the farmhouse survey.

Here are the meeting's minutes, as provided by the commission:

Minutes of Meeting Sangamon County Historic Preservation Commission December 7, 2016

Members Present: Chuck Pell, Chairman

Mike Brooks Jeanette Goza Jerry Jacobson Tina Lathan Aakash Raut James Schackmann Norm Sims Dean Williams

Members Absent: Bob Sherman, Vice Chairman

Staff Present: Emily Prather

Call to Order: A quorum being present, Chairman Pell called the meeting to order at 4:07 PM.

Approval of Minutes: Chairman Pell entertained a motion to approve the November minutes. A motion to approve the November minutes was made by Commissioner Schackmann and was seconded by Commissioner Lathan. The voice vote to approve was unanimous.

Chairman’s Report/Comments: Chairman Pell reported to the Commission that the Illinois Association of Historic Preservation Commissions (IAHPC) is holding their annual meeting on December 10, 2016, and the Sangamon County Historic Preservation Commission will be honored with an award for the Pre- Civil War Farmhouse Search project, and Chairman Pell will conduct a small presentation about the Farmhouse project and the Commission. Chairman Pell introduced a guest, Lauren Gibson, who is the Springfield Historic Sites Commission Coordinator, and she was considering attending the IAHPC’s Annual Meeting.

Committee Reports: None

Old Business: Sangamon County Barn Calendar: Chairman Pell discussed the barn calendar/book idea. Commissioner Brooks reported that he has not been able to get in touch with Karl Barnhart with Brandt about providing funding, and stated the Farm Bureau would most likely be able to provide office time and marketing help to promote the calendar/book. Commissioner Brooks stated the Commission could also approach FS since they work with the Farm Bureau. Chairman Pell asked if FS or Brandt already give out calendars to their customers, and Commissioner Brooks stated he believed they do give out calendars already which could be a conflict. Commissioner Brooks stated he has looked into the cost of creating an e-book and also wanted to note that printing paperback books are cheaper than hard cover. Chairman Pell stated that the Commission has discussed several times that calendars are not as popular as what they used to be so the Commission may have better luck creating a Sangamon County Barn Guide. Commissioner Sims stated if the Commission would be looking to create a book, it may be beneficial to see if IHPA (Illinois Historic Preservation Agency) or even the Illinois Department of Agriculture has any grants available for creating something like this. Commissioner Brooks stated that a book could be created by anyone with a computer with Publisher or InDesign, and maybe a student group could take on the task of helping create a barn book. Commissioner Williams would be happy to reach out to other photographers to take pictures of the various barns that would be featured in the book. Commissioner Brooks and Chairman Pell stated a press release could also be created asking for photo entries of barns in Sangamon County since there are a lot of freelance photographers out there. A general consensus was reached by the Commission that a press release to obtain photos would be a great idea, so Commissioner Brooks was going to work on drafting a press release before the next Commission meeting. The Commission will work on the Sangamon County Barn Book within the regular Commission meeting and will not create a special committee for this task.

Oldest Farmhouse Surveys: Commissioner Raut submitted a survey for the Galloway-Marvin Farmhouse.

Commissioner Goza has been working on a Farmhouse Survey and will send it to Chairman Pell and staff when she has it completed.

New Business: Commissioner Jacobson asked about whether the Commission should put out a press release about receiving the IAHPC Award. Chairman Pell stated he would check with Doug Kaarre if the IAHPC is already sending out a press release, and if they are not then the Commission could create one.

Initial Recommendation for New Landmark Applications: None

Member Reports: Commissioner Jacobson stated he is looking at the Churchill Cemetery in Clearlake Township and determining if it would be worthy of landmarking.

Commissioner Raut has completed one farmhouse survey and is going to be working on completing the other survey but wanted guidance since the other farmhouse entry did not provide a lot of detail.

Commissioner Schackmann stated he would not be able to attend the IAHPC’s Annual Meeting, but any Commissioner that is attending can send him photos so he can post them onto the Commission’s Facebook page.

Commissioner Brooks is working on completing surveys for the three farmhouses that were discussed in a previous meeting.

Staff Reports: Staff reported to the Commission that the zoning petition for the Caldwell Mansion that was discussed during last month’s meeting will go before the Sangamon County Board on Tuesday, December 13th. The zoning petition states the plan is to operate a bed and breakfast in the mansion and the single-family residence and have a tavern with a banquet hall in the barn on the property.

Public Comment: None

Additional Comments: None

Adjourn: Chairman Pell entertained a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Goza made a motion to adjourn the December meeting with Commissioner Brooks seconding the motion. The voice vote to approve was unanimous and the meeting adjourned at 4:50 PM.

Respectively submitted,

Emily Prather