OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Janesville Historic Commission Meeting - January 20, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BodyJanesville, Wisconsin
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, January 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 33:06

Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

Good evening and welcome to the January 20th Historic Commission meeting.

0:12

It's five o'clock.

0:13

Call meeting to order.

0:15

Can see, would you please do roll call?

0:17

Griffh?

0:18

Here.

0:19

Crummers, your clan.

0:24

Conrad?

0:25

Here.

0:26

Go?

0:27

Here.

0:28

Terrell?

0:29

Here.

0:30

Hansen?

0:32

Have so.

0:34

We have five present.

0:35

You have a call.

0:37

Thank you.

0:38

Item number three, uh, comments from the public.

0:42

Um, did we receive any like I think?

0:45

No comments.

0:46

No comments, thank you.

0:47

Um we've got an item number four approval of the minutes of the December 16th and 2025 regular meeting.

0:54

Um, is there a motion to accept the minutes as presented?

0:58

I'll move to accept the minutes and then is there a second?

1:02

A second.

1:03

Thank you.

1:04

Any further discussion?

1:06

Hearing none, all those in favor, please say aye.

1:09

Aye.

1:10

Opposed.

1:11

So moved.

1:12

I passed.

1:17

Oh I'm sorry.

1:18

I passed.

1:19

Oh, you passed.

1:20

Okay.

1:20

I wasn't happy.

1:21

You abstained.

1:22

Yes.

1:23

Okay.

1:24

Moving on to item number five, new business, discussion of the East Bank Riverwalk Lighting Project.

1:32

Um Mackenzie, are you going to walk us through this?

1:35

I'll start with a brief overview and we'll have people in the audience that can help kind of describe it more detailed.

1:42

Okay, great.

1:42

Thank you.

1:43

So you have had a few of these in the past as Section 106.

1:49

Um, you know, invitation to comment.

1:52

And so again, federal agencies are required to account for potential impacts on historic properties.

1:59

So it is up to the historic commission if you want to respond.

2:02

Um so for this project, you can see the project extent is in this kind of purplish pink um marker right here along the rock river.

2:16

And essentially what they're going to do is replace current um polls with updated light poles.

2:23

And so I have some images of what those will look like later on.

2:29

But here is a map of the historic districts that are around this project extent.

2:37

Um the project extent is in that blue dashed line, and then you can see in those brighter colors the different historic districts.

2:46

I also turned on the parks because the lights will be inside some of these different park areas.

2:54

And then I did indicate in red a few individually listed properties.

3:06

And then here is kind of existing versus proposed lighting, so you can see these images, what is currently there and what will replace those lights?

3:22

And then here's just another map kind of detailing replacement lights as well as proposed new light fixtures.

3:36

And then the staff who are working on this project are here to discuss if you have any further questions.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████57%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████15%
Community Engagement██████████13%
Procedural█████████11%
Public Engagement███4%
Summary of Proceedings

Janesville Historic Commission Meeting

Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 Time: 5:00 PM – 5:33 PM Location: City Hall, Council Chambers, 18 N. Jackson Street, Janesville, WI

Meeting called to order at 5:00 PM by Chair. Roll call confirmed five members present (Griffith, Crummers, Conrad, Go, Terrell; Hansen abstained on roll call? One member abstained from approval of minutes). The meeting covered approval of prior minutes, a federally funded riverwalk lighting project, public outreach activities, and planning for historic preservation award programs.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes – December 16, 2025: Motion to approve carried with one abstention. (No other consent items.)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public provided comment, either in person or via written submission.

Discussion Items

  • East Bank Riverwalk Lighting Project (Section 106 Review): Staff presented plans to replace existing concrete light poles and bollards with new painted aluminum LED light poles along the Rock River near several historic districts. The project is funded through the federal Carbon Reduction Program, administered by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). City Assistant Engineer Anna B. Jack confirmed that funding for state fiscal year 2026 is secure, though later phases (2028) are less certain. The commission discussed: removal of electrical outlets from poles (stated reason: safety and to discourage congregation/charging); potential for increased light pollution from omnidirectional poles vs. directional bollards; and the new poles’ aesthetically more historic design. Multiple commissioners expressed support, noting the new fixtures match existing pedestrian-scale lighting on Main Street and will be more attractive. The chair directed staff to submit a positive comment to the reviewing agency.

  • Public Outreach and Calendar of Annual Activities: Staff reported sending a welcome packet to a new property owner at 315 E. Home Street (no response yet). A commission member volunteered to follow up. The group also discussed establishing contacts with local Realtor associations; another member offered to work with staff on messaging. The calendar of activities was reviewed; members agreed to rely on a digital PDF and update as needed, removing calendar review from future agendas.

  • Historic Preservation Award Programs: The commission reviewed three award opportunities:

    1. Board of Curators Awards (under $2.5 million category) – The St. Patrick’s Church project was identified as a potential candidate. A commissioner requested the application form to start conversations, as the work must have been completed within the last two years.
    2. Historic Preservation Excellence Awards – The commission showed interest in the Advocacy category. Staff will share links and application details.
    3. Local Historic Preservation Award Program – Staff reviewed prior nomination forms (last awarded in 2024). Members suggested adding optional photo uploads and ensuring property owner awareness. The group agreed to continue the local program for 2026, with proclamations, press releases, and social media posts. Staff will investigate obtaining past video highlights from JATV.

Key Outcomes

  • Lighting Project Comment: The commission voted (by consensus) to submit a positive formal comment on the East Bank Riverwalk Lighting Project, noting aesthetic improvements and support for the design.
  • Public Outreach: A commissioner will personally contact the new property owner at 315 E. Home Street. Staff will assist in developing a Realtor outreach message.
  • Award Applications: Staff will provide application links for the Board of Curators and Excellence Awards. A commissioner will begin exploring the St. Patrick’s nomination. Local award details (optional photos, timeline) will be finalized ahead of a typical March launch.
  • Next Meeting: Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 5:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the January 20th Historic Commission meeting. It's five o'clock. Call meeting to order. Can see, would you please do roll call? Griffh? Here. Crummers, your clan. Conrad? Here. Go? Here. Terrell? Here. Hansen? Have so. We have five present. You have a call. Thank you. Item number three, uh, comments from the public. Um, did we receive any like I think? No comments. No comments, thank you. Um we've got an item number four approval of the minutes of the December 16th and 2025 regular meeting. Um, is there a motion to accept the minutes as presented? I'll move to accept the minutes and then is there a second? A second. Thank you. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed. So moved. I passed. Oh I'm sorry. I passed. Oh, you passed. Okay. I wasn't happy. You abstained. Yes. Okay. Moving on to item number five, new business, discussion of the East Bank Riverwalk Lighting Project. Um Mackenzie, are you going to walk us through this? I'll start with a brief overview and we'll have people in the audience that can help kind of describe it more detailed. Okay, great. Thank you. So you have had a few of these in the past as Section 106. Um, you know, invitation to comment. And so again, federal agencies are required to account for potential impacts on historic properties. So it is up to the historic commission if you want to respond.

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