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.
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:
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.