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Record of Proceedings

Historic Commission Meeting - May 19, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, May 19, 2026
BodyJanesville, Wisconsin
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, May 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:22:58

Transcript — VerbatimClick a line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:06

Come to the Historic Commission meeting.

0:09

Um it is 5 p.m.

0:12

Call the meeting to order.

0:14

Um roll call, please.

0:16

Quorum.

0:18

Beer?

0:20

Kremers?

0:20

Your golf?

0:22

Here.

0:22

Griffith?

0:23

Here.

0:24

Terrell.

0:24

Here.

0:25

Conrad.

0:26

Absent.

0:27

Six present.

0:28

You have a quorum.

0:29

Thank you.

0:30

Item number three on our agenda comments from the public.

0:33

Did we receive any comments today?

0:35

We did not.

0:36

Thank you.

0:37

Item number four, approval of the minutes of our May 5th meeting.

0:42

Is there a motion to accept the minutes as presented?

0:47

Motion is made.

0:48

Second.

0:49

Second.

0:52

Any further discussion?

0:55

Hearing none, all those in favor of accepting the minutes of the May 5th meeting, please say aye.

1:00

Aye.

1:01

Opposed.

1:02

Hearing none, so moved.

1:04

Thank you.

1:06

Item number five under new business review certificate of appropriateness 2026-03 61618 East Milwaukee.

1:20

And I will turn it over to McKenzie.

1:24

Yep, I will discuss a little bit of the project scope.

1:28

So the project scope for this included enclosure of lead paint siding with house wrap and then placing vinyl sighting over top.

1:36

Vino window replacement and lead paint removal of the front porch columns.

1:51

So you can see in this case the project has been completed.

1:58

So these are images of before.

2:05

And then during and some after.

2:27

Staff were made aware of the project by a member of the public who noticed some work activity ongoing.

2:33

An inspection was conducted subsequently and a letter was sent to the property owner.

2:38

Staff communication with the owner, contractor, and other parties involved in the project, confirmed the need for historic commission review and a building permit, and that resulted in the application that's before you tonight.

2:52

The project originated with a written order from the Rock County Public Health Department requiring the property owner to complete certain lead hazard reduction work.

3:02

The property owner was also at that time made aware of a funding program available to assist with that work.

3:09

The funding program is administered by the state of Wisconsin using federal funds.

3:14

And because federal funds were used, the project was subject to a review requirement by the state historic preservation office, which reached a conditional finding of no adverse effect on historic properties.

3:28

And the results of that review are I believe you're in your packet for this evening.

3:33

So the project did proceed following State Historic Preservation Office review.

3:37

It was completed and it passed inspection and analysis by the public health department.

3:42

As noted in the staff report, we believe that the historic commission may not be in position to issue a certificate of appropriateness for a project of this scope.

3:53

But given the circumstances at hand, we feel that a denial of the request may also have detrimental effects.

4:22

One of these gentlemen, as well as the representative of the health department.

4:37

Sure.

4:39

So during our uh preliminary discussions regarding this project, if uh it came up that ultimately the proper process here was not followed.

5:00

Um, but it seemed as though the causative factor of that breakdown was due to um several administrative bodies and um leadership systems uh noticating that such a uh an additional review is necessary.

5:17

Um importantly, the state historical society made no indication whatsoever that a local historic preservation commission uh may also need to review this project.

5:30

Um and additionally, the um county health department also made no indication that a um certificate of appropriateness through the historic commission would be warranted.

5:44

Um and that those factors coupled with the um the factor that the project also did not get a building permit at all indicates a internal communicative breakdown here that I think ultimately is the the thing that should be rectified.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████83%
Zoning And Land Use█████9%
Arts And Culture██4%
Community Engagement██3%
Procedural█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Historic Commission Meeting - May 19, 2026

The Janesville Historic Commission convened on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting lasted until 6:22 PM and addressed a Certificate of Appropriateness for a completed lead hazard remediation project that bypassed proper review, continued discussions on the zoning code rewrite and the Tallman Arts Festival, and welcomed a new commissioner. Six members were present, constituting a quorum.

Consent Calendar

  • The minutes of the May 5, 2026, regular meeting were approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

Certificate of Appropriateness 2026-03 (616-618 E Milwaukee Street)

  • Project Description: The project involved encapsulation of lead-painted siding with house wrap and installation of vinyl siding, replacement of windows with vinyl units, and removal of lead paint from front porch columns. The work was completed in response to a Rock County Public Health Department order and was funded through a state-lead safe homes program using federal funds. The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) had issued a conditional finding of no adverse effect, but the project did not first obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Janesville Historic Commission or a building permit.
  • Discussion: Commissioners expressed concern that proper local review was not obtained. They noted a breakdown in communication among the SHPO, Rock County Public Health Department, and the city. The property owner (Stephen Hessness) stated he had informed all parties that the house was in the historic district but was told the necessary approvals were handled. The contractor (a project manager for the company performing the work) acknowledged that his company relied on SHPO guidance and did not know local commission review was required. A representative of a nonprofit weatherization organization (also a grantee of the Lead Safe Homes program) testified that the state Department of Health Services has implemented a new process requiring grantees to inform local historic preservation commissions before work begins. Commissioners debated whether to deny the COA, approve it conditionally, or take no action. Most commissioners concluded that while the process was flawed, the property owner acted in good faith and removing the work would create further hazards. They ultimately preferred a "no action" route, which would trigger a statement of waiver by staff within 30 days. Concerns about setting a precedent led to a directive to document the reasons in meeting minutes and to communicate with SHPO to prevent recurrence.
  • Key Votes/Decisions: No motion was made on the COA request. Staff will issue a statement of waiver as prescribed by the zoning ordinance. The commission also directed staff to send a letter to SHPO requesting notification of any future projects within Janesville's historic overlay district, and to attach the meeting minutes to the waiver for context.

Continued Discussion on City of Janesville Zoning Code Rewrite

  • Commissioners reviewed the proposed draft sections of the updated zoning code related to historic districts. They discussed minor typographical errors (e.g., missing "s" on "day") and the designation of a "plan commission" vs. "planning commission." Staff clarified that the historic preservation commission would be added to the municipal code under boards, commissions, and committees, with a designated staff liaison replacing the former secretary role. Commissioners raised the ongoing challenge of informing prospective homebuyers about the historic overlay district's requirements. Ideas included improved outreach to real estate agents, letters to current property owners, and leveraging the city's online mapping system. Staff noted that a zero-fee permit process already exists for work not requiring a building permit, and that building division staff flag overlay district addresses when permits are sought. The discussion will continue at future meetings.

Continued Discussion on the Tallman Arts Festival

  • Commissioner (who attended the Rock County Historical Society annual meeting) reported that the historical society is open to the commission having a table at the festival entrance. Details on volunteer scheduling were discussed: one-hour time slots worked well previously, and staff will circulate an availability request. The commission plans to display walking tour books, maps, and historical materials. Commissioners were encouraged to sign up for multiple shifts.

Key Outcomes

  • Certificate of Appropriateness 2026-03: No action taken; staff will issue a statement of waiver with an attachment referencing the meeting minutes and will send a letter to SHPO requesting improved notification. The commission will not require removal of the completed work.
  • Zoning Code Rewrite: Continued feedback to be provided; staff will share updated drafts and opportunities for input at an open house in June.
  • Tallman Arts Festival: Volunteer schedule to be organized by email; materials inventory to be conducted.
  • New Commissioner: Gabriel Coro, a UW Madison student, was welcomed to the commission.
  • Next Meeting: Scheduled for June 2, 2026, at 5:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Come to the Historic Commission meeting. Um it is 5 p.m. Call the meeting to order. Um roll call, please. Quorum. Beer? Kremers? Your golf? Here. Griffith? Here. Terrell. Here. Conrad. Absent. Six present. You have a quorum. Thank you. Item number three on our agenda comments from the public. Did we receive any comments today? We did not. Thank you. Item number four, approval of the minutes of our May 5th meeting. Is there a motion to accept the minutes as presented? Motion is made. Second. Second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor of accepting the minutes of the May 5th meeting, please say aye. Aye. Opposed. Hearing none, so moved. Thank you. Item number five under new business review certificate of appropriateness 2026-03 61618 East Milwaukee. And I will turn it over to McKenzie. Yep, I will discuss a little bit of the project scope. So the project scope for this included enclosure of lead paint siding with house wrap and then placing vinyl sighting over top. Vino window replacement and lead paint removal of the front porch columns. So you can see in this case the project has been completed. So these are images of before. And then during and some after. Staff were made aware of the project by a member of the public who noticed some work activity ongoing. An inspection was conducted subsequently and a letter was sent to the property owner. Staff communication with the owner, contractor, and other parties involved in the project, confirmed the need for historic commission review and a building permit, and that resulted in the application that's before you tonight. The project originated with a written order from the Rock County Public Health Department requiring the property owner to complete certain lead hazard reduction work. The property owner was also at that time made aware of a funding program available to assist with that work. The funding program is administered by the state of Wisconsin using federal funds. And because federal funds were used, the project was subject to a review requirement by the state historic preservation office, which reached a conditional finding of no adverse effect on historic properties. And the results of that review are I believe you're in your packet for this evening. So the project did proceed following State Historic Preservation Office review.

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