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Record of Proceedings

Historic Commission Meeting - September 15, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, September 15, 2026
BodyJanesville, Wisconsin
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, September 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 57:38

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:01

Welcome to the uh September 15th Historic Commission meeting.

0:06

Um called the meeting to order.

0:10

Roll call.

0:19

Conrad.

0:20

Six present.

0:21

You have a quorum.

0:22

Thank you.

0:23

Item number three on our agenda comments from the public.

0:26

Did we receive any comments today?

0:28

We did not.

0:29

Thank you.

0:30

Item number four, approval of the minutes of the September 1, 2026 regular meeting.

0:35

Is there a motion to accept the minutes as presented?

0:40

Is there a second?

0:44

Thank you.

0:46

First and second.

0:47

Is there any further discussion?

0:51

Hearing none, all those in favor of approving the minutes of the September 1 historic commission meeting minutes.

0:59

Please say aye.

1:00

Aye.

1:00

Aye.

1:01

Opposed.

1:02

Hearing none.

1:03

So moved.

1:04

All right.

1:05

Item number five, new business.

1:08

Mitch, I will turn it over to you.

1:10

Yes.

1:11

Taking over for Chairman Griffa.

1:14

We will move on to new business.

1:15

Review of certificate of appropriateness 2026-10, 623 East Court Street.

1:22

Commissioners Kremers and Conrad.

1:24

Would you like to take it away?

1:26

Go ahead, Jake.

1:27

Okay.

1:28

We are looking at a replacement here of the two front steps on this house.

1:35

The homeowner, Mr.

1:37

Griffa, is going to have these removed, uh, have new concrete pilings poured and then rebuild to match the original.

1:45

Um there's some question, I guess, about these uh horse.

1:50

What do you call it?

1:51

Post that's sitting here in the front hitching post.

1:54

There we go.

1:55

Um he has a second one, he may be trying to put a second one installed, but otherwise he's trying to faithfully reproduce the steps as they currently appear.

2:05

And can I presume that the hitching post was not original?

2:10

No.

2:14

Uh yes, if you could please please uh attend the podium and introduce yourself.

2:22

Name is Dale Griffa address is 623 East Court Street.

2:26

Um no, it was not original to the um there was there were no handrails, there was um nothing um on the house originally, it was just the two the two steps.

2:38

Okay, and also safe to presume that the wood is not original either.

2:44

Um I would doubt that.

2:46

Yes, yes.

2:49

But um, you know, just to share, I was um I was hoping that Jeff was going to be here.

2:55

Um but we looked at a potentially a composite, and I did not like it at all.

3:00

And I wanted to go with the tongue and groove with the Douglas fur, which will be um stained um the same color, the black so uh question further question about the hitching post, which we discussed with you when we were there.

3:19

I wasn't aware that it was not original.

3:21

Do you have an idea what its age is and how long it's been in the house or on the house?

3:28

I have no idea if the two owners ago had um had put it on at some point because of her um it poor health.

3:38

She may have uh had it installed for her use to to be able to get up the up the steps.

3:45

And the one that you're considering adding as well, is it a matching?

3:50

Oh, yes, I have to.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████71%
Public Engagement████████13%
Zoning And Land Use████6%
Procedural███5%
Governance Structure███5%
Summary of Proceedings

Historic Commission Meeting - September 15, 2026

The Janesville Historic Commission met on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 5:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting addressed two Certificates of Appropriateness, discussed public outreach strategies, and voted to prepare comments on proposed changes to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The meeting adjourned at 5:57 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the September 1, 2026 regular meeting were approved unanimously (all ayes, no opposition).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No written or oral public comments were received.

Discussion Items

  • New Business – Certificate of Appropriateness 2026-10 (623 E Court St): Applicant Dale Griffa proposed replacing the two front steps with new concrete pilings and Douglas fir tongue-and-grove steps stained black to match the original. A hitching post on the property was confirmed not original. The commission approved the COA unanimously.
  • Old Business – Certificate of Appropriateness 2026-09 (120 S Division St): Commissioner McKenzie reviewed the applicant's investigation into alternative fascia materials. Applicant John Weber reported that using LP SmartSide would cost approximately $7,000, exceeding his budget. The commission discussed three options: (1) aluminum wrapping, (2) retaining existing wood with spot replacement and painting, and (3) using LP materials. The commission favored option 2 and moved to approve the COA contingent on using that approach. The motion passed unanimously.
  • Old Business – Continued Discussion on Public Outreach: Commissioners discussed ways to improve public awareness and contractor compliance in the historic district, including creating an FAQ document, developing a list of contractors willing to work on historic properties, and proactively contacting contractors. No formal vote was taken; staff will research best practices from other communities.
  • Old Business – Continued Discussion on Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA): Commissioner Beer (absent) submitted an email strongly opposing all proposed rule changes to Section 106. The commission voted unanimously to prepare a formal comment to the Federal Register objecting to the proposed changes, to copy Wisconsin congressional and senate representatives, and to consider meeting directly with elected officials. Commissioners Beer and Grammers will draft the comment for review before the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • COA 2026-10 approved (unanimous).
  • COA 2026-09 approved with a condition to use existing wood with spot replacement and painting (unanimous).
  • Section 106 comment prepared: The commission voted unanimously to draft and submit a comment opposing the proposed rule changes, to be reviewed by the commission before the October 6, 2026 meeting.
  • Next regular meeting: Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 5:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the uh September 15th Historic Commission meeting. Um called the meeting to order. Roll call. Conrad. 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 the September 1, 2026 regular meeting. Is there a motion to accept the minutes as presented? Is there a second? Thank you. First and second. Is there any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor of approving the minutes of the September 1 historic commission meeting minutes. Please say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed. Hearing none. So moved. All right. Item number five, new business. Mitch, I will turn it over to you. Yes. Taking over for Chairman Griffa. We will move on to new business. Review of certificate of appropriateness 2026-10, 623 East Court Street. Commissioners Kremers and Conrad. Would you like to take it away? Go ahead, Jake. Okay. We are looking at a replacement here of the two front steps on this house. The homeowner, Mr. Griffa, is going to have these removed, uh, have new concrete pilings poured and then rebuild to match the original. Um there's some question, I guess, about these uh horse. What do you call it? Post that's sitting here in the front hitching post. There we go. Um he has a second one, he may be trying to put a second one installed, but otherwise he's trying to faithfully reproduce the steps as they currently appear. And can I presume that the hitching post was not original? No. Uh yes, if you could please please uh attend the podium and introduce yourself. Name is Dale Griffa address is 623 East Court Street. Um no, it was not original to the um there was there were no handrails, there was um nothing um on the house originally, it was just the two the two steps. Okay, and also safe to presume that the wood is not original either. Um I would doubt that.

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