OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Landmarks Commission Meeting - August 5, 2026

Public Meetings — Wednesday, August 5, 2026
BodyWaukesha, Wisconsin
SessionPublic Meetings
DateWednesday, August 5, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 58:27
Transcript — Verbatim
0:26

Good evening, everybody.

0:27

This is the city of Waukesha, and we are the landmarks commission.

0:30

Today is Wednesday, August 5th.

0:34

Oh, you mean my theater voice isn't enough?

0:37

Which one do I want?

0:39

Here we go.

0:40

There we go.

0:41

Can you hear me now?

0:42

Check, check, check.

0:45

All right.

0:45

Good evening, everybody.

0:46

This is the city of Waukesha, and we are the landmarks commission.

0:49

Today is Wednesday, August 5th, 2026.

0:53

I'm calling this meeting to order, and we shall start with a roll call.

0:58

And Marty is gonna take it off.

1:00

Marty Larson.

1:03

Andrew Adorantes.

1:04

Carmen Delapaz.

1:05

Mike Rasine.

1:06

Matt Ratsack.

1:07

Tony Lonza.

1:10

Thank you.

1:11

We'll start out with any public comment if there's anybody here for public comment today.

1:17

Going, going, gone.

1:19

And we'll move on then to approval of minutes.

1:22

I'm looking for a motion, please.

1:27

Mike Racine will make a motion to approve last month's meeting minutes.

1:32

And a second.

1:37

Thank you.

1:43

Yep.

1:45

Aye.

1:48

You can vote if you've read the minutes.

1:57

Great.

1:58

Our meeting minutes have been approved.

2:01

And that's item 26-04066.

2:05

We are moving on to landmarks commission paint and repair grant funds.

2:09

Item 26-04078.

2:14

Charlie will give us a summary of the paint and repair grant funds as they stand today.

2:21

All right.

2:22

So as you know, uh paint and repair grants are approved on an increasing scale, roughly 15% of the cost of a project, up to a maximum of $3,000.

2:36

But the landmarks commission uh can use discretion to change award amounts based on project scope, overall impact, fund availability, or any other circumstances.

2:48

So this year we had $25,000.

2:51

And we have had all of the uh projects from last year uh completed and those funds have been uh dispersed as of I believe that's as of this month.

3:02

Uh the last one was uh was finished.

3:05

Um so we are at zero dollars left over from last year, and for this year uh you've approved grants totaling thirteen thousand twenty-seven dollars and fifty cents.

3:16

So we have uh 11,972.50 cents uh available for additional grants.

3:25

And uh as always approvals will need to be conditional on approval from Wakeshaw County and the SHIPO compliance.

3:33

Perfect, thank you so much.

3:36

We'll start with old business for the landmarks commission paint and repair grant for 311 McCall Street.

3:43

Uh we held last time.

3:45

All right, yep.

3:46

Uh so this is 311 McCall Street.

3:49

It's on the south side of McCall Street, uh right between Charles and James Street in the McCall Street Historic District.

3:57

And this is the uh Charles H.

4:00

Howard House that was built in 1890, and it has a front gabled architectural style, and it is a contributing house in the McCall Street Historic District.

4:10

Um it has a uh stone foundation, which you can see here on both sides of the building.

4:17

Um doesn't extend to the porch, but it does uh it does include the entire uh house.

4:23

Um it was in need of some tuck pointing to uh repair the mortar.

4:28

Uh the applicants had noted that uh the new mortar will match the hardness and texture of the existing mortar, and it will match the color as closely as possible.

4:37

And there were a couple spots where uh the Mason believed that stone replacement would be necessary.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation█████████████████████████████████████████████73%
Procedural██████████16%
Public Engagement████6%
Water And Wastewater Management██3%
Technology and Innovation█2%
Summary of Proceedings

Waukesha Landmarks Commission Meeting - August 5, 2026

The Landmarks Commission of the City of Waukesha met on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting was called to order with seven members present. The commission reviewed several certificates of appropriateness (COAs) and paint and repair grant applications, and discussed mitigation options for the potential demolition of the water utility building at 445 W. Newhall Ave.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the July 1, 2026, meeting were approved unanimously (motion by Mike Racine, seconded).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made.

Discussion Items

  • Paint and Repair Grant Fund Status: Staff reported that $25,000 was allocated for the fiscal year. Grants totaling $13,027.50 have been approved, leaving $11,972.50 available. Grants are typically 15% of project cost up to $3,000, with commission discretion to adjust.
  • 311 McCall Street – Paint and Repair Grant (Old Business): Applicant Wendy Muller requested a grant for tuck pointing at the Charles H. Howard House (1890). Estimated project cost $2,860; 15% = $450. The commission approved a $450 grant.
  • 517 Madison Street – Certificate of Appropriateness and Paint and Repair Grant: Homeowners Richard and Ann requested to replace cedar shake roof sections on the veranda of the Captain Elihu Anos House (1885). The commission approved the COA as submitted. For the paint and repair grant, estimated cost $6,242; 15% = $950. A motion to approve $1,000 (to encourage use of cedar) passed.
  • 218 N. Charles Street – Certificate of Appropriateness and Paint and Repair Grant: Homeowners Carol Ann Kaye and Larry Barthen requested a consultation to repaint wood siding in existing colors (white with green trim) on the American Four-Square house (1912). The commission approved the COA. For the grant, estimated cost $10,500; 15% = $1,600. Approved $1,600.
  • 124 Windsor Drive – Certificate of Appropriateness and Paint and Repair Grant: Deanna O'Connell, niece of the homeowner, requested repairs and repainting of wood siding on the Edward J. Burns House (1929). The commission approved the COA. During discussion, the commission suggested removing non-original shutters, which the applicant agreed to. For the grant, estimated cost $16,600; 15% = $2,500. Approved $2,500.
  • 818 N. East Ave. (St. Joseph's Church) – Certificate of Appropriateness: Andy Dieski requested a COA for tuck pointing and window caulking on the individually designated local landmark. The commission approved the COA.
  • 202 W. College Avenue – Certificate of Appropriateness and Paint and Repair Grant: Homeowner Nick Vashik requested a consultation to repaint wood siding a new color (light blue with gray trim) on the Colonial/Georgian Revival house (1927). The commission approved the COA. For the grant, estimated cost $22,360; 15% exceeds $3,000. The commission approved a grant of $3,200 (above the typical maximum) citing the project's impact and the owner's choice to repair rather than replace siding.
  • Discussion of Mitigation Options for 445 W. Newhall Ave. (Water Utility Building): Staff presented that the former pump house and reservoir (Art Deco style, on the National Register) may be demolished. The commission discussed mitigation options including an interpretive historic marker on site and a digital production about Waukesha's water history. Commissioners expressed support for both a physical marker and a digital video. The consensus will be conveyed to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) as the commission's recommended mitigation.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved Certificates of Appropriateness:
    • 517 Madison Street (roof replacement) – unanimous.
    • 218 N. Charles Street (repainting) – unanimous.
    • 124 Windsor Drive (repair and repaint) – unanimous.
    • 818 N. East Ave. (tuck pointing) – unanimous.
    • 202 W. College Avenue (repainting) – unanimous.
  • Approved Paint and Repair Grants:
    • 311 McCall Street: $450.
    • 517 Madison Street: $1,000.
    • 218 N. Charles Street: $1,600.
    • 124 Windsor Drive: $2,500.
    • 202 W. College Avenue: $3,200. All grants are conditional on approval from Waukesha County and SHPO compliance.
  • Mitigation Recommendation: The commission will recommend to SHPO that mitigation for the potential demolition of 445 W. Newhall Ave. include an on-site historic marker and a digital production documenting Waukesha's water history.
  • Other Reports: Alderman Mike Rasine announced upcoming events (National Night Out, City garage open house, Vietnam Traveling Wall, Waukesha Unlocked). The Springs Report noted a planned cleanup in September/October with volunteer help from 22 students. The commission encouraged members to attend the Wisconsin Local History Conference (Oct 15-16) and to volunteer for springs tours during Waukesha Unlocked (Oct 10-11).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everybody. This is the city of Waukesha, and we are the landmarks commission. Today is Wednesday, August 5th. Oh, you mean my theater voice isn't enough? Which one do I want? Here we go. There we go. Can you hear me now? Check, check, check. All right. Good evening, everybody. This is the city of Waukesha, and we are the landmarks commission. Today is Wednesday, August 5th, 2026. I'm calling this meeting to order, and we shall start with a roll call. And Marty is gonna take it off. Marty Larson. Andrew Adorantes. Carmen Delapaz. Mike Rasine. Matt Ratsack. Tony Lonza. Thank you. We'll start out with any public comment if there's anybody here for public comment today. Going, going, gone. And we'll move on then to approval of minutes. I'm looking for a motion, please. Mike Racine will make a motion to approve last month's meeting minutes. And a second. Thank you. Yep. Aye. You can vote if you've read the minutes. Great. Our meeting minutes have been approved. And that's item 26-04066. We are moving on to landmarks commission paint and repair grant funds. Item 26-04078. Charlie will give us a summary of the paint and repair grant funds as they stand today. All right. So as you know, uh paint and repair grants are approved on an increasing scale, roughly 15% of the cost of a project, up to a maximum of $3,000. But the landmarks commission uh can use discretion to change award amounts based on project scope, overall impact, fund availability, or any other circumstances. So this year we had $25,000. And we have had all of the uh projects from last year uh completed and those funds have been uh dispersed as of I believe that's as of this month. Uh the last one was uh was finished. Um so we are at zero dollars left over from last year, and for this year uh you've approved grants totaling thirteen thousand twenty-seven dollars and fifty cents. So we have uh 11,972.50 cents uh available for additional grants. And uh as always approvals will need to be conditional on approval from Wakeshaw County and the SHIPO compliance. Perfect, thank you so much. We'll start with old business for the landmarks commission paint and repair grant for 311 McCall Street. Uh we held last time.

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