Waukesha — The Landmarks Commission on Oct. 1 approved three certificates of appropriateness for exterior repairs and maintenance on historic houses and awarded two paint-and-repair grants from its annual fund.

The commission approved a COA for 323 McCall Street to replace the rear chimney cap and liner and voted to award the homeowners a $180 paint-and-repair grant toward an estimated $1,215 project. Charlie (Community Development staff) said the city's paint-and-repair program is a sliding-scale award up to $3,000, and that the total fund for the year is $25,000; prior awards this year total $17,238, leaving $7,762 available.

Commissioners also approved a COA for 114 Southeast Avenue to repair rotted wood siding, repaint the house and replace gutters. Staff reported a contractor estimate that painting and carpentry work would total roughly $30,152 plus additional carpentry billed at hourly cost; commissioners approved a $4,000 paint-and-repair grant for that project.

A COA for 122 Southeast Avenue to replace the roof and gutters was approved; however, because no homeowner was present the commission deferred consideration of a paint-and-repair grant until a future meeting.

Details and conditions:
- 323 McCall Street (McCall Street Historic District): Applicants Mary Lou and Darren Lillian submitted estimates of $1,095 and $1,215 for a chimney liner and cylindrical aluminum cap. Charlie told the commission the liner is an interior item not subject to landmarks review but that the cap and scaffolding work relate to exterior repair; the commission approved the COA and a $180 grant.
- 114 Southeast Avenue (College Avenue Historic District): New owners Nathan Copine and Sarah Timler reported extensive siding rot. Staff presented an estimate of $22,138 for painting and carpentry plus $8,014 for gutters/flashings for a combined estimate of about $30,152, with additional carpentry billed at $95 per labor hour plus materials. The commission approved the COA and a $4,000 grant, with standard conditions that work comply with Waukesha County and State Historic Preservation Office requirements as applicable.
- 122 Southeast Avenue (College Avenue Historic District): Applicants proposed CertainTeed Landmark shingles (driftwood) and K-style gutters; staff reported a roof estimate of $19,800 and gutters for $3,200 (roughly $23,000 total). The commission approved the COA; paint-and-repair grant review was postponed to the next meeting because no homeowner was present.

Charlie reminded the commission that all grant approvals remain conditional on required external compliance (Waukesha County and SHPO) and that the paint-and-repair fund is discretionary. Commissioners generally said they were comfortable using discretion to award funds above the program's customary $3,000 cap in some cases. The $180 award to McCall Street represented 15% of the estimated project; the $4,000 award for 114 Southeast Avenue exceeded the usual maximum but was approved because of the project's scale and the expectation of additional unseen carpentry work once repairs begin.

Ending: Work on each approved project must follow any standard permitting requirements and applicable historic-preservation conditions; grant disbursement is subject to staff verification and SHPO/Waukesha County compliance when required.