Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City council approves Kerner House banner at on-site location after public comment
Summary
After public comment and a recommendation from the Historic Preservation Commission, the Belleville City Council approved placement of a banner depicting Gustave and Sophie Kerner at a location on Kerner House property, resolving an earlier dispute over placement and design.
Belleville City Council approved placement of a banner depicting Gustave and Sophie Kerner at an on-site location on the Gustave Kerner House property following public comment and a recommendation from the Historic Preservation Commission. The decision came after the banner proposal, tabled at the July 7 meeting, was re-presented with a secondary location option on the Kerner House property.
The vote followed public remarks both for and against the banner. One resident said she preferred banners that show the architecture of neighborhood homes rather than portraits of the Kerner family because she “relate[s] more to the architecture of our community” and walks frequently in the area. Jack Machine, who identified himself as a member of the Gustave Kerner House Committee for 24 years and of the Historic Preservation Commission for 23 years, told the council the commission previously reviewed the design and “most recently, a 7 to nothing vote by the Historic Preservation Commission” favored the banner. Machine urged the council to approve the banner, saying the 1836 images relate directly to the house and “I can't think of a better banner to put close to the Kerner House.”
During council discussion, Alderperson Randall asked whether the current decision concerned placement rather than design; staff or committee members said a secondary on‑site location had been identified and that was the item before the council. The council then took a roll call vote; the motion carried.
Discussion only and formal action were distinct in the meeting record: members of the public raised opinions for and against the banner during the public participation period, the Historic Preservation Commission record and recommendation were noted as background, and the council then voted on the location option presented. The council did not amend the banner artwork during the meeting, and no change to the banner's design was recorded in the transcript.
The council’s approval resolves a discussion that had been tabled previously and clarifies the banner will be at the Kerner House property instead of the originally disputed pole location. Further administrative details — for example, permit conditions, exact installation date, or maintenance responsibilities — were not specified in the record.
