Geneva HPC discusses window repair workshops, possible cost support and on-site visits with Preservation Partners

During the secretary’s report and new-business portion of the July 15 meeting, Geneva Historic Preservation Commission members and staff discussed expanded outreach and education on historic‑window repair and storm windows. Staff said she would like to pursue hands‑on education following a recent preservation “camp” event and suggested a window workshop in partnership with Preservation Partners and other experts. “Maybe we could give people, you know, $4 or $5,000 to defray the cost of repairing their windows,” a commissioner said as a conceptual funding example for targeted support. Commissioners and staff described potential partnerships with the National Window Alliance and local contractors to demonstrate common repairs (sash operation, rope replacement, weatherstripping) and to reduce homeowner costs through hands‑on training or group purchasing. Staff said arranging on‑site visits or house calls is possible but requires advance notice and appropriate open-meeting procedures when commissioners participate. Preservation Partners representative Al Watts attended and added practical experience from earlier projects. He described work by a local contractor, Michael Miller, who supplied storm windows the group used: “They were between $8.50, dollars $9.50 each,” Watts said in the meeting record (quoted as spoken in the meeting). Watts said the contractor used a dense wood (reported in the meeting as “African Mahogany”) for durable storm sashes and that properly installed storm windows can significantly improve comfort and performance while extending the life of original windows. Staff and commissioners discussed logistics for outreach: offering demonstrations at public events, conducting workshops where participants can disassemble and reassemble a window, and staging targeted site visits for projects where photographs leave uncertainty. Staff cautioned that organized site visits with multiple commissioners require public notice and planning. No formal decision was made about funding; participants asked staff to explore potential partners and programming and to report back to the commission on options for workshops and demonstrations.