Historic Commission continues outreach planning; welcome kit, training and signage discussed

The City of Janesville Historic Commission continued work at its Sept. 16 meeting on outreach to new property owners in the Historic Overlay District, training priorities and district signage replacement.

A commission member asked what was included in the "welcome kit" that had been mailed previously; Brian (Planning Division staff) said staff currently sends the historic-district brochure and a brief cover letter notifying buyers that their property is within an overlay district and listing a phone number for planning staff. He said the tax-credit brochure should be included as well and that staff will provide guidance and the web address for the Wisconsin State Historic Society where property owners can find additional information.

Jason Klingemann (commission member) provided contacts at the Rock Green Realtors Association for outreach. Commission members discussed whether to reuse the existing kit content or to revise it, and asked staff to share what is currently being mailed before proposing a new packet.

The commission also reviewed Chapter 10 of a Historic Preservation Commission training resource, which emphasizes community outreach. Members suggested building relationships with neighborhood groups (Fourth Ward, Columbus Circle) and the Rock County Historical Society, and proposed regular outreach items such as a monthly featured historic property and an annual calendar tied to Historic Preservation Month. One commission member described Courthouse Hill's private Facebook group as an example of an existing outreach channel for district residents.

On district signage, a commission member raised a question about the East Milwaukee Street reconstruction project and whether street signs in historic districts would be replaced. Brian said the operations division typically replaces street signs after a street reconstruction project and that signs within historic districts would be installed to bear the historic-district name. "Those street signs are expected to be replaced by the end of this year," he said. The commission noted Columbus Circle signs had already been installed along East Milwaukee.

Under announcements, a commission member said they had registered for a National Alliance of Preservation webinar on Sept. 25 about historic-context studies; staff and members said they would share any materials relevant to the commission's outreach work.

No formal votes were taken on the outreach materials or training at the Sept. 16 meeting; staff said it would return to the commission with samples of the current welcome kit and proposed calendar items at a future meeting.