City staff to promote Historic Preservation Month; commission discusses CLG grant opportunities

Janesville city staff will promote National Historic Preservation Month on city social media, and commission members discussed potential use of Certified Local Government (CLG) grant funds in future years to update walking guides and printed materials.

Brian Schweigle told commissioners the city manager’s office will handle communications and is likely to re-use historic images to show before-and-after comparisons for the city’s older neighborhoods. Commissioners noted Beloit’s social-media recognition as an example and asked staff to share any imagery used so the commission can retain copies for future use.

Schweigle said Janesville has participated in the state CLG program since 1985 and that the commission recently used CLG funds to hire a preservation consultant to prepare National Register nominations for Adams, Roosevelt and Washington elementary schools; those nominations were successful and the schools were added to the National Register of Historic Places. Schweigle said CLG grants can support activities such as walking-tour brochures and marketing materials, but staff time constraints and other city priorities make applying for a CLG grant this year unlikely; the commission should consider the program for future years.

Commissioners asked whether images created by the city manager’s office could be archived for commission use and discussed updating the commission’s walking guides and brochure materials if grant funding is available in a later cycle.