McKinney HPAB discusses 2026 historic-home calendar; board to meet with museum critic about event listings

The Historic Preservation Advisory Board on Feb. 6, 2025, reviewed plans for a 2026 historic-home recognition calendar and discussed whether to restore downtown museum and event listings that a local museum director said were removed in recent editions.

Staff described the calendar’s goals — recognizing well-maintained homes, sharing lesser-known local history and serving as a visual reminder of McKinney’s historic district — and said submissions are open through March 21 so the board can vote on selections at its April 3 meeting.

"Wehave submissions open through March 21. The reason for that deadline is so then we can bring it back to the April 3 meeting, and you all can vote on the homes that will go into the calendar," Cassie Baumgartner, historic preservation staff, told the board. Baumgartner said the program needs at least 12 homes for a full calendar and that, as of the meeting, staff had received fewer than 12 submissions.

Baumgartner said the calendar will continue to use a professional photographer and designer and that staff plans to provide homeowners with a consolidated photography window; final production requires earlier scheduling for the designer. She also said the calendar is now a line item in the city budget, rather than relying entirely on advertising revenue, though advertising still offsets costs when available.

Board members discussed written feedback from Dr. Karen Zupanek, who wrote that previous calendars provided a full year of downtown events and museum dates that residents used for planning; she said removing those listings had reduced community interest and advertising incentives. The board read excerpts of the letter and debated how to restore event information without increasing production errors caused by date changes or reschedules.

Options discussed included: restoring a side-panel list of recurring downtown events and museum programs rather than placing every event directly on calendar date boxes; including a disclaimer that dates are accurate as of a set cutoff and directing readers to city websites for up-to-date information; and asking the calendar’s designer whether uploads from a central events spreadsheet could be automated.

The board agreed, by consensus in discussion, that staff should meet with Dr. Zupanek and consult the calendar designer and museums (Chestnut Square and the North Texas History Museum) to clarify expectations and technical feasibility before the next board decision. Board members also suggested outreach to the McKinney Legacy Neighborhood Association and the McKinney Historic Neighborhood Association to increase nominations.

Cassie Baumgartner said staff will ask local groups for event lists early (designers typically require calendar content well before production) and will return with options for how events could be displayed.

A staff announcement following the calendar discussion introduced Reina (spelled "Reyna" in parts of the transcript), the board’s new historic preservation planner, who started one month earlier and will begin presenting to the board in coming months.