Landmarks Commission approves COA and $1,500 repair grant for 202 West College Ave

The Waukesha Landmarks Commission on Wednesday approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for exterior wood repairs at 202 West College Ave and authorized a 15% paint-and-repair grant of $1,500 based on the applicants’ $10,000 estimate.

Charlie, a city staff member who presented the item, told the commission the 2025 paint-and-repair fund totals $25,000, with $15,738 already approved, $350 carried over from 2024 and $9,262 remaining. He said the city is still awaiting a Community Development Block Grant contract from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and that awards will be conditional on Waukesha County’s approval.

The applicants, Nick and Emma Voszek, told commissioners they purchased the 1927 colonial‑revival house from Carroll University earlier this year and discovered extensive wood rot during inspection. “It’ll be sometime this year or early next year,” one of the applicants said when asked about scheduling; the contractor schedules work after a down payment and works around weather conditions.

Staff described the applicants’ revised plan to retain and repair existing wood siding where possible, use epoxy for small rot repairs and replace severely rotted sections with cedar or a rot‑resistant species. The contractor provides time‑and‑materials estimates, and staff said final costs could exceed the initial estimate as hidden rot is exposed during work.

A commissioner moved to approve COA 20‑5‑953 for repair of wood siding and soffits; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Later in the same item, the commission moved and approved a 15% grant award on the $10,000 estimate—$1,500—to assist with the wood repairs.

Charlie told the commission that if approved projects do not get completed in the calendar year the fund typically carries over the allocation into subsequent dockets rather than being automatically rescinded. “Ideally, we want to get the money spent in the year, but it doesn’t get pulled back if it’s not spent,” he said.

The action leaves approximately $9,262 available from the 2025 allocation, subject to county CDBG contracting. The commission did not set a formal limit change but discussed past practice of limiting applicants to roughly three projects in five years and emphasized that award decisions remain at the commission’s discretion.

The commission adjourned the matter after approval; no appeals or conditions beyond the usual county approval were recorded.