Prep work for demo begins

Gavers Excavating is working away around Grace Hall to remove shrubs, as a prelude to the demolition of this fine, old, 100-year-old, architecturally-significant and historic building on Route 47 in Woodstock.

Historic all but in designation. The building met almost all of the requirements for designation as a Landmark, and it was recommended for Landmark status to the Woodstock City Council in about November 2008.

The recommendation laid in a dark, musty corner until it made a brief appearance on the April 21, 2009, Agenda of the Woodstock City Council. Just a little fine point in the City Code. The Historic Preservation Commission had to forward its recommendation to the City Council within 30 days of taking action (within the HPC), but the City Code FAILS TO REQUIRE THE CITY COUNCIL TO TAKE ANY ACTION.

Several historic preservationists around Metro Chicagoland told me they were surprised that Woodstock does not have a time-clock on the City Council. They were shocked that the City Council could just ignore an HPC recommendation, which is exactly what has happened.

At that time (4/21/09), upon the motion of Mayor Sager, the Landmark designation recommendation was tabled, so that the Woodstock Christian Life Services proposal to build duplexes in the South Phase could be considered ahead of it. If you hurry, you can still read the Minutes of the 4/21/09 City Council meeting online. Go to www.woodstockil.gov/; roll your mouse over "City Council" and then click on "City Council Minutes". Then scroll down and click on "April 21, 2009 City Council Minutes". Scroll down to pages 3-4.

In response to a question from Councilman Ahrens, Mayor Sager said that his motion would "simply" put the WCLS item "on the table first." Mayor Sager also said his motion would require only a simple majority. He further said that the Landmark designation motion was not being dissolved and "will remain an item of business."

And so, why has a year passed with no action by the City Council, despite repeated requests for this matter to come back to the "table." If the Mayor wanted to kill the Landmark designation, he must have known that a two-thirds vote was required. How much is 2/3's? It's five, not four. Two-thirds of seven is 5, not 4.

The fact that five voted for the Mayor's motion to table doesn't matter a whole lot, because the Council was told that only a simple majority was needed. Would one of those five have voted differently, if he had known that the question carried more weight?

Some will say, "What does it matter? WCLS is going to tear down the building." Well, it matters. There is a right way to do something, and there is a wrong way.

The Woodstock City Council has done it the wrong way by hiding erroneously behind the tabling of an agenda item for a year.