Kane County Pays Tribute to Longtime Volunteer
The Kane County Board paid tribute to longtime history preservation voluteer Shauan Wiet, thanking her for her service to the County since 1988. A letter of recognition was presented to the board. (see below).
Wiet decided to step down from her volunteer role as the Chair of the Kane County Historic Preservation Commission earlier this year.
The Kane County Historic Preservation Commission is charged with
accepting nominations for sites, districts, or road corridors, which
might qualify as historic landmarks and of determining whether or not to
recommend that they be designated as such by the County Board. Once a
site is designated as historic, no significant alterations, exterior
construction, or demolition may be undertaken without a "certificate of
appropriateness" from the Commission.
The nine members of the Commission, appointed by the County Board, are drawn from all geographic sections of the County. They volunteer their time.
Shauna Wiet
was appointed Chair of the Commission at its inception. Back in October, Kane County Connects asked her to pen a piece,
reflecting on her time as a volunteer on the Commission and Kane
County.
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When I
was asked to write a few words about my 35 years as chair of the Kane
County Historic Preservation Commission, the first word that came to
mind was gratitude: Gratitude for a visionary county board that saw fit
to create an ad hoc committee on historic preservation in 1987 and to
support and integrate preservation into our quality of life since.
Gratitude for a knowledgeable, professional, and caring staff throughout
the years; and gratitude for a committed group of community
representatives I am proud to now call friends.
I am reminded of a quote from our That Darn Barn project, “It doesn't take any kind of genius to tear something down." When you think of the value of integrating historic resources into current landscapes, ask yourself where you choose to vacation, what kinds of properties you see on commercials, and what are the popular home sites on Instagram?
Please visit our website to see your Kane County landmarks and historic districts. The KCHPC hopes to serve as a resource to property owners. In our experience, every owner wants to do the right thing, increase value, and be a good neighbor. A few more discussions can make a lasting difference in a project which may be with us 50 years or more.
I will never forget the first time I saw Kane County as a college student in 1982. I thought, “Kane County seems like a really nice place to live." Indeed, it is, and it has been my privilege to be associated with Kane County for more than 35 years.
Shauna Wiet
Thank you Shauna Wiet.
Click to view the Kane County Historic Landmarks Map .
