Mount Vernon Historic Preservation Commission will be looking for a couple new members to fill seats of outgoing members.
One of those outgoing members is Ed Sauter, one of the founding members of the commission. Sauter plans to use his time to spend more time with his family and is currently working with his daughter on the design of a home for her and her family in Wisconsin.
“He has been a huge contributor to this group, especially when it has come to design review of projects and repairs to historic buildings, and someone whose counsel and expertise I’d rely on,” said commission president Suzette Astley. “His departure is going to leave huge shoes for our commission to fill.”
Richard Thomas stepped down from the commission due to his health issues previously. The committee honored him with a certificate of appreciation for the more than 50 years he had given to preserving buildings in Mount Vernon, including his help in forming the commission in 1984.
Sauter will be recognized by the commission with a similar certificate of appreciation in coming months.
The commission will have an additional seat opening, as Susan Hargus and her husband will be moving to the Iowa City community. Hargus announced her resignation ahead of the June 4 meeting of the commission, and the Mount Vernon City Council will be notified of the two open seats and need to advertise open spots on the commission.
Commission member Grace Rowray will also be taking a leave of absence from the commission until December, preparing for the birth of her second child. She hopes to return to the commission in December.
Astley said that her hope is that more of the commission will develop more breadth of knowledge on design standards, and that people interested in preserving historic buildings will apply for the commission. The commission will also be purchasing some books on renovation materials and procedures to add to Cole Library’s shelves to help the commission’s knowledge as well.