STE. GENEVIEVE – The minutes of the Ste. Genevieve Heritage Commission meeting held Monday, February 23 have been released.
Minutes
HERITAGE COMMISSION
Ste. Genevieve, MO
February 23, 2026 5:30pm
Call to Order at 5:30 pm
Roll Call: Commissioners Casey Benner, Tom Hooper, Whitney Tucker, Mark Buchhiet, and Alderman Patrick Fahey were present at roll call. City Administrator David Bova was present.
Approval of Agenda: Commissioner Buchheit made a Motion to Approve the agenda; Commissioner Hooper seconded the motion, which passed 4-0-1.
Approval of Minutes: Commissioner Hooper made a Motion to Approve the minutes from the February 2, 2026 meeting as presented. Commissioner Buchheit seconded the motion, which passed 4-0-1.
Introduction of Evidence: Mr. Bova asked the Commission to approve the entry into the record of the Ste. Genevieve Municipal Code and the Design Guidelines for the Sainte Genevieve National Register Historic District along with the staff reports and additional material samples for the applications being considered. Commissioner Buchheit made a Motion to Accept the evidence into the record. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Tucker and passed 4-0-1.
Old Business:
- Mr. Bova gave a brief update on the 2023 HPF Grant stating that the vendor, SRI, would be visiting the city to hold a public meeting and perform field work the week of March 16th.
New Business:
- SGHC008-26 To receive a Certificate of Appropriateness to construct a new single-family residential building at 311 Washington St. Applicant, Mr. Charles Smith, was present along with his contractor. Mr. Bova presented the commission with material samples that Mr. Smith had provided for the proposed siding, roofing, porch posts, and exterior doors. Commissioner Buchheit inquired about the porch balustrade which Mr. Smith stated would be black metal. Alderman Fahey inquired about the floor plan and cost constructing the house; Mr. Smith stated he thought the house would be about 600 square feet and that these small homes are popular and he already has a buyer interested. Commissioner Buchheit also inquired if the roofing could be changed from asphalt shingles to standing seam metal. Commissioner Tucker inquired about the foundation; Mr. Bova stated it would have to be a crawlspace as this property is in the floodplain. There was further discussion about the foundation and roofing. Commissioner Hooper inquired if Mr. Smith had considered engineered wood siding, more in line with homes of that period. Commissioner Tucker stated that windows of that period would also be multi-lite and expressed her desire that the home look more like the concept drawing provided; she suggested stamped concrete foundation and 3-over-1 windows. Mr. Smith and his contractor discussed trying to keep a balance between the desired aesthetics and the cost of a small home. The commission understood and agreed that they want to help make this happen and they are excited to see homes being built but also want them to fit within the district guidelines. The applicants offered to install standing seam metal and stamp the foundation walls to look like stone but preferred to stay with vinyl siding though they did agree to research engineered wood siding prices; they also agreed to the multi-lite windows. Commissioner Tucker made a Motion to Approve the application with the stipulations that 1) standing seam metal be used on the roof, 2) 3-over-1 windows be installed, and 3) the concrete foundation (crawlspace) walls be stamped or textured. Commissioner Buchheit seconded the motion which passed 4-0-1.
- SGHC009-26 To receive a Certificate of Appropriateness to construct additional fencing at 167 S Gabouri St. Applicant Mr. Geoff Giglierano, of French Colonial America, appeared and answered some questions from the commission. He also gave an explanation of the existing fencing which is a mix of 6’ wooden, some chain link and some iron posts; he explained why FCA would like to continue the 6’ wooden fencing along the west side of the property and then around the entire rear and side yards. Mr. Giglierano also explained that the fence would be installed in stages as their budget allows. Commissioner Buchheit made a Motion to Approve the application as presented; Commissioner Hooper seconded the motion which passed 4-0-1.
Administrative Approvals:
- None
Other Business:
- Mr. Bova asked the commission to adopt a resolution stating that the commission supported an application for the 2026 HPF grant cycle to update the city’s GIS Historic Data information layer. Commissioner Tucker made a Motion to Approve the resolution; Commissioner Buchheit seconded the motion which passed 4-0-1.
- Mr. Bova let the commission know that the city had hired a new Asst. City Administrator who would be starting next month.
Public Comments:
None
Meeting Adjourned:
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:11 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
David Bova City Administrator