Full Text of SR0700 94th General Assembly
SR0700enr 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 700
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| WHEREAS, Illinois barns are witnesses to the role of | 3 |
| agriculture in our State's image and its economy and serve as | 4 |
| scenic landmarks for residents and visitors alike; and
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| WHEREAS, Historic barns and agricultural structures across | 6 |
| rural Illinois symbolize important Illinois values of | 7 |
| heritage, hard work, productivity, and closeness to the land | 8 |
| and community with the people who built them; and
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| WHEREAS, Historic barns uphold the historic rural | 10 |
| qualities of the State's landscape, along with providing a | 11 |
| picturesque atmosphere for the State's citizens and visitors to | 12 |
| enjoy; and
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| WHEREAS, These structures provide insight into our | 14 |
| distinctive agricultural history and heritage, as well as a | 15 |
| visual description of rural life, both past and present, in | 16 |
| Illinois; and
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| WHEREAS, Local historic preservation and community | 18 |
| organizations in at least ten counties across Illinois | 19 |
| highlight their local barns with organized or self-guided barn | 20 |
| tours, the first of which began in Greene County in 1984 and | 21 |
| has continued every September since as part of Greene County | 22 |
| Days; and
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| WHEREAS, One private Illinois barn preservation | 24 |
| organization, the Illinois Barn Alliance, released a statewide | 25 |
| survey in August, 2005, and found that residents in 46 Illinois | 26 |
| counties have conducted barn surveys, organized barn tours, or | 27 |
| engaged in other activities that directly promote historic | 28 |
| barns; and
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| WHEREAS, While historic barns are cherished by so many |
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| Illinois residents and visitors, many barns can no longer | 2 |
| produce the necessary income to prevent their loss by decay or | 3 |
| demolition, or they become threatened when the surrounding land | 4 |
| is removed from active agricultural use; and
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| WHEREAS, Many states, including Iowa, Wisconsin, New York, | 6 |
| Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire enacted legislation creating | 7 |
| barn preservation and restoration programs to assist barn | 8 |
| owners with their efforts to preserve these cultural and | 9 |
| architectural treasures for the enjoyment and economic benefit | 10 |
| of this and future generations; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL | 12 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Department of | 13 |
| Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), in consultation with | 14 |
| the Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Historic | 15 |
| Preservation Agency, and any other public entities as the DCEO | 16 |
| deems necessary, shall conduct a study of (i) current historic | 17 |
| barn restoration/preservation efforts and needs in Illinois, | 18 |
| (ii) the benefits that an historic barn | 19 |
| restoration/preservation program could have in the context of | 20 |
| the creation of a comprehensive plan for the development and | 21 |
| promotion of tourism in rural areas, including the potential | 22 |
| for expanded heritage tourism efforts to take advantage of the | 23 |
| increased interest in Lincoln and the underground railroad | 24 |
| sites, as well as the potential for expanded agricultural and | 25 |
| natural resource tourism efforts, and (iii) programs and | 26 |
| incentives in place in other states to promote historic barn | 27 |
| restoration and preservation; the DCEO shall report its | 28 |
| findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by December | 29 |
| 1, 2006; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That in conducting its study the Department of | 31 |
| Commerce and Economic Opportunity shall also consult with the | 32 |
| Illinois Barn Alliance and any other private local historical, | 33 |
| preservation, and community organizations engaged in promoting |
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| and preserving historic barns in their communities or counties; | 2 |
| and be it further | 3 |
| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution shall be | 4 |
| presented to the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, | 5 |
| to the Director of Agriculture, and to the Director of the | 6 |
| Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
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