Full Text of SR0157 095th General Assembly
SR0157 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| SENATE RESOLUTION
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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 10 counties across Illinois highlight | 19 |
| local barns with organized or self-guided barn tours, the first | 20 |
| of which began in Greene County in 1984 and has continued every | 21 |
| September since as part of Greene County Days; and
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| WHEREAS, One private Illinois barn preservation | 2 |
| organization, the Illinois Barn Alliance, released a statewide | 3 |
| survey in August, 2005, and found that residents in 46 Illinois | 4 |
| counties have conducted barn surveys, organized barn tours, or | 5 |
| engaged in other activities that directly promote historic | 6 |
| barns; and
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| WHEREAS, While historic barns are cherished by so many | 8 |
| Illinois residents and visitors, many barns can no longer | 9 |
| produce the necessary income to prevent damage by decay or | 10 |
| demolition, or the barns become threatened when the surrounding | 11 |
| land is removed from active agricultural use; and
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| WHEREAS, Many states, including Iowa, Wisconsin, New York, | 13 |
| Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire enacted legislation creating | 14 |
| barn preservation and restoration programs to assist barn | 15 |
| owners with their efforts to preserve these cultural and | 16 |
| architectural treasures for the enjoyment and economic benefit | 17 |
| of this and future generations; therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | 19 |
| ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Department of | 20 |
| Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), in consultation with | 21 |
| the Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Historic | 22 |
| Preservation Agency, and any other public entities as the DCEO |
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| deems necessary, shall conduct a study of (i) current historic | 2 |
| barn restoration and preservation efforts and needs in | 3 |
| Illinois, (ii) the benefits that a historic barn restoration | 4 |
| and preservation program in Illinois could have on tourism and | 5 |
| other economic development activities in rural areas, and (iii) | 6 |
| programs and incentives in place in other states to promote | 7 |
| historic barn restoration and preservation; the DCEO shall | 8 |
| report its findings to the Governor and the General Assembly by | 9 |
| December 1, 2008; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That in conducting its study the DCEO shall also | 11 |
| consult with the Illinois Barn Alliance and any other private | 12 |
| local historical, preservation, and community organizations | 13 |
| engaged in promoting and preserving historic barns in their | 14 |
| communities or counties; and be it further | 15 |
| RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution shall be | 16 |
| presented to the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, | 17 |
| to the Director of Agriculture, and to the Director of the | 18 |
| Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
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