An updated agreement between the city of Naperville and the Naperville Heritage Society concerning oversight of the historic Naper Settlement site has been finalized. The revised agreement between the parties has been in the works for a number of years.
The city council on Tuesday, April 15, adopted a resolution approving the new agreement for Naper Settlement and passed an ordinance, updating the municipal code as it pertains to the Naper Settlement Museum Board.
The council cast a unanimous vote on both agenda items, with Councilman Patrick Kelly calling the new document “a pretty significant agreement.”
Years in the making
The city of Naperville and the Naperville Heritage Society first inked an agreement on the management of Naper Settlement in 1979. More recently, City Attorney Michael DiSanto said there has been an effort to update the document “to reflect changes in community expectations and operational demands.”
In speaking to changes within the agreement at the recent city council meeting, DiSanto said Naper Settlement was able to “thrive” in the decades following passage of the initial agreement. The Naperville Heritage Society’s collection of artifacts has also exponentially increased.
“Some time ago, council asked staff and the Naperville Heritage Society to work on modernizing that agreement,” DiSanto said. “That is something that we have been at work at. The agreement that comes before council this evening for consideration accomplishes the modernization of the relationship between the city and the Heritage Society concerning the operation of Naper Settlement.”
What the new changes in the Naper Settlement agreement mean
Encapsulating the changes, DiSanto said the new agreement is designed to address gaps identified in the initial version of the 1979 agreement between the two parties.
“It focuses on governance and oversight,” DiSanto said. “It focuses on financial management and transparency, and it focuses on the roles and responsibilities of the city and the Naperville Heritage Society.”
The intent, DiSanto said, is to have greater clarity on each party’s roles and responsibilities when it comes to Naper Settlement and managing its historical collections.
“It indicates that employees of Naper Settlement are really joint employees that are shared between the Heritage Society and the city,” DiSanto said. “The responsibilities are managed by the oversight of the Naperville Museum Board.”
In giving his professional opinion, DiSanto reported to the council and community-at-large that he was comfortable moving forward with the updated agreement as it was drafted.
“We believe … that this is the agreement to move us forward to the next 50 years,” DiSanto said. “We’re excited to be able to present it to council.”
Public weighs in on updated agreement at council meeting
At the recent council meeting, several community members weighed in on the new agreement before votes were cast.
Bill Simon, president of Naperville Preservation Inc., spoke favorably of the updated language. In his remarks to the council, Simon described Naper Settlement as the de facto “keeper of Naperville’s history.”
“We can all agree that Naper Settlement provides a valuable service to the Naperville community by collecting and preserving Naperville’s great community from its beginnings, all the way up to its place in modern Illinois,” Simon said.
He added, “We value the collections of Naperville’s historic artifacts and written history. Funding the ability of the public to access those historical documents, media, and other materials is essential for our community to gain the full benefit of those collections.”
Naperville resident Marilyn Schweitzer, however, shared continued concerns with the updated agreement and asserted it should have more details.
“This arrangement does not protect Naperville’s history,” Schweitzer said. “Transfer, sale, and disposal of such property should be reviewed and approved by the city. Any sale of historic property should also be retained for the benefit of Naper Settlement or for additional community benefits, such as historic research, education and promotion.”
Encapsulating her desires, Schweitzer added, “I want an agreement that provides exceptional public access to Naperville’s history, and impeccable financial oversight.”
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