Pictured are members of the Lakewood Village Board during a meeting this week.

LAKEWOOD — The Lakewood Village Board voted this week to appoint Trustee Edward McCague as chair of the village’s Historic Preservation Steering Committee.

The board tabled the measure that would create the committee until its next meeting Tuesday, Oct. 12.

The Historic Preservation Steering Committee, once established, will investigate and report to the Lakewood mayor and the board on various areas, including the Lakewood History Museum, the village hall, and historic preservation in the village. This will also include a comprehensive evaluation of the status and location of the Lakewood History Museum, zoning areas that will bolster the goals of the village’s historic preservation efforts and investigating steps to help preserve village hall.

McCague will be given the task of recruiting committee members who will serve on the committee.

Mayor Randy Holcomb said the reason for the new steering committee is the fact that the Lakewood History Museum historian has retired, and the village clerk has since been giving tours of the historic center.

“The village hall, of course, is an older building and I think that has always been on people’s minds,” Holcomb said.

Trustee Ellen Barnes said part of the establishment of the committee is looking at the “placement of the museum.”

“Where it may be it may be a more of a main street access kind of a thing,” Barnes said. “This is a study just to see what can be done and what our options would be having this museum and not necessarily down in the basement here, but it may turn out that that may be a perfect place for it. But, I think this is for the steering committee to look at these things and the possibility of it growing and staffing, maybe hours. There are no signs around even saying that the history museum is open. There are things that can be done.”

She brought up the possibility of someone writing “historic blurbs” to entice people to visit the museum.

“I would say preserving the village hall and historic preservation of the village is a good idea, and the zoning is a very good idea because I think it helps the community remain a community when you have preservation of your history along with some other zoning that is up and coming,” Barnes said. “There are some things happening that most people who grow up in this community 25 to 30 years from now will be happy to see that happen.”

After a discussion regarding members, whether to limit it to three or five members, the board decided to table the measure until the next meeting.

McCague said the village has a “vast and rich history that should not be lost.”

The next board meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m., a change from the previously scheduled meeting on Monday, Oct. 11. The change was made due to the Columbus Day holiday.