Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette The Hancock Historic Commission is seeking to restore the city's 1907 Jewell Model D through the America 250 Grants. The vehicle was the first automobile in Hancock.

HANCOCK — The Hancock Historic Commission is close to completing more signs dedicated to historic buildings and areas within the city. During the commission’s Tuesday meeting, members discussed signs that will be ready sometime after Thanksgiving and include locations including Laurn Grove Park, East Hancock, Lieblein House and the original city council chambers (now K. C. Bonkers). A sign which is already completed and up is located at Nutini’s Supper Club, which commemorates the site as the childhood home of Edward and Lillian Steichen. Each sign will lay out the timeline of the location and explain its significance to Hancock’s history.

The commission is pursuing grants for renovations for the garage in Hancock City Hall to be transformed into a Heritage Room, that will serve as a location for exhibits and a community center for events and presentations. A 1907 Jewell Model D in the Heritage Room will also be restored for display. The vehicle was the first automobile in Hancock, and at the time sold for $600. The restoration will include a paint job and cover to better protect the vehicle. The grants being pursued by the commission are part of the America 250 Grants.

The Heritage Room will be repainted in blues and greens, though the exact shades are yet to be determined. Proper temperature equipment will be installed in order for displayed artifacts to not deteriorate. Display units and other equipment such as screen projectors left over from Finlandia University are being considered for use within the Heritage Room. City Manager Mary Babcock said the optimistic goal for the Heritage Room’s completion would fall before Heikinpäivä.

Moving forward, the commission will be determining how it will create a collection for the Heritage Room and set parameters for what it will take in for displays. “We do not intend the Heritage Room to become a major collecting museum,” Commission Member Steve Walton said. Babcock clarified the room will not become an archive.

The commission will also formulate a defined budget, and once it is ready, it will be presented to the City Council or Downtown Development Authority. Another goal the commission will pursue is having Hancock become a certified local government (CLG). Walton explained it is a state level category for municipalities which as much historic components. This pursuit will be discussed at the next Planning Commission meeting on Dec. 15 at 6 p.m.