Heritage Commission

CITY OF LACONIA HERITAGE COMMISSION 5:00 PM City Hall - Armand A. Bolduc City Council Chamber Accepted 7/14/2021 5/12/2021 - Minutes 1. Call to order Chair Michael Sweet read the E meeting intro and called the meeting to order at 5:07 PM. 2. Salute to the flag The commission saluted the flag. 3. Roll call Members present at City Hall: Catherine Tokarz, Lois Kessin, Mark Haynes, Michael Sweet. Members present via Zoom: Jane Whitehead 4. Recording secretary Mackenzie Theberge 5. Staff in attendance Planning Director Dean Trefethen 6. Acceptance of Minutes from previous meeting 6.I. Acceptance of minutes from April 14 L. Kessin made a motion to approve the Minutes with revision. C. Tokarz seconded the motion. All voted in favor. 7. City Council Liaison Report Dealing with motorcycle week and 50 Church Street has been entered in a purchase and sales agreement but that is on the agenda in which Kevin Morrissette addresses. 8. Planning Board update Expansion of the Historic Overlay District was referred to council and will be at the May 24th council meeting. 9. New business 9.I. 808 Weirs Blvd Applicants Kalyan Verma and Manish Arora addressed the Commission via Zoom. K. Verma explained the proposal. Property will be upgraded similar to what it is. Plans on keeping the main house and make renovations. Cottages were approved for demolition. The motel is the unit that is proposed to be two-thirds demolished. There are foundation issues pertaining to the motel. The applicants plan on completely tearing down the motel and build with the exact same footprint. The applicants will be  Applicants Kalyan Verma and Manish Arora addressed the Commission via Zoom. K. Verma explained the proposal. Property will be upgraded similar to what it is. Plans on keeping the main house and make renovations. Cottages were approved for demolition. The motel is the unit that is proposed to be two-thirds demolished. There are foundation issues pertaining to the motel. The applicants plan on completely tearing down the motel and build with the exact same footprint. The applicants will be maintaining elevations as well. Plan on keeping the property as the same use. L. Kessin made a motion to approve the demolition permit. M. Hayes seconded the motion. All voted in favor. 9.II. 228 Paugus Park Road Applicants Thomas and Aurelie Teebagy owned this house for the last twenty-seven years, plan to put a new house in place that is bigger. The applicants want more space for their family as it grows. The new house will be 4,165 square feet, consisting of three stories and an attached two car garage. Plan to go in front of the Zoning board for a variance in June. Received state approval. Plan to demolish in the Fall and build in the Spring/Wintertime. C. Tokarz made a motion to approve the demolition permit. L. Kessin seconded the motion. All voted in favor. 9.III. 50 Church Street D. Trefethen briefly explains the plan since the city still owns the property. This will go in front of the Historic District Commission and a site plan for the Planning Board. The plan is to maintain the original school structure but demolish the stage and gym area that was believed to be constructed in the fifties. There will be outside parking for the project and a four-unit addition that will be located on the back of the old school building. Applicant Kevin Morrissette went over the concept, it will be a new structure with apartments. The new structure is going to be wood. There will be twenty-one parking places created so it does not impede on City parking. Plans to replace windows and to keep the same entrance. Not many noticeable changes. The new façade is still being worked out. Upgrading electrical, plumbing, and heating systems to standard along with landscaping. There was a discussion on taxes and the assessment values. J. Whitehead likes the idea of the mixed materials for the façade. Feels the historic value is more important than aesthetics. M. Hayes thinks there is no historic value and there is no value all together it is just a shell. The applicant is going to preserve as much as possible. M. Hayes made a motion to approve the demolition permit. L. Kessin seconded the motion. All voted in favor. 10. Old business 10.I. Laconia Downtown Commercial District Area Form Mae Williams report is made available by link on the city website, the commission decided once they get the hard copy of the report, they will continue the discussion next month. 11. Public comment Jane Wood asked questions about 50 Church St that pertains more to the Historic District Commission and not the Heritage Commission. 11. Public comment Jane Wood asked questions about 50 Church St that pertains more to the Historic District Commission and not the Heritage Commission. 12. Other business No other business. 13. Adjournment C. Tokarz made the motion to adjourn the meeting and L. Kessin seconded the motion. All voted in favor and the meeting was adjourned at 6:00 PM.