Historic District Commission

HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION, NORWICH, CONNECTICUT Minutes of April 15, 2015 Meeting The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held on April 15, 2015 in Room 319, Norwich City Hall at 5:30 P.M. Members Present: Gideon Loewenstein, Chairman Judith Hamblen Nancy O’Neil Pamela Muccilli Timothy Dowhan Richard Guidebeck Members Absent: Scott Learned, Christie Gilluly Also Attending: Bill Champagne and Regan Miner for the Norwich Historical Society, homeowner Jan Fossum, and contractor Kevin Lathrop. I. Public Hearing: The Public Hearing convened at 5:30 pm. COA #323: Judith Hamblen 11 Huntington Lane Construct a stone wall the length of the property front. Property owner Judith Hamblin presented numerous photos showing stone walls in the immediate vicinity to support her application to construct a 24inch by 36 inch stone wall using the original wall footings that are still to be found on her property. The wall will be of dry construction using old stones, some from her property and some supplied by the wall builder. The wall will replicate the one at 16 Huntington Lane, shown in photo #4 submitted with the application. COA #324: Norwich Historical Society 69 East Town St Install new signage at front of property and modify the design of new storm door. Bill Champagne presented the application for new signage. The COA #312 from May of 2014 (expired) was not acted upon. A new sign design was submitted that is period appropriate, made of wood, suspended from a metal bracket, and supported by a single wood post, similar to the sign on site at the Leffingwell House Museum. The design of the storm door was modified to have a single clear glass front that will make visible the wooden front door. The original submission under COA #322 had wooden stiles and  rails which would obscure the front door details. The storm door will be made of mahogany with iron or brass hardware. Revision of the Norwich Historic District Commission Rules of Procedures and Regulations. The draft of the Rules with revisions from the March 18, 2015 meeting was presented for adoption. HDC member Richard Guidebeck suggested that three references in Section 7 to the 65 day requirement be changed to read “65 calendar days”. There were no other suggested changes. The public hearing concluded at 6:00 pm. II. Regular Meeting: The regular meeting convened at 6:00pm A. Action on COAs #323 and #324; Action on the revision of NHDC Rules: 1) Following discussion, on a motion made by Pamela Muccilli and seconded by Nancy O’Neil, COA #323 was approved for the stone wall depicted in Photo #4 of the existing wall at 16 Huntington Lane. Commission member Judith Hamblen abstained. 2) During discussion about COA #324 Commission members had questions about details of the signage and door hardware that were not specified in the application documents. On a motion made by Hamblen, amended by Muccilli and seconded by Tim Dowhan COA #324 was unanimously approved with the stipulation that exact drawings of the new sign with specific period appropriate font style and hardware specifics for the storm door be submitted to the commission prior to the start of work. 3) Revisions to the Rules of Procedures and Regulations: On a motion by Hamblen and seconded by O’Neil the revised Rules of Procedures and Regulations, as amended at this meeting, were unanimously approved. The approved Rules will be posted on the HDC page of the City web site. B.Minutes: On motion made by Muccilli and seconded by Hamblen, the minutes of the meeting of March 18, 2015 were accepted. Dowhan and Guidebeck abstained. C. Old Business: Kevin Lathrop, contractor for Stogie Properties, the owner of 65 East Town St, requested an extension of COA #319 for the installation of a bituminous driveway. He mentioned the many other properties surrounding The Green that have bituminous driveways. This application had been approved on October 15, 2014 but construction was delayed. On a motion by Hamblen seconded by O’Neil, the extension was unanimously approved.  D. New Business: HDC Appointments: On March 16, 2015 at a meeting of the Norwich City Council Timothy Dowhan was reappointed as an alternate member with his term ending 12/31/2017 and Richard Guidebeck was appointed as an alternate member with his term ending 12/31/2018. Ethics Commission: A copy of the city of Norwich Ethics Commission Code of Ethics was distributed by email to all HDC members who were asked to review them. The documents clearly stated member responsibilities and there were no questions. Homeowner Jan Fossum informed the commission of his desire to install an 8 by 10 prefabricated garden shed on his property at 431 Washington St. Catalog photos were shown to the members and suggestions were made that the shed should be period compatible with his house. He will submit a COA application at the next meeting. E. Chairman’s Report: The chairman was contacted by Ms. Lopes, the owner of 364-366 Washington St. regarding installation of a driveway. She said she had hoped to avoid applying for a COA but was told an application was required as well as zoning/building approvals. The chairman was again contacted by Bret Grant regarding apparent construction at 32 Huntington Pl. which was being done without a COA or a building permit. Building Official Jim Troeger was contacted and informed and a ‘cease and desist order’ was issued. The owners of the property have not responded to the letter sent by the chairman nor to the building department. Follow-up is necessary F. Next Meeting: The next regularly scheduled meeting is May 20, 2015 at 5:30 pm G. Adjournment: On motion by Hamblen, seconded by Muccilli the meeting adjourned at 7:10 pm. Respectfully submitted Gideon Loewenstein Chairman GL/mtl