Historic District Commission

DRAFT HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION, NORWICH, CONNECTICUT Minutes of August 19, 2015 Meeting The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held on August 19, 2015 in Room 319, Norwich City Hall at 5:30 P.M. Members Present: Gideon Loewenstein, Chairman Judith Hamblen Scott Learned Nancy O’Neil Timothy Dowhan Richard Guidebeck Members Absent: Pamela Muccilli Christie Gilluly Also Attending: Property owners Lilian Pereira and Justin Cleary, Robert Crootof, and Damien Cregeau with his contactor, Mike Conti. I. Public Hearing: The Public Hearing convened at 5:30 pm. COA #330: Lilian Pereira 193 Broadway Install a deck and stairs; erect a fence along the sides of the yard and end of the driveway. Property owners Lilian Pereira and Justin Cleary presented their plan to add stairs to a deck erected without a COA application. They stated that they had gone to Zoning for approval and were told by Zoning Officer Tianne Curtis that no COA was required because it is not visible from the street. The deck measures 16 by 18 feet and is made of Trex ; the stairs they want to add are of the same material. They wish to install a privacy fence that will be visible from Otis Street and Broadway. The proposed fence is composed of 6 feet by 6 feet solid panels, made of polyethylene plastic with a faux stone pattern. They are thinking of transplanting a hedge of arborvitae planted last year and replacing it with the fence. As an alternative, commission member Ms. Hamblen offered suggestions on pruning that would help the bushes spread to cover the space between them. COA #331: Robert Crootof 8 Elm Avenue Blacktop driveway. DRAFT Property owner Dr. Crootof apologized to the commission for not applying for a COA prior to having the existing dirt driveway blacktopped. He had not thought it necessary since almost every other driveway in the district is treated similarly. COA # 332: Linda Dick 175 Broadway Install a TV satellite dish. Ms. Dick did not appear at the meeting nor did anyone representing her. Ms. Dick is a tenant at this address and had been informed by the landlord, Andrew Soulor that she would need the COA. She had been sent a letter on July 17, 2015 informing her of the scheduled meeting and information needed to support her application. After receiving her COA application on August 11th the chairman called her several times to discuss it but she did not return the calls. COA #333: Kent Place Corp/Pamela Hall 23 East Town St. Replace roof, windows and rotted soffit. Damien Cregeau, husband of Pamela Hall presented the request to replace the existing asphalt roof with Landmark asphalt Max del re-sawn shakes shingles and repairing the rotted soffits with wood of the same pattern. He brought to the meeting a full sized sample vinyl composite double hung window that he proposed using to replace the windows in the 1950’s era garage on the property. The public hearing concluded at 5:58pm. II. Regular Meeting: The regular meeting convened at 6:00pm. A. Action on COA Applications: 1. COA #330: Commission members noted that a COA had been necessary for the deck and the stairs. The commission members found the fencing material and size to be inappropriate to the architecture and period of the property. On a motion by Scott Learned and seconded by Judy Hamblen the application was unanimously denied based on the inappropriate materials and dimensions of the fence. 2. COA #331: On a motion by Nancy O’Neil and seconded by Tim Dowhan the application was unanimously approved as submitted. 3. COA #332: On a motion by Tim Dowhan and seconded by Scott Learned the application was unanimously denied as applicant failed to appear and due to a lack of information. 4. COA # 333: On a motion by Scott Learned and seconded by Judy Hamblen the roof replacement and soffit repair were approved as presented and the window replacement was approved with the stipulation that the windows be wood, clad, double hung to match existing windows with exposed muntins on the outside. Specifications of the DRAFT required windows are to be given to the chairman prior to work commencing. The motion was approved unanimously. B.Minutes: On motion made by Learned and seconded by Hamblen, the minutes of the meeting of July 15, 2015 were approved. Nancy O’Neil and Tim Dowhan abstained. C. Old Business: 1) Chairman Loewenstein informed the members that this would be his last meeting due to moving from Norwich and then read a letter of resignation sent to the mayor and city council. He thanked the commission members for their support and recognized the work provided to the commission by the recording secretary. He also advised of efforts to find a replacement for the secretary. 2) Member Tim Dowhan asked that a letter be sent to Robert Lasch of 20 East Town Street regarding the solar panel installation approved on November 19, 2014 under COA# 318 advising him that since the COA has expired he will need to reapply if he intends to do the installation. D. New Business: None. E. Chairman’s Report: Chairman Loewenstein received a call from Mona Morin of 77 Union Street inquiring if a COA is necessary for painting the house and was informed it was not needed. F. Next Meeting: The next regularly scheduled meeting is September 16, 2015 at 5:30 pm G. Adjournment: On motion by Learned, seconded by O’Neil the meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm. Respectfully submitted Gideon Loewenstein Chairman GL/mtl