Historic District Commission

Approved NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the March 19, 2018 Meeting _______________________________________________________ The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Monday March 19, 2018 at 5:30pm in City Hall Room 319. Members Present: Scott Learned (Chairman) Regan Miner (Vice Chairman) Richard Guidebeck Nancy O’Neil Timothy Dowhan Guests: Nicole Coughlin, Kevin Agnello, Greg Farlow, Dennis Guillemette I. Public Meeting Public meeting convened at 5:35 pm A. COA 359- 21 Huntington Place B. COA 360- 348 Washington Street C. COA- 361- 71 East Town Street II. Regular Meeting Regular meeting convened at 6:00 pm A. Action on COAs COA 359- 21 Huntington Place, Kevin Agnello Tim Dowhan made a motion to accept as presented in the application(to reconstruct the front porch on the house). Nancy O’ Neil seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. COA 360- 348 Washington Street, Dennis Guillemette Nancy O’Neil made a motion to accept as presented in the application (to install a bifold door outside the current basement door to protect from weather). Tim Dowhan seconded the motion. Regan Miner and Richard Approved Guidebeck abstained their vote. Scott Learned, Nancy O’ Neil, and Tim Dowhan approved the application. The motion carried. COA 361- 71 East Town Street, Greg Farlow Regan Miner made a motion to accept the application as presented(to replace the rotting frame of the door on the building with an exact duplication). Richard Guidebeck seconded the motion. Regan Miner and Richard Guidebeck abstained their vote. Scott Learned, Nancy O’ Neil and Tim Dowhan voted in favor of accepting the application. The motion carried. B. Chairman’s Report No Chairman’s Report C. Old Business 8 Mediterranean Lane - A second letter has been composed by Regan Miner and Scott Learned to be sent by regular and certified mail. Residential Mailings - Regan Miner felt it would be helpful to have 2-3 reminders per year about COAs - Send letters to real estate agents to remind them to inform potential buyers about the Norwich Historic District policies. - Send welcome letter to new homeowners within the Historic District to remind them of policies and contact information if any questions arise. - Make the letters more general to the entire District rather than specific to a residence Discussion regarding contributing properties in the local historic district - Scott Learned would like to confirm a proper list per the request of the City of Norwich - Regan Miner and Richard Guidebeck were able to find maps of the Historic District which included contributing properties and shared them with the commission. - The maps will be cross checked with the lists from the City and the State. D. Minutes of the January 16, 2018 Meeting - The minutes of the January meeting were unanimously accepted. E. New Business Preservation Plaques - The commission was made aware that if funds for the commission were not used, they would be put into the general fund. Approved - Regan Miner suggested the Commission should bring back preservation plaques, an award for historical integrity of residences throughout the Historic District - Scott Learned suggested it be a completion with one winner to boost nominations - Tim Dowhan suggested the competition be city wide. - Scott Learned suggested reaching out to Norwich Public Utilities to include an application for nomination in their newsletter Advocacy Initiatives - Regan Miner presented the idea of holding workshops for residents in the local historic district to provide resources such as contractors, supplies, and suppliers to better uphold the nature of the historic buildings in the district. State Historic Preservation Office Workshop -Regan Miner informed commission of the State Historic Preservation Office Tax Credit Workshop held at Otis Library on June 6th 2018 at 5:30. - The Historic District Commission was asked to sponsor the event which would be at no cost but rather an opportunity for name recognition. -Timothy Dowhan made a motion to support and participate in the Historic Tax Credit Workshop hosted by the State Historic Preservation Office. Nancy O’ Neil amended the motion to support and encourage resident attendance to the Tax Credit Workshop. Richard Guidebeck seconded this motion. The motion was unanimously approved. F. Adjournment Scott Learned made a motion to adjourn. Regan Miner seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. The Regular meeting adjourned at 7:00pm Respectfully submitted Scott Learned Chairperson SL/nc