Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the March 20, 2019 Regular Meeting The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Wednesday March 20, 2019 at 5:30 pm in City Hall Room 319. Members Present: Regan Miner (Vice Chairman) Timothy Dowhan Richard Guidebeck Nancy O’Neil Greg Johnson Members Absent: Scott Learned (Chairman) - excused I. Public Meeting The public meeting was convened at 5:34 pm. The order of COA presentations and discussions are at the discretion of the commission to accommodate all participants. • COA 387 (continuation)– 7 Huntington Place (Windows; Siding) Due to a scheduling conflict, Mr. Adams (owner) was unable to attend the meeting. No additional presentation details or modifications to the original COA have been forwarded to the commission since the previous meeting. • COA 389 – 7 East Town Street (Fencing) No representative for the homeowner (Mr. & Mrs. Dearborn) attended the meeting to present the COA. • COA 390 – 6 Ox Hill Road (Roof) No representative for the homeowner (JP Morgan Chase / Aspen Realty) attended the meeting to present the COA. • COA 391 – 348 Washington Street (Signage) Mr. Dayne Rugh presented the Society of the Founders of Norwich application. The Leffingwell House Museum would like to replace signage that is currently in serious deterioration. Two signs will be replaced, one at the driveway entrance and one placed closer to the museum. The replacement signs will be of the same shape and dimensions. The replacement signs will be constructed of wood, painted, and will be two-sided. The main wording will be changed slightly (truncated) to reflect the museum’s current reference as “Leffingwell House Museum” and the addition of a horse emblem will be of historic significance as it was commonly used in signs of the period to reflect the original usage of the house. The existing mounting posts are still in good shape and will be reused. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 5:44 pm A. Action on COAs • COA 387 (continuation) – 7 Huntington Place (Windows; Siding) With no further presentation made during the Public Meeting, the commission members assessed only the COA and associated details currently provided and discussed. Ms. Miner reached out to the state historic commission after the previous meeting for guidance/recommendations on what is considered approvable ‘like material’ proposed for repair and reconstruction. The general consensus of the commission members from previous and current discussion was unfavorable to the proposed materials presented. It was noted that COAs must be addressed and voted on by the commission within a certain time period. Motion to deny the COA as written (TD; second NO) was unanimously. The commission welcomes future conversations with the owner and potential re- submission of an application to facilitate a best fit of COA proposals to the commission’s historic guidelines and will indicate so in our decision letter. • COA 389 – 7 East Town Street (Fencing) With no presentation made during the Public Meeting, the commission members assessed only the COA and associated details provided. Commission members would have preferred additional detail in the form of a simple plot identifying the perimeter area as described in the associated documents provided. Commission members were favorable to the fence material, height, and style of the first option (i.e. decorative with ‘spike top’) provided in the COA details. Placement of the gates seemed in order. Motion to approve the COA as written (TD; second RM), using the decorative style option (i.e. ‘spike top’), was approved on 3-1 vote. • COA 390 – 6 Ox Hill Road (Roof) With no presentation made during the Public Meeting, the commission members assessed only the COA and associated details provided. Discussions by the commission members were favorable to the replacement of existing cedar wood shingle with like material. All other work and treatment to be performed (chimney flashing, vent stack) appear in order. Motion to approve the COA as written (TD; second NO) was approved unanimously. • COA 391 – 348 Washington Street (Signage) Commission members are familiar with the existing signage at the museum and were favorable of the material and appearance of the signs presented. Motion to approve the COA as written and presented (RG; second NO) was approved unanimously (RM recused). B. Minutes of February 20, 2019 Regular Meeting • Motion to accept the February Regular Meeting minutes as written (RG; second TD) was approved unanimously. C. Chairman Report • No report. D. Old Business • Budget: The formal letter for the City Manager, was prepared and sent via DRhodes, as suggested. Our suggested budget of $2300 was reduced to $1000. It is noted that such a budget would likely only cover legal fees and IT assessments. The commission will submit a response with a proposed budget forgoing the award program (Action: RM). As before, a draft of formal write up by RM will be distributed for review. • Records of prior year COA documentation: The effort is on-going to provide details to the records clerk (Angela Fuller). Need physical COA and supporting material from 2015 forward for state filing. Ms. Fuller has provided a list of missing COAs (333, 335 – 349, 352 – 355, 357 – 385). Ms. Miner received several boxes which may contain the details requested. Mr. Guidebeck and Mr. Dowhan reported very limited success in finding details in old email attachments. • Commission Roster: Welcome Greg Johnson as an alternate. There are currently two openings for alternates. E. New Business • Ms. Miner suggests adding a review process prior to the meeting to ensure all COAs are complete and contain sufficient detail. It is suggested that the Legal Notice & Call to Meeting act as a trigger for members to review and respond. This should give the applicant time to provide any additional information the commission may need to act on the COA appropriately. Mr. Dowhan will ensure the read ahead material is available. • It is suggested the commission use the HDC email address as provided by the city to its full extent when conducting commission related tasking. Mr. Guidebeck indicated he was unable to successfully access the mail account. • Commission will re-investigate use of City Planning office for storage and repository of mailing to the HDC. Commission will consider City Clerk office as an alternate site for storage and mailing (Action: RM). F. Next Meeting Date • Scheduled for Wednesday April 17, 2019 at 5:30 pm. G. Adjournment • Motion to adjourn (RM; second RG) approved unanimously. The Regular Meeting adjourned at 7:03 pm. Respectfully submitted Regan Miner Vice Chairperson RM/td