Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the June 19, 2019 Regular Meeting The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Wednesday June 19, 2019 at 5:30 pm in City Hall Room 319. Members Present: Scott Learned (Chairman) Regan Miner (Vice Chairman) Richard Guidebeck Nancy O’Neil Greg Johnson Timothy Dowhan Members Absent: I. Public Meeting The public meeting was convened at 5:30 pm. The order of COA presentations and discussions are at the discretion of the commission to accommodate all participants. • COA 395 – 176 Broadway (Roof, Chimney, Fascia, Other) Mr. Jason Heon (owner) made the presentation of the COA and associated details. He noted he was working with a ‘203 rehab loan’. Home Fixology (Mr. Tim Burnett) home inspection made the following notes: Water damage through the chimney; Roof appears structurally sound but shingles are cracked; Main & two lower roof fascia are damaged; There are other rotted boards. Plan is to address roof and paint soon afterward (will use temporary scaffolding for safety). Scrape (cracked) paint. House has Greek details and is circa 1857. It was unclear if the house used to have gutters, but owner opted to not re-apply. Will add drip edge to save fascia boards. Fake detail boards on lower portion of the house are rotting. Will use pre-primed 1x board. Will apply a latex underlayment on roof. (HDC recommended care behind clapboards allow for breathing to avoid trapping moisture). With respect to the chimneys, one will be re-flashed. No plans to fix/repoint. Chimney cap will be lowered to cover. Owner was unsure of current brick age (it was apparent some previous work had been performed). HDC suggested: Use current mortars to blend to limit damage. On use of lead or aluminum flashing, do not use aluminum for durability reasons. It was noted that slate or metal would have been original roof application. Chimney (furnace) repointed with new brick. Roof application will be asphalt shingle, charcoal, architectural and similar in color to existing ‘grey’ asphalt, 3-tab. Mr. Heon noted he found the current COA and procedures had “Good guidelines”. The HDC thanked Mr. Heon for his complete and detailed application and presentation. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 5:52 pm A. Action on COAs • COA 395 – 176 Broadway (Roof, Chimney, Fascia, Other) Recommended. Move to accept as written and presented (RG, NO second). RMiner will provide historic tax credit info. B. Minutes of May 22, 2019 Special Meeting • Motion to accept the May Special Meeting minutes as written (NO; RM second) was approved unanimously. (SL TD abstain) C. Chairman Report • Improvement Item #1: With difficult issues and applicant at Mediterranean Lane. A letter, drafted by RMiner will be sent soon. • Improvement Item #2: With commercial development interest on green properties, HDC needs to tighten up procedures. Recording Secretary is not a nicety but a necessity! HDC is a regulatory commission. • Budget request: Our budget falls under Deanna Rhodes (City Planner); no change in planned amount. Inquiry to pay from City Planner budget (~$800) to pay for recording secretary. With respect to inquiries made – no response. Re-iterate HDC and city legal concerns without proper recognition and/or needed improvement put in place! Plan to retroactively check meeting minutes (last year), identifying any corrections and approve. $1000 heard but not confirmed. • Improvement Item #3: Have city pay for electronic recording of meetings. Other committees have it. (E.g. Planning & Zoning). This is an official meeting. HDC will inquire of using City owned recorder so only new memory/media may be needed for HDC purposes to make the recording. • Improvement Item #4: Record Storage: BBarrett has initially replied that HDC can store our documents with her. Currently at RMiner house. Need accessibility by HDC. (Currently have three boxes; Will request two 4-drawer file cabinets for current and future needs). Will inquire again about storage in Planning & Zoning. Will re-inquire about official mailbox? From recent training: Using Woodstock as an example, COA goes directly to the Building department, who then notifies HDC (Chair). • Set up meeting with DRhodes for mailbox et al. (Action Item: SL & RM) • Lastly, a couple of new updates proposed on instructions. They will be presented to board when new wording is proposed. Addresses vague phrasing (e.g. what is permitted or not, etc.). State regulations need to be re-enforced. Examples: solar panel or air cooled condenser (done without permit or COA; not visible): visibility is only one consideration! Plastic vs composite material application (e.g. wood on three sides; vinyl on hidden side.) D. Old Business • None E. New Business • None. F. Next Meeting Date • Scheduled for Wednesday July 17, 2019 at 5:30 pm. (Commission to review and entertain future meeting dates to ensure attendance is optimized.) NO not available. Site: TBD. G. Adjournment • Motion to adjourn (NO; RM second) approved unanimously. The Regular Meeting adjourned at 6:25 pm. Side note on recent training: RM & RG attended; 3 scenarios presented; Not one was ‘preservation’! Would have like a refresher. Left with questions for State! Respectfully submitted, Scott Learned Chairperson SL/td