Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the February 26, 2020 Special Meeting The special meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Wednesday February 26, 2020 at 5:33 pm in City Hall Room 319. Members Present: Regan Miner (Acting Chairwoman) Gregory Johnson Tim Dowhan Richard Guidebeck Members Absent: Nancy O’Neil 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 #407 – 7 Huntington Place (Joseph Adams) Renovation, siding Joseph Adams introduced himself and stated his property is 91-years old and its shingles are in a deplorable state with some areas beginning to blacken. Mr. Adams provided photographs of the property currently stating his contractor may need to do residual work under the damages shingles so the plan would be to repair and replace as they go along. Mr. Adams said under the new shingles the home would be wrapped with DuPont™ Tyvek® opposed to the thin paper wrap that exists now, which would help to preserve the new shingles over time. Joseph Adams stated he planned to contract Atlantic Exteriors out of Providence, RI who would dispose of all discard including nails and approximated the job to take two weeks. Timothy Dowhan asked if there was any damage to the fascia boards aside from the shingles and under layer. Joseph Adams responded everything aside from the items on the COA seemed to be in good shape. Timothy Dowhan asked if the existing gutters would go back after they are removed for the new shingles. Joseph  Adams stated that was correct and for the areas that did need new gutters he would have standard like-for-like aluminum gutters created. Joseph Adams stated the shingles themselves would be 16-inch SBC white cedar with a Cape Cod grey coating that would also assist in preservation along with the decreased exposure from the shorter reveal; current shingles are 24 inches. Regan Miner closed the public hearing at 5:48 pm. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 5:50 pm. A. Action on COA’s • COA #407 – 7 Huntington Place (Joseph Adams) Renovation, siding Timothy Dowhan made a motion to approve the COA as written and presented. Richard Guideback seconded. Richard Guideback stated the application was well thought out and put together. Timothy Dowhan stated the repairs are needed and his only question was the Tyvek which won’t be visible. All in favor. The motion passed unanimously. B. Minutes of January 15, 2020 Regular Meeting Richard Guideback made a motion to accept the January Regular Meeting minutes as written. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Richard Guideback, Timothy Dowhan and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed. Gregory Johnson abstained. C. Chairman Report: Regan Miner stated there is now a letter on file with the Building Department written by her on behalf of the Historic District Commission in support of preserving the property at 232 West Town Street per discussions at the last regular meeting. D. Old Business: • Updating Certificate of Appropriateness: Regan Miner followed up to see if members had reached out to potential new committee members and to see if they had proposed changes to the current COA application. Richard Guideback stated he did speak to someone that he believes submitted an application. Regan Miner stated she also reached out to historic district citizens who she hoped sent in applications for the recent interviews. Timothy said he reached out to a neighbor that he will follow up with. Discussion ensued regarding the COA application. Members were in favor of updating to an electronically submitted application. Regan Miner stated  she would follow up with Tony Madeira on creating the digital application. Regan also mentioned Tony Madeira noticed the HDC FAQ page could be updated so asked members to look it over and come up with suggestions and email ideas to her. • Walk Norwich Sign Update: Regan Miner stated in February of 2019 the Norwich Historical Society submitted a COA application for a plaque honoring Boston Trowtrow in the Colonial Norwichtown Burying Ground. In September 2019, the Norwich Historical Society requested a six month extension due to a delay in fabrication. Regan Miner stated there is still a delay so the Norwich Historical Society is requesting an additional six months at which time the sign will be completed. There are no changes to the application. Timothy Dowhan made a motion to approve the six month extension request for COA #388 as presented. Gregory Johnson seconded. Timothy Dowhan, Gregory Johnson and Richard Guideback voted in favor. Regan Miner recused from the vote. The motion passed. E. New Business: • May Meeting Date: Discussion ensued. Decision made to cancel the May regular meeting and schedule a special meeting if there are any pending COA applications. • Shingle Presentation by Richard Guideback: Richard Guideback stated he contacted two suppliers of faux shingles that are revisable in all colors, with and with-out splits and provide a lifetime guarantee. Richard Guideback explained the shingles can be made to resemble cedar but will not fade or change colors. Regan Miner stated she would reach out to see the Secretary of Interior’s take on reproduction materials in contrast to their like-for-like material requirements. F. Next Meeting Date • Scheduled for Wednesday March 18, 2020 at 5:30PM. G. Adjournment • Gregory Johnson made a motion to adjourn the regular meeting at 6:37 pm. Richard Guidebeck seconded. The motion passed unanimously Respectfully submitted, Katherine Rose Recording Secretary