Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the April 15, 2020 Regular Meeting The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Wednesday April 15, 2020 at 5:30PM via teleconference call. Members Present: Regan Miner (Acting Chairwoman) Timothy Dowhan Nancy O’Neil Greg Johnson Richard Guideback Members Absent: None 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 408 – 370 Washington Street (John Fournier) Reconstruction, Stoop Replacement Applicant was not in attendance. ● COA 410 – 8 Elm Avenue (Jonathan Webster) Reconstruction, New Construction, Fixtures Jonathan Webster stated the COA is for the replacement of an oil warm air furnace in a two-story colonial home on the Norwichtown Green, often referred to as the Knight/Peck Tavern. Jonathan Webster stated the work, which they had hoped to begin in May, but might be delayed until October, would be to replace the existing furnace with a direct vent natural gas furnace for efficiency and liability reasons. Mr. Webster stated the approach would be to have an exhaust pipe exiting at the base of a window that would be visible from the street. Jonathan Webster added that he spent a lot of money attempting to repair the existing furnace, but it is at the point of replacement. Jonathan Webster stated the north side of the home, shown in picture number four of the COA attachments, is the ideal location for the exhaust pipe as it is the only side of the home with basement windows and it would be very difficult to drill through the stone foundation if he were required to put the exhaust elsewhere. Mr. Webster added that the south end of the home has a crawl space which presents challenges; the exhaust pipe would be obtrusive in the back yard and he does not wish to put the pipe in the front of the home. Jonathan Webster stated his plan would be to remove a window frame and replace it with a T-1-11 panel, painted the same color as the home that the vent would go through. Timothy Dowhan asked if the window being removed would be closest to the street or further back. Mr. Webster responded he had not settled on a configuration yet as there were several layout options. Jonathan Webster stated he may run into challenges with his proposed installation as code states you can exit exhaust under an operable window however the basement windows are inoperable so he is waiting to see what the City inspector decides. Jonathan Webster continued that the exhaust could not exit at ground level as snow accumulates in that area so he may have to go with an extended pipe option opposed to something compact. Mr. Webster stated he was amenable to painting the pipe to match the home and planting shrubbery to make the pipe less obtrusive. Discussion ensued for potential options on the style of vent. Jonathan Webster stated due to where the vent would need to sit to accommodate potential snow accumulation the completed design would most likely resemble picture number five of the COA attachments. Jonathan Webster stated the COA also includes the replacement of the existing 30-year old air condenser unit as it is part of the same system as the furnace which is shown in picture number eight of the COA attachments. Mr. Webster stated the new unit would resemble the style shown in picture number eleven of the COA attachments and his plan is to relocate the unit from its current position from near the entrance of the home to behind an added addition of the home. Jonathan Webster stated the new unit would only be visible from the neighboring cemetery, not from the front of the home, and responded to a question by Timothy Dowhan that the current unit is also visible from the cemetery. Richard Guidebeck noted that when the foliage is in bloom it would block the visibility of the unit from the cemetery. ● COA 411 – 348 Washington Street (Society of the Founders of Norwich) Reconstruction, Roofing Dayne Rugh, President of the Society of the Founders of Norwich, stated the COA is in regards to replacing the roof of the Leffingwell Inn, which they recently acquired the funds for. Mr. Rugh stated the existing cedar shake roof is about 35 years old and has outlived its lifespan. Dayne Rugh stated the plan is to replace the roof with the same exact shingle that is currently on the roof. The contractor was able to recreate an exact replica of the existing shingle from a fallen shingle. Mr. Rugh briefly explained the project, which would include: the removal of the existing roof, removal of debris, installation of self-adhering ice and water shields and the installation of new copper flashings at the chimneys, vents and penetrations, which will be an upgrade from the existing painted led flashings. Mr. Rugh continued the new roof will be composed of Western Red Cedar #1 Grade Taper Sawn shingles and new miter cut cedar shingle caps would be installed at the hips and ridges. Timothy Dowhan asked if the work would be done immediately to which Dayne Rugh responded that the contract is finalized so the work would be ready to begin within the coming weeks. Richard Guidebeck asked what the length of the project would be to which Mr. Rugh responded they budgeted 4-6 weeks to account for any challenges so he does not foresee it exceeding that timeframe. ● COA 414 – 7 East Town Street (Melissa Dearborn) New Construction, Fixtures Applicant was not in attendance. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 5:55 PM. A. Action on COA’s ● COA 408 – 370 Washington Street (John Fournier) Reconstruction, Stoop Replacement Richard Guideback made a motion to approve the COA as written. Timothy Dowhan seconded. During discussion, Regan Miner clarified that at the Regular August 20, 2018 Historic District Commission meeting, the same COA was presented, but the Commission requested a dimensional sketch and more information on the materials involved. Regan Miner stated as the six month deadline has expired the Commission requested the applicant to resubmit the COA, which they have provided along with a detailed sketch and the proposed materials. Nancy O’Neil stated the repair would be a clear improvement to the existing stoop. Discussion ensued on the project. Timothy Dowhan stated that although it would not be a like-for-like replacement he liked the suggested bluestone. Richard Guidebeck stated the proposed design matches the period of the home and will look much better. Richard Guidebeck, Timothy Dowhan, Regan Miner, Nancy O’Neil, and Gregory Johnson voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 410 – 8 Elm Avenue (Jonathan Webster) Reconstruction, New Construction, Fixtures Gregory Johnson made a motion to approve the COA as written and presented. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Nancy O’Neil questioned if there was room for shrubbery and if the Commission should consider requiring it. Richard Guidebeck stated there did appear to be space available and he would prefer to see shrubbery hiding the vent. Timothy Dowhan agreed that there was space available and that as the applicant stated they were amenable to adding shrubbery, he would be in favor of requiring it. Regan Miner agreed that she would like to see some type of shrubbery to lessen the visibility of the vent as well as painting the pipe to match the color of the home. Discussion ensued on the visibility of the exhaust vent as well as the new air condenser unit. Gregory Johnson made an amended motion to approve the COA as written and presented with the stipulation that the direct vent is painted to match the house and shrubbery is utilized to decrease visibility from the street. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan, Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 411 – 348 Washington Street (Society of the Founders of Norwich) Reconstruction, Roofing Nancy O’Neil made a motion to approve the COA as written and presented. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Timothy Dowhan, Gregory Johnson, Richard Guidebeck and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 414 – 7 East Town Street (Melissa Dearborn) New Construction, Fixtures Richard Guideback made a motion to accept the COA as written. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Richard Guidebeck stated the proposed design looks similar to other properties in the area and the electrical modifications would be well covered with shrubbery. Discussion ensued regarding the current appearance of the meter and mitigating the new meter’s visibility from the street. Richard Guidebeck made an amended motion to approve the COA as written with the stipulation that the electrical modifications are painted to match the color of the home to decrease visibility from the street. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Richard Guidebeck, Timothy Dowhan, Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Johnson, and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. B. Minutes of Tuesday April 7, 2020 Special Meeting ● Nancy O’Neil made a motion to accept the April Special Meeting minutes as written with spelling revisions to Mr. Orsini, Mr. DeCarlo and Mr. Guidebeck’s names. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Timothy Dowhan, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson, and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. C. Chairman Report: None. D. Old Business: None. E. New Business: Regan Miner reported that she distributed a draft of a Historic District Commission brochure to fellow Commission members via email for review prior to the meeting and made the recommended changes she received via email. Regan Miner asked members if there were any additional changes to the brochure. Discussion ensued regarding proposed changes. Regan Miner stated she would revise again with new suggestions and send a new file to members through email for further review. F. Next Meeting Date: ● Scheduled for Wednesday May 20, 2020 at 5:30 PM. G. Adjournment ● Gregory Johnson made a motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting At 6:38 PM. Richard Guidebeck seconded. Gregory Johnson, Richard Guideback, Nancy O’Neil, Timothy Dowhan and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Katherine Rose Recording Secretary