Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the August 19, 2020 Regular Meeting The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Wednesday August 19, 2020 at 5:31 PM via Zoom virtual meeting. Members Present: Regan Miner (Acting Chairwoman) Richard Guidebeck Nancy O’Neil Gregory Johnson Members Absent: Timothy Dowhan Guests: Eric Scott and Kip Gienau I. Public Meeting The public meeting was convened at 5:40 pm. The order of COA presentations and discussions are at the discretion of the commission to accommodate all participants. ● COA 429 – 11 Harland Road (Brandon Reder) Restoration, Roofing Eric Scott stated he was employed with John Hendersen Construction who worked on the project and apologized for not getting HDC approval prior to construction as he was not aware the property was within the district. Eric Scott stated missing shingles on the home were allowing water to get into the home. Richard Guidebeck asked if the applicant had a building permit to do the work. Eric Scott responded they did, and the repair was done quickly to prevent further damage. ● COA 430 – Huntington Tomb (City of Norwich) New Construction, Other There was not an applicant in attendance. Regan Miner stated the COA was a resubmission that the HDC originally reviewed the past fall. Regan  Miner stated she had reached out to the Veterans Group for a status update where she learned the group had several delays, so she encouraged them to submit a new COA before the current one expired. ● COA 431 – 18 Elm Ave (Luanda, LLC) Restoration, Reconstruction, Windows, Masonry, Perimeter, Fixtures, Other There was not an applicant in attendance. ● COA 432 – 13 Harland Road (Jim Pentlond) Restoration, Windows There was not an applicant in attendance. ● COA 433 – 81 East Town Street (First Congregational Church of Norwich) New Construction, Other – Commercial Exhaust Hood Kip Gienau, property manager, stated the project would entail installing a new exhaust vent and pipe to accompany their newly installed range hood as the existing is ineffective. Kip Gienau stated the pipe is only visible from the rear of the building and stated he was willing to paint the pipe matte black to decrease its visibility. Kip Gienau stated the City’s building department was awaiting the HDC decision to approve the application for the kitchen repairs. Kip Gienau stated the new hood would be manufactured by Hood Tech and the entire suppression system would be installed by Allstate Fire Suppression. Richard Guidebeck asked if the exhaust system was being installed at the main church building to which Kip Gienau responded that it was being installed at the recreational hall next door. Regan Miner asked what the size of the pipe was. Kip Gienau responded the 10 to 12-inch diameter pipe would come off the roof about 5 feet which would have a hood atop it and a smaller vent below. Regan Miner suggested painting the pipe white to match the building. Kip Gienau responded that the pipe would be located under a nearby tree so he felt the dark color would better blend with the shadow of the tree. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 5:53 PM. A. Action on COA’s ● COA 429 – 11 Harland Road (Brandon Reder) Restoration, Roofing Gregory Johnson made a motion to approve the COA as submitted. Richard Guidebeck second. Discussion ensued regarding the permit process; Regan stated there had been some miscommunication due to the  expedition of the project, but a permit was obtained after the work was completed. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson, and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 430 – Huntington Tomb (City of Norwich) New Construction, Other Nancy O’Neil made a motion to approve the COA as submitted Gregory Johnson seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 431 – 18 Elm Ave (Luanda, LLC) Restoration, Reconstruction, Windows, Masonry, Perimeter, Fixtures, Other Gregory Johnson made a motion to accept the COA as submitted. Nancy O’Neil seconded. Discussion ensued regarding the project and Regan Miner noted that in the future, the applicant needed to come before the Commission prior to altering the exterior of the building. Nancy O’Neil, Regan Miner and Richard Guidebeck voted in favor. Gregory Johnson abstained. The motion passed. ● COA 432 – 13 Harland Road (Jim Pentlond) Restoration, Windows Nancy O’Neil made a motion to open the application for discussion. Gregory Johnson seconded. Regan Miner stated she had spoken at length with the contract and had hoped to hear from him prior to the meeting as she had strongly encouraged him via email to attend the meeting as she is not sure that their questions from last month had been clarified. Regan Miner stated the applicant was still providing the option of all wood or aluminum clad windows. Regan Miner stated that the contractor did respond that the storm windows would be removed, and the windows would be painted white. Discussion ensued regarding the Commission’s questions from last month’s meeting. Discussion ensured regarding the two model window options proposed by the applicant. Richard Guidebeck made a motion to accept the COA with the option of all wood windows as submitted. Gregory Johnson seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson, and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 433 – 81 East Town Street (First Congregational Church of Norwich) New Construction, Other – Commercial Exhaust Hood Gregory Johnson made a motion to accept the COA with the recommendation of a matte black paint color as presented and submitted. Nancy O’Neil seconded. Regan Miner stated her only concern would be the color of the pipe, but understood why a dark shade may be a better option. Richard Guidebeck agreed that flat black would be the best option. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. B. Minutes of Wednesday July 15, 2020 Regular Meeting ● Nancy O’Neil made a motion to approve the meeting minutes. Richard Guidebeck seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson, and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion carried. C. Chairman Report ● Listings for sale in the Historic Districts Regan Miner reported she noticed increased turnover of homes within the districts and once new owners are settled, she has sent out a welcome package including information on the area, information about the Historic District Commission, and a blank COA application. Regan Miner stated she was working to be proactive with homeowners who may not be aware of regulations when living within the district. Regan Miner stated she has also attempted to reach out to real estate agents who are selling homes in the historic districts to provide them with similar information to pass along to the future homeowner. D. Old Business: ● Historic District Informational Brochures are printed Regan Miner reported the brochures had been printed and she would be leaving copies at the building department and in the outdoor information box at the Norwich Heritage & Regional Visitors’ Center as well as mailing copies to homeowners within the two districts. Regan Miner stated there was potential to do a combined mailing with the building department. Regan Miner reported the cost for printing the brochures was approximately $233 and that there was plenty of funds left in the budget. E. New Business: ● Apply for a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Certified Local Government (CLG Grant) Regan Miner reported she is looking to access funds available to the City of Norwich as a certified local government and use them towards historic preservation and historical related projects. Regan Miner stated there is no match required for the grant and she encouraged the City to apply for the grant. Regan Miner suggested the HDC apply for the grant on the City’s  behalf and then develop a set of design guidelines that clarify the COA process. Gregory Johnson suggested using the funds to create a map of the Norwichtown Burying Ground to determine grave locations and perhaps an inventory of the existing gravestones. Regan Miner explained her idea to create design guidelines using a hired architectural historian consultant. Regan Miner stated the grant awards up to $20,000 which is what she would apply for to cover printing costs and other related expenses. Gregory Johnson stated he would be interested in seeing a more tangible project come to fruition, but he was not opposed to creating a set of guidelines. Nancy O’Neil made a motion that the Historic District Commission apply for the State Historic Preservation Office CLG Grant on behalf of the City of Norwich as indicated by the acting chairperson. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson, and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. F. Next Meeting Date: ● Scheduled for Wednesday September 16, 2020 at 5:30 PM. G. Adjournment ● Nancy O’Neil made a motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting at 6:29 PM. Richard Guidebeck seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Katherine Rose Recording Secretary