Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the November 19, 2020 Special Meeting The special meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Thursday November 19, 2020 at 5:31 PM via Zoom virtual meeting. Members Present: Regan Miner (Acting Chairwoman) Nancy O’Neil Gregory Johnson Timothy Dowhan Richard Guidebeck Members Absent: Gregory Farlow Guests: Gary Lynch, Charles Wargo and Dayne Rugh I. Public Meeting The public meeting was convened at 5:37 pm. The order of COA presentations and discussions are at the discretion of the commission to accommodate all participants. ● COA 442 - 71 East Town Street (Society of the Founders of Norwich) New Construction, Other Dayne Rugh, President of the Society of the Founders of Norwich, stated an application was being submitted to continue work on the Joseph Carpenter Silversmith Shop in order to install a new HVAC system for the building. Dayne Rugh stated the application included information on who would be conducting the work and pictures of the specific condenser unit to be used. Dayne Rugh explained the condensing unit would be in the rear of the property with internal piping and that no materials would be visible other than the unit itself. Timothy Dowhan questioned if the electrical and vent aspects would be similar in design to the neighboring condensing unit to which Dayne  Rugh responded it would and reiterated that only the unit itself would be visible to a person within the UCFS parking lot, but not from street. Dayne Rugh continued that all the interior inverters would be floor mounted with no wall mounted units, so that all piping would go beneath the flooring. Gregory Johnson asked if a concrete pad would be needed to support the condenser unit to which Dayne Rugh responded the unit would sit atop an elevated platform, in a similar style to the unit at the Lathrop Schoolhouse. Discussion ensued regarding similarities between Lathrop Schoolhouse platform versus the application’s proposal. Dayne Rugh stated there was a possibility of utilizing bluestone or a similar material as a base for the platform. Richard Guidebeck asked the reason behind the project. Dayne Rugh stated the current furnace was deemed to be inefficient for the space and that it only heats about one-and-a-half rooms whereas the individual floor mounted units in each section would provide much more heat. Dayne Rugh stated there were not any plans for upstairs heating units and that area would be sealed off. ● COA 443 - 4 Old Cemetery Lane (Gary Lynch) Restoration, Windows Charles Wargo, contractor for the applicant, stated the current windows of the James Butler House were very drafty, mismatched, not properly fitted, and were not the original windows to the home. Charles Wargo continued that the windows, which have aluminum exterior screens, were inefficient and bulky to open. Charlie Wargo stated 25 windows needed replacement; 24 of which would be double-hung low emission argon windows and one would be a picture window in the vestibule area of the home constructed from composite wood. Charles Wargo stated the composite wood came with a lifetime warranty and had been used in similar restoration projects. Charles Wargo stated the goal would be for the window to look as original to the home as possible and he included sample brochures in the application. Timothy Dowhan asked if the window grids would be flat or contoured to which Charles Wargo responded he intended to use internal grids, as the external can tend to move, but as far as the style he would leave that to the commission as the applicant wanted the windows to look as natural as possible. Discussion ensued on the history of the home. Gary Lynch and Charles Wargo further described the replacement vestibule window and stated the size was approximately 18 by 20. Regan Miner asked if the plan was to utilize six-over-six or twelve-over-twelve windows as opposed to what was existing to which Gary Lynch responded was correct and that he would like all windows to be uniform. Regan Miner asked based on the 1800 date provided by the homeowner, what Richard Guidebeck thought was the more appropriate style for the home. Richard Guidebeck recommended the twelve-by-twelve design based on the time period but noted it may not be appropriate for the smaller-sized windows. Gary Lynch and Charles  Wargo stated they were fine with either choice but encouraged uniformity across all windows. Discussion ensued regarding window grid options. Charles Wargo suggested using the history of the home to determine a precedent for the windows. Regan Miner asked how close the composite wood resembles a true wood window. Charles Wargo responded the composite is a blend of materials that includes wood but is mold and mildew resistant and resembles wood extremely well. ● COA 444 - 4 Old Cemetery Lane (Gary Lynch) Other, Lights, Exteriorn Gary Lynch stated his application was for three lanterns on his property; two in a Boston style to be placed at the driveway entrance and the third in a colonial style to illuminate the side patio and rear of the home. Gary Lynch stated the solid copper lanterns would sit atop poles and would match the style of the home. Richard Guidebeck asked the height of the posts to which Gary Lynch responded they were close to 10 feet tall. Gary Lynch stated he was looking to complete the work prior to Christmas. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 6:17 PM. A. Action on COA’s ● COA 442 - 71 East Town Street (Society of the Founders of Norwich) New Construction, Other Gregory Johnson made a motion to accept COA 442 as submitted and presented. Nancy O’Neil seconded. Timothy Dowhan stated he had no concerns whether the applicant chose to use a cement pad or bluestone for the condenser unit as it would not be visible from the road. Gregory Johnson, Nancy O’Neil, Timothy Dowhan and Richard Guidebeck voted in favor. Regan Miner abstained. The motion passed. ● COA 443 - 4 Old Cemetery Lane (Gary Lynch) Restoration, Windows Gregory Johnson made a motion to accept COA 443 as presented and submitted. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Nancy O’Neil questioned if recommendations should be made regarding the window grids or wood composite material. Regan Miner stated her initial concerns and questions had been answered by the applicant’s presentation. Richard Guidebeck stated the material is quite common today and, while regular wood is preferred, it was an acceptable substitute, to which Regan Miner agreed. Richard Guidebecks suggested the six-over-six option for the windows as it would fit all the window sizes to be  replaced. Regan Miner noted she would encourage the applicant to utilize the six-over-six option. Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan, Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 444 - 4 Old Cemetery Lane (Gary Lynch) Other, Lights, Exterior Nancy O’Neil made a motion to approve COA 444 as submitted and presented. Richard Guidebeck seconded. Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan, Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. B. Minutes of Wednesday October 21, 2020 Regular Meeting ● Nancy O’Neil made a motion to approve the meeting minutes. Gregory Johnson seconded. Gregory Johnson noted a spelling error. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson, and Regan Miner voted in favor. Timothy Dowhan abstained. The motion passed. C. Chairman Report ● Regan Miner reported that the HDC did not have jurisdiction on the matter, but she had received complaints over the property acquisition of Lathrop Manor as it was planned to be used as an event venue. Regan Miner stated the complaints had stated a very loud event occurred over Halloween weekend and that she referred the complainants to the Zoning Enforcement Officer as the HDC would only have jurisdiction if modifications were being made to the exterior of the home. Richard Guidebeck asked if the property owners had received any paperwork from the HDC regarding their responsibilities in owning a historical property. Regan Miner responded she had not sent them anything yet as she was waiting for the correct mailing information to be populated into Vision Appraisal. Richard Guidebeck noted that 6 Ox Hill Road is up for sale. D. Old Business: None. E. New Business: ● HDC Training with SHPO: Regan Miner stated there would be potential training available for new commission members from the SHPO office. Regan Miner stated the training would be an informational session and would be advertised in advance. Regan Miner suggested the informational start prior to the December HDC meeting at 4:30PM.  ● December Officer Elections: Regan Miner stated two positions were open in the Commission and a new Chairman would need to be elected. Discussion ensued. F. Next Meeting Date: ● Scheduled for Wednesday December 16, 2020 at 5:30 PM. G. Adjournment ● Gregory Johnson made a motion to adjourn the Special Meeting at 6:47 PM. Richard Guidebeck seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan, and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Katherine Rose Recording Secretary