Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the April 21, 2021 Regular Meeting The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Wednesday April 21, 2021 at 5:32 PM via Zoom virtual meeting. Members Present: Regan Miner (Chairwoman) Nancy O’Neil Richard Guidebeck Gregory Johnson Gregory Farlow Timothy Dowhan Members Absent: None Guests: Thomas Callinan, Clayton Huckaba, Pamela Kinder, Dayne Rugh 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 447 – 39 East Town Street (Daniel Clarkin & Autumn English) – New Construction, Chimney Applicant not in attendance. ● COA 448 – 55 East Town Street (Thomas Callinan & Ann Shapiro) – Reconstruction, Roofing Thomas Callinan stated he was looking to install a new cedar roof on his home as the existing roof is too brittle to continue replacing the shingles. Thomas Callinan stated the roof has had asphalt shingles in the past which  were approved by the SHPO however he preferred to replace it with like- for-like cedar shingles. Thomas Callinan stated the work would be completed by CT Roof Crafters who had worked on multiple historic properties in the area. Thomas Callinan clarified that he would only be replacing the roof on the gambrel part of the home was not the studio addition that was built in 2007 which had asphalt shingles, as well as the shed of the home. ● COA 449 – 7 East Town Street (Clayton Huckaba) – Other, AC Condenser Clayton Huckaba stated he was looking to replace his home’s existing natural gas furnace from the 70’s, which made heating the home very costly. Clayton Huckaba stated he was looking to install a high efficiency boiler and a new cooling system which would require an AC unit on the exterior of the home. Clayton Huckaba stated he picked out a preferred location on the East Town Street side of the home where a seasonal bush would be located in front of the unit where it would be visible in colder months but that he was willing to replace the shrubbery with one that would have yearlong foliage or to install a small fence to match the home. Gregory Farlow asked if there were any other options for where the unit could be installed so that it would not be visible from the street to which Clayton Huckaba responded the alternate option would be beneath the deck, but it was a cluttered area and would be unable to be properly screened. Timothy Dowhan asked if the AC unit connectors would go through a window or brick to which Clayton Huckaba answered that they would go through brick. Discussion ensued on the home’s existing fencing and on other work occurring at home in regards to the driveway retaining wall to which Regan Miner stated she recommended the applicant recommend a separate COA for the May meeting. ● COA 450 – 87 Town Street (David Figarski) – Other, Skylights Applicant not in attendance. ● COA 451 – 34 East Town Street (United Community & Family Services) – Restoration, Windows Pam Kinder stated the requested COA would be for a phased project due to the cost of replacement per window. The current windows are not energy efficient and have water seepage. Timothy Dowhan asked if there was an estimated length of time to the phases to which Pam Kinder responded that UCFS was looking to get additional funding through grants, but was looking to begin the project before the winter. Timothy Dowhan noted that it appeared that the front of the building had shutters and questioned what areas would be receiving external shutter to which Pam Kinder responded that the shutters would be addressed at the end of the project however stated the front of the home would receive six-over-six internal storm  windows. Discussion ensued on the location of the proposed exterior storm windows in comparison to what was existing. ● COA 452 – 348 Washington Street (Society of the Founders of Norwich) – New Construction, Other Dayne Rugh stated that the Society of the Founders of Norwich were in the process of acquiring a three seater outhouse and relocating it to the 348 Washington Street grounds to be repurposed as a tool shed. Dayne Rugh stated some renovations would be done to replace shingles and paint the sides of the outhouse red to match the home. Dayne Rugh stated that the documents submitted show that the structure will be placed in a side garden on the rear of the house that faces toward the highway. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 6:04 PM. A. Action on COA’s ● COA 447 – 39 East Town Street (Daniel Clarkin & Autumn English) – New Construction, Chimney Gregory Johnson made a motion to open the application for discussion. Richard Guidebeck seconded. Regan Miner reported that the COA had been on the previous agenda and that she had email correspondence with homeowner who stated their reason for a metal chimney cap was due to contractor’s statement that the flat stone allows rain to roll under the covering and get into the flue and that the stone does not deflect enough to prevent rain from getting in the chimney like a copper cap would. Regan Miner continued that the homeowner was worried about moisture accumulation during winter months and the potential for animals nesting in the chimney. Regan Miner stated the applicants were not sure if mesh screens were warranted in the area and felt they were not visually appealing as well as not meeting venting cross section requirements. Regan Miner reported that the look of the chimney would be shorter as the bluestone would be removed and replaced with the copper cap while a bump out would be built to resemble the chimney at 425 Washington Street. Richard Guidebeck stated he felt the homeowner shoulder maintaining the bluestone cap with a critter guard as he was reluctant to allow a progression in style that was not appropriate to the home. Timothy Dowhan agreed and stated that he’d prefer a larger bluestone cap to protect the home. Gregory Johnson agreed as well. Richard Guidebeck made a motion to deny the COA due to the proposed change in the character of the home. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Farlow, Gregory Johnson and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed  unanimously. ● COA 448 – 55 East Town Street (Thomas Callinan & Ann Shapiro) – Reconstruction, Roofing Nancy O’Neil made a motion to approve the COA as written and presented. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Johnson, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Farlow, Timothy Dowhan and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 449 – 7 East Town Street (Clayton Huckaba) – Other, AC Condenser Gregory Johnson made a motion to approve COA 449 as written and presented with the recommendation to plant an all-season shrub and match the existing bush to screen the Air-conditioning unit from the public right of way. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Farlow, Nancy O’Neil, and Regan Miner voted in favor. Approved. ● COA 450 – 87 Town Street (David Figarski) – Other, Skylights Timothy Dowhan made a motion to open the application for discussion. Gregory Johnson seconded. Regan Miner stated she spoke to the applicant who is looking to install an awning in the front of their building to prevent sunlight from causing extreme heat in the bakery. Regan Miner stated she stopped at the location to ask for a written description and when she spoke to them she was told they would provide awning options for the HDC to choose from for what is appropriate to the space. Timothy Dowhan asked if the awning would go across the door as well as the picture window to which Regan Miner answered it would. Gregory Johnson suggested showing the applicant the approved awnings at Miranda Creative. Regan Miner stated she would look into the history of building to provide additional guidance on the awning for the applicant. Timothy Dowhan made a motion to table the COA to the next regular meeting pending additional information from the applicant. Gregory Johnson seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Farlow, Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 451 – 34 East Town Street (United Community & Family Services) – Restoration, Windows Richard Guidebeck made a motion to open the application for discussion. Gregory Farlow seconded. Discussion ensued on proposed window options. Timothy Dowhan questioned why the applicant would not put internal storm windows on sides of the home as well as the front. Regan  Miner stated that the HDC could ask the architect if the side storm windows could also be internal or a different material. Gregory Johnson made a motion to approve the application with the exception of the aluminum exterior storm windows and the recommendation of a new COA for any proposed exterior storm windows. Richard Guidebeck seconded. Gregory Johnson, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Farlow, Timothy Dowhan and Nancy O’Neil voted in favor. Regan Miner abstained. The motion passed. ● COA 452 – 348 Washington Street (Society of the Founders of Norwich) – New Construction, Other Gregory Johnson made a motion to approve the COA as written and presented. Timothy Dowhan seconded. Gregory Johnson, Richard Guidebeck, Timothy Dowhan and Nancy O’Neil voted in favor. Gregory Farlow and Regan Miner abstained. The motion passed. B. Minutes of Wednesday March 17, 2021 Regular Meeting ● Gregory Farlow made a motion to approve the meeting minutes with the addition of one spelling correction. Nancy O’Neil seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Richard Guidebeck, Gregory Farlow, Gregory Johnson, and Regan Miner voted in favor. Timothy Dowhan abstained. The motion passed. C. Chairman Report ● None. D. Old Business: None. E. New Business: ● Review Design Guidelines RFP Regan Miner stated the approved grant would help the HDC to hire a consultant to update their existing design guidelines. Discussion ensued on including the dollar amount for the bid in the RFP. Regan Miner explained that since the grant was under $25,000 that the HDC was not required to perform normal bid procurements through the City, but had to solicit three bids from qualified consultations. Regan Miner suggested the committee review the bids and make a determination at the regular June meeting. F. Next Meeting Date:  ● Scheduled for Wednesday May 19, 2021 at 5:30 PM. G. Adjournment ● Gregory Johnson made a motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting at 7:00 PM. Nancy O’Neil seconded. Richard Guidebeck, Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Johnson, Gregory Farlow, Timothy Dowhan and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Katherine Rose Recording Secretary