Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the February 16, 2022 Regular Meeting The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Wednesday February 16, 2022 at 5:36 PM via Zoom virtual meeting. Members Present: Regan Miner (Chairwoman) Timothy Dowhan Gregory Johnson Nancy O’Neil Members Absent: Richard Guidebeck and Gregory Farlow Guests: Chris Skelly, Dayne Rugh, Pam Kinder, Matthew Tucker, Ken Thompson and Shirlene Brashier Regan Miner reviewed the rules of a virtual meeting and clearly notified participants that the meeting would be recorded. I. Public Meeting The public meeting was convened at 5:35 pm. The order of COA presentations and discussions are at the discretion of the commission to accommodate all participants. ● COA 482 – 34 East Town Street (UCFS Healthcare) - Restoration, Windows Pam Kinder stated the replacement windows that UCFS selected for the project last April were discontinued and they did not feel comfortable moving in that direction. Pam Kinder continued that they found The Cooper Group instead, who they felt were ideal for the project. Matthew Tucker, director of operations, stated their goal is to remove the existing jamb liners and sashes, restore the frames and then add energy efficient glass to new sashes, so that the windows have a historic look but operate  and provide low maintenance energy efficiency. Matthew Tucker stated the new accoya wood sashes would not require storm windows and would have matching profiles. Matthew Tucker continued that the windows would be a fixed upper sash over an operable lower sash and that there would be an interior grill, but the window would look like a historic window. Matthew Tucker stated the windows would use their in house produced Liberty Restoration Glass which resembles historic glass. Ken Thompson, Senior Advisor of Operations at The Cooper Group, stated they would also restore the aluminum cladding and paint it to match the existing home color. Ken Thompson stated they would install a mechanical balancing system in the lower sash which would make the operation of the windows much smoother. Timothy Dowhan asked if the mechanism would replace the window counterweights which Ken Thompson stated was correct. Matthew Tucker clarified that the window would contain a single insulated glass unit with interior grill work but would also have grill work applied to the exterior. Ken Thompson stated all the windows would receive new weather stripping including the fixed upper sash. Regan Miner asked what the timeline of the project would be. Pam Kinder responded their goal would be to begin the work approximately 30 to 45 days from COA approval. ● COA 483 – 44 East Town Street (Shirlene Brashier) - New Construction, Perimeter Shirlene Brashier stated she is looking to replace one handrail on the small staircases in front of her home per the request of her insurance company. Shirlene Brashier stated she would use All Time Manufacturing to get the job completed. Gregory Johnson asked if hand rails existed previously to which Shirlene Brashier responded it appeared so but there was no way to tell what style or material they were. Timothy Dowhan asked if the railing would attach to the home or the steps. Shirlene Brashier responded the railing would be attached to the granite steps. Shirlene Brashier stated the railing would be aluminum with a square cap, similar to others in the neighborhood. Discussion ensued regarding insurance requirements and which side of the staircase was best for the railing. Timothy Dowhan questioned if there are any code requirements in regards to which side of the staircase. Shirlene Brashier stated she would reach out to the city building officials.  ● COA 484 – 67 East Town Street (Dayne Rugh) - New Construction, Perimeter Dayne Rugh stated he is looking to replace the fence in rear of his property with the addition of a gate that will allow access between the rear property and 69 East Town Street; the Norwich Heritage & Regional Visitors’ Center. Dayne Rugh stated the path between the properties belongs to 67 East Town Street, however, since moving in, he has realized it is difficult to delineate the property lines and has often found people looking for the school house wandering in his back yard. Dayne Rugh explained the proposed gate would assist in guiding traffic in the correct direction. Dayne Rugh stated the proposed fence would be composed of six foot by eight foot privacy fence panels with a matching gate, and would replace the existing small fence panel that covers his garbage cans. Greg Johnson asked if the 67 East Town Street property line extended to the schoolhouse which Dayne Rugh responded it did. Dayne Rugh stated the fence would not impact the actual structure of the schoolhouse as there was a meter located on the adjacent side to his property, which would remain accessible. ● Review of the final draft of the Historic District Commission Design Guidelines by Consultant Chris Skelly Gregory Johnson asked where the guidelines landed as far as incorporating ‘shall’ versus ‘should’ language. Chris Skelly responded that the only place the language came up was when quoting directly from the Secretary of the Interior Standards, as he tried to avoid using either word within the guidelines. Chris Skelly stated he included the quote to clarify what the standards are and that section also discusses how the standards are meant to be guidelines, not requirements. Timothy Dowhan asked what the guidelines stated in regard to emergency COA applications. Chris Skelly stated the emergency application portion was omitted. Regan Miner explained that upon speaking to the SHPO and city attorney it made the most sense to pull the language entirely. Regan Miner added that Attorney Michael Driscoll did ask for some verbiage to be added to the COA flow chart. Regan Miner stated she would put copies of the guidelines in city hall and the building department. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 5:59 PM. A. Action on COA’s ● COA 482 – 34 East Town Street (UCFS Healthcare) - Restoration, Windows Gregory Johnson made a motion to accept the COA as submitted and presented. Nancy O’Neil seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 483 – 44 East Town Street (Shirlene Brashier) - New Construction, Perimeter Timothy Dowhan made a motion to accept the COA as submitted and presented, per meeting city code requirements. Gregory Johnson seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 484 – 67 East Town Street (Dayne Rugh) - New Construction, Perimeter Nancy O’Neil made a motion to accept the COA as written and presented. Gregory Johnson seconded. Gregory Johnson noted that typically the fences on the properties aligning the Norwichtown Green were low, picket-style that allow for visibility of the home. Discussion ensued regarding fence height. Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Johnson and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. Regan Miner abstained. The motion passed. ● Final Historic District Commission Design Guidelines by Consultant Chris Skelly Timothy Dowhan motion to approve the design guidelines as written, including pending grammatical changes made by Regan Miner and Chris Kelly. Gregory Johnson seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously.  B. Minutes of the Wednesday January 19, 2022 Meeting Minutes ● Nancy O’Neil made a motion to approve the meeting minutes as written. Gregory Johnson seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. C. Chairman Report ● Regan Miner reported that the city council should be voting on a new commission member at the next regular meeting. Regan Miner added that Timothy Dowhan should be taking over as HDC chairman in March. D. Old Business ● None. E. New Business ● None. F. Next Meeting Date ● Scheduled for Wednesday March 16, 2022 at 5:30 PM. G. Adjournment ● Gregory Johnson made a motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting at 6:53 PM. Nancy O’Neil seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Johnson, Timothy Dowhan, and Regan Miner voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Katherine Rose Recording Secretary