Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the September 21, 2022 Regular Meeting The regular meeting of the Historic District Commission was held Wednesday September 21, 2022 at 5:30 PM via Zoom virtual meeting. Members Present: Timothy Dowhan (Chairman) Regan Miner Nancy O’Neil Jacob Stahl Gregory Farlow Members Absent: Gregory Johnson Guests: Meghan Campbell and Matthew Brown. Timothy Dowhan 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 5:30 pm. The order of COA presentations and discussions are at the discretion of the commission to accommodate all participants. ● COA 497 - 17 Huntington Lane (Pamela Campbell) - Other Meghan Campbell presented on behalf of the applicant. Meghan Campbell stated the property had an older asphalt driveway they would like replaced due to age, cracking and necessary drainage. Meghan Campbell stated that in front of the gate by the street there was a crushed stone area, which would be similar to the new driveway. Meghan Campbell stated there would be a cobblestone apron at the garage doors and by the road. Meghan Campbell stated they would line either side of the driveway with  cobblestone edging along the driveway and put in the same crushed stone that is by gate entrance. Meghan Campbell stated the end of driveway would be asphalted to an appropriate depth to help ensure plow trucks not hit the cobblestones. Meghan Campbell stated the proposed work would be in line with the neighborhood and would be more fitting to the home. Meghan Campbell clarified there would be roughly a foot of asphalt at the end of the driveway towards the road. Greg Farlow asked what type of foundation would go under the stone driveway or if it would sit directly on the grass. Meghan Campbell stated the contractor would be putting a type of barrier material down that prevents weed growth and stone would sit atop that. Meghan Campbell stated the stone driveway would be bordered in by the cobblestone to help prevent stone loss over time. Meghan Campbell stated perforated piping was being installed underground near the garage that would assist with the driveway drainage. ● COA 498 - 51 East Town Street (Matthew Brown/Candice Flewharty) - Other, Replace Gutter System, Material Exchange Matthew Brown stated the gutters on the home were not draining properly as the gutters on the front of the home were damaged by a fallen tree and the capacity was too shallow to carry any substantial rain. Matthew Brown stated they would like to change the material of the gutters on the front of the home from copper, which was made by the previous owner, to aluminum, like the gutter on the rear of the home so that both are new aluminum gutters. Matthew Brown stated that Candice Flewharty dropped off a sample of the gutters to Regan Miner, who showcased the sample on screen for all to see. Matthew Brown stated they wished to have properly graded gutters as they were currently getting water damage to home due to the existing gutters. Matthew Brown stated the aluminum would be black in color. Matthew Brown stated the proposed gutters were deeper and possibly slightly wider. Timothy Dowhan asked what the color of rear gutters were. Matthew Brown responded they were currently white and would switch them to black so they were uniform. Regan Miner stated it made sense to make the gutters uniform and that aluminum was an accepted material for gutters within the design guidelines. Timothy Dowhan asked if the downspouts would remain the same. Matthew Brown stated they would be in the same location on the front of the home, which was not entirely visible from the public roadway due to trees. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 5:44 PM. A. Action on COA’s ● COA 497 - 17 Huntington Lane (Pamela Campbell) - Other Regan Miner made a motion to approve the COA as written and presented. Nancy O’Neil seconded. Regan Miner stated the work would be an improvement to the property and the other members were in agreement. Regan Miner, Nancy O’Neil, Timothy Dowhan, Jacob Stahl and Gregory Farlow voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 498 - 51 East Town Street (Matthew Brown/Candice Flewharty) - Other, Replace Gutter System, Material Exchange Regan Miner made a motion to approve the COA as written and presented. Jacob Stahl seconded. Timothy Dowhan stated it would be pertinent to preventing future water damage and noted the copper gutter on the front of the home was not original to the property. Regan Miner, Nancy O’Neil, Timothy Dowhan, Jacob Stahl and Gregory Farlow voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. B. Minutes of the Wednesday August 17, 2022 Meeting Minutes ● Regan Miner made a motion to approve the meeting minutes as written. Jacob Stahl seconded. Regan Miner, Timothy Dowhan, Jacob Stahl and Gregory Farlow voted in favor. Nancy O’Neil abstained. The motion passed. C. Chairman Report ● Timothy Dowhan stated a COA was received in the past day for 177 Broadway and notified the applicant they would be on the October meeting agenda. Timothy Dowhan stated he had not heard from the city regarding the HDC budget. Regan Miner stated she would typically receive an email from the city comptroller but had not as of yet. D. Old Business ● Timothy Dowhan stated a member for the vacancy of a regular member was still needed. Jacob Stahl stated he applied for the position. Timothy Dowhan stated there would be an open slot for an alternate and encouraged members to recommend others to apply to join the  Commission. Timothy Dowhan recognized the commission had discussed the budget at the last meeting and stated the primary concern for the budget would be maintaining a recording secretary stipend but he would also like to restart the awards plaque program for historic homes. E. New Business ● 2023 HDC Meeting Schedule Discussion ensued regarding returning to in-person meetings. Regan Miner made a motion to accept the proposed 2023 Meeting Schedule with the revision that meetings will be held virtually or in Room 319 of City Hall unless otherwise stated. Jacob Stahl seconded. Jacob Stahl, Nancy O’Neil, Regan Miner, Gregory Farlow and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. F. Next Meeting Date ● Scheduled for Wednesday October 19, 2022 at 5:30 PM. G. Adjournment ● Jacob Stahl made a motion to adjourn the Regular Meeting at 6:10 PM. Gregory Farlow seconded. Gregory Farlow, Regan Miner, Jacob Stahl and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Katherine Rose Recording Secretary