Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the December 20, 2023 Regular Meeting 5:30PM via ZOOM & Room 319 of City Hall 100 Broadway, Norwich, CT Members Present: Timothy Dowhan (Chairman) Regan Miner (ZOOM) Jacob Stahl (ZOOM) Dayne Rugh (ZOOM) Nancy O’Neil (ZOOM) Gregory Farlow (ZOOM) Greg Johnson (ZOOM) Members Absent: None Guests: Andrew Popolozio (ZOOM), Charles Frick and Linda Frick 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 5:33 pm. The order of COA presentations and discussions are at the discretion of the commission to accommodate all participants. ● COA 537 - 372 Washington Street (John Hoover) - Restoration, Other, Doors Andrew Popolozio stated he met with John Hoover, the homeowner, a month prior in regards to replacing his front door due to efficiency issues. Andrew Popolozio stated the design is using like-for-like materials. Andrew Popolozio noted they would be replacing the sidelights and surrounding trim on the exterior as well, to match identically. Timothy Dowhan asked if the head jamb would be changed. Andrew Popolozio responded it would but would be a replication. Greg Johnson asked if the exterior look would remain the same, with four divided windows. Andrew Popolozio responded that it would. ● COA 538 - 2 Town Street (Society of the Founders of Norwich) - Reconstruction, Fixtures, Gutter Regan Miner, on behalf of the Norwich Historical Society, reported that extensive work was being done on the Greenleaf House in partnership with the Society of the Founders of Norwich. Regan Miner stated the project was at the point of the basement renovation and the hope was for the space to be usable in a couple months or less. Regan Miner stated in addition while conducting work a drainage and gutter problem was noticed that was then exacerbated by the recent rain storms. Regan Miner reported that the original wood gutter was shingled over, rendering it useless and causing water to flow into the basement which was preventing that renovation from being completed. Regan Miner stated the COA was requesting a temporary gutter be installed as there was a plan to replace the existing roof with wood shingles and at that time the original gutter would be repaired or replaced with a copper gutter after the roof is replaced. Regan Miner reiterated that in order to finish restoration and rehabilitation of the lower level of the Greenleaf House the two groups were looking to install a temporary aluminum gutter to resolve the drainage issue in the short term with the intent on using a more historic  appropriate material when the roof is finished. Greg Farlow asked what color the temporary gutter would be. Regan Miner responded that it would be white to blend into the building. Timothy Dowhan asked what the style of the existing wood gutters was. Regan Miner responded it was difficult to determine as they were covered. ● COA 539 - 385 Washington Street (Charles and Linda Frick) - New Construction, Fence Enclosure, Other, Heating Charles Frick stated that as part of the replacement of their current oil furnace he decided to go with a heat-pump type unit and required two outdoor units due to the size of his home. Charles Frick stated the new units would protrude slightly above the existing lattice that covers the current units. Charles Frick stated they are looking to install a second tier of similar lattice material and cap it on the sides. Charles Frick stated there would be two pass throughs in the lattice for the gray PVC piping. Charles Frick stated he was told by the contractor the pipes would not need to protrude beyond the lattice and would only be about three inches in diameter. Charles Frick clarified that the pipe has to penetrate through the lattice but not beyond it, and all piping would be placed behind the lattice. Charles Frick stated the additional lattice would only be about 16 inches in height and would be all wood construction to match the lower portion exactly. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 5:51 PM. A. Action on COA’s ● COA 537 - 372 Washington Street (John Hoover) - Restoration, Other, Doors Jacob Stahl made a motion to accept as written and presented. Greg Johnson seconded. Jacob Stahl, Greg Johnson, Regan Miner, Nancy O’Neil, Dayne Rugh, Gregory Farlow and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. ● COA 538 - 2 Town Street (Society of the Founders of Norwich) - Reconstruction, Fixtures, Gutter Nancy O’Neil made a motion to accept the COA as written and presented. Jacob Stahl seconded. Gregory Johnson stated the application seemed like a seasonable request for a temporary solution. Jacob Stahl, Greg Johnson, Nancy O’Neil and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. Regan Miner, Gregory Farlow and Dayne Rugh abstained. The motion passed. ● COA 539 - 385 Washington Street (Charles and Linda Frick) - New Construction, Fence Enclosure, Other, Heating Dayne Rugh made a motion to accept the COA as written and presented. Greg Johnson seconded. Timothy Dowhan stated the COA was another requested emergency situation due to heating, and the applicant initially stated initially any piping would be hidden. Timothy Dowhan stated that at the time he gave the building department approval pending follow- up at the next regular meeting, but he did not believe any work had yet occurred. Jacob Stahl, Greg Johnson, Regan Miner, Nancy O’Neil, Dayne Rugh, Gregory Farlow and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. B. Minutes of the Wednesday November 15, 2023 Meetings ● Gregory Farlow made a motion to approve the November 15, 2023 meeting minutes. Dayne Rugh seconded. Jacob Stahl, Greg Johnson, Regan Miner, Dayne Rugh, Gregory Farlow and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. Nancy O’Neil abstained. The motion passed. C. Chairman Report ● Timothy Dowhan noted it looked like work may be occurring in the future at Lathrop Manor but he had not received any correspondence as of yet. D. Old Business ● Updated COA Application Regan Miner reported that she created a draft updated COA application that was sent to members for review. Regan Miner explained the goal was to fit the application on one page to remove confusion for applicants and she would be seeing if the city IT department could make it a fillable PDF. Timothy Dowhan stated if there was a way for applicants to automatically add attachments so the document was a single PDF it would be ideal. Regan Miner noted that she did change the time award for a COA to be valid for a year, as the six months can sometimes be too short of a window to get work done and would prevent applicants from needing frequent extensions. Jacob Stahl suggested including wording that photos and a full description of the work was required. Greg Johnson agreed and suggested removing the check mark section in order to require a written description. Jacob Stahl also suggested emphasizing the portion that states the deadline for submitting a COA application. Dayne Rugh noted the check box portion was helpful in the event the data had to be aggregated and could serve as a measurable metric. Reagan Miner stated that at the end of the year the city did request how many COA’s were received and if the type of COA needed to be counted as well it would be more efficient to use the check marks versus read each written out description. Timothy Dowhan stated he was in favor of keeping some of the check boxes. Jacob Stahl noted that he did not feel keeping the COA as one page was crucial. Discussion ensued. Regan Miner stated she would make some formatting revisions for further review that could be discussed at the next regular meeting. E. New Business ● 2024 HDC Budget Timothy Dowhan reported that the 2024 budget was due January 5th. Timothy Dowhan stated that the largest expense typically is the Recording Secretary, but there was now the regular expense of legal notices. Timothy Dowhan stated he would be requesting a budget amount to ensure any notices and mailings would be covered. ● Greg Johnson asked if anything could be done to request that the city increase maintenance of the historic burial grounds, especially after the wind from recent storms. Timothy Dowhan stated he would reach out to the city and request a review. Regan Miner noted that the Public Works Department has or had someone on staff whose job is to be on top of  removing dangerous trees, like those in the cemeteries. F. Next Meeting Date ● Scheduled for Wednesday January 17, 2024 at 5:30 PM. G. Adjournment ● Greg Johnson made a motion to adjourn the regular meeting at 6:23 PM. Gregory Farlow seconded. Nancy O’Neil, Gregory Farlow, Greg Johnson, Jacob Stahl, Dayne Rugh, Regan Miner and Timothy Dowhan all voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Katherine Rose Recording Secretary