Historic District Commission

NORWICH HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION Minutes of the May 28, 2024 Special Meeting & Public Hearing Hybrid via ZOOM & Room 335, City Hall 100 Broadway, Norwich, CT 6:00 PM Members Present: Timothy Dowhan (Chairman) Greg Farlow (ZOOM) Regan Miner (ZOOM) Nancy O’Neil (ZOOM) Jacob Stahl (ZOOM) Dayne Rugh (ZOOM) Greg Johnson (ZOOM) Members Absent: None Guests: Meghan Campbell (ZOOM), Joanne Philbrick Chairman Dowhan called the meeting to order at 6:03 PM and reviewed the rules of a virtual meeting and Public Hearing, and clearly notified participants that the meeting would be recorded. I. Public Hearing The public hearing was convened at 6:04 PM. The order of COA presentations and dis- cussions are at the discretion of the commission to accommodate all participants. ● COA 550 - 380 Washington Street (Tyler Booth) - Alteration/Replacement, Wood Trim No representatives from the project were present so Chairman Dowhan in- formed the Commission that the project required replacing damaged trim on windows, and stated he had done due diligence on this project. No fur- ther questions or comments from the Commission. ● COA 551 - 17 Huntington Lane (Meghan Campbell) - Perimeter, Fence Ms. Campbell provided with Commission with details on the fence she is requesting to install. In response to questions raised by the Commission, Ms. Campbell explained the exact location and length of the fence on her property as well as the design characteristics, which is similar to existing fencing in her neighborhood. She also clarified that the fence is not neces- sary for pool safety, although it will add another layer of safety, but is pri- marily for privacy and pet containment. ● COA 552 - 10 Elm Avenue (Joanne Philbrick) - Alteration/Replacement, Roofing Ms. Philbrick issued a complaint that neither she nor her contractor were personally notified of the Special Meeting, despite her efforts to contact the Chairman using his personal email. Chairman Dowhan stated he  would review the communication practices used for applicant notifica- tions. He also clarified to the Commission that permits for historical prop- erties arrive to the Commission requesting a COA from the Building De- partment even if it is a ‘like for like’ project. Ms. Philbrick also issued a complaint regarding the lack of a citizen com- ment agenda item, and stated that she often sees projects being done on properties in the historic district without the proper permits or approvals. Chairman Dowhan encouraged Ms. Philbrick to notify the Commission of these issues by emailing the Commission using the HDC email, not the Chairman’s personal email account. He also stated that the HDC com- municates rules and regulations to new owners of historic properties. With regard to the COA, Ms. Philbrick stated that when the roof was last replaced in 2004, she was not aware a permit was required for a new roof. She informed the Commission this project was a replacement of the dam- aged front section of the roof using the same materials, and no work would be done on the soffit or gutters. Jacob Stahl questioned the lack of photos provided with the COA, to which Ms. Philbrick replied that the Building Department did not tell her photos would be necessary. No further questions or comments from the Commission. ● COA 553 - 193 Broadway (Lilian Periera) - Other, Pool Deck In the absence of any representative from this project, Chairman Dowhan explained the project to the Commission using photos provided by Ms. Periera, however no COA had been submitted. He informed the Commis- sion that the installation of the pool on the property had been approved several years ago by the HDC. Greg Johnson stated that in the absence of a COA, the HDC should not consider this project. Jacob Stahl stated that in his opinion the project does not even require a COA because it won’t be visible to the public. The Commission decided to discuss this further under Actions. Hearing no further questions or comments, Chairman Dowhan closed the Public Hearing at 6:30 PM. II. Regular Meeting The regular meeting was convened at 6:30 PM. A. Action on COA’s The order of COA presentations and discussions are at the discretion of the commission to accommodate all participants. The action on COAs went in the following order: ● COA 551 - 17 Huntington Lane (Meghan Campbell) - Perimeter, Fence  Greg Johnson made a motion to approve COA 551 as written and pre- sented. Jacob Stahl seconded. Discussion followed. Nancy O’Neil, Greg Farlow, Greg Johnson, Jacob Stahl, Dayne Rugh, Regan Miner and Timo- thy Dowhan voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Chairman Dowhan stated he will email COA 551 approval to the Building Department, Applicant, and City Clerk. ● COA 552 - 10 Elm Avenue (Joanne Philbrick) - Alteration/Replacement, Roofing Dayne Rugh made a motion to approve COA 552 as written and presented. Greg Johnson seconded. A discussion followed regarding the lack of pho- tos proving “like for like” and a suggestion was made that applicants be notified by the Chairman if COA does not include necessary information. Nancy O’Neil, Greg Farlow, Greg Johnson, Jacob Stahl, Dayne Rugh, Re- gan Miner and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. The motion passed unani- mously. Chairman Dowhan stated he will email COA 552 approval to the Building Department, Applicant, and City Clerk. ● COA 550 - 380 Washington Street (Tyler Booth) - Alteration/Replacement, Wood Trim Dayne Rugh made a motion to approve COA 550 as written and presented. Jacob Stahl seconded. Discussion followed. Nancy O’Neil, Greg Farlow, Dayne Rugh, Jacob Stahl, Greg Johnson, Regan Miner and Timothy Dow- han voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Chairman Dowhan stated he will email COA 550 approval to the Building Department, Applicant, and City Clerk. ● COA 553 - 193 Broadway (Lilian Periera) - Other, Pool Deck Greg Johnson asked for clarification on the definition of a requirement for a COA application. Regan Miner stated the Commission cannot vote with- out a COA. Nancy O’Neil questioned the need for a COA for this project. Greg Johnson made a motion to authorize the Chairman to inform the ap- plicant the a COA for this project is not required. Nancy O’Neil seconded the motion. Discussion followed. The Commission agreed that the COA process going forward will be to “trust but verify” to determine whether a project requires a COA. Chairman Dowhan will verify projects to deter- mine if a COA is necessary and will inform the applicant and Building De- partment accordingly. Greg Johnson, Nancy O’Neil, Jacob Stahl, Greg Far- low, Dayne Rugh, Regan Miner, and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. B. Minutes of the Wednesday, April 17, 2024 Regular Meeting ● Greg Johnson made a motion to approve the April 17, 2024 meeting minutes. Dayne Rugh seconded. Dayne Rugh, Greg Johnson and Greg Far- low abstained from voting. Jacob Stahl, Nancy O’Neil, Regan Miner, and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. The motion passed. C. Chairman Report  ● Chairman Dowhan reported that he received an email from someone look- ing for an old COA approval date and that he will have to look through old records to try to find this information. He stated he received no infor- mation on the budget. A discussion followed regarding the need for this Special Meeting. D. Old Business ● None E. New Business ● None F. Next Meeting Date ● The next Regular Meeting will be a hybrid meeting held on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. G. Adjournment ● Jacob Stahl made a motion to adjourn the Special Meeting at 7:01 PM. Greg Johnson seconded. Dayne Rugh, Greg Johnson, Greg Farlow, Jacob Stahl, Regan Miner, Nancy O’Neil, and Timothy Dowhan voted in favor. The motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Jeanne Kurasz Recording Secretary