Historical Commission

February 20, 2019, Page 1 of 5 SALEM HISTORICAL COMMISSION MINUTES February 20, 2019 A meeting of the Salem Historical Commission was held on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at 7:00 pm at 98 Washington Street, Salem, MA, 1st Floor Conference Room. Present were Laurie Bellin (acting Chair), Reed Cutting, Rebecca English, Mark Pattison, Larry Spang. 126½ Federal Street -- CONTINUED TO THE MARCH 6TH, 2019 MEETING Joy Remy submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness to remove chimney. Documents & Exhibits ▪ Application: 1/29/19 ▪ Photographs VOTE: Mr. Cutting made a motion to continue to the next meeting. Ms. English seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. 159 Federal Street – continuation -- WITHDRAWN Peter Lutts submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace rear window Documents & Exhibits ▪ Application:1/14/19 ▪ Photographs 22 Beckford Street – continuation -- CONTINUED TO THE NEXT MEETING Jocelyn Levin and Christopher Sallah submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness for new trim color Documents & Exhibits ▪ Application: 11/14/18 ▪ Photographs VOTE: Mr. Cutting made a motion to continue to the next meeting. Mr. Spang seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. 171 Federal Street - continuation Marilyn Levine submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness to install ductless HVAC system Documents & Exhibits ▪ Application: 1/2/19 ▪ Photographs Marilyn Levine was present to discuss the project. Ms. Levine stated that Chair Herbert and Mark Pattison met with the contractor at her home to verify the proposed plan. During the site visit Mr. Pattison suggested an alternative plan at the rear of the house and the specifications were sent to Ms. Kelleher. Ms. Kelleher noted that the piping route won’t be visible from Federal Street in the  February 20, 2019, Page 2 of 5 alternative plan, which qualified it for a Certificate of Non-Applicability. Mr. Pattison noted that the unit will also be at the rear of the house on the flat roof and the piping tucked under the eave. There was no public comment. VOTE: Mr. Pattison made a motion to approve under a Certificate of Non-Applicability. Mr. Cutting seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. 95 Derby Street – V.F.W. continuation V.F.W. submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness for building renovation and roof vent (after the fact) Documents & Exhibits ▪ Application: 11/5/18 and 1/22/19 ▪ Photographs Kim Emerling, Commander of the FVW Post, was present to discuss the project. Ms. Bellin stated that the window work is complete but not the roof vent. Ms. Kelleher noted that two applications were submitted, one for approval of the window work and the other for screening the roof vent. Mr. Emerling acknowledged that the vent was installed without Commission review and they are now seeking approval after the fact. They are aware of the noise complaints, two sound tests were completed, they passed the first and failed the second by a small margin, and a deflector was suggested. They are working with Mark Meche of Winter Street Architects, to design a vent that directs the sound toward the center of the roof. The use of a deflector will allow them to comply with the sound ordinance; however, clear weather is needed before it can be installed. Mr. Spang stated that the Commission must review and approve the vent design prior to its installation, and recommended that the Commission continue the discussion until a design is submitted. Mr. Emerling agreed to review it with the Commission first. VOTE: Mr. Pattison made a motion to continue the roof vent shielding design to the next meeting. Mr. Cutting seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. Ms. Bellin requested the applicant discuss the building renovation plans. Mr. Emerling replied that they want to make the building handicapped accessible and will square off the corner of the building by adding new bathrooms. Three interior options are proposed, each option would result in slight variations to the exterior, and the two new windows would match the existing. Of the three options, option two is preferred. Ms. Kelleher noted that Mark Meche from Winter Street will create the plan options that will be submitted to the Commission prior to the March 6th meeting. Ms. Kelleher asked for the proposed façade materials. Mr. Emerling replied wood with trim to match the neighboring buildings. He noted that grade changes will require 2 steps up at the rear of the building to account for the 10” difference in grade in addition to a new ramp. Mr. Spang asked if they’ve selected entry options that will meet their budget or if they still need to seeking pricing, will they need to modify the design if the bids are too high. Mr. Emerling replied that the project is almost fully funded, although they are still finalizing the design. They plan to have the same contractor that completed their interior renovation complete this new work in the spring of 2019. There was no public comment. Ms. Kelleher requested that Mark Meche be present at the next meeting.  February 20, 2019, Page 3 of 5 VOTE: Mr. Cutting made a motion to continue to the next meeting. Ms. English seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. 11 Orne Square Pamela S. Coffin submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness for fence replacement. Documents & Exhibits ▪ Application: 1/23/19 ▪ Photographs Pamela Coffin, owner, was present to discuss the project. Ms. Coffin stated that they had to remove the earlier fence in order to remove a large tree just outside the property. She acknowledged that the new fence was installed without Commission approval. The Board of Directors of the Orne Square Homeowners Association informed her that since part of the fence was on Orne Square, the Association would pay to replace a portion of it. The new 75-long fence was meant to resemble Bunny Park, but was scaled down due to the scale of the yard. Ms. Kelleher stated that there are additional differences besides height, from Bunny Park and other neighboring fences. She noted that the Commission received a letter from the Orne Square Board approving the fence and noting that the applicant tried to follow the historical fences. Ms. Kelleher noted that the previous fence posts were hidden behind the fence whereas the new fence has exposed posts. She also noted that fence is currently unpainted since the fence also needs to dry before it can be painted “Orne Square Green” to match other fences on the street. She noted that in 2012, the subject property did not have a driveway and asked if a rolling gate was installed at the end of the driveway. Ms. Coffin replied yes. Ms. Bellin asked how neighboring fences will be designed when they need to be replaced. Ms. Coffin replied that she believed the fences would be designed like hers, with dog ear pickets. Ms. Spang noted that the new fence is 3- feet high not 4-feet, the flat top fence now has points, and the fence posts are now visible and no longer hidden behind the fence. Ms. Coffin stated that the ground slopes so the closer the fence gets to the driveway the more space there is between the bottom of the fence and the ground. Ms. Coffin replied that the pickets are the same as her neighbor Laura Luckey although her fence may be 3½-feet high, which is what the Board of Directors for Orne Square wants to replicate to make their community more uniform. Ms. Bellin asked for the spacing of the pickets. Ms. Coffin replied that she has no specifications for the fence but she will measure picket spacing. There was no public comment. Ms. Bellin asked the applicant if the fence she intended to match was 4-foot height and if the posts were behind fence. Ms. Coffin replied that she was matching the Bunny Park fence height, but noted that the posts should have been behind the fence. Ms. Kelleher noted that the Bunny Park fence the applicant attempted to match has two top rails. Mr. Spang stated that rather than showing leniency due to hardship, the current fence could be modified to make it more compliant. Mr. Pattison replied that they could remove all pickets, attach the rails to the outside of the posts, cut down the posts, reattach the pickets to the rails, and add extra pickets to fill-in the voids. Mr. Spang asked where the fence was in relation to the property line. Ms. Coffin did not know. Ms. Kelleher noted that the posts would then be in front of the building and not in line with it. Ms. Coffin questioned whether modifying the posts would also involve the sliding gate at the driveway. Ms. Bellin stated that if accepted, this is not the example the Commission would want the Orne Square Board to follow. It doesn’t match Bunny Park or anywhere else and shouldn’t be what Orne Square does on their own. Mr. Spang asked who installed the fence. Ms. Coffin replied JC Fence Company. Mr. Spang noted that if approved under hardship, it would require input from JC Fence about minor modifications for them to price to prove that a hardship exists. Mr. Pattison stated that  February 20, 2019, Page 4 of 5 nails were used to install the fence so modification will be easy to fix. Ms. Bellin stated that Orne Square needs to establish a fence goal with the input of the Commission. Mr. Spang added that along with the previously mentioned fence modifications, a second rail could be added at the top to emulate the Bunny Park fence. Mr. Pattison stated that he will speak with JC Fence to get the applicant a revised quote. VOTE: Mr. Cutting made a motion to continue to the March 20th meeting. Mr. Pattison seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. 78 Washington Square Estevan Martinez submitted a Certificate of Appropriateness for roof vents. Documents & Exhibits ▪ Application: 2/1/19 ▪ Photographs Estevan Martinez and Jennifer Hager were present to discuss the project. Ms. Bellin asked if specifications for the vent were available. Mr. Martinez stated that the mushroom vent will be 12” in diameter and the bathroom vent 6-8” in diameter. MassSave did an assessment of the front 4 units and attic. They will add blown-in insulation to the first two floors, and in Ms. Hager’s 3rd floor attic unit they will add blown- in insulation to the knee walls and insulation to the un-insulated ceiling. With only 1 mushroom vent in the attic, MassSave suggested adding a second mushroom unit at the ridge for better air circulation. They determined that Unit 5 is venting moisture into the attic instead of out through the roof, so MassSave would like to add a bathroom vent. Ms. Kelleher stated that the vents are not visible from the Common or Washington Square but are visible from Forrester Street behind the house, although rear installation is preferred. Mr. Martinez noted that the new mushroom vent comes with a powder coated black finish and the asphalt is grey/black so the new vents on black walls will make it hard to see the vent. There was no public comment. VOTE: Ms. English made a motion to approve the roof vents. Mr. Pattison seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. Ms. Bellin requested specifications. Ms. Kelleher replied that only photos were provided and requested the applicant request specifications on the proposed vents from MassSave. Mr. Martinez noted that there are 2 existing chimneys, one towards the front of the house and one towards the rear, that the basement furnaces vents into. After a recent wind storm cement from the face of the rear chimney fell into the yard and they want a long-term solution, even possibly removing the chimney. Ms. Bellin replied that the Commission would request that the applicant preserve the chimney even if they no longer wished to use it. Mr. Spang noted that the chimney provides character defining nature to the house and removing one chimney will change the look and feel of the home. Mr. Martinez noted that the second chimney would only be visible from the street in the winter months. Mr. Pattison added that the chimney can still be seen from Forrester Street. Mr. Martinez stated that their gravel driveway is destroying the sidewalk and they want the driveway to either be paved or use pavers and he asked for recommendations. Two of the five units have parking and a garage in the rear. Ms. Kelleher replied that items at grade don’t fall under the Commissions jurisdiction. Mr. Spang suggested brick or pavers.  February 20, 2019, Page 5 of 5 Other Business Arthur Street Carriage House: Ms. Kelleher reported that the applicant will install a double-hung window in place of the sliding window the Contractor installed. She also reported that the structure doesn’t have a second means of egress so the owners have added a rear door that isn’t visible. The Applicant received permission from the rear neighbor for access to their property. Bridge at 211: Ms. Kelleher reported that the Bridge at 211 has requested a letter of support for a Massachusetts Historic Commission (MHC) grant application. VOTE: Mr. Spang made a motion to draft a letter of support subject to Chair Herbert finalizing the language. Mr. Cutting seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. Hamilton Hall: Ms. Kelleher stated that Hamilton Hall has requested a letter of support for a MHC grant application to undertake a historic structures report. VOTE: Mr. Spang made a motion to draft a letter of support subject to Chair Herbert finalizing the language. Mr. Cutting seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. 161 and 162 Federal Street. Ms. Kelleher reported that Dan Botwinick asked if the Commission would nominate the projects at 161 and 162 Federal Street for a historic preservation award from Preservation Massachusetts, Inc. She stated that she would the draft nomination to the Commission and Chair for their review. The Commission concurred. Ms. Kelleher requested ideas from individual Commission members regarding how the City might celebrate the Mass 400 anniversary and Revolution 250 anniversary in 2026. The Partnership, Essex Heritage, and The National Park Service are planning to host a forum and are requesting feedback before the forum. The Park Service shutdown during the government shutdown has delayed the planning effort. Ms. Kelleher stated that The Friendship due back this summer. The government shutdown delayed the ship builders process and it will cost more money to get the ship holder on-board again. Ms. Kelleher stated that the Grimshawe House went to the SRA for review. Ms. Kelleher stated that applicant Michael Becker will be at the next meeting to present plans to renovate 25 Lynde Street and 23 Summer Street. He is proposing to remove additions from the rear of each property and construct new additions. At another property owned by the applicant on the corner of Federal and North Streets, he is also proposing to remove and rebuild the rear ell. All of the projects are within the Urban Renewal area. Ms. Bellin asked if there has been any progress with Hodges Court. Ms. Kelleher replied that she reached out to the applicant who is still working on the project. She noted that it has been more than 2 years since the applicant first submitted an application. VOTE: Mr. Cutting made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Spang seconded the motion. All were in favor and the motion so carried. Respectfully submitted, Patti Kelleher Community Development Planner