Historic Resource Commission

Schenectady Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes April 25, 2024 I. Call to Order Commissioner Yager called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. II. Roll Call PRESENT: Patricia Yager Chair; Richard Unger (virtually), Shaun Andriano, Zakhar Berkovich, Michael Barron, Sergy Dossous Assistant Planner, Peter Lomtevas Corporation Counsel EXCUSED: None III. Conflicts of Interest None IV. Adoption of Prior Meeting's Minutes A. April 4th Motion made by Commissioner Berkovich to approve the minutes of April 4th. Seconded by Commissioner Andriano. Motion carried 5-0. V. Call for Members of Public to Speak on Agenda Items None. VI. Old Applications None. VII. New Business  A. Consideration for approval submitted by Clarke and Cathy Darlington to paint the iron windows and iron dormer. The property is located in the GE Realty Plot at 1176 Stratford Road. Mrs. Cathy Darlington came before the Historic Commission for an extension on the decision that was made on April 22nd, 2021. She explained how she discovered that the original windows were painted black while she was having some work done on the house. She is asking the Historic Commission if she can paint the windows back to their original colors black. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application as submitted. Commissioner Barron seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  Paint the iron cross pieces of the dormer windows black.  Paint color codes to be submitted to the planning department.  All work to be completed within one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 2, 6, 9. Type II SEQR B. Consideration for approval submitted by Holy Cross Church to replace the sidewalk. The property is located in the Stockade at 126 Front Street. The Contractor representing the Holy Cross Church came before the Historic Commission to discuss the work that will be done on about 30 feet of sidewalk to the driveway. The contractor discussed that he is aware of some of the specification for sidewalks in the Stockade Historic District. Commissioners Yager and Unger suggested that the contractor should take a look at the Stockade streetscape guidelines, and he should also take a look at the sidewalks that were installed by the city in the Stockade District along College Street between Green and Union Street. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application as submitted. Commissioner Andriano seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:   To replace the sidewalks as well as the driveway in concrete. Specification and guidelines should follow the Stockade streetscape guidelines.  All work to be completed within one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 8, 9, 10. Type II SEQR C. Consideration for approval submitted by Stacey Drake to repair the walkway. The property is located in the GE Realty Plot at 8 Douglas Road. The Contractor representing Stacey Drake came before the Historic Commission to discuss the work that will be done to the walkway to make it match with the new sidewalk. They were already approved for to fix the sidewalk and the driveway by the Historic Commission on December 8th. There was discussion about how the Code stated the widest the walkway could be was 5 feet, and the one that they proposed was 6 feet. There was also discussion about how the portion between the sidewalk and the street should be the same width as the rest of the walkway. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application as submitted. Commissioner Barron seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  The walkway from the house to the sidewalk must be no wider than 5 feet, as well as the carriage path.  The work will be done to match the same material as the sidewalk.  All work to be completed within one year. Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 2, 6, 9, 10. Type II SEQR D. Consideration for approval submitted by Leticia Ajodah to repair and replace the chimney. The property is located in the Stockade at 16 North Street. Mrs. Leticia Ajodah came before the Historic Commission to discuss the work that will be conducted on the chimney of her property. Mrs. Ajodah stated that “from what I understand it [the chimney] is ready to fall,” and the neighbors discussed the condition of the chimney with her tenants. She plans on building the chimney from the roof up, utilizing red bricks. The cap of the chimney will also be replaced in kind. RESOLUTION Commissioner Andriano made a motion to approve the application. Commissioner Berkovich seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  To replace the chimney, using red bricks to match the existing chimney style.  To have the cap match the existing cap in kind, using aluminum or other similar metal.  The grout should be grey, and the height of the new chimney should be like the existing one, or per code.  All work to be completed in one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 2, 6, 9. Type II SEQR. E. Consideration for approval submitted by Myron Dytiuk and Areta Piderbetsky to replace the garage door. The property is located in the GE Realty Plot at 1255 Lowell Road. Mrs. Areta Piderbetsky came before the Historic Commission to discuss the replacement of their old garage door. Mrs. Piderbetsky is planning on replacing it with an overhead door, 16 feet by 7 feet and 1 inch. It will be made from hard wood, more specifically white oaks and will be stained with a dark brown. The manufacturer will be CraftdoorUSA, and with S&M being the installer. RESOLUTION Motion made by Commissioner Berkovich to approve the application with the following conditions and findings of facts. Seconded by Commissioner Barron:  To replace the garage door with new proposed overhead door with a dark brown staining.  All work to be completed within one year Motion carried unanimously. This is in coordination with standards 2, 6, 9 and 10. Type II SEQR. F. Consideration for approval submitted by Aaron Brady to replace the porch. The property is located in the Union Triangle Plot at 1025 Gillespie Street. The Contractor representing Mr. Aaron Brady came before the Historic Commission to discuss the condition of the current front porch, and the new porch replacement. The contractor is planning to redo the porch exactly the way it is in kind, and in accordance with the city code. The current porch will be completely removed from the base to the top of the house. The base of the porch will be made from blocks, and parged in kind. The contractor was also inquiring if the decking of the port can be made from composite materials for longevity, since it cannot be seen from the street. The Historic commissioners told the contractor that the composite decking would not be a good fit for the front porch. The contractor made another request from wooden stairs leading up to the porch, instead of the current concrete stairs. The Commissioners agreed and told him that the stairs should have solid risers. The Commissioners raised the concern that a rail will be needed, and after some discussion with the contractor, they agreed on a wooden rail, painted red, with red hardware. RESOLUTION Commissioner Andriano made a motion to approve the application with modifications Commissioner Berkovich seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  To repair the porch in kind, inkling all trims, caps, wood columns, and wood decking painted red.  To replace the concrete stairs with a wooden stair, with solid threads, and cream- colored risers.  To replace the foundation around the deck with a parged finish and a tone similar to the existing foundation, and a clean joint will be provided between the two foundation joints.  To add a wooden rail with steel hardware, all to be painted burgundy red.  All work to be completed in one year This is in coordination with standards 2, 5, 9, and 10. Type II SEQR. Motion carried unanimously. G. Consideration for approval submitted by Michael and Terese Howard to repair two chimneys. The property is located in the GE Realty Plot at 1135 Avon Road. Mr. Howard came before the Historic Commission to discuss the work that will be happening to his chimneys. While doing some roof repairs, Mr. Howard had discovered some leaks around the chimneys. The company that was working on the roof had discovered that the chimneys did not have a cap on them which is the cause of the water leak when it rains. Mr. Howard mentioned how one of the chimneys needs more work. He stated, “that one seems to need more work, and it’s probably a rebuild because most of the mortar has deteriorated and if you look at some of the pictures it almost looks like the bricks are dry stacked because you can’t see any mortar anymore.” As a result, most of the work will be focused on that chimney. The crowns are in good condition, Mr. Howard mentioned that one of them had a crack in it and both companies that gave him the estimate only suggested a sealant to repair the cracks, and not replacing them. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application with the following modifications. Commissioner Unger seconded the motion with the following conditions and findings of fact:  To replace, or rebuild the chimneys  If not available to be repointed, it must be rebuilt like the existing structure, with the same specification such as heights and widths.  The caps will remain the same, and if rebuilt the caps are to be made of copper.  The joints should be matching the existing joint  If sealant to be applied to seal the crack, it must be clear and not white.  All work to be completed within one year This is in coordination with standards 5, 6, 9, and 10. Type II SEQR. Motion carried unanimously. H. Consideration for approval submitted by James DeLuke to repair the roof. The property is located in the GE Realty Plot at 1070 Nott Street. Mr. DeLuke came before the Historic Commission to discuss the reparation of his roof. Mr. Deluke mentioned how the roof has been needing to be repaired very often due to leakages, and as a result he is planning on replacing it. The roof material will be made up of slates and the cap will be copper. Mr. DeLuke did also mention that he will not be replacing the whole roof, but only the section in the back of the house on Wendell Avenue will be replaced. RESOLUTION Commissioner Berkovich made a motion to approve the application with the following modifications. Seconded by Commissioner Barron with the following conditions and findings of fact.  To replace the back part of the roof with slate in kind, the snow guard will be removed.  To replace the cap, and snow slides with copper  All work to be completed within one year This is in coordination with standards 2, 6, 9, and 10. Type II SEQR. Motion carried unanimously. VII. Miscellaneous VIII. A d j o u r n Motion to adjourn made by Commissioner Andriano. Seconded by Commissioner Berkovich. Meeting adjourned at 7:15pm.