HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-07-01 Historical Commission MinutesTown of Reading
Meeting Minutes RECEIVED
TOWN CLERK
_4' " " ° ° " °°
LADING, MASS.
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Historical Commission July 1, 2014
iolw AUG —b P 1P et
Date: 2014 -07 -01 Time: 7:30 PM
Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Town Hall Conference Room
Address: 16 Lowell Street
Purpose: Regularly scheduled meeting
Attendees: Members - Present:
Chair: Sharlene Reynolds Santo (SRS)
Treasurer: Roberta Sullivan (RS)
Secretary: Carl Mittnight (CM)
Robyn Parker (RP)
Virginia Adams (VA)
Sally Hilgendorff (SH)
Members - Not Present:
Nancy Kohl (NK)
Others Present:
Ted Watson, Watson family members: Martha, Donna, Elizabeth, Bill
Johnson - Developer, Mary Gail Renaldi - Realtor for 163 South St
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Carl Mittnight
Topics of Discussion:
Page 1 1
Discussion v...... -.,
Minutes
Reviewed meeting minutes. Approved as amended minutes
File with clerk
CM
for 5/13114, 613/14. 6/23/14.
Budget
1. Plaque PO sent to Colonial Engravers, Colonial then
sent invoice to Ann Gentile.
2. New bud et for FY2015 is $1 000.
Archives
No update.
186 Summer
A demolition permit is under review by the Building Inspector.
Ave
119 Salem St
No demolition permit is currently under review.
51 Grove St
No demolition permit is currently under review. The owner
contacted the RHC with great concern over the demolition
delay process.
SRS is composing a letter to the owners:
1. Informing them of the Demolition Delay (DD) process.
2. Inviting owner to the next RHC meeting to discuss the
DD process further.
3. Including a copy of the DD Bylaw - she asked about
taking the home off of Reading's historic inventory - the
RHC cannot take the 51 Grove St home off the inventory.
4. Including a copy of the Building Inspector package
5. Including the RHC pmcedums for a DD heann .
75 Pearl St
The CPDC decided to accept the translucent/low profle
canopy but not the internal wheelchair ramp. The owner will
consult with RHC on final design of the canopy.
Page 1 1
�ge12
119 Salem St
The developer, MBM Development Group, is working on
com letin the demolition permit application,
163 -165
The parties listed above, under "Others Present:", came to
South St.
the meeting to discuss how the demolition delay process
works. They have not yet completed the demolition permit
application. The parties also discussed filing a special permit
to build a multi -unit dwelling as it is not zoned for multi- units.
Information
The RHC concluded that an information packet needed to be
Packet
prepared for realitors and developers to avoid future
confusion on how the process works. To be discussed at a
future meeting.
Membership
RS was not re- appointed M the RHC, RS may re-apply in the
fall. New voting members are needed, given the number of
potential upwming upcoming demolition delay heann s.
Civil War
The Civil War Preservation Grant was awarded to restore
Grant
and repair the Civil War veteran grave stones in Reading,
see attached letter.
Adjourned
The meeting ad'ourned at 10:25 pm.
Next Meeting
July 22, 2014 at 7:00 pm
All
Copies of referenced correspondence and documents are kept in Meeting Minutes binder and relevant project
folders located in the Reading Historical Commission Archives, lower level of the Reading Town Hall
�ge12
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth
Massachusetts Historical Commission
May 20, 2014
Ms. Sharlene Reynolds Santo
Reading Historical Commission
16 Lowell St
Reading, MA 01867
RE: Laurel Hill Cemetery Civil War Gravestone Preservation Project. Reading. MA MHC q
RC.55777
Dear Ms. Santo:
The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) has reviewed the additional information
submitted by the Town of Reading, received May 12, 2014, regarding the proposed project
referenced above. As you are aware, the subject property on Prospect Street, historically known
as the Laurel Hill Cemetery, is a contributing resource to the Reading Common Historic District,
listed in the State Registers of Historic Places. After a review of the information submitted, MHC
staff have the following comments.
The proposed project involves work to "repair, preserve, and rehabilitate damaged gravestones
and install markers for graves that have none."
After a review the information submitted and the Civil War Preservation Grant for the project, I
have determined that the proposed project will have "no adverse effect" (950 CMR
71.07(2)(b)(2)) on the Laurel Hill Cemetery.
These comments are offered to assist in compliance with M.G.L. Chapter 9, Section 26 -27C, as
amended by Chapter 254 of the Acts of 1988 (950 CMR 71.00). Please feel free to contact Paul
Holtz, Historical Architect, or Michael Steinitz, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, at this
office should you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Brona Simon
Stale Historic Preservation Officer
Executive Director
Massachusetts Historical Commission
xc: Vanessa Desiato, ATTN: Civil War Sesquicentennial, Department of Veterans' Services,
600 Washington Street, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02111
Jean Delios, Asst. Town Manager, Town of Reading, 16 Lowell St, Reading MA 01867
220 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125
(617) 727 -8470 • Fax: (617) 727-5128
www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc