HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-11-18 Historical Commission Minutes�H or Nfgo
Town of Reading
rl Meeting Minutes
r`
a'O�P'IM(OPPOP'
Board - Committee - Commission - Council:
Historical Commission
Date: 2014 -11 -18
Building: Reading Town Hall
Address: 16 Lowell Street
November 18, 2014
Time: 7:30 PM
Purpose: Regularly scheduled meeting
Attendees: Members - Present:
iiECEiVED
p44 CLERK
I "'DING. MASS.
1014 DEC 18 AIb41
Location: Town Hall Conference Room
Chair: Sharlene Reynolds Santo (SRS)
Treasurer: Sally Hilgendorff (SH)
Secretary: Cad Mittnight (CM)
Robyn Parker (RP), Nancy Kohl (NK), Virginia Adams (VA)
Jonathan Barnes (JB), Ron Weston (RW)
Members - Not Present:
none
Others Present:
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Carl Mittnight
Topics of Discussion:
10"M
I
Call to Order
October 28, 2014 at 7:30 pm.
Minutes
The meeting minutes for 10/28/14 were unanimously
approved as amended b the RHC.
7draft
Budget
No update.
Archives
No update.
Rules &
The RHC elected to postpone discussion on this as the
Regulations
draft had been sent out only a few days prior to this
meeting and there was no time to review.
Plaquing
The RHC is developing a program allowing residents
Program
to display a plaque with the year when their home was
constructed. The RHC inspected a proposed plaque
showing a year and the wording "Reading Historical
Property ". The RHC requested that a "c." be inserted
before the year, as it is often difficult to pin down
exactly when a home was constructed.
The sign was produced by Markarian Sign of
Wakefield, MA and is constructed of PVC board.
While the material is decidedly modern, the RHC feels
that the durability and longevity of the material
provides a good low maintenance solution.
Page I 1
186 Summer
1. Town Meeting passed Article 9 by a margin of 144
Avenue
to 4.
2. The October 22, 2014 DIRT meeting was
discussed.
3. The Criterion Attorney and Town Counsel (Atty
Miyares) agree that the Dover Amendment applies
to Criterion.
Membership
A number of membership changes were discussed,
prompted by the many other responsibilities of the
some of the members of the RHC. Changes are
pending the Town Selectmen's appointment process.
119 Salem
1. A letter was sent to the owners/applicants
Send out
SRS
Street
regarding alternatives to demolition, with no
email
response.
2. The RHC elected to send the owners/applicants an
email invitation to the next meeting, at the
conclusion of this meeting. The email will include a
reminder that meeting with the RHC is a condition
of the demolition delay.
Non-
The RHC discussed what recourse is available to the
Compliance
RHC for non - compliance with the DO Bylaw. How can
with
the RHC enforce compliance? No conclustions were
Demolition
made.
Delay Bylaw
DOB law
163 -165 South
A trust was created for the house; no other information
Street
was available.
155 South
The home was sold to the South Street Realty Trust;
Street
no other information was available.
Mail
1. David Giller asked what portion of the Post Office
building was under a covenant, SRS responded.
2. 83 Hamden Street is on the National Register of
Historic Districts; this is part of the Reading Town
Common Historical District.
3. 44 Temple Street is on Reading's list of Historical
and Architecturally significant properties.
4. The RHC received the plans for the Reading Public
Library renovations.
Response to
The Criterion attorney sent a letter critical of the RHC's
Criterion
efforts with regards to 186 Summer Avenue. The RHC
Attorney
responded to correct some inaccuracies, cited in the
letter form Criterion, as to the RHC's responsibilities
for upholding the DDB law.
Adjourn
d
The meeting
adjourned at 9:30 pm.
Next Meeting
December 9, 2014 at 7:30 pm
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
Preservation only works when we remember it is all about: People - Planning - Partnerships - Politics.
Page 12