Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-11-19 Historical Commission Minutes !: * CEIVtG Town of Reading fTOW14 CLERK Meeting Minutes qj\• JJJIKO! ?i t7EC 21 AM !: 19 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Historical Commission Date: 2020-11-19 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Location: Address: Session: Open Session Purpose: Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Virginia Adams, Associate (VA) Jonathan Barnes, Chair (JEB) Samantha Couture, Member (SC) Pino D'Orazio, Associate (PD) Amelia Devin Freedman, Secretary (ADF) Sharlene Reynolds Santo, Member (SRS) Ron Weston, Associate (RW) Jack Williams, Treasurer (JW) Members - Not Present: None Others Present: Debbie Costello (DC) Julie Mercier (JM) Donna Silver (DS) Linda Smith (LS) Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Amelia Devin Freedman Topics of Discussion: JM helped SC establish herself as the host of the Zoom meeting and then left the meeting. JEB called the meeting to order at 7:16 PM. Because JW was absent, JEB appointed VA as voting member. SC described the rules for the Zoom meeting. She advised attendees that the meeting was being recorded and that it might be live streamed by RCN, either on television or YouTube. 320 Haverhill street: JEB welcomed the team from Beth Israel Lahey Health at Home, which runs the hospice housed at 320 Haverhill Street. He pointed out that the property is ,n the RHC's Historical Inventory and that it has a Preservation Restriction Agreement. JEB stated that the PRA for the property requires the owners to provide the RHC with advance notification before beginning repairs or renovations. This request for approval was submitted in advance, and included the detailed exterior carpentry and painting proposal from Presto Carpentry, Painting, and Roofing Company. )EB invited the team to describe their proposed project. LS said that the project consists of repairing or replacing many of the exterior clapboards, corner boards, casings, moldings, and other exterior carpentry features, and painting the Page 1 1 Town of Reading 00 Meeting Minutes �'�K exterior of the structure. The project will have two phases, one which they hope to begin immediately and one to begin next spring. JEB said that the RHC might be able to approve both phases at this meeting. JW arrived. RW complimented the team on their extensive and detailed proposal. VA said she appreciated the team's willingness to replace the damaged materials in kind. JEB noted that the pictures in the proposal suggest that some of the clapboards in the back of the structure are tapered. RW said that this architectural feature should be preserved; JEB and SC agreed. LS said she would present the issue to the contractor. VA asked if any other sections of the structure have tapered clapboards. JEB said he thought there might be tapered clapboards in the front of the structure, but that the pictures in the proposal were unclear on this point. DS reiterated that the team would point the feature out to their contractor, who, she said, seems very aware of the historical issues involved. Where JEB had appointed VA as a voting member at the outset of the meeting, he asked JW to abstain from voting Motion:To approve the maintenance and repair work for 320 Haverhill Street, as described in the July 8, 2020 proposal made by Presto Carpentry, Painting, and Roofing, with the stipulations that all materials be replaced in kind and that the distinctive tapered clapboards be retained wherever they appear. SRS motion, JEB second; vote 5-0-0. JEB told the applicants that he would a letter confirming that the RHC has approved the proposed projects. He asked the applicants to email him an up-to-date mailing address. DC, DS, and LS left the meeting. 16 Eaton Street: JEB invited the owner, Brooks Rice, and the project manager, Guy Manganiello, to attend this meeting. Mr. Manganiello said they would attend if they had been able to meet with their architect and had any updated material. Since Mr. Rice and Mr. Manganiello were not in attendance, there was no new information. 531 Main Street: JEB had invited the project's attorney, Chris Latham, to attend this meeting. JEB reported that Attorney Latham asked for a rain check as they needed to get a better idea of what the CPDC would accept before further revising their proposal for the property. JEB reported that the CPDC continues to have concerns about inadequate parking, height, and other issues, and that both an abutting business and an abutting resident have now also expressed some concerns. The project is tentatively on the CPDC's agenda for December 14. Utility Box Vinyl Wrap Art Project update: JEB has not heard from Franklin Marval, which indicates that Mr. Marval has not yet received the initial payment from the Town for his work. JEB asked JW to follow up with the Accounting Department. JEB was contacted by an individual, who administers a grant foundation, who currently wishes to remain anonymous, and who expressed the prospect that a grant maybe possible to fund one or two additional vinyl wrapped utility boxes. The individual asked what the RHC thought about applying for these funds. Page 1 2 r Town of Reading 0y Meeting Minutes RW commented that the wrap project was extremely well done, that the RHC should be proud of its contribution to the town, and be thankful for all the positive feedback received. He felt that the project should end with the four boxes completed in the town center, that the RHC balance its project mix, try not spread itself too thin, and stay close to its mission. JEB, SRS, and VA disagreed and expressed support for doing one or two more vinyl wrap utility boxes if funding can be obtained. VA asked about the status for the QR codes for the boxes which have been completed. SC said she had not yet connected with Andrew MacNichol, who is doing QR codes for the art boxes. She will contact him. JW asked if there were any remaining utility boxes in desirable locations which could be wrapped. JEB said he would look into it, but he believed that there were. PD asked whether the funds offered to JEB could be used for purposes other than the vinyl wraps. JEB said he did not know, because he did not ask; but the potential donor had specifically mentioned wanting to fund this project. JEB said he was willing to identify potential box locations, to choose the photos to put on it, and to write the grant application. Motion: That the RHC pursue the grant application as discussed for the purpose of wrapping one or two additional utility boxes. Motion JEB, SRS second; vote 5-0-0. JW left the meeting at 7:56 P.M. Finances: JW will pursue the payment for Mr. Marval. Archive Policy review: JEB asked SC for the status of the Archive Policy draft. SC said she has added a section about the housing of the RHC's minutes and other records. VA suggested the draft also include more detail about borrowing procedures. JEB said that, as chair, he has accumulated a large amount of paperwork at his home pertaining to demolition delay hearings and other matters before the RHC. He suggested that all other previous chairs, including VA, SRS, and RW, probably have similar material at their houses. He asked where such records should be housed. VA said that, in the past, the RHC had office space at Town Hall, in Community Services, but that space has been taken over by someone else. She said that the Commission needs a place for its records separate from the Archives. SC asked if other Town Commissions have storage space at Town Hall. JEB said all that other commissions and committees have a staff person who maintains their records, with the exception of the RHC and the HDC. He asked if he should take this up with JM; SC said yes. SC said asking for filing cabinets in Town Hall was a good interim solution; once members can access the archives again, the group can determine what additional space is needed. JEB said he thinks the Commission needs to organize the material stored on the computer in the Archives. SC said she would add this issue to the draft. SC said she would make the discussed changes to the draft and send it out before the December meeting. Page 1 3 Town of Reading 0Meeting Minutes New Business: SC said she looked at the 1865 photo of 420 Franklin Street, which the owners provided as evidence that the downstairs windows of the original 1711 structure once had 6 over 6 lights. SC said she saw nine over six lights in the photo. JEB said that it was hard for him to tell how many lights there were in the photo, and that he was unsure if this photo was the same as the photo the owners displayed at the meeting on November 5. JEB asked Commission members to look again at the photo, so that the issue can be discussed in December. VA asked if it might be possible to change the RHC's meeting night, as she often has a conflict. JEB said he would look into it. RW left the meeting at 8:10 PM. Review minutes 10/22/2020 & 11/5/2020: Motion: To accept the minutes from October 22 as amended. JEB motion, SC second; vote 5-0-0. Motion:To accept the minutes from November 5 as amended. JEB motion, SRS second; vote 5-0-0. Next Meeting Date: Thursday, December 17 at 7 PM Motion:To adjourn. JEB motion, SRS second; vote 5-0-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:23 PM. Page 1 4