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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-02-24 Historical Commission Minutes t �= CcIV E u TOV6N Ll-ERK Town of Reading R ! A, 3 Y Meeting Minutes �. 20 21 K; , 15 A1110 17 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Historical Commission Date: 2021-02-24 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Location: Address: Session: Purpose: General Business Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Virginia Adams, Associate (VA) _ Jonathan Barnes, Member (JEB) Samantha Couture, Chair (SC) Pino D'Orazio, Member (PD) Amelia Devin Freedman, Secretary (ADF) Sharlene Reynolds Santo, Treasurer (SRS) Members - Mot Present: N/A Others Present: Guy Manganiello (GM) Julie Mercier (JM) Brooks Rice Donna Silver Linda Smith (LS) Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Amelia Devin Freedman Topics of Discussion: JM helped PD establish himself as the host of the meeting and then s`.e left. SC called the meeting to order at 7:01 PM. PD described the rules for the Zoom meeting. He also advised attendees that the meeting was being recorded and that it might be live streamed by RCN, either on television or on YouTube. Sawtelle House, 320 Haverhill Street: LS reported that damage to the front door was discovered during the renovations that the Commission previously authorized. She would like the RHC's approval to replace the door with a new wooden door and to add a new storm door to it. VA asked LS to keep the existing door after it had been replaced. That way, she said, future owners of the house can replicate it if they wish to do so. JEB asked LS if she had pictures of the proposed door to show the Commission, but she said she did not. JEB said he would like to see what the new door would look like before approving it. SC asked if LS were planning to replicate the existing door. LS said that she did not have any information about the appearance of the door the contractor is proposing, but the contractor would be reusing the original hardware on it. Page 1 1 JEB asked LS what her time frame for replacing the door is. LS said she would like to replace it as soon as possible because she is concerned about weather damage; the door is warped on the bottom and may be letting in moisture. LS said she would ask her contractor foSicwtures of the replacement door and then get back in touch with the Commission. She asked if the Commission would be able to consider the matter at its March meeting, and SC said yes. 16 Eaton Street: GM, the contractor, reported that the owners will not be incorporating the RHC's suggestions for historical architectural features (namely, mullioned windows and gable decoration) into the design of the new construction. JEB said he considered it regrettable that the new construction will not reflect the historic structure in any way; ADF agreed. JEB said that, in his opinion, the proposed design has none of the historical structure's detail or charm. SC asked when the demolition delay expires. JEB answered that it had already done so, on February 13. SC asked what the Commission's next step should be. JEB noted that it has been the practice of the RHC to send a letter to the Town Building Inspector when a demolition delay has expired. SC said she would write and send that letter, so that the demolition can get underway. SC asked whether the Commission has any photographs of the historical structure. VA said the RHC has photographs taken from the street, because that is all that the RHC can take. VA asked GM if the owners would be !oil ing.to.take interior pictures and other outside views of the house for the RHC's records. GM said that he always takes extensive pictures before he demolishes a house. He said he would send these pictures to the RHC, if the owners agree. SC and JEB thanked GM and the owners for considering the changes the RHC requested. GM thanked the Commission for their assistance in the demolition delay process, and for its ongoing commitment to preservation work. 531 Main Street: SC reported that the CPDC has now approved the project. The written approval includes a statement that the applicant will work with the RHC to establish a historical display; this display will be visible to the public from the street level windows on Main Street. JEB reminded members that the RHC will be obligated to hold a demolition delay hearing as soon as the project team applies for a demolition permit, since the existing building is on the Historical Inventory. He suggested that the Commission impose a delay since the details of the historical display have not been hammered out; he noted that the demolition delay period (and, particularly, any possible early release agreement) is the Commission's most effective means to require and tc influence the display. 24 Gould Street: SC reported having received an email from Dave Traggorth, the developer of 24 Gould Street, about the historical marker he is planning for the new building. The Commission discussed the appearance and text that Mr. Traggorth is proposing. VA suggested that images of NuAce Photo Mounting Corners be included on the corners of the proposed plaque; JEB suggested an image of the envelope in which the corners were sold might be used instead. ADF observed that the proposed text needs editing. SC asked ADF to work the wording, and ADF agreed to do so. Historical Inventory (27 Hillcrest Road, 832 Main Street, 767 Main Street): VA reported that she spoke to the owner of 767 Main Street, who has agreed to have the RHC put his house on the Inventory. JEB spoke to the owners of 27 Hillcrest Road and 852 Main Street, who had previously requested the RHC put their houses on the Inventory. They told JEB that they are willing to be available in April so that the RHC can hold the public hearings necessary to put their houses on the Inventory. Page 12 P Kurt Habel, owner of 852 Main Street, asked JEB if he should be prepared to speak about his house at the hearing. JEB told him that he could if he wanted, but that it would not be necessary. SC asked JEB if individual members of the RHC should be prepared to present the properties at the public hearing, and JEB said yes. SC asked if all the historical research ("Form B") about the three houses has been completed; JEB replied that it has. VA reviewed the steps the RHC needs to make before the public hearings, which include a public notice and letters to the abutters. SC said the Commission should pick a tentative date in April for the hearings. She asked if JEB and VA would let the owners know what it is; they agreed. SC asked how much time at the hearings she should schedule for each property. SRS suggested intervals of 15 to 20 minutes. JEB said that should be enough time, because he does not anticipate much public opposition. Utility Box Vinyl Wrap Artwork Project: SC said she'd let Andrew MacNichol at Town Hall know that the RHC was interested in using the utility box at Memorial Park. Mr. MacNichol said that was fine with him, as he is not in a position to move forward with his art project at this time. SC suggested the RHC should thinking about which two of three utility boxes discussed last month to use, and she asked all members to look at the options. JEB said he thought the Commission should also start making decisions about which photographs to use in the next phase of the project. He noted that Town Hall is now open by appointment so access to the Archives is possible again. VA also recalled that Laura Gemme, the Town Clerk, had said she may be willing to let RHC members into the Archives on Fridays when she is available, even though Town Hall is closed that day. SC asked if the photograph of the community construction day at Memorial Park, which the RHC is planning to use on the box at Memorial Park, exists in digital form. VA said she did not think so, but she would check to see if it had been used in a past RMLD calendar; this would indicate a digital version does exist. JEB suggested looking in the Archives. SC said she would investigate getting the original photograph digitized, in case it has not been digitized already. JEB wondered whether the artist, Franklin Marval, might have the capacity for digitizing the original photograph himself. JEB noted that he still has the Chair's key to the Archives, which he needs to hand over to Sc. Demolition Delay Review: ADF asked what sort of objections Town Meeting members were likely to make to an extension of the demolition delay period. JEB said he expected that Town Meeting members would object to adding further to the restrictions that home owners currently face in the use of their private property (such as zoning restrictions). As a counter to this objection, JEB suggested that the RHC demonstrate that the owners of Inventory houses are aware that their houses are on the Inventory. VA agreed. JEB said that the RHC could point to the letter the Commission is planning to send to all owners of Inventory houses, in order to demonstrate that the owners are currently aware of their home's status on the Inventory and that no objections have been received. Given the apparent importance of this letter in any future presentation at Town Meeting, ADF said that she would stop gathering material for the Town Meeting presentation and instead work on the letter. ADF asked whether it is necessary for the RHC to compile a list of owners' names. She suggested that the letter could be addressed "Dear Historic Home Owner" or something similar; VA said that was what the Commission has done in the past. Page 1 3 ADF asked. if anyone on the Commission had examples of the past RHC letters to Inventory home owners. JEB suggested ADF look in the Archives for the file he remembered seeing that contained past RHC correspondenq Members discussed what topics that should be included in the letter. ''he suggestions were as follows: a notice about the historic plaque program; information about how owners can research the history of their houses (such as using MACRIS, the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System); the requirements of the demolition delay; the current Associate Members openings. SRS suggested the letter should also thank owners for taking care of the Town's historic homes. JEB will contact the company that has produced the historic plaques in the past to make sure they are still in business, given the pandemic. VA suggested that new RHC members should watch this year's April Town Meeting to get an idea of what to expect, should the Commission decide to bring the demolition delay to Town Meeting. It was noted that, as the April Town Meeting is likely to be held virtually, it would not accurately reflect the dynamic at a "live," in-person Town Meeting. When Inventory houses are demolished, SC asked if the RHC might request that owners give the Commission any discarded historical architectural elements for possible reuse. VA said that the RHC had tried that in the,�,jst, but that there was no place to store the material. - - SC suggested that the RHC compile a list of Inventory homes that are in disrepair, and that the Commission then let the owners know about possible preservation grants, such as the one through Mass Historical. JEB agreed. Finances: SRS asked what procedure she should follow to be reimbursed for the book she purchased on behalf of the RHC. JEB said he would send her the reimbursement form. He advised her to fill it out, attach the minutes in which the Commission authorized the purchase to it, and submit all this material to Amanda Beatrice at Town Hall. RHC Member Packet: SC said she was still working on collecting, updating, and digitizing the documents in the packet. Town Archive: SC reported that she'd submitted the updated version of the Archive Policy that the Commission approved in January to Ms. Gemme, New Business: VA reported having read a study, "Sun'-'/ of Massachusetts Municipal Historical Commissions Websites,"which was conducted by Devon King, a graduate student at UMass Amherst, in conjunction with Mass Historical. The study evaluates the effectiveness of historical commission websites statewide; the RHC's website received the highest possible rating. SC said she'd received an email from Rick Nazzaro, a Reading realtor. Mr. Nazzaro is the listing agent for the property at 46 Woburn Street, which has been a medical office for over 100 years. He reported that the current owner would like to offer the RHC some photos, some books, and a doctor's bag from the house to add to the RHC's collection. SC offered to evaluate the books and pictures for inclusion in the Archives, and she reported that the Reading Antiquarian Society, per Everett Blodgett, is interested in the bag. VA noted that the house has recently been sold and suggested SC follow up with Mr. Nazzaro as soon as possible. Review Minutes: Motion: To accept the minutes from 1/21/2020 as emended. Motion JEB, SC second; vote 5-0-0. Page 16 Next Meeting Dates: Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 7 PM; Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 7 PM Adjournment: Motion: To adjourn. Motion JEB, SRS second; vote: 5-0-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:44 PM. Page 15