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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-12 Historical Commission Minutes x rPIVN IV Town of Reading RlApGC qk E� Meeting Minutes 10p/SUN /lNC'' M P N 2. 33 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Historical Commission Date: 2021-05-12 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) Members - Not Present: Sharlene Reynolds Santo Others Present: Matt Balder Craig Brandt (CB) Kurt Habel (KH) Karen Gately Herrick (KGH), Select Board Chair Linda King (LK) Julie Mercier (JM), Community Development Director Louise Romano Paul Scharr (PS) Walter Tuvall Brendon Zarechlan Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Amelia Devin Freedman Topics of Discussion: The meeting was held remotely,over Zoom. JM helped PD establish himself as the host of the meeting and then she left. SC called the meeting to order at 7:04 PM. PD described the Hiles for the Zoom meeting. He advised attendees that RCTV was recording the meeting,which might be live streamed on television or on YouTube. SC made VA a voting member for the evening. Historical and Architectural Inventory Hearings for 832 Main Sneer,767 Main Street, and 27 Hillcrest Road: SC opened the public hearing. SC read excerpts from the bylaw,detailing the criteria for adding structures to the Inventory. Page I I JEB read the architectural description and a historical narrative about 832 Main Street,as they appear on the Massachusetts Historical Commission's "Form B"which the Commission prepared. KH,the owner,confirmed his desire to see his house added to the Inventory. He also discussed the extensive historical research he has done about his house. VA read an architectural description and a historical narrative about 767 Main Street as they appear on the"Form B"which the Commission prepared.CB, the owner,confirmed his desire to see his house added to the Inventory. SC read an architectural description and a historical narrative about 27 Hillcrest Road,as they appear on the"Form B"which the Commission prepared. The owner was not present. VA noted an email from Amanda Beatrice,Senior Administrative Assistant at Town Hall,that said that the certified letter sent to the owner about this hearing was unclaimed. JEB confirmed that he had spoken to the owner,who is aware of the hearing and supports the addition of his home. SC said that the bylaw requires the RHC to send the owner a letter when the home becomes part of the Inventory. Mottos:that the Commission's and Owners'presented information is complete and sufficient to make a final determination on the proposed inclusion of the structures at 832 Main Street,767 Main Street,and 27 Hillcrest Road to the Commission's Historical and Architectural Inventory and that the Public Hearing be dosed. JEB motion,SC second;vote 5-M. SC dosed the public meeting. Motion. that the structures at 832 Main Street,767 Main Street,and 27 Hillcrest Road meet the criteria of Reading Bylaw 7.2.3.1 in that each is associated with the broad architectural,cultural, economic,and social history of the Town;is historically&architecturally significant;and,as such, each should be added to the Commission's Historical and Architectural Inventory. JEB motion,SC second;vote 5-0-0. SC declared all three houses to be added officially to the Inventory. LK,an abutter to 832 Main Street,asked when the Inventory came into being. VA said it was created in 1982. SC asked how many houses were on the Inventory at that time. VA said there were about 300 houses on the original version of the list. KGH said the Commission should send Matt Kraunehs,Director of Administrative Services at Town Hall,the news of the Inventory additions so that he can publicize them. Trees to honor WWI Veterans in Memorial Park:PS described his historical research on the construction of Memorial Park. During this research,he found reference to a plan to plant 13 ehn trees in the park to honor Reading's WWI veterans. As these trees are not in place today,he said that he would like(1) to determine whether the trees were,in fact,planted, (2) to discover where in the park the trees were planted,and(3) to replace the trees. He asked the RHC both for research assistance and for suggestions about whom he should approach to put the replanting into motion. VA commended PS for his work to date,and she suggested he apply for one of the two open Associate Member positions on the Commission;JEB agreed. VA offered to help PS with his research. SC will also assist by examining the recently acquired Mary Temple scrapbook for any discussion of the trees,and by looking for relevant material in the Archives. Page 12 PS asked which Town entities or individuals the RHC would suggest he contact. Members suggested the following:Parks and Forestry;Recreation Division;the Select Board,Public Works; the Town Forest Committee and the Tree Warden. KGH said she was confident the Select Board(SB)would support the project. She also said that that the Town recently received some money from the state that might fund the project. JEB suggested that SC put this project on the June agenda,so the Commission can help move it along. SC will follow up. Bike shelter at depot update:JM returned to the meeting to give an update about the planned bike shelter at the train Depot. She now proposes that the shelter be placed next to the roofed platform where passengers wait. This location will mean that the bike shelter will be farther away from the historic budding and, thus, not distract from it. She described the planned shelter as follows:a roofed structure, 100 inches tall;holding 16 bicycles in two tiers,one above the other. JM showed photographs of example shelters. She said that the shelter could be opal or bronze color,and could have a back and sides. She asked the Commission which would be preferable,SC said she preferred the bronze color and open sides;JEB agreed. JEB thanked JM for asking for the Commission's input,and for moving the bike shelter away from the historic Depot building. He said he thought Town residents will appreciate the addition of the shelter at the Depot. 186 Summer Avenue:ADF summarized recent Historic District Commission (HDC) discussions about the Certificate of Appropriateness issued to Criterion in 2019. Under normal circumstances, it would have expired on June 6 of this year. PD noted that it is unclear whether the pandemic may mean the deadline will be extended,and,if so,how much. JEB said he thought determining the legal status of the Certificate was urgent,and that both the RHC and the HDC should communicate this urgency to Town Counsel. JM reported having spoken briefly to Town Counsel. She said it was her understanding that the State of Emergency in Massachusetts,which was declared on March 10,2020 and is still in place,means that the Certificate deadline has been paused;she said she believes that it will not expire until 60 days after the State of Emergency has been lifted. KGH said that Carlo Bacci,the SB liaison to the RHC,brought the property up at recent SB meeting and thinks it would be a high priority. She suggested the RHC keep Mr. Bacci informed of developments and send him a copy of the Preservation Restriction Agreement(PRA)between Criterion and the RHC and HDC. JEB reminded KGH that the SB is also a signatory to the PRA. 25 Haven Street: SC reported that she has heard nothing back from the applicant,and so has not scheduled the demolition delay hearing. She will follow up with Ms.Beatrice. 24 Gould Street:JEB circulated by email a picture of the finished historical plaque for the exterior of the building. He reported speaking to former RHC member,Jack Williams. Mr.Williams has agreed to serve as the liaison between the Commission and the project team,as they design the historical display planned for the public event space. Mr.Williams said he would leave all decisions to the RHC. SC asked if it would be helpful for Mr.Williams to attend the next Commission meeting,to give a progress report. JEB said yes. SC will follow up. Utility Box Wrap Artwork Project:JEB asked SC if she had informed Andrew MacNichol,Staff Planner at Town Hall,which boxes the RHC intends to wrap in phase two of the project. SC said she had reached out to him but that he has not yet replied. SC will follow up. JEB said that the Commission would soon need to choose pictures from the Archives and contact the artist. Gage 1 3 Merit Certificates and Bronze Plaques:VA and JEB requested two quotes for the bronze plaques the RHC plans for the Schoolhouse Condominiums and Post Mark Square,and they circulated them in advance. JEB reported that the price would be roughly the same,no matter which company the RHC chooses,but that the quotes are only good for 60 days. VA suggested the Commission confirm with the honorees that they would accept the awards before ordering the plaques. JEB said that he has already done so,and that both did accept. ADF said she would like to discuss the wording and layout of the plaques. SC suggested that the RHC rework the design. JEB asked ADF if she would be willing to do so,and she agreed. Afterwards,she will send the revisions to JEB,who will request updated price quotes. JEB asked if the Commission wanted to choose the company from which to order the plaques now, or if members would like to defer the decision until after the revised quotes arrive. VA said she thought the group should decide now. She said she thought either would be fine, since both have good reputations. JEB said he thought the job should go to the company with the lowest price;all agreed. Certificate of Appreciation for Past Members: SC reported that the letters and certificates for former members Mr.Williams and Ron Weston are almost ready. JEB suggested SC send copies of the documents to the RHC forwarding account so they would be on the Archives computer. SC asked where to find the posters which will accompany the certificates. VA described where in Archives SC should look. VA asked SC to pick up the copies of Reading's Colonial Rooftrees requested by Everett Blodgett when she goes into the Archives. Town Archive: SC said there was nothing to report. Letter to Historic Inventory Property Owners: SC reported the letters have gone out. JEB will consult with Mass Historical about how to submit the "Folin Bs" for 832 Main Street,767 Main Street,and 27 Hillcrest Road. Demolition Delay Review: In advance,ADF circulated links to two files,namely,a revision of the Excel file listing Inventory structures that have been subject to the demolition delay and a Google Picture Album of the structures. To make extending the demolition delay period more appealing to Town Meeting(FM) members,she suggested using three categories: "wins", structures saved from demolition or whose loss was mitigated;"losses",structures which were demolished completely;and "draws",structures for which mitigation measures were negotiated but not enacted. JEB questioned whether these categories would be persuasive to TM members. He said he anticipated some would ask why the RHC needs to extend the delay period if it considers most of the houses subject to the demolition delay process to be"wins". Instead,he suggested the following changes: (1) the structures in the"draw" category should be moved to"losses",because the negotiated mitigations were not and will not be enacted,and (2) the structures categorized as "wins" based on mitigation measures should be"losses"as well. VA said she does not think Town Meeting is ready at this time to change the bylaw and extend the demolition delay period. Pa9c 1 4 ADF said she would table her research to allow the RHC time to think about what approach,if any, to take on this issue. Membership:SC said she was glad VA asked PS to join the RHC. She reported that VA and SRS, whose terms expire in June,are both rejoining. Finances:SC reported that she had spoken to Ms. Beatrice,who said the legal notices and the postage for the Historical Inventory hearings came to$480. This leaves a balance of$750 from this year's budget. JEB said he thought that the Town should pay those fees. SC will follow up with Ms. Beatrice. SC wondered whether the charge would mean the Commission will not have enough money to pay for both the new phase of the Utility Box project and the bronze recognition plaques. JEB reminded the group that there is$3,000 in grant money,which the Commission set aside for the box wraps but which came with no restrictions from the donors. He suggested SC ask the Treasurer's Office to encumber the money for the plaques for use in fiscal year 2022. SC will follow up. New Business: 531 Main Street: SC reported that the demolition delay hearing would take place at the RHC meeting in June. Postmark Square:VA asked that the Commission send hes now edited letter regarding the ahistorical restaurant name to the SB;SC will follow up. Past Minutes: Motion:To accept the minutes of April 14,2021 as amended. JEB motion,VA second;vote 5-0-0. Next Meeting:Wednesday,June 16 at 7 P.M. Adjournment: Motloa to adjourn SC motion,JEB second;vote 5-0-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:12 P.M. Page 15