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Home My WebLink About2021-10-13 Historical Commission Minutes - Draftora RECEIVED �. Town of Reading TOWN CLERK Meeting Minutes READING, MA. 2 RL 2022 JAN 20 AM 8: 44 Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Historical Commission Date: 2021-10-13 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Conference Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Open Session Purpose: General Business Version: Draft Attendees: Members - Present: Virgina Adams, Associate (VA); Jonathan Barnes, Member (JEB); Samantha Couture, Chair (SC); Pino D'Orazio, Member (PD); Amelia Devin Freedman, Secretary (ADF); Christine Keller, Associate (CK); Sharlene Reynolds Santo, Treasurer (SRS) Members - Not Present: n/a Others Present: n/a Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Amelia Devin Freedman Topics of Discussion: SC called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. 40 Grove Street: SC spoke to Kim Saunders, Pertnit Coordinator at Town Hall, about the neighbor complaint the RHC received. Ms. Saunders said she spoke to the owner, who said he was unaware an outside tap had been left on overnight and the bulkhead doors had been left open. The owner told Ms. Saunders he would rectify the situation. SC will follow up with the neighbor who made the complaint. VA suggested that SC invite the owner to the next meeting, so the Commission can speak to him about other options to complete demolition of the house. ADF reported she has researched websites where one can list historic homes for sale, and she suggested the owner be given this information. JEB suggested sending the owner a letter to remind hurt of his obligation, under the demolition delay bylaw, to work with the RHC to explore alternatives to complete demolition. SC will follow up with the owner. 186 Summer Avenue: The site inspection, which the HDC will also attend, is next week, on October 19. PD confirmed that the Commissions will be able to access the inside and outside of the house. Julie Mercier, Town Development Director, and Bret Bennett, the Town Building Commissioner, will also attend. JEB confirmed that Matthew Bronski with the engineering fum Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, would also attend the site visit to inspect the property as a consultant for the RHC and to write a report on its physical condition. Mr. Bronski said that the fee would be about $2000; JEB had requested and was awaiting a written proposal. Page 1 1 orx Town of Reading 3 x Meeting Minutes Motion: To authorize up to j$2000 for the structural engineer to inspect the house and barn at 186 Summer Avenue, and to produce a written report on its physical condition. SC motion, SRS second; vote 5-0-0. ADF asked how long Mr. Bronski would need to draft the report, JEB said he did not know. PD asked when the Commission could expect to receive the expected letter from Town Counsel about legal options. SC will follow up with Ms. Mercier. The Commission discussed whether, as Ms. Mercier recommended, the site inspection should be posted as a public meeting, given that the public will not be admitted. JEB said he did not think this was necessary as long as no deliberations are held. Laura Gemme, the Town Clerk, stepped into the meeting briefly, and she recommended that rhe Commission not post the site visit publicly. 24 Gould Street: SC said she received an email from Dave Traggotth, asking for the plaque text he asked the RHC to write, and which is to be mounted on the wall of the community event space in the building. CK, SC, and JEB will meet at the building on October 21st to look at the historical exhibit in that room so that they can draft the text. SC will invite Jack Williams, former RHC member, to join them. Utility Box Vinyl Art Wrap Project: VA and JEB went to the Archives to choose pictures for the next phase of the project. They chose pictures of the Prospect Street School and the Richardson Shoe Factory for the utility box at Summer and Wobum, and a few pictures from the Memorial Park Workday for the box at Harrison St.; and sent them to Franklin Marval, the artist. They were unable to find a decent quality copy of the framed picture in the Town Hall conference room of the Memorial Park Workday, which would be small enough to send to Mr. Marval. JEB said it may be necessary to scan the large, framed version of this picture that hangs in the Town Hall Conference Room; he will investigate how to do that. JEB will also ask Mr. Marval for a price proposal for the planned boxes. JEB reported that an online tour of the Town's Art Boxes, which includes the RHC's wrapped boxes, is now live on the town website. Fall Street Faire: SC asked who has the list of questions that the visitors to the RHC table asked; VA said she does. SC will circulate a copy by email, so members can divide up the work of answering the questions. She will do the same for the questions asked at ArtsFest in October. JEB said he thinks the RHC should continue to have a table at these events to keep the Commission and its work in residents' minds. SRS suggested having a copy of At Wood End on the table at the next such event. Town Archives: SC reported that the computer in the Archives crashed repeatedly last week. She will follow up with IT at Town Hall. CK and SC continue to organize materials in the Archives. VA noted that the supply of archival tissue paper is running low, and she asked SC to order it. SC will follow up. Page 1 2 or � Town of Reading Meeting Minutes `� °,,,,Mow"•` CK asked where the Town bylaws say that the RHC oversees the Town Archives. VA said nowhere. CK asked if it should be listed in writing as an official duty of the RHC. JEB suggested adding it to the RHC's Rules and Regulations. CK still needs a hard copy of the Historical Inventory, as does Amanda Beatrice. JEB will follow up with Ms. Beatrice. Demolition Delay Bylaw: All members of the Commission attended a meeting held last week by the Lynnfield Historical Commission; members of the Wakefield and Winchester Historical Cottunissions also attended. Attendees discussed their respective towns' demolition delay bylaws. PD said that it seems having a 12 -month demolition delay period strengthens the ability of historical commissions to save houses. JEB circulated an edited version of the HDC's Rules and Regulations in advance of this evening's meeting. The proposed changes are meant to clarify the RHC's administration of the Bylaw by specifying what the Commission understands the meaning to be in the following phrases in the bylaw: "statement of reasons for the proposed demolition and data supporting said reasons"; "description of the proposed reuse". JEB suggested that the demolition delay bylaw may also need three revisions, namely (1) to require that applicants submit materials to other town boards, committees, and commissions such as the Community Planning and Development Commission (CPDC) before corning to the RHC, and (2) to allow the RHC to keep a demolition delay hearing open longer than currently allowed in case the applicant has provided insufficient information, and (3) to extend the demolition delay period to 12 months. ADF asked whether the Commission could incorporate the first issue into the Commission's Rules and Regulations instead of the bylaw. JEB said he thought it belonged in the bylaw. JEB asked members to continue to think about his suggestions for the Rules and Regulations, which he will rework for the next meeting. Once members agree on the changes they would like to see, he said that the Commission would have to conduct a public hearing to finalize and approve the revised R&Rs, which process includes submitting the proposed revised Rules and Regulations to Town Counsel, among others. CK left the meeting at 8:45 PM. Finances: VA gave her receipts for the Street Faire display to SRS. New Business Reading_ Memorial High School (RMHS) History Award: SC asked ADF if she had contacted the RMHS History Department about the RHC giving an award. ADF will follow up for the November meeting. Reading M �Ral Light Department (RMLD) Calendar. ADF will email Jane D'Onofrio at RMLD to ask if she needs help putting together the Reading pages for the 2022 calendar. CATO, the Coalition of Us: ADF reported that Everett Blodgett gave her access to the Reading Anti -Slavery Society minutes held by the Antiquarian Society, for use in her research for CATO. She asked SC to look in the Archives for any other records. SC will follow up. Page 13 a Town of Reading I Meeting Minutes Aeadmg Dmh Timer Chronicle Article: VA brought a copy of recent article from the Chronicle, entitled "Online Downtown Artwalk map and self -guided tour available". SC will add it to the press folder in the Archives. Minutes: Motion to accept the minutes from September 1, 2021, as amended. ]EB motion, SC second; vote 5-0-0. Next Meeting: November 17, 2021 Adjourn: Motion: To adjourn. SC Motion, ]EB second; vote 5-0-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:26 PM. Page 14