Historic District Commission
September 18, 2007
Minutes
Land Use Meeting Room
Members Present: ~ Chair Ken Fowler, KF; Elaine Steinert, ES; Kate McNulty-Vaughn, KM-V
Member absent with notification: Jason Berger, JS
Staff present: Mary Albertson
There were no applications.
Other business:
· Violations
A) Historic District Notification Letter: This is the first of three steps. KM-V told the Commissioners that due to time constraints she has been unable to compose a new draft as promised for this meeting. (The original draft had been presented at the September 4, 2007 meeting and suggested changes were suggested by the Commission.). She assured the HDC that the letter will be ready for the next meeting.
B) Notification of Violation. This has been previously referred to as Second Letter and it is still in draft form. The Commission stated at the last meeting that they wanted to find out additional information regarding the process the Board of Selectmen follows in granting temporary signs. Ms. Albertson reported that she had spoken to Greg Federspiel, Town Manager, on behalf of the HDC. Mr. Federspiel said that the BOS had granted a temporary sign to Frankie’s, a new restaurant, because of lag time of getting on the agenda. The BOS had understood that an application for a permanent sign had been filed. This is not the case. Ms. Albertson asked if the HDC wanted to pursue enforcement through the Building Inspector’s Office. KF noted
that the owner of Frankie’s had demonstrated a cooperative spirit regarding an issue with lighted signs in windows therefore KF would speak directly with the owner. The Commission agreed with this direction.
KF feels that most of the people support the HDC’s efforts to correct violations. He suggested a generic letter for Notification of Violation
C) Meeting with violators. After the second letter is mailed, the HDC will follow up on the responses and then determine the course of action for the meeting.
KM-V said that the HDC should advise the BOS to ask for evidence that an application has been filed with the HDC before a temporary sign is granted. Also she wants the BOS to describe their process for granting a temporary sign and following up to assure the temporary sign is not up longer than the two weeks allowed.
KF reported on his promise to contact Hugh Cowhig, former Town Counsel. During the summer, KM-V met with the Building Inspector, Bill Thornton, to discuss issues of violations in the HDC. In that discussion, Mr. Thornton said there had been a meeting with property and business owners of the HDC some years ago in which Mr. Cowhig was the facilitator. Unfortunately Mr. Cowhig did not remember any details of the meeting.
ES told the Commission that she will have the photographs she promised of the violations.
· New HDC map: Ms. Albertson said that she has discussed with the former Town Planner, Joellyn Warren, of the need for a new HDC map. BRPC will produce. Ms. Albertson said that it is possible that the Massachusetts Historical Commission will need to approve.
· John Toole, Main St. ES said that she was called by the owner of a home she has listed for sale regarding an abutting property. The abutting property is undergoing renovations and it is understood that it will become the new location for Mr. Toole’s insurance agency. The owner of the property had called ES and said that she was never notified of this change. PA, Land Use Clerk, who is responsible for sending out abutters’ notices for applicants seeking Special Permits and Variances, disputed the claim that notification had not been sent to the property owner and outlined the process. PA also related she had spoken to
the property owner and agreed to mail to her the notice, decision and certified document that the notices had been mailed.
ES asked why the HDC had not been contacted regarding the changes being made to the building. Clearly the property is in the district. Discussion ensued. KF stated that the Building Inspector would be the party responsible for sending an applicant to the HDC for approval, but that the changes to this building do not require review. Page one of the appendix of the Guidelines was referenced.
KM-V said that she feels that the Building Inspector should refer anything that happens in the HDC to the HDC.
· Ms. Albertson shared with the Commission that a committee to raise funds for Westinghouse street lights has been formed. This committee will be working with the Village Improvement Committee.
KM-V made a motion to adjourn the meeting and ES seconded. The Commission agreed 3-0. The meeting was adjourned at 6:45 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Peggy Ammendola, PA
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