LYME HERITAGE COMMISSION
August 23, 2011
MINUTES
PRRESENT: Adair Mulligan, Ray Clark, Charlotte Furstenberg, regular members; Laurie Wadsworth, Tim Cook, alternates; Simon Carr, Selectperson
ABSENT: Jane Fant, regular member
1. Minutes: The minutes of the July 28 meeting were approved.
2. Survey of historic resources:
a. Orford Survey materials: The report, maps and other materials from the Orford survey that Carl Schmidt had sent to Ray Clark were discussed. Commission members were impressed by Liz Hengen’s report and noted that her knowledge of Orford would be an advantage to Lyme. Some concerns were raised about the inventory form and homeowner questionnaire that were used.
b. Consultant: Adair reported that she had communicated with Liz Hengen about consulting on the Lyme inventory. Liz estimated that it would take 2-3 days to research the history of the town and 3-4 days to do a windshield survey for an estimated cost of $6,500 plus travel expenses. Writing a formal report would cost more. It was not clear whether or not her estimate included doing a formal presentation to the town. The commission estimated that $10,000 should cover the cost of conducting the Lyme survey, researching and writing the report, and giving a presentation. Liz recommended that the best timing for a windshield survey is after snowmelt and before the leaves come out on the trees.
c. Funding: It was decided that the commission would seek funding from the following sources: Lyme Foundation, $7,500; Lyme Historians, $1,000; private individuals, $1,500 - $2,000. Adair agreed to research other funding sources with the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Commission.
d. David Robbins: Charlotte reported the following from her conversation with David Robbins.
• David thought that information about the historical/architectural significance of structures would useful to the planning and zoning boards as they made their decisions and if legal action were brought and they needed to defend their decisions. Saying that a structure was old or contributed to an historic district was not sufficient in his view. He thought a paragraph or two on each structure would suffice.
• He also thought that it would be very helpful if structures of particular historical or architectural significance could be identified.
• He said that the tax assessor kept a database but that she had sole access to it. He thought it made the most sense to keep survey information in paper and pencil format and store it in the selectman’s office where he could access it when necessary. He didn’t think it made sense to store it in a database since database programs were constantly being updated and it would require continual maintenance.
• He thought it would be possible to create a PDF with descriptions of the structures that could be put on-line on the Heritage Commission website where the public could access it.
• Finally, he said that it would be important to reference each structure by map and lot number and street address since lot numbers can change.
e. Lyme Foundation proposal: The group decided to go ahead and submit a proposal to the Lyme Founation for review at its October meeting. The goal of the project would be to conduct a comprehensive survey of the town’s historic resources and a “first ever” professional overview of the town’s history utilizing a professional architectural historian, students from the Lyme school and local high schools, historical society members, and homeowners. Information from the survey would lay the groundwork for conducting future in-depth research on structures of particular historical or architectural importance. It could also be used to inform town planning and zoning board decisions, to educate the town about its heritage, and to provide homeowners
with information about their homes.
The inventory would cover structures built prior to 1940 (may consult Liz Hengen on nthis cout-off date). The architectural historian would research and write an overview of Lyme’s history, give an oral presentation to the town, and conduct a windshield survey with help from local volunteers. Photographs would be taken of all structures. Homeowners would be asked to complete a brief questionnaire about their home. Students would assist in gathering information from historical society records, typing descriptions into a data file, and possibly photographing structures.
f. Communication: Ways of keeping people informed about the project were discussed including having regular updates in the Lyme Church News and periodic updates in the historians newsletter.
g. Storage: Information about each structure would be stored in paper and pencil form in a file in the selectman’s office. Simon agreed to look into finding a file cabinet. It was agreed that at least the inventory form should be put into electronic format for easy sharing and access.
h. Next steps: Ray will contact the Lyme Foundation for more details about the grant process. We will then begin passing around a draft of the proposal based on these minutes.
3. Next meeting: Tuesday, September 27, 2011.
Meeting adjourned at 8:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Charlotte Furstenberg
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