Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes
Regular Meeting
Monday, May 2, 2005
Place: |
Memorial Town Hall, 52 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT
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Present: |
Jim Bechtel (Cochairman, Regular), Kenneth Levin (Cochairman, Regular), Nina Peck (Regular), Barbara Traskos (Regular), Paul Sagristano (Regular), Joanne DiCamillo (Alternate), Elizabeth Chamberlain (Alternate), Tom Keogh (Alternate)
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Absent: |
None
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Agenda: |
1. 7-1 Lyme Street – Jim Bechtel: Vinyl siding 2. 85 Lyme Street – Keith Green: Enclosure of service deck 3. 54 Lyme Street – Jim Bechtel: Belfry design 4. Lyme Street inventory of properties – Ken Levin 5. Business news – Paul Sagristano, Betty Chamberlain 6. Secretary’s report – Anna Silberberg 7. Any other
new or old business to come before the Commission: 8. Adjournment |
Meeting was called to order at 9.20 A.M. by Cochairman Jim Bechtel.
A motion was made by Betty Chamberlain, seconded by Paul Sagristano and voted unanimously to amend the minutes of April 4, 2005 as follows: Under item “5.b) 7-1 Lyme Street” replace: “It was noted that this building probably dates from around 1873 and it does have historic significance.” with “It was noted that the building dates from around 1873 and that the Boxwood complex does have historic significance.”.
1. 7-1 Lyme Street – Jim Bechtel: Vinyl siding
The Commission concluded that vinyl siding is not allowed on buildings of historic significance in the Historic District and that the 7-1 Lyme Street building is within the Historic District. Jim Bechtel has asked the Town Attorney, Marylin Clarke, if the Commission has any legal standing to prevent vinyl siding on buildings within the Historic District that do not have historic significance
Action: Get an answer from Marylin Clarke (Jim Bechtel).
2. 85 Lyme Street / Old Lyme Inn – Keith Green: Enclosure of service deck
Keith Green presented to the Commission an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for the enclosure of a service deck and removal of a window above the deck. This is in addition to the door that was added (CofA approved 02/24/2005) for service access to the terrace of the Old Lyme Inn.
The service deck will be added to an existing indentation and will measure 5’3’’ long. It will therefore be a protrusion of 2’3’’ instead of an indentation of 3 feet. The plan is to keep the existing roofline as is.
Nina Peck felt that it would be more appropriate if the service deck area matched the details on the building to the left and suggested: Duplicate the existing details on the roof line and apply pilasters to the wall (do not add any overhang). Keith Green agreed.
A motion was made by Ken Levin, seconded by Nina Peck and voted unanimously to approve the amended application. The approval is valid for six months.
Action: Send copy of approved application to Keith Green (Anna Silberberg).
3. 54 Lyme Street – Jim Bechtel - Belfry design
The Commission concluded that the current scale of the belfry is too large for the outbuilding. A letter will be sent to the property owner asking him either to remove the belfry or reduce the size of the current belfry.
Action: Write letter (Jim Bechtel).
4. Lyme Street inventory of properties – Ken Levin
A letter has been sent to all property owners in the Historic District informing them that their properties will be photographed this spring.
Action: Start taking photos in 1-2 weeks (Ken Levin).
5. Business News – Paul Sagristano & Betty Chamberlain
No news at this meeting.
6. Secretary’s report – Anna Silberberg
a) The Commission’s page on the Town's web site is complete with the exception of a photo of a property on Lyme Street.
Action: Add photo(s) when software is available (Anna Silberberg).
b) Any decision regarding entering information about properties in the Historic District in the GIS system cannot be done until after phase I of the GIS implementation (perhaps six months to a year).
Action: Keep track of GIS implementation progress (Anna Silberberg).
c) A note will be presented to all HDC meeting visitors to inform them that minutes can be accessed after each meeting either online or at Town Hall.
7. Any other new or old business to come before the Commission
a) 96 Lyme Street / Florence Griswold House – Jeff Anderson: Signage during renovation
The Florence Griswold House will be closed for renovation for one year starting May 8th. The remainder of the museum (Krieble Gallery, Hartman Education Center and the grounds) will remain open during the renovation. The FGM wants it clearly understood that only the Florence Griswold House will be closed to the public.
Jeff Anderson proposed moving the existing “Museum Hours” sign (currently on top of the “Visitor’s Parking” sign within the museum grounds) and placing it on top of the existing “Entrance” sign at the driveway entrance to the museum.
Jim Bechtel asked if there will be any signs describing the renovation. Jeff Anderson replied that there are two mandatory signs: A state mandated sign and a federally mandated sign (the museum has received both state and federal funding for the renovation). These signs will be posted in front of the construction area and will not be visible from the street.
The Commission felt that it would be preferable to have signage at the entrance indicating that the museum is “open during the restoration.” Jeff Anderson agreed. The Commission approved the sign design as presented but suggested including not only the “Museum Hours” but also additional information about the museum remaining open. Jeff Anderson will work on a new sign format.
Jeff Anderson also informed the Commission about other renovation plans to restore the Florence Griswold House to its appearance at the beginning of the twentieth century.
* Enlarge the front steps to their original size.
* Aluminum gutters will be replaced by copper.
* The stucco foundation will be restored and scored to look like granite.
* The color of the house will be approximately the same (a slight change to more butterscotch).
* All shutters will be reconstructed.
* Storm windows will be placed on the inside instead of on the outside to create an older look.
* The heating and cooling system will be converted to a geo-thermal system.
* The fence on the north side will be maintained.
* Foundation plantings added in the 1960’s and 1970’s will mostly be removed.
Action: Present final sign designs including the state and federally mandated signs (Jeff Anderson).
b) 6 Lyme Street – Stanford Brainerd: Driveway
Stanford Brainerd presented an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness to replace a portion of the driveway with paving blocks.
At present, in this section, there is a concrete sidewalk, a blacktop apron and 8 feet of gravel driveway. These three areas would be replaced with cast concrete paving blocks resembling Belgian block but more even in size and with a smoother surface. The size of the blocks will be 6’’x 6’’ or 8’’x 8’’ depending on availability. The color will be dark grey and the design will be a square pattern.
A motion was made by Nina Peck, seconded by Barbara Traskos and voted unanimously to approve the application subject to Stanford Brainerd submitting a final design and sample of the paving block. The approval is valid for 90 days.
Action: Send copy of approved application to Stanford Brainerd (Anna Silberberg).
c) 70 Lyme Street – Andrew Rae: Landscaping and outbuilding alteration
An application for a Certificate of Appropriateness for landscaping was submitted to the Commission by Andrew Rae on April 29. The application is to:
* Repair the fence on Lyme Street.
* Replace fence/hedge along Maple lane with a privet hedge.
* Replace front concrete walkway with grey pavers in varied sizes.
* Update the driveway in the back between the outbuilding and the parking area with gravel and a border of grey pavers (same as walkway in front).
Joanne DiCamillo said that Andrew Rae also has to seek permission from the Tree Commission for the planting of a privet hedge.
A privet hedge can cause a shade problem (the hedge on the southern side might not grow as well). Andrew Rae noted that the neighboring property (72 Lyme Street) has a privet hedge and that the use of privet, in his opinion, would be consistent.
Andrew Rae presented to the Commission an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness to convert an existing outbuilding (with garage) on the property to an art studio. While the existing footprint would change in order to create a more useful space, the square footage will remain the same.
The exterior treatment of the new outbuilding will reflect the exterior of the house (white clapboard, same windows and same roof material). There will be French doors (if available) but no shutters. Sky lights will be added in the back but will not be visible from Lyme Street.
The roofline of the outbuilding was discussed and Andrew Rae said that he would like to alter the roofline slightly. Ken Levin stated that any changes to the plans as presented would have to be submitted to the Commission for approval.
Tom Keogh noted that all applicants must be certain that any changes to approved plans be submitted to the Commission. It was decided to send a letter with all approved applications noting that any changes must be resubmitted.
Joanne DiCamillo added that the Tree Commission approves plantings, not the Historic District Commission. Jim Bechtel suggested adding a Tree Commission link to the HDC web page.
A motion was made by Ken Levin, seconded by Nina Peck and voted unanimously to approve the landscaping application. The approval is valid for six months.
A motion was made by Ken Levin, seconded by Paul Sagristano and voted unanimously to approve the outbuilding alteration application subject to Andrew Rae submitting a drawing of the final roof design. The approval is valid for six months.
Action: Send copies of the approved applications to Andrew Rae (Anna Silberberg).
Action: Write a form letter that will be sent with approved CofA applications - any changes must be presented to the Commission etc. (Anna Silberberg).
Action: Add a Tree Commission link to the HDC web page (Anna Silberberg).
d) 21 Lyme Street – Paul Sagristano: Replacing front steps
Paul Sagristano would like to replace the wooden front steps on his house with stone (granite) steps and asked the Commission’s advice.
Action: Present CofA application to the Commission if the steps are to be replaced (Paul Sagristano).
e) 22 Lyme Street - Christ the King Church
Mr. Robert Wright, a prospective buyer of the property, is considering the possibility of converting the building to a private residence and attended the meeting to gain a perspective of the Town and the HDC.
Action: None
8. Adjournment
Ken Levin made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 11.30 A.M. The motion was seconded by Barbara Traskos and passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Anna Silberberg
Recording Secretary
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