Historic District Commission Meeting Minutes
Regular Meeting
Monday, September 11, 2006
Place: |
Memorial Town Hall, 52 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT
|
Present: |
Jim Bechtel (Cochairman, Regular), Kenneth Levin (Cochairman, Regular), Tom Keogh (Regular), Barbara Traskos (Regular), Nina Peck (Regular), Elizabeth Chamberlain (Alternate), Joanne DiCamillo (Alternate),
|
Absent: |
John Forbis (Alternate)
|
Agenda: |
1. Old Lyme Historic District – Public open forum 2. The Historic District – Charlie Beal: Information available from Lyme Historical Society 3. 84 Lyme Street / Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts – Fred Osborne: Banners (size, color, location and timing) 4. 32 Lyme Street – Ken Levin: New fence 5. 10 Lyme Street – Jim Bechtel: Painted sign on store window 6. 100 Lyme Street/Bee and Thistle Inn– Jim Bechtel: Relocation of sign 7. 52 Lyme Street/Town Hall – John Forbis: Town Hall expansion update 8. 49-53 Lyme Street – Nina Peck: School storage units: screening or moving 9. The Historic District – Ken Levin: Plaque program & HDC tour of Lyme Street with John
Pfeiffer 10. The Historic District – Ken Levin, Tom Keogh, John Forbis: Possible expansion of the District 11. Business news – Betty
Chamberlain 12. Secretary’s report – Anna Silberberg 13. Any other new or old business to come before the Commission 14.
Adjournment |
The meeting was called to order at 9.15 A.M. by Cochairman Jim Bechtel.
A motion was made by Joanne DiCamillo, seconded by Barbara Traskos and voted unanimously to approve the minutes of August 7, 2006.
1. Old Lyme Historic District – Public open forum
No public participation.
2. The Historic District – Charlie Beal: Information available from Lyme Historical Society
Charlie Beal, the Archives Coordinator at the Florence Griswold Museum, described the resources and information available at the FGM/Lyme Historical Society including books and publications, family records, maps, paintings and photographs and oral history tapes (town records are available at the town hall).
Mr. Beal has identified homes occupied by the Old Lyme School of artists in Old Lyme and Lyme. The original list of 55 homes was narrowed down to 15 (including 75 Lyme Street and 106 Lyme Street) due to the long hours of research involved (about 200 hours – approximately 4 hours per week for 1 year). Mr. Beal will furnish the Commission with a list of artist’s homes within the District. Mr. Beal invited the Commission to call him – either at the Museum or at his home – with any questions.
3. 84 Lyme Street – Fred Osborne: Banners (size, color, location and timing)
Fred Osborne, President of the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts described the two banners that LACFA plans to hang acknowledging LACFA’s 30th anniversary. The banners are 6 ft. high and 2 ½ ft. wide: one is white with maroon text (“Lyme Academy of Fine Arts”) - the other is maroon with white text (“30 years”). They will initially be hung perpendicular to the street from the two lamp posts on Lyme Street and will not obstruct the sidewalk. After one month, the banners will be moved to the lamp posts directly in front of the new administration building.
Nonprofit organizations may erect temporary signs and hang banners for special events (for a limited time) without obtaining a CofA.
4. 32 Lyme Street – Ken Levin: New fence
A new white flat picket (replacing square pickets) fence has been installed at 32 Lyme Street without applying for a CofA.
Action: Request that a CofA application be submitted (Ken Levin, Jim Bechtel, Anna Silberberg).
5. 10 Lyme Street – Jim Bechtel: Painted sign on store window
Jim Bechtel asked Ann Brown, the zoning enforcement officer, to inform the tenant, Webb & Santiago, that they are in violation of the existing signage regulations (painted signs on store windows are not permitted).
Action: Await response from Ann Brown (Jim Bechtel).
6. 100 Lyme Street / Bee and Thistle Inn – Jim Bechtel: Relocation of sign
A CofA for a new sign was approved, pending submission of sketches, at the HDC’s July 10 meeting. These sketches have now been submitted and approved by Ken Levin and Jim Bechtel.
7. 52 Lyme Street/Town Hall – John Forbis: Town Hall expansion update
Jim Bechtel reported (in the absence of John Forbis) that the purchase of 50 Lyme Street was approved at the Town Meeting on August 28. He mentioned that the HDC’s October meeting will include a discussion on those aspects of the renovation that may require a letter of support from the Commission to be included in the pending grant application. A CofA will not apply as the interior areas covered by the potential grant are not technically under the jurisdiction of the HDC. The final design plans – with or without the school’s central office - are expected to be presented at HDC’s November meeting as a part of a formal CofA application. That CofA application will include the demolition of 50 Lyme Street. The Commission is not pleased about a demolition. However it appears necessary
in order to be able to obtain the necessary approvals for the Town Hall expansion, and the Commission prefers to keep Town Hall on Lyme Street. While the Commission would like to see the house at 50 Lyme Street preserved by moving it to another location it was noted that it is extremely costly today to move a structure due to the expense of removing and replacing overhead utility lines.
Nina Peck raised some concerns regarding the current plans for the Town Hall expansion that she had meant to discuss earlier with the Town Hall Expansion Committee. She felt the south wing (with the meeting room) was too large and that any additions to the existing building should be symmetrical.
Action: Give design input to John Forbis and Jim Bechtel (Nina Peck).
8. 49-53 Lyme Street – Nina Peck: School storage units: screening or moving
Nina Peck suggested that this item be dropped from the agenda. The school district is working on plans for a major renovation of the high school and the storage units are considered a low priority.
9. The Historic District – Ken Levin: Plaque program & HDC tour of Lyme Street with John Pfeiffer
A walk on Lyme Street with John Pfeiffer, the town historian, is scheduled for Saturday, September 23 at 9.30 a.m.
It was again discussed whether property owners might perform their own historic research to obtain a plaque. Given the time required for a thorough search (no other resources are currently available) it was felt that this might be an acceptable approach. The research done by John Forbis on 43 Lyme Street could serve as a model.
Action: Provide house research information (John Forbis).
Action: Find a sign company to design a prototype plaque (Ken Levin).
10. The Historic District – Ken Levin, Tom Keogh, John Forbis: Possible expansion of the District
The possible expansion of the OLHD will be reviewed again after the plaque program has been initiated.
11. Business News – Betty Chamberlain
No update.
12. Secretary’s report – Anna Silberberg
No update.
13. Any other new or old business to come before the Commission
a. 2 Lyme Street – Cox: New roof
Berry and Hally Cox of 2 Lyme Street are replacing sections of the roof without submitting an application for a CofA.
Action: Determine if roof changes are “like for like” (Ken Levin, Jim Bechtel, Anna Silberberg).
b. The Historic District – Jim Bechtel: Contractor’s signs
Jim Bechtel and Ken Levin were contacted by a painter who had been told to remove his sign when working at 27 Lyme Street last year. He reported that another painter presently had a sign at 36 Lyme Street. Temporary contractor signs are allowed in the Historic District.
Excerpt from the Historic District Handbook:
Contractors’Signs: On any property where construction, remodeling, or repair is in progress, one non-illuminated, white sign with black type that does not exceed four square feet in area identifying contractors, subcontractors, and designers, may be displayed adjacent to the structure for a limited period consistent with the nature of the work.
14. Adjournment
Betty Chamberlain made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 11.20 A.M. The motion was seconded by Tom Keogh and passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Anna Silberberg
Recording Secretary
| 
