17 November 2015 | Approved: 15 December 2015
Members Present: Bob Booher, Gail Littlefield, David Stopak and Mimi Styles. Georgette Cole, Town Council Liaison, and Cynthia Werts, Town resident, were also present. The meeting was called to order at 7:35PM.
Approval of Agenda
The agenda was reviewed and approved with one addition (Draft Ordinance 2015-06 review).
Adoption of Minutes
The draft minutes of October 20, 2015, were reviewed. No changes were made. David moved to adopt the minutes, seconded by Gail. The motion carried unanimously.
Review Session – Draft Ordinance 2015-06
The Commission reviewed and discussed the draft version of Ordinance 2015-06 which relates to the rebuilding and construction of 6’ fences facing public land at homes in Block 11, and the definitions of a bay/bow window. A motion was made by Dave, seconded by Mimi, to appoint Bob, as the HPC chairperson, to send a letter to the Planning Commission with the following comments and suggestions from the HPC (the motion carried unanimously):
- Correct error in sixth WHEREAS clause to read “is proposed” in lieu of “are proposed”
- Attach a drawing of the Block 11 Survey to the contents of the Ordinance to clarify location of the front/side/rear property locations of the homes
- Point out that the Planning Commission has no executive authority to remove impediments as indicated in the fourth WHEREAS clause
- Be more specific in the wording in (3.327); (a) 1 – the text should include a list of the actual home locations (as noted in the first WHEREAS clause of the Ordinance) to clarify the areas involved
- In Section 2 (Definitions of a Bay/Bow Window), it would be helpful to address the maximum size of the window and clarify measurements in the text
- Archives: Review of the HPC draft inventory will be postponed until the December meeting so Wendy can be present to update the Commission with a more in-depth list of details for the records management plan.
Meeting with Christian Skipper
The HPC agreed that it would be most beneficial for Mr. Skipper to attend the joint meeting of the TC/PC/HPC in January. A tentative date has been set for January 25, 2016, with a backup date of February 22, 2016. Bob will talk with Mayor McCathran about setting up the meeting with Mr. Skipper. Bob will also contact Mr. Skipper to invite him to the HPC meeting in January (prior to the joint meeting). The HPC feels it would be very helpful to discuss with him what key decisions the Town will need to make regarding the records retention and disposal schedule and ask him for a job description for the records management officer’s position. Bob will also ask Mr. Skipper to provide an agenda in advance of the joint meeting to ensure everything runs more smoothly and efficiently. The HPC will also review and discuss their records retention and disposal schedule in more depth at the next HPC meeting to prepare a summary for the joint meeting in January.
Procedure Revisions
Dave has volunteered to prepare a document with recommendations from the HPC for modifying the current Building Permit application procedure. Bob will request that this issue be added to the agenda for the January meeting of the TC/PC/HPC. Mimi will also draw up a draft for the HPC checklist (scope of information HPC needs from homeowner in order to provide a written review of their plans) to review at the next meeting, as well.
Article IV Sections 5 Projects
The Commission reviewed a list of applications submitted by the HPC in 2003 that they felt were unnecessary to review. These items included:
- Fences and walls
- Trellises and screens
- Tree houses
- Oil tanks and A/C equipment
- Shutters
In addition, all items qualifying under Section 5, “Special Structures”, of the Building Permit Regulations, as well as temporary structures with a life span of less than two years, would also not be reviewed by the HPC. The Planning Commission has recently changed the special structures under Article IV section 5 so decks and ramps now require a permit. The PC has asked if the HPC wishes to review decks and ramps. After much discussion, it was decided that no additions or modifications would be made to the document as presented in 2003.
Eva’s House Review
Due to the delay in the completion of Eva’s house, the HPC will wait until the house is built to review the list of features.
Council Report
Georgette gave an overview of issues discussed at the recent Town Council meeting. She noted that Marida Hines presented an update on the status of the new Town website, which should be up and running in the next couple of weeks.
PC Report
Gail attended the Planning Commission meeting as a representative from the HPC. She gave an update on the issues involving the Block 11 Survey. She also noted that Jane Seegal, a Town resident, had sent a letter to the PC requesting them to develop a better procedure for notifying neighbors when building permits are issued and when construction is going to occur.
Bulletin Material
Mimi reported that due to the limited space available in the November newsletter, more information on windows is scheduled be published in the December edition.
New Business
Bob noted that Maggie Range had talked to Mayor McCathran about the reconstruction of her steps in accordance with the Block 11 Survey. She has since dropped off her plans to Bob for the HPC to review at their next meeting. With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned at 10:30PM.
Minutes prepared and submitted by: Cynthia Werts