15 July 2008 | Approved: 20 October 2008
HPC members present: Bob Booher, Chair, Mimi Styles, Margot Bohan, Ed Mroczka, and David Neumann. Joe Clark (Liaison to Town Council) was unable to attend. Margot agreed to take minutes for the meeting. The meeting was officially called to order at 7:35pm by the Chair.
The agenda, proposed by the Chair and posted on the outside of the door to the Town Hall Meeting Room, was revised and then adopted.
After a brief discussion regarding edits and additions, Mimi motioned and Margot seconded a motion to approve the May 2008 meeting minutes. David Neumann will make the edits to the May minutes and submit a final version of them to the web archive.
No Review of Projects
There were no projects presented for review. Ed Mroczka inquired about the renovation project at 119 Grove Ave. He suggested that renovations being done on the avenue side, especially the windows of the house, might be different than what the HPC reviewed. A discussion of HPC and PC architectural review procedures ensued. It was resolved to re-examine the HPC procedures and adjust them as necessary to ensure the HPC is reviewing final project plans.
Second Avenue and Partial Abandonment of Town Right-of-Way
David Neumann suggested that HPC address the concept of granting the Town historic easements in perpetuity on some or all of the porches of Second Avenue residences in exchange for the Town conveying the land beneath the residences’ porches. HPC members discussed the idea of having the Town Council submit the draft easement plan for our/HPC input. The HPC should also play a part in developing easement protocols and procedures, including HPC procedures for reviewing any changes the Second Avenue residents would want to make to the porch structure, etc. Bob Booher volunteered to write a letter to the Town Council on this subject.
Within the context of this discussion, David Neumann also mentioned the issue of residents planting in the Town right-of-ways. In general, the HPC supports the Master Plan objective to preserve the paths, streets, and avenues layout of the Town that is a major aspect of the State and Federal Historic District designation of the Town.
Commemorative Plaque
The HPC members stated their deep appreciation for all the contribution of time and energy Ed and Judy Mroczka provided for this project. A project report was sent to Susan Soderberg, Education and Outreach Planner at MC Historic preservation Commission. Bob Booher agreed to send Susan Soderberg a response by her July 15 deadline. He also planned to send photocopy of the commemorative plaque and copy of ceremony program with an offer to send a recording of the ceremony. HPC Members discussed making a request to the Town Treasurer to compensate Alton Ghrist for his time and work recording the dedication ceremony. Members also discussed that the Town Treasurer be asked to pay the costs of the refreshments from the Town recreation budget. The concern was that the HPC was over budget already. Margot Bohan agreed to work out the total expenditures re: plaque, etc and get them to Susan Soderberg by the end of September. David Neumann agreed to work with Margot Bohan to complete the final report to the County.
Ed Mroczka has pictures of himself chiseling (provided by Chuck Kershaw) as well a champagne bottle and cork to go to the Town archives. Margot Bohan agreed to work with Ed Mroczka on the vendor forms required by the County.
Oral Histories
The July Woman’s Club Meeting is this Thursday, July 17, at 7:30 at the Club House. The guest speaker is David Marshall. He will talk about the power of Oral History. Members of the HPC were asked to attend. Ed Mroczka called Judy Mroczka to see if someone from the oral history group could attend. HPC members discussed talking to Gail Lillestolen re: potential historic preservation-themed programs that we may wish to line up in the future, e.g., speakers, learning workshops, etc. We also discussed the possibility of conducting specific environment-rejuvenation meetings in town, e.g., how do we preserve the circle and other areas in town?
MD Historic District Commission Representative Visit
Bob agreed to reconnect with the Maryland Historic District Commission to arrange for a meeting in the near future. Bob agreed to invite David Stopak to the meeting with the Historic District Commission Representative. Bob Booher agreed to verify date of the Commission Representative’s visit. Members discussed the need to address (and possibly revamp) the HPC procedures before this meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m.