16 June 2015 | Approved: 21 July 2015
Bob Booher, Mimi Styles and David Stopak. Georgette Cole, Town Council Liaison, and Cynthia Werts, Town resident, were also present. The meeting was called to order at 7:35 PM.
Approval of Agenda
No changes were made to the agenda. David made a motion to accept the agenda, seconded by Mimi. The motion carried unanimously.
Adoption of Minutes
The draft minutes of May 19, 2015, were reviewed – there were no corrections. Gail moved to adopt the minutes, as prepared, seconded by Mimi. The motion carried unanimously.
Projects
There were no projects for the HPC to review at this time. Bob brought out the plaque that will be presented to Nick & JoAnn Suzich for receiving the “Town of Washington Grove Outstanding Renovation of 2015” award. A notice will be put in the next Town bulletin to inform residents who were unable to attend the annual Town meeting.
Archives
Wendy emailed her preliminary report on the HPC /Heritage Committee records to members for review. It was noted that page 2 of the document was missing; therefore, discussion will be postponed until the next monthly meeting. Bob will contact Wendy to have her resubmit her report. Once everything is reviewed and evaluated, a TC/PC/HPC subgroup will be needed to make a recommendation on the final document retention policy.
Procedure Revisions
The HPC is still not in agreement with the Rules for Building Permit Applications adopted by the Planning Commission on February 4, 2015. The HPC wants to encourage residents to come in a month before (or sooner) to have the committee review their plans and have a report prepared and submitted with the building permit application when it is presented to the Planning Commission. Bob will talk with Mayor McCathran to get her advice on the best way to approach the Planning Commission and Town Council to have a procedure for earlier reviews included in the application process. He will report back to the HPC at the next meeting.
Article IV Section 5 projects
Discussion on this issue will be tabled until the next meeting. Bob will bring a copy of the letter with the list of projects that need to be reviewed. Commission members agreed that the HPC will not review building permits for special structures.
Enabling Ordinance
David reported that the Planning Commission approved the changes recommended by the HPC for Ordinance 2015-13. The ordinance was adopted by the Town Council and will become effective July 8, 2015.
Bud O’Connor
Bud & Carolyn O’Connor submitted a formal letter (which included 4 copies of their boundary survey) to Mayor McCathran on June 3, 2015, to request a permanent easement for 409 5th Avenue (there is a small area of their front porch which encroaches on Town property). This is the first step in the procedure for applying for a permanent easement. The HPC reviewed the information presented and Mimi made a motion, seconded by David, to prepare a package with documentation, drawings and photos to identify features involved with the easement. The motion carried unanimously. This process will take a couple of months, and, Bob will send an email to the Mayor and Planning Commission (cc to Bud & Carolyn O’Connor) to inform them of what the HPC needs to do.
Eva’s House Review
Commission members are still waiting for Gail to submit a list of features before a package can be completed. The package will include information on the original house, plus architectural drawings of the new house plans. Once Gail submits the list of features, Bob will prepare a drawing of the original house to be included in the package.
MHT Meeting Update
Mimi reported that there was a very small attendance at the meeting held on June 10th. Our host, Melissa Archer, spoke about state income tax credits available to county residents for qualified rehabilitations to historic homes. Unfortunately, most of the contributing structures in town that would qualify for such credits have been changed throughout the years; therefore, obtaining a tax credit would be very difficult to achieve considering the strict guidelines imposed by the MHT.
Cator Property
David reported that the PC approved the final plans submitted by Shirl & Steve Harrison for the development of their property. It was noted that the revised plans include Bob’s suggestions for detached garages and a gravel pathway connecting the houses.
Town Council Report
Georgette submitted her report from the TC to the HPC for review. She noted that a group (one member each from the TC/PC/HPC) had been proposed to work on issues involving abandoned properties within the Town. David Stopak volunteered to represent the HPC.
Planning Commission Report
David attended the PC meeting. He reported that Charlie Challstrom turned in his formal resignation – the Mayor will appoint someone to fill his position, and, the PC will need to elect a new chairperson. Mimi volunteered to attend the PC meeting in July, and, Bob will represent the HPC at the August meeting.
Bulletin Material
Mimi noted that the next (3) Town bulletins will include further information and resources pertaining to the significance of retaining original windows in contributing structures within the Town.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m.