16 June 2009 | Approved: 21 July 2009
Chairman Bob Booher called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm. Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) members present: Bob Booher, Chair, David Neumann, and Mimi Styles. Sylvie Favret, member of the Town Council (TC) and Liaison to the HPC, was also present. David Neumann agreed to take minutes for the meeting. Sylvie Favret was welcomed to the meeting as this was the first meeting of the HPC she had attended.
Approval of Minutes
The agenda proposed by the Chair was reviewed, modified, and then adopted by the members. Minutes of the regular HPC meeting of May 19, 2009 were approved unanimously subject to certain changes requested by members.
Ed Mroczka Resignation
After many years as a member of the HPC, Ed Mroczka retired. A motion was made to commend Ed Mroczka for his years of service to the Town and his many contributions to the work of the HPC. Regretfully, the Chair had left the champagne at home. So the various speeches toasting Ed’s efforts for the HPC, such as the design, wording, spell checking, and affixation of the Town commemoration plaque to the rock, were very brief, and, as there was no audience, were left unheard.
Review of Projects
There were no projects reviewed.
Council Report
Councilor Favret reported on the last two TC meetings. She explained Eric Gleason’s presentation to the TC on conservation easements. She discussed the status of Casey 6&7 and the lot coverage ordinance. Bob Booher pointed out that the new lot coverage ordinance does not constrain or prevent large houses from being built on the small lots. Members of the HPC asked that a list of the reasons for HPC opposition to the new Lot Coverage Ordinance be presented to the Town Council. The list was prepared, a motion to accept the list receive a unanimous vote. The list is incorporated at the end of these Minutes.
Communication Issue
Members decide to try to use material from the MAHDC articles summaries in future Town Bulletins. Members discussed the welcome materials distributed to new residents by the Women’s Club. Issues were: the problem of writing welcome letters individually for each occasion. The archivist was suggested as someone who could look up the information on a new resident’s home so that information could be provided when the new resident moved in. Mimi Styles agreed to try to draft a short possible description of that job function for the archivist. We would then discuss it with the Town Archivist.
Also discussed were education efforts, such as working with the Women’s Club, names of possible speakers, asking the Town Treasurer for funds to pay people a small token fee, e.g., $100 to give a presentation to the Town. Look for speakers possibly with Preservation Maryland, Montgomery Preservation, etc.
Design Guidelines
We discussed our current Design Guidelines, and the concepts of PC approval of site plans, e.g., the question of heights of roof ridges when the structure is built on a sloping lot , but decided we would first see how the anti-mansionization issues develop.
Town Archives
The question was asked about the Deed of Gift: Is the document too formal or off-putting?
Other Business
The Knapp Amendment and the two bills in the State Senate regarding Historic Preservation Tax Credits were also discussed.
Adjournment
There being no further business to come before this meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission, the meeting was duly adjourned at approximately 10:40 pm. The joint meeting of the PC/HPC are held the fourth Wednesday of every month, hence the next PC/HPC meetings will be on June 24 and July 22, 2009 at 7:30 pm. The next regular meeting of the HPC will be held Tuesday, July 21, 2009, starting at 7:30pm.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m.