The Historic District Commission met Oct. 18, and four out of the five applications on the table were postponed for various reasons.
Robert Thomas, at 8 Kingshighway, had submitted a proposal for adding decorative shutters to his windows. No one attended to represent the application, and commissioners bumped this item to the Nov. 1 meeting. Pictures accompanying the application showed narrow louvered shutters, and commissioners noted that Victorian shutters would have covered the window completely.
Contractor Penny Pemberton appeared on behalf of Don and Tracey Carroll, who had asked to remove and rebuild a stone wall at 35 Benton St. Their plan also called for a deck and stairs. The pictures and site information submitted by the Carrolls did not show enough information to make a decision. A site visit will be arranged, and an emergency meeting might be called, because this item has been on the HDC agenda for a month.
An application to build a wooden stage at 302 Village Circle was postponed because no one represented the project.
Emily Valentin came before the commission with “a little bit of an unusual situation.” She thought she needed to replace four windows at 25 Cliff St., and she had signed a contract to replace them. She later discovered that the windows do not have to be replaced. Her contract depended on HDC approval, and she asked commissioners to reject her application. She noted that the city usually prefers to keep original windows if possible.
Chair Dee Bright said the commission would not have any reason to reject an application to extricate someone from a contract. “That’s not what we’re here for,” she said. Bright suggested postponing a decision until the commissioners could get some input from Glenna Booth, who has temporarily returned as City Historic Preservation Officer.
Mark and Lisa Anderson had recently added a sidewalk at 28 Fairmount with HDC approval, and Mark Anderson brought pictures to show progress of his project. He also asked to add low flagstone pillars and fencing to frame a walkway to his house. He said the fence would keep people from using his walkway as a turnaround. All agreed with his request.
Anderson then asked for advice to deal with trucks driving across the corner of his property and breaking the new sidewalk. He had approached the city about having a post placed there, but safety concerns were cited. Anderson also mentioned a doggie-bag station on a post nearby, and wondered if that could be moved to a location that would protect the corner. The commissioners noted that those questions were outside their areas of concern, and they suggested talking to Mayor Butch Berry.
The HDC will next meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Level III applications were due Oct. 19, and Level II applications were due Oct. 25.