Much of the Jan. 21 meeting of the Historic District Commission dealt with one application, and the decision of commissioners left the applicant “astonished.”
Marcia Yearsley had received approval at the Jan. 7 HDC meeting to replace her asphalt shingle roof with a metal roof at 203 Spring St. Yearsley had explained that the damp environment caused her shingle roof to fail prematurely. The HDC approved a metal roof, but they demanded a true standing-seam roof with no exposed fasteners.
Instead, Yearsley’s contractor began installing a low-ribbed panel, and half the roof was completed before two commissioners noticed the switch.
Yearsley had accepted the HDC’s conditions earlier in the month, but said her contractor cautioned against using the standing-seam panels because the irregular surface of the roof would interfere with the locking between panels. Yearsley defended the low-ribbed panels, noting that she had used similar material on other locations in town.
Commissioners explained the different guidelines for residential and commercial applications. Yearsley pointed out the roof next door, at 207 Spring St., also used low-ribbed panels. Commissioner Dee Bright explained that commissioners had approved a standing-seam roof for that location, but no one noticed the change in material.
Commissioner Peter Graham said the guidelines especially matter on Spring Street, and the HDC sets guidelines to preserve the town’s historic appearance. All commissioners voted against allowing Yearsley to substitute the low-ribbed panels. Yearsley asked if the commission would require her to remove material already in place.
“I’m astonished that you wouldn’t help me out at this point, just to get out of the difficult position I’m in,” Yearsely said. She can appeal the HDC ruling in circuit court.
The only other application before the commissioners dealt with replacing some display windows at 28 S. Main St. Applicant John Bordeaux outlined a plan to replace two large display windows and five transom windows. The windows to be replaced had dividers, and Bordeaux said the damp environment led to repeated failures of the window trim.
He asked permission to use double-pane windows with grids installed over the inside and outside of the windows. Bordeaux said this would maintain the appearance of the current windows, but replacing the grid would be much easier than repairing integral window trim. Bordeaux said he did not expect to start work until mid-February, and his application was deferred until the Feb. 4 meeting. In the meantime, Cassie Dishman, director of Planning and Community Development, will research the subject.
In other business:
- A work session is planned for Jan. 29-31 to replace the basement floor in The Aud. A previous session had helped participants learn techniques and methods, and volunteers will use that training to repair as much of the floor as possible. Graham said there is not enough material on hand to complete the job. The project involves a partnership with Main Street Eureka Springs. Work sessions will last from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each of those three days.
- The HDC will next meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Level III applications were due Jan. 22, and Level II applications were due Jan. 28.