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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-05-14 Historic Preservation Commission Minutes HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BANGOR MEETING OF May 14th, 2015 MINUTES Commission Members Present: Sonia Mallar, Chair George Burgoyne Reese Perkins Elizabeth Rettenmaier Derek Mitchell (associate) Andrew Saucier (associate) Consultant to the Commission: Mike Pullen City Staff Present: David Gould Peter Witham Paul Nicklas Chair Mallar called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. NEW BUSINESS Item No. 1: Approval of HPC meeting minutes from April 9, 2015 meeting The draft minutes for the April 9, 2015 meeting of the HPC were not available at the time of the meeting, so this item was continued to the next regular meeting of the Commission. Chair Mallar also noted the presence of four regular members of the Commission, and two alternate members. She asked Associate Member Mitchell to serve as a voting member of the Commission for the evening. Item No. 2: Consider a request for Certificate of Appropriateness approval for equipment relocation at 59 Park Street; Bangor Cellular Telephone, LP, applicant A representative of the applicant, Bob Gashlin, approached the podium, submitted additional photographs of the site, and summarized the proposal. The applicant proposes to replace three existing antennas and add some equipment to the site, which currently houses a tower, nine antennas, and some equipment, on top of the building. The provided photos show the visibility of the equipment from three different vantage points; from the direction of John Bapst, from the direction of the Library, and from the direction of Brewer. Commissioner Mitchell made a motion to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness equipment placement and relocation at 59 Harlow St. as submitted. Commissioner Burgoyne seconded the motion. 2 The motion was approved unanimously with Commission members Mallar, Burgoyne, Perkins, Mitchell, and Rettenmaier voting. Item No. 3: Consider a request for Certificate of Appropriateness and Design Review approval for window replacement at 1 West Market Square; Peter Erskine, applicant The applicant’s son, Chauncey Erskine, approached the podium and summarized the proposal. The applicant proposes to replace 57 windows on the second, third, and fourth floors of the building at 1 West Market Square. The replacement windows are Pella Architectural series windows; they are pine with aluminum cladding. The windows and frames will be prepped and painted the existing color. Commissioner Burgoyne referred to the consultant’s memo, which asked that the window product be confirmed as using mullions fused with a non-glare foam spacer. The applicant’s consultant confirmed that the window product proposed meets this criteria. Mr. Pullen asked if the trim casings of the windows will be changed. The agent stated that those casings will not be affected. Commissioner Perkins asked if the new mullion profile will be similar to the existing mullion profile. The agent stated that they are as close a match as possible. Chair Mallar asked for additional clarification on the window divisions. Mr. Pullen pointed out that, traditionally, the muntins were small strips of wood that divided the panes of glass. New windows are not divided with true muntins, but these windows are made to mimic the traditional look. Commissioner Rettenmaier asked if any of the existing windows have screens and/or storm windows. The applicant’s agent stated that there were only internal screens, and no storms, to his knowledge. Chair Mallar asked for assurance that the rounded windows were to remain in that shape. The applicant confirmed this. Commissioner Burgoyne made a motion to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness and Design Review for window replacement at 1 Market Square as submitted. Associate Commissioner Mitchell seconded the motion. The motion was to approve the project was then voted upon, and was approved unanimously with Commission members Mitchell, Mallar, Rettenmaier, Perkins, and Burgoyne voting. Item No. 4: Consider a request for Certificate of Appropriateness and Design Review approval for a new lighting and signs at 8 Merchant’s Plaza; Aaron James, applicant Aaron James, proprietor of Designs by Aaron, is moving his business into the space at 8 Merchant’s Plaza, formerly 29 Broad St., and has been before the Commission previously for storefront façade changes. He now proposes new lighting and signs to complete the façade work. He brought samples of the sign material. The sign will be attached via angle iron attached through the mortar. The hanging sign will hang at a height of approximately 10 feet from the bottom of the sign to the ground. 3 Commissioner Burgoyne asked if the bracket for the hanging sign would be black. Mr. James confirmed this, and noted that the bracket is already existing at this location; he will be reusing it. Commissioner Rettenmaier asked if the existing overhead light would be removed. Mr. James confirmed that it would be. Mr. Pullen asked if the band above the glass would remain. Mr. James stated that that is just a temporary placement, but would be covered by the sign. Associate Commissioner Mitchell made a motion to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness and Design Review for sign placement at 8 Merchant’s Plaza, Commissioner Perkins seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with Commission members Mitchell, Rettenmaier, Perkins, Mallar, and Burgoyne voting. Item No. 5: Consider a request for Certificate of Appropriateness approval for window replacement at 28 High Street; House Revivers, applicant Bob Kelley from House Revivers, proposes to replace and seven windows and repair window trim at the Hammond Street Congregational Church. The windows are vinyl-framed and are in bad condition. The replacement windows will be double-hung vinyl, which is a better choice than wooden in this specific case, which is a group of windows at street level, prone to damage from water and traffic/road repair. The applicant also proposes to replace and paint the trim around an existing vent grill white to match the surrounding trim. Commissioner Perkins brought up the concern that painting the vent might make it seem less obvious, which is not always the best idea when considering historic properties. He wondered if painting the panel around the grill a charcoal gray color might make the opening read as a void, which would be expected in that space. Mr. Kelley agreed that this would be an acceptable change to the proposal. He also noted that it is his intention to use replacement windows of equal width, but maintaining the varying heights that exist currently. Commissioner Perkins made a motion to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for window replacement and trim repair at 28 High St., as amended to include a charcoal gray paint for the panel surrounding the exhaust grate, as discussed. Associate Commissioner Mitchell seconded the motion. The motion was to approve the project was then voted upon, and was approved unanimously with Commission members Burgoyne, Mallar, Rettenmaier, Perkins, and Mitchell voting. Item No. 6: Consider a request for Certificate of Appropriateness approval for design changes to an addition at 120 Park Street; Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor, applicant Bob Kelley, representing the applicant, summarized the proposal for the Commission. The applicant obtained approval from the HPC in 2014 for an addition along the Center Street hill side of the UU Church on Park Street. The addition will accommodate an elevator and a handicapped-accessible bathroom. The applicant proposes some changes to the approved design, including: moving a second-floor window up so that the soldier row of brick is under the soffit, the windows will have flat brick arches and concrete sills to match the existing building. The concrete water table around the 4 newer half of the church is not possible to replicate on the addition, but the brick soldier row from the original building can be replicated, and will be at the same level as the concrete water table. Commissioner Perkins asked about the color change from the concrete water table to the brick soldier row. Mr. Kelley noted that it will be red brick in color. The distinction will be in the pattern change, not the color. Associate Commissioner Mitchell made a motion to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for design changes to an addition at 120 Park St., as proposed. Commissioner Burgoyne seconded the motion. The motion was to approve the project was then voted upon, and was approved unanimously with Commission members Mitchell, Mallar, Rettenmaier, Perkins, and Burgoyne voting. Item No. 7: Consider a request for Design Review approval for a new roof- mounted exhaust fan at 190 Harlow Street; Arayos, LLC d/b/a Diamonds, applicant No representative for the applicant was present. After some discussion regarding the recent amendments to the ordinance requiring the HPC to act upon applications within 45 days, the Commission decided to go ahead with a vote on the application. Commissioner Burgoyne made a motion to approve the Design Review for a new roof-mounted exhaust fan at 190 Harlow St., as submitted. Associate Commissioner Mitchell seconded the motion. The motion was to approve the project was then voted upon, and was approved unanimously with Commission members Mitchell, Mallar, Rettenmaier, Perkins, and Burgoyne voting. Item No. 8: Consider a request for Certificate of Appropriateness approval for step repair at 166 Union Street; Bangor YMCA, applicant Chuck McMahon, Chief Financial Officer for the Bangor YMCA, approached the podium and summarized the project before the Commission. The application has received a façade grant from the City of Bangor for the re-setting of the granite front steps at 166 Union Street, also known as Symphony House and the Isaac Farrar Mansion. As part of the project, a temporary wooden span of steps placed over the granite steps will be removed, the treads will be dug up, the grading material underneath replaced, and the granite steps replaced. The contractor will compact the substrate and grout to enhance the integrity and prevent it from washing out. Commissioner Rettenmaier made a motion to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for step repair at 166 Union St., as presented. Commissioner Perkins seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously with Commission members Mitchell, Mallar, Rettenmaier, Perkins, and Burgoyne voting. Other Business: Chair Mallar noted an error on the agenda regarding the date of the next scheduled meeting. 5 Mr. Nicklas summarized recent amendments to the Code which have now been enacted by the City Council. Associate Commissioner Mitchell asked about the possible scenario of an applicant submitting an application, skipping attendance at two meetings, and thereby receiving automatic approval after 45 days. Mr. Nicklas used the example as an example, and encouraged the Commission to be aware of dates, and take action on an application if possible, whether it be by approving, denying, or tabling/postponing an application. He noted that a tabled item should always be tabled until a specified date. Commissioner Perkins made a motion to adjourn the meeting, which Commissioner Rettenmaier seconded. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:10 P.M.