The Wethersfield Historic District Commission held a public meeting on October 14, 2003 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Conference Room of the Town Hall, 505 Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield, Connecticut.
Chairperson Meade called the hearing to order at 7:30 pm and Clerk Wolf, read the Legal Notice as it appeared in the Hartford Courant on October 3, 2003.
APPLICATION NO. 3146- 03. Larry & Mara Hallisey seeking to install cement fiber board siding on the house and addition, install a shed in the rear and erect a fence at 49 Old Pewter Lane.
Mr. Larry Hallisey of 49 Old Pewter Lane appeared before the Commission with his contractor Mr. Gary Vivian of 43 Old Pewter Lane. Mr. Vivian explained that they had been hoping to modify the existing application and thought that the site plan would be found in tonight's package of information. Since it was not found, Mr. Vivian drew the 8' X 12' cape cod style shed onto the far, right-hand, back corner of the plot plan where it would be located and initialed it. It was noted that the shed could be seen if viewed directly up from the driveway, however due to extensive vegetation it would not otherwise be seen. The shed would have the standard windows as shown in the manufacturers information submitted and be sided with T-111 and painted to match the house.
Commissioner Garrey arrived at this time.
Mr. Vivian said that the fence would be a 4' high Walpole flat board fence with 2' of lattice on top and have flat capped posts. The all cedar fence would start about 10' back from the street running horizontally about 9' from the left rear corner of the house, and perpendicular for a run of about 24' then would transition down to about 6" high. The fence would be painted and although the good side of the fence would face the neighbors, with this type of fence all sides are good. The fence was being located on the south side of the property just to give a bit of privacy to the patio area. They were also proposing to remove the existing pine siding and reside the house and the addition with cementatious fiber board, the exposure and corner boards would be matched in style but the material would be Azek composite flat stock.
Commissioner Ovian asked if there were differences in thickness between the different brands of fiber board siding and would it be painted or left in the primed unpainted state. He was told by Mr. Vivian that although he wasn't sure about the differences it would be the same type that had been used at several locations the Commissioners were familiar with and that it would be painted.
A letter was read from Mr. M. Peter Barry and wife Ms. Edith Barry, 50 Old Pewter Lane, dated October 14, 2003, neighbors of the applicant who said that they are in favor of the application for the fence and the siding proposed.
There being no one else who wished to speak in favor of or in opposition to this application, this portion of the hearing was declared closed.
APPLICATION NO. 3147-03. James Arnold seeking to install vinyl siding at 446 Hartford Avenue.
Mr. James Arnold of 446 Hartford Avenue appeared before the Commission and explained that the original owner of the home had supplied him with photographs which he submitted to the Commissioners, showing that the home had been sided with painted shingles originally. It had been resided in its current, unstained cedar shakes in the 1970's. He submitted a sample of the imitation shingle vinyl product he proposed to use saying he had done a bit of research and that, in his opinion, this product was as close to an in-kind replacement as possible.
Commissioner Meade asked how the vinyl would butt up to the brick area in front of the house. Mr. Arnold explained that there was a piece of flat stock there right now, and there would be virtually no change, except that it would be vinyl.
Commissioner Ovian asked if there was such a thing and he was told that there was flat stock vinyl. The trim would stay white. The color of the siding would be Heritage Cream.
Commissioner Miglus asked about the trim around the roof line. Mr. Arnold said that it is currently 2 pieces of flat wood about 8" and 4" on top of each other.
Commissioner Miglus asked if he was sure that it could be replicated exactly and Mr. Arnold answered that it could be, absolutely. He said that his contractor had described a wood grained aluminum product to him, or it could be replaced with composite material.
Commissioner Ovian asked if he had considered just painting the trim. Mr. Arnold said that it contained lead paint and they would have to wrap it.
Commissioner Meade said that she had understood that the lead had to be stabilized or removed if on a moving part. Mr. Arnold said that if it was acceptable his first choice would be to use the vinyl wood replacement, 2nd choice would be to wrap it and his 3rd choice would to be to paint it.
Mr. Arnold also added a question about the exterior muntins that had been stipulated on a previous application for his windows. He wondered if the muntins would be necessary for the rear windows, since they would add an additional $100.00 per window to the budget. The Commissioners agreed that the rear of the home could not be seen and agreed to discuss this during the public meeting as an amendment to the application.
There being no one else who wished to speak in favor of or in opposition to this application, this portion of the hearing was declared closed.
APPLICATION NO. 3148-03. Clare & Paul Meade seeking to replace hatch doors and install air conditioner compressor units next to hatch at 373 Main Street.
Ms. Clare Meade of 373 Main Street appeared before the Commissioners and explained that the existing wooden hatch doors were rotted and in need of replacement on the raised masonry walls.
She proposed replacing them with flat metal doors which would be painted. In addition they hoped to install 2 air conditioning compressors on the far side of the bulkhead, behind the stairs which would be screened by an existing clump of clethora bushes.
There would be no clear view of the bulk head doors from any public way.
Commissioner Toomey asked how tall the units would be. Ms. Meade did not know except that they would be somewhere between 26" and 37".
Mr. Tim Gothers 16 State Street stepped forward to say that everything he had heard would be acceptable to him.
There being no one else who wished to speak in favor of or in opposition to this application, this portion of the hearing was declared closed.
APPLICATION NO. 3149-03. Leo J. Veilleux seeking to replace door and window on barn at 133 Main Street.
Mr. Leo Veilleux of 133 Main Street appeared before the Commission and explained that he proposed to replace the bay window with a pair of mulled double hung windows and move the door from one side of the window to the other. The Commissioners could not locate the door in the photograph of the barn face and Mr. Veilleux explained that the door was in a very bad location on the driveway side and he wanted to move it to the other side of the window. He explained that the old approximately 5' X 5' window had deteriorated very badly and they wished to replace it with new windows which would be 4' X 5'. The door would be a wooden raised panel colonial door.
Commissioner Miglus asked how the window and door trim would look. Mr. Veilleux said that the window would have the standard brick mold trim but the door would have 4" flat stock all around it. Commissioner Miglus asked if he had considered using the same trim for both since windows and door trim were usually taken from the same architectural language. Mr. Veilleux said that he could do that.
Commissioner Ovian asked about the window muntins. Mr. Veilleux said that they were 7/8" grills between the glass.
Commissioner Meade asked if the window was available with an exterior muntin. Mr. Veilleux explained that he thought it was available but he didn't think it would be wood.
Commissioner Ovian said that while he wouldn't accept that type of window for the rest of the house, the fact that this was the only window visible on the barn and that it was located so far back from the street would make it more acceptable to him.
Commissioner Logan asked if he would consider a true divided light window for the replacement since all the rest of the windows and the bay it was replacing were true divided light. It was discussed and agreed that the distance from the street for this window made this request largely unnecessary since it would be difficult to see that difference.
Mr. Howard Willard of 144 Main Street and the next door neighbor of Mr. Veilleux, said that he probably would get a better view of the window than anyone else and he had no problem with the proposed changes. He added that the window was a Victorian addition on a colonial house, so he thought that window was a change for the better.
He added that the reason no one could see a door on that wall was because it was simply a sawed cut into the siding.
He believed that if one was going to have a door it should look like a door and he thought the proposed door did.
Commissioner Logan thanked him for the explanation. Additionally she asked Mr. Willard if the addition was part of the original fire house. He said that while that part of the barn was part of the original fire house, this was the location of the doors that are no longer there. So nothing that was being proposed would keep some later day historians from trying to restore the firehouse and replace the doors.
There being no one else who wished to speak in favor of or in opposition to this application, this portion of the hearing was declared closed.
APPLICATION NO. 3150-03. Edwin Ivy seeking to replace windows and doors on barn and side door on house at 10 Hubbard Place.
Mr. Paul Breglio of 208 Highland Street appeared before the Commission and explained that he was not the applicant but the home owner. He had taken photographs of the home and these were submitted. He proposed replacing the side door with a true divided 9 light steel door which he said was the same door as the neighbors had next door.
Commissioner Meade pointed out that the door was not hugely visible from the street.
Commissioner Ovian asked if the door would be painted. He was told that the whole house was going to be painted Williamsburg blue with white trim; the door would be painted to match.
Mr. Breglio also mentioned that he would like to put lattice under the rear deck. Commissioner Miglus asked how it would be done and was told that a frame would be built for the wood lattice to be attached to before trimming over it all around. It would be painted white.
He proposed to repair the garage doors and install 4/4 barn sash over each of the doors. He also proposed a fixed tongue and groove pine board door to look like a loft door. It would not be operable but would cover the opening since there was access to the loft from stairs inside the garage. The vertical pine siding was rotting and would also be replaced with the same type of siding and the roof shingles would also be replaced.
Commissioner Meade commented that it was certainly nice to know that he was repairing the old doors and putting the windows back in, because the old carriage doors had such a distinctive look.
Mr. Breglio said that although they aren't visible from the street, they were replacing the 2 barn sash windows on the eastern side of the garage. He would also be repairing the bead board on the porch ceiling.
Commissioner Miglus asked why he had selected a steel door with all the other good work that was being proposed on the rest of the house. Mr. Breglio said that the neighbor next door had the same door and it seemed to work, plus metal doesn't swell or warp.
Commissioner Miglus said that the thing that tends to call attention to a steel door is that muntins stand proud of the surrounding door. A one light door would alleviate that problem.
Commissioner Garrey said that he had a problem when people painted the trim work a different color than the door, when it was all painted one color it tended to not be so obvious. Mr. Breglio suggested painting the door all one color.
Commissioner Ovian thought historically that door would not have been a 9 light door anyway. A single window door as Commissioner Miglus suggested would have been closer to the original but since it was a secondary door the homeowner could have what they liked. Mr. Breglio had thought that the 9 light style picked up the cue from the front windows.
There being no one else who wished to speak in favor of or in opposition to this application, this portion of the hearing was declared closed.
APPLICATION NO. 3151-03. Chris & Kathie Monroe seeking to construct a two-story addition in the rear at 351 Hartford Avenue.
Mr. Garry Vivian, contractor for the applicants, presented bound portfolios of the renderings, floor plans, details and manufacture spec sheets for the project. He then showed larger renderings of the floor plan and explained how the small mud room on the rear of the home would be removed and a 525 sq. ft. addition with wrap around porch would be built on the 1st floor. The 2nd floor of the addition would be 800 sq. ft. because right now where the kitchen exists there is a single floor, and they would be adding to that as they went upward. He showed how the addition would step back from the existing house to read as an addition, however because they would be adding to the kitchen area it would be more seamless. The 2nd floor area would be stepped about 6' from the existing 1st floor to keep the scale down. Wherever there was exposed foundation it would be covered with brick veneer to look like the rest of the foundation except under the porch area. He explained that in the front of the house there was a small trellised area and that he was borrowing some of those elements for the wrap around porch in the rear. Instead of lattice they were looking to use1 X 6s with some sort of decorative cut outs using 10" columns throughout.
Commissioner Ovian said that in the interior floorplan he saw what looked like a fire place in the family room but did not see a chimney and wondered if that was because it would be gas fired. Mr. Vivian stated that it might be an entertainment area, but if not it would be a direct vent unit. -5-
Mr. Vivian said that the siding for the addition would be cementatious fiber board and that the trim would be the same as the existing house except that the decorative detail on the corner boards would not be repeated again to help it read as an addition.
Commissioner Meade asked if he anticipated any problems with the fiber board since it was narrower than the clapboard. A preservationist contractor had discouraged her from using it on her own historic home because it would not have the same robust shadow lines as the clapboard. Mr. Vivian thought that because it existed on a different plane than the other siding, that the eye would not be bothered by it. Besides, it was set back away from the street, and the addition in general would have simpler lines and be less intricately detailed.
A sample of the type of aluminum clad all wood window was shown to the Commissioners and they discussed the fact that the muntin width on the new windows was wider than the existing windows.
Mr. Vivian said that there were quite a variety of different windows on the house and they tried to find a style that would work within the styles. Commissioner Meade commented that this was not a window they would like to see on the rest of the house, but on an addition placed back from the street it would not cause a problem as long as it was not a situation where the homeowners wanted to replace the rest of the windows with this type at a later date as sometimes happens.
Commissioner Meade asked if they would be putting shutters on the back of the home. It was noted that there were not shutters on all of the front windows, and they had not intended to put shutters on the back.
There being no one else who wished to speak in favor of or in opposition to this application, this portion of the hearing was declared closed.
APPLICATION NO. 3146- 03. Larry & Mara Hallisey seeking to install cement fiber siding on the house and addition, install a shed in the rear and erect a fence at 49 Old Pewter Lane.
Upon motion by Commissioner Ovian, seconded by Commissioner Garrey and a poll of the Commission it was voted to APPROVE the subject application as submitted.
Commissioner Meade commented that the change of the siding material on a house with a fairly simple set of trim and clapboard details is an appropriate change.
Aye: Ovian, Miglus, Toomey, Wolf, Logan
Abst: Meade, Garrey
APPLICATION NO. 3147-03. James Arnold seeking to install vinyl siding at 446 Hartford Avenue.
Upon motion by Commissioner Miglus, seconded by Commissioner Garrey and a poll of the Commission it was voted to APPROVE the subject application with the following stipulations:
INFORMAL DISCUSSION
Commissioner Miglus said that he hated to see the house go this way even if it was painted. It was changed in 1972 to a different style, and he thought that it was probably an asset to the district at the time. Commissioner Ovian said that as nice as the application was and he appreciated the applicant's efforts to find a better product to replicate the siding, he would have to agree with Commissioner Miglus especially given the location by the water - the look of weathered wood could not be replicated.
He said that although vinyl looked fresh and clean when first applied he thought that like vinyl fences it did not keep its fresh appearance. He thought that by approving this application it would diminish the other homes. Although one of the aspects that helped it would be the retained brick front, at least there would still be some real material left and since the 1970's shingles would be removed in installing the vinyl he didn't think that anything would prevent a restoration in the future. Commissioner Meade said that they had to regulate the historical aspects and not allow personal aesthetics to interfere. The original house was not weathered cedar shakes, they were painted shingles. She also added that unlike vinyl fences that were shiny, a vinyl home look could be said to have the look of a home maybe overly a compulsive homeowner who never allowed it to age. She was fairly comfortable recommending the vinyl shakes.
Chairperson Meade mentioned that Mr. Arnold had been somewhat upset that he had been required to have exterior muntins on his windows, when Carol Szymanski had not. Commissioner Meade said that she seamed to recall otherwise and investigated it. The approval stipulations were read and the exterior muntins had been requested on her windows. Mr. Cook agreed to take care of it.
The Commissioners agreed that because they could not see the rear windows they did not need to require muntins on them. However, they did not have the application in front of them so they could not make the appropriate changes. Chairperson Meade stated that the Certificate of Appropriateness would be sent directly to the Small Cities Grant manager. Mr. Cook agreed to take care of it
Aye: Logan, Toomey, Wolf
Nay: Miglus, Ovian
Abst: Meade, Garrey
APPLICATION NO. 3148-03. Clare & Paul Meade seeking to replace hatch doors and install air conditioner compressor units next to hatch at 373 Main Street.
Upon motion by Commissioner Miglus, seconded by Commissioner Wolf and a poll of the Commission it was voted to APPROVE the subject application as submitted.
Commissioner Miglus said that the basement doors and air conditioner compressors buried in the bushes will make little or no impact to the home or the historic district.
Aye: Miglus, Wolf, Toomey, Garrey
Abst: Meade, Ovian, Logan
APPLICATION NO. 3149-03. Leo J. Veilleux seeking to replace door and window on barn at 133 Main Street.
Upon motion by Commissioner Miglus, seconded by Commissioner Garrey and a poll of the Commission, it was voted to APPROVE the subject application with the following stipulations:
APPLICATION NO. 3150-03. Edwin Ivy seeking to replace windows and doors on barn and side door on house at 10 Hubbard Place.
Upon motion by Commissioner Ovian, seconded by Commissioner Wolf and a poll of the Commission it was voted to APPROVE the subject application with the following stipulations:
Chairperson Meade thought that the proposed work would be a nice improvement to the property and would be an asset to the district.
Aye: Ovian, Wolf, Logan, Miglus, Garrey, Toomey
Abst: Meade
APPLICATION NO. 3151-03. Chris & Kathie Monroe seeking to construct a two-story addition in the rear at 351 Hartford Avenue.
Upon motion by Commissioner Ovian, seconded by Commissioner Toomey and a poll of the Commission, it was voted to APPROVE the subject application as submitted.
Commissioner Ovian commented that the addition incorporated all the considerations they tend to favor in terms of it being in harmony with the original but distinct in itself and would be a definite asset to the district.
Aye: Ovian, Toomey, Wolf, Logan, Miglus, Garrey
Abst: Meade
APPLICATION NO. 3131-03. William Stec seeking to install vinyl siding and a patio in back at 159 Church Street.
Upon motion by Commission Toomey, seconded by Commissioner Wolf and a poll of the Commission, it was unanimously voted to REMOVE the subject application from the TABLE.
Upon motion by Commissioner Wolf, seconded by Commissioner Garrey and a poll of the Commission, it was voted to DENY the subject application.
REASON FOR THE DENIAL
The Commission believed it totally inappropriate to vinyl side the home.
Aye: Wolf, Garrey, Miglus, Logan, Toomey
Abst: Ovian, Meade
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF: September 23, 2003
Upon Motion by Commissioner Garrey, seconded by Commissioner Toomey, and a poll of the Commission, it was voted that the above minutes BE APPROVED as submitted.
Aye: Garrey, Toomey, Logan, Ovian
Abst: Meade, Wolf
OTHER BUSINESS
Chairperson Meade received a call from the Town Planner, Peter Gillespie and was told that there would be an economic development meeting tomorrow night and that he was hoping to have a representative from each Commission there to speak for 5 minutes.
The Commissioners discussed their belief that everything they did indirectly impacted the Town by what they do to promote the Historic District.
Mr. Cook explained that Mr. Livsey (Application No. 3134-03) had gone to each of his neighbors after receiving his denial for vinyl siding, and gotten them to write letters on his behalf as to why he should be allowed to vinyl side his home. He had also announced to Mr. Cook that he would be speaking to his lawyer about the Commission's decision. Copies of the letters were attached to his application. It was also discussed that he had installed a ramp on the front of his home, to aid his wife, without any sort of permit. Commissioner Logan commented that while the ramp may be a temporary structure, the vinyl is not. They agreed not to take action on the ramp for the present.
Mr. Cook also spoke to the Commissioners about the Captain Nutting house, which has a very prominent utility area with 8 electric meters on it. Commissioners discussed the issue of authority and whether or not they have any regarding utilities. Commissioner Miglus read out of the regulations that utility companies treat multi-family dwellings differently than single homes, because the understanding is that the tenants change and so do the services. Commissioners supposed that they would at least be able to request screening of the visible parts.
Mr. Cook told the Commission that the Sylvester home at 410 Middletown Avenue was again in the news. In rebuilding the porch the contractor had wished to lay the floor boards parallel to the home. Mr. Cook had stopped him, but there was still a question as to what material to use. The contractor was suggesting 5/4" X 6" pressure treated, 2" X 6" pressure treated, 3/4" X 2 1/4" pine, or 3/4" X 2 1/4" tongue and groove fir as was originally used. Commissioner Miglus said that they could not get involved in calling out what species of wood to use.
There being no further business to come before the Commission, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
TOWN OF WETHERSFIELD
HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
Jennifer Wolf
Clerk