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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20140508 - Hopkinton Historic District Commission - Meeting MinutesHOPKINTON HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES May 8, 2014 PRESENT: Michael Girardi, Chairman; Beth Kelly, Melanie Smith, Austin Spang, Claire Wright The meeting was called to order at 6:30 P.M. Parks & Recreation Commission Projects – Mr. Eric Sonnett of the Hopkinton Parks & Recreation Commission came before the District Commission to discuss plans for granite curb resetting and the restoration of the fountain on the Common, funded by the CPC. He explained that all three sides of the Common will have the granite curbing set straight. Mr. Girardi noted there is a missing piece in front of the war memorial, which makes the monuments more handicapped accessible and said it would be difficult to find a matching piece of granite for that spot. Mr. Sonnett said they could perhaps take a piece off of the end. Mr. Girardi suggested speaking with Mr. Michael Whalen, veterans representative, on the issue of accessibility and the advisibility of creating a new obstacle to access. The Commission and Mr. Sonnett agreed that Parks & Rec. should contact Mr. Jeff Furber regarding the extensive information that he has already gathered about restoring the fountain. Ms. Wright stated that the town and the HDC very much want to see the fountain restored but explained that the HDC needs to see the design plans nonetheless to make sure the proposed work is appropriate. Ms. Kelly inquired about plans to replace the lights on the memorials. Mr. Girardi noted that Mr. Ken Driscoll had plans to replace them when he chaired the Parks & Rec. Commission. Ms. Wright noted that the current lights are unnecessarily strong and are very inefficient. Mr. Sonnett said he believes Parks & Rec. has the money to address the lighting. Ms. Susan Hadley, 8 Hayden Rowe, called attention to the fact that the granite curbing on the Hayden Rowe St. side ends at the Manor House, and the rest was removed by the DPW and replaced with asphalt. The minutes of the March 13, 2014 meeting were accepted as written. Library Expansion – Ms. Hadley said she is concerned that the amendment to the Town Meeting article for reduced funding of the library expansion, which she submitted on Town Meeting floor, was not recorded, and she is not aware of it being in any minutes. She asked if she could send a letter to the HDC to document this with a copy to the Town Clerk and the Selectmen. Mr Girardi suggested she submit a letter of record to the Town Clerk with the rationale behind the amendment. Ms. Wright stated that the articles and the amendments voted as well as the vote tallies will all appear in the next year’s Town Report, as a record of the previous year’s Town Meeting. Mr. Michael Roughan, 6 Hayden Rowe St., said the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is the 6th oldest Episcopal church in the Commonwealth of Mass. He said he will talk to the Mass. Historical Comm. about its eligibility for historic designation. Mr. Girardi said he has learned that any property owned by the state is automatically on the state historic register. He said the application went through the Mass. Historical Comm. in 2011 and said everything in the historic district is automatically on the state register. Mr. Girardi said he has consulted with Mr. Chris Skelly at MHC and said the MHC has some resources for legal counsel. He said the MHC would become involved again if there is a change, and the MHC would be concerned if there is no HDC approval yet, and the Commission should notify the MHC if this becomes a problem. Ms. Wright said she hoped between the two state agencies there might be an accommodation made for the historic value of the original structures. Mr. Roughan said he read the grant and it seems there would be a need for review if the funding amount changed. He stated that the Historical Commission is more proactive than the HDC and thinks they might be able to help regarding the historic value of the structures. Ms. Hadley pointed out that the parking requirement is based on the square footage of the building. She said there seems to be a discrepancy. She said the building is 22,000 s.f. and 1 parking spot is needed for each 400 s.f.. She said that 63 space are needed, and at 26,000 s.f. the plan states 64 spaces are needed, but she calculates it should be 72-73 spaces. The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Claire Wright Secretary Approved: June 12, 2014