Lincoln Historical Commission
Historic District Commission
Meeting Minutes
January 6, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
Board Members: Ruth Wales, HDC Chair, LHC/HDC; Lucretia Giese, LHC Chair, LHC/HDC; Kerry Glass, LHC/HDC; Ken Hurd, HDC; Andrew Ory, LHC/HDC
Secretary: Elaine Carroll
NEXT ANTICIPATED MEETING: February 3, 2009, 7:30 p.m., Town Offices
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. A motion was made by Kerry Glass and seconded by Lucretia Giese to accept the minutes of the Dec. 2, 2008 meeting as written. The motion passed unanimously.
Certificate of Appropriateness Hearing:
5 Sandy Pond Road – Jamie Atkins came before the members to request the approval for a Certificate of Appropriateness for adding a triangular window in the roof of the addition and changing a window to a door leading onto a small deck on the second floor of the addition. Mrs. Atkins presented a new plan and told the members that this is an accurate updated plan. She also showed the members pictures of the existing doors and the proposed second floor door, which was a slightly different door but lets in a lot of light. Ken Hurd said that the door shown on the plan does not match the picture exactly. Mrs. Atkins said that the triangular window is a gable with a sunburst theme for the beveled glass. Ken thought that it was a little bit odd in the context but it is set back. Mrs.
Atkins said that you cannot see the triangular window from the front, side or rear elevations but only from inside her driveway. Mrs. Atkins said that the addition is wired for flood lights in the back with a switch to turn them on and off and not motion sensitive. She said that the new lights will look like the old ones. She will come back to the HDC for the lighting fixtures. Ken Hurd reminded her that the Town has a bylaw for lighting which states that lights cannot glare onto neighboring property. Mrs. Atkins will be back with pictures of the fixtures before ordering them. Andy Ory suggested that she use light responsibly. Ken Hurd made a motion to issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the triangular window and changing a window to a door on the second floor of the addition. Lucretia Giese seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.
29 Lincoln Road – Cayley Torgeson came before the members for a continuation of the October 7, 2008 public hearing. Mr. Torgeson brought in new plans for the replacement of a garage at 29 Lincoln Road. As requested by the members, the new plan shows a garage lower than the one presented on Oct. 7. Andy Ory felt that the present garage was not satisfactory and should be rebuilt in a way that will make it serviceable for many years to come. Lucretia Giese asked Mr. Torgeson if it would be possible to keep the same roof line as the house but he said that wouldn’t give him enough storage room. He said that the roof line is 5 feet higher with the pitched roof and the garage is 50% longer. Stacy Osur was concerned about what it would look like from the Old Town Hall.
Mr. Torgeson said that the stone wall is 3 feet high and comes up to about the windows of the new garage. She said that she wants him to have a functional garage and likes the look of it but is concerned that it is right on the lot line as the existing garage is. Mr. Torgeson said that there are wetlands, which make it impossible to move it further away from the lot line. She asked about the use of screening but Mr. Torgeson said that there isn’t enough of a setback for screening. Ken Hurd said that this Commission cannot dictate screening. John McQuaid of 26 Lincoln Road said that he is quite comfortable with the look of the garage. Ken Hurd made a motion to approve the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of the existing garage and the construction of a new garage as shown on a plan by Paul Worthington Design & Restoration, Inc. dated Nov. 24, 2008. The motion was seconded by Kerry Glass and
passed unanimously. Mr. Torgeson was reminded that if he decided to make any changes to the approved plan, he must first come back to the HDC for approval.
Other Business:
Bill Approval – Since Jack MacLean has been working very diligently on inventorying historic properties in Town, Ruth Wales needed to purchase additional notebooks for storage of the documentation. She is asking the Commission to reimburse her for $15.82. Kerry Glass made a motion to reimburse Ruth for the $15.82. The motion was seconded by Andy Ory and passed unanimously. The bill will be submitted for reimbursement tomorrow.
18 Twin Pond Lane – Lucretia Giese spoke with Sara Mattes who said that the Selectmen are still investigating the legal status of the Hollingsworth will. She said the Selectmen remain concerned about preserving the land and perhaps the house. Jack MacLean found some slides showing the house under construction that he felt should be preserved. There may be other items from the Hollingsworth house that need to be stored. Peter Von Mertens will contact the Commission for entry into the house in order to determine what needs to be preserved, and Walden Woods has offered some space for that purpose.
Historic District Signs – Kerry Glass showed the Commission a copy of the proposed historic district sign. She said that Chris Bibbo, DPW Director, said that they need to be made out of metal because it will last longer and the reason it is so high is because of the snow plowing. Kerry said that she gave him the okay to make up a sample to show the Selectmen. Because the Lincoln Center Historic District starts in different places on the left and right side, the Commission decided that the signs should be placed on the right side of the street where the district starts on the left. The Traffic Committee is looking for guidance from the Commission on the placement of the signs. There will be 5 signs as you enter the district on Lincoln Road, Trapelo Road, Bedford Road, Weston Road
and Sandy Pond Road. Ruth Wales made a motion to approve the sign as presented on January 6, 2009. Kerry Glass seconded the motion and the motion passed unanimously.
Community Preservation Committee Nomination – The Commission needs to nominate a replacement to the CPC for Colin Smith whose term is up after March, 2009. After a brief discussion, Lucretia Giese was unanimously nominated as the replacement and will serve a one year term.
LHC Alternates – The Selectmen’s Office informed the Commission that the Governor has signed the Bill that includes the home rule petition that allowed Lincoln to add two alternate members to the LHC. Jack MacLean and Eric Harris are the two HDC alternates but Eric Harris is unable to attend the meetings. Lucretia wants the members to think about someone who could be appointed as alternate. Kerry Glass suggested Harry Hoover. Anyone interested in being an alternate will need to apply to the Selectmen. Lucretia said that she will send a letter to Jack MacLean to ask if he would be interested in being the LHC alternate also.
Brown’s Wood Neighborhood Conservation District – Andy Ory said that he is happy to be helping out with the NCD as long as the majority of the people involved are happy with a NCD. Part of each meeting is spent convincing more residents of the benefits of a NCD. Lucretia said that the pace is going too slow for presentation to be ready for the March Town Meeting. The Committee wants to be sure that everything is set so that it will pass Town Meeting when presented. Since this is the first NCD that will be presented to the Town, it needs to be carefully prepared for any future Neighborhood Conservation Districts.
HDC Approvals Granted – The Commission discussed the best way to keep an eye on the approvals granted and make sure that the projects are being completed as approved. Ken Hurd felt that the Certificate of Appropriateness needs to be more comprehensive and asked Elaine Carroll to consult with Mark Whitehead regarding the Planning Board format for their decisions. Ken also said that any changes will require a re-submission of plans so that the HDC has a correct set of plans on file, along with pictures of the materials used.
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There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Elaine Carroll
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