HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-07-17 Old Center Historic District Commission Minutes North Andover Historic District Commission
Meeting Minutes
July 17, 2024
Present: Leslie Frazier, Roger Lawson, Lisa Roberts, Kathleen Szyska, Laurie Belsito, Michael
Lenihan
The meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. in the Select Board Meeting Room at Town Hall.
M. Lenihan, Vice Char of the Commission conducted the meeting in the absence of the chair.
Certificate ofAppropriateness,for 18-20 Johnson Street, to allow for replacement o,Lfence
The applicant's Contractor, Tim Quinlin, was representing the applicant for the fence
replacement proposal. He said they are trying to replicate the fence with the exact same footprint
as what is currently there. He also said they are trying to get as close as possible to the exact
same look and style as the current fence, except for a thin board going across the top that they are
not able to replicate with the new material being proposed. They are proposing a vinyl or PCV
material instead of wood for durability and longevity. There is 107 ft. of fence being replaced
total with a height of 3 ft.
A picture was passed around of an example of what the pNoposed fence would look like.
There was discussion of the sheen of the material being proposed. T. Quinlan mentioned the
material being used starts off with a minor sheen but dulls over time, making it almost
indistinguishable from a wooden fence. He said they are using a very high-end company that
uses a product that does not have the sheen of some less expensive options. He continued that if
there is an option for a more matte finish, they will go with that option.
L. Roberts made a motion to issue approval of a certificate of appropriateness for the
replacement fence for 18-20 Johnson St. R. Lawson seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously.
Historical Date Sim for Houses
L. Roberts presented her idea to introduce historic house markers in town. She said she is
working on the project with Stan Limpert and the Historical Society and is looking for early-
stage feedback from the commission.
She passed around a packet of examples of historic building markers, as well as other relevant
information.
She is proposing an 11"x16" standard size rectangle made from a PVC material with black vinyl
lettering, at roughly a $200 cost per sign paid for by the homeowner. She emphasized that they
have been doing a lot of research to come up with as much information on properties as they can.
The idea would be to include these properties on a map located on the Historical Society website,
which would provide the historical information of each participating property.
L. Roberts pointed out that our commission's bylaws don't allow for signs over 12"x 12" and
also requires the sign to be painted on wood. She said after speaking with other towns, and more
specifically Boxford, that there is an option to override the bylaw to make the current proposal
possible. She said Boxford does this every five years.
She said the reason for the proposed size is to make sure it's clearly visible and easy to read from
the street. The idea is to include on the sign the names of the original occupants of the house
including the women's name which is traditionally left off, the year the house was built, the
occupation of the original occupants and any historical significance as far as if the building was
used for another purpose.
She emphasized that this would be opt-in participation.
There was a sample of the proposed material passed around which is PVC with vinyl lettering
L. Roberts said the reason for using PVC was to keep costs low, and for durability. She also
mentioned that roughly $100 of the cost would be put towards the research and the rest for the
sign itself.
There was further discussion among commission members and audience member Stan Limpert
on placement of the signs, size of the signs as well as concerns raised about what sources would
be used to collect the information needed as there are contradicting anecdotes already in
circulation regarding some properties and how they are referenced. There was also discussion of
the process of overriding a commission bylaw if that was agreed to. L. Roberts said at this point
she is asking for commission members to consider the proposal and gather their thoughts.
L. Frazier made a motion to close the meeting and K. Syzska seconded the motion.
There was unanimous consent to adjourn at 6:48 p.m.