Minutes
Present: Ray D’Angelo, Matt Lecher, Anda Cumings, alt. Jean Taylor, alt. Sherry Karraker, Jo-An Brooks of the Land Use Office, and First Selectman Julia Pemberton.
Secretary Anda Cumings calls the meeting to order at 7:38PM.
I. Approval of Minutes, Meetings of September 17, 2015. Matt Lecher motions to accept the Minutes as submitted. Ray D’Angelo seconds, the motion is accepted unanimously.
II. Election of Committee Chairman. Matt Lecher motions that the Committee appoint Ray D’Angelo as its Chairman and Matt Lecher as its Vice Chairman. Anda Cumings seconds, the motion is accepted unanimously.
III. Committee Business
A. Ordinance Language. Julia Pemberton, Jo-An Brooks and Jean Taylor attended a meeting last September with circuit rider Greg Farmer of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation. Mr. Farmer suggested various changes to the Demolition Delay Ordinance in Redding. Julia discusses Mr. Farmer’s views and adds her own insights as to revisions for the Committee to consider. She offers several areas of concern:
1. Legality of current Ordinance as it reads
2. Workability of the current Committee process
3. Objectivity of selection criteria for applications falling under the Ordinance
4. Size of the Committee
5. Workability of the 21 day window for Committee action
6. Use of the term historically sensitive versus historically significant
7. Possibility of charging fees to cover costs
8. Selection and use of experts
9. Updating of resources used in verifying house history and other information
Peter Olson, our Town legal counsel, is to go over the Ordinance and offer his comments. Jean Taylor adds that the Committee should establish a regular monthly meeting time. Julia adds that there is a budget for this fiscal year of $5,000. Matt Lecher brings up the matter of increasing the overall efficiency of the application by allowing other town departments involved to continue their processing while the Committee is deliberating and interacting with the applicant, with the understanding that nothing can be finalized until a decision is made within the 21 day window. The advantages and disadvantages of having a longer time window, e.g., 30 days, is discussed. Rob Dean’s work re-writing the Ordinance is acknowledged, and can be used as a resource.
B. Other Anda Cumings suggests that another meeting be scheduled to write the Ordinance revisions that the Committee will take to the Board of Selectman. It is agreed that this meeting should take place after Peter Olson has contacted Ray D’Angelo with any legal changes needed. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday December 1st in the Town Hall Small Conference Room. Jo-An is to resolve the issue of extra keys for the Old Town House.
Matt Lecher motions that the meeting adjourn. Seconded by Anda Cumings.
The meeting is adjourned at approximately 9:35 PM.
Submitted by:
Anda E. Cumings, Secretary
Historic Review Committee Minutes of Meeting, November 18, 2015