Sharon Historical Commission
And
Sharon Historic District Commission
Meeting Minutes for
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
In
attendance: Gordon H. Hughes, Chairman, Robert S. Young, Vice-Chairman
Members
- David A. Martin, Deborah G. Pitman, Shirley A. Schofield,
Alternates
- Marie E. Cuneo, Brent L. Gundlah, & W. Reese Schroeder
Meeting
was called to order at 7:30
pm.
- Resident,
Steve LeSperance of Lyndon
Road
introduced himself and the Commission invited him to join us at the table
rather than sit by himself.
- G.
Hughes was to call Building Inspector, Joe Kent, regarding the condition
of 111
Pond Street
and report back at the December meeting.
- We
received a letter from Exterior Solutions of Natick, MA stating that they
had been contracted by the owners of 13 High Street to repair and
replace existing roof structure. The home is currently being used by the
South Norfolk Area Retarded Citizens. This house is inventoried. R.
Young made a motion to approve application as applied for, seconded by S.
Schofield, followed by a unanimous vote. G. Hughes will send a letter to
let the contractor know that they should proceed with the Building
Inspector on their project.
- The
owners of 180
Ames Street
have requested a demolition permit for their barn. Pictures were provided
showing the poor condition along with a letter describing what they would
like to do with constructing a new barn in a similar style and using as
much of the existing timber that they can salvage. A motion was made by
W.R. Schroeder and seconded by D. Pitman that a letter be sent to the
owners authorizing them to demolish with appropriate filing with the
Building Inspector. Also to thank them for their documentation and
commitment to preservation. The vote was unanimous in favor. G. Hughes will
send the letter.
- Ed
Lyons, a former member of the Sharon Historical Commission, spoke on
behalf of the sellers and buyers of 6 Washington Place as a
representative of Falcon Associates Architects. The new owners, Aram and Rebecca Elovic
of Briar
Hill Road,
dentists, would like permission to demolish the property located just
between South
Main Street
and Pond
Street.
They desire to build a new structure that will provide enhanced office
space for their practices while keeping a traditional design for the
downtown area.
Mr. Lyons and the owners have met with the Board
of Health, the Planning Board and the Town Center Design Review Board, all of
which approved the project being presented. The Zoning Board of Appeals
meeting is scheduled. The Commission was presented with specific business
plans as well as designs for the project. Questions were asked by various
members about materials, storm water drainage and history of the property. D.
Martin obtained a detailed history from records at the Assessor’s Office and
advised the Commission. The building has been vacant for two years. Satisfied
that the plans were in the best interest of the town and that the new building
will fit in with the other historic properties in the area and that the whole
project will be much more viable than the current status, the Commission took
this up immediately. D. Martin made a motion to accept the project as
explained on behalf of Drs. Elovic and it was seconded by W.R. Schroeder.
Seven votes in the affirmative and one abstention were cast to approve this
project.
- Dr.
Frederick Martin was introduced by the Chairman to discuss development
plans at King Philip’s Rock off of Mansfield Street. Dr. Martin
detailed the history of both the area and the recent request for development
by current owners, Wluka Realty. The ZBA turned down two plans and Mr.
Wluka has appealed to the Housing Board in Boston under Mass.
General Law 40 B. We were told that the ZBA denied the application based
upon traffic concerns, and that Trustees for Reservations, the Sharon
Conservation Commission as well as Town Counsel and Asst. Counsel all
opposed the plans. However, the developer has offered a compromise to
build two larger homes rather than 12 homes and sell the remainder of the
land to the town for $400,000. This offer has not been accepted. Dr.
Martin favors the compromise if first archaeologists are allowed to dig
safely in the area and are able to preserve sites.
A hearing is scheduled for April, 2005 with the
land court. Dr. Martin requested that the Commission take a position with
regard to this matter and nominate a witness to appear on the witness list and
possibly testify before the Housing Appeals Committee. Gil Solomon is planning
to represent the native Massachusset Nation. Commissioner David Martin
volunteered to represent the Historical Commission. G. Hughes will draft a
letter and advise Town Counsel Dick Gellerman of our interest and of D.
Martin’s appointment to represent the historical interests of the town. Such
letter will be post marked no later than November 27th in order to
meet the November 30th deadline.
- The
owner of the property at 143 Pond Street has requested a demolition permit. This
is an inventoried property. According to the Building Inspector the condition
of the house is poor and developer Joe Discipio (AGM Construction) would
like to build a new home on the site. G. Hughes spoke with Building
Inspector, Joe Kent, and has a copy of the proposal. G. Hughes was going
to call or write to Mr. Discipio to schedule an appointment for
Commissioners to look at the property.
- Taking
up the suggestion by W.R. Schroeder at last month’s meeting we discussed
establishing guidelines for inventoried properties. He volunteered to
write a draft of guidelines and secure better definitions for
preservation.
No further business on the agenda, D. Pitman
made a motion to adjourn. This was seconded by B. Gundlah and so moved.