HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-04-12-HC-minLexington Historical Commission
Meeting Minutes
April 12, 2012
Commission members present: David Kelland (Chair), Marilyn Fenollosa,
Wendall Kalsow, and Sally Zimmerman
Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m.
71 East Street: The applicant, Todd Cataldo, pointed out that the garage,
which was built in 1950's, is 1 -2 feet off the rear of the existing house. He
wishes to demolish it and also the screen porch because of water /snow
damage due to the extremely close proximity therefore causing problems in
the adjoining wall of the main house. He stated that the barn and the house
will both be retained. Mr. Kelland stated the garage was an old altered
building; Mr. Kalsow noted the garage does not contribute architecturally or
historically to the other structures on the property. Marilyn Fenollosa moved
to approve the demolition and the Commission voted 4 -0 to approve
demolition of the garage and screen porch.
Other Business: Ms. Fenollosa reported that the Town Meeting has approved
the exterior renovations of the White House as part of the capital budget.
She also read a letter to the editor of the Lexington Minuteman paper
criticizing the Commission for failing to intervene in the demolition of 31
Somerset Road, a property that had unfortunately been overlooked in the
survey work completed on Meriam Hill.
Time Limits: Mr. Kelland stated that Ms. Fenollosa spoke with Kevin Batt;
and he has met with Building Commissioner Garry Rhodes on this issue. Mr.
Kelland said he had several issues to convey from Mr. Batt: 1) Mr. Batt
suggested that the Commission use a time limit of one year for approvals to
demolish, 2) that once a regulation is drafted, the Commission must hold a
public hearing to present the reasons for the proposed regulation, including
if possible, case examples of how the outcome of prior reviews would have
been improved with or by a time limit, and 3) develop a final draft, holding a
second hearing, with a vote to take place at a subsequent meeting of the
Commission.
2 Middle Street: Robyn and David Edell, owners of 2 Middle Street,
presented the Commission with photos of the house after renovations, the
current condition of garage if very poor do to structure damage from the
blizzard of 1978. They would like to build a new garage to reflect a
traditional garage structure the current concrete slab is cracked and unstable.
Mr. Kalsow moved to approve the demolition, Ms. Fenollosa seconded the
motion and all voted 4 -0 in favor to approve the demolition.
Estabrook School: Dana DiNisco, DiNisco Design Partnership, Anne
Grady, preservation consultant, and Pat Goddard, Director of Facilities,
Town of Lexington, appeared to update the Commission on the Estabrook
School replacement project. They will have the construction manager on
board as part of the bidding process, especially preservation of the mosaic
mural. Shawmut Construction was the first ranked bidder and the contract is
being negotiated. Ms. DiNisco proposed three options for preserving and
protecting the mural; she also submitted an outline for the Historic
Structures Report Ms. Grady will prepare. Mr. Kalsow suggested removing
a few tiles and resetting them as part of the conditions assessment of the
mosaic as that would aid a conservator in understanding the complexity of
any repairs or reconstruction. Mr. Kalsow also said he had spoken with
masonry conservator Ivan Myjer but Mr. Myjer is not available (he is
working on a project in Texas). Mr. Kalsow suggested looking at several
other alternatives, from the low end of simply documenting the mural
photographically to the high end of removing and reassembling the mural.
Ann Grady reported she had interviewed several people for this project and
attended a reunion of Estabrook alums.
30 Winter Street Demolition: Mr. Kelland said he would speak with Mr.
Rhodes about what happened to this property, which had been demolished
some time ago.
There being no further business, the Commission adjourned at 9:15 P.M.