JANUARY 03, 2007

ATTENDANCE: Marilyn Robinson, Chair; Gail Wall, Kathryn Martino, Peter
Bondi, John Kurtzman, Debbie Mathies,

STAFF: None

OTHERS: Chris Cooke, Lockwood Mathews Mansion Board President;
Port Draper, Lockwood Mathews Mansion Board Restoration
Committee Chair; Marjorie St. Aubyn, Lockwood Mathews
Mansion Director, Ralph Bloom, Marija Bryant Carol Ann
Falasca, Betty Booth

CALL TO ORDER

Ms. Robinson called the meeting to order.

ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES

A. Regular Meetings – October 25 and November 15, 2006

B. Special Meeting – November 27, 2006

C. Public Hearing – November 1, and November 9, 2006

It was determined that not all the Commissioners had received copies of the minutes.

CHAIRWOMAN’S REPORT

A. Welcome to new Commissioner Peter Bondi

Ms. Robinson welcomed Mr. Bondi to the Commission.

B. Remarks

There has been some discussion about the postponement of the December meeting due to lack of attendance at the last minute until today. Ms. Robinson said that the Mayor had informed her that it was Corporation Counsel’s opinion that the code referring to the expiration of some of the Commissioners terms on December 31st means that these four Commissioners could not vote tonight. An email was sent respectfully disagreeing with that opinion, but Ms. Robinson said that she had received an email in reply, which she had copied to all of the Commissioners, reiterating that Corporation Counsel believed that the four Commissioners whose terms expired on the 31st could not vote at tonight’s meeting. Ms. Robinson requested that the four retiring Commissioners attend this December meeting and sit at the table with the other Commissioners because she hoped that they would be reappointed by the Mayor at the upcoming Common Council meeting. Additionally, each of the Commissioners are in charge of some committees that do some serious work and Ms. Robinson stated that she needed to have those reports given.

Ms. Robinson had each of the Commissioners give a quick overview of their various responsibilities.

Ms. Bryant stated that she had been working on the Building Committee and that the buildings have not been kept up and therefore the buildings are not in good shape. Ms. Bryant said that she and Ms. Gunn Bromley had met with Mr. Hamilton in an attempt to get some money in the capital budget to get a comprehensive preservation plan going. Ms. Bryant stated that she has also been working on upgrading the website.

Ms. Martino stated that she was working with Ms. Gunn Bromley on the Finance Committee for the last month and a half. Ms. Martino reported that she was the Chairperson and needed to have a financial report produced for the Commission to review.

Ms. Mathies stated that she was the Chairman of the Cemetery Committee.

Ms. Falasca stated that she was the head of the Demolition Committee, which has been had good success in saving some buildings and working with some of the developers to change original plans. She stated that after many years of doing this the Committee had been recently told that this was not how things should be done. Ms. Falasca stated that she was on various Committees and that she chairs the Norwalk Museum Committee and this year, the Museum hosted the Flood exhibit and the Friends of the Norwalk Museum had a wonderful exhibit, along with the Silvermine Group. Ms. Falasca stated that keeping the doors open is a public trust because the taxpayers pay for this. The Museum needs to have hours that are set and the public needs to know that the Museum is open all the time.

Ms. Booth said she helps Ms. Falasca with the Demolition Committee and they review every house that is over fifty years old for an opinion. Ms. Bloom stated that she had been the head of the Gift Shop Committee for the last year or so and Ms. Falasca was part of that Committee. Ms. Booth stated that six months ago, the Gift Shop was reopened downstairs and it seems to be doing rather well.

Ms. Wall stated that she does not chair any Committees but serves on a few of them. Her primary charge is to work with the Commissioner and be responsible for the care of the Mill Hill Buildings. She stated that they were pleased with the fact that they were able to raise $50.000 through a grant via State Senator Duff. Ms. Wall stated that they had also approached the City Grants writer to secure and investigate other grants for historic resources. She has also worked with Ms. Falasca on the Demolition Committee. Great strides have been made in the last two or three years and Ms. Wall said that she was proud to serve on the Commission. She hopes that the Commission’s service is appreciated by the current Administration. Ms. Wall stated that she would also like to see the Commissioners reappointed. She stated that they have been a team of Commissioners that have worked very closely together and primarily in a unanimous mode to move Norwalk forward. Ms. Wall stated that she was happy to see Mr. Bondi join the Commission and hoped that he would share their views as they continue to work together.

Mr. Bloom stated that he was on a number of different subcommittees. He stated that the one thing that they had learned during the last few years is that the demolition ordinance had put everyone in the field. It was not something that was decided at the table. Ms. Robinson concurred, saying that the Commission has traveled to many locations in Norwalk. He stated that the demolition ordinance has most likely given the Historic Commission their widest appeal and provided the greatest avenue to the general public because the ordinance allows the public to see this.

Mr. Bloom’s other concern is fundraising. He stated that the Friends had a very successful tag sale this year and made $10,200. The Friends all had a good time with the Silvermine Artist, who put up sixty-nine works of art. Approximately 200 people attended the reception. The shop is doing well, and there is a new line of Raggedy Ann dolls and a large collection of Norwalk Christmas cards. Mr. Bloom stated that almost half the stock of the Raggedy Ann dolls have sold.

Mr. Bloom stated that this was the last time since the 1986 that the last of what the Lockwood Family believes constitutes the collections has been received. He displayed a package and stated it was Package Number 13. It contains an ebonized walking cane with a gold head from 1900. There are 13 cases in all. There are two more matching chairs to the set that already belongs to the Museum and there are eleven cartons of French china that came from the family home where Buckingham Place is today. The large house was taken down in the 1920’s and the furnishings were distributed. Much of the French china went out to Michigan. It is plain white every day china with a red “L” monogram on every single piece. When it was appraised, the appraiser stated that it could be purchased at Pottery Barn, so it is still open stock. It brings to conclusion Mr. Bloom’s dealings with four generations of the Lockwood Family. The gifts comes via Mr. Frederick Lockwood Parcells. Many of the Lockwood descendants now bear other last surnames. Mr. Parcells stated he has many brothers and sisters, but his daughter is the only descendant.

Mr. Kurtzman stated that he was new to the Commission and does not serve on any Committee, but he does have knowledge of construction and also is a South Norwalk native with many memories that he could contribute to the Commission. Ms. Bryant commented that Mr. Kurtzman was very helpful in working with Mr. Lo to maintain the buildings.

Ms. Mathies displayed copies of a booklet to help owners of historical homes in specified districts of low income, economic distress. To qualify for this, the buildings must be located in a registered State Historic District. Ms. Mathies stated that the Commission was in the process of designating four historic districts in Norwalk; Whistleville, Golden Hill, West Main Street and Camp Street. After these districts are approved by Hartford, there will be about one thousand new homeowners who qualify for the economic benefit, which is $30,000 per unit for rehabilitation.

She also stated that she works on the cemeteries. This can also lead to Heritage Tourism.

Ms. Bryant stated that this was the first year that the Commission put out an Annual Report to the Common Council about its activities.

Ms. Robinson stated that there was a lot of hard work that was being done by the Commission. Mr. Bondi stated that he has always been interested in the history of Norwalk and is proud to be part of it. He added that he was interested in preserving Norwalk’s history.

LOCKWOOD MATHEWS MANSION MUSEUM REPORT

A. Mr. Chris Cooke, President of the LMMM Board and Mr. Port Draper, Chairman of the Restoration Committee of the LMMM Board.

Ms. Robinson introduced Mr. Cooke, Mr. Draper and Ms. St. Aubyn to the Commission.

1. Accept Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum Report including findings on woodwork restoration of but not limited to the North door, Servant’s stair and the Conservatory.

Mr. Cooke thanked the Commissioner for inviting him to the meeting. Mr. Cooke recounted that he has been in the meeting room during the 1960’s when City Hall has been located in the building. The 1960’s administrator who had occupied the current meeting room had intended to demolish the LMMM, but was unsuccessful. Mr. Cooke said that he has been on the LMMM Board for five years and that the task is very large. However, during the last five years, there has been enormous improvement at the LMMM. Many of the cosmetic improvements were due to Paramount filming the Stepford Wives, where Paramount rehabilitated a large area of the first floor. During the last year, the Mansion was able to obtain two statutes, Pocahontas, and Wepton Wishton. The statutes of the Lockwood Children have also been obtained from Chicago and a Herter sofa has also been returned to the library as a donation. Ms. St. Aubyn stated that there were originally four and two have been returned to the library. She said that she hopes to acquire the third on permanent loan from the Massachusetts Historical Society and that the LMMM is looking for the fourth.

Mr. Cooke recounted the story about how the furnishings of the Mansion had been sold off following the death of LeGrand Lockwood. Mr. Cooke said that the Mansion looks terrific on the first floor. The other floors still need attention.

Mr. Draper then spoke about the North door. He stated that the door had been removed, rebuilt in the shop and then reinstalled it. However, the door was slid into place and wedged rather than fastened. Since then, the door has tipped forward when it was slammed.

The conservatory was a copy of the original and the glass was replaced with plastic panes. The blue fleur-de-lis pattern in the plastic faded away after prolonged exposure to the sunlight. The design of the wood has developed many rot problems. The conservatory has not been restored. An architect did a preliminary sketch design for building a new conservatory that would accurate. It will be an expensive item.

Mr. Draper stated that in order to proceed with any improvements in the Mansion, there must be a Master Plan in order to coordinate the work. He then provided some examples, such as the installation of an elevator, which can not be done until the designs for the sprinkler piping and the HVAC piping that will occupy the same shaft. The City has designated fund for the sprinkler piping design, but before the second floors are torn up for the piping, the entire building must be re-wired along with updating the lighting.

An Architectural Selection Committee has been formed, Mr. Draper stated. He then read the proposal to the Commission.

“To create a Master Plan of the rehabilitation of the and systems upgrade for the
Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum. The Master Plan will consist of basic
layout and design of the following:

1.) Overall space allocation, as to the presentation of the historic house museum
rooms and its flow, the disposition of offices and educational spaces (classrooms, lecture halls, exhibit areas, etc.), the collection storage, the library and archives, and public gathering spaces.

2.) Electrical power systems and lighting design of the interior historic museum rooms and the historic rooms to be used for other purposes. HVAC conceptual design for the entire house, with emphasis for creating a safe environment for the storage of textile collections on the third floor and use of the basement for all public programs. Basement to include a second egress, path areaway beside the billiard room, a large lecture room under the billiard room, a smaller conference meeting room, and a restored basement kitchen. Improved bathroom facilities, exhibition display areas around the staircase, restoring the bowling alley, access view to original furnaces and heating chambers, illuminated views of the original wine cellars, storage and mechanical areas south of the bowling alley, locate all piping and conduits in cornice area.

The two story servants wing to include: at least two restored historic rooms, a bedroom and a bathroom; and staff offices located in restored historic rooms.

The first floor to be a museum, kitchen and gift shop. Second floor, owners rooms to be a museum and guest rooms to be space for changing exhibits. The third floor to be archive storage.

The Master Plan will coordinate these designs with the existing design for the new sprinkler system, and the proposed design for the elevator. The Master Plan also will consider long term space allocations in terms of future needs.

Mr. Draper reported that the LMMM committee has considered seven architects and interviewed three of them with experience in house museums. The committee received three proposals, but only one was complete. The final selection was David Scott Parker from Southport, CT. The estimate for the long-range plan including the full range of consultants was $103,000. Mr. Draper then read the list of documents that would be included in the Master Plan for the Mansion. This amount is to paid from half of the $200,000 grant from the State, which was arranged by Mr. Duff. Mr. Draper stated that the LMMM was currently waiting for the grant money to be approved. Mr. Cooke said that Mr. Hammond, the Speaker of the House, has another $250,000 grant which the LMMM anticipates receiving. This would allow the planning to be underway. Mr. Draper said that once the Plan is in place, the Mansion would be a good position to apply for funding from other sources.

Mr. Draper then said as the Restoration Chairman, he was not happy about the use of the Museum for rentals. He stated that he could also speak for the Board in saying that they would love not to have any rentals. Ms. Robinson commented that the Commission was not happy about them, either. Mr. Draper said that it was important to look at reality. This year, the LMMM income received $61,000 from rentals, golf outing $34,000, City of Norwalk $25,000, fund raising and memberships $25,000, admissions $10,000, endowment income $9,000, events $7,000, and Museum Shop $6,000. The LMMM earns double than any other items other than golf outing. Mr. Draper then informed the Commission that the Bruce Museum rents their facility out twice a week for the entire year to balance their budget.

Ms. Robinson said that the Bruce’s rentals might not be as potentially destructive as the rentals for the LMMM. Mr. Cooke said that he was not in favor of rentals, but that it was an absolute necessity. Without the rentals, the LMMM would have to close. The Town of Greenwich allocates the Bruce $750,000 a year, while the City of Norwalk has given the LMMM $15,000, but with Ms. St. Aubyn’s efforts, that amount was recently increased to $25,000. Whenever there are rentals, the events are monitored and Mr. Cooke stated that he had not observed any damage to the LMMM from the rentals. Ms. Robinson asked if the $61,000 was the gross amount. Mr. Draper replied that the cost of the gas and electric alone was $42,000 last year, most of which was due to gas prices. A discussion about this issue followed.

Ms. Robinson stated at the conclusion of the discussion that it appeared as if the Commission was telling the LMMM Board that they were handling the matter incorrectly and that the Commission did not mean for it to work out this way. She stated that the Commission has some serious concerns about the amount of rentals and other serious concerns about the fact that if the Board and staff say that rentals are so critical, that eventually all the staff’s energy will be directed. Ms. Robinson said that she has been very involved with many non-profits that do fund raising. She said that one important component of those fund raising efforts was a corporate campaign. Mr. Cooke said that the LMMM had already done that. Ms. Robinson said that there needed to be more energy and attention spent on other fund raising venues. She also said that it was obvious that the LMMM has not pursued this avenue of fund raising.

Mr. Cooke said that he welcomes all input. He pointed out that five years ago, the Mansion was in a financial black hole. Recently, the Mansion has become economically viable. Mr. Cooke said that as soon as the Mansion is able to stop renting the facility, it will. Ms. Robinson said that it was important to take some steps to explore the other funding sources. Ms. Falasca said that it was important to respect the building as they did in the past and that until the community respected the building as a museum, the financial support will not be there from museum benefactors or even small donations.

Ms. Wall said that the rentals are a source of wear and tear on the building and property has been an issue. Ms. Wall said that she had heard the north door came out because the caterers had been moving tables through that door. Mr. Draper said that the door has not been used by the caterers. He said that the reason the door tilted out was due to the fact that the fire laws required that the door open in the opposite direction.. When the door slams closed from the outside, it moves the frame back towards the inside of the building, which is why it is tipping. Mr. Cooke said that he is aware of many of the issues and that the Board is trying to address the various issues.

Ms. Wall asked if the Board was considering hiring a curator. She was told that the Board is considering allocating some of the funds from the grant from Mr. Duff for a part time curator. Mr. Draper explained that the Mansion would receive the grant in installments and have to prove that the money has been spent wisely. The part time curator and the Master Plan are part of the overall scheme. He stressed that it was important to have the Master Plan in place to insure that things are done in the proper order. Ms. Bryant stated that she had attended a number of the early meetings about the sprinkler system and the HVAC systems. She agrees that a Master Plan is needed.

Ms. Bryant said that in the request for proposal, she did not see the main vision as to whether the Mansion was to be a house museum or is it to incorporate limited rentals. Mr. Draper reviewed the opening lines of the proposal with the Commission. Ms. Bryant said that did not speak about the overall vision of where the Museum will be going in the future. Having rentals there was a problem for her. Mr. Cooke said that there was never any question about the Museum being anything other than historic house museum. He said that the Commission may have misunderstood his emphasis on the fact that the rentals were providing income. He stressed that as a businessman, he realizes that in order to run the Mansion, it takes money. Ms. Bryant said that if rentals may be a part of the way that the Museum operates, it would be wise to investigate if there may be a way in the usage plan or functional plan to incorporate a rental capability without damaging the building. Mr. Draper said that there had been an offer of a tent to hold the rentals in and the issue was still under discussion. He concluded that the future looks bright with all the development going on around the Mansion.

Ms. Wall has some questions about the composition of the Board of Directors. She also asked if the potential Board members were required to have some fund raising capacity. Mr. Draper said that the LMMM does not have that requirement. Ms. Robinson said that as the Chairperson of the Commission, the Commission has been looking forward to meeting with the LMMM Chairman of the Board for some time. Ms. Robinson said that she was not happy with the rapport between the Mansion and the Commission. She has requested that the Chairperson of the Historic Commission serves as ex officio but does not receive a notice of meetings and is not contacted about events. Mr. Cooke said that if Ms. Robinson is an ex officio of the Board, he would make sure that she receives the information. She said that she would like to attend. Mr. Cooke said that he was totally unaware that the Norwalk Historic Commission played any part in the LMMM. Ms. Robinson stated that she had spoken about this to Ms. St. Aubyn many times. Ms. Falasca said that when the meeting regarding the vision for the Museum, the City or the Commissioners should be invited because they are the landlords. She stated that the Commissioners were not going to allow certain things to done without permission. Mr. Cooke said these issues come up at every Board meeting and that there are vociferous objections from some parties. The issues are then put to a vote and the majority rules. Ms. Robinson said that the Commissioners were both requesting and stating that they need a more substantial report from the Mansion, rather than an overview of the exhibits.

Ms. Bryant commented that when the Commission submitted the budgets, they had no information to present about the Mansion. Ms. St. Aubyn stated that Ms. Gunn Bromley had not informed her of the dates of the capital or operational budgets. Ms. Robinson said that it was not Ms. Gunn Bromley’s job to inform Ms. St. Aubyn about those meetings. She also commented that if Ms. St. Aubyn had attended the Commission meetings, Ms. St. Aubyn would have known about the meetings. Ms. Robinson stated that this happens every year. Mr. Cooke said that now that he was aware that there was a budget process that should exist, he said that he would endeavor to make this happen.

Mr. Bloom said that over the forty-seven years of his relationship with the LMMM, he had noticed that the Mansion was closed for several months in the winter to conserve heating fuel. One of the major changes was that when the glass in the windows was changed from a 5/8” French plate to a much lighter weight window glass, the frames now ride up. He stated that there needed to be more counter weight to keep the windows closed and perhaps insulation under the windows where air is getting through. Mr. Bloom stated that the reason that the Mansion closed for six to eight weeks in the past was because the City would not guarantee the snow removal for civic use. This allowed the staff to do other tasks as well. Mr. Cooke said that the Mansion is shut down during January, February and March. Mr. Bloom replied that rentals are still scheduled. Mr. Cooke replied that there were very few rentals. There was a brief discussion about the maximum capacity of people allowed in the Mansion.

Ms. Bryant said that she thought it would be important for the LMMM Board keep the Historic Commission informed on the development of the Master Plan because the Commission hopes to develop a preservation/conservation plan for the exterior of all the buildings. It would be helpful to coordinate the efforts. Mr. Cooke said that it was clear that the Historic Commission wants the various components of Norwalk, like the Mansion, the Norwalk Museum and the Aquarium, to improve. Mr. Cooke thanked the Commission for their input.

Mr. Cooke, Mr. Draper and Ms. St. Aubyn left the meeting at this time.

Ms. Robinson said that she would speak with Mr. Cooke on January 4th and also check the bylaws. It was commented that the Mansion was more concerned with events than they were with the historical aspect. Mr. Bloom commented that Ms. St. Aubyn had stated that the rental was by the room. He went on to say that if people started to move the furniture, there would be inimical damage to the various rooms. Mr. Bloom also said that the Parks Preservation group was furious with the idea of a tent being erected in the Park. Ms. Falasca stated that the Master Plan for the City when the Park was created, the Plan states that it was not to have any structures that block any of the views. Ms. Robinson reiterated her experiences with other organizations fund raising efforts. A discussion of fund raising philosophies followed.

Ms. Falasca said that in regards to the comment that the Mansion had never looked so good, that the improvements that had been made had improved the rental value but had nothing to do with preservation. Ms. Falasca said that it was better before it was restored. Mr. Bloom stated that the carpeting on the stairs stops at the corner, many of the colors are wrong. Mr. Bloom then listed a number of actions that the production company had done that had damaged the Mansion.

REPORT: BOARDS

Norwalk Historical Society

Ms. Wall then reported that she had spoken with State Senator Duff, who informed Ms. Wall that there was a letter from the Senate President Pro Tem to Mayor Moccia regarding the $50,000 grant, which was from DEP. Hopefully, the confusion about the grant money will be sorted out soon and the money will be transferred to the Historic Commission.

The electrical upgrade at Mill Hill is moving forward. Ms. Wall said that she was not up to date on the status of that project.

BUILDING COMMITTEE

Ms Bryant said that she would give a short report on the buildings. Ms. Bryant said that Ms. Gunn Bromley had been handling the issues regarding the jail. Ms. Bryant said that Ms. Gunn Bromley was also working on the squirrel infestation at the Gate Lodge, which currently appears to be under control. Apparently, the item that is holding up the repair of the trim at the Gate Lodge and Mill Hill is the need for architectural drawings. Ms. Bryant said that she did not understand why an architect was needed for these projects. Ms. Bryant said that she had emailed Ms. Gunn Bromley and asked for an explanation but had not yet gotten a response. If it required that an architect is needed to produce drawings, Ms. Bryant said that she had a list of architects from Redevelopment who had already been vetted by Redevelopment as having preservation and conservation experience. Ms. Bryant said that she had some concerns about using Mr. Grasso, who had been on the Fodor Farm tour and admitted that he did not know much about historic buildings. Ms. Robinson asked who made the determination that an architect needed to be hired. Ms. Bryant said she thought it was Ms. Gunn Bromley. Ms. Robinson replied that Ms. Gunn Bromley did not have the authority to determination. Ms. Bryant said that Ms. Gunn Bromley had made a recommendation that in order to get the estimates to repair the Mill Hill trim, and the other estimates that an architect was needed to develop profiles. Mr. Bondi asked if the contractor was asking for this through Ms. Gunn Bromley. Ms. Bryant said she did not know. Ms. Wall said that there was only a small area that was damaged. Since the trim was pre-existing, she was not sure why this would be needed.

Ms. Robinson said that Ms. Gunn Bromley has been out sick and that Ms. Robinson did not think that Ms. Gunn Bromley would be in for the next few days. Ms. Mathies said that Mr. Coffey was going to support the request for the cemeteries. She said that she did not have the material from Ms. Gunn Bromley about how to support the request, which is needed before the budget is presented. A discussion about providing coverage to the Museum followed.

Ms. Bryant said that she had met with Ms. Gunn Bromley and Mr. Hamilton about the operating budget. Ms. Bryant said that she and Ms. Gunn Bromley had asked to double the maintenance budget and asked to include the day-to-day maintenance for the historic buildings into the next contract negotiations. Ms. Bryant said that Mr. Lo has also been working on this aspect with Mr. Hamilton.

Mr. Kurtzman asked if the mold problem had been corrected at the jail. Ms. Bryant replied that she believe that it had been. Mr. Kurtzman went on to say that he had noticed that the rear gutter was filled with leaves and it is leaning against the roof eave. Mr. Kurtzman said that in his opinion, the falling rain was seeping into the building. He also mentioned that there were trees that were coming in contact with the roof and need to be trimmed back. Mr. Kurtzman asked if the exterior paint that was applied to the Fitch Law Office was latex. He said that he had noticed that it was peeling as if it was latex.

Ms. Robinson said that she was nervous regarding what would happen if the four Commissioners whose terms had expired were not appointed. Ms. Bryant passed around the list of architects from Redevelopment to the Commissioners.

Ms. Martino asked if a vote could be taken about some work that was scheduled to be done in December but there was no money to pay the workers.

** MS. MARTINO MOVED THAT THE HISTORIC COMMISSION SPEND NO MORE THAN $500 FOR THE RESTORATION OF CEMETERY STONES IN ONE OF THE FOUR CEMETERIES.
** MS. MATHIES SECONDED.
** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

GIFT SHOP COMMITTEE

The Norwalk Museum Gift Shop was extensively refurbished in 2006 by the Friends. They have been reporting to the Norwalk Historical Commission concerning their operation. While operating the Museum Gift Shop, the Friends who were on duty continue to volunteer as Museum docents.

FODOR FARM HISTORIC DISTRICT REPORT

Ms. Robinson said that at the January 2, 2007 Land Use Committee; the Fodor Farm Study Group presented their final report to the Committee. Ms. Robinson said that most of the members of the Committee were there in attendance. Mr. Bryant presented the report and there were a number of questions from the members of the Land Use Committee. Ms. Robinson said that the Land Use Committee was receiving the report last night and were not making recommendations about it. Councilman Sutton said that the Land Use Committee was waiting for a report from Corporation Counsel that would more clearly define what the deed restrictions would be in order to compare the two reports. Ms. Robinson said that Councilman Kydes kept making a statement about putting historic restrictions on privately owned homes was somehow intruding on the right of private property owners. Ms. Robinson said this was perplexing to her since the people who might purchase these houses will know about this and already signed a document regarding these restrictions. Ms. Robinson went on to say that both choices would have restrictions, whether it is deed restrictions or historic district committee. A discussion about what the houses would sell for and other details followed.

Ms. Robinson said that she had sent an email to Council President Coffey regarding the four members not being able to vote tonight. She also said that the Mayor and Corporation Counsel had given her their “opinion”, in which they refer to some other commissions where the language regarding appointments is different. Ms. Robinson said that she had written to Council President Coffey as the head of the Ordinance Committee “to request a change in Section 57a of the Norwalk Code, which would include the wording “or until their successors are appointed or qualified” to be added after the words “expire on December 31st.” As you are aware, the Historic Commission ran into some difficulty this month when we postponed our December meeting for lack of attendance and now have the opinion of the Corporation Counsel’s Office that those four Commissioners can not vote at our postponed December meeting, which is taking place tonight. I am aware, as I am sure you are, that many other Commissions: example - Oak Hills Park Authority, Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals – serve until their successors are appointed and qualified. It would seem to me in order to eliminate similar problems such as the Norwalk Historical Commission has experienced tonight, that the wording for Historical Commissioners should coincide with many of the other Commissions whose members serve until their successors are appointed and qualified. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in bringing this to the Ordinance Committee.”

A discussion about the wording of Section 57a followed. Ms. Robinson pointed out that she had listed three reasons why the Commission objected. One was that the Commission did not interpret that as “expired on December 31st” but it does not say that the Commissioner shall cease. Another issue was that this was technically the December meeting. And finally, Ms. Robinson said that the voting would be on December issues.

DEMOLITIONS

108 Highland Avenue, 21 DDD 1-12-07

Ms. Falasca said that the number on the building was really 108 1/2, which is an extension. She said that she believes the property sits on two lots and the only part that would be demolished is the small extension.

118 Connecticut Avenue 21 DDD 12-21-06*

Ms. Falasca said that the Commission had discussed this before. This is all commercial property.

276-280 Main Avenue 21 DDD 12-28-06*

Ms. Falasca said that this already has an inspection sign on it already.

(*21-Day Demolition has expired)

NEW BUSINESS

Mr. Bloom said that he would like to introduce a new item. Since he has been on site almost daily, he had a discussion with Mr. Kopec, who is the manager of the property via Plaza Realty and Management. He sent a letter to Mr. Kopec and has had no response. Mr. Bloom suggested that Ms. Robinson as chair, send a letter to Corporation Counsel about the fact the heat is not working properly. He pointed out that during the two-hour meeting the heat has only gone up two degrees. Downstairs, the rear portion of the building was at 58 degrees. The Museum depends upon volunteers and they can’t work in cold conditions. The common charges pay for this. Ms. Robinson said that Ms. Gunn Bromley has reported this several times and also has mentioned that there is a smell of natural gas right outside of one of the doors.

There was also a comment about the number of lights that had burned out in the conference room. Ms. Robinson said that Ms. Gunn Bromley had stated that she would get up on a ladder and change the light bulbs. Ms. Robinson reminded the Commission that about a year ago, the Commission had told Ms. Gunn Bromley not to change the light bulbs anymore. Ms. Gunn Bromley would then request that building management come over and change them.

Ms. Bryant said that she was concerned about Ms. Gunn Bromley’s report, which lists a number of items that should be put out for bid. The Historical Commission needs to know exactly what the architect will be doing and also the qualifications of the architect. Ms. Bryant said that she was very concerned about Mr. Grasso’s qualifications and said that she had asked for his resume and not received it yet. Ms. Bryant said that she wanted the Historical Commission to be sure to ask for this information. The Commission will follow up on this.

Ms. Falasca said that the system that they will be using at the Gate Lodge for the windows might be a solution for the windows at the Norwalk Museum. This seemed to be an acceptable idea to the Commission. A discussion about the details of this system followed.

Ms. Bryant said that regarding the furnace at the Carriage House, the current occupant will pay for it, and Ms. Bryant said that they would put the Carriage House occupants in touch with someone who would help them with the historic aspects of the replacing that furnace. Mr. Kurtzman said that he had spoken with the receptionist at the Carriage House, who had complained about water. The receptionist pointed to some water pipes over her head. Mr. Kurtzman said that it was probably condensation. Mr. Bondi suggested that they put slide on insulation on the pipes to prevent drippage.

One of the Commissioners said that she wished to go on record to thank Colt Stakowski for his service to the community. Ms. Robinson said that there was a newspaper article about him. Mr. Bloom said for the record that he did attend. He said that less than 2% of all the Scouts ever reach Eagle status. Ms. Mathies said that there was the possibility that there may be Eagle Scouts working in the cemeteries. It was also stated that the Friends of the Norwalk Museums should be thanked for underwriting the insurance for the Silvermine Artist exhibit and for doing the Lockwood Treasures exhibit. Mr. Bloom said that he had been on site when the wreaths from the Norwalk Garden Club had arrived. He informed the Commission that he had written them a thank you immediately for these. Two days later, one of the wreaths was stolen. Ms. Wall said that the Garden Club provides all the city buildings with wreaths and only wish to be acknowledged.

Mr. Bloom displayed one of the objects that he had brought back from Detroit. The piece originally belonged to Frederick St. John, who resided where Buckingham Place is today.

Ms. Robinson thanked the Commissioners for all the hard work that they have done. She then invited four Commissioners whose terms have expired to be members of subcommittees because that is possible. She also encouraged them to attend the meetings and participate with the Commission.

** MR. BONDI MOVED TO ACCEPT THE DONATION OF FREDERICK LOCKWOOD PARCELLS COLLECTION OF LOCKWOOD ARTIFACTS TO THE NORWALK MUSEUM.
** MR. KURTZMAN SECONDED.

Mr. Bloom said that the reason the donations are made through the Friends is because the pieces need to be appraised and that the Museum does not have an operating manual or any forms. The Friends have completed all the documents and provided the insurance.

** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Ms. Wall suggested that a press release be done quickly. The Commissioners thanked Mr. Bloom for facilitating this donation. Mr. Bloom said that the delivery slip needed to be signed. Ms. Robinson signed the document for the record.

ADJOURNMENT

** MS. ROBINSON MOVED TO ADJOURN.
** THE MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted

Sharon L. Soltes
Telesco Secretarial Services

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