DECEMBER 21, 2004

ATTENDANCE: Carol Ann Falasca, Acting Chair; Ralph Bloom; Betty Booth; Glen Iannaccone; Gail Wall; Marija Bryant (arrived at 7:50 p.m.)

EXCUSED: Marilyn Robinson; Bill Krummel; Debbie Mathies

STAFF: Susan Gunn

OTHERS: Michael Bromley; Colin Gunn

Acting Chair Falasca called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m.

POKO DEVELOPMENT

Acting Chair Falasca said POKO would probably make their presentation at the January meeting. They were requested by the City not to attend tonight’s meeting because the bid process was not yet completed.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

October 27, 2004

The following corrections were made:

On page 1 in “Attendance” (and throughout the minutes as appropriate), correct the spelling of Iannaccone; add “Bloom” after “Ralph”; move Marjorie St. Aubyn to “Other;” add Michael Bromley, Colin Gunn and Mark Carey to “Other;” in “Staff” note that Susan Gunn was excused.

On page 3 under Chairman’s Report (and throughout the minutes as appropriate), replace “Ms. St. Aubyn” with “Chair Robinson”; correct the spelling of “Fallon” (and throughout the minutes as appropriate). In the first motion, change “nominate Ms. Mathies” to “re-nominate Ms. Mathies.” Under Committee Reports/Demolitions, second line, change the word “Noroton” to “Roton.”

On page 6 under New Business, second line, change the word “emulating” to “designating.”

** ACTING CHAIR FALASCA MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF OCTOBER 27, 2004 AS AMENDED.
** MOTION PASSED WITH ONE ABSTENTION (FALASCA).

Ms. Bryant arrived at the meeting at 7:50 p.m.

November 17, 2004

The following corrections were made:

On page 1 in “Attendance” remove Gail Wall; move Barbara Amodio, Leigh Grant and Ed Cozzette to “Other;” add Colin Gunn to “Other.”

On page 2 under B&G Development, first line, change “25 Taylor Avenue” to “30 Highland Avenue.”

On page 3 under Reports, add the heading “Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum” before the first paragraph; in the first sentence, change “Ms. Bryant” to “Ms. St. Aubyn;” change the word “training” to “train.” In paragraph 3, change “Weil House” to “Well House.” Add the heading “NHC Report” before the fourth paragraph beginning with “Ms. Gunn reported donations …” Change the heading “NHC Report” to “NM/NHC Report” before the fifth paragraph beginning “Ms. Gunn reported that the …” In line four, change “Mill Clift” to “Nykled.”

On page 4, Eagle Scouts should not be bulleted

On page 5 under Chairman’s Report/Demolitions change “58 Noroton” to “58 Roton.” Change the heading “Norwalk Museum” to “NHRI” before the paragraph beginning “Ms. Mathies said …” and amend the first sentence to read “Ms. Mathies said she has been seeing old City records at City Hall.” In the motion, change “Mr. Cozzette” to “Mr. Bloom.” Add a heading “Norwalk Museum” before the next paragraph beginning “Ms. Falasca said that they had …”

On page 6 after the first motion, change the heading “Trailer” to “Rogers-Ritch-Merritt House.” Under Old Business, change “Mr. Cozzette” to “Mr. Bloom.” In the third line, add the word “art” before the word “storage.”

** MR. IANNACCONE MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF NOVEMBER 17, 2004 AS AMENDED.
** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

REPORTS

Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum

Since Ms. Aubyn was not present, Acting Chair Falasca asked if there were any comments or questions about her written report or December, submitted via email to Ms. Gunn. The Commissioners did not have any comments or questions.

Norwalk Historical Society

Ms. Wall said she would continue to pursue getting proposals for repair(s) of the buildings. She talked about trees on Mill Hill that the City had tagged for removal. Mr. Bloom said he discussed this issue with Mr. DiScala who said the trees are not being taken down; Mr. Bryant thought Mr. DiScala said he would pay for replanting of some of the trees in the Wall Street area. Ms. Wall suggested Ms. Gunn speak with someone at City Hall for an update. Ms. Wall asked why Summit Street was closed to which Mr. Iannaccone responded the road is collapsing because the building is lower than the road. Ms. Gunn asked if someone should be contacted about getting the Well House repaired. Ms. Wall said the driver was conducting business for the City when he backed into it and the City should address this directly.

STAFF TO THE COMMISSION REPORT

Ms. Gunn had not prepared a written report, but said she would highlight what was most important.

· The furnace at the Gate Lodge was now working, and the process had begun to get a permit to further investigate the matter; the installer was responsible.
· Permission was needed for an architectural assessment for the CAP grant which was due in early February.
· Confirmation of dates for the Eagle Scouts to come in would need to be sent. The project’s completion date was mid-February.
· Second grade students from Silvermine Elementary and Columbus Magnet continued to visit to pursue their study of “Then and Now.”
· There was a significant decrease in foot traffic to the Museum, most probably due to lack of parking in the area.
· Repairs to the ceiling and walls in the storage room were desperately needed. A bid was received that needed approval so work could begin in approximately six weeks.
· Calendars from the bank would be distributed to the Common Council.
· Various photographs (i.e., East Norwalk Train Station and others) were available in CD format and could be used as public relations for the Museum, with the purchaser making a donation rather than paying a set fee. The Commissioners discussed this at length. Ms. Wall suggested Ms. Gunn create a basic format for the Commission’s approval that would be used for inquiries instead of dealing with each inquiry in a separate manner. Ms. Gunn thought her way would allow for more positive “bargaining” and potentially be more lucrative. She assured the Commissioners that negatives would be kept and only copies sold. Mr. Iannaccone said the museum committee should be involved in this discussion.

NHC Meeting Schedule

The Commissioners reviewed the schedule of 2005 meeting and agreed that the December 28th meeting should be held one week earlier, on December 21, 2005.

Finance Report

Ms. Gunn said the budget report was self-explanatory; the Commissioners did not have any questions.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Strategic Plan for the Arts and Culture Commission

Acting Chair Falasca said that the document, 35 pages or so, looked good at first glance but should be reviewed more thoroughly be everyone.

Nomination Committee

Acting Chair Falasca volunteered Debbie Mathies, Gail Wall and Bill Krummel to the committee. If they could not or would not be able to be a member, Mr. Bloom followed by Ms. Falasca would be.
COMMITTEE REPORTS

Cemeteries

There was no report since Ms. Mathies was not present.

Demolitions

· 19 Crockett Street – Ms. Wall said there were over 200 petitions signed and the petitions should be pursuing the matter. Acting Chair Falasca said an email would be sent to Lynn.
· 235 Westport Avenue – Acting Chair Falasca said the small house, circa 1875, said if the house were to be removed, the road would not qualify to be part of the Historic District, which application was currently pending. She suggested getting the owners to renovate rather than demolish.
· Any and all demolition applications published in The Hour or received by the Commission as of December 17, 2004. Acting Chair Falasca said that three Federal era houses at 132-134 Main Street (on three-quarters of an acre) didn’t know they needed to apply. Ms. Bryant said she queried Mike Green from P&Z about this but he had no information; Ms. Bryant would obtain copies. Ms. Wall said that because there were four buildings involved, a public hearing should be held. Mr. Bloom thought the buildings dated back to the 1790s, not 1875. Ms. Bryant commented that it would be nice to keep the old buildings, and be able to provide luxury units in them. Acting Chair Falasca said more information was needed, and a presentation should be made to the Commission. She would discuss this further with Chair Robinson. Ms. Bryant said the Norwalk Preservation Trust would send a letter. Mr. Bloom said Code Enforcement should be notified, as should Planning & Zoning; the Commissioners agreed.

LMMM/Mill Hill

Ms. Bryant said this item was discussed at length previously.

NHRI

Acting Chair Falasca said information from Mr. Schmidt was discouraging because the State would not allow what the NHRI was asking for, which was to be included in the redevelopment planning process.

** MS. BOOTH MOVED THE COMMISSION TO WRITE A LETTER TO THE NORWALK PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION, WITH A COPY TO THE MAYOR AND REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY, REQUESTING THAT THE NORWALK HISTORICAL COMMISSION BE INCLUDED IN THE CITY’S PLANNING PROCESS.
** MS. BRYANT SECONDED THE MOTION.
** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Norwalk Museum

Acting Chair Falasca said there was no meeting; this item would be put on January’s agenda.

Norwalk Museum Gift Shop

Ms. Booth said there was no meeting; this item would be put on January’s agenda.

Rogers-Ritch-Merritt House

Acting Chair Falasca said Mr. Krummel met at Mill Hill with Sam Gardner and others and advised the completion date should be set for fall of 2005. Mr. Iannaccone asked to be added to the ad hoc committee once it was created.

CAPITAL BUDGET REQUEST

Ms. Gunn said she did extensive work preparing the budget sheets which explained each of the projects in detail. The capital budget included the following projects: carriage house exterior, Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum, restoration of cemeteries, the Smith Street buildings, the preservation/conservation plan, the Mill Hill buildings and the Rogers-Ritch-Merritt House. She said that the preservation/conservation plan was already put into the operating budget but would also be added to the capital budget. Acting Chair Falasca said the Commissioners were being asked to make a statement about each of the projects yet this was their first opportunity to review the budget sheets.

Ms. Bryant said the preservation/conservation plan was extended to include Mathews Park, which would cost $45,000 and Mill Hill, which would cost $50,000 for five buildings. She said the preferred firm was purported to be the best in the country, and Norwalk would be fortunate to get them. The plan would be done in three parts … there would be a review of the documents, followed by a conditions assessment with drawings used to get quotes and finally, a full report with prioritization of projects. Mr. Iannaccone felt that more than one bid response would be required due to the large amount of money involved. The Commissioners agreed. Acting Chair Falasca suggested that perhaps students from Yale’s architectural department could do the drawings. Ms. Gunn suggested using Hoffman Associates. Ms. Bryant said the City should apply for preservation grant money and use it for the doors and windows, which were the most critical of all the repairs needed.

The Commissioners discussed whether it would be appropriate to ask for additional funds for Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in light of the fact that money was earmarked for this project already. Acting Chair Falasca said that the carriage house is a definite priority because it is a safety hazard in its present condition. Mr. Bloom said that all the buildings at Mill Hill should not be listed separately, but rather one amount shown on the request.

Regarding restoration of the cemeteries, Ms. Gunn said $10,000 was being requested. Acting Chair Falasca said some work was done last year and there is money left. She said the City was very interested when this project began. The Commissioners agreed it would not be a good idea to ask for additional money.

Ms. Gunn said that numbers are over budget on CAM charges and it was suggested that meetings be shortened to lessen the amount for secretarial coverage.

Acting Chair Falasca said money is needed for the upkeep of the Smith Street apartments to update the kitchen units; Ms. Gunn said she would research how much had been spent to date. She said the City has an interest-bearing account for rental on the apartments. She would discuss this further with Larry Patterson. Mr. Bloom said the exteriors needed painting and doors on the barn.

Mr. Bloom said that plans for development of parcel 3 on Wall Street are near completion, and money should be budgeted for the 2006-07 year.

Ms. Bryant further discussed the preservation/conservation plan. She said the firm submitted a proposal for Mathews Park and Mill Hill. She thought that $35,000 should remain as a budget request and mention that a grant or matching grant was being sought. Sam Gardner, the architect from Roger-Ritch should be asked to quote. Ms. Gunn said that the firm of Kronenberg specialized in historic preservation projects. Ms. Bryant suggesting asking for one half of the total estimate now, $47,500 and reiterate on the request that the funds are for a national landmark. She said she would contact Paul Lother and/or Leland Torrance to quote on the plan as well. Ms. Gunn said the RFP should be sent to at least 15 potential bidders. An open house could be held once responses were received. Mr. Bloom said that Alan Lo should be involved.

Ms. Wall said $25,000 should be requested for an elevator at Mill Hill. There was also a significant amount of other repair work needed there. Ms. Booth said much of the work was already done by SONIC, and the Norwalk Historical Society paid for many of the improvements.

The Commissioners agreed with comments of Mr. Krummel in his December 19, 2004 email to Ms. Gunn as well as to the proposed budget amount for Rogers-Ritch-Merritt House.

Acting Chair Falasca said the roof on the carriage house needed to be replaced soon; it no longer met code requirements. She said the projects just discussed should be ranked in order of priority, as follows:

· Carriage house exterior - $50,000: $5,000 for engineering design
$45,000 for construction

· Preservation/conservation plan - $47,500

· Smith Street buildings - $50,000

· Mill Hill buildings - $25,000

· Cemeteries restoration - $10,000

OLD BUSINESS

There was no old business to discuss.

NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business to discuss.

OTHER BUSINESS

Acting Chair Falasca felt strongly that the Museum should be closed to the public during the month of January 2005 to allow Ms. Gunn an opportunity to catch up on backlogged work without interruption(s). She said that emphasis and priority should be placed on completion of inventory since it is not progressing quickly enough. Ms. Gunn voiced equally strong opposition, saying she didn’t feel there were that many people coming in and those that do, are not interrupting her. Ms. Gunn requested that the Museum remain open. Acting Chair Falasca suggested Ms. Gunn ask her volunteers to assist her while the Museum is closed; Ms. Bryant agreed. Any appointments already scheduled would be honored, but no new ones made during January. An emergency could be reported to Chair Robinson. Ms. Booth agreed that closing for the month would free up time for Ms. Gunn to complete all backlogged work. Reluctantly, Ms. Gunn said that at minimum, the Museum should remain open for those needing to do research on the weekend or Sunday, even though she would not be present. Ms. Bryant reiterated that a complete close for the month would be more productive. Ms. Wall and Acting Chair Falasca agreed. Ms. Gunn said she spent very little time working on Museum tasks during the last two months as most of what she did was for the Commission. Ms. Bryant pointed out that the reason for closing was not an attempt to get more work out of Ms. Gunn but rather to provide time and space to coordinate “the pieces.

** MS. WALL MOVED THE NORWALK HISTORICAL COMMISSION TO CLOSE THE NORWALK MUSEUM TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2005 TO ALLOW FOR (1) COMPLETION OF THE INVENTORY PROGRAM, (2) TIME FOR CLEAN UP OF BACKLOGGED WORK AND (3) OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE A MORE ORGANIZED WORK ENVIRONMENT.
** MS. BRYANT SECONDED THE MOTION.
** MOTION PASSED WITH ONE ABSTENTION (IANNACCONE).

** MR. IANNACCONE MOVED TO ADJOURN.
** MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Carol A. Wiggins for
Telesco Secretarial Services

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