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ENFIELD HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION
MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING
NOVEMBER 23, 2005
A Regular Meeting of the Enfield Historic District Commission was held on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 in the Council Chambers, Enfield Town Hall, 820 Enfield Street, Enfield, Connecticut. Chairman Richard Tatoian called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Richard Tatoian, Chairman
Roman Polaski
Eileen Russell
Nancy Smyth
Lillian Troiano, Alternate
Sonja Dean, Alternate
HDCR – Review files, determinations of need for certificates of appropriateness:
HDCR #2005-009: Charles Young, 12193 Enfield Street, replace a missing storm door with a “full view” replacement storm door.
Mr. Alsbaugh referred the Commission to the information provided by Mr. Young. The storm door was missing when he purchased the house and he is replacing it with the same model as Sonja Dean used on her house. Since it was a replacement of a missing door and an upgrade that would reveal the original front door, Mr. Alsbaugh recommended approval.
Ms. Russell made a motion, seconded by Ms. Smyth, that HDCR#309 is a replacement upgrade which does not require a Certificate. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote.
HDCR#2005-010: William Edgar, 1450 Enfield Street, replace existing windows with vinyl replacement windows
William Edgar appeared before the Commission and stated he has a need to replace the windows in his home. The house was originally built in 1875 and it was at that time in the area of a store known as Hartley’s Store. This house was right in front of the store toward the road. It was used as a tenement house around 1900 and included four tenements. Mr. Edgar was born and brought up at this home and to his knowledge windows have never been replaced.
Chairman Tatoian asked if the proposal is to remove the existing windows and replace them with new windows. Mr. Edgar confirmed that to be the case and he stated the replacement windows would be atrium windows which would be six over six and would be the same style as exists now. One of the windows on the south side of the house is being held together with duct tape. There is also a window in front with a cracked pane.
Chairman Tatoian stated the original windows are wood frame windows. Mr. Edgar stated the proposed new windows would be vinyl atrium windows which will look as close to the original windows as he could find. Mr. Alsbaugh has provided Mr. Edgar with some data for wood windows available in Idaho but Mr. Edgar would prefer to go with the vinyl replacement windows.
Mr. Polaski asked if this is a public hearing. Mr. Alsbaugh stated because of the size of the project, he was not comfortable saying yes or no. It would be up to the Commission to determine if this request requires a public hearing and a certificate. If the Commission decides to make this a public hearing, it would require a three-quarter vote of the Commission members.
Mr. Polaski asked if Mr. Edgar has compared any of the styles of windows for replacement or is the contractor selling only these windows. Mr. Edgar stated this is the fifth contractor he has contacted. He has been to four other contractors and they were not interested in taking on this project. His daughter contacted the latest contractor who offered the present proposal.
Mr. Polaski stated the windows proposed will take out the existing sash leaving the frame of the window. The new window will be manufactured to fit the opening. This would mean there would be a second frame installed. That second frame is going to take up ten to fifteen percent of the opening. Mr. Polaski noted there are alternatives to this window that would be more appropriate for Mr. Edgar’s home.
Mr. Polaski stated Mr. Edgar could order double insulated wood sash windows which will require maintenance. They come primed and have to be painted as does Mr. Edgar’s house. These wood sash windows will fit in the existing window openings with new balances but they will not take up all the space that the proposed windows will. Mr. Polaski stated the proposed windows are pretty efficient windows but they are very modern for the openings.
Mr. Edgar stated he would prefer to go with the vinyl replacement windows. He noted the cold weather is coming and he has a need to replace the windows.
Ms. Dean stated most of the vinyl windows on the market are only deemed to have a six to ten year life span. She asked that Mr. Edgar consider that he is probably going to have to revisit this process again in a number of years. Ms. Dean stated there are a lot of alternatives to make the house more energy efficient through the winter. Home Depot sells plastic kits that can be installed on the interior to give the efficiency of a replacement window for the short term. While this is not a long-term solution, it might enable Mr. Edgar to research some other options.
Ms. Dean stated Mr. Edgar should consider the impact on the property value. She found that a lot of people looking for historical homes are starting to view vinyl replacement windows as a real minus. This could detract from the resale value of the house.
Mr. Edgar stated while the life span of vinyl replacement windows is less than ten years, at his age that is fine. Regarding the short-term plastic, Mr. Edgar stated he tried that about four years ago. With the first big wind storm, he found himself outside picking up pieces of the plastic. Ms. Dean stated she was referring to the plastic for the interior.
Mr. Edgar stated as far as detracting from the value of the home, he has had the house on the market on three previous occasions and no one is interested in purchasing it. He noted winter is here and he has to do something regarding the windows.
Ms. Troiano asked about the number of windows involved. Mr. Edgar stated there are approximately seventeen windows.
Mr. Alsbaugh stated the twelve windows on the north, south and east sides are the only ones the Commission has concerns about because these are the ones that are visible from the road.
Chairman Tatoian stated the impact of the proposed vinyl replacement windows is that Mr. Edgar would be diminishing the size of the windows. Mr. Alsbaugh stated there are some companies that have historic replacement windows that try to keep the increase of the profiles to a minimum. He has never heard of any vinyl replacement window that doesn’t diminish the size of the window to some extent.
Chairman Tatoian asked if the owners of the previous Clark home requested a replacement of windows recently. Mr. Alsbaugh confirmed they did. These were for replacement windows that were exact hand made replicas of the original windows. Those windows were done when the house was restored. Mr. Alsbaugh stated before the Clark’s bought the house, they did some repairs and restoration but he does not know what the maintenance schedule was prior to their purchasing the house. Some of the window frames and sills had considerable rot because there was low maintenance. The request was to replace them with vinyl windows. The Commission had a concern and the applicant decided to go with wood storms instead. This allowed the owners to install a much less expensive product on the outside that maintained the visuals of the windows in a fast manner. This allowed them to do repair work on the original windows at their own pace.
Ms. Dean added with the addition of vinyl replacement windows to Mr. Edgar’s home, they would be noticeable from the side. To make them six over six would mean the installation of plastic lines on the exterior. From the street level, if you look at it from an angle, you can clearly see that they are not separate panes of glass.
Mr. Polaski stated he is not in favor of the vinyl replacement windows.
Mr. Edgar stated the contractor he employed suggested these vinyl windows as the best alternative. He had wood storms on the house many years ago and they still had drafts with those windows.
Mr. Alsbaugh stated the older wood storms were not that effective but the new ones comes with weather stripping and are custom fit to the openings.
Mr. Alsbaugh stated the only way for the Commission to make a decision is to make this application a public hearing. If the Commission feels it is a repair and maintenance item, that is up to the Commission but Mr. Alsbaugh noted this is not the way the Commission has acted in the past regarding replacement windows.
Chairman Tatoian stated in his view this proposal is more than repair and maintenance. He was in favor of making this application a public hearing.
Mr. Alsbaugh recommended if the Commission decides this application requires a public hearing, they could reference in the motion the discussion prior to this action and make it part of the public hearing.
Ms. Dean made a motion, seconded by Ms. Troiano, to make HDCR#2005-010 a public hearing as HDC#312 and also incorporate what was discussed previously tonight under HDCR#2005-010 into the public hearing. The motion was approved by a 6 – 0 – 0 vote.
HDC#312: William Edgar, 1450 Enfield Street – Replace existing windows with vinyl replacement windows.
Mr. Polaski stated his concern is while the vinyl windows may be an expedient solution, they don’t really fit the house. There are alternatives which are much narrower. The vinyl windows, when installed, will result in a huge loss of light and will alter the exterior appearance. He offered to assist Mr. Edgar in exploring alternative window replacements that would result in a much better product at a comparable or lower cost. Mr. Polaski saw a need for the Commission to look at this application from the historical aspect and what the home will look like from the street.
Ms. Dean stated in her opinion this Commission has challenges facing them where they have homeowners coming to the Commission on a regular basis frustrated about finding contractors to do work in a historic district. She thinks that installing vinyl windows in this home would do irreparable damage to the house and have a detrimental effect on the houses surrounding it and the district as a whole. Ms. Dean stated there are many people being told to install vinyl windows despite the long-term consequences.
Mr. Polaski offered to contact someone who can help Mr. Edgar with his window selection. Mr. Edgar stated time is of the essence and he is very happy with the present proposal. Ms. Russell made a motion, seconded by Ms. Smyth, to approve vinyl replacement windows for William Edgar, 1450 Enfield Street, HDC#312.
Ms. Russell stated the Commission has had proposals for vinyl windows previously and the Commission has denied them. Ms. Dean stated in the past Mr. Alsbaugh has provided resources for homeowners in dealing with energy efficiency. She would be happy to help Mr. Edgar explore ways to make his home more energy efficient if the vinyl replacement windows are not approved. Mr. Polaski also offered to provide his personal assistance to Mr. Edgar.
The motion was denied by a 0 – 5 – 0 vote with Alternate Troiano voting. Commission members offered to work with Mr. Edgar to come to an agreeable solution.
MINUTES
Ms. Smyth made a motion, seconded by Ms. Russell, to approve the Minutes of October 26, 2005. The Minutes were approved by a unanimous vote.
STAFF REPORT
The Commission discussed the status of a possible change to the light poles in the Enfield Historic District. Mr. Alsbaugh stated he is prepared to go forward to get this matter to the Town Council. Mr. Alsbaugh noted that most of the poles were installed prior to the Commission making the suggestion about changing them. It will be a matter of the DOT living up to their responsibilities since they went forward without considering the concerns of the town and the Enfield Historic District. The DOT initially informed the town there was a re-signalization project coming for all of Route 5. However, the town was never informed that they were going to lose the old suspension systems and they would be replaced with new stainless steel poles. Town officials were also under the assumption that the poles installed would be black. The Mayor is aware of the concerns of the Commission and that the DOT will have to be confronted with the issues.
Ms. Dean discussed the large boxes that have replaced the small ones in the areas of the utilities on Enfield Street which are very noticeable. Mr. Alsbaugh will add this concern to his list for the DOT. Ms. Dean stated the two that she noticed are located at the intersection of Frew and Enfield Street and in front of the Enfield Montessori School.
Mr. Alsbaugh informed the Commission there is a new law regarding preservation easements and notification of land use commissions. If there is an easement placed on a property, there is a new state statute that now requires that anyone applying to do any work on a building with a preservation easement on the exterior, has to contact the holder of the easement. It may be a trust, the town or a state commission. They have to be contacted a minimum of sixty days prior to submitting an application to a land use board and proof has to be submitted that they have done so.
Ms. Dean suggested some action by this Commission regarding a noise ordinance in the Enfield Historic District. She cited recent problems in the district and felt this is an issue that should be addressed. Mr. Alsbaugh stated while this is a zoning issue, if there is a problem occurring within the Enfield Historic District, the Commission can comment and request action.
Ms. Troiano made a motion, seconded by Ms. Smyth, requesting that Mr. Alsbaugh communicate with the Enfield Town Council regarding the possibility of a more restrictive noise ordinance for the Enfield Historic District due to the close proximity of the homes. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote.
ADJOURNMENT
Ms. Troiano made a motion, seconded by Ms. Russell, to adjourn. Following a unanimous vote, the Commission adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
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Nancy Smyth, Clerk
Enfield Historic District Commission
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