e e is it the same thing no I just I just want I just wanted to see what you want to see what it looks like no I want to see what our answers were so does everyone have a mic yeah you guys need to range your mic's down there I'm set okay thank you um so uh this meeting of the Westport historical commission is called the order uh present are um let's see we have uh six of us so uh Katherine you're an alternate but tonight you'll be a a voting member uh voting members are Caroline volter Katherine rert Garrett stuck Deborah choli Beverly Shook and Ward Mooney hello and welcome to Ward and Katherine this is their first meeting with the commissioner welcome so thank you happy to have you I'm happy to be here good okay first item of business uh uh the minutes uh we have uh two sets of minutes um one for the executive session which we'll consider at the end of this meeting in executive session and then the uh other set from our meeting on July 1st um so at this moment we're discussing only the minutes from July 1st anybody have any comments changes to the minutes I have one comment the very uh second bullet where we talk about approving last time last meeting's minutes um I put holding places because I had to go back and listen to the recording to figure out who did the Motions so I corrected I amended the minutes so bill um Kendall Mo moved to approve the minutes and Bev seconded that so I will replace those X's with the correct initials okay um and just to note the minutes that you gave me I fixed the names of the folks that you had questioned so use that version okay great yep any other comments I had a few comments uh so item seven uh the roll call vote should have been 40 because I recused myself and I think there should be a note there D stuck recused himself from the discussion and vote that's the porun because it was your home it was my home right he was on the other side of I was yeah um and then number 11 uh I think the word bunker should be replaced with pool structure and number 15 the URL is missing in this version you are all for the video number 11 under monitor report is that yeah under number 11 on monitors reports bunker the last word bunker should be replaced with pool structure pool structure okay and then 15 is missing a URL okay do I hear a motion I so move we accept the minutes as amended as amended second seconded by Deborah um let's do a roll call vote so the way we do a roll call vote is say your name and your vote so Ward Ward Ward Mooney I vote Yes Beverly sh yes de CH I Garett stuck I kther rer I Caroline Boulder I okay approved unanimously um Treasures report so I have a report I'm still the treasurer looking for volunteers if uh anyway we we um so this is the this is the last report from uh fiscal year 2024 and uh we actually ended with a balance of $343 in our general expense account uh we had $700 in our revenue account which is um the sum of all the applications that we considered so that would have been 14 applications um Town Farm expense account uh $350 121 was the ending balance uh whc trust funds those are funds that that roll over uh continue um whc trust fund was $1,625 Town Farm trust $ 7,2 $ 6891 wolfpit School Trust $823,000 all in favor I I okay so the first item of business um let's agenda here um first item of business is a application for historical demolition permit for 204 main road so this is a uh a barn it's outside of the historical district but it is um on the Massachusetts register of of historic buildings and so it would require a permit from us to demolish the bar so do we have uh represent okay John Paul yeah you just come here um state your name and just tell us a little bit I I have pictures of of of the barn that the John Paul sent us we pass those around you've seen them please introduce yourself just like minutes John Paul Dy John Paul Dy d r o y so we bought the property in November a seat if you like you can sit about the proper in November and um the barn unfortunately is it had been let go for a long time you know we've met some of the trip neighbors that knew the property for decades and even they have seen over the years that the barn had just hadn't been maintained when it was even in their family um so we are proposing to to raise the barn and build a traditional timber frame in its place um and my goal is to make it look like it's been there so it won't be a fully shingled um true Westport barn but we'll use board and bat siding with the front face shingled um simple corner boards um it will have over overhangs I know a lot of the barns here don't have overhangs but for heat Reasons I'm trying to get a little bit of an overhang just to to try to make the barn a little bit more comfortable so um we've given it an honest look at trying to save it and it's it's just not worth it unfortunately yeah the pictures uh look like it's about to fall over it's amazing standing as stra as it is are you able to use or save any of the of the I have had probably six or seven um people that reclaim barns come to look at it and all of them have passed given the amount of work that's involved I would love to have somebody take it for free if anybody's listening um if anybody wants any um but the the cost benefit thing is is I can't pay either pay for somebody in the machine to carefully piece by piece it um so I have tried and tried to find somebody to take any of it really um I'm going to reuse some of the flooring that's still intact but that's kind of it yeah so so Bill sorry Bill Kendall and I went went and looked at the at the barn and there's actually very little that could I mean there's so little framing it's surprising and it stands up so it's not like they're big Timbers that could be used even even the Timbers that are there were reused from some they were reused from from some fire building so which is unfortunate yeah I was just going to say does it have mold and rot rot mold yeah well mold I mean it's it's a fungus but yeah it's it's rot the roof has has had water in for God knows how long so you there's there's some very soft areas there are still some intact areas but just the the overall level of water damage is pretty significant and this is your picture of what it what you want to do is the footprint the same for the new bar you going to go right in exactly the same spot right in the same spot um the existing Barn is is 30x30 with a 15x 15 addition in the back and we're going to go on the same footprint and go 30 by 40 feet it's easier to build so net gain of 100 square feet without the addition in the back just right it'll be a rectangular as opposed to the L shape this is my first meeting oh hi where is it uh 204 main oh 204 main okay thanks I'm there all the time anybody love to come see it well I remember seeing the star when I went past it so I knew it looked familiar yeah would you consider you know um just for more authenticity to to make this the barn doors you know like either sliding or they will be um all of the doors that there there's a door on the end that's facing the road and then there's one also facing uh Benjamin trip road which is a little culdesac on the side and both will be swinging barn doors not sliding little easier to insulate yeah yeah bill and I looked at it and and I think we we both felt that it was not worth saving or even possible to save it really because it I mean it really is underbuilt yeah unfortunately yeah and the foundation that's in it's got a typ very typical Westport fitted heavy stone foundation that is the existing Foundation and our plan is to take all of the stones out and reuse them uh for a few retaining wall projects that are adjacent to the barn and then with other future projects on the property as well so all of all of the stone stays right there at two4 Main I will get to it eventually they have a way of accumulating yeah all right um so this is this is a application that doesn't require public hearing but if anybody that in the audience would like to comment it why is it on historic register well the house is on the so a lot of these structures the house is on the historic register and the house is actually um it was built when I think the original the original date was 1785 but that may have been and I spoke to Jim trip uh he thinks that that may have been when the house was originally down by the river on their on the same trip family Homestead um but then it may have been moved I think the listed date there's a date on plaque on the front it says 1815 and he thinks that may have been when it was rebuilt up here so that that frame had been moved as well yeah and so the the the the the listing is actually for the house but but it does it says bar so and we had a similar uh issue at the last meeting there was a house that was listed and there was a shed uh there was just it was just a notation on the ne listing so that that's that's why it's on historical yeah but but Bill you know Bill Bill and I didn't think it was historically significant and if Bill didn't fight for even the foundation there anything that's yeah yeah so um there no other comments I'd entertain a motion I make a motion to approve the commission I second okay let's do a roll call votes Ward I say your name and I I'm sorry Ward Mooney I Beverly Shi I de chi I Garett stuck I Catherine reer I Caroline Boulder I okay you're approved thank you very much all right thanks and uh so we will we give give a give something to the building uh inspector yeah we'll do the demolition permit for you to the building department and I can send you a copy if you want a copy be at the building department event okay I still have to do other um paperwork before I actually get pick up the demer so it'll be at the building department okay thank [Applause] you no but thank you for checking we always okay next item is uh 1985 D Main Road uh this is in the historic district so we will have a public hearing uh sorry sorry I'm reading the wrong section 1824 main road is in the historic district and this will be a public hearing hi hi I'm Richard Mard 1824 Main Road um just want to build a uh 12 by 16 I'm sorry did you say Mar m l a b r Mal is the spelling it's either misspelled or mispronounced whichever you prefer um yes so uh nine years ago we replaced a Tin Shed that was Rusty and the plastic stuff was broken and that was approved by the commission and I'd like to build a very similar uh 12x 16 shed on the property um so that will give us extra storage space and the goal is described in the application is to have it uh look the same so it'll be the same it's made by the same company uh same fittings in terms of the asphalt color for the shingles on the roof uh and all that but one difference is I'm going to turn it perpendicular to the other shed because we have a row of cedar trees on that side and we can tuck it in between the cedar trees and not have to uh cut down any trees and that you know if you look if you've driven by and you've seen the current shed it's kind of hidden behind the cedar trees so it doesn't stand out very much and the other reason for this location it avoids putting it on top of the leeching field for the septic which is lower down the hill so it's trying to balance the trees um and the septic and keep it uh less obvious by not having it out away from the trees is the shed that you provided here is this the one that you are proposing yeah the only difference is we're not going to put the the uh shutters on it the current one doesn't have shutters and so be just the windows the shutters correct so yeah from you when you look at it from the street you would see the windows facing the street and then the doors pointing towards my house so and with the windows over on top of the the door yeah trans the transom Windows there okay I'd like to open this up for public hearing um are there any um anyone in the audience who would like to comment on this proposal no okay um discussion can you review the materials um for the proposed shed and how it compares to the existing shed oh sure um and the size it's identical size so they're both 12 by 16 12 by 16 which I think is kind of the biggest you can do without a building permit because it's under ft um and so it's the same footprint but as I said earlier turned perpendicular so it'll fit between the uh the cedar trees on either side so this would be seen from the street that would be seen from the street without the uh shutters set back though yeah yeah it's set it's set back um near the wall yeah so it's there's a stone wall that runs between me and the neighbor we'd be about um about 16 ft from that wall there'd be trees on either side of it um and then uh let's see it I'm assuming I can get virtually the same uh roof shingles they the I have the receipt from the first time they were black I'm assuming the current black versions will be close in color certainly that's the intent so there'll be like two little twin sheds yes under the trees that's right the window with the windows oriented the same way exactly so from this from the street you'll see the windows of this shed the newer shed the newer shed and if you were at a different angle you'd see some windows from the other shed too so um and not planning to paint it so it'll look so we it'll gray out exactly the same way that's certainly My Hope and then the other piece is on the shape of it it's very similar to our house so it's a pretty basic house if you've seen it um and just I feel like it kind of works well and don't have to cut down trees which I'd rather not do so did you consider a metal roof at all no no no I mean partially because this is literally a match for the other one and um I just thought being compatible with the rest of the the property made sense I just think they look nice yeah so I was I was looking for compatibility and similar looks so seems reasonable my concern is with the location of the shed um so I I I drove up and down Main Road today looking at other sheds and there are a lot of properties that have sheds but I didn't find a single one where the shed was actually closer to the road than the house and uh I think this actually would have a significant impact on the on the streetscape uh in that um you know your not only your house but but the um uh the house just to the south of it um it'll it'll just be very very present in the in the streetcape and so I'm wondering you know whether there's some possibility of moving it further back could you put it next to the the other shed in the back um so I think it would be hard to fit it in given where the the cedar trees are and there's an exposed Boulder uh near them and then there's the leeching field and so that that was kind of my concern CU I did think about that it it's it's a little bit further back than the house but it's you know a few feet it's not 30 ft right um and uh certainly considered that um yeah I mean I you know you you included some nice pictures of of other sheds and and you know you can see in all those cases the The Sheds garages are set well back from the main house I mean I think this this picture 1832 Main Road neighbor to the South that that's the one where you could best imagine the shed so the shed would be right right in that clump of trees is that correct it would be uh uh there's actually there's one one trunk that would be between it and the road there are there's a tree at the corner here uhhuh that that's the one you see from the other picture then there's another big Cedar so it would be two big trees from the road I [Applause] see do you have staked out where the um p is going to yes you do yeah that's where I put those uh posts you know the uh the the snow the snow plow marker typ sticks okay so there there are two two large trees there and you're saying would be behind both of those two yes it would be uh away from the road behind those two and those are evergreen trees yes yeah they're they're Cedars they're they're always going I'm grateful for that because it'd be a lot of if they weren't there'd be a lot of raping every fall and so but it obscures the the shed too I mean we're not supposed to consider vegetation but no I mean if you look at the other shed you know that's that's a 12 by 16 shed so this isn't your house this 1924 no that's the neighbor that's the neighbor okay a lot of pictures of the neighbor just well I just I know I know you like to see that that's my house okay so his chair would be to the right of this yeah tucked in the yard do you have you know and the good news is for the trees as you can see this this shed is pretty hard to see I guess has a similar Dimensions actually of this house in some ways front of it but just it's just gonna um any other thoughts I mean it is it is farther back than than I thought when I when I looked at it yeah I think if it was right on the road I think I'd have more reservations but if it's it is set back you know the distance it's going to be set back by uh I've got a 34t 34 ft from the stone wall I believe yeah from wall on Main Road Main Road okay how far back is the house set 31 so it's not sh out the front of the house no it's a little bit behind yeah and that's the max you can push it um I might be able toque you know when they get there I could might be able to squeeze it a little bit like a foot further down the hill um that would be preferable if you if you trim up that that uh if you trim up this tree turn up yeah I could could you move it back if that made people happy I'd be happy to figure out how to scoot it another 12 to 24 in down the down the hill down the hill you know way back yeah I think that would be F the further back you can tuck it would be we'll make it work I've got I've got the loppers I need we can pull that off so yeah be good to tuck it deeper into the site cuz it's very visible site right on Main Road no I no I know that I have to pay attention those Tre those trees are there they do provide a lot but we're not supposed to consider exist and you're not taking any trees down I'm not planning on it no I would rather not um okay I mean I think if if you're if you're willing to move it back another two feet um I think sign up for it yeah that would satisfy me anybody else I think that's a good change okay um do I hear a motion I move that we accept it with the one to two foot set that or do you want to be more deliberate about it uh I I would prefer two two I'm fine with two you're fine with two okay with two foot set back from from from I second that motion okay let's uh do a roll call vote I Beverly shook iy I Garrett stuck I Catherine reer I Caroline Boulder I thank you than you so I'm going to make a note on this we need monitors for this I'll be a monitor okay so want to do that with me okay so both of us are your monitors I don't know you you want sorry you can go be here too I don't want to jump in there could be three monitors just gives me a chance to go for a walk that part of the road with so um I'll give you our phone numbers and then you can call us when it's about to be y constructed and then maybe we could do a quick site visit on those Stakes where you're going to be putting yeah and I I won't touch them for now um but I haven't even ordered the shed obviously I wanted to get permission so it's this is not going to be a is it a kit you put together yourself no I call I call reads Fair shed they come they bring it in yeah and I just don't know what their backlog is but I'll call them order it it's a it's a while to get them but we can just get a sense of where you're going to put it and then call us when the shed is going to be delivered perfect great so I'll you our numers I think I have your email it's on the application so I can email that okay great you said that you weren't going to paint it no it's going to the front door is white or even painted white but then they come that color but the rest will be natural natural and it will weather just as the other one did is my assumption so I'm not sure that's mentioned in the application um so I think we to say it's unpainted that's fine okay make I I think if if you want it does say side and color Cedar and it it is natural cedar so okay we'll just be explicit but if you want to be explicit that's perfectly fine CU I definitely don't want to paint it yeah one less thing to maintain thank you great thanks thank you okay next item preliminary reviews uh Westport Point United Methodist Church improvements to Howland Hall at the rear of the church I have four copies of this uh for the record I'm kit wise architect here at Westport and with me is Buzz brownley who's the representing the church representing the church um you say Buzz Brown they did the windows did they they never did the Windows window oh that was quite a while ago while we're not planning on making any cooler in there I hope for square dancing that we keep it nice and warm in hell and Tall because it is a wonderful tradition to just be totally sweaty on Saturday nights in August I'll reserve my comments cop this if you can share [Applause] around thank you so this is the United Methodist Church up on Main Road right where uh drift road comes in at uh right angles and what we're talking about here principally is the uh Howland Hall Annex Building behind the church itself um the first thing is that the building needs lots of Maintenance work it needs new windows it needs new shingles and um so that's part that's the first part of the project the second part of the project is to provide better access to the building the church has done a really good job over the years of making all parts of the building accessible for handicapped people but you can't get from one part of the church to howand Hall without going outside and going back in again so the challenge that I was given was to find a way to create an entrance and a system that would make the whole building accessible within the building itself and um I have done that by proposing a if I can here here here's the existing elevation of hollow with these um not very attractive awning windows and this entry in the center with this very imposing big concrete stair hanging out the front of it which apparently nobody likes using and what what we're proposing is one in repairing the side of the building putting in new windows it would be double hung windows um matching very similar windows that are in the basement of the church itself over in the back here and then putting a small addition projecting out from hollowed Hall that would include an interior stair that would replace along outside concrete stair and a small chair lift and that addition and some revisions inside the building will make it with there's presently a there's presently a stair there's a stair in this link right here and by revising that stair altering some floors for some slight ramp work we're going to be able to make the entire building accessible from the inside so you can get to the church to Howland Hall without having to go outside if you're in a wheelchair or in a walker or something like that um uh in addition we're proposing to the support facilities for how H out are at this end at the East end of the building there's a kitchen and bathrooms here and um we're hoping to develop howand Hall as a more usable community space for the whole community and also as a space the church might be able to rent out for weddings and that kind of thing so we're proposing to move the kitchen space from here to this end of the building so the kitchen will be back in here and that will free up the East elevation of Howland Hall and get rid of this really horrible elevation with all these little nasty windows and make something more attractive to look at from the grift road side and from inside and uh it will also create a space light coming in from three sides so that's basically what we're looking at doing uh it's going to be a long process of of of budgeting this and estimating the costs and trying to find sources to raise money to do it but we wanted you to see this to see if uh you felt we were going in the right direction with it I could underscore a little bit of the need for this the the hollow you can see has two levels top level is largely an open Hall with his KES bathrooms and really modest Kitchen in the East lower level is half a dozen rooms pastor's office the secretary's office and meeting rooms for smaller problem right now is a buch of us to get to Hall you have to go out the front door on the main road travel down Main Road go down drift Road and then into the accessible entrance that that that's that's that's going from here all the way down around here all way to the end of in this in this way you go seems a little cumbersome it is very cumbersome very cumbersome and dangerous there's no sidewalk in and somebody a wheelchair a walker or whatever just last night I I had you know the chicken egg problem of trying to get my stroller with my six-month-old up and down the stairs with my disabled child who is eager to walk but is unable to having to have her weight to the top of the stairs and hopefully not hold on to the stroller as I was trying to carry it down the stairs to get out how and Hall so I think that you know the need is is was clear to me last night and clear to me for a while that get the current access being via those very sort of steep concrete stairs is is insufficient it's a serious issue and we they are ugly we we often have meetings following the service either a small committee meeting in the lower the lower level in which case some disability mity large upstairs all the way around the East End of building to get building and just this new design allow you to go to the lower floor as well interior it would allow you to enter from the death Ro magnet not just for safety but also if there was some way of you know a money-making kind of thing with a a more enlarged and open Hall you could have card night there you could have all sorts of possibilities to raise some money for the church so so the way the way this new entry works here as it projects out from H Hall is that you enter from the street on a pretty level sidewalk enter here and you can come up about eight steps to get to what is essentially the first floor of the whole building there's also a lift here so that anybody in a wheelchair can come up the half level to the main level here that lift also goes down to the basement okay and provides equivalent access and presently there's a very little narrow stair right here that you go down and have to duck to get down to the basement of of the church or over to the level over here um and the the floors of the two buildings are pretty close in elevation this floor in for about 14 in apart and we can achieve that with a handicap accessible ramp going from the church down to this hallway so this is a very easy walk or roll up wheelchair to get from here into the into the H hole and by having the kitchen here the kitchen will be much more accessible for after service teas and and cof we have on or coffee um and it works equivalently at the lower level uniting both the basement rooms under wall and the basement of the church itself get that that ramp from the norx to down to the how and Hall looks looks pretty narrow is that it's it needs code by well it misses code by half an inch uh what is the width the the width is 30 between the railings is 352 in code requires 36 in um and I don't think that the architecturals the architectural access board would have much of a problem with that considering we're we're proposing to provide all this much better access for the whole building and and what about navigating those those doors at the end of that ramp is that I mean it seems a little tight as well uh no there's there's plent it all me it all meets code for for handicap accessibility there's swing doors there's swing doors yeah um well I mean I I I think what you're doing is um I think it's attractive it's it's going to improve the usefulness of the building and it's a big improvement over this yes what what what kind of money yes we don't really have any idea this this little connector thing here is going to involve revising those interior concrete stairs and the link between the two buildings that's could to take a lot of demolition the new thing is going to take a lot of construction um we don't I've got to develop the drawings a little bit further RP Volo has put their hand up and volunteer to do some budget estimating for us um so um we'll find out one of these days how much the first step goes to get the idea and we can agree on the idea which the church is very enthusiastic about because getting from the church to the all either level is such an adventure right now yeah it's this is definitely an improvement the spot where the cement stairs used to be in the new that's that's this right here so there's presently a door here we replace it with a pair of Windows matching the others um unfortunately because of petitions in the basement down here um it's not possible for the mat window under that's seem tragic to me does the church have a budget that encompasses this project uh no I'm sorry does a church have a budget financial plan just trying to get the concept on board if you will I think we have the church we know F few folks then K can approach somebody to get some estimat and and I understand there's a possibility of CPA money if it's if it's being used as a community center be exploring them all leaving there's a kitchen um underne the church currently right there is yes and so we're introducing well there are two there are two kitchens in the in the in the building now one underneath the church and one at the East End of howand Hall and we're simply proposing to move the kitchen from the East end to the West End of Howland Hall and have a new newer modern more accessible uh kitchen that'll be available on the first floor so we need to have kitchens or couldn't you are there things that we could do to renovate the kitchen under the church and then you wouldn't need all you wouldn't you eliminate that expense and all all all of those will have to be taken under consideration and it may be a phase project um but uh one of the objectives will be to improve how and Hall itself um as early as possible to make it more attractive and more usable so um we'll see yeah I guess I'm just wondering if you didn't have to deal with the kitchen if that would give you a little bit more space to handle what you need to handle for accessibility yeah I I I think we've solved the accessibility problems as as as it is unless there's an objection to the little extension we proposing on the side of the building but I actually think it it it modulates the modulates gets rid of the stairs it modulates the long the long elevation of howand Hall yeah and creates a little tie in between the architectural styles of the two buildings too so so the the roof is the same pitches as the the roof is the same pitch as the church which is which is a 12 pitch roof yeah I mean to me it's harmonious yeah okay I think it's a good solution it looks attractive congruent with we have only perview of the exterior obviously how you do the kitchen is up to you but it's really I think it's I think it will solve your problem with h those terrible stairs that are there now and yeah have the ability to get inside for the whole for the whole facility in the East Elevation solution my opion I do as well let's see any changes to the north side to the north side well the north the north side would I didn't illustrate that the north side would get rid of its crummy awning windows and have similar Windows to these point and maintain the um access maintain that maintain that it's got a concrete stair on that side too but it's really not visible just for a safety second it's needed there for erress yes okay okay it's a big Improvement any other comments we don't we don't have to vote this is just we're we're getting the idea and it seems that that uh we're probably going in the right direction with it I think so yeah so I mean is there any any are there any changes that people would like to see because we should we should probably he those now I mean not not that we're Bound by it but um anyway sounds like you're you're on the right track and good uh big Improvement for public comment or no uh no it's not a not a public hearing um I mean if someone wants to comment sure actually yeah actually there are three things now come on sure pleas three things about this that I really like so you brog do you know you have his name GRE the yeah yeah okay just want to make sure what I I really like the fact that this thing got moved over here and also that kit picked up the pitch the roof to Mir this I think he did that but what it does is it really intensifies this area here where there's a lot going on so it's very appropriate that this little guy which next to this that all this is happening here I've lived next around the corner from this thing for 25 years and I've always wanted to take this much of the roof off seriously so you could get more light and see more of that beautiful Gable I thought that was always the great flaw in the initial construction of problem Hall so there's a way that because of the program you don't need all this roof it might be interesting to see if there was a way to separate the two large spaces from each other just schedu this space and I really like that these windows now come around as opposed to the earlier ones a little like yeah the bathroom ones like the NY windows that and but this here now this now feel like a communal space so the big Windows all around it it feels like a place for Gathering and the only thing i' would like to add I don't know if it's to but there's a way to do it would be I wonder if there's room up here for something different than these that would be a little more ecclesiastic or something like maybe the one place on the point where we could have a round window or got a stained glass stain thing in there here where's the ceiling here's the problem this this is frame scissor TRS so the ceiling line actually comes up like this that's always a problem okay so there not really much room to go much higher than that just it's supposed to be a commun space maybe it doesn't need to be that's a good point yeah yeah just cuz these things are I and because these are so beautiful but I think it it's a vast Improvement anyone else from the audience have a comment okay we like what we see thank you okay next item of business 1985 D Main Road preliminary review removal of one fireplace original to the house and either the Reconstruction of or removal of a second fireplace located in the addition off to the South Side hello hello hello have a studio at 1 1907 drift road which I do take a office in the home legal tax deduction for and I'd like to introduce two new members of our community good Jean seagull and Tom trainer these are all your neighbors yeah as well as Katrina yes anyway and this was origin a project I did about 12 13 years ago for Brena bounds and Peter Kelce and they've sold it to our new neighbors and this is the model from the initial hearing and you pass it around have it love you have I love you have the ledge accurately reflected who knew there's ledge a very smart woman lawyer a long time ago tell me once save everything it's never can't say the same for the men I've known but anyway so so that's the model and I also want to put it in a little context I think you'll be able to see these these are just some old pictures from oh welcome to the oh thank you very much hey what about me cat can do when was the house built um the original building the original building origal building from 4748 uh 38 oh right hurricane the hurricane wowow that was an important year that EXP exps the he later because the ads were in all the magazines right like it was new in that per was the biggest new latest thing and then it was redone 12 15 years ago here projects yeah it's right you know most it's only visible yeah it's on the west side of the street must be it's on the west side of street you know where you know where the um Valentine Carriage House is yeah so go between the two buildings past bets and the carriage house and then you take a right and then down down there yeah right at the very end so I know um Jacobson s well yeah so this is basically the water right here you guys can pass that off so it's only visible only right away so the house just to the the north is this house that's two houses supposed to be one to the north okay yeah so it's just up up the coast just one W this is the Kelsey's house before we did anything to it this is a house that's the next one South what this one was this I think Joy at the bottom of Valentine L yeah and this is this one and then a little further down this was the movie's house and this is Betty Slade's house here behind there so those are pretty much the buildings that are on the waterfront on that side and we we've just started having a discussion about things that Tom and jeene would like to do and the first thing was as you all got all the stuffes so it's basically the fireplace yeah and the only reason about fireplace is because that connected to the chimneys which are under your um perview and so the initial chin and I'll let Tom and Je speak to them in a minute but we want to get rid of this one and we have no idea what we're going to do with this one yet but they can you can tell them what they are yeah so the original house is is this part here this was added 12 years ago so the original house has this chimney which is at the bottom of that is this heator fireplace um heaters if you're not familiar with them they're actually the Corbat made of Factory and then it's surrounded with masonry by a Mason who doesn't have to have the skills of building a fireplace so a lot of times and this one shows it it's a big box around the heator rather than a decorative more architecturally attractive uh fireplace so this is like a big box that sits out in the room takes up a lot of the space in the room and of course the house has central heating so there's no function for it anymore and it takes up as so much of the room that we'd like to to get rid of it so it's uh that's we you know the the chimney would be maintained from the second level up so that from the outside you wouldn't see any difference so our proposal is I mean this thing is humongous it's wider than my arms and it's like this high and it comes out of a wall like this it dominates the room so if that one comes down because the original building had a chimney that we Mason say it's easier to just take it down and reconstruct it um like for life and try to prop it up and wrestle with it so that would be our proposal to do with that one so we would always have um that facade and that thing with a little chimney popped up the one in I don't have a picture but you have photographs somewhere but of that Tom took of the building as it exists now have that this one yeah we have yeah so you can actually that that photo is if you were looking at the building just like this and you saw the front of the house the chimney and then this one back here so we're in disc we we don't know where we're going with it yet but we to help us along we want to get a reading from the commission is how if we wanted to get rid of the the fireplace in here is three times the size of this one it's this m there's also isn't the fireplace in that from a interior perspective is like Fe there are elevations that I sent and if you could pull up the that's a small one what would be the South elevation of the building in the original structure theep second firep we started in touched on the second fireplace we can we'll talk about that briefly so that's in a dining room um it is very well constructed it was part of the development that was done 12 years ago it's a it's a nice fireplace it belongs at hunting lodge like with a massive room it is really large and not large ugly like the other one but large you know attractive it just it also overwhelms the room you know the people that built it they really wanted a hunting lodge feel in the room it's clear and so it's it's a really overtakes the room um it's it's just out of scale for for what the space that it off offers so familiar with the am Gate House Northeastern Mass H Richardson Building made out of basically Boulders so it looks like it belongs there I mean beautifully crafted but it's it's immense and if you all see the elevation je has you can see that that wall is just completely blank because you can't put on it it's I think the room is 13 ft wide so there's probably I don't know maybe maybe it's 14 in on each side you know that's how much of the room is occupied by that you take it out and put Windows in there or yeah one in our discussions well initially before that thing got built um I had envisioned a much smaller fireplace with the usual place to put stuff on the side and maybe a mantle and then shelves to put things on but they wanted windows on either side to let a lot of lighting so so you get because I don't get any light from the uh I only get one window on the east side so it would have given us light all around so right now the the elevation that you see is just this thing with nothing in it yeah blank wall and aside from the chimney though you don't have any visibility of the space from the Republic right away do you I mean from the right of way this can you see that South face of of the house currently from the river well you could if the trees were down oh the trees you can't the trees you would you wouldn't see it face on the trees trees trees don't matter yeah trees don't matter so what what what exactly are you proposing for the second jimney um we don't know yet but we we'd probably like to get rid of that chimney and do something to bring light into the building um but we can't even think about anything until that's why I requested a prelim to kind of see how you felt about that particular chimney's original plan show a Much More Much reduced fireplace for that room that would fit that room and allow them the windows but there's also potential of it would be lovely to have you know a number of small Windows there and some furniture on that end of the room so we we're just talking through what those options look like and and that fireplace that addition was built in what year about 12 years ago the addition all this stuff all that stuff was built you notice it's all quite small in bigger building just me around it's down yeah and what's what's that uh that smaller building that's partially this was a workshop thing that was part of the original plan for the property for the project and this was or something like this was built maybe nine years ago eight or nine years ago I I don't know if if is that existing now or is that that is there I don't know if it ever got approvals um cuz I wasn't part of the we can look at the file we but I did a full set of drawing Sport and what I drew is not this and there then there's also this horrific thing here from sheds of R Us you know it's a New England Salt Box it's like this you seing that that and that wasn't part of the design that you no no it's just it was brought in and I don't know if either those buildings were went through riew yeah well we can find that out in the record not not that but that's existing conditions now yes okay yeah and oh oh and there's a building there's a that really horrible  they cut this tree one and they so there's a third shed there oh which actually went in or this so so the the little one that we're we see on the model is really a studio I mean it's got Windows all around it's all mahogany uh Woodwork in the ceiling um bbard it's it's attractive um they did a good job with that but it really is is designed be a studio with enormous light in there it's very pretty the other one is is a tool shed the one that's that is not in the model well this is all more than reasonable I mean well that existing shed though the the studio as you call it that would stay and it and it obscures that blank wall a bit anyway right or is we talk about the other blank no no it's this wall That's the wall where has has still theth of the sun we get an awful lot of lighting here especially in the fall right but I'm just saying what the public sees that shed does obscure that elevation a little little bit no it's from public view it's it's it's very easily seen okay so you can see oh yeah would you leave the chimney then for a smaller fireplace or would you we don't know if we we wanted to see if you would allow us to take the chimney down CU we don't know if we're going to build a smaller one we don't know what we want to do so we said we need a pre provided the main house CH me is rebuilt in this similar you know in the same identical place right you're going to remove the giant thing inside of it but there should the main house should still have its chimney right sure uh what's the feeling on the chimney on the addition is that t is it architecturally I remember a certain um Miss vinsky who gave me permission to take down a chimney in the house so I I don't know if the rules have changed as far as we're concerned about it but I don't think it's you know that was actually the very second that was the little skinny chimy on the side right which was the heater the heater yeah whereas the you would had a completely different response if you wanted to take down the big one that everyone sees oh right yeah cuz that's all that's but I remember Chris what what is the uh material on the on the top of the chimney is it stone or is it brick it's all it's brick they're both brick both brick brick with just a measuring pared cap on top that's the main that's big chimney that takes up the whole room we I hav't talk to I don't know if you have enough this experience of this but my goal would be to reuse the same bricks they take it down Brick by Brick to preserve the bricks and we reu that chimney to look exactly like it does today if if you decide to keep fireplace there that's the unerring the main the main house the one where he wants to take take rid of the fireplace entirely just have yeah that would be come down and then rebuil like the like and try to have Adam Jerome to it so why do we just separate these two issues um you know so so there's the chimney on the main house which you're proposing to uh take down rebuild essentially as is yeah um that's eliminate the heator and the whole stack which takes up a lot of space on and the type of brick in that to me is it you know because the house was 1938 the the size of brick um that brick I think that chimney was actually you know rebuilt 12 years ago with new the stack both chimney Stacks are new okay so I wasn't sure if they you know sometimes with the dimensions of Old Brick if you can't reuse it it's hard you can't find the same sort of skinny Old Brick style depending on what brick is I to be clear actually you look at the you can take a look at a little closer look at the Bricks now I mean they're it's attrac the Legacy photos show slightly different shape of the so that's our indic that they rebuilt it it does look like original bricks that were used when it was rebuilt I think a lot of fireplaces at the point have been rebuilt because they were struck by lightning same thing they reused one yeah the one in my house I have a picture of my house from you know picture of Neil Watson hise destroyed at least and one AC the street our house still has this [Music] and BR Mr brka says his house was struck by lightning too God they some I do sources of that lightning okay so any any objections to to um I mean we're not approving you now but I mean just trying to see if yeah any preliminary see what your Masons tell you and and but I think it's great idea to if you can rebuild in you know whatever interior structure so that there still is in a main house that to me is very I incredibly important for the main property personally I have no attachment to the giant hunting lodge so uh we would we would want to see yeah we would want to see uh you know sample of the brick and uh and and mortar uh that you're going to use to rebuild that but uh other than that it sounds like it sounds like uh what's your intention just to save the bricks yeah that Brick Show you will come off curent we'll just bring what we take down and we will at the time we come in with an application we will um be prepared as part of that to document the the main chimney photograph so um so when it's all done you can see that we've done a lot and a cap what what are you thinking are you going to cap it or the chy rest I think question again try to match the of it and we don't want water you know that's actually a good question I had not thought about that will not be solid Ty we know we're going to build the platform that's what a lot of people structure there's a number already on the point number of slate caps that are already use in terms of it's a good good thing to I mean we'll want we'll want an answer to that question come out but it's got It's got a through pan and everything and then we'll let the Mason see what how he wants to cap it or if he wants to reinforce the through pin and put wheat poles right but big better just a top of yeah and we would not be in favor of a big shiny stainless steel cap yeah no it it would be masonry or or a c would figure out something okay that's the main one now let's move on to the other one hunting lunch how do how do people feel about that you you Caroline oops the question what's your perspective on either taking down the chimney or modifying the back the second addition large CH well I'm very partial to fireplaces so I would say if you have a chimney you know if it's out of scale for the U the room but put a have a fireplace in your living or dining room I think sounds Charming I mean I really well well this chimney is oversized though that's the issue you don't need it quite that big and the chimney and the chimney so they're both oversized so if you proposed to make that chimney more in proportion to the mainhouse chimney is that something you would consider doing so it be a smaller chimney it's not so much that it's it's not the chimney so much it's the I mean the CH if if we decide that what we want is a much smaller fireplace or something like you know like a ront casting thing on you know something like freestanding that's much smaller but then obviously the chimney that we're going to put up is going to be smaller than the one that's there why why can't you keep the chimney and just whatever you do with the fireplace what is it the whole fireplace has to come down it's massive it's enormous look at the difference in the size the scale that to that it's also a lot of work to you would have to support that while the fireplace is taken out from under it which is very risky for the we don't know if we even want a fireplace and because it's not something that's in the house for 15 years we wanted to get a reading it if it went away would it be the end of the world for this little house well you you said something earlier about maybe if you took the fireplace out maybe putting in Windows is that um did I understand that correctly that was oh we want to get light in there so so basically we'd be trading a fireplace or you'd be trading a fireplace for Windows yeah well and so to be clear that also that fireplace doesn't appear on the outside the chimy I me doesn't appear on the outside until it comes out of the roof right yeah this is where this is the elevation the elevation would gain Windows where they are not there today right and it would lose yeah just lose it's just a blank wall now so this would have some fenestration that you design oh yeah I mean guarantee would be and no and maybe no chimney or maybe a smaller chimney yeah we don't know but we just wanted to see if we had no chimney if that would be okay because we have several programs that we're trying to run that an issue to just completely remove a chimney off of an addition that was put in 12 years ago yeah I I don't um I don't feel particularly committed to that chimney I mean I I think the the blank wall to me is is um not a very attractive feature so I mean if you took out the chimney and put some windows in there I think it would actually improve the house um and this chimney was put in as part of an addition 12 years ago so it's not really do the original house anyway I I mean personally I think it's fine to take the chimney out unless there's some prohibition yeah no there's no there's no but I personally want to take Caroline's point you know but that's your decision about what you want to do inside the house not our call put one in your living room yeah and the and the chimneys you know chimneys do add a lot of character to a house but I mean this is they already have one yeah there there's one on the main house this one is shorter than the other one I mean it doesn't it's not really harmonious with I mean my house time the power goes out for 7 days I'm in the basement with the wood St if you did do you did do a wood stove though if you did do a wood stove I think we'd probably not want to see those pipes no we still do we still do we want to do a chimney and cover it with you know cover wood we still make a transition and it's just a sleeve inside the chimney yeah but a much smaller chimney yeah maybe a third small there closer to what you have on the main house but I mean the thing is um we'll take photographs of it when we come back just so you can see okay I it's fabulous for what it is but could use some more rocking the site we have plans for that big boulders yeah it's a nice piece there a cutstone okay so so the windows you're thinking about putting on that fac I know there's going to be glazing of some sort in there and they'd be compatible with the existing 6 over one or individual little sixes or yeah all different size windows up here so depending what happens on the inside there may be four light Square awnings MH um they may be if we're down low they may be double hungs like the main house we get down that low but we'll find something that is to whatever we want and there's already a small window on the one this Hallmarks there everywh so all my build must have yeah so you have a lot to work with yeah okay do we [Music] vote v y be accepted but you should you know when you're ready file an application and you know we'll take it up thank you yeah I just want to because we really could couldn't go anywhere without um saying what you all have to say so thank you I just appreciate the liness and you for you to come forward and do a preliminary review before you really get started an Nest right it's just it's much easier to um be aligned early on than you know start investing all sorts of design ideas and then running it by the committee and we're in a situation where you know it's not going to fly and you're you're in good hands with frog he's been before the commission um Team brailon times and have yet to see a bad design so um a bad boy but never a badad boy being recorded just so you know okay the thank youc well done thank you yeah do you have a dog we do have a dog oh well then I'll see it's a brown lab dooodle I I walk by the place almost twice a day so okay next item on the agenda General business monitors reports thank you than you thank you I have just one Mon's report on the church they did their window I got a call and they recorded it and I walked by and it it is beautiful they did a great job so the window is in that they got I'll take a photograph of it and put it into the file okay great any other monitors reports you have any I do not I don't even know what I'm monitoring okay we can do the list and go do another walk around yeah we can do another I don't think there's a lot of there's not a lot of activity so I have I have um one report on 2038 main roads um that's the the one on stilt is it one in stilts or or is it the the other one R40 right those so it's not the one on it's one in front I think I think it's the one in front anyway they they um uh kidwise uh sent a message to Bill Andy um asking if they could replace a a double wide window on the second floor south facing with a triple wide and we looked at it and um gave our approval as monitors okay okay do you want do a note to me on that and I'll stick it in the file on okay yeah that approved I'll send I'll I'll forward the email okay great good was that's in the addition like the L that's in the um or on the main so the 2038 has main main house and then has this what the coming out and all the 240 is elevated at the moment scale's wrong but it's this this face the South face no the second floor second floor yeah South South face on the second floor it looks like the foundation is dry okay um down a lot of rocks down B okay uh other business um so one thing that that that I that I just wanted to bring up um is uh we've had a couple of cases recently where an application has been withdrawn and I think we need to have a a more specific procedure for that because you know that when somebody's so yeah actually so I I sent an email when we were trying to schedule this meeting I sent an email saying that we had 60 days from the time an application is submitted to hear it well that's actually wrong so that's what state law says but Westport the Westport bylaw say we only have 45 days um which is pretty tight because we once a month we only meet yeah and some some once a month sometimes 5 weeks or 35 days between meetings Y and so somebody could submit a proposal 10 days before meeting we need to give notice 14 days in advance so we wouldn't be able to consider it at the first meeting and the second meeting would be 45 days out from so or if they submitted 12 days in advance we'd actually have to have a special meeting so that may be something that we need to go to town um town meeting to try to change at some point um so are the applications being with because of that situation no no no no but but but the the the point I wanted to make is is that um when so so when somebody withdraws an application we need to have uh you know written confirmation from them that yes I'm withdrawing it the clock has stopped because otherwise potentially they could come back and say well and you know like if we just did on a on a verbal you know if somebody called up and said hey I want to withdraw my application they could uh conceivably say later oh I didn't withdraw it and we wouldn't have feel they going be hear in your time yeah that they had withdrawn the application so we have to have a process whereby the withdrawal is official or noted in this case what did they it doesn't matter the particular case I mean I but I'm I I just want to make sure going forward that that we don't do verbal approvals of withdrawal we have a written record of a of a withdrawal and so what about that the scheduled meeting we discuss any applications that have been withdrawn because they need is this appropriateness or non applicability any any application yeah you're making a lot of work well it's not it's not a lot of work no I mean it's it's just we think saying we just have to have something writing and I think it's something that like Deborah and I have to if they they paid $50 they would get that $50 back right did they with true I don't know if they get refund no because I mean in a lot of cases we've already spent that $50 so we we spent it on on the paper on the advertisement and so uh I mean this is another thing that that I think we could consider is is that if a um I mean sometimes people don't show up for a meeting and uh you know even that like they show up and say oh we we'll consider it at the next meeting well technically we can't they would need a continuance they would need to formally notify us that that they are extending the clock sounds like we have to go to the town to request for change we we can we can change give so yeah that's just one piece of it though the other piece is if someone puts an application forward they're committing to actually come to the hearing that we schedule for them and if they choose not to do that that's got to be documented yes an email and if it's not documented we have to consider whether they're here or not whether they hear or not so so in other words yeah if we put somebody on the meeting uh schedule and they don't show up uh and they haven't given us notice um they haven't released basically you know given us a release from that window then we have to consider the issue without them here without them here we have to vote on it we have to make a decision yep and that's a that's a rule I'm not sure we've always been completely tight about that but I you know just something to think about going forward well no one's ever used no one's ever used the delay of a hearing to try to get us to issue a certificate right which that doesn't say yes they they may yet you know particular people that trying to you know OBC but when we vote on that we could also vote to say we consider this at the next meeting can we not no because they they are entitled by law to a decision within 45 days so and so we have to recently with the solar panels I the name the number of the house we had a site visit on there was a continuation yeah so there was there was a continuation there's a process and they sign a form at the they sign the form to continue it we can't just continue it without we can't continue it on their behalf they would have to be here that's right so if they don't show up we have to make a decision Contin we have to make a decision if they don't show up yeah so okay well that's just a good reminder yeah okay yeah I mean the clock is uh uh I mean as as de as Deborah and I know the the clock is is uh is complicated Caroline that discussion yes let me go to that one next good discussion um so I don't know if everybody is aware of this building that collapsed it's behind the harbor Master's office oh leg at the point yeah wow belongs to Eve leech apparently oh um when did this happen this happened a couple weeks ago oh boy Betty Slade was just telling me about that she was afraid this might happen and yeah no I sent her the picture yeah there's another structure you know the next section over that also has a roted here that could be you know aim yeah um so I talked to Ralph Souza about this he the he's the building inspector and he he tried to um's he's been trying to get in touch with the owner to no avail um if this building is demolished uh it would need a certificate from us um I I can't say that there's any I mean I can't doesn't seem to me there's any real historical significance to to this building um in in so this is from Brenda um Ralph Seuss is trying to get in touch with e Lynch no luck so far many people have tried to get in touch with her I sent red a copy of the landing history file a year ago I hope he still has it and um yeah so that's that okay so you think there's a history of this building some well I if she sent a file there must be le certainly the leech the primary leech You Le Marina building but this one is like the shed behind the P potty right so you behind the war house behind yeah so it's I mean it was originally George Lees right yeah does anyone know what that building was used for she's his widow apparently this whoever woman is Longo know much about this building yeah absolutely she she was very upset when it fell in and she's worried about the other buildings and um has the har Master talk about fridging on their Waterway now on you on terms of their do I I haven't I haven't talked to Chris but apparently the the uh apparently he's upset yeah but uh the town is is kind of in a tough spot because they can't can't get in touch with the owner um I suppose they could condemn it and uh take it down themselves but safety issue then they have the right to take action to condemn it yeah I mean there's there would be a process have to pay for that there' be a lean against the taxes which probably right yeah I think there's a I think there's a lean anyway taxes repossess it on that b tax yeah that's that's a good possibility people yeah Ral got in touch with Sean and Sean yeah Sean couldn't even get in touch with so anyway I just wanted wanted to let you know what's going on and uh there there is uh provision for an emergency approval of a demolition permit it is a shame that those buildings have been let go for so long as they are incredibly critical to like the historic nature of the point and have them maybe not that building per se but the collection of building yeah and I'm raised and who knows what I'm going to do some research into into demolition by neglect which is basically what what's happening here and um I think I think there are some things that we could do okay um but uh just want to let you know there there there may may have to be an emergency meeting for demolition permit and um that would be scheduled on short notice it doesn't require notice public notice uh and I would try to do it by there's a memorial George leech on the point and somebody keeps putting reads on it who's responsible for doing that good question good question I think God doesn't send them so I don't know well understand it isn't isn't she disr from his children right I think the daughter is like the children are are present uh but the owner of the property is not we have everyone scheduled for the August 14th if we need to use that date we could possibly put it into that agenda I I mean I even thought about you know doing something tonight but it's not clear like I think somebody has to ask for a demotion from me before we can actually yeah we can't just come on our own yeah okay so is there anything I can do to I I I think I think at this point we're we're we're just uh waiting I mean we're waiting for uh I think it's in Ralph's is it Ralph's Ralph's next turn okay all right so we could do by Zoom if we get okay yeah okay um last thing I had under General business was just to announce Betty asked me Betty slate asked me to announce uh the dedication of the new Mariners lost at sea monument at Westport point turnaround on September 8th Sunday at 3 p.m. and I think she said that ceremony would take about half an hour I'm sorry but you know I wouldn't say this in front of Betty well you're saying it on cameraing it on camera yeah but hopefully she won't stand longer to hear this but it it's just so disproportionate to the size of the plot there and there's so much room left for other people to die they can ship their name in but how did that get approved it's like this huge block of it's a headstone it's so huge it's it just it just doesn't work there I'm sorry it doesn't so it sounds like you want your name how long has it been there yeah month okay so should we close the official hearing and do the other piece we were going to do yes okay so um uh we are going to enter executive session to discuss the minutes of July 9th 2024 um I don't know if I don't think we need to record the do you record the executive session no no so we can close the official usually says they'll come out of EX session just to adj yeah we're gonna we're going to adjourn directly from the executive session which um so so I think I think we're done with the recording done with the uh public part of the meeting you got a vote to go into executive yes thank you thank you I make a motion for us to go into executive session a secondy i Everly shook I de chi I gared stuck I cther reer I Caroline b i okay we are now in executive session e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e