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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20201005MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT COMMISSION FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY October 5, 2020 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Due to current social meeting restrictions put in place by the Governor of Maryland because of the COVID- 19 pandemic, the Washington County Historic District Commission held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, October 5, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. virtually using Zoom software. No physical meeting took place. Commission members present were: Tom Clemens, Ann Aldrich, Vernell Doyle, Edie Wallace, Michael Lushbaugh, Greg Smith, Gary Rohrer and Ex -officio Commissioner Jeff Cline, Staff members present were: Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning: Jill Baker, Director; Jennifer Kinzer, Deputy Director; Meghan Jenkins, GIS Analyst; and Debra Eckard, Administrative Assistant. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 2:05 p.m. MINUTES Mr. Smith made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 14, 2020 meeting as presented. The motion was seconded by Ms. Wallace and unanimously approved. OLD BUSINESS Demolition Permit Process Update Ms. Baker reminded members that this is part of an on -going discussion for the last several months. Staff is working to finalize these discussions in order for Mr. Clemens, Ms. Irvin -Craig, and Mr. Young to make a presentation to the Board of County Commissioners in the near future. Ms. Jenkins briefly reviewed the outcome of the Workshop meeting held on September 14with the Historical Advisory Committee. Three priorities were discussed during that meeting: 1) Require more documentation with the application for a demolition permit; 2) Request a 90 day Feasibility of Demolition Alternatives review; and 3) Deterrents for demolition without a permit (such as fines or not allowing new construction for a specific period of time). A detailed summary for each of these topics has been prepared and the document will eventually support a joint presentation to the County Commissioners by the HAC and HDC. Discussion and Comments: Mr. Smith asked if the issue of posting the property to be demolished is included in the Summary Document. Ms. Jenkins stated that it is included. Ms. Aldrich asked if the two - page Summary could be reviewed by the members. Staff will e-mail that document to the members after the meeting. Ms. Baker stated we will have this as an item on the November agenda. Ms. Aldrich asked for the document to also be sent to the HAC for review and comment. Demolition Permit 2020-03241 --17707 Miller's Sawmill Road Ms. Baker reminded members that this request was discussed during the September 14"' meeting. The item was tabled in order to allow a site visit by members and staff. Mr. Rohrer and Mr. Lushbaugh along with Ms. Jenkins toured the site on September 17th. At that time, part of the structure had already been demolished (without a permit). Since that time, the structure has been completely demolished before the permit review process was completed and before a permit could be issued. Ms. Baker noted that the property owner did not comply with the conditions set forth by the Maryland Department of the Environment upon its approval of the demolition. Specifically, the property owner did not follow the regulations of the County for obtaining a demolition permit prior to demolition. Discussion and Comments: Mr. Smith asked if this structure was covered in the easement placed on the property by MET. Ms. Baker replied that it was covered by the easement. Mr. Rohrer visited the site and expressed his opinion that this was a clear case of demolition by neglect. He noted that the structure was badly deteriorated and could not have been saved without replacing several integral parts. However, he read a report written by a structural engineer approximately 8 years ago and believes if the structure had been repaired and stabilized at that time, it could have been saved. Mr. Rohrer noted there were a lot of components of the structure that could have been salvaged and re- used. Mr. Lushbaugh asked if any of the front porch components had been salvaged as the property owner had indicated during the visit. Mr. Rohrer confirmed that the property owner had indicated that the front porch components would be salvaged. No members or staff have knowledge if this actually occurred. Ms. Doyle expressed her opinion that the Planning Commission should be made aware of this demolition. She would also like to follow-up with the property owner to see if the components were salvaged and where they are now. Ms. Baker stated she would follow-up with the property owner and keep members updated. Motion and Vote: Ms. Aldrich made a motion to recommend denial of the demolition permit, to inform the Planning Commission of the HDC's extreme displeasure that the house was demolished during the permit review process, and to request future discussions with the Planning Commission to ensure that procedures are put in place to keep this from happening again. The motion was seconded by Ms. Wallace and unanimously approved. Second Motion and Vote: Ms. Aldrich made a motion that a letter be sent to MET informing that the easement and demolition permit process guidelines were not followed and requesting that MET contact the appropriate Commissions and Boards in Washington County prior to approving demolition permits of historic structures in the future. r\Ir A! RI ISIMIFSC Demolition Permit #2020-03729 -- 7007 Mariah Furnace Road Ms. Baker presented for review a demolition permit for a 1,389 square foot single-family house, a barn, outhouse, cabin and 4 sheds located at 7007 Mariah Furnace Road, Lot 1. She noted that she made a site visit and spoke with the owner at that time. The owner wants to demolish the buildings due to vandalism on the property and liability issues. He noted that he recently purchased the property and the previous owner continued to live on the property until he was forced to leave. The owner also noted that others have been on the property building campfires, breaking windows and stealing items left in the outbuildings. He is very concerned about liability issues. Ms. Baker explained that the structures do not look in total disrepair. The wood windows in the house are starting to rot; however, there did not appear to be any cracks in the foundation and the roof looked to be in good condition. The barn foundation and floors appear to be in good condition; however, there are holes in the barn roof. Ms. Baker noted that the property owner does wish to salvage the historic components of the barn and asked for a list of people to contact that may want to salvage and re -use these components. Discussion and Comments: Members discussed the possibility of moth -balling the structures to help protect the property from vandalism. Ms. Wallace expressed her opinion that looking at the photographs there doesn't appear to be any vandalism. Ms. Aldrich suggested that he could get a renter to live in the house which would deter vandals. Ms. Doyle suggested having the property owner attend the next meeting to discuss alternatives to demolition. Motion and Vote: Ms. Doyle made a motion to table this discussion until the November meeting and invite the property owner to attend the meeting in order to discuss alternatives. The motion was seconded by Ms. Aldrich and unanimously approved. OTHER BUSINESS C&O Canal Headquarters Update Ms. Jenkins presented a landscape rendering for the new C&O Canal Headquarters being constructed In Williamsport. Construction has begun on the new headquarters building. The proposed visitor's center has been removed from the plans for now. It was noted that the historic buildings are being stabilized but will not immediately be open to the public. Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Ms. Jenkins reported that a meeting was held of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area on September 19th. November 12`h will be the annual meeting. The Maryland Heritage Area Authority is calculating the impact that each of the actual heritage areas has on tourism. Ms. Jenkins announced that Williamsport is now part of the Main Street Maryland program, which will support revitalization of the downtown area. There were no updates on application submittals for the expansion of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area to include an Airport Museum at the Airport facility or the Saylor House. The HCWHA is awaiting additional documentation for these projects. Website Updates Ms. Jenkins noted that the County's Public Relations Department has fully updated and integrated the HDC pages onto the County's website as we previously discussed. Training Opportunities Ms. Jenkins reported that several members have contacted staff regarding training for specific areas of interest. Ms. Wallace has been registered for a course on Cultural Landscapes; Ms. Lushbaugh has been registered for a course on Historic Wood Windows; and Mr. Smith and Ms. Aldrich participated in a hands- on training for historic windows on the Saylor House. Mr. Smith enjoyed the workshop and said it was very informative and well done. He believes more hands-on workshop at the Saylor House will be coming next year, which Ms. Aldrich confirmed. Ms. Jenkins discussed three training courses available through the Maryland Association of Historic District Commissions which members could participate in as a group. These trainings will help the County maintain its Certified Local Government status. After a brief discussion, members decided to participate in Course 100, Design Review. Ms. Jenkins will schedule the training and update members. ADJOURNMENT The Chairman adjourned the meeting at 3:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jil . Baker, Director Washington County Department of Planning & Zoning