HARB
Historic Architectural Review Board
Meeting Minutes
March 19, 2008
Chairman Gary Shaffer called the Historical Architectural Review Board to order at 7:33 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, 2008. Those in attendance were: Board members Elwood Christ, Nancie Gudmestad, Peggy Gustafson, Bea Savage, Norm Forness, Rich Clark, Dick Peterson, Acting Borough Council liaison; and Merry Bush, Borough Planner. Others attending the meeting were Gary Rudisill for 141 Steinwehr Avenue; Todd Mickley for 523 Baltimore Street; Jeff Shaffer, 127-129 N. Stratton Street; Kathy Gilbert, 221 Chambersburg Street; Bob & Bonnie Wasel, 27 Steinwehr Avenue; Norris Flowers, Gettysburg Convention and Visitors Bureau and Wayne Motts, Adams County Historical Society, regarding Pennsylvania Civil War Trail signs; Ben Vardjan & Elisah Kelley, 49 York Street; Gene Golden, Gettysburg Signs; and Susan Naugle, Borough Council.
Mr. Shaffer then introduced the members and noted that the Board serves as an advisory Board to Borough Council, which makes the final decisions concerning Certificates of Appropriateness. Borough Council will meet on Monday, April 14, 2008. Applicants may pick up permits for those projects approved by Council after that date. He explained the procedures that would be followed during the meeting.
Peggy Gustafson moved to accept the February 20, 2008 and March 5, 2008 minutes as submitted. Nancie Gudmestad seconded and the motion carried, 6 to 0, with Norm Forness abstaining. There were no changes to the agenda for the meeting.
Certificates of Appropriateness
A. Sign. Haunted Gettysburg Tours. 27 Steinwehr Avenue. Bob & Bonnie Wasel, applicants.
Nancie Gudmestad asked if there would be any lighting installed with the sign. The applicant replied no. When asked if the existing signs would remain, the applicant said yes. It was noted that the applicant would have to return for any proposed lighting.
Findings of Fact: Gary Shaffer noted that the property at 27 Steinwehr Avenue is located in the Gettysburg Borough Historic District as set by ordinance and the proposed sign would be physically attached to a historic building as determined by age and therefore comes under the review of this Board.
Elwood Christ moved that the Board recommend to Borough Council approval of the application as submitted. Nancie Gudmestad seconded. Bea Savage noted the frontage of the building was 30 feet and that the sign was within the size limitations.
The motion carried, 7 to 0.
B. Sign. Rudisill Souvenirs & Gifts. 141 Steinwehr Avenue. Gary Rudisill, applicant.
Bea Savage noted that the proposed sign fits within the limits allowed by the sign ordinance.
Elwood Christ asked if the sign would be attached to the existing sign. The applicant replied yes. When asked if there would additional lighting installed, the applicant said no. Rich Clark asked how the sign would be attached. The applicant said that it would hang from a scroll bracket as noted within the application.
Findings of Fact: Gary Shaffer noted that the proposed sign is a free standing sign located within the Gettysburg Borough Historic District as determined by ordinance. The proposed sign is within the size limitation as set by the sign ordinance.
For discussion purposes, Peggy Gustafson moved to recommend that Council issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed sign. Rich Clark seconded. Ms. Gustafson said that the sign was cute and effective. However, she expressed concern about the proposed location of the sign; the sign appeared too close to the edge of the shrubbery. She asked if the applicant had considered other possibilities. She specifically mentioned increasing the height of the existing four-by-four posts and raising the Arsenal of the Alleghenies sign so that the applicant's sign could be installed below it.
Mr. Rudisill said he understood the concern about visibility but doesn't wish to disturb his landlord's sign.
The motion carried, 7 to 0.
C. Signs. Pennsylvania Civil War Trail. Norris Flowers, Convention & Visitors Bureau
Norris Flowers of the Gettysburg CVB and Wayne Motts, executive director of the Adams County Historical Society, have been asked by the Tourism Division of the Department of Community and Economic Development to work with the Borough regarding installation of the Pennsylvania Civil War Trails signs within the Borough.
Mr. Flowers reminded the Board of his November 2006 appearance before them regarding a Civil War Trail sign that was to be temporarily installed at 451 Baltimore Street. That sign has now been removed and installed permanently at the new National Park Service Visitor Center. The statewide program will install 60 signs throughout the state with ten located in the county and six of those within the Borough itself. Signs will be installed at 111 Seminary Ridge, Schmucker Hall; 451 Baltimore Street, Rupp House and Tannery; 309 Baltimore Street, Shriver House; 55 West High Street and two at Lincoln Cemetery on Long Lane. Some signs will be installed directly into the ground while the remainder will be installed into the cement sidewalks.
The signs will be professionally installed in the summer by the state. The Borough will have no responsibility for installation or maintenance.
Gary Shaffer made a motion that HARB go on record supporting the installation of the signs. Elwood Christ seconded the motion. Norris Flowers said that PennDot and all other parties will continue to work with the Borough. The motion carried, 7 to 0.
D. Sign. Gettysburg Souvenirs & Gifts. 523 Baltimore Street. Todd Mickley, applicant.
Looking at the application, Norm Forness asked if the figure of the man indicated the height of the proposed sign. The applicant replied yes. The applicant said that there would be no additional lighting.
Findings of Fact: The building located at 523 Baltimore Street is located within the Gettysburg Borough Historic District as determined by ordinance. The proposed sign will be attached to the building, which is a contributing structure to the Gettysburg Battlefield National Register Historic District. The building is a significant structure in the local historic district.
Rich Clark made a motion to recommend that Borough Council grant a Certificate of Appropriateness for this application. Elwood Christ seconded the motion.
Nancie Gudmestad asked about the material used to make the sign bracket. Gene Golden explained that the bracket was made of a square pipe. It is not the same pipe used for plumbing. The motion passed 7 to 0.
E. Sign. Walrus Café. 49 York Street, Benjamin J. Vardjan, applicant
The applicant noted that the proposed sign for the Walrus Café will replace the existing Emmaus sign and will be the same size. Bea Savage, Code Enforcement Officer, noted that the sign was within the size limitations as determined by the Sign Ordinance.
When Peggy Gustafson asked if the word "café" should be added to the sign, the applicant said that The Walrus would be more than a café. The applicant is hoping to add a thrift shop and other uses within the 1800-square-foot building.
Findings of Fact: The building at 49 York Street is located within the Gettysburg Borough Historic District as determined by ordinance. The sign will be visible from a public way and will be attached to the building; therefor the sign comes under the review of this Board.
Norm Forness moved to recommend to Borough Council that a Certificate of Appropriateness be issued for this application. Nancie Gudmestad seconded; the motion carried 7 to 0.
F. Demolition. Rear garage. 157-159 N. Stratton Street. Lamami, LLC, owner.
Jeffrey Shaffer, representative.
The applicant wishes to demolish the block garage at the rear of 157-159 N. Stratton Street to increase the amount of parking available to the tenants. Jeff Shaffer, one of the owners, said that the garage was full of trash. The existing downspout is inadequate. There is no gutter on the right side of the building. The garage doors are in poor condition and would have to be replaced. The roof is also in poor condition. The owners have not been able to get inside the garage so haven't determined the condition of the interior.
Findings of Fact: The cement block garage at the rear of 157-159 N. Stratton Street is a non-sensitive and non-contributing structure to both the Gettysburg Historic District and the Gettysburg Battlefield National Register Historic District. The building has some visibility to a public way but has limited visibility to the main street. The roof and doors are in poor condition but there has been no determination of the structural soundness of the building. The garage has a limited degree of architectural significance.
Norm Forness made a motion to recommend that the application be denied. Mr. Forness said that he had a cinderblock garage and that once the roof was repaired it became a new building. His garage also had cracks in the walls but they were easily repaired.
Continuing, Mr. Forness said that if it costs no more to repair the building than to demolish it why should we approve demolition. He noted that the cost of disposal of the materials and of making the area smooth enough for parking would cost far more than it would to replace the roof. Mr. Forness said that he walks along this street frequently and said that there is plenty of parking along the street. Peggy Gustafson said that the double house would only require two parking spaces.
The motion died for lack of a second.
Gary Shaffer said that the Historic District Ordinance allows the Board to deny demolition for any building that contributes to the Historic District or is of significant historic value. Mr. Shaffer said that the Board can't apply the ordinance to this application.
Nancie Gudmestad motioned to recommend that the application be approved as submitted. Rich Clark seconded. Norm Forness said that increased paved surfaces make the area appear less like a neighborhood. The vote was 6 to 1, with Norm Forness dissenting.
G. Alteration. Replacement windows. 221 Chambersburg Street. Kathy Gilbert, owner.
Kathy Gilbert presented a historic background of the building. The building had been owned by Mayor William Troxell's family. The rear portion of the building is a Civil War building. In the upper left hand corner of one of the rooms in the Civil War portion is what appears to be a shell. This portion of the building consists of two rooms with walls 18- to 20-inches thick. At some point the building was owned by a Lutheran Community based in Lancaster, PA. When the Kranias family owned the building it was operated as a boarding house. Ms. Gilbert said that the building has been well maintained and noted that the basement floor consists of dirt.
Nancie Gudmestad noted that the second floor windows do not match. Ms. Gilbert said that she had taken down the yellow and white stripped awnings that had been installed on the windows. She plans to have them cleaned and if they remain dirty will replace them. Ms. Gilbert also said that she had no plans to change the first floor window on the front elevation.
Peggy Gustafson said that she noticed that windows on the rear had been replaced.
Norm Forness asked if the windows would be one-over-one windows; the applicant replied that they would be. Mr. Forness noticed that one of the decorative window elements was missing-the one on the right is there but the left one is missing. The applicant said that she plans to have the decorative element reinstalled. Mr. Forness also said that the right window appears to have more glass than the left window. The window on the left has a storm window installed.
The applicant said that there is a significant amount of wood in the existing windows. The replacement windows would fit inside the window frame. Ms. Gilbert said that any repairs to the window trim would be in wood. Ms. Gilbert was told that none of the trim could be wrapped in vinyl.
Peggy Gustafson said she looked at the windows on the rear. The sashes have been replaced and all window trim was wrapped in vinyl. She pointed out that the sub-sills and sills on the remaining windows would have to remain in wood and be painted.
Findings of Fact: The property at 221 Chambersburg Street is located within the Gettysburg Borough Historic District as determined by ordinance. The building is a contributing structure to the Gettysburg Battlefield National Register Historic District and is a significant structure within the local district. The original Civil War building has been modified numerous times. The front façade has existed for at least 70 years. Some of the proposed changes have high visibility to a public street and therefor comes under the review right of this board.
Peggy Gustafson moved to recommend that Borough Council issue a Certificate of Appropriateness for the windows on the rear or north elevation, as well as the east and west elevations as presented. Elwood Christ seconded the motion noting that those windows already installed could remain in place. The motion carried, 7 to 0.
Nancie Gudmestad made a motion to recommend approval for the installation of new one-over-one sashes in the second floor windows on the front façade, repair and painting of all wood exterior trim and repair, painting and maintenance of wood window frames. Elwood Christ seconded the motion. Gary Shaffer said that energy savings will become more of an issue as the price of energy goes up. He noted that the awnings will become the most prominent feature once they are reinstalled.
The motion carried, 7 to 0.
Reports
Dick Peterson, Acting Borough Liaison
Dick Peterson said that the consent agenda was approved by Borough Council at its last meeting. Nancie Gudmestad asked about the status of the application for 119 Carlisle Street. Harry Eastman is still considering the issue.
Merry V. Bush, Borough Planner
Merry Bush announced that she will distribute a model Historic District Ordinance to the Board. In light of recent issues, The Board should consider recommending changes to the Borough's existing ordinance.
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Merry V. Bush
Borough Planner and Recorder