HARB

Historic Architectural Review Board
Meeting Minutes

July 15 2009

Chairman Gary Shaffer called the Historical Architectural Review Board to order at 7:33 p.m. on Wednesday, .July 15, 2009. Those in attendance were Board members Nancie Gudmestad, Peggy Gustafson, Elwood Christ, Dale Gettel, Borough Code Enforcement Official; Merry Bush, Borough Planner; and Claire Lewis, Borough Council liaison. The number of Board members present constituted a quorum.

Others in attendance were Roy Coldsmith for 300 N. Stratton Street, Stephanie Calp, Elm Street,

43 South Street; Edward G. Puhl, 220 Baltimore Street; and Paula Olinger, 155 S. Washington Street.

A proposed ADA ramp for 100-102 Chambersburg Street was added to the agenda. Nancie Gudmestad moved to accept the minutes of June 17, 2009 as submitted. Peggy Gustafson seconded and the motion carried.

Mr. Shaffer introduced the members and noted that the Board serves as an advisory group to Borough Council, which makes the final decisions concerning Certificates of Appropriateness. Borough Council will meet next on Monday, August 10, 2009.

Applications for Certificates of Appropriateness

A. Alteration. Front porch. Flooring. 43 South Street. Joseph & Katherine Dutrow, owners.

According to Elwood Christ, the prairie-style house at 43 South Street was built between 1900 and 1920. The owners propose to replace the porch decking with an alternate material, Tendura.

Peggy Gustafson asked about the color of the new decking. Stephanie Calp, representing the owner, said that it would be gray like the existing decking.

Findings of Fact: The residence located at 43 South Street is located in the Gettysburg Borough Historic District as determined by ordinance. The proposed changes, permanent in nature, are to be made to a sensitive building, one that is older than 50 years. The proposed changes would be highly visible to the public street right-of-way. The project is under the Elm Street Neighborhood umbrella.

Nancie Gudmestad moved to recommend that Borough Council grant a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) to the project as submitted. Peggy Gustafson seconded and the motion carried, 5 to 0.

B. Alteration. Front porch. 155 S. Washington Street. Paula Olinger, owner.

The house at 155 S. Washington Street was built for Catherine and James Foster in 1859. According to Elwood Christ, several Civil War battlefield stories are related to the building.

The project is a continuation of last month's application. The applicant now proposes to reinstall a porch roof on the front of the house. Last month's application concerned the porch railings, balusters and decking.

Paula Olinger, the owner, said that her contractor found porch brackets made of an alternate material that are very similar to the original brackets, but she had not seen them yet. Ms. Olinger said that to recreate the original brackets would be too expensive.

Peggy Gustafson asked if the applicant planned to install a hanging light fixture. Ms. Olinger said no, not at this time. Ms. Gustafson expressed her concern about the downspout running through the porch. The applicant said that the downspout was only to drain water off the porch roof.

Nancie Gudmestad asked if the glass over the front door would remain. Ms. Olinger said yes. She also said that she had not been able to find double doors that would fit within the existing doorway.

Findings of Fact: The building at 155 S. Washington Street is located in both the Gettysburg Borough Historic District and the Gettysburg Battlefield National Register Historic District. The house has a high degree of historical significance. A porch was not original to the building, but documentation shows that a porch was later installed. The proposed work is a replacement of that later porch.

Peggy Gustafson suggested that the applicant use a heavier gauge lattice work because active individuals may accidently damage it. She also suggested that smaller lattice work be installed on the rear porch toward High Street to give the owner more privacy.

Dale Gettel moved to recommend that a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) be issued to the application as submitted. Nancie Gudmestad asked about the design of the chosen brackets. Paula Olinger said that most of the brackets are severely damaged (rotted). Elwood Christ said that there should be some effort to save some of the brackets so they could be restored in kind at a later date. The motion died for lack of a second.

Nancie Gudmestad moved to recommend approval of a COA for the project with the condition that the brackets selected be reviewed by the Borough Planner for approval before they are ordered. Dale Gettel seconded and the motion carried, 5 to 0.

C. Alteration. Front and rear porches. 300 N. Stratton Street. Linda Zhea, owner.

The ten row houses on the eastside of the 300 block of N. Stratton Street were built in 1912 as the need for housing increased during the Evolving Tourist Community (1880-1918) according to the Historic Resource Survey Form. The dwelling units have a slight Colonial Revival look.

The owner plans to remove the hidden gutter located in the front porch roof and install a K-style gutter across the front of the porch. The plan is to remove the existing flat-seam metal porch roof and replace it with shingles.

Dale Gettel asked about the rear porch. Roy Coldsmith, representing the applicant said that the rear porch would have a standing seam roof made of 26 gauge steel.

Nancie Gudmestad asked about the vinyl railing proposed for the rear porch, would it be the same design as the existing? Mr. Coldsmith said it would be as similar as possible. The rear porch posts would be replaced with similar vinyl ones. The columns on the front porch would remain.

Peggy Gustafson said that many of the ten houses are in mint condition. She noted that one needs paint, but this one (300) needs the most architectural work. Ms. Gustafson said she had no problem with replacing the posts of the rear porch nor with the installation of a standing seam roof. Continuing, Ms. Gustafson said that removing the crown molding from the front porch would change the look of the entire row of houses. She asked if there was any other way to do this without removing the crown molding and installing the K-style gutter.

Elwood Christ asked if the contractor could find a gutter that looks like the crown molding. He also noted that the fronts of these buildings have not been changed.

Nancie Gudmestad asked if the hidden gutter could be repaired. Mr. Goldsmith said they would have to tear off more of the roof. He said that the flat-seam metal roof comes off the porch roof and continues into the hidden gutter. The hidden gutters for all the individual houses are at the same level but each have separate outlets.

Gary Shaffer said that he was comfortable recommending the changes to the rear porch but the proposed changes to the front porch should be considered separately. The owner should reconsider revamping the front porch and maintaining the hidden gutter. The crown molding could be replaced with one made of an alternate material.

Findings of Fact: The semi-detached house located at 300 N. Stratton Street is one of a continuous row of houses. The property has significant historical and architectural significance. The proposed changes would have high visibility from the street right-of-way. The property is a contributing structure to the Gettysburg Battlefield National Register Historic District. There is a high degree of architectural integrity across the entire block, though maintenance varies.

Peggy Gustafson moved to recommend to Borough Council that a Certificate of Appropriateness be issued for the rear porch as submitted; items 1-12 listed on the application. Nancie Gudmestad seconded and the motion carried, 5 to 0.

Discussion about the front porch continued. It was suggested that a Certificate of Appropriateness be recommended for replacing the porch decking, front 1x8 and rebuilding the roof to maintain the hidden gutter.

Nancie Gudmestad said that it would look funny to have a shingled porch roof when the rest are metal. It would look quite different.

Roy Goldsmith said that the owner was born in the house, which was owned by her parents. She has owned the property since 1964. The goal is to reduce maintenance costs.

Of greatest concern to the Board members was the restoration of the hidden gutter and the crown molding, maintaining the existing railing and balusters and the roof materials selected. Gary Shaffer offered to meet with the owner and contractor to discuss options for the work. The Board hopes meet before the next Council meeting to make a recommendation. Elwood Christ moved to table further review of the front porch. Nancie Gudmestad seconded and the motion carried, 5 to 0.

D. Alteration. Rear porches. Railings, decking. 220 Baltimore Street. Ed Puhl. Puhl, Eastman & Thrasher, owners.

The building at 220 Baltimore Street is known as the Gilliland House. In January 1953, the building was left by Miss Ella Gilliland for the use of aged Presbyterian women. George Shryock purchased the land in 1831 and built a two-story house. The Barr family purchased a two-story brick house at this location in 1860. A third floor was added after 1917.

Ed Puhl described the rotting wood of the back porches, noting that the porches serve as fire escapes. The existing prefab wood railings do not meet code. Water from existing downspouts is causing damage. The applicant proposes to replace the rotting structural materials with wood; install new vinyl railings and balusters, sheath the 6x6 columns with vinyl and replace the rotted wood decking with a gray man-made material. The band boards will be replaced with a synthetic material and the ceiling panels with white synthetic tongue-and-groove panels.

The existing iron stairs will be repainted. The corner brackets will remain as will the third floor posts. The ceiling interlocking panels will be a heavier gauge than what is existing. The decking on the second and third floors will be replaced with Tendura, a gray solid-edge flooring.

Elwood Christ asked if any consideration was given to redoing the down spouting. Mr. Puhl said that there really wasn't any other way to remove water from the roof. There is a cistern as the bottom of the right drain. The property does not drain well; there is a fair amount of paving, both the parking area and the alley. All the roof water collects to an existing point. The applicant will replace the brackets that hold the down spouting as needed. The applicant also proposes to clad the first floor poles to create the appearance of 4x4 columns. It was pointed out that a railing must be 42 inches tall with a maximum four-inch wide space between the balusters to be code compliant.

Findings of Fact: The building at 220 Baltimore Street is a sensitive building located in the Gettysburg Borough Historic District and a contributing one to the Gettysburg Battlefield National Register Historic District. The proposed work would be permanent in nature making it a critical project to a sensitive building. The changes would not be visible from the street but would be visible from the alley, another public right-of-way.

Nancie Gudmestad moved to recommend that a Certificate of Appropriateness be issued to the application as submitted. Elwood Christ seconded and the motion carried, 5 to 0.

Gary Shaffer recused himself due to a fiduciary relationship with the remaining applicants. Elwood Christ assumed the role of chairman.

E. Alteration. ADA compliant ramp. 62 Chambersburg Street. Ann Redd, Reddup Properties, LLC, owner.

The building at 60-62 Chambersburg Street may retain materials that were part of a two-and-one-half-story building constructed ca. 1854-1858. A full third story was added to the front of the building at a later date. The first floor once housed a cigar manufacturing facility and tobacco shop.

The applicant proposes an ADA compliant ramp to be located on S. Washington Street. Gary Shaffer, representing the owner, said that the applicant is part of the federal lawsuit. Elwood Christ asked if any alternate ADA access was considered. Gary Shaffer said that the proposed location is the alternate site. The store front has two levels requiring an interior ADA ramp, as well. Mr. Shaffer said that the owner was combining two first-floor tenant spaces to make room for the interior ramp and an handicapped accessible bathroom. The location of the traffic control box at the corner of Chambersburg and Washington does not allow for a ramp to be located at the front entrance to the storefront.

Nancie Gudmestad asked if the existing alcove will be enclosed. Mr. Shaffer said that it would not. Peggy Gustafson asked if the proposed work had been created by a professional trained in accessibility requirements. Mr. Shaffer said that he was a registered architect.

It was noted that the proposed ramp had not been reviewed by the Borough's ADA consultant, H.R. Gray.

Elwood Christ moved to table further review of the proposed ramp until it can be submitted to H.R. Gray for review. Nancie Gudmestad seconded the motion, 4 to 0, with one abstention. Mr. Shaffer did not object to waiting until the consultant had a chance review the plans.

F. Alteration. ADA compliant ramp. Epley Building. 100-102 Chambersburg Street.

Mark Egloff, JME II LLC, owner.

The applicant proposes two ADA compliant ramps to allow access to two storefronts located off Chambersburg Street. The building at 100-102 Chambersburg Street, known as the Epley or Eberhart building, was built in 1916 by George Eberhart, son of Frank Eberhart, who owned the Eagle Hotel. The Eagle Hotel was located at N. Washington and Chambersburg Streets.

The building served as a garage for the Eagle Hotel and provided gasoline from pumps located where the proposed ramps would be built. The gasoline pumps served locals, as well as those traveling the Lincoln Highway.

Gary Shaffer, while representing the owner as a favor, did not create the drawings submitted by the owner. Mr. Shaffer said that Mr. Egloff, the owner, has looked at different options. Entering the building off S. Washington Street would require extensive interior changes to doorways and to enter from the center front door would require relocation of bakery equipment. The front doors off the street are sufficiently wide at 36 inches, according to Mr. Shaffer.

Mr. Shaffer said that the applicant is part of the federal lawsuit. Gary Shaffer then said this may be a situation for a comprehensive solution. Mr. Egloff must show due diligence in providing ADA accessibility to his building.

When asked if the plans were created or reviewed by an ADA trained expert, Mr. Shaffer said no. He also said that there are no other feasible means for accessibility. It was noted that the proposed ramps would have little impact on the Historic District.

Peggy Gustafson moved to table the application until the proposed drawings could be reviewed by H.R. Gray. Nancie Gudmestad seconded the motion, which passed, 4 to 0, with one abstention. There was no objection to waiting for further review. There was a request from the Board for better drawings.

Elwood Christ reiterated that he has a fiduciary relationship with the Elm Street neighborhood but not with the property owners.

The meeting adjourned at 9:35 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Merry V. Bush
Borough Planner and Historic District Administrator