(Aug. 10, 2017) Members of the Berlin Historic District Commission continued to express their frustration last Wednesday with what they said was a lack of enforcement of their rulings.
Replacement windows and other repairs at A Little Bit Sheepish and Main Street Nails, in particular, have been sore subjects and two commission members, Robert Poli and Mary Moore, have been especially outspoken on the subject.
One of the large storefront windows at A Little Bit Sheepish that faces Main Street had to be replaced after a vehicle crashed into the building. Extensive renovations also continue at the nail salon by Sonny Nguyen who bought the building that housed the former Berlin Shoe Box.
Both cases originated earlier this year and critics said the final products did not measure up to plans presented during previous Historic District Commission meetings.
Apparently, a single-pane plate glass window was replaced with a two-pane window at A Little Bit Sheepish, and commission members had several issues with the work Nguyen has been doing.
Moore used the phrase “crow bar” to describe the latter instance at least four times during the meeting.
“When Sonny came to get his nail [salon] sign approved, the next thing I knew, when I drove out the whole window was out,” Moore said. “It looked like they were tearing the stuff out of the window. I’m like, what’s going on here? All we approved was the little nail polish bottle on the sign.”
Planning Director Dave Engelhart said the commission was polled, between meetings, because of an emergency situation.
Poli agreed that did happen, but said the commission members were told the window would be identical to those on the front of the Fathom clothing store.
“It wasn’t. It was supposed to be one, solid plate-glass window and he divided it into two windows,” Poli said. “This is like the fourth or fifth month I’ve been asking about this and nothing’s being done about it. So, I need to know, where do we stand as a commission with enforcing people who don’t follow through with putting in an application when they make changes?
“If we’re going to be so lax and just let it go, I don’t see the point of even having a historic district anymore,” Poli added.
In both cases, Engelhart said, he would be the enforcement officer.
“I’m fine with [enforcing it] if you do think that’s a major issue. I didn’t think either one of them was,” he said, adding that civil infractions could be filed if commission guidelines were not followed.
Moore said the apparent lack of enforcement was not fair to applicants who did follow the rules.
“[The perception is] you can go get a crow bar and a couple of your friends and take your window out and put up a lesser quality [product] just to get the job done,” she said. “We gotta change this right now.
“There’s something terribly wrong with that picture and I don’t like being a part of it,” Moore added. “The ramification is, go ahead and do what you want to. That’s a very good example of, go ahead and get your crow bars out.”
Also during the meeting, the commission approved additional lighting for 16 Salon on 16 Broad Street, a new roof the building on 11 South Main Street that houses the Bayside Gazette and Nest, and façade improvements for the Treasure Chest on 20 North Main Street.
Replacement windows and other repairs at A Little Bit Sheepish and Main Street Nails, in particular, have been sore subjects and two commission members, Robert Poli and Mary Moore, have been especially outspoken on the subject.
One of the large storefront windows at A Little Bit Sheepish that faces Main Street had to be replaced after a vehicle crashed into the building. Extensive renovations also continue at the nail salon by Sonny Nguyen who bought the building that housed the former Berlin Shoe Box.
Both cases originated earlier this year and critics said the final products did not measure up to plans presented during previous Historic District Commission meetings.
Apparently, a single-pane plate glass window was replaced with a two-pane window at A Little Bit Sheepish, and commission members had several issues with the work Nguyen has been doing.
Moore used the phrase “crow bar” to describe the latter instance at least four times during the meeting.
“When Sonny came to get his nail [salon] sign approved, the next thing I knew, when I drove out the whole window was out,” Moore said. “It looked like they were tearing the stuff out of the window. I’m like, what’s going on here? All we approved was the little nail polish bottle on the sign.”
Planning Director Dave Engelhart said the commission was polled, between meetings, because of an emergency situation.
Poli agreed that did happen, but said the commission members were told the window would be identical to those on the front of the Fathom clothing store.
“It wasn’t. It was supposed to be one, solid plate-glass window and he divided it into two windows,” Poli said. “This is like the fourth or fifth month I’ve been asking about this and nothing’s being done about it. So, I need to know, where do we stand as a commission with enforcing people who don’t follow through with putting in an application when they make changes?
“If we’re going to be so lax and just let it go, I don’t see the point of even having a historic district anymore,” Poli added.
In both cases, Engelhart said, he would be the enforcement officer.
“I’m fine with [enforcing it] if you do think that’s a major issue. I didn’t think either one of them was,” he said, adding that civil infractions could be filed if commission guidelines were not followed.
Moore said the apparent lack of enforcement was not fair to applicants who did follow the rules.
“[The perception is] you can go get a crow bar and a couple of your friends and take your window out and put up a lesser quality [product] just to get the job done,” she said. “We gotta change this right now.
“There’s something terribly wrong with that picture and I don’t like being a part of it,” Moore added. “The ramification is, go ahead and do what you want to. That’s a very good example of, go ahead and get your crow bars out.”
Also during the meeting, the commission approved additional lighting for 16 Salon on 16 Broad Street, a new roof the building on 11 South Main Street that houses the Bayside Gazette and Nest, and façade improvements for the Treasure Chest on 20 North Main Street.