SEPTEMBER 12, 2006

The meeting was opened and called to order at 7:00 p.m. Mark Greenwood was asked to sit in for David Bernier.

Ms. Mancuso presented her plans to the board. Mr. Dingman made a MOTION, seconded by Ms. Heaney, to ACCEPT THE APPLICATION AS COMPLETE. The motion CARRIED.

Ms. Mancuso will be taking over the Central Square Market and providing homemade Italian food with pizza and food to go and will be operating this business with her sister. She presented the proposed plan for a new sign:

Mr. Dingman asked when the business is scheduled to open and Ms. Mancuso responded with somewhere between October 1, 2006 and Halloween. Mr. Dingman asked if Ms. Mancuso had read the signage guidelines that are currently posted on the Historic District Commission website. Ms. Mancuso stated that her sign person had told her that he knew the rules for The Town of Bristol. Mr. Dingman explained that signage regulations had changed since the inception of the HDC and described how it works and what the HDC is trying to accomplish. He mentioned that the commission would prefer a sign that was more in keeping with the era of the square, and that it was not favorable towards plastic as a sign material. He stated that having a sign in keeping with the era of the buildings would also make other business owners who had recently been through this process feel that their investment was worthwhile. Ms. Mancuso took some time to review the guidelines and asked which materials would be most suitable. Mr. Dingman responded that wood or synthetics that, when painted, look like painted wood should work well. He also complimented the work that Mr. Bernier had previously completed on 34 Central Square. Ms. Mancuso asked the board how we felt about the design she had presented. Mr. Dingman suggested that if it evoked an old Italian deli it would look more like old Bristol. Ms. Gordon offered Abondante in Meredith as a good example of an Italian restaurant with a suitable sign style. Ms. Mancuso stated that she wants to keep "the old look" so Mr. Dingman suggested that this hearing could be continued to allow Ms. Mancuso time to work with her sign designer to provide some alternative designs. Mr. Douglas suggested using the photographs in the Bristol Historical Society as a resource for design ideas. Mr. Dingman also suggested the Library of Congress website as an additional resource. Mr. Greenwood agreed to meet with Ms. Mancuso at the Historical Society to provide access to photographs of the original Central Market building and others of the same time. Mr. Dingman also offered to provide some examples of typefaces that date between 1840 and 1910 which would work well for the proposed sign. Ms. Mancuso asked about lighting and Mr. Dingman stated that she would need to go before the Planning Board for a minor site plan review for exterior lighting. He suggested that we could hold a joint hearing to save the applicant time. Ms. Fitzgerald asked about the possibility of a temporary sign. Mr. Dingman stated that it is the intention of the HDC to have temporary sign regulations adopted in the near future.

Mr. Dingman made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Douglas to CONTINUE the HEARING FOR A CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL for 34 CENTRAL SQUARE to the next scheduled HDC meeting on October 3, 2006 or to a joint meeting between the HDC and The Planning Board if this can be arranged. The motion CARRIED.

HDC Website: The board discussed the possibility of adding some historic photographs to the website as reference materials for applicants. It was decided that the Historical Society should be involved in selecting possible material. Mr. Dingman mentioned again that he would like more resources available on the web. Mr. Douglas mentioned that in addition to asking applicants to review the web-site that we could also include a package of information with applications although we are all sensitive to not using more paper than is absolutely necessary. Mr. Dingman hopes to be able to add more resources over the quieter winter months.

MINUTES of 11JULY06: There were no changes to the minutes. Ms. Heaney made a MOTION, seconded by Ms. Gordon, to ACCEPT THE MINUTES. The motion CARRIED.

Hire of HDC Secretary: Mr. Dingman reported that the Town Administrator, Mr. Veloski, had not had time to re-advertise the position. It was decided that we should wait until the new Town Manager starts so that she can hire this position and that it could be a general position as we only require a few hours a month. As we are not currently drawing on our budget for this line item we will need to make sure that we explain this fully at our budget hearing to ensure this item remains.

New business: Mr. Dingman volunteered to research a temporary sign ordinance. He suggested that we should include the size of the sign and how long it can be displayed. He hopes to have some information for the next meeting.

Mr. Dingman will contact Mr. Paradis, Chair of The Planning Board to investigate the possibility of a joint meeting for the application at 34 Central Street. He will inform the members of the decision and when the next meeting will occur.

Election of officers: Mr. Douglas made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Greenwood, to continue with the existing slate of officers. The motion CARRIED.

Mr. Dingman suggested that we vote on our absent board members at the next scheduled meeting.

NEXT MEETING: will be held on October 3, 2006 unless the meeting is moved to allow for a joint meeting with the planning board.

With no further business, Ms. Heaney made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Douglas, to adjourn at 8:34 p.m. The motion CARRIED.