Town Of Rochester Historic Preservation Commission Meeting
Monday, August 16th, 2021; 2:30 PM – 4:30PM; Held at the Howard Lipton Community Center in Accord, NY

Attending: Wilton Duckworth (Chair), Joan Ewing, Alice Cross, Gloria Mirsky, Joanne Mariner, Natalie Schults

Absent: Deborah Medenbach, Ryan Fitzgerald, Suzanne Miedema, Jens Verhaugh, Shirley Avery

Proposed Agenda:
1. Call the Meeting to Order
2. Approve the last two months’ minutes; Natalie sent in a separate email.
3. Review, revise, and approve agenda.
4. Historic Preservation:
-Letters to Homeowners – Joanne
-Samsonville Road House; former bungalow colony.
-Hornbeck-Myers Farm
-Van Wagenen house on Lucas Tpke, SE corner of Lucas and Kyserike
-Alligerville Schoolhouse update
-Communication with existing owners when house comes on the market and
communication with buyers when the house sells
-Gazlay house, possible tax credits for owners of historic barns
-Any additional thoughts about HPC letters of support for grant applications

5. Canal Walk–October 16
-Accordian Parade
-Folk singers
-Story Tellers
-Canal walk with Bill Merchant
6. Joanne’s social media account update
7. Adjourn the meeting

The meeting was called to order with a motion by Wilton Duckworth at 2:47 PM. Motion Carried.

Minutes:
1. June and July 2021 Minutes – Incorrect attendance, Joanne and Suzanne were incorrectly listed as present. Alice moves to approve the minutes as amended, Gloria seconds.
2. Approving the Agenda – Alice wants to talk about the Granary project. Joan wants to add Heritage Day. Wilton wants to add Zoom for the live meetings.
3. Letters to Homeowners – Deb’s version should be sent out for everyone, Joanne’s version should be sent out if the owner is seeking more in-depth information. Alice suggests capitalizing the names of positions & the town seal. Joanne suggests a letterhead for the commission, as the receiver will understand that these are official letters. We should also use the Town’s mailing address and envelopes. WIlton suggests a HPC ‘Welcome Wagon.’
4. Hornbeck-Meyers Farm – Scenic Hudson bought the rights and Mike Baden said that no massive development is happening, as the land is protected.
5. Van Wagenen House – A Tibetan Buddhist house now. The realtor wanted any material we had – Joanne will scan the documents and send them to Deb.
6. Alligerville Schoolhouse –
a. There’s already an architect and they’re paying attention to the hardness of the mortar and the tuck pointing; They’re trying to match the color as well.
b. They’re going to cover up a lot of the front again so we are looking to document it while we can. Everyone is requested to take photos if able; Say you’re with the HPC and Mike Baden granted permission.
7. Gazlay House – Wilton has talked with Kabir about painting it in a way that doesn’t degrade the brick. Mineral paint that is made for historic preservation will block out the color of the mortar and allow it to breathe while matching the color of the brick again. Kabir seemed receptive to this information and the information was sent regarding the paint company. They know what they’re doing regarding paint & moisture because they’re a southern mineral paint company – Beeck.
8. Granary Project – The Mill was from 1910 and is currently in amazing condition.
a. Alice has been in touch with Henry & SIvan. They’re in the second step of the grant application. The Mill was the most important building during the Railroad Era and Alice is providing significant background information for the grant.
b. Wilton asked about plans for the Anderson House – no word, it isn’t listed.
9. Canal Walk – October 16th.
a. An ethnomusicologist and folk singer is to work with Sarah Underhill.
b. HPC wants to meet with Bill Merchant on the canal when he comes back from vacation.
c. The owner of Woodstock Chimes is interested in donating some children’s music and getting school kids that are studying music involved (which will bring relatives).
d. Ryan is currently looking into getting a mule – maybe contact the owners of the mule at the Ulster County Fair?
e. Gloria suggested to involve Charles in Ellenville, the man who wrote a book on the canal.
10. Joanne’s Social Media Account Update – The instagram account is thriving with 570 followers. A number of historic homes in the area have their own accounts (ie the Granary, the Accord Market, the Starlite Motel).The Friends account needs to be restarted. Alice wants an instagram account for the museum, as it’s a great way to advertise events.
11. Heritage Day – October 2nd, huge community event. People will do shifts that day and use that event to promote the Canal Walk.

Motion to adjourn was made by Joan Ewing and seconded by Joanne Mariner. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 4:12PM.