Weston Historical Commission Debates Administrative Approval Criteria, Plans Procedural Meeting

WESTON — January 30, 2018 — Weston Historical Commission debates administrative approval criteria and old library restoration details. At the January 30 meeting, Co-Chair Phyllis Halpern and member John Thompson led a long discussion over whether the commission's criteria for granting administrative approvals — allowing some historic property permits to bypass formal public hearings — are specific enough for building department staff to explain to applicants and neighbors. Thompson, who had attended a site visit the previous day, reported that original brass hardware, mahogany casework, marble floors, and a roughly 300-pound entry foyer fixture at the old library would all be preserved under contractor Northern Construction. The commission also hit a procurement snag on three pending historic property appraisals, each priced at $4,500, after town procurement officer Charles Young flagged that combined awards to a single appraiser within 12 months could exceed the $10,000 threshold requiring a formal request-for-quotes process. Members approved December 2017 minutes and penciled in a special procedural session for March 6 to continue refining a weighted significance-assessment matrix developed by member Alfred Aydelott.