AHDC Minutes

Alford Historic District Commission

Monday January 29, 2023, 10:30am.

By Zoom

Present:  Alice Halsted, Shirley Mueller, Tricia Bevan, Jim Hall, Julie Scott, Carol      Saginaw

I.         Call to Order:  Meeting was called to order at 10:31a.m.

II.        Approval of Minutes:  Minutes of the previous meeting were unanimously approved.

III.      250th Celebration:  $2,400 from AHDC 2023 budget will be allocated to 

purchase and hang the banners designed by Beth Schaeffer with artwork by Christine Casceras.  TJ has assisted the Celebration Committee in making decisions about placement and preferred materials of the poles.  We are exploring what if any permit will be required.          

            Square Dance:  $925 will be paid to Aldo Lavaggi as down payment for his group and a               caller for the Square Dance to secure the date.

            Mass Cultural Council has approved the use of a $2500 grant that was received to                                     support a Speaker Series.  They have given AHDC permission to use these funds to              support the Square Dance.  Because MCC’s fiscal year ends June 30th, AHDC will not                         be eligible to apply for a similar grant until the program year 2025.

IV.      ADA Access:  Jim gave an update on recent lighting discussions held with TJ and edm.    He submitted a map showing suggested locations for lighting.  The consensus is that                 lighting should be kept to a minimum - overhead lighting based on safety and/or                           ADA requirements, and low ground lighting along walking paths and steps.  His more                  detailed summary of the discussion is attached.  Jim suggested that members take note                   of exterior lighting used to highlight town buildings in other towns of similar size, and                         provide feedback to the group.  The Select Board welcomed his interest and expertise                   regarding lighting.

At the recent Select Board meeting JT presented edm’s estimated pricing for the pathways and steps.  Brushed concrete which is considered inappropriate for historic buildings vs. stamped and dyed concrete. The stamped pathways would cost $14,000 more than the brushed; stone steps would be approximately $10,000 more than plain concrete steps. It was generally agreed that the more expensive options would be better suited to the historic nature of the Alford Center buildings.  AHDC sees the improvements planned for      the Town Center as a once in a lifetime investment in the lasting beauty of the buildings and the uniqueness of the Town Center.

V.        New Business:  None

VI.       Adjournment:  Meeting adjourned at 11:53 a.m.

Lighting Summary from Jim Hall

Tricia Bevan and Jim Hall proposed some ideas for lighting the parking areas and ADA access pathways/steps for the Town Office. Tricia had collected a number of examples of public street lighting in local communities such as Chatham NY, Hillsdale NY, and Lenox MA. She also had shared some ideas for pathway lighting that would use short, low-wattage pathway and step lights that would provide a nice way of illuminating the path in a very limited and understated way. It was suggested that there could be a hybrid approach with a small number of traditional light poles that would include 7’ poles and a dark-sky compliant top luminaire, that would provide area lighting to cover the two handicapped parking spaces, one near the cemetery and the other just off the road, up the hill, in front of the church. A third pole could be placed midway between the two parking spaces along the pathway that skirts the road. A fourth could be closer to the Town Office. These traditional pole lights and low-wattage pathway lights would be specified to be a wattage and color temperature to provide adequate light but not be too bright. Jim provided a conceptual sketch and some examples of a pole/luminaire combination that might work. It was agreed that members of the AHDC would make an effort to visit local towns with similar town centers and document examples of how those towns handle lighting. There may or may not be examples we would want to emulate to some degree. Julie Scott will reach out to MassDOT regarding guidelines for exterior ADA pathway illumination, to see if they can point us to any existing standards. Jim Hall noted that the standard for egress lighting is a minimum of 1 foot-candle at the walking surface, along the exit path.

It was agreed to hold another open meeting to follow up on 2/19/2024 to review the ideas and put together some guidelines to present to the architect/engineer, after reviewing with TJ.

Note: per a conversation Jim Hall had with TJ Horrigan on 1/30/2024 (at the recycle compactor), the pole light closest to the Town Office could cover the flag pole illumination requirement that is currently handled by illuminating the front of the Town Office with a harsh/bright light. The building front illumination could possibly be reworked to provide a less harsh uplight from grade. TJ also suggested that if the new site lighting was adequate, we could eliminate the existing ugly National Grid “cobra head” street light that currently illuminates the area from a utility pole.