The Berlin Historic District Commission recently voted 5-0 to approve new shingles, a gutter and windows for a historic home at 17 S. Main St.
A historic home at 17 S. Main St. in Berlin is pictured. Members of the historic district commission recently granted the owner to make improvements to the exterior of the home, some of which were already completed.
Charlene Sharpe / Bayside Gazette
By Charlene Sharpe, Associate Editor
The Berlin Historic District Commission approved improvements to a home on Main Street last week.
The commission last Wednesday voted 5-0 to approve new shingles, a gutter and windows for the historic home at 17 S. Main St. While homeowner Reggie Mariner already replaced the shingles, not realizing he needed commission approval, the group said they looked fine and gave him permission to improve a gutter and some windows.
“You’ve done a nice job,” commission member Mary Moore said.
Mariner approached the board last week seeking after-the-fact approval of new shingles for his house. He said he’d replaced the shingles with ones that looked exactly the same and he hadn’t realized he needed approval from the commission. In addition, he outlined plans to install windows as his budget allows as well as a gutter to protect the roof.
“The upper roof drips on the front porch and shortens the life of the shingles,” he said.
Mariner said he planned to use a six-inch half round gutter with the clip system so it would look historic. As far as windows, Mariner said he planned to replace them as he could afford, maybe in groups of three.
“I’m assuming you’ve been okay allowing a clad window?” he asked.
Nornie Bunting, chair of the commission, said the group just wanted to see a sample of the window first.
“We like to see it,” Moore agreed. “There’s such a variance.”
The commission agreed to approve the changes as long as Mariner brought in a sample of the window when he was ready to replace them. In addition, the commission last week approved a new window sign for Sheppard Realty.
At the close of the meeting, Moore asked her peers to take a look at the white trim she’d noticed on the former PNC Bank building at 1 S. Main St. She said she didn’t like the look of it but wanted to see what the rest of the commission thought.
“It’s a shame for a beautiful building to have that window,” she said. “It looks like white magic marker that’s gone around it.”
She said the commission was tasked with making sure buildings within the district suited the town.
“We’re here to make sure Main Street and anywhere in the district is really doing the very best for Berlin,” she said.
Bunting agreed that was the commission’s purpose and members agreed to take a look at the building.