The Wiscasset Historic Preservation Commission approved two certificates of appropriateness June 7, one pending approval by the code enforcment officer.

The first request, approved 4-0, was for the home of Steve Barnatt at 20 Fort Hill St. He outlined his plan to remove aging clapboards and replace them with hardy plank, a composite product finished in a deep red, and to replace the trim with another composite product, Azek. He said nothing original remained on the house, which he estimated was built around 1796. It is a federal-style home with later construction that throws off the symmetry on one side. He plans to replace  windowsills and fix window panes, but leave them six over six, and replace storm windows with clear panes to be removed in the spring.  

Deborah Morgan, owner of the property at 210 Main St. at the Summer Street corner, asked to install a basic picket fence. The commission agreed 4-0 to a modified fence with tapered post caps, but based on information from a neighbor’s friend, Steve Christiansen, the panel made it conditional on getting approval from the code enforcement officer, since the fence would be close to the road.

CEO Stan Waltz had already seen the property and had no issue with the fence setback proposed, according to Morgan. Christiansen, who works for Wiscasset Public Works, warned her that with the fence so near Summer Street, a plow would take it out in the first heavy snow.  The fence is proposed to be white pine, and tall enough, around four feet high,  to keep Morgan’s Jack Russell terrier in. Final approval will be given after Waltz reviews the setback with winter plowing in mind.

It was Leslie Roberts’ first meeting as a member.

The board also discussed the MDOT downtown project’s switch to a different lighting feature due to new dark sky requirements while the lawsuit was underway. Roberts asked if the commission  should get involved. Chair John Reinhardt said he would speak to Town Manager Marian Anderson. Christiansen said if similar ones to the those in Bath are installed, they would likely cost more, and the town would have to absorb the extra cost, which, he said, would not be acceptable the town.

At the latest PAC meeting, Seaver Leslie offered to look for dark sky-compatible light fixtures that more closely resemble the ones the town voted on. He will report back at the next PAC meeting June 18. MDOT Project Manager Ernie Martin said the taller fixtures were necessary with the dark sky technology because the illumination would have to cover the entire roadway without directing light upward.