Depending on how they fare under review, rules on solar power in Wiscasset’s historic district could face a June 2017 town vote, Town Planner Ben Averill said.

The Wiscasset Historic Preservation Commission on Sept. 1 agreed 4-0 to send selectmen the proposal. Averill said the board would consider sending it on to the Ordinance Review Committee.

The commission went with wording Averill found in Topsham’s historic preservation ordinance. Topsham’s calls for putting appendages such as solar collectors and satellite dishes in spots that will minimize their visual impact on the historic building; attaching them should not damage historic materials, and should be “completely reversible,” the rules state. “Generally, the (items’) location ... on the front facade or portion of the roof facing the street is inappropriate, unless there is a technical reason that mandates that location.”

The steps to get a final proposal ready for a town vote would not be done in time for the Nov. 8 elections, Averill told the commission.

“Ultimately, we may have something that’s pretty wise, I would hope,” Vice Chairman Jib Fowles said.

Also Sept. 1, the commission reviewed sign changes planned at the municipal building and The First on Gardiner Road. The town’s code enforcement officer Stan Waltz already approved both requests for certificates of appropriateness in the historic district, but under the new arrangements the commission has set for signs, the panel will continue to review the requests, Averill said.

Chairman John Reinhardt said he wasn’t wild about having colors on a sign but that he would not take issue with the bank’s blue and yellow logo. And members said the town’s planned new electronic announcement board looked like it would be an improvement. The current lettering can be hard for Route One motorists to read, especially at night, Averill said. The sign’s size will stay the same and staff will have an easier time changing the messages, he said.

Averill and panel members discussed plans to seek postage from selectmen for the commission’s welcome letter to district property owners; and members liked a document of frequently asked historic district questions Averill showed them, from Santa Barbara, California. They voiced support for putting a set of FAQ’s on the town website at www.wiscasset.org and in a printed brochure.

The postage for the letter to owners needed selectmen’s approval because the commission has no money for it, Averill said. The letter informs owners in the Village I, Village II and Waterfront Village districts their lots are also in the historic district; lists the commission’s duties; and tells about the certificates and how to apply for them.

Members plan to invite a couple of real estate agents and possibly also contractors to the commission’s Oct. 6 meeting, to explain the district rules to them, as well. The meeting is at 5 p.m. at the municipal building.