#MIDDLEBURY
By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE
The Middlebury Land Preservation and Open Space Acquisition Committee (LPOS) at its Aug. 3 meeting updated members on Fenn Farm projects, revealed the farm sign’s design (Brookdale Farm is its original name), and voted to pursue forming a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization to raise funds for the farm.
The cow barn reroofing project is complete, Chairman Raymond Pietrorazio said, but work is still being done on the corn crib, chicken coop and shed roofs. He said some minor issues were identified along the way, which is to be expected for such an old building, and added that he and Public Works Director Dan Norton had been on the site every day.
He told member Richard Spierto one of the errors spotted was that white aluminum flashing arrived instead of the brown specified in the contract. He said ¾-inch tongue and groove plywood was both nailed and screwed on top of the exposed old wood substrate. “I was quite surprised how much of the waviness (of the cow barn roof) was taken out, especially on the north side,” he said,
As for painting the farm house, Pietrorazio said he was looking at the use of HardiePlank® lap siding as an alternative to sanding the building or residing it with vinyl. Repainting had been discussed as far back as May 2013, but no decision had been made due to the high cost of removing linseed oil from the clapboards. Alternatives such as vinyl or Rhino-Shield had been considered but not pursued due to protests about historical accuracy. Pietrorazio said he had received literature from the manufacturer claiming the wood-grained cement siding was often used to preserve historic town halls.
In the matter of a license agreement between the town and the Middlebury Cemetery Association (MCA) for an easement over Fenn Farm land, Pietrorazio said town attorney Dana D’Angelo had met with William Dwyer, who represented the MCA, and was hopeful they were closer to working out an agreement.
A 30-by-60-inch “Brookdale Farm” sign will be installed on twin posts at the corner of Artillery Road and Charcoal Avenue as soon as Public Works and the Police Department give their OK, Pietrorazio said. Brookdale Farm is the original name of the property commonly referred to as “Fenn Farm” because of its ownership by Robert Fenn and his father.
The main sign will recognize the efforts by the Middlebury Land Trust and the Town of Middlebury with the phrase “Partners in Preservation.” A smaller sign hanging below the main sign will tell residents about the annual farm tour, which will be Saturday, Oct. 1, this year.
Pietrorazio said he waited on clarification on whether LPOS was a committee or a commission so IRS paperwork for formation of a 501(c)(3) non-profit would be filled in accurately. The Board of Selectmen voted on June 20 to designate it a committee. LPOS members voted unanimously to authorize him to proceed with the application process. At earlier meetings, he had brought up the need to form a nonprofit to raise funds for replenishing the farm maintenance account, a need he said also was recognized by First Selectman Edward B. St. John.
The next regular LPOS meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016, at 6 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center.
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