Bennington Historic Preservation Commission 
                 Meeting May 21, 2008, 2:30 pm 
Present: Meg Campbell, Laura Gresh , Jeff Goldstone, Anne Bugbee, and Scott Murphy.  
1. Minutes
The minutes from May 7, 2008 were approved without any changes.
2. DRB - The former Middle School Building at 650 Main Street was issued a Notice of Unsafe Structure by the Town's Building Inspector, Larry McLeod and was ordered for demolition. The Order For Demolition listed the various safety and health issues in the building including; collapsed ceilings (with ongoing water leakage), floors buckling, excessive mold & mildew, exterior facade deterioration, etc. The Notice of Violation requires the demolition of the building by August 1, 2008.
After much discussion, the Bennington HPC voted to go on record as opposing the structure's demolition and asked Scott to keep them informed of the ongoing situation. 
3. Update of Spectrum Design Website Project
Meg had gathered various material to submit to Jonah of Spectrum Design. She presented the commission with a rough outline of links and information to be included. Laura amended a front page design, which everyone agreed was an improvement. Anne brought additional historic pictures for review and possible inclusion. Meg wanted to send the information to Spectrum Design by the end of the week (5/23).
3. Community Meeting Updates 
The BBC sponsored Mayfest is scheduled for Saturday May 24th. The Pleasant Street Municipal Parking lot will be closed for construction starting May 27th and should be completed within two weeks. The Seward Johnson bronze sculptures have been placed throughout the Downtown and have been well received. We will have them on exhibit through the end of October.
4. Other Preservation Issues - The Historic Preservation Conference, held in Brandon, May 2, 2008, should be a reimbursable fee for HPC members. Scott will submit an application for a CLG grant to cover the costs for Jeff, Laura, and Anne as part of continuing education for Bennington HPC members.
          Next Meeting Date - June 4, 2008, 2:30 p.m.
HPC/Minutes/HM20080312