BY CLARE MARIE CELANO
Staff Writer
Freehold Borough FREEHOLD – The Freehold Borough Historic Preservation Advisory Commission now has seven members and two alternates to fulfill the responsibilities and duties entrusted to them by the Borough Council.
The commission members were appointed by the council on Sept. 5. The composition of the panel is based on three classes:
+ Class A, those members who represent knowledge in architecture.
+ Class B, those members who demonstrate an interest in local history.
+ Class C, residents of the borough who hold no office, position or employment except for membership to either the Planning Board or the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The following appointments were made: Ed Carroll, Class A, term to expire Dec. 31, 2007; Ken Kalmis, Class B, term to expire Dec. 31, 2007. The following residents were all appointed as Class C members: Tom Parke, term to expire Dec. 31, 2006; Mark Skesavage, term to expire Dec. 31, 2008; Dick Dalek, term to expire Dec. 31, 2006; Dave Loring, term to expire Dec. 31, 2008; and Wayne Mason, term to expire Dec. 31, 2008.
Matt Weismantel was appointed as Alternate 1, term to expire Dec. 31, 2008. Weismantel is the chairman of the Planning Board. Cheryl Wolf was appointed as Alternate 2, term to expire Dec. 31, 2008.
Councilman Marc Le Vine is designated as the liaison between the governing body and the commission.
The Historic Preservation Advisory Commission is charged with reviewing and updating the borough’s historic sites inventory, reviewing and issuing reports concerning applications to the planning and zoning boards, and reviewing building permit applications which would affect the exterior architectural appearance of any structure in a historic district or to a historic property.
Freehold Borough’s historic district comprises properties and structures in the downtown B-1 and B-2 business zones and the corridors leading to those zones. These are the structures believed to be most vulnerable to possible demolition.
Home property evaluations will fall into three categories: buildings that are genuine historic structures that have not undergone much alteration; structures that are historic in nature and have changed over time; and the construction of new buildings. The purpose of the ordinance that regulates these issues is to protect Freehold’s historic buildings from drastic remodeling and demolition.
According to Mason, the goal of the advisory commission is to “establish balance and compatibility by mixing both new and old buildings in the downtown area.”
The job of the advisory commission will be to review proposed changes to the exterior of structures in the historic district. The historic features of a building as well as the historic character of the surrounding area will be taken into consideration when a proposal to alter a building comes before the group.
According to Mason, municipal officials will provide commission members with a list of all properties that are in the historic district. He said the next step will be to “walk the district and evaluate each property, and then inform each property owner of the status of their building.”