By Fay Abrahamsson, Courier Senior Staff
Writer:
When it comes to
regulating the design of your front porch, the Historic District Commission
(HDC) will work with homeowners to arrive at an appropriate design suitable for
the town’s small historic district. But when it comes to the location, size,
and appearance of anything remotely related to the world of utilities, the HDC,
like the rest of us, is at a loss.
Recently, the debut
of the electrical transformer box at the Guilford Free Library’s north entrance
has ignited some controversy.
Mimi Egan, who lives
a block away on Graves Avenue, feels frustrated that the design and location of
the box never came up for any discussion or vote, nor was it visible on any
plans, schematics, or model.
“Why does it have to
be in that spot?” asked Egan, who said that not only is the box bulky and
unsightly, it hums incessantly.
The box, which is
green and about the size of two large metal file cabinets, is located just past
the main parking lot entrance to the library on Broad Street.
“Many neighbors of
the library who supported the funding of its expansion and renovation would not
have supported this box,” said Egan, who simply suggested that the box have
been located behind the building with other mechanicals such as
air-conditioning compressors.
The box, which is
owned by Connecticut Light and Power, contains the electrical transformer for the
library building, said Library Director Sandra Ruoff.
“CL&P made the
final decision as to where the box was located,” noted Ruoff, who said that
according to the utility company, the box needed to be a certain distance from
the street for access purposes. “You cannot block the doors.”
Ruoff said that the
library has planted some green bushes around the box, and will be erecting an
“L” shaped wall between the box and its closest neighbors.
Michael Sulzbach,
chairman of the town’s Historic District Commission, said that although the
library is located within the town’s historic district, his commission has no
authority over the utility companies.
“We would not have
the authority to regulate this,” he said.
Contrary to Egan’s
statement, Sulzbach said the utility box was shown on the library’s design
plans early on in the process.