Mountain Road Aesthetics: The Puppy, The Prayer Garden, and The Fallen Silo
The Farmington Historic District Commission convened on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, within the Town Hall Council Chambers to adjudicate the visual fate of the village. Town Planner Shannon Rutherford called the session to order, establishing a four-member board comprised of Jim Calciano, Joanne Lawson, Michelle Fallon, and J. Bambara. Liz Gemski was absent, and the seat vacated by Cliff Mix remains empty, leaving the commission to operate with a skeleton crew to defend the district’s architectural integrity.
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William Clark of 14 Mountain Road returned to the docket, seeking finalizing details for a two-car attached garage. While the structure had been previously blessed, the specific materials remained in purgatory. Clark presented specifications for Garaga Village Collection steel doors and, perhaps sensing the room’s temperature regarding metal, displayed a photograph of his puppy. It was a transparent attempt to soften the blow of introducing steel into a historic district. The puppy was cute; the commission remained unmoved. The steel doors were rejected in favor of wood or composite, proving that even a canine appeal cannot bypass preservation standards.
The commission then turned its gaze upward to the proposed vinyl-clad wood awning windows facing the street. To a preservationist, vinyl is often a four-letter word. Commissioner Ted Sanford voiced the board’s preference for aluminum cladding or wood. However, the board conceded that the square profiles resembled traditional barn sash. In a rare concession to modern manufacturing—or perhaps simply admitting that second-story dormers are hard to scrutinize from the sidewalk—the board relented. The vinyl stays, provided it wears a disguise: an exterior sill nosing to mimic the heft of history.
Down the street at 3 Mountain Road, Bob Sedell represented St. James Episcopal Parish. The church requested a temporary certificate of appropriateness to install a memorial cross and stone near the front entrance. The cross, hewn by members of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Parish in Bristol, requires a waystation while a permanent prayer garden is constructed on the property’s secluded north side. Sedell confirmed the absence of lighting. The commission unanimously approved both the temporary placement and the eventual permanent location.
John Paul Bertulia of 7 Church Street (Lot 8088) appeared to modify a landscape plan that has technically been under review for decades. The proposal involved swapping a brick walkway for bluestone to match the front porch and the removal of two leaning white pines that had been stripped by utility crews. The plan to replace the timber with native fruit trees—apples and figs—was accepted without nostalgic resistance. The commission also granted staff discretion to verify and authorize the removal of a diseased ash tree, ensuring the canopy is pruned by bureaucracy as much as by arborists.
Under the guise of informal discussion, the meeting concluded with a mix of surveillance and eulogy. Jim Calciano flagged an unpermitted door replacement at 44 Colton Street, noting the disappearance of original sidelights—a detail the building department will now investigate. Chairman J. Bambara noted that while the barn at 37 Mountain Road is being restored, the garage is slated for demolition. Finally, the town-owned Tint Barn’s stone silo—a crumbling sentinel of Farmington’s agrarian past—was deemed a structural liability. Gravity has finally won the argument. It is scheduled for imminent removal, ensuring that while the barn may be restored, its skyline will be permanently lowered.
Jack Beckett is the Senior Writer for The Farmington Mercury. He requires a dark roast, black, no sugar, and silence to function before 10 AM. If you are looking for more than just zoning disputes, our digital halls are vast. You can peruse our Editorial section for opinions that matter, or check For Sale if you are looking to buy a piece of history. We keep a close eye on Law Enforcement and the High School. For the civic-minded, we have archives on the Board of Education, Zoning, and the Wetlands Committee. If you want to join the fray, check Positions Available. You can always message us on X.com, or Twitter, or as we call it Twix.
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© 2025 The Farmington Mercury / Mercury Local This article, “Mountain Road Aesthetics: The Puppy, The Prayer Garden, and The Fallen Silo,” by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
“Mountain Road Aesthetics: The Puppy, The Prayer Garden, and The Fallen Silo” by Jack Beckett, The Farmington Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)