Erin O’Neil of Old Town Road was in front of the Historic District Commission in January and February with several applications for repairs, replacements, and alterations for her historic house on Calico Hill. O’Neil is seeking to replace porch railings and corbels on the house, along with adding a walkway and a sign at the top of the stairs. She had turned in separate applications for each item, which some of the commission members said they actually preferred to having one massive application.At the hearing in January, the HDC had several problems with some of the applications. One application was to replace the railings and corbels on the front and side porches, which quickly drew the scrutiny of several members of the HDC.Corbels are the term for the brackets attached to the posts of a covered porch, which provide support for the porch roof. They are often very decorative and elaborate.Member Bill Koch asked why the corbels were being changed, rather than replicated. He said he would like to see the “historic” scrollwork remain, calling it“lovely craftsmanship.”O’Neil explained that “everything” on the porch is rotting, and needed to be replaced. She said she wanted to replace the corbels,
