KENT—The Architectural Review Board made quick work Nov. 6 of two applications for commercial properties in the center of town.
It quickly approved a backup generator for The Victorian B&B at 81 North Main St. Owner John McPhee said the addition results from a review by the building inspector and fire marshal.
“We are required to have emergency egress lighting, and they asked what would happen if the power went off,” McPhee explained. “The generator takes care of that. Our guests will have light and be warm.”
The generator will be in the side yard, screened from the street by a cedar fence and bushes and in a “sound attenuation chamber.” He predicted the $25,000 system will not be loud enough to be heard by neighbors.
The second permit application was for new windows for a unit in Town Center purchased last year by David Fairty.
Fairty wants to replace the windows and doors, explaining that the original windows were installed upside down, causing them to rot.
“When we ripped it apart, we realized there was a three-quarters of an inch gap,” he said. “There are thousands of gallons of caulk in that building.”
The replacement windows will be aluminum and will be painted to match the other units in the building. The only noticeable difference will the sharpness of the edges, he asserted.
The whole building is to be painted next year, but the only unit his work will affect is his own.
He said it is very difficult to find matching windows with the same recess in their frames.
