741 Colonel Ledyard Highway  
Ledyard, Connecticut 06339  
TOWN OF LEDYARD  
Historic District Commission  
Meeting Minutes  
Chairman  
Vincent Godino  
Regular meeting  
Monday, May 15, 2023  
7:00 PM  
Town Hall Annex -Hybrid Format  
I.  
CALL TO ORDER  
Chairman Godino called the meeting to order at 7:12 p.m.  
II.  
ROLL CALL  
Commissioner William Barnes  
Commissioner Melissa Dyson  
Commissioner Douglas Kelley  
Chairman Vincent Godino  
Present  
Commissioner Earl Lamb  
Alternate Member Kenneth Geer  
Non-voting  
III.  
APPOINTMENTS OF ALTERNATES  
Not needed.  
IV.  
1.  
REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES  
Motion to APPROVE Regular Meeting minutes from April 17, 2023, as written.  
APPROVED AND SO DECLARED  
William Barnes  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
Earl Lamb  
SECONDER:  
5
Barnes Dyson Kelley Godino Lamb  
AYE  
V.  
1.  
FISCAL REPORTS  
Financial Reports.  
Nathan Lester House: $6000.00 (spent) $2700.00 (remaining) - potentially repair the bulkhead.  
Sawmill: $4500.00 (spent) $2100.00 (remaining) - purchase new metal detector.  
Schoolhouse: $200.00 (remaining) - $400.00 was transferred into account. The cost for repairs  
ended up being less than estimated ($1100.00 vs. $1300.00).  
Preservation $400.00 (remaining).  
Capital - $27,000.00.  
ARPA (Nathan Lester House) - $28,000.00.  
ARPA (Sawmill) - $4.740.00 (spent) $27,000.00 (remaining).  
Donations (Nathan Lester House) - $400.00.  
Donations (Sawmill) - $5,000.00.  
Funds from the filming at the Nathan Lester House, will they expire? The Commission needs to  
determine.  
Where will the funds be deposited (donations vs. capital)? Chairman Godino will research these  
questions and let the Commission know the answers.  
DISCUSSED  
RESULT:  
VI.  
CORRESPONDENCE  
None.  
VII. COMMITTEE REPORTS  
Sawmill Committee - Mr. Barnes  
1.  
Security System -  
A small adjustment was made to the motion detectors as the detectors continue to go off. There  
are two modes; active or stay. The mode was switched to the "stay" mode in hopes that mode  
prevents the motion detectors from sounding off.  
Assessment on the Sawmill -  
The Sawmill group has been in contact with James Grant who completed the assessment. Mr.  
Grant referred the group to Beth Ackley. A quote was requested to find out the cost to work with  
Ms. Ackley. Mr. Ganong has compiled a list of projects.  
Repair of the downspout has been completed. The downspout was placed eight inches from the  
wall and was buried in the ground.  
Mr. Ganong is composing a list of excess items that are not related to the mill in order to host  
another auction.  
On Saturday May 20, 2023, Chairman Godino, Mr. Barnes and Mr. Ganong will be meeting to  
discuss the water intake and make a decision as to which repair path to take.  
DISCUSSED  
RESULT:  
Nathan Lester House - Ms. Dyson/Mr. Kelley  
2.  
The movie filming completed last Friday (May 12, 2023). It went very well.  
- The production company tried to source as much as they could locally (from catering to props).  
- The production company worked with Ledyard High School in order to transport a flock of  
sheep to the grounds.  
- The house was staged as a farmhouse on the coast of Massachusetts, for the time period of  
1942.  
- The use of fireplaces didn't work out and the production company opted out of using them  
altogether.  
- Not only was the house utilized, both the carpentry shop and the barn were utilized as well.  
Filming also took place in the gardens and on the trails.  
- Some items were moved (with the assistance of the Historic Society Curator) into the attic,  
items that were larger were moved to a storage unit.  
- The house will reopen during Memorial Day weekend, staged as it was for the film. The  
production crew has donated many props to the Historical Society for use.  
- The production crew presented a framed title page of the script signed by the cast.  
- There will be credits in the film for the Town, Commission, Garden Club, Historic Society, etc.  
- The Society may decide to keep the staging up throughout the open season. There may be a  
need for the Historic Society to provide docents to aid in tours.  
The 4th of July event will be held this year.  
Chairman Godino spoke with the Garden Club about the dinosaur tracks. The current location  
isn't ideal. Chairman Godino asked if it would be acceptable to move them to a more suitable  
location, perhaps by the pollinator garden. The Commission agreed that moving the dinosaur  
tracks would be a good plan.  
Research/Preservation - Mr. Lamb  
3.  
Members of the Commission along with Conservation Commission and Tri-Town Trial  
Association hiked to the Spicer ruins.  
A second presentation will need to be created for the Lambtown project.  
The historic signs are not ready yet but are in the queue as the painter has quite a few projects in  
process.  
Potentially use the Nathan Lester House to distribute tree grafts next spring. Could the Nathan  
Lester House grounds be used as a nursery?  
Center School - Mr. Geer  
4.  
Repairs and painting to the schoolhouse have been completed. Mr. Geer provided some cedar  
boards to Mr. Kelley. The boards may end up being used at the Lester House for bulkhead  
repairs.  
A potential project for next year is to look at updating the inside (ceiling).  
There are some concerns with the Schoolhouse in Gales Ferry Village. There may be water  
getting into the building. The Historic Society has been discussing this concern with the Church.  
Should the Town and the Commission become responsible? The Commission could offer some  
sort of assistance if required. Mr. Geer will reach out to the Society about attending the June  
meeting.  
The Center School House will be open the first Sunday of the month for the next four months.  
Social Media - Ms. Dyson  
No updates.  
5.  
VIII. OLD BUSINESS  
Any Other Old Business to come before the Commission.  
1.  
Chairman Godino will follow up the request for a copy of the film contract.  
IX.  
1.  
NEW BUSINESS  
Any Other New Business to come before the Commission.  
None.  
X.  
ADJOURNMENT  
A motion was made to ADJOURN the Regular Meeting at 8:26 p.m.  
APPROVED AND SO DECLARED  
Earl Lamb  
RESULT:  
MOVER:  
William Barnes  
SECONDER:  
5
Barnes Dyson Kelley Godino Lamb  
AYE  
DISCLAIMER: Although we try to be timely and accurate these are not official records of the  
Town.