From:	Michael Behrendt
Sent:	Monday, July 03, 2017 10:37 AM
Subject:	Riverwoods - Barn - email from Robin Mower

To the Heritage Commission (and Planning Board and applicant),
Please see the email below from Robin Mower, submitted as part of the public 
hearing this Thursday.

Michael Behrendt
Durham Town Planner
Town of Durham
8 Newmarket Road
Durham, NH  03824
(603) 868-8064
www.ci.durham.nh.us


From: RobinM []  
Sent: Saturday, July 01, 2017 10:48 AM 
To: Michael Behrendt 
Cc: Karen Edwards 
Subject: HDC/Heritage Commission public hearing June 6, 2017 | Barn at 
RiverWoods site

Dear members of the HDC/Heritage Commission -- 
 
I write to share my thoughts about the proposal to *revamp* the existing historic 
barn along the Route 108 gateway to Dover but acknowledge up front that I am not 
following the RiverWoods proposal carefully and so may lack key information. 
 
It is my understanding that this barn would be rented for a period of five years. So 
a few questions are in order:

Then what? Who would own the building? Would it then become office space or 
lie empty? Should the proposed changes be made for a temporary user? Would 
those proposed changes *make sense* for future users, or would the building be 
revamped again? Have alternatives for the external appearance been thoroughly 
explored? 
 
Most of us acknowledge that Durham is no longer the *sleepy college town* it was 
decades ago, although some of us remember fondly small-town and rural aspects of 
Durham that have disappeared. Nonetheless, in a fast-paced and technologically-
oriented world, visual reminders of  our roots and the foundations built by those 
who came before us contribute to our quality of life in Durham and anchor us in 
this specific place. We are still blessed with stone walls and open fields visible 
even as we drive through town en route to an  airport or to get our computers 
fixed.  
 
To finally get to the point: While the new, multi-story, rather massive structures 
proposed for River Woods -- a welcome addition to the community -- will require 
removal of trees and no doubt loom over or eclipse any view of the fields to the 
south of Stone Quarry, I would prefer to see the simple barn remain as close to 
its current appearance as possible. 
 
The proposed changes to the barn seem out of character: proportions and 
numbers of windows and glass doors seem more contemporary than 
traditional. Across the country one may see many barns that have been renovated 
for modern use but that retain more of the original character than I believe 
is proposed here. 
 
In addition, since the open fields just across Stone Quarry Drive would remain, 
they would serve as a setting for the barn as reminder of our agricultural heritage 
and *simpler times.*

Regards,

Robin Mower 
Durham, NH 03824 
 
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, 
nothing is going to get better. It's not.  
      -- Theodor Seuss Geisel, author and illustrator

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Robin Mower 
Durham, NH 03824 
 
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, 
nothing is going to get better. It's not.  
      -- Theodor Seuss Geisel, author and illustrator

* * *