[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of North Coventry 12-30-1985 by Ord. No. 76. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Environmental Advisory Council — See Ch. 14.
Planning Commission — See Ch. 61.
There is hereby created the North Coventry Township Historical Commission, an administrative body of the Township of North Coventry, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The Historical Commission may also be referred to as the "Historic Landmark Commission."
[Amended 5-14-1990; 1-25-1999[1]]
The Commission shall consist of nine qualified persons, competent and informed on historical, architectural and cultural traditions of the community. The members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of the Board. Of the original members, two shall be appointed for one year, two for two years, two for three years, two for four years and one for five years, and thereafter members shall serve for five-year staggered terms. Members shall be exempt from any provisions of any other ordinances of the Township limiting the number of terms that a member of a board or commission may hold. A member of the Commission may serve for as many succeeding terms as such member may be appointed to by the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors with approval of the Board. Members of the Commission shall serve without pay, but shall have their expenses paid by the Township in the manner provided by the chapter.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
The Commission shall elect from among its members a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, and a Secretary. These officers shall serve for such term of office as shall be designated by the Commission. No officer's term of office shall be shortened during that officer's term of office. The Chairman shall preside at meetings, and the Vice Chairman shall preside in the absence of the Chairman.
All meetings of the Commission shall be open to the public. The Commission may adopt rules of order for the transaction of its business, provided that the Commission shall comply with all applicable state laws and Township ordinances relating to open meeting. The Commission shall permit discussion of all matters, by any member of the public present at any meeting. No meetings of the Commission shall be closed to the public, and no parts of any meetings of the Commission shall be closed to the public. Designations such as "committee of the whole meeting," or "discussion session" shall not permit a meeting to be closed. It is the privilege and the right of the public to know how the public's business is being conducted.
The Commission shall have such staff as shall from time to time be assigned to the Commission by the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. Assignments by the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors shall follow any specific directions from the Board of Supervisors on staff to be assigned to the Historical Commission. The Chairman of the Board of Supervisors shall allocate funds to be used for the expenses of the Historical Commission, consistent with the appropriation ordinance approved by the Board of Supervisors.
The Historical Commission shall use volunteers to the maximum extent possible, to obtain information, to disseminate information, to observe historic buildings and historic neighborhoods, and to perform all of the functions of the Commission in the most effective way possible.
The Historical Commission shall have the following purposes and duties:
A. 
The Historical Commission shall perform all of the functions assigned by federal law, state law or Township ordinances to the Historical Commission or to the Historic Landmarks Commission.
B. 
The Historical Commission shall survey and study the entire Township, and shall from time to time obtain suggestions from the public by available means, including but not limited to public meetings or public hearings, requests for written suggestions, oral surveys and written surveys.
C. 
The Historical Commission shall list all buildings in the Township having historical significance. The Historical Commission shall list all neighborhoods in the Township having historical significance.
D. 
The Historical Commission shall undertake research, inspection, and investigation of sites, buildings and neighborhoods.
E. 
The Historical Commission shall maintain current lists of all historical landmarks, buildings, sites and neighborhoods. Such lists shall contain a brief description of the historical site or area and shall list the reasons for its inclusion in the list of historical places.
F. 
The Historical Commission shall cause drawings, photographs, descriptions and other appropriate documentation to be made concerning all areas and buildings included in the list.
G. 
The Historical Commission shall inform the owners, neighbors, and occupants or tenants in any building or area on the list of its inclusion on the list. The Historical Commission shall also inform the Board of Supervisors, the state authorities dealing with historical areas and historic landmarks, and federal authorities dealing with such matters in the area. The Historical Commission shall take all steps necessary to gain state and federal recognition for such areas.
H. 
The Historical Commission shall present recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on proposed ordinances and on proposed steps to preserve, protect and restore all such historic areas, historic buildings, historic landmarks and the like, and, if requested to do so by the Board of Supervisors, shall make recommendations for the establishment of historic districts within the Township, and shall recommend the certain buildings, landmarks, or areas to be included within such historic district, together with a recommendation on the type of restrictions upon the types of changes or alterations which should be allowed to be made to the exteriors of any buildings, structures, features or sites within any historic district created within the Township.
All Township departments, offices, boards and commissions are authorized and directed to cooperate with the Historical Commission in carrying out its duties. The Building Inspector and health officer shall provide copies of all notices, orders and permits respecting any sites, buildings, structures and areas appearing in the list of historic landmarks or historic areas.
As used in this chapter, a landmark, building, or neighborhood shall be considered to be of historical significance and subject to the terms of this chapter, if such area, building or site has particular historical, architectural or cultural significance in the community, if the building or site or area is particularly identified with any historic personage or historic event, if a building has significance as a representative or a period style of architecture, and hence is valuable for study, if a building is a notable work of a master builder, designer or architect whose individual genius influenced his era, or if the building has significance for any reasons of local, state or national history.