Six items were on the agenda for the April 6 meeting of the Historical and Architectural Review Board. Three were properties on East Wall Street, one on High Street, another on Old York Road and – possibly the most recognizable – Musselman’s Jewelry on Main Street. HARB reviews proposals before they are sent to zoners and Bethlehem City Council for final approval.

It was a quick meeting; most proposals were approved without complication.

The first up for debate was 115 E. Wall St., owned by Matt and Dorothy Henderson. They applied to erect of a fence on their property. Board members were pleased to hear about its potential to beautify the property and spent less than 10 minutes discussing the project with the owners before moving on.

The second property reviewed was 25 E. Wall St. Owner Jim McIntosh plans, with the help of Alan Kunsman Roofing and Siding, to remove and replace the slate roof of his home. The only concerns the board had was the phrasing of the application in terms of the dormers and whether any work would be done on the walls of the dormers. The applicant assured them there was no work planned for the walls.

The next property application was 428 High St., owned by Mark and Kathleen Jobs, who propose to replace the roof of their garage with a gable design and replace a slate roof. The only board concerns were proper snow and rain water drainage and whether it will properly match the neighbors adjoining roof. Mark Jobs said his neighbor is on board with replacing his side of the roof.

459 Old York Road, also known as the Luckenbach Mill, was the next property to be reviewed. The application is for the installation of two projecting signs; one on the north facade and another on the south. Again, the motion was passed without contest.

Musselman’s Jewelry followed on the list of applications. The shop is moving in May and will be opening further down Main Street in the Moravian Book Store. Musselman’s proposal included hanging a wall mounted sign over the front door, installing a hanging sign, applying lettering to the front door and installing a new awning. The board seemed happy to hear of the color scheme and new plans for the building.

The last home reviewed was a proposed rental house owned by Christa Kanunk. Kanunk applied to replace the roof, replace all the windows, repaint the front porch and front door and a number of other small changes, including replacing fencing on the lot. The board discussed length the colors that Kanunk intended to use on the windows and doors. They also referred to the house as looking like a “doll house” with its current multi-pane windows, and were very approving of Kanunk’s proposed use of single pane windows.

The final person to take the floor was Planning Director Darlene Heller, who talked about the Bethlehem Wayfinding and Signage Program, which is a program to create pedestrian and vehicular directory signs to be placed throughout the city. She said they have been designed to be divided by Northside and Southside Bethlehem with logos for each district. According to Heller, it will be quite the investment, not only to install the signs, but the maintenance involved with keep them presentable.

Tangram Design, the company that created the sign campaign, is based in Denver and is the same business that created downtown Philadelphia’s signage. Heller said they’re expecting to spend about $500,000 dollars and have already seen a few donations locally. The board did ask if the production could be done in Pennsylvania and Heller agreed that it would be beneficial in the long run if the signs need to be fixed. Board members all liked the proposed signage.

The next HARB meeting is scheduled for May 4 at 4 p.m. at city hall.