George and Karen White were granted a certificate of appropriateness from the Historical and Architectural Review Board for solar panels for their home at 407 Center St. Assisted by Charisa Hoang and Josh Lee from SolarCity at the July 5 hearing, the Whites were unanimously approved by HARB to install the solar panels on an asphalt shingle section of their dormer roof that is not visible from the street. The nine horizontal panels each measure five foot by three foot and are expected to provide around 25 percent of the property’s total electricity usage. “Basically, we are doing it for sustainability,” replied George White when asked why they chose solar.

Univest Bank and Trust Co., represented by senior vice president of property management Richard A. Mariner with contractors Ed Reed of Reed Sign Co. and Anthony Scarcia ,president of Allied Building Corp., was approved by the board to remove the existing plate glass window, then install an ATM and night deposit window with vinyl decal signage in the space. The window is to be crated up and stored on site. Mariner agreed to changing the bezel around the ATM and night deposit apparatus from blue to a neutral silver with blue lettering and burgundy, instead of blue for the awning. They were also permitted to place a hanging sign, mounted on the wood trim of the building, at the corner of Broad and Main streets, with the stipulation that a blue pinstripe be added to the signage. Univest was also allowed to install window signage and to display temporary “Coming Soon” banners for the building at 574 Main St.

HARB granted a certificate of appropriateness to Jay Brew and his wife Mary Ellen Williams for their proposed gabled overhang with a slate roof installed over the rear door of their property at 265 E. Market St. The approval was given on condition that the angle of the new overhang match the angle of the existing roof, cedar wood for construction and there would be enough clearance for a storm door, if one were to be added later. The board also required that snow guards be installed, as well as copper flashing and an aluminum drip edge painted to match the color of the trim. Fred Bonsall recused himself, having been involved with the project. Vice chair Philip Roeder took over running the hearing for this proposal.

Robert Ross represented his brother-in-law Russell Miserendino, who owns a corner townhouse at 58 E. Wall St., with a proposal to replace the existing fence at the side and rear of the property. The five foot natural cedar fence built of solid boards with a foot of cedar lattice on top and a gate at the back was unanimously approved by the board.

The Historical and Architectural Review Board meets the first Wednesday of every month to review all exterior changes proposed to buildings in the Bethlehem Historic District north of the Lehigh River. When a proposed project receives a certificate of appropriateness from the board, applicants must wait for City Council to vote on it before proceeding.