Groton - Mayor Heather Bond-Somers will invite the Groton Historic District Commission to meet with her and the Town Council to respond to a group of six local architects who have criticized the commission as dysfunctional and inflexible.

William Bertsche of Mercer and Bertsche Architectural Engineering brought the architect's concerns to the council last month.

"We have come before you in desperation with regard to the dysfunctional operation of the Historic District Commission," Bertsche wrote in a letter to the council. "By the mere fact that (six) independent architects have gotten together and composed a (five-) page letter to the council should be evidence enough that we, and the residents of the historic district, are in need of your help to rectify an increasingly bad situation."

Architects Chuck Canavan, Rusty Sergeant, Mark Comeau and Peter Springsteel joined Bertsche and his partner, Robert Mercer, in criticizing the commission. Collectively, they said they have designed more than 120 projects in the Mystic Historic District over the past 25 years.

Commission Chairman Chuck Nado said he suggested to Bond-Somers that she talk to the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, which oversees historic districts, about the issues being raised.

"I think their claims are a little off base," Nado said of the architects. "Rather than have a 'he said, she said' discussion, if they believe there is no basis for some of our decisions, it would probably be best for a third party to look at the facts."

Bond-Somers said she has heard from several people who have had unpleasant experiences with the commission. She said some real estate brokers have concerns, too.

"I think there must be something to it. It's rare that six competing architects would band together for this one issue," she said. "Some people said that while they're disappointed with the commission's rulings, they're just as upset by the way commission members spoke to them."

The architects contend that the commission has failed to follow the spirit of guidelines set forth when the commission was established in the mid-1970s as well as those contained in the 120-page handbook of the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation.

In their complaint, the architects cite several passages from the handbook to which they contend the commission often fails to adhere: 'The attitude of many district property owners towards the HDC is the opposite of what it should be. In its general guidelines, the Handbook states that an historic district commission should not have an adversarial relationship with the community it serves."

The architects listed 10 actions the commission took that they believe exemplify the commission's dysfunction.

They charged the commission often imposes design alternatives that increase the cost of projects by multiples of $10,000.

Also, they said the commission questions residents' intended use or the purpose of proposed changes, or questions the scale of the project without evaluating the appropriateness of the proposed design and without considering the hardship caused to the property owner by changing the size or scale of a project.

"The HDC dictates features and design details it feels will preserve a particular property," according to the architects. "This has the effect of freezing the development of (historic district) properties and treats the district as if it were a museum, thus severely restricting continued growth and evolution of design."

The architects charged the commission has established an unwarranted policy of designating some buildings as "too important to allow any change," and refuses to approve requests for appropriate additions or alterations. That, they say, has caused prospective buyers to look elsewhere.

"In one particularly egregious case, the HDC, in its fervor to 'preserve' what it considered historic additions on a prominent residence, expressed an official opinion that it would not consider any change to these additions. This refusal to work with the prospective buyer caused the loss-of-sale of the property and eventually a bank foreclosure at great financial cost to the owner," they said.

"The HDC has been inconsistent in applying its "guidelines" (e.g., allowing certain modern materials on some projects, but not on others), denying equal treatment to property owners and creating a sense of uncertainty in how we, as architects, advise residents and potential residents as to what can and cannot be done to their properties."

The architects requested several changes they believe are necessary to rectify the problems.

They include the immediate resignation and replacement of all commission members, the elimination of the Historic District Design Guidelines and limiting membership to two terms.

The architects also want the town officials to research the possibility of decertifying the commission and polling residents of the district to determine if a simple majority would favor such an action.

Mike Sarasin, a member of the commission, said it would be good if more people came forward to serve. He, and the architects, said the commission often suffers from a low turnout of its members and, with the two alternate positions vacant, sometimes three members hear an application, with just two votes determining the outcome.

"I hope what comes out of this is that people decide to participate and help bring about the changes they think are necessary," Sarasin said. "That's how it's supposed to work. I think this can be solved. I welcome the opportunity to meet with them."

Sarasin said he thinks there is room for more flexibility in the commission's decisions.

"I think residents would welcome allowances for things like modern materials that maintain the historic look and character," he said. "Those are some of the things I think new members would listen to."

The commission is scheduled to meet at 7 tonight in community room 2, at the Town Hall Annex. The Town Council has a special meeting scheduled for 7:30 p.m., in community room 1.

Nado said the issue is not on their agenda, but it could be raised.

Bond-Somers said she would ask town Manager Mark Oefinger to find a time for the council and the commission to have a conversation in the near future.

"I think it will be good to for us to have a talk with them," she said. "But I have no idea where it will lead."

c.potter@theday.com