BATH— Residents of North Carolina’s oldest town voiced their opinions Monday night about the possibility of historic standards that would determine what owners can and can’t do when altering the appearance of historic district properties.

Last month, the town sent out a letter to Bath historic district residents informing them the council was considering hiring a consultant to write guidelines for new construction, as well as for restoration of properties. The $10,000 fee for the consultant would be split between the Town of Bath and the Historic Bath Foundation. The public hearing was an effort to gauge historic district residents’ input before starting the process.

Previously, the Town of Bath, working with the Historic District Commission, has followed a loose set of informal guidelines.

Rather than weighing in for or against formalized standards, for the most part, residents questioned what the guidelines would entail during the public hearing.

“I’m in favor of identifying and restoring old buildings, but I have concerns about the intent — is it to preserve the historic or to gradually make every building look historic?” asked Jim Richardson.

Richardson pointed out that within the historic district there are plenty of buildings that are not historic, and only some parts of his own home are historic — the rest were added on over the past 100 years.

“From what time era do I use to make changes to my house?” he asked.

Pat Kenefick, a resident of South Main Street, told commissioners the historic district consisted of two sections: Section A, the historic homes; and Section B, where “the real folks live.” Kenefick said he understood visitors love the feel of Bath — its historic ambience — but questioned whether homeowners should be steered by architectural guidelines, rather than historic guidelines.

Should the consultant stick with the Secretary of Interior’s standards as expressed, property owners could be limited as to what materials could be used to restore their homes, as well as what, if any, additions to existing properties would be permitted.

Carteret Street resident Julie Crawford said residents in the historic district take pride their homes, but they “don’t want someone telling them what they and can’t do with their homes,” while Josie Hookway spoke about renovations according to historic guidelines being cost prohibitive — thus the vinyl siding on her home.

The issue was taken up again in the regular meeting.

“The purpose of the public hearing was so the Historic District Commission members could hear what y’all thought,” Mayor Jimmy Latham told those in attendance. “We expressed a lot of the same concerns (in a meeting several months ago). What direction do we give to the Historic District Commission to move on?”

Commissioners Keith Tankard and John Taylor both pointed out the need to have some rules in order to keep Bath on the National Historic Register. Commissioner Jay Hardin, however, firmly stated his opposition to strict guidelines.

“Why should we give someone $10,000 to give us regulations that we don’t want?” Hardin asked.

It was decided Town Administrator Bubs Carson would contact the consultant to ask whether the Bath standards would strictly adhere to the Secretary of Interior’s before any other action was taken.

The Secretary of Interior’s standards for the treatment of historic properties can be found at http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/standguide/.