What’s the difference between a local elementary school class and the Rome Historic Preservation Commission? Kids generally show up for school on a day that a field trip is scheduled, while the HPC couldn’t muster a quorum for its field trip Wednesday afternoon.

With just one action item on the agenda, Historic Planner Delmos Stone arranged a tour of the old Montgomery Ward-LaScala building at 413 Broad St., recently purchased by Gregg and Diane Lewis. The owners of Lewis Chemical Co. are renovating the massive third floor of the building for their personal residence.

The lone agenda item for the HPC involved a request from Rome-Floyd Planning Director Sue Hiller for changes to the driveway at her home, 407 E. Third Ave.

“I could usually approve an application like this administratively, but since Sue is my boss, I thought I’d bring it to you guys,” Stone said.

Because there weren’t enough members on hand to hear the request, the group decided to allow the request to lay on the table for another two weeks, at which time it will be automatically approved, without formal approval from the HPC.

The HPC rules stipulate that if no action is taken within 45 days of the submission of a proposal, it is automatically approved.

Hiller wants to pull up some of the brick in her driveway and replace it with concrete.

During the tour of the Montgomery Ward-LaScala building, Diane Lewis told the group that more than 59 tons of debris has been hauled out thus far.

“We uncovered all kinds of interesting things,” Lewis said, noting that a nicely dressed woman went dumpster diving for yarn that had been tossed out of the building.

Several different styles of brick are visible on the sidewalls of the structure. She said that the floor is going to be covered with a hardwood laid out in a diagonal pattern that will mimic the exposed roofing for the building.

The renovation work is expected to take several months to complete.