BOS Minutes 06-13-2006

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF S= ELECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

June 13, 2006

APPROVED – June 27, 2006

CALL TO ORDER

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Victor Danevich, Mr. Edmund Gleason, Mr. Harold= Lynde, Mr. Jean-Guy Bergeron, Mr. Tom Domenico, Mr. Tom Gaydos – Town Administrator

Also present:

ABSENT:

Members of the press and general public.

None.

M= INUTES REVIEW

May 30, 2006

MOTION:

(Bergeron/Domenico) To approve the May 30, 2006 meeting minut= es as amended

= ;

VOTE:<= /p>

(3-0-2) The motion carried. Mr. Danevich and Mr. Lynde abstained.

<= /o:p>

The amendments to the minutes were as follows: page o= ne – under Emergency Management – add ‘$’ in front of= 1.8 million; replace 5% with ‘$5000’.

OPEN FORU= M

None.

A= PPOINTMENTS

F= ire Chief E. David Fisher – Emergency Status Update

Fire Chief E. David Fisher provided the Selec= tmen with a status update of emergency management. He said the Town had submitted a = request for $1.8 million. Main Street Bridge is now open= . The other bridges in Town appear = to be fine. There were problems in= the area with septic tanks due to the water table being high. The project of reviewing and oper= ating with the State and Federal Government will continue. Chief Fisher noted that a new fir= e chief would be taking over and recommended that someone be appointed as Emergency Management Director as soon as possible.&= nbsp; The contact between the State and Federal Government will be needed= to complete the emergency management project over the next few months. It was noted that an additional d= umpster had temporarily been added at the Transfer Station that allowed the receip= t of materials not usually accepted (i.e. construction) due to the recent rain storms.

Mr. Gleason asked how FEMA was responding to citizen requests for assistance. Chief Fisher believed FEMA was prepared and visited properties in t= hree days and paperwork was filed. Mr. Gleason asked if there were any taxpayers that had not received a response= from FEMA. To the best of Chief Fisher’s knowledge, those who have requested assistance were taken c= are of in a positive fashion.

Mr. Bergeron thanked the Chief and the depart= ment for all the work they had done during the recent storm event. He discussed the work done on the= Main Street Bridge and the res= ponse by FEMA and questioned if a declaration should be sent to thank those involved. Mr. Gaydos was ask= ed by the Selectmen to draft a thank you to be sent to those who have helped with response and mitigation in Town. Chief Fisher discussed the response by the CERT team during recent = storms and asked that they also receive a letter of appreciation.

Chief Fisher said the department had asked hi= m to request a newly designed Fire Department patch. A copy of the new design was give= n to the Selectmen for review. Mr= . Danevich felt the patch was well designed. There was no objection by the Selectmen for the Fire Department to change their patch.

Mr. Gleason asked for an update regarding the ambulance. Chief Fisher disc= ussed the process taken to upgrade the ambulance vehicle to a 2006 (motor, cab &= amp; chassis); the ‘box’ was put onto the new vehicle. The cost of a new ambulance would= have been approximately $180,000; the Town has a complete ambulance refurbished= to 2006 standards that cost $70,000. Chief Fisher believed the Town would be able to do the same process= for the other ambulance. Mr. Gle= ason asked what the average service call was for the ambulance. Chief Fisher believed there would= be an average of four calls per day. He said in the future, the Town may need a third ambulance.

I= nterviews for Appointed Positions

Plan= ning Board Alternate - James McManus – He said he had been a builder/developer for years and his son was taking over day-to-day duties.= He felt he may be able to have input. Mr. Danevich recalled= Mr. McManus had applied for the position in the past, but there were questions regarding some of his developing efforts in one of the surrounding towns.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. McManus said approximately 15= -17 years ago he had a major development in Dracut and wound up in a legal suit with the Building Inspector, Town Manager and= Town Engineer that ended up being lengthy.&nbs= p; He said he had not had any similar thing happen in Pelham.

Mr. Domenico asked what Mr. McManus felt was = the most significant challenge facing the Planning Board. Mr. McManus believed the challeng= e would be development and felt somehow/someway development had to be slowed down/controlled.

Mr. Bergeron asked if Mr. McManus had done any building/developing in Pelham. Mr. McManus said he had built 5-lots (at the end of Sherburne) and never had a problem or bad relation with them. Mr. Bergeron asked how he would handle cases him or his son were involved in, such as recusing himself.&nb= sp; Mr. McManus said he would have to recuse himself, but didn’t = feel he would have any cases in Pelham.

Mr. Gleason questioned if Mr. McManus would s= eek election to the Planning Board (in 2007 the Board will be elected per the passage of a Warrant Article on the 2006 ballot). Mr. McManus said he would like to= if he steps up now and does a good job and has a good showing and people think he should. Mr. Gleason asked his feeling of an appointed Planning Board versus an elected one with regard to ordinances and regulations implemented by the Town. Mr. McManus believed there were p= ros and cons to each. He said someon= e could be voted in and not know the activities of the Planning Board; whereas if someone is appointed they go through an interview process.

MOTION:=

(Domenico/Gleason) To appoint Mr. James McManus as = an Alternate member of the Planning Board with a term beginning after a vot= e in the affirmative by the Selectmen and terminating on March 31, 2007.

= ;

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carr= ied.

CIP = – Andy Ducharme – Mr. Danevich pointed out that the CIP members we= re appointed by the Planning Board, not the Selectmen. Mr. Ducharme said he had resided = in Town since 1999 is married and has two children. He discussed the reasons he was s= eeking appointment. Mr. Danevich sa= id Mr. Ducharme’s appointment would be the role of the Planning Board and i= ts Chair Bill Scanzani.

Park= & Recreation Advisory Board – Elizabeth Schedler – She reque= sted reappointment to the Board and discussed her reasons for the request. She discussed various passive rec= reation programs that she would like to help implement. Mr. Gleason questioned how Ms. Sc= hedler perceived the Board’s role to be, and what her thoughts were regarding the 7-y= ear Park & Recreation plan. = Ms. Schedler saw the role of the Board as advisory in nature. She felt the items in the CIP wer= e on track, but some of the items needed to be speeded up. Mr. Lynde noted that sometimes th= e Board suggested programs to the Park & Recreation Director. Ms. Schedler said she had a couple activities she would be presenting to the Director, such as additional ski trips.

= ;

MOTION:

(Domenico/Gleason) To appoint Ms. Elizabeth Schedle= r to the Park & Recreation Advisory Board with a term ending March 31, 2009.

= ;

VOTE:<= /p>

(5-0-0) The motion carried.

OTHER BUSINESS

R= aymond Park Update

Mr. Gaydos informed that the permits were in = place. A couple areas that needed to be addressed had been identified. A public hearing to discuss the overall plan was scheduled for June 19, 2006. Mr. Lynde said he had discussions= with the Granite State Soccer Group who was interested in seeing things happen = as well as contributing resources. He said the Group wanted to make sure if they commit that the Town would also commit. He said with the Gro= up came a lot of things in the future; the development of the fields would be used= as a ‘spring board’ to get funding from a national group. Events would be conducted that co= uld help offset maintaining the facility.&nbs= p; There was further discussion regarding fields. Mr. Gaydos was thanked for his ef= forts to have the project completed.

Mr. Domenico informed that he and the Park &a= mp; Recreation Director blazed four miles of trails. On May 31, 2006 a representative from the = New Hampshire National Heritage Bureau reviewed the trails to see if any rare species would be ‘trampled’.&= nbsp; Mr. Domenico read aloud a letter forwarded by the Bureau which indi= cated there were some rare species but the trail skirted the edges of the areas.= It was suggested that when the Boy Scouts did their Eagle Scout projects that they flag and direct people to = the areas. He said if people wan= ted to volunteer, the hours could be used against the Trail Grant. Adults (who could use chain saws)= were needed to help out; contact the Park & Recreation Director to find out= when work will be done.

Muldoon= Park= Update

Mr. Gaydos said an assessment was being done; permits would be needed to proceed due to some wetland areas. He said he asked Mr. George Saurm= an to do some test pits; if there is ledge, it would have to be deducted from the materials estimate. The topo= graphic maps were done. Mr. Gaydos s= aid Ed Herbert Associates (Mr. Peter Zohdi) would have to be contacted to find out their availability.

Mr. Lynde noted that the Forestry Management = Plan was ready to have a public hearing scheduled. He discussed the process Forester= Dan Cyr felt was best. Mr. Gaydo= s said the Town was behind in the timeframe.&nbs= p; The Selectmen will set the public hearing. Mr. Gleason questioned when the p= roject could begin. Mr. Gaydos said= the permits needed to be received and the final design had to be determined. The Selectmen asked that a public hearing be scheduled for two weeks (June 27, 2006).&nb= sp;

Tallant= Brid= ge Update

Mr. Gaydos informed that construction had beg= un; tree cutting was done and the limits of the right-of-way were marked. He said the traffic issues were s= till being assessed.

Castle Hill= Bridge Correspondence

Mr. Danevich said a letter (regarding the clo= sure of Castle Hill Road Bridge) had been received from Mr. David Sullivan, Windham’s Town Administrator. He read the letter aloud. In summary, Windham would like Pelham to work toge= ther regarding the bridge closure. Mr. Gaydos provided the Selectmen with photographs of the bridge depicting the damage of the roadway leading up to the bridge. Mr. Danevich said there had not b= een a change from the meeting May 26, 2006 or prev= ious action taken by the Board to close the bridge; however, the flooding (due = to recent rain storms) made the issue moot due to the significant damage to t= he road. Mr. Gaydos didn’= t feel it was reasonable to have the bridge repaired in 30-days. He said the Board may want to ind= icate (to Windham) that reopening the bridge (by the end of the year) would be beyond the Town’s power.

Mr. Gleason pointed out that the Castle Hill Bridge was contain= ed in the state’s 10-year plan for 2007.&= nbsp; He felt the Town should explore every opportunity if a developer indicated they were willing to pick up the two town’s share. Mr. Gaydos believed that was the = plan, but it would be up to Windham= to forward such. He said the= re wasn’t much to follow up on if the state’s plan wasn’t u= ntil 2007. Mr. Gleason felt the T= own should open up dialog regarding such and pursue if the developer was still willing to fund.

Mr. Bergeron asked if the timeframe from the warrant article (to repair the bridge) failed. Mr. Domenico said the request was= a Capital Reserve and didn’t know if it would be subject to the state law. Mr. Gaydos said it woul= d not be subject to the state law, it only dealt with appropriated funds. He said in this case a developer = had placed monies for the repair of the Castle Hill Road Bridge that approximates 20% of= the total cost and the question was if Windham would pursue it. Mr. Lynde s= aid Article #24 on the 2005 Warrant asked for $225,000 to complete engineering design and place such in the Castle Hill Road Bridge; this was not passed by Pelham, but was= passed in Windham. Mr. Gleason said the money was ea= rmarked in the state budget for 2007 and felt the Town should do everything it cou= ld to capture the money.

Mr. Danevich and Mr. Gaydos will draft a lett= er to be sent to Windham= informing about the current condition of the bridge.

T= OWN ADMINISTRATOR / SELECTMEN REPORTS

Mr. Gaydos asked for direction from the Selec= tmen regarding the Senior bus and the related bid process. He discussed that the preferred b= us was a Giardan because of its safety specifications. He noted that the Giardan bid wou= ld be more than the state bid; the warrant article would accommodate either bus.= There are two dealers in New Hampshire.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Danevich said he would like t= o have at least three bids to create a competitive bid process. There was further discussion rega= rding the bids.

Mr. Gaydos noted that Electronics Collection = would be held Saturda= y, September 16, 2006 at the Transfer Station and suggested that it also be= made sticker check day. There was= no objection by the Selectmen. =

Mr. Gaydos said he was asked about the number= of signatures on abatement forms and was asked if three Selectmen signed, if = the other two didn’t approve. It was noted that to quickly complete the process, only three signatures were needed. Mr. Danevich suggest= ed adding wording indicating that only three signatures were needed to empowe= r the document.

Mr. Domenico had no report.

Mr. Bergeron informed he attended a CIP meeti= ng May 23, 2006 w= here the Park & Recreation Master Plan was discussed. He said the CIP asked the Park &a= mp; Recreation Director to get an average cost for certain projects. Mr. Bergeron asked for an explana= tion regarding the revaluation and when residents could obtain a new tax card.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Gaydos informed that once all= the cards were entered into the computer, they would generate a letter informi= ng property owners of the value for their property. Information will be available on = the internet and/or at the Assessor’s Office.

Mr. Gleason noted that the Pelham Little Leag= ue and Razorbacks were successful in implementing a fryalator with a fire sup= pression system; with a total value (in the free market) of approximately $18,500 (Little League and Razorbacks incurred a cost of $6,888). He said this was an improvement o= f Town property. Mr. Gleason inform= ed that there was a meeting with Vision Appraisal in the past week; 2014 letters w= ere mailed to residences that they were unable to go inside. From the letters, 958 responded f= or appointments which left 1058 non-responders. Residents were asked to make appointments prior to June 23, 2006 so there wouldn’t be conflicts with appointment= s in Manchester. He said the next meeting would be= July 7, 2006 to= determine the process status.

Mr. Lynde said the Forestry Committee held a = meeting. He also noted that he was working= with the Park & Recreation Advisory Committee and read aloud their Mission Statement.

Mr. Danevich informed that the new Fire Chief= would begin June 19, = 2006. He also asked that the Selectmen = create a firm schedule and meeting place for the summer; Mr. Gaydos was asked to provide ideas.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:

(Lynde/Gleason) Request for a non-public session pe= r RSA 91-A:3,II, a &e (Personnel; Consideration or negotiation of pending claims or litigation).

= ;

ROLL CALL:=

Mr. Danevich-Yes; Mr. Gleason-Yes; Mr. Lynde-Yes; M= r. Bergeron-Yes; Mr. Domenico

Mr. Danevich noted that when the Board returned, afte= r the non-public session, the Board would not take any other action publicly, ex= cept to possibly seal the minutes of the non-public session and to adjourn the meeting. The Board entered i= nto a non-public session at approximately 8:30 pm.

The Board returned to public session at approximately= 9:20 pm.

= ;

MOTION:

(Gleason/Bergeron) To seal the minutes of the non-p= ublic session indefinitely.

= ;

VOTE:<= /p>

(5-0-0) The motion carried.

ADJOURNME= NT

MOTION:=

(Gleason/Bergeron) To adjourn the meeting.

= ;

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carr= ied.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:20 pm.

   &nb= sp;            = ;            &= nbsp;           &nb= sp;            = ;            &= nbsp;           &nb= sp;            Respectfully submitted,

   &nb= sp;            = ;            &= nbsp;           &nb= sp;            = ;            &= nbsp;           &nb= sp;            Charity A. L. Willis

   &nb= sp;            = ;            &= nbsp;           &nb= sp;            = ;            &= nbsp;           &nb= sp;            Recording Secretary