SEL20070327

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

March 27, 2007

APPROVED – April 3, 2007

CALL TO ORDER

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Edmund Gleason, Mr. Harold Lynde, Mr. Tom Domeni= co, Mr. Robert Haverty, Town Administrator Tom Gaydos

Also present:

ABSENT:

Members of the press and general public.

Mr. Victor Danevich

MINUTES REVIEW

March= 6, 2007 – deferred. The vote required three members wh= o were present at the meeting.

March 20, 2007=

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Domenico/Lynde) To approve the March 20, 2007 meeting mi= nutes as amended. <= /p>

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

The following amendments were made to the minutes: pag= e 4, 1^st paragraph – the sentence reading ‘…was to implement the w= eb base’ was amended to read ‘…was to add the web based module.’; 4^th paragraph – the words ‘in excess= of the budget’ were added to the following ‘… Darren McCarthy identify where the= money in excess of the budget would come from…’; there were also minor grammatical corrections made.

OPEN FORUM

None.

APPOINTMENTS

Joint meeting with School Board to discuss landscaping bids R= 11; Possible award of bid

The following School Board members joined the Selectme= n to discuss the landscaping bids: Mr. Mike Conrad, Ms. Cindy Kyzer, Ms. Linda Mahoney, Ms. Eleanor Burton, Mr. Bruce Couture.

School Board Chairman Mi= ke Conrad called the School Board meeting to order at 6:40pm.

Mr. Gleason said the procedural policy would be to hav= e the Committee come in to present their findings for the RFP issued for the comb= ined needs of the School and the Town. It was his understanding that the findings would be reviewed and if the determination was made to endorse such findings, the Town Administrator would be authorized to enter into negotiat= ions with the selected vendor.

Mr. Gaydos identified the members of the committee and= described the bidding process. He said = four bids were received, of which the committee focused on the two most competit= ive. From that point on, the committee interviewed the two bidders (Santastic Landscaping and Boyden’s Landscaping) and reviewed the bid specifics. Mr. Gaydos discussed the process in which the committee came to recommend a bidder. The recommendation was to award th= e bid to Santastic Landscaping.

Both Mr. Gleason and Mr. Conrad thanked the committee members for their diligence and hard work.= Mr. Conrad believed it was clearly demonstrated that combining the T= own and the Schools there was a cost savings.&= nbsp; He said both the Town and the School should work together to review = the invoices closely.

Mr. Domenico questioned if there had been any discussi= on about the companies honoring the pricing if the bid were split between the = Town and Schools. Mr. Gaydos said = they didn’t discuss splitting the bid.&nb= sp;

Mr. Lynde wanted to know if there was language in the contract in the event additional fields were added. Mr. Gaydos said there was per unit= costs for everything except mowing. He said if additional fields were added in years 2 and 3 the costs would be negotiated.

Mr. Gleason said this was public money (tax dollars) a= nd they had a fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers to do the right thing. He was in favor of the approach ta= ken because the work was bid competitively.&nb= sp; He recommended that both Boards approve the recommendation of the committee and authorize the Town Administrator in conjunction with the Scho= ol Administrator to enter into serious negotiations to finalize the contract i= n a timely manner.

Mr. Lynde asked what was budgeted last year in compari= son to this year. Mr. Gaydos didn’t have the exact numbers, but indicated th= ere were sufficient funds.

Mr. Gleason confirmed that the contract would be struc= tured adequately to protect the Town in the event of non-performance. Mr. Gaydos said both the Town and = the School asked to have those provisions in the contract.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Lynde/Domenico) To accept the recommendation of the= Landscaping Bid Committee and authorize the Town Administrator to enter into negotiat= ions to enter into an agreement with the awarded vendor within 30-days.

ROLL CALL V= OTE:

Mr. Gleason-Yes; Mr. Lyn= de-Yes; Mr. Domenico-Yes; Mr. Haverty-Yes

(4-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Kyzer/Mahoney) To accept the nomination of the comm= ittee and allow Mr. Gaydos to enter into negotiations with Santastic Landscapin= g so the contract would be worded properly and the bid would be awarded in 30-days.

ROLL CALL V= OTE:

Mr. Conrad-Yes; Ms. Kyze= r-Yes; Ms. Mahoney-Yes; Ms. Burton-Yes; Mr. Couture-Yes

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

Mr. Conrad felt the Town= and School should investigate similar opportunities.&= nbsp;

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Couture/Burton) To adjourn the School Board.

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

The School Board adjourn= ed at 6:57pm.

Public Hearing: Acquisition of conservation land identified on t= ax maps as Map 39 Lot 1-51

Conservation Chairman Paul Gagnon suggested that the T= own acquire Map 39 Lot 1-51. He s= howed the Board a tax map outlining the proposed parcel which was located on Sherburne Road and contained 37.1 acres. The par= cel was appraised at $560,000; an agreement was made with the owner to purchase= for $390,000. It was noted that t= he proposed parcel contained 2100 feet of frontage on = Sherburne Road. The parcel would offset some of th= e development going on in the area. The app= raiser indicated that the lot was capable of containing thirteen house lots.

Mr. Gleason confirmed that the necessary checklist (for purchasing land) had been completed. Mr. Gagnon answered yes. He noted that there was an estimate timber value of $82,000. He said they could easily take hal= f of the timber and recoup $40,000. He said it was a pleasure reviewing the checklist for the parcel because it me= t every criterion.

Mr. Domenico thanked Mr. Gagnon for the Conservation Commission’s work. He discussed the process of acquiring land and pointed out that it took several months and it wasn’t the first time the Selectmen had reviewed; they = had non-public sessions to discuss the opportunity. He asked how the Conservation Comm= ission would fund the purchase. Mr. = Gagnon believed it should be purchased out of the Bond Fund (set up in 2004); there was approximately $1.6million currently in the fund. Mr. Domenico asked what was remain= ing in the Conservation Fund. Mr. Ga= gnon didn’t know the number, but estimated it at $500,000.

The Conservation Commission was thanked for their dili= gence and commitment to conservation. Mr. Gagnon said the Committee continues to seek contiguous pieces of land that could be considered. He said = they had help from Peter Zohdi of Herbert Associates with identifying land; there was one such piece in the process of being reviewed.

Mr. Gagnon noted that the Planning Board had met and v= oted to support the purchase of the proposed property (Map 39 lot 1-51).

There was no public inpu= t.

Mr. Gaydos said the public hearing would be continued = to the April 3, 2007 meeting, a second public hearing would be held on April 17, 2007. He discussed what process would be followed from this point to purchase the property. Mr. Gleason asked that the informa= tion be posted on the Town website.

OTHER BUSINESS

Police Chief Retirement Letter

Mr. Gleason said the Selectmen were in receipt of a le= tter, which he read aloud. It indic= ated that Police Chief Evan Haglund had accepted the position of Police Chief in= Topsfield, MA and as a result had moved up his retirement date from June 1, 2007 to May 1, 2007 with his last da= y in Pelham being Apr= il 20, 2007.

Police Chief Evan Haglund discussed his experience wor= king in the Town for the past 28-years. Each Selectman took the opportunity to thank the Chief for his hard = work and dedication to the Town. <= /p>

Police Chief Search Update

Mr. Gaydos said the closing date for police chief appl= ication submissions is at the end of the week; the application would be made availa= ble to the Selectmen for review. = He suggested that the Selectmen follow a similar review process as taken durin= g the search for a new fire chief. = The Selectmen wanted to expedite the resume/interview process. The Selectmen were asked to review= the resumes and be prepared to discuss the candidates at the next meeting.

Selectmen’s Committee Assignments

Mr. Gleason said he revi= ewed the committee openings and made the following appointments.

Mr. Gleason – Budget Committee; NRPC Commissioner= ;; Community Technical Assistance Program (CTAP); Context Sensitive Solution

Mr. Danevich – Park & Recreation Advisory; Pla= nning Board; Board of Adjustment; Council on Aging

Mr. Lynde – Forestry Committee; Community Techni= cal Assistance Program (CTAP); Context Sensitive Solution

Mr. Domenico – Cit= izen Counsel CERT; Hazmat Director; Central Fire Station Building Committee<= /p>

Mr. Haverty – Plan= ning Board (Alt); CIP; Central= Fire Station Building Committee<= /p>

Mr. Gaydos – Merri= mack Valley Regional Water District

Mr. Lou Longo – Li= aison to Salem C= hamber of Commerce

Mr. Lynde believed once someone was appointed to the Planning Board the appointment remained until the end of their elected term. Mr. Domenico said he in= tended to go back to the Planning Board but had been recently informed that he wou= ld have a significant scheduling conflict and would be unable to make most of = the meetings.

Mr. Longo would be contacted and asked to meet with the Selectmen regarding his request to be the liaison for the Salem Chamber of Commerce.

Sherburne Hall Committee= is pending further review.

Chairman’s Discussion:&nb= sp; Strategy development for 2007

Mr. Gleason said he indicated at the previous meeting = his goal was to set priorities of what direction the Selectmen would go. He reviewed the list of items (out= lined at the previous meeting) that he wanted the Selectmen to endorse the approa= ch or come up with recommendations. The Selectmen felt it was a good approach and would work toward addressing the items over the next year.

Fire Engine Purchase Order

Fire Chief Michael Walker said the Town would keep the ‘loaner’ until the delivery of the new fire engine. He said at this time, the contract= had been signed and there was currently a meeting being conducted with the Appa= ratus Committee and Alexis to discuss the detailed analysis of the specifications= . They wanted to finish the details regarding the chassis so it could be ordered. He said they would also be discuss= ing the payment schedule; Mr. Gaydos had obtained quotes for a lease. The rate would be 4.22% over five = years, which was lower than the original quote (of 4.75%). Mr. Gaydos said this was the best = price and was requesting approval from the Selectmen to move forward. Mr. Gleason confirmed that Mr. Gay= dos would act as the Selectmen’s representative in signing the contract.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

Mr. Lynde asked that the warrant article language be reviewed. Mr. Gaydos summariz= ed the article. Mr. Lynde confirmed = that the total dollar figure would come in either equal to, or under the amount. Chief Walker answered= yes; he said the total price contracted for was $344,398, but the interest rate = was now lower. Mr. Gaydos said the amount would be within the amount in the article. Mr. Gaydos said he would like to p= ursue making the first payment in advance so the accruing interest would be on the lesser amount.

Mr. Gleason summarized by saying the outcome would be a brand new pumper truck with a warranty which would satisfy the Fire Department’s needs. He = asked what would happen with the old pumper.&nbs= p; Chief Walker said his intent was to surplus the truck, but would bri= ng options back to the Selectmen to review.&n= bsp; Mr. Gleason asked when the new pumper would come in. Chief Walker said it would take approximately 300 days once it was ordered. Mr. Gleason confirmed that the Town would still have the loaner. = Chief Walker answered yes.

There was no objection to allowing Mr. Gaydos to sign the contract and pursuing the interest.

Fire Department Contracts

The Selectmen were given the Fire Department contracts= to sign. Members of the Union were also present and signed the contracts. Mr. Gaydos signed the contracts. A copy of the signed contract was = given to the Union members.

Mr. Gleason congratulated the Fire Department for ente= ring into excellent negotiations and resolution of a contract that was fair to a= ll parties.

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR/SELECTMEN’S REPORTS<= /p>

Mr. Gaydos noted that there were some appointments com= ing up for the Board of Adjustment. = He said there were some issues with one of the members (up for re-appointment)= not being available during the next week. He noted that the appointments expire on April 1, 2007. The Selectmen briefly discussed the situation and made the following motion because the applicant, who was curr= ently a sitting member of the board had re-applied.

=

MOTION:=

(Domenico/Lynde) To re-appoint Svetlana Paliy to the= Board of Adjustment (as a full member) effective April 1, 2007 and expiring on March 31, 2010.

=

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

Mr. Gaydos said comments had been made regarding the l= ogging operation at Muldoon Park. He said logging operations were dangerous; people should steer clear of equipment and stacked logs.

Mr. Domenico and Mr. Hav= erty had no report.

Mr. Lynde said he came across the minutes of a meeting= where the Selectmen (through a motion by Mr. Domenico and himself) to authorize t= he Town Administrator to execute a fund transfer of $40,000 to encumber those funds for the purpose of resolving issues raised by TFMoran at Raymond Park (regarding erosion control). = Mr. Domenico said that was correct. Mr. Gaydos said he didn’t have an answer back from DRA regarding how they felt about spending that money on erosion control; if they are negative in their response he will go to the Department of Environmental Services and a= sk them to approach DRA on the Town’s behalf to ask them to spend the money. Mr. Domenico noted tha= t the Selectmen made a motion to encumber the funds prior to Town vote.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC S= ESSION

MOTION:=

(Lynde/Haverty) Request for a non-public session per= RSA 91-A:3,II,a (Personnel)

=

ROLL CALL:<= /b>

Mr. Gleason-Yes; Mr. Lynde-Yes; Mr. Domenico-Yes; Mr. Haverty-Yes

Mr. Gleason noted that when the Board returned, after = the non-public session, the Board would not take any other action publicly, exc= ept to possibly seal the minutes of the non-public session and to adjourn the meeting. The Board entered in= to a non-public session at approximately 8:10 pm. Also present = was Mr. Gaydos.

The Board returned to pu= blic session at approximately 9:= 25 pm.

=

MOTION:=

(Domenico/Lynde) To seal the minutes of the non-publ= ic session indefinitely.

=

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Domenico/Lynde) To adjourn the meeting.

=

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

The meeting was adjourne= d at approximately 9:25 pm.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;    Respectfully submitted,

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;    Charity A. L. Willis

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;    Recording Secretary