SEL20080603

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

June 3, 2008

APPROVED – June 17, 2008

CALL TO ORDER

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Douglas Viger, Mr. = Robert Haverty, Mr. William McDevitt, Mr. Harold Lynde (arrived after the meeting commenced), Town Administrator Tom Gaydos

Also present:

ABSENT:

Members of the press and general public.

Mr. Victor Danevich

MINUTES REVIEW

May 6, 2008

MOTION:<= o:p>

(McDevitt/Haverty) To approve the May 6, 2008 meeting minutes = as written.

VOTE:

(3-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

OPEN FORUM

Mr. Leo Thibeault, Simpson Road, wanted residents to know that the State of New Hampshire had a low/moderate incom= e tax relief program. He said people would have to sign up during the months of May and June. Applications were available at the= Town Hall.

Mr. Lynde arrived.

Mr. Paul MacDonough, 7 Mammoth Road said (in the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down section of) the local newspaper someone indic= ated that construction materials were being disposed at the Transfer Station. He said when he went to the Transf= er Station he had never witnessed people doing so. He said he appreciated the work do= ne by the employees of the Transfer Station and hoped people followed the rules f= or recycling. Mr. MacDonough then discussed the hard work performed by the Police Officers in Town and told t= he Selectmen that he had seen the Chief out in public assisting with a situation. He said he hoped t= hat the Town would help the Police Officers.

APPOINTMENTS

Junkyard License Renewal: Jean-Guy’s Used Cars & Parts, Inc.

The Selectmen reviewed th= e backup information; any issues found had been addressed and fixed. Mr. Gaydos said the property was v= isited by the Town’s inspectors and all criteria had been met. He also informed that Jean-GuyR= 17;s Used Cars & Parts, Inc. was part of the New Hampshire Green Yards Progr= am and was following all the Best Practices on a consistent basis. He said the recommendation was to approve the license.

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Lynde/McDevitt) To renew the license for automotive= and recycling yard from the period of April 30, 2008 through March 31, 2009

VOTE:

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

Jack Tirrell – 20^th Anniversary as a Pelham Fire Fighter

Firefighter Jack Tirrell = was asked to join the Selectmen. = The Selectmen, on behalf of the Town of Pelham thanked Firefighter Tirrell for his twenty years of service and his commitm= ent to the Town. Mr. Tirrell disc= ussed the experiences he had during his employment with the Town.

Mr. Tirrell then discusse= d the Muscular Dystrophy Fundraising done by the Fire Department in the past years. He said Pelham was the fourth highest collection sites in the state Of New Hampshire. He thanked the Town for their supp= ort during their fundraising.

The Town and Selectmen th= en presented Firefighter Tirrell with a plaque for his dedicated years of service.

Health Officer Interview – Bob Chatel

Mr. Bob Chatel came forwa= rd and discussed his application for Health Officer. He summarized his experience and h= ow it would be beneficial to the position.

Mr. Viger wanted to know = how Mr. Chatel would handle the position, given that he was an employee of the Fire Department and the position would be part-time. Mr. Chatel said his first priority= would be to his full-time position, but given the hours he works, he felt he woul= d be able to devote the appropriate time to the Health Officer position.

Mr. Lynde commented that = Mr. Chatel’s application had been submitted in February, 2008 and questio= ned why he hadn’t come in for an interview earlier. Mr. Chatel said he submitted his application while out from work injured and was unsure if he’d be abl= e to return. He said he had just n= ow been approached to come in for an interview. Mr. Gaydos explained that since the resignation of Ms. Demers they had been handling some of the health officer issues in the Selectmen’s office.&nb= sp; He said the decision was to wait and find out the extent of Mr. Chatel’s injuries before having him come in for an interview. Now that Mr. Chatel had complete releases and was back in Town, Mr. Gaydos felt it was the appropriate time = to interview. Mr. Lynde question= ed if the other applicant was interested in the position. Mr. Gaydos answered yes.

Mr. Gaydos asked Mr. Chat= el how he would work around the Fire Department’s 24-hour shifts. Mr. Chatel said his full-time job w= ould have to come first, but he could arrange with the Fire Chief how to handle emergencies. He noted that his position allowed him to have flexibility in hours.

Mr. Gaydos questioned how= Mr. Chatel felt about doing the day-to-day work and the mosquito testing period= . Mr. Chatel believed the day-to-day= would not be a big deal. He said he= would try to schedule work for his days off.

Mr. Haverty asked if the = Health Officer was a stipend position. Mr. Gaydos said it was and believed it to be approximately $2000-$3000. Mr. Haverty asked Mr. Chatel what = his priorities would be when he first started the position. Mr. Chatel said his first prioriti= es would be to meet with the mosquito company to find out the status. He discussed the process taken las= t year to rid areas of mosquitoes and ticks. He said he would also seek additional training for the position. Mr. Haverty wanted to know what Mr. Chatel’s support would be if he received a phone call about a situati= on he was unfamiliar with. Mr. C= hatel said he would deal with Nashua Public Health or he would contact the Depart= ment of Public Health. He said the= re were a lot of resources and networking that could be done. He said during the past five years= while attending various meetings he= had the opportunity to meet the health officers from the surrounding communitie= s. Mr. Gaydos said there was an impre= ssive network of resources available for the Heath Officer.

Mr. Chatel noted that he = was very instrumental in writing the Town’s first emergency operations plan.

The Selectmen thanked Mr.= Chatel for coming forward.

Discussion – 2009 Budget Process

The Selectmen reviewed the proposed 2009 Budget Schedule. Mr. Viger asked if the department heads had been instructed how the budgets sho= uld be. Mr. Gaydos said the depar= tments were reviewing levels of service. He said some of the department didn’t want to think about drop= ping a level of service. There was= a discussion about how the departments would submit their budgets. The Selectmen asked that the depar= tments submit a budget showing zero growth (bottom line identical to last year) and how it would affect levels of service.&nbs= p; If the departments wanted a specific program, it should be submitted separately along with backup information.&= nbsp; The department heads should be more creative regarding cost efficien= cies within the budgets.

OTHER BUSINESS

Transfer Station Policy Brochure Update/Approval Request

A copy of the existing po= licy was submitted along with the proposed policy showing the requested changes. Mr. McDevitt wanted to find out if= the Transfer Station could accept large plastic items (i.e. chairs, outside children’s toys). He sa= id if we found out we couldn’t he’d like to know the reason.

Mr. Gaydos said the purpo= se of the discussion was to review the information, make changes and have it brou= ght back to the Board at a later date. <= /span>

There was further discuss= ion regarding recyclables and what the symbols represented.

Continue Discussion from May 6, 2008 meeting: Pay-As-You-Throw Program

Mr. Viger said the respon= se on the Pelham Message Board regarding the Pay-as-you-throw-program seemed to be 50/50. Mr. Gaydos and M= r. Viger met with Allied Waste, who provides different services in other towns; they found it interesting to hear the services that were available. Mr. Gaydos said they had to determ= ine the number of households using the Transfer Station in order to determine w= hat program (i.e. pay-as-you-throw, curb-side pickup) would be best. He said currently, the situation w= as that the vast majority of the Town hired someone to take their trash. He summarized the current cost per household to use the facility.

Mr. McDevitt suggested th= at an ad hoc committee be formed to review options for the Town. He made a motion to form a committ= ee that would study and make recommendations to the Selectmen. Mr. Viger questioned if the commit= tee would determine how many people use the facility. Mr. McDevitt said that would be pa= rt of what they do. Mr. Haverty sec= onded the motion. He questioned if = the motion should include that the premise of the committee would be to control costs and encourage recycling. Mr. McDevitt said it didn’t have to be in the motion, but could be unders= tood that would be the direction given to the committee.

MOTION:

(McDevitt/Have= rty) To form a committee of five people (plus/minus) to study and make recommendations to the Selectmen on the feasibility of trash pick up in t= he Town and also the feasibility of the Pay-as-you-throw Program and report = to the Board not later than mid September.&= nbsp;

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

Mr. Gaydos said he would = post an ad on the Message Board and on PTV. He asked how the Selectmen wanted to handle the applicants. The Selectmen wanted to interview = the applicants. The application f= iling period would be open for two weeks.

OHRV Grant-Board Authority Letter for Signature

Mr. Viger reviewed the OH= RV Grant application which would allow the Pelham Police Department to conduct OHRV operations in the Town. He sa= id the Town had been involved with the same thing in the past.

MOTION:

(Lynde/Haverty= ) To approve the grant application to the New Hampshire Fish and Game.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

Application for Historical Landmark Status Eligibility for Old Public Library

Mr. William Hayes, 9 Pinewood Drive came forward to speak on behalf of the Pelham Historical Society regarding = the application for Historical Landmark Status Eligibility for Old Public Libra= ry. He discussed the review of the Town Center and provided a brief history about the old public library. He said the New Hampshire Division= of Historical Resources had determined that the building was eligible for list= ing in the state register and the national register. He said no restrictions would be p= laced on the building by registering. He said it was required to have a vote of the Selectmen to be placed on the register. Mr. Hayes also info= rmed that at this stage the designation was an honorary and requested that the Selectmen act.

Mr. Lynde asked if there = would be restrictions at any point in the process.&= nbsp; Mr. Hayes answered no. He said it was like being on the honor roll.&= nbsp; Mr. Lynde asked if there would be restrictions when accepting grant money. Mr. Hayes said in that= case, the terms of the grant would apply. Mr. Lynde asked if the Town Charter was in the possession of the Historical Society. Mr. Hayes believed there was a document that was framed, but noted that the original = Town Charter was located in Concord= .

MOTION:

(Lynde/McDevit= t) To authorize the Chairman, on behalf of the Board of Selectmen, to sign the applicatio= n to list the Old Library/History Society building on the New Hampshire State Register of Historical Resources

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

Recognition: Muscular Dystrophy Fundraising by Fire Department

Mr. Viger said that Fire = Fighter Tirrell discussed the amounts collected in the past. He said they should be proud of themselves because it was a great organization to raise money for. The Selectmen had backup informati= on that they could review.

Discussion – Sherburne Hall Improvements

Mr. McDevitt said at the = time the building was completed Sherburne Hall was left untouched. He said they also committed to imp= rove the hall through funds that were not property tax money. The Sherburne Hall Committee has r= aised approximately $42,000 from private donors and activities the committee conducted; many of the committee members have donated four figures. He said the committee would like t= o ask the Selectmen’s approval to begin to spend (working with the Selectme= n) some of the money raised. The numb= ers for completing the hall were between $150,000-$200,000; the heating, ventilating and air conditioning were a big part of that. Mr. McDevitt said they would like = to start by addressing the life/safety issues; the committee had a discussion = with the Fire Chief months ago. He= said they would like to start by having the hall professionally cleaned and painted. He explained that th= e work would be done in two phases and further outlined what items would be addres= sed first. Mr. McDevitt said he w= ould be happy to work with Mr. Gaydos. He noted that it would be a good time to address some of the issues because meetings would not be held in the hall and given the economic times, people would bid competitively.

There was a brief discussion. Mr. McDevitt said= he would begin to put together some plans with Mr. Gaydos and bring them back = to the Selectmen.

Summer Meeting Location Schedule

A meeting schedule was su= bmitted to the Selectmen to move their meetings to the Pelham Elementary School Media Center beginning June 17, 2008 t= hrough September 23, 2008.

The Selectmen extended a = thank you to the School Board and Principal for their assistance and cooperation.=

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT /= SELECTMEN’S REPORTS

Mr. Gaydos said Tennessee= Gas was proposing to build a station at the industrial park that would feed into the gas pipeline giving it more pressure it could feed up the state. He said the permitting process was= being handled through the state but Tennessee Gas made it clear they wanted to cooperate with the Town and provide any information. Mr. Gaydos said Tennessee Gas was looking to put together a trip to Massachusetts to a location of an identical pump station. He said if anybody wanted to go se= e the pump station, they would be invited to attend. The date would be scheduled betwee= n June 16 – 23, 2008 from 4pm-8pm. Mr. Haverty suggested sending some= one on the trip to videotape the station and make the video available for those not able to attend.

Mr. Haverty discussed the= items reviewed at the J= une 2, 2008 Planning Board meeting. He th= en said in the past he had asked permission to review privatizing the ambulanc= e in Town. He said they had spoken= to a couple different private companies, but to date hadn’t found anyone interested based on the Town’s call volume. At this point, a decision should b= e made to either stay with what we have, or reevaluate the service levels.   Mr. Haverty then discussed the Memorial Day service and cookout at the American Legion.

Mr. Lynde informed that t= he first concert of the Concert on the Commons would be held Wednesday, June 25, 2008. He also informed that Tot Soccer w= as in progress and doing well.

Mr. McDevitt noted that t= he concerts were paid for 100% by private donations.

Mr. Viger had no report.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:

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

ROLL CALL:

Mr. Viger-Yes;= Mr. Haverty-Yes; Mr. McDevitt-Yes; Mr. Lynde-Yes

It was noted tha= t when the Board returned, after the non-public session, the Board would not take = any other action publicly, except to possibly seal the minutes of the non-public session and to adjourn the meeting. The Board entered into a non-public session at approximately 8:48 pm. Also present was Mr. Gaydos.

The Board returned to public session at approximately 9:30pm.

MOTION:

(Lynde/Haverty= ) To seal the minutes of the non-public session indefinitely.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION:

(Lynde/Haverty= ) To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:30 pm.

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

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

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