SEL20090407

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

April 7, 2009

APPROVED &#= 8211; April 21, 2009<= /p>

CALL TO ORDER – 6:30pm

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Robert Haverty, Mr.= Douglas Viger, Mr. William McDevitt, Mr. Edmund Gleason, Town Administrator Tom Gaydos

Also present:

ABSENT:

Members of the press and general public.

Mr. Harold Lynde

APPOINTMENTS

6:35pm

PUBLIC HEARING: To accept Donation from First Congregational Chu= rch – Upright Piano Donation Approximate Value over $500

There was no public input= .

Mr. McDevitt extended a t= hank you to the church for the donation.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Viger= ) To accept the donation of an upright piano from the First Congregational Chu= rch valued at approximately $500.=

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

MINUTES REVIEW

March 2= 4, 2009

MOTION:

(Gleason/Viger= ) To approve the Ma= rch 24, 2009 Selectmen meeting minutes as amended.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

The amendments to the min= utes were as follows: page 3, under Ambulance Bid Award – Mr. Gaydos provided the following clarification= : Note was made that the total approved = by the voters was $185,000. The chas= sis and ambulance “box” have been awarded for $161,651. The final outfitting of the ambula= nce has yet to be completed and will be subject to the Selectmen’s vote a= t a future meeting; page 3 under Proposed Pawn/Secondhand Dealer Ordinance – 3^rd paragraph – the words ‘support/cooperation’ were added to the last sentence; there we= re also typographical corrections made.

OPEN FORUM

No one came forward durin= g Open Forum.

APPOINTMENTS

BOARD / COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS:

Zoning Board of Adjustment:

David Hennessey – Mr. Hennessey, = 71 Dutton Road, came forward to dis= cuss his application for reappointment to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Mr. Gleason asked if Mr. Hennessey= felt the current situation with the regulations in place was adequate for the Bo= ard of Adjustment or if there was anything that the Town should look at in term= s of modifications. Mr. Hennessey = said he would like to see a new mixed-use zoning ordinance for the center of Town. He would also like a Historical District for the way things currently looked. He said they would have to be care= ful when bringing retail into the center. He felt it would be at least a three-year job to accomplish. Mr. McDevitt asked if a Historic District Commission was an appointed or elected role. Mr. Hennessey said he would like t= o see it on the warrant next year. = Mr. McDevitt said he had no questions because he had seen Mr. Hennessey work an= d knew he was dedicated and believed he would do a good job. Mr. Gleason said he had the opport= unity to work with Mr. Hennessey in the past and agreed that he was knowledgeable= and dedicated and should be complimented for his contributions to the board and= the Town. Mr. Haverty said he als= o had the opportunity to work with Mr. Hennessey and agreed with the comments mad= e by the other Selectmen.

Robert Molloy – Mr. Molloy, 35 Patriot Drive, came forward to d= iscuss his application for reappointment to the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Mr. Haverty stated that he had wor= ked with Mr. Molloy on the Board and appreciated his hard work and dedication.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Gleason asked if there was any= thing that the Selectmen should try to change that would make his job easier on t= he board. Mr. Molloy went along with Mr. Hennessey’s comments regarding rezoning the Town center. He said he was happy with the regu= lation changes that occurred during the last Town vote.

MOTION:

(McDevitt/Glea= son) To appoint Mr. Robert Molloy and Mr. David Hennessey to the two open three-y= ear terms on the Zoning Board of Adjustment

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

Forestry Committee:

Deborah Waters – Ms. Waters, 6 Harley Road, met with the Selectm= en to discuss her application for reappointment onto the Forestry Committee. Mr. Gleason stated that he had wor= ked with Ms. Waters and found her to be very efficient and committed to projects that she undertook. He thanke= d her for her contributions to the Town. Mr. Haverty saw that there were open positions for the 1, 2 and 3-ye= ar terms. He asked Ms. Waters wh= ich she preferred. Ms. Waters sta= ted she preferred the three-year term. Mr. Haverty asked what challenges/objectives Ms. Waters looked to accomplish during the next three years.&nb= sp; Ms. Waters felt the last three years were productive with implementi= ng management plans and updating old plans.&n= bsp; She said some revenue had been generated. She said her goal, which felt was achievable, would be to make sure that the properties were self-sustaining using the revenues from the timber harvesting. Mr. Gleason asked what was declare= d as Town Forest. Ms. Waters stated from her review, Muldoon, Raymond and Pelham Veteran’s Memorial may not have been declared, but believed all the others had been at some time. She said all the conservation prop= erties were recently declared. She a= lso believed Kirby and Peabod= y Town Forest had also been declared. She n= oted there was a warrant article (possibly in 1992) that implemented a Town-wide Forest Management Plan that brough= t in all the Town pieces and designated the Forestry Committee as Stewards of th= at plan.

Bob Lamoreaux -   Mr. Lamoreaux was interested in being appointed to a three-year term. Mr. McDevitt stated that he had wo= rked with Mr. Lamoreaux and Ms. Waters on various capacities and found them to be very dedicated to the community. Mr. Haverty asked what priorities and objectives Mr. Lamoreaux looked to accomp= lish over the next three years. Mr. Lamoreaux wanted everyone to ‘be on the same page’ when it came= to the budget. He said the tax p= ayers voted to purchase property and put it into forest management. He said the Town borrows money usi= ng Municipal Notes which needed to be paid back. He believed any ‘extra’ money earned <= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> should be used to pay down the note= s. Mr. Lamoreaux commented that there= was a major beaver problem in Town because Massachusetts didn’t trap anymore. He= said his major concern in Town was the trails and to make sure they stayed open = for use by the taxpayers. Mr. Gle= ason asked if the Cutter property was getting much use. Mr. Lamoreaux said there were alwa= ys people using it, mostly to walk dogs and kids peddling bikes.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Viger= ) To appoint both Deborah Waters and Bob Lamoreaux to three-year terms on the Forestry Committee.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

Trustee of the Trust Funds –

It was noted that there w= as one open one-year term.

Cindy Ronning – Ms. Ronning came forward to answer any questions about her application for appointment as a Trustee of the Trust Funds. Mr. Gleason stated tha= t Ms. Ronning had done a good job during the time he had worked with her as a Trustee. He thanked her for contributing her time and efforts and felt she was an asset. Mr. McDevitt thanked Ms. Ronning f= or applying. Ms. Ronning stated = that she would like to continue to follow through and maintain the work that had been done by Mr. Gleason and herself.

John Kachmor – Mr. Kachmor met with the Selectmen to disc= uss his application for Trustee of the Trust Funds. He told the Selectmen that he was = new to Town (2 years). He said he had worked with management of trust funds and understood how trusts worked. The position was interesting to hi= m and wanted to learn more about local government. Mr. Gleason said there was one ope= ning and asked if Mr. Kachmor would consider volunteering in another capacity. Mr. Kachmor wasn’t aware that there were other opportunities available.&= nbsp; He felt his knowledge about investments would be helpful in the role= of a trustee. Mr. Haverty asked = Mr. Kachmor what he looked to accomplish in the next year in the position. Mr. Kachmor felt the position would provide input into different investment opportunities. He said the information posted on-= line about the position seemed pretty straight forward. He said there may be some administ= rative items that could be straightened up for a cleaner account statement.

Mr. Gleason was glad to s= ee Mr. Kachmor apply for the position, but felt where Ms. Ronning was a previous t= rustee, appointing her would make the transition smoother. He said he would like to see Mr. K= achmor in a position where he could contribute, but requested for this position th= at the Selectmen appoint Ms. Ronning because she had the experience and abilit= y.

MOTION:

(Gleason/McDev= itt) To appoint Cindy Ronning to the open position of Trustee of the Trust Funds.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

Council on Aging

A Memo was submitted by t= he Senior Center Director recommending the appointment of the following people= to be members of the Council on Aging: Daniel Atwood, Georgia Atwood, Diane Brunelle, Donald Brunelle, Priscilla Church, Terry Desell, Leo Doherty, Emily Hodge, Edward Richard, Marina Sintros and Barbara Tracy.

Mr. Haverty understood th= at typically the Selectmen appointed the names on the recommended list, but saw that there were a couple people seated in the public who wanted to address = the Selectmen. He allowed them to= come forward.

Mr. Donald Brunelle and M= r. Leo Doherty came forward to address the Selectmen. Mr. Brunelle’s personal goal= was to have an addition to the Senior Center. Mr. Doherty said he would head up = the Building Committee for the new Senior Center. He said they were in the process of looking at alternative ways to accomplish it. He discussed the difficulties in attracting the older population. He would like to see the building committee work closer with the Selectmen to accomplish their goals and would ask for their help in the future.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Viger= ) To approve the Council on Aging candidates that were submitted to the Select= men by Sue Hovling as stated.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

7:18pm

Presentation: Pelham Economic Development Plan – Planning Director Jeff Gowan and Assistant Director of Nashua Regional Planning Commission Ker= rie Diers

Planning Director Jeff Go= wan and Nashua Regional Planning Commission Assistant Director Kerrie Diers came forward to meet with the Selectmen regarding the Pelham Economic Development Plan. Ms. Diers stated during= the past year the Pelham Economic Development Committee had been meeting to develop a plan by reaching out to the public and businesses. She reviewed the plan with the Selectmen.

Mr. Gleason commented tha= t if Route 38 were to really grow, they would have to think about having water, sewer and gas. In reviewing t= he plan, he saw that it looked like a lot of time would be needed and question= ed Mr. Gowan if he would have time to do all of it. Mr. Gowan said economic developmen= t was tied to planning and saw it as a role that should be part of a planning director’s responsibility. He said they were hopeful with a broader group of members, the projects could = be broken up a bit and worked on. Mr. Gowan discussed the utilities and felt that it would take more of an involvement by the Selectmen to make them happen.

Mr. McDevitt discussed the actions Londonderry was taking and comme= nted that (business) development was getting competitive. He felt the Selectmen should have a serious conversation about what resources would need to be put in place in = the short term to add to the plan. He had mixed feelings about water and sewer and discussed the possible difficulties with extending them down Route 38.

Mr. Haverty noticed that = the plan indicated that the Town didn’t currently own any parcels marketed for development. He said all the parcels the Selectmen saw were conservation pieces and questioned if they w= ere recommending that the Town get in the business of acquiring parcels for development of commercial establishments.&= nbsp; Mr. Gowan answered no. Ms. Diers said sometimes communities interested in economic development would u= se certain properties as an incentive for development. Mr. Gowan had the idea that there = could be a building available/owned by the Town that didn’t have an identif= ied use which could be leased to a small business.=

Mr. Gleason read the stat= ement about providing affordable (workforce) housing and questioned if the statem= ent was consistent with the Town’s Regulations. Mr. Gowan said the zoning on the b= allot that passed allowed workforce housing within conservation subdivisions. He said much of it would be market driven.

Mr. McDevitt asked what s= ort of tax breaks or financial incentives were possible to offer to attract business. Mr. Gowan said a TI= FF district could be established; the Town could enter into a contract that wo= uld show how they would help the Town and possibly have a tax break. Mr. McDevitt urged the Planning Bo= ard and Selectmen to act quickly on the recommendations made and take some step= s to address the items in the plan.

Mr. Gaydos said there app= eared to be several prongs to the approach. He explained how a TIFF worked and how taxpayers would be affected.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He said to understand the different methods would open a world of opportunity.= Mr. Gowan felt it was worth exploring to see if the Town could take advantage of the second round of CTAP funding. He said working with what the Town= had was important, utilities weren’t the first thing that a business thou= ght about. He said they had to lo= ok at what the Town had to offer. <= /p>

Mr. Haverty asked what ac= tion Mr. Gowan was hoping for. Mr. Gow= an said he would like closure with the Board regarding the document. He would come back to the Board wi= th a roster of members seeking appointment onto the committee. He said there was a lot of work to= be done and they would like to keep moving forward with their goals and action items.

Mr. Gleason said there ha= d been a lot of work done by the Committee and was not adverse to approving the docu= ment subject to the input provided.

MOTION:

(Viger/Gleason= ) To accept the Strategic Plan for Economic Development for the Town of Pelham, New Hampshire as written subject to consideration of the comments by the Selectmen.

VOTE:

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

OTHER BUSINESS

8:00pm

2009 Board of Selectmen Committee Assignments=

Mr. Haverty said he had b= een in touch with the Board members getting feedback regarding which boards they w= ere interested in holding for the 2009 year.&n= bsp;

The Selectmen assignments= were as follows:

Forestry Committee: Mr. Lynde

Planning Board: Mr. Haver= ty – back up: Mr. Viger

Budget Committee: Mr. Vig= er – back up Mr. McDevitt

Capital Improvement Plan = – the previous committee resigned, the Planning Board has no inclination at t= his

time to = appoint members

Council on Aging: Mr. Gle= ason

Merrimack Valley Water Di= strict: Mr. McDevitt with Mr. Gaydos (Mr. McDevitt stated for public record

that he = was a Pennichuck customer)

NRPC Commissioner: Mr. Gl= eason

Pelham Citizens Council: = Mr. Haverty

Hazmat Director: Mr. Vige= r

Context Sensitive Solutio= n: Mr. Lynde – (if Mr. Lynde doesn’t want the position, Mr. Gleason wi= ll be the

represen= tative)

Sherburne Hall: Mr. McDev= itt

Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce: Mr. Viger

High School Building Committee:= Mr. Lynde

Library: Mr. McDevitt

8:10pm

GSA Federal Purchasing Agreement – Authorizing Acting Fire Chief James Midgley to sign

Acting Fire Chief James M= idgley came forward to discuss the agreement for mutual aid fire protection. He said the agreement came about t= o head off some problems they were running into with purchasing forest fire fighti= ng equipment. The agreement would allow the Fire Department to purchase under the Federal guidelines through = the Federal Government direct from them for exactly what it cost them to purchase. The caveat was the = Fire Department would have to enter into an agreement and state if there was a m= ajor incident within the state, the state would have the right to request resour= ces (equipment and possibly personnel, which could be refused). Chief Midgley felt the need to bri= ng the agreement to the Selectmen because it was an agreement that would be entered into by both the Fire Department and the Town.

Mr. Viger asked if the st= ate could ask for anything the Town had in the barn or just the items purchased under the agreement. Chief Mi= dgley said it could be anything pertaining to forest fires. He said it was a reciprocal agreem= ent so in the event Pelham needed assistance we would be able to request it.

Mr. Gaydos asked if it wa= s fair to say whether or not the Town signed the agreement the state would make the request. Chief Midgley answer= ed yes. He explained how mutual = aid worked; if someone made a request and Pelham had the ability to commit the = resources they would help.

Mr. Gleason asked if mutu= al support had to come out of the Fire Department budget. Chief Midgley answered yes. Mr. Gleason asked if the Town would receive any State or Federal reimbursement. Chief Midgley said the only time t= hey would be reimbursed is if the event was deemed a disaster; they would be ab= le to recoup some of the costs. = Mr. Gleason asked if there was any historical data showing the frequency of occurrences and the periods involved. Chief Midgley said a State task force booklet (that covers the state= ) had been created two years ago. T= o his knowledge the only time it had been used was when they went to help with the tornados.

There were no objections = by the Selectmen to authorize Acting Fire Chief Midgley to sign the documents.

8:16pm

Chief Midgley stated sinc= e the acceptance of the bid proposal by Greenwood Fire Apparatus the proposal was reviewed and there were a couple of items requested to be changed/upgraded. It represen= ted approximately 1.6% of the purchase of the vehicle; there were other items requested by the Ambulance Committee, but the list had been culled down. Chief Midgley reviewed the request= ed items and the need for them: = 1) pull out drawer ($900 ); 2) Avonite counter tops (continuously molded) ($60= 0); 3) rear back-up camera (dash mounted incorporated with GPS) ($1200); 4) sec= ond shelf in left rear compartment ($200).&nbs= p;

Mr. Gleason asked why the= items weren’t part of the specifications.&= nbsp; He said he asked at the last meeting if the specifications did everything the department needed and he was told it did. He said he had to question why the= y were receiving a change order and how many more would come. Chief Midgley said there would be = no more change orders, once the Selectmen agreed to the request it would be put out to be built. He explained= why the items had been changed. T= he second shelf was an oversight; a mounted back up camera would have been an obstruction of sight, which he was not in favor of; the counter tops weren’t originally put in because the committee was trying to be cost effective, but felt they would be remiss if they weren’t upgraded to avoid blood borne pathogens issues; the cabinet was an oversight, and would fill ‘dead’ space. Mr. Gleason asked how much more would have to be expended to make the ambulance functional. He asked if addit= ional work needed to be done to marry it to the chassis. Chief Midgley said right now they = were getting the ambulance, lettered, built deliverable; there were some items t= hey would come back for equipping it. He said they would have a list (package) for review. Mr. Gleason confirmed that they wo= uld take the money from the existing warrant article. Chief Midgley said they wouldnR= 17;t exceed the warrant article money.

Mr. Gleason recommended f= or the future when a package was put together that the discussion be for a total package rather than certain elements. He said it was a misconception on his part as to what they were doing. Mr. Haverty stated he = had the same misconception. Mr. G= leason said at the last discussion he thought they were coming in under the bid, b= ut now they were discussing spending almost the entire warrant article.

Mr. Gaydos asked Chief Mi= dgley to provide the types of items that would be requested. Chief Midgley said they would have= to have the communication equipment transferred ($800-$1000) anything beyond t= hat would be the equipping portion. Mr. Gleason questioned if when the warrant article was composed if it was done = with certain elements that got the number to the requested $185,000. He asked if the request was consis= tent with how it was proposed. Mr. Gaydos said when the package was put together the price of the box and chas= sis were estimated and the committee had a list of items they wanted to put in,= but waited to see the price of the box and chassis. Mr. Gleason said he would like to = see a one-time presentation for what it would take to facilitate the entire ambul= ance and what it would cost.

Mr. McDevitt said he reli= ed on the Chief to tell the Selectmen what he needed. He didn’t want to get into t= he details. Mr. Gleason said he = was asking for the total package to be brought in within the dollar amount. Mr. Gaydos agreed and said they in= tended to do just that, listing the items in order of priority.

Mr. Viger said he wanted = the Chief to make the decision about what he needed in the ambulance. Mr. Haverty agreed that the Chief = should bring in the ambulance he needed. He said the only time he wanted to hear about priorities was if the amount exceeded the budget. <= /p>

There was a consensus to = approve the change order request. Mr. Gleason asked that the end cost be brought in along with what the impact wo= uld be to the warrant.

Board of Selectmen Priority List

Mr. Haverty stated that h= e had spoken to the Board members regarding where the direction of the Board shou= ld be over the next year. He sai= d the number one item was revenue tracking. He felt there was a need to create a forecast to be tracked over the next few months which would assist in providing with an early indicator to assist in the budget objectives. He said the approach for the budget should be zero increase as was done last year. He stated that the cent= ral fire station should be in the front of their minds and what was needed to be done. He looked to continue progress in contract negotiations. Mr. Haverty said the Selectmen had certain items that needed immedia= te attention, such as hiring a Fire Chief and providing support to a resolutio= n to the Town center traffic situation. <= /span>

Mr. Haverty told the Sele= ctmen when he reviews the priority list he kept three things in mind: 1) life saf= ety issues; 2) cost efficiencies; and 3) revenue generating efforts.

Mr. Viger suggested that = the Selectmen start with a new priority list and cut/paste the items to be addressed.

The Selectmen then review= ed the priority list and discussed a few of the items. It was agreed that that the top pr= iority would be the Fire Station project which encompassed understanding what a new station on the Mills property would look like, understanding the costs of modifying the existing station, and identifying the costs of Plan B. The second priority would be the E= 911 project with the second phase due to be implemented in July. Mr. Gaydos suggested that he revie= w the list and update the items for Selectmen review. The Selectmen agreed that a new li= st should be created.

Mr. McDevitt suggested ad= ding an item to schedule Department Heads to meet with Selectmen to discuss their departments.

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S //   SELECTMEN’S REPO= RTS

Mr. Gaydos discussed the = programs they were looking at in regard to fiscal stimulus for fire stations. He said the state was expecting a = lot of construction. He said he had = been finishing up reviewing the contracts that passed (Police and Support Unions= ) to ensure all the wording was correct.

Mr. Gleason stated he rev= iewed the latest version of SB2 and the anticipated impact to the Town with the reduction in state contribution. He said the employee contributions should be reviewed as part of revenue analysis. He also wanted to k= now the impacts to the Town in the event the state transferred funds to aid for education.

Mr. Viger had no report. =

Mr. McDevitt reported that Sherburne Hall had it’s grand opening. He said the Easter Egg Hunt had al= so occurred and everyone seemed to have a good time. He said he would be providing the Selectmen with a draft policy for the use of the Sherburne Hall.

Mr. Haverty stated that t= he Planning Board elected their officers, which had not changed from the previ= ous year. He said Mr. Passamonte = was appointed as an alternate.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:

(Viger/McDevit= t) Request for a non-public session per RSA 91-A:3,II,a – Fire Chief Resume Review

ROLL CALL:

Mr. Haverty-Ye= s; Mr. Viger-Yes; Mr. McDevitt-Yes; Mr. Gleason-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 8:27pm

The Board returned to public session at approximately 10:35 pm.

MOTION:

(Gleason/Viger= ) To seal the minutes of the non-public session indefinitely.

VOTE:

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

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION:

(Gleason/Viger= ) To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 10:35 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