APPROVED
TOWN OF
BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING
MINUTES
APPROVED &#=
8211;
CALL TO ORDER –
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
|
PRESENT: |
Mr. Robert Haverty, Mr.= Douglas Viger, Mr. William McDevitt, Mr. Harold Lynde (arrived after the meeting commenced), Mr. Edmund Gleason, Town Administrator Tom Gaydos |
|
ABSENT: |
None. |
MINUTES REVIEW
|
MOTION: |
(Gleason/Lynde=
) To
approve the |
|
VOTE: |
(4-0-1)
The motion carried. Mr. Vig=
er
abstained. |
The amendments to the min= utes were as follows: page 1, the = E911 representative’s names were added; page 2, 4th paragraph &= #8211; the sentence reading “Mr. Haverty stated that the vote was for the Selectmen.” was amended to read “Mr. Haverty stated that the decision was the Selectmen’s responsibility.”; page 3, 4th= paragraph – the sentence reading “Mr. McDevitt stated that the requirement of 200ft. frontage was voted in by Town Meeting and to change it would require a Town Meeting vote.” was amended to read “Mr. McDevitt stated that the requirement of 200ft. frontage was voted in by Town Meeting and Town Meeting could vote to change it.”; there were also grammatical amendments made.
|
MOTION: |
(Lynde/McDevit=
t) To
approve the |
|
VOTE: |
(4-0-1)
The motion carried. Mr. Gle=
ason
abstained. |
OPEN FORUM
None.
APPOINTMENTS
Update from PES Destination Imagination National Competition
Team Manager Amy Chartrai= n came forward and thanked the Selectmen for helping and supporting the team. She showed the Selectmen photograp= hs from the national competition. The team members introduced themselves and spoke of their experiences while bei= ng involved with Destination Imagination and the National Competition. Ms. Chartrain said they were very = proud of the team. The Selectmen we= re also very proud of the team and shook their hands for congratulations.
Board/Committee Appointments
Council on Aging – Robert Carr – Mr. Gleason stated
that Mr. Carr would not be present.
He said typically the candidates didn’t attend the meeting.
|
MOTION: |
(Gleason/McDev=
itt) To
appoint Mr. Robert Carr to the Council on Aging for a term of one year. |
|
VOTE: |
(5-0-0)
The motion carried. |
Fire Chief James Midgley:
Inspection and Permit Fee Schedule – Fire Chief James Mid= gley came forward to discuss raising permit and inspection fees. He said over the past several mont= hs Fire Inspector John Hodge had been working with other towns to find out what they were charging for fees. A proposed fee schedule had been put together. Chief Midgley stated that the fee schedule was conservative and toward the lower end of what adjoining towns = were charging.
Mr. Gleason said given th= e current economic situation and the hardship taxpayers were facing, he questioned whether or not this type of increase should be imposed. He’d like to put the fee inc= rease off to see where the economy was headed.&n= bsp; Chief Midgley said they addressed the fee schedule to make it reasonable. He reiterated tha= t the fees were towards the lower end compared to adjoining towns. He said cistern inspection/testing spurred him to review raising the Town’s fees based on what was invol= ved to do the testing. He said th= ey were essentially doing the work for the contractor, which took a lot of time. In looking what other t= owns charge, Pelham was on the lower end.
Mr. Viger questioned what= determines if something needs a fee versus a permit.&= nbsp; Chief Midgley said a permit was anything covered by RSA; a fee was something the Town imposed based on what service they provided.
Mr. Lynde reviewed the pr= oposed fees and commented that they appeared to be minor increases that didn’= ;t really apply to residents. He= saw the schedule as progressing toward user fees and felt they should review all permit fees.
Mr. Gaydos asked what was involved with different types of day care.= Chief Midgley said it depended upon what the occupancy was. He summarized the items that would= be reviewed and noted with larger facilities more things were looked at.
Mr. McDevitt thought the = Chief had done a good job bringing the items before the Selectmen that he felt were necessary. He had reservations about increasing any kind of fee. He said if he felt that the items increased the Town’s costs he might be inclined to consider them, but he would rather wait awhile until t= he economy picked up to institute the fees.&n= bsp;
Mr. Haverty also felt the= present economy wasn’t lending itself well towards leveling any new fees. He believed the notion was good an= d felt the exercise should be done, but believed the timing was off.
Mr. Lynde felt some of th= e items should be done, such as the cistern review. Mr. Haverty said the items didn= 217;t have to be taken all or nothing. He said if the Selectmen felt some of the items should be specifically called = out he would be happy to entertain a motion.&n= bsp;
Mr. Lynde made a motion t= o approve the fee for cistern installation and testing. He said he would also like to make= a motion to approve the blasting fee. Mr. McDevitt seconded the motion.&n= bsp; Mr. Gleason agreed with the motion because the work involved was extraordinary efforts. Mr. Vi= ger commented that the Fire Department could have the developer go to a third p= arty to have the work done, which would be more costly than having the Town test= and install the cistern.
|
MOTION: |
(Lynde/McDevit=
t) To
approve the $250 fee for a cistern installation and testing and to approve
the $100 fee for blasting annually. |
|
VOTE: |
(5-0-0)
The motion carried. |
Mr. Gleason stated it wou= ld be reasonable to bring the fee schedule back at a later date and felt it shoul= d be kept on the agenda for future consideration.
Department Head Update – Chief Midgley provided the Sele= ctmen with an update of what had been happening at the Fire Department during the last month: 1) replacement/interviewing a full-time employee; 2) Firefighter grant ($42,000) has been processed and received by the Federal Government; = 3) purchased MDT’s for ambulance and infrastructure; 4) IMC (information management software used to connect dispatch, police cruisers, EMS software= for patient care reports, and all dispatch data bases) license has been corrected to have twenty licenses; 5) working with Patriot Welding to construct a sandbag fil= ler; 6) review of information put out by FEMA regarding fire station grants (the Town looks good to apply for the funds); 7) structure fire was handled with= no injuries sustained; 8) working with Planning Director Jeff Gowan and Buildi= ng Inspector Roland Soucy to put a proposal together to address issues with re= gard to communications from the Planning Department and the Fire Department; 9) = in the process of rewriting the department’s SOG’s to bring them u= p to standards – a copy of the department’s rules and regulations ha= ve been through three revisions between the department and the union; and 10) continuing to work through the E911 project which has been turned over to t= he state for mapping and number reassignments.
Mr. Gleason said it was
encouraging to hear what was going on.&nbs=
p;
He questioned where they stood with CERT; he understood that they we=
re
inactive and wanted to know what the plans were for the future. Chief Midgley stated that he had b=
een
working with the National Regional Planning Committee Public Health who was
trying to get a CERT team up and operating as well as the MRC. He said he had a meeting of the Pe=
lham
Citizen’s Core Council which essentially oversees CERT and MRC and any
volunteer organizations covered by FEMA.&n=
bsp;
He said there were two plans: 1) interviewed a person who was willin=
g to
pick up and move forward with the medical reserve; 2) repeated requests were
put out to have someone step up and possibly take over CERT, but no one
had. Chief Midgley said he had
discussions with
Mr. Gleason asked if the = Town had the resources and personnel to take over in the event of a catastrophe that would require the services of a CERT group. Chief Midgley stated that the organization had essentially fallen into decay because no one wanted to lead it; there had been in-fighting that occurred. He said during the ice storm when = the Town needed the CERT team they were unable to help.
Mr. McDevitt asked if the= re was a future for the ladder truck. = Chief Midgley stated that they were trying to track the money to find out who assisted in purchasing the truck. He said he had been working with Mr. Gaydos to review alternatives to sell it; he didn’t want it to go to a junk yard. He said the truck passed ladder te= sting last year, but there was no money to equip it or do body work on it. He said his goal was to get rid of equipment that was hanging around out back. Mr. Gaydos said he had been contac= ted by some people that were interested in purchasing the truck. It was noted that the truck’s funding was being reviewed to find if there were ‘strings or hooks= 217; that had been lost sight of, such as with donations.
Mr. Gaydos stated that he=
was
impressed with how Chief Midgley picked up on the fire station project. Mr. McDevitt asked if the Town had=
an
idea when they would hear about the federal grant. Chief Midgley provided a breakdown=
of
important upcoming dates regarding the grants. He said they hoped to have the pro=
cess
of the money being given out starting
Mr. Haverty personally th= anked the Chief on behalf of his sister who called upon the Fire Department during the past week because of a fire. He said his sister was taken by the compassion and patience and wanted him to thank the department on her behalf.
Mr. Gleason indicated his= son, who had a medical emergency, extended his gratitude to the department for t= heir compassion. Mr. Gleason perso= nally extended a thank you to the department.&nb= sp;
Rules Governing the Rental and Use of Sherburne Hall –
Possible Vote
Mr. McDevitt stated there= was a question regarding extended use of the hall and conversation about damage/d= irt which might occur due to such extended use. The wording in the policy was amen= ded to cover such instances. Another amendment was made regarding the reference to Sterno type heaters. The language dropped the reference= and indicated that heaters may only be used with the prior approval by the Fire Department. Mr. McDevitt said= if the Selectmen were agreeable to the changes, the language will be amended a= nd appear in the final copy.
Mr. Lynde questioned if t= here could be some ‘wiggle room’ in the fee structure for groups to = pay actual costs rather than a set amount.&nbs= p; He understood specifying projected costs, but wanted to be able to charge actual costs to be able to encourage use for people providing a bene= fit (or revenue back) to the Town.
Mr. Gaydos felt the speci= fied costs were reasonable. He sai= d the reason the fee structure was set up was because it was felt that taxpayers shouldn’t be subsidizing the use.&nb= sp; He believed the language offered a good compromise.
Mr. Lynde agreed with cov= ering costs. He said he was asking = for something to be added to give some leeway to an organization that would be giving back to the community.
Mr. Gleason thought that = the Selectmen were establishing the document as a starting point and would eval= uate it over time. He understood t= hat the rates were set up as basic to be reviewed over time to see how they correspond to actual costs incurred. Mr. Gleason preferred to keep the document as it was for now.
Mr. McDevitt said the doc= ument needed to be revisited from time to time.&= nbsp; He felt they could start out and track the progress. He asked that Mr. Gaydos track the expenses peculiar to the hall so they could be in a better position. Mr. Gaydos felt it was important t= o work on the hall requests on a case to case basis and report to the Board. He said once they had some experie= nce it could be turned over to Recreation.
|
MOTION: |
(Viger/Gleason=
) To
approve the Rules Governing the Rental and Use of Sherburne Hall. |
|
VOTE: |
(5-0-0)
The motion carried. |
Mr. Gleason expressed tha= nks to Mr. McDevitt for the time and effort put into the document.
Upcoming Labor Contracts (Supervisors, Fire & Support Unions)
– Support Union Contract Signing
Mr. Gaydos wanted to disc= uss with the Board how they wanted to proceed with feedback and discussion regarding their wishes. He stated that = three contracts (Supervisors, Fire and Support Union) were due next year.
Mr. McDevitt believed the Selectmen should have a long non-public discussion regarding their strategy= and then give Mr. Gaydos direction from the Board. Mr. Haverty wanted the Selectmen t= o be able to review the contracts prior to the non-public session.
Mr. Lynde confirmed that = the goal of the Selectmen was to have something in place for the Budget Committee for next year’s Town Meeting. Mr. Gaydos said that was correct. He stated if he had clear objectives and parameters from the Selectmen during = the first meetings, it would help the process.
Article K Request – Owner’s: Michael & Lisa
LaFontaine
Location: Map/Lot
The Selectmen’s mee= ting recessed. The Selectmen then convened as the Board of Health with Deputy Health Officer Paul Zarnowski as Chairman.
Mr. Zarnowski reviewed the Article K waiver requests to Section 295:12 of the Pelham Health Ordinance.= 1) side slope grading – requ= ired 3-1, the proposed is 2-1; 2) effluent disposal area of leach field to open drainage – required is 75ft., proposed is 70ft.; 3) PDA to poorly dra= ined soils – 75ft. required, proposed 35ft.; 4) existing septic tank and p= ump chamber to open drainage – required 75ft., proposed 30ft. and 5) effl= uent disposal setback to intermittent seasonal stream – required 75ft., proposed 70ft.
Mr. Joe Maynard of Benchm= ark Engineering, representing the property owner, came forward to discuss the waiver requests. He stated th= at the current system was installed in 1994 and was currently blowing out of the embankment. A test pit was do= ne a few weeks ago and it was determined that if it wasn’t for some of the= new definitions for the state regulations the field could have been replaced/repaired in kind, in place. Because of the poorly drained soil that had been created on the neighboring lot, it did not meet the replacement in kind regulations so they are going through the permit process to replace the field in relatively the same location as the existing infiltrator system. The design is being chang= ed to the Enviro Septic System; the remaining portions of the system are going= to remain untouched and as they currently existed.
Mr. Zarnowski noted that = the proposed design had the greatest setbacks that could be obtained. The existing system was currently = in failure.
Mr. Gleason asked if the = site was on the pond. Mr. Maynard said= the property behind the site was Pelham conservation land at the end of Nature’s Way. He said t= he septic system was located well outside the 250ft. Shore Line Protection buf= fer; a portion of the property fell within the Shore Line Protection. Mr. Gleason asked if the gravel pa= rking area was for the abutting dwelling. Mr. Maynard answered yes. Mr. Gleason noticed that there was quite a distance from the current site to the proposed site. Mr. Maynard sa= id they had a forced main. Mr. G= leason asked if there was any indication if there was any breakage or any stress.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Maynard answered no; it was ob= vious where it was blowing out of the chambers.&= nbsp; He noted that the owners of the property purchased the triangle piec= e of land so they could put the septic in that location.
Mr. Haverty confirmed tha= t the current system was in failure. Mr. Zarnowski answered yes. The breakout was in the area marked ‘low vent’ on the plan.
Mr. Gaydos asked for furt= her explanation of each of the requests and use the plan set to show the locati= ons for the waiver requests. Mr. Zarnowski explained that the state regulations were incorporated into Artic= le K. He explained what waiver requests were being made and the purpose for each. The areas being affected were poin= ted out on the plan.
Mr. Lynde discussed the p= roposed location for the system and confirmed that there were constraints on all sides. Mr. Maynard said there were. Mr. Zarnowski said they= tried to give the adjacent wells the best protection as they could.
|
MOTION: |
(Lynde/Gleason= ) To grant waivers to Article 295:12 relative to side slope grading on map and lot location 30-11-247. Also to provide approval of a waiver request on Article 295:16 for: 1) a stream or brook to EDA – waiver from 75ft to 70ft.; 2) EDA to poorly drained soils from 75ft. to 3= 5ft; 3) from septic tank and pump chamber to open drainage from 75ft. to 30ft.; and 4) EDA to open drainage from 125ft. to 70ft. |
|
VOTE: |
(6-0-0) The mo= tion carried. |
|
MOTION: |
(McDevitt/Lynd= e) To adjourn the Board of Health. |
|
VOTE: |
(6-0-0) The mo= tion carried. |
The Selectmen reconvened = their meeting.
OTHER BUSINESS
Vehicle Bid Award
Mr. Haverty read aloud th=
e 2009
Vehicle Bids for the 1988 GMC 4x4 pickup with plow and with 90,000 miles.
|
MOTION: |
(Lynde/Gleason= ) To award the bid to the highest bidder for the amount of $654.32 to Bruce Mason. |
|
VOTE: |
(5-0-0) The mo= tion carried. |
Priority List Updates
Mr. Gleason was under the impression from a previous discussion that the Senior Center Expansion woul= d be moved up on the priority list. Mr. Haverty believed the Selectmen spoke about moving it between A3 and A4.
Mr. Gaydos said the Board
wasn’t doing anything with A4 (Muldoon egress) and suggested that they
discuss where it should be placed on the priority list. Mr. McDevitt said he would like ei=
ther
another presentation or discussion regarding the Muldoon second egress beca=
use
he had lost the thread on the topic.
Mr. Viger said the Board would need to determine whether the proposed
egress was still viable. Mr.
Haverty also wanted some sort of presentation. Mr. Gleason stated that Attorney P=
hil
Currier had given an easement with access to
Mr. Haverty asked Mr. Vig= er and Mr. Gleason to review the plans with Mr. Gaydos since they were involved wi= th Little League and familiar with the field layout.
Mr. Gleason asked if the = members of PERC would be meeting with the Selectmen. Mr. Gaydos said the first thing th= ey would do is have a meeting with Waste Management and ask PERC Member Ron Ha= nnon to attend since he had expertise in the field. He felt the next step would be to = have a meeting with the Transfer Station Superintendent Bruce Mason and Ron Hannon= to put together a step by step plan and how it would be implemented. Once that is done, a presentation = would be given to the Selectmen. Mr. Gleason wanted to make sure that Mr. Mason was in the middle of what was go= ing on because he is the Department Head.
Mr. McDevitt expressed co= ncern about the A1 priority, the new central fire station. He said if the Town finds out in December that they wouldn’t receive a grant for the fire station, it = may be too late to have numbers ‘on the table’ for plan B. He hoped that the Selectmen would continue to put numbers together for what the cost would be for an addition= al building behind the fire station etc. Mr. Viger believed the Selectmen should prepare something to be put = on the warrant article anyway. M= r. Gleason agreed that they should start planning now. Mr. McDevitt suggested that the Selectmen ask Mr. Gaydos to have further conversation with the Fire Chief a= nd get specificity about the requirements for the additional building. The Selectmen agreed.
Mr. Lynde discussed the w= ork that had been done at Raymond Park. He said an issue of greater concern was making sure that they stayed in compli= ance with wetland issues. He said = the plans from when the fields were constructed called for retention ponds to prevent siltation from flowing into the wetlands. He said there were some drainage s= wales to guide the drainage that needed to be stabilized so they weren’t draining silt further down into the wetlands. He believed this was a higher prio= rity than working on the fencing at this point.= They will be working on a detention pond on the northwest corner of = the field that will stabilize the area. They would then work on stabilizing the slopes along the south and w= est ends of the field. He said th= ere were also plans to install some stone riprap to minimize flow and siltation. He said as they generated more funds (through private donations and soccer programs –= no tax dollars are being used) they would work on a fence.
Mr. Gleason asked if the = fields were currently being used. Mr. Lynde said the plan was to use the fields this fall. They would like to get to the poin= t of moving everything there.
The Selectmen continued to discuss the items on the priority list and completed their review.
Budget Review Schedule
Mr. Gaydos stated that a =
budget
review schedule had been drafted.
The plan was to conclude budget review by
Mr. Gaydos stated that th=
e topic
started a number of years ago when they tried to run a concession stand at
summer camp by themselves, which ended up being a labor intensive issue.
Mr. McDevitt noted that t=
he first
concert on the green would be held
There was further discuss= ion regarding vendors. Mr. Gleason suggested that the restrictions be reviewed and wanted to make sure if any group was going to get money back that the opportunity was maximized.
Mr. Haverty asked where t= he vendor came from that sells during flag football. Mr. Gaydos believed that the vendor expressed an interest in being there, which was what started the whole discussion about vendors. Mr. Haverty didn’t recall the Selectmen approving the vendor to be there.= Mr. Gaydos was not aware of any ordinance that stated a vendor could not come on Town property. He noted that in the past vendors = had simply shown up at events. Mr. Gleason wanted to make sure that the Selectmen proceeded properly and people understood what the requirements were.&nbs= p;
Mr. Gaydos said they were=
looking
for a way for the Town to use it’s assets to get a revenue stream.
Itinerant Vendors, Hawkers and Peddlers Ordinance Review
Mr. Haverty said the thin=
g that
precipitated the topic for him was the group of people that were going door=
to
door selling magazine subscriptions.
He stated that he received negative feedback from residents regarding
some of their practices and approaches.&nb=
sp;
He later read an article in the newspaper about
Mr. Gaydos said the Town&= #8217;s Ordinance was good and recited the law well. He felt it was poorly organized and defined. Mr. McDevitt asked if there was a model ordinance that could be reviewed. Mr. Gaydos said he was already doi= ng researching.
Mr. Haverty said the Poli= ce Chief indicated that the Ordinance lacked the ‘teeth’ for the police = to take action. He asked if ther= e was any intention of adding stronger language or if by rearranging things it wo= uld give the police leverage. Mr. Gaydos discussed some of the restriction language currently in the Ordinance. Mr. Haverty said he would like to see a restriction added for the hours of operation. Mr. Gaydos said he would work with= the Police Chief and Town Counsel to draft a document.
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT / SELECTMEN’S REPORTS
Mr. Gaydos provided and u= pdate regarding the on-going situation of the Gendron Salvage Yard site. He said off-site remediation actio= n was taking place and summarized the work that would be done. He said the Pelham Conservation Commission would remain informed of the actions being taken. Mr. Lynde asked if the state had a= lien on the property. Mr. Gaydos w= as unsure.
Mr. Gleason stated that h=
e was
having a meeting with the Council on Aging at which he would encourage the
members to participate in the
Mr. Viger thanked those i= nvolved with the Memorial Day parade and celebration. He said the activities were very w= ell received and attended. He was honored to walk with the Veterans. <= /span>
Mr. McDevitt had no repor= t.
Mr. Lynde stated that the= Pelham High School Study Committee made a presentation to the School Board. He reported that the Forestry Comm= ittee had met and reviewed all the areas that they were doing work. He summarized the items they were reviewing.
Mr. Haverty stated that a=
public
meeting would be held at Sherburne Hall on
REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION
|
MOTION: |
(Viger/Lynde) = Request for a non-public session per RSA 91-A:3,II, a (personnel) |
|
ROLL CALL: |
Mr. Haverty-Ye= s; Mr. Viger-Yes; Mr. McDevitt-Yes= ; Mr. Lynde-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
The
Board returned to public session at approximately
|
MOTION: |
(Lynde/Gleason= ) To seal the minutes of the non-public session indefinitely. |
|
VOTE: |
(5-0-0) The mo= tion carried. |
ADJOURNMENT
|
MOTION: |
(Lynde/Gleason=
) To
adjourn the meeting. |
|
VOTE: |
(5-0-0)
The motion carried. |
The
meeting was adjourned at approximately
= &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
BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING/June 2, 2009