SEL20100921

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

September 21, 2010

APPROVED &#= 8211; October 19, 2010

CALL TO ORDER – 6:30pm

PRESENT:

Mr. Douglas Viger, Mr. = William McDevitt, Mr. Robert Haverty, Mr. Harold Lynde, Town Administrator Tom Ga= ydos

ABSENT:

Mr. Edmund Gleason

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

MINUTES REVIEW

August = 17, 2010

MOTION:

(Haverty/McDev= itt) To approve the Au= gust 17, 2010 meeting minutes as written; if there are any changes, the minutes would be amended at a later date.

VOTE:

(3-0-0) The mo= tion carried.

OPEN FORUM

None.

APPOINTMENTS:

Deb Waters, Forestry Committee – Raymond Park Forestry Man= agement Plan

Mr. Lynde arrived during = the discussion.

Forestry Committee Member= Deb Waters and Mike Powers of Baystate Forestry Services came forward to discuss the Raymond Park Forestry Management Plan.= Also present was Gayle Plouffe, Forestry Committee who was involved = with the first forestry management done in 1995. Mr. Powers provided the Selectmen = with a general overview of the property and the proposed forestry plan. There are approximately forty-nine non-forested acres and roughly one hundred ninety one forested acres. The property was broken down into = ten forested stands, each of which was described in the plan along with the pro= posed recommendations for those areas. There are approximately 10,700ft of trails throughout the area. Mr. Powers said Raymond Park had a= very healthy thriving forest.

Mr. McDevitt asked about = stand nine and the presence of Hemlock Adelgid.&= nbsp; Mr. Powers said there was a section along the gas line and checked f= or adelgid and didn’t find it. Along the northern line of the property he found an exotic invasive plant species encroaching onto the property that could become a problem over time. Mr. McDevitt said there= was a possible project for volunteers to remove those species by hand, because it= was the best way to do so. He ask= ed if they should be concerned with the white ash dying off. Mr. Powers said Pelham was a pine = / oak town; white ash was not a major component on the property and wasn’t something to worry about.

Mr. Lynde asked for an explanation of the plan moving forward.&nb= sp; Mr. Powers stated that the last harvest took place well over ten yea= rs ago and normally the Town properties have been on a ten year rotation. He didn’t see a reason why a timber harvest couldn’t be conducted and could use some work to keep = the younger growth moving in the right direction. Mr. Waters said they had discussed= doing the harvesting in two sections. They wanted to do other aesthetic work such as cleaning the trails a= nd make things look presentable after the harvest. Mr. Lynde asked if the trees had b= een marked for the harvest. Mr. P= owers said they weren’t at that stage yet.= Ms. Waters said because the area was used for recreation they would = have it logged during the winter months. Mr. McDevitt suggested that they check with Park & Recreation to make sure that the harvesting didn’t interfere with any scheduled Boy Scout activity.

Mr. McDevitt asked if the= timing in the forest products market was okay to do the plan now, or if there was = an advantage to waiting. Mr. Pow= ers said he was proposing a conventional harvest, which was done more like the = old fashioned way versus doing a chipping job.= Currently the chip market wasn’t good at this time. The oak market was good now and th= e pine market was holding steady.

Ms. Waters noted that the= plan indicated there was a tire dump on stand seven and she wanted to know if th= ere were any plans for it. Mr. Vi= ger said there had been warrant articles to take care of it, but it didn’t work out. He said the extent = of the removal project was unknown, but they would explore it at a future meeting.=

Mr. Lynde said they had p= eople go in and assess the situation and there was no danger of contamination; the a= rea could be left as is. He said = if they wanted to use the area for something the tires should be removed. He said there had been discussions= to use some of the forestry money to do certain things at the park such as a pond. He asked if they wanted= to consider doing something like that while it was being forested. Ms. Waters said thought could be g= iven to it to see if it would make sense to do at this point.

Ms. Waters asked that the Selectmen approve the forestry plan to be sent out to bid. The plan was for the west side of Raymond Park. They would like= to harvest this winter; the contract would allow the harvester two winters to = be able to get a favorable price.

MOTION:

(Haverty/McDev= itt) To send the Forestry Management Plan, for the west side of Raymond Park, out= to bid per Forest Stewardship plan dated September 21, 2010.

VOTE:

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

Roland Soucy – Senior Center Expansion &#= 8211; Bid Recommendation / KLN Construction

Mr. Roland Soucy and owne= r of KLN Construction Mr. Don Nicolls came forward to discuss the Senior Center expansion. Mr. Soucy said the= Senior Center building had been put back out to bid; Mr. Nicolls was the low bidder on the project. He said if the Selec= tmen had any questions, they would be happy to answer them.

Mr. Lynde asked how the p= roject fit within the budget. Mr. Ga= ydos said it fit within the budget. He said the seniors may have some extras they’d like the Selectmen to consider; they’ve been asked to make a note at this point and wait for the schedule of values to be received.&nbs= p; He said they were looking for a motion to authorize Mr. Soucy, on be= half of the Town, to enter into a contract with KLN Construction to develop a contract and a schedule of values to proceed with the program. Once the contract is signed and the schedule of values is received (and the Board was comfortable with such) the Board would sign the contract and the project would be ready to go. Mr. Soucy said he hoped to get the contract back within a couple of days so it could be submitted to Town Coun= sel for review.

Mr. Haverty asked which p= lan KLN bid on. Mr. Soucy said KLN originally bid on the first plan and they also bid on the second plan. Mr. Haverty asked for the size of = the first plan. Mr. Soucy believed the = first plan was approximately 3600/3800sf; the plan was scaled down to 3200sf; ite= ms within the plan had been reconfigured (ie dormers, front entryway). Mr. Gaydos said the key components= were the bathrooms, adjoining the new addition to the existing building and havi= ng a new access to the basement area. Mr. Haverty reviewed what had occurred with the bid; there was someone else that had originally won the bid and there were further complications with that bidder. He questioned if KLN = had complied with all the requirements of the process. Mr. Soucy said he was very familia= r with KLN’s history in Town, they had worked for a long time in Town and tackled some big projects. He wasn’t concerned with their ability to get the project done.

Mr. Viger informed that t= he expansion bid results were opened on September 16, 2010.= There were ten bids opened; the highest bid being $289,000 and the lowest being $242,000. Mr. Mc= Devitt said he was glad to see a local contractor/resident was the winning bidder.

MOTION:

(Lynde/McDevit= t) To accept KLN Construction as the contractor for the = Senior Center expansion at no more than $242,000. To authorize Roland Soucy to act on t= he Selectmen’s behalf to draw up a contract between the Town and KLN Construction for the Selectmen’s review and approval.

VOTE:

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

OTHER BUSINESS

Fire Station Cost Updates

Mr. Gaydos said there had= been conversation that the fire station would be put back on the ballot. He felt the pricing should be reconfirmed and now would be the time to discuss amendments/changes to the plan. In speaking with = an architect, Mr. Gaydos found out that the architect had received waivers to = put no elevator in a fire house because of the fact that disabled fire fighters aren’t hired. He said t= here was no reasonable accommodation that they could make for a disabled person = (in a wheelchair) to become a fire fighter.&nb= sp; Mr. Viger confirmed if a handicap person were hired (for clerical et= c.) would have access on the first floor. Mr. Gaydos answered yes; the second floor would only be used for bun= ks, gymnasium and locker rooms. H= e said he was pursuing the elimination of the elevator. Mr. McDevitt said that pursuit sta= rted (ways to reduce cost) at the beginning of the summer. He said he met with Mr. Gaydos and Mermelstein (of Trident) and raised the question if an elevator was needed, which represented approximately $100,000.&= nbsp; He said this pursuit was important with regard to cost. It also may allow the stairways to= be reconfigured on the first floor creating a further cost reduction. Mr. McDevitt raised the question if radiant heating was needed based on its performance. Mr. Gaydos said there was forced h= ot air system in the bays because of the slow recovery time of radiant heating. He said there would be two furnaces servicing the area. His conce= rn was how it would be re-priced and reason to believe that it could be removed.

There was further discuss= ion regarding the items discussed and those items that might be able to be amended/changed/removed.

Mr. Viger asked for Fire = Chief Midgley’s opinion regarding the removal of the elevator. Fire Chief James Midgley came forward. He said he would lik= e to have the elevator removed; it would be a significant savings that could be defrayed in the building. He = had never seen a need for it. He believed there was a cost/benefit ratio for the radiant heating. He spoke about the bedrooms and fe= lt removing the walls between certain rooms would only be a psychological band= aid because it would create minimal savings.&n= bsp;

Mr. McDevitt felt it was = critical that they didn’t go back to voters with the same plan. He said they should review the pla= n one more time to see if they could trim costs.= He noted that Mr. Mermelstein, for a couple thousand dollars, would = be happy (at Trident) to go through the plan and review the potential cost sav= ings and provide new numbers.

Mr. Haverty believed if t= hey went back to the voters after reviewing again, the voters would expect an additi= onal review after that. He felt the elevator would provide a substantial benefit. He wasn’t sure what could be gained other than a further erosion of the Selectmen’s credibility of= the initial figure if they tried to keep cutting items. He said the voters would expect the= m to keep going back and cutting again and again and again until the fire station got to a cost the voters felt they could shoulder. He believed at some point the Board should draw a line and say this is the plan we’re going to support because it meets our needs. <= /p>

Mr. Viger said the Select= men should explore the differences so they could make an educated decision whet= her it was worth cutting the items out or not.= He didn’t feel an argument could be made either way until the costs were reviewed.

Chief Midgley noted in re= viewing the operations of the department and how they would start to function in the building, they had already taken one of the bedrooms and converted it into = an office.

Mr. McDevitt said he woul= d like to see the Board authorize some funds for Trident to review the plan. He felt it was reasonable to spend= an additional $4000 on a $4million dollar project to see if there were some savings. Mr. Lynde said= it seemed the bulk of the money being spent was on reconfiguration because of = the removal of the elevator. He s= aid in the process it shouldn’t cost much more to pursue the other items. There was a discussion where the f= unds would come from. Mr. McDevitt suggested that the funds could be spent out of current budget money with no risk, based on the fact that in previous years there was surplus left over = at the end of the year.

Mr. Lynde made a motion to authorize an expenditure of up to $3000 to have reconfiguration of the plan= s to eliminate the elevator and to authorize up to another $1000 to answer any o= ther questions they may have in that design (but up to that limit). Mr. McDevitt seconded the motion.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Gaydos stated that it wouldn&#= 8217;t work. He didn’t want to= spend money arguing with the Federal Government on ADA rules. He believed the quote given (by Tr= ident) was $4000 to review all the items. <= /span>Mr. Lynde said the purpose of his motion was to get the revised cost estimate.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Viger questioned where the mon= ey would come from. Mr. Gaydos s= aid it would come from the Selectmen’s budget. Mr. Lynde clarified his motion to = say that the authorization would be up to $4000, with the understanding that the bulk of which would be relative to the elevator. Mr. McDevitt seconded the clarification. He understood = the spirit of the motion. Mr. Lyn= de said if only review of the elevator would cost $4000, the other items would= be out. Mr. Haverty offered a fr= iendly amendment to the motion – the expenditure is not to exceed $4000 to figure out the cost savings with regard to (in order of priority) the eleva= tor and other questions associated with the current plan. Mr. Lynde accepted the friendly amendment. Mr. McDevitt, who seconded the motion, also accepted the friendly amendment.

MOTION:

(Lynde/McDevit= t) To authorize an expenditure, not to exceed $4000, to figure out the cost sav= ings with regard to (in order of priority) the elevator and other questions associated with the current plan.

VOTE:

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

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S / SELECTMEN’S RE= PORTS

Mr. McDevitt thanked Pelh= am Community Spirit for the donation of the new curtains for the stage. He said the money for the curtains= was raised during the Festival of Trees (in 2009). He reviewed with the Selectmen a discussion the Planning Board had regarding issues with flooding at Wellesley Drive. Also at the Planning Board a resid= ent spoke of their concern regarding flooding on Ledge Road. He said he would like the Selectme= n to add an agenda item to discuss the flooding issues.

Mr. Lynde said it seemed = several months ago the Selectmen suggested that the Planning Board consider revising their 100-year flood requirements because 100-year flood estimates were more routine. He reported that the Concerts on the Common concluded a successful season and believed they were well received. He said the ne= xt big event would be the Festival of Trees. Mr. Lynde stated that he had been working with Planning Director Jeff Gowan regarding an energy audit of the Town. He said NRPC was ready to present = their findings to the Board and believed Mr. Gowan would be contacting the Select= men to set up an agenda item for a presentation.

Mr. Gaydos reminded residents that= it was still mosquito season and to continue using insect repellant when outdoors.

Mr. Haverty had no report= .

Mr. Viger had no report, = but wanted to express gratitude to the ballot clerks, Town Moderator Phil Curri= er and Mr. McDevitt for their attendance and hard work during the recent election.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:

(Haverty/Lynde) Request for a non-public session per RSA 91-A:3,II, a & b(personnel)<= /p>

ROLL CALL:

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

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 7:50 pm.

The Board returned to public session at approximately 10:07 pm.

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 10:07 pm.

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

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

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