SEL20120228

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

February 28, 2012

APPROVED &#= 8211; March 27, 2012<= /p>

CALL TO ORDER – approximately 6:30pm

PRESENT:

ABSENT:

Mr. Edmund Gleason, Mr.= Doug Viger, Mr. William McDevitt,

Town Administrator Tom = Gaydos

Mr. Hal Lynde, Mr. Robe= rt Haverty

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

MINUTES REVIEW

February 1= 4, 2012

MOTION:

(McDevitt/Viger) To approve the <= st1:date Year=3D"2012" Day=3D"14" Month=3D"2" w:st=3D"on">February 14, 2012 meeting minutes as modified.

VOTE:

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

OPEN FORUM

Paul McDonough, 29 Mammoth Road came forward and spoke regarding his hopes that the fire station would be approved at Town meeting. He = was happy to be a resident of Pelham and found the people within the Town to be talented and devoted.

APPOINTMENTS

Police Chief Joseph Roark, Pelham Police Department -= Police Explorer Swearing In Ceremony

Police Officer Awards & Commendations

Police Chief Joseph Roark= came forward and began by inviting the new Police Explorers to come forward to be sworn in. Lieutenant Brian Mc= Carthy provided a brief explanation of what duties the Explorers performed as Poli= ce Officers in training. Lieuten= ant Gary Fisher came forward and swore in the new Explorers. The Selectmen congratulated the new Explorers.

Chief Roark then conducte= d the Police Department Award and Commendation Ceremony.

Good Conduct Award –= ; ACO Allison Caprigno, Ptl. Ron Page, Sgt. Anne Therriault, Sgt. Glen Chase, MPO Eugene Stahl, Lt. Gary Fisher, Lt. Brian McCarthy

Accommodation for Excelle= nce in Physical Fitness – Detective/Sgt. T.J. O’Donnell, Sgt. Anne Therriault, Sgt. Glen Chase, MPO Eugene Stahl, MPO Matt Keenliside, Ptl. Ron Page, SRO Brian Kelly, Ptl. Brian Barbato, ACO Allison Caprigno

Recognition for Armed Ser= vices – Pt. Tom Goulden (Army Veteran), MPO Matt Keenliside (Army Veteran), Ptl. Ryan Donovan (Army Veteran), Ptl Ron Page (Marine Veteran), Ptl. Bisma= rk Montano (Army –currently deployed), Ptl. Kevin Martin (Air Force Veteran)

Military Combat Service A= ward – Ptl. Ron Page, MPO Matt Keenliside, Ptl. Ryan Donovan

Service Awards – Lt= . Gary Fisher (30+ years), Records Coordinator Brenda Rizzo (25+ years), Sgt. Mich= ael Pickles (15+ years), MPO Dennis Mannion (15 years), Sgt. Anne Therriault (10 years), Sgt. Glen Chase (10 years), MPO Eugene Stahl (10 years), Detective James Johnson (5 years), Dete= ctive/Sgt. T.J. O’Donnell (5 years), Dispatcher Kim MacKenzie (5+ years), MPO Ma= tt Keenliside (5 years), Lt. Brian McCarthy (5 years), ACO Allison Caprigno (5 years), SRO Brian Kelly (5 years), Ptl. Ron Page (5 years)

Letters of Commendations = – Detective James Johnson (received 5 letters), Detective/Sgt. T.J. O’Donnell (received 4 letters), Sgt. Glen Chase, Ptl. Matt Kulesz, Ptl. Brian Barbato= , Ptl. James Locke, Ptl. Ron Page

Life Saving With Honor &#= 8211; Sgt. Mike Pickles, Detective James Johnson

Life Saving – Sgt. = Anne Therriault, ACO Allison Caprigno

Medal of Honor – Lt= . Gary Fisher, Lt. Brian McCarthy

Award – In apprecia= tion for outstanding work and successful investigation and prosecution of Operation = Deer Hunter - Chief Joseph Roark, Lt. Gary Fisher, Detective/Sgt. T.J. O’Donnell

The award ceremony was concluded. The Selectmen were honored by the presence and heroism and duty that the Officers show to the = Town of Pelham. They congratulated the Police Offi= cers.

Jim Greenwood, Cable Coordinator – Chunky’s Cinema &= amp; Pub Video Projector Donation; Department Update: Current Improvements and Future Plans<= /u>

Cable Coordinator Jim Gre= enwood came forward to discuss a donation of a video projector that had been given= by Chunky’s Cinema & Pub. The value was under $500, however Mr. Greenwood wanted to recognize = Jim Nagel for the donation and other contributions he had made in the past. He had various uses planned for the projector. Mr. Greenwood then provided the Selectmen with a summary of what the Cable Department had been doing during the past year and what new things they would be bringing forwa= rd during the coming year. He no= ted that Comcast currently had approximately 3544 subscribers, which was a good saturation for a small town. =

Mr. Gaydos discussed the = contract negotiations with Comcast; there is one item he and Mr. Greenwood are still working on. He said he was impressed with how smooth the relationship is.

The Selectmen thanked Mr. Greenwood for all the work he did.

Roundabout Continued Discussion – Maintenance Responsibili= ties

Planning Director Jeff Go= wan provided a brief presentation/talking points regarding the Roundabout Project. The DOT will adverti= se the construction project May 22, 2012 and open bids/award project on June 14, 2012. Utility and drainage work will then commence. The roundabout in f= ront of Town Hall will be constructed first, followed by the roundabout in front= of the existing fire station. Mr. Gowan then outlined the discussion points that would be reviewed during the= DOT meeting on March 15.

Mr. Gleason understood th= at the landscaping would be covered (initially) under the grants. Mr. Gowan said it was clear to him= that landscaping was part of the project; building a roundabout would necessitate landscaping. Mr. Gleason also understood that the relocation of the Pennichuck water main was not a Town responsibility. Mr. Gowan it = was not a Town responsibility or expense; there were still discussions as to whether it would be Pennichuck or federal monies that pick up the cost. Mr. Gleason said there had been so= me controversy relative to closing the front door and apparatus access. He said some people were under the opinion that there was only a one foot drop and didn’t understand why= the state would provide a ramp. M= r. Gowan reviewed a depiction of the roundabout and explained that there were = lane splitters, one of which was located directly outside the front doors of the existing station. He also exp= lained the difficulty with handling a one foot drop within the distance between the existing doors and the new infrastructure (sidewalk/roundabout); the distan= ce couldn’t be negotiated within that short amount of travel. He noted that pedestrians would be= able to walk through the Town<= /st1:PlaceType> Center with the roundabout in place and be much safer than they would be today.

Mr. McDevitt commented th= at there were questions why traffic signals were not being put up. He said two issues with traffic si= gnals were the need for turning lanes, which would absorb a great deal more of the private property in the T= own Center than the roundabout. He said the stati= stics show that traffic signals would back up traffic worse than roundabouts. Mr. Gleason believed statistically= there was more opportunity for accidents with traffic lights than there were in roundabouts.

Fire Chief James Midgley – Proposed Fire Station Update

Fire Chief James Midgley = said over the last few days he had been working with Trident Corp.; final docume= nts have been delivered so an additional review could be done to ensure every aspect of changes/modifications has been implemented into the plans. The plans have been reviewed by the Town’s Building Inspector for review. Chief Midgley said they were at the stage of creating a list of what would go to the new station (if approved). He said there were= a number of inquiries of local companies who are being assisted by Eckman to = meet the requirements to bid on the project.&nb= sp; He discussed how the process would proceed if the station was approv= ed by the Town. Information is continuing to be refreshed on the fire station information website; people = are pleased with the information.

Chief Midgley said a ques= tion came into the website asking what guarantee there was that the one time assessment of $1/ per $1000 would be for only one year. Mr. Gaydos said the topic was disc= ussed with the Budget Committee; they made it clear that the amount was a segrega= ted appropriation and there would be no more funding after that. Mr. Gleason commented that it was a one-year warrant article partially funded by the Fund Balance and Impact Fe= es; the tax burden represented approximately $1 per thousand on the tax rate. The warrant article would go away = after one year and not roll into the Operating Budget, nor would it roll into the Default Budget (it didn’t qualify).&= nbsp; He said the Budget Committee would be watching it closely to see tha= t it didn’t end up in the budget. <= /span>

Mr. Viger noted that the Town’s capital projects, after the fire station, were ‘up to speed’ in the immediate future. Mr. McDevitt said they didn’t have any similar capital project= s. He believed in order to keep the m= oney in the budget (past one year) the operating budget would need to increase approximately 15%-20% which would never happen.

Mr. Gleason commented tha= t the Capital Improvement Plan Committee was being reinstituted. The purpose of that committee was = to do long-range planning on capital investment in terms of replacement of equipm= ent and facilities. He felt the c= apital improvements would need to be a three-pronged approach: 1) accurate in term= s of the needs for the Town and School, 2) participated in by the various stakeholders/Boards, and 3) to abide by the plan when it is put in place.

Mr. Gowan said he had rec= eived confirmation from the Budget Committee Chair and the School Board that they would be polling their membership to find a person to serve on the CIP. Mr. Gleason said post-election the Selectmen would make their decision.

Chief Midgley said if som= eone wanted to come in and look at the station they were welcome to come in anyt= ime, any day. He said they had not= hing to hide. He discussed the difficulties they would face in the even the new station was not approved a= nd would review how they would proceed if that were to occur.

The Selectmen thanked Mr.= Gowan and Chief Midgley for coming forward.

OTHER BUSINESS

CIP (Capital Improvement Plan) Re-establishment/Assignments=

Mr. McDevitt said the pro= cess was moving along, and once volunteers from the Board were determined it would m= ove forward. He said if there were members of the public interested in being involved, they should contact Mr. Gowan (Planning Department). =

Pelham Baseball Logo on Snack Shack at Muldoon Park

Mr. Gleason said the Sele= ctmen were contacted by Pelham Baseball to put a logo on the rear side of the sna= ck shack building. He researched= the deed restrictions that had limitation of advertising; he said the logo didn’t constitute advertising. Permission has been granted (through concurrence and approval by the Board of Selectmen) to put the logo on the back of the snack shack building= at Muldoon Park.

Natural Gas

Mr. Gaydos said the gas l= ine came up to Keating (from Dracut) on Route 38. It was all Natio= nal Grid, discussions regarding how to continue the line would need to occur wi= th them. He said it would be a tremendous savings for all the businesses currently using propane.

Mr. Gleason said he was i= nformed that National Grid was breaking off the gas and utilities. Liberty Utilities would be taking = over natural gas and were very interested in bringing gas into Pelham beginning = with the Schools. It was noted tha= t the price for natural gas was significantly lower than propane. If the company invested in natural= gas in Pelham it would introduce competition to the propane and oil companies.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

Reminder – Town Meeting, (Voting), Tuesday, March 13^th, 2012 f= rom 7am to 8pm at Pelham High School

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR // SELECTMEN REPORTS

Mr. Viger thanked Mr. Gle= ason for his service over the years and wished him the best of luck moving forward a= fter the election. Mr. McDevitt al= so thanked Mr. Gleason for his competent and helpful service that he had given= the Town, which was appreciated. =

Mr. McDevitt pointed out = that the Town’s Forester Dan Cyr was named Forester of the Year by the Granite State Society of American Foresters. He suggested that the Selectmen send a letter of congratulations to = Mr. Cyr. He reported that the Pel= ham Gardner’s Group had spent $672.92 of their own money to put up the Christmas display = on the Town Common. He thanked t= he group for their continued hard work and for spending the money they had rai= sed for the decorations.

Mr. Gleason read aloud a = response letter from the Governor relating to the Town’s request to veto the redistricting legislature. The Governor was watching HB590 closely and would follow it as it moved through= the legislature. It was expected = that the Senate would ratify what the House had put through. Mr. Gleason then read aloud an art= icle announcing that Mr. Gaydos was to be considered for the Pennichuck Board of Directors. The Selectmen congratulated Mr. Gaydos on the accomplishment.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:

(McDevitt/Viger) Request for a non-public session per RSA 91-A:3,II, a (Personnel)

ROLL CALL:

Mr. Gleason-Ye= s; Mr. Viger-Yes; Mr. McDevitt-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 8:30 pm.

The Board return= ed to public session at approximately 9:07 pm.

MOTION:

(Viger/McDevitt) To seal the minu= tes of the non-public session indefinitely.

VOTE:

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

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION:

(Viger/McDevitt) To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

(3-0-0) The motion carried.

The meeting was = adjourned at approximately 9:07 pm.

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

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

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

BOARD OF SELECTMEN ACTION ITEMS

March 22, 2011=

<= ![if !supportLists]>· Mr. Gowan to advise Selectmen whether the CIP will be instituted; 8/9/11 – Mr. Gaydos believed they had a complete list of all the equipment in Town. Ms. Kelley will circula= te that list to the departments requesting they advise what condition it was i= n)(8/30 – ongoing – a list of all equipment, trucks etc. was done. Mr. Gaydos will have a meeting with Selectmen Viger to review a replacement schedule); 10/25/11 Mr. Gaydos and Mr. Viger will sharpen the f= ocus in the internal vehicle replacement plan (Planning Board to discuss at their n= ext meeting if they will move forward); 1/17/12 – Mr. Gaydos said a packet had been provided to the Budget Committee, Mr. McDevitt said the Planning B= oard had made an announcement seeking volunteers. He suggested including the CIP in = the list of elected/appointment positions that would be available in March.

March 29, 2011=

<= ![if !supportLists]>· Mr. Gaydos to put timeline together for Cast= le Hill Road (6/7/11 easement being completed that would allow the Crawfords to access their property)(7/5/11 – Mr. Gaydos stated the project was mov= ing forward, there were other issues to get out of the way prior to addressing = this)(8/2/11 Mr. Gaydos is working with Attorney Solomon and will have a timeline quickl= y)(8/9/11 – Mr. Gaydos continuing to work with Attorney Solomon- associated correspondence will be provided to the Selectmen)(8/30/11 – still in progress); 1/17/12 – still in court.

May 10, 2011=

·<= span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'> = Mr. McDevitt researching appropriate signage= for Raymond Park (where parcels are located and what names were allowed per dee= ds) (6/7/11 Mr. McDev= itt said research was completed and would like to discuss with the Board after the meeting of 6/28/= 11)(7/5/11 – M= r. McDevitt said a discussion should be scheduled regarding the names at Raymond Park. Information is available to educate the Selectmen. A discussion will be scheduled for= July 19, 2011)(= 8/2/11 Mr. McDev= itt said the Board had received a draft of the naming requirements of the park, which ra= ised additional questions. The Sel= ectmen will schedule a discussion at a later time)(8/9/11 – there is a quest= ion whether there could be signs that stay up at Raymond Park – this is i= n the process of being addressed)(8//30/11 – agenda item scheduled) / 10/25= /11 – research still being conducted and signs to be designed; 1/17/12 – ongoing project – an Eagle Scout project will possibly be bro= ught forward to put up kiosk. <= u>

May 2= 4, 2011

· Mr. Gaydos to contact the Congregational Church to find out how long they would allow the Town to use their property (7/5/11 – Mr. Gaydos said he would continue to = follow up. They previously had an agreement and didn’t believe that would change.)(8/2/11 Mr. Gaydos said he ow= es Mr. Currier some materials)(8/9/11 – Mr. Gaydos is pulling together the plans from several years ago of = what was intended to be built in the event they were to build something behind t= he fire station – information to be provided to Mr. Currier)(8/30/11 –= Mr. Gaydos still pursuing with Mr. Currier) / 10/25/11 – Mr. Gaydos speaking to = Mr. Currier who is looking for drawings done approximately 6 years ago; 1/17/12 – Mr. Gaydos is working with Mr. Currier regarding the procedure to m= ove ahead if the fire station doesn’t pass.

July 5,= 2011

· Mr. Gaydos to request from Comcast something in writing indicating there will b= e no additional charge for moving cable to new fire station location (8/2/11 Mr. Gaydos said there were several issues he would deal with all at once when Comcast returned the signed contract)(8/30/11 – contracts returned – Town will approach Comcast with two required follow up letters of agreement) / 10/25/11- Mr. Gaydos to ask Mr. Greenwood to follow up; 1/17/12 follow up needed for written agreement.

August = 2, 2011

· Ob= tain status regarding Young’s Crossing and the flashing sign on Route 38/Gage Hill Road/Ledge Road intersection and from Police Chief. (8/9/11 Mr. Gaydos had a discussion with Police Chief= Roark regarding the flashing light and there may be less expensive alternatives.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The Chief has requested a meeting = with the DOT district for Pelham)(8/30/11 – correspondence received from State – Mr. Gaydos to work with Police Chief Roark to compile accident statistics) / 10/25/11 – Mr. Gaydos said Chief Roark was heading this up – the same type of study = is being done at the Sherburne Road intersection.; 1/17/12 – still worki= ng with intersection (with state) in conjunction with Sherburne Road.

August = 16, 2011

· Mr. Gaydos to research if there is legislation pertaining to dam water releases= for a future agenda item (8/30/11 –Mr. Gaydos working on response regarding dam water releases and hope= d it would also address the flood ordinance Mr. Gowan was working on)/ 10/25/11 – Mr. Gaydos said there was wording, but it didn’t have suffici= ent ‘teeth’ – an agenda item will be scheduled for Selectmen discussion; 1/17/12 – at a standstill between what the state is willi= ng to do and what the Town would like them to do. Mr. Gaydos felt the flood study wo= uld aid in an outcome. =

September 27, 2011=

· Mr. Gaydos to create policy for acquiring property due to non-payment of taxes. 1/17/12 an agenda item will be scheduled for the pol= icy adoption.

Februar= y 14, 2012

· Schedule Hinds Lane conservation land status follow up meeting for two months – April, 2012