ANTRIM PLANNING BOARD
Minutes of the March 22, 2007 Board Meeting
Members & Staff Present:
Mary Allen |
Scott Burnside |
Bob Edwards |
Andrew Robblee |
Stephen Schacht |
Paul Vasques |
Members and Staff Absent:
Joseph Koziell |
Bradley Houseworth |
Brian Sawich |
Alex Snow |
Kathi Wasserloos |
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Public Attendees:
Michael Genest |
Walter Neff |
Matthew Robblee |
Christopher Stephenson |
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Chairman Edwards opened the meeting at 7:15 by appointing Ms. Allen to sit for Mr. Sawich who was absent. Mr. Burnside moved to approve the minutes of the March 1, 2007 meeting as presented. Ms. Allen seconded the motion which passed.
Kateco Developing, LLC File # 2005-05PB: Mr. Vasques presented a letter sent to Kateco advising them of a cease and desist order on the Homes at High Hills development pending receipt of additional monies for road construction monitoring and the recording of the home owner’s covenants at the registry of deeds. He explained that Ms. Cook of Kateco provided a check for the amount required and a copy of the registered covenants on March 15th. Mr. Vasques will send Kateco a letter removing the cease and desist order. Mr. Edwards commented on the water runoff from Ashley Road onto Elm Avenue and was concerned with the formation of ice. The consensus of the board was that this situation should be corrected before the town reclassifies that portion of Ashley Road to Class V. Mr. Vasques will contact Mr. Pitsas of
Underwood Engineering and advise him of the board’s position.
Construction Monitoring Fees: Mr. Vasques requested that the Agreement for Subdivision Construction Monitoring be changed so that 100% of the monies required in the escrow account be paid prior to the pre-construction meeting. The current agreement requires final payment when the road is complete and has passed final inspection. This results in the services provided by the town’s engineers being paid out of town funds before being reimbursed by the developer. Mr. Burnside felt that the town’s engineers should provide accounting data to the town alerting them of the status of the funds in the escrow account. Members concurred with Mr. Burnside’s recommendation and Mr. Vasques agreed to work out a system with the town’s engineers. Ms. Allen moved to change the agreement to require 100% of the escrow
account prior to the pre-construction meeting. Mr. Schacht seconded the motion which passed.
Rednecks: Mr. Vasques advised the members that the “Permit to Operate a Place of Assembly” issued by the Fire Chief expires on March 26th. He did not know if Mr. Wheeler, the owner of Redneck’s had completed the improvements requested by the Fire Chief. Mr. Genest said that he had been coordinating with Chief Beauchamp who planned to visit the site on March 23rd. Mr. Schacht will bring the matter before the selectmen at their March 26th meeting.
Membership Roster: Members were provided with an updated roster showing the results of the March elections wherein Ms. Wasserloos and Mr. Snow were elected to the board. Mr. Rowehl and Mr. Anderson did not run to renew their terms and Ms. Rabideau resigned following completion of her three-year term as an alternate. Mr. Schacht replaced Mr. Genest as ex-officio member of the board representing the selectmen. Alternate member’s terms were adjusted to expire on March 31st of each year so that their reappointment could coincide with the annual town election of officers. Mr. Vasques pointed out that there are now three vacant seats for alternate members of the board.
Voting Results: All zoning ordinance changes which were placed on the ballot were passed. Members were provided with the vote count for each ballot item. The planning staff will incorporate the changes into the zoning ordinance manual.
Robblee Tree Service, LLC File # 2007-01PB: At 7:40 PM Mr. Edwards opened the public hearing on the request of Andrew Robblee for a Change of Use for property located at 42 Main Street, Antrim, NH 03440 Tax Map 1A, Lot 170-1 in the Village Business District. The applicant proposes to operate a tree removal service. He had members of the board introduce themselves and outlined the procedure to be followed to conduct a public hearing. Mr. Edwards asked Mr. Andrew Robblee to present his proposal.
Mr. Robblee introduced his brother Matthew. He explained that they plan to use a portion of the Antrim Mills Building that was formerly occupied by Boxes Onboard. He indicated that they would not be operating their entire tree service business from the building. They only intended it as a meeting place to disburse the crews, park some of their vehicles and maintain an office. He clarified that they would be located in the sub street level of the building. Mr. Robblee said that he had met with the Building Inspector and the Fire Chief on the site and that their concerns centered mostly on the age and condition of the building more than the type of business he would be conducting on the site. In response to a question about the use of gasoline, Mr. Robblee explained that the only gas in the building would be in the small equipment such as
chain saws. Extra gas would be stored in canisters which would be kept outdoors on the vehicles.
Mr. Edwards asked if vehicle repairs would be done on site. Mr. Robblee stated that only minor maintenance, such as oil changes, brake lining, rotating tire, replacing of chipper blades, minor electrical rewiring and greasing of fittings would be done on the site. They would be using an air compressor in their work but there would be no welding or acetylene torches in the building. Mr. Schacht asked about the noise level from the trucks engines. Matthew Robblee explained that the effect would be no different then now when he drives the trucks from his home to the junction on Route 202. He added that the noise from their vehicles would be no greater then the noise that currently emanates from Route 202. Mr. Robblee indicated that their starting times would be about 6:30 AM. He added that their tenancy would be temporary, maybe two or three
months. They are currently looking for a better site where they can store wood and wood chips. They are on a month to month lease and could be put out by the landlord with thirty days notice. It is possible that they will be asked to leave if the teen center is set up in the building.
Mr. Edwards asked the Town Planner if the application was sufficiently complete that the board could consider its acceptance. Mr. Vasques said that in this opinion it was sufficiently complete. Mr. Burnside moved to accept the application of Robblee Tree Service, LLC File # 2007-01PB for a change of use of property located at 42 Main Street, Antrim, NH, Tax Map 1A Lot 170-1 located in the Village Business District. The applicant proposes to operate a tree service facility from a portion of the building. The motion was seconded by Ms. Allen. Roll call vote: Mr. Edwards – aye. Mr. Burnside – aye, Mr. Schacht – aye, Ms. Allen – aye.
Mr. Edwards opened the public hearing and asked if there were any abutters who wished to speak in favor of the application. There were none. He asked if any abutter wished to speak in opposition to the application. Mr. Neff stated that he was not in opposition to the application but he was concerned with the amount of water runoff from the parking area. He hoped that Mr. Belliveau (the owner of the building) would make improvement to the area to prevent runoff into the pond. He also pointed out that he was, at one time, a tenant of the building and that the floors were in very bad condition. Mr. Robblee said that there would not be any heavy equipment placed on the floors. Mr. Burnside pointed out that the condition of the parking area and the floors were not the responsibility of the tenant and those issues would have to be address by Mr.
Belliveau in a different venue. Mr. Edwards closed the public hearing and the board went into deliberation.
Ms. Allen asked if Mr. Robblee had met with the Police Chief. He had not. Members reviewed the report from the police department. Discussion followed regarding the concerns of large trucks entering and turning onto Main Street and whether or not a “Trucks Turning & Entering” sign should be posted by the intersection. Members concurred that the Robblee’s vehicles were no more of a problem than the tractor-trailers from Frameworks currently using the intersection. Mr. Burnside felt that such a sign is not necessary. It was also pointed out that the suggested sign would be under the jurisdiction of the NHDOT. Ms. Allen felt that if the business were to remain in the building for a few months, DOT should be contacted for a sign. Mr. Vasques will speak to the Police Chief about contacting DOT for such a sign. Ms. Allen
asked about lighting. Mr. Robblee said that there are already two lights on the building and there would be no changes. Ms. Allen asked for an interpretation of the Water and Sewer Departments comments. Mr. Vasques said that Mr. Tenney indicated that there are continuing water issues in the building and the water department is frequently on the site. Mr. Robblee indicated that their only water requirement would be for a faucet for a garden hose. Mr. Edwards asked about the number of employees. Mr. Robblee said there would be four full time employees.
Mr. Burnside moved to approve the application of Robblee Tree Service, LLC File # 2007-01PB for a change of use of property located at 42 Main Street, Antrim, NH, Tax Map 1A Lot 170-1 located in the Village Business District. The applicant proposes to operate a tree service facility from a portion of the building. The following conditions apply to this approval:
Planning Board requirements, commitments and agreements made by the applicant and/or his agent as recorded in the meeting minutes dated March 22, 2007 as they pertain to this application are a conditional part of this approval.
The applicant is to obtain a building permit for any construction or alteration and adhere to all building, health and fire codes.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Schacht. Roll call vote: Mr. Edwards – aye, Mr. Burnside – aye, Mr. Schacht – aye, Ms Allen –aye.
Master Plan: Mr. Vasques advised the members that Ms. Taylor, Chairperson of the Master Plan Committee was on vacation and that it was his understanding that she would be scheduling a meeting sometime in April to review a draft of the completed master plan.
Route 9 Committee: Members were advised that Mr. Sawich will hold his next meeting to discussed preferred development zones sometime in April.
Annual Spring Planning & Zoning Conference: Members were advised that the deadline for registering was April 20th. Mr. Vasques recommended that they register early before the different sessions are filled. Mr. Schacht expressed an interest in attending. Mr. Vasques will provide him with the documentation.
Ordinances and Regulations: Mr. Edwards asked if it would be appropriate for members of the board to propose changes to ordinances. Mr. Vasques said that the staff would welcome such participation and cited the work done by Mr. Sawich on Home Based Businesses and the Preferred Development Zones. Mr. Edwards said he had a strong interest in the ordinance for cluster housing and he would try to put something together.
Elections: In view of the number of absent members, the board decided to wait until the next meeting to elect a new chairman and vice chairman.
Alternate Member: Members interviewed Mr. Christopher Stephenson who expressed an interest in serving as an alternate. He will advise the staff of his decision.
Mr. Burnside made a motion to adjourn which was seconded by Mr. Schacht. Mr. Edwards adjourned the meeting at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul L. Vasques, Secretary
Antrim Planning Board
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