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ANTRIM PLANNING BOARD
Minutes of the April 5, 2007 Board Meeting
Members & Staff Present:
Mary Allen Scott Burnside Bob Edwards Bradley Houseworth Joseph Koziell Andrew Robblee Brian Sawich Stephen Schacht
Alex Snow Paul Vasques Kathi Wasserloos
Members and Staff Absent:
None
Public Attendees:
Cindy Begley Christopher Stephenson
Chairman Edwards opened the public meeting at 7:15 PM, introduced himself and the Board, and explained that there are no public hearings scheduled for this meeting. He welcomed Mr. Stephenson and asked him to introduce himself to the Board, provide some background information, and explain why he is considering becoming an alternate member on the Board.
Election of Planning Board Chairman and Vice-Chairman: Chairman Edwards explained that it is time to elect the new Planning Board Chairman and Vice-Chairman for the next year. He explained that he has spoken with a number of existing members and alternates and Mr. Sawich expressed interest in becoming the new Chairman while Mr. Burnside expressed interest in becoming the new Vice-Chairman. Ms. Allen nominated Mr. Sawich as Chairman and Mr. Burnside as Vice-Chairman of the Planning Board for the next year, which was seconded by Mr. Schacht and unanimously approved. Mr. Edwards stepped down as Chairman of the Board.
Approval of Planning Board Meeting Minutes: Mr. Edwards moved to approve the minutes of the March 22, 2007 Planning Board meeting as corrected, which was seconded by Ms. Allen and unanimously passed.
Kateco Developing, LLC File # 2005-05PB; Runoff from Ashley Road onto Elm Ave.: Mr. Vasques presented a letter to the Board sent to Mr. Peter Pitsas, Underwood Engineers, Inc., dated March 29, 2007, confirming the phone conversation Mr. Vasques had with Mr. Pitsas on Monday, March 26, 2007, regarding the stormwater drainage and runoff issues at the intersection of Ashley Road and Elm Avenue. He explained that Mr. Pitsas acknowledged that it was a bad situation and that during the last stages of the paving of Ashley Road, the contractors were working very hastily, rushing to finish the job, and it ended up being a huge mess. Mr. Vasques stated that Mr. Pitsas explained that the problem is correctable and that during the final coating of the road, the contractors will most likely raise the crown of Ashley road,
fix the drainage issues in front of Mr. Cook’s driveway, and at the intersection of Ashley Road and Elm Avenue. Mr. Vasques explained that this letter was sent to Kateco Developing Company, LLC and puts them on notice that there are still unresolved drainage issues on Ashley Road.
Chairman Sawich asked Mr. Vasques if this drainage problem is caused by improper engineering of the road or improper building of the road. Mr. Vasques replied that it is improper construction of the road and because the contractors were rushing to finish the job, they essentially did a sloppy job. Mr. Vasques stated that the next step in this process is the upgrading of Ashley Road from the current status of a Class VI Town road discontinued by gates and bars to a Class V Town road from the intersection of Elm Avenue to the intersection with the new subdivision road, Green Ridge Road. He explained that then Kateco Developing Company, LLC could offer Green Ridge Road to the Town and the Selectmen, upon input from the Road Agent and Planning Board, would determine if there is sufficient need to adopt the road as a Class V
Town road, in accordance with the recently adopted ‘Antrim Road Acceptance, Reopening, and Reclassification Policy.’ Mr. Edwards asked Mr. Vasques if at the time the subdivision was approved, was the developer’s intention to make Green Ridge Road a private road? He replied that the former owners intended it to be a private road but upon Kateco Developing, LLC purchasing the property, the new owners decided to build Green Ridge Road to Class V Town road specifications with the hope and intention of offering up the private road to the Town to become a Class V Town road. Mr. Vasques explained that Kateco Developing, LLC needs to first meet with Mr. Pitsas to decide how to fix the road and put the final coating on Ashley Road.
CBS Holdings, LLC File # 2006-01PB; Conditional Approval Granted 4-6-06: Mr. Vasques provided the Board with the Notice of Decision from the Planning Board, dated April 7, 2006, for the conditional approval of a Major Subdivision of property located off Clinton Road (Route 31) Antrim, NH 03440 (Tax Map 8A, Lot 3-1) located in the Rural District. He explained that the Notice of Decision is about one year old and a recent amendment to the subdivision regulations requires that the conditions of approval be met within one (1) year of the approval or the applicant must appear in front of the Board asking for an extension, otherwise the conditional approval becomes null and void. He stated that unfortunately this new subdivision regulation cannot be implemented for this case because the applicant received
conditional approval prior to the new regulation being adopted by the Planning Board. Mr. Vasques explained that he has spoken with Town Counsel regarding this issue and he was advised that although the new regulation cannot be implemented, something should still be done so it doesn’t continue unresolved. He stated that there is also an outstanding debt of one thousand ($1,000) dollars for additional peer review services regarding a revised culvert design. He explained that he has already sent out three or four letters requesting the payment from the applicant, Mr. Leigh Bosse, which Mr. Bosse has never responded to. He explained that the applicant is essentially in noncompliance for not paying the money for their peer review services. Mr. Vasques stated that he is asking for the Board’s permission to write Mr. Bosse a letter stating that if the payment is not received by a certain date, the Board will schedule a public hearing for the
revocation of the conditional approval of the subdivision. The Board advised Mr. Vasques to send out such a letter and give Mr. Bosse fourteen (14) business days to respond and pay the outstanding debt. Mr. Schacht moved to send the letter requesting payment as mentioned, which Mr. Edwards seconded and was unanimously passed.
Town Counsel Decision on Certificate of Use & Occupancy for a Change in Ownership: Mr. Vasques provided the Board with the Selectmen Meeting Minutes of the April 2, 2007 meeting, which specifically addresses, as item # 10, the legality of recently adopted legislation requiring a ‘Certificate of Use and Occupancy’ be issued for changes in ownership of commercial property. Mr. Vasques stated that essentially Town Counsel has decided that the Planning Board, nor the Building Inspector, have any legal basis to require the issuance of a ‘Certificate of Use and Occupancy’ if there is not a significant ‘Change of Use’ to the property or building. Mr. Vasques pointed out that under item # 10 in the Selectmen Meeting Minutes, the selectmen ask that a meeting be set up with the
Planning Board Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Planning staff, Fire Chief, Police Chief, and Building Inspector in order to discuss the various issues and concerns of everyone involved regarding this recent legislation.
Mr. Houseworth explained that the requirement for the issuance of a ‘Certificate of Use and Occupancy’ for a change in ownership of commercial property was placed in Article III (Definitions) of the Antrim Zoning Ordinances, as part of the definition of ‘Commercial.’ He stated that due to the decision by Town Counsel, the requirement for the issuance of a ‘Certificate of Use and Occupancy’ was dropped from the definition of ‘Commercial’ in Article III. Mr. Houseworth advised the members that a ‘Certificate of Use and Occupancy’ is still required for new commercial activities or for those enterprises that are deemed to be a classification change by the 2000 International Building Code (IBC). In addition, he stated that the rest of the ‘Commercial’
definition in Article III will remain the same, including the last sentence which requires an approved site plan review from the Planning Board prior to the commencement of the proposed commercial activity unless the enterprise is 1) a Home Occupation, or 2) is deemed not a ‘Change of Use.’ Mr. Vasques asked the members to pick a date when they would prefer to hold this meeting with the Selectmen in order to discuss this matter. The Board chose the two following dates for the meeting, preferring the first rather than the later: 1) April 11, 2007, or 2) May 2, 2007, at 7 PM at Antrim Town Hall.
Membership Roster: Members were provided with an updated roster showing the addition of a new e-mail address for Mr. Robblee and contact information for Mr. Houseworth. Mr. Snow stated that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman titles will have to be changed on the roster. Mr. Vasques pointed out that there are now three (3) vacant seats for alternate members of the Board.
Planning Department Reorganization Meeting: Mr. Vasques informed the Board that he has submitted his letter of resignation to the Selectmen and his last day will be May 31, 2007. He explained that essentially the Planning Department will be reduced from two individuals to one and there will have to be a reorganization of staff within the Town Hall Office. He stated that the Town Administrator and some of the Selectmen have their own opinions on how the Town Hall Office should be reorganized. However, he explained that he feels that it is important that the Planning Board present to the Selectmen how they think the Planning Department should be staffed upon the leaving of Mr. Vasques. Mr. Vasques stated that in 2006, upon the hiring of Mr. Houseworth in April, the two employees of the Planning
Department were putting in a total of eighty (80) hours a week. He explained that this year the Selectmen requested that he reduce his hours to around thirty (30) hours a week so the Planning Department has been putting in a total of seventy (70) hours a week. He stated that there is some consideration that perhaps what the Planning Department and Town Hall needs is not another individual in the Planning Department but a secretary to assist in numerous areas of Town Hall including the Planning Department. Mr. Vasques stated that he personally disagrees with this idea but thinks that what the Planning Board should do is select a few individuals to sit down with the Planning Department to draft a plan for how they would like to see the Planning Department reorganized and staffed.
Mr. Edwards stated that since the Planning Staff knows best what it takes to get the job done, he would like to see a recommendation from the staff to the Planning Board regarding how the Planning Department should be reorganized. Mr. Vasques stated that the bottom line is that the Board has seen the results over the last year of having two employees in the Planning Department putting in eighty (80) hours a week and the staff has been able to not only provide the necessary support to the Board for the daily tasks but also do some actual planning, revising and drafting of ordinances and regulations, and establishing a GIS mapping system. He explained that there has been a basic misunderstanding that Mr. Houseworth has been strictly working on Planning Department tasks but this is a misconception. He stated that over half of
Mr. Houseworth’s time has nothing to do with the Planning Department including updating and fixing property cards, working on the transition from old to new tax maps, working with citizens to revise errors on the tax maps, drafting and maintaining a road inventory and map, and creating GIS maps for various departments and commissions.
Mr. Vasques explained that his primary concern is in regards to what he has heard is being proposed, which is secretarial help that will be shared within the Town Hall Office. He stated that essentially Mr. Houseworth will then be a secretary to the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment, preparing all applications and reviewing them for the Boards, updating and revising the tax maps, answering tax map and planning questions from the public, and drafting and maintaining GIS maps. He explained that in addition there will be a floating secretary to help the Planning Department and other areas within Town Hall. Mr. Vasques stated that his concern is that if the Planning Department is just keeping up with the necessary tasks now with seventy (70) hours a week, and we are barely doing the planning we should be doing, how
will the Planning Department function with forty (40) hours a week and a floating secretary? He stated that the planning aspect of the position will suffer because Mr. Houseworth will be so tied up with the daily tasks and activities that revisions and drafting of new ordinances and regulations will suffer drastically. He explained that if you just want somebody to process applications for the Boards, then Mr. Houseworth can do it alone, but if you want the Planning Department to do planning and mapping, you will need another professional individual primarily working on planning related tasks. Mr. Houseworth stated that he is concerned with a floating secretary taking Mr. Vasques’ place because it is going to be hard for someone to be able to be specialized and learn enough in each of these areas and departments to be able to function and get the job done in an efficient manner. He explained that it looks good on paper and in theory, and it looks good
to the public because you have someone multitasking in various departments, but in reality it will most likely not work out and all departments involved may suffer because of it.
Mr. Vasques stated that his other concern regarding a floating secretary is who does the secretary work for, where does the priority lie regarding tasks for each department, and who holds them responsible for completing tasks in a timely fashion? He explained that since Mr. Houseworth has started working at Town Hall, more and more responsibilities and tasks have been added to his plate from floodplain management to updating property transfers in the Proval database. Mr. Vasques states that this is in addition to the time that is spent with the public answering questions which can range to up to four (4) hours during the busiest days. Mr. Koziell stated that another issue with a floating secretary, which works with various departments, is that it will be very difficult to get that person to do the tasks you need done within
the necessary timeframe. He stated that it seems what the Planning Department needs is not another Town Planner but a very good assistant that is primarily based in the department.
Mr. Snow asked the Planning Staff what their recommendation is regarding how they would like to see the Planning Department staffed. Mr. Vasques replied that he would like to see his position filled with someone who has similar skills as himself that works primarily in the Planning Department with the similar number of hours per week; but can also provide assistance to other areas in Town Hall when available and upon approval of Mr. Houseworth. He stated that he doesn’t expect the Town to find a professional Town Planner but someone that is competent enough to learn the position and provide some continuity to the Planning Department so that it can function in case Mr. Houseworth is absent, sick, or leaves. Mr. Houseworth explained that because another full-time position was added to the Planning Department, the
planning staff has assumed other responsibilities and tasks, and the department has grown.
Mr. Sawich stated that it seems that the next step is to determine how we would like to see Mr. Vasques’ position filled and then pitch that plan to the Selectmen in order to provide them with some input to consider when deciding how to reorganize the department and Town Hall. Ms. Allen stated that she would like to see the Planning Staff compile a spreadsheet describing and prioritizing the number of tasks that need to be completed by the Planning Department, and the average number of hours spent completing each task, so that the Selectmen have some real data to use in order to make an informed decision. She explained that she thinks it would be great to find someone to work part time (twenty (20) to thirty (30) hours a week) to do the simple tasks of taking the meeting minutes or sending out the certified letters so that
Mr. Houseworth’s time can be better spent on more important planning tasks. Mr. Houseworth agreed and stated that this spreadsheet is exactly what the Planning Staff is intending to do for the next meeting between the Town Administrator, Selectmen, and a few select Planning Board members. Mr. Vasques explained that this isn’t about empire building but is about continuity with how the department runs over time and about the staff having time to do actual planning. The Board agreed to create a subcommittee which would draft a plan with the staff regarding how they would like to see the department reorganized; tentatively including Chairman Sawich, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Burnside, Mr. Koziell, and Ms. Wasserloos as members of this subcommittee. Mr. Vasques stated that the staff would compile the spreadsheet and will send it to Chairman Sawich before the Planning Department reorganization meeting.
Master Plan: Mr. Vasques advised the members that Ms. Taylor, Chairperson of the Master Plan Committee, would be scheduling a meeting sometime in April to review a draft of the completed master plan.
Route 9 Committee: Members were advised that Chairman Sawich will hold his next meeting to discuss preferred development zones on Monday, April 16, 2007 at 7 PM at Town Hall. Chairman Sawich explained that the committee is currently revising a draft of the new ‘Preferred Development District’ and it will eventually be brought to the Planning Board for input, revisions, and suggestions regarding its content and how to properly pitch it for Town Meeting.
14th Annual NH OEP Spring Planning & Zoning Conference: Members were advised that the deadline for registering is April 20th. Mr. Vasques recommended that they register early before the different sessions are filled. Mr. Houseworth highly recommended it to the members.
Code Enforcement: Mr. Vasques provided the Board with a copy of a letter, dated April 3, 2007, from Mr. Parsons to Mr. and Mrs. Fairfield Whiting regarding a re-inspection of property located on Rt. 202 (Tax Map 7, lots 81 and 82), in compliance with a Superior Court Order identified as Docket # 04-E-0225 for illegal vehicles on the properties.
Ordinances and Regulations: Mr. Vasques advised the members of some things that may be coming in front of the Board including: a new ‘Aquifer and Wellhead Protection’ zoning ordinance; amendments to the parking zoning ordinances, especially for the downtown area; Mr. Edwards has expressed interest to work with the Open Space Committee on revising the existing Cluster Housing Ordinance; Ms. Allen has done some revising of the sign zoning ordinance; and Ms. Wasserloos has been working on landscape regulations for subdivisions and site plans.
Alternate Members: Chairman Sawich recognized Ms. Cindy Begley stating that she has expressed interest in becoming an alternate member of the Board. Ms. Begley stated that she would like to start to get involved with Town Business. Chairman Sawich asked the Board to introduce themselves and welcome her. Ms. Allen asked Ms. Begley why she is interested in joining the Board and if she could provide some background on herself. She replied that she has lived in Antrim for twenty two (22) years, served on the parks and recreation committee four (4) years ago, and now that she has more time, she would like to be more involved with Town business because she is not happy with a lot of things going on around town. Mr. Burnside explained that she has a very strong insurance background, which he
feels the Board is currently lacking and she would be a great asset. Chairman Sawich asked Ms. Begley if she is ready to join the Board tonight or would like to attend another meeting or two; she replied she would like to attend another meeting before joining the Board. The Board thanked her for her interest.
Chairman Sawich asked Mr. Stephenson if he is ready to make a decision on whether he wants to join the Board as an alternate member; he replied yes, he does want to join the Board. Mr. Edwards moved to appoint Mr. Christopher Stephenson to the Planning Board as an alternate member, effective immediately; which was seconded by Ms. Allen and unanimously passed.
Mr. Edwards made a motion to adjourn which was seconded by Mr. Schacht. Chairman Sawich adjourned the meeting at 8:40 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Bradley Houseworth, Planning Technician
Antrim Planning Board
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