ANTRIM PLANNING BOARD MEETING
February 5, 2009 Meeting
Members & Staff Present: Scott Burnside Diane Chauncey
Missy Taylor Steve Schacht Sandy Snow
Paul Vasques Kathi Wasserloos CR Willeke
Member & Staff Absent: Andrew Robblee Joe Koziell
Public Attendees: None
Public Meeting: Vice-Chair Snow convened the public meeting at 7:15 PM.
Approval of Planning Board Meeting Minutes: Mr. Burnside motioned to approve the minutes of the January 29, 2009 Board meeting as corrected. Mrs. Wasserloos seconded the motion and the minutes were unanimously approved by the Board.
Business Meeting:
Elections: Burnside & Robblee running for 3 years. Willeke running for Taylor's remaining two years. Mr. Vasques noted that the three Planning Board slots were filled.
Status of new Town Planner: Mr. Vasques said that the Town Planner opening had been advertised in the Ledger/Transcript (Tuesday and Thursday editions), on the NH Local Government Center website, and on the NH Office of Energy and Planning website. The deadline for applications is February 19, 2009 and as of February 5, there had been one applicant. Some Board members thought that the job opportunity should be advertised on Plan-Link, the Antrim website, local Regional Planning Commissions, and possibly Antioch. Mr. Burnside had read the ad and thought that the ad should have said (in reference to the education requirements) “Bachelors or Related Equivalent Experience”. He felt that a planner could have 20 years of experience, but not a degree, and that by wording the ad as it had been, a qualified person may
not apply.
Master Plan – Chapter Review Session
Ms. Chauncey distributed compete Master Plan books with the latest revisions through 2/4/09. These revisions will be posted to the Antrim website. Mr. Vasques said that the Board needed to make some decisions. He suggested that the review process could be done in one of two ways: 1.) clean up the material for obvious mistakes, wrap it up, and hold a Public Hearing; or, 2). place an article in the Limrik, have former committee members review the Plan, possibly leaving the door open for context and meaning changes. The question before the Board – Does the proposed Master Plan reflect the vision of Antrim’s residents for the future of the town?
Ms. Taylor felt that the Planning Board members had expressed their concern about the wording in the Natural Resources & Conservation and Economic Development chapters.
Mr. Burnside, with the concurrence of Mr. Schacht suggested that small businesses (such as – Edmunds, Brailsford, and Harding Plumbing) should read the proposed plan and give their opinions.
Ms. Taylor felt that it would be better if the Board agreed with the content before the proposed Plan went to public hearing.
Mr. Schacht stated that he thought a Master Plan should promote growth in the Town, and that the proposed Plan does not reflect growth – if anything it may stall growth. The State has many restrictions in place, and the local level is becoming more restrictive. Mr. Burnside concurred.
Ms. Taylor suggested that the Board look at specific sections that are objectionable and alter the wording to reflect opportunities for small business to continue and grow.
Mr. Snow felt that the residents had spoken when they had responded to the survey. The survey said the residents desired a town with rural character and no big box stores, and so the Master Plan states that desire.
Mr. Schacht wondered if Antrim should change for new residents. He felt that the regulations for home based businesses and home occupations are presently too restrictive. Many of Antrim's current small businesses would not be allowed with the current restrictions.
Each Planning Board member received the complete revised Proposed Master Plan. The decision was made to reread each chapter with a critical eye. Is there a balance between Economic Development and Conservation? Is the Proposed Plan too restrictive and therefore, stalling business opportunities? Can minor wording changes be made in order to create the desired balance?
Grammatical errors should be sent directly to Ms. Taylor. Context errors will be discussed at the February 19 meeting. The Master Plan will then be reviewed by Town Counsel, and a public hearing will then be scheduled.
Energy Committee (Snow) Willeke’s request – wind tower on town property; The Antrim Energy Conservation has not met since the last Planning Board meeting, but the topic will be discussed at the February 18th meeting. Mr. Willeke questioned if grant money is available to assist with installation and equipment procurement? He also asked if a wind tower generated electricity from Town property, could it then be back fed to the electric company to receive a credit on the Town’s electric bill each month. Possible sites for a wind tower discussed were the fire station or the water tower property.
Subdivision Regulation Changes: Section IV: Procedure was reviewed by the Board. Mr. Vasques said that this portion of the Subdivision Regulations had been in the January 8th Public Hearing. It was Mr. Vasques’ understanding that Mr. Houseworth felt that Section IV was ready for the March ballot. The Board did not agree with Mr. Vasques and wanted to reread the content of Section IV. It will be discussed at the February 19th meeting.
Correspondences:
DES letter: French – Accessory structure along the shoreline of Franklin Pierce Lake
The letter concerns a deck that DES would like removed.
Code Enforcement:
Wenckus: Unregistered vehicles – For the Board’s information
New Business from the Floor:
None
At 8:20 pm, Mr. Burnside made a motion to adjourn the meeting which was seconded by Mr. Schacht and unanimously agreed upon by all. Vice- Chair Snow adjourned the meeting.
Respectfully submitted, Diane Chauncey, Planning Assistant
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