ANTRIM PLANNING BOARD MEETING MINUTES
July 19, 2012
Conceptual Consultation – 3 High Street – Childcare Center
Subdivision & Site Plan Review Regulations – Review & Edit
Members & Staff Present: Diane Chauncey (Secretary) David Dubois (Chair)
Jesse Lazar (Vice-Chair) Charles Levesque (Member) Janet McEwen (Alternate)
Steve MacDonald (Member) Sarah Vanderwende (Member)
Members & Staff Absent:
Martha Pinello (Member) Mike Genest (Ex-officio)
Public Attendees:
Shelley Nelkens Ron Haggett Heidi Risman-Jones Mr. Jones
Mr. Paul Belliveau Kathryn Przekaza
7:00PM Public Meeting:
Conceptual Consultation – Risman-Jones – Childcare Center proposal for 3 High Street, Map 104 Lot 104
Chair Dubois opened the meeting at 7:06PM. Ms. McEwen was appointed for the absent Ms. Pinello. The board members and staff introduced themselves.
Chair Dubois defined Conceptual Consultation - a general presentation of an applicant’s concept of a proposed project. He stated that no decisions would be made and nothing would be binding. Chair Dubois asked Ms. Risman-Jones to present her conceptual proposal.
Ms. Risman-Jones stated that 3 High Street was under contract for the purpose of renovating the current house for a rental unit, and creating a new area for a child care center for twenty five children. She explained that she had a childcare center in New Boston for 27 years and that she was an experienced and qualified director for the State of NH. She said that the child care center would be licensed by the State of NH and that safety of the children was a number one concern.
She further explained that she had requested a ZBA Special Exception (for a commercial venture in the residential district) and had learned during that process that the abutting property had been a Brownfield’s clean-up site. She said that she then had the property tested for any possible contamination and that the property had come out “clean”. She read from an email (which she would not share) from Mr. Keith Dubois stating that there were no violations. She then said that she hoped to proceed with the childcare center and then introduced her architect.
Chair Dubois reminded Ms. Przekaza that the information presented was to be general and nothing would be binding should the applicant decide to continue with the process.
Ms. Przekaza stated that she was a registered architect who had previously presented the Special Exception to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA).
Mr. Levesque asked for ZBA information from ZBA Member – Mr. Haggett.
Mr. Haggett explained that during the Special Exception request, it had become known that the adjacent mill was a Brownfield’s site and that the ZBA had raised questions of future implications for the site. Although the Special Exception was unanimously granted, there was a condition: “the Planning Board should note that the abutting property was a Brownfield site and should review the site with that in mind”.
Ms. Przekaza had 3 plans for the PB members, as well as Plan 34071 (recorded at the Registry of Deeds).
She explained the following:
Plan 1 (current view)
Current residence will become a rental
Building on right of residence will become the childcare center
The current “driveway” – a shared access with Frameworks
Plan 2 (common access drive)
13 parking areas
Play area at back of site
Plan 3 (access from High Street)
13 parking areas
Play area at back of site
Ms. Przekaza stated that the engineering was not done because the contaminant testing had not been completed, but she assured the Board that it was possible to do both preliminary concepts. She stated that there were some concerns – the property boundaries were unclear and the applicant was very conscious of the shared access/egress. She stated that the children would be escorted to the door by an adult and that the play yard would be directly attached to the building and fence.
Chair Dubois asked the applicant that “considering the good news” (of the soil contamination testing) was she planning to move forward.
Ms. Risman-Jones said that she would be hiring an engineering firm.
Chair Dubois asked if she would go right to Major Site Plan Review.
Board Members asked questions (answers in [] ) concerning the following:
Number of employees [4 – 5]
Number of children [25]
Number of parking places [13 – usage of parking place is usually staggered]
Hours of operation [6:30AM – 6:00PM]
Would program include before and after school children [no – need not seen]
Was there a traffic plan [not yet planned – some discrepancy in easement boundaries]
State licensing – which agencies [Health & Human Services, etc. – all requirements would be abided by– e.g.: baby room – must have sink, kitchen would have safety area, etc.]
Timing for future proposal – which comes first – state licensing or Planning Board site plan review [Chair Dubois stated that it would be helpful to know state requirements – in order that the PB would not be duplicating efforts]
Licensing? [Nursery to Pre-school]
Compliance with State Regulations [Childcare center must comply with State requirements]
Parking for the rental unit [2 designated parking places for the rental]
Buildings connected? [Yes with firewall in between]
With no further questions from Board members, Ms. Przekaza stated that the engineering firm of Sanford Engineering & Surveying of Bedford, NH will begin survey in the next week. She stated that Ms. Risman-Jones realized that there were challenges and issues that needed to be addressed. She said that the applicant will be coming to the Planning Board with a formal application and she continued that Ms. Risman-Jones hoped for an amicable process and that the childcare would be a good contribution to the community.
Chair Dubois thanked the applicant for attending.
Mr. Belliveau (owner of Frameworks) stated that he had some comments concerning the Conceptual.
Chair Dubois stated that Mr. Belliveau would be given an opportunity to state his concerns in the Public Hearing portion of the Site Plan Review.
Mr. Belliveau stated some of his concerns:
- Shared access driveway
- Drainage of the retainer wall at the west side of the property
- No parking in the access to Frameworks
Chair Dubois stated that “prior to the application process, the abutters and applicant should resolve some of their issues”.
Subdivision & Site Plan Regulations – Review & Edit
Minor Site Plan Review and Home Based Business were discussed and it was determined that the review on August 2 would begin with these topics.
Business Meeting:
June 21 & July 5, 2012 - Minutes to be approved
June 21 – Mr. Levesque moved to accept the minutes. Mr. Lazar seconded. The minutes were approved as amended.
July 5 – Mr. Lazar moved to accept the minutes. Ms. VanderWende seconded. The minutes were approved as amended.
SEC update
Chair Dubois stated that Atty Bernie Waugh of the law office of Gardner Fulton & Waugh had been hired to write the legal brief entitled “Antrim Planning Board’s Memorandum of Law concerning the Committee’s lack of authority over subdivision”.
The deadline for pre-filed testimony is July 31, 2012.
Hard copies of Bylaws, as amended and Public Hearing Procedure, as amended
The hard copies of the by-laws were not as Chair Dubois had stated at the previous meeting. The correction will be made
Annual Excavation Review & CIP – Set-up dates
- Review of Excavation information – August 16 – Carol Ogilvie (Consultant Planner) will be asked to attend
- Annual Excavation Review – September 6 - 1PM – field trip to active sites and 7PM for Planning Board Meeting – Carol Ogilvie and Mary Pinkham Langer (Department of Revenue Administration) will be asked to attend
- Organizational CIP meeting will be held on August 7 at 7PM in the Town Hall
Correspondence:
SWRPC Commission Highlights – newsletter - FYI
Adjourn:
Motion made by Mr. MacDonald: seconded by Mr. Levesque
Vote: Unanimous to adjourn
Respectfully submitted, Diane Chauncey, Secretary of the Planning Board
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