February 28, 2011
Work Session
Present were: Mayor Grenier, Councilors Landry, Remillard, Danderson, McCue, Evans, Rozek, and Poulin
Others present included: Roland Théberge, Joseph LaPuma, Diana Nelson, Mike Perreault, Joe Vigue, David Brooks, Tom Donley, media and public
Mayor Grenier opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m.
Wright Pierce Engineer
Mayor Grenier noted that Chris Dwinal could not make the meeting due to the inclement weather.
The Council conceded to adding one item to the agenda regarding SB 133 – Pole Tax Legislation.
Ward IV Councilor Interviews
Mayor Grenier thanked the three candidates for demonstrating an interest to serve the community in these exciting and difficult times.
Joseph LaPuma
Mr. LaPuma introduced himself saying that he spent two tours in Viet Nam and is a disabled veteran. He does not work and can spend the time necessary. He said that he feels the need to bring jobs and will work with City Council in whatever means necessary to do that. He’s lived in Berlin since 10/28/2006 and moved here because of the low crime. He does not want Berlin to look like Boston or New York but Berlin needs to move forward.
Councilor Landry asked for Mr. LaPuma’s opinion of the number one problem facing Berlin.
Mr. LaPuma responded that jobs and taxes are number one and if we can resolve one, the other will likely resolve itself. He went on to say that he likes the simplicity of the community. He knows more people here than in Manchester and he lived there for 30 years. He voiced that he was impressed by history of Berlin in the video “City by the River”. The schools in Berlin are decent and better than those south of here and there is very little crime.
Councilor McCue asked if there is one particular issue he would want to work on if he were on the council. Mr. LaPuma responded that there has to be a way to get jobs to the community.
Councilor Danderson mentioned that there will be difficult decisions to make and he asked how the candidate will handle the hard decisions. Mr. LaPuma responded that he can handle anything thrown at him.
Mayor Grenier asked if Mr. LaPuma would consider running for office if not selected and Mr. LaPuma confirmed that he will keep running for office.
Roland (Lefty) Théberge
Mayor Grenier asked, “What motivated you to put in for office?” Mr. Théberge responded that he is at the age and time in his life to do something for the city. Jobs is the number one issue and he would like to see the City grow.
Mayor Grenier asked Mr. Théberge how he has served the community. He replied that he was on the Notre Dame Arena board and he was an alter man with his son. He’s been living on Hillsboro Street for 40 years and worked as an electrician at the mill.
Mayor Grenier asked what he views as the most pressing problems for Berlin. Mr. Théberge replied that the City needs new growth to take the burden away from the elderly.
Councilor McCue asked what Berlin’s greatest strength is and he asked if there is one issue that Mr. Théberge would like to be working on. Mr. Théberge indicated that he sees the recreational direction, prison and Laidlaw as growth for the City. He would like to work on putting people to work.
Councilor Danderson asked for Mr. Théberge’s opinion about the Northern Pass saying that he sees opposition everywhere. Mr. Théberge stated that he could see it helping communities with taxes; however there could be residual voltage. He stated that he has not formed an opinion yet.
Councilor Rozek asked if Mr. Théberge would run for office if not chosen now. Mr. Théberge answered that he is well known in his ward and will run for office if not chosen.
Diana Nelson
Ms. Nelson indicated that she was born and raised in Berlin and has worked for the State Employment Office for 11 years. She has been an active member of the Chamber of Commerce, AVER, BIDPA and has strong dedication to the community. She noted that she bought a house in Ward IV and is there to stay.
Mayor Grenier asked what Ms. Nelson sees as Berlin’s largest hurdle. She replied it is taxes and jobs. She does not want to see one more unemployed person in the city.
Councilor Danderson stated that his experience with Councilor Nelson on the Council was positive. She has knowledge of the workforce and how the potential of jobs affects the community. Ms. Nelson added that she has strong knowledge of employer services and she has to know what work force is out there.
Councilor Danderson mentioned initiatives that have been favorable to Berlin but whose initial reaction was not favorable, like the state prison, Jericho Park and the gas pipeline. Ms. Nelson commented that the prison put people to work and the Federal prison will put people to work when operational. She is not against that.
Councilor McCue asked if there is any one thing Ms. Nelson hopes to work on if added to the Council. Ms. Nelson said that she wants to keep moving in the right direction. The City’s tax rate is its biggest weakness. We need to work on that and keep services consistent.
Councilor Poulin asked about the candidate’s position on blighted housing and asked if each candidate could answer. Ms. Nelson stated that she is very much on board with the City’s initiative and is very happy to see particular blighted buildings on Session Street torn down.
Mr. LaPuma responded that he doesn’t mind that buildings are being knocked down. He added that the rebuilding is nice to see as well.
Mr. Théberge commented that he is in favor of using federal grants for buildings to be renovated, and made energy efficient and for the really bad ones to be torn down.
Mayor Grenier confirmed that Ms. Nelson would consider running for the Council seat if not appointed this evening.
Councilor Poulin asked, if he were to resign as well, could his position be filled this evening. Mayor Grenier noted that a formal resignation would have to be accepted by the Council and the position would need to be advertised. It could not be done this evening. Councilor McCue affirmed that both Ward IV seats will be up for election in November.
In the vote that followed, Diana Nelson received five votes (Councilors Landry, Remillard, Danderson, Rozek and Poulin); Mr. LaPuma received two votes (Councilors McCue & Evans); and Mr. Théberge received one vote (Mayor Grenier) Ms. Nelson was appointed councilor of Ward IV.
Veterans’ Recommendation
Mr. MacQueen acknowledged that the veterans sent a letter with the wording for signage for dedicating the 12th Street Bridge to veterans. It is to be renamed, “Berlin Veterans Memorial Bridge” with a simple plaque with the words, “All gave some. Some gave all.” Mike Perreault expressed the need for direction and noted the time constraint if the bridge is to be rededicated by Memorial Day. Mayor Grenier recommended that funding to pay for the signage be taken from Council Contingency.
Mr. Perreault explained that there are different types of signs and he is waiting for estimates. Councilors asked Mr. Perreault to come back with a sketch of the sign and an estimate of the cost.
Wind Power Proposal – David Brooks
Mr. Brooks explained that he purchased property on Jericho Mountain from Loranger and has spent a lot of money on design of a wind farm. Financing for the turbine has been secured and now he needs someone to buy the power. The preference of the company is to benefit the town by selling power to them; however there are private parties willing to buy the power for more money. The City is being offered a multiple year contract to buy power at no less than 6 cents or more that 7.5 cents. In addition, the company would also provide a refund of up to 25% depending on renewable energy credits. Mr. Brooks was looking for a commitment letter from the Council to buy his power.
Mayor Grenier asked the City Manager what issues he sees. Mr. MacQueen stated that being in the contract could have a negative effect on the City’s ability to get a good deal on power elsewhere. In order for Mr. Brooks to do what he is proposing, he needs to be an energy service provider, ISO member and to be certified. He would have to purchase enough capacity to guarantee the city’s usage. The City would be committing to something that we don’t know everything about.
Councilor McCue admitted that it is an interesting proposal; however he felt that the Council needs to get more information about energy service providers. He said the City would need another source of energy because the power coming off of the mountain is intermittent.
Councilor Danderson reviewed some of the statistics from Mr. Brooks’ wind study. He stated that the city will need to review its consumption and peak times to see how it fits with the air studies. Mr. Brooks noted that there will be two 1.65 megawatt machines and there is ample wind with less than 5% of the time that they don’t generate. They will produce 700-900 kilowatts of power. Mr. Brooks commented that he would be comfortable with a letter of intent with a back out clause for the city.
Councilor Evans confirmed that the City is under no obligation to buy power that it does not need. Mr. MacQueen noted that the city would have to obtain back-up power from somewhere else if Jericho Wind is not providing enough and we may not be able to get the deal we are getting now because we would be buying less. Councilors heard from Tom Donley who is the contractor who will install the turbines. He predicted that the cost of electricity will go up and the city is being offered an opportunity to hedge its energy cost.
Councilor Landry indicated that he supports the project provided Mr. Brooks can wade through the regulatory process. He suggested due diligence and coming back to the Council. He questioned what the business model projected for taxes and Mr. Brooks indicated $15,000 per year on taxes based on industry standards.
Mayor Grenier mentioned that the City has a competitive bidding process that should be considered. He also noted that the city employs an expert in Mr. Sansoucy and he would not want to go too far into the process without consulting Mr. Sansoucy for an opinion. Mr. Brooks stated that would be a deal breaker; he refuses to deal with Mr. Sansoucy due to bad experiences he’s had with him.
Councilor McCue established that a lot more information is needed. Councilor Poulin suggested Mr. Brooks get together with the City Manager and bring a letter back to the Council. He asked if Mr. Brooks would cover the City’s legal fees for this proposal. Mr. Brooks agreed to pay; however he noted that the project is not funded. He stated that the Council needs to be comfortable with the agreement and he wants to move forward. Financing is being held up and he would like to get to the end and expedite the process. Mr. MacQueen said that it is a particularly bad week with the budget due next week but it will get done.
Downtown Tax Relief
Mr. MacQueen reported that BCMP was approved for downtown tax relief subject to city attorney approval of the covenant in 2008. The language is the same for T-Birds and BCMP because there were liens on the property. The lien holders have been asked to sign the covenant document as well. So much time has gone by, the City Manager wanted to bring the item back to Council for approval as reworded. Once these covenants are signed, they will go to the Board of Assessors. This has never been done in NH before and the Board of Assessors will have to figure out how to handle it.
Councilor Danderson moved to re-approve the latest language for the BCMP and T-Birds (Winterland Properties) covenants; Councilor McCue seconded and the motion carried.
Northern Pass – NCC Communication
The North Country Council has passed a resolution opposing the Northern Pass in response to a survey of member communities; Mayor Grenier voiced that the City should not take a position at this time.
Councilor Danderson reported that he talked with Paul Robitaille and they both felt that North Country Council was overly active without being overly informed. Northern Pass will bring $ 1.1 billion into the communities, providing jobs in several fields. He agreed that the City should stay out of it.
Councilor McCue agreed that he does not want to spend this body’s time on the Northern Pass; however he took exception to Councilor Danderson’s criticism of the North Country Council as it was based on the surveys of their member communities; it was a well reasoned decision on their part.
SB133
Mr. MacQueen stated that SB 133 would bring back the pole tax exemption that was finally voted out last year. The Council has supported opposing the pole tax exemption.
Councilor Danderson moved to send a letter opposing SB133; Councilor McCue seconded and the motion carried.
Councilor Danderson moved to adjourn; Councilor Rozek seconded and the motion carried. The meeting ended at 8:20 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Susan Tremblay
Administrative Assistant
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