Chichester Board of Selectmen
Minutes of Meeting
July 29, 2008
Members present: Chairman Richard DeBold, Selectman Stephen MacCleery (arrived at 8:10pm), Selectman Jeffrey Jordan, and Administrative Assistant Jamie Pike.
Other present: Chris Weir, Mark Drew, Road Agent David Kenneally
Chairman DeBold called the meeting to order at 7:02pm
Road Agent: Mr. Kenneally was present before the Board this evening to discuss the two bids he had received for blasting a portion of Bear Hill Road. These two quotes were received from Buckeye Blasting and Drog, Towley & Polt. Mr. DeBold explained that in accordance with the recently adopted Purchasing Policy it is required to gather 3 quotes for a project of this size. Mr. Kenneally feels that the policy is costing the Town money and is frustrated with finding vendors just to bid projects.
Mr. Kenneally also presented the Board with final winter sand bids, and the lowest price delivered per ton was from Pembroke Sand and Gravel. Mr. Kenneally stated that he prefers to use Decato Sand and Gravel, but with the price difference, it is not justified to continue with this vendor.
Mr. Pike informed Mr. Kenneally of a cooperative that Central NH Regional Planning Commission is trying to set-up to secure the best possible pricing for salt this coming season. The first informational meeting of this cooperative is August 18, 2008 and will primarily an information gathering session.
Mr. DeBold stated that he had been told by Road Advisory Committee member, Stan Brehm, that Mr. Kenneally commented that money was to be taken from the Highway budget to pay for fuel for the Police and Fire departments. Mr. Kenneally has since rescinded this comment.
Mr. Kenneally stated that he is attempting to get the larger projects completed to see where the budget lies for the remainder of the year.
Mark Drew, Winter Sand Bid: Mr. Drew submitted a letter to the Board detailing proposals for the winter maintenance of the roads. There was much discussion concerning the proper method of purchasing sand; by the ton or by the yard. Mr. Drew also recommended the use of sand mixed with calcium chloride as opposed to sodium chloride because of well contamination and easier storage of the material. Mr. Kenneally stated that he may be willing to experiment with some mixed product, but is not going to gamble the entire season on this product. Mr. Drew presented samples of sand to the Board, both from the shed at the same time, one sample was not altered; the other sample had been dried in an oven and sifted to prove the amount of weight that was wasted. Mr. Drew was directed by Mr. DeBold to
submit a bid to the Road Agent as a per ton delivered price as requested by the Road Agent should he wish to pursue this venture.
Mr. Kenneally also requested to know where the material would be coming from. A decision will be made at the August 5th meeting.
Stephen Stock, Forestry Vehicle Transmission: Mr. Stock presented the Board with gathered pricing and quote information for the replacement of the transmission in the Forestry Vehicle. Mr. Stock reported that the best quote was from Off Road Fabworks for $992.00 including shipping and a 12 month warrantee. The Board wishes to speak with the Fire Chief before moving forward with this purchase.
Road Advisory Committee Vacancy: Mr. DeBold presented his findings to the Board that Mr. Jameson wishes to remain on the RAC, he has been unable to speak with Mr. Plunkett. Currently the RAC consists of 11 members and its charter allows up to 13. Mr. DeBold recommends Mr. John Martell for a position on the RAC as he is able to speak his own mind and share his opinion and would be a good member.
A motion was made to appoint John Martell to the Road Advisory Committee by Mr. DeBold and seconded by Mr. MacCleery.
Mr. MacCleery sees considerable closeness amongst the members of the committee and a member from the Fire Dept is still needed. Mr. Jordan feels that with a 13 member committee, it will be muddled and is overkill. Mr. DeBold asked Mr. MacCleery what his specific concerns were. Mr. MacCleery feels there is closeness and camaraderie between David Kenneally, Dennis Call and Bud Mayville. Mr. DeBold asks why Mr. MacCleery is afraid, what is going to happen, what agenda is of concern, what can happen? Mr. MacCleery replied that is it seems there is a small group that can control the outcome of the committee. Mr. DeBold stated that as the Emergency Management Director, Mr. Martell can bring forward emergency situation knowledge to the committee. Mr. Weir asked Mr. Jordan about his previous
comment on June 17th that he also felt that Mr. Martell was too close to the Road Agent. Mr. Jordan denied saying this. Mr. Weir was directed to prove this statement with video at the next meeting by Mr. Jordan.
After several interruptions, Mr. MacCleery directed Mr. Weir to not interrupt the Board without being recognized. It was noted that the Board has been lenient in the past with interruptions, but is now hindering the work of the Board. Mr. DeBold stated that he acknowledges that he needs to be more rigid in his acknowledgement of audience members and mentioned that recently he has been giving serious consideration of changing the informal nature of the Selectmen’s meeting to a more formal structure where anyone in the general public must be recognized by the Chairman before they speak. Mr. DeBold feels this may be more necessary now since the meetings are being videotaped and the taping does not capture who is in the public audience and as a result the viewers of the tapes do not know who is speaking. Mr.
DeBold told Mr. Weir if he wishes to speak to the Board, he may be recognized by the Chairman.
Mr. Jordan pointed out that Mr. Martel is the Emergency Management “GO TO” person and this does place a lot of weight on his decision. Mr. MacCleery stated that as a member of this committee he could bring back any concerns he had with the Committee to the Board and revisit appointments at that time.
Mr. Jordan called for a vote on the motion. Motion passes.
Other Business:
Mr. Pike reported that the Police Department has yet to submit their CIP projects.
Mr. DeBold reported to the Board that he had spoken to Pam Mitchell, the District 5 DOT Engineer regarding the sidewalks. Ms. Mitchell said the sidewalks could be swept into the roadway if it was coordinated with the local District shed during maintenance cycles.
Chucksters, LLC: CLD is moving forward with completing the lighting study. It was noted that it appears the most recent approval was granted with light trespass. As this plat has not received final approval, Mr. Pike was directed to forward a memo to the Planning Board to address this concern prior to granting final approval to the plat.
Ms. Donna Stockman forwarded a letter to the Board regarding the charging of interest on welfare liens held by the Town. Ms. Stockman has recently not applied interest to a lien and is requesting the Board to waive the requirement in this particular case. The Selectmen were in agreement to waive the interest on this most recent lien. A motion was made by Mr. DeBold in accordance with RSA 165:28 to collect interest at the rate of 6 percent per year on the amount of money constituting such liens commencing one year after the date of filing. Such interest may be waived by the Board of Selectmen upon the recommendation of the Welfare Officer. Motion seconded by Mr. MacCleery. Motion passes.
Mr. Weir inquired to the status of the zoning complaint received upon Mr. Mark Drew for the development of his land located at Map 4 Lot 167B. Mr. Weir stated that this is a change in use of the property for the storage of materials, a mobile office, and concrete patio. Mr. DeBold thought it would be proper to give Mr. Drew the benefit of the doubt and allow him to schedule an appointment with the Planning Board by the deadline on July 31st and then turn over the case to Town Counsel the following week. Mr. MacCleery asked if any decision had been made by the Planning Board concerning the use of Porta-Potties. It was noted that the Planning Board had not made any decisions. Mr. Pike was directed to forward the case materials to Town Counsel, to have a final notice of violation prepared for
signature at next weeks meeting.
Being no further discussion a motion was made to adjourn the meeting at 10:03pm by Mr. DeBold and seconded by Mr. MacCleery. Motion passes.
Respectfully submitted,
Approved as corrected.
Jamie A Pike
Richard DeBold, Chairman Stephen MacCleery Jeffrey Jordan
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