PLANNING BOARD WORKSHOP MEETING
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2003
41 South Main Street
Members Present: Jim Horgan, Charlie King, Hiram Watson, Bill Tsiros, Gerald White, Don
MacVane, Troy Robidas
Selectmen’s Rep: Barry Elliott
Staff Present: Paul Charron and Fran Osborne
Public Present: Paul Parker (ZBA), Margaret Russell & son Kevin Russell, Joyce White,
John Huckins, Jane & John Wingate, Brad Anderson & Charlotte Alling
(Farmington Community Preservation Guild)
· Chairman Horgan brought the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Minutes of November 4, 2003 were reviewed. Hiram made a motion to accept the minutes as presented, Gerald White 2nd, Don MacVane abstained, motion carried.
· Earth Removal Permits for Frederick & Jane Lantier. Two permits for 2002 and 2003 were presented for approval by PB chairman. CEO Paul Charron had gone over these permits with owner and Norm Russell (excavating the site). PB Chairman Horgan signed both Earth Removal Permits.
· PB Schedule for 2004 – Fran gave each board member a new schedule. Chairman Horgan informed board members Scott Roberge could not be here tonight to go over the “Alarms, Businesses, Systems & Users Ordinance.” Discussion on asking Scott when he would be available. Fran said he would be available for the next workshop meeting. Motion was made by Bill Tsiros, 2nd by Hiram Watson to continue this to the December 16 2003, PB meeting.
· Kevin Russell (working as volunteer for the TV airing of town meetings) asked why the PB meeting was not being televised. Chairman Horgan explained the PB was not informed this meeting was to be televised. Future meetings will be televised. Don MacVane asked Kevin if he could find out if a light could be put on the wall light to let board members know when they are being televised. Discussion. Barry Elliott – there are nonpublic sessions during meetings held here and there should be a light to know when it is & isn’t on. Bill Tsiros – has a problem with these people (Jane & John Wingate) filming this
meeting – he feels it will be biased. Discussion. Margaret Russell – stated she has no agenda.
Charlie King – I feel all our meetings should be broadcast except nonpublic sessions.
Jane Wingate – is in favor of open and honest broadcasts. Discussion.
Margaret Russell – Channel 26 is the town channel through Metrocast. Channel 12 is another broadcast channel, also through Metrocast. Ed Mullen is in charge of this video equipment. Discussion. Bill Tsiros asked Ed Mullen to get in touch with the PB Chairman.
· Farmington Community Preservation Guild Presentation: Charlotte Alling & Brad Anderson presented a report on things going on. A Farmington Design Manual was discussed along with the Main St. Program. Charlotte gave board members the Rochester zoning design guidelines to review. Discussion on downtown revitalization through rehab projects. Capitalize on local history & architectural style. Identify style & make it the core of what you want. Farmington has high end development both to the south & north – there is a big boom going on. Create a vision – what is present? Protect what
exists & have guidelines for new development (vibrant main streets; locations for formal & informal gatherings; places that people enjoy & which attract activity). Make - appealing to new development
- be a magnet to outsiders (tourists, businesses)
- be prosperous looking
- have a sense of pride, identity & place
- and others – need a historical index.
Planning Board Workshop Meeting November 18, 2003 (continued) Page 2
Discussion on historic preservation & a manual that shows what’s here in Farmington. This should be available to developers, architects, etc. to see what the Town of Farmington desires in their town. The catalog is divided in 4 sections:
Urban commercial/Multi-use factor
Semi-urban residential sector
Agricultural/rural residential sector
Hi-way commercial/Industrial sector.
These catalogs will be produced individually for each of 4 sections.
Brad – this document could be linked to the Zoning Ordinance. Discussion of “fixed payoff” by developers & a bonus or financial incentive. Build in aesthetics. Discussion on elements within a particular building. Get feedback from developer community. There is $5,000 in grant money to do this project. Brad asked input and if the PB would budget funds toward this project – about $5,000 for the 1st section which he hopes to be done in April 2004.
Discussion on the Master Plan & Zoning and having it postured to this type of architectural aesthetics.
Motion by Hiram to recess at 8:10 p.m., Charlie 2nd, motion carried. Meeting reconvened at 8:20
p.m.
Brad explained the Main Street Program and requirements. Discussion on costs.
Barry Elliott – colored drawings in the 1980’s were done by the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant). Barry asked if these dollars were still available through this program. The buildings are preserved through contracts.
Brad – this could be a tool for getting more grant dollars.
Bill Tsiros – preserve downtown buildings – “maintenance.” Costs are an issue with maintenance.
Approach townspeople to appropriate so much a year to maintain & preserve historical buildings.
Brad – brought up “tax abatement” for preserving historical buildings. Recommend funds on this or endorse it publicly.
Jim – the town has met with individuals who may be doing some of this work. What you are doing fits right in.
Bill Tsiros – feels he should go ahead with what he is doing. Discussion.
Barry Elliott – discussion on Downtown Committee – should funds be asked through them.
Brad – they seem to be more beautification oriented.
Barry Elliott – you stressed volunteer work, but you are looking for dollars. I don’t know as it should be funded through the PB. I would find it hard to fund.
Jim Horgan – I don’t think we are in a position at this time to do this. Brad disagrees.
Jim – you are chairman of the ZAMPS Subcommittee & also represent this organization. Brad – this is way beyond that. Jim Horgan - I feel there’s a bit of a conflict here. Discussion.
Bill Tsiros – the PB can make a budget request. Discussion – it’s up to the selectmen.
Jim Horgan – the PB can recommend to the selectmen & they can take it from there.
CEO Paul Charron – discussion of Rte.11 development, zoning ordinance changes & economic development.
Troy Robidas – discussion on linking this document to the Zoning Ordinance.
Charlotte Alling – doesn’t have a concrete answer. Rochester integrates it into their zoning ordinance. Discussion. What you do with your Master Plan & future development is important – conceptual plans – this is a tool.
Barry Elliott – I like the idea to keep downtown the way it is. How you get funded is where I see a problem. Is it voluntary, mandatory or what? Discussion on Dave DeJager and his plan that came before the PB. Letter will be written to the Selectmen for PB chair to sign recommending this to the selectmen.
Charlie King – I think this is an excellent idea & important to the community.
Planning Board Workshop Meeting November 18, 2003 (continued) Page 3
· Research Subcommittee – Don MacVane – Don said he has a new member – Donna Gorney. Discussion on these meetings not being organized to meet yet. We will be meeting at the old town hall as soon as the meeting room is ready. At Fran’s suggestion, Don MacVane called SRPC & spoke to Penny Finnegan who will try & get Zoning Ordinances if she can. We hope to get meetings going soon.
· ZAMPS Subcommittee – Brad said the subcommittee needs one more meeting on the Cluster Regulations and we should have the document 90 – 95% complete. We will get copies to the PB. Hiram – concerned about what happened at the last ZAMPS meeting. He made a suggestion with a comment on #32 – it is not what he said referencing paving town dirt roads. This is a survey of 32 questions. Discussion on this. We shouldn’t be misleading the people. On page 23 of the Master Plan, there is reference to paving of unpaved roads. There was a meeting held before October 23rd that Hiram
Watson wasn’t invited to, even though he is a member of this subcommittee – this is misleading and unfair. Discussion on questions on survey mailing going out.
Brad – this survey is made up of comments from the public. We bought the mailing list for $28 which included approximately 2850 residents in town. Questions were presented for public comments – (2) on the Master Plan, (1) topic recommended by State law & (1) topic we came up with. The comments were recorded on the screen. A voting card was given to members of the public. Our main thing is to validate the existing Master Plan. We validated this on the computer screen. These questions were coded by zoning maps provided by Fran. We added onto the survey economic development – transportation. We may have made some transcription errors (there is a disclosure statement on the back). Hiram – I think Brad is trying to create a town
image as he sees fit. Brad – I’ve heard it said before. Brad asked Hiram to put a clearer statement on the next survey to go out. Hiram asked that Brad listen to what other people say and consume it. I saw a lot of things that are not on here. Meaderboro Rd. was discussed regarding the dust problem. Focus on what other people say. Biased opinions were discussed. Hiram feels Brad is biased on some issues. The town needs to work together. I think you are biased on paving any roads.
Don MacVane – feels this is an impressive document presentation wise – not content wise. Discussion on question #32.
Charlie King – I have concerns about the meaning of the questions being changed. I reviewed this and I would like to see no changes. I saw things there that I don’t remember being discussed. I want the integrity of this information to stand up to scrutinization and members of the subcommittee not influence the gathering of public people. I see things worded different than it was intended. I don’t know if its intentional or not.
Bill Tsiros – I would recommend a motion to not allow any document go out without our review first. The PB is the only board that reviews these changes and zoning ordinance changes.
Charlie King – only 2 PB members were at that gathering. I suggest the PB members get to these meetings.
Don MacVane – any subcommittee the PB forms is responsible to report back to the PB - the process was circumvented. This survey should not be mailed. Fran should have had a copy of the ZAMPS minutes to be made available to PB members. Brad says minutes were sent to Lynn & Paul. Fran said she doesn’t have them. Discussion on procedures. The PB should step up and say, don’t mail this. There’s a lot of dollars here & principles. Somehow ZAMPS has gotten the ability to just mail out stuff on their own.
Hiram – asked if the meeting he wasn’t invited to, the meeting before October 23rd - had minutes been done. Brad – those meetings had minutes & were e-mailed to Lynn & Paul Charron. Discussion with Bill Tsiros on dirt roads.
Brad – I’ve had to listen to this a lot over the years. These accusations are “bullshit, every one of them.” He unplugged his computer program, picked up his backpack & was in the process of leaving when the board asked him to sit down and discuss this. Brad - I’m trying to get other people’s opinions. There’s problems. Where are you going to get this much information elsewhere? This process is as good as we can get it. If you want to review the documents, then this 6-week process is out the window. We’ve been doing one of these things every 6 weeks. This is the best committee I’ve worked with. Farmington is leading in
Planning Board Workshop Meeting November 18, 2003 (continued) Page 4
this area of surveys. What do you expect? You keep carrying your bias’s around thinking that there’s people who have agenda & they are against me. Just because I write an editorial on a topic, doesn’t mean I’m against paving. Who thinks they know how I feel about paving roads? People think I’m against it. Discussion on preconceptions of what Brad wants vs. what the people want. Hiram – you’re probably the only one on the committee who has a special interest that you are trying to see imparted into this process. You guys are wasting a valuable resource here. Hiram has special interests interjected here also.
Jane Wingate – First of all I agree with everything Brad said. This has been an obstruction right along. There also has been a perception here right along. Discussion on paving of Meaderboro Rd. vs. not paving. Hiram moved where he is knowing it is a dirt road. We all have agenda & Hiram you are obstructive as hell to this committee. Look at the content. Discussion on the Research Committee. There’s a lot of this obstruction shit going on. The people wanted this IGO to go through.
Charlie King – I’ve been on this subcommittee 1 ? years & I enjoy working on it & anybody that says that they don’t have an agenda is “full of shit including myself.” We need to work together as a board to make sure information is perfect as it can be and put aside what we feel this town should look like. Lets get input from “all sides in this town.”
Don MacVane brought up the IGO public televised meeting. Discussion on this.
Hiram Watson – questioned dollars in the budget to pave the Meaderboro Rd. I’m not out to pave my road – I would like the opportunity to see it done. Doors close tighter & tighter.
Troy Robidas – some interpretation may be lost in putting it in a small block.
Charlie King – we need to continue to make things as perfect as possible. I feel it represents what was there. The way it comes out may not be pleasing to each person.
Brad – we can do better. We learn from it. We are not perfect.
Jim Horgan – the issue of time restraints and getting this together & out was an issue. Some questions we should be asking are not included. Before the next one goes out the questions I have need to be discussed and debated (something a little more focused.) At some point this needs to be done.
Brad – produce a final survey of particular questions as a separate survey.
Jim Horgan – response to 1st survey – how many responded. Brad said 101 replies received out of about 2850. Discussion on a certain segment of the population responding to the survey. Don & Troy think the survey is too small and too many choices to answer replies.
Barry Elliott – some of the equipment needed hasn’t been received yet for the televised sessions. We will be able to play it over & over once we have everything in place. I thank everybody who serves on these committees. As a person who has lived in this town longer than everybody, I hope people won’t take these things to heart.
Jane Wingate – there’s a hard core of people who show up all the time.
Charlie King made a motion to schedule the “Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance” for the next PB meeting on December 2, 2003, Gerald White 2nd, all in favor, motion carried. Paul Parker (ZBA) discussed protecting town citizens from unwarranted exposure. This proposed document is better than what we have on record. I hope the PB takes a good look at it.
Brad – there’s been very little change in the document, maybe bigger setbacks. Brad provided copies of the proposed “Sexually Oriented Business Ordinance” for board members to review before the next meeting. Discussion on changes. Jim mentioned discussion on age - ? 18 years old in the document.
· Discussion on Strafford Regional Planning Commission Meeting Thursday, November 20, 2003 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Frisbie Hospital Community Conference Center. DonMacVane and Jim Horgan plan to attend this meeting. With no further business to discuss, Barry Elliott made a motion to adjourn at 10:00 p.m., Bill Tsiros 2nd, motion carried.
Planning Board Workshop Meeting November 18, 2003 (continued) Page 5
APPROVED
______________________________________ _________________________________
Jim Horgan, Chairman Date
Planning Board
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