FARMINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S
MEETING MINUTES
OCTOBER 6, 2003
(Public Session)
Attendance: Chairman Joan A. Funk, David Hall, Gerald McCarthy, Barry Elliott and Matt Scruton
Staff: Ernest M. Creveling, Town Administrator, Director of Water & Waste Mgemt.,
Dale Sprague, Fire Chief Randall Goslin
The meeting convened and was called to order at 6:00 p.m. by Chairman Funk.
Minutes
Barry Elliott motioned to approve the public hearing minutes from September 22, 2003. Joan Funk seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. David Hall motioned to approve the regular public session minutes from September 22, 2003. Joan Funk seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. David Hall motioned to approve the minutes from the September 22, 2003 non-public session. Joan Funk seconded the motion. Matt noted the need to add the motion/vote to enter non-public session to these minutes. The vote was unanimous.
Board & Committee Interviews
Mr. Todd Lefebvre was first to be interviewed, in response to his application to serve on the Farmington Economic Development Commission (FEDC). Ernie said Mr. Mike Drew has not responded to the application forwarded to him and would not be present this evening. Ernie then explained the recent Commission seat vacancies of Chris Turner from Voith Paper Technologies and Sandy Conley of Collins & Aikman. Gerry expressed his concern about Todd’s eligibility to sit on the FEDC, due to the appropriation of members as being from: two major industries, two general businesses and two from the general public. He said if the Selectmen wish to follow the FEDC by-laws, they cannot appoint Todd unless the FEDC considers changing their by-laws. Gerry highly recommended the FEDC consider
changing their by-laws since the only two major industries are no longer represented on the Commission. Ernie said the Selectmen have the full authority to change the by-laws since the FEDC is a sub-committee of the Board of Selectmen. Barry said he’s not concerned with this discrepancy, noting it is his feeling it is more important to get people from the community, interested in serving, due to their desire to improve their community. David suggested increasing the size of the Commission. Gerry said he believes if the Commission is to big it will accomplish nothing. He said the general public membership would give the Commission more credibility. Matt disputed the definition of general public/citizenry, saying it doesn’t mean the individual couldn’t be a business owner. Matthew Scruton motioned to appoint Todd Lefebvre to the Farmington Economic Development Commission. Barry Elliott seconded the motion. Gerry said this action eliminates the ability for the general public
to serve on the FEDC. Joan then recommended adding one more seat to the Commission, to include the general citizenry. Barry said he doesn’t believe this balance would taint the FEDC in anyway. He said he feels the membership by-laws should be changed. Todd interjected saying if Gerry feels he can recommend other applicants then perhaps he should be permitted to bring them forth. The vote was three in favor and two opposed. The motion to appoint passed.
Next to be interviewed was Jeanne Blinkensop for membership on the Conservation Commission. Ernie first recommended the Selectmen consider appointing Susan Ducharme from her alternate position to that of full board member, filling a member vacancy with a term expiration in year 2005. Barry Elliott motioned to appoint Susan Ducharme from her alternate seat on the Conservation Commission to fill a full board vacancy with term expiring in year 2005 and to appoint Jeanne Blinkensop as a full board member to the Conservation Commission with term expiring in year 2004. Joan Funk seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
The final interview was of Mr. Russell Stokes, who applied for a seat on the ZBA. Matt asked Mr. Stokes why he is interested in serving in this capacity and Mr. Stokes replied Planning Board/ZBA liaison, Mr. Charlie King had suggested he consider sitting on the ZBA as his first experience to Town government. The vote was unanimous.
Public Comment
Ernie asked to read a letter from Paul Turner, who couldn’t be present at this evening’s meeting. Mr. Turner’s letter requested the Selectmen to consider appointing Brad Anderson and himself to chair what he
Selectmen’s Minutes 10/06/03-Pg. # 2
proposed as the Nute Ridge Road Race Reactivation Committee. He said the race was a showcase to the Town of Farmington. Gerald McCarthy made a motion to appoint Paul Turner and Brad Anderson to Chair the committee they have named. David Hall seconded the motion. Discussion ensued. Matt asked what the Parks & Recreation Director feels about this, saying the Board of Selectmen supported the Director in her decision not to continue to host the race and feels they should continue to do so. Joan agreed, saying if the race is to return to Town it should be due to private support only. She too expressed fear that the responsibility would fall back to the Parks & Recreation department. Barry said Brad and Paul want the race to return to Town on a larger scale, more like a
family festival. He said he supports their efforts. Matt said he fears this is “butting heads” with department heads. David said he doesn’t believe that P & R Director, Kerry Mucher would mind taking it back on, saying he feels her initial reasoning to discontinue the race was due to parking complaints from downtown merchants and the cost to reroute the race. Joan said Kerry’s concern was also that the race really didn’t make any money for the Town’s businesses. Gerry said the committee should be allowed to explore the options and then bring it before the Board of Selectmen after their research. Barry said he’s heard different views concerning the race, noting
he condones Paul and Brad looking into the return of the race, but with the clear understanding that if the race returns to Farmington, it doesn’t necessarily mean it would fall back upon the Parks & Recreation Director. Gerald McCarthy made a motion to approve of Paul Turner and Brad Anderson to research the return of the Nute Ridge Half Marathon to Farmington. David Hall seconded the motion and the vote was three in favor and two opposed. The motion passed.
Intersection at Rtes. #11 & 153
N/A
Railing at the Main Street School Building
N/A
Fire Alarm
Mr. George Allen of R.B. Allen & Co. came before the Selectmen with Fire Chief Ky Goslin. He said his company has been involved with fire alarm systems since 1966 and have installed over 300 systems in New England. George then proceeded to describe the radio receiving equipment and its function and operation. He said the bid that R.B. Allen proposed includes: two receivers, a printer for the apparatus floor, an alpha numeric pager, individual units for the radio transmitters, etc. George then entertained questions from the Selectmen. Both David and Matt asked about the pagers. Barry asked if a dedicated phone line is needed and George said the line already exists. Barry asked for the pricing for outside systems installation. Discussion then ensued regarding
repeaters. George explained how he would have to petition the FCC for a frequency and then would have to perform a spectrum analysis. Mr. Allen said January 1, 2004, as the RFP specified, would be their target date for complete installation. He then spoke about the addressable fire alarm systems, saying this is a serial interface, available as a capability, if it is so desired. Ernie then asked about what Town buildings would need to be wired in. Ky said any municipal building in Town with a wired system: the old Town Hall, Main Street School.
Gerry asked about service. Mr. Allen said a technician from R.B. Allen would be assigned from the Fire Dept. and would be trained, so his corporate office doesn’t have to send a technician to “just push a button”. David asked if perhaps the Town should have more than just one technician trained and George said they could have as many individuals trained as they would like. Matt asked about the warranty and Mr. Allen said they offer a one year warranty. Matt asked how soon this system would be obsolete and Mr. Allen replied that fire alarm systems are constantly changing, but the Town would merely need to provide backup systems. Barry asked for the cost of maintenance fees and Mr. Allen said there would be no maintenance fees. He said the cost per hour, for a serviceman
is $85.00, after the one-year warranty. Matt asked if the extended warranty is available and George said yes, but through the manufacturer. George said the total cost to the Town would be $33,485. Joan asked if there are available funds for this and Ernie said yes, the funds are in Capital Reserves. David Hall made a motion to award the bid for a fire alarm system, at a cost of $33,485.00 to R.B. Allen & Co. Joan Funk seconded the motion. Barry asked if Ky approves of this system and Ky said yes. Matt asked for a breakout of the total cost and George said: $27,500.00 for one digitized system, $1,785.00 for one remote “rip & run” and $4,200.00 for one alphanumeric pager option.
The vote was unanimous.
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Ky said he’d still like the Board to consider two paid staff to be on duty during the daytime, for next year’s budget. Joan asked Ky to look into the cost with facts and figures.
Elm Street Retaining Wall
N/A
Rte # 153 Drainage
Ernie informed the Selectmen the State is performing the work this week.
The meeting briefly adjourned at 7:10 p.m. and then reconvened at 7:20 p.m.
Septage Disposal
Dale recommended a fee increase for septic disposal from $15.00 to $50.00 per 1,000 gallons and the requirement for additional information on the septic permits. He said this would help to establish a dedicated revenue fund. He said the next question is how to administer the permitting. Dale said the simplest procedure is to have the haulers complete the new forms and have them signed by the property owners, whenever possible and then the Town could perform random sampling for information verification. He then recommended allowing LaPierrre’s Pumping Service to continue to hold the key to the septic lagoons, perhaps to include a contractual agreement for services in exchange for the key. Matt asked if the contract to LaPierre’s could be offered to other area haulers. Gerry
suggested offering three free entries to the lagoon to other area haulers for emergencies. Barry asked how much it would cost for a keyless entry system and Dale said he received a quote of $8,965.00 for an aluminum slide gate. Barry agreed with Gerry concerning the issue of unfairness. Matt wondered if the haulers could be charged per entry through the gate. The septic disposal process was then reviewed with Dale. Barry Elliott made a motion to adopt the policy as presented by the Director of Water & Waste Management, Mr. Dale Sprague (see the attached), to include two free disposals per area hauler. David Hall seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
Dale said his next issue is with five residents that have not contacted the Town to have the new radio read water meters installed at their property. He said the Town has contacted these residents on numerous occasions and he now would like the Selectmen’s permission to send out certified letters to include the threat of their water being shut off, in an attempt to receive more cooperation. The Board gave Dale permission to send these letters.
Bonding Issue/Elm Street
Ernie informed the Board the Elm Street subdivision has been approved for 60 units. Packy Campbell came before the Selectmen and discussed the problems he has had with the Planning Board, for his development, concerning conflicting ordinances. He said traditionally bonding is done when the first building permit is pulled and costs are then determined. Ernie clarified this is a condition of Planning Board approval. CEO Paul Charron said the road must be paved and complete. He said he has come up with a bonding price of $561,619, saying this should be in place before the first certificate if occupancy. He said the bonding figure is based upon certain construction costs provided by Packy Campbell. Matt asked if Town Counsel, Mitchell & Bates have reviewed this and Paul said only
prior Town Counsel, Donahue, Tucker & Ciandella have performed the preliminary review. Gerry asked if the attorney should communicate with the Planning Board about this. Discussion then ensued and Matt reiterated the need for Town Counsel to review. Gerry said the stipulations also say engineer review is required first too. Paul said SEA Consultants’ review has not yet been submitted. Both Barry and Packy discussed their different interpretations of the stipulations and how they should be administered prior to construction. Packy then explained how the process works in other communities. He said Farmington’s ordinance concerning bonding is conflicting. Gerry expressed his concern about the need for legal and engineering review first and the need for the attorney to communicate with the Planning Board. Ernie said there’s enough confusion in the ordinance that additional review is necessary.
Matthew Scruton made a motion to forward the bonding issue for RSA Development to Town Counsel and the Town’s contracted engineers for review, before any decision is made. Joan Funk seconded the motion. Packy respectfully requested to be on the agenda for the next Selectmen’s meeting, requesting a deadline date for a final decision from the Board of Selectmen. The vote was unanimous.
Packy said the next issue is for the Board of Selectmen to approve the road name, Skyview Drive, selected for his private road. Joan Funk made a motion to approve of the name Skyview Drive for the private road belonging to RSA Development. Gerald McCarthy seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
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Packy then suggested tabling the water service installation to Farmington Ridge Mobile Home Park at the next Selectmen’s meeting.
Channel 26 Policy & Bulletin Board
Barry asked if there would be a program director. He said he was surprised that live taping is not re-played on the channel. Ernie said the Recreation department is putting information on the channel’s bulletin board. He said the Selectmen need to approve the bulletin board draft policy and application. Discussion then ensued regarding what would be accepted for posting on the bulletin board. Brad said he’s curious as t what constitutes “political content”. Ernie said Channel 12 is for actual commentary. Brad asked about programming for non-profit community organizations. Joan said that’s what Channel 12 is for. Joan Funk then made a motion to approve the draft policy and application for the Channel 26 bulletin board. David
Hall seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Paul Charron said he sent out a memo to the Board of Selectmen regarding the consideration for an electrical inspector, which would assist in the workload and since he’s not a Master Electrician. He said in the Town of Middleton, electrician/Electrical Inspector Peter Cicolini and Building Inspector John Fitch have devised a system of working cooperatively together and it has worked well and has helped to streamline the process. Gerry said the system seems awfully simplistic. Ernie said this would free up some of the CEO’s time and would help to lighten the load. Matt said he believes this should be put out to bid. Gerry expressed concern about charging too much. Paul said currently what’s charged doesn’t even cover the cost for him to inspect or for his secretary to perform her related functions. Joan said this is “
food for thought” and she asked Paul to firm up his proposal and resubmit. Brad Anderson came before the Board regarding the Rizzo property request for an exchange of land in lieu of current use change penalty tax. Brad said the parcel to be donated would be helpful to the Conservation Commission and would protect the back side of the mill pond. Brad said Rizzo is doing a similar thing in New Durham and New Durham has said the exchange in lieu of the current use penalty must come before their Town Meeting. Ernie said the penalty tax equals $38,000 and the assessment of the property Mr. Rizzo is interested in donating to the Town is $20,000. Ernie said the bottom line is whether the Board of Selectmen want to condone this in lieu of $38,000. He said up to $10,000 would go to the Conservation Commission fund and $28,000 would be lost to the revenue in the general fund. Ernie said he would have to confer with Town Counsel.
Brad said he feels this forgiveness is well worth while for the Town of Farmington. Gerry said in his opinion if the Town could forfeit this penalty tax for the benefit of the Town it would be valuable asset. Barry said he would feel better if a real bonafide easement for access was included in the proposal. Ernie said to avoid Town Meeting approval for this the Conservation Commission would be able to accept/purchase the parcel in the amount of the forgiveness of the penalty. Discussion then ensued regarding the width of the easement. Brad said he believes the property owner would be willing to widen the easement. Brad said historically the Conservation Commission uses their funds for conservation purposes. Matt said the assessed value versus the current use penalty is still what concerns him. Barry said if the developer wants to be seen in good favor he would consider what is in the best interest of the Town of Farmington. Barry said the Town should say they want more
access to the property. Lengthy discussion ensued concerning what’s most advantageous to Farmington. The Board of Selectmen said Ernie could negotiate with Mr. Rizzo: $10,00 from the Conservation Commission fund for lot #22 and to negotiate a wider (50’ ) right-of-way from the cul-de-sac, between lots 23 & 24. Matt wondered if any environmental assessment has been done and Brad said Randy Orvis could perform a Level One assessment, which the Conservation Commission could pay for.
The Selectmen then discussed with Ernie a tentative 2004 budget review department schedule to review all the proposed budgets. Then they discussed the contract with Strafford Regional Planning Commission (SRPC). Gerald McCarthy made a motion to authorize Ernest Creveling to sign the contractual agreement with SRPC. Matthew Scruton seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Brad said the ZAMPS Committee would like to survey the community twice with public hearings in between and mailings of the results to all property owners.
Matthew Scruton motioned to adjourn. David Hall seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. The meeting adjourned.
Selectmen’s Minutes October 6, 2003
Respectfully submitted,
Lynn C. Seaboyer
Admin. Asst.
APPROVED
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Joan A. Funk, Chairman
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David Hall
_______________________________
Gerald McCarthy
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Barry Elliott
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Matthew Scruton
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