FARMINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S
MEETING MINUTES
MAY 10, 2004
(Public Session)
Attendance: Chairman Gerald McCarthy, Joan A. Funk, Matthew Scruton, Paula Proulx, Paul Parker &
Student Selectman Brandon LaRoche
Staff: Ernest M. Creveling, Town Administrator, Clark Hackett, Director of Hwys, & Veh. Maint. Kerry
Mucher, Director of Parks & Recreation
The meeting convened and was called to order by Chairman McCarthy at 6:00 p.m. He led everyone present in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Minutes
The Selectmen noted a few grammatical corrections needed to the minutes from March 22nd. Joan A. Funk made a motion to accept the minutes from March 22, 2004, as amended. Paula Proulx seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
Matt said if the Board desires to extend the sealing of the non-public session minutes from April 12th, they should do so tonight. Matt said the RSA should be noted on the motion/vote to enter non-public session in the April 12th minutes. Joan said the non-public minutes from this meeting are missing and Lynn said they were not included in the agenda packets. Some other simple corrections were noted by the Board. Paula Proulx made a motion to approve the minutes from April 12th, as amended. Paul Parker seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
A few spelling corrections were noted by the Selectmen for the minutes from April 26, 2004. Paul Parker made a motion to approve the minutes from April 26, 2004, as amended. Matthew Scruton seconded the motion and the vote was four in favor and one abstained.
Correspondence
Ernie said the Town is in receipt of a letter from the NH D.O.T. regarding pavement rehabilitation scheduled for a portion of Route # 11 from Meetinghouse Hill Road to the New Durham town line. He said he would call all the individuals noted on the letter who should be contacted, in order to have them check the State plans, as submitted.
He said the Governors Council has approved the Route #11 & 153 project and a pre-construction meeting is planned for tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in Selectmen’s Chambers. Paula wondered about the coordination of the paving rehabilitation along with the intersection redesign project.
Boston Post Cane
Times reporter and Farmington Historical Society member, John Nolan came before the Selectmen. He said it is the purview of the Board of Selectmen to bestow the cane to the Town’s oldest citizen of the Town. John said after research he believes that Sylvia Hobby is the Town’s oldest citizen and said she will be 98 years old on May 18th. Paul asked if John knows anywhere the cane could be replicated. John said if one plugs in the words “Boston Post Cane” on line, they can glean a great deal of information concerning the cane, including its history.
Kerry Mucher said her department has been speaking about the presentation of more community-based awards and perhaps this presentation could be included on Hay Day.
Public Comment
John Nolan told the Selectmen that the town of New Durham brought up Farmington’s invitation to participate in the next perambulation and said they would be appointing a representative. Brad asked if there would be the opportunity for public comment when the Board discusses the auctioning of Town-owned land. Gerry said yes, as long as it was brief.
Paul said this past weekend was the Office of Energy & Planning’s (OEP formerly known as the Office of State Planning) conference at the Center of New England. He said Charlie King, Norman & Margaret Russell, Gary & Joyce White, Cindy Paulin and Tom Brennan all attended this conference and he wished to thank them for taking their personal time to further their applicable education.
Matt asked to thank those that “pulled off” the Leon Hayes Ball, saying it was a lovely event, which involved a lot of hard work on behalf of Town staff.
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Old Business
Elm Street Retaining Wall
Ernie told the Selectmen the work on the retaining wall is now complete; it has been graded, seeded, etc.
Solid Waste Disposal
He said on May 19th at 6:30 p.m. there would be a multi-town meeting concerning solid waste disposal/
Auction of Town Equipment
Ernie said he is collecting lists from all Town departments and should have a complete listing by the next meeting.
Auction of Town-Owned Land
Ernie told the Board, the Assessor Clerk has assembled a list of Town-owned land, which has been owned by the Town for three years now. He said the Selectmen need to review the list and decide which properties they wish to keep and which they wish to sell. Gerry wondered if the Selectmen should glean Planning Board opinion concerning such lands before making their final decision. Brad said he’s not sure if the Selectmen recall, but an article was passed at an earlier Town meeting stating the Conservation Commission would have the opportunity to review such lists for possible oversight/takeover versus sale/auction. He said the decision requires a lot of care, particularly if it is commercial land.
Economic Development Commission By-laws
Ernie said some changes were made to the by-laws. He briefed the Board of the small basic changes consistent with their desires from earlier meetings. Discussion then ensued about the State RSA law, as it pertains to the term of Board of Selectmen’s representative. Ernie said he would research the RSA law further and report back to the Board. Joan A. Funk made a motion to specify the term of the Selectmen’s representative to the Economic Development Commission (FEDC) be re-appointed annually versus the Selectmen’s standard term of three years service. Matthew Scruton seconded the motion. Discussion ensued. Paul wondered if it would be advantageous to have continuity and to have the Selectmen’s representative serve a full three-year term on the FEDC.
Charlie King recommended the Board consult with Town Counsel for further clarification. The vote was four in favor and one opposed.
Downtown Flag
Ernie reported that the Board expressed their desire to light the flag in the downtown square. He said currently a unit is being installed on the pole of the street light in the square to help make this possible. Paula suggested thanking Mr. Allen Drew by permitting him to raise the flag for the last time. Joan said perhaps the Town could order a new flag and present the older one to Mr. Drew. Gerry asked Ernie to speak to the Police dept. about placing the flag up everyday until the 24-hour lighting is operational.
He then asked if Ernie was able to get the coordinates in order to locate the Town line marker with a GPS unit for perambulation. Brad said if the actual latitude and longitude were posted in the old data it could be plugged into a GPS unit and then the marker could be located immediately.
Conduct of Town Officials
Ernie then reviewed the draft changes proposed at an earlier meeting. Matt asked whom this would apply to and Ernie said it could apply to any board, if that particular board sees fit to adopt it. Joan said if the State RSA dictates this, then they don’t really need this. Both Gerry and Ernie discussed whether or not all Boards and Committees need or want to adopt this code of conduct. Matthew Scruton made a motion to adopt the proposed Code of Conduct for Town Officials, as written. Paula Proulx seconded the motion. Paul said there seems to be a lot of legal ease and it’s difficult to read. The vote was unanimous.
Appointment Policy
Ernie said the changes have not been made yet. Joan asked for a copy and Ernie said it would have been in the prior Selectmen’s agenda packets.
New Business
Interviews for Appointment to Boards and Committees
Ernie said Mr. Willis Berry has withdrawn his application for appointment to the Planning Board. He then called forward ZBA-alternate applicant Neil Gosselin. Neil came before the Selectmen. He introduced himself and said he is a quick study, a hard worker and would make non-biased decisions. Matt asked Neil if he has the time for faithful meeting attendance and Neil said yes. Paul asked Neil if he has any pre-conceived notion of the ZBA and what does he plan to bring to the Board. Neil said Gary White
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encouraged him to apply and helped him to understand the purpose of the ZBA. He said he brings intelligence and hard work and the ability to make sound decisions. Paul Parker made a motion to appoint Mr. Neil Gosselin as an alternate to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA). Joan A. Funk seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
Ernie said there are seven available seats on the Economic Development Commission (FEDC), noting the two previous applicants/candidates already interviewed were Cindy Paulin and Packy Campbell. He then introduced George Meyer to the Selectmen. George said he has lived in Town for the last 35 years and was personally asked by an FEDC member to apply for appointment. He said he was a Selectmen for six years and also served on the Budget Committee, both back in the 1970’s. He spoke about all the property in Town, which he owns, and how he and his wife have even saved a few nice older buildings in Town. George said he has experience with real estate development after years of working for the Pease Development Authority. Gerry asked George what he believes would be the best type of
business to recruit for Farmington and George said businesses with 10-20 employees would be best for Farmington to target. He said the Town’s labor base is building and the FEDC just needs to not set their sights too high.
George said the State gets references from the Dept. of Resources & Economic Development (DRED) and said they are a good source to search with any a number of means. He said the FEDC must develop a strategy first though. Paul said he’s reviewed Georges’ accomplishments and wonders what he envisions for the Town of Farmington. George said he wants to give back to his community. He spoke about his grant-writing efforts for Town roads, said he oversaw the waste treatment plant construction and more. Paul said he sees the FEDC as holding a very important role in the Town of Farmington, over the coming years. He asked George what he envisions Farmington as able to accomplish and George said the FEDC needs to research and make contacts. He said “success feeds on itself”. Paul disagreed with George about not setting one’s sights too high. Brandon asked George if he would support the opinions of the citizens of Farmington despite what he may envision and George said Town vote
prevails anyway. Gerry asked if it is a fair statement to say that manufacturing would not come back to Farmington and George said it would be a very long time before the country as a whole recovers from the current trend to send manufacturing overseas.
Paula asked George if he’d ever been involved with any creative projects such as incubators, to which George replied yes, adding that incubators can be very difficult. He said there are other things too, such as working with people in the motion picture business. George said integrating business with art, can be a good thing. Paul asked if George believes that any conflict of interest may exist with his real estate holdings and George said no, no more than say any member of the Board of Selectmen.
Richard Ellis was next to being interviewed. He told the Selectmen he’s been a lifelong resident of Farmington, raised on a local farm. Richard said he now owns Mros Variety and had been previously employed by Davidson Rubber for nine years, working his way up to a supervisory position. Gerry asked Richard why he wished to volunteer for the Economic Development Commission (FEDC) and Richard said he would like to give back to his community. Paul asked him what he believes the FEDC does and what does Richard believe he could bring to the FEDC. Richard said the FEDC should have a business plan, a five-year plan to work toward. He said he feels he brings the ability to put together a business plan. Gerry asked what Richard sees for successful businesses in the downtown and Mr. Ellis
said he believes service industries such as: Three Phase Line Construction would be best.
Bradley T. Anderson was the next applicant to be interviewed by the Selectmen. Gerry asked Brad why he’s interested in serving on the FEDC and Brad said he’s been working on many of Farmington’s committees. He said he feels he can add to the Commission and brings depth and ideas, noting he feels he could stimulate discussion. Brad said he knows he’s thought of controversially, but his vision sees Farmington growing, as its citizens want to see it grow. He said he knows he has an inherent bias, but said this is subject to a case-by-case revision. Brad said in a nutshell, he doesn’t think it’s in the best interest of Farmington to court large industry casually. He said he favors smaller businesses, and then when the economy turns the effect isn’t
as detrimental. Brad went on to say that the FEDC needs to watch costs and shouldn’t invest in the development of large infrastructure upgrades, then look for a way to fill the increased capacity. Matt disagreed with Brad, but said diversity is good. Paul said Brad’s talents and knowledge are in Conservation and Brad disagreed, saying back in 1998 and 1999 when he was looking to assist with the Town’s planning process, all doors were closed, so he joined the Conservation Commission,
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because their membership was open. He said in all the talk about economic development, he hasn’t heard about the development of green space. He then spoke about the need for a balanced, combined effort to make green space and gray space available together. Paul then asked what Brad feels Farmington could establish and Brad said it is important to work to keep small businesses alive, adding that Farmington needs to do things to help farm based businesses too. He said after the Master Plan is updated, the Town needs to step cautiously.
The Board then voted on the applicants to the FEDC. Joan A. Funk made a motion to appoint Richard Ellis to the Economic Development Commission. Paula Proulx seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Paul Parker made a motion to appoint Brad Anderson to the Economic Development Commission. Paula Proulx seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Paul Parker made a motion to appoint Cindy Paulin to the Economic Development Commission. Joan A. Funk seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Matthew Scruton made a motion to appoint George Meyer to the Economic Development Commission. Joan A. Funk seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Joan A. Funk made a motion to appoint Wayne (Packy) Campbell to the Economic Development Commission.
Matthew Scruton seconded the motion and the vote was three in favor and two opposed. The motion passed..
Ernie informed the Selectmen that applicant for reappointment to the Downtown Committee, Mr. Charles Wibel was unable to attend this evening’s meeting, but has already served on the Committee. He said the Board would simply reappoint him. He then introduced Gail Ellis, also of Mros Variety. She told the Selectmen she too is a resident of Farmington and is the individual who spear-headed the Spring Fling in Town, bringing in an on location radio station, putting together business promotionals, etc. She said it was a successful event. Paul asked why and how she started this and Gail replied that she was a new shop owner and wanted to publicize the store’s new ownership. He asked her what tools she used to make this happen and she again mentioned the on location radio station, as
well as having the State lottery present. Paul wondered if in future years this could be somehow linked to Hay Day.
Brandon asked what Gail’s vision for the Downtown Committee is and she said she’s not really sure, but thinks the function of the Committee is to help bring business to the downtown. Ernie said Tom Brennan and John Fitch have already been appointed to the Downtown Committee. Joan A. Funk then made a motion to appoint Charles Wibel to the Downtown Committee. Matthew Scruton seconded the motion and the vote was four in favor and one opposed. The motion passed. Joan A. Funk made a motion to appoint Richard Ellis to the Downtown Committee. Paula Proulx seconded the motion. Discussion ensued. Paul expressed concern about a husband and wife serving together on the Downtown Committee, noting in particular, Richard’s appointment to the FEDC. He said he would like
to see Gail serve alone on the Downtown Committee, but Joan disagreed. Matt agreed, but said an exception should be made considering the nature of the Downtown Committee, but Paul countered saying the Board really needs to remain consistent throughout with appointments. Matt said the Selectmen need to weigh the magnitude or lack thereof of the limited decision making of the Committee. The vote was four in favor and one opposed. Paul Parker made a motion to appoint Gail Dodier/Ellis to the Downtown Committee. Joan A. Funk seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Joan A. Funk made a motion to reappoint Walter Mills to the Downtown Committee. Paula Proulx seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Joan A. Funk made a motion to reappointment Tom Huse to the Downtown Committee. Paula Proulx seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
Chairman McCarthy recommended a brief recess. The time was 7:53 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 8:07 p.m.
Fernald Park Leveling
Director of Parks & Recreation, Kerry Mucher came before the Selectmen. She said she had provided the Board with a list of the bids she received for a new trailer for the John Deere tractor. She said the Director of Highways & Vehicle Maintenance has said he would split the cost of the trailer with her department, since his department would find it useful for some projects. Kerry said Mike’s Small Engine Repair has quoted the cost for a 6.5’ X 10’ landscape trailer. Gerry asked if it would only be used for hauling the tractor and she said no. Clark said his department could utilize the trailer when they stripe the street crosswalks, for example. Gerry asked Clark if the trailer would be large enough for his department and Clark said yes, and other departments could
use it as well.
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Paul asked where the mowing is done and Kerry said all of the Town parks, just to name a few areas. Joan A. Funk made a motion to approve the purchase of a landscape trailer. Paul Parker seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Kerry said the next issue she needed to bring before the Board is the work needed to be done at Fernald Park. She said it could be done in two phases. Kerry said the land at the park is bumpy and wavy. She said Dale is going to help level and grade the land, as well as hydro seed it. She said it is an 8,000 sq. ft. area and this work would help to make it safer. Kerry said the second phase could be the work needed for the former ball field, an area of 12,000 sq. ft. She said after this all of the park would again be green.
Kerry said another option is, in the past the Trustees of the Trust Funds have had funds available for Town parks. She said she could check with the Trustee Chair to see if any monies are available, then she would know how to proceed. ‘
Kerry said this year her department has thirteen families, many more than in years past, who’ve asked for financial assistance with summer camp. She said she is going to check with the Trustees in this regard as well, since the Helen McLaughlin fund was set up for this purpose.
Kerry told the Board that Hay Day has a new date this year and it will be August 28th. Paula asked Kerry about the parks in Town. She said the Master Plan update includes town parks and town recreation. She said more recreational space is needed for the junior high age children in Town. Brandon said he would prefer to see more parks purchased and made available. Kerry took this opportunity to mention the cost for the first phase of improvements to the land at the park will be $2,800.00 and the second phase will cost $4,080.00. Clark came before the Selectmen and said at past meetings, board opinion was expressed about the paving of the gravel roads in Town, due to the number of complaints from residents. He said the rule of thumb is, if a road has 10 or more houses, with an
average of two vehicles per family, it means there’s an average of two trips per day. He said Farmington could perform a traffic survey to glean actual numbers for daily usage, if the Board would like. Clark said one method, which is very inexpensive, but is basically for dust control is to spray a penetration of calcium chloride. He said another option would be to put down a ?’ to 1” layer of pavement, but he said he doesn’t know how it would stand up to logging truck or 18 wheel truck traffic. Clark said hot top would be another alternative, but said it’s very costly. He said Meaderboro and Ten Rod Roads are among those in the C.I.P., for which money has been put away every year through the year 2010. He said if the Selectmen wish to expand the paving of gravel roads, they should know that both ends of Meaderboro Road are scheduled to be done this year, for a total of 2.5 miles. He then stressed the need for
continual maintenance. Discussion then ensued regarding the processes of sand/seal, pea stone or a shimming overlay. Ernie said the reason this has come up for discussion tonight is in response to many letters from residents, which have recently been received. He said the Selectmen have decided to have a workshop and want to establish criteria and a plan, but they must remember they don’t want to create a thoroughfare for other communities to pass through, thereby increasing the traffic to these roads. Ernie said these decisions will segway into the Master Plan update process. Paula wondered if any neighboring communities could shed some light on their gravel road maintenance procedures and Clark said the nearest success is the town of New Durham. Clark said the more gravel on a dirt road, the better the road. He said the biggest problem is the way folks drive on the Town’s gravel roads. He then explained how and why
problems occur on gravel roads, be it temperatures, moisture/dryness and the amount of sun any area of a dirt road receives daily sun, along with how fast people drive
Student Selectman Brandon LaRoche suggested not paving the gravel roads, particularly if it promotes further development. Matt disagreed, saying there have been many complaints from residents of these roads. He said there should be some way to establish a program to address this. Paul agreed. He said he feels a lot of extra work seems to be needed on gravel roads and poor road conditions sorely affect Town trucks too. Clark said there are 14 miles of gravel roads in Town, all of which require maintenance. He said if all roads were paved, they wouldn’t require constant grading; adding pavement also makes for a smoother ride and, frees up the Highway department for other work, such as shoulder maintenance, culvert cleaning and brush cutting. Paul said he has checked many of the
gravel roads in Town and they appear to require a great deal of work. Discussion then ensued about just how time consuming it is to care for gravel roads. Clark agreed, saying 7-10 working days per month. Paul then asked if Clark feels it would be advantageous to pave the Town’s gravel roads and Clark said he didn’t say that. Gerry said the Board needs to consider how many people prefer the roads remain gravel. Paula said there is a transportation chapter in the Master Plan, which needs to be addressed, updated and followed.
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Ernie said workshops would help to determine the difference in the cost between maintaining gravel roads versus paving them. He said it would be helpful to invite a representative from the UNH Cooperative Extension (from T-Square) to attend the workshop. Gerry said there needs to be a fair comparison of the costs for both. Discussion then ensued.
Building Permits on Private Roads
Paul Parker made a motion to accept the building permits on private roads for Bennett, Bemis, Settele & Pigeon. Joan A. Funk seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
Junkyard Permits
Gerry asked how junkyards are monitored. Ernie said once a year the Codes Officer visits/inspects the junkyards in Town. Gerry wondered if a new Health Officer could randomly inspect these junkyards. Ernie said he’s not sure, but he would check. Paul said he has concerns about the junkyard on Route #11. He said he feels many times the vehicles are parked very close to the highway. Gerry said the junkyard is really only the ? acre behind the barn and the parking on the edge of the road is really an altogether different problem. Paul asked about the second application from a property owner who notes that he participates in the Green Yards program, wondering if this could be enforced for all junkyards. Matt disagreed, saying this is voluntary program participation.
Joan A. Funk made a motion to grant junkyard licensing to the McDuffee junkyard. Matthew Scruton seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous. Joan A. Funk made a motion to grant the junkyard license to Harold Butt. Matthew Scruton seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
There was brief discussion about live telecasting and colorful and obscene language, as well as e-mail and the telephone answering machine service for Administration.
Matthew Scruton made a motion to extend the sealing of the non-public meeting minutes from April 12, 2004 for an additional 90 days. Paul Parker seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.
Matthew Scruton made a motion to enter non-public session. Paula Proulx seconded the motion and the roll call vote was: Gerry-yes, Matt-yes, Paula-yes & Paul-yes. The motion passed.
The meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Lynn C. Seaboyer
Admin. Asst.
APPROVED
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Gerald McCarthy, Chairman
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Joan A. Funk
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Matthew Scruton
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Paula Proulx
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Paul Parker
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