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Selectmen's Minutes 1-4-10
TOWN OF FARMINGTON
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
Monday, January 4, 2010
356 Main Street, Farmington, NH

Selectmen Present:      Chairman Paula Proulx, Gerry McCarthy, Gail Ellis, Joan Funk and Charlie King.

Town Staff Present:     Town Administrator Tony Mincu, Public Works Director Joel Moulton and Finance Administrator Pam Merrill.

Public Present:Joanne Doke, Sylvia Arcouette, Melissa Libby

Chairman Paula Proulx opened the public meeting at 5:03pm.

Joan Funk motioned to go in non-public session under RSA91A.3.II (a) and (c), 2nd Gail Ellis.  Roll call – Paula Proulx (yes), Gerry McCarthy (yes), Charlie King (yes), Joan Funk (yes) and Gail Ellis (yes).

At 6:42pm the Board came out of non-public session.

1. Presentation:
The Board presented a Certificate of Thanks to the Historical Society and the Farmington Women’s Club for all the wonderful work they have done in Town.  Joann Doke and Sylvia Arcouette accepted the Certificates on the group’s behalf.

2. Public Comment:
A. Sylvia Arcouette requested that one of the Selectmen participate in Dancing with Stars on February 28.

B. Melissa Libby of the US Census Bureau explained that they will be starting the census again soon and are looking for part time temporary workers to do so.  Interested residents can call 1-866-861-2010 for more information and an appointment.

3. Budget Review:
A. Highway Budget –
  • Joel said he cut a few lines for a total of $74,952.91.  The uniform line was $7700 and now it is $5800 based on negotiations with the current vendor.  Charlie commented that he thinks uniforms should be consistent throughout the Town and suggested a $300 per person limit to be consistent with other departments.  Joel explained this line item is for his departments plus the two maintenance guys, rags and $100 reimbursement for boots for each employee.
  • Joel said line 82 (removal of trees) should be $10,000 not $5,800 (this was a typo).
  • Joel explained that he pulled the chipper and the construction saw out of line 73 (rental equipment) and put them in his new equipment line.  Joel stated that he was offered a used chipper for sale for $9000 and a new construction saw can be purchased for $2000 which is cheaper than renting one.  Paula asked how much a chipper is brand new and Joel said he thinks $35-40,000 but he would have to check.  Charlie asked how many hours the chipper is rented for and Joel replied 2-300.  Gerry stated it would be nice to have a chipper when the Town moves to a transfer station.  Joel stated that a seller approached him with the chipper and they have tried it out and it works well.
  • Joel informed the Board that he had an energy audit from PSNH completed and they recommend replacing the fixtures with T5/T8 fixtures.  The cost of these is $120-$130 each with a $100 per light rebate from PSNH.  The town should see an immediate savings of $100-$200 per month and he has 22 fixtures.  Paula asked Tony if he ever did an audit of the Municipal Building and Tony said no, he is currently working on the OEP grant.  Gail stated that all the Town buildings should be looked at.  The Board agreed to leave $6300 in the line and discuss later.
  • Gas line dropped from $5800 to $4200 based on usage and the fixed price.  The diesel also dropped to $54,000.
  • Engine oil line is now $7300 because Joel reduced the synthetic oil purchase.
  • The cleaning of catch basins line is reduced to $3640 because Joel reduced the work to 3 days.
  • The salt line is cut to $53,323.51 due to an encumbrance.
  • Charlie asked if the safety equipment line can be reduced and Joel replied he would not feel comfortable with that because his cones and signs get stolen all time and he has to replace them.
  • Charlie asked what the highway building repair line is slated for and Joel explained he has electrical upgrades in the old part of the building to complete, ceiling fans need to be changed, general maintenance and he needs electricity for the pole barn and an electric wench for the pole barn.
  • Charlie asked if the construction gravel for interim transfer station should be in this budget and Joel replied that is thinking was to budget for it so the money would be saved in the closure fund.  Plus this is a single operation process so it made sense to put here especially since there was no major change in the line with its addition.  The Board was in consensus to separate the cost of this budget and therefore the line should read $14,610.
  • Charlie asked if the scope of work for the painting of lines could be reduced.  Joel directed the Board to his explanation sheet of what he has planned for the line.  Charlie then asked if the 4” white line repainting could be reduced and Joel replied that he already did reduce it.
  • Charlie asked why the rental mower line has an increase and Joel explained that there was a 2008 encumbrance for $3850 so the increase is not that large.
  • Charlie asked why there is an increase in the parts/repairs line and Joel explained he is planning to replace the tracks on the dozer for $2500.
  • Charlie asked for and explanation of the repaint trucks line and Joel pointed to his explanation sheet.  Charlie then asked why Joel is planning to repaint the new 10 wheeler and Joel explained it is blistered and he wants to be diligent in the maintenance to prolong the life.  Joel then said he could concede to just repainting two plows and wings and get on a rotating basis to save money.  The Board was in consensus to reduce the line by $1620 so the line should now be $6800.
  • Charlie commented that he would like the calcium chloride put on its own budget line so it can be better tracked.
  • Gerry asked what roads Joel plans on paving with the paving line.  Joel said he is planning to pave River Road down to Rte. 11 and then just repaving construction sites.  Plus, he will chip seal one of the following roads; Meetinghouse Hill Road, Meaderboro Road, Ten Rod Road or Chestnut Hill Road.  Gerry asked why he would chip seal instead of sand seal like the state does and Joel replied that chip sealing lasts longer and it is cleaner.
  • Charlie asked if the Sheepboro Road widening project needs to be completed this year and Joel said it was brought up this year and so he put it in the budget and he will do as the Board directs him.  The total cost of the project is $5800 not including labor and materials he already has like the base gravel.  Gail asked Joel if the project is a safety issue and Joel replied yes the road is very narrow and the school buses especially have a very difficult time.  The Board was in agreement that this project can wait and Joel should install safety signs.
  • Gerry asked if the street sweeping can be reduced to bi-weekly sweepings and have the Town fill in the gaps with the town machine.  Joel said he could do that but would need to budget $1000 for brushes.  The Board decided to change the line to one spring cleaning, the Hay Day cleaning and one additional 8 hour cleaning to be scheduled as Joel sees fit.  The line was reduced by $4000 and is now at $11,000.
  • Gail said she would like more time to review this budget outside of the meeting and the Board agreed.  Joan also asked Joel for a prioritized work schedule.
At 9:08pm, Paula Proulx motioned for a recess, 2nd Charlie King.  Motion carried with all in favor.

At 9:18pm the Board reconvened.

B. Landfill Budget –
  • Gerry asked why Joel is budgeting so much on the slope maintenance line and Joel replied that he had a $3600 encumbrance last year on this line.
  • Joan asked why Joel budgeted $5000 in the tire removal line and Joel explained the cost is on a per tire basis but is recouped through revenue collected at the landfill.
  • Charlie asked if there was a 2008 encumbrance for demo debris and Joel replied yes, for $10,000 and the line is based on a bid.
  • Gerry asked if the Port-O-Let can be reduced to $1000 and Joel said yes, he could have it emptied less frequently in the cooler months.
  • Joel asked the Board if the preliminary engineering for oversight is to come from the landfill closure fund and the Board said yes.
C. Bridges/Railings Budget –
  • Joel explained that the largest portion of this line, $35,000, is going towards construction oversight for the Bay Road Bridge replacement and the remaining $20,000 is for general maintenance of the other bridges though he could probably cut those down by $5000.  The Board reduced the line to $50,000.
D. River Maintenance Budget –
  • Joel explained that he thinks the tree removal is the higher priority over dredging and both projects are projected about $10,000 each.  The Board discussed removing the trees in 2010 and then completing the dredging in 2011 so that the Town is working towards compliance with the Army Corps of Engineers.  The line was reduced to $10,000 and Joel will forward and email to the Army Corps to inform them that due to economic constraints the Town is planning to remove the trees this year and then do the dredging in 2011 so that there is documentation towards compliance.  
E. Administration Budget –
1.   The Board tabled this review until next week.

4. FEMA funding:
Joel informed the Board that he is expecting the drainage study by February 1, 2010 and that he would like to apply the $67,932.28 in FEMA funds towards the drainage work identified in the study.  The Board discussed with Joel that the scope of work is still unknown and they would not be comfortable approving the projects without knowing what they were.  Joel replied that he could bring forth the projects to the Board as they are planned and the Board was in agreement with that plan.  Charlie King motioned to place the FEMA funds of $67,932.28 in the highway department budget and designate it for drainage improvements brought forth on a case by case basis to the Board of Selectmen, 2nd Gail Ellis.  Motion carried with all in favor.

Charlie King motioned to encumber the $67,932.28 in FEMA funds.  The motion failed for lack of a second.  It was noted that obligations are needed in order to encumber and Joel agreed to bring the correct paperwork to the next meeting so that documentation was in place to encumber the funds.

5. Snow Ordinance:
Tony informed the Board that he did check with Legal and the ordinance does not need to go to Town meeting for approval.  Gail stated that she would like it defined as to what the chain of command will be for notifying each department during a snow emergency.  Joel replied that he will add “police and fire” after “local” and before “media” in the second paragraph and forward to the Board for approval at next week’s meeting.

6. Encumbrances:
Joel explained that he would like to encumber the 2009 Loader Repair line for one of two purposes; one to lease a backhoe for the compaction of trash or two, to purchase a 4yd. stationary compactor at $38,020.  Joel explained that he did not do the loader repairs in 2009 because he didn’t see the value of the repairs since the landfill is closing.  Joel said that he did get a price for the construction of the concrete and the installation of a compactor and it is $186,644.  

Charlie stated that he is concerned the Board is not at the point where they have a concrete decision on how to move forward with the transfer station design and making this decision would not be wise.  Paula said that this $26,000 has already been raised and appropriated and questioned why the Board would not want to use it towards a purchase they know the Town is going to need.  Charlie replied that he is not convinced the Board has a solid plan on how to move forward.  Joel will bring the contract for the compactor next week.

7. Proposed Warrant Articles:
Joel forwarded a request for five warrant articles;
1.  to utilize closure funds for capping and construction of a transfer station.
  • to reallocate pay per bag funds to pay for construction of MSW disposal.
  • to utilize NHDOT Bridge Aide Program for replacement of Bay Road Bridge  (Paula asked if he has absolute values for the 80/20 grant funding and Joel said he will forward that information.)
  • to allocate funds for new highway equipment
  • to allocate funds for future highway improvements.
The Board will revisit these proposed warrant articles next week.

8. NHDOT Signage Grant:
The Board will review and discuss this grant next week so that they have time to review all the specifics of the grant.  It is for free safety signs that the state will choose and install though the Town will be responsible for their maintenance.

9. Computer Server Issue:
Tony informed the Board that the server that services Bonnie’s computer and the Proval program for the assessing office went down and according to Covisia needs to be replaced.  He received two quotes for a new server; Covisia at $5642.88 and Farmington Computers at $3959.00.  The Board had concerns that the quotes were not on the same specifications and Tony explained that the differences are mostly in name brand and not spectacular.  Charlie stated that he is not concerned with the processing speed but more so the total number of disk drives and the brand of the server.  

Tony said the other issue is that Covisia is being contracted by the Town to monitor our off-site back-up on a daily basis but those records have not been being backed up for the past two months because the sonic wall got unplugged.  Charlie replied that the back-up errors/alerts go out through email and multiple people should be notified.  Tony explained the Town pays Covisia $15,000 for the service that they are not supplying.  Charlie added that the data from the past two months should be retrievable by a professional and Tony replied that he was told it was irretrievable.  Charlie offered to bring the bad server to his I/T guy to see what happened to it and if the information is retrievable.  The Board was in agreement this was a good idea and also that a new provider needs to be searched out because Covisia is not providing a quality service.

10. Other:
A. Gerry stated that the Board got a letter from Mr. Davenhall and should get a response.  Tony said he would look into it.  Joan added that a letter should also be done in regards to the section of Rte. 11 by the Holy Rosary as well.

Joan Funk motioned to adjourn, 2nd Gail Ellis.  Motion carried with all in favor.  Meeting adjourned at 10:53pm.

Respectfully Submitted,
Brandy Sanger
Recording Secretary



__________________________                      _________________________
Chairman, Paula Proulx                          Vice-Chairman, Gail Ellis


__________________________                      _________________________
Gerry McCarthy                                  Charlie King


__________________________
Joan A. Funk