Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes
Thursday, November 1, 2012 – 4:30 pm
Board of Selectmen: Chairman Rob Wimpory, Selectwoman Karen Day, and Selectwoman Debra Davidson
Staff: Town Administrator Patt; DPW Supervisor Murray; Cemetery Trustees: Gil Bliss, Margaret Charig Bliss, Janet Moller; Library Trustees: Neal Brown, Chairman, Jami Bascomb, Mary Ann Grant, Alt., Bob Marshall, Alt.; Librarians Kristen Readel & Gail Smith; Emergency Management Director Gryval
Public: Ken Paulsen,
The meeting was called to order at 4:30 PM by Chairman Wimpory.
Documents for Approval/Review/Signature
The Selectmen reviewed and signed the following items:
§ A/P Manifest
§ A/P Checks
§ Minutes of 10-25 & 10-30
§ NH Recreation & Park Association
§ Southwest Region Planning Commission membership dues
§ Department of Justice Grant report update – underage drinking grant
§ Monadnock Mountaineers update
4:30 PM: DPW Supervisor Murray / Plan for Transfer Station Grounds
Supervisor Murray came before the Board of Selectmen to discuss a plan to redistribute the dirt pile along the entrance road, heading up to the transfer station, to make a flat area out beyond the burn and metal piles. Moving the dirt would alleviate the eyesore as you drive in and allow DPW to make a flat area for future use, which would extend the transfer station yard. A discussion among the Board was held that included the potential for the use of the glass pile. Supervisor Murray was asked several questions about his 2013 budget and a discussion was held on whether loader tires should be purchased this year or included in a line item for next year.
5:00 PM: Review and Approval of Documents
The Board reviewed the AP Manifest and signed AP checks. The Board reviewed minutes of 10-25 & 10-30. The Police Department’s Department of Justice Grant to help prevent underage drinking was approved for an installment of $151.00. The Board reviewed a letter from the Monadnock Mountaineers indicating that the football season had concluded.
5:30 PM: Cemetery Trustees / Trustee of Trust Funds
At 5:30 PM the Cemetery Trustees/Trustee of Trust Funds group came before the Board of Selectmen. The Board had requested a meeting to follow up on projects in 2012, the budget for 2013, and any future plans for the trust funds held by the Trustees.
Trustee Gil Bliss opened with remarks about the Cemetery Trustees’ interest in improving the fence along the Meeting House cemetery. Trustee Bliss introduced Mike Borden and Mr. Borden provided samples of vinyl pickets that could be used in place of the wood pickets, which have become unsightly, broken, or rotten. A discussion was held with the Board outlining the potential use of vinyl versus wood. The Board thanked Mr. Borden for providing samples of the vinyl. The cost was discussed and the Board requested that a cost comparison be undertaken. The question of whether a warrant article could cover a portion of the fence in 2013 was discussed.
Trustee Bliss then discussed the water project at the cemetery, a change of policy at the cemeteries and outlined discussion points regarding cremations. The Board asked questions about the current plot plan, the cost of the burials, and the Trustees outlined their process for ensuring accuracy in establishing plots and tracking ownership back through time to the 1800s. Discussions concerning the cemeteries were concluded and the conversation turned to the trust funds that are under management by the Trustees.
Trustee Bliss described to the Board of Selectmen how the Trustees’ conservative approach had saved the Town from losing trust fund monies during the recession. The Trustees have a good working relationship with People’s bank. People’s has worked with the Trustees and returns the highest rate of interest among all the banks in the area. The three biggest funds are cemetery trust funds for perpetual care of the cemetery. Other funds for the Library are part of the Trustees’ responsibilities. Trustee Bliss discussed with the Board their interest in meeting with a financial advisor that could help with the investment of the funds. Trustee Bliss closed with his thoughts that “Trust means trust” and then said that the Board has had a conservative approach in the past and intended to continue
safeguarding the trust funds to the best of their abilities.
6:07: PM Library Board of Trustees / Library Budget Review
The Library Trustees, Alternates, and librarians came before the Board of Selectmen to discuss their proposed 2013 budget. The conversation outlined the interest of the Library Trustees in several projects including a painting project, issues with drainage around the front of the library, basement windows, and humidity in the basement. In addition to the building projects, which the Board indicated might be better handled by DPW, the Trustees indicated that they were in favor of providing raises to the librarians. The Trustees asked the Board if they had had any discussions on wages adjustments for 2013. The Board of Selectmen indicated it has not held any discussions about compensation going into 2013. The Board reviewed the Library budget and compared 2011 to 2012. Ken Paulsen provided a comparison of the budget going
back to 2008. It was noted that the budget had a significant increase in 2012 and the Selectmen asked the Trustees to consider their budget requests given that 2012 taxes had gone up to pay for the Library’s new hours, paving roads, and other important projects. The Trustees indicated that they could go back and reassess their budget to see which project they could set apart and fund through warrant articles.
7:05: PM Conservation Committee
At 7:05 pm Carol Irving, Chair of the Conservation Committee came before the Board of Selectmen to discuss a recent letter from the State of New Hampshire, Department of Environmental Services (DES), and, the budget for the Conservation Commission in 2013.
Chair Irving presented a letter from DES indicating that there had been a complaint filed with DES about a recent culvert replacement done by Greenfield DPW. There was some discussion about the letter, the complainant (Francestown Conservation Commission), and the Board’s understanding of the situation. The DPW Supervisor and his staff had recently taken part in a class that outlined the requirements of DES with regards to culvert replacement. In certain circumstances a culvert can be replaced without a permit if it’s an emergency and the paperwork completed at a later date. DPW Supervisor Murray had been in touch with DES and was in the process of completing the paperwork permit for the culvert replacement. It was pointed out that the culvert had failed, had been plugged up and with the hurricane it was a
good thing that the culvert had been replaced because the likelihood of the road washing out during the hurricane was high. Conservation Chair Irving showed the Board several pictures of the location on a laptop and indicated places where the hurricane had caused erosion around the mouth of the culvert. The Board was interested to know if there were any best practices that the Conservation Commission could provide to DPW in order to ensure that their culverts installations were compliant with DES. There was discussion about the use of hay around the plastic barrier to prevent erosion.
The Board thanked Conservation Commission Chair Irving for taking the time to follow up with them about the correspondence from DES. The Board indicated that they were satisfied with the progress made by DPW on the DES permit, noting that it was an emergency installation and installed in time for the storm.
The Board then asked Commission Chair Irving about the budget. A short conversation followed and it was noted that the Conservation Commission intends to work with the same budget amounts as 2012.
7:37: PM Emergency Management Director / Hurricane follow-up
John Gryval, Emergency Management Director approached the Board of Selectmen to follow up on the results of Hurricane Sandy. EMD Gryval outlined the response by the fire department, police, DPW and the constant communication with the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen. EMD Gryval wanted to note that the performance by Supervisor Murray of the DPW and Officer Frank Shea were both excellent and deserving of recognition.
The Board thanked EMD Gryval for the report and indicated that as part of the follow up they wanted to continue to improve on certain aspects of the emergency response. It was noted that the Code Red communication did not contain all of the information that was necessary for good communication. The Board indicated that although things went very smoothly and the Town was spared a really significant weather event, it was still a significant event that warranted a review. The Board indicated through its discussion with EMD Gryval that they would like to see a set of procedures or a policy designed to promote communication with Town residents. In high stress situations it was important that a policy for emergency communication be followed and that the policy take into consideration the fact that communications can be hampered
by power outages, downed phone lines, and spotty cell coverage. It was noted that there were several areas of disaster planning that could be improved. A copy of the Emergency Operations Plan for the Town of Greenfield had been printed from the server. The document was 175 pages and difficult to follow in an emergency. Therefore it was suggested that a concise disaster planning and relief policy be enacted to ensure communication among departments, and with residents take place in the most efficient way possible.
Selectwoman Davidson indicated that she had received a lot of calls from people and that during the storm, people reached out to her and wanted to know where they should go if the emergency was to get worse. Selectwoman Davidson indicated that she felt that some of this information needed to be provided to people in a different way. Perhaps Code Red was the best solution and it just needs tweaking to get the message more complete.
EMD Gryval outlined his thoughts about how emergencies are handled in a small town where most of the respondents are volunteers; either part of the Fire Department, or simply people who show up and make them-selves useful in an emergency. As a result of the volunteer pool, the proximity to local resources such as Delay’s market, and the central location of the fire department with its generator, there are a lot of services that are available in the downtown area. Notwithstanding these factors, EMD Gryval was very open to a policy if it would improve communication. He pointed out that Code Red was reserved for escalated levels of emergency and there has been some discussion about the appropriate use of the platform. That it was the responsibility of the stakeholders to prevent mis-use of the application, or overuse,
because that could create problems in the community or prevent others from accessing the platform. In a small town it requires a multi-disciplinary approach to teamwork among volunteers because the Town doesn’t have paid people ready to go into emergency management mode. Essentially there is the Fire Deparment, one person in Emergency Management under the Fire Department, and the Town departments.
8:10 PM: Letter from Resident regarding Emergency Planning
The Board reviewed a letter from resident Andrew Heck. The Board discussed the letter and asked the Administrator to write a response for review at the next meeting.
8:15 PM: Remarks by Chairman of the Selectmen
At 8:15 PM, the Chairman of the Selectmen, Rob Wimpory wanted to make some remarks for the minutes about the amount of work that has been done in town during 2012. There was some discussion about how much had been accomplished and the vision required to continue to build off of the good work that had been done this year.
8:35 PM: Adjournment
There being no further business, Selectman Wimpory moved to adjourn the meeting. Selectwoman Davidson seconded the motion. The motion carried 3-0.
The meeting adjourned at 8:35 PM
Respectfully Submitted:
Aaron Patt
Town Administrator
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Board of Selectmen. A signed copy is on file in the Selectmen’s minutes.
_____________________ _____________________ ______________________
Rob Wimpory, Chairman Karen Day, Selectwoman Debra Davidson, Selectwoman
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