Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes
Thursday, April 04, 2013 – 4:30 pm
Board of Selectmen: Chairman Rob Wimpory and Selectwoman Karen Day
Staff: Town Administrator Patt,
Public:
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
§ A/P Invoices
§ Updated Cash Receipts Policy
§ Property Tax Exemption Application – V3-23
§ Revised ConVal Payment Schedule
§ Roadside Round-up Meeting House rental
§ Intent to Excavate R1-1-3
4:30 PM: Review and Approval of Documents
At 4:32 PM Chairman Wimpory opened the meeting. The Board signed A/P invoices, A/P Checks and A/P Invoices, the updated Cash Receipts policy, a property tax exemption application and the Meeting
House rental agreement for the Roadside Round-up.
The Board discussed a proposed update to the welfare guidelines to include inspections by the Building Inspector/Code Enforcement officer for emergency repairs to welfare recipients’ heating, electrical and plumbing appliances or infrastructure where such repairs are paid for by the Town’s Welfare Department, in order to ensure that such repairs are sufficient and meet the local code while adequately providing for the health and welfare of the recipients. The Board voted on a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectwoman Day to adopt the new guidelines, 2-0 in favor.
The Board reviewed a legal brief from the Local Government Center on the Right to Know Laws, which specifically spoke to the question of the need for a quorum to hold a public meeting. This issue was outlined for the Planning Board as well as the Selectmen, in the brief.
5:00 PM: Bob Marshall, Planning Board Chairman
At 5:00 PM the Board welcomed Planning Board Chairman, Bob Marshall to the meeting. The Planning Board Chair indicated that he was meeting with the Board of Selectmen to provide an annual update on progress by the planning board and to provide some highlights of projects that are currently underway. The first update concerned the Master Plan and the next steps with Southwest Regional Planning. A new housing section is contemplated for the Master Plan and a contract will be forward for signature by the Selectmen. The zoning ordinance, the site plan review process, and the planning board regulations were all reviewed by Southwest Regional Planning and the result of that review were voted on this past March. Since that time the Planning Board has had one reimbursement for the Community Planning Grant, with another
reimbursement to follow. In addition the Planning Board has been awarded a new grant for a neighborhood heritage district in the amount of $23,330.
A neighborhood heritage district will define the character of the area and provide guidance to the Planning Board that they can use in their decision making process once the project is completed. A discussion of the heritage district followed and Planning Board Chair Marshall indicated that he didn’t have all of the pieces of the puzzle ready to go yet but it was an exciting and positive program that he hoped would provide some guidance on how the town can preserve its rural character while promoting economic improvement downtown. This is one of the things that he said came through the Planning Board’s Master Plan survey from the residents. There was an overwhelming interest in preserving the character of the town, while at the same time there is high degree of interest in having a walkable downtown area that
provides a pharmacy, and other services. So balancing the character against economic development is really at the heart of the neighborhood district.
One of the ways that the Board of Selectmen could participate in the economic development of the downtown area is to offer tax incentives such as those outlined in RSA 70E, which allows for the temporary tax relief of a business or developer for a finite period in time that will function to promote economic development in the downtown.
In addition to the grant projects that are underway, the Planning Board is looking at having another charrette done for the down town area. The charette would tackle the promotion of the walkable community development area downtown, and downtown parking.
Finally, Chairman Marshall indicated that the Planning Board is having a difficult time getting sufficient volunteers on the planning board. Getting a quorum and keeping the regularly scheduled meetings going is getting harder and harder to do.
6:00 PM: Loren White, Fire Chief
At 6:00 PM the Board was joined by Loren White and Shawn Plourde of the fire department. The Fire Chief had several items he wanted to update the Board with and go over. The first was a check on a letter from the State that outlined their interest in promoting and rolling out a 911 program at a future date. The letter mentioned that currently the system contemplated can not provide cellphone coverage but that it was something that the State would take into consideration for future planning.
The second thing that Chief White wanted to discuss was the furnace in the fire house. The fire department recently had both furnaces serviced and the vendor, Allen and Mathewson had indicated that one of the furnaces needed to be replaced. Chief White expressed some concern about the quote that was received, as well as a general disfavor with the service that was provided. In addition the pricing from A&M seemed to be high. The conversation moved on to a conversation about the price of heating oil and the reports that are available from the Town Office.
Chief White provided an appointment paper for fire warden for Shawn Plourde and indicated that the NH Department of Revenue and Economic Development (DRED) required signatures from the Selectmen for this position. The Board of Selectmen agreed to sign the appointment paperwork for Mr. Plourde.
There followed a general discussion about the Fire Department. The elections normally held in March had been postponed to the end of April. The Board thanked the Fire Chief from coming in to see them.
Adjournment
Chairman Wimpory moved to adjourn the meeting at 7:58 PM. Selectwoman Day seconded the motion. The motion carried 3-0.
The meeting adjourned at 7:58 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
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