Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes
Thursday, September 26, 2013 – 4:30 pm
Board of Selectmen: Chairman Rob Wimpory, Selectwoman Karen Day, and Selectwoman Debra Davidson
Staff: Town Administrator Patt, DPW Supervisor Tim Murray, Library Trustees Neal Brown, Mary Ann Grant, Jami Bascom, Bruce Dodge, and Bob Marshall.
The meeting was called to order at 4:30 PM by Chairman Wimpory.
Documents for Approval/Review/Signature
The Selectmen reviewed and/or signed the following items:
§ A/P Invoices
§ Payroll Checks
§ DOT – Railway STIP program
§ Dept. of Env. Services – Appt. letter
§ Change Order – Ironwood Restoration
§ Town Buildings CRF Transmittal letter
§ EOY review Oak Park
§ Plan NH support letter – Charrette application
§ New Market Exchange notifications complete
§ Selectmen’s Calendar
§ Budget Season Department Head Meeting Schedule
§ Land Use Change Tax – R4 42-2-1
§ Land Use Change Tax –Belletete’s Southfield Lane LLC/Ryan’s Farm
Chairman Wimpory opened the meeting at 4:30 PM. The Board reviewed A/P invoices and payroll checks for signature. The Board reviewed a Land Use Change tax recommendation made by Avitar Associates.
4:37 PM: DPW Supervisor, Tim Murray
The Board of Selectmen met DPW Supervisor Murray and discussed a change order received from Ironwood Restoration for the Meeting House steeple. Pictures and a synopsis of the work were provided by Ironwood. Significant rot had been found and remediated during the course of the work on the upper portion of the steeple. The hand hewn beams appear structurally solid when viewed from the inside, however on removing the trim the outward facing portions of the beams have deteriorated over time and required attention. The Board reviewed the pictures and synopsis and held a short discussion with Supervisor Murray. The change order was approved. The CRF transmittal letter to the Trustee of Trust Funds was approved.
The selectmen were updated on several items. The 6-wheel dump truck in the shop for repairs. In addition to the replacement turbo and transmission adjustments that were reported last week, when the transmission was opened the clutch was found to be worn and required replacement. This amounted to another $700 in addition to the amounts previously reported.
The Board and Supervisor Murray revisited their discussion about replacing the air compressor. DPW has located a used, in very good condition, compressor. The Board agreed that this was a good way to purchase a replacement.
DPW Supervisor Murray outlined the portable generator that he had found, which would be purchased as part of the generator warrant article. The model is a Mi-T-M with a Honda motor. The Board agreed that a Honda motor was a good motor and asked Murray to move forward with the purchase.
A discussion was then held on the snow-blower that had been donated to the recycling center a couple of years ago. The snow-blower is in need of replacement. It can continue to be used at the recycling center but over time it’s not able to keep up with the needs of DPW during the winter. The Board agreed that the snow-blower was old when it was donated and the members supported DPW having a newer snow-blower. Supervisor Murray indicated that he had found a good used snow-blower. The Board agreed to have the DPW move forward with the purchase.
For the land next to the Greenvale Cemetery, the Board asked to schedule an informational meeting on Oct. 3rd. so that people have a chance to learn more about the work that will be performed.
The Board asked Supervisor Murray to remove the caution tape around the sand piles at Oak Park. The sand was provided as part of an installation of a pump track but it was determined that its proximity to the kitchen building was an issue. The Board asked the Administrator to notify the Oak Park Committee that they would need to advise the selectmen before installing the pump track to a new location.
5:30 PM: Work Session
A discussion was held about a recommendation by Avitar Associates for Land Use Change taxes associated with parcels owned by Belletete’s Southfield / Ryan’s farm subdivision. The Board asked the Administrator to send a letter to the property owner outlining a payment timeline associated with the taxes. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 on a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectwoman Day, unanimously in favor of providing the property owner the opportunity to pay for the land use change tax on eight parcels 50% in 2013 and 50% in 2014.
There was a discussion on the Boston Post Cane. On a motion by Selectwoman Davidson and a Second by Selectwoman Day the Board voted 3-0 to have the Boston Post Cane displayed at the Town Office in a display case and to provide space and brass name plates for current and past holders of the cane. A replica cane is available to be held by the oldest person in town.
The Board reviewed the Selectmen’s Calendar that was prepared by the Town Administrator. The selectmen requested that the meeting on the 24th of October be cancelled. The Board made several changes to the calendar and asked the Administrator to communicate them to the department heads.
It was noted that the 6:30 meeting with Gerry Foss and Tax Collector Kathy Valliere was not held as Ms. Foss did not attend. Tax Collector Kathy Valliere had a brief discussion with the Board of Selectmen regarding the property where Ms. Foss resides.
Tentative Budget Hearing Date Set: Selectwoman Davidson noted that the last day to hold a budget hearing according to the schedule provided by the Department of Revenue is February 14th. The Board determined that they would prefer to have room to have a second meeting if necessary. On a motion by
Selectwoman Davidson and a second by Selectwoman Day the Board voted 3-0 to hold the Budget Hearing on January 23rd, 2014.
At 6:30 PM several of the Library Trustees attended the meeting to be available for the Selectmen’s agenda item regarding security at the library. A brief discussion was held about people parking after hours to use the wireless internet access. A discussion of installing a motion sensitive light was held. With winter coming on it gets dark early in the parking lot and the lighting is insufficient for the police to determine if the building and grounds are safe. This is especially true when people are parked in the parking lot at 2AM. A discussion of installing a video surveillance system that would include cameras on the inside and outside of the building was held. Jami Bascom, Trustee of the Library expressed that she had a concern about installing cameras on the inside of the building and had shared that with the
other Trustees. Trustee Bascom said that she thought the Trustees were generally in agreement with installing a camera system but she thought that on the inside of the building it should be the Trustees who make the decision. The Chairman indicated that if the Trustees were interested in taking on the project and would commit to an install date then the Board would welcome their leadership. Otherwise the Selectmen are willing to get behind the project, fund it due to safety and liability issues, and get it done quickly.. Mary Ann Grant said that she thought there were at least three of the five Trustees that were willing to move forward. Bruce Dodge had a question regarding privacy inside the building. Chairman Wimpory indicated that the cameras would not violate privacy. The camera views would not be able to determine what someone was reading in a book, or online content; it would not be viewing the computer screens. The cameras were there to protect the property of the Library,
the Residents, and the Staff.
7:00 PM: Bob Marshall, Planning Board Chair
Planning Board Chairman Marshall requested a few minutes with the Board of Selectmen in order to discuss the possibility of applying for a Charrette for the downtown through Plan New Hampshire. A discussion of the Heritage District program and the kinds of opportunities that residents had outlined they wanted at recent meetings had led to an idea of hosting a community Charrette through Plan NH. There are some financial requirements and the town would have to pull together some resources in order to house the participants of a charrette. There are also some potential costs associated with the project. The Board of Selectmen expressed that they would be supportive of such a project and could see how it would help solve for some of the infrastructure issues in the downtown area. One of the issues is still parking, and
residents have said that they would like a walkable village that provides services. The idea of a charrette to promote economic development would fall into place behind the Heritage District that the Planning Board is promoting now. The idea would be to identify and preserve certain areas in town and once preserved then determine the best way to promote a good economy and a walkable village.
Adjournment
On a motion by Chairman Wimpory and a second by Selectwoman Day the Board voted to adjourn. The motion carried 3-0.
The meeting adjourned at 8:05 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 office.
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Rob Wimpory, Chairman Karen Day, Selectwoman Debra Davidson, Selectwoman
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