Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes
Thursday, January 30, 2014 – 4:30 PM
Board of Selectmen: Chairman Rob Wimpory, Selectwoman Karen Day, and Selectwoman Debra Davidson
Staff: Administrator Patt, DPW Supervisor Murray, Chief Brian Giammarino, EDAC Chair Paul Renaud, Planning Board Chairman 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
§ A/P Checks
§ A/P Check Register
§ Payroll Checks
§ Sewer Tax Warrant – Tax Collector
§ Selectmen’s Minutes of Jan. 16th
§ ConVal Deliberative Session Announcement
§ DPW – Evaluation reviews
§ Returned Check Fee – updated postage increase
§ Road Toll Refund Application
§ Cemetery Trustee – Warrant Article submission
4:30 pm: Chief of Police Brian Giammarino
At 4:30 pm the Selectmen were approached by DPW Supervisor Tim Murray who requested a few minutes to notify the Selectmen about a January invoice. The overflow holding tank that collects grease and oil from the floor drains in the DPW garage had not been drained for some time. DPW made arrangements to drain the tank and had discussed with the vendor the amount of oil, water, and grease that was in the tank. On the day of the work it was discovered on opening the holding tank that it was not a 1500 gallon tank but was a 3000 gallon tank. The vendor was only able to take 2100 gallons of the mixed fluid. Murray told the Selectmen that he wanted to make them aware that the invoice was much higher than originally projected, and that there was still the question of the remaining fluid in the bottom of the tank. After discussion
the Board advised Murray that they would prefer to have a discovery period where all of the pertinent information about the tank and any future costs could be reported back to them, along with a recommendation from a suitable vendor for testing the tank.
At 4:50 pm Chief Brian Giammarino came forward to discuss with the Selectmen the results of the Budget Hearing on January 23rd. The Chief had not been able to attend the hearing. The Selectmen held a discussion about the third full-time police officer. There was also a discussion about the availability of the part-time officers throughout the year. The Board, on a motion by ChairmanWimpory and a second by Selectwoman Day voted 3-0 to change the third full time officer to a warrant article.
5:00 pm: Economic Development Committee Chair Paul Renaud
At 5:00 pm Paul Renaud, EDAC Chair came before the Board of Selectmen with a request that the Selectmen add a warrant article to their Town Warrant for the 2014 Town Meeting. The warrant article is a tax relief program for building redevelopment and revitalization in certain districts within the town. The program is provided through RSA 79-E, the Community Revitalization Tax Relief Incentive. The Selectmen and EDAC Chair Renaud discussed the RSA and a Fact Sheet hand-out. The Fact Sheet outlined the tax incentive program and its use as an incentive to encourage revitalization efforts rather than a regulation to curb certain activities.
After some discussion by the Board of Selectmen it was clear that this type of program had clear advantages over prohibitive regulations. On a motion by the Chairman and a second by Selectwoman Davidson the Board voted 3-0 to include the adoption of RSA 79-E as a warrant article to be brought before Town Meeting.
Planning Board Chairman Bob Marshall requested an opportunity to speak as a follow-up to Mr. Renaud’s remarks on the tax incentive program. Mr. Marshall discussed with the Board of Selectmen the hard work that the Economic Development Committee has done during the past year. The towns of Greenfield, Moultonborough, and Bethlehem were chosen from 27 nominated communities in the state by the NH Broadband Mapping and Planning Program Community Resource Team to receive assistance with community assessment, planning and decision-making regarding broadband. The EDAC and Paul Renaud updated the CIP planning document and brought together information from department heads and elected officials that resulted in a detailed document and one that is likely to be used by the Selectmen in the future. And finally the EDAC is
presenting the town with a tax incentive program that addresses the issue of how to provide incentives to property owners that are interested in rehabilitating buildings in town. These are all examples of the hard work that have been provided by the volunteers on this committee. The Board agreed with Marshall that the EDAC is proving very valuable to the town. The Board expressed its appreciation for all of the hard work and dedication by Planning Board and EDAC members during the past year.
6:30 pm: Steve and Kathy Seigars
Steve and Kathy Seigars joined the meeting with the Selectmen. The Board welcomed the Seigars to the meeting. Mr. Seigars started the conversation referring to a recent visit by the Building Inspector to their property and asked why it happened. Chairman Wimpory suggested that if the Board provided the background it would become clear. He outlined steps taken by the Town on receiving a report of a possible person potentially living in an un-winterized building and the concern that it was extremely cold this year. The concern came to the Town Administrator and acting Deputy Welfare Director during the week. The concern was relayed to Mike Borden the Health Officer/Building Inspector and Mr. Borden agreed to check on the property in question. Subsequently Mike Borden reported back to the Town that there did not appear to be
any activity at the property, which is a cabin across the street from the Seigars home lot. The Seigars questioned the Board of Selectmen why the Town felt the need to visit the property and if the concern was so high why not send the police. Chairman Wimpory indicated that it was based on a concern because of the weather and that wellness checks are performed by the Town from time to time. In this case there was no need for follow-up. Kathy Seigars said to the Administrator that he didn’t know her but that someone else could have made a call. The Seigars were very upset and demanded to know why no one thought to call them at home. Mr. Seigars was demonstrably upset and yelled that it was an invasion of privacy and questioned the Board what right they have to tell him what he can do with his property. During the conversation Corporal Roberge entered the room and sat by the door of the meeting room. The police had been called by a person outside of the meeting because of the
noise level of the meeting outside the room despite the door being closed. At the end of the meeting Mr. Seigars wrote a hand-written request for information under the right to know law “of all communications written or electronic” regarding the visit to their property.
7: 05 pm: Documents Review and Approval
The Board reviewed a house-keeping item brought forward by Selectwoman Day. The Town Forester job description had been reviewed and accepted by the Selectmen earlier in the year. However there had not been a vote recorded in the minutes of the meeting. Selectwoman Day brought forward the job description that has been on file and asked if the Selectmen would take a vote on the document. The Selectmen reviewed the job description and seeing that it was the same previously accepted, voted 3-0 on a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectwoman Davidson to approve the job description for the Town of Greenfield.
At 7:12 pm the meeting was adjourned.
Adjournment
On a motion by Chairman Wimpory and a second by Selectwoman Davidson the Board voted to adjourn. The motion carried 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:12 PM.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Board of Selectmen. A signed copy is on file in the Selectmen’s office.
_____________________ _____________________ _____________________
Rob Wimpory, Chairman Karen Day, Selectwoman Debra Davidson, Selectwoman
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