Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, August 20, 2014 – 4:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Debra Davidson, Selectwoman Karen Day
Staff: Administrator Patt, Planning Board Chair Bob Marshall
Public: Reverend Dan Osgood,
The meeting was called to order at 4:40 PM by Chairwoman Davidson.
Documents for Approval/Review/Signature
The Selectboard reviewed and/or signed the following items:
§ A/P Invoices
§ A/P Checks
§ Wastewater Checks
§ Hazard Mitigation Plan - Certificate of Adoption
§ Red Cross – Request for Funding
§ Fairpoint – Abatement Appeal update
§ Avitar Associates – Letter from CEO re: Fairpoint
§ Current Use – Re-categorize R6-28
§ Minutes of 7/21 corrected
§ DPW Culvert Count
§ Crotched Mountain Foundation Raffle permit
§ Oak Park Rental Contract – White Mountain Regional Soccer Team
§ Volunteer Study Group Appointment
Chair Davidson opened the meeting at 4:40pm.
4:30 PM: Mark Stetson, Avitar Assessing
The Board welcomed Mark Stetson, Senior Assessor for Avitar to the meeting. Mr. Stetson advised the Board that Avitar had completed its initial review of properties in town and, with the exception of the Utility company valuations; he could state that he was seeing approximately 15% reduction in valuation town wide. The previous year the non-utility based valuation was $157 Million and after re-valuation he was seeing about $133 Million in property value. He stated this translated to building values reduced from $72.00 to $66.00 dollars a square foot and building lot values based on four acres reduced from $80, 000 to $65,000.
Mr. Stetson outlined the steps that Avitar would take in order to notice property owners of their ability to meet with the assessing company. When notices go out property owners will have a three day window to call and set up an appointment to go over their individual assessments. Once this is completed Avitar will submit the final report to the Board of Selectmen.
There was a brief discussion about the effect of the lower valuation on the tax rate. The Administrator said he had budgeted with $135 Million town wide valuation so this was relatively close. Mr. Stetson said that waterfront properties held their value and that valuations had been on a steady decline until earlier in the summer when they have appeared to level off. The most recent sales data indicated that real estate prices had held up over the last several months.
The meeting with Mr. Stetson concluded at 4:50 PM. The Selectboard took up discussion on the following items in the time remaining before their next scheduled meeting:
· A brief discussion was held about the recycling of 1-7 plastics. The Chair had received a phone call from a resident asking why these plastics were not being recycled. Selectwoman Day said that the Town uses Northeast Recycling (NRRA) for its off-take and she understood that there were no off-take agreements available for those plastics.
· A Greenfield Spirit article had been written by Welfare Director Leah Conway to encourage a ‘pay it forward’ program. The Chair noted that other towns have similar programs where families with needs that are outside of the welfare guidelines, could receive donations from such a fund. Selectwoman Day said that she would include the article in the next edition of the Spirit.
· A question about a tree on New Boston road that was deemed a hazard by the Board has not been taken down. The Chair asked the Administrator to follow up with DPW to find out the status of the tree. The tree is located on the corner of East Road and New Boston Road.
· A brief discussion about the maple on the common was held. The Town Forester had noted to the Administrator that several of the maple trees were in the advanced stage of aging. She had said she would forward a recommendation to the Board at some point in the near future.
· The Chair asked the Administrator if the Fire Department had ever provided a copy of their Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs). The Administrator has received a copy of the Bylaws from 2009, which he had made revised with suggestions for updating and sent back to the Fire Chief, but he had not received a separate (stand alone) copy of SOGs.
· The Administrator provided a brief update on the Town’s insurance provider Primex and their guidelines as they relate to the Fire Department and not the Greenfield Fire Association.
5:00 PM: Steve Green, Stonecutter
Mr. Steve Green approached the Board and introduced himself as a stone artist. Mr. Green outlined that he was recently very moved by the story about Brandon Garabrant, a 19 year old Marine that was killed in Afghanistan earlier this year. Mr. Green, a father of three boys, outlined his interest in providing a memorial for Corporal Garabrant. He said he has spoken to several people including members of the family and that he was exploring whether it was feasible to fund and construct a significant memorial. The Selectboard and Mr. Green had a discussion about his project and the Board suggested that it could be included in the upcoming Charrette. The Board invited Planning Board Chair Bob Marshall to comment. Mr. Marshall said this was a great idea and suggested that such a memorial could be erected at the overflow parking
lot adjacent to Greenfield Auto on Forest Road. He made several suggestions about including the proposal into the Charrette in order to get feedback from the professional planners. Mr. Green indicated that he still needed to explore the financing. He said the financing would either come together very quickly or it wouldn’t.
6:00 PM: Greenfield Covenant Congregational Church, Reverend Dan Osgood
At 6:00 pm Reverend Dan Osgood came before the Board. Mr. Osgood provided a summary (attached to the minutes) of the progress that the Greenfield Covenant Congregational Church (GCCC) has made over the last few months as they move forward with plan to renovate and expand the ministry building they currently occupy. This included a meeting with the Planning Board and, subsequently, a public hearing with the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for a variance from a property line set-back, and a meeting with the Selectboard on June 4th of this year. The variance was approved by the ZBA. Due diligence by the Town had uncovered two Right of Ways (ROWs) deeded to the Town as part of the Town’s ownership of the former East Coast Steel property. Mr. Osgood outlined that the GCCC was very interested in working with the
Selectboard to reach a resolution about the right of way issues. He provided a layout of the buildings and showed where each ROW was located. A discussion of the traffic using the right of way as a ‘cut through’ from Forest Road to Slip Road was held. The Board was advised that people use the cut through frequently. The Planning Board had raised the issue of safety and had asked the GCCC to consider moving the ROW in front of the building, over to create a clear delineation between the proposed parking lot and the ROW. On further consideration and looking at the Waste Water Plant layout, it was clear that the waste water pipes were located in the right of way, prior to the property ownership by GCCC, which meant it would very costly for the Town to move the ROW.
The Board discussed several issues with Mr. Osgood regarding the right of ways. Mr. Osgood said that he understood from the Town that if the Selectboard wanted to abandon the back right of way that they would have to go to Town Meeting and have it voted on. Mr. Osgood said he wanted to keep the issue of the rear right of way as simple as possible. If it were up to him he would suggest that the Board do nothing with that right of way. Let it stay where it is. A written agreement between the two parties could be drawn up regarding the access of the ROW if the Selectboard felt that were necessary. On the front ROW he suggested posting speed limits, enforcing the speed limit, and potentially installing significant speed bumps such as those at Crotched Mountain’s (CMRC) facility. This would slow drivers down and help
with the Planning Board’s concerns.
Mr. Marshall was invited to speak as the Chair of the Planning Board. Mr. Marshall suggested that a Win-Win could be accomplished for both the Town and GCCC. Mr. Marshall said that the Planning Board, as they contemplate the upcoming September Charrette, is interested in seeing if the flat field over the waste water plant could be utilized for town events. It’s difficult to find that much space in a village district that you can devote to the entire village, he said. He also noted that there is a run-off issue on the front ROW that creates concerns because the drain gets plugged up and that ROW washes out frequently. The Town receives complaints about that ROW road when it washes out. Mr. Marshall checks the drainage frequently because it is so susceptible to getting plugged up.
A discussion about the safety issues and whether it would be resolved by putting a gate across the ROW was broached by the Board. After some discussion the Chair said that the Board should vote on the issue so that GCCC can move forward. Selectwoman Day agreed and made a motion “to gate the front right of way (ROW) bordering the ministry parking lot on the Town owned side of the property line, with usage of the ROW to be at the discretion of the Town.” Selectwoman Davidson seconded the motion. The vote was called and passed 2-0.
On further discussion it was the consensus of the Board members that Town Council should be contacted in order to determine if there were any agreements needed between the two parties as they relate to the future use of the ROWs, which will continue to be accessed over the front ministry parking lot and a proposed back parking lot.
7:00 PM Documents for Approval/Review/Signature
The Board signed AP invoices, AP & Wastewater checks, and reviewed the following documents:
· Hazard Mitigation Plan - Certificate of Adoption:
The HMP was reviewed by the Board and it was agreed that a public hearing should be scheduled. The Board asked Administrator Patt to reach out the ZBA Chair John Gryval and ensure that the ZBA was ready to move forward
· Red Cross – Request for Funding: Tabled until budget season
· Fairpoint – Abatement Appeal update
· Avitar Associates – Letter from CEO re: Fairpoint
· Current Use – Re-categorize R6-28: The form was signed by the Board
· Minutes of 7/21 corrected and signed
· DPW Culvert Count
· Crotched Mountain Foundation Raffle permit – Signed by the Chair
· Oak Park Rental Contract – White Mountain Regional Soccer Team: The Board signed the agreement and waived the fee for this high school soccer team to practice for an hour at Oak Park on Friday morning.
· Volunteer Study Group Appointment: The Board signed an appointment form for Diane Boilard
The Board held a short discussion about the Health Insurance Opt-out program and the stipend that is provided by the Town.
Adjournment
On a motion by the Chair, and a second by Selectwoman Day, the Board voted to adjourn. The motion carried 2-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:45 PM.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.
______________________ ______________________
Chair, Debra Davidson Karen Day, Selectwoman
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attachment: GCCC Presentation
First, I want to thank both members of the Select Board and Planning Board for being here this evening. Thank you for spending this time assisting Greenfield Covenant Church in developing a site plan that will allow us to go forward with our plans to redesign and repurpose our present Ministry Center. This project will allow us room for worship, community events, outreach and mission. I, and the members and friends of GCC, appreciate your desire to come along side us and make our plans a reality.
Second, we sincerely believe the new Ministry Center will not only benefit our congregation, but the community as well. One of our primary reasons for NOT going forward with our plans to build on the Route 136 Francestown Road parcel was our desire to have a presence in the Greenfield village.
Third, let me give you a short history of our Ministry Center project.
Ø Almost a year ago, members of GCC’s Building Committee engaged the services of Daniel Scully and Associates, an architectural firm in Keene, to assist us in developing a site plan for the Ministry Center project. Over the next few months, we worked with the architects to develop a site plan that we felt would best facilitate our needs for the Ministry Center.
Ø This past May members of GCC’s Building Committee met with the Greenfield Planning Board and received a very positive response to our site plan proposal. However, there were two requirements sited by the Planning Board as to how to improve our site plan proposal.
1. The first involved going before the Greenfield Zoning Board of Adjustment to attain a variance related to the required set back from the property line. We appeared before the ZBA on May 28 and were granted that variance.
2. The second had to do with a safety issue related to traffic traveling through the parking area as people utilized the town’s right of way through the Ministry Center parking area. Following the Planning Board raising this concern, Alison Meltzer, our Daniel Scully and Associates architect, revised the site plan which moved the town’s ROW and a barrier being installed to separate the parking area from the ROW.
Our initial meeting with you, the Select Board, was on June 4. At that meeting we laid out the Planning Board’s concern and recommendation related to traffic passing through the Ministry Center parking area. We then presented the revised site plan proposal which appeared to successfully eliminate this situation.
An additional issue was discovered by Aaron Patt, Greenfield Town Administrator, as he researched past Ministry Center deeds. This new issue consisted of an additional ROW in the rear of the Ministry Center lot. The outcome of this initial discussion was to schedule a June 11 walking tour of the Ministry Center lot to give the Select Board a visual experience of the site. Michael Sparling, being the most familiar with the history and layout of the lot, led that walking tour.
This then, is our third meeting to discuss the ROW issues. We, the GCC Building Committee would very much like to work in cooperation with the Select and Planning Board to see this issue resolved in a manner that allows us to move forward with site plan approval while not infringe on the best interests of the town.
Ø Now I, Rev. Dan, would like to share my personal perspective regarding possible options:
1. The ROW in the rear of the Ministry Center site seems to be the less complicated of the two ROW issues. My suggestion would be to do nothing. The town would continue to have a ROW only now the ROW would be through our rear parking lot. If the Select Board believes some sort of written agreement beyond the deeded ROW would be appropriate, then I am sure that would not be a problem for GCC.
2. The ROW in the front of the Ministry Center site is more complicated an issue. I certainly understand and appreciate the Planning Board’s concern for safety in the parking lot. I, in fact, share that concern. However, there seems to be no way the present ROW can be moved without incurring considerable expense for both GCC and the town. Without being able to move the ROW, it seems there is no way to create a parking lot separate from the ROW.
My suggestion would be to keep the solution as simple as possible by posting speed limit signs on the ROW and then enforcing the speed limit. In addition, I would suggest installing significant speed bumps (See CMRC’s speed bumps) at both entrances to the parking area. This would slow drivers down and discourage people from driving this particular route.
Finally, I am positive we can work this situation to the advantage of both the town and GCC. In the future I envision the use of the town’s grassed area adjacent to the Ministry Center being used for town fairs, community yard sales, etc. with GCC partnering with the various sponsoring groups to allow for the use of our facilities to benefit such events, including the Ministry Center parking lot. It is the desire and mission of GCC to be an active and integral part of the Greenfield community. Developing our Ministry Center will go far in advancing this desire and mission.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dan
Reverend Dan Osgood
| 
