Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Work Session Minutes
Wednesday, December 03, 2014 – 4:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Debra Davidson, Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectwoman Margaret Charig Bliss
Staff: Administrator Patt,
Public:
The meeting was called to order at 4:30 PM by Chairwoman Davidson.
Documents for Approval/Review/Signature
The Selectboard reviewed and/or signed the following items:
- A/P Invoices
- A/P Checks
- Payroll
- Primex Letter re: Stephenson Library Basement
- Employee Time-off Request
- Meeting House Rental – 225th Anniv. Fundraiser
- Meeting House Rental – Boy Scout Pancake Breakfast & Sleep-over
- RSA 675:4 – Review of Zoning Amendment Procedure
- Requested Warrant Article review - Webster Selectman Johnson
- Timeline of Traditional Town Meeting 2015
- Avitar Associates – Letter re: Fairpoint
Chairwoman Davidson opened the meeting at 4:33pm.
4:30 PM: Jim Cruthers, Waste Water Engineer
At 4:30 PM the Board met with the Town of Greenfield’s wastewater engineer, Jim Cruthers. Mr. Cruthers presented the Board with a resignation letter, explaining that he intended to retire in the near future. Mr. Cruthers introduced Matthew Miller of Dublin who works for the Antrim Water and Sewer Department. Mr. Cruthers recommended Mr. Miller as his replacement and said that he would continue as a mentor to Mr. Miller until Miller has learned the system completely. After some discussion about the plant, the Board thanked Mr. Cruthers for his work with the Town of Greenfield and wished him a good retirement.
5:00 PM: George Rainier, Resident
At 5:00 PM the Board welcomed George Rainier to the meeting. Mr. Rainier said that he was visiting the Selectboard as a representative of the residents of Old Bennington Road. Mr. Rainier said that the residents would like the Board to include a top coat in the 2015 budget. The Chair reminded Mr. Rainier that during the public hearing and again at Town Meeting it had been discussed that there are a number of roads in town that require work. Old Bennington Road had been reconstructed using a winter binder, which is a heavy duty binder grade of asphalt. Old Mountain Road had been constructed the same way. DPW’s plan is to bring all of the roads up to grade around town, and, in consideration of the expense, using a winter binder would allow the town to focus on a different road every year. Mr. Rainier responded that the
town has invested a lot of money in Old Bennington Road and the residents on the road do not want that investment to be put at risk because the road wasn’t finished. He provided the Board with a petition from the residents requesting a wear coat be provided in 2015. The Board thanked Mr. Rainier for his time.
5:30 PM: Bob Marshall, Planning Board Chairman
The Board welcomed Bob Marshall to the meeting. Mr. Marshall went over the Planning Board’s budget with the Selectboard. The budget request for 2015 is lower by a thousand dollars from $17,850 in 2014 to $16,850 for 2015. The Board and Planning Board Chair Marshall discussed several opportunities that the Planning Board has in 2015; to finalize the Master Plan, and to have certain zoning sections reviewed by counsel. There was a brief discussion about the legal budget, which is unchanged for 2015. Mr. Marshall indicated that while he would like to cut that line to help the town, it wouldn’t be prudent since the Planning Board can’t predict what kind of applications that they will receive or how the public or the applicant will respond to a ruling. He noted that the All Rose Farm application was a case in point. He
had fully expected to have the application completed within a few weeks. Instead it has been an ongoing application, with the applicant needing to go before the ZBA to try and resolve some outstanding issues. The Board and Mr. Marshall touched briefly on 2015 and whether Mr. Marshall would continue as Planning Board Chairman. Mr. Marshall indicated that he intended to reduce his role on the Planning Board and the he was eyeing a seat as an alternate in 2015 at some point.
6:30 PM: Susan Rubbicco, Property Owner
At 6:30 pm the Board met with property owner, Susan Rubbicco. Ms. Rubbicco indicated that she owned a cottage in Greenfield and that she was behind on taxes. After speaking with the Tax Collector, she had been informed that she needed to meet with the Selectboard to see if they would allow her to enter into a payment plan to pay down her outstanding taxes. There was some discussion about the background of the overdue taxes. After deliberation with Ms. Rubbicco and a discussion about Ms. Rubbicco’s financial capabilities, the Selectboard agreed to enter into a payment arrangement with Ms. Rubbicco in which she would pay $1000 a month until the outstanding balances were paid off. Ms. Rubbicco thanked the Board and said that it was her intention to continue to work toward a solution with a financial institution so that she
could pay off the entire amount owed.
7:00 PM: Review and Approval of Documents
The Selectboard signed A/P invoices, A/P checks, and Payroll. The Board reviewed a letter from Primex regarding the basement of the Stephenson Memorial Library and the leaks that occur there during heavy rains. The Board reviewed and approved two Meeting House rental agreements, with the caveat that sleepovers are not allowed at the Meeting House. The Board reviewed RSA 675:4 to ensure that they understood the zoning amendment procedure. The Board reviewed the Timeline for Traditional Town Meeting document published by NHMA (New Hampshire Municipal Association).
Adjournment
On a motion by the Chair, and a second by Selectwoman Charig Bliss, the Board voted to adjourn. The motion carried 3-0. 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 Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectwoman
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