Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Work Session Minutes
Thursday, July 23, 2015 – 5:00 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectwoman Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectman Stephen Atherton Jr.
Staff: Administrator Patt,
The meeting was called to order at 5:02 PM by Chairwoman Karen Day.
Documents for Approval/Review/Signature
The Selectboard reviewed and/or signed the following items:
- A/P Invoices
- A/P Checks
- Sewer Tax Levy
- Timber Tax Levy
- Used Oil Collection Grant
- Town Counsel Correspondence
- Meeting Minutes 7/09/2015
- Meeting House Rental 8/1/2015 & 9/05/2015
- Resident agenda request
- Employee letter
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5:02 PM: Timber Tax Warrant, Used Oil Collection Grant
At 5:05 the Selectboard Chair opened the meeting. The first item of business is to vote on the Used Oil Collection Grant paperwork and sign the Timber Tax Warrant. On a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectwoman Charig Bliss the board voted 3-0 to apply for the used oil collection grant. The documents were forwarded to the Office Manager for processing.
5:15 PM: Recycling Center Supervisor Carol Burgess
At 5:15 pm the Board welcomed Carol Burgess, Recycling Center Supervisor. Supervisor Burgess provided a Recycling Center Update as of July 23rd, 2015. The document outlined recent accomplishments at the center. Two new part-time employees have been hired. Both hires are retired men with solid waste industry experience. The bathroom facilities at the Recycling Center building are nearly done. The last items for the facilities to be completed are a 6 gallon hot water tank and baseboard heaters. An outside hose connection will also be installed in the next several weeks.
Glass disposal prices have increased as of April 15th. This was not foreseen when the budget was put together. The increase is an additional $7.00 a ton. This will impact the amount of glass that can be removed from the facility. There was also an increase in the electronics disposal fee. The town used to receive a cost-free storage container. This is no longer available. Going forward the Recycling Center will store items on-site in order to avoid a rental fee for containers. Greenfield will combine trips with Dublin so that both towns lower costs for electronics disposal.
Lastly, hauling fees for recycled commodities have increased from $275 to $375 per load/haul as of May. This increase affects the hauling of mixed paper and plastic from Empire Recycling out of Billerica MA. Discussion followed about the hauling budget for the remainder of the year. Supervisor Burgess is researching other ways to reduce these costs but there aren’t a lot of options.
At the conclusion of the discussion, the Board thanked Supervisor Burgess for her report.
5:40 PM: DPW Updates
DPW Roads Manager Neal Beauregard provided the Board with an update on the latest conversation with the engineer working on the wetland culverts for Russell Station Road. The engineer, Earl Sanford, attended the Greenfield Conservation Commission (ConComm) meeting. The ConComm voted to accept the engineering plan. However, due to the time frame to have the Department of Environmental Services (DES) approve the application Mr. Beauregard stated that he will not be able to schedule the paving company to grind and pave the road until October, which he feels is too late in the year. He recommended that the Board move Russell Station Rd. next year (2016) and focus on paving Gould Hill Road and Longwood Drive and putting the funds in the Road Maintenance line item toward material to put on gravel roads. There was a lengthy
discussion about the process of the wetlands application to DES. The computer models used by DES to assess water flow through one of two major culverts had originally suggested that the town would need a 16’ bridge instead of a culvert between two wetland areas. This delayed the application significantly because the town’s engineer had to prove that the wetlands drained differently than the model used by DES. As a result of the engineer’s work the town is able to move forward with a culvert application. However, the State is looking for a flat bottom cast concrete culvert rather than a 60” round metal replacement culvert. In addition the town may need to elevate the road with a foot of gravel over 400 feet as part of the culvert installation. While the engineer will continue negotiating for a metal culvert (which will not require elevating the road), the cost of a concrete culvert and 400’ of gravel is not in the budget. After some discussion the Selectboard determined
that the town won’t have an answer from DES for another 60 days and the Town won’t know if the engineer will be successful having the culvert reduced from a cast concrete culvert to a metal culvert until the permit process is finished. As a result they concluded that Mr. Beauregard’s suggestion made sense, especially as it would free up money to add material on gravel roads in other areas of town this year. The Board voted on a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectwoman Charig Bliss to pave Gould Hill Road and Longwood Drive in 2015 and to revisit Russell Station Road in 2016. The Board voted 3-0 to move Gould Hill Road and Longwood Drive forward. The wetlands permit for Russell Station Road will be good for 5 years once it is granted. The Board agreed that the $115,000 in the warrant article did not include enough for the additional engineering, and culvert costs.
At 6:20 pm Patrick Greene, DPW Buildings and Grounds Manager provided a list of projects that were completed or actively being worked on. This includes more work at Oak Park. The dugouts were being refurbished with replacement clapboards in some spots and repainted to match the bandstand. Sunset Lake Beach is raked every morning and the trash from the night before is picked up. The Beach looks very attractive and residents have made comments to that effect. During the month of August a number of events are being held at Oak Park and Mr. Greene will be helping to ensure that the park is cleaned up before each event.
6:30 PM: Fire Chief David Hall
At 6:30 pm Chief David Hall met with the Selectboard. Chief Hall provided the Board with a 2015 Capital Planning and Equipment Forecast document, which had been circulated with the Planning Board Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) committee. The Chief outlined that the list was a result of his eight months as Fire Chief and represented the culmination of many hours of work and research provided by many of the crew, including Michael Maguire (Moto) who fixes fire trucks for a living and who volunteered a lot of time to go through the apparatus. Mr. Ken Paulsen, head of the Planning Board CIP committee and Chair of the Trustees of Trust Funds was in attendance. The CIP document listed Personal Protective Gear, Equipment (replacement or new purchases required), and Construction Projects contemplated by the Department. Chief
Hall also provided an Apparatus Replacement schedule. Chief Hall provided a lengthy presentation on the state of the equipment, especially personal protection gear that is currently out of date or will be out of date in the next two years; including Airpack Bottles (24 @ $1000 each), Structural Firefighter Turn-out gear, fire helmets, firefighter boots, structural firefighter gloves and a turn-out gear washing machine for a subtotal of Personal Protective Gear of $44,100. The Replacement or New Purchase of Equipment used by the firefighters includes a cardiac monitor, gate inlet valves, airbags, a K-12 breaching saw, a multi gas meter and gas leak detector and an extrication tool (jaws of life). The subtotal for the replacement and new purchases is $68,400. Other projects to look at in the future include a garage to move the rescue boat out of the fire department and locker rooms with commercial turn-out lockers for fire fighter gear. Chief Hall pointed out that the most pressing
items, which include personal protection gear and replacement gear or new purchases for gear that is outdated, deteriorated, or absent is close to a $100,000. The total for all gear and equipment needed was over $100,000 and the project costs pushed the total CIP number to $138,500. Chief Hall made the point that much of the purchasing for gear and equipment was needed immediately or at the least over the next few years. Two thirds or better of the list is absolutely needed and can not be put off for long.
Chief Hall next walked the Selectboard through the Apparatus Replacement plan. He outlined that in addition to the lack of replacement schedule in the past for protective gear, the apparatus replacement plan has fallen short. There are three major trucks that need to be replaced when they hit a maximum of 30 years. This means that one of the trucks has to be replaced every 10 years. New trucks cost at least $300,000 each. Greenfield has been putting $20,000 into capital reserves every year, which falls well short of purchasing a new vehicle in the 10 year time frame. Also during some years the capital reserve funds have been reduced at town meeting. So the plan to replace a truck with a new vehicle every 10 years is not currently feasible. In addition, at a recent town meeting it was reported that the replacement plan was
once every 25 years, which wasn’t feasible either. Chief Hall provided a thorough report on each of the vehicles; including the age (1999, 1985, 1988) and the work that is required for each truck. He said luckily the 1999 Engine 3 truck was in good condition and had no major issues. However Engine 2 (1985) and Tanker 1 (1988) both need overhauling or replacing due to age. An additional difficulty is that the Capital Reserve fund has $109,000 in it at this time. There will be an additional $20,000 added at the end of the year. But this is not enough to replace two trucks, and deal with unknown issues that are likely to crop up once a used truck has been purchased. The Board and Chief Hall discussed the timeframe that the trucks are needed at length. Chief Hall informed the Board that he had reached the conclusion that the trucks needed to be replaced or rebuilt this year to be functional. He went on to say that he was before the Board to argue the case for rebuilding the two
trucks that are currently owned by the town. He said at this point, with so little money in the Capital Reserve funds it makes more sense to work with vehicles that they know well rather than purchase a used vehicle that they know nothing about. Chief Hall said that he would like to rebuild Engine 2 and Tanker 1 and buy the town time so that they can continue to put money into capital reserves and look at ways to address the shortfall on the protection gear and equipment side as well. He concluded by saying that this would help the department start climbing out of a very deep hole and help put them back on track.
The Board discussed the CIP planning information in depth with the Chief and with Trustee of Trust Funds Chair Ken Paulsen. The Board looked at the capital reserve funds and the total amount of funds needed in the next few years. They weighed the immediacy of several of the protective gear items, which Chief Hall outlined had been bought all at once with a grant over ten years ago but had not been replaced since (10 years is the lifespan of the gear according to NFPA standards). There are a number of structural firefighter gear that is out of date. The airpack bottles will be out of date in two years and there needs to be a plan in place to replace them very soon. Some of the equipment such as the jaws of life is old and very tired. The jaws of life did not function well at the recent Books and Ladders event where they
were demonstrated. The fire trucks need a lot of attention and some of the repairs will be costly. For example, Tanker 1 needs a pump rebuilt and a new clutch. Chief Hall said that he was budgeting approximately $35,000 each, for Tanker 1 and Engine 2 to be rebuilt. He went on to say that Mr. Maguire would oversee the vendors who work on the trucks to ensure that the best possible result is provided back to the town.
At the conclusion of the conversation Mr. Paulsen said that after reviewing the capital reserve warrant articles, he felt that the wording would allow the Selectboard to use the funds to refurbish the apparatus. The Board asked the Administrator to have town counsel advise on the requirements for funds to be used this year. The Board determined after examining the capital reserve fund accounts, the number of CIP related items that are due in the immediate future, and the cost of a new or used fire apparatus that Chief Hall’s plan to rebuild the fire apparatus would give the town time to address the fire department’s needs. Selectman Atherton observed that it was obvious that the town would not be purchasing a new truck. He said he was comfortable with the idea of “rebuilding a vehicle we own” if it will give the
department time to get back on its feet. Selectwoman Charig Bliss recommended acquiring a temporary garage cover to protect the rescue boat and urged the chief to review the list and determine if any items could be deferred to subsequent years, so voters and the Board can focus on immediate needs.
The Board decided to hold informational meetings to answer residents’ questions and hear their suggestions. The Board hopes to schedule that session on in September so that the funds could be allocated this year.
Documents for Review and Approval
The Board reviewed and signed A/P Invoices, A/P Checks and the sewer tax levy. The Board signed corrected Meeting Minutes of 7/09/2015. The Board signed two Meeting House rental agreements. The Board tabled an employee letter due to lack of time. The Board noted that a correspondence from Town Counsel had been received regarding Teng vs. The Town of Greenfield. The letter indicated that this case had been dismissed. Lastly the Board reviewed the rules at the beach for jumping or diving off the dock. The lifeguards had advanced a number of rules that they felt would provide better clarity to the rules that the town has posted at the beach. The Board reviewed these and made several changes.
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 9:40 PM.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.
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Chair, Karen Day Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectwoman Stephen Atherton Jr., Selectman
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