Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Work Session Minutes
Thursday, August 13, 2015 – 5:00 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectman Stephen Atherton Jr.
Staff: Administrator Patt,
Residents: Kim Kamieniecki, Debra Davidson, Kristine Hall
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 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
- Payroll
- Meeting House Rental
- Employee Vacation Requests (2)
- Resident Letter to Police Dept. – Thank you
- Greenfield Block Highway Block Grant Aid notification letter
- Timeline for Traditional Town Meeting – 2016 Budget Season Schedule
- Request for Planning Board presentation to the Selectboard
|
5:00 PM: Department of Public Works Updates
At 5:05 the Selectboard Chair opened the meeting. Building and Grounds Manager Patrick Greene outlined a series of projects that have been completed since the last meeting. He provided before and after pictures of several painting projects, including the baseboard covers in the police station and the dugouts at Oak Park. Mr. Greene discussed the Meeting House clock maintenance schedule. The Board outlined George Rainier’s role as the official Meeting House Clock Winder. Mr. Rainier in the past has worked with a clock expert and has suggested a yearly maintenance program.
Mr. Greene provided the Board with a DPW checklist for building maintenance. The checklist will be the foundation for annual expenses that need to be accounted for in the budget. There followed a discussion of the building maintenance budget overall, and the line items in each departmental budget. At the conclusion of the discussion the board members agreed that the DPW budget would need to be restructured. Line items formerly in the departmental budgets could be moved to the DPW budget for example. The administrator was tasked with bringing a restructured budget to the Board for review at the next meeting. It was suggested that the General Govt. Buildings budget could be utilized as well as the DPW budget.
At 5:55 PM DPW Roads Manager Neal Beauregard provided an update on the sand taken from the sand and gravel site on Forest Road. DPW has 2370 yards of sand on-site. There is no more room for sand storage. Mr. Beauregard kept very accurate notes on what he was able to haul and store. He said estimates in the past may be off compared to what he found he could store on-site. The work at the Forest Road site had taken up 14.5 days. Mr. Beauregard then followed up with a report on the progress with Gould Hill Road. He provided pictures of the boulders and stumps that were taken out of the roadway after cutting through the asphalt. He provided one picture where an 8 cylinder engine block was removed from under the road. Freezing and thawing was pushing it up to the surface.
A discussion of speed limit signs was held. East Road, Swamp Road and New Boston Road have been mentioned by residents as not having enough signs, or the signs are in the wrong places. The Board agreed that DPW should review each road and determine the best place to have speed limit signs. The Board was agreed that DPW should research the cost and determine the number of signs it could purchase and then install those as necessary.
The paving schedule for Gould Hill Road and Longwood Drive was discussed. These roads are scheduled for the second week of September. Mr. Beauregard outlined his intention to put gravel on some of the dirt roads where the ledge was showing through. He explained that several spots in town can’t be helped by grading alone, but need gravel to improve the roads. He indicated that South Francestown Road, Swamp Road, and Muzzy Hill Road are those that are a priority. He said he hopes to put down gravel on each of the roads, but it will depend on the budget later in the year.
Crack sealing will begin in the middle of September. Sealing will be done on Slip Road, Zephyr Lake Road and a portion of Mountain Road.
The Board discussed the Informational Meeting scheduling for August 20th. The meeting will provide residents the ability to ask questions about the change from Russell Station Road and also to understand the Department of Environmental Services wetland permit issues that delayed the road from being paved this year.
6:00 PM: Kimberly Kamieniecki, Resident
At 6:00 pm, Kimberly Kamieniecki met with the Selectboard. Mrs. Kamieniecki said that she has some issued with the Sunset Lake lifeguards and the rules at the lake. She said that the rules are posted as are dock rules but there is confusion about ‘noodles’ which are flotation devices. Flotation devices are not allowed during supervised swim unless they are coast guard approved. The Chair said that the lifeguards are responsible for ensuring that the rules are followed but that the Board could review the rule about the noodles. Mrs. Kamieniecki said that adults want to use noodles. She said the dock is way out this year; much farther than last year. She asked if the water had been measured at the dock. The water at the dock was measured at 13’ vs. 8’ in last year’s location. The lifeguards had expressed that they
were comfortable with the location of the dock. Mrs. Kamieniecki said that she had a concern about the number of lifeguards on duty. She also said that there is a lot of whistle blowing and that this was due to the dock rotating so that the ladder was facing away from the lifeguard’s chair. Debra Davidson suggested that the head lifeguard should have a job description. The Chair agreed that this might provide some accountability for the swim program. The Administrator said that last year we had only two guards and no WSI swim instructor. This year we have a person in training who needs to work when an older lifeguard is on duty, and we have a WSI instructor, both of whom we hope come back next year. Next Mrs. Kamieniecki requested a non-public session with the Board. The Board discussed the request and on a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectman Atherton voted by roll call to enter non-public session under 91-A III 2c Reputation. At 7:05 pm the Board voted to exit
non-public session 2-0 and the minutes were sealed.
7:07 Documents for Review and Approval
The Board reviewed and signed A/P Invoices, A/P Checks, and Payroll. The Board corrected Meeting Minutes of 7/23/2015. The Board signed a Meeting House rental agreement. The Board referred an employee letter back to the employee’s department head. The Board reviewed the Traditional Town Meeting Timeline and the 2016 Budget Season Schedule. The Board approved the initial schedule and discussed the meeting on August 20th, and the Public Hearing scheduling for Sept. 17th.
Adjournment
On a motion by the Chair, and a second by Selectman Atherton, the Board voted to adjourn. The motion carried 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.
_________________ _______________________
Chair, Karen Day Stephen Atherton Jr., Selectman
| 
