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Selectboard Minutes 09/24/2015
Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Work Session Minutes
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015 – 5:00 PM

Selectboard: Chairwoman Karen Day, Selectwoman Margaret Charig-Bliss, Selectman Stephen Atherton Jr. arrived at 5:10 PM
Staff: Administrator Patt,
Public:
The meeting was called to order at 5:06 PM by Chair Karen Day.
Documents for Approval/Review/Signature
The Selectboard reviewed and/or signed the following items:

  • A/P Checks
  • A/P Invoices
  • Payroll
  • Wastewater Checks
  • Intent to Cut -R8-03
  • Oak Park Rental - Harvest Fair
5:00 PM:  DPW Updates – Neal Beauregard DPW Roads Manager & Patrick Greene Buildings and Grounds DPW Manager

At 5:06 the Selectboard Chair opened the meeting and welcomed DPW Managers Neal Beauregard and Patrick Greene to the meeting. Mr. Greene provided pictures and updates to the Board on the following:
  • A request for the removal of farm equipment from the woods behind the Harness & Drawbar building at Oak Park
  • A request to post signs from Slip Road to Zephyr Lake Road
  • A request to post a littering ordinance/law at Zephyr Lake
  • Post signs for leash law at Oak Park and at the beaches.
  • There needs to be rules for use of the Oak Park pavilion developed and posted
  • There needs to be a kiosk at Oak Park for posting of the rules
Lastly Mr. Greene talked to the Board about the Winter Maintenance program and outlined that in discussions with department heads, there has been unanimous support for Greene to provide the winter snow clearing of the buildings and parking lots.

Neal Beauregard, DPW Road Manager notified the Board that the paving on Gould Hill Road and Longwood Drive has been completed. The overlay on the road was a uniform 2 ¼ - 2 ½ inches of asphalt. The Town has not had any new information on the wetlands permit applications for Russell Station Road. Driscoll Road was graded. Crack sealing on Mountain Road, Zephyr Lake Road and Slip Road is scheduling to begin the week of the 28th. Once the crack sealing is completed, some of the paving warrant article will be used to pave the short hill to the recycling center. As discussed in previous meetings, this will help keep the area above the new septic tank from washing out. It will also improve winter maintenance and help keep the road from washing out.
The Chair asked a question about a ditching schedule. Mr. Beauregard outlined his intention to build up certain roads where ditching is no longer feasible in certain areas. This includes portions of Muzzy Hill Road, after the railroad tracks, and South Francestown Road.
Mr. Beauregard reported that speed limit signs are on order for Swamp Road. A short discussion on the speed limit in town was held. It was noted that there are some communities where the default speed limit had been lowered.
Mr. Beauregard discussed the potential of purchasing a tow-behind York rake. The Board did not reach a consensus on whether to support the purchase in this year’s budget. The cost of the rake is $5100. The reasons for using a rake have been discussed in previous meetings. It would help with the cleanup of the roads after grading.

The Board and Mr. Beauregard discussed the need for a solution to the Rymes gas-pump closure.

5:30 PM: Selectboard Work Session – Kevin O’Connell, Planning Board Chair

At 5:40 pm, the Board reviewed and signed A/P invoices and A/P checks. The Board signed the Oak Park rental agreement for the Parent Teacher Organization to host the Greenfield Harvest Fair. Mr. O’Connell asked if he could have a few minutes with the Board. Mr. O’Connell provided an ad copy for a part-time position providing minute taking and scheduling support for the Planning Board, Zoning Board, and the Economic Development Committee. Sharon Rossi is the current support person and she is retiring at the end of December. The average of all hours is currently just under 4 hours per week, or 16 hours per month. Mr. O’Connell suggested that some additional support may be required for the Planning Board to ensure that scheduling meetings and public hearings are done correctly. He suggested that 20 hours a month would allow the boards to have filing and storage of files addressed.

At 5:50 PM a Right-to-Know Request was reviewed by the Board.

At 5:55 PM the Board held a discussion of the Winter Maintenance program. DPW Road Manager Neal Beauregard provided a map of the current plow routes. The routes were shown to the Selectboard. The Board discussed the need to have the buildings and parking lots kept clear and that this was one of the reasons that they had focused on restructuring the DPW department. In 2014 the handicap access ways, the emergency exits, and the parking lots were not being handled in a timely manner. Emergency response personnel complained to the Board at the time. The Chair noted that in the past there has been a part-time person to address shoveling, and/or a plow route. A discussion was held on the cost for a person vs. the cost of a contractor that provides a vehicle and plow. The rate in Peterborough for a contractor with vehicle was reported at $80.00 an hour by Mr. Beauregard. The Board concluded the discussion by reaching a consensus that the Town would be best served by a seasonal hire to plow with the F-550, which does not require a CDL license. The seasonal person would use the Town’s truck. The Board asked that an ad be run in the newspaper for this position.  

6:30 PM: Kate Mullins, Resident

At 6:37 PM Kate Mullins was welcomed by the Selectboard. Ms. Mullins lives on East Road. She stated that in the past there had been a catch basin and a culvert system that captured rain and material and brought it down the hill past her and her neighbor’s driveways. At some point before former Road Agent Wyatt Fox retired (2009), a paving company paved over the catch basin. Now, rain and silt run down the road into her driveway and all the way to the back of her garage. Ms. Mullins reports that she has to shovel a significant amount of silt and sand off the driveway after every rainstorm. A discussion was held with the Board and DPW Manager Neal Beauregard. Mr. Beauregard stated that despite examining the area where the catch basis was reported, the catch basin was not found, nor was the culvert pipe exit. The Board will schedule a visit to the property and asked Mr. Beauregard to call Mr. Fox for more information.

6:55 PM:  Non-Public Session – William Robbins Jr.

At 6:55 PM William Robbins Jr. and Allen Young requested that the Board enter into Non-Public Session under RSA 91:A IIIC Reputation in order to address a family tax situation. The Board voted on a roll-call vote 3-0 to enter non-public session. At 7:26PM the Board voted to exit non-public session and to seal the minutes.

7:30 PM: Documents for Review and Approval

The Board returned to signing documents and reviewing correspondence. The Board signed the Payroll manifest. The Board signed Wastewater checks. The Board signed an intent-to-cut form. The Board discussed several A/P invoices and asked that department heads/officials meet with the Board to discuss the invoices.

At 8:12 PM the Chair motioned to enter into non-public session under RSA 91:A-IIa employment compensation. The motion was seconded by Selectman Atherton. On a roll-call vote of 3-0 the Board entered into non-public session. At 8:20 the Board voted to exit non-public session and seal the minutes. It was noted that no votes were taken in the non-public session.

At 8:22 PM the Chair motioned to enter into Non-Public Session under RSA 91:AII c Reputation. The motion was seconded by Selectwoman Charig Bliss. On a roll-call vote of 3-0 the Board entered into non-public session for the purpose of discussing an email from a resident about an ongoing tax issue. At 8:55 PM the Board voted to exit non-public session and to seal the minutes.

The Selectboard reviewed the presentation by the Fire Department. After some discussion the Chair motioned to allow the Fire Department to go out to bid and collect (3) three quotes on the two older fire trucks upgrades, and a cab and chassis replacement for the 1977 brush truck. The motion was seconded by Selectman Atherton. The motion passed 3-0.

Selectwoman Charig Bliss noted her concern that using the Fire/Rescue Apparatus Capital Reserve Fund for repairs and renovations may not reflect the "intent of the voters" at Town Meeting. She cautioned that that is the standard required by the Department of Justice, and she suggested exploring other ways to fund the necessary upgrades of fire department vehicles and equipment and/or going back to Town Meeting to clarify and unify the intent. She encouraged going forward with the bid process to determine the needs.

Selectwoman Day felt that the Town gave consent when the Capital Reserve Fund was changed for more flexibility by changing the words “Fire Truck” to “Apparatus”. This discussion will be taken up again when the quotes are received so that the board can make a decision on the way to move forward.


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 9:52 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        Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectwoman    Stephen Atherton Jr., Selectman