Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Work Session Minutes
Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015 – 5:00 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Karen Day, Selectman Stephen Atherton Jr., Selectwoman Margaret Charig-Bliss by telephone,
Staff: Administrator Patt, Neal Beauregard DPW Roads Manager, Carol Burgess Recycling Center Supervisor, Patrick Greene DPW Buildings & Grounds Manager
Public: Ken Paulsen, Gerry Cornet
The meeting was called to order at 5:25 PM by Chair Karen Day.
Documents for Review/Approval
- A/P Invoices
- A/P Checks
- Payroll
- Meeting House Rental – Stephenson Memorial Library
- Fairpoint Suit update letter – Drummond Woodsum
- 2016 Employee Time-Off
- Keene Hazardous Waste Program enrollment form
5:00 PM: Selectboard Budget Work Session
At 5:25 pm the Chair called the meeting to order. The meeting was called to order later than the posted time due to weather. Chairwoman Karen Day and Selectman Stephen Atherton were in attendance to make a quorum; Selectwoman Margaret Charig Bliss joined the meeting by telephone.
The Chair reviewed a budget print-out for 2015 noting that the annual budget has a balance of $171,271.80 unspent as of 5pm December 29th. The Chair also noted that the commitment of $790,871 in Revenue to set the 2015 tax rate was met, and that as of 5pm the town had received $827,842.66 in revenues for the year. Excess revenues above the commitment and any unspent operating funds at year end will go into fund balance for use by the Selectboard when setting the tax rate in 2016.
The Chair asked if the Board members were ready to vote on the list of end-of-year encumbrances, and purchases, which have been under discussion in previous meetings. The consensus being in the affirmative, the Chair took up a list of purchases and encumbrance requests from Department Heads and the Planning Board Chair. Noting that there were several invoices with one signature line, the Chair requested the Board vote on providing the Chairperson authority to sign on behalf of the Board. On a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectman Atherton the Board voted 3-0 to allow the Chair to sign invoices on behalf of the Board after its vote, for purchases, or encumbrance of funds, is recorded.
The Chair noted that Selectboard has been involved in a discussion about purchasing used equipment; that the town’s 2004 International dump truck was failing; and, at the Selectboard’s request the town had received an invoice from Patriot Freightliner in Westminster VT., for a 2010 Freightliner Dump Truck. The Chair made a motion for the town to purchase the 2010 Freightliner Dump Truck at a total amount of $68,000, with a balance of $55,000 after trade-in of $13,000 for the town’s 2004 International Dump Truck; payment of the $55,000 as follows: $20,000 to come from the Highway Equipment Capital Reserve Fund, and, $35,000 from the Highway Road Maintenance line item, which has unspent funds of $42,736.53 as of December 29th. Selectman Atherton seconded the motion. The Board voted 3-0 in the affirmative to
purchase the 2010 dump truck. The Chair signed the invoice from Patriot Freightliner. The Board signed the Request for Payment form for $35,000, and a letter to the Trustee’s of Trust Funds authorizing the withdrawal of the capital reserve funds in the amount of $20,000.
Next, the Chair took up an invoice from Ron’s Toy Shop in Manchester NH, for a covered trailer for DPW Buildings and Grounds tool storage and transportation, in the amount of $4275.00. On a motion by the Chair and a second from Selectman Atherton, the Board voted to move unspent monies in the Highway Gas & Diesel line item (balance of $12,724.87) to the Highway Small Tools & Equipment line item for the purchase of a covered trailer in the amount of $4275.00. The Board voted 3-0 in the affirmative to purchase the trailer. The Chair signed the invoice from Ron’s Toy Shop (Ron’s Toy Shop is a Toyota/Lexus and Custom Built Trailer dealership).
Next, the Chair took up an invoice from Francestown Sand & Gravel for the razing of the dilapidated structure located at 12 Slip Road. On a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectman Atherton, the Board voted 3-0 to accept the low bid by Francestown Sand & Gravel in the amount of $7,075.50 for demolition and removal of the building, with tying off of septic and water at the location, contingent upon receiving a court order or permission to remove the building per RSA 155-B governing Hazardous and Dilapidated Buildings, and to take money from the Legal budget which has unspent monies of $5,220.66 and from the Planning Board legal budget line, which has unspent legal funds in the amount of $5,764.50 to total $7,075.50. The Board signed the bid.
The Chair took up a request from Planning Board Chairman Kevin O’Connell to encumber funds pursuant to a contract with Southwest Regional Planning in the amount of $2,500 for an update to the Master Plan that is currently underway and will be billed in 2016. On a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectman Atherton, the Board voted 3-0 to encumber $2,500 from the Planning Board Master Plan Update line-item in the Planning Board budget.
The Chair took up the question of replacing the Meeting House Sanctuary furnace which has not been working for the past two years. There was a brief discussion about the need to have heat to the Sanctuary in order to keep it from temperature swings and to prevent the building from experiencing excess damp. In addition, the space has not been rented in winter months due to the lack of a furnace, although demand has been high. The Chair made a motion to encumber funds in the amount of $5,850.00 and to accept the low bid from Allen & Mathewson to replace the Sanctuary furnace, and to further move funds from the Highway Diesel & Gas line item (unspent in the amount of $8449.87 to the Highway Buildings Repair and Maintenance line. The motion was seconded by Selectman Atherton and voted in the affirmative, 3-0. The
Board signed the bid for the furnace installation.
The Selectboard discussed several other items including replacing the sill at the back of the Town Office building, for which DPW Manager Greene has received one quote to-date. After some discussion regarding the DPW Buildings & Grounds department’s need for tools, the Board voted 3-0 on a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectman Atherton to authorize the expenditure of funds up to $2000 for a pressure washer; power sprayer; skill saw and assorted small tools. Funds to be expended by the end of the year via the town credit card, and to be transferred from the Highway Diesel & Gas line item and moved to Highway Small Tools & Equipment line item to cover this expense.
6:30 PM: Recycling Center, Carol Burgess Supervisor
At 6:30 pm the Board welcomed Carol Burgess, Recycling Center Supervisor and Gerry Cornett, Recycling Center Manager for New Boston to the meeting. Mr. Cornett has 16 years in the recycling industry and is on the Board of Directors for the Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA), which provides off-take for plastics and other recyclables for NH towns. Mr. Cornett was invited by Carol Burgess to discuss New Boston’s experience with roll-off container covers. The Recycling Center is currently researching and comparing the addition of covers versus purchasing a compactor to handle loose paper. Currently the industry is in the process of changing the way it treats recycled paper. Paper products will be required to be clean and dry. Wet paper will be considered trash. The cost for trash is currently $90 a ton. Dry
paper compacted brings in revenue of $15 a ton. Paper is hauled for $150 cost, a trailer haul. The revenue for clean compacted paper, depending on the market, will cover the cost of the trailer haul with the net cost to the town at approximately $0 a year. In the future if the price for the commodity goes up then the town will make money. Conversely, wet paper is considered trash and will cost the town over $9000 a year to haul away. The return on investment for the price of a compactor (approximately $18,000) will take approximately two years if the current ‘hand shake’ arrangement for the town’s paper hauling is cancelled due to market pressure. Mr. Cornett stated that in New Boston his product is clean, dry, and stored and he receives market price-plus from vendors directly rather than through a middleman such as NRRA. The key is that the paper needs to be clean dried and stored. Mr. Cornett said that water weight in the construction debris containers as well as the
loose paper container costs towns thousands of dollars a year. He said that the compactor is the way to go because it cuts down on handling of the product and keeps it dry. This decreases pay-back time dramatically. The more times a product is handled the higher the cost to the towns.
The Board discussed the cost of the compactor and the cost of the covers, noting that the loose paper needs to be compressed with the backhoe and the cover has to allow for the backhoe to be used. Based on industry changes and heightened scrutiny in the market, it was the consensus of the Board that a compactor should be put into a warrant article and brought to town meeting.
It was noted that the Glass Warrant Article in 2015 can be discontinued. The glass pile has been successfully cleaned up in two years instead of the original plan of three years. The cost to deal with the glass as it comes in will run approximately $2700 a year. The Board reviewed this amount and determined that it should be added to the operating budget of the recycling center.
Documents for Review/Approval
The Board reviewed and signed Payroll, A/P Checks, A/P invoices and a Meeting House rental application. The Board reviewed a letter from Drummond Woodsum regarding the status of the Fairpoint suit. The Board agreed to look at and correct the overall employee vacation and time-off program starting in January. The Board signed the Keene Solid Waste Division Hazardous Waste program paperwork. The cost is slightly reduced in 2016 at $1941 for the year.
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 8:25 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
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