Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Work Session Minutes
Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016 – 5:00 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Karen Day, Selectwoman Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectman Stephen Atherton Jr.,
Staff: Town Administrator Aaron Patt, Police Chief Brian Giammarino
Public:
The meeting was called to order at 5:00 PM by Chair Karen Day.
Documents for Review/Approval
- A/P Invoices
- A/P Checks
- Payroll
- Selectboard Minutes
- Letter from Fire Chief Wayne Derosia
- Letter from Chief Giammarino – exceptional investigation
- Employee Vacation Request
- Intent to Cut – R9-60
- Timber Warrant: R2-11, R2-11-4, R8-3
- Land Use Change Tax Warrant(s): R1-1, R1-1-4, R10-7
- Waste Water Sewer Warrant
- Payment in lieu of Insurance (s)
- Meeting House Rental Contract
- Town Counsel letter – Petition Warrant Articles / CRFs
5:00 PM: Police Chief Brian Giammarino
At 5:05 PM the Chair made a motion to enter into non-public session under RSA 91-A:3 IIa Personnel. The motion was seconded by Selectman Atherton. On a roll call vote of 3-0 the Board entered into non-public session. At 6:10 PM the Board voted 3-0 to exit non-public session.
6:00 PM: Neal Brown, Resident
At 6:12 PM the Selectboard welcomed Neal Brown to the meeting. Mr. Brown explained to the Board that he had some questions for the Board based on the articles, editorial, and letters to the editors that have run in the Ledger Transcript in recent weeks. There have been some inconsistencies in the information presented. For instance, he noted that the town voted in 2004 on the Town Administrator position not 2008. There was seven years between the vote and the selectmen hiring an administrator, not three. There followed a discussion of the petition warrant articles. The Board outlined how the capital reserve articles were worded in such a way that if passed by the voters would result in the closure of all the capital reserve funds and would leave the town without any savings (the second of each pair of articles has already
been disallowed by the Department of Revenue during their pre-review of the warrant). Selectwoman Charig Bliss said that the Board intends to provide the wording needed for the concerned citizens to get the vote that they want, but that the articles as written would put the town in real difficulties if passed. At 6:37 Mr. Brown thanked the Board for their time.
6:45 PM: Selectboard Work Session
At 6:45 PM the Board took up several items for review, including a letter from Fire Chief Derosia from the Harrisville Fire Department. The Chair read the following letter into the minutes:
2/19/2016
To: The Greenfield Selectboard
I was at a meeting with the Dublin Fire Chief Tom Vanderbuilt and he mentioned to me in conversation that there was a small group of residents in Greenfield that were unhappy with the way Chief Hall was managing the Fire Dept. I was very surprised to hear this because I think Chief Hall is doing an exceptional job. He has recruited new members, improved response to 911 calls and has created a positive attitude within the Department.
Being a volunteer/call Fire Chief for the past 13 years in a small town, I understand how hard it is to find people who are willing and able to put in the time to obtain and maintain the state certifications, make the fire/rescue calls, meetings, trainings, etc….on a volunteer basis while balancing their work and home life. Something that has become very difficult to do in today’s times. Most residents do not realize what is involved in this process. There is a true dedication that these men and woman have responding to the residents in their towns.
I am not aware of the exact issue these individuals have with Chief Hall’s management of the fire department but I would hope they would be willing to sit down, discuss and hopefully resolve these issues with him and the fire board of officers. I think going over Fire/Rescue requirements, how to obtain and maintain certifications and call stats for the year will help all residents understand what volunteer/call Fire Chiefs are up against in today’s times when providing emergency services to their residents.
Sincerely yours,
Chief Wayne Derosia
Harrisville Fire Department
7:00 PM: Selectboard Non-Public Session & Documents for Review/Approval
At 7:00 PM the Chair made a motion to enter into non-public session under RSA 91-A:3 IIb Personnel. The motion was seconded by Selectwoman Charig Bliss. On a roll call vote of 3-0 the Board entered into non-public session. At 8:15 the Chair requested that the Town Administrator join the meeting. At 8:20 the Chair motioned to adjourn the meeting and seal the minutes. The motion was seconded by Selectwoman Charig Bliss and passed 3-0.
Selectman Atherton left the meeting for a work related emergency.
The Selectboard signed A/P Checks, A/P Invoices and Payroll. The Board noted a letter from Police Chief Giammarino regarding exceptional performance by Officer John Quigley in recent criminal investigations. The Board approved two employee vacation requests. The Board signed an Intent-to-Cut for R9-60 and a separate timber warrant for R2-11, R2-11-4 and R8-3. The Board signed Land Use Change Tax (LUCT) warrant for changes to R1-1, R1-1-4, and R10-7. The Board signed the waste-water sewer warrant and a Payment In Lieu of Insurance document. The Board signed a Meeting House rental agreement. Finally the Board reviewed the minutes of 2/28 and agreed that the minutes should be shared electronically for editing. Town Counsel provided a letter regarding warrants 2-20 that outlined the issues with the capital reserve fund
petition warrant articles.
Lastly the Chair asked that a meeting be posted for Tuesday March, 1st at 5PM at the Town Office.
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 9:15 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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