Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Minutes
Tuesday, Dec. 06, 2016 – 5:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Margaret A. Charig Bliss, Selectman Stephen Atherton Jr., Selectman Robert Marshall
Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator; Rick McQuade, DPW Buildings & Grounds Manager; Neal Beauregard, DPW Roads Manager
Budget Advisory Committee: Ken Paulsen, Norm Nickerson
Public: Michelle Nuttle-Babineau, Youth Mental Health First Aid USA; Ledger Transcript Reporter Abbey Kessler,
5:30 p.m. The meeting was opened by Chairwoman Charig Bliss.
Documents for Review/Approval
- A/P Check Register
- NH Retirement Payment
- Minutes of Selectboard Meetings – 11/29
- Application for Current Use – V4-11
- Meeting House Rental – 2
- New Hire Paperwork – Seasonal DPW
5:30 PM: Public Forum
At 5:30 pm the Chair noted that the meeting was open. DPW Roads Manager Neal Beauregard introduced Damon Beaudreau as a new hire for DPW Seasonal Plow Operator. The Board welcomed both men. It was noted by the Town Administrator that Mr. Beaudreau had passed the background check, holds a commercial drivers license (CDL) and a medical card. Mr. Beauregard noted that Mr. Beaudreau worked previously for Hancock DPW and is able to run the town’s larger trucks and equipment. The Selectboard welcomed Mr. Beaudreau aboard as a seasonal plow driver.
Resident Kim Kamieniecki introduced Michelle Nuttle-Babineau, a mental health trainer, to the Selectboard. Ms. Nuttle-Babineau provided a flyer for a youth mental health training program that provides an educational program to help adults that regularly interact with children and adolescents to understand the warning signs associated with mental health issues. The program is through Mental Health First Aid USA.
5:45 PM: Mike Borden, Captain Greenfield Fire Department
At 5:45 pm Mike Borden came before the Board to discuss quotes that he has gathered for a fire department extractor washing machine for the department’s turn-out gear. It was noted that the level of carcinogens in the turn-out gear cannot be removed by conventional means and that the specialized washing machine outlined is necessary to reduce the effects of carcinogens on the department members. The Board reviewed the quotes. Mr. Borden stated that of the four quotes that he had received the lowest was also the quote that he was most interest in pursuing. Based on a conversation with Chief Hall at the recent budget meeting, the Selectboard Chair stated that the Board was ready to sign off on the request. The Selectboard signed the purchase order for the turn-out gear extractor from IPS Services in the amount of $6,600
for a Primus PA 30 Extractor, which includes installation.
The Board reviewed the Consent Agenda. On a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectman Marshall the Board voted 3-0 to approve the Consent Agenda.
6:00 PM: Rick McQuade, DPW Building & Grounds Manager
At 6:00 PM the Board welcomed Rick McQuade, DPW Buildings & Grounds (B&G) Manager. Mr. McQuade provided a budget print-out that included the annual budget for 2017 as well as a back-up document for each of the building maintenance line items in the budget. The building maintenance line items were broken out into Core Costs, General Supplies, and Projects. The core costs cover annual furnace inspections/cleanings, septic inspection and pumping (2 yr.), annual fire extinguisher inspections, annual security monitoring services, fire system inspections, generator service – where applicable, and emergency lighting maintenance. An organization chart was included with the budget that showed the reports and responsibilities associated with the B&G department.
The Selectboard and Mr. McQuade, in conversation with the Budget Advisory Committee members, discussed the building maintenance line items. Year-to-date spending was discussed. A new furnace has been installed at the Fire Station, and the floor-drain tank at DPW has been pumped twice, dug up, and, inspected and repaved over this year. Both of these budgets are over for the year by a significant margin as a result. A discussion on the budget lines and where they originated prior to the department’s formation was held with the Town Administrator explaining how the maintenance lines for the Town Office and the Meeting House were previously under General Government Buildings. Currently the two line items are broken out separately to track each building, going forward, where in the past the Gen. Gov. line often operated as a
‘catch-all’ for building maintenance for both buildings, and sometimes town-wide. Mr. McQuade recommended leaving the two lines at $5,500 and $7,500 respectively as he hadn’t had a full year with them in the budget and felt that there could be projects at both the Town Office and the Meeting House in 2017 that require the amounts provided. The building maintenance lines are otherwise the same from 2016 to 2017, with the exception of the maintenance line item for the Library which has increased $279 to account for the annual fire extinguisher inspection.
Mr. McQuade discussed the decreases in General Supplies from $2,000 to $1,250 and Mileage from $1,000 to $500. He discussed the reduction of Small Tools & Equipment from $1,000 to $600. The Selectboard has increased the wage line according to the FLSA law change. The wage change had been completed before the FLSA injunction and was addressed in a separate meeting. No discussion on FLSA for the B&G Manager’s wage was held as a result.
At 6:55 pm the Board thanked Mr. McQuade for his 2017 budget.
7:00PM: Neal Beauregard, DPW Roads Manager
At 7:00 pm the Board took up the DPW Roads budget. Mr. Neal Beauregard, DPW Roads Manager presented the Board with his 2017 budget. The DPW Roads budget is lower than the previous year by $3,250 - $357,725 from $360,975. Changes to the Tree Trimming, Welding Supplies, and Wetlands Engineer line items account for the changes. The Selectboard and Mr. Beauregard discussed the use of Calcium Chloride to pre-treat roads before storms. It was noted that the use of Calcium Chloride will be a test in 2017 based on its lower cost (1/3 the cost of treating with salt), and the ability of the product to prevent bonding of ice and snow to roads when used within the appropriate temperature range. Salt does not retain its melting properties below a certain temperature threshold. The Calcium Chloride was discussed further and the
Selectboard upheld the use based on the potential cost savings. It was noted that conventional treatment of salt and sand costs roughly $1,800 per trip town-wide. Calcium Chloride could reduce the use of salt, in some instances, and savings would vary but its use is substantially less expensive.
The Board and Mr. Beauregard discussed the seasonal plow route and part-time wages for the department. A lengthy discussion was held regarding the use of part-time help to cover vacation, sick & personal days, and holidays. At the conclusion of the discussion it was noted by Mr. Beauregard that part-time help is no good to him if it doesn’t come with a person that can run a truck or a piece of equipment (e.g. a holder of a CDL license with experience running heavy equipment). He further stated that with unemployment at 2.9%, all of the experienced operators are employed full-time. Those that might be left that would take a part-time position are looking for full time employment (so it would be revolving door). Unskilled part-timers (using a shovel or a rake for instance) require more management, which the department
simply does not have time for. The Selectboard asked Mr. Beauregard what his preference would be and he stated that as a result of the DPW department being split between the buildings & grounds, and, roads, his department is down a man permanently. A fourth person is the best solution. Mr. Beauregard and the Board discussed with the Budget Advisory Committee the work load during the year -from paving through to Winter Season. Mr. Beauregard analyzed his current position as a manager of the DPW Roads department and summarized the issue as one of missing man-power. “It’s a matter of how much we can get done”, without the fourth guy the department can’t separate into two teams. “ A perfect example is ditching”, he explained, “with four guys, I can have one guy in the backhoe, one guy in the loader and two guys running trucks; if I only have three guys then one of the dump trucks is going to sit idle back at the shop”. He explained further that each road therefore
takes longer to ditch. The sticking point was that a full-time employee carries insurance and other benefits said Selectman Marshall.
Next the Board and Mr. Beauregard discussed the use of the GPS unit that was purchased earlier in the year. Mr. Beauregard furnished five print-outs as examples of roads that have been mapped by GPS. Ten roads have been completed to-date. The excel print-outs he furnished showed the exact measurement of the road length, and, the location of every culvert on the road is mapped to GPS coordinates. The GPS coordinates are transferable to Google Earth so that every culvert, street sign, and/or other marker can be mapped. Each of the print-outs has been filed in its own manila road-file at the town office. There was a discussion about the benefits of mapping each culvert, street sign, and distance on the roads. The Board concluded that while the paper copies would be on file at the Town Office for reference, they were
particularly excited by the electronic information. This information was particularly useful for creating town-wide studies and for understanding the costs associated with annual maintenance.
The meeting with Neal Beauregard ended at 7:52pm.
8:00 PM: Selectboard Work Session
The Selectboard reviewed the Consent Agenda. Other Items for discussion were taken up. The Board reviewed and signed a Purchase Order for turn-out gear from the Fire Chief to New England Emergency Equipment, LLC in the amount of $7,036, slightly below the amount of $7,500 voted at 2016 Town Meeting for this purpose.
The Selectboard reviewed a Purchase Order for a Jaws of Life for the Fire Department. As noted in previous meetings the department is currently borrowing a Jaws of Life cutting tool from a neighboring town because the department’s cutting tool is permanently out of service. The Chair stated that she is in favor of waiting until Town Meeting to bring this to the voters. Selectman Marshall thanked the Chair for her statement and said that he disagreed because this is a front-line piece of emergency equipment and he felt it was clearly something that the Board needed to take care of and not wait. A discussion followed with the Budget Advisory Committee members, which included the best way to purchase a capital piece of equipment e.g. capital reserve funds, end of year monies, warrant article, etc. Selectman Atherton stated
that there are three or four ways that the Board could accomplish the purchase of the ‘Jaws’, but, he was not in favor of using capital reserve funds. He concluded his statements by saying that he felt that purchasing the ‘Jaws’ should be done with end-of-year money. There was discussion following his statement about the timing of the end of year; it being several weeks before the end of December -and the last meeting of the year. The Board has an interest in providing transparency to voters. It was noted that the Board could vote tonight that they intend to vote on the 13th of the month to use funds that would be brought forward on that night and then to finalize the vote on the 20th after the minutes of the 12/06 meeting were posted online so that there could be no question that people would have time to review the process. It was noted that the purchase order for 2016 was two thousand dollars less than the pricing in 2017 due in part to inflation
and also because the quote has to be higher in order for it to be held for more than 30 days (until Town Meeting). The difference in year to year pricing is $31,625 in 2016 vs. $33,625 in 2017 for the same unit.
Selectman Atherton made a motion to instruct the Town Administrator to find the funds in the 2016 budget and to bring those funds and the line items where they reside, to the Selectman’s meeting on December 13th to be presented, so that at the December 20th meeting the Board can finalize their intent to purchase the Jaws of Life and sign a purchase order for processing before the end of the year. Selectman Marshall seconded the motion. The Board voted all in favor of this step 3-0.
Adjournment
The time being 9:45 pm Selectman Marshall moved to adjourn. Selectman Atherton seconded. All were in favor, and the motion carried 3-0.
The meeting adjourned at 9:45 PM.
The minutes are final when approved and signed by the Selectboard. A signed copy is on file in the Selectboard’s office.
_________________ _______________________ _______________________
Chair, Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectman, Stephen Atherton Jr. Selectman, Robert Marshall
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