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Selectmen’s Board Meeting
December 10, 2015
Present: John Allen, Chairman; Bob Thompson and Bill Lockard, Selectmen
Visitors: Town Office Administrator Julie Atwell, Town Administrative Assistant Julie Hoyt, Police Chief Doug Jette, Fire Chief Jay Henry, Moderator Bill Kelley, Town Clerk/Tax Collector Karen Burton, Treasurer Kathleen Dougherty, Videographer Hank Benesh, Supervisor of the Checklist Jeannette Heidmann, Bea Davis, Bob Davis, Stan Weiss, George Howard, John Fichera, Jerry Dougherty, Gilbert Forest, Mary Howe, Denise Sachse, Nancy Davis, Sarah Clemons, Peter Benson, Betsey Harding, Sam Harding, Penny Miller
Chairman John Allen called the meeting to order at 4:32 p.m.
- Selectmen’s Meeting – November 12, 2015 The minutes were approved as written.
- Selectmen’s Meeting – November 23, 2015 The minutes were approved as written.
- Non-Public – November 23, 2015 – sign minutes envelope RSA 91-A:3, II(c) #1 Selectman Lockard, seconded by Selectman Thompson, made a motion to seal the minutes. The motion passed unanimously. The envelope was signed.
- Non-Public – November 23, 2015 – sign minutes envelope RSA 91-A:3, II(c) #2 Selectman Lockard, seconded by Selectman Thompson, made a motion to seal the minutes. The motion passed unanimously. The envelope was signed.
- Non-Public – December 1, 2015 – sign minutes envelope RSA 91-A:3, II(e) Selectman Lockard, seconded by Selectman Thompson, made a motion to seal the minutes. The motion passed unanimously. The envelope was signed.
- Update on November 23, 2015 Action Items
- Library Lighting and Paving Prices The cost to complete three more lights is thirty-six hundred dollars and paving came in just under five thousand. Dick Bennett noted the poles are already set up for this. Selectman Lockard would like to wait on this.
- Upcoming Selectmen’s Meeting Dates The next meeting is scheduled for Monday December 21st at 4:30 p.m. with Budget Hearing #2 immediately following; January meetings are set for the 14th and 28th at 4:30. The final Warrant Article Hearing will be held after February 2nd if anything comes up.
- Christmas Can Cure Ceremony The Ceremony will be Friday December 18th beginning at the Town Offices at 10 a.m.
- Police Report Chief Jette noted it’s been a busy couple of weeks; there were three arrests; one was drug-related, one motor vehicle related and one was an assault involving a visitor to town. There is another such assault being investigated. There have been a number of messages and comments about the Stop sign in front of the school. Officers are stopping people to remind them that there is a Stop sign there. The most common comment is “We’ve always done it that way”. Most folks just slide through it. Regarding the Christmas Can Cure Ceremony, Chief Jette would ask folks to show support for our town and this Department. This year’s ceremony is important as this is the last year they are going to have that; and past Wounded Warriors have been invited to attend. Officer Koplin is
going through his last eight days of school; he’ll be graduating on the 18th and the Department will be attending that. There will be temporary coverage in town through the Sheriff and mutual aid partners. Chairman Allen left Chief Jette a message regarding trash falling out of vehicle; the town resident was spoken with. Stan would like to know what kind of drugs have been involved in the recent arrests. Chief Jette noted one was marijuana and oxycodone; there was some paraphernalia attributed to heroin but no heroin was located. Police are not seeing that drug; he attended a Drug Task Force meeting and learned that most heroin is not heroin. Eighty percent of it is fentanyl; the prescription bottles say it’s oxycodone but it’s really fentanyl which can be absorbed through the skin. George wondered if the information regarding drug arrests could be put in the Enews so the community is more alert to this going on;
Chief Jette can see a possibility. George also wondered if rather than a Stop sign by the school if that could be made in to a Yield sign; it would be very similar to the right turn in Glen and would be far less complicated. Chief Jette doesn’t see the need to have that there; one would have to talk to the D.O.T. about making it a T stop not a Y; barring that, Chief Jette is not a fan of a Yield sign in that area. Selectman Thompson noted the town doesn’t have control about this anyway.
- Public Comment Gilbert Forest joined the Board and read a statement; he cannot understand why the issue of the Transfer Station shooting range was discussed and he was not invited; that is unacceptable. The area is not zoned for the use and there is no mention of this use in the Transfer Station Agreement with Bartlett. This is an environmental as well as a safety concern. The town permitted Mr. Gilbert’s home to be built and he’d like to be granted the peace of enjoying his home. He’d like a range established elsewhere as there’s no way to make the current set up safe. He feels the Board is ignoring reality if they think it can. It’s a liability to the town and it’s a dangerous activity to have in that area. He’d like the Board to act on his request. He was
thanked for his comments.
- Building Inspector
- Weekly Report – Kevin Bennett Inspector Bennett was not in attendance; Selectman Lockard reviewed the report which included the permits that follow.
- Building Permit 2015-75 Map V01 Lot 24 – (Owner – Healy – 194 NH Rte. 16) – New kitchen cabinets/replace three windows
- Building Permit 2015-76 Map R08 Lot 11 – (Owner – Carr – 13UD Ellis River Road) – Kitchen renovation
- Building Permit 2015-77 Map R17 Lot 31A Sub Lot E17 – (Owner – MJC Development Corp – East Field Road) – Construct new duplex condo building
- Building Permit 2015-78 Map R17 Lot 31A Sub Lot E18 – (Owner – MJC Development Corp – East Field Road) – Construct new duplex condo building
- Building Permit 2015-79 Map R17 Lot 31A Sub Lot E19 – (Owner – MJC Development Corp – East Field Road) – Construct new duplex condo building
- Building Permit 2015-80 Map R17 Lot 31A Sub Lot E20 – (Owner – MJC Development Corp – East Field Road) – Construct new duplex condo building
- Building Permit 2015-81 Map V02 Lot 10S1 Sub Lot C14 (Owner – Duffy – 20 Lakeview Lane) – Kitchen renovation
- Whitney’s Pond – John Fichera John joined the Board and thanked them for seeing him. John’s use of the Pond has been the subject of complaints from abutters and a few others around town however, someone dammed off the pond. This pond provides the fire suppression services to a number of structures up on the mountain and was drained. John notified Fire Chief Henry and Police Chief Jette; he’s not sure who did it but he has a good idea. Somebody spent a lot of time in there; the rocks were fit in there like it was done by a mason. This made the Fire Department very uneasy. When asked about the cofferdam, John noted the cofferdam went in today and he has a permit for it. John has had an issue with people getting into his buildings and shutting off his machinery but this borders on
ecoterrorism. Selectman Thompson noted there is obviously vandalism however with the structures put at risk he wondered if this was felonious. John noted somebody spent a fair amount of time to build it. He has a permit to sandbag that river and the river has been sandbagged since 1957. Mary Howe noted she and Ann didn’t do anything to his property but she does want to know why John has to use the cofferdams; is there something wrong with the dam itself? Fire Chief Henry doesn’t know the dam’s status however the Whitney’s Pond dam controls how much water stays in the pond; that intake is vital or the pond will not have the proper level of water. Black Mountain Meadow was allowed to build up there because the fire pond was there. Mary noted some residents have complained about the plastic bags which poison the fish; this water goes all the way down to the ocean; something different should be done. John noted a permanent
structure is planned for next summer; the state didn’t have time to respond this year so he’s using temporary sandbags then next year John will get in the river with cement. [Later in the meeting Selectman Lockard had an additional comment to make regarding this topic; it is out of order for continuity]. Selectman Lockard noted this body of water is a fire pond and he finds it crazy that somebody would do that. He’s had the same issue with neighbors so he knows how sensitive these matters can be; he feels the Police need to investigate and prosecute the people involved. This is not slipshod; someone built it and there are people that know who did it. Stan feels it’s fairly inexpensive to put video cameras in place. Chief Jette noted there is a whole set of statutes about felony level activities; that’s the law enforcement side of the Forest Service. The culprit could be looking at pecuniary loss not a speculative loss;
that’s why the Forest Service has to be involved.
- 2016 Education Tax Warrant – FYI The 2016 Education Tax Warrant assesses the sum of nine hundred seven thousand nine hundred forty three dollars for the Education Tax. This went down over last year.
- Septic Letter Request – Sean Doucette The septic planner has asked for documentation that states the house has had seven bedrooms since 1967. It was originally built as a summer cottage for Isaac Goff in 1904; it was used as a sixteen room boarding house, a Bed & Breakfast and as a primary residence. The old tax cards don’t have the number of bedrooms in it. The point is that this was not a chalet that was added on to; the state needs to know that it has been this big since 1967. Selectman Thompson noted, in discussing this earlier in the Office, it seemed like a solution for making sure the state was clear would be to submit a signed letter stating that this is really the way the property has existed since pre-1967. Selectman Thompson, seconded by Selectman Lockard, made a
motion to sign a letter for Sean Doucette to send to the state to let them know that there hasn’t been any expansion on the building since 1967. The motion passed unanimously.
- TAN Renewal – Signatures Required Selectman Thompson, seconded by Selectman Lockard made a motion to sign the TAN renewal. The motion passed unanimously.
- EOP MOU – Signatures Required This is the Memo of Understanding for updating the Jackson Emergency Operations Plan for thirty five hundred dollars. Work on this has already started. Selectman Lockard, seconded by Selectman Thompson, made a motion to sign the EOP MOU. The motion passed unanimously.
- New Hampshire Community Rights Network – Michelle Sanborn The Board doesn’t feel it has enough information to make a decision about this; Chairman Allen will make an appointment to speak with Michelle personally.
- Valley Vision – MOU Selectman Thompson, seconded by Selectman Lockard, made a motion to sign the MOU for Valley Vision. The motion passed unanimously.
- Public Comment Nancy Davis wanted to know what the status is on the Dana Place. Inspector Bennett received a call about this today; the work is stalled; there was a water problem and an oil tank removal is planned.
The Selectmen’s meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
- Budget Hearing #1 (see separate Notes) The Public Hearing was opened at 5:22 and adjourned at 6:27 p.m.
- Fire Department – Listening Post (see separate Notes) The Listening Post was opened at 6:27 p.m. and adjourned at 6:44 p.m.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:44 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by:
Martha D. Tobin
Recording Secretary
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