Town of Lyme
Board of Selectmen
Minutes for March 21, 2007
1. The regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen convened at 8:00 AM in the Fire Station training room. The following attended the entire meeting: Carole Bont, Simon Carr, Dick Jones and Charles Ragan. The following attended parts of the meeting: Pauline Field (police chief), Dan Bailey, Jimmy Jenks and Nancy Grandine (overseer of the poor).
2. Pauline came in to discuss the contract for a new police vehicle. Liberty Chevrolet has the state contract for the Tahoe – the only approved SUV for police use. The Board approved and signed the contract for a total price of $29,336.33 for the Tahoe. Pauline also requested permission to sell to old Explorer to Piermont when the new SUV is received. The Board agreed with her proposal.
3. Pauline also brought up her concerns about the state’s ROW across the park-and-ride lot (Latham Lane) being sold to the Pushee’s and how that might affect access to the dry-hydrant. The Board will look farther into this and make a decision at next week’s meeting.
4. Dan and Jimmy came in to express their concerns about the management of the Highway Department. They felt that the Board should be more directly involved in and supervise highway department procurements (e.g. requiring at least three bids before purchasing any major equipment) and cited several purchases made over the last several years that they did not agree with. Dan gave the Board a copy of a proposal he had solicited – using the Town’s name without the Board’s permission – from Freightliner of New Hampshire. The Board chose not to directly address any of their comments.
5. The following administrative matters were discussed and actions taken:
a. the March 21 minutes were approved with a minor correction;
b. the manifest was reviewed and approved;
c. two requests to use the Academy Building during mud season were discussed – the yoga class was permitted to continue its regular use as long as none of its participants park on the grass (use the Post Office or church parking areas) and the request by James Graham for March 26th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM was denied in accordance with the Academy Building’s “management and use policy”;
d. the position description for the seasonal cemetery/parks worker was approved;
e. the Board confirmed it’s approval of the Road Agent’s posting of seasonal weight limits effective March 6;
f. Janet Baker-Smith’s application for a veteran’s tax credit was reviewed and approved, and
g. The maintenance contract for the Fire Station’s copier was signed.
6. Town Offices Building Committee’s revised charge and their Tuesday meeting were discussed. Considerable time was spent discussing its composition and the merits of a larger v. smaller committee. The revised charge was reviewed and approved.
7. A letter to Kevin Bruno not granting permission, at this time, to use a section of a Class VI road as a driveway for the proposed Tullar subdivision off the North Thetford Road was approved and the chair was authorized to sign it on behalf of the Board.
8. A letter to Robert Buchanan in response to his concerns about closing a section of Shoestrap Road to gates and bars was approved and the chair was authorized to sign it on behalf of the Board.
9. Lee Larson and Adair Mulligan were appointed to three-year terms on the Conservation Commission.
10. At approximately 8:45 Dick moved and Simon seconded a motion to go into non-public session under the authority of RSA 91-A:3 II(c) – “matters which, if discussed in public, would likely affect adversely the reputation of any person”. The motion carried by unanimous roll-call vote. The Board returned to public session for a short while to discuss the welfare guidelines with Nancy, then returned to continue the non-public session, and finally returned to public session at 9:45. In the non-public session a hardship tax abatement was approved.
11. Nancy came in to discuss the preparation of Welfare Policies for the Town. She proposed basing them largely on the Municipal Association’s model guidelines. In the discussion it was agreed not to include specific dollar figures for items such as fuel and housing which either change rapidly or for which there is a very limited market in Lyme.
12. The meeting adjourned at 9:50 AM.
R. G. Jones
Recorder pro tem
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