Town of Lyme
Board of Selectmen
Minutes for July 25, 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: Administrative Assistant Carole Bont, Simon Carr, Dick Jones and Charles Ragan. The following attended parts of the meeting: Fire Chief Michael Hinsley, Emergency Management Director Wallace Ragan, Assessing Assistant Elise Garrity, Zoning Administrator Vickie Davis, Cemetery Commission chair Jean Smith and member Jennifer Cooke, Sexton Bill LaBombard, Katie Jenks and Karen Keane.
2. Michael and Wally came in to discuss the issues of maintenance and the town easements on fire ponds and cisterns. There were two types; those mandated by major subdivisions and those voluntarily created by residents as town resources. Michael suggested that we needed to set up a capital reserve fund with sufficient resources to repair fire protection structures. It was agreed that the town would give easements to take over the long-term maintenance, after an initial three year period. These must be approved by the Fire Chief. Michael is looking at sample easements, including that given by NCRC&D. Easements must define the necessary routine maintenance required and
must be approved by town counsel. The fire department will undertake to obtain the easements from all landowners and Peter Mulvihill is working on this.
3. Michael reported that the new rescue truck is due in next week. New radios for the highway department had now been received, but we were still waiting on the erection of the tower behind the fire station.
4. Michael has been talking to the owners of the Alden Inn; it currently has no power or telephone to provide early warning, putting that area of the green at significant risk.
5. Vickie had forwarded Jae Whitelaw’s email on lot mergers for board consideration. Vickie described the issues involved and there was a discussion on the issues involved. The resolution of lot mergers needs to be addressed by the Planning Board, but the unmerging of lots is not a Planning Board issue and has to be handled by the Selectboard. (See also paragraph 15 below.)
6. Katie Jenks came in to complain about the odor from the compactor/transfer station. The board agreed to visit the compactor at the end of the meeting.
7. Karen Keane came in to show the easement proposing to remove a house site. Dick moved to approve, conceptually, the gift of an easement from Karen and David Keane to remove the 1.5acre building site from Map 408, Lot 4, subject to town counsel review. This was agreed unanimously.
8. Jean Smith, Jennifer Cooke and Bill LaBombard came in to discuss cemetery fees. Jean presented a summary of the cemetery charges made by some other NH towns. The board will review the Cemetery Commission’s proposal once they have finalized it. Jean also asked about getting the Cemetery Commission information on the website; she should talk directly to Elise about this. The Board agreed to visit the Highland Cemetery at the end of the meeting.
9. The following administrative matters were discussed and actions taken:
a. The minutes for July 18 were approved with minor amendments.
b. The minutes for July 20 public and non-public sessions were approved.
c. No manifest was approved. Andrea has signed some welfare checks which will be included in next week’s manifest.
d. The Tax Anticipation Note was signed.
e. One timber Intent-to-cut was signed.
f. Two updated and one new Current Use Applications were signed.
g. Melanie Gillis’s application to move a mobile home was signed.
h. The position description for the Transfer Station was approved. Steve Maddock had indicated that he was happy with it.
i. The state had notified the board that the Trustees of the Trust Funds were overdue in severely overdue in their reporting. The board has written to the trustees reminding them of these obligations.
j. The board returned the DES ‘motor vehicle salvage yard’ questionnaire, noting Perry’s was a registered salvage operator.
k. Carole reported on the issues with the charging of on-line services by Grafton County Registry of Deeds. Although some charges were waived for towns, she noted that there was now a $1 fee for every download.
10. Dick reported on the Conservation Commission public meeting of July 23. The Commission had voted to spend the additional $15,000 required for the easement for extinguishing the building rights on the Tullar property. The town will take a second easement over this property but it was not certain whether this would be over the 3 acre building site or the full 49 acres now under the state easement.
11. The board accepted Kerry Beck’s resignation from the Recreation Commission due to his re-location and recorded their appreciation of his service.
12. An application to use the Lyme Center Academy Building for an Obama campaign meeting was discussed. Dick proposed that the board approve use of the Academy building by recognized political candidates, subject to the regular deposit and fee scale and that the liability for these is to rest with the campaign offices, not with a local sponsor. This was approved unanimously.
13. The board noted that there had been illegal dumping of C&D waste at the barrier on Shoestrap Road.
14. The board considered the request from Habitat for Humanity that a special assessment be made for the Pleasant Street house, reflecting its subsidized purchase value. The board rejected the request by a majority vote (Dick and Charles voting not to grant the request and Simon voting to grant the request), recognizing that any occupier could apply for a hardship abatement.
15. The board had not reviewed the suggested Zoning Ordinance changes in full. Dick was deputed to draft a memo giving the board’s views on the necessity to amend the lot merger regulations and on the need for a full re-write of the planning ordinances in clear language.
16. The joint meeting of the Selectboard and Budget Committee had been proposed for Wednesday August 1st at 7:00PM. However, Barney Brannen cannot make this. He had also suggested a separate Budget Committee with the Building Committee. It was felt that it would be better to combine the two meetings and it was proposed that the Selectboard call a meeting for Wednesday August 8th at 7:00PM with the Budget Committee and at 7:30PM with the Building Committee and Budget Committee together.
17. At 10:20 AM the meeting recessed and re-convened at the Highland Cemetery to view the cremation garden and subsequently at the transfer station to consider odors.
18. The compactor was considered; there appeared to be some slight odor, on the north side. It was noted that there was a much stronger odor on the road slope by Katy Jenks house, which diminished and was not present near the glass or containers roll-offs. It appeared to be from a dead animal, but the actual location could not be found. Charles will arrange to get some compactor deodorant from Witcher to treat the compactor.
19. The meeting adjourned at 10:40 AM.
Simon Carr
Recorder
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