PRESENT:
David Woodbury Chairman
Christine Quirk Selectman
Burton Reynolds Town Administrator
ABSENT: Gordon Carlstrom Selectman
CALL TO ORDER: A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Woodbury at 7:00PM, beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance.
PUBLIC COMMENT: None.
APPOINTMENTS: None.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Minutes of August 19, 2002 – The Selectmen reviewed and discussed additions and corrections made to the minutes. Christine made a motion to approve the minutes of August 19, 2002 with the changes. Dave seconded the motion. All were in favor.
OLD BUSINESS:
Planning:
· Brian & Beth Stevens – Appointment cancelled, to be rescheduled.
· Best Way Homes, Inc. – Compliance hearing for Phase III of major subdivision was approved with the following conditions:
o Remove loose dirt over the ledge cut
o Install ditch line where turnaround for phase II once was
o Remove silt fence at cistern location
o Reset boundary marker
This hearing was approved with bond in place for the above work to be completed. The road will have to be approved by the Selectmen. A driveway needs to be installed on lot 23, and the Planning Board voted to hold a $400.00 security for the wetlands crossing on a driveway not installed yet.
· CVI Development, Inc. by Eric Farris– The Planning Board is waiting for the State to issue a permit to restore and a letter from DES. Claire Dodge spoke against having a subdivision with a 70x200 foot strip of land. An extension was agreed upon until September 10th.
· Freedom Crossing, LLC & Randy & Gail Parker - The Planning Board is still waiting for legal advice from Attorney Drescher regarding the access road.
· Right Way Builders, Inc. by Rick Martin – Discussion involved a proposed change to the approved subdivision and a request for removal of additional material from the site. Art Bergen documented four days of truck traffic from this site, totaling 7,000 yards of material. D&S calculated 1,000 yards of material. The Planning Board authorized removal of up to 12,000 yards of material with reasonable efforts being made to minimize truck traffic, and their records be kept to the board’s satisfaction.
· New Era C.F. Trust by Dorothy Marden, Trustee – Application for a minor subdivision was submitted and a public hearing was held. A driveway permit was accepted and a waiver request for traffic, fiscal & environmental impact studies was submitted and approved. The Planning Board approved as a major subdivision.
· CIP Committee – Discussed involved potential members of the committee. Paula Bellemore and Shawn Fish have shown some interest. Christine stated that she was not sure at this time which of the Selectmen would serve on the committee.
· Site Walks:
o Conditional Use Permit
o AT&T Wireless at Wilson Hill
Christine motioned to have Bill Drescher go to court regarding the Certificate of Occupancy with Rightway Builders as reflected in his letters of August 26th and August 29th, 2002. Dave seconded the motion. All were in favor.
Employee Evaluation Form – Burton distributed the newest version of the employee evaluation form for the Selectmen to review. He will be meeting with the department heads on September 4th to get their input.
Byam Letter – The Selectmen discussed a letter from Attorney Mike Ryan’s office on behalf of Mrs. Phyllis Byam of Byam Road. It addresses drainage issues on Mrs. Byam’s property. The town needs to determine whether the road is flooding her property. No further work will be done until that determination is made.
CIP Requests – Gordon Carlstrom has stated that he will represent the Selectmen on the committee. The Selectmen discussed the next scheduled re-valuation for the town and a warrant article that would allow the Selectmen to spend money for the preparatory work.
Gravel Pit Ordinance – Nic has requested that the Planning Board be allowed to review the ordinance in an attempt to give the Selectmen and the applicants a clearer understanding of the document. The Selectmen encouraged the Planning Board to draft a clarification of the regulations.
NEW BUSINESS:
Vehicle Salvage/Graveyard Facilities – The Selectmen reviewed a letter from the State and determined which property owners in New Boston would receive a copy.
4-H Foundation Gravel Bond Waiver Request – The 4-H Foundation has requested a waiver for a gravel bond due to the reduced price that the town of New Boston is paying for gravel. The Selectmen questioned whether or not the town has the right to grant a waiver and which party is responsible for reclaiming the property. Burton will research the matter.
MS-1 Town Assessed Valuation for 2002 – Burton explained to the Selectmen that for every 235 thousand dollars spent, the tax rate goes up one dollar. This number represents all changes and/or improvements to land and properties. There has been an increase of 5.4 percent since last year.
Deputy Tax Collector and Deputy Town Clerk Duties – Burton distributed a memo from Paula Bellemore outlining her duties as the Tax Collector. Her status as Deputy Town Clerk was never meant to extend the Town Clerk’s hours, but instead to serve as a backup. The Town Clerk’s hours were also discussed. At this time, there is no need to extend the hours. This arrangement seems to be working well and Burton is looking for approval from the Selectmen.
Employee Evaluations Training Outline – Burton dispersed an outline to the Selectmen for employee training. The Selectmen will review and offer any suggestions of types of issues to cover with the employees.
OTHER:
COLA Index # - Burton discussed with the Selectmen the index numbers used in various cities across the nation and also the nation’s average figure. It was decided that the same figure should be used all the time, and that New Boston would use the regional figure for Boston feeling that it would ring more true to employees than the national figure.
Flowers on the Common – Pat Jennings has put in a request to spend 126 dollars more than the budget line item for flowers on the common. Burton explained that this line item will be overspent due to the painting of Town Hall that was authorized. Burton will check to see if Pat has spent more money on flowers than in years past. The Selectmen are inclined to allow the expenditure.
Part-time Benefits - Paula Ciarla and Paula Bellemore both worked just under the minimum of 18 hours to receive part time employee benefits. Burton questioned whether they should receive the benefits for this past week. The Selectmen felt that they should receive benefits for 18 hours and then a decision needs to be made regarding the job rating.
Road Committee Meeting – A meeting of the road committee will be held on Tuesday, September 17th at 7:00PM at the Highway Shed.
Perambulation – The Selectmen will meet with the Selectmen of Lyndeborough to locate the town line markers. They will meet at 8:30AM on Saturday, September 21st, at the entrance to Granite State’s Gravel Pit at the intersection of Hopkins and Lyndeboro Roads.
Complaint – Burton received a complaint from Clay Drew regarding the hours of operation for Bo Strong’s gravel pit. He claims that trucks are hauling out of town on Saturday, before 8:00AM, and that they operated during the Labor Day holiday. Burton will write a letter and try to arrange a meeting between himself and the two parties involved.
Joe Foistner – Joe Foistner is digging a pond on his property and has diverted water from a culvert. Dennis Sarrette has spoken with him regarding the culvert. The State has been notified and will be coming to inspect the project with Dennis.
Christine made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:45PM. Dave seconded the motion. All were in favor.
Prepared by Cindy Romano
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