PRESENT: Gordon Carlstrom Chairman
David Woodbury Selectman
Christine Quirk Selectman
Burton Reynolds Town Administrator
A. CALL TO ORDER: A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order by Gordon Carlstrom at 7PM beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance.
B. PUBLIC COMMENT: None.
C. APPOINTMENTS:
1. 7:10-8:00PM Interview Candidates for Committee Appointments
v Karen Johnson –13 Moss Drive. She has applied for appointment to the Finance Committee. Burton and the Selectmen explained the role of the finance committee as an advisory board during the budget process and its responsibilities. Dave made a motion to appoint Karen Johnson for a three year term to the finance committee, with status to be determined at a later date. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
v Phil Consolini – Arrowwood Drive. Phil is interested in serving on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. He previously served on the Planning Board for six to seven years. Dave made a motion to appoint Phil Consolini as a full member to the ZBA for a three year term. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
v Roch Larochelle – 59 Beard Road. Roch has applied for appointment to the road committee. He is a civil engineer working with the state and municipalities. The Selectmen explained that the committee helps to make decisions regarding ongoing maintenance and the use of state block grant monies for road projects. They are an advisory group for the
Finance committee and the Selectmen. Discussion also involved the RS-MS software that is used to obtain data on the town roads, and the budget process. Dave made a motion to appoint Roch Larochelle to the Road Committee for a three year term. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
APPOINTMENTS(cont’d):
v Thomas A. Miller – Tom has also applied for the opening on the road committee that was created by the resignation of Bruce Fillmore. He is also an engineer and has experience in road construction and bridges. The Selectmen explained that the Transportation section of the Master Plan expired last year and that the planning coordinator needs a list of transportation projects for the new plan. Dave made a motion to appoint Thomas A. Miller to the Road Committee for the remainder of the term, which expires in year 2004.
Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
v Karl Heafield – Fales Lane. Karl has applied for a position on the Forestry Committee. He has lived in New Boston for twenty-three years. Dave made a motion to appoint Karl Heafield as an associate member to the Forestry Committee for a three year period. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor. Karl may become a full member as an opening becomes available.
v Other Appointments:
o Betsy Dodge – Dave motioned to re-appoint Betsy Dodge as a full member of the Conservation Commission for a period of three years. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
o Rebecca Balke – Dave motioned to re-appoint Rebecca Balke to the Conservation Commission, but as a full member to serve out the term of Deb Keiner. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
o Ken Lombard – Dave motioned to re-appoint Ken Lombard to the Finance Committee for a three year term. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
o Kim DiPietro – Dave motioned to re-appoint Kim DiPietro as a member of the Forestry Committee for a three year term. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
o Kathleen Kennedy – Dave motioned to re-appoint Kathleen Kennedy to the Recreation Commission for a three year term. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
o Brenda Lind – Dave motioned to appoint Brenda Lind as a member of the Open Space Committee for a three year term. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
o Mary Koon – Dave motioned to re-appoint Mary Koone as an alternate to the Open Space committee for a three year period. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
o Sue Martin – Dave motioned to re-appoint Sue Martin as a full member of the Open Space committee for a three year period. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
o Brian Dorwart – Dave motioned to re-appoint Brian Dorwart to the Road committee for a period of one year. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
.
2. 8:00PM Fire Wards Fire Department
The Fire Wards were present to bring the Selectmen an update on the department. The following items were covered:
v Radios – Wayne Blassberg reported that the radio circuit allowing communication between the fire department and Base 100 has been upgraded and is working very well. Verizon redesigned the circuit so that calls now go into Manchester and come back to town.
v Trucks – Dick Moody gave an update on the most recent cost of maintenance repairs to the vehicles. Maintenance budgets have increased to allow for additional scheduled maintenance, while some costs may be due to the increased number of calls and usage. He felt that the CIP for truck rotation seems sufficient, but may have to be adjusted in the future.
v Thermal Imager – Dan Teague informed the Selectmen that the thermal imager has been received. The first training class was held with the town of Mont Vernon, splitting the cost of the session. The Fire Wards are looking for a house that needs demolition in order to practice using the thermal imager.
v Automatic Defibrillator – Dave questioned the status of the defibrillator. Dan replied that Rose Meadow Farm chose to purchase the more expensive model for the Fire department. Dan has applied for grant money for more defibrillators and is waiting for a commitment from the Police department to carry one in the cruiser.
v Building Maintenance – George St. John reported that the trench drains have need to be opened up by the back door and work needs to be done on the overhead doors. The plumbing has been worked on to correct the water pressure. Dave asked whether DES has shown any concern over the wash water from the vehicles, as they have at the Highway shed. No problems have been reported, except at the Tracking Station, where drains have been closed and water floods the floors.
Miscellaneous Items:
v Commercial Washing Machine - a machine was donated to the department for washing the outer gear. The Tracking Station is covering the cost of installation.
v New Commander – beginning after June 2003, the Tracking Station will have a new commander. Dan has yet to meet him.
v Agreement with Tracking Station – concern has been voiced over wording and will take another six months to complete. The long term relationship with the Tracking Station was discussed.
v Compensation for Volunteers Testifying in Court – Chief MacDonald expressed his feelings regarding the fire and EMT volunteers being paid an hourly wage while in court or spending time with attorneys. He feels strongly that the volunteers should be paid an hourly wage for their time spent in court, whether it is from lost wages or personal time. The Selectmen are willing to reimburse the volunteers for any lost time in wages and mileage, but are not in favor of paying people to go to court.
D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
1. Minutes of March 31, 2003 – The Selectmen reviewed the minutes and made the necessary corrections. Dave motioned to accept the minutes with as revised. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
E. OLD BUSINESS:
1. Planning – Christine reported that there was no meeting last week and that the site walk on Wilson Hill was cancelled.
2. Hazard Mitigation Goals for 2003 – The Selectmen reviewed the list of goals with Burton and decided which ones needed to be addressed. Tree clearing and flood warning were discussed. It was decided that informational brochures would cover several of the items. They asked the Fire Wards for input on re-activating the siren at the firehouse. A converter needs to be purchased, but could probably be purchased with grant money.
3. Employee Evaluation Appeals Process – The department heads have given Burton their input and feel that it should be up to the employee whether or not the evaluator is present during the appeal. They don’t mind being excluded. Burton’s involvement may be optional. The town administrator may be present during the interview with the department head due to his previous discussion with the department head regarding the employee’s evaluation. The Selectmen will need to hear both the employee and the evaluator’s comments. So far, there have been three requests to speak to the Selectmen; two involve evaluations, and the other involves the salary schedule.
F. NEW BUSINESS:
1. 1st Quarter Financial Review – The Selectmen reviewed the budget line items with Burton for the first quarter and compared with the total budget.
2. Insurance on Bridges – Burton did some research on the cost of insuring the wooden bridges in town. It was felt the cost was too expensive to consider.
G. OTHER:
1. Adelphia – Bob Nelson has rewritten the cable contract with the changes, however, he did not include the library or the fire department. The monthly fee for the school and the library are supposed to be waived, but there is no reference to this in the contract. Burton will contact him regarding these items.
2. New Tax Maps – Burton informed the Selectmen that the new tax maps have been completed and are available at town hall.
3. Wildwood Campground – Burton has been notified that there are three persons interested in purchasing the campground, so the town should receive the tax money before or around June, the deeding date.
4. Paradise Dam – Burton would like to see the dam which is supposed to be located just up the river from the Rte. 13 bridge at New Boston Hardware to be sure its failure would pose no exposure to property located below it.
5. U.S. Flags – Linda Sizemore of the Selectmen’s office has suggested that New Boston put more flags up around the town, and that maybe an article in the New Boston Bulletin would generate donations from the residents. Brandy Mitroff, editor of the paper, suggested a list of corporate candidates for donations.
H. PUBLIC COMMENT: None.
I. ADJOURNMENT: Dave made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:05PM. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
Prepared by Cindy Romano
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