Town of New Boston
Selectmen's Meeting
May 31, 2005
PRESENT: Gordon Carlstrom Selectman
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 7:00PM beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance.
B. PUBLIC COMMENT: No public comments were made at this time.
C. APPOINTMENTS:
1. 7:00 PM Eric Seidel Library Trustee Appointment
Cancelled as Mr. Seidel is out of town. Rescheduled for June 13.
2. 7:10 PM Gerry Cornett Transfer Station Manager
Gerry Cornett, the Transfer Station Manager, was present to discuss ordering the new compactor for the transfer station.
He has received 3 quotes and an amended quote. The quote from Naro was the most expensive, $69,000 then amended to $65,000. This company is located in Ohio and subs out repairs. Another quote from Maquire of Hyde Park, MA came in at $63,000 for the base unit but with the upgrades Gerry would like it would cost about $65,000. Gerry recommends the new compactor be ordered from Atlantic Leasing of Dover, NH. The quote is $61,575. They will upgrade the paint at no extra cost. The unit will be undercoated while it is being made. A one year service contract is included. Gerry plans to use Ams oil so the salesman will deduct the cost of hydraulic oil. J&J Truckbody says they can shoot the compactor with non-stick material for less than Atlantic Leasing quoted so a salesman from J&J will be
coming in to quote that. The unit will need a rebuild halfway through its life. This unit is smaller than the one it is replacing as they no longer make compactors that size. The current unit is 20 years old. It should have lasted another 10 more years but needs to be replaced now because it was not properly maintained. Gerry will have the new compactor coated on the inside by another vendor to protect it from wear and tear and will install drain lines to keep water out.
The unit will come in 6-8 weeks after it is ordered. The salesman will come in on a Sunday for removal and cleaning. The primary install will be done on Monday, the final install will be done on Tuesday and the compactor will be ready for business on Thursday.
David moved to accept the quote from Atlantic Leasing Corporation dated May 19, 2005. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor. Gerry will order it tomorrow.
· Hazardous Waste Day is June 25. Volunteers are needed. The Fire Department will be there. It will be located in a different area of the Transfer Station this year to help traffic flow. Demolition will be closed that day.
· The Selectmen received a phone call in response to the first warning letter they sent out. The employees at the transfer station have noticed that residents are making an excellent effort recycling. Having Jeff working there on Saturday seems to help a lot.
D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
1. Minutes of May 16, 2005 - The Selectmen reviewed the minutes. Corrections were noted. David moved that they be accepted as amended. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
E. APPOINTMENTS:
3. 7:30 PM John Bunting Addressing Issues
The Selectmen reviewed a memo from John Bunting, which detailed four properties in town that may need their address changed.
· Cliff LaBree moved his driveway a considerable distance on Wilson Hill Road and may need his number changed from 102 to a number in the 120’s. This is necessary to help emergency vehicles find his house in the event of an emergency as there are other houses in between his old and new driveway with numbers higher than 102.
· #7 Ridgeview Lane moved their driveway so it is now located on Joe English Road. This address should be changed to Joe English Road.
· #5 Simons Farm Road. Presently there is 1 driveway leading to 2 houses, 5A and 5B. Now there are plans for a third house to go in between the two. The policy in the past has been that if there are more than 2 houses the driveway would become a private road and would need a name and the houses would get distinct numbers. John asked if the numbers should be A, B and C or if the road should become a private road according to the policy. Dennis Sarette has said he prefers the A, B and C method.
· Salisbury Road. This road is located at New Boston’s border with Mont Vernon and new house numbers will have to be coordinated with Mont Vernon’s numbers. New Boston’s policy is to have even numbers on the right side of the road as they increase, and Mont Vernon does the opposite. The Selectmen feel that the New Boston policy should be followed in this case as well.
· An ordinance will be drafted to set up numbering standards and displaying standards similar to what New London has done. New Boston does have a policy and procedure but it is not in writing. This will be discussed at another meeting.
· John has thought of some potential names for 2 roads in Rick Martin’s subdivision. They are Pinball, Edwards and Plantin.
· Water was high on the ball field behind the town hall yesterday and this may be an issue as to the recent water problems in the town hall. Bill Barss was in and determined that a pipe was plugged and may need to be fixed using a hose. A screen was installed yesterday to keep the sump pump from clogging.
4. 8:00 PM Fire Wards
The Fire Wards were present to meet with the Selectmen and update them on several issues.
· Right to know law-Meeting minutes are posted within 6 days of the meeting and are made public. The minutes are on record and a copy is filed with Linda.
· The new U2 is waiting for the chassis to be delivered and waiting for pricing on the new body. It may be a little more expensive than originally thought. The Association might be asked to cover additional expenses.
· M2 has been ordered and will be delivered in approximately 300 days (worst case). Dan MacDonald expects it to arrive in September or October.
· M1 is expected to be safe to operate for another couple years until refurbishment.
· The fire wards have considered selling old vehicles on Ebay if the Selectmen approve it.
· M3 is planned to be refurbished next year.
· Refurbs are not costing as much as in past years because the department is maintaining the vehicles better. Maintenance costs have increased a little.
· The Air Force Pumper (M5) is scheduled to be refurbished in September but this may be delayed to January or the Air Force will pay for leasing a replacement vehicle as there will be no vehicle in town if M5 is gone.
· Recent ambulance repair. It was determined that the glow plug broke and fell on a piston, which went into the engine. The total repair bill was $11,200, which represents most of the vehicle repair budget for this year. Dan has contacted Ford and sent a letter to their regional office with concerns as 2/3 of the department’s Fords have lost engines before 30,000 miles. This vehicle was purchased in 1999 and included a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty.
· The new Fire Inspector, Dennis Covey, has done some inspections and can serve on the ambulance when needed.
· Long range planning for the fire house has not begun. Staffing needs to be considered. Full time personnel will be needed at some point but this is not expected to happen in the next 3 years. The chief or inspector will be the first to make the transition to full time. New Boston has been successful with recruiting volunteers so far.
· Charging for ambulance runs. The department could be charging $300-500 per call but the members don’t feel this would be right at this time as they are volunteering their time and not being compensated. If they started charging for calls they would have to compensate the volunteers for their time and training. Also, there is concern that some older people in town would not call the ambulance when they need it if they knew they would be charged for the call.
· Communication issues. The Fire Wards feel they should be invited in to meet with the Selectmen more often. The Fire Wards were invited in approximately every 6 weeks in the past. Also, the Selectmen could attend department head meetings held the first Wednesday of every month. The Fire Wards are confident that if a serious issue comes up they do bring it to the attention of the Selectmen. They will also start e-mailing the minutes of their meetings to Burton.
· More expenses are coming up in the department for things volunteers used to do but don’t do anymore such as cleaning, landscaping, fill cisterns and truck maintenance. Training and calls are the most important functions of the volunteers.
· There is a new training officer and training system. The EMTs are now scheduled to attend training one Wednesday of each month from 7-10:00 PM which replaces an intense weekend course they were required to attend every other year in the past. The price of these two programs is comparable. 97% of the department is certified and many members are getting additional higher levels of training than ever before.
· A Homeland Security drill is scheduled at the Tracking Station on June 11 from 9:00AM-1:00 PM. The Selectmen are invited to attend.
· Regarding the town of New Boston, no issues are expected from the recent fatal accident at the Tracking Station.
· Speed capabilities of the reserve ambulance will be looked into.
F. OLD BUSINESS:
1. Planning:
· A sitewalk was done at the landscaping material supply business on Hemlock. They will clear out some trees along the corner to make it more visible to traffic. The trailers are gone.
· A sitewalk was done at Seff Enterprises. Proposed 2 lots on Foxberry Drive. The Planning Board decided the lot does conform as a backlot as it goes around a corner. The Selectmen are still concerned about this and plan to write to the Planning Board to ask for a definition of a backlot and to ask them to explain how they consider this particular property to be a backlot. Dave has looked at the ordinance, which states a backlot has to be “behind.” The ordinance may need to be redrafted. Dave considers this particular lot to be “beside.” Gordon considers it to be stacking.
· A sitewalk was done at David Craig’s 5 River Road property. The grass and fence area will be converted to additional parking.
· A sitewalk was done at Indian Falls to view compliance on the driveway.
· Harvey/Dupuis Trust-Major Subdivision of 6 lots on Carriage Road-Dufresne-Henry’s review of the subdivision was reviewed with minor changes made to the plans. No questions with the conditional use permit. A waiver of 2% grade at the end of the road was approved. The application was approved.
· Jonathan and Jessica Willard-The applicants sent a letter to the Planning Board because they couldn’t get the septic approval because it was done by the previous owner in the early 1990’s without permission and there is no record of what the septic is like. They wanted an exception from the Planning Board to go ahead on the plans without approval from DES but the Planning Board denied that.
· Landscaping Material-No outstanding issues other than payment to the Planning Board. The Planning Board approved the application and accepted the application as complete with conditions for payment.
· Daylily Lane-5 lot subdivision-The abutters requested the road be changed to 18 feet wide instead of the 20 feet recommended by the Road Agent. The Fire Department originally requested the road meet the 22 foot highway standard. The Planning Board chairman stated he wouldn’t go against the Road Agent and Road Committee recommendations and won’t change the width of the road. Bond estimate and Dufresne-Henry’s second review are pending.
· Susanna LeClair-There will be 4 driveways on Bedford Road, one on Baker and one on Wilson Road. Jed Callen was there representing Dick Moody and stated he didn’t get all the paperwork in time according to the rule so the Planning Board adjourned the meeting until June 28 to abide by the rule and decided that they will start doing that with all applications if everything is not in on time.
· Right Way Builders-Rick Martin requested to have Dufresne-Henry and the attorney look at his application ahead of time on the condos as he expects it to take 6-9 months. The Planning Board felt he should wait and follow normal procedure.
· Friendly Beaver Campground-It was proven by letters and testimony that the Beaver Hut Café was there before Tom Quirk came in and the Planning Board grandfathered it in.
2. Wilson Hill/Bedford Road Intersection-The engineer’s report was received today in which he stated he didn’t think a stop sign is appropriate. Instead, additional sight distance can be obtained by cutting the embankment down.
3. Status: Police Chief Hiring-Oral Boards will be held tomorrow. Dave will attend. Burton gave them the essay question, which will hopefully be completed tomorrow as well.
4. Donation Policy-Another request for a donation was received today from the City of Portsmouth to save the Shipyard. Burton has drafted a letter to send to people when they request a donation, which states the town’s policy on donations.
5. Overtime Rules-The rules have been reviewed and New Boston is still in compliance with the Fair Labor Standard Act.
G. NEW BUSINESS:
1. Signs on the Common-Barry Smith is running a Blues Festival in town to benefit Webster House and has requested to advertise the event at various places around the common. Other people have asked to advertise their yard sales at such around the common. The policy is any sign on the triangle cannot interfere with sight of traffic. There have not been many complaints that signs have been desecrating hallowed ground. The Selectmen wish to limit granting requests to town agencies and maybe some non-profits and limit the size of signs. Day of event directional signs may be permitted for events at the fairgrounds and for events relating to the town of New Boston. Week in advance announcements may be permitted for events that benefit the
town or town people directly. Dave will work on drafting this. Gordon is considering this to apply to large scale events such as events taking place at the fairgrounds. Yard sale signs are already covered under the sign ordinance.
H. OTHER:
1. Christine will have pictures of park model trailers and information on which towns tax trailers for the next meeting.
2. Flooding in the basement was previously discussed.
3. An opinion from Attorney Drescher regarding steep slopes was not received but Burton spoke with him and told him that a letter had been sent to him about this. Attorney Drescher said he has spoken with other attorneys about this and stands by his opinion. He is not sure if the opponents had the right to appeal under the RSA but they do have the right to go to court if they choose to.
4. The Selectmen plan to view Cyndie Wilson’s beaver pond on June 27 at 6:00 PM if that is convenient for her.
5. Burton will be out next Tuesday for a medical procedure.
6. This year, Burton will not attend the Welfare Officers meeting as he usually does but instead will attend the local meeting in Milford on June 9.
7. The town hall employee lunch is planned to take place on June 15.
8. Eric has fixed the window in the basement of the town hall where mice have been coming in and plans to come back to patch up other places where they might be coming in.
9. A new publication from Primex called Awareness In Action has been received. They will be sending a new edition every six months. It might be helpful to compare their policies with New Boston’s to see if they have any good ideas. The books also come with CD-ROMs.
I. PUBLIC COMMENT: No comments at this time.
J. Move to Non-Public Session: Gordon made a motion to go into Non-Public session at 10:05 PM. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
K. ADJOURNMENT: Gordon made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:21 PM. Christine seconded the motion. All were in favor.
All were in favor.
Prepared by Maralyn Segien
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