Town of New Boston
Selectmen's Meeting
August 16, 2010
PRESENT: Rodney Towne Selectman
Dwight Lovejoy Selectman
Christine Quirk Selectman
Burton Reynolds Town Administrator
Road Agent John Riendeau was also present.
A. CALL TO ORDER: A regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order by Christine Quirk at 6:00PM beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance.
B. PUBLIC COMMENT:
None.
C. APPOINTMENTS:
1. 6:00 PM John Riendeau Road Agent
Road Agent John Riendeau was present to meet with the Selectmen to discuss projects the Highway Department is working on.
John had previously received a verbal quote of $186,000 on the John Deere the Highway Department is considering purchasing but since his last meeting with the Selectmen he learned a new craig wing will also need to be installed increasing the quote to $189,000 after trade in. Originally, the wing from the current grader was to be put on the new one. Design changes made this impossible. The John Deere salesman also had a meeting with representatives from the John Deere main office and they decided to offer $42,000 for the trade in. The quote would be $186,000 if the town decides to install a different wing on it instead of the craig wing. The quote from CAT is $205,000. John would prefer to purchase the John Deere model. He noted it has excellent fuel efficiency. It has a
warranty up to 36 months of 10,000 hours. An extended warranty is also available and the town has until the vehicle is delivered to decide if it wishes to purchase the extended warranty. . $171,000 is available in the CRF. The projected trade in was $45,000 not $42,000 and $10,000 was planned to be used from the highway block grant. An additional $7,000 is now needed and will be taken from the block grant as the Lyndeborough Road Bridge project is expected to be underbudget.
The Highway Department is trying to complete the box culvert repair on Colburn Road this week. The permit has been received from DES. The cost of this project will come out of the summer hired equipment budget line.
The generator that was taken from the Ridgeview cell tower is now stored at the highway shed. This might be useful to use at the Wason Building to run the sump pump during power outages. The set up expense will be incorporated into next year’s budget if the town decides to use it. Burton will check with Emergency Management Officer Dan MacDonald for an appropriate use for it. The Transfer Station is planning to purchase a new generator, as this one does not have enough capacity for that location.
D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
1. Minutes of August 2, 2010 - The Selectmen reviewed the minutes. Corrections were noted. Rodney moved that they be accepted as amended. Dwight seconded the motion. All were in favor.
2. Non-Public Minutes of August 2, 2010 - The Selectmen reviewed the non-public minutes. Rodney moved that they be accepted as presented. Dwight seconded the motion. All were in favor.
3. Town Clerk Irene Baudreau sent a memo regarding draft minutes the Selectmen had previously approved noting some spelling errors. Burton noted the spelling errors were fixed in the final version of the minutes and Irene’s concerns were addressed.
E. OLD BUSINESS:
1. Planning: None.
2. Selectmen Meeting Procedures- The Selectmen will review it and discuss it in September.
F. NEW BUSINESS:
1. Video Cameras-This will be rescheduled to the next Selectmen’s meeting as Lee Brown was unable to attend. Burton noted he attended a meeting at the Police Department where the proposed system was reviewed with a vendor. It was noted the system would do what the town needs. The pros and cons of the scan option were discussed. Christine is not in favor of the scan option. Various locations around town were discussed. Additional cameras can be added later. Different quality cameras can be used within the system. The role of advisor and vendor was discussed and he said he understands he won’t be the only vendor bidding. The system will be compatible with other products offered by other vendors. The Police Department and Recreation Department
have funds to implement the system now and other departments will have to include this into next year’s budget. Camera protection options were also discussed.
G. OTHER:
1. Town Clerk Irene Baudreau sent a memo to the Selectmen asking if the planned dates for the Town Hall asbestos abatement could be changed. The Selectmen decided not to change the dates.
2. Town Clerk Irene Baudreau sent a memo to the Selectmen regarding her job description saying she agrees with all but feels the Selectmen not the Town Administrator supervises her office. That is included in the job description due to the NH RSA governing the Town Clerk position which says certain town departments report to the Selectmen but since the Selectmen are not involved in the day to day operation of the town they delegate supervision to the Town Administrator. The state legislature has not yet defined the role of a Town Administrator as it has the role of a Town Manager. The Selectmen decided to keep the job description as it is. If the Town Clerk has a problem they always have access to the Selectmen. Rodney will meet with her to discuss. He will also discuss with her the
desire of the Selectmen that she begin to attend the monthly department manager meetings. She is not required to do so as she holds an elected position but the Selectmen feel this would be beneficial to her. She will now be invited to attend the monthly department manager meetings.
3. The Selectmen reviewed a memo from Burton regarding charging for gas. The Selectmen decided they would not charge the town for gas used while performing Selectmen duties unless they are required to travel a long distance. They also have the option of borrowing a town vehicle for this purpose.
4. The Road Agent has appealed a disciplinary matter and the hearing will be on August 25.
5. Dwight visited the location of Alan LaPenn’s recent complaint and noted there was a noticeable increase of approximately 12 littered beer cans added to the location in the course of one week. He also noted a father fishing there with his two sons who were approached by fish and game and did not agree with fish and game’s approach. Conservation Commission Chairman Burr Tupper was unable to attend the Conservation Commission’s last meeting and is unsure what they discussed on the matter. He has recommended adding signs noting it is a “carry in carry out” area or restricting recreational use of the area from dawn to dusk. He also noted he might be agreeable to asking Conservation Commission members to volunteer to visit the area once per month to talk to
people recreating there. The dawn to dusk restriction might work in other areas but not this one due to the type of fishing done there. The Selectmen will consider writing to the Conservation Commission and will send a letter to Alan.
6. The cost overrun at the Lyndeborough Road Bridge project due to the recent discovery of ledge not found during core sampling will be covered by the contingency the town agreed to at the beginning of the project. If the Selectmen need more information about this they are welcome to speak to the engineers on the project.
7. The Police Chief sent a recent complaint from a resident about stray dogs in to the Selectmen for review. The officer that took the complaint told the caller there was nothing the police could do about it. This concerned the Selectmen as a Warrant Article was passed this year to add a town ordinance that would allow the police to act in this type of situation. Burton will share with the Chief the Selectmen’s concerns.
8. Transfer Station Manager Gerry Cornett asked about the policy of waiving fees at the Transfer Station. This came about after two additional loads of construction debris came to the Transfer Station from the Fairgrounds. Gerry asked for written notification from the Selectmen when the Selectmen decide debris that would normally be charged for should be accepted at no charge. The Selectmen decided if an organization wishes to do something like this in the future they should send a formal request to the Selectmen for approval. Burton will clarify the issue with Gerry and write to Jolee Chase at the 4-H Cooperative Extension.
9. Burton has completed a revision of the Town of New Boston Welfare Guidelines Manual and updated the housing and food guidelines, manual and applications. Rodney moved to adopt the 2010 Town of New Boston Welfare Guidelines Manual with housing and food rates. Dwight seconded the motion. All were in favor.
10. Last year Burton worked from home on Fridays in September to complete the employee reviews and this worked well to get them done promptly. The Selectmen agreed he should do this again this year for this purpose. Burton also asked for Selectmen input for each department manager’s review.
11. The July meeting with the Police Chief to belatedly complete his spring evaluation will be put into written form and put in the read folder for the Selectmen’s review and approve.
12. Burton noted the groundskeeping budget is in bad shape as much better care was taken of the common this year. This will be reviewed for next year and a better cost-sharing plan for this task will be planned with the Recreation Department.
H. PUBLIC COMMENT: None
I. ADJOURNMENT: Rodney made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:16 PM. Dwight seconded the motion. All were in favor.
Prepared by Maralyn Segien
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