Planning Board
February 21, 2012
Approved March 20, 2012
Members Present: Tom Vannatta, Chair; Ron Williams, Vice-Chair; Bill Weiler, Bruce Healey, Russell Smith, Members; Deane Geddes, Alternate; Rachel Ruppel, Advisor.
Mr. Vannatta called the meeting to order at 7:14 p.m.
Mr. Vannatta appointed Mr. Geddes as a voting member for this meeting.
ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS
Minutes
Mr. Vannatta requested that the Board postpone their review of the minutes of January 3, 2012 and January 17, 2012 until the end of the meeting. The Board agreed.
Mr. Vannatta amended the approved minutes of December 20, 2011 to include a modification to his statement on page 13. The correct statement reads as follows: “Mr. Vannatta informed the applicant that they, or any party directly affected by this decision, may appeal to the appropriate Court or Board within thirty (30) days of this decision under RSA 676:5 and/or RSA 677:15.”
Mr., Williams made a motion to approve the amendment to the approved minutes of December 20, 2011. Mr. Weiler seconded the motion. All in favor.
CASE: Case 2012-001: Preliminary-Site Plan Review-DRED/Agent: Mount Sunapee Resort-attn: Jay Gamble 763-3500. Map/Lot 13-386-092.
Notice is hereby given that the Planning Board will receive submission of an Application for a Preliminary Site Plan Review from the Department of Resources & Economic Development/agent: Mount Sunapee Resort, for property located on Route 103, Newbury, NH, Tax Map 013-386-092-000A on Tuesday, February 21, 2012, at 7:15 p.m. in the Town Office Building at 937 Route 103 in Newbury, NH. If the application is accepted as complete, a public hearing on the application will commence at the same meeting.
The application was reviewed for completeness. Mr. Vannatta noted that the application was missing the sign off sheets which will be required for the final application.
Mr. Williams made a motion to accept the application as complete enough to move forward. Mr. Weiler seconded the motion. All in favor.
Mr. Gamble presented to the Board. He introduced Mark Fabrizio of CLD Engineers and indicated that he and Charlie Hirschberg of CLD are assisting with the project. Mr. Gamble described the project as a summer recreational program at Mt. Sunapee Resort and will be located at the South Peak area of the resort. He said the two components under discussion for approval are the Canopy Tour Zip Line and the Youth Adventure Park. Both activities will originate from the current Learning Center building and include a safety presentation and fitting session for a harness and helmet followed by a walk via a footpath into the Adventure Park. He described the layout of the park and the rope challenge courses, noting that the courses are targeting youths aged six to 18 years old. He added that the Canopy Tour would begin with a chair
lift ride to the summit followed by a footpath tour to the first Canopy Tour location. The tour includes eight segments of zip line tour with nine separate stations. Mr. Gamble described the stations as eight deer stands in the trees connected by wire.
The zip line was described as requiring no landscaping, no utilities and presenting no impact on wetlands. The smallest saplings would be removed and wood chips scattered beneath the zip line on the forest floor. Mr. Gamble noted that the zip line and Youth Adventure Park will be developed in as natural a way as possible.
Mr. Vannatta asked if there was a standard for the construction of this type of construction. Mr. Gamble said yes, there is an association of canopy adventure parks and construction standards have been incorporated from that entity. Further, the construction company being considered is accredited through that association.
Mr. Vannatta asked if there is an emergency escape route on the canopy tour. Mr. Gamble said each segment of the tour will have two guides – one in front and one at the rear – to maintain participants’ forward movement. He added that the zip line will traverse the South Peak back and forth and is not a downhill course. Each participant will be harnessed and clipped to the zip line at all times.
Mr. Healey asked if the canopy tour is a year round activity. Mr. Gamble said it will operate for 10 months a year.
There was further discussion about the indoor safety training conducted at the learning Center. Mr. Healey questioned the capacity at the Learning Center during the busy winter skiing season. Mr. Gamble said the Mountain Explorer Room at the Sunapee Lodge will be used as a backup facility for the training sessions. Mr. Gamble said he anticipates about 50 people a day will use the canopy zip line.
Mr. Healey questioned why Mr. Gamble described seven activities listed in the conceptual for this project and now is requesting approval for just two of the proposed activities. Mr. Gamble said the proposed miniature golf course requires a special exception and the remaining five activities involve hiking trails and don’t need approval from the Planning Board. Mr. Healey noted that the conceptual covered all seven activities and questioned again why this application only lists two of those activities. Mr. Gamble noted that he would like the Board to indicate what activities require approval and what do not.
Ms. Ruppel cited the seven activities as follows: Canopy Tour and Zip Line, Adventure Park, mountain bike trail, disc golf, interpretive hiking trails, segway tours, and miniature golf. She said the question is whether bike trails, disc golf, hiking trails and segway trails require site plan review by the Board.
Mr. Geddes asked if the segway tour paths required a special surface. Mr. Gamble said the segway paths and walking paths will require a substrate that will be put down with a surface that can be refreshed.
Mr. Healey asked about the charges for the walking and mountain bike paths. Mr. Gamble said there will be no charge for the walking paths but there will be a charge for the bike paths since the path maintenance is greater for bike usage.
Mr. Geddes asked if the segway paths require a DES Alteration of Terrain permit. Mr. Gamble said no, the segway paths follow existing open terrain and the treatment of the path surface is to minimize erosion, not to alter the existing terrain.
There was discussion about using winter employees for the Canopy Tour and Adventure Park and the necessary training involved. Further discussion involved the ongoing training and safety checks for the installed zip line infrastructure.
Mr. Healey asked about nature of the recreational activities proposed and the applicability of site plan regulations to those activities. Mr. Weiler said the regulations apply to the infrastructure for the zip line and Adventure Park but the trails and paths and the disc golf are not infrastructure issues.
Mr. Vannatta referred to Article XI (Mt. Sunapee Recreation District), Section 11.2.2 of the zoning ordinance which refers to Uses Permitted (subject to Site Plan Review approval by the Planning Board) which states; Alpine and Cross-country ski trails; hiking, biking and snowshoe trails. He suggested added notations to the site plan indicating the general locations of the trails, paths and disc golf. Mr. Gamble said he was reluctant to do that since the exact locations of the trails and paths are not yet determined.
There was significant discussion about putting notations on the site plan indicating the general location of the trails, paths and disc golf. Mr. Vannatta noted that the zoning ordinance contains a regulation requiring a site plan review for hiking and biking trails. He added that notations to the site plan as discussed would meet the spirit of the regulation.
Mr. Healey noted that the summary contained in the conceptual included seven recreational activities but only two are being presented in this application. Mr. Weiler suggested including the conceptual as a reference in the final application. Mr. Vannatta concurred and suggested that Mr. Gamble rewrite the application’s summary. Mr. Gamble agreed to do so.
There was discussion concerning the parking spaces and the available parking for the added recreational activities. Mr. Gamble said he will modify the summary to note the reduced parking availability during the NH Craftsmen’s Fair August 4 – 12, 2012.
There was further discussion about the availability of parking, specifically Item 10.11.5 of the Site Plan Review Regulations which covers: data and calculations used to arrive at the number of parking spaces specified. It was suggested that the summary be modified to include where overflow parking will be located.
Ms. Ruppel suggested removing the reference to miniature golf from the application since that is not under consideration at this time. Mr. Gamble agreed. She asked about emergency evacuation on the canopy zip line in the event of injury. Mr. Gamble said there will be certified EMTs on site and vehicles with 4-wheel drive to access the emergency location. He added that each zip line station will have the capacity to get someone down for emergency evacuation if needed.
There was further discussion about including a notation on the site plan indicating the general location of the proposed trails/paths and noting the proposed height of the trails/paths. The Board was in consensus that notations indicating the aforementioned are needed on the site plan.
Mr. Fabrizio of CLD Engineers, asked about what category zip line poles fall into in the zoning ordinance. Ms. Ruppel cited Section 11.2.9 which reads: Recreational uses and facilities including, but not limited to, parks, playgrounds, play fields, tennis and volley ball courts, swimming pools, and ice rinks. There was further discussion about the zip line poles.
Article X Application Requirements was reviewed with the applicant. It was noted that five foot contours will be used, that a landscaping plan does not apply to this proposed project, and drainage and structural plans also do not apply.
Mr. Williams suggested referencing Best Practices for erosion control methods and added that he did not see any steep slope erosion problems with the application. He asked if the proposed handicap project proposed at Mt. Sunapee would interfere with this project. Mr. Gamble said no.
Mr. Gamble asked about the procedure involved with the sign off sheets. Mr. Vannatta said the applicant is responsible for submitting the sign off sheets to the applicable parties and the sheets are then placed in the respective mailboxes.
There being no further questions from the Board, Mr. Vannatta opened the meeting to the public for comment. There being no public present, Mr. Vannatta closed the public portion of the meeting.
Mr. Vannatta reviewed the needed items for the applicant’s final application as follows: an updated executive summary, notion on the site plan of the hiking trails, and a sheet detailing the segway routes.
Ms. Ruppel asked about the location of the rental areas for the mountain bikes and segways. Mr. Gamble said the rental area will be at the Learning Center building.
CASE: Case 2012-002: Conceptual-Site Plan Review- State of NH/US Cellular-attention: Shannon McManus 617-388-2252. Re: Cell tower on top of Mt. Sunapee.
Ms. McManus distributed plans to the Board and described the project as simply swapping out four existing antennas for three new panel antennas and replacing the existing coaxial cables. She indicated on the plans the location of the four antennas to be replaced. She said the replacements are in response to customer demand for increased speed for data and phone transmission.
Mr. Geddes asked if the new antennas were the same size as the ones being replaced. Ms. McManus said yes, the new ones are identical to the ones they replace and the existing mounting brackets will be used for the new antennas.
Mr. Vannatta asked if this procedure is considered maintenance. Ms. McManus said yes, this kind of system technology replacement takes place every couple of years. Mr. Vannatta noted that there is an existing site plan on file and this is a maintenance procedure for replacing existing system technology. He suggested that Ms. McManus submit a written executive summary describing what is being done along with a set of updated plans for submission to the existing file and the application. He further suggested that a site plan review for this work be waived.
Mr. Weiler made a motion to waive a site plan review because the proposed changes involve modifications/replacements to the existing tower, and accept an executive summary and updated plans for submission to the existing file. Mr. Smith seconded the motion. All in favor.
ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS
Minutes
The Board reviewed the minutes of January 3, 2012 and made corrections. Mr. Weiler made a motion to approve the minutes as corrected. Mr. Healey seconded the motion. All in favor.
The Board reviewed the minutes of January 17, 2012 and made corrections. Mr. Geddes made a motion to approve the minutes as corrected. Mr. Healey seconded the motion. All in favor.
ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
There was discussion about the upcoming absences of Board members in March. Mr. Williams made a motion to cancel the work session meeting on March 6, 2012. Mr. Weiler seconded the motion. All in favor.
There was discussion about the timing of the organizational meeting to elect the Board chair and vice-chair. Mr. Weiler suggested the meeting be held in April. The Board agreed.
Mr. Williams proposed two topics for future discussion by the Board. First, he suggested that the intent and meaning of steep slopes be clarified. Second, he suggested that the term “rural environment” as contained in the Master Plan be examined, particularly the requirement of a two contiguous acre lot for single home development. He indicated that there are areas in Newbury that could sustain more dense development and are hindered in doing so by the current regulations and suggested that the Board consider re-zoning portions of the town to accommodate denser development.
Mr. Vannatta said the board will discuss these topics at future meetings.
Mr. Geddes made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Smith seconded the motion. All in favor.
Meeting adjourned at 9:22 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Meg Whittemore
Recording Secretary
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