Newton Planning Board
Minutes of public meeting
july 8, 2008
1. Call to Order
Chairperson Miles called the meeting to order at 7:02 PM. In attendance were: Chairperson, Ann Miles; Vice Chairman Jim Doggett; Planning Board Member, Barbara White; Alternates Mary Allen, Mary Sousa and Fred Gundersen. Minutes were transcribed and typed by Administrative Assistant, Lisa Babcock.
Miles appointed Allen to stand in for Vaillant, Sousa to stand in for Gibbs and Gundersen to stand in for Pettit.
2. Rosewood Builders: request to discuss a potential change to driveway(s) at Georges Way. Charlie Zilch of SEC Associates and Developer Leo LaRochelle were in attendance.
Mr. Zilch addressed the Board he stated that the Board had approved a subdivision plan in March of 2007 in which lots 14-26 and 14-27 had a shared driveway. The driveway had been designed as a shared driveway at the behest of the Wetlands Bureau in order to avoid a conservation easement that had been established between the State and the previous owners of the property, Mr. & Mrs. George.
Mr. Zilch stated that the shared driveway design has made the marketing of the property difficult. Potential buyers lose interest when they learn of the shared driveway and the easement necessary to accommodate it.
Mr. Zilch said that he has proposed to both the Wetlands Bureau and the Conservation Commission that the existing woods road be used as the driveway to lot 14-26 rather than the shared driveway across 1could be stored on a CD, rather than the computer.
4-27. In order to accomplish this, approval is needed from the Planning Board, Conservation Commission and Wetlands Bureau. Conservation Commission approval has been obtained and Mr. Zilch is waiting for a letter confirming this.
Allen moved to postpone discussion to the August 12 meeting pending written approval from the Wetlands Bureau and Conservation Commission. Second by Gundersen. Motion carried unanimously.
Planning Board member, Kim Vaillant arrived at 7:12 pm, Allen stepped down.
Mr. Zilch encouraged the Board to do a site walk of the property and to note that there will be no wetlands impact and the change in the driveway plan would bring the lots into conformance with current regulations that prohibit shared driveways. Miles suggested that Board members drive by the site at their convenience.
3. Regulations: Finalize wording for proposed regulation changes. The Board reviewed drafts of regulation language pertaining to the following:
- Section X, Waivers – the Board accepted the amendments as written and will hold a public hearing for further review and adoption on August 12.
- Requiring PDF copies of Plans – Vaillant questioned whether the Board should require PDF copies of plans. She also noted that storing PDF files can require a lot of space on the computer. White stated that the files
Gundersen said that most plans are created in Auto-Cad and, as long as you have the right software, creating a PDF copy of the plan is easy. Doggett added that this is something that can be waived for smaller projects.
Allen suggested spelling out what "PDF" stands for in the regulation.
4. Ordinances: The Board discussed the following proposed ordinances.
Doggett said adding an ordinance regarding kennels might give the police more authority to act when there are complaints regarding dogs and other pets.
Miles stated that her concern was with the Town having to pay to feed and shelter animals when they are seized from homes. Allen added that the Town should develop a warrant article stating that if the SPCA has cause to seize a person's animals, the person should be responsible for all costs incurred.
Doggett stated that a kennel is a commercial business and should not be allowed in residential areas or as a home business.
White said the Board should define the term kennel and state in which zones they can be located. She also suggested included item # 2 of Londonderry's livestock ordinance "At no time shall a public nuisance be created as to sight, sound, smell…".
The Board agreed that Newton's current definition of kennels had to be fleshed out.
Vaillant stated that NH has a tradition of farming and agriculture and she does not support ordinances that interfere with that tradition. She said such an ordinance would restrict people with smaller lots from having animals.
Planning Board Member, Frank Gibbs arrived at 7:34, Alternate Sousa stepped down.
Vaillant also stated that ordinances will not stop people who have hoarding issues.
Doggett said he would like to see Chester's "Right to Farm" ordinance.
Miles suggested putting together a draft ordinance using components of the ordinances from other towns.
5. Acceptance of Minutes.
Doggett moved to accept the minutes of the June 24, 2008 work session as written. Second by White. Motion carried unanimously.
6. Manifests.
Doggett moved to authorize the Chair to sign the NPREA manifest, dated 7/8/08, in the amount $3,106.74. Second by White. Motion carried unanimously.
Doggett moved to authorize the Chair to sign the Operating Budget manifest, dated 7/8/08, in the amount $1,599.97. Second by Gibbs. Motion carried unanimously.
7. Projects Update: Miles updated the Board on several projects.
Mr. McDonough had completed work at Puzzle Lane, 27-1 which was inspected by Town Engineer, Mike Vignale. Miles had signed the CO for the building.
Miles and Mr. Vignale met with Steve Ciambelli of Marley Builders regarding Katherine Drive to get an update on the project. Mr. Ciambelli continues to work on the conditions of approval.
Miles and Mr. Vignale met with the developers at Walnut Farms. All of the major items noted by Mr. Vignale had been completed and a CO was signed for # 18 Walnut Farm Road. Miles had informed the developer that all remaining items, however minor, must be completed before any more COs will be signed.
Vaillant asked about Scott Boches' driveway proposal alongside the cemetery at Quaker Grove. The secretary stated that both Mr. Boches and his engineer had been asked to appear before the Planning Board at the next work session (July 22) but neither had responded to date. Vaillant asked the secretary to update the Road Agent regarding the matter.
8. Camp Tasker Sign: The Board reviewed an e-mail dated 6/25/08 from The Sign Center regarding the placement of the Camp Tasker signs. The message did not clearly indicate sign placement.
The secretary was directed to ask The Sign Center to stake the locations of the signs, then to contact Gibbs who would review the locations.
White moved to authorize Gibbs to approve or disapprove the Camp Tasker sign placement. Second by Doggett. Motion carried unanimously.
9. Certificates of Adoption: The Board reviewed and signed the certificates of adoption for the Master Plan, Subdivision & Site Plan Regulations, Policies and Procedures Manual and CIP.
10. AA Raise:
White moved to recommend that the Board of Selectmen grant a 2 Step pay increase for the Administrative Assistant as there are sufficient funds in the budget to cover the increase. Second by Doggett. Motion carried unanimously.
11. Correspondence: The Board reviewed a letter from RPC dated 6/27/08 re: TBG funds. Miles suggested that the Board apply for funds to work on re-zoning. The secretary will follow up on this.
12. S&R intent to excavate permit: The Board reviewed the permit submitted to the town on July 7, 2008 and asked the secretary to have the Town Engineer review it and the site plan before processing the permit.
13. Adjourn: Miles adjourned the meeting at 8:58 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lisa Babcock
Administrative Assistant
Newton Planning Board
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