Minutes
Selectmen’s Meeting
February 20, 2007
6:30 PM Chair Bonser opened the meeting and asked all those present to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Members Present: Mary Bonser, Peter Bock, and Town Administrator Charles Brown.
Member Absent: Bill Netishen
Also present: Heidi Seaverns.
Guests: Heidi Carlson, Jaye Vilchock, Sandy Vilchock, Tom Sweeney, Charlene Anderson, Phil English, Elaine Schmottlach, Skip Seaverns and Roland Fletcher.
Ms. Bonser informed the audience that Mr. Netishen was out of town and would not be at the meeting this evening.
Mr. Brown informed the Board that there was no new business from any departments.
The Board next addressed the signature file,
Motion: Bock, second Bonser to appoint Judi Thibault as issuing agent for fire permits.
Vote: 2-0 in favor.
Motion: Bock, second Bonser to appoint Mark Pederson as Deputy Forest Fire Warden.
Vote: 2-0 in favor.
Motion: Bock, second Bonser to appoint Wayne Purington as Deputy Forest Fire Warden.
Vote: 2-0 in favor.
Motion: Bock, second Bonser to re-appoint Mike Kennard, Phil English, John Trumbull, Dan Elliott, Ian Rollins, Heidi Carlson, Jaye Vilchock, Nelson Thibault, Jack Myers and Matt Curry as Deputy Forest Fire Wardens.
Vote: 2-0 in favor.
Motion: Bock, second Bonser to re-appoint Jay Starr as Forest Fire Warden.
Vote: 2-0 in favor.
Ms. Bonser then read a letter from the Conservation Commission Chairman, Sam Demeritt, requesting the Board to re-appoint Deb Kimball & Susan Mooney as regular members to the Conservation Commission and to appoint Deborah Fernald Stevens as a regular member of the Commission as well.
Motion: Bock, second Bonser to re-appoint Deb Kimball & Susan Mooney as regular members to the Conservation Commission and to appoint Deborah Fernald Stevens as a regular member of the Commission.
Vote: 2-0 in favor.
The Board members signed all of the appointment forms.
The Board will act on the outstanding minutes at their next meeting.
Mr. Brown gave the Board copies of the deed he had prepared for the transfer of the lot from the School District to the Town. He informed the Board that the surveyor had provided the parcel description and the Town attorney had given his approval of the deed. The Board members gave their approval of the deed. Mr. Brown will bring the deed to the next School Board Meeting (2/21/07) for the School Board members to sign.
Ms. Bonser asked if the School had signed & returned the MOU, which allows the School to be used as a staging area in case of a medical emergency. Mr. Brown stated he had not seen anything from the School in that regard. Mr. Bock stated that at the POD meeting on February 15, 2007 the fact that Nottingham does not have a signed MOU was brought up and it will be an obstacle if the School Board does not sign it soon. If the signed MOU is not in place, the Town would not be able to receive any federal funds for these types of incidents in the future. Mr. Bock went on to say that the agreement is a boilerplate document and for some unknown reason, the School Board is reluctant to sign it. Mr. Brown will address this issue with the School Board at their meeting on 2/21/07.
The Board will meet with the Moderator at their next meeting (3/5) and finalize the move & second list for Town Meeting at that time.
Mr. Bock asked if there was any way to see if there had been an increase in recycling permits being issued since the renewed recycling efforts had been in place. Mr. Brown said the permits are recorded manually as they as sold. Mr. Brown informed the Board he had sent the paperwork in so residents can order compost bins from NRRA at cost. Megrette Hammond will be the contact person and the orders need to be placed by mid April for May delivery. It is hoped that the order forms, samples and other information will be here in time for Town Meeting. Discussion followed about how recycling benefits the Town and saves money on waste disposal costs. There was also a brief discussion about recycling efforts at the School. Mr. Brown had attempted to get paper-recycling dumpsters for both the School and Town last spring but the
cost to rent the containers was prohibitive. He plans on checking again soon with NRRA to see if there are dumpsters available at no charge.
Fire Chief Jaye Vilchock, Deputy Chief Carlson and Sandy Vilchock left at 7:00PM on a rescue call.
7:00PM Ms. Bonser opened the bond public hearing for the fire station by reading the posted notice. Ms. Bonser introduced Tom Sweeney, the Building Committee Chairman. Mr. Sweeney
questioned the amount of the bond in the notice-$ 1,074,000 vs. what was in the warrant article-$ 1,090,000. Mr. Brown explained that the notice had gone to the newspaper for publication before the final amount of the bond had been decided. He went on to explain he had contacted Department of Revenue Administration and had been told the notice as posted was fine and there is no requirement in the statue to include the amount of the bond in the notice. Mr. Sweeney began his presentation. The present fire station is in rough shape. There is water coming up through the floor. The current station is very small, has very steep access to the building and the bay doors are very small with little clearance. The offices for the department are in the old Town Hall next to the station. The fire gear is also stored next door at the
old Town Hall. The new building will be located on a 3-acre parcel at the corner of Priest Road and Stage Road. All the permits, wetlands, driveway and subdivision from the State & the Town have been obtained for the project. He stated that the building will be a 80’ X 110’ steel building with 8 bays. The building will have a 4-foot concrete knee-wall from ground level. This will prevent damage to the steel in case a vehicle hits the building or when snow comes off the roof. There will be bollards inside & outside every bay door to protect the building as well. Included in this area is a 30’ x 80’ office area that will be heated and have air conditioning as well. The bay area will be heated with radiant heat in the floor. There will be an exhaust system in the bay area. Each truck will have a flexible hose connection on their exhaust so when a vehicle is started the exhaust fumes are removed from the building. This hose will detach as the vehicle
leaves the bay. There will be a fan in the bay area, which will be used to vent excess heat out of the bay area in the summer. The Fire Department has been actively involved in the whole process, which has taken two years. Mr. Sweeney went on to say that members of the department have done about 95% of the electrical design for the building already. He stated that the amount of the bond includes items for the station such as an emergency generator and a compressor that are not included in the contracted price of the building. The drawings for the building have been completed. If the money is approved at Town Meeting and weather permits, they expect to start construction on the site April 1st. The contractor anticipates the project to be completed in about 22 weeks. The Fire Department will be hosting an open house at the current station on March 10, 2007 from 9:00AM- Noon. The department members will be there to show anyone interested around the current station and to
answer any questions about the proposed new station. Mr. Bock stated that the Board of Selectmen has worked in conjunction with the Building Committee to see this project to completion. He explained that from the beginning of the project, it was the Board’s intention to come up with an economically responsible package that would address the inadequacies of the current set-up. The committee studied many facilities in the area to get an idea of what works and what doesn’t. He stated that the wetlands issues have been dealt with and the nature trail used by the school that goes around the perimeter of the property will remain. He went on to say that the Board understands that funding this facility requires a big commitment on the part of the community. Ms. Bonser then explained that this new building would become the station and the present station’s fate would be determined during the next year. She stated the project would be bonded over a period of 20 years. She
stated that the Board of Selectmen is in support of this project. It will be a ballot vote at Town Meeting on March 17, 2007. Mr. Bock stated that the Selectmen would most likely reduce the amount of the bond at Town Meeting using a portion of the fund balance. Mr. Sweeney stated that information about the project is available on the Town website as well as in the Town Office. Since there were no questions, Ms. Bonser closed the public hearing at 7:18PM.
The Board reviewed the mail. Mr. Brown asked the members if they were still interested in having someone from the mosquito control organization come to a Board meeting. Both members agreed having more information for Town Meeting would be helpful. Mr. Brown will attempt to schedule a presentation for the next meeting. The members then discussed asking one or more of the State representatives to attend a meeting and give the Board a legislative update. Mr. Brown will contact the representatives and try to coordinate a meeting.
7:30PM Ms. Bonser opened the public hearing for the SB2 petition by reading the published notice. Roland Fletcher, one of the petitioners, stepped forward to address the Board. Mr. Fletcher stated he believes more people will vote on Town matters if SB2 passes and that is why he submitted the petition. He also stated that he believes people should not have to waste a Saturday to attend Town Meeting when they can just vote on Election Day if SB2 is in effect. He believes that the SB2 is a better form of government Ms. Schmottlach, Ms. Seaverns, Ms. Andersen and Mr. Seaverns all spoke in favor of traditional Town Meeting. Ms. Schmottlach highlighted the tradition of Town Meeting, the opportunity to debate & discuss the issues in an open forum and that even fewer people participate in SB2 deliberative session. Ms.
Seaverns agreed with Ms. Schmottlach citing it is a citizen’s responsibility to be involved in their community. Ms. Anderson cited a study that found even fewer people participate in the SB 2 form of government. Mr. Seaverns, as well as Ms. Schmottlach & Ms. Andersen, expressed frustration about the fact that this item was on the ballot and was not going to be discussed at Town Meeting. Ms. Bonser explained that the statute regarding SB2 is specific that the question must appear on the ballot. Mr. Bock said that a switch to SB2 impacts the process of preparing a budget. He went on to say that activism is not a bad word, and urged citizens to become involved in the Town and participate. Ms. Bonser stepped down from the table and spoke in favor of Town Meeting. She stated that if Nottingham is to survive as a small town, Town Meeting should continue. Ms. Schmottlach stepped forward again and urged people to get the word out about this article so Town Meeting can be
continued. Ms. Bonser closed the public hearing at 8:05PM.
8:06 PM Having no further business before the Board,
Motion: Bock, second Bonser to adjourn.
Vote: 2-0 in favor.
Respectfully Submitted,
Heidi Seaverns
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