Minutes
Selectmen’s Meeting
March 5, 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, Bill Netishen, and Town Administrator Charles Brown.
Also present: Heidi Seaverns.
Guests: Police Chief Phil English, Moderator Terry Bonser, Chris Albert, Mike Morrison from Municipal Pest Management Services and Charlie Garland.
Ms. Bonser recognized Chief English, who was at the meeting to discuss the request for services bid he had received from the NH Department of Resource & Economic Development (DRED) for policing services at Pawtuckaway State Park, which was one of the several parks listed. He explained to the Board that he had called Ms. Karen Dorsett at DRED to inquire what other agencies had been sent this request. She informed him that the State Police as well as the Sheriff’s department had received the request. She went on to say that Nottingham could only bid on Pawtuckaway, which is the only park on the list in Nottingham. Much discussion followed about jurisdiction, traffic control inside & outside the park and the unique situation at the park. The Board of Selectmen stand with the Chief requesting clarification of
what is expected as well as the functions that will be performed by whoever is awarded this contract. The Nottingham Police department knows the staff at the park, the trails and the layout of the park and the potential trouble spots. To bring another agency in after the Town, the Police Department and the park have worked so hard to get to the point that the system in places works is asking for trouble. The Board & the Chief are concerned about the Mountain Road traffic issues and the safety of residents in Town that live past the entrance to the park if the traffic on Mountain Road gets backed up. The Chief feels that the proposal does not include enough hours for the details. More discussion followed. The Chief will add these concerns to his cover letter indicating the strong support of the Board of Selectmen. He will give a copy of the new letter to the Board on Tuesday morning for their review before it is submitted to DRED. Chief English thanked the Board for their time.
He informed Mr. Bock that there was an Emergency Management Committee meeting at the Elementary School on Wednesday March 7 at 10AM.
7:00PM The next item on the agenda was discussion with the Moderator about Town Meeting. Terry Bonser stepped forward. The Board decided who was going to move and second each article. There was a brief discussion about what would happen if the Fire/Rescue Department were called out during the presentation for the new fire station. It was the general consensus that the presentation could be recessed to start at a later time during the meeting if the legislative body so desired. If the polls were open and they were called out, the time the polls would stay open could be extended as well by the voters. The polls need to be open a minimum of one hour for Article # 4 but the time can be extended if the voters so desire. Mr. Bonser thanked the Board for their time and left at 7:16PM.
Michael Morrison from Municipal Pest Management Services, Inc. (MPMS) stepped forward to address the Board. He informed the Board that his company works in Fremont & Raymond and they have an article on the ballot in Deerfield for a control program as well. He gave the Board copies of a mosquito control program handout. The handout gave some brief background information about mosquitoes and the 2 diseases that they carry-Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) & West Nile Virus (WNV) that are especially harmful to humans. There are only a few species of mosquitoes that transmit these diseases to humans. Mr. Morrison explained that horses and people are dead end hosts for these diseases. They do not have a high enough viremia to transmit the disease back to a mosquito that bites them. The idea behind a mosquito control
program is to get rid of the larvae stage. Once the insect becomes winged, it becomes difficult to have effective control. The company would start by identifying the species of mosquitoes that transmit the disease and then map out the Town. The season for larvicidal treatment is from April 1st through October 31st. If the Town elects to do larvicidal treatment, the company uses corn particles with a bacterium called BTI (bacillus thuringiensis israelensis). This material is only spread in areas where the targeted species of mosquitoes are found. The corn particles fall to the bottom of the swamp where they are eaten by the mosquito larvae. The bacterium is species specific, that it is does not harm any other animals, fish or fowl. Mr. Morrison went on to say that spraying is done as a last ditch effort and only done if the Selectmen give the okay. This could be done in an emergency situation if the State Permit was in place. The State application goes
through Pest Control at the State and is issued by that agency after it is signed off by several other agencies. This agency does have field inspectors that show up throughout the season unannounced to be sure everything is being done correctly. Mr. Morrison stated that before his company would do any sampling, the landowners would be contacted to receive permission to go on their land. If any of the targeted species were found, the landowners would be contacted before the BTI was used. The company would speak with any organic farms that may be in areas with specific species. Ms. Bonser asked if Pawtuckaway State Park was included in this program. Mr. Morrison informed the Board the State has no money for testing their own properties. The federal money they receive allows the state lab to function. Much discussion followed about the park. Since a mosquito only has a fly range of 1-2 miles at the most, one of the basic objectives of a plan is to prevent the local birds from getting
a high viremia, since they are the ones that can travel great distances. One way to do that is to decrease the mosquito population so there is less chance of infection. Mr. Bock asked Mr. Morrison if he would be willing to attend Town Meeting and answer some questions. After checking his schedule, he told the Board he would be able to attend the meeting.
Motion: Netishen, second Bonser to ask Municipal Pest Management Services to come to Town Meeting on March 17, 2007.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
The Board agreed that noontime would be the most appropriate time for Mr. Morrison to arrive at Town meeting.
Chris Albert asked what the impact would be on life in vernal pools specifically salamander eggs and tree frogs eggs since the hatchlings feed on mosquito larvae. Mr. Morrison said that vernal pools were not an area of consideration. The larvae in question live in a specific habitat, stagnant water, no more than 18 inches deep with dense vegetation. He did not think there would be a significant impact on any species other than the targeted ones. Mr. Bock asked Mr. Morrison had adequate staff to get the work done. Mr. Morrison stated he had enough staff. Mr. Netishen asked how the company would report to the Board. Mr. Morrison said that they would report as often as the Board wanted, weekly if requested, and there would be more communication especially in the first year. Mr. Morrison will come up with a handout for Town
Meeting answering some commonly asked questions. The hope is the Board can get the handout before Town Meeting and have it available at the meeting before the warrant article is discussed. The Board thanked Mr. Morrison and he left at 8:05PM
8:05PM Charlie Garland stepped forward next to address the Board. He gave each Board member a packet of information on the research that the Board had requested on the ownership & layout of the Town Square. He went on to explain that the first lot created in Nottingham was the Town Square 30 rods by 30 rods. All remaining lots were created around the square and the streets were created last. The Square is not shown on the Town’s tax maps. Mr. Garland then explained that he went out to the square and located what bounds & stonewalls remain outlining the square. There are a couple houses that are actually on the square. This was done as a result of a vote in the 1700’s when the Town voted to lease 3 tracts of land on the square and the houses were built. He has spoken with Deb & Jim Fernald about the
square and they both told him that they were told as they were growing up that they (the Fernalds) did not own the square. Mr. Garland then went to the Registry of Deeds to see if the property owner had been given title to that area. He found nothing giving title of any portion of the square to that individual. Mr. Garland met with the surveyor as well. Mr. Garland is of the understanding that the surveyor believes the square is closer to Deerfield given the layout of the roads. Mr. Garland explained to the Board that when the streets were laid out on paper they were very straight. However, when it came time to construct the roads, the path of least resistance was chosen and that is why the road runs where it does. Much discussion followed. Mr. Brown will contact the property owner & surveyor to see if they would be willing to come to the Board’s next meeting on March 19th. Mr. Garland will also plan on attending this meeting as well. The Board thanked Mr.
Garland for his efforts and Mr. Garland left at 8:45PM.
Next item on the agenda was the request from Shawn & Paula Slattery to place a mobile home on their lot while their house is being built. The Board would like to meet with the Slatterys. Mr. Brown will attempt to contact them and have them attend the next meeting.
Ms. Bonser recognized Chris Albert and he stepped forward to address the Board. He asked the Board what would happen with the current fire station if the new station passes. The Board explained that if the new station passed, the Building Committee will be tasked to determine the fate of the actual station and the Board will take their recommendation to next Town Meeting for the voter’s approval. He asked the Board about the LUCT article. Ms. Bonser explained that this was a petition article and it would be discussed at Town Meeting. He expressed concern about the climate change article and its potential far-reaching consequences. He asked the Board if they were aware of idling guidelines for trucks. Mr. Brown informed him the Board had adopted the state guidelines for idling trucks as a policy. Mr. Bock explained
that Ms. Blaha had made a presentation to the Board about this article to familiarize them with the information. The article is a petition article and will be discussed at Town Meeting. Mr. Albert asked the Board if there was any money in the budget for the PLAC. Mr. Brown explained that the money was in the executive line of the operating budget. Mr. Albert volunteered to help the PLAC. There was a brief discussion about increased recycling efforts and when people recycle, the Town saves. Mr. Albert thanked the Board and left.
Regarding outstanding minutes,
Motion: Bock, second Netishen to accept as printed the minutes of December12, 2006.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Motion: Netishen, second Bock to accept as corrected the minutes of January 8, 2007.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Mr. Netishen inquired about the status of the staffing at the County Attorney’s office, the status of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the school and the status of the timesheet signature policy. Mr. Brown reported that he had received no additional information about the status of the County Attorney’s office since the original letter was received. The School Board has not signed the MOU as yet. Timesheets are being signed by the employee as well as the department heads.
Motion: Bock, second Netishen to accept as printed the minutes of January 22, 2007.
Vote: 2 in favor -0-1(Bonser).
Motion: Bock, second Netishen to accept as printed the minutes of February 5, 2007.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Motion: Netishen, second Bock to accept as corrected the minutes of February 8, 2007.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
The Board members asked if there was anything new from the Dam Bureau in regard to the Nottingham Lake Dam. Mr. Brown informed the members that a representative for Mr. Costa had been in to the Town Office to let him know he had hand carried an updated operation & management plan to the Dam Bureau in Concord. Mr. Brown went on to explain that the Town would not receive a copy of the updated plan until DES approves the plan.
Motion: Netishen, second Bock to accept as printed the minutes of February 16, 2007.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Motion: Bock, second Bonser to accept as corrected the minutes of February 20, 2007.
Vote: 2 in favor -0-1(Netishen).
The Board next addressed the signature file,
Motion: Netishen second Bock to accept the Tax Collect Software agreement from Avitar for 2007 in the amount of $ 2500.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Motion: Netishen second Bock to approve the gravel tax levy for 2005 for Map 69 Lot 4.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
After reviewing the documentation presented, the Board acted on the following abatements:
Motion: Netishen second Bock to approve the abatement for Map 68 Lot 103 based on review and Avitar’s recommendation.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Motion: Netishen second Bock to approve the abatement for Map 39 Lot 3 based on review and Avitar’s recommendation.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Motion: Netishen second Bock to approve the abatement for Map 14 Lot 15 based on review and Avitar’s recommendation.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Motion: Netishen second Bock to deny the abatement for Map 10 Lot 2C based on review and Avitar’s recommendation.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
The Board signed the intent to cut for Map 2 Lot 1.
Ms. Bonser made the following announcements about upcoming events: Candidate’s Night Thursday March 8 at 7PM at the School, Fire Station Open House on Saturday March 10 from 9AM-Noon, Election Day Tuesday March 13 from 8AM-7PM at the Community Center and Town Meeting Saturday March 17 starting at 9AM at the School. She also stated that the School has offered a room for childcare and the Recreation Department is working on getting some people to staff it.
Mr. Bock had received some information from the NH Food Bank about last year’s participation of the Nottingham Food Pantry. The food bank contributed 6000 pounds of food to the Pantry last year with an approximate cost of $8800. Members of the community donate time at the Food Bank as well.
The Town received a letter from Strafford Regional Planning Commission in regard to the intersection of Route 4 and Route 152. The letter indicates that the safety improvements for that intersection are on the State’s 10-year construction plan.
Mr. Brown informed the Board that the Tax Collector had received a letter from a taxpayer indicating he had lost the check for this individual’s taxes. The letter was in response to a Barrington notice sent by the Collector to inform people of taxes that have not been paid. The taxpayer claims to have sent the check for the taxes on December 19th but did not furnish any proof other than the letter. The taxpayer requested that the Collector waive interest. Since the Tax Collector cannot waive interest, the letter was forwarded to the Selectmen. Since the original letter was sent, the taxpayer has sent a check for the interest accrued since December 19th. The Board discussed the matter briefly. It was the general consensus that since there was no proof (receipt from mailing) or that the Tax
Collector lost the check, all the interest that had accrued was the taxpayer’s responsibility.
Mr. Brown informed the Board that the Planning/Zoning Secretary might need to work a few extra hours occasionally to accomplish all her tasks. It is difficult to get things done when all her hours are scheduled when the Planning/Zoning Office is open. The Board approved of this on an as needed basis.
The Board decided to have a meeting on Thursday March 15, 2007 at 9AM to go over any last minute details before Town Meeting. Mr. Bock told the Board he would be attending a Nottingham Day Meeting on Thursday March 8th at 9AM. He also reminded the Board that there were two Building Committee meetings scheduled this week. The first was Tuesday March 6th at 7PM and the second was on Friday March 9th at 1PM.
Ms. Seaverns left the meeting at 9:43PM.
9:43 PM Motion: Bock, second Netishen to enter non-public session under RSA 91A: 3 II (a).
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
10:05 PM Motion: Bonser, second Bock to come out of non-public session.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
10:05 PM Motion: Bonser, second Netishen to keep all discussions in non-public session sealed.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
10:06 PM Having no further business before the Board,
Motion: Netishen, second Bock to adjourn.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Respectfully Submitted,
Heidi Seaverns
Approved as written
3/19/07
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