Minutes
Selectmen’s/Department Head Meeting
May 7, 2007
9:00 AM Chair Bock opened the meeting.
Members Present: Peter Bock, Bill Netishen, Mary Bonser and Town Administrator Charles Brown.
Guests: Jaye Vilchock, Paul Colby, Phil English, Janet Horvath, John Fernald and Heidi Seaverns.
Mr. Bock explained that this meeting would serve 2 purposes-the quarterly department head meeting as well as a discussion about the events that happened during the week of the flood. Mr. Bock acknowledged Mr. Netishen’s efforts throughout the week of the flood. Mr. Brown informed the Board that the Town had received a copy of the letter from the Dam Bureau of DES to Mr. Costa, owner of the Nottingham Lake Dam. The letter addresses the future reconstruction of the dam. As a result of information submitted to the Bureau from a Nottingham Lake waterfront abutter, Mr. Costa needs to provide documentation to the Dam Bureau that he has flowage rights to rebuild the dam to the previous height. The dam was approximately 14 feet tall and the information provided by the abutter indicates the dam should not exceed 7 feet in
height. A discussion followed about the Mill Pond Bridge. Mr. Brown stated that Town’s engineer believes that the bridge design must coincide with the new dam design. Chief Vilchock confirmed that the Lee Fire Department is handling calls (first respond) on their side of the Mill Pond Bridge until the situation is resolved. He also stated Nottingham is providing the same coverage for those properties in Deerfield on this side of the bridge that needs to be replaced on Nottingham Road.
Paul Colby then handed out a report that summarized the department head review of the events of the week of flooding. The report highlighted areas of concern along with some ideas to remedy them.
1) Communication-was a major area of concern. The geography of Nottingham is a big problem. The Town channel is an analog channel and there are many dead spots in Town. This could put personnel at risk if they are unable to communicate with the Command Center and are need of assistance. Chief Vilchock has spoken with Aaron Cady of Cady Communications and he thought that a manual switching of the repeater on the Square to the Town Channel in time of emergency would help communication to some extent. The Board would like more information on a repeater system for the Town channel.
2) Equipment-there were no major breakdowns that could not be repaired in a short time. The issue of using personal vehicles came up again, as in some circumstances; an engine could not get to certain areas. There is a mileage reimbursement policy in the works for the fire department that will be in place soon. The lack of enough cones & barriers was a problem as it has been in the past.
3) Accountability/Safety-this issue ties in with the communication issues discussed earlier. Both the Police & Fire Departments will relocate vehicles to various locations throughout Town as soon as it is known that there may be a flood danger. Discussion went to a check in system to better track where people are. Chief English suggested a check in system like Rockingham County Dispatch uses. Personnel check in hourly from 7:00AM-midnight and on the half hour from midnight to 7:00 AM. There was a discussion about rotating shifts between the Fire Chief, Police Chief & the Emergency Management director to try to prevent 24-36 hour shifts. A Town ID badge
system was discussed. Ideally, the badges would have a photo as well as a level of function (perhaps color coded).
4) Shelter-at present, there is no building in Nottingham that is adequate for a shelter. The school is the most suitable site however it does not have emergency power. This is one of the topics the Board will discuss with the School Board at their next joint meeting.
5) School-there was much discussion about the procedure for canceling/delaying school and how to enable the School to best use the resources available to them to make those cancellation/delay decisions.
6) Public relations-printed media has the drawback in that once it is distributed; it cannot be changed if there was an error or the information changes. There were several options discussed to get information distributed-the Town website, cable channel, WMUR, local radio stations, and the reverse 911 system to name a few. Most of these are dependent on power, which was not an issue in the last storm but is usually an issue for some portion of town.
Mr. Bock said he was extremely pleased with the department heads for their efforts to meet together and work out this presentation prior to meeting with the Board. Mr. Brown informed the Board that he and Mr. Fernald had gone to the FEMA meeting in Exeter on Friday. This was an informational meeting to outline what is required to apply for reimbursement. As it was last year, each spot that incurred damage is a separate report and anything under $1000 is not reimbursable. No salaried employees time will be reimbursed. FEMA representatives will come to Town and visit all the sites just as they did last year. The Mill Pond bridge replacement costs will be an estimate. Mr. Brown reported to the Board that he had made application to FEMA on behalf of the Town on Friday at the meeting. Mr. Bock then reminded the department
heads that the performance system was in place to recognize employees who have gone above and beyond. Mr. Colby thanked the Board members and Mr. Brown for their support throughout the floods. Chief English asked if there were funds available to purchase the IMC software. Mr. Brown stated there were. He stated the department would not be purchasing firearms until Officer Gates graduates from the academy.
Mr. Bock asked Ms. Horvath about the ball fields. Ms Horvath explained that the NYA had coordinated the field reconstruction. The field reconstruction was accomplished by donations of materials, time and equipment. It was a different construction company this time. Mr. Colby pointed out that the 1st baseline dugout needed a barrier placed on the parking lot side to prevent a vehicle from running into the dugout. Ms. Horvath reported that she had hired an individual for the assistant position. This person will also be the camp director as well. There will be three groups of children at camp this year rather than the traditional two. All but a couple staff members are in place, and there will be two lifeguards this year at the Town Beach. Ms. Horvath reminded the Board that the fishing derby was set for Saturday
May 12th.
Having no further business,
10:45 AM Motion: Bonser, second Bock to adjourn.
Vote: 3-0 in favor.
Respectfully Submitted,
Heidi Seaverns
Approved as written
5/29/07
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