SUNAPEE BOARD OF SELECTMEN
SUMMER TOWN MEETING
7:00 PM Town Office Meeting Room
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Present: Fred Gallup Chairman, William Roach Vice Chairman, Emma Smith, Charlotte Brown, Stephen White, Donna Nashawaty, Town Manager
Also Present: 8 Department Heads and 59 Citizens (see attached list)
Chairman Gallup opened the meeting at 7:00PM
Chairman Fred Gallup
Chairman Gallup welcomed everyone to the summer meeting and introduced some of the committee members in attendant.
Donna Nashawaty, Town Manager
•Donna Nashawaty told the audience that last year the Board of Selectmen decided that the Summer Town Meeting will be held on the first Tuesday in August at 7:00PM in the Town office Meeting Room.
•Donna Nashawaty explained the parts and process of a tax bill. The tax bill is broken down in 4 sections: town government, school-2 parts state education and local property tax and the County tax. If you take all 4 of these sections and add them up its gives you the total tax rate. The total assessed value on your tax bill is every 1,000 dollars worth of value is multiplied by the tax rate.
•Donna Nashawaty gave the details of the Town website: www.town.sunapee.nh.us , where you can subscribe to news announcements, committee meeting minutes and recreation events. The website also has the Planning, Zoning or Recreation forms available online. Donna Nashawaty is very proud of the Town website and the fact that the Town’s major meeting minutes (Board of Selectmen, Planning and Zoning) are posted and available on the web within the 5 business days that is required by the Right to Know Law.
•Donna Nashawaty also wanted to acknowledge all the staff throughout the Town. Complaints are handled promptly and the programs and services provided by the staff are impressive.
•Donna Nashawaty thanked the staff for making her job easier and the Board for having the confidence in her for the upcoming year.
Howard Sargent, Deputy Chief Fire Department
•Howard Sargent gave details of the 2 stations, the Safety Services Building located on Sargent Road that is shared with the Police Department and the other in Georges Mills on Jobs Creek Road. They have a roster of 38 volunteers. Howard Sargent reported the department calls as of today, which include both fire and medical. The breakdown is as follows: 41 fire alarms, 13 carbon monoxide detectors, 40 motor vehicle accidents, 29 mutual aid responses and 176 calls that were just medical.
•Howard Sargent went over some of the equipment the department has purchased: a special holding tank that holds foam which is a fire retardant that helps put out the fires thoroughly and quickly. The Fire Association purchased thru the generous donations they have received from the residents, a system called Caretrack. The system is for tracking individuals with medical conditions, who might wander off by wristband or ankle bracelet. The department currently has 6 residents on the system. The department also purchased a camera, (that goes into the wall to check for fire inside the wall) and digital thermometers.
•Howard Sargent explained the enhance 911 and Code Red programs the department is involved in this year.
Sergeant Neill Cobb, Police Department
Sergeant Cobb gave a brief summary of the department: 5 full-time officers, 5 part-time officers (2 vacancies), crossing guard, seasonal harbor patrol officer and part-time administrative assistant. Year to date statistics: 31 automobile accidents (2 fatalities), 84 arrests (double from last year), 2600 general calls which include house checks (service offered by department that will check your house while away), dog complaints, directions, assisting other agency (fire dept), 1450 citations, 161 incidents and 8 warrants The department provides 24 coverage with 2 full shifts and an on-call officer. There are 4 police cars. Sergeant Cobb touched on the training classes the Officers attend and some of the grants the department has applied for and participated in. Sergeant Cobb invited the public to call or stop by the
station about any questions or concerns they might have.
John Walden, Abbott Library
•John Walden gave an overview of the activity at the library as of today: the library is opened 44 hours per week, from 8/1/09-8/1/10 1662 distinct borrowers check out materials, own 34,495 items of which 515 are in storage at the safety Services Building, circulated 53,643 items, added 1,943 new items, internet usage 3,700 and 25,470 visitors. The usage of downloadable audio books is up by 78% in the first 6 months of 2010 and John Walden will be offering classes on how to use the service. The library just finished a very successful summer program.
• John Walden told the audience of the severe mold problem that occur in the lower level this past winter because of moisture. The after school program was relocated to the church during the 3 months of repair.
•John Walden reminded the audience of the library forum that will be held on August 24th at 6:30pm at the Town Meeting Room.
Melissa Heino, Town Clerk/Tax Collector
Melissa Heino stated that the office is very busy at this time of year, especially with boat registrations. She encouraged people to bring their boat registrations to the town, which gets a portion of the registration. If the boat owner goes to the state it keeps the entire amount. The auto registrations are up 2% and boat registrations are up 34%. The office has collected 95% of the first tax billing and the second billing will go out mid October and be due on December 1st. Melissa Heino reminded the audience that the office is opened the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month from 9:00am to 11:30am.
David Bailey, Water & Sewer
David Bailey gave an account of some of the projects the department has been doing the past few months: new water line that was installed at the Information Booth, which increased the water volume to Central Street significantly. The department is having issues with a 110 year old concrete holding tank that has a leak located in the harbor. The department has had engineers and tank designers look at it, waiting for a price to see pieces that will need to be replaced, within the next 5 to 10 years. The wastewater plant upgrade has been put on hold. The department will probably be bringing to the Town meeting some kind of plant upgrade. David Bailey cautioned the audience to please not put grease down the drain; it causes major problems at the plant.
Tony Bergeron, Garage, Roads & Recycling
•Tony Bergeron went gave an update on Transfer Station: June 10th the replacement transportation truck was put in service. The totals for the transfer station are as follows: municipal waste is down by 3%, construction and demolition waste is up by 2%.
•Tony Bergeron gave some winter totals: Last winter 82 inches of snow, 21% below average, 26 events, 25% below average and winter was 20% warmer. Because of the mild winter the roads were only posted for 4 weeks instead of 7 to 8 weeks and winter clean-up was started earlier on the 2nd of April.
•Tony Bergeron talked about the projects the Highway Department has done year to date: drainage improvements, reclaiming and paving on Avery Road. The department reconfigured the intersection at Route 11 and Central Street to reduce the speed of traffic coming down Central Street. It also assisted the Recreation Department with the installation of the playground equipment at Tilton Park.
•Tony Bergeron spoke about the programs the department is involved in this year: the Green-up Day, which was held May 1st. The lighting program that will update certain streetlights with energy efficient fixtures. There will also be about 30 streetlights removed in the process. The streetlights that are being considered for removal will have an orange placard on the pole. A public hearing will be held on Monday, August 23rd at 7:00PM in the Town Meeting Room for public comments.
Scott Blewitt, Recreation
•Scott Blewitt told the audience that his 2 goals as Recreation Director are: to promote communication among all thru the annual newsletter, recreation email notices and the Town website. The second goal is to provide a greater sense of community. Scott Blewitt urged the audience to talk with him if they had any ideas for new programs.
•Scott Blewitt updated the audience on the history of Tilton Park that was donated to the town by Harry Tilton for the purpose of recreation; it’s the site of the former ski tow. About 23 months ago Scott Blewitt was approached by a resident named Gil Pierce whose wife died of brain cancer. He wanted to remember her and continue the tradition of leaving a legacy in Sunapee. He wanted to build a playground in his wife’s memory and call it Nona’s Playground. With the help of the Pierce Family the fundraising efforts were successful, raising a total of $125,000. Scott Blewitt wanted to thank the many volunteers, including a crew from Mt. Sunapee under the direction of Board of Selectman Chairman Fred Gallup who helped clear the lot and install the playground equipment.
Scott Blewitt also wanted to thank Tony Bergeron and the Sunapee Highway Department, who spent 5 days on the ground preparation and installation of the playground. Scott Blewitt feels this playground is a wonderful asset to the town and will be enjoyed for generations to come.
Norm Bernaiche, Tri-Town Assessor
Norm Bernaiche gave the details on the statistical update being done this year, which is required every 5 years by law. The update is based on the re-measuring every house, collecting new data and the most recent 2 years of sales to build the statistical model. In September a notice will be sent to homeowners stating the old assessment and the new assessment. Norn Bernaiche reminded the audience of the Statistical Forum on Tuesday, August 10th at the Town Meeting Room at 7:00PM.
Meeting adjourned at 9:03PM
Submitted by,
Barbara Vaughn
Administrative Assistant
Approved:_____________
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Frederick Gallup, Chairman Charlotte Brown
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William Roach, Vice-Chairman Stephen White
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Emma M. Smith
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