SUNAPEE BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING
7:00 PM Town Office Meeting Room
Monday, August 10, 2009
Present: Stephen White Chairman, William Roach Vice-Chairman, Fred Gallup, Charlotte Brown, Emma Smith. Donna Nashawaty, Town Manager
SAU School Board: Shaun Carroll Chairman, Edward Bailey, Judy Trow, Kim Richard
Library Trustees: Xan Gallup Chairman, Barbara Chalmers, Terri White, Tracy Nangeroni, Lois Gallup, Faith Reney.
Also Present: Katie Richardson Intertown Record. (See attached sign-in sheet for residents)
The meeting was called to order by Stephen White, Chairman at 7:00PM
Chairman White wanted to make a correction to the July 27th meeting minutes: Change Chairman Smith to Selectman Smith.
Dana Ramspott, Old Town Hall Committee
• Motion to allow Dana Ramspott and volunteer workers to paint the trim on the Old Town Hall Building from blue to green by Selectman Smith, seconded by Selectman Gallup. Unanimous. All in Favor.
• Motion to allow Dana Ramspott to take $2500 out of the Old Town Hall Fund for miscellaneous building supplies by Selectman Gallup, Seconded by Selectman Roach. Unanimous. All in Favor.
Joint Roundtable Discussion on Sunapee Center Complex
•Selectman Gallup and Donna Nashawaty met with Sherwood Moody Claremont Savings Bank regarding the Sunapee Center Complex.
•Donna Nashawaty reviewed the details of the Sunapee Center property listing and sale prices. (See attached listing documents.)
•Shaun Carroll stated that the SAU has purchased the Blodgett house and will renovate for their administrative offices.
•Judy Trow stated that the SAU board, as a body, has not sat down to discuss Sunapee Center, so the Board is not prepared to entertain if this is a good idea.
•Selectman Gallup wanted to make sure that the Boards didn’t just focus on the existing building, but to try and look at the “bigger” picture and the possibilities of the entire property. It starts to put together a “center” for Sunapee, which has been lacking for years.
•Selectman Brown questioned how much of the 5.3 acres, which includes the marshy wetlands is usable. According to Selectman Gallup most of the wetlands are in the State right-of-way along Route 11 and 4.8 or 5 acres is usable land.
•Barbara Chalmers wanted to clarify by looking at the site plan in the packet Donna Nashawaty handed out, there’s a reason why there are no buildings behind the old house, that’s where the wetlands are located.
•Xan Gallup updated the Boards on the amount of square footage the library has currently, which is 3,180. The Town outgrew the space a number of years ago. The Library Trustees has advisors come in and evaluate the Library’s current needs and also the future needs based on the size of their collection and the needs of the future. That’s where the proposed 9,300 square feet was put together. Currently the Library Trustees status is they did their feasibility study and completed in January and put active campaigning on hold.
•Barbara Chalmers added that the new building that sits on that site has got to be a fairly significant amount of the property value, so if the Town’s looking at buying the property it doesn’t make sense to tear down a 2 year old building. Just in terms, whether or not it would be feasible to use a portion of it for the Library, her conclusion is it would be possible to use the ground floor portion, which is on a slab, but keep in mind that’s only 3400 square feet, so an addition of 6000 square feet would be needed. The upper two floors could possibly be used for offices. Also, because of the size a sprinkler system would need to be installed.
•Judy Trow went to Superintendent Minnihan after the last Board of Selectmen’s meeting who researched with the State the size a piece of land had to be to build an elementary school. Because the size of the school and adding 100 possible students determines the acreage needed around the school and this property would not qualify.
•Donna Nashawaty wanted to throw out a “what ifs”. She doesn’t know if it hurts the fund-raising efforts for the new library, but if the Town thought that owning this stretch of land between the other town buildings made good sense in the future, could the library temporary occupy the ground floor with a stairway connecting one of the townhouses for offices and use the land you see when you’re pulling into the parking lot to build the new library, but would have a place to grow for a couple of years while you’re raising the money to build. Also if the SAU took 1 or 2 of the townhouses for offices and a meeting room, sold the Blodgett house and kept the access road going into the back of the school. At some point, when the library is built, the Town offices move into the building. Donna
Nashawaty does not feel there will be a lack of occupants, whether it’s the Thrift Shop, food pantry.
•Edward Bailey questioned whether the Town would buy the property and then lease it to the SAU or Library. Donna Nashawaty said many towns own property that is leased to the school or Library.
•Shaun Carroll feels that some of the restrictions of the Planning Board need to be lifted and also feels that the Boards need to look at the Master Plan and see what commercial buildings were put on the plan. Shaun Carroll doesn’t want projects such as the new Library put on the back burner because of buying this property. Shaun Carroll doesn’t feel the SAU will benefit from buying this property, but thinks the Town will.
•Kim Richard stated that the SAU has current needs they need to address; it’s nice to look to the future if the Town has the money, but the Town has issues right in front of them that need to be finished.
•Selectman Roach agreed with Shaun Carroll that many times the Town has not planned ahead. The Town is talking about spending 2 million dollars on this property and doesn’t know what it’s going to do with it other than take it off the tax rolls. Selectman Roach feels the Town has to decide what its primary needs are and make choices and have everyone get behind one project a year and have a little planning and forward thinking which the Town has not had in years.
Public Comments
•Bruce Jennings and Rem Mastin think this is an opportunity that the Town should consider.
Selectmen’s Action
Selectman Smith will talk to the Planning Board having a joint meeting with the Board of Selectmen in September to discuss Sunapee Center Complex. Donna Nashawaty will send the Planning Board the property listing details.
Town Manager’s Report
Donna Nashawaty was enthusiastic about the Summer Town meeting attendance and would like to suggest to the Board that the Summer Town meeting be held every year on the first Tuesday in August. Motion by Selectman Gallup, Seconded by Selectman Roach.
Motion to adjourn: Unanimous Meeting adjourned at 9:43PM
Submitted by,
Barbara Vaughn
Administrative Assistant Approved:_____________
____________________ ______________________
Stephen White, Chairman Charlotte Brown
_________________________ _______________________
William Roach, Vice-Chairman Frederick Gallup
_________________________
Emma M. Smith
| 
