BOS Minutes 02-21-2006

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

February 21, 2006

APPROVED – March 7, 2006

CALL TO ORDER

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Victor Danevich, Mr. Harold Lynde, Mr. Edmund Gl= eason, Mr. Tom Domenico, Mr. Tom Gaydos – Town Administrator

Also present:

ABSENT:

Members of the press and general public.

Mr. Jean-Guy Bergeron (was attending a public meetin= g)

MI= NUTES REVIEW

February 14, 2006

MOTION:=

(Gleason/Lynde) To approve the February 14, 2006 meeting minutes as amended.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

Amendments to the minutes were as follows: page 5 R= 11; the word ‘if’ was inserted into the following ‘. Mr. Domenico asked if he could…’

ANNOUNCEME= NT

Mr. Danevich informed that Candidate’s Night (ho= sted by the League of Women Voters) would be held Thursday, February 23, 2006, 7pm at the Pelham Elementary S= chool.

OPEN FORUM=

No input.

APPOINTMEN= TS

Resignatio= n of Leo Thibeault as NRPC Representative

Mr. Danevich read Mr. Leo Thibeault’s letter of resignation as an NRPC Representative.&nbs= p; He then read aloud a statement submitted by Mr. Bergeron thanking him for his volunteerism. Mr. Dan= evich also thanked Mr. Thibeault. <= /p>

MOTION:=

(Domenico/Lynde) To accept, with regret, the resigna= tion of Mr. Leo Thibeault as an NRPC Representative.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

Mr. Danevich suggested holding off filling the position because it was close to the Town’s election and appointment period. He said if anyone was interested in volunteering for the Town they should contact the Selectmen.

PUBLIC HEA= RING – To accept 29.4 +/- acres from Stonepost Village LLC to be known as = the Spring Street Conservation Area

Mr. Gaydos provided a brief history of the land. There had been an arrangement with= the (then) developer for the approximate 29 acre piece of property (that includ= ed a dam) that was to be deeded to the Town.&nb= sp; The land was strategically located and would be a great piece of recreational land. However, t= he state didn’t accept the dam in the (then) condition; the developer repaired the dam and brought it up to standards. Mr. Gaydos said it was a formality= at this point for the Selectmen to accept the property.

The Selectmen were provided with the map, warranty dee= d, certificate of manager – see Attachment for details. Mr. Gaydos thanked Mr. Bob Lamoureu= x for the work he did to keep the pr= oject ‘on track’. Mr. Danevich thanked Mr. Bill McDevitt (former Selectmen) for his efforts.

PUBLIC INPUT

Mr. Richard Torra, Stonepost Road, applauded the Town for its effort to acc= ept the parcel into conservation.

MOTION:=

(Gleason/Lynde) To accept the parcel of land (29.24 = acres) designated as Stonepost Village LLC property being turned over to the Town.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

Police Chi= ef Haglund Re: Child Notification Program

Police Chief Evan Haglund announced their new (volunta= ry) Partnering with Parents parental notification program. He said parents (Pelham residents)= can sign up to be automatically notified (via telephone or other means) if their child comes in contact with Pelham Police Officers (i.e. through a traffic stop or if a chi= ld is identified through routine patrols). The notification program would automatically end on the child’s eighteenth birthday. Question= s can be forwarded to the Police at 635-2411 or online at Chief@Pelhampolice.com; forms are available at the Police Station. Further examples were given for when parents would be notified. Only public information would be g= iven out. There is no cost to resi= dents for the program.

Police Chi= ef Haglund Re: Cameras in Front Line Cruisers

Police Chief Evan Haglund discussed a DVD camera syste= m that the Police Department wanted to install in front line cruisers. He discussed the pros (i.e. the ca= meras would assist in evidence collection) and cons (i.e. cost - $7370 per unit).= To begin with, only the three fron= t line vehicles would have the system installed; there were four more marked cruis= ers that would have to be supplemented and phased in as the cruisers were repla= ced (the cost would be built in). The system could be commenced immediately once ordered. All officers would be trained. The system would be interoperable = with the Car 54 system.

Mr. Lynde wanted to know how the officers viewed the system. Chief Haglund said the officers had nothing to hide and the system would assist them and provide backup.

Mr. Gleason asked if the information from the system c= ould be used as evidence in court. Chief Haglund said the information would become evidence.

Mr. Gaydos asked if the system could be used for training. Chief Haglund answe= red yes; the system could be manipulated however needed. He said there could be a review sy= stem in place to check on officers.

Mr. Gleason asked what the equipment life expectancy was. Chief Haglund said the c= ompany indicated that the equipment was built strong. He said an extended warranty was offered. Mr. Gleason asked if= the program would be expanded into vehicles other than the three front-line cru= isers. Chief Haglund said he would like t= o see the system put into all the marked units (7 cars). There would be a phased-in approac= h to add the system to cruisers as they were acquired so the cost was not absorb= ed all at one time. Mr. Gaydos n= oted that the system could go from car to car; the main housing unit from the DVD system was rugged and was likely to survive a car accident and possibly a f= ire in the vehicle.

Mr. Gleason confirmed that the system could not be shu= t off by an officer once it was activated by the blue lights being turned on. Chief Haglund said policies would = be outlined regarding the system’s operation and how it would be shut of= f.

There was a brief discussion regarding the system. A motion was made to authorize the= expense of up to $21,000 for the DVD system. Chief Haglund said the amount may be more, depending on the warrantee package. Mr. Danevich suggest= ed discussing the warrantee package at a later date; the motion could be amended.

MOTION:=

(Gleason/Lynde) To authorize the expenditure of up to $21,000 to outfit the three front line vehicles with digital camera for public safety and information.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

OTHER BUSI= NESS

Fire Chief Succession Plan: Alternative for Search / Job Description / Interviewing Process

Mr. Gaydos addressed the manner in which management vacancies could be filled. He discussed two alternatives: 1) hire a company that specifically fills Fire/= Police personnel; and 2) for the Selectmen to set up a program (such as when hiring the Planning Director and Park Director) including other professionals in t= he field. Mr. Lynde and Police C= hief Evan Haglund explained the interview process in which Chief Haglund was hir= ed. Mr. Gaydos provided the Selectmen = with a strategy for hiring a new chief which by having three interview panels consisting of citizens, professionals and the Highway Safety Committee who would come up with their recommendations; the Selectmen could choose an intermediating panel consisting of a few members from each of the panels depending on the number of qualified applicants. The final round would be the Selec= tmen meeting with the candidates. = Mr. Gaydos also provided a suggested timeline for the interviewing process.

Mr. Gleason said he would like to avoid the expenditur= e of money for a study group. He f= elt there was adequate detail in the (Town) plan to hire a chief. Mr. Lynde felt if a professional o= utfit were hired, they would follow the same steps as outlined in the ‘Town’ plan. He didn’t see any distinct advantage for using an outside source. He said it was nice to have a peer= group identify strong candidates. M= r. Domenico supported the in-house interview method but had comments regarding= the advertisement. Mr. Danevich a= lso supported using an in-house method.

There was further discussion regarding the process the= Town would take and what information would be gathered at the interviews. The Selectmen agreed that at the beginning of the process the Selectmen (individually) would review the appl= ications and ‘stack rank’ them. The Selectmen would then meet as a Board to determine who would be interviewed and a phone screen would be conducted to select the candidates = for the panel interview process. = Mr. Gaydos was asked to amend the proposed interview process plan and re-circul= ate to the Board for the next meeting. <= /span>

The Selectmen reviewed the job description; Mr. Domeni= co offered some amendments. Mr. Danevich read aloud the proposed job description. Mr. Gleason asked if the candidate= would have to reside in Town. Mr. G= aydos reviewed the job description (for the Fire Chief, Police Chief and Highway = Road Agent) in the union contract requires that they ‘must reside within a distance to allow for the reporting time of thirty minutes.’

Mr. Gaydos and Mr. Domenico will work together with th= e Fire Chief to refine the job description and provide a copy to the Selectmen for= the next meeting.

Business P= lan – Review of 3-year plans for Assessing, Highway and Transfer Station =

Mr. Danevich stated there were twelve to thirteen plan= s that the Selectmen would be reviewing that would eventually correlate into a Town-wide business plan.

Mr. Gaydos began by reviewing the Assessing Department’s plan. He outlined the goals and said they talked about the idea of having more commi= tted staff support. The long-range= plan talked about hiring a Town Assessor. Mr. Gaydos said the course that the Town had taken over the past cou= ple years was having the position built into an Assessing Technician by training and education. He said there = was no reason why that person couldn’t get the designation of Assessor; but = the Town would always use outside contracted help to do things such as data col= lection, measuring property, valuing improvements and assessing technical issues (th= at often lead the Town into court). He said at this point the Town wasn’t using the outside company for regu= lar assessing because of the revaluation. He discussed the importance of having a part-time person in the assessing office. He said oth= er departments also had the need for part-time positions. Mr. Gaydos said in 2007 the Assess= ing Department would look for a dedicated schedule for education and an outline= of the Town’s continued needs after the revaluation. In 2008 the department wanted to identify and take steps to maintain the data base.

Mr. Gleason complemented the departments for doing suc= h a good job with their reports. = He said if it was the Town’s intention to use an outside assessor, the person currently working in the assessing department should be informed so = they could pursue outside endeavors. Mr. Gaydos said maybe there was room for an assessor, but the Town would still = need an outside consultant to do the data collection. There was further discussion regar= ding the department’s staffing needs.&nbs= p;

Mr. Gaydos then reviewed the Highway Department’= s plan which was split into two parts: 1) road projects; and 2) over next two to t= hree years do an analysis of the outside contractors used and having a certain amount of the work in-house. &n= bsp;

Mr. Gleason asked about the funding and if some of it = was in the Highway Block Grant and if there was additional funding that would be needed from the Town (operating budget or warrants). Mr. Gaydos said some funding would= come from the Highway Grant. Mr. G= leason wanted to indicate somewhere on the plan where the money would come from. He said with the request for equip= ment in the plan an analysis of payback and life expectancy should be done. There was a discussion regarding h= ow GPS and NRPC would assist the Town in gathering information.

Mr. Gaydos then addressed the Transfer Station plan. He confirmed with the Selectmen th= at there was no interest in having a coupon or pay as you go system. Mr. Danevich answered yes and note= d that it had recently been reaffirmed. Mr. Gaydos said it was in the plan (for 2008) to use 100-yard roll o= ff system (which would cut costs) versus the transfer trailers being used now. Mr. Danevich suggested that a busi= ness case be prepared prior to the upcoming budget cycle. Mr. Gleason felt the sooner the To= wn proceeded the better because there was a question about the functionality of the building and there had been a lot of repairs to the conveyor belt. Mr. Domenico agreed. He also wanted a true-cost benefit analysis (over the past three years) presented to the Board. There was a brief discussion regar= ding what items were being accepted at the Transfer Station and different options/solutions for trash removal. Mr. Lynde suggested that the Selectmen expose themselves to the pay = as you go system and possibly have the state give a presentation.

Review of = Voter Guide

Mr. Domenico provided the Selectmen with an amended pa= ge 3 of the Voter Guide. Mr. Lynde proposed amendments. The Sele= ctmen discussed the proposed amendments to the voter guide. Mr. Gaydos will incorporate the amendments and provide an electronic copy of the guide to the Selectmen for review.

TOWN ADMIN= ISTRATOR / SELECTMEN REPORTS

Mr. Gaydos informed that there had been a meeting with National Grid and several members of the Town, (Electrical Inspector Tim Zelonis, Code Officer John Hodge, Selectmen Gleason & via telephone for= a portion of the meeting with Selectmen Domenico). He said by June 1, 2006 National Grid’s syste= m for the Town getting power and customer service would be upgraded/updated. A on= e-page summary of the meeting outcome will be posted on the Selectmen website for = the public to review.

Mr. Gaydos said he received an offer from the Pelham-W= indham News to insert the voter guide into their paper. Mr. Domenico was against using tha= t form or distribution because he felt the information may be mixed with fliers. It was important to him to get the information directly to voters. The Selectmen agreed that the information should not be inserted into the newspaper.

Mr. Gaydos informed the Selectmen that there had been a water leak at the library and explained what happened. A plumber reviewed the situation a= nd the Town’s insurance company sent a clean up crew and the repairs are bei= ng scheduled. He said a carpente= r was needed for dry wall work and small carpentry work; anyone interested should contact the Selectmen at 635-8233 x1.

Mr. Gaydos then discussed Castle Hill Bridge and informed= that the Town had done a preliminary design.&nb= sp; He said there was a developer doing a project on the Windham side and for an area impact had offered to pay the 20% share for both Pelham and Windham to replace the bridge. The bridge would probably be done in 2007 with no cost to Pelham based on the state 80% match.

Mr. Gaydos discussed the Tallant Road Bridge project. He said he was contacted by the Wi= ndham Town Administrator who indicated that the Windham Selectmen wanted to meet = with the Pelham Selectmen to discuss the project and the bridge closure and traf= fic patterns. The Selectmen discu= ssed the project. Mr. Danevich inf= ormed that the Selectmen had made a decision (approx. 1 ½ years ago) to cl= ose the bridge based upon the Highway Safety Committee’s recommendation.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Mr. Gleason asked if the Planning Directors from each town should meet and discuss a plan prior to the Select boards meeting. There was a consensus by the Selectmen to have the two Planning Departments meet and le= ave the option open to meet with the Windham Selectmen. Mr. Lynde asked if there was a way= to get an assessment of the safety of the intersection based upon the traffic load. Mr. Danevich said the Selectmen could be provided with the traffic study done for the intersection during a subdivision (approx. two years ago). Mr. Lynde also wanted information regarding increased traffic if the Town agreed to reconstruct the Castle Hill Road bridge. Mr. Gaydos said he ha= d a copy of the study done by the developer and believed that most of the impact would be to Tallant Road; a copy could be provided to the Selectmen.= Mr. Domenico said the bridge was on the ‘red’ list and questioned whether it should be kept open due to safety; he would rather er= r on the side of caution. Mr. Glea= son pointed out that the state had $569,000 allocated for the bridge in the 2007 year timeframe. Mr. Domenico didn’t feel traffic should be diverted over the Castle Hill bridge du= ring the Tallant Road Bridge construction.

Mr. Gaydos said he reviewed funding sources with Mr. J= .R. Gauthier for the Raymond Park project but had yet to complete the proposed agreement with him. He discussed what f= unding was available. He said Mr. Ga= uthier had discussed water sourcing with Gove Environmental. He said bid specifications were al= so being discussed.

Mr. Gaydos said he would provide the Selectmen with information regarding mosquito control from a company that works with local communities.

Mr. Gaydos informed that the bids with SEA Engineering= for the Tallant Road Bridge would be opened = Friday, February 24, 2006 at 2pm in the Selectmen’s office.

Mr. Gaydos ended by informing that ruling in the Torri= si court case was in favor of the Town. The Town was being sued over the Planning Board’s refusal to w= aive slope requirements. More info= rmation will be provided to the Selectmen at the next meeting.

Mr. Domenico said he provided the Selectmen with a pro= posed revision to the Junkyard Ordinance for review and discussion at the next meeting.

Mr. Lynde and Mr. Gleason had no report.

Mr. Danevich thanked Mr. Gleason for updating the Selectmen’s priority list; he will repost. He thanked PTV for helping with the communication project.

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC SESSION

MOTION:=

(Lynde/Domenico) Request for a non-public session pe= r RSA 91-A:3,II,c (Matters which, if discussed pub= licly, would affect adversely the reputation of any person)

ROLL CALL:<= /b>

Mr. Danevich-Yes; Mr. Lynde-Yes; Mr. Gleason-Yes; Mr. Domenico-Yes

Mr. Danevich noted that when the Board returned, after= the non-public session, the Board would not take any other action publicly, exc= ept to possibly seal the minutes of the non-public session and to adjourn the meeting. The Board entered in= to a non-public session at approximately 9:16 pm.

The Board returned to public session at approximately = 9:34 pm.

MOTION:=

(Lynde/Gleason) To seal the minutes of the non-public session.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carried.

ADJOURNMEN= T

MOTION:<= o:p>

(Lynde/Gleason) To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

(4-0-0) The motion carri= ed.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:34 pm.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Respe= ctfully submitted,

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Chari= ty A. L. Willis

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Recor= ding Secretary