BOS Minutes 11-08-2006

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM<= /st1:place>

BOARD OF S= ELECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

November 8, 2006

APPROVED – November 28, 2006

CALL TO ORDER

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

PRESENT:

Mr. Victor Danevich, Mr. Edmund Gleason, Mr. Harold= Lynde (arrived after the meeting commenced), Mr. Jean-Guy Bergeron, Mr. Tom Domenico, Mr. Tom Gaydos -Town Administrator

Also present:

ABSENT:

Members of the press and general public.

None

A= PPOINTMENTS

P= ublic Hearing: Discussing use of fire impact fees to obtain a not-to-exceed amou= nt for Central Fire Station completion

Mr. Danevich informed that the proceeding wou= ld be a public input session. The = room was standing room only. Mr. Danevich said the Selectmen were soliciting input. He said because it was a fairly l= arge expenditure, the Selectmen were using caution and solicit input through as= many channels as possible. He sai= d a lot of input had been received and it was good to see people respond.

Mr. Danevich explained that the Selectmen on = a 4-1 vote agreed to accept the recommendations by the Fire Station Building Committee as well as numerous professionals about replacing the building a= nd building a new fire central station. = He said the Selectmen also (on a 4-1 vote) accepted the recommendation to build a central station versus a sub-station.&nbs= p; He said the potential was to expend approximately $103,000 out of t= he impact fees (already collected for this purpose). The account currently has approxi= mately $500,000.

Mr. Danevich asked Mr. Gaydos to review the l= ist of items that the $103,000 would cover.&n= bsp; Mr. Gaydos said there were a number of different proposals. The $103,500 would cover drawings, schematic design, test borings, geotechnical reports, check the survey and= any reimbursable expenses. Mr. G= aydos said they would meet with candidates for construction management to get an= idea of the prices. There will be= some time for an estimating package, bond costing and cost estimation of the fi= nal design.

Mr. Bergeron said there had been some publica= tion made that he was opposed to using impact fees to do the study; his recolle= ction was that he didn’t oppose it, but rather had concern regarding the $509,000 and allowing the taxpayers to vote if they wanted to spend the fu= nds. He asked the architect if a rende= ring (footprint) of the building and drawings of what the building would look l= ike and was told that could possibly be done for a few thousand dollars ($10,000-$15,000). He said d= uring the Selectmen’s meeting he asked the gentleman regarding doing a rendering and was told it wouldn’t be worth the paper it was written= on because it wouldn’t have the detailed plans and a lot of what was es= timated in the $509,000. He said at = this point the Town Administrator did some research (working for the Board) thi= nking there was something that could be done because of the timing to make it mo= ve forward which was why new numbers were received for discussion. Mr. Bergeron was glad there was fu= rther discussion regarding spending a portion ($103,500) of the $509,000. He wanted to publicly state he wa= s told it couldn’t be done and didn’t see the difference between spen= ding $103,000 for incomplete information and spending a few thousand dollars th= at also wasn’t complete. = He said at the last meeting the ‘not to exceed’ number was unknown. He felt all the information shoul= d be taken under consideration. H= e said if the $88,000 (proposed $103,000 subtract $15,000 for a rendering) could = remain so in the event the Townspeople wanted to move forward there would be that= much more to help defray costs. He didn’t feel the Board should be spending money now without knowing if they had the full support of the Town to move forward. He went back to his original stat= ement; he never said he wouldn’t support some kind of a design (with a not = to exceed number). He was pleas= ed to see a lot of people had responded. = He said there were other people (not in attendance) that would never speak pu= blicly against the Fire Department.

Mr. Gleason provided his perspective on the issue. It was his impression= when the architect was asked for a ‘not to exceed’ number it was predicated on simply going out and doing the work based on information they had. It was Mr. Gleason̵= 7;s impression if the $103,000 was spent to launch a preliminary study, the architect could do it and provide a ‘not to exceed’ price. He said the Fire Station was adop= ted as the Selectmen’s primary goal to address. He said the expenditure of the fe= es would not be a wasted amount of money; the fact was a fire station was nee= ded and if the cost was spent now the information could go in front of the vot= ers providing them with the opportunity for input. The drawings secured would still = be valid for future application. Mr. Gleason’s concern was delaying the vote (on the expenditure) until M= arch, there would be a two-year extension of the contract and inflation on the c= ost of the station. He felt the = right thing to do was to spend the money as it was intended for a fire station, = get the information needed to go forward to the Budget Committee and the voters with a credible package and allow them to make the decision. He said if they were successful w= ith moving forward, there would be ample opportunity for public participation.= Mr. Gleason was convinced this wa= s the right thing to do right now. He said the infrastructure had been neglected for years and the approach was proactive and would address the needs for the future. He ended by saying it was the rig= ht thing to do to provide a facility for the fire fighters and townspeople to provide adequate and safe services in a well thought out environment.

Mr. Domenico said the Town’s infrastruc= ture had been neglected for far too long; the fire station was a prime example = of such. He said the project was scheduled in the Capital Improvement Plan for 6.7 million dollars, but it = was unknown if that number was high or low; this process would make that determination. He felt the Selectmen’s primary obligation was ensuring the safety of the Town’s residents by providing the resources the departments need in a fiscally responsible manner. He said the proposal met the objectives.&nbs= p; Mr. Domenico supported the proposal in the amount of $103,500 and t= he people who worked on the Fire Station Committee. He felt this was the most fiscally responsible way to proceed. =

Mr. Gaydos said originally they were under the impression that a contract had to be signed for the whole $509,000 but fou= nd out subsequently that a whole cont= ract didn’t have to be done, and one piece could be done.

Mr. Lynde arrived.

Mr. Gaydos discussed the items that could be = done and the associated costs for each that totaled $103,500.

Mr. Lynde was in favor of proceeding and gett= ing the project underway and approving the use of the impact fees. He appreciated the additional information.

Mr. Danevich said his support started approximately seven or eight years ago when he first joined the Planning B= oard. He said in reviewing the plans at= that time, the Planning Board saw the need for a central fire station and start= ed the process of implementing impact fees for such. Mr. Danevich discussed the import= ance of resident feedback and noted it had been 100% supportive. He said the items for the committ= ee to consider (and provide information) was further definition of the need for a central station, and why the amount of physical space is being requested.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He ended by stating he was in full support of the proposed.

Mr. Bergeron said in the past the emphasis had been on having a sub-station; however, this has changed to a central station. He then discussed t= he use of $103,500 and questioned if there were any items contained in the propos= al that could be taken out to defray the amount until approval. Mr. Gaydos said the architect was= asked to provide a ‘not to exceed’ number that was not a guess. He said the more work done up fro= nt the better the numbers would be. Mr. Bergeron wanted to know if the other Selectmen saw something in the propos= al that didn’t need to be there.

Mr. Domenico said the $103,500 represented &#= 8216;due diligence’. He said th= e money would provide a credible estimate so something could be placed on the ball= ot and make an informed decision. He felt the amount was the most fiscally responsible way to accomplish what n= eeded to be done.

There was further discussion regarding the proposal. Mr. Gleason and Mr= . Lynde agreed with Mr. Domenico’s comments.

PUBLIC INPUT

Mr. James McManus, 2 Rita Avenue didn’t feel th= e Town would be building a fire station that was unique compared to surrounding communities. He questioned i= f the committee had asked a surrounding community for information. He said he supported a station but wanted to make sure money wasn’t wasted on a plan that wasn’t = worth the money it was written on. Fire Chief Michael Walker said they reviewed other fire stations and did a requ= est for qualifications for architects; all of which had plans they did for oth= er fire stations. He discussed = the fact that there were many variables to consider when reviewing plans becau= se every community had different needs.

There was no further public input (although t= he room was at standing room only).

= ;

MOTION:

(Domenico/Lynde) To authorize Town Administrator Tom Gaydos to execute an agreement with Donham & Sweeney with a ‘n= ot to exceed’ amount of $1= 03,500 for the deliverables discussed earlier.&nbs= p;

= ;

ROLL CALL = VOTE:

(5-0-0) Mr. Danevich-Yes; Mr. Gleason-Yes; Mr. Lynd= e-Yes; Mr. Bergeron-Yes; Mr. Domenico – Yes

<= o:p>

OTHER BUSINESS=

Review of Warrant Articles

Mr. Danevich said this was the first opportun= ity for the Selectmen to view the warrants with all the back up data; there wo= uld not be a full discussion regarding such at this time.

For draft purposes of the warrant, the Select= men discussed some of the points needing answers so Mr. Gaydos would be able to draft the warrants for later review. The discussion surrounded the length of time for a fire department lease/purchase agreement and the bond length for the central station.

Mr. Danevich said the intent was to get the information to the Selectmen for further discussion at the next meeting.

The Selectmen recessed the meeting and resumed (the public meeting) in the Town Hall Conference Room.

P= ublic Meeting Moves to Town Hall Conference Room – Discuss Budgetary Items with Bu= dget Committee (this portion of the meeting was not televised due to a conflict= in schedule with the Conservation Commission meeting)

Chairman Greg Farris and Vice Chairman Doug V= iger joined the Selectmen to discuss budgetary items.

The Selectmen wanted to meet with the Budget Committee members to let them know the philosophy behind the warrants being requested and why. Mr. Gleas= on said the most pressing issues were the fire station, four fire fighters and Eng= ine 3. The members discussed the changes= that had occurred over the past few years regarding mutual aid and the problems connected with those changes. There was further discussion about the Ambulance Fund and how those funds could = be used and if a capital reserve fund (from Fire Department revenue) should be created for items such as fire apparatus.= Mr. Gaydos said Town Meeting had to appropriate the money in a line item, because if it wasn’t, it would cancel a lease. He will review the RSA’s fu= rther to find how money could be raised and appropriated.

Mr. Gleason said the Selectmen were working as diligently as they could to put together the warrant articles for the Budg= et Committee. There were some w= arrant articles they were working on that they knew they wouldn’t have the = full data package by the vote next Thursday.&n= bsp; The Selectmen wanted the Budget Committee’s consideration when discussing the central fire station. Mr. Farris believed the vote on the warrant article could be tabled until reconsideration. He sa= id they wouldn’t entertain a vote without a specific number.

There was further discussion regarding the wa= rrant articles that would be coming forward.&nb= sp; A draft list of the warrant articles was given to Mr. Farris and Mr. Viger. Some of the items dis= cussed were the fire truck, central station (no number at this time), 2^{nd
egress at Muldoon, and Ca=
stle Hill
Road bridge (which would be done by a develop=
er in
Windham with
the Town giving them permission to do so), Raymond Park, PVMP, Sherburne H=
all.}

The Selectmen will prioritize the articles in groups = and discuss further at an upcoming meeting.&n= bsp;

REQUEST FOR NON-PUBLIC = SESSION

MOTION:

(Bergeron/Gleason) Request for a non-public session= per RSA 91-A:3,II, a (Personnel)

= ;

ROLL CALL:=

Mr. Danevich-Yes; Mr. Gleason-Yes; Mr. Lynde-Yes; M= r. Bergeron-Yes; Mr. Domenico – Yes

Mr. Danevich noted that when the Board returned, afte= r the non-public session, the Board would not take any other action publicly, ex= cept to possibly seal the minutes of the non-public session and to adjourn the meeting. The Board entered i= nto a non-public session at approximately 8:22 pm.

The Board returned to p= ublic session at approximately 8= :42 pm.

= ;

MOTION:

(Bergeron/Gleason) To seal the minutes of the non-p= ublic session indefinitely.

= ;

VOTE:<= /p>

(5-0-0) The motion carried.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION:=

(Bergeron/Gleason) To adjourn the meeting.

= ;

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carr= ied.

The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:42 pm.

&nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; Respectfully submitted,

= ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; Chari= ty A. L. Willis

&nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; Recording Secretary