SEL20120320

APPROVED

TOWN OF PELHAM

BOARD OF SE= LECTMEN MEETING

MINUTES

March 20, 2012

APPROVED &#= 8211; March 27, 2012<= /p>

CALL TO ORDER – approximately 6:30pm

PRESENT:

ABSENT:

Mr. Edmund Gleason, Mr.= Doug Viger, Mr. William McDevitt, Mr. Hal Lynde, Mr. Robert Haverty, Town Administrator Tom Gaydos

None

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – Lead = by the New England Champion Razorbacks<= /p>

OPEN FORUM

None

APPOINTMENTS

New England Champion Razorbacks

The Selectmen recognized = the accomplishments of the Razorbacks. Coach Lou Longo came forward and discussed the hard work and dedicat= ion of the players. He introduced= the Assistant Coaches and thanked them as well as the team parents for their support. Each of the football players came forward to give their name and player number. The Selectmen thanked the players = for their efforts and told the players that the Town was proud of them

PUBLIC HEARING – Technology Equipment Donation to Police Department Training Room by an Anonymous Donor With an Approximate Value of $14,000

Lieutenant Gary = Fisher came forward and discussed the department’s existing equipment and how the proposed equipment donation would benefit the Police Department. The donation had a value of $13,90= 7, which was inclusive of the equipment, labor and installation cost. Lt. Fisher said the department was familiar with the company and had done business with them in the past. He said they had asked to remain anonymous.

Mr. Lynde asked = if there were any conflicts of interest with the proposed donation. Mr. Viger clarified by asking if t= here was a vendor giving the Town a free product with the expectation of future = work. Lt. Fisher answered no; it had nev= er been part of the discussion. = Mr. Gleason asked for clarification that there was no cost to the Town in acqui= ring the donated equipment in terms of set up or maintenance. Lt. Fisher said they were not ente= ring into a maintenance contract; the equipment would have normal manufacturer warranties. He said there wou= ld be no maintenance involved with the equipment; the understanding was that the donator would train personnel how to use the equipment.

Mr. Gleason aske= d Mr. Gaydos if the Selectmen had the authority to accept the equipment at the present meeting. Mr. Gaydos answered yes.

There was no pub= lic input.

MOTION:

(Haverty/Lynde) To accept an anonymous donation for the amount of $13,907 for audio/visual equipment, installation and training for the Police training room.

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carried.

&n= bsp;

The Selectmen as= ked that Lt. Fisher convey their sincere appreciation to the anonymous vendor.

2012 Election Results – Town & School <= /b>

The Selectmen di= scussed the Town voting results from the March 13, 2012 Town Meeting.

Mr. Gleason said= that Planning Director Jeff Gowan indicated he could repair the current vehicle = out of his budget.

Mr. Gaydos noted= that the final bid was going out for the ambulance, the only thing remaining was to transfer funds. Mr. Gleason said he would advise t= he Trustees that the money would be taken out of the account and that account would be closed.

Mr. Gleason ackn= owledged that having the $3.9 million approved for the new fire station was a significant accomplishment. H= e was impressed with the vote received. It was noted that the Fire Chief was proceeding immediately with the= new fire station. Mr. Gaydos repo= rted on a meeting that was held Monday (3/19/12). He said the first thing they wanted to do was conduct a meeting with local contractors and Eckman Construction to learn about pre-qualifying to partic= ipate in the bidding. Bids would go= out and received at the end of April. During the first week of May the final guaranteed maximum price woul= d be provided. The actual construc= tion would begin at the end of May. Mr. Gaydos said they were currently working with National Grid regarding power service; the Town would like to have the service underground. He said they were also speaking wi= th National Grid regarding rebates. He noted they were working with Pennichuck= for an on-site hydrant.

Mr. Gleason aske= d if it was known when some of the apparatus would be moved into the new structure. Mr. Gaydos believe= d it may be in January, 2013.

There was a disc= ussion regarding the new Police Officer. Mr. Lynde asked if the process of accepting the grant had been done. Mr. Gleason asked that = an action item be noted to confirm that the grant has been executed.

The Selectmen co= ntinued to discuss the Town Meeting results.

OTHER BUSINESS

Chairman Discussion – New Fire Station / Disposition of Old Fire Station / Fund Balance –Tax Rate / Roundabouts / Capital Improve= ment Plan / SAU #28 Split / Water Line Replacement on Sawmill Road

Mr. Gleason disc= ussed his observations relative to the election and his perceived responsibilities for the Selectmen during the next two years. He felt that Pelham was at the thr= eshold of a significant change and improvement that would end up being beneficial = in the long run. He listed some = of the problems that would need to be addressed, such as making a decision about w= hat to do with the existing fire station, roundabout construction/disruption, waterline replacement on Sawmill Road, SAU #28 (possible location), Capital Improvement Plan staffing/implementation, 2012 tax rate mitigation and 2013= tax rate reduction. He believed t= he Selectmen should commit the majority of the 2011 fund balance to the 2012 t= ax rate relief. Institute tax relief = reduction for 2013 by maximizing 2012 fund balance by closing old warrants, looking at all trusts and capital reserves (put money back into fund balance), increase revenues (where ever possible) for upcoming year, defer any non-essential spending, solicit departmental support for reduced budget expenditures and = ask departments to have flat level budgets.&nb= sp; He noted that the tax rate was a Town-wide issue and felt that the Selectmen, Budget Committee and School Board should make a collaborative ef= fort to maintain the voter’s support and confidence. He suggested having a round-table discussion with those boards to communicate the problems; and to have a cap= ital improvement plan that recognized both the School and Town priorities. He would like to ask the School Bo= ard to restrain their budget growth next year if possible. He believed in doing so the Town w= ould have continued voter support in the future.

Mr. Lynde felt i= t was harsh to put a burden on the school and effectively tell them they couldn’t do anything next year. Relative to the fund balance, he said the Selectmen could take the approach of offsetting the fire station.&n= bsp; As they said they would do; another approach could be to hit the fund balance hard so the tax rate wasn’t raised (as high), but then next y= ear the tax rate wouldn’t drop. He said in the past the fund balance had been used as a buffer. Mr. Lynde said if the capital improvement plan was done correctly they’d be able to see what was in front of them and could make the right decisions. He believed the Selectmen should be looking down the road 2-3 years to try to determine the Town’s expens= es, and also meet and work with the Budget Committee and School Board to lay ou= t a path for the tax rate. He didn’t want to make any pre-mature decisions until they knew what path would be followed; the key being the CIP.&= nbsp;

Around the time = of the election, Mr. McDevitt had separate conversations with the Chairs for the Budget Committee and School Board who both felt there should be a joint mee= ting with the Selectmen. He said o= nce the CIP was up and running it might be the track to run on. Mr. Gleason said he wanted to communicate to the other boards, when looking at next year’s budget t= hey had to realize the potential impact. He wanted to have a mechanism to start dialog because everyone had t= o be cognizant that the people had expectations.

Mr. Haverty said= the Selectmen asked the taxpayers for a one-time tax increase (for the fire station) and unless they are responsible for that request and try to return some of it next year, that tax increase would become another way for local government to take money and not give it back. He hoped by having Selectmen representatives on the committees that the Selectmen’s message about fiscal responsibility would be carried through. He agreed that the CIP would send = the message that the boards were willing to work together to schedule items out= to minimize the tax impact on the citizens.&n= bsp;

Mr. Viger agreed= with the points being discussed. H= e said the Selectmen were tasked with the one-year commitment to the fire station. He gave his word to = make sure that they didn’t roll any of it back into any taxes.

Mr. Gleason agre= ed that the CIP was the linchpin and the Selectmen should support it. He said it would do no good to cre= ate a CIP if it wasn’t supported when things came due. He said there had to be discussions about what vehicles would be instituted to start putting money aside to mitigate debt once something came due so it didn’t have a significant impact on the tax rate.

Mr. Gaydos had a= couple items to discuss with the Selectmen. He said during the meetings with the DOT on the roundabout projects, there was an offer for them to pay for the demolition of the old fire station. He wanted to know ho= w the Board wanted to approach the discussion.&n= bsp; The DOT is waiting for the Selectmen to give them an answer because = if the DOT is going to take the building down they need to conduct some preliminary tests to see if there are any kinds of hazardous materials. If the Town is going to keep the building the Board would need to discuss what would happen. In a separate matter, Mr. Gaydos s= aid there had been discussion about making improvements to Hinds Lane. There were some discussions on sit= e and some pros/cons about what kinds of improvements would be made. Mr. Gaydos has a meeting set up wi= th Highway Road Agent, Don Foss. He wanted to know how the Selectmen wanted to approach the issue. Mr. Gaydos then told the Selectmen= that Pennichuck had notified the Town because they wanted to replace the water l= ine on Sawmill Road (a Town road). He would like = the Board to take a vote to authorize him to sign a permit to allow them to work within the roadway. Pennichuc= k had already met with Fire Chief Midgley regarding hydrants and had met with the Highway Agent to discuss what would be done and how it would be done. There are standard forms the Town = uses for when people work within a street; the Highway Agent has that aspect covered. He asked for a forma= l vote to authorize Pennichuck to work within the roadway to replace the water lin= e.

MOTION:

(Viger/Haverty) To give Town Administrator Tom Gaydos authorization to proceed with the permitting process for Pennichuck working on Sawmill Road.

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carried.

Mr. Gleason unde= rstood that the DOT was going out to bid in May and had to know if they needed to conduct a hazard mitigation study before that time. He asked the Board for their recommendation.

Mr. Viger said p= rior to the Town Meeting he had pushed the new fire station on the fact that the old station was incapable of just about anything. He didn’t want to go back on= his word and use the area for anything but fill.

Mr. Lynde said g= iven the concept of trying to use the building with the associated costs, any businessman would level the building and build new because it would be less costly. As part of the (round= about) project it would cost the Town little to nothing to remove the building.

Mr. McDevitt sai= d a suggestion was made to use the building for a Highway Department garage, wh= ich wouldn’t make sense given that all the supplies would be located up t= he road at another location. He = said they may save up front not building a garage, however, the Town would spend money going back and forth between the two locations. He commented that having equipment= and piles of sand and salt in the Town Center didn’t= make sense. He agreed that the bui= lding should come down. Mr. Haverty felt the existing building would make a lousy Highway or Cemetery garage, given its location and the fact that it was unf= it and unsafe for any habitation of any kind.= He said he couldn’t imagine using the building for any single = use, but felt the Selectmen should hold a public hearing. Mr. Gleason said during discussion= s with DOT it was noted that the optimal solution was to have a green space and additional parking for the Congregational Church who was losing ground beca= use of the roundabout taking land. Mr. Gleason asked that the Selectmen request the opinion from the Highway Agent= and the Cemetery regarding the fire station building. Mr. Gaydos noted that the septic s= ystem would be ripped out and there would need to be a significant amount of mone= y if people were housed in that building. He also noted that the Highway trucks wouldn’t fit in the buil= ding with their plows; and also not all the equipment would fit. He said the Highway Agent wasnR= 17;t really interested in the building because it wouldn’t accomplish what= he was trying to do.

Mr. McDevitt sai= d if Cemetery or Highway were interested in the building they should let the Selectmen kn= ow by the next meeting. There wa= s a brief discussion, and the Selectmen asked that an agenda item be added for = the next meeting to solicit input regarding the building.

Selectmen 2012 Election of Officers

Selectmen McDevi= tt was nominated as Chairman.

MOTION:

(Haverty/Viger) To elect Mr. McDevitt as Chairman.

VOTE:

(4-0-1) The motion carried. Mr. McD= evitt abstained.

Selectmen Gleaso= n was nominated as Vice Chairman.

MOTION:

(Haverty/Viger) To elect Mr. Gleason as Vice Chairman.

VOTE:

(4-0-1) The motion carried. Mr. Gle= ason abstained.

Selectmen 2012 Committee / Board Assignments<= /p>

The Selectmen di= scussed committee and board assignments.

Mr. Viger volunt= eered to be the representative to the Budget Committee. Mr. Gleason volunteered to be the alternate. Mr. Viger asked to continue as the representative for the Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce an= d the liaison for the School.

Mr. Haverty volu= nteered to continue as the representative for the Fire Station Project, CIP, Haz Ma= t Director on the Pelham Citizen Council and School Board liaison.

Mr. Gleason volu= nteered to be the alternate for the CIP, continue as the NRPC Commissioner, and the representative for the Trustees and Senior Citizens.

Mr. Lynde volunt= eered to continue as representative for the Forestry Committee and to keep in contact with the Conservation Commission.

The full list of committees and boards will be distributed to the Selectmen for further discussion at the next meeting.

Mr. Lynde provid= ed an update regarding the energy study that was being done. He said Pelham was included in the= NRPC review process to get offers to supply electric energy. He noted all other towns involved = were with PSNH, Pelham is with National Grid.&n= bsp; After adding the School and Windham to the bid, Pelham was able to reduce (Town & School) costs approximate= ly 1.5 cents (approximately 10% reduction in the total electric bill).

Mr. Gleason said= he had a conversation with Rob MacLean regarding natural gas who indicated the PUC would probably confirm the split with National Grid into Liberty Utilities = in May. He felt that they were s= till interested in coming into Pelham. He said they should continue to work with the School and Mr. MacLean= to try and facilitate the process.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION:

(Viger/Haverty) To adjourn the meeting.

VOTE:

(5-0-0) The motion carried.

The meeting was = adjourned at approximately 7:40 pm.

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

            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =          Charity A. Landry

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

BOARD OF SELECTMEN ACTION ITEMS

March 22, 2011=

<= ![if !supportLists]>·         Mr. Gowan to advise Selectmen whether the CIP will be instituted; 8/9/11 – Mr. Gaydos believed they had a complete list of all the equipment in Town. Ms. Kelley will circula= te that list to the departments requesting they advise what condition it was i= n)(8/30 – ongoing – a list of all equipment, trucks etc. was done. Mr. Gaydos will have a meeting with Selectmen Viger to review a replacement schedule); 10/25/11 Mr. Gaydos and Mr. Viger will sharpen the f= ocus in the internal vehicle replacement plan (Planning Board to discuss at their n= ext meeting if they will move forward); 1/17/12 – Mr. Gaydos said a packet had been provided to the Budget Committee, Mr. McDevitt said the Planning B= oard had made an announcement seeking volunteers. He suggested including the CIP in = the list of elected/appointment positions that would be available in March.

March 29, 2011=

<= ![if !supportLists]>·         Mr. Gaydos to put timeline together for Cast= le Hill Road (6/7/11 easement being completed that would allow the Crawfords to access their property)(7/5/11 – Mr. Gaydos stated the project was mov= ing forward, there were other issues to get out of the way prior to addressing = this)(8/2/11 Mr. Gaydos is working with Attorney Solomon and will have a timeline quickl= y)(8/9/11 – Mr. Gaydos continuing to work with Attorney Solomon- associated correspondence will be provided to the Selectmen)(8/30/11 – still in progress); 1/17/12 – still in court.

May 10, 2011=

·<= span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>      =    Mr. McDevitt researching appropriate signage= for Raymond Park (where parcels are located and what names were allowed per dee= ds) (6/7/11 Mr. McDev= itt said research was completed and would like to discuss with the Board after the meeting of 6/28/= 11)(7/5/11 – M= r. McDevitt said a discussion should be scheduled regarding the names at Raymond Park. Information is available to educate the Selectmen. A discussion will be scheduled for= July 19, 2011)(= 8/2/11 Mr. McDev= itt said the Board had received a draft of the naming requirements of the park, which ra= ised additional questions. The Sel= ectmen will schedule a discussion at a later time)(8/9/11 – there is a quest= ion whether there could be signs that stay up at Raymond Park – this is in the process of being addressed)(8//30/11 – agenda item scheduled) / 10/25/11 – research still being conducted and signs to be designed; 1/17/12 – ongoing project – an Eagle Scout project will possibl= y be brought forward to put up kiosk.

May 24,= 2011

·         Mr. Gaydos to contact the Congregational Church to find out how long they would allow the Town to use their property (7/5/11 – Mr. Gaydos said he would continue to = follow up. They previously had an agreement and didn’t believe that would change.)(8/2/11 Mr. Gaydos said he owes= Mr. Currier some materials)(8/9/11 – Mr. Gaydos is pulling together the plans from several years ago of = what was intended to be built in the event they were to build something behind t= he fire station – information to be provided to Mr. Currier)(8/30/11 –= Mr. Gaydos still pursuing with Mr. Currier) / 10/25/11 – Mr. Gaydos speaking to = Mr. Currier who is looking for drawings done approximately 6 years ago; 1/17/12 – Mr. Gaydos is working with Mr. Currier regarding the procedure to m= ove ahead if the fire station doesn’t pass.

July = 5, 2011

·         Mr. Gaydos to request from Comcast something in writing indicating there will b= e no additional charge for moving cable to new fire station location (8/2/11 Mr. Gaydos said there were several issues he would deal with all at once when Comcast returned the signed contract)(8/30/11 – contracts returned – Town will approach Comcast with two required follow up letters of agreement) / 10/25/11- Mr. Gaydos to ask Mr. Greenwood to follow up; 1/17/12 follow up needed for written agreement.

Augus= t 2, 2011

·         Ob= tain status regarding Young’s Crossing and the flashing sign on Route 38/Gage Hill Road/Ledge Road intersection and from Police Chief. (8/9/11 Mr. Gaydos had a discussion with Police Chief= Roark regarding the flashing light and there may be less expensive alternatives.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> The Chief has requested a meeting = with the DOT district for Pelham)(8/30/11 – correspondence received from State – Mr. Gaydos to work with Police Chief Roark to compile accident statistics) / 10/25/11 – Mr. Gaydos said Chief Roark was heading this up – the same type of study = is being done at the Sherburne Road intersection.; 1/17/12 – still worki= ng with intersection (with state) in conjunction with Sherburne Road.

Augus= t 16, 2011

·         Mr. Gaydos to research if there is legislation pertaining to dam water releases= for a future agenda item (8/30/11 –Mr. Gaydos working on response regarding dam water releases and hope= d it would also address the flood ordinance Mr. Gowan was working on)/ 10/25/11 – Mr. Gaydos said there was wording, but it didn’t have suffici= ent ‘teeth’ – an agenda item will be scheduled for Selectmen discussion; 1/17/12 – at a standstill between what the state is willi= ng to do and what the Town would like them to do. Mr. Gaydos felt the flood study wo= uld aid in an outcome. =

September 27, 2011

·         Mr. Gaydos to create policy for acquiring property due to non-payment of taxes. 1/17/12 an agenda item will be scheduled for the pol= icy adoption.

Febru= ary 14, 2012

·         Schedule Hinds Lane conservation land status follow up meeting for two months – April, 2012

March= 20, 2012

·         Mr. Gaydos to confirm that the Police Grant = has been executed.