BOS Minutes 7/31/17

MINUTES OF THE JULY 31, 2017 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING

MEMBER’S PRESENT:  Board Members Bruno Federico, Joe Lovejoy, and Town Administrator Paul Deschaine.  Board member Mike Houghton was absent.

At 7:33 pm Chairman Federico opened the general meeting of the Board of Selectmen.

MINUTES:

Mr. Federico moved to approve the minutes of the special meeting held on 7/7/2017 and the regular meeting of 7/24/17.  Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously.

TREASURER’S REPORT:

Town Treasurer Deb Bronson indicated that the current General Fund balance was $10,707,295.29

ASSESSING

Town Assessor Andrea Lewy reported that e911 is advising the Board to reconsider a previously named road,  Barbaras Way.  They are concerned about possible confusion to similar sounding roads in town during an emergency.  After much debate, Mr. Lovejoy motioned to keep the previously approved name.  Mr. Federico seconded the motion which passed unanimously.

PARKS & RECREATION

Parks & Recreation Director Seth Hickey briefly reviewed the details regarding clean up at Stratham Hill Park after the fair.  He noted some concern regarding the wells.  They had been pulling up debris just prior to the start of the fair.  The wells are particularly stressed during the fair but we were well prepared and there were no substantial issues during the fair.  Mr. Deschaine noted the significant age of the wells and said they would require continued monitoring. 

Mr. Hickey is working with Tim Mason to do some test pits in the area of Stratham Hill Park which contains buried construction debris.  Mr. Mason has volunteered use of his excavator.  Mr. Hickey will keep the Board apprised of what he finds when they remove the topsoil.

Memories Ice Cream approached Mr. Hickey to sell ice cream during the Stone Oven Pizza nights at the park.  They had a trial night which went well.  They will continue to sell ice cream in conjunction with the pizza on Thursday nights throughout August.

Mr. Hickey said that they are moving the Stratham Hill Park ice rink to the basketball court this winter.  The previous location never froze last winter, probably due to the large amount of water that accumulates at that location. 

Mr. Hickey said that they are planning to hold another Family Fun Day on October 14th.  He will have more details the next time he comes before the Board.

At Stevens Park, Mr. Hickey said that he plans to let certain fields go fallow a bit to let them rebound.  He also reported that soccer and tennis are going well.  Mr. Hickey would like to purchase a wind screen for the tennis courts which he will pay for with the money we get from renting the courts to the tennis instructors.  A soccer board has been established and is meeting regularly.  Mr. Hickey stated he plans to use the Stevens field more this year as opposed to the Stratham Memorial field as has been done in the past.

Mr. Hickey said that both the summer and specialty camps are going well this year.  Mr. Hickey thanked Police Chief Scippa for allowing Officers Bibeau and Doucette to make appearances at the camp in order to establish good relationships with the children. 

Summer performances at the Park have been going well with approximately 200 – 300 people attending.  Mr. Hickey also reported great success with the first Summer Trail Race Series Mountain Bike Race which had just over 70 riders participating.

The Park Ranger position has been posted in newspapers and online.  Several colleges have been contacted for potential applicants. 

Mr. Hickey thanked the Highway Dept. for their work on the walking path around the athletic fields near the municipal center.

Mr. Hickey plans to take vacation time the last week of August and also the 21st and 22nd. 

OTHER BUSINESS

Chief of Police John Scippa reported that he was contacted by the Treasurer of the Stratham Fair regarding waiving the administrative fees charged for the police details during the fair.  Discussion ensued as to what has been done historically and what should be done in the future.  It was decided that the fees would not be waived and that in the future special arrangements should be made prior to the start of the Fair.

ASSESSING

Town Assessor Andrea Lewy recommended an abatement of $300 for 25 Winding Brook Road due to physical data changes.   Ms. Lewy also recommended an abatement of $342.72 for 10 Wingate Court due to physical data changes and the water easement on his property.  She also recommended an abatement of $911.88 for 2 Long Hill Road.  Mr. Lovejoy moved to approve the three recommended abatements.  Mr. Federico seconded the motion which passed unanimously.

SS Realty LLC, aka BMW, submitted an application for abatement.  Ms. Lewy said the application lacked data and, therefore, justification for the reduction.  She recommends denying the request.  Mr. Lovejoy motioned to deny the request.  Mr. Federico seconded the motion which passed unanimously.

Ms. Lewy notified the Board of an Intent to Cut on the Breslin farm. 

Ms. Lewy gave the Board charts showing real estate tax exemptions and veteran’s credits over the last 3 years. 

Ms. Lewy requested to go in to a non-public session to discuss a settlement offer.  At 8:53 pm Mr. Lovejoy motioned to go into a non-public session pursuant to RSA 91A3 subparagraph 2d.  Mr. Federico seconded the motion.  At 9:07 pm Mr. Federico motioned to come out of the non-public session and made a motion to seal the minutes.  Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion. 

MEETINGS

Meetings of the past week were briefly reviewed. 

ADMINISTRATION

Mr. Federico signed two appointment confirmations. 

Mr. Deschaine said that the Fair Committee has established a funding policy.  They have been working with the Trustees of the Trust Funds and him to develop goals.  This will be beneficial in disbursing the funds in the future.

Mr. Deschaine reported that IT Administrator Paul Wolf has decided not to renew his contract with the Town when it expires in April 2018.  He cited various personal reasons.  Mr. Deschaine and the Board briefly discussed various ways in which the vacancy might be filled.

Mr. Deschaine reported a concern from a resident regarding the Breslin farm development.  Mr. Federico felt strongly that the Town has followed all laws regarding notifying the public.  Mr. Lovejoy speculated on how we could be more inclusive in our notifications.  Mr. Deschaine said that he spoke with Town Planner Tavis Austin regarding making the various projects more accessible on the website.  The Board discussed having a meeting to hear concerns regarding the development. 

Mr. Deschaine stated that the Town received a NH Setting Sail Technical Assistance Grant in the amount of $6,150.  Mr. Lovejoy moved to accept the $6,150 Technical Assistance Grant from NH Setting Sail.  Mr. Federico seconded the motion which passed unanimously.  The grant money is to be used to assist in coastal flooding issues due to climate change, particularly targeting community wells, especially near the Squamscott River area.

At 9:43 PM Mr. Lovejoy moved to adjourn the meeting.  Mr. Federico seconded the motion which passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Karen Richard
Recording Secretary