BOS Minutes 11/19/18
MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 19, 2018 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
MEMBER’S PRESENT: Board Members Mike Houghton, Joe Lovejoy, Robert O’Sullivan and Town Administrator Paul Deschaine.
At 7:10pm Mr. Houghton opened the public meeting of the Board of Selectmen.
MINUTES
Mr. Lovejoy made a motion to approve the minutes of 11/5/18 as amended and 11/12/18. Mr. O’Sullivan seconded the motion for the 11/5/18 minutes. Mr. Houghton abstained as he was not present at the 11/5/18 meeting. Mr. Houghton seconded the motion for the 11/12/18 minutes. Mr. O’Sullivan abstained as he was not present at the 11/12/18 meeting.
TREASURER
Town Treasurer Deb Bronson reported that the General Fund balance is $3,991,698.49.
Parks & Recreation Director Seth Hickey reported receiving three responses from their RFQ to build a skate park. All are qualified; references have been checked. After thorough examination, a finalist was chosen. Mr. Hickey said he’s been in communication with them and they are very responsive. They will assist in choosing a site as part of their proposal. They are still exploring site options and doing test pits. Mr. Hickey is striving to communicate with all departments and anyone that might be impacted by the skate park. Police Chief John Scippa spoke in favor of the Stratham Hill Park location. Chairman of the Conservation Commission Bill McCarthy said that Allison Knab attended the site walk on behalf of the commission. He expressed dissatisfaction at what he feels is a lack of communication. Mr. Houghton addressed his concerns. Ms. Knab favored the area behind the stage at the park as a location. Mr. Deschaine enumerated his concerns about contract provision II concerning terms of payment. He also asked Mr. Hickey to address a couple of other legal and insurance issues in the proposal.
Next, Mr. Hickey briefly informed the Board about an event being held May 4, 2019 with the Exeter Chamber of Commerce. He is requesting they sign a document allowing beer to be sold at the event.
Mr. Houghton stated we have a preservation easement draft and three offers on the Bartlett-Cushman house. Heritage Commission Chair David Canada and member Rebecca Mitchell were in attendance. Mr. Lovejoy had comments/suggestions regarding items in the preservation easement which were discussed and debated. He had strong feelings against the wording which gives the Grantee “sole discretion” and suggested “would not be unreasonably withheld” instead. They discussed the criteria the buyer would have to meet if they wanted to put an additional structure on the property. In addition to the preservation easement criteria, Town setbacks and guidelines would have to be followed. Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Canada pushed to have the document finalized. The selectmen prefer to keep it as a draft, believing potential buyers should be aware of exactly what the easement entails. They are reluctant to impose hard restrictions on a potential buyer. A lengthy debate ensued. It was agreed that Mr. Lovejoy’s suggestions would be incorporated into the easement which would then be shared with a potential buyer. Mr. O’Sullivan made a motion to authorize Mr. Houghton as the party for approving revisions to the draft easement so that it may be sent to a prospective buyer. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion to accept a draft which passed unanimously. Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Canada presented an agreement with the NH Preservation Alliance that simply states that the Town will work with them on the preservation easement. They plan to use Heritage Preservation funds for the project. Mr. Houghton requested changes to the wording. Mr. O’Sullivan made a motion to enter into an agreement with the NH Preservation Alliance subject to Mr. Houghton’s edits accepting their proposal. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
They debated the amount of land that would go with the sale of the Bartlett-Cushman house. Mr. Houghton said there is a strong offer on the home that aligns with the Town’s interests. Mr. Houghton asked Mr. Deschaine to contact the people with strongest offer and present to them the draft preservation easement and indicate that we are willing to pursue negotiations. Easements for septic, amount of land, procedures for accepting and negotiating offers were discussed.
Mr. Canada reported that the Demolition Review Committee did a site walk of the Smyk property and determined they have no authority to invoke a delay. However, the DRC found it to be historically significant and is requesting a Public Hearing be held before the home is demolished. In addition, he requested the Heritage Commission have a chance to tour the home. Mr. Lovejoy reminded everyone about the Trust’s restrictions on the home and the lack of a use for it. Timeline for demolition was discussed. Mr. Canada also requested an open house so the public could view it before being torn down. The implications of holding an open house, including safety concerns, were discussed. They chose Saturday, December 1st as the open house date. They talked about salvaging items in the home but this would have to be discussed with the demolition company. Mr. Canada and Ms. Mitchell’s only objective is to ensure that items of value are not destroyed. They requested the blueprints of the house go to the Historical Society.
Public Works Director Colin Laverty stated that the cost of the demolition will be $24,200 which includes removal of the pool. The Highway Dept. will use the concrete that is excavated. Mr. Deschaine questioned contaminants and sanitation laws. The demolition contract states that they will remove salvageable items unless “otherwise noted”. The selectmen want those items identified no later than Dec. 3rd. They felt strongly that demolition should not be delayed. Mr. Lovejoy expressed concern that by having an open house, they were inviting delays. In an effort foster communication, on Dec. 3rd a public information session will be held to advise the public on the process the selectmen engaged in to make a decision to vote on the demolition of the house at their Nov. 12th meeting. Mr. O’Sullivan noted that building a new structure is in the agreement. He also called attention to the clause in the contract regarding asbestos. If it is found, the demolition price would increase. Mr. Laverty clarified the timeline so that demolition is included in this year’s budget. Conversation continued about being transparent and openly communicating with the public. Mr. Deschaine noted that several open public meetings and public hearings were held, giving people ample opportunity to express their opinion. Mr. Houghton made a motion to allow the Town Administrator to execute the demolition proposal. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Mr. Laverty researched and made recommendations regarding running electricity to the barn. He’s also researching the septic. He’s had discussions with Danley to try to save as much of the well-constructed stone walls as possible. He reported that Eversource has a utility easement for the transmission lines and notified him of work they will be doing in the spring. Lastly, he discussed purchasing a lawnmower to maintain this and other town properties. Mr. O’Sullivan made a motion not to exceed $9,500 to go with the Hayden quotation to acquire the mower and its associated attachments. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Mr. Laverty said there would most likely be money going back into the General Fund at the end of the year.
Mr. Laverty suggested holding a public forum on recycling options. Mr. Houghton whole-heartedly supported the idea. They talked about the best time to hold the meeting, possibly the 8th or 10th. Mr. Laverty will get in touch with Casella.
At 9:24 pm Mr. O’Sullivan made a motion to go into a non-public session to discuss a personnel matter. Mr. Houghton seconded the motion which passed unanimously. At 10:35 pm Mr. O’Sullivan made a motion to come out of the non-public session and seal the minutes. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
ADMINISTRATION
Mr. Deschaine reported there was a request from Camp Lincoln to use Stratham Hill Park as a bus stop for their campers this summer as they have in the past. Mr. Houghton allowed the request as described in their letter. Mr. O’Sullivan seconded the motion which passed unanimously. They signed the letter of agreement.
Mr. Houghton wrote a response to the letter from the Greenland selectmen. Mr. Lovejoy made a motion to send Mr. Houghton’s letter of response. Mr. O’Sullivan seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Deschaine presented the public service agreements to be signed.
Mr. Deschaine asked for comments on the office layout reconfiguration he sent them. He is proposing an additional office be created for him for use during the transition phase, and then have it be used by a HR Director to be hired in the future. The reconstruction cost will be minimal.
At 10:46 pm Mr. O’Sullivan made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Richard
Recording Secretary