Select Board Minutes 3/4/19
MINUTES OF THE MARCH 4, 2019 SELECT BOARD MEETING
MEMBER’S PRESENT: Board Members Mike Houghton, Joe Lovejoy, Allison Knab and Town Administrator David Moore.
At 6:59 pm Mr. Houghton opened the general meeting of the Select Board.
MINUTES
Mr. Lovejoy made a motion to approve the minutes of 2/4/19, 2/11/19 and 2/25/19 as amended. Mr. Houghton seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
TREASURER
In Town Treasurer Deb Bronson’s absence, Mr. Moore read into the record the General Fund balance as $8,601,021.00 as provided by the Treasurer.
Interim Police Chief David Pierce requested use of the Municipal Center on Sunday, April 28, 2019 for the Chief Maloney Road Race. Mr. Lovejoy made a motion to allow the facilities to be used for the race on April 28th. Ms. Knab seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
RESERVATIONS
Mr. Moore said there were requests from three Fire Dept. members for reservations and reminded the Board of the policy to waive fees for Fire Department members. There was a request from Kerri Vivathana to reserve all three pavilions and waive the fee for an Action for Aidan event. A request was made from the Stewards of Great Bay for the Front Pavilion for the annual Great Bay 5K road race and to waive the fee. Chief Pierce is requesting the fee for Room A be waived for the Chief Maloney Road Race.
Mr. Houghton made a motion to approve the requests by the three Fire Dept. members and the Action for Aidan event, as well as the Great Bay 5K, the Chief Maloney Road Race. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Moore said there was a request for Room A and B, but the expected number of people exceeds the fire codes for the room. The Board agreed that the request could not be granted because of the number of people.
Mr. Houghton recognized there has been a fewer department reports lately at regular meetings and advised he looks forward to returning to that routine. Mr. Moore advised the Planning Department is preparing to come forward for their monthly report on the 18th of March.
NEW BUSINESS
Mr. Moore has been preparing for the March 15th Town Meeting. He presented a draft newsletter he is planning to distribute tomorrow. Included in the newsletter will be information about the Automated Curbside Collection Program in the form of a Frequently Asked Questions document, which will be hosted on the website. There will also be handouts at Voter Information Night. They discussed the new bins to be acquired and policies to be formalized following a decision to move forward by the Town. After speaking with residents, Mr. Moore indicated a need to be clear the Town is not proposing to buy the bins from Casella (but from a manufacturer of containers) nor does a vote to pass the article commit the town to any particular vendor. He also noted the equipment the Town is buying is not proprietary to any one firm.
Ms. Knab asked if the Conservation Commission’s Clean-up Day on May 18th could be included in the newsletter. Mr. Moore indicated he would include it.
Cemetery tree removal is moving forward in March. He noted one communication from a resident who inquired about the scope of the work. Mr. Moore was able to assure the inquirer the tree removal work is not connected in any way with an expansion of the cemetery discussed as recently as a few years ago.
Mr. Moore and the Select Board briefly discussed norms of the Town government when it comes to snow and weather related delayed openings and closures. He understands WMUR is utilized as one tool for notifying the public (and staff) when determinations are made. Ms. Knab welcomed the role of staff, particularly the DPW Director and Police Chief, in formulating such determinations.
Mr. Moore presented cemetery deeds and a release of a performance bond to be signed.
Mr. Houghton asked for an update on the progress for the shared cost agreement for the Bunker Hill Driveway. Mr. Moore advised he was coming up to speed on the background on the issue and has consulted with Town Counsel; Mr. Houghton indicated he hoped the matter could be resolved very soon.
The Heritage Commission will be having a tour of the old town hall on Saturday, March 9th from 9 – 11.
The Board continued to discuss general preparations Town Meeting. Binders are in the process of being prepared.
At 7:43 pm Ms. Knab made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Houghton seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Richard
Recording Secretary