BOS Minutes 9/18/17
MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
MEMBER’S PRESENT: Board Members Bruno Federico, Michael Houghton, Joe Lovejoy and Town Administrator Paul Deschaine.
At 7:01pm Mr. Lovejoy motioned to go into a non-public session to discuss a matter that might affect the reputation of another and security measures at the Police Department. Mr. Houghton seconded the motion which passed unanimously. At 8:05pm Mr. Houghton motioned to come out of the non-public session and to seal the minutes due to the nature of the matters discussed. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
At 8:07pm Chairman Federico opened the general meeting of the Board of Selectmen.
MINUTES: Mr. Lovejoy motioned to approve the minutes of 8/28/17 and 9/11/17 as amended. Mr. Houghton seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
TREASURER’S REPORT: Town Treasurer Deb Bronson indicated that the current general fund balance was $7,056,969.05.
NEW BUSINESS
Stratham Fair Chair Francisco Marin presented the directors for the next year: Tim Slager, John Cushing, Caren Gallagher, Matt Bartel and adding Shelly Blood. Mr. Lovejoy motioned to accept the directors as presented by Mr. Marin. Mr. Federico seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Marin reported a net income of $65,802 which will be split between the Department and the Association. Mr. Deschaine complimented the communication between the Fair Committee and the Trustees of the Trust Funds regarding the plans going forward. There was discussion about hiring a professional bookkeeper if Bill decides not to continue.
Rockingham Planning Commission representative Lucy Cushman reported that Stratham has one of five projects that the Planning Commission has lumped into one recommendation in order to move our town’s project into the top five that will be presented at the GACIT hearings on the 10 year statewide transportation plan. She emphasized that it is important that we have representation at the hearing which will be Thursday, October 12th in Newmarket. We need someone to push this project forward as recommended by the RPC. Mr. Houghton suggested that perhaps someone on the Planning Board will volunteer to advocate for this initiative. Ms. Cushman let the Selectmen know that there is going to be a legislative forum regarding regional planning for water at Unitil in Hampton on November 8th at 6:30pm. A DES speaker will be presenting and she thought it would be a great learning opportunity.
FIRE DEPT.
Fire Chief Matt Larrabee reported that there have been 545 calls to date. October is looking like a busy month for the Fire Dept. with 3 big races, a pancake breakfast and Family Fun Day. The NH Fire Academy is presenting June Sawyer with a service award on Monday. The National Registry of EMTs recognized her this past May for holding an EMT license for more than 40 years. October 8 – 13 and October 23 – 27 Chief Larrabee stated that he must be out of town. Jim will be handling things until he gets back. Repairs have been completed on Ambulance 1 with a cost of $3,200.91.
Chief Larrabee reviewed the issues regarding the uncollected funds in the Ambulance EMS Account. He explained the process and asked the Board for direction. Mr. Federico motioned to give Fire Chief Larrabee authority to write off any resident balance at the end of the prior year and send all other uncollected bills to collections. Mr. Lovejoy questioned the timing. Mr. Houghton suggested Chief Larrabee draft a written policy and email it to them for review.
Mr. Federico told Chief Larrabee that June Sawyer had contacted him to request access to the Morgera Room reservation calendar. Mr. Deschaine said that Karen Richard was responsible for the reservation calendar and could send the calendar to June as frequently as she wished. Chief Larrabee said he would contact Karen.
Mr. Federico mentioned that there were several lights out at the Fire Station and asked Chief Larrabee to correct the issue.
Mr. Deschaine asked about the controller card. Chief Larrabee said he has the specs but he hasn’t purchased it yet.
CODE ENFORCEMENT/BUILDING INSPECTION
Code Enforcement/Building Inspection Officer Mark Morong raised the subject of going paperless, something he hopes to do in the future. Mr. Morong submitted a department report for the Board’s review. There was discussion regarding the status of various businesses and their permits.
Mr. Federico asked about a landlord/tenant situation he had heard about. Mr. Morong reviewed the details of the situation.
Mr. Deschaine asked about the status of Stratham Stone. Mr. Morong said a date hasn’t been set. Mr. Deschaine said that if they are out of compliance, then enforcement action could be taken.
Mr. Houghton noted this year’s stated construction value as of July 31st was $17,700,000 and asked how it compared to the prior years. Mr. Morong did not have the numbers with him. Mr. Houghton said that there is not a lot of construction going on and this is quite a bit of activity. It was noted that this might be a good predictor of value in the coming year.
Mr. Federico asked about the noise complaint on Long Hill. Mr. Morong said that upon investigation, it appears to have been fixed. Town Planner Tavis Austin pointed out that the Noise Ordinance doesn’t specify a decibel limit.
PLANNING DEPT.
Town Planner Tavis Austin said that the Planning Board is working on subdivision regulations, especially as they relate to town roads. Mr. Austin is working with Public Works Director Colin Laverty and Fire Chief Matt Larrabee to get their input.
Mr. Austin expressed concern that Bob Baskerville, Planning Board Chair, may not be able to attend Wednesday’s meeting. Civil Works has indicated that the subdivision plan is not consistent with the regulations or the Master Plan. It would be beneficial to have Mr. Baskerville attend. Mr. Austin said he would communicate with him and the other Planning Board members to extend his help.
Mr. Deschaine mentioned a discussion that was brought up at the Planning Board regarding regulations regarding roads, including when do they go from being private to being public. He was surprised to discover that criteria is not universally applied. Mr. Austin explained his interpretation of the statute and described what some other towns have done. Mr. Deschaine noted some exceptions and said that it would come down to a management decision. Discussion centered around plowing newly created roads – is the contractor responsible? at what point is the Town responsible?
Mr. Austin discussed wetland buffers in cluster subdivisions. He and Rob Roseen will review recent state reports to determine if there are any issues to bring to the Planning Board. If there is, the Planning Board will work with the Conservation Commission to determine if our regulations need to be amended.
Mr. Austin gave credit to Nate Merrill for helping the Route 108 Corridor Study Committee to clarify the direction it should pursue, namely, other sewer options. PWC quickly came up with an outline of reaching out to two engineering firms and at a later time sharing the conceptual idea with the storm water center at UNH. Hopefully, if the engineers think it will pass the test, they will coordinate with the regulators and work on the design. Newmarket is not readily available.
Mr. Austin gave an update on PTAP. Letters will be going out later this week to all engineering firms regarding the beta test model that will become regulation in January.
Mr. Austin would like to have a meeting with Mr. Deschaine and Public Works Director Colin Laverty to discuss the status of various projects. He questioned what was to be done with the monies being held once the work was done. Mr. Deschaine advised him to return it. Mr. Austin will continue to update the chart and add some detail.
Mr. Austin asked the Board to set an hourly rate and approve the Land Use Assistant I job description. Mr. Houghton made a motion to approve the posting of the Land Use Assistant I starting wage $14-$15 an hour. Mr. Federico seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Austin asked for approval to proceed with the Master Plan which had been previously emailed and commented on. The Board agreed to allow Mr. Austin to move forward with it.
There was discussion regarding issues related to the agreement with Auto Fair. They have been slow to comply. There is disagreement with interpretation of the agreement. Mr. Austin has urged them to go to the Planning Board. They have refused.
Mr. Austin reported that the TRC was trying to create a vision for what the Gateway should look like (roundabouts, lights, barriers, crossings, etc.). Pros and cons of traffic lights and roundabouts were discussed. They want to have a plan in the event DOT inquires.
RESERVATIONS
Exeter High School Girls Soccer Team is requesting use of the Front Pavilion on September 27, 2017 for a team dinner. Mr. Federico made a motion to approve the request and waive the fee. Mr. Houghton seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
MEETINGS
Mr. Deschaine reported that there is an opportunity to assist a Stratham Business that qualifies for a grant. They need the Town’s support and involvement. The woman applying for the grant would be able to explain further.
ADMINISTRATION
Mr. Lovejoy made a motion to keep tradition and celebrate Trick or Treating on Monday, October 30th from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Mr. Federico seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Parks & Recreation Assistant Cantrece Forest is requesting the Board set a date to remove the contents of the Gifford Barn so that they may repurpose the space. The Board wants to be sure each department has fair warning that the contents may be discarded unless they are removed. A date of Saturday, October 21st at 9:00am was set.
Mr. Deschaine asked the Board to give him authority to sign the contract with the company providing fireworks for the Family Fun Day event. Mr. Federico motioned to delegate authority to Mr. Deschaine to sign the contract with American Thunder Fireworks Inc. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Deschaine reported that the Arnett proposal has been updated and that he would execute it tomorrow.
Mr. Deschaine gave the Board the final draft of the Memorandum of Understanding Agreement for IT Services with Paul Wolf, aka as Paul Wolf Computer Services LLC. Mr. Houghton motioned to accept the Agreement with Paul Wolf. Mr. Federico seconded the motion which passed unanimously. The Board then signed the agreement.
Mr. Deschaine said that two Energy Commission members agreed to continue to serve. Mr. Houghton motioned to re-appointed Mike Ream and Matt O’Keefe to the Energy Commission for 3 year terms. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Deschaine said he would like to take October 3 – 13 as vacation.
In preparation of leasing the Bartlett-Cushman House, Mr. Deschaine reported that he gave the Heritage Commission an adaptation of the preservation goals and objectives. The property was measured. The leasee would have to get prior approval if they want to deviate from the agreement.
Mr. Federico made a motion to go into a non-public session at 10:20 pm to discuss a personnel issue. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Mr. Houghton made a motion to come out of the non-public session at 10:40pm and seal the minutes. Mr. Lovejoy seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Lovejoy made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:41pm. Mr. Houghton seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Richard
Recording Secretary