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Minutes of 08/20/2007

August 24th, 2007

Carroll Board of Selectmen
Meeting Minutes
August 20, 2007
"These minutes of the Town of Carroll Select Board have been recorded by its Secretary. Though believed to be accurate and correct they are subject to additions, deletions and corrections by the Select Board at its next meeting when the Board votes its final approval of the minutes. They are being made available at this time to conform to the requirements of New Hampshire RSA 91-A:2."

Minutes recorded by Susan Kraabel, Secretary

Board members present: Bonnie Moroney, Allen Strasser, Rena Vecchio

The meeting was called to order at 7:03 PM.

Members of the public present: Roberta McGee, Eleanor Brauns, Carmine Fabrizio, Ann Fabrizio, John Burt, Jeff Duncan, John Trammell, Bill Smalley, Harold Garneau, Karen Moran, Billy Rines, Mike Gooden, Don Gadbois, Meredith Gadbois, Selwyn Lane, Yvonne Meisner, John Foster, Edith Tucker

Pledge of Allegiance

The board announced the approval of bills and signing of checks.

Selectman Strasser had two small changes in the minutes that were made. On page 1 his name was omitted after the word Selectman, and on page 5 “2007 payment from $64,132” was changed to read “2007 down payment from $64,132.” Chairman Moroney moved to accept the minutes of the August 13, 2007 meeting as corrected. Selectman Strasser seconded and the motion was passed unanimously.

Stan Borkowski’s report has not yet been received.

John Foster came before the board to ask that they sign the deed prepared by his attorney, and reviewed by Town Counsel Bernie Waugh. With this deed the town grants ownership to John and Donna Foster of a parcel of land in front of their store that used to be part of Rte. 3 and came to be a town road known as Riverside Drive. Chairman Moroney moved to sign the deed, Selectmen seconded the motion, and it was passed unanimously. Town Clerk Becki Pederson notarized the document which Mr. Foster will record at the Coos County Registry of Deeds, along with the land survey.

The Public Hearing for the acceptance and expending of unanticipated funds began with Chairman Moroney saying she’d communicated with Don Borror of NH Dept. of Revenue Administration to make sure that what was included in this hearing was in compliance with RSA 31:95-b. The three sources of unanticipated funds were FEMA reimbursement of $6,479.66, property insurance on the old police station of $17,159.60, and court awarded restitution from bonding insurance of $116,255.38. These all total $139,894.64. Chairman Moroney made a motion to accept these funds, Selectman Vecchio seconded, and the motion was passed unanimously.

It was explained that the FEMA funds were a 75% reimbursement for storm damage in April, and the $6,479.66 was spent on cutting and clearing of trees, replacing a culvert header, repairing various other storm damage, and man hours for the highway, police, and fire departments.

Jeff Duncan has asked for funds to renovate the old police station area that will be incorporated into the fire department. There will be two offices, a handicapped accessible bathroom, and a large meeting room, all built on the same footprint of the police area. The low bid received for this work was $73,103, but Chief Duncan asked for an additional $5,000 for concrete work, taking the current electrical service down, and paint. Volunteers will remove the existing structure to be replaced plus do the painting of new areas.

Another $29,725 is needed to complete payment for the final design work for a new bridge over the Ammonoosuc on Old Town Road. Voters in March approved a warrant article for the design work, but the amount listed on the article was incorrect. As soon as the design is completed and the bills are paid, we will be reimbursed 80% of the cost by the state.

Chairman Moroney moved to expend $114,307.66 of the $139,894.64 unanticipated funds. Selectman Strasser seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously. The remaining $25,586.98 will be placed in the general fund.

The three bids for the fire station work were reviewed again, and the low bidder is Ram Contracting in the amount of $73,103. Chief Duncan spoke in favor of accepting this bid, and Chairman Moroney moved to award the contract to Ram Contracting. Selectman Strasser seconded, and the motion was passed unanimously.

Don Gadbois showed the selectmen a map of his property and how the road had to be moved so his house addition would meet the setback requirements. He said the road was changed and recorded in Lancaster. He also had a question about the tax map. He pointed out a small piece of property along Rte. 302 next to the bridge that appears to be on Lot 122, rather than his Lot 125. He showed a portion of his deed that he says shows it’s actually his property, and later in the meeting stated his water line runs across that piece. He would like the tax map changed. Mr. Gadbois stated the people used to maintain Old Town Road, and now the town maintains it. Both Chairman Moroney and Selectman Vecchio said they are looking into this.

Town hall safety issues were discussed next. Billy Rines said he’d not yet received a quote from the electrician on hooking up a generator and addressing the wiring in the library and gym. He will also address the issue of heat/smoke detectors. The apron and asphalt issues on the parking lot will be addressed before the snow flies. He hasn’t gotten prices on new doors for the gym or widening the kitchen door to the front hallway. Art Savona will be contacted about looking at the flashing and roof over the office addition. We have first aid kits for the kitchen and gym that have not yet been hung. The outside stairs for the bulkhead, old front entrance, and gym will be addressed shortly.

Stan Borkowski is going to look at the Paquette Circle house and will come up with a letter to the bank that now owns the property regarding the boarded up windows and doors.

The bank that holds a letter of credit for the Elworthy subdivision on Rte. 3 South was contacted, and we were told that even though it had an expiration date of August 17, 2007, the town is still covered. They are going to contact Mr. Elworthy about having the letter extended for 6 months and reduced to $10,000 for the shoulder work not completed.

Selectman Strasser presented a plan for the water department to reduce their $99,000 deficit in three years. After deleting the line he had to collect $28,000 in hydrant fee income from rate payers, he was proposing a special assessment in 2007 of $33,000 (1/3 of total shortfall) plus $22,500 for capital improvements. Calculated at 350 users, the amount would be $154.16 per user in addition to the regular annual water bill. Questions arose about the timing of this revenue, the exact number of water users, and whether we should raise hook up fees. It was suggested having just one bill, with an explanatory note, rather than sending two bills. The fact that we’re still not using the meters was discussed again, and Mr. Rines restated his opinion that one man should be responsible for the water. Selectman Strasser said he thought our present workforce should be able to maintain 12 miles of road and the water system as well. Once again it was asked if the town can forgive the debt accumulated by the water department. Select Vecchio asked if we could consider forgiving this year's proposed $33,000 deficit billing. Selectman Strasser said the water department had to pay for itself, and not the town's entire tax base. Karen Moran suggested for 2007 we include only the $33,000 deficit recovery in any rate change, and not the 15% capital reserve, reducing the billing to $100 per user. Selectman Strasser moved to increase the base rate on water bills by $100. Selectman Vecchio said before voting on it, she wants to know if we can forgive the deficit. Chairman Moroney moved to table this item until next week, Selectman Vecchio seconded, and the motion was passed 2-1, Selectman Strasser voting nay.

Selectman Vecchio reported she’s finished her NIMS training, but Mr. Rines still has once class to complete.
Chairman Moroney reported there will be a meeting of the Building Committee on September 11th to include discussion of the Bretton Woods offer of land.
Mr. Rines reported it would cost $2,400 to have the roads swept by a contractor right now. In the spring, the contractor quoted $2,700-$3,000. An attachment for the backhoe would cost approximately $10,000, and a stand-alone sweeper would be $170-$250,000. Chairman Moroney moved to put an ad in the paper to sell the 1972 Elgin Sweeper with a minimum price of $250. Selectman Vecchio seconded, and the motion was passed unanimously.
John Goodney has not yet submitted a bill for his telephone line damage, but it was determined that Sean Moran hit it while mowing.

The LUCA program in preparation for the 2010 census was discussed. This is a voluntary program in which the town has the right to see and update the list of addresses that will be canvassed during the census. Chief Duncan said various types of funding are based on town population, so it’s in our best interest to participate. However, he said the software can’t be read on his computer. It was suggested that June Garneau or Mollie White might be interested in acting as liason, or that the NH Community Technical College in Berlin may have students who could help.

A Water Warrant for Gorbich and Twin Mtn. Family Ltd. was approved and signed.

Selectman Vecchio said she’d received a call from Ellen Turcotte, of Tuttlebrook Road, asking about the activity at the Rec Center last Friday night – it was very loud. (This was the Rec Program sleepover night.) She also mentioned the noise on July 22 when the Home Depot party was going on. With the committee preparing to set policy on renting the area to outside groups, Selectman Vecchio hopes that they will keep the neighbors involved. It was suggested someone from the committee be asked to attend next week’s meeting.

Selectman Strasser read a section of a letter from North Country Council: RSA 231:150 Clearing Highways. – Mayors of cities, selectmen of towns and county commissioners for unorganized places shall annually, and at other times when advisable, cause to be cut and disposed of from within the limits of town maintained highways all trees and bushes that may cause damage or pose a safety hazard to such highways or to the traveling public; provided however that no tree which has a circumference of 15 inches or more at a point 4 feet from the ground shall be removed in the absence of notice to the abutter in the same manner as provided in RSA 231:145 and 231:146, except when the delay entailed by such notice would pose an imminent threat to safety or property.

Yvonne Meisner of Lennon Road said she has a neighbor across the street who is demolishing buildings and brought a bunch of stuff to John Wolf’s property on her side of the street. She asked that the code enforcement officer look into this.

Chairman Moroney reminded everyone of the Twin Mountain Follies being performed on Saturday at 7 pm in the town hall. The tickets are $15, and include an all-you-can-eat buffet and the show. All proceeds will go toward buying a new stage curtain. It was suggested they save the logo from the old curtain.

At 9:04 PM, as there was no additional business, Chairman Moroney declared the meeting ended, and moved to go into executive session regarding personnel matters. This was seconded by Selectman Strasser. The board was polled, and prepared to go into executive session. Then the board re-opened the meeting to discuss the revised Hoyle & Tanner contract for the final design of the bridge. When they determined the new payment schedule was correct, Selectman Strasser moved to sign the contract, Chairman Moroney seconded, and the motion was passed unanimously.

Again, at 9:15 PM, as there was no additional business, Chairman Moroney declared the meeting ended, and moved to go into executive session regarding personnel matters. This was seconded by Selectman Strasser. The board was polled, and went into executive session.

At the close of executive session, Chairman Moroney made a motion to return to public session and seal the minutes from executive session; Selectman Strasser seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

Action Items:

NIMS Training Progress
Response letter to Bretton Woods land offer
Property tax exemptions – increase limits
Industrial Park land use - CEDC
Term Limits for Planning & Zoning
Fix sign on town hall
Chamberlain property
Website
Local ordinances
Sweeper ad
LUCA Program

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