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Minutes of 10/29/2007

November 1st, 2007

Carroll Board of Selectmen
Meeting Minutes
October 29, 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 7:01 PM.

Members of the public present: Bill Rines, John Burt, Roberta McGee, Eleanor Brauns, Carmine Fabrizio, Jeff Duncan, Bill Smalley, Dr. Lou Lafasciano, Gregory Odell, Cathy Warren, Chris Wheeler, John Trammell, Mike Gooden, Jim Covey, Lisa Covey, Leo Lavelle, Mike Matz, Edith Tucker, Evan Karpf, Joan Karpf, Nancy Mitiguy, Harold Garneau, Lee Hallquist

Pledge of Allegiance

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

Chairman Moroney moved to accept the minutes of October 22, 2007, as written. Selectman Vecchio seconded, and the motion passed.

Stan Borkowski’s report is posted on the bulletin board.

Dr. Lou Lafasciano, Superintendent of the White Mountain Regional School District, said he and Greg Odell, School Board Chairman, have been going to the towns in the district to meet with selectmen, to start some communication within the district. They are looking to see what is of importance to the various towns, and to learn some of the concerns. Mr. Odell said in Dalton, the people expressed an interest in whether their children are learning to read and write, and perhaps be able to write checks. Selectman Strasser said one of his concerns was transportation of students for school activities, and also that the above average students were not being properly challenged. Selectman Vecchio asked whether students were still being sent for competitions throughout the state and was told yes. She also is concerned about the growth in Bretton Woods and the impact it may have on the school district.

Joan Karpf said the North Country is lacking in work force, and asked what the school is doing about this. Dr. Lafasciano said the accreditation process that is done every 5 years looks at issues like that. They look at programs that are offered, and how they can respond to situations like the Groveton mill closing. They have recently hired a workplace coordinator and hope to replicate the program for students that has been in place with the Mountain View Grand. Chris Wheeler said he’d recently gone to a meeting with Fish & Game in Lancaster regarding the workforce here. He said the average age of teachers is 43, and at the Berlin mill it’s 55. He sees a downturn in people staying or coming back here to live. Dr. Lafasciano said he is trying to tie in education and economics, and Cathy Warren, Twin Mountain’s representative on the School Board, said they are trying to be proactive in trying to keep students here.

When Jim asked about the lack of citizenship he saw in the schools when he was a substitute teacher, Ms. Warren said they have instituted a policy that the Pledge of Allegiance would be said each day by all students as a start to instilling patriotism in the students. When Selectman Strasser mentioned the lack of affordable housing for young people, Dr. Lafasciano said they want to offer an economic symposium for residents – we can’t wait for Concord or Washington. The possibility of offering Emergency Services training to juniors and seniors was mentioned.

Leo Lavelle said he’d been on the school board for 4 years and had a daughter who had been a teacher, so he was interested in the schools. He is upset that the Town of Carroll pays $36,000 per year per student, and Harvard is $32,000 per year. He brought up the fact that the class sizes here are 11 per teacher while the state average is 20-22. He asked what could be done for Carroll, as there are many people living on fixed incomes that will be forced to sell their homes because of the taxes. Dr. Lafasciano said the articles of agreement signed in the 1960’s created the 60/40 formula and until the agreement is changed, the formula stays the same. Mr. Covey asked about an expiration date for the agreement (there is none), and said with the higher valuations in town, and taxes heading up, we need a new contract. Mr. Odell mentioned the state’s role in the cost of education, and doesn’t think they will reduce the cost of education for the towns. Dr. Lafasciano said the board is talking in terms of living within their budget, that they realize the pressures put on the towns. He also said the board has said not everything has to come from the budget, that possibly there are other sources such as alumni contributions and benefactors.

It was reported that we had no response to the ad for someone to build the highway shed. Chairman Moroney suggested Mr. Rines contact Lancaster to see if they have plans for their shed. Selectman Strasser suggested contacting the state.

Commerford Nieder Perkins has given the town their final values on the revaluation. As of April 1, 2007, they have valued the town’s property at $404,275,695, up from the previous $240 million plus. This number includes the full value for the AMC, which will be reduced by almost $2 million for the exempt portions of the facility. The tax collector is entering the new values on the computer, and the selectmen opted to wait until she can produce an MS-1 report before accepting the values from CNP.

The selectmen discussed sending a letter to John D’Urso asking him to remove, if still present, the kitchen and bathroom facilities from his storage trailer, and to place the trailer on a foundation pad. It was reported that Mr. D’Urso had called Mr. Borkowski, and the selectmen opted to wait and hear the outcome of any conversation between the two of them.

Chairman Moroney reported that at the last Budget Committee meeting, they discussed the van the Recreation Committee wanted to purchase for a new program. Their plan is to have 14 children and the driver ride in the van – no counselors other than the driver. It then came out that they have been having some of the teenaged counselors drive children from the rec center to the town hall in their own vehicles. The Local Government Center legal and insurance staff was consulted about this practice and they had several recommendations. Chairman Moroney read the recommendations:

No drivers under the age of 18.
Obtain copy of driver’s license; make sure any driver under age 21 has had the license longer than 6 months.
Obtain proof of vehicle/liability insurance.
Check driving record for any driver, and require notification of any motor vehicle violations while employed by the town.
Obtain a release from parents allowing their children to ride in a private vehicle with a town employee, and specify that the driver may be under 18 if that’s what may happen.
Make sure all passengers wear seat belts and no extra passengers are in any vehicle.

Chairman Moroney moved to send these recommendations to the Rec Committee for them to adopt as policy. Selectman Vecchio seconded, and the motion was passed unanimously.

The secretary reported that June Garneau had agreed to be liaison for the town in the LUCA program (address update for the 2010 census). In addition to the liaison, we need four reviewers, and Jeff Duncan, Jenn Hancock, and the secretary have volunteered. Chairman Moroney volunteered to be the fourth.

Chairman Moroney read an email from Adele Fulton, Town Counsel, regarding the Bruce Seymourian Sugarloaf Drive subdivision. In it Atty. Fulton advised the selectman to send the Notice of Violation she prepared for Mr. Seymourian, in that he has made changes to his subdivision that have not been approved by the Planning Board. The notice requires Mr. Seymourian to stop all work in the subdivision, correct the deficiencies in the work he has done, return to the Planning Board with new plans for their approval, and provide surety bond in the amount necessary to complete the corrective work. Chairman Moroney moved to sign the Notice of Violation, Selectman Strasser seconded the motion, and it was passed unanimously. Selectman Vecchio asked if she as a Planning Board member, should vote on any Planning Board approval for Mr. Seymourian’s plans. Given that the Selectboard would hear any appeal from Mr. Seymourian, he advised that she not vote. Selectman Vecchio thanked Mr. Rines for being on top of the problems at this site.

The secretary presented a table of income and asset levels and exemption amounts used by various towns in the area for their Elderly Exemption from property tax. Our levels have not changed in years, and it was felt that they are too restrictive, and do not benefit residents adequately. The secretary will get copies of the table prepared by Nancy Mitiguy to the selectmen so they can study the numbers. Currently they favor amounts used by Littleton and Gorham.

Mr. Rines said he’d spoken to Chief Duncan about radios for the highway department, and for $1,500 they can get 2 new hand held units, and 3 radios for the trucks. Selectman Strasser moved to transfer the money from the sidewalk repair line of the budget to cover the purchase. Chairman Moroney seconded the motion, and it was passed unanimously.

Selectman Strasser asked Mr. Rines to repair the sidewalk in front of the telephone building on Route 3 South. It was dug up for a water leak a couple years ago and has not been properly patched.

Dr. Karpf reported that the CIP meeting with North Country Council has been rescheduled for November 15th at 7 PM. This will not interfere with the Thanksgiving holiday.

Chief Duncan gave the selectmen a list of work and costs that would not be done on the fire station rebuild until 2008. He asked that $28,103 be encumbered. Chairman Moroney moved to approve the encumbrance, Selectman Strasser seconded, and the motion was passed unanimously. Chief Duncan then said that they discovered the need to point the existing block wall and pour a new floor in the old police area. He said it would cost 4-5 thousand dollars, and he would like to use part of the $28,103 to do this, encumber only $24,000 and use part of the general buildings repair budget for 2008 to complete the reconstruction. Selectman Strasser moved to amend the encumbrance amount to $24,000. Chairman Moroney seconded the motion, and it was passed unanimously.

Mr. Lavelle asked why a new police station couldn’t cost $500,000 rather than $1 million. Chief Trammell explained that part of the building must be bullet proof, and federal requirements include separate cells for males and females, and that juveniles must be in a separate end of the building. He recommends building it right the first time, and we will have a police station good for the next 25 years at least. Lee Hallquist asked how large the building would be, was told 5,200 sq. ft., and then asked if that was necessary now. Why couldn’t we add on later if necessary? Chief Trammell said it would be cheaper in the long run if we build it now. Joan Karpf asked if the presentation given at the Pot Luck Supper would be given again and was told yes.

Mr. Covey said he was originally on the Building Committee and has not been notified of meetings for almost a year, and that Erik Bergum has not been notified either. Roberta McGee noted that people felt blindsided by the newspaper article about the supper presentation, that they would have expected to hear about the building plans in a regular meeting. She also said Ms. Mitiguy, who had to leave tonight’s meeting early, works with Rural Development, and has never heard of a 1% loan.

Selectman Strasser said he spoke to four members of the Building Committee, Bill Dowling, Jim Covey, Erik Bergum, and Matt Malkiewicz, and like him, they didn’t know anything about the $1 million building. He said the committees should be reporting to the selectmen for their decisions. He also said the police station should be part of the CIP, which hasn’t been done yet. There have been no decisions made on plans for the 13 acres at the town hall. He said we need to work together. Policies should be set by selectmen, not by meetings of small groups. Policy manuals stopped because the selectmen couldn’t agree on things, and we need to make things open. Mr. Covey suggested a series of meetings be held between now and January when a warrant article is due for this building, so people can be well informed when they make a voting decision.

Ms. Karpf suggested each committee establish a policy for notifying its members of meetings. Selectman Vecchio suggested they have set nights for meetings such as the Planning Board and ZBA do. Selectman Strasser suggested an agenda item for Monday nights be the reading of a list of scheduled meetings in the next week. Dr. Karpf suggested an ad be placed in the paper guiding people to the town website for a list of meetings. The secretary volunteered to forward messages to appropriate members if notified by a committee chair. She would also post on the website.

Dr. Karpf tendered his resignation from the Conservation Commission, saying there is to be only one member from the Planning Board, and Ernie Temple fills that position.

Selectman Vecchio asked about the next Chamber of Commerce meeting, and was told that it would be November 12, 2007 at 9:30 am at Carlson’s Motel.

It was announced that there would be no meeting of the Board of Selectmen on November 19, since both Chairman Moroney and Selectman Strasser will be out of town. Selectman Strasser said he is leaving Thursday, and will return the day after Thanksgiving.

At 9:20 PM, as there was no additional business, Chairman Moroney declared the meeting ended, and moved to go into executive session regarding personnel. This was seconded by Selectman Vecchio. 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 Vecchio seconded and the motion passed unanimously.


Action Items:

Response letter to Bretton Woods land offer
Property tax exemptions – increase limits
Industrial Park land use - CEDC
Term Limits for Planning & Zoning
Chamberlain property
Paquette Circle house
Website
Local ordinances
Tax Anticipation Note
Bank change/PDIP

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