Town of Bristol
Board of Selectmen
Minutes of 6-26-08
Members Present: Rick Alpers (RA), Don Milbrand (DM), Paul Fraser (PF), Bruce Van Derven (BVD), Joe Denning (JD), Town Manager Paul Weston
Chairman Rick Alpers called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:00pm.
Fire Works Ordinance
Mr. Alpers suggested Chief Skantze present his power point first before the board asks questions regarding the ordinance. Mr. Weston stated this is for a Permisible Fireworks Ordinance that has been previously reviewed by the Board. Mr. Weston explained he met with both the fire and police Chiefs to review and make the recommended changes that came up at the last meeting. Chief Skantze presented a PowerPoint with facts about the fire safety and danger or fireworks. Chief Skantze explained this ordinance is in an effort for injury prevention. He reviewed the changes made in response to the boards recommendations. Mr. Fraser questioned the cut off time for fireworks, whether it should be 11:00pm instead of 10:00pm. Mr. Milbrand agreed. Mr. Denning suggested 5:00am to 12:30am. Mr. Alpers would like to keep it the way it was set in the noise ordinance at 10:00pm with the extension on the designated holidays. Mr. Van Derven thinks 11:00pm is good with the extension on the holidays. Mr. Van Derven also suggested some additional changes. Mr. Van Derven stated beyond his suggestions, he questions if there is a serious need for the ordinance when there is already state law, he thinks it seems over the top. Mr. Alpers stated it supplies more enforcement. Chief Clark stated ordinances are like policies which are important to allow enforcement and rules. Mr. Van Derven questions if the ordinance is more for education and not enforcement then how is that going to be perceived by the person submitting a complaint. Mr. Van Derven does not want to vote on something in draft form, he would like the final copy be submitted for adoption without typos and some additional changes. Mr. Alpers and Mr. Denning agreed. Mr. Denning thinks it needs to be letter perfect. Mr. Fraser questioned if they should vote on a draft including the changes or see a final draft first. Mr. Alpers suggested returning on the 10th after additional changes are made. Mr. Alpers suggested Chief Clark work with Mr. Van Derven on his concerns in the absence of Chief Skantze. Chief Clark requested an amendment in the Disorderly Conduct Ordinance regarding the time. He suggested changing the time to 11:00pm and 12:30am on the designated holidays. Motion by Mr. Fraser to change the time to 11:00pm and 12:30 on the designated holidays; seconded by Mr. Denning, vote was 5-0.
Summit Meeting
Mr. Alpers stated the board needed to decide on a date for the Selectboard Summit meeting. Mr. Weston stated he is open to any date and stated he has provided a draft letter proposal in their board books. Mr. Alpers suggested Thursday, July 17th at 7:00pm. Mr. Van Derven questioned the location. Mr. Alpers suggested Old Town Hall.
Underwood Engineers Contract
Mr. Alpers stated the Underwood Engineers Contract was approved last meeting and we have received the formal contract. Mr. Weston stated the contract is to seek reimbursement from PSNH for energy usage and new pumps and we are seeking a grant. The contract is for $1500.00. Mr. Alpers stated the town has employed CDM for the past several years and the Selectboard has asked that CDM finish phase one of the contract and have the new company pick up for phase 2. CDM will finish out the contracts that they have negotiated. Mr. Van Derven asked CDM a while back and has had no response of what the costs would be of phase 1 and what the estimated cost of the project will be. Mr. Alpers stated they would have the numbers to us in a week and it has been about 3. Mr. Alpers also questioned when the application for phase one would be submitted. Mr. Weston stated he would follow up with CDM on both of the boards questions.
Purchase Orders
Fire Tech & Safety – Fire Department - $5,145. - Two air lifting bags and control package for Fire/EMT use - Chief Clark explained these are bags to lift any type of heavy object. The company is giving us 20% off for replacing the old ones as they are out dated. Motion by Mr. Fraser to approve the purchase order; seconded by Mr. Denning, vote was 5-0.
Great Northern Video – Town Office Building - $11,735.91- Cablecast equipment for local broadcasting – Motion by Mr. Fraser to approve the purchase order; seconded by Mr. Milbrand. Mr. Weston stated he met with Mr. Cadorette and he is going to push this project forward as soon as possible. Mr. Denning questioned the timeline to get this running. Mr. Alpers stated this will allow us to make the schedule at our own times and control the broadcasting and in the future do our own live broadcasting. Mr. Fraser stated the main goal is to have a set schedule. Vote was 5-0.
Certified Public Managers Program
Mr. Weston stated Michelle Bonsteel the Land Use Officer was accepted in the CPM Program and is questioning if this is classified as a training that should be 75% or 100% reimbursed. Mr. Alpers believes the policy says 75% so questioned why there is a question of 100% reimbursement. Mr. Alpers feels the policy of 75% is used with the rest of the employees and therefore should be the same. Mr. Denning and Mr. Fraser agreed. Mr. Denning stated this is optional and does not directly relate to her job. Mr. Milbrand stated this is continuing education and not really training. Mr. Alpers made a motion to approve the 75% reimbursement as this program is outside of the scope of her regular job description; seconded by Mr. Milbrand, vote was 5-0.
Planning and Zoning Fees
Mr. Alpers stated there needs to be some fee adjustments for the planning and zoning applications mainly due to postage and registration fee. Mr. Weston stated the L Chip fee is increasing and provided a memo that Ms. Bonsteel has put together of fees from neighboring communities. Mr. Weston went over his recommended fees. Mr. Van Derven questioned if any recommendations came from the planning board. Mr. Weston stated Mr. Paradis from the planning board suggested the Selectboard make the decision. Mr. Alpers feels the recommendations are high and would prefer to increase fees in phases. Mr. Alpers stated the fees should cover some of the labor and definitely the postage. Mr. Fraser agrees the applicant should bare the fee not the tax payer and feels a little increase is sufficient. Mr. Van Derven stated going up 100% is too much as many of the applicants are just developers. Mr. Alpers suggest the Zoning Board fee increase to 50.00, the subdivision and site plan fee increase to 75.00, minor site plan 75.00 and major site plan 150.00. Mr. Milbrand made a motion to approve the fees as suggested by Mr. Alpers and the first 3 recommended fees by Mr. Weston; seconded by Mr. Denning, vote was 5-0.
Town Crier
Mr. Alpers stated the HDC is currently looking at it and questioned Mr. Van Derven’s request to have this on the agenda. Mr. Van Derven stated he is asking that the Town Manager ensure it is pushing forward. He suggests Mr. Weston get together with Mr. Dingman and Ms. Bonsteel. He believes the HDC and looking for a picture with the writing on it.
Bargain Barn
Mr. Alpers stated a Bargain Barn would be nice but there is no room. Mr. Van Derven stated this is another way to raise revenues. It would be a 8X16 shed, Mr. Williams stated he would donate the materials, we just need procedures. He feels many items that are thrown can be recycled and someone else will use them. He explained if the dump attendant sees something come in that is in decent condition then take it and sell it for a small fee. If items don’t sell within a couple weeks then throw it away. He stated perhaps before throwing away the items that don’t sell, have Bristol Community Services come look at the items and see if they want them before the final throw away as donation. Mr. Weston suggests Mr. Bucklin work with the recycling committee to come up with a proposal and time frame of implementing this. Mr. Weston stated in the future we are going to change to single stream recycling so there will be some changes. He stated many towns have a Bargain Barn. Mr. Bucklin thought a swap shop at no charge would be good. Mr. Weston stated both ideas can go to the recycling committee. Mr. Van Derven would like to see revenues come in for this and stated this has been talked about many times. Mr. Alpers stated they should have the recycling committee make a recommendation by July 10th. Ms. Newton questioned who decides the price of the items. Mr. Van Derven stated is would be the dump attendants subjective determination.
Enforcement of Transfer Station Stickers
Mr. Alpers stated this has been a long term struggle and needs to be addresses. He stated the dump attendant can not be everywhere at once. Mr. Fraser stated the policy is one can not dump without sticker and our personnel needs to look for it better. Mr. Van Derven stated when the person is already in line then it’s harder to turn them away. He thinks someone should be stationed out front and if they don’t have a sticker the attendant can either sell them one or tell them they can not dump. He understands we can’t afford to put someone out front but suggests a volunteer to enforce. Mr. Denning stated he spent time at the lower dump and only one person at the bottom dump on a Saturday morning is not enough. Mr. Denning also thinks there needs to be a porta potty down at the bottom dump. Right now the attendant puts up a sign that he will be back in 5 minutes and goes to the upper dump to use the facilities. Mr. Bucklin stated there needs to be additional personnel. Mr. Denning suggested if someone does not have a sticker just charge them on the spot to dump per bag. He stated we should not just turn them away just charge them on the spot. Mr. Denning suggested having the Town Manager come back with an approximate number on how much a bag of trash is costing the town to dispose of. Mr. Weston stated many communities do pay per bag and makes good money. Mr. Van Derven suggested having Mr. Weston and Mr. Bucklin work so see if they can find the money in the budget for an additional person or work with an organization to have a volunteer. Mr. Alpers stated something needs to be done as the hauling fees are up. Ms. Newton suggested high school students. Mr. Alpers stated there is not money in budget for an additional person. Mr. Walenda stated there used to be two people at lower dump and you created a problem by taking that person away. Mr. Alpers stated none of the current board members made that decision and there has not been a second person down there for quite some time but is something that needs to be looked at in the upcoming budget. Mr. Weston stated he is going on a tour on Monday and would bring the two dump related issues to the Recycling committee.
Town Meeting Planning
Mr. Van Derven stated at the special town meeting we were at capacity and overflowing, the acoustics were bad and there were some other issues. He thinks the people involved in town meeting need to set up a meeting to figure out how to do it better. Mr. Alpers agreed and stated the letter needs to come from the board to anyone involved in Town Meeting.
Mr. Paul Simard stated there was a petition to go to a weekend day for town meeting and wondered what was happening with that. Mr. Alpers stated it was a non binding vote but greatly supported therefore the board will discuss and make the decision for next year. Mr. Simard stated there was a great response at the spring meeting on a weekend day and thinks its great to get people involved in the democratic process. Mr. Van Derven suggested setting a date. The board agreed to invite the key people that are involved with town meeting to the July 24th Board meeting.
Selectboard Items
Mr. Denning stated the concession building at Kelly Park is in a deplorable state of disrepair. He stated he has an estimate of $3500.00 for painting, electrical, and a new hot water heater. He stated there is money in the Kelly Park trust fund and would like to utilize some of that money for this. Mr. Alpers stated the Board can not expend money without a vote at town meeting from a trust fund. Mr. Denning stated the concert series starts July 10th so they do need to move quickly. Mr. Denning made a motion to approve to expend a maximum of $3500.00 to maintain and upgrade the Kelly Park Building. He stated it is a good project and the building needs help. Mr. Alpers questioned who uses the building. Mr. Denning stated organizations like the Rotary Club and the Lions Club. They use it as a concession stand for events. Mr. Alpers questioned if the organizations that use the building could make some donations. Mr. Denning stated that is a possibility but we have a time constraint. Mr. Alpers stated there was a plan in place for the budget and does not want to expend the money without knowing the plan. Mr. Denning will check with Mr. Bucklin. Mr. Alpers suggested sharing the quotes received with Mr. Weston and Mr. Bucklin. Mr. Fraser seconded the motion, vote was 5-0.
Mr. Denning stated the Town Office Building needs some maintenance as well. Mr. Denning stated he recently found out the roof has a problem. He feels no one is taking care of the building, the carpets are stained and the outside is dirty. Mr. Alpers stated there is someone that does the building maintenance, but the person is out on Workman’s Compensation. Chief Clark stated there are roof problems. One can not readily see a leak because of the crawl space but there is a section of plywood showing. Chief Skantze stated because of the snow build up this past winter and some ice damage there may be a claim with the insurance company. Ms. Newton stated Town Hall is often citizen’s first impression of town and it should be clean and together. Mr. Alpers stated if an employee is out on Workman’s Compensation the salary for that position should still be available to hire a temporary person.
Mr. Denning stated we need to be aware that there may be a lot of fuel requests this year and need to keep an eye on the welfare budget. We need to think about what agencies we work with for help. Mr. Denning also suggested finding a designated parking area to encourage car pooling. Mr. Alpers stated Tri County Community Action assists eligible clients with fuel assistance and citizens come to the town after that for emergencies.
Ms. Girona suggested taking the money raised from the Bargain Barn and use that money to put in a fund to help citizens in need. Mr. Alpers stated it was a very good idea but any revenues that come into the town has to go to the general fund and then expended through the town meeting approved budget. Mr. Weston stated Ms. Alpers is working with the neighboring towns on the joint purchase for fuels. Mr. Alpers stated last year we were able to lock in a rate of 2.39 per gallon. Mr. Weston stated he will be working with the Department Heads to find ways to cut fuel costs.
Mr. Milbrand stated the Taste of Italy has put out the tables along the sidewalk and they need to contact the Selectboard for this approval. Mr. Alpers stated they were given temporary permission contingent on a list of items. Chief Clark stated they have had no issues. Mr. Alpers stated they would bee to submit a new request for this year.
Mr. Denning stated the most recent plan to dredge the middle of the river and put in stone banks is too expensive. Mr. Denning mentioned giving that land to the town after the dam was fixed and they were receptive. They have now come up with an idea of turning it into a rock river which would keep a small pond behind the dam. This idea looks like it will come in under their budget.
Mr. Walenda is concerned with the condition of the rear ramp to this building. Mr. Alpers requested he save this item for public comments as it did not relate to the discussion of the dam.
Selectman Van Derven asked about use of the bicycle patrol by the Police Department. Chief Clark responded by assuring him the bicycle was in use, and would be used extensively during the coming weeks.
Selectman Van Derven announced that the American Baptist Church has a building which they may be willing to donate to the Town. He asked the Town Manager to investigate this opportunity.
Public Comment
Mr. Walenda stated the outside ramp needs a new strip of tarpaper to avoid a future lawsuit.
Ms. Girona inquired if we are retaining the tapes of all Town meetings. Chairman Alpers responded by law we are not required to keep the tapes. Selectman Milbrand stated the Planning Board decided last night to not retain their tapes once the minutes are accepted as the final record of the meeting. Selectman Van Derven stated the public can access our meetings by watching them at home and could record them if they wished. There are numerous ways to access our meetings and minutes. The Manager was asked to contact the Town Attorney to clarify this item.
At 9:32 PM the Chairman entertained a motion from Selectman Denning, seconded by Selectman Milbrand to go into non-public session per RSA91-AII(e) legal items, and asked Chief Clark to join us. A roll call vote was taken with all responding yes.
Motion to return to public session at 10:01 made by Mr. Milbrand, seconded by Mr. Fraser; vote was unanimous.
Upon motion of Selectman Fraser, seconded by Selectman Van Derven, a motion was made to revise the valuation on the Turner Cottages per the recommendation of Attorny Tanquay and Assessor Phil Bodwell.
Motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Van Derven; seconded by Mr. Don Milbrand; vote was unanimous.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:05pm
Respectfully submitted,
Krystal Alpers
Administrative Assistant
____________________________ _____________________________
Richard Alpers, Chairman Paul Fraser, Vice Chairman
_____________________________ _____________________________
Joe Denning Donald Milbrand
____________________________
Bruce Van Derven