Town of Bristol
Board of Selectmen
Minutes of 7-10-08
Members Present: Rick Alpers (RA), Paul Fraser (PF), Bruce Van Derven (BVD), Joe Denning (JD), Town Manager Paul Weston
Mr. Milbrand was absent.
Mr. Denning arrived late.
Chairman Rick Alpers called the Regular Meeting to order at 7:00pm.
Recognition of CERT
Mr. Alpers stated the CERT Team did a great job at the Mooseman Triathlon. The Board appreciates all the volunteerism from the Team and hopes to see the CERT team continue to prosper. Mr. Fraser stated they are trained in emergency management. Ms. Quinn stated the members have completed many different trainings, about 20 hours for core pieces and will do some additional training in the future. The members are able to work in tandem with fire and police and other public safety organizations. CERT has assisted in both the Mooseman Triathlon and the July 4th parade. Chief Clark stated both Donna Quinn and Chief Skantze have done a great job with the program and appreciate all the participants’ time. Mr. Alpers gave the participants a certificate for their participation. Mr. Richardson from CCNTR stated he has been working with the CERT program in implementing an emergency response plan and they are a great group of citizens. Mr. Richardson encourages citizens to join. Ms. Quinn agreed and stated it is open enrolment and members are not just Bristol residents. The current members are from all of the Newfound Area towns. Mr. Van Derven suggested posting a note on Channel 24 and stated the selectmen are working with the area communities over the next couple weeks to work towards better and more efficient Police, Fire, and EMT services.
Joe Collitto – Sidewalk Café
Mr. Collitto was not in attendance. Chief Clark stated he has had a discussion with Mr. Collitto and believes he was able to address his concerns therefore he did not think he would be attending. Chief Clark stated Mr. Collitto was concerned with the parking during parade. The area in front of his business along with a few others was blocked off for the crowd. Chief stated Mr. Collitto was concerned because it affected his business by having the parking spaces blocked off all morning. Chief stated they discussed blocking it off from 9:00 on but would post the spaces early in the morning stating all vehicles need to be removed from the spaces by 9:00am or they would be towed. Chief Clark stated Mr. Collitto was comfortable with this proposal.
Chief stated he was concerned with the throwing of candy. He felt it was a safety issue to have children running into the street to collect the candy when other parade vehicles were still passing. Mr. Alpers agrees and suggested handing out the candy as many other communities are now doing that. It is much safer.
Public comments
Mr. Walenda stated if the Town wants to make money at the transfer station, they need to sell the copper and brass. By putting items in a shed for people to buy is not a big money maker. Mr. Alpers stated he agreed there is a need to separate metals but that is in the big picture of the transfer station improvements. Mr. Alpers stated they will take that point to the recycling committee for them to address.
Ms. Girona and Ms. Westfall feel the public should be allowed to comment after each item discussed on the agenda.
CDM Update
Mr. Weston stated CDM has submitted the document the board had requested regarding a timeline and cost projection for the Water and Sewer to the lake project. He recommends a separate work session to discuss the document.
Ms. Joann Levesque questioned if the Water and Sewer project would be a discussion at the Summer Town Meeting. Ms. Levesque stated the summer residents do not want to discuss the project at the meeting.
Land Use Fees
Mr. Weston stated the Land Use Fees were discussed at last weeks meeting however, a page was missed. Mr. Weston reviewed the current fees and proposed new fees. Mr. Weston stated the previously adopted administrative fees were $50.00 and suggested the lot mergers be $25.00. Mr. Alpers agreed all the administrative fees should be $50.00. Mr. Van Derven made a motion to approve the fee modifications as proposed; seconded by Mr. Fraser, vote was 5-0.
Highway Department Backhoe
Mr. Alpers stated the Highway Department’s backhoe went for repairs on the brakes and was found to also need transmission housing. Nortrack has quoted $11,000.00 for repairs. Mr. Weston stated it would take 2 weeks to repair. Mr. Weston explained the other options. A backhoe can be leased for $7,270.90 with a buy out option or we could rent a backhoe for $2,200.00 per month with a buy out option. Mr. Weston stated the machine is very old and tired as it is used all year round. Mr. Weston stated he would recommend moving forward with the cost of the repair and over expend the repairs line in the budget. Should there be a need at the end of the year; the contingency fund may be needed for this repair. Mr. Weston stated the Water and Sewer Department has one that can be used by the Highway Department as they are getting a new one. Mr. Denning questioned how much of the Highway Department’s budget has been spent. Mr. Bucklin stated there is about 42 % left. Mr. Van Derven stated the Budget Committee needs to be advised should the contingency fund be needed but we do not need their permission. Mr. Alpers made a motion to approve the repairs to the backhoe for $11,000.00; seconded by Mr. Denning, vote was 5-0.
Ms. Girona questioned how much money is in the contingency fund. Mr. Alpers stated there was $20,000 budgeted. Ms. Girona questioned how much of the overall budget has been spent. Mr. Alpers stated 56%.
Bednaz Drainage
Mr. Weston stated Mr. Bednaz of 401 Wulamat Road wishes for the town to remove the drainage pipe from draining into the lake through his property. Mr. Bednaz is building a new home and doing some site work to his property. He is going to put in retaining walls. The Town is currently paving Wulamat Road but will hold off from paving from Arrowhead Point Road on until a decision is made. Mr. Weston stated they have hired an engineer to review and to do a quick water drainage study to see if we can remove the cross over piping and discharge the water elsewhere on Wulamat Road. This does need to be addressed before paving and we don’t want to cause more problems at the end of the road, therefore need to make sure it will work. Mr. Bucklin stated Mr. Bednaz has installed his own inexpensive piping to the towns piping which is why it does not work well. Mr. Alpers questioned if we have a right of way. Mr. Bucklin stated we do. Mr. Alpers suggested hiring Mr. Mike Vignale from KV Partners to take a look at it and make a recommendation. Mr. Bucklin agrees and stated they would pave to Arrowhead Point and then pick it up when a decision is made. Mr. Weston stated we will try and pave this year if we can resolve the drainage issue. Mr. Fraser stated the road does need to be addressed and we should not hold off paving the end of the road until next year. Mr. Alpers stated it can be finished when GMI comes back to pave Danforth Brook Road and Hall Road.
Beach Ordinance
Mr. Weston stated under her own initiative, Ms. Alpers has updated the current Beach Ordinance. Mr. Weston stated it addresses what the beach attendants are to enforce and just dressed up the wording. Mr. Van Derven questioned if there are any changes and Mr. Weston stated it is just grammar type items. Mr. Fraser questioned if the annual stickers can be sold 7 days a week now at the beach in this new ordinance and it was stated if that is the case, we need to let people know. Mr. Van Derven questioned the use of boats and wonders where people can put boats such as kayaks in as someone in town rents them. Ms. Levesque stated the Ordinance on the sign needs to have a green background and larger lettering as it is not easy to read. Chief Clark agreed it needs to be enhanced. Ms. Levesque stated if wording is changed for the kayaks, it needs to be extremely clear to avoid chaos. Ms. Levesque also stated the boys should have uniforms. Mr. Weston stated we have ordered them to make them look more official. Ms. Levesque suggested ordering many to have them for the beginning of next year. The board agreed to bring the ordinance back next week after the launching of the boats is addressed.
Beach Personnel Job Descriptions
Mr. Alpers stated there were two job descriptions, one for the supervisor and one for the attendant. This will allow the town manager to hold these employees accountable and enforce their duties. Mr. Denning questioned if they meet and report to the Town Mangers Office. Mr. Alpers stated they do but there is also a supervisor. Mr. Van Derven questioned who put this together. Mr. Weston stated Ms. Alpers again took it under her own initiative. Mr. Fraser stated if we are empowering them to sell beach passes 7 days a week it can bring possible conflict. Chief Clark stated there are certifiable courses or workshops to have them learn to deal with and recognize conflict. Mr. Alpers questioned if Sgt. Magdich could do a possible conflict resolution overview with the Beach Attendants. Mr. Weston asked if they have communication with the Police Department - Chief Clark stated they do. Ms. Levesque questioned why there was not a lot of bike patrol within the Police Department. Chief Clark stated with the current budget issues we can not do it every day but will try and do it on the very nice days. A citizen questioned what time the Beach Staff worked. Mr. Alpers stated we try to have them there for set hours. Ms. Girona questioned if they are certified life guards. Mr. Alpers stated they are not. Ms. Girona would recommend the attendants be life guard certified. Ms. Girona questioned the need for the officers at the beach as she wonders if there is really a safety issue as she has never seen any fights. Mr. Alpers stated they were discussing conflict due to the issuance of beach stickers. Chief Clark stated there was a fight there this week, but the conflict we are referring to is beach stickers. He explained there is generally not a major crime issue on the beach. Mr. Van Derven questioned the wording of blaring radios and the reclining lounge chairs. He suggested adding something about uniforms and footwear. Mr. Van Derven stated they should have a radio for communication. Chief stated they have very few radios, they can not put them on the police channel and the town channel does not work great. Chief suggested a cell phone. Ms. Girona stated it would be a good idea to have life guards. Mr. Alpers stated at town meeting in 1996 the citizens adopted to have a public beach that would be swim at your own risk. Mr. Alpers agreed it may be a good idea to have lifeguards and is something to look into in the future. Mr. Alpers stated having lifeguards would need to be a policy change amendment at town meeting. Ms. Levesque stated there is not a need for lifeguards as young children should not be alone. Ms. Levesque feels the opening of the Beach fell through the cracks with the transition and it should not be on the back burner. She stated things need to be in place when the beach opens not when the kids get out of school as the sign says May 1st opening. Mr. Alpers stated the Beach opens June first according to the ordinance and they would verify the sign says the same thing.
Yard Sale Ordinance
The board reviewed the proposed yard sale ordinance and suggested they review it further and discuss next meeting.
Town Manager Items
Code of Ethics
Mr. Weston stated he is a member of ICMA and closely follows their code of ethics. He stated he is a very ethical person and it is very important to follow.
Town Crier
Mr. Weston stated Ms. Bonsteel has sketched out the Town Crier sign which has been approved by HDC. RP Williams will be donating the lumber and Dan McGlauglin, carpenter, hopefully will begin construction in the near future.
Transfer Station Stickers
Mr. Weston stated in an effort to increase enforcement of Transfer Station stickers, during July the attendants will hand out a flyer stating we will be increasing enforcement of stickers. Some days in August we will have police at the transfer station before folks get into the station to check for stickers and those that do not will have to get out of line. Mr. Van Derven questioned if they can get a sticker at the dump. Mr. Alpers thinks if they can prove by their registration they should be able to. Mr. Alpers questioned if it will be cadets enforcing this. Chief Clark stated only police officers for a few weeks with a cadet as he does not only want a cadet there. Mr. Van Derven feels this is very necessary as he was at the Transfer Station on July 4th weekend and counted 8 cars without stickers out of 12. Mr. Van Derven agrees with educating first by handing out the flyer over the next couple weeks. Mr. Weston stated it is time we enforce the rules and regulations to save the town money. Mr. Van Derven heard that there is a place that will take TV’s for free. Mr. Weston stated he would be happy to look into this further. Mr. Alpers stated the town is currently spending 135,000 to haul trash.
Bristol Boutique
Mr. Weston stated this is a proposed 8 X 40 - 3 sided structur to be used to recycle items that someone else may be able to use that is not trash. Mr. Bucklin is ready to proceed and RP Williams will be donating the materials. Mr. Weston stated this Boutique will become part of the fence line at the lower dump.
Ms. Westfall stated if money is going to be accepted for these items you need someone there responsible enough to do so. She suggested a donation box. Mr. Alpers stated the attendant at the lower dump already accepts money. Mr. Van Derven stated this has been considered by 2 selectboards and by having a swap shop, it helps put controls in by eliminating items going into the regular trash and it also generates money which is the purpose. Mr. Van Derven stated this is just one way to raise additional revenue. Ms. Westfall questioned whose proposal this was and when this proposal was made. Mr. Van Derven stated the board discussed and agreed to this the last meeting. Ms. Girona stated the idea has been around for years and feels Mr. Walenda’s ideas about the dump are dismissed. Ms. Girona stated at town meeting someone was concerned with allowing water into the trash because they did not have tops as it adds significant weight. Mr. Denning stated he checked into the citizen’s inquiry and stated we make money by the tonnage in the paper bin which is the only open container. He stated the more weight the better and the company does not care that the paper is wet. Mr. Van Derven stated he did not feel people are dismissed in the meetings. He stated the recycling committee is addressing a lot of these issues and all these ideas need to go to the committees first, then they are brought to the board as a recommendation. It is the proper democratic process as the Board is looking for the final report and don’t want to micro manage. Ms. Girona stated community spirit is being killed with enforcement and ordinances.
Fireworks Ordinance
Mr. Weston stated the Fireworks Ordinance is still being worked on by the Chiefs and Mr. Van Derven and will be brought back to the 24th meeting. A citizen questioned why we need an ordinance for selling fireworks. Mr. Fraser stated the fireworks ordinance is to shoot them off; it has nothing to do with selling. Ms. Levesque thinks it’s good to try and limit the excessive use of fireworks around the lake. Mr. Weston stated it is an attempt to govern where, when and how fireworks are to be used in town. He explained it is very similar to getting a burning permit. Mr. Alpers stated the ordinance has nothing to do with commercial sales. A citizen stated they are for the ordinance as it is out of control on their street. The fireworks are shot off at various times all summer long. Chief Clark stated that some people don’t value the quality of life that we are trying to maintain in this community. Mr. Van Derven stated there needs to be some way to enforce and make it safe. He explained in working with the ordinance he is looking for a middle ground on enforcement. Ms Girona thinks there needs to be proactive policing and talk to people. A citizen stated after her neighbors shot the fireworks off last year she had to clean cars, the yard and her dogs were traumatized. Chief Clark stated we do practice proactive policing and sick of hearing they don’t. Mr. Van Derven stated years of prior selectboards and Chief Clark’s predecessor tried to deal with speeding along the lake. Mr. Van Derven stated this new administration has addressed it by placing speed bumps. Mr. Alpers suggested citizens with questions come talk to the Town Manager or the Chiefs. Ms. Levesque thinks we need more police coverage to enforce the entire ordinance. A citizen provided the board with a petition regarding the fireworks ordinance. The citizens stated people are upset because they come up to enjoy themselves. Mr. Van Derven stated that he has been told the state law says fireworks can not come in from out of state however he has been unable to confirm this. Chief Clark stated the ordinance is not solely to enforce people from not bringing in fireworks from out of state but more to enforce safety, location and a time frame for usage. Mr. Van Derven would like to keep it simple and ensure safety. Mr. Alpers thanked the citizen for the petition and will be continuing to work on the ordinance for next meeting. A citizen stated if people are going to be required to have a permit system, the board needs to make sure the Fire Chief is going to give the permit in a timely fashion as he feels the fire Chief is difficult to deal with. Mr. Alpers suggested the citizen should have a discussion with the town manager as he is in charge of personnel.
Town Meeting Planning
Mr. Weston stated the letter went out for planning for town meeting at the July 24th Board meeting. Mr. Alpers asked Mr. Van Derven to open the discussion regarding town meeting planning at the next meeting.
Seasonal Employees
Mr. Weston stated he has hired Curtis Hill as a part time beach attendant and Derek Farrell for a seasonal maintenance worker.
New Forms/Applications
Mr. Weston stated Ms. Alpers has taken the initiative to update some forms/applications that were outdated.
Roof Repairs at Town Office
Mr. Weston stated Chief Clark and Mr. Joe Santamaria have been on the roof to see the problems at the Town Office. Mr. Weston stated the Local Government Center is coming to see if we can claim it on our insurance since it was due to ice damage this past winter. Mr. Weston questioned how the board would like to proceed. Mr. Alpers suggested waiting to hear from LGC first before a decision is made.
Retaining Meeting Tapes
Mr. Weston provided the Board with a memo from the Attorney regarding the retaining of meeting tapes.
Elderly Housing
Mr. Weston stated the Board has been invited to the open house for the elderly housing unit in Ashland. Mr. Denning stated he would attend.
Planning Board Charette
Mr. Weston stated there will be a Planning Board Charette on September 19th and 20th at 11:00am at Old Town Hall. The Charette is to plan on ways to improve the downtown. Mr. Weston provided the board with a packet of the details. Mr. Van Derven suggested people should attend if interested in the downtown.
Zoning Board Resignation
Mr. Weston stated a member from the Zoning Board has resigned. We are currently checking to see if the alternate that we have would be willing to move up as a full member. Mr. Van Derven suggested we advertise if need be.
Mr. Weston stated he has been invited by Ms. Joan Wirth to the tax payers and concerned citizens meeting. She also asked to use Old Town Hall if they need it. Mr. Weston stated they could use it if they needed it but would need to contact town hall to set it up.
Mr. Weston stated Mr. Mason Westfall has received the Kim Ayers Award and suggested bringing him in next meeting for recognition.
Mr. Weston presented the board with an updated poster of the Central Street Bridge. He stated we are still on track to have the bridge open in December if the steel comes by Labor Day. Otherwise it will open in June.
Mr. Weston stated we are no longer with Lakes Region Public Access as we are trying to get our own broadcasting running as soon as possible. Mr. Van Derven questioned if it is just our meetings now that are not being played. Mr. Weston believed this was the case.
Mr. Weston questioned how to handle the meeting regarding ambulance billing fees. Mr. Van Derven stated he did not want the summit meeting to turn into a dispute of ambulance billing. He would like to focus more on possibly combining all the equipment in the surrounding towns to find a way to work together in investing in vehicles and maintenance. Mr. Van Derven stated he would be happy to lead the meeting and suggested a separate meeting to explain the ambulance billing.
Mr. Weston stated he is working on the list of items the previous Town Manager left.
At 9:30 PM the Chairman entertained a motion from Selectman Denning, seconded by Selectman Fraser to go into non-public session per RSA91-AII(e) legal items. A roll call vote was taken with all responding yes.
Motion to return to public session at 10:08 made by Mr. Denning, seconded by Mr. Fraser; vote was unanimous.
Motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Van Derven; seconded by Mr. Fraser; vote was unanimous.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:09pm
Respectfully submitted,
Krystal Alpers
Administrative Assistant
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Richard Alpers, Chairman Paul Fraser, Vice Chairman
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Joe Denning Donald Milbrand
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Bruce Van Derven