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Town of Littleton

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2010 Meeting Minutes and Agendas

Board of Selectmen

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Special Minutes Jun 16, 2010

TOWN OF LITTLETON
BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2010
4:00 PM
COMMUNITY CENTER HEALD ROOM

Present: Town Manager Chuck Connell, Chairman Ron Bolt, Vice Chairman Ed Boynton, Selectman Marghie Seymour, Executive Secretary Ceil Stubbings

Others Present: Eddy Moore, Don Merrill, Robert Blechl (The Caledonian Record), Tony Ilacqua, Paul McGoldrick, Mary Edick, Bill Latulip, Sheri Latulip, Art McGrath (The Courier), Chad Stearns (Chamber of Commerce), Mike Doucette, Jim Daly, Carl Hilgenberg, Scotty Farquharson, Chief Joe Mercieri, Alison Bolt

Chairman Bolt called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM.

Pledge of Allegiance

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes:
Revised Draft Minutes March 24, 2010
Bolt explained that the minutes of March 24, 2010 had some passages that Boynton had made which Bolt said he was not comfortable with. The board came to a compromise agreeing to put the passages back in with annotations. The passages were related to some overtime questions that Boynton had with a department head. The department head had satisfied Boynton’s questions and requested that be noted in the minutes. Seymour made the motion to approve the minutes of March 24, 2010. Boynton seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0.

Revised Draft Minutes May 19, 2010
Bolt said he was concerned about how completely they had covered the three questions the budget committee had for the selectmen in a paragraph at the end of the minutes. Bolt said he had suggested a rewrite of that particular paragraph. Seymour made the motion to approve the May 19, 2010 minutes. Boynton seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0.

Feedback from Last Meeting:
Bolt said there were no action items from the last meeting. Selectman Seymour has arranged for a regional “Right to Know” Law – 91-A Work Session for the 29th of June from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Seymour said they were expecting fifteen to twenty people in attendance. The session will be presented by the LGC (Local Government Center). Bolt said there were two hold over’s that are both on the agenda. The Opera House MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) had been completed and was ready to be signed. There would also be an update from the Police Construction Committee. After the last meeting the board held a public hearing and bond hearing on the bonding for the settlement with Trans-Canada. Last Friday the town received the approval from Grafton County Superior Court to hold the Special Town Meeting. The Deliberative Session will be held on the 30th of June at the High School Cafeteria and the Second Session Special Town Meeting will be held on July 28th at the Opera House. Bolt said that on the 8th of June, Grafton County Court heard the case on the Toney versus the Town of Littleton, which has to do with the crematorium. The town will hear the judge’s decision within sixty days on the rehearing of that case. Bolt said the board had a query last month and it is not the first time that he has heard it that had to do with the hours of operation of the Town Clerk’s office. Bolt stated that Elected Officials are independent of the selectmen and the board has no say over their hours of operation. Bolt said that if anyone has issues they should take them up with the Town Clerk Judy White. Bolt said they have had to make some adjustments to their schedule due to injuries and illness. He believes they are doing the best they can. Bolt then proposed to Boynton and Seymour that the board makes it a regular practice to mention upcoming town events at each meeting. Both Boynton and Seymour said they had no problem with the announcements but Boynton said he did not want to spend an hour on it. Bolt then listed some events of general interest that were coming up. On Saturday the Boys and Girls Club were holding their annual Summer Sizzler. The Relay for Life is happening on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday the Police Department will be holding the fourth annual Paint Ball Tournament. Bolt said the Independence Day Fireworks would be held on Friday the 2nd of July.

Appointments: Maximum time per appointment is 15 minutes
Tony Ilacqua – Staffing levels at the Transfer Station.
Tony Ilacqua provided a comprehensive presentation on the Services the Transfer Station provides. Ilacqua stressed the need to retain a fifth person upon his retirement in July by stating the town would end up losing considerable revenue instead of saving anything. Ilacqua said he was upset that the people who have said they don’t believe the department needs the staff of five were not present. Tony said his last day is July 31st and he would like a resolution to this issue. Bolt said he was of the understanding that we were advertising for the position. Town Manager Connell said he was given direction that they would go through a normal recruitment process. Ilacqua said they had a few applications in already. Bolt said there has been some speculation about attrition but the board has made no decision on that and they have not frozen hiring. Bolt said that as far as he was concerned it was full speed ahead. Town Manager Connell said the position would be advertised immediately.

Bolt then introduced Mike Doucette, Bill Latulip and George McNamara from the Police Building Construction Committee. Mike Doucette said there was some concern about where things stand. The committee was not one hundred percent certain but Doucette said he had spoke to the Chief. Doucette only had one copy of the list of things that had been approved back in October. Doucette said most of the list has not been completed. The work was not to be done until all bills were paid. The Chief has not solicited if all the bills have been paid. The committee was kept active in case the selectmen decided to move forward with another project if there was money left. Boynton asked the committee if they were comfortable with the remaining balance of funds. Boynton said it was his preference to get the paving done before anything else on the list is done. Connell told Boynton the cost to do the paving was $14,420.00. They did not know the cost for the painting. This led into a brief discussion on prioritizing the current list in order to facilitate getting the paving done. Bolt said that he had calculated they would have $21,000 left and they were proposing on spending $14,000 on paving. The Committee and the board decided the items on the current list that should be done as the security cameras, motion switches, chair rails and the administration window. Bolt asked for someone to make a motion to approve the spending of the remaining funds in the police facility building committees funding and that they authorize the paving, the painting and striping, the additional cameras and security equipment, motion switches, chair rails and the administration window. Seymour placed the motion. Boynton seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0. Town Manager Connell asked for clarification on the order of the motion. It was by consensus of the board that the paving and striping were first on the list and the other four items would be completed in the order listed provided funding was available.

George McNamara had complied an open list for any other committee to utilize if they find themselves doing another project similar with the police station. McNamara said they never had an accounting of the project. He had assumed the clerk of the works would do the accounting. The money issue was tough because no one was keeping track. McNamara said it was a design build project for a price. The selectmen had created a construction committee. McNamara said everyone on the committee all had a common concept of how this would go. They had some extremely heated discussions on things we thought were going to be completed. The contractor said the things we thought should be done were not in the contract and would cost extra. McNamara said that is when they finally obtained a copy of the contract. McNamara said he thinks if the chief had not came up with the grants we would have been over the budgeted amount. McNamara said there should be better communication and the understanding that the building committee is not there to design or micromanage. There should be a job description for the clerk of the works. If the contractor says there will be a refund make sure there is a change order for it. There needs to be special attention paid to the budget and the costs. Bill Latulip wanted to add that there are some issues that still need to be addressed by the contractor. Latulip said calls have been made but they do not return the calls. Latulip suggested the town send them a letter. Bolt asked Connell if he felt the need to keep the committee. Connell said he was in a position to handle the rest of what needs to be done. Ed Boynton made the motion to dissolve the Police Building Committee. Seymour seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0. Connell thinks he is sitting right on the deadline. Connell asked the committee on what date did they accept the building. The committee said they could not remember. Connell asked if it was in June. Connell said the reason he was asking is because he thinks he is sitting right on the deadline for the issues to be corrected.

Chamber of Commerce and the Opera House Management Commission Update.
Chad Stearns and Don Merrill
Chad Stearns advised that many things have been going on at the Opera House. The handicap entrance is now working and the deck has been stained. On Friday night they hosted the opening night of Summer Fest with about fifty people in attendance. On Saturday and Sunday they hosted the craft fair with about eight or nine exhibitors. Most of the back stage is painted black and the wood is still there. The chamber started hanging signs for the welcoming center and a center display. The chamber’s committee will be working on the policy and procedures. Bolt asked if that was the operations manual. Stearns said the MOU is ready to be signed. Bolt asked if there are any other events scheduled. Stearns said the next event is the Special Town Meeting on July 28th. Stearns said they are taking calls but they are still discussing several items. Stearns said they don’t have the lighting or the acoustics but it still can house different activities. Don Merrill said when they went in there for the Summer Fest performance they had a problem with the lights. Stearns said part of the cleanup was cleaning the bulbs and the chandeliers resulted with a few breakers being tripped. JA Corey came in and fixed the problem immediately. Merrill said it was his understanding this was supposed to be up to code. Carl Hilgenberg said that he is on the renovation committee and he looked at the electrical. Hilgenberg said the committee agreed they want to have the same electrical contractor do the whole building. Connell asked how the committee was going to select the electrician. Connell cautioned that it has to be a RFQ process that does not affect price if you are going to seek funding in the future. Connell said if they don’t follow a document they might not be eligible for future grants. Bolt asked Seymour and Boynton if they had reviewed the MOU. Boynton and Seymour said they had both reviewed the document. Bolt asked for a motion to approve the MOU. Seymour made the motion to approve the MOU as written and to authorize the chairman of the board to sign the document. Boynton seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0

Don Merrill said the Opera House Management Commission has drafted the guidelines for acceptable performances. Seymour asked who would determine what is vulgar and offensive. Merrill said they would look for something that is going to be controversial. Bolt asked who would make the call. Merrill said he thinks it would be both the chamber and the commission. Alison Bolt asked if the guidelines were going to be in a contract. Merrill said yes. Alison then asked what happens if people violate the guidelines. Stearns said we do have a security deposit. Stearns said all three committees are working together on several issues. Merrill said they should have something more substantial by the next meeting.

June Garneau from North Country Council.
June introduced herself and provided a presentation on the Hazard Mitigation Plan she is assisting the Town of Littleton with. June explained the plan has to be reviewed each year and renewed every five years. If this process of the review and the renewal were not done the town would not be eligible for FEMA funds. June said a press release would be going out and she hoped that citizens would be interested in participating in the process. Bolt said the department heads would all be involved in helping to prepare the plan. Bolt said it was unfortunate that Channel 2 was not present to tape the meeting in order to assist in getting the word out. Bolt said they do need help from citizens and business owners who may have some past experience with this sort of thing. June said it was helpful to have citizens who were knowledgeable about disasters that had occurred in the past. The next meeting will be held July 20th at 10:00 AM. Joe Mercieri said his department is working on a water resource plan that coincides with this

Citizen Concerns
George McNamara said he has not made it to a few meetings and wanted to know if he could have an update on the Highland Avenue Culvert. Bolt said that update would be in the Town Manager’s Report.

Spotlights on Departments – None
Connell said the Fire Department would be at the next meeting doing a similar presentation that Tony Ilacqua did for the Transfer Station. Bolt said this is an attempt and to further explain all of the services that are done by the departments. Bolt said there are so many various things the departments do that he feels it is important everyone is given the full story.

Town Manager’s Report
Main Street
Connell advised they did a walk through of Main Street today and developed the punch list. Tomorrow would be the last Main Street meeting at 8:30 AM at the Annex. They will review the punch list at that time. It appears the crosswalks will be put in on Monday weather permitting. The lines have already been painted but a thermoplastic application will be applied on Monday. Bolt asked if there was any gain or loss of parking spots. Connell said there was a net gain of one parking spot.

Highland Avenue
Connell said that on June 17 and 18, which is tomorrow and Friday, there will be work done on the water system. Temporary valves will be put in place. The water will be shut off for approximately four hours. The property owners who would be affected by this have been notified. The actual replacement of the culvert will occur July 26th through July 30th. The replacement will include a seventy-foot box culvert that is ten feet wide and five feet high. Connell said the culvert is four-sided flat bottom that is sixty-nine feet seven and a half inches. The permitting is in place and they have the DES and Army Core of Engineer approvals. Scotty Farquharson asked if the job had been bid out. Connell said no it was sole sourced. Connell said that meant the work would be done by Dodge Construction. The engineering was done by Horizon. Connell was asked what the budget cost for the project was and he responded the cost was budgeted at $49,999. He went on to say that is not a firm fixed price. It does not include the paving the road or installing guardrails. Connell said for the short term they would use Jersey Barriers instead of guardrails. Connell and Bolt commended Rusty Bulis, Brien Ward and Carl Hilgenberg for the project.

Redington Street Bridge
Connell said they have received the Army Core of Engineer’s permit and all easements are in place. The final plans are being completed for DOT to review to meet the August time frame. Connell said at that time there would be a public hearing.

Meadow Street Cemetery
Connell said this has been an interesting project to try to put together. It appears the New Hampshire Department of Transportation will repair the rock retaining wall that sits between the wall and the roadway. Connell said once that is done he feels we could have the fence in place in a month. Bolt said this has been brought up on several occasions. Connell said he has sent an email to the individual that brought this up and the email has been acknowledged.

Old Business:
Committee & Board Assignments
Bolt advised there was a vacant position on the Riverbend Subcommittee with the North Country Council. The town is authorized to have two representatives on that committee. Bolt said the board has received a self-nomination from Jim Sherrard. Bolt asked for a motion to make the appointment. Seymour made the motion to appoint Jim Sherrard to the Riverbend Subcommittee. Boynton seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0.

Bolt told the board that they had not come to an agreement at the last meeting regarding the seventh member of the Planning Board. Bolt asked Boynton if he had talked to the Chairman of the Planning Board Charlie Ryan. Boynton said he had not spoken to Ryan since the last meeting and at the time Ryan had told Boynton that he was going to keep the two new members as alternates and alternate them as voting members on certain cases. Bolt and Seymour said they were also at that meeting and that is not what they had heard Ryan say. Bolt said he had sent a note to Charlie Ryan to come to one of the meetings so they could straighten this situation out. Bolt said they would not make a motion. Seymour interjected and said that she has decided she would vote on making appointments to the Zoning and Planning Boards. Boynton said he would abstain from voting. Boynton told Seymour that the reason he had asked her to step down from making appointments on the Zoning and Planning Boards was due to a conflict of interest she had with Herb Lahout. Seymour said that if the people she appoints don’t vote on any case involving Herb Lahout then there is no conflict of interest. Boynton said he would like to speak with Arwen and Charlie before making a decision. Boynton said that from what he has seen of Arwen Mitton so far he was not impressed. Seymour told Boynton that was because he has a difference of opinion. Seymour told Boynton that he did not want to hear differences of opinions and that Arwen was the only person there who figured out that the permit could not be completed in five years. Connell said he thought he heard that no action was going to be taken until Charlie Ryan could attend a meeting. Boynton made a motion to table the appointment. Seymour said she would not second the motion. The motion died. Bolt said there were no takeaways from this meeting. Seymour asked Bolt to see if they could limit the time for department spotlights in the future. Bolt agreed they should consider better time management. Bolt asked for a motion to adjourn. Seymour made the motion to adjourn. Boynton seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 6:52 PM.

Respectfully submitted
Ceil Stubbings


Littleton has functioned as a Board of Selectmen/Town Manager form of government since 1976.

The Littleton Board of Selectmen meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 4:00 PM at the Littleton Community House - Heald Room.

If you would like to be put on the agenda for an upcoming Selectmen's meeting, please contact Ceil Stubbings. Please be prepared with all information needed for the Selectmen to make a decision no later than the Friday before the Selectmen's meeting

Members

Ronald J. Bolt, Chairman
Edward C. Boynton, Vice Chairman
Marghie M. Seymour, Selectman

Selectmen's Email: selectmen@townoflittleton.org

Executive Secretary for the Board of Selectmen:

Ceil Stubbings
cstubbings@townoflittleton.org
125 Main Street
Suite 200
Littleton, NH 03561
603.444.3996 x15
603.444.1703 (fax)

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