LITTLETON BOARD OF SELECTMEN

MEETING MINUTES

LITTLETON TOWN OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM

AUGUST 9, 2006

Present: Chairman George Hicks, Selectman Burt Ingerson, Selectman Ed Farrell, Interim Town Manager Tony Mincu, Executive Assistant Cheryl Sargent

Chairman Hicks opened the Selectmen’s Meeting at 6:00 pm. He read a short greeting and introduced the Selectmen and Town Manager.

APPOINTMENTS

Tony Mincu filled in for Barbara Ashley, Chamber of Commerce, who originally had an appointment with the Board but had a conflicting commitment. Tony stated Barbara had come to him with concerns regarding Summerfest. She had stated that to date, Summerfest has not obtained their 501C. She stated that Dennis Hartwell is just an organizer of the event with no town authority. There is a misconception with the public that Summerfest is an event sponsored by the Town of Littleton or the Chamber of Commerce. She feels there is a liability issue because the function does not have insurance.

Selectman Ingerson noted that Summerfest has been a summer event for a number of years and at one time it was under the umbrella of the Chamber of Commerce. This is not the case any longer. Selectman Farrell added he thought that Mr. Hartwell was in the process of applying for his 501C. Tony stated that obtaining the 501C should be a condition of future Summerfest events.

The Selectmen asked Tony to follow up with Dennis Hartwell on this matter and to express the Selectmens’ concerns in this regard.

Fire Chief Joe Mercieri briefed the Selectman in regard to the Town of Littleton’s Hazardous Mitigation Plan which has just been conditionally approved by FEMA. There are two items left to complete before full approval by FEMA is given. Joe stated that they must provide FEMA with the assessed property values in the flood plain and that the Board of Selectman must formally resolve to adopt the hazardous mitigation plan. Chief Mercieri also noted that the entire process of completing the plan has been done with grant money.

Selectman Farrell moved to sign the formal resolution accepting and approving the Town of Littleton’s Hazardous Mitigation Plan. The motion was seconded by Selectman Ingerson and carried 3-0.

Chief Mercieri stated also that work is progressing on the local emergency plan. This plan was last revised in 1995. There are several annexes to the plan which are being updated. Chief Mercieri hopes to have a draft copy of this plan to the Selectmen within the next couple of weeks.

Chief Mercieri asked the Board to consider joining the NH Public Works Mutual Aid Program. The membership fee is $25 a year and the benefits of belonging to the program far outweigh the cost. The program provides mutual aid from various towns in New Hampshire. This means the Town of Littleton would have access to specialized equipment which we or surrounding towns do not own.

Selectman Farrell moved to join the NH Public Works Mutual Aid Program and to pay the $25.00 membership fee. The motion was seconded by Selectman Ingerson and carried 3-0.

Chief Mercieri stated there is a need for call personnel for the Fire Department. He stated that membership has been steadily dwindling due to time constraints and family commitments. He added there are only eleven call members left out of an original 30. He would like to start a recruiting campaign to bring new members onboard. He told the Selectmen that call members are paid by the call and that the fee is on a sliding scale depending on their certification. The Selectmen agreed to have Joe distribute posters and flyers throughout Town.

Chief Mercieri filled the Board in on the Citizens’ Corp Program. This is a program which will be started with grant funding to provide training and equipment to volunteers. These volunteers could be utilized by the Fire, Police and Public Works Departments after their training is completed. The Selectmen understand that this is in the early planning stages and Chief Mercieri will come back with more information as it is available.

Andy Smith of Peabody & Smith was in to present a proposal to the Selectmen from Daniel Trombley regarding the possible sale of the property now being utilized by the Police Department at Mt. Eustis Commons. The property is being offered for $1.7 million. If the property were to be sold it would have to be further subdivided from the remainder of the condominium complex. Chairman Hicks stated he felt the price was to high. Selectman Farrell stated it does give the voters another option and that one point of contention among them was that the current location being used by the Police Department was not owned by the Town but was leased. Mr. Smith stated that Mr. Trombley would be willing to talk with the Town in regard to this matter as he realizes the lease is a contentious matter. The Selectman thanked Andy for coming in.

Tom Kennedy, Chairman of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee, read a prepared statement to the Board (copy attached). He thanked the Board for their review of the proposed recommendations from the Committee and offered to meet with them at any time to discuss these recommendations and answer any questions the Selectmen might have. The Selectmen will meet with the subcommittee from CAB next week in a non-public work session to discuss this matter further. It was agreed to meet in non-public session as some of the topics discussed may become personnel issues. The Selectmen expressed their appreciation for the time and effort the Committee has put into this document. Tony noted he has had dialog with the Police Chief and will continue this dialog after the work session has taken place.

CITIZENS’ CONCERNS

Herb Lahout stated he had concerns with the Police Department door being locked on weekends. He noted he had tried to access the Police Department over the weekend when he had trouble with a tenant. He found the door locked to the public. Herb stated he felt that the weekend was a busy time especially this time of year with all the tourists and thinks the PD should be open. Tony stated there are presently three clerical support staff members working at the PD. He will speak to the Chief to see if work hours can be staggered to allow for someone to be there on weekends. He noted he is aware that this was also a concern with some of the police officers.

Eddy Moore referenced the previous discussion with Andy Smith and stated he feels the price of $1.7 million is an exorbitant price to pay when the entire condo complex is assessed for $1.8 million.

TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT

Tony noted he will be convening the Moore Dam Re-evaluation Committee next week. He has been gathering information and has talked with other municipalities faced with similar situations as Littleton. He noted that Rockingham-Vermont in Bellows Falls has real issues. Sancoucy is working on assessment figures and should have this data ready by late this week. Transcanada has request that any and all negotiations are to include a Confidentiality Agreement. The Agreement has been forwarded to Town Counsel for their review.

Tony advised the Selectman the legal budget for this year ($10,000) has now been expended. The Town will need another $10,000-$15,000 for the balance of the year, especially in light of the pending litigation and another Special Town Meeting. He added he has spoken to Karen about borrowing money in anticipation of taxes in September. There will be a Department Head Meeting on Tuesday and one of the topics discussed will be the status of everyone’s budget and if there is any available money which can be freed up to be used toward legal fees. The Department Head Meetings will take place bi-weekly unless there is a need to meet more than that.

Tony asked the Selectmen for authorization to contact Mitchell & Bates regarding a Special Town Meeting.

Selectman Farrell moved to have Mitchell & Bates start the Special Meeting process relating to the lease. The motion was seconded by Selectman Ingerson and carried 3-0. Tony will start the process with Mitchell & Bates.

Selectman Farrell requested that Tony get an updated budget report from Karen. Tony stated it might be helpful to ask Karen to attend a work session or Selectmen’s Meeting to go over current budget figures.

Selectman Farrell moved to authorize Tony to get in touch with Bast & Rood regarding options for the Opera House as opposed to a stand-alone facility. The motion was seconded by Selectman Ingerson and carried 3-0.

The Selectmen discussed having a public informational meeting before the next Special Town Meeting to discuss the options for the Opera House. It was agreed that the informational meeting should be held within the next 30 days. A date for this meeting will be set as soon as data is ready to present.

Selectman Farrell stated the Selectmen should make a decision on how they intend to perform a search for a new Town Manager.

Bernard Chase thanked the Selectmen for listening to the voters and changing the time of their meeting as well as videotaping it for Channel 2.

NEW BUSINESS

Selectman Ingerson moved to terminate the Animal Control Service Contract with Randy & Mary Whiting. The motion was seconded by Selectman Farrell and carried 3-0. A letter terminating the contract will go out. Tony noted the contract had expired in April and was probably on a month to month basis. He will contact legal counsel to see how many months the Town is committed to paying. The contract includes a 60-day termination clause. The Town had been paying $16,000/year for animal control services. Stray dogs will now be picked up by the Police Department and transported to the Littleton Pet Center Kennel.

Selectman Ingerson moved to approve the 2006 Updated Welfare Guidelines. Tony noted he has reviewed the document and found most of the updates are boiler plate and housekeeping items to the document. The motion was seconded by Selectman Farrell and carried 3-0.

MINUTES

Selectman Farrell moved to approve, as presented, the minutes of July 19, 2006 non-public session, July 26, 2006 regular session and July 26, 2006 non-public session. The motion was seconded by Selectman Ingerson and carried 3-0.

At 7:10 pm. Selectman Ingerson moved to go into non-public session per RSA 91A to discuss personnel and legal issues. The motion was seconded by Selectman Farrell and carried 3-0. Each Selectman was polled, all voting to go into non-public,

Selectman Farrell moved to come out of non-public session at 7:40 pm. The motion was seconded by Selectman Ingerson and carried 3-0. Each member was polled, all agreeing to leave non-public session.

Before adjourning the Selectmen’s Meeting, Selectman Farrell moved to re-affirm the Board’s resolution to the Tri-Town Industrial park project. The motion was seconded by Selectman Ingerson and carried 3-0. The reaffirmation resolution was signed by all Selectmen.

The meeting adjourned at 7:45 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Cheryl Sargent

Executive Assistant