TOWN OF TUFTONBORO

MEETING OF THE SELECTMEN

Monday August 2, 2004

PAGE 1

*Accepted* 8-9-04

Selectmen present: Susan Weeks, Bill Stockman and Chip Albee.

Selectmen reviewed mail, which included: Certificate of Occupancy for Paul & Catherine Stanley; Electrical Permit for Erik Anderson, Mary Louise Eaton; Plumbing Permit for Mary Louise Eaton; Inspection Report for Pierce, Griffin, Macalpine; Property Transfer from Edward Tower to Daniel T. Tower and Wells D. Tower; Wetlands & Non-Site Specific Permit for William & Lorna Saunders; Notice of Administrative Completeness for C & E Realty; NH DRA letter re: MS-1; NH DRED notice of Grant Round Twenty; Sept & Oct. meeting dates for LRHHPF; Parks & Rec minutes for 7/15 & 6/24 and agenda for 8/12; Public Announcement from DRA re: revaluation; Request for road name change re: Hennessey Dr.; Notice of ZBA Public Hearing 8/10; Flier from MLPA re: tree cutting; Fire Department press release.

Items for Signature: Intent to Cut for Cope, Hodgdon; Letter Agreement re: Transfer Station.

Minutes: The Selectmen’s meeting minutes and non-public minutes for 7-26-04 were approved.

At approximately 6:10 Selectmen discussed the Coalition Communities request to join the school funding lawsuit with Portsmouth. There was a concern with additional cost but determined that it was necessary to eliminate the town’s donor status. Selectman Stockman made a motion to join the Portsmouth lawsuit. Seconded by Selectman Albee with all in favor. Pat Remick from the Coalition will be contacted on Tuesday to let her know about the decision and to get an idea about cost.

Representative Betsy Patten asked permission to campaign at the Transfer Station. Selectmen approved her request. Rep. Patten advised she has discussed the education funding issue with Moultonborough Selectmen and school board. She will also be traveling to Maine to check out septage options.

At approximately 6:30 Selectmen met with Ed Bergeron and Jay Poulin of H. E. Bergeron. The first item discussed was the Letter Agreement to authorize the engineering design of the new compactor building. Selectman Albee was concerned about the cost for engineering fees, $24,720.00, and wanted a breakdown of why it was so high. The original plans drawn when the Transfer Station was first built are inaccurate and a new survey needs to be done. It will include every detail with elevations. Chairman Weeks felt it made sense to survey the whole area. Mr. Bergeron stated that he felt that it is not clear what the town is looking for so additional time and effort was built into the price. He also stated that the plans that work the best are the ones that have owner involvement in the planning process. They are also trying to take a long-range approach. The Selectmen decided it needed more discussion on their part so will not vote to approve the agreement until then.

Mr. Bergeron announced that 3 bids were received for the County Road Bridge Project. Moores Marine submitted the low bid, $128,478.47, with the high bid by R. M. Piper at $176,359.50. The third bid was from Bayview at $136,892.00. H. E. Bergeron estimated the cost at $131,926.85. Mr. Bergeron recommended awarding the bid to Moores Marine. Chairman Weeks asked if the town’s road agent could still do the job. Mr. Bergeron stated that the town was not under any obligation to award the bid and could therefore do it in house. Road Agent Steve Hunter was in attendance and said that it made sense to award the contract to Moores Marine as the project is to be completed this fall. Mr. Hunter said that because he was notified at such a late date he has several projects for the town that require his attention and would suffer if he were working on the bridge. Selectman Stockman made a motion to award the contract for the rehabilitation of County Road Bridge to Moores Marine in the amount of $128,478.47. Seconded by Selectman Albee with all in favor. The award letter was signed and given to Ed Bergeron.

At approximately 7:30 Selectmen met with Swim Instructor Mary Ann Murray. Ms. Murray gave her report on this years swim program. There were 93 children taking swim lessons and 35 on the swim team. Only one lesson had to be cancelled. The swim team participated in 4 meets. Ms. Murray thanked Ron Labranche for the excellent job he did installing the turning boards and Bill Donovan for his work on the beach. Ms. Murray would like to have Ron Labranche install and remove the swim docks in the spring and summer. Ms. Murray again recommended lifeguards be posted at the beach. There is a water safety instructor’s class planned for next June. The Selectmen thanked Ms. Murray.

At approximately 7:40 Selectmen met with Dusty Davies of the Mirror Lake Protection Association. There were also 10-15 members of the association in attendance. Ms. Davies presented the associations concerns with the Wolfeboro Scenic View Committee’s plan to cut trees and vegetation on a property in Tuftonboro. The association feels that any removal of trees or plants would be a detriment to the area. There are two issues to address – the legal issue and a good neighbor policy. The legal issue is whether or not Wolfeboro owns the property (and it appears that they are just trustees of a private trust in which case the property should be taxed). The association has contacted a lawyer, Roger Murray, to look into this. The good neighbor policy is why doesn’t Wolfeboro honor the request to not touch that site. Tuftonboro is being a good neighbor by not taxing the property. Results of a petition showed that more than 170 individuals are opposed to the project. Approximately 48% are Tuftonboro residents, 40% are Wolfeboro and 12% are visitors. It was suggested that a simple conversation between selectmen could take place and resolve the problem. There is also a concern that it would be unsafe for traffic to have a scenic view at that point. Selectman Albee will pursue with Wolfeboro Selectman Shirley Ganem and Chairman Weeks will speak to town counsel.

At approximately 8:15 Selectmen met with Police Chief Shagoury. Chief Shagoury presented minutes of the last two Public Safety Needs Assessment Committee meetings. After inspection of the Town Office the committee will prepare a statement on the status of their findings. Chief Shagoury mentioned that the Islanders Association was very pleased with the19 Mile Bay parking lot. The department is investigating three suspicious fires this past weekend. There is a form on the police department’s website for anyone with any information to submit online.

Joe Kowalski questioned who handles complaints when someone is breaking a town ordinance. Chief Shagoury replied that it would depend on the ordinance. A town ordinance (noise, parking, dogs, etc.) would be the Police Department and anything to do with zoning ordinances and health would be the Code Officer.

The Selectmen signed the Intents to Cut for Cope and Hodgdon.

The Selectmen briefly discussed the Transfer Station engineering contract.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Carolyn Sundquist

Administrative Assistant