TOWN OF TUFTONBORO

MEETING OF THE SELECTMEN

Monday April 2, 2007

 

 

*Accepted* 4/9/07 CORRECTIONS IN BOLD

 

 

Selectmen present: Susan Weeks and Dan Duffy. Bill Stockman was absent.

 

Selectmen reviewed mail, which included: Building Permits for American Youth Foundation, Jean & Gerard Lacroix, Dianne Porter; Demolition Permit for Richard Howard; Memo re: Cash flow; Letter of Resignation – Boucher; Memo re: audit scheduled week of 4/16; Memo re: Treasurer position; Letters from Bruce Pigott re: Police Dept., Town Report, Volunteer for CIP; Approval for Construction for J. Colman Nominee Trust; Wetlands and Non-site Specific Permit for Farrell; Standard Dredge & Fill for Calhoun; Property Transfer from Linda Heilig to Frances Ginestet; Memo from BTLA Clerk re: Administrative Rule – Appearances (Board Communications); Coalition Communities; NH Retirement System re: Education sessions for employees; Copies of Correspondence from Cindy Trayers to Planning Board re: cell tower; Parks & Rec 4/2/07 agenda and 3/5/07 minutes; US Census Bureau workshop notification; Current list of volunteers for various committees; Legislative Bulletin #14.

 

 

 

Items for Signature:  Application for Veterans Exemption for Palmer, Williams; Intent  to Excavate for Mary Jane Sargent, Fred Sargent (2); Intent to Excavate for Hammer; Porter Office Equipment Copier Maintenance Contract; Lakes Region Digital Website Maintenance Contract; Devine Millimet Engagement Letter (revised).

 

 

At approximately 9:00 am Selectman Weeks called the meeting to order. Selectman Stockman was not in attendance so the minutes were held for approval until next week.

 

The non-public meeting at 8:30 was not held as the person thought it was scheduled for 9:00.

 

The Town Administrator gave the following report:

  • Today is the last day to order the compost bins. Seven have been ordered so far – the town will purchase 20 since that is the minimum amount. Any leftover if not sold by the town could be sold at Spider Web Gardens.
  • Updated pending list and calendar submitted to selectmen.
  • The work session with Attorney Upton went very well. One issue that came up was the Right to Know law and e-mail issues. This subject should be discussed and a policy put in place. Suggested not e-mailing or faxing non-public minutes. The selectmen agreed to have copies available at the next meeting. The selectmen also stated that only approved minutes would be put up on the website. Chairman Weeks said that all the boards have to submit their minutes to be posted online.
  • The application for the NHDOT grant was submitted. John Corrigan would like to meet with the selectmen to discuss the program.

 

At approximately 9:10 Selectmen met with Code Officer Jack Parsons. The town car he had been using did not pass inspection (rotted frame). Mr. Parsons looked into leasing options and presented 7 quotes from 3 dealers. The vehicles are all small pickup trucks, for a 4-year lease and with 2 dealers offering a $1.00 buyout at the end of the lease. Mr. Parsons said that he preferred the Miller Chevy deal for a 4-wheel drive truck. It would cost $4317.44 per year for 4 years and then $1.00 to buy the vehicle at lease end. He thought that the vehicle would then be good for another 4 years. There was a $1500 difference between the low and high end of the quotes. The lower lease amount however had the larger buyout at the end. In comparison, it was cheaper to lease a vehicle at $4317.44 than pay mileage – at $.485 per mile for 12,000 miles it came to $5820.00 per year.

Selectman Duffy made a motion to lease a 4x4 pickup truck from Miller Auto Dealerships for 4 years at $4317.44 per year. Chairman Weeks seconded the motion with all in favor. The payments would be made quarterly.

 

At approximately 9:15 Selectmen met with Town Clerk Heather Cubeddu to discuss the assessment report done recently on the preservation of town records. She was looking for the selectmen’s input on how to prioritize the recommendations made in the report. There is $8,000.00 left from the original $10,000.00 grant. Chairman Weeks suggested that a Records Committee should be formed and a more formal process put in place before determining what the money should be spent on. However, some of the simple fixes could be done now for very little money. The Town Clerk, Tax Collector and Selectmen’s representative should be part of the committee with possibly a representative from the historical society and members of the community. Chairman Weeks said she would be interested since she is very much involved with the Tuftonboro Historical Society. Ms. Cubeddu was asked to set up a meeting.

 

At approximately 9:25 Selectmen met with Police Chief Andy Shagoury. Sergeant Boucher’s resignation effective May 13th was discussed. He has agreed to stay on part time. The second candidate (4th officer position) was contacted but he has decided to stay in school. The chief said 2 people have expressed an interest in the sergeant position. The selectmen said that the position should be advertised anyway. Chief Shagoury gave the attached statistics, which is a comparison of calls for the first 3 months of this year compared to the same time last year. The calls for service were up but not as drastically as the numbers show due to a different way of documenting the calls. The chief has been scheduling the officers to come in on overtime to cover during the day to allow him to catch up on paper work. Preparation is under way for Bike Safety Day. The chief visited the school recently to work on a safety plan with the school.

John Simms suggested exit interviews as a helpful way to determine why personnel are leaving. He thought that people would be more inclined to speak to an outsider about things they wouldn’t discuss with a supervisor. Chairman Weeks said that she and Chief Shagoury had been corresponding about instituting an exit interview.

Chief Shagoury explained the difficulty of hiring part time personnel. Among other things the p/t officer would need training and still have to be certified in NH and pass all physical and medical tests.

 

The Selectmen approved and signed the following:

  • Intent to Excavate for Bean
  • Intent to Excavate for Mary Jane Sargent
  • Intent to Excavate for Fred Sargent (2)
  • Application for Veterans Exemption for Palmer
  • Application for Veterans Exemption for Williams
  • Intent to Excavate for Hammer
  • Porter Office Equipment Copier Maintenance Contract
  • Devine Millimet Engagement Letter (bond counsel)

 

The website maintenance contract with Lakes Region Digital was held until Eric Adjutant can attend a selectmen’s meeting. (He was not able to attend today because of his daughter’s illness)

 

Chairman Weeks advised that the closing on the Gould property will take place on Tuesday at 5:30 pm. It is hoped the Sargent deed could be done at the same time.

 

Chairman Weeks reported that she attended a luncheon at the Todaro Center – the new facility at Camp Northwoods. The facility is available year-round for community functions and has a capacity of 100-110.

 

The Coalition Communities is recommending the constitutional amendment to provide targeted aid to communities. The Judiciary Committee hearing in Concord is being held Tuesday at 1:15 pm.

 

The Town Administrator is working on the bond application, which is due 4/9. The selectmen were inclined to go with a 5-year bond (the term can be changed up to May 10th).

 

Chairman Weeks, Selectman Stockman and Town Administrator Jeanie Forrester will be attending the DRA Mini-Course on Current Use on 4/26.

 

The 2010 Census Workshop will be referred to Rick Friend as he was very involved in the last census done in Tuftonboro.

 

The Wolfeboro sewage disposal issue was brought up for discussion. John Simms said he has been gathering information for the Tuftonboro Association. He met with Wolfeboro Public Works Director Dave Ford in January. The plan calls for 600,000 gallons of treated waste water be pumped into a sand bank on the Tuftonboro border. The new plan will impact 19 Mile Brook. The water is treated but nitrates would not be removed from it. Mr. Simms presented a 2-page summary of his findings. Mr. Ford has offered to hold a public meeting to explain the proposed plan. Mr. Simms would like to have the Tuftonboro Association sponsor the meeting. Chairman Weeks said that it was okay for the Tuftonboro Association to coordinate the meeting but it is the Selectmen who should be at the head of the table.

Ellen Laase advised that she, along with her husband, has been testing the water at 19 Mile Bay for 10 years and that the data is captured by UNH. Chairman Weeks said that there should be lots of baseline information since the water is always being tested.

 

John Simms suggested a small group for the Capital Improvement Committee rather than a larger group. Chairman Weeks said the selectmen have not chosen anyone for the committee yet – they are just gathering names of volunteers. Formal letters regarding the committee are to be sent to the Planning Board and the Budget Committee shortly. Ellen Laase said her husband would also like to be considered for the CIP committee.

 

At approximately 10:20 Selectmen met with Roger Drowne. Mr. Drowne expressed his concern that the problems he has brought before the board have not been addressed. He asked to be put on the agenda for next week. Chairman Weeks advised him that what he needs to do at this point is get a lawyer to file a formal complaint.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 am.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Carolyn Sundquist

Administrative Assistant