TOWN OF TUFTONBORO

PO BOX 98, 240 MIDDLE ROAD

CENTER TUFTONBORO, NH 03816

Telephone (603) 569-4539

Fax (603) 569-4328

Selectmen’s Meeting                                                               December 17, 2007

Minutes

Approved w/corrections 12.31.07

PRESENT: Chairman Weeks, Selectman Stockman, Selectman Duffy, Cathy Pounder, Jeanie Forrester

I. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Weeks called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

II. REVIEW / APPROVAL MINUTES: December 10, 2007

December 10 Selectmen’s Meeting – Selectman Stockman made a motion to accept the minutes with corrections. Chairman Weeks seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

December 10 Non-Public Meeting #1 – Selectman Stockman made a motion to accept the minutes. Selectman Duffy seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

December 10 Non-Public Meeting #2 – Selectman Stockman made a motion to accept the minutes. Chairman Weeks seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

December 10 Non-Public Meeting #3 – Selectman Stockman made a motion to accept the minutes as corrected. The motion was seconded by Chairman Weeks. Vote on the motion was unanimous. (Note: these minutes were corrected in a non-public session.)

December 10 Non-Public Meeting #4 – Selectman Stockman made a motion to accept the minutes. Chairman Weeks seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

December 10 Work Session Minutes – Selectman Stockman made a motion to accept the minutes. Chairman Weeks seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

III. SIGNATURE OF TAX MAP 69-02-66 DEED: Selectman Stockman made a motion to sign the document transferring 69-02-66 to the Jordans. Selectman Duffy seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous. The document was signed and notarized.

IV. DEPARTMENT UPDATES:

3^rd Monday – Fire and Highway Safety Committee

Chief Shagoury met with the Selectmen to review the Highway Safety Committee status. A Chairman needs to be selected for the committee. Chairman Weeks made a motion to nominate Chief Shagoury as Chair. The motion was seconded by Selectman Stockman. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

Shagoury advised that there are three grant applications he recommends the Town pursue. The first is for 25 bike helmets that would be distributed to children in Tuftonboro. There is no cost to the Town. Selectman Stockman made a motion to move forward on this grant application. The vote was seconded by Chairman Weeks. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

The second grant application is for stop sticks (a device that is thrown in the road to puncture vehicle tires to get them to stop). Funds for the stop sticks are in the Police Department budget. The grant would pay for 50% of the cost ($421). Selectman Stockman made a motion to move forward with this grant application. The motion was seconded by Chairman Weeks. Vote on the motion was unanimous

The third grant application is for a speed trailer, at a cost of $8,520, 50% of which would be reimbursed to the Town from the grant. Shagoury advised that he will ask the grant funders for pre-approval of the funds prior to going to town meeting. The second half of the $8,520 ($4,260) would be raised through a warrant article. Selectman Stockman asked if the speed trailer had other functions, like the ability to give traffic counts. Shagoury advised yes. Selectman Stockman made a motion to move forward with the grant application. The motion was seconded by Chairman Weeks. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

Chief Thompson gave an update on the Fire Department: 201 fire calls, 153 medical calls, 40 service calls, 31 special details, 1 paramedic intercept, for a 426 calls total for the year.

For inspections, there have been 23 for oil burners, 31 for gas burners, and 8 for wood stoves.

Thompson advised that he and the Code Enforcement Officer attended a workshop on residential sprinkler systems. They will continue to attend as many workshops as possible.

Thompson advised that he had spoken with Cathy Pounder about the Wolfeboro Oil off-road diesel price increase. He will pursue trying to get a refund at the end of the year.

The Chief said that he had not heard back on the grant for the airpacs and will keep the Selectmen advised with any updates.

The Chief asked the Selectmen what kind of information they would need for the fire boat warrant article. After the trade-in on the old boat ($9,150), the total cost for the new boat would be $79,865. Chairman Weeks advised there would be a general discussion of warrant articles at the next Budget Committee meeting and that the Chief should have information available for that meeting. The Selectmen have not made any decisions yet on warrant articles and expect that after January 10 they will decide.

The Chief advised that a tabletop workshop for pandemic planning is scheduled for January 25 at the Carroll County Administration Building from 8:30 – 12 p.m. and that a representative from the Selectmen’s office should attend. A snow date of February 8 with the same hours was set. Chairman Weeks noted that she had attended one of the tabletop sessions and that it was very informative.

There was a brief discussion about the Town’s exemption for off-road diesel. Selectman Stockman advised that we want to be sure to sign up for the exemption.

Chairman Weeks asked about the status of the asbestos report. The Chief advised that the final report is in and the Selectmen need to decide the next step. The Selectmen agreed to get rid of the shed. The Chief advised some of the shed shingles are asbestos. The Chief will ask for a quote for the removal of the asbestos shingles and report back to the Selectmen before moving forward. Once the shingles have been removed, the Chief will burn the building.

The Selectmen met with David Vaillancourt and Julia Chase from the Bureau of Emergency Management regarding the Hazard Mitigation Plan. Mr. Vaillancourt assured the Selectmen that they could contract directly with a consultant for their hazard mitigation plan. Further, there is an Emergency Management Planning Grant available to the Town that would bring their cost of the plan to zero. The grant is available whether the Selectmen chose Lakes Region Planning Commission or a private consultant. There was a brief discussion about when the Town could expect to get the final plan completed. Conversations with LRPC indicated that the plan would not be completed in a timely fashion (i.e., could be June ’08 or longer). Vaillencourt will provide Chief Thompson with the grant application.

Chairman Weeks suggested that the Selectmen authorize the Chief to make the decision on which organization he would like to complete the plan. The Chief suggested the consultant (Joan Hubbard) be used. The Chief will complete the grant application paperwork and get it filed with the Bureau of Emergency Management. Selectman Stockman made a motion to contract with Hubbard Consulting. Chairman Weeks seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

Administrator Forrester advised the Selectmen that she had followed up on Selectman Duffy’s request to find out about using the funds for the Hazard Mitigation Plan to pay for membership to the Lakes Region Planning Commission. Per Attorney Halquist of the Local Government Center, 2007 funds cannot be spent for a 2008 contract.

There was a brief discussion about getting an automated emergency defibrillator for the Transfer Station. Lt. Pike did some research and found that AED’s are available from the state for $709 and the price is good till June 8, 2008. The cost includes training, but does not include a box to store the AED or the emergency supplies that go with it. Chief Thompson recommended that the box and supplies be purchased. Selectman Stockman asked if the training would be adequate or if there was a need for CPR training. Thompson noted that CPR training was a good idea and that the Fire Department has 4 trainers that could provide instruction. The Chief also noted that there are no liability issues, because CPR falls under the Good Samaritan Act.

V. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT REPORT:

The Administrative Assistant gave the following report:

1. The water has been shut off at the Gould property. Forrester asked if Coombs should be billed for the electricity usage. The Selectmen advised “no.”
2. The pandemic tabletop has been rescheduled to 1.25.08 at the County Administration Building, Rte 171 in Ossipee from 8:30 – 12 noon.
3. The Agricultural Commission has submitted suggestions for commission members for the Selectmen’s consideration.
4. The Town received an application for any opening that may be available. Pounder forwarded the application to the Road Agent.
5. The Holiday Schedules for 2008 for the Town Office and Transfer Station need to be finalized. Chairman Weeks asked Pounder to check with the Town Clerk on election dates (Jan 8 and Nov 4). Pounder advised that Scott Greenwood asked if the Transfer Station employees could take ½ days on the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas instead of full days (so that the station would be open at least half a day on those holidays to accommodate residents). Selectman Stockman made a motion to accept Greenwood’s recommendation. Chairman Weeks seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous.
6. Ted Bense provided a suggested sign to be posted regarding the use of the porta-potty at the beach. Chairman Weeks asked Pounder to keep the wording as shown, but re-type so it would be easier to read.

Chairman Weeks noted that she had authorized Scott Greenwood to close the Transfer Station this past Sunday at noon due to the snow storm.

Administrator Forrester gave the following report:

1. Selectmen have received their updated pending list and calendar.
2. As a followup to the Selectmen’s request of last week during a work session, Forrester got a quote from Avitar for a revaluation. Avitar’s quote ranged from $234k for a full revaluation in 2010 to $110k for an update of values where only sale properties are measured. Pounder also got a quote from MRI for a statistical update only at an estimated cost of $80k.
3. An advertisement for a part-time administrative secretary has been placed in the Granite State News, on the website, and on the Town Office bulletin board. Resumes have started to come in.
4. Upon the request of the Selectmen, Forrester made an offer to Susan Landry for the part-time administrative secretary position. Ms. Landry declined the offer, citing the pay was too low.
5. Forrester reviewed the MRI proposal to train Cathy Pounder. Forrester advised that she thought the costs for all three options were too high. She contacted Jim Roberge of Grezlak & Company (the Town’s auditors) and Jim advised that he could provide the necessary training to Cathy at a cost of $125/hour and felt that 8 hours would be sufficient. The Selectmen authorized Forrester to have Roberge provide the training to Pounder.
6. Forrester noted that she had spoken with Joe Klementovich at HEB regarding the Temporary Construction Easement from the Swains for the High Street project.
7. Forrester followed up on the Selectmen’s request for information regarding the Lang Pond Road project and reported that: a) the wetlands permit is valid for 5 years from the approval date; b) phasing of the project would be difficult and more expensive; budget numbers for Lang Pond range from $524,413 to $629,295 depending on the year of construction.
8. Forrester advised that the Mindfire recommendations for the computer systems was in their mail and they could discuss the options at the work session on the budget later.
9. Forrester asked if the Selectmen were planning to have a meeting on December 31^st. The Selectmen do plan to have their regularly scheduled meeting on that day.
10. Forrester advised that she has a meeting with Jack Widmer on Friday to discuss the Treasurer position.

VI. APPOINTMENTS:

1. Mary Hersey & Guests – Mary Hersey, Andy Chapman (NH DES Clean Lakes Coordinator), and Jared Teutsch (NH Lakes), met with the Selectmen to discuss the Lang Pond Road project. Ms. Hersey noted her concerns about the upgrade to the road and wanted to present a proposal that had less of an impact to the wetlands. Jared Teutch commented that the Hersey family had a proposal that he and Andy Chapman of the NHDES could fully support. The proposal is to open the two logging roads on either end and create a loop around the Hersey property, thereby avoiding travel along Mirror Lake. They acknowledged there would be additional costs and they would seek to get federal grants for this. They noted this has never been done in the country, so Tuftonboro would be the first. The purpose is to mitigate a decline in water quality. They wanted an opportunity to put together a plan and bring back a proposal for the Selectmen to consider.

Selectman Stockman asked how far back they were proposing to go, noting that they would be impacting wetlands. Jared Teutsch stated that wetlands play a secondary role to the lake. Selectman Stockman stated that he’s walked that property and was pretty confident it’s going to be thousands of feet of additional road. Chairman Weeks asked about the impact to public access to the lake with this proposal. The group stated they support public access and that would not change.

Mary Hersey talked about a grand plan of hiking trails, recreational areas, and horse trails for the public. She noted that the Hersey family would offer the land for conservation easement and that she would work with abutting property owners to give land for conservation easement.

Tuetsch asked if the Town would be amenable to hearing about a plan in 60 or 90 days. The plan would be a more fleshed out proposal to show hard numbers and facts. Selectman Stockman noted that with their proposal, Lang Pond Road would no longer be a connecter road, with the 4,000+ feet of horseshoe detour.

The Selectmen advised that they would be willing to listen to the proposal but advised that it should be sooner than later, because they are working on the budget which includes funding for the Lang Pond Road project. They should try to get their plan together and presented to the Selectmen in 30 days.

Selectman Duffy commented that the NHDES is allowing people to buy credits to pollute our water. He said $75k was paid to DES for mitigation for pollution. He stated the development project in Moultonborough looks like it will be going forward.

VII. SIGNATURE:

1. Primex Multi-Year Property & Liability Agreement – There was brief discussion about looking at other options. Selectman Stockman made a motion to sign the agreement. Chairman Weeks seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

2. Tax Exempt Form- White Mountain Oil & Propane, Inc. – Selectman Stockman made a motion to sign the tax exempt form. Chairman Weeks seconded the motion. Vote on the motion was unanimous.

3. New Hampshire Coalition for Community Media – Member Application – There was no interest on the part of the Selectmen to become a member.

VIII. NEW BUSINESS:

1. Primex Transfer Station Recommendations – JLMC Discussion: The Selectmen reviewed the recommendations and asked that it and the letter from NH DES be put on their pending list.

2. Letter from Tyler Phillips – Public Safety Facilities Committee – Selectman Duffy commented that we should invite Mr. Phillips to come to a Selectmen’s meeting and work with them on the Public Safety Facilities Committee. The Selectmen agreed to schedule Phillips for January 7.

IX. CONTINUED BUSINESS:

1. Hazard Mitigation – this issue was dealt with during the Fire Chief’s department update.

2. Christmas Card – Marzerka Real Estate, LLC

3. Coalition Communities – Education Funding Update; Chairman Weeks read the email.

4. GWRS Board Meeting

5. Munismart Systems, LLC Sale Notification

6. NH DES – Tuftonboro Transfer Station Facility Inspection (referred to earlier)

7. ZBA – Notice of Decision

8. Approval of Septic Operation – Bente/Craig Starble

XI. PUBLIC MEETING:

Joe Kowalski asked about the Planning Board changing zoning ordinances. There was a brief discussion.

XII. NON-PUBLIC MEETING:

At the request of Selectman Duffy, Chairman Weeks made a motion to go into Non-Public session per RSA-91-A:3, II(c) at 5:30 p.m. Selectman Stockman seconded the motion. Vote on the motion: Weeks – yes, Stockman – yes, Duffy – yes.

The Selectmen moved out of non-public session at 5:40 p.m. Corrections were made to the December 10 Non-Public minutes #3.

XII. ADJOURNMENT: The Selectmen’s meeting adjourned at 5:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeanie Forrester

Town Administrator