Walpole Zoning Board of Adjustments

Minutes: February 18, 2015

Present: Board members Chair Myra Mansouri, Vice-Chair Peggy Pschirrer, Mary Therese Lester. Alternates: Judy Trow, Stephanie Stoughton, Bob Anderson. Absent:  Jan Galloway-Le Clerc, Ernie Vose.

Recording: Marilou Blaine, Recording Secretary. These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the March 18, 2015 meeting for corrections, additions and/or omissions.

Call to Order: Chairman Myra Mansouri opened the meeting at 7:30 p.m. Since two board members were absent, she asked alternates Ms. Trow and Ms. Stoughton to sit in as board members.

Minutes: The agenda mentioned one correction: Mr. Graves’ first name is Tim not Tom. Ms. Trow made a motion to accept the minutes as corrected. Ms. Stoughton seconded the motion and the board voted in the affirmative.

New business: Ms. Snow Frye, who is going to put in a therapeutic massage business in the former offices of Dr. Dennis Pellegrino at 40 Main Street, did not come to the meeting. The office has been renovated into an apartment with two bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom. Ms. Frye will use the entire space for her business. At its February meeting, the Walpole Planning Board approved her request saying it was similar to what was there before.

B&Bs: Ms. Pschirrer attended the Selectmen’s meeting where they discussed the B&B complaint the Zoning Board received. The Selectboard discovered that the Walpole Zoning Board’s B&B zoning ordinance does not agree with the state requirements in RSA 175:1. State requirements say that a B&B shall have at “least” four rentable rooms, while Walpole’s zoning ordinance reads “shall not number more than four.”  It also states that the B&B must serve breakfast.

The complaint came from the owner of a home who shares the driveway with Ms. Barbara A. Dodge of Ben Lomond, CA, on Alstead Center Road. Her daughter Kim of Alstead was taking care of guests when they were there. The place was advertised on airbnb.com.  However, it was not advertised as a B&B. As the Selectboard were discussing the matter, it was discovered that there are several people in Walpole renting rooms, portions of homes or an entire home advertised as a vacation rental. The Selectboard has written a letter to the person who made the complaint.

It was suggested by Ms. Mansouri that the board might want to revisit this matter at a later meeting and correct the ordinance so it follows the state RSA, or it may check with the Local Government Center to see whether ordinances may be equal to or less than the state RSA. 

FYI: There is an article, Article 2, on the warrant that asks for the adoption of a new Town Well Source Protection Ordinance. Since the ordinance will be incorporated into the Zoning Ordinance, each board member received a copy of the Water Ordinance ballot. There will be members of the committee who worked on the new ordinance who will speak about it at Candidates Night on Feb. 25.

Unregistered Cars on March Hill: Curtis Williams of 455 March Hill Road called Ms. Mansouri about a number of unregistered vehicles at a building that formerly made pizza dough on March Hill Road. The building was sold to Gregg Taylor from Surry who uses it to store automobiles and other items. Ms. Mansouri contacted Mr. Taylor, who, after doing some checking, discovered that Mr. Wes Vickers, who sells used automobiles, had temporarily left the vehicles there. Mr. Taylor asked Mr. Vickers to remove them. All but four remain and the rest will be removed shortly.

This was Ms. Pschirrer’s last zoning board meeting. Ms. Pschirrer has spent six years on the Walpole Zoning Board. Her thoughtful questions, insight, knowledge of local matters and tact will be missed.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine