The Walpolean

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD

SEPTEMBER 7, 2017

Selectboard Present:  Peggy Pschirrer (Chair); Steven Dalessio; Cheryl Mayberry

CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:30 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.  She advised that this meeting is being recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record.  There were four members of the public in attendance.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

WESTBERG PROPERTY:  Mr. Mike McCluskey, Process Coordinator with the Department of Environmental Services Brownfields Program, and Mr. J.B. Mack, Southwest Region Planning Commission, were present to provide a progress report on the Westberg property.  Many towns have come to similar circumstances whereby if the town does not do anything to clean-up a property no one else will do it. The Town of Walpole would like to use the Westberg property for additional parking in the Village.  Ransom Consulting has been doing a lot of testing.  Mr. McCluskey wants to be sure all the data is being communicated to the Town.   He gave a synopsis of where we are now and what information they think is needed.  A brief history of the property and its usage was provided.  He distributed copies and provided an explanation of a site plan as prepared by Ransom Consulting Engineers and Scientists (Legend and Notes).  Initially they focused on metals in connection with the plating operation but did not find elevated levels in their report.  In New Hampshire, beginning in March of 2016, testing began for PFAS (Per-Poly-Fluorinated Alkyl Substances).  They have records that show Central Plating used these chemicals so it is appropriate to sample for them.  Mr. Mack mentioned New Hampshire has PFAS standards for groundwater but not soils. Mr. McCluskey said they need to determine the extent of this contamination.  The good news is residents in the Village do not have private wells but are on the Town water system.  They feel the chemicals are pretty well confined and know where they came from.  They will be sampling for 23-or-24 compounds.   Mr. McCluskey talked to the attorney for the property owner to get permission to test for PFAS and to get permission for DES to go onto the property. There was discussion relative to extending testing beyond the property line.  There would be a need to find a funding source to test on abutting Lot #63 plus they would need to work out an agreement with the property owner.  DES works with a different consulting firm than SWRPC; DES is waiting for a scope of work from their consulting firm.  Right now Mr. McCluskey needs to execute agreements with the attorney of the property owner.  Deadlines for grant applications were mentioned.  November 17^th is the deadline for getting the application in for the grants.  If the Town wanted to make application for the grants they would need to take ownership prior to November 17^th.  Relative to liability, the Town would be looking at both the federal and state side.  Phase I needs to be finalized prior to the acquisition of the property.  Mr. Dalessio agrees with moving forward but does not want to rush the process.  If they miss this deadline there will be other opportunities to apply for the grants.  After Phase I is completed, the Town would have six months to purchase the property.  The Selectboard thanked Mr. McCluskey and Mr. Mack for attending this informational meeting.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Accounts Payable check register in the amount of $223,585.26 for checks dated September 8, 2017.  Of this total $181,838.38 was for paving material.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL:

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Payroll Register for the week ending September 2, 2017 in the amount of $22,822.01 for checks dated September 8, 2017.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $4,913.34 for the week ending September 2, 2017.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:

SELECTBOARD MEETING – August 31, 2017:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the regular Selectboard meeting of August 31, 2017, as submitted.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – August 31, 2017:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of August 31, 2017, as submitted.  These Minutes will remain sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

SPECIAL PUBLIC HEARING – August 31, 2017:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the Special Public Hearing of August 31, 2017, as submitted.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

The Selectboard received and reviewed Minutes of the following meeting:

• Zoning Board of Adjustment – August 21, 2017

BUILDING PERMIT:

CRAIG and JENNIFER VICKERS, 85 Wentworth Road, Map and Lot #017-008-000: Ms. Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit No. 2017-29 for Craig and Jennifer Vickers to “Construct a 62’ x 27’ kitchen and master bedroom addition”” at 85 Wentworth Road.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

JOHN J. McGUIRK and CONSTANCE M. ADAMS, 202 Upper Walpole Road, Map and Lot #012-035-000:  Ms.Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit No. 2017-30 for John J. McGuirk and Constance M. Adams to “Construct an 18’ x 11’ carport” at 202 Upper Walpole Road.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

GARY and SUSAN LITTLEPAGE, 26 Old Keene Road, Map and Lot #019-002-000: Ms. Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit No. 2017-31 for Gary and Susan Littlepage to “Construct a 24’ x 24’ garage with basement” at 26 Old Keene Road.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

STEVEN and MEGAN COREY, JR., 23 Maplewood Circle, Map and Lot #024-016-000:  Ms. Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit No. 2017-32 for Steven and Megan Corey, Jr. to “Construct a 22’ by 12’ +/- deck per attached sketch” at 23 Maplewood Circle.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENT WITH REFUND:

MAP and LOT #030-074-000:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Property Tax Abatement for Map and Lot #030-074-000 in the amount of $929.03.  This home was demolished just prior to April 1, 2017 cut-off date for building on a property. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

CURRENT USE LAND CHANGE:

MAP and LOT #001-016-000: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Current Use Land Change for Map and Lot #001-016-000.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

Commonwealth Construction:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve and sign the letter to Commonwealth Construction as discussed at the last meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Corrective Deed for Map and Lot #026-010-000:  Mrs. Pschirrer explained they are dealing with a piece of property that was mistakenly taken and changed from the New England Power Company by a Tax Collector’s Deed recorded June 6, 2010.  This was an error.  The Selectboard now have a deed that is correcting that and removing the tax deed.   The land goes back to the New England Power Company.  This was already approved. Therefore, the Selectboard signed the deed.  It will be recorded.  A warrant will be issued shortly as New England Power Company will pay the property taxes back to the spring of 2017.  This decision was made quite some time ago.

Recreation Revolving Fund Request – Volley Ball Net:  Ms. Mayberry requested that this agenda item be continued.  She talked to Mr. Justin Cassarino and now will talk to Mr. Bill Gallagher and the North Walpole Village Commissioners as they all share the same concerns about vandalism.

Water & Sewer Receipts to Date:  The Selectboard reviewed the weekly report from Mrs. Jodi Daigle.  Collections are going well.

NEW BUSINESS:

Savings Bank of Walpole Account Forms: The Town has opened an account at the Savings Bank of Walpole for the Town Clerk’s use of credit cards.

Ms. Mayberry moved that the Selectboard approve and sign the forms for the Savings Bank of Walpole for the Town Clerk for her credit card account.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Letter from Peter Powers:  The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of a copy of the letter Mr. Peter Powers sent to the Army Corp of Engineers in Concord regarding the improvements to Route 12 between North Walpole and Charlestown.  He objects as he does not feel they are going to solve bank stabilization issues along the Connecticut River.

HealthTrust Training in Keene:  Mrs. Sarah Downing asked to attend a HealthTrust Training Workshop in Keene on October 5^th from 9:15 am to 12:30 pm.  It is free.  The Selectboard approved this request.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:

Ms. Mayberry moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (a) Personnel and (e) Pending Claims or Litigation.  Mr. Dalessio seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 8:00 PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 8:10 PM.

Ms. Mayberry moved that the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of September 7, 2017, be sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer the motion was approved.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:

Ms. Mayberry moved to recess this Selectboard meeting.  The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 8:12 PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 8:24 PM.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mr. Dalessio moved to adjourn this meeting.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD

AUGUST 31, 2017

Selectboard Present:     Peggy Pschirrer (Chair); Steven Dalessio; Cheryl Mayberry

CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:30 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.  She advised that this meeting is being recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record.  There were no members of the public in attendance.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Accounts Payable check register in the amount of $54,576.75 for checks dated September 1, 2017.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL:

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Payroll Register for the week ending August 26, 2017 in the amount of $26,817.78 for checks dated September 1, 2017.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $5,691.46 for the week ending August 26, 2017.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:

SELECTBOARD MEETING – August 24, 2917:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the regular Selectboard meeting of August 24, 2017, as submitted.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the minutes were approved.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – August 24, 2017:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of August 24, 2017, as submitted.  These Minutes will remain sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the minutes were approved.

BUILDING PERMIT:

GRIFFIN and ANDREA VICKERS-SIVRET, 56 Old Keene Road, Map and Lot #018-018-000: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve Building Permit No. 2017-27 for Griffin and Andrea Vickers-Sivret to “Renovate and Construct 20’ x 20’ kitchen addition” at 56 Old Keene Road, as submitted.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

EDWARD POTTER, 164 Old Keene Road, Map and Lot #007-022-001:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve Building Permit No 2017-28 for Edward Potter to “Construct 66’ x 36’ home with attached garage” at 164 Old Keene Road, as submitted.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

SEWER ABATEMENT:

MAP and LOT #028-079-000:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Sewer Abatement in the amount of $287.68 for 39 Church Street in North Walpole.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Mr. Dalessio recommended they have a procedure generated to deal with unusual sewer usage cases.

OLD BUSINESS:

Letter to Selectboard Office in Charlestown, NH:  Mrs. Pschirrer explained this letter is an answer to Mr. Edkins letter asking the Walpole Selectboard to participate in a meeting relative to the Fall Mountain Regional School District budget process.

Ms. Mayberry moved to approve and sign the letter to Mr. David Edkins, Administrator to the Selectboard in Charlestown.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Letter to Water/Sewer Users With Active Liens:  The Selectboard approved the letter that will be sent to all Water/Sewer Users With Active Liens that are on the list.

Lien Discharge for Map and Lot #019-057-000:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Lien Discharge for Water and Sewer Usage at 22-24 School Street in Walpole.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Lien Process:  The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of a memo from Mr. Rich Kreissle regarding the water and sewer lien process, dated August 25, 2017.

NEW BUSINESS:

Commonwealth Construction:  Mr. Dalessio feels the original Site Plan they submitted is now invalid.  Ms. Mayberry explained the owner was asked to re-submit the plan with all the changes that were different than the original plan.  Len-Tex requested they put a “Cease-and-Desist” on the construction.  Mr. Dalessio noted this would be “after-the-fact”.  This property owner will go back to the Planning Board at their next meeting.  He suggested writing a letter to the owner requesting they “halt their construction” until they have a formal approval from the Planning Board.  He will draft the letter.

Inspector’s Report – Youth Only: Mrs. Pschirrer met the inspector today.  This inspection involves the youth payrolls.  Mr. Dalessio would like to see an audit by using the last few weeks of payroll sheets to be sure the hours have been completed properly and they have been initialed.

Capital Purchase of Desktop for Selectboard Office: Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the quote in the amount of $1,452.27 from TrueNorth for the replacement of Mrs. Downing’s computer in the Selectboard office.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Cemetery Deed for Lot D535:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Cemetery Deed for the sale of Lot #D535.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Recreation Revolving Fund Request – Soccer Equipment:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the request from Mr. Justin Cassarino and the Recreation Committee to purchase all new equipment for the soccer program.  The total cost is $1,881.00 and will be taken from their Revolving Fund.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Recreation Revolving Fund Request – Volley Ball Net:  A request was received from Mr. Justin Cassarino and the Recreation Committee to purchase a Volley Ball Net for the North Walpole Park.  The cost would be $1,238.10 and would be taken from their Revolving Fund.  Mr. Dalessio is not opposed to this purchase however he discussed this with Police Chief Paquette who recommended the net be put up only when it is in use to avoid any vandalism.  Ms. Mayberry will talk to Mr. Cassarino about having the ability to put it up and take it down.  This was put on-hold until next week’s meeting.

DOT 10 Year Planning Meeting:  A letter was received from the Department of Transportation (DOT) encouraging the Selectboard to participate in their Ten-Year (2019-2028) Plan meeting.  This meeting will be held in Keene on September 20^th at 12:30 pm at the Keene Parks and Recreation Center.

Primex – Human Resources Workshop:  Mrs. Downing has been accepted to attend the Primex Training Workshop for the “HR for the Non-HR Professionals” on October 19, 2017, in Concord.  The Selectboard approved having Mrs. Downing attend.

Highway Department:  A request was received from Mr. Mike Rau to purchase a Bobcat Skid-Steer Loader for the amount of $30,021.00.  This would come out of the additional Highway Funds recently received.  The dealer is willing to bring the loader here for Mr. Rau and the employees to look at it and try it out.  Mr. Dalessio recommended this Bobcat not be purchased until after the Alstead Center Road project is finished so they know what the final cost will be.

2019 Proposed Budgets:  Mr. Kreissle received some budgets but is still waiting for a few others.  The Selectboard discussed possibly having a lengthy meeting the second or third week in September to go over the proposed budgets to-date.  Following that meeting they will set a date to begin meeting with the Department Heads.

Primex:  A representative from Primex was here this morning just to check on how everything was going.  She encouraged the Selectboard and Office Staff to contact them when information is needed.  Mrs. Pschirrer advised they are pleased with the company and the services they provide.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:  Ms. Mayberry moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (a) Personnel, (c) Reputations and (e) Pending Claims or Litigation.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 7:12 PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:42 PM.

Ms. Mayberry moved that the Non-Public Selectboard Session of August 31, 2017 be sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:

Mr. Dalessio moved to recess this Selectboard meeting.  The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 7:43  PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:50 PM.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Westberg Property:  Mrs. Pschirrer mentioned that Mr. McCluskey, Chair of the Brownfields Program, will be here next Thursday to talk about the Westberg property.  She will also ask Mr. J.B. Mack from the Southwest Region Planning Commission to attend.

Walpole Landfill:  Mrs. Pschirrer reported that the prices for monitoring the closed Walpole Landfill will be going up due to testing for PSAs.  Mr. Brackett, who has done the monitoring for many years, is retiring.  Mrs. Downing has been contacting consulting companies to obtain information and prices.  The Town has a permit from the DES until 2021.  The next testing needs to be done in November.  Testing for PSAs is not mandatory until 2018.  Mr. Dalessio would like to know how much longer the Town will be required to continue testing.  Another question will be whether or not a solar array could be installed on top of the landfill cap.

ADJOURNMENT:

Ms. Mayberry moved to adjourn this Selectboard meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

TOWN OF WALPOLE

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD

PUBLIC HEARING

AUGUST 31, 2017

Selectboard Present:     Peggy Pschirrer (Chair); Steven Dalessio; Cheryl Mayberry

CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer called this Special Meeting of the Selectboard to order at 6:15 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.  She advised that this meeting is being recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record.

PUBLIC HEARING:

Mrs. Pschirrer opened this Public Hearing and read the notice of Public Hearing as follows:

“Notice is hereby given that the Selectboard of the Town of Walpole, NH will hold a public hearing on Thursday, August 31, 2017, at 6:15 pm in the Selectboard Office of the Walpole Town Hall.

The purpose of the public hearing is in accordance with RSA 31:95-b for accepting unanticipated monies in the amount of $10,000 from the Bridge Wilson American Legion Post #77 to be used for assistance to Walpole veterans who have financial need.

These funds are non-lapsing and will be placed in a separate account that will be in the custody of the Town’s Welfare Office.

Interested citizens are invited to attend and comment on the above.  Written comments may be submitted to the Selectboard, PO Box 729, Walpole, NH 03608.   Those with special needs or a disability are to call the Selectboard Office at 603-756-3672 to request assistance.”

Mrs. Pschirrer advised that Mr. Whitney Aldrich, on behalf of the Bridge Wilson American Legion Post #77, presented the above gift of $10,000 to be used as assistance to Walpole veterans and their families who have financial need and the Selectboard accepted their check.

Mr. Whitney Aldrich was the only member of the public in attendance and was the representative from the Bridge Wilson American Legion Post #77.  There were no other comments received from the public in writing or by phone.  Mrs. Pschirrer declared this Public Hearing closed at 6:19 PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 6:19 PM.

Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the gift of $10,000 from the Bridge Wilson American Legion Post #77 to be used for assistance to Walpole veterans who have financial need.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Mr. Dalessio moved to adjourn this Special meeting of the Selectboard.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 6:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary