The Walpolean

The Walpole Selectboard is hosting a

Legislative Update

with State Senator Jay Kahn

Thursday, October 24, 2019 at 6pm

Town Hall, Selectboard Office

The public is invited to attend.

**NOTICE**

Thurs., Oct. 24, 2019

The Walpole Selectboard will be holding a

Public Hearing 

to discuss the use and acceptance of FY2020-21 Unrestricted Municipal Aid from the State of NH

6:30 pm in the Selectboard Office 

Within the Town Hall

Selectboard Meeting to follow

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The fire hydrants covering South Walpole will be flushed Wednesday, Nov. 6 thru Nov. 7, 2019. Residents may experience discolored water when first running the water during this time. Please run the water for five minutes until clear before using. If the water doesn’t clear after the first five minutes, you may contact the Water and Sewer Dept. at 756-3672. Thank you for your patience during this necessary work.

The Walpole Water and Sewer Department.

Have you noticed this kiosk that Lewis Shelley built? Looks great and seems very appropriate. – Lil

Fall is here and the leaves are changing color as they do every Fall.   With the coming of the fall season  the museum and gift shop will end our weekly Saturday openings.   Our last day was Saturday, October 12th.   We hope you have enjoyed visiting with us and found the exhibits interesting and uplifting.  Your comments are always welcome.  Thanks to our many volunteers who have been here to greet you and offer assistance with your questions and to listen to your comments. Please know we appreciate your ideas and recommendations for future exhibits and for items to carry in the gift shop.  Thank you for your support.

The gift shop will have a table at the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale on Saturday, October 26th from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM  at the Walpole Middle School.   Also the museum will be open for the annual November Holiday Shopping day. This will be on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, November 23rd – hours are 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Our new speaker series will begin on Friday November 8th at the Walpole Town Hall with Yankee humorist Fred Marple ( aka Ken Sheldon)  starting us off with a light and humorous evening.   We hope to see you then.  

We are happy to open the museum for private tours for schools, organizations or family visitations anytime by calling 756-3449.   Watch for announcements for beginning our regular work sessions during the winter months.  Many hands are needed to take down present exhibits and to plan and put up new displays for next year.  

For more information contact Christie Winmill or Sally McGaffigan.

BELLOWS FALLS – The End Of America returns to Stage 33 Live on Saturday, November 2, co-headlining with Oshima Brothers. This is the first show of an Eastern US tour by the two bands.

The End Of America was voted “Favorite New Artist” at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and won the Emerging Artist Showcase at Falcon Ridge, returning the next year as that festival’s “Most Wanted” band. Beck invited them to play his Song Reader album release show. David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash tweeted, “they sound great.”

Oshima Brothers’ acoustic folk-pop has been lauded by NPR’s World Café, and they’ve racked up hundreds of thousands of Spotify streams. Their performances are unexpectedly full-sounding, with dynamic vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, octave bass, loops, percussion, and more… or, when it suits a song, a stripped down, beautifully spare arrangement.

Saturday, November 2; door at 6:00 PM, music at 7:00 at 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, Vermont.

Stage 33 Live is an intimate, industrial-rustic listening room in a former factory with 40 chairs. Advance tickets are available online at stage33live.com: $25 best-in-house / $20 darned-good-seats / $15 chair-not-guaranteed. When 40 chairs are spoken for, the $25 and $20 options will be closed. $20 at the door; if any chairs behind the reserved rows are still available on show day, those will be available first-come first-served. 100% of tickets sales support the bands.  Attendees are allowed to bring their own portable seating to set up behind the house chairs, or to use in place of the house chair if one was reserved.

Stage 33 Live is located at 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, VT, and documents live performances and presentations of original material on a simple stage for downstream audiences. No kitchen, no liquor license; establishments with those things are nearby. Coffee, soda, water, and weird snacks by donation. Find more information about the nonprofit, all-volunteer Stage 33 Live project, and this and other other upcoming events online at stage33live.com

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The End Of America high-res photos: www.theendofamericamusic.com/about
website: www.theendofamericamusic.com

Oshima Brothers high-res photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1Urv7x79aNtadfJNIVyFsv2k2YmbGJK_4
website: www.oshimabrothers.com

For your editorial pleasure, a video from The End Of America’s first time at Stage 33 Live – a song about Chester, Vermont called “Grew Up Here” (preceded by some discussion of dog tattoos). We have better stage lights now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6zIHH5sGoo

Present:  Albert St.Pierre; Lucien Beam; Steven Dalessio; Frank Emig; Alan Dustin; Sarah Vogel; William Stahl; Joseph Levesque

Absent:   Mary Henry;  Scott Bushway

Chairman Mr. St.Pierre called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 

Motion made to approve the minutes of the October 16, 2019 meeting by Mr. Dustin, Second by Mr. Emig.  All in favor.   Minutes are accepted as presented.  

The committee continues work on plan for withdrawal of Charlestown.  Mr. Beam has a review of the numbers that the budget subcommittee has put together.  The final document from 10/11/10 will be used by the finance committee.  Mr. Levesque will create the report on final numbers to be included in the plan to show the financial impact of the remaining four town upon withdrawal of Charlestown.  Mr. Beam noted that it is based on the initial budget that the selectboard members reviewed in July with Mr. Fenn.  This budget identified where the costs were coming from.  He is confident that there is a justification for the numbers.  The FY21 budget is a projection of the responsibilities of the remaining four towns to include the salaries/benefits and a 2% increase to cover the cost of doing business.  A few other items, such as the addition of 3 year olds to the preschool program in three of the four remaining towns,  are in FY21 but not in FY20.  These are the numbers that will be potentially challenged when it comes to a district vote.  FY20-21 is the transition year.  Mr. St.Pierre asked if this is the budget that the remaining four town want to include in the plan.  Mr. Dalessio notes, yes, the remaining four towns agree that the numbers are what they are.

Mr. Dalessio clarified that fy20 is the current budget, and fy21 is the transition year, starting July 2020.  Mr. Beam brought forth alternative allocations, and the cost per student if a different method is used.  

Comparison of 

Mr. Dalessio noted that the district currently uses it’s own determination under the title “Projected Local FM Assessment Formula.”  Projected local assessment is what is agreed on for the plan.  

FY20 compared to FY21:  FY20 for the remaining four towns without Charlestown $20,540,417.00  in 2021, increases $22,118,649.00.  Current budget for FY20 with Charlestown included as a part is about 23 million. And will drop to about  20.5 million because Charlestown specific items are taken out.  The drop is not significant, as the teachers pay and Charlestown specific costs simply move to Charlestown.  A lot of the costs are associated with support staff and things of that nature.  These are still paid by Charlestown, through the SAU.  At the SAU, Jim Fenn asked for an additional $200,000 for asst. Superintendent and an asst. Business admin as well as additional Spec. Ed. support.  The current articles still allocate this to the five towns, based on the methods.  The SAU cost is shared for a minimum of one year, or until Charlestown may start the proceeding to begin their own SAU.   There are not a lot of positions to be eliminated.  Maybe some bussing or a maintenance person.  What is left is that 20 million is divided by 4 towns and not 5.  This is a moving number, a guesstimate, as the budget is not solidified.  It is Mr. Fenn’s numbers, which were determined by the select board members to be fair and balanced.  There is probably room for the number to go down, but this is a point to launch from.  As it is presented, Acworth will increase by a potential $200,000.  Alstead will increase by $430,000.  Langdon will increase by $120,000 and walpole will increase $825,000.  In essence, this is the impact of the four remaining towns.  

Mr. Dalessio asked which part of the presentation will be going into the plan.  Mr. Levesque is summarizing these budgets, and will give the bottom line.  Mr. Dalessio would like to see the simple number.  

Mr. Levesque asked Mr. Fenn at the previous nights school board meeting about tuition for Charlestown.  Mr. Fenn could not commit to any number, but offered that an equation:  Gross budget, minus transportation, minus one on one paraprofessionals, minus any out of district placements would be the amount needed to tuition Charlestown students to FM, divided by the number of students.  Mr. Dalessio noted that this equation is what will be in the plan.  Mr. St.Pierre asked if the school board accepted that Charlestown students will be  attending students to FM?  Mr. Levesque clarified that Yes, the school board will accept students from Charlestown.  Mrs. Vogel noted that this is a beneficial agreement for both parties.  The tuitioning of Charlestown students will be in the plan accordingly.  For the plan, the equation will be used, and when the official school boards for Charlestown and FM are in office, a tuition number will be negotiated.

Mr. St.Pierre offered info regarding the State Board of Education.  He attended the monthly hearing held on October 10, 2019 for the purpose of asking the board for the extension until December 1, 2019.   The board confirmed that they had an email regarding the request for an extension from the committee to present a plan.  However, they would not be able to rule on it until the following meeting held in November, which is after the deadline.  We are at a point of no answers, but we did not get an extension.  As a note, at the Board of Education meeting, the SAU withdrawal of Timberlane was on the agenda.  The board viewed the 158 page report and still the board had questions before acceptance.  Mr. St.Pierre feels that this committee can submit a report by the original deadline, and know that the Board of Education will ask questions. The next meeting of the BoE is in Woodsville, NH on the third Thursday of November — 11/21/19 at 9:30 am. 

Mrs. Vogel made amendments to the plan document as they were being discussed.

Mr. Beam asked if the Educational Impact subcommittee had a report?  Yes, per Mr. Stahl.  He will complete the report to be sent out to the committee by Friday 10/18/19.  

Public Comment.  Mr. Spilsbury offered the Goshen withdrawal plan for the appendices to the plan.  

Motion to adjourn made by Mr. Dalessio, second Mr. Stahl.  All in favor. Meeting is adjourned at 8:02 pm.

Respectfully Submitted,

Alissa Bascom

‘

The Walpole and North Walpole Supervisors of the Checklist will be available on October 25th from 7:00 to 7:30 pm at the Walpole Town Hall and North Walpole Library for additions and corrections to the checklist.  NOTE:  This is the last time you can change your party prior to the September primary election.’  

Present: Board Members: Chair Jan Galloway Leclerc, Vice-Chair Myra Mansouri, Judy Trow, Tom Murray, Pauline Barnes. Alternates: Don Sellarole, Ernie Vose, Bob Anderson. 

Recording: Marilou Blaine. These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the regular November 2019 meeting for corrections, additions and/or omissions.

Roll Call: Ms. Leclerc called the meeting to order at 7:04 pm. There was a full board present so an alternate was not needed to fill in.

Minutes:  Ms. Trow made a few minor correction to the minutes. She made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Ms. Mansouri seconded the motion and the motion carried. 

New Business:

Variance: Leo Blair – Drewsville – house behind the Drewsville store. Mr. Blair wants to build a she shed for his wife. He said the terrain of the property is a problem. It is very steep in back of his house.

Mr. Blair did not come to the meeting. Ms. Leclerc said there may be problems with the survey pins on his plat. The secretary will follow up on this. 

Lowell Smith – Cabot Farms – River Road – question was could he put a permanent mobile home on the same lot that a house is on near his milking station. The Board needs to see a map of the property and the proximity of the buildings before answering this question. Mr. Smith should attend the next meeting. The Secretary will follow up on this.

Docks on the Connecticut – John Foster, of the North Walpole Zoning Board, said a person may have a dock on the Connecticut River as long as it is taken in by the time ice begins to set in. Also, the person must get a building permit from North Walpole to build steps to the dock. Mr. Vose asked about the state. He said he thought the state had some jurisdiction over the Connecticut River.

73 Main Street – Questions came up about the former Costume Ladies building. In October 2014, the owners of the building wanted to make several changes. The outcome was approved with  some guidelines. Since the renovations are on the inside of the building, these do not apply, except to say that the topography and driveway will remain the same and the existing light in the parking lot was reduced because of a neighbor’s complaint. The inside renovations will cost more than $10,000 so Chad Thurston of Griffin Construction will be going to the Walpole Planning Board for a site plan approval next month. He is already on the PB agenda for November.

RSA 36:54 through 57. Developments of Regional Impact. It has come to Chair Leclerc’s attention that the ZBA might have to comply with this RSA. It regards developments that are likely to have impacts beyond the boundaries of a single municipality.  Ms. Leclerc said this pertains to variances and special exceptions that, if granted, may have a regional affect. 

Impacts are:

  number of dwelling units

  proximity to the borders of a neighboring community

            transportation networks

 anticipated emissions such as light, noise, smoke, odors or particles

proximity to aquifers or surface waters that transcend municipal boundaries

shared facilities such as schools and solid waste disposal facilities.

After some discussion, Ms. Leclerc said she would contact the NH Municipal Association to see how the ZBA must comply with this RSA. She may also contact Southwest Regional Planning Commission.

Inspection forms: Gravel pit inspection forms were returned. No one mentioned any problems at any of the gravel pits. It was noted that Joe Sawyer’s gravel pit off of Route 12 and Whipple Hill in Drewsville will no longer be operating as there has been no gravel taken out of these pits in a couple of years. Gravel pit owners will get a copy of the Board members’ reports and Mr. Sawyer and the owners of Whipple Hill will be notified that their pits are no longer in operation.

Ms. Trow made a motion to adjourn. Ms. Mansouri seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine

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

CALL TO ORDER:  Mr. Dalessio called this Hooper Trustees meeting to order at 7:41 PM.  He advised this meeting is being recorded.

HOOPER TRUSTEES MINUTES:

HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING – October 3, 2019:  Ms. Mayberry noted the following change in the Minutes under Hooper Institute Board: Change from “Ms. Karen Galloway and Mr. Bob Kimball, Trustees of Trust Funds, would like to find out if they could take their Hooper funds out of Cambridge and put it into PDIP” change to “The Trustees of Trust Funds were questioning the Money Market account at Cambridge therefore Ms. Mayberry suggested it be taken out and put into the NH PDIP”.  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to accept the Minutes of the Hooper Trustees meeting of October 3, 2019, with the above change. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the Minutes and changewere approved.

HOOPER BUSINESS:

Harold Putnam Bench:  Mr. Dalessio advised that the Hooper Trustees support the placement of the Harold Putnam bench on Hooper property. A vote will be taken by the Hooper Institute Board at their next regular meeting.

Hooper Cottage: Ms. Mayberry mentioned that Ms. Karen Galloway, a Trustee of Trust Funds, wants to know what the Hooper Trustees would like to do with the Hooper Cottage escrow account since the cottage had been sold. Mr. Dalessio moved to close out the Savings Bank of Walpole escrow account and put it into the Hooper Maintenance account. Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Pschirrer and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

Money Market:  Ms. Mayberry said Ms. Karen Galloway thought the Hooper Trustees should give her a directive, in writing, to close out the Cambridge account for the Money Market and move it into NH PDIP.   Mrs. Pschirrer moved to close the Money Market at Cambridge held for the Hooper Institute and that money be transferred to a sub-account of the Town of Walpole and ultimately invested in PDIP.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.        

Financial Report:  Ms. Mayberry and Ms. Dalbeck were talking about the financial report Mr. Kreissle gives her. Ms. Dalbeck knows there will be a deficit balance at the end of this year. Mrs. Pschirrer advised the needed funds will be taken from the Hooper Educational Trust fund.  Mr. Kreissle pays the bills, adds up all the invoices and sends them to Ms. Galloway to be reimbursed.    

Hooper Executive Director:  The Hooper Trustees acknowledged the report from Ms. Dalbeck.  She is making good strides and the level of communication is wonderful.

ADJOURNMENT:  Ms. Mayberry moved to adjourn this Hooper Trustees meeting.  The Hooper Trustees will return to the Selectboard meeting.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:10 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary