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

CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer, Chair of the Walpole Selectboard, called this meeting via Zoom to order at 6:30 PM.  She announced that Ms. Cheryl Mayberry and Mr. Steven Dalessio, the other two Selectboard members are also present.  The Selectboard members are in three separate locations.  Mrs. Sarah Downing, Manager of Administration, is in the Walpole Town Hall, and Mrs. Regina Borden, Recording Secretary, is by telephone at a separate location.   This meeting is being live-streamed on FACT-TV and recorded by the Town.

Public comments are to be emailed to Mrs. Downing at the Walpole Town Hall or by calling 603-756-3672.  She will display the agenda.  That will be followed by documents as they are being discussed.

Mrs. Pschirrer called for a voice roll call of the Selectboard present:  Cheryl Mayberry was present; Steven Dalessio was present and Peggy Pschirrer was present.  This meeting will be in accordance with virtual meetings, Emergency Order #12, which has been effective since March 2020.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:

Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Accounts Payable Check Register in the total amount of $696,178.76 for checks issued January 29, 2021.  This includes a monthly payment of $607,559.42 to Fall Mountain Regional School District.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.  

PAYROLL:

Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Payroll Check Register for the week ending January 23, 2021, in the amount of $29,611.31 for checks dated January 29, 2021, and for the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer in the amount of $5,728.80.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:

SELECTBOARD MINUTES – January 21, 2021:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of January 21, 2021, as submitted.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – January 21, 2021:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of January 21, 2021, as submitted.  These Minutes will remain sealed.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

STAFF MEETING MINUTES – January 21, 2021:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Staff Meeting of January 21, 2021, as submitted.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the following Committee reports:• North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners Meeting – January 5, 2021;• North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners Meeting – January 12, 2021;• North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners Meeting – January 19, 2021.

WARRANTS:

Warrant for the Collection of Walpole Water Fees:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Warrant for the Collection of Walpole Water Fees in the amount of $43,290.09.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Warrant for the Collection of Walpole Sewer Fees:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Warrant for the Collection of Walpole Sewer Fees in the amount of $66,697.60.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Warrant for the Collection of North Walpole Sewer Fees:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Warrant for the Collection of North Walpole Sewer Fees in the amount of $58,592.30.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

TIMBER TAX WARRANT:

MAP and LOT #008-061-001:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Warrant for Timber Tax and the Certificate for Yield Taxes Assessed in the amount of $246.04 for the owner(s) of Map and Lot #008-061-001.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.  

PROPERTY TAX INTEREST FORGIVENESS:

MAP and LOT #012-055-02B:  Mr. Dalessio moved to grant the Property Tax Interest Forgiveness in the amount of $45.89 for the owner(s) of Map and Lot #012-055-02B.  This is due to postal mail delivery delays.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

MAP and LOT #s UTIL-FAIR-000 and 020-072-000:  Mr. Dalessio moved to grant the Property Tax Interest Forgiveness in the amount of $60.76 for the owner(s) of Map and Lot #s UTIL-FAIR-000 and 020-072-000.  This is due to postal mail delivery delays.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

MAP and LOT #012-011-001:  Mr. Dalessio moved to grant the Property Tax Interest Forgiveness in the amount of $43.41 for the owner(s) of Map and Lot #012-011-001.  This is due to postal mail delivery delays.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Mrs. Pschirrer reported these were all mailed/post marked in early December.

PROPERTY TAX REFUND:

MAP and LOT #008-101-000:  Mr. Dalessio moved to grant the Property Tax Refund in the amount of $7.49 for the owner(s) of Map and Lot #008-101-000.  This is due to an overpayment of taxes.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

VETERANS’ TAX CREDIT:

MAP and LOT #003-034-000:  Mr. Dalessio moved to grant the Veterans’ Tax Credit to the owner(s) of Map and Lot #003-034-000.  This applicant served over 90 days of active duty and was honorably discharged.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

2021 General Fund Expenditure Detail Budget:  

Mrs. Pschirrer reported there seems to be an error in the Water and Sewer budgets that need to be changed as follows:  Water: Change $189,265.00 to $188,494.00.  Sewer: Change $476,569.00 to $475,762.00.  These two numbers will be corrected on the Warrant.  

Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the 2021 General Fund Expenditure Detail Budget with the corrections in Water and Sewer and this is subject to Mr. Rich Kreissle’s final review.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

2021 Draft Warrant Articles: 

Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the 2021 Draft Warrant Articles subject to verification of the numbers from Mr. Rich Kreissle.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  Mrs. Pschirrer advised that they are required by this vote to indicate if they are or are not in favor of all the Articles.  Ms. Mayberry questioned Articles 2 and 3.  Mrs. Pschirrer noted Article 2 and Article 3 will be on the Town ballot; they are not a part of Town Meeting.  Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer vote “NO” on Article 2.  Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer vote “YES” on Article 3.  Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer vote “YES” to Articles 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,12, 13 and Article 14.  Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer “Abstain” on Petitioned Articles 15 and 16.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.      

Brownfields Project Update:  Mrs. Pschirrer has scheduled a Team meeting tomorrow at 10:30 AM with Mrs. Sarah Downing, Ms. Katy Deng, Mr. Steve Rickerich (consultant), two people from the EPA and Mr. Mike McCluskey from the DES.  Their purpose is to get acquainted with Ms. Deng and to review what they covered in their previous meeting last October.  They have a second meeting scheduled next Tuesday at 11:00 AM with abutters including the Walpole Foundation and Mascoma Bank. They will talk about how they will access the Brownfields area and the RFP to remove the contaminated soil.  

Pending Further Actions:

Town Street Lights, Tax Deeded Property Sale, Houghton Brook Bridge Repair, Reservoir Dam Repairs, Emergency Generators, Town Employees and COVID-19 Leave.  These agenda items will remain on the Pending Further Actions list.

Houghton Brook Bridge Repair:  Mr. Dalessio will generate another purchase order for the Selectboard to process and sign next week.  It will be the master purchase order for the project.  They want to keep all expenditures for this project in one place. Fuss & O’Neill has assigned a project manager to this project.  

Reservoir Dam Repairs:  Mr. Dalessio advised this will probably be considered a High Hazard Dam.  After they get past the DES requirements they will look at options and costs.  They are moving forward.  

NEW BUSINESS:

Appointment Notice:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve appointing Victoria Gohl as the Interim Deputy Town Clerk/Tax Collector for a period between January 1, 2021 through the 2021 Town Meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Mr. Dalessio recommended if no one signs up to run for Town Clerk/Tax Collector against Mrs. Meghan Hansson that they begin the training for Victoria Gohl.

Ruggiero Processing Facility Cease and Desist Order:   The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the Cease and Desist Order for the Ruggiero Processing Facility from Attorney Hockensmith.  Mrs. Pschirrer pointed out that when questions on the Building Permit were first asked in the Selectboard Office, Mrs. Daigle told the caller there had to be a septic design approval and that was received today.  Mr. Rau has to verify that they plan to use the existing road.  The Selectboard Chair will sign this document so it can be taken to the Post Office for mailing.  

US Geological Survey:  A request was received from the US Geological Survey to take soil samples on map and lot #007-007-000 which is land held in conservation; it is adjacent to the eastern portion of the Fanny Mason Forest.  Mrs. Pschirrer read their request but a question that was not answered is if they find the soil is contaminated are they going to declare it a Brownfields area or is it just for their information.  She is not aware of there ever being any activity on that land.  Mr. Dalessio advised Mrs. Alicia Flammia of the Conservation Commission is endorsing this.  Ms. Mayberry did some research, and it appears to be a random sampling.  

Ms. Mayberry moved to authorize the Chair of the Selectboard, Peggy L. Pschirrer, to sign the request from the US Geological Service for a soil sample on map and lot #007-007-000.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

2021 TOWN MEETING – March 13, 2021:  Ms. Mayberry was asked about what kind of technology, other than audio, the Selectboard will want at the Walpole Elementary School in the Gymnasium for the 2021 Town Meeting on March 13, 2021, that will start at 1:00 PM.  The Superintendent wanted to confirm this was all set.  Mrs. Pschirrer felt a walk-thru could be scheduled for Friday, March 12^th.  An email will be sent to Mr. Jack Wozmak.  At a previous meeting people came in through the back door; they can check-in there.  All chairs will be set six (6) feet apart.      

FACT-TV:  FACT-TV discontinued filming as this was the end of the regular meeting

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, (b) Hiring and (c) Reputations.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 7:00 PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:23 PM.

Ms. Mayberry moved that the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of January 28, 2021, will be sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.  

ADJOURNMENT:

Ms. Mayberry moved to adjourn this Selectboard meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Mrs. Pschirrer asked if there were any questions or comments.  There were none.  On a voice roll call vote with Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 7:25 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

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