Roll Call: Present: Board Members: Chair Jeff Miller, Vice-Chair Dennis Marcom, Clerk Jason Perron, Jeff Harrington, Joanna Andros, Trevor MacLachlan, Select Board Representative Steve Dalessio. Alternate: Travis Adams. Absent: Alternate Bill Carmody. Also at the meeting were Jessi Dussault, Griffin Dussault, John Sheldon, Adam Naeck and Marilou Blaine.

Call to Order: Mr. Miller called the meeting to order at 6: 57 pm.

Minutes of the July 2023 meeting: Mr. Marcom made a motion to approve the minutes as written. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Old Business:
Public Hearing: Site Plan: Change of Use: Dussault Property Management LLC, Jessi Dussault, wants to put three apartments in the former Head Start School. The building was the original carriage house adjacent to the Drewsville Mansion, 4 Common Road, Drewsville. 

Ms. Dussault said she and her husband own 18 properties in the Fall Mountain area and have a long list of people interested in renting a residential apartment. The Dussaults recently purchased the Drewsville Mansion and the Carriage House, which is in back of the mansion. The mansion already had five occupied apartments and the former carriage house was converted to a Head Start school several years ago. The school served 25 pre-school students each year for many years. The Dussaults’ vision is to put three one-bedroom apartments in that space.

The plan is to divide the space right down the middle of the first floor. There are already two entrances, one on each side the building. The basement of the building will be the third apartment. Entrance would be from the pond side and entry would go into a kitchen with a bedroom to the south. An egress window will be needed in that room. There are no plans to change the outside of the building, so it will keep its historical value, Ms. Dussault said. However, some of the trim is rotten so that needs to be replaced, Ms. Dussault said. Water is from a private well. Currently the building is tied into the mansion septic system. They are planning to upgrade the system and are talking to two septic companies with a larger tank. Ms. Dussault said there was plenty of parking and more than a dozen parking space. When the building gets a little closer to being ready, she said she will submit a parking plan.

Mr. Miller said that the Dussaults need to contact Fire Chief Mark Houghton and have him look at the space. While they may get site plan approval tonight, final approval is contingent on a letter from Mr. Houghton approving the project. Mr. Miller closed the hearing.

Mr. Marcom made a motion to approve the Dussault’s site plan. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion and the Board voted unanimously to approve the project. 

New Business:

Site Plan: Adam Naeck, owner of Alyson’s Orchard, site plan application for new campsites and a future addition to the farm store. Request for a public hearing.

Mr. Naeck put up a map of the property. He said there are three ponds on the property and currently there are three campsites around Lilly Pond, which is the largest pond. It is at the top of hill if you are entering from the Wentworth Road side of the property. His intention is to eventually have six or seven “glamping” sites here. Glamping is a term meaning “glorified camping.” 

There are port-o-potties here now but in the future, on the advice from Fire Chief Mark Houghton, there will eventually be a separate bathroom facility for these camp sites. This would need an entirely new independent system. Currently the guests use the bathroom in the farm store for showers.  The camp sites have been filled on the weekends and the reviews have been good, Mr. Naeck said, but during the week it’s “so-so.” He did have two families who stayed on the premises while they were they there. They swam in the pond, used the playground, ate at the restaurant and participated in the music, he said. However, the other lodging on the property has had a capacity of 70 percent compared to previous use of 12 percent. Mr. Naeck said he only uses Airbnb. They do a background check of the people and properties they advertise and according to Mr. Dalessio also pay the rooms and meals tax.

The addition to the farm store will be on the south end or if you are facing the store – the left side. The plan is for it to have its own foundation. It is a 40-feet-by-50-feet two-and-a-half story post-and-beam building. There will be a loft, 30-feet out from the building. The building will have a couple of bathrooms and the flow will be into the current farm store space. The event space accommodates up to 250 to 300 people and the septic system is currently for this building and the farm store. The siding will be ship-lap, metal roof, barn like with a nice entrance, Naeck said. 

Mr. Perron made a motion to hold a public hearing in September. Mr. Marcom seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Mr. Naeck was asked to bring a plan of the building to the next meeting, along with pictures of the campsite and a parking plan for the new farm store.

Workshop 

Mr. Miller said that Southwest Regional Planning Commission has been short of staff lately and that is why they have consistently canceled their appearances for workshop meeting the fourth Tuesday of the month. However, there will be a workshop this month on August 22.  The agenda will includes discussion and corrections or additions of the Master Plan section titled Natural Features.

In September, Carol Ogilvie will attend and Natural Features will be discussed and a final decision made on that section of the Master Plan. 

Mr. Harrington made motion to adjourn. Mr. Perron seconded the motion and the motion carried. 

These minutes are unapproved minutes. The August minutes will be reviewed at the September meeting for corrections, omissions and additions.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine

WPB Recording Secretary