Town of Walpole, New Hampshire

Meeting of the Selectboard

July 2, 2025

Selectboard Present: Steven Dalessio, Chair; Carolyn Vose and Cheryl Mayberry

Staff Present: Sarah Downing, Manager of Administration, and Sue Bauer, Recording Secretary

Guests Present: Tom Aldrich and Chris Snow

CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Dalessio called the Selectboard meeting to order at 6:30 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.

The following item was moved to the top of the agenda because guests wished to ask questions.

Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit: Christopher Snow and Tom Aldrich had questions and concerns about a proposed Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit or DADU that may be built by their neighbor.  There are concerns about the zoning ordinances concerning DADU’s.  Mr. Snow and Mr. Aldrich wonder if the small dwellings will cause surrounding properties to decline in value and what can the owners do about it?  They reported that about 1.5 – 2 acres have recently been logged but no permit was posted.  Mrs. Downing will check into that open item.  Mr. Snow stated that it was expected that there would only be six homes in the development. The Selectboard commented that to control the number of homes, there would need to be in a covenant in the each of the deeds.  Mr. Dalessio stated that the wording in the Town’s DADU ordinance was from the State’s wording from a couple of years ago.  However, it is not yet clear what NH is going to do now to address the lack of affordable housing, and that will impact the Town’s zoning ordinances in the future.  The Selectboard counts on Walpole residents to let the Town know if something of concern is happening in their neighborhood.

Mr. Aldrich and Mr. Snow left the meeting.

Payroll

Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Payroll Register totaling $39,020.60 dated 7/3/2025 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $7,487.24. Ms. Vose seconded.  With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose, and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved. 

Selectboard Meeting Minutes

Selectboard Meeting – June 26, 2025: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of June 26,2025. Ms. Vose seconded.  With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose, and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

Non-Public Selectboard Meeting – June 26, 2025: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard meeting of June 26, 2025.  The minutes will remain sealed. Ms. Vose seconded.  With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose, and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the minutes were approved.

Timber Yield Taxes Assessed and Warrant

Op # 24-461-05, Map and Lot # 004-027-000: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the timber yield taxes assessed and warrant for $368.33.  Ms. Vose seconded.  With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose, and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the warrant and yield taxes assessed were approved.

Timber Intents

Map and Lot # 014-005-000: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Timber Intent for Map and Lot # 14-005-000. Ms. Vose seconded.  With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose, and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

Old Business

Certificate of Adoption for the Hazard Mitigation Plan: FEMA has approved the plan which is ready to be finalized.  Ms. Mayberry moved the Hazard Mitigation Plan be adopted as printed, the Certificate of Adoption be signed, and the Plan be filed with the Town Clerk.  Ms. Vose seconded.  With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose, and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the Plan was accepted, and the Certificate signed, and it will be filed with the Town Clerk.

Recycling Solar System Update: Mr. Hoy reported that the company that made the new inverter found wiring issues that were corrected and the new inverter installed.  The system was generating power again as of Friday, June 27th. 

Reservoir Dam Update: Mr. Dalessio reported that there are new fees related to dams, and changes to the Reservoir Dam repair plan.  The dam was reclassified from low risk to high risk, which means the planned repairs need to change.

Central Air System for Town Hall: Mr. Dalessio reported that there is a guesstimate of $75,000 to install a mini-split-based cooling system for the office spaces, hallway and restrooms. However, the actual quote is being calculated.  A cost of approximately $17,000 was given for just the Selectboard Office and kitchen before the Town Clerk’s Office central air unit failed.  E.E. Houghton Co. must come before the Selectboard with detailed figures before further planning can be done.

New Business

Horse Thieves Dinner: By consensus, the Selectboard meeting of September 18th will be moved to Wednesday, September 17th. This meeting date change will allow Selectboard members to attend the yearly dinner event.

NON-PUBLIC BUSINESS RSA 91-A:3 II (b)(c)(e)

Ms. Vose moved to enter into Non-Public Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II (b)(c)(e) at 7:27 PM.  Ms. Mayberry seconded.  With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

The meeting was reconvened at 8:11 PM.

Ms. Vose moved that the Non-Public Session Minutes be sealed. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Dalessio declared the meeting adjourned at 8:11 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Sue Bauer, Recording Secretary

(Note: These are unapproved Minutes. Corrections will be found in the Minutes of the July 10, 2025 Selectboard meeting.)

Tagged: Meeting Minutes, SELECTBOARD