The Walpolean

The Congregational Church is having a yard/rummage/food sale on May 15 from 9-2.

They will be accepting donations on May 10 from 9-12, May 11 9-12 and May 12 3-6.

No drop offs when not open please.

Fiber Optic / Broadband News

Notice – the fiber optic backbone in Walpole is now complete!

Any resident of Walpole/No Walpole/Drewsville who wishes may now get Consolidated’s high speed internet.

Installation fees? ….. No!

The Walpole Broadband committee wants to let Walpole residents know that there is no installation cost to install Fiber to your home.  We received the following from CCI in response to some questions. 

“Consolidated will not bill customers for the drop over 150′ as long as there is a defined path to the home that meets national electrical code.  This path would be an existing pole line or a useable conduit that runs from road to the home.  Locations that do not have a suitable path would need to arrange for third party installation of  conduit or pole access that traverses a customer’s private property.  There is no installation charge associated with a fiber connection from Consolidated Communications. “

Please check you statement after your installation and if there is a charge please contact their customer service.  • Pricing?

Consolidated’s prices have very recently been revised downward (rollout was the week of April 11). If you already have service from Consolidated, call them to take advantage of revised pricing.

If you are not currently a customer you may want to explore those revised prices.

Dennis Marcom for Walpole’s Broadband Committee

COVID by the Numbers—April 25 Edition

Statewide, the seven day average of reported cases per 100,000,which was 32.4 last week, declined to an average of 23.8 as of Sunday the 25th. We had a high of 515 new cases reported on the 22nd, and a low of 235 new cases on the 19^th. The number of reported currently active cases in the state fell below 3,000 for the first time this month, and now stands at 2,960. Hospitalizations in the state declined from 133 last week to 91 this week. There were 9 new deaths in the state this week, down from 13 last week.

In Cheshire County, the county average of reported cases was 19.0 last week, and that number has declined to 18.0 this week.  Our county rate is still the second lowest in the state, with only Sullivan County, at 15.9, being lower.  For the second week in a row, there were 0 new deaths in Cheshire County this week, and 0 new hospitalizations.  The one county figure still rising is that there are currently 128 reported active cases in the county, up from 110 cases last week.

In Walpole, we have had only 2 new cases this week, up from 1 new case last week, and there remain 1-4 reported active cases in town.

Please continue to take good care of yourselves and each other.  Remember that even when fully vaccinated, there is a small chance that you might contract COVID, and if so, you could pass it on to others, especially if you have an asymptomatic case.

I am swiping from David Brooks of the Concord Monitor, who in turn swiped it from the New York Times, the concept of the 2 out of 3 rule.  The three best ways to avoid contracting or spreading COVID when you are with other people are masks, social distancing, and being outdoors.  Two out of the three adequately protects you, and protects others.  If you are indoors, mask and distance.  If you are outdoors, but less than six feet apart, wear a mask.  If outdoors and more than six feet apart, the mask is not necessary.

We have seen the devastation in India and in Ontario and other places when people let their guard down completely.  We need to ensure that does not happen here, so our businesses can fully reopen, and we can resume a more normal life.

Wear your mask, keep your distance, wash your hands, and keep well.

~Representative Lucy Weber

lwmcv@comcast.net

603 499-0282

Public Meeting with Executive Councilor Warmington

At the Town Hall on Friday, April 30th

Start time is approximately 4:30 PM

There is an open discussion time planned for local citizens to meet with Cinde Warmington to say hello, ask questions and share concerns. The Selectboard will be part of a “walk around” in downtown Walpole prior to the Town Hall public meeting.

Meeting via Zoom

Roll Call: Chair Jan Galloway-Leclerc called out the names of every board member and alternate and each one said “here” if present: Board members present: Chair Leclerc, Tom Murray and Judy Trow. Absent: Board members and Alternates Pauline Barnes, Don Sellarole, Dave Edkins, Myra Mansouri and Ernie Vose. Ms. Leclerc asked Alternate Trow to fill in for a Board member so the meeting would have a quorum. The ZBA host for the meeting in charge of inviting, hosting and showing each of the documents was Jeremiah Phaneuf. Each attending person was in a separate location.

Recording: Secretary Marilou Blaine. This meeting is being recorded. These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the May 2021 meeting for corrections, additions and/or omissions.

Meeting Opened: Chair Jan Leclerc called the meeting to order at 7:04 pm. 

Minutes: While she didn’t attend the March meeting, Ms. Trow said on page 3, the third paragraph under the topic DADU, that she didn’t understand the meaning of the first sentence. The secretary said there was a missing word. It should read, “Basically, the Town Offices would like the ZBA to remind the owner of the person getting a DADU he/she must follow the above directions. Mr. Murray said that the page number should be “page 3,” not page 7. Mr. Murray made a motion to approve the minutes of the March 2021 meeting. Ms. Trow seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Old Business: Shaw’s signage. North Meadow Plaza, Map 12, Lot 55-2, Commercial District. 

Signage for the supermarket in North Meadow Plaza is for four signs for designated parking spaces, a directional sign near the entrance to the Plaza and an illuminated sign on the facade of the building next to the grocery store name sign. Doug Boyce represented Shaw’s and explained Shaw’s proposal. Mr. Boyce was hired by Bailey Sign Co to help with a pretty significant project that they are doing. Bailey Sign Co. is in Westbrook, ME and has been the supplier for Shaw’s supermarket signage for some time. The project is to provide 60 odd Shaw’s locations in northern New England – Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont – so they can implement their “Drive Up and Go” program, which is Shaw’s version of Internet or customer call-in ordering. Shaw’s is part of a supermarket chain with Albertson being the parent company. There are 2,000 supermarkets under the Albertson umbrella and Shaw’s is one of them. 

Mr. Boyce continued saying that what they’ve been doing is implementing the “Drive-up and go” program across the country. Essentially, they’ve developed a signage standard that can be universally applied to all the banners so whether the supermarket is called Albertson or Shaw’s or another local banner name, the signage is going to be the same. It will have the logo in script on a circular lighted sign with an automobile in it. So that’s their “go-to” symbol is for this program. Two months ago the company started doing this at each of the upermarkets, each town with its own sign ordinance, and it’s taken an enormous amount of time.

A variance is needed for the LED illuminated wall sign, which is 10 square feet. In a picture of the sign, an arrow points to a 36 inch in diameter automobile, with an internally illuminated sign of the car, white on a red border. Beneath that are non-illuminated letters, painted black, saying “Drive up and go.” The sign area is 10.1 square feet. 

Other identifying signs are at four parking spots, with a phone number on those signs that are placed as close to the building as possible. Those signs are already installed. The directional sign has a logo and arrow to the left, directing customers down that aisle. The goal is to get approval of the signage that Bailey furnishes and installs, but Bailey has nothing to do with construction of the signs, Mr. Boyce said.

In essence a variance for an ordinance requiring signs be 100 feet apart from each other makes sense because there’s no other way that the sign could make sense without the logo and it wouldn’t make any sense to put it any other place. 

Directional signs have to be at least 50 feet from another sign. This directional sign is almost 100 feet from the Savings Bank of Walpole sign over the doors of the bank and 128 feet from the free-standing marquee at the entrance to the plaza. 

Ms. Trow made a motion to have a public hearing in May, on completion of receiving an application and fees, for a variance for a sign within 100 feet of another sign. Mr. Murray asked if she was entertaining a motion for the whole package of signs or breaking it down sign by sign. He said he could understand that the reserved parking space signs were along the lines of a handicap sign, so the Board didn’t need to be concerned with those signs. The question is does the directional sign cause a hardship to incoming customers if that sign were not there. Ms. Trow agreed with Mr. Murray that the directional sign is not necessary. It’s a small parking lot and not hard to figure out where you’re going to go.

Mr. Murray added that it’s a busy congested area and the directional sign could distract the driver. It’s a guessing game when you drive in there on who’s going to turn left or right first. So he had reservations about the directional sign. He said again that he could understand about the reserved parking spaces being considered like handicap spaces and it was obvious about the variance for the facade. He’d

Walpole Zoning Board of Adjustment
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Meeting via Zoom
7 pm

Roll Call: Chair Jan Galloway-Leclerc called out the names of every board member and alternate and each one said “here” if present: Board members present: Chair Leclerc, Tom Murray and Judy Trow. Absent: Board members and Alternates Pauline Barnes, Don Sellarole, Dave Edkins, Myra Mansouri and Ernie Vose. Ms. Leclerc asked Alternate Trow to fill in for a Board member so the meeting would have a quorum. The ZBA host for the meeting in charge of inviting, hosting and showing each of the documents was Jeremiah Phaneuf. Each attending person was in a separate location.

Recording: Secretary Marilou Blaine. This meeting is being recorded. These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the May 2021 meeting for corrections, additions and/or omissions.

Meeting Opened: Chair Jan Leclerc called the meeting to order at 7:04 pm.

Minutes: While she didn’t attend the March meeting, Ms. Trow said on page 3, the third paragraph under the topic DADU, that she didn’t understand the meaning of the first sentence. The secretary said there was a missing word. It should read, “Basically, the Town Offices would like the ZBA to remind the owner of the person getting a DADU he/she must follow the above directions. Mr. Murray said that the page number should be “page 3,” not page 7. Mr. Murray made a motion to approve the minutes of the March 2021 meeting. Ms. Trow seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Old Business: Shaw’s signage. North Meadow Plaza, Map 12, Lot 55-2, Commercial District.
Signage for the supermarket in North Meadow Plaza is for four signs for designated parking spaces, a directional sign near the entrance to the Plaza and an illuminated sign on the facade of the building next to the grocery store name sign. Doug Boyce represented Shaw’s and explained Shaw’s proposal. Mr. Boyce was hired by Bailey Sign Co to help with a pretty significant project that they are doing. Bailey Sign Co. is in Westbrook, ME and has been the supplier for Shaw’s supermarket signage for some time. The project is to provide 60 odd Shaw’s locations in northern New England – Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont – so they can implement their “Drive Up and Go” program, which is Shaw’s version of Internet or customer call-in ordering. Shaw’s is part of a supermarket chain with Albertson being the parent company. There are 2,000 supermarkets under the Albertson umbrella and Shaw’s is one of them.

Mr. Boyce continued saying that what they’ve been doing is implementing the “Drive-up and go” program across the country. Essentially, they’ve developed a signage standard that can be universally applied to all the banners so whether the supermarket is called Albertson or Shaw’s or another local banner name, the signage is going to be the same. It will have the logo in script on a circular lighted sign with an automobile in it. So that’s their “go-to” symbol is for this program. Two months ago the company started doing this at each of the
​1.
supermarkets, each town with its own sign ordinance, and it’s taken an enormous amount of time.

A variance is needed for the LED illuminated wall sign, which is 10 square feet. In a picture of the sign, an arrow points to a 36 inch in diameter automobile, with an internally illuminated sign of the car, white on a red border. Beneath that are non-illuminated letters, painted black, saying “Drive up and go.” The sign area is 10.1 square feet.

Other identifying signs are at four parking spots, with a phone number on those signs that are placed as close to the building as possible. Those signs are already installed. The directional sign has a logo and arrow to the left, directing customers down that aisle. The goal is to get approval of the signage that Bailey furnishes and installs, but Bailey has nothing to do with construction of the signs, Mr. Boyce said.

In essence a variance for an ordinance requiring signs be 100 feet apart from each other makes sense because there’s no other way that the sign could make sense without the logo and it wouldn’t make any sense to put it any other place.

Directional signs have to be at least 50 feet from another sign. This directional sign is almost 100 feet from the Savings Bank of Walpole sign over the doors of the bank and 128 feet from the free-standing marquee at the entrance to the plaza.

Ms. Trow made a motion to have a public hearing in May, on completion of receiving an application and fees, for a variance for a sign within 100 feet of another sign. Mr. Murray asked if she was entertaining a motion for the whole package of signs or breaking it down sign by sign. He said he could understand that the reserved parking space signs were along the lines of a handicap sign, so the Board didn’t need to be concerned with those signs. The question is does the directional sign cause a hardship to incoming customers if that sign were not there. Ms. Trow agreed with Mr. Murray that the directional sign is not necessary. It’s a small parking lot and not hard to figure out where you’re going to go.

Mr. Murray added that it’s a busy congested area and the directional sign could distract the driver. It’s a guessing game when you drive in there on who’s going to turn left or right first. So he had reservations about the directional sign. He said again that he could understand about the reserved parking spaces being considered like handicap spaces and it was obvious about the variance for the facade. He’d wanted to address the directional sign tonight. Mr. Boyce responded that he would prefer to defer that because Shaw’s has directed him to present their proposal, which includes the directional sign. He felt he had to talk to someone from Shaw’s to see if they would be willing to give that sign up. He didn’t disagree and said “I can see your concerns,” but preferred to defer the discussion to the next meeting.

Ms. Leclerc said the Zoning Board ordinance says that all commercial signs come before the board, but we can consider that at the same time we have the hearing. Ms. Trow made a motion to have a public hearing in May for a variance for a Shaw’s sign within 100 feet from another sign. Mr. Murray seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Edward Jones signage, 57 Main Street, Map 20, Lot 11, Commercial District.

Wesley Felix of Galaxy Integrated Technology of Keene, NH represented Edward Jones. He said because of the new signage added to an Edward Jones at 8 Westminster Street, this Edward Jones company was getting fewer walk-in customers into their establishment. He had only been alerted to the problem the day before so he was in the process of putting together a package of signs and would be sending the Board more information on signage. He did say he was going to suggest one sign on the south side of the brick building and another sign, the same size, on the north side of the building. There would also be a small sign near the steps of the building hanging from an iron scroll design fixture. It would be aesthetically in line with the historic nature of the building. He held up his cell phone to the screen, which had pictures of the signs on it, in order to give the Board an idea of what he was proposing. Because the signs would not be 100 feet apart, he, too, needed a variance. Ms. Trow made a motion that the Board hold a hearing in May for a public hearing for Edward Jones to have signs less than 100 feet apart pending receipt of an application and fees paid. Mr. Murray seconded and the motion carried.

MDB Holding LLC, replace sign, Map 12, Lot 11, Route 12, Commercial District:

Ms. Leclerc mentioned that Mr. Snide, co-owner of MDB Holding, called her to tell her he wanted to replace the sign in front of his business, Pinnacleview Equipment, on Route 12. The sign would be the same size, in the same place and have exactly the same verbiage as the previous sign. Since he is replacing a sign with one exactly like the one that was there before, he did not have to come to the Board. Mr. Snide asked that a letter of approval be sent to him.

Discussion of Short-term rentals: It was decided that since so few members were at tonight’s meeting, this topic would be discussed at the May meeting.

Letter from some Barnett Hill residents: The Zoning Board received an unsigned letter from some residents of Barnett Hill complaining about a property they thought had “gotten out of hand.” A copy of the letter was sent to all the Zoning Board members. All members said either in emails or at the meeting that this letter should be handled by the Select Board. The secretary will pass it on to the Select Board.

Ms. Trow made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Murray seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Respectfully submitted,
Marilou Blaine
ZBA Secretary

Posted: Inside Town Offices and on the bulletin board outside the post office. http://www.walpolenh.us
Copies: ZBA, WPB, Town Offices, Select Board, The Walpolean.

Next meeting Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

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

Staff Present:                Sarah Downing (Manager of Administration); Justin Sanctuary (Chief Police Department); Ben Hoy (Recycling Director); Michael Rau (Road Agent/Highway Department); Kraig Harlow (Recreation Director); Helen Dalbeck (Hooper Institute Executive Director); Jane Malmberg (Library Director); Meghan Hansson (Town Clerk/Tax Collector); Regina Borden (Recording Secretary)

Staff Absent:                Richard Kreissle (Administrator of Finance)

CALL TO ORDER:  Ms. Mayberry called this Staff Meeting via Zoom to order at 5:01 PM.  The Selectboard members are in three separate locations.  This meeting is being recorded by the Town.

Ms. Mayberry called for a voice roll call of the Selectboard present:  Steven Dalessio was present (at home); Peggy Pschirrer was present (at home) and Cheryl Mayberry was present (at home).

Ms. Mayberry called for a voice roll call of the Staff members present.  All Staff Members responded that they were present and provided the location.

Recycling Staff Meeting Report:  Mr. Ben Hoy, Recycling Director, submitted the following written report with a March Daily Weights graph.

• Keeping the Recycling Center clean and organized helps them to promote the same values from the public.  When something is dumped in a place that it shouldn’t be, it is immediately noticeable. In many cases the public will correct someone before an attendant can respond.
• Reduce/reuse/recycle are words they live by at Walpole Recycling.  They can’t control what is being thrown into Walpole trash bags, but they can show the public that they are passionate about living an environmentally friendly existence.  Recycling is an easy routine if you pre-sort plastic/ glass/ and cardboard at home.  They have accommodating windows and staff/volunteers that are more than willing to help with questions or handling of recyclables.  They love to see new people in Walpole Recycling!!
• Earth Day is next Thursday!!  New Hampshire the beautiful (blue trash bags) are free for those willing to pick up Walpole roadways.  Walpole Recycling is hosting a Whitcomb Road clean up on Wednesday April 21^st at 9 am at the Recycling Center.
• Arlington Paving will be on site in a couple of weeks to begin removing unsuitable materials and grading in the sub base for the paving area behind the Recycling Center in between the trailers.
• Highway Department is helping them to excavate concrete pad area for Seldon Concrete.  Getting dig plans marked out and calling Dig Safe as soon as paving is complete.

Mr. Hoy reported they are trying to keep ahead of their shipments as much as possible to get ready for the paving.  After they come in he will have no access to any of the trailers.  They just shipped plastic out.  He talked to Mr. G’s about not being able to handle their cardboard while the paving is being done.  The Savings Bank of Walpole is looking to potentially adopt a portion of Route 12.  They are trying to get as many volunteers as they can for the clean-up.  They anticipate the spring clean-ups will keep them very busy going forward.  Mr. Dalessio asked how long they will have to stay off the new paved area.  Mr. Hoy explained they have to prep the area; he feels at least for a work-week.  Mr. Rau noted it would depend on the weather; he would stay off it for at least 3-to-4 days.        

Hooper Institute Director’s Report for Town Managers:  Mrs. Helen Dalbeck, Hooper Executive Director, provided the following written report.

School Programs and School Gardens:  The high tunnel is producing bags of greens for the school kitchen.  They are about to seed for transplants in tunnel and beginning to prep for replacement of rotten boards on 6 raised beds, outside at the Middle School.  Two grants were received to support the school gardens; an Outdoor Education Fund award plus Farm to School/Vital Communities, totaling $1500.  The 6^th grade canoe trip over 2 days is happening in June.  Regular Hooper science classes continue daily, pre-K through 6^th grade. 

Outreach and Marketing:  Ongoing, on all fronts; Facebook, the Clarion, Friends of Hooper Institute, posters, Walpolean, school newsletter and more.  Program announcements planned for The Shopper, Monadnock Shopper News, and local newspapers promoting Eyes on Owls on May 22 and Circus in the Woods, May 23.  Circus in the Woods is pre-registration. 

Facility and Land:  Connecticut Valley Landscaping was hired to clean up front lawn debris and two fir trees, one downed by wind, the other pillowed and going.  Met with Kevin Healy to fix front door, repair damaged soffits on the shed and called Houghton’s to replace outdoor spigot, which is now broken.

Administration:  There are three new board members in the queue to be approved and sworn in.  FOHI meetings are now monthly, planning for two fundraising events in the fall and winter, membership appeal and annual fundraising appeal.

Public Programs:  Looking towards Owls and Circus in May.

Camps:  Yes, camp is happening during the last two weeks of June and the week of July 12 (woodworking).  Applications are due May 15.

High School Summer Work Program:  She has six mentors (including Hooper Camp counselors) confirmed.  She met with the 8^th grade class, to promote the program.  Applications are available to students entering grades 9-12, due May 1.

Walpole Community Garden:  So far, 6 new members, 13 returning.  The spring clean-up day was April 10 and was a big success!  They are all ready to go.  One project in 2021 will be a new garden fence.  The WCG (with FOHI) are hosting four garden talks/presentations this year.  First one is “No-Till Gardening” with Jackie Caserta, May 15, 10 am at the Hooper Institute.  Thanks for all your support.

Walpole Town Library:  Mrs. Jane Malmberg, Library Director, submitted the following written report.

In March they continued to see increases in library visits and checkout of materials.  The library has received donations in memory of Nancy Shephard, totaling $750 so far.

Programming:

They posted the IEP workshop on the library’s YouTube channel.  This proved to be successful.  They had over 50 viewings.

They have had to discontinue our Story Walk in North Walpole for the time being as they are having trouble keeping the stories secured tightly enough to the fence to prevent the wind from blowing the pages down.  This has been a constant problem for the past two months and they now are left with two books missing pages.

There are two programs planned for May.  The first is Talking About Race:  Staying Curious, Moving Forward and Being Part of the Solution. This is a two-part discussion which will take place on consecutive Wednesdays, May 19 and 26, from 6:30-8:00 pm via Zoom.  Here is a basic description:

This program will focus on the experiences of four local Black residents, Grace Aldrich, Claire Holston, Luis Rosa, and Doug Sutherland, who have generously offered to share what it means to be Black in the U.S. and the Monadnock region, including offering their thoughts and feelings about the murder of George Floyd and the storming of the Capitol on January 6.  The discussion will be moderated by Allen Davis, an educator and racial justice advocate.   

Their experiences will be the starting point for an open and thoughtful conversation about racism and how as a community we can learn to appreciate and understand experiences and perspectives different from our own.

They are also planning round two of their Virtual Bakeoff.  This time they will be baking cookies.  There will be one for children and one for adults. 

She is working with Fritze Till to start up their seed library again.  She has put out the call for donations from the community and they have already received a number of packets which are available at the library.  She has applied to receive additional seed donations from seedsavers.org and will supplement with purchased seeds as necessary.

Policy/Procedures:

They have a large number of items that are more than 6 months overdue, some as much as two years past their due dates.  Staff is working on contacting those patrons to let them know that they will not be able to use their library cards until these items are either returned or paid for.  For those who do not return these items, they will be sending out a letter with a bill for the replacement cost.

She has also been working with staff to streamline the procedures for checking in returned materials and processing ILL’s.

Since she wrote her report she met with the Staff last week and the Board this week and a decision was made to go back to their regular hours next week with a few exceptions.  On Mondays and Wednesdays they will no longer be closed from Noon-to-1:00pm but they will close an hour earlier; open 10:00am to 7:00pm.  The CDC put out some new materials.  It is no longer necessary to quarantine books.  They are excited about that.  It will be faster and easier on the staff.  Mr. Dalessio asked when they anticipate opening the North Walpole Library.  Mrs. Malmberg felt they are hoping for June.    

Mrs. Malmberg also submitted Monthly Library Statistics for Library Visits & Hours Open; Circulation; WIFI & Computer Use; Programs & Attendance; Website, Email, Social Media; Database Usage; and Donations/Fees/Book Sales.

Walpole Recreation:  Mr. Kraig Harlow, Recreation Director, submitted the following written report.

Basketball Camp:  

• Recreation Department will be hosting a week long basketball camp from April 26 to April 30.
• Walpole Primary School has allowed us to use the gymnasium to host the event.
• The camp will have multiple sessions for grades 1/ 2, 3/ 4, 5/ 6 and 7/ 8 and will be split into block times to allow traffic in and out of the building.
• Each block will host no more than 20 boys and girls together.

• COVID-19 protocols will be followed with hand sanitizer, temperature checks at door, and masks while participating.

Pool:

• The Recreation Department is preparing to open the pool mid-June.
• We have two quotes to repair the pool roof through Eric Franklin and Long’s General Contracting and Repair.
• The two estimates are $15,200 and $16,892.60 dollars.
• The town pool will be purchasing a new ADA accessible pool lift for the summer season.

Tennis:

• Wilson and Lawrence will be repairing the tennis courts this spring.
• We have an estimate from last fall of $5,796 dollars from the fall and have encumbered the funds from last year’s budget.
• The courts may need additional repairs due to new cracks and damages from winter.

Walpole Summer League:

• The Selectboard has approved the Recreation Department to host the annual summer basketball league.
• In 2020, the league was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Sport Camps:

• The Recreation Department is working with local coaches to help host multiple week long daily camps which include volleyball, football, and soccer.

Community Events:

• The Hooper Institute will be hosting an Owl event on May 22^nd down at Whitcomb Park.   Mrs. Dalbeck advised the rain date is June 5^th. 
• The Recreation Department is looking to co-sponsor with the town library to show a monthly summer movie at the park.

Mr. Dalessio asked how the new tiles are working out on the basketball courts.  Mr. Harlow noted there are a few holes but he is leaving them as is for now.  Mr. Dalessio asked if the tennis courts are nickel-and-diming us to death.  Mr. Harlow feels the $6,000 will repair it for 2-to-5 years. A good tennis court life is 30-to-40 years.  A new court would have a 25-year warranty.  This is something they should start to look at.  The existing court is approximately 40 years old.  The poles are starting to shift.  He would like to put pickle-ball lines in there as well because now more people want to play pickle-ball than tennis.

Walpole Highway Department:  Mr. MichaelRau, Road Agent/Highway Department, provided the following written report:

            The Highway Department has been busy getting roads prepped for the 2021 paving season.  With this, they have begun the process of meeting with potential contractors and obtaining prices on the large operation.  Ditching has also begun, which is an important aspect to paving as well.  This consists of removing debris from roadsides allowing for proper drainage.  Now that mud season is coming to an end, they have been able to start working on grading and spot graveling dirt roads throughout town.

Mr. Rau reported that ditching has been done on March Hill and Maple Grove.  Right now on the Paving List he has the Old Keene Road, Maple Grove to March Hill plus he wants to do some roads in North Walpole in the development behind the school.  He is waiting to see how many roads the money will do.  He has been working on the Elm Street Project with Mr. Mark Houghton trying to map everything out to be sure they know where everything is.  They are not sure if their old map is accurate or not.  Probably next week they will do more grading on the roads.  They are trying to recover some cones that have been missing (stolen).  He is now purchasing some pink cones which are DOT regulated but four have been lost already.  If anyone sees pink cones where they should not be the Highway Department would like them back.  Each one costs about $20.       

Selectboard Office:  Mrs. Sarah Downing, Manager of Administration, submitted the following written report.

After Town Meeting, the Selectboard Office focuses on updating and finalizing assessing information in preparation of the spring property tax warrant.  The deadline for receipt of PA-29 forms for tax credits and applications is today, April 15^th.  The list of credits included Veteran’s and All Veterans’ along with Elderly, Blind and Solar Exemptions which reduce property values.  The due date is firmly set by RSA.  A-10 applications for current use and discretionary easements are also due on or before April 15^th.  There have been several current use applications this year with property owners adding additional acreage to current use for existing lots or submitting new applications due to lot line mergers.

The spring tax warrant is to be signed by the Selectboard on or before May 15^th with tax bills being due no earlier than July 1^st.

The Town Clerk/Tax Collector’s Office and the Selectboard Office are currently working on a joint project to remind elected officials with unsigned oath of office or appointment notices to be sworn in.  By RSA, all Town officials are required to complete forms to become legitimate voting members of a board, commission, or committee.   

Police Department:  The Police Department had submitted a graph with Police Stats – March 16, 2021 through April 15, 2021.  Total Calls:  388.  These were broken down as follows:  Criminal Investigations 107; Public Safety 160 and Motor Vehicle 121.

Chief Justin Sanctuary reported they have been doing more motor vehicle patrols and have been using the radar sign. It is on Old Cheshire Turnpike right now.  At the beginning of May it will be down in the Village when the Elm Street Project begins.  Mr. Dalessio asked if Chief Sanctuary knows who rents these units.  Chief Sanctuary suggested asking the DOT.  Mr. Rau knows of a company that rents them; cost is about $3,000/month.  At night they will keep a sign up on Elm Street that says “Local Traffic Only”.  During the day it will be closed down completely. Chief Sanctuary advised they have been real busy with more call volume, an increase in drug issues, one serious crash and DUIs have increased.  It has been business as usual and they are getting ready for spring/summer.  Mrs. Pschirrer mentioned they had 51 more incidents than the month before.  Chief Sanctuary replied there has been more fraud and/or attempted fraud.  There are people out of work with a lot of free time on their hands.  However they have seen a down-turn in burglaries; that is good.  A lot of the courts are opening up so they are seeing more arraignments; they are trying to get caught up on the backlog.  “Drug Take Back Day” is Saturday, April 24^th between 10:00am and 2:00pm.  There will be two locations: Recycling Center and the Police Station.               

Walpole Town Clerk/Tax Collector’s Office:  Mrs. Meghan Hansson, Town Clerk/Tax Collector, provided the following written report.  She was unable to unmute her microphone. Therefore, there was no discussion.   

• Have deposited $69,449.62 of property taxes since the last staff meeting.
• Lien Notices were sent out to owners of delinquent accounts.
• Have closed out 16 liens since the beginning of the year.
• Redemption information sent to Cheshire County Registry of Deeds.
• Tax training…every Wednesday of the month of April.  This is a free online course offered by NH Tax Collectors Association and DRA.
• Have been looking into the possibility of payment plans for owners of liened property.

• Tuesday, April 13^th, took part in on-line training with our Clerkworks software company, Interware.  Concentrated on boat registrations and dog licensing.
• Deputy Vicki Gohl is now doing MV renewals and E-registrations and also dog licensing.
• Registered 552 vehicles between the last staff meeting and this one.  Of the $115,527 collected, about 88K belongs to the Town.
• Have registered 30 boats so far this year.  (Last year we registered a total of 105.)
• Just had a divider installed between the two customer windows, allowing us to serve indoors two customers at once.

 Ms. Mayberry pointed out that they are very busy especially with motor vehicle registrations.

Finance Office:  Mr. Rich Kreissle, Administrator of Finance, was unable to attend this meeting but had submitted the following report:  “The quiet before the storm”:

The annual audit has been scheduled for the week of May 10^th.  Due to COVID this will be done remotely.  The auditor is assembling a list of documentation that has to be forwarded to them prior to the audit and transferred to their portal.  There’s considerable leg work on his end during this time.  The good news is due to successful analyses of certain areas (cash, payroll, accounts payable) in years past, the auditors will be asking for limited samples from these areas.  He thinks both the auditors and he find it a challenge to have the audit done remotely as it doesn’t allow for the one-on-one, face-to-face conversations that can more easily resolve questions regarding issues that arise during the audit.

Related to the audit he has been reviewing the accounting records in light of findings from previous years in order to help the audit go as smoothly as possible.  The beauty of audits is the auditors are always finding areas that can be tweaked and improved upon in the future.  We’re fortunate to contract with a firm that has always been a resource for improving the accounting process.

He started initial groundwork for writing up request for proposals for new copiers for both the Selectboard and Town Clerk’s/Tax Collector’s Offices.  His goal is to get them out by the end of next week.

The retro pay raises have been included in this week’s pay checks.  Implementing these takes a fair amount behind the scenes work on the part of both Sarah and him.  In addition to determining the number of hours that have elapsed between the first pay period of the year to the most recent pay period, the amount of each employee’s raise needs to be calculated, the new pay rates for each employee needs to be entered into their employee record in the accounting system, the amount of the retro entered in for payroll processing purposes, and files involving the New Hampshire Retirement System need to be updated. 

Ms. Mayberry thanked everyone for their participation.  The Selectboard would like each Department Manager to think about what their mission is in their department and in the Town.  Bring them to the next Staff Meeting on Thursday, May 20^th, 2021, along with their regular monthly report.  If anyone has questions contact one of the Selectboard members or their Liaison.

ADJOURNMENT:  Ms. Mayberry adjourned this Staff Meeting at 5:55 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

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

CALL TO ORDER:  Ms. Mayberry, Chair of the Walpole Selectboard, called this meeting via Zoom to order at 6:31 PM.  The Selectboard members are in three separate locations.  Also attending this meeting is Mrs. Sarah Downing, Manager of Administration, in the Walpole Town Hall and Mrs. Regina Borden, Recording Secretary, by telephone at a separate location.  This meeting was being recorded.  There were two members of the public in attendance.

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

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to accept the Accounts Payable Check Register in the total amount of $648,659.42 for checks issued April 16, 2021.  This includes a monthly payment of $607,559.42 to Fall Mountain Regional School District. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL:

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to accept the Payroll Check Register for the week ending April 10, 2021, in the amount of $37,887.28 for checks dated April 16, 2021, and for the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer in the amount of $7,976.62.  This payroll represents the 2% Cost-of-Living increase approved by the voters in March; they are pro-rated back to January 1, 2021.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:

SELECTBOARD MINUTES – April 8, 2021:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to accept the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of April 8, 2021, as submitted.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the Minutes were approved.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – April 8, 2021:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to accept the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of April 8, 2021, as submitted.  These Minutes will remain sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry 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 – March 30, 2021;
• Conservation Commission Meeting – April 5, 2021.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO EXCAVATE:

MAP and LOT #001-016-002:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the Notice of Intent to Excavate for the owner of Map and Lot #001-016-002.  This is located off Wentworth Road.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

NH DOT RT 12 PROJECT 14747:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the Notice of Intent to Excavate for the NH Department of Transportation (DOT) Route 12 Project 14747.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

Mr. Dalessio mentioned there will be two Route 12 projects being done at the same time. Therefore drivers will need to be cautious starting next week as it will be hectic in that area.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO CUT WOOD OR TIMBER:

MAP and LOT #027-008-000:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the Notice of Intent to Cut Wood or Timber for the owner of Map and Lot #027-008-000.  This property is located off Route 12 near the Charlestown border.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

North Walpole Library Lease:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Selectboard approve and sign the North Walpole Library Lease which has now been signed by the North Walpole Village Board of Commissioners.  This is a one-year lease.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion. There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

Elm Street Project – Notification to Abutters Letter:  The Selectboard approved the Elm Street Project – Notification to Abutters Letter – that will be mailed out tomorrow.

Houghton Brook ARM Grant and Scope of Services Agreement:  Mrs. Pschirrer pointed out that the letter that came with this agreement suggested that Mr. Michael Rau would be signing it.  Mr. Dalessio confirmed that Mr. Rau is the official representative mentioned in the contract.  He recommended they authorize Mr. Rau to sign the document.

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Selectboard authorize Mr. Michael Rau, Highway Director, to sign the Houghton Brook ARM Grant and Scope of Services Agreement with Fuss & O’Neill.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

Recreation Pool House Replacement Roof Bids:  Ms. Mayberry reported two bids were received:  one from Longs Roofing with standing seam metal ($26,528.40) and shingle ($16,892.60) along with a second one from Eric Franklin ($15,200) for shingle.  Mrs. Pschirrer noted it is within the approved Warrant Article #13. 

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the bid from Eric Franklin for the Recreation Pool House Replacement Roof bid in the amount of $15,200.00 for shingles.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

Mrs. Pschirrer, on behalf of the Selectboard, thanked Mr. Smith of Longs Roofing for his bids.     

Vachon Clukay Representation Letter for Tax Collector Audit:  Mr. Dalessio moved to authorize the Selectboard Chair, Cheryl Mayberry, to sign the Vachon Clukay Representation Letter for the Tax Collector Audit.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Pschirrer and Ms. Mayberry in favor, motion was approved.

Letters to State and US Representative re: Vilas Bridge Repair: Both Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry felt the letters that Mrs. Pschirrer wrote were great letters.  Mrs. Pschirrer wants all the material given to them by Mr. Gary Fox to be sent to Senator Kahn along with his letter.  This includes a lot of pictures that indicate the bridge is not getting any better.  There are pictures that show holes in the bridge where you can see the water below.  The Selectboard agreed to send the whole package to Congresswoman Kuster as well. Mrs. Pschirrer advised there is a lot of money out there for water and sewer projects.  We should be taking advantage of it. 

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the letters to Representative Weber, Senator Kahn and Congresswoman Kuster.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.         

Walk in Walpole with Exec. Councilor Warmington: Ms. Mayberry advised the Walk in Walpole with Exec. Councilor Warmington is scheduled for the afternoon of April 30^th.  Meeting place is the Town Hall; time is 3:00-to-3:30 PM.  The Selectboard tentatively scheduled their walk to go by the grocery Store, the Artisans’ store and the flower shop.  If they were doing a drive-by, they would consider the Hungry Diner (Farm to Table) and Hubbard Farms.  After the walk Ms. Warmington is willing to go back to the Town Hall to talk with residents who would like to visit with her. 

Tax Pre-Payments:  A request letter was received from the Town Clerk-Tax Collector’s Office regarding the acceptance of tax pre-payments.  Mrs. Gohl told Mr. Dalessio their system can easily handle this.  Mr. Dalessio talked with Mr. Rich Kreissle who feels it is a good idea.  Most payments come from escrow companies.  Mrs. Pschirrer stated the Town would not pay interest.  She is concerned about their increased workload. Cash flow is not a problem in Walpole. Mr. Dalessio would approve tax pre-payments for one year but not until he sees good written procedures. Many towns are doing this. 

Mr. Dalessio moved to approve accepting Tax Pre-Payments for one year upon a review and approval of a written procedure document.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Pschirrer and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.       

OHRV Signage Request for Whipple Hill Road:  The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the letter from Jody Spivey.  Ms. Mayberry mentioned he had reached out to Lt. William Boudreau of the NH Fish & Game.  Mr. Spivey is requesting signage in three locations where OHRVs travel from.   Mrs. Pschirrer advised the Town added 3-or-4 signs in that area in the last three years.  She pointed out there is a virtual conference coming up on May 6^th, 2021, that will cover a lot about Class VI roads.  She would like to wait to find out more about what one can do on Class VI roads and OHRVs.  There was a consensus of the Selectboard to table this signage request for Whipple Hill Road from Jody Spivey. 

Central Plating Brownfields Project Update:  Mrs. Pschirrer reported the tree came down but left a huge stump.  They discovered there is a wire fence that runs through the tree.  Some special saws and other equipment had to be purchased to take care of this. 

Pending Further Actions:

Tax Deeded Property Sale, Mill Pond Dam Inspection; Reservoir Dam:

There were no new up-dates for these pending agenda items.

NEW BUSINESS:

Vachon Clukay 2020 Audit Engagement Letter:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to authorize the Selectboard Chair, Cheryl Mayberry, to sign the Vachon Clukay 2020 Audit Engagement Letter.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

Donation Thank You Letter: The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the Donation Thank You letter from Camp Takodah YMCA.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:  Mr. Dalessio moved to recess this Selectboard meeting.  The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Pschirrer and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved at 7:00 PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:06 PM.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:  Mr. Dalessio moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (a) Personnel and (c) Reputations.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Pschirrer and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:46 PM.

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of April 15, 2021, will be sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberrry asked if there was any discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Town Hall Meeting Room:  Mr. Dalessio asked if Mrs. Pschirrer and Ms. Mayberry had given any consideration to beginning in-person meetings with restrictions in the Town Hall Meeting Room.  Mrs. Pschirrer explained the governor lifted the mask mandate effective tomorrow. The governor felt it was up to individual towns to decide if and/or when they would lift their mask mandates.  She does not feel they should lift the Walpole mask mandate in Town buildings effective tomorrow. There was a consensus to wait until May to make a decision on in-person meetings. 

The Selectboard discussed having a better sound system for in-person meetings.  Microphones have to be charged, checked and in good working order.  Everybody should be heard.  Mr. Dalessio suggested seven be set up permanently so each Board member has one.  Sound will be worked out before the next Planning Board meeting. 

Brownie Group:  Mr. Dalessio reported at the end of April the Brownie Group will not have a place to meet.  They asked if they could meet in the Town Hall every other Friday evening.  There are 10-to-12 children in the group. They have been unable to find another suitable meeting place.  There was a consensus to allow them to use the Town Hall temporarily. 

ADJOURNMENT:

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to adjourn this Selectboard meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  Ms. Mayberry asked if there was any additional discussion.  There was none.  On a voice roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, meeting adjourned at 8:03 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

Starting at 6:30 PM via Zoom and may be live-streamed on FACT-TV

SELECTBOARD MEETING

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE• Accounts Payable Check Register in the total amount of $98,188.17 for checks issued 4/23/21

PAYROLL• Payroll Register totaling $29,186.58 dated 4/23/21 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $5,601.93

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES• Selectboard Minutes – April 15, 2021• Non-Public Selectboard Session Minutes – April 15, 2021• Staff Meeting Minutes – April 15, 2021

COMMITTEE REPORTS• Library Trustees Meeting – April 13, 2021

PROPERTY TAX REFUNDS• Map and Lot# 012-067-000• Map and Lot# 003-007-002

PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENTS• Map and Lot#s 024-006-000, 024-009-000 and 024-039-000

VETERANS’ CREDIT• Map and Lot# 025-010-000

BUILDING PERMITS• 2021-17, Map and Lot# 020-032-000

OLD BUSINESS• Tax Pre-Payments Procedure

Pending Further Actions• Tax Deeded Property Sale, Mill Pond Dam Inspection, Reservoir Dam, Vilas Bridge, OHRV Signage Request for Whipple Hill Road, Houghton Brook Bridge

NEW BUSINESS• Purchase Order for new Police Vehicle• Purchase Order for new Pool Water Meter• TrueNorth Networks Email Quote• Recreation Revolving Fund Request• Cemetery Deed D511

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

**Any recording, audio or visual, and/or other devices must be declared at the beginning of the meeting**

Roll Call: Present were Board members Chair Jeff Miller, Vice-Chair Dennis Marcom, Clerk Jason Perron, Jeff Harrington, Joanna Andros, Bill Carmody, Select Board Representative Steve Dalessio and Alternate Trevor McLachlan.

Recording: Secretary Marilou Blaine. This meeting is being recorded. These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the April 2021 meeting for corrections, additions and/or omissions.

Meeting coming to order: Mr. Miller called the meeting to order at 7 pm.

Election of Officers: Mr. Dalessio made a motion to elect Chair Jeff Miller, Vice-Chair Dennis Marcom, Secretary or Clerk Jason Perron as officers for the year. The motion was seconded and approved by the entire Board.

Minutes: Mr. Marcom made three corrections to the minutes: On page 2, change “lot” to “house;” on page 4, change “once” to “ones;” add the following statement to the second sentence in the second paragraph on page 5, “Ms. Darrow said she would provide some suggestions for writing deed restrictions for stormwater management and erosion control.” Mr. Perron made a motion to approve the amended minutes. Mr. Marcom seconded the motion and the motion carried.

New Business

Public Hearing No. 1.

Site Plan: MDB Holdings LLC – Pinnacleview Equipment, 19 Pinnacle Lane, Map 12, Lot 11, Route 12,  Commercial District. Build 7,500 square-foot warehouse on southwest corner of property. Co-owner Mr. Snide represented MDB Holdings. 

Mr. Snide introduced himself and said Pinnacleview wanted to build a 7,500 square-foot warehouse on the property. Two views of the proposed warehouse were put on the display screen for the public to see. He said that two old storage trailers would be removed and the new building would be used for dry storage of equipment. The building will not have heat, will have LED motion-sensor lights inside, have outside lights for security and be vinyl-sided. The warehouse will be placed in the southwest corner of the property. 

Ms. Andros asked if there would be any paving. Mr. Snide said no, they would be using Sure Pack. Mr. Marcom said the property is near the well where the town gets its water. He asked if there would be any chance of any stored equipment affecting the well. Mr. Snide said no. All equipment repairs are done in the main building on Route 12. 

There being no further questions of the public or discussion by the board, Mr. Miller closed the public hearing. Mr. Perron made a motion to approve the project as presented. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Public Hearing: No.2

Site Plan: Change of Use. Main&Elm LLC, 8 Huntington Lane, Map 12, Lot  5, Commercial District. Chanoge from a chiropractor’s office to a chocolate factory. The business will be called LABurdick Granada dba Jovay Chocolate. Owners are Larry and Paula Burdick,

Daughter Marietta Burdick presented the chocolate factory proposal. She said the proposal was to build a chocolate factory at 8 Huntington Lane – that included all the steps for making chocolate and getting it to the public would be done at that facility. Some steps are: chocolate tempering and molding, chocolate storage, packing and shipping. There will be three employees: Larry, Paula and Marietta Burdick. The lot has six parking spaces in back of the building. There is no retail planned at this time. If, in the foreseeable future, the Burdicks do plan to sell chocolates from this location, they will have to return to the Planning Board for permission. 

Mr. Dalessio asked if they were going to hook up to the sewer line that goes to the Chamberlain facility. Ms. Burdick said they are using currently using the septic system and well on the property. Someone asked if there is anything in the process of making chocolate that would be detrimental to either system and should not be disposed of down the drain. Ms. Burdick said they are using use a grease trap.

There being no further questions or discussion from the public or Board, Mr. Miller closed the public hearing.  Mr. Marcom made a motion to approve the proposal as presented. Mr. Perron seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Old Business:

Public Hearing continued from January meeting.

Subdivision: Jay Landry subdivide two lots into four lots, Map 17, Lots 5 and 5-1, land between Old Keene Rd. and Wentworth Rd., Residential A. Mr. Joe DiBernardo was the surveyor on the project and presenter for Mr. Landry. He said all lots have the required 200 feet road frontage and 40,000 square feet in the Residential A district. 

The new lots would be:

​ Lot 5.1 – 2.19 acres with 200 feet road frontage on Wentworth Road; 

​ Lot 5-2 – 1.67 acres with 200 feet road frontage on Wentworth Road; 

​ Lot 5-3 – 1.15 acres with 200 feet road frontage on Wentworth Road;

​ and 5-4 – 6.22 acres with 203.61 feet road frontage on Old Keene Road and Wentworth Road.​ ​48.5 feet road frontage on Wentworth Road.

This application for this proposal for a subdivision is dated November 5, 2020 and it was first presented to the Board at the regular November meeting with a request that a public hearing be held in December. The December meeting was canceled because Governor Chris Sununu closed the states’ Town Halls to in-person meetings because of the increase in Covid cases. So the first public hearing on the property was held in January via zoom. Several abutters and other homeowners in the neighborhood stated that this project shouldn’t go forward because they were already greatly affected by stormwater runoff that regularly damaged their properties and that by adding an additional four homes to an area above them would only exacerbate the problem. In addition, water capacity was an issue. It was noted that a couple of wells in the area had gone dry within the last two years and that the farther up the hills of Wentworth and Old Keene Roads one went, the fewer gallons per minute of water were flowing from wells. The February continuation of the public meeting was canceled at the request of the applicant because Mr. Landry was seeking guidance from experts in the field on what was actually going on and how to possibly mitigate the problem. The March meeting included an extensive presentation by civil engineer Erin Darrow of Right Angle Engineering LLC who spoke about using swales and raingardens as mitigation tactics. Ms. Darrow was not at tonight’s meeting. 

Mr. Miller opened tonight’s discussion on this topic by asking if the public wanted to make any comments before the Planning Board began discussing a decision on the subdivision. Abutter Mr. Bob Anderson was the first to speak. He said although he’s lived in Walpole for several years, he is a new​ neighbor and would like to welcome the Landrys to the neighborhood. He suggested that if the homes being built have a deed restriction that the homes have a 15-foot peak that would mean that the construction would have to be one-floor structures.

Mr. Todd Neilsen, an abutter, resident and business owner in Walpole for 28 years, said he wanted to address comments made by Jay Landry at the March 9, 2021 meeting and that were in the March Planning Board minutes. Mr. Neilsen said that Mr. Landry said, and I quote, “It would be in our interest to have neighbors that consider preserving the land and keeping the land as is,” Mr. Neilsen said. “Keeping the land ‘as is’ will be impossible given Mr. Landry’s plans to split 5 acres of his 11.23 acres into three lots, two of which consist of dense forest. The fourth remaining lot is his personal 6.22-acre lot that is mainly cleared field. This lot is more similar in size to some nearby lots with newer houses while the remaining three proposed subdivided lots are much smaller and not in keeping with the lower Wentworth neighborhood. Two of the small lots are densely forested, which will require eliminating most of the trees so that each plot can have a house, garage, driveway, well and septic system, lawn etc. Cutting down many trees is certainly not quote ‘preserving the land and keeping the land as is,’ unquote, nor is adding 2 more plots and 4 more buildings to an undeveloped parcel.”

Abutter Jeff Colley spoke next. Mr. Colley and his wife, Beth, live on Old Keene Road and according to Mr. Colley, his property is in the path of the stormwater runoff from the one of the lots in the proposed subdivision, draining off the hillside. He said that stormwater runoff has flowed down his driveway damaging the garage floor. He has also had to make repairs to the uphill basement wall, which is subject to groundwater penetration. He said it seems that the town doesn’t have the manpower to keep the drainage ditch above his driveway free of obstructions,” he said. “The status quo is not working and this means that potential increases in runoff will only worsen the problems.”

“ We’re also concerned for the long-term well water capacity of the neighborhood. Drought conditions are increasingly routine and none of us wants to drill a new well, as my neighbor three doors down on Old Keene Road had to do last year because his dug well ran dry. My wife and I are not alone in holding these concerns.

“You have before you a petition and cover letter signed by a majority of the property abutters and other affected parties. All of us oppose the subdivision. We believe that increased stormwater runoff from the hillside would be a potential threat to property and four additional houses would, in time, overstress local well capacity. The cover letter included with the petition is of note because it places the applicant’s submitted documents along side the town’s Master Plan and the land Subdivision Control Regulations. As you will have read, there are omissions in the applicant’s responses, which creates doubt that the Board has sufficient information to make a fully informed decision about the proposal. Because of the concerns regarding the potential for increase stormwater damage, the potential for long-term impacts on local well water capacity and an insufficient application from the applicant, we encourage the Board to not approve the proposed subdivision.”

Mr. Miller asked Mr. Landry if he wanted to comment. Mr. Landry said that Mr. Neilsen took his words, which may have been paraphrased, out of context. At the time that I was speaking about it “as is,” I was speaking about that to all the abutters. But there is a pathway to keep the land “as is.” It’s simply, let’s talk and perhaps there’s a way to purchase the lots and keep them in that way. That is not my plan, but that pathway exists.”

Cynthia Reeves is also an abutter. Her concerns brought up in previous meetings were about water usage as well as water runoff but a primary concern for Ms. Reeves is preserving the water quality in the natural springs located at the top of their property on the eastern boundary. The Spring House is marked on the plan and this water feeds the cistern in the main house. How close can any new structure/leach field come to an active spring? How close are property lines next to the spring? What will be the immpact on aquifers?  

At this meeting Reeves said she was concerned how the raingardens, one of which is very near that area on her property, would affect the springs located at the top of the property. And, she said, there is potential and opportunity now for an easement around that area that would protect those springs. A third concern is if the drought conditions continue to exist and have its impact on the wells, we all have to anticipate and contemplate these conditions as a concept and collectively plan and accommodate to a drought. She suggested that the subdivision of property from two properties into four lots would not help with problem.

Cynthia Lytle lives in the neighborhood at 186 Wentworth Road. She said on Thanksgiving Day a few years ago her well went dry and they had no running water. Her concern was about well water capacity and having four houses on the two lots. 

Mr. Miller said the Board has had a lot of information presented and at this time Jhe’d like to hear a motion. Mr. Miller closed the public hearing.

Mr. Perron said that at the last meeting there was a discussion about changes to the plat. He asked Mr. Bernardo if he had come up with anything. Mr. DiBernardo suggested that the wording be “At the time of construction, the houses on this property should submit plans regarding stormwater management according to the suggestions of Right Angle Engineering LLC and recorded in the minutes.’’ Someone asked if he was talking about the swales and the raingardens. He said yes.

Mr. DiBernardo pointed to the plat that showed the location of swales and raingardens on all the lots, all except the 6-acre lot, although that lot would also have these features. He said it was not going to be exactly identical because we don’t know where the houses are going to be. But it’s the practice of this design that’s important. For example, and he pointed to the top of the plat on the property abutting Ms. Reeves’ property, this up here could be vertical. The swales drain into a basin and it should help matters. The basins have ¾ -inch stone at the bottom, then layers of compost, topsoil and clay, sand, permeable soil mixture and then plants for a garden go on top. The plants suck up and diffuses the water so it doesn’t form into a major channels coming off the hill. This is going to help matters. 

Mr. DiBernardo explained that once they go for a building application, the applicant is going to see this plat. And depending on where the septic and well are, they’re going to adhere to the regulations on the plat.

Mr. Marcom said that the abutters have so many unanswered questions. Mr. Marcom was wondering about the process. You don’t where the house is going up because it depends on the septic system and well. Mr. DiBernardo responded that the test pits are for the septic and that’s ruled by the state. It’s a standard submission. You don’t see that on the plat for lot 5-4 because that lot is more than 5 acres, but it will still be bound by the design on the plat. The process is that you submit the application showing the plans of the subdivision. You submit this showing the well, which must have a radius of 75 feet around it and be away a prescribed distance feet from the septic system. You must supply the test pit results, which  show access to water, ledge, and a perk test. All that goes to the state. Everything is contingent on state approval. Usually a subdivision engineer prepares a lot loading analysis. So a person putting a house on any one of these lots, its placement is contingent upon what’s on the plat? Mr. Marcom asked. The answer was yes.

Mr. Perron said he was hoping for something a little more solid about the restrictions rather than what are in the Planning Board minutes. Mr. Miller agreed that the plat illustrating the swales and raingarden should be part of the motion. 

Mr. Perron said our subdivision land controls talk about stormwater runoff in Section 4 and it says stormwater runoff created by the subdivision needs to be contained on the lot. But once the subdivision is done, there’s no coming back that you can’t have runoff go beyond that lot. But his point was that these swales could be moved because you don’t know where the house will be. My point is because of the things you don’t know yet, how can you be sure all the runoff will be contained on the lot. If they change, these locations change so then where are the teeth in this regulation that runoff must be contained on the lot? 

Mr. Miller said he thought the teeth were in the subdivision regulations regarding the standard minimum lot size and the minimum frontage that has to be met. The applicant has done a lot to try to minimize water problems, he added. The Board has letters about water amounts. It’s everywhere up and down Wentworth Road and it’s a tough situation like it is right now but at least the applicant tried. Mr. Miller cited a letter written by Michael Rau, the road agent and highway director. Mr. Rau wrote in an email, “I have reviewed the site and in my opinion the stormwater runoff should not directly affect any abutter if the water is allowed to continued to flow in its natural state. The property owner should not increase or concentrate the quantity of surface water on to any abutters property.” This letter is part of the record.

Mr. Marcom asked about the permit process to allow for deed restrictions. What has to be in a deed restriction to say a subdivision has to abide for stormwater control, based on the ordinance and right now the ordinance says that runoff must be contained on the property? Mr. Perron asked Mr. Dalessio if he was saying the Board should add that? Dalessio said he thought the Board should add whatever they thought should be in the deed restriction. You could even put things about wells. Mr. Dalessio said he expected the applicants to come to the meeting tonight with a written proposal suggesting deed restrictions and he was disappointed they didn’t come to the Board with something. What you want in the subdivision has to fully comply with our subdivision regulations. The Board should have that in front of them. The deed restrictions should be written out so the Board can look at them and digest whether they wanted to add more ideas and that would give the abutters more security.

Ms. Andros asked if that means if we don’t have it, the Board can’t make a decision.

Mr. DiBernardo said that the version that was read has to be on the Mylar and has to be followed. It must be in the deed. Mr. Dalessio said the Board didn’t get a copy of any of this ahead of time and it would have given them time to decide whether or not the Board wanted to add to it. Mr. Perron said right now we have this design, but depending on where the house is, it may not be practical to say you can have that raingarden there. Mr. Marcom said that wasn’t what he heard. It may not be in that spot but it will be somewhere on the lot.  

If you say it has to conform to what’s printed, then every house has to conform to that print, Mr. Dalessio said. You say according to the plat and I think the applicant has to come back to the Planning Board if its a new location. It must be put on the deed. Is there a deed restriction. You have to go back to the planning board.   

Mr. Miller said that the Board already has them with this design. Not knowing where the house is going to be, it may not be in that spot.

Mr. Dalessio said that all the houses have to meet those deed restrictions. According to this, you have to come back after the new location of the house, get a building permit, look at the deed restrictions and go back to the Planning Board. Mr. Miller said we don’t have the expertise to make that decisions. 

As far as the well, Jason, I don’t have concern about well or septic because that’s decided by the state. Actually, it’s only the septic system that’s approved by the state, it is not the well. But Mr. Marcom pointed out that according to the letters from Cushing and Sons and the Colleys’ letter you are pretty well assured that if you get 2 gallons of water a minute at a depth of 280 feet, you have guaranteed 600 gallons of water. There’s this chart. The Department of Environmental Services deal with that.  

Perron thought that septic and water were fairly well addressed. 

Mr. Perron asked Mr. DiBernardo to reread what he said. “At the time of construction, the houses on this property should submit plans regarding stormwater management according to the suggestions of Right Angle Engineering LLC and recorded in the minutes.’’ 

Mr. Dalessio said that the restrictions should be approved according to the design and not by the Planning Board minutes, and by the date on the plat, March 5, 2021. It’s every specific. You must meet those requirements on the Deed Restriction.

Mr. DiBernardo further tweaked it to say “At the time applicants submit an application for a building permit, they shall have an engineering design that conforms to the plan by Right Angle Engineering LLC for stormwater management and sediment and erosion control practice dated March 5, 2021. Mr. Dalessio said he liked the last one better because it indicates you have to meet those designs. It’s a matter of checks and balances. It’s got to be obvious.

Ms. Colley mentioned that at the meeting Ms. Darrow mentioned at the March meeting that a swale on the Landry property across from their house would help the runoff on Old Keene Road. Mr. Dalessio confirmed what Ms. Colley said and read from the minutes, “Ms. Darrow said that maybe they could do a bioswale, just a basin, that would be inexpensive and help between the two drainage area. It would be relatively ease, she said.” Mrs. Colley requested that this be considered when building begins. Mr. Landry said at this point he didn’t know where the house is going to be but it would “definitely” be something we would consider. 

Mr. Marcom said the Ms. Darrow is a certified civil engineer and soil erosion is her profession. He said he’d been working with engineers for 40 years and it’s been his experience that they ask for more than is required. He believed that with these swales and raingardens in place, the water problems are going to decrease and the neighborhood is going to be better off. Mr. Perron was making a motion to approve the subdivision with the additional restrictions  He then asked the secretary to read back the language Mr. DiBernardo used. The secretary, with Mr. Di Bernardo’s help said  “At the time applicants submit an application for a building permit, they shall have an engineering design that conforms to the plan by Right Angle Engineering LLC for stormwater management and sediment and erosion control practices dated March 5, 2021. And Mr. Miller added that the design for swales and raingardens should be submitted for each lot. 

So Mr. Perron made a motion to approve the subdivision with the additional restrictions. The final version reads “that at the time an applicant submit an application for a building permit, he/she shall have an engineering design that conforms to the plan by Right Angle Engineering LLC for the stormwater management and sediment and erosion control practices defined in the document dated March 5, 2021. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion. Mr. Miller asked Mr. Dalessio if he was okay with the verbiage. He said yes. The motion was voted on and passed 5 yeas and 1 nae.

Mr. Marcom said the reason he voted for it was because he thought an abutter has rights but an applicant also has rights too if he meets zoning requirements for our town. He thought it was a hard and fast fact and we need to recognize the good faith and also the effort here that have convinced me that the abutter will probably be better and not worse off. That’s the reason he voted for it, Mr. Marcom said. 

Mr. DiBernardo said the Mylar needs to be fixed and he’ll get it to the Board to be signed later. 

Dunkin’, Site Plan, Map 12, Lot 56, Commercial District, Main Street, Route 12: Jim Clifford represented Dunkin’ Donuts. Request for a public hearing.

Mr. Clifford said his company operates Dunkin’ Donuts in Jiffy Mart. Since the site is doing well enough to stand on its own, the company wants to move it out of the gas station to its own location. The company NGP Management, headquartered in North Reading, MA, has a sales agreement with the owners of the property, Map 12, Lot 56 to buy the 9-acre parcel of land adjacent to and south of Shaw’s and the Savings Bank of Walpole buildings.

The initial phase is to building a 5,000 square-foot building with 2,000 square feet being used or the Dunkin’ Donuts site and 3,000 square for another retail site that will be for one or two businesses. In the future, the company may be proposing another retail space of up to a 5,000 square-foot building for retail if the initial phase is a success. But if that were to happen, the company would come back to the Planning Board. Dunkin’ went to the state for a curb cut on Route 12 and it is as far away from the entrance from North Meadow Plaza as possible. There will be parking in front of the building and the company is also thing about a curb cut on Upper Walpole Road to allow people from the baseball park access to Dunkin’. That would eliminate for some cars having to go on Route 12 at all.

Phase 2 would be solar array that would take up 51/2 to 6 acres of the parcel of land. According to Ned Reynolds or Revision Energy, spokesman for the solar array, it would provide the power Dunkin’ needed, is low-impact on the area and could probably supply enough energy to provide electricity to 200 homes. The solar piece of the site plan will stand alone and probably be introduced at the May meeting. Since the electricity was more than would be needed at the Dunkin’ building, there was some question on the definition of net-metering and on taxing on solar arrays. The Walpole ordinance does not allow taxing solar project. Mr. Clifford promised landscaping that would spill over onto the solar array. 

He also said the landscaping around the property would make it look nice. The company prides itself on the landscaping of stand-alone Dunkin’  properties. Several people in the audience mentioned certain Dunkin’ properties that they thought were nicely done. Mr. Clifford mentioned one in Newport that was in an old mill that the company refurbished. 

The company has a lease on the property at the Jiffy Mart until the spring of 2023 so that the building on the lot on Route 12 will not probably open until that date. At this time, he was requesting a hearing for next month. Mr. Marcom made a motion to hold a public hearing for Dunkin’ Donuts in May. Mr. Perron seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Mr. Perron made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded and approved by the rest of the Board.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine

WPB Secretary

Posted: Inside the Town Hall and on the bulletin board outside the Post Office, The Walpolean, www. Walpolenh.us

Copies: WPB, ZBA, Town Offices.

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Next meeting Tuesday, May 11, 2021.