Mayor Pete Buttigieg is coming to Walpole School on Sunday, Nov. 10th at 2:30 (doors open)? He goes on at 3:00.
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Speaker Cancelled – 11/8/19
WALPOLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
THE SPEAKER EVENT SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, AT 7 PM IN THE
WALPOLE TOWN HALL HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
DUE TO UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THE KEN SHELDON( AKA FRED MARPLE) PROGRAM
HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING.
THIS WILL BE RESCHEDULED AT A LATER DATE
Broadband Committee Public Informational Meeting – 10/30/19
Committee Members Present:
Paul Looney (Chair), Bob Anderson, Dennis Marcom, Steve Grenier, Dick Hill, Rod Bouchard
Selectboard Representative: Peggy Pschirrer
CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Looney called this Broadband Committee Public Informational Meeting to order at 6:30 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.
Mrs. Pschirrer thanked everybody for coming. They are present to talk about Broadband services in Walpole. Mr. Looney came to the Selectboard about three years ago and urged them to do something. At that time they talked about it because they knew it was needed but the State had passed SB 170 that is now RSA 33 which allows towns to Bond for getting Broadband services. That is when she called Mr. Looney and said the Selectboard was ready and asked if he would be willing to be on a committee. This committee has been working since May. They are all interested in having better service. They need to know how many poorly served properties there are in Town. This is an Informational Meeting but in the future there will be a Public Hearing as that will be necessary before the Annual Town Meeting vote.
Mr. Looney talked about the definition of Broadband. About 58% of Cheshire County does not have Broadband service. A map was displayed indicating properties in Town that are “Underserved – (1729)” and “Served – (271)”. Providers will not get to all the homes in Walpole. Trees and hills are issues that make it difficult. Walpole is just one of approximately 20 towns in NH now looking at bonding for the broadband process. Other towns provided information to Walpole that helped them get started. If you do not have good internet service at your home you might have trouble selling it regardless of the dollar value. A better internet service will improve economic development for small businesses. There is some thought it will help children in school and people who are homebound. It will improve the reliability of the network in Town. Copper wiring is susceptible to problems they have had with some providers.
The first part of this process was to contact providers and request information – Comcast and Consolidated were contacted in August. In early October the Selectboard voted to send Request For Proposals (RFPs) to seven (7) vendors. They are to be back on November 7th.
Mr. Looney explained how Chesterfield decided to proceed. They will do a Bond for $2,000,000 and Consolidated will put in $2,500,000. The Bond will be paid by Consolidated not the Town. There is no cost to the taxpayer but there will be fees paid to the provider for the service. In Chesterfield the user will pay $10/month surcharge to their provider to help pay for the Bond. Mrs. Pschirrer mentioned the Consolidated contract with Dublin raised their monthly fee to $11.50. Mr. Looney advised Walpole may or may not go with Consolidated as they are waiting for the RFPs to come in.
A resident on Stevens Lane asked about the installation fee to a user’s house. Mr. Grenier explained it is covered from the telephone pole (their phone line) on the main road up to the first 150-feet. An underground service user will have to pay extra. This is what Chesterfield negotiated.
Several residents in attendance raised questions on paying the Bond, monthly surcharges, infrastructure ownership, completion of agreement, etc. Mr. Grenier explained this is just what Chesterfield negotiated. We will not know the exact terms of the contract until after the RFPs have been reviewed. Walpole will have an opportunity to negotiate after a decision is made on their provider. Mr. Looney said they need to be assured this will not go away. What will happen if the company goes bankrupt or is sold? Mr. Bouchard noted contractual issues will need to be worked out.
Mr. Grenier explained this is a municipal Bond that does not effect a town’s ability to bond for capital expense items.
Mr. Looney talked about the public benefit. Mr. Bouchard talked about the economic benefits. We have to demonstrate there is a public benefit to apply for the $2,000,000 Bond. There was a study of house sales done between 2014 and 2018 across the United States. They were able to quantify a value of houses with Broadband Speed Available as follows: Less than 25Mbps (1148 locations) at 2.50% – Total Property Value Change $6,928,581; 25 to 50 Mbps (581 locations) at 0.6% – Total Property Value Change $8,629,930; 50 Mbps up to 100 (271 locations) at 0.6% – Total Property Value Change $9,740,418; and 100 Mbps and higher (54 locations) were not applicable. This has a significant value change on properties. Looking at City Data.com these estimates are based on a Median home Value of $241,414.42 in Walpole and North Walpole. If they have a provider who will provide high speed internet across the Town the public benefit of that is about $6,900.00. This is all information based on what they received from Consolidated Communications. Comcast did not respond. They estimated that 72% of the homes in Walpole have an internet speed of 50 Mbps. Only 560 households in Walpole would see a benefit from a higher speed. They are feeling comfortable with the public benefit.
Mr. Dalessio asked if it is the selling value of the homes rather than the assessed value. Mr. Looney replied they will do a calculation to justify the value for the Bond. Mr. Bouchard said this is becoming more important.
Mr. Looney said if all goes well they will evaluate the proposals and come back to talk to the Selectboard. Ultimately in March there is the Town Meeting. They have a lot of work to be done with the Bonding. The cost is covered within the Bond itself.
All of Chesterfield will have fiber-optic. They started doing this project in July. The population in Chesterfield is comparable with Walpole. Mrs. Pschirrer reported that Chesterfield has 90 miles of road while Walpole has 70 miles of road.
Kit Bowry asked who owns the poles. Mrs. Pschirrer replied it is Consolidated; formerly FairPoint. Mr. Marcom said Consolidated would be involved in the proposal but they may not take advantage of that.
Mrs. Pschirrer advised the Committee sent a request for an RFP for fiber-optic to seven companies: ARGENT Cable; Otelco (in Maine – they have responded that they cannot help Walpole as they are already too busy); Consolidated; Comcast; WiFi; Matrix; and First Light. The Selectboard spoke to Senator Jay Kahn about companies who have not responded. Specifically it is Comcast. He has now introduced RSA 33 this session. It states that anyone who is asked for information that is required should respond within two months. At this time there is no penalty for not responding.
The Surveys “Internet Usage” were available and distributed at this meeting. They are on the Town’s web-site. Kit Bowry asked how she is supposed to respond to the Survey when she does not get any internet service. There is no space for a reply. Mr. Marcom advised on the first page under comments she can note she does not have any service.
Mr. Francis advised that DSL is available at certain junctions. That is the case on Ramsay Hill Road. Mr. Bouchard said Rural Broadband is that some people have it and some do not.
Mr. Ryan Barnes asked if 20 towns are going to string out this process. Mr. Hill advised that Chesterfield was the first and after that everybody wanted to do the same thing. Walpole is trying to move as quickly as they can. Westmoreland and Dublin are ahead of Walpole. A problem is the financing. We are now allowed to have a non-taxable Bond.
Mr. Anderson read the Summary page of Walpole Broadband Advisory Committee’s “Making Walpole a Connected Community” as presented to the Walpole Selectboard in October 2019. There is nothing that says Walpole will get all fiber as it might be a blend. We will hope for fiber. Vendors will tell us what they are willing to do. We have shown a public benefit that it will pay for more expensive options.
• Plan provides Broadband Internet to underserved in Walpole;
• High Speed – True Broadband Speeds
(25 Mbps Down 3 Mbps Up)
• High Reliability;
• Estimated Bond of $2.0M for 20 years;
Bond payments paid & guaranteed by Provider;
NO TAXPAYER MONEY – NO TAX INCREASE;
Bond paid for by Infrastructure Fee: $10 max/month;
BOND PAID OFF BY VENDORS.
We will try to protect ourselves with the contract. Keep in mind that all the towns have to go before their voters in March. Mrs. Pschirrer stated there will have to be a Public Hearing on the Bond.
Mr. Barnes pointed out that from the turn-out at this meeting is there something he can do to get the word out. Mrs. Pschirrer felt they will have to hand-out flyers at the Post Office and the Recycling Center.
Broadband Committee Meetings: Mr. Looney advised that Broadband Committee meetings are held every Wednesday at 6:30 pm at the Town Hall. After the RFPs are received the members will review them and then make a recommendation to the Selectboard. Meeting Minutes are on the web-site. They appreciate the Clarion space. This meeting was posted on the Walpoleon.
They appreciate everybody coming to this meeting. A resident thanked the Broadband Committee for all their work.
There were approximately sixteen people in attendance.
ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Looney adjourned this Informational Meeting at 7:35 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary
Joint Meeting – 11/7/10
The Walpole Selectboard is hosting a
Joint Meeting with the Rockingham Selectboard
Thursday, November 7, 2019 at 6:30pm
Town Hall, 1st Floor Meeting Room
The public is invited to attend.
Conservation Commission Agenda – 11/4/19
Location and Time: Walpole Town Hall, Downstairs Office at 7:30 PM.
1. CALL TO ORDER.
2. SEATING OF ALTERNATES.
3. REVIEW and APPROVE MINUTES – October 7, 2019.
4. PUBLIC BUSINESS:
Report from Chair:
A. Treasury Report.
B. Correspondence.
5. NEW BUSINESS:
A. Alex Barrett – Long View Forest.
B. Barry 4-H Conservation Camp.
6. OLD BUSINESS:
A. Pollinator Garden at The Walpole Gateway.
B. Harold Putnam Memorial.
C. WCC Easement Property List.
D. Town website.
E. Reservoir Dam Work – Update.
F. Mill Pond Trail Work.
G. Membership.
7. OTHER BUSINESS:
8. ADJOURNMENT
Conservation Commission Meeting Minutes – 10/7/19
Members Present: Laura Hayes, Lewis Shelley, Alicia Flammia (Chair), France Menk, Steven Dumont (Recording Secretary), John Peska (Vice Chair), Jackie Kensen
Alternates Present: Elaine Heleen, Peter Palmiotto
Members Absent: Kelli Wilson, Gary Speed, Myra Mansouri
Others Present: Peggy Pschirrer (Selectboard Representative), Connie Burns, Paula Burdick, Jeff Littleton (Moosewood Ecological)
Call to Order: Alicia called the meeting to order at 7:31 PM.
Seating of Alternates: none required.
Lew mentioned that in the previous minutes, Old Business, item 4. Town Roads, Michael Nerrie installed the gate with Lew helping. Lew voted to approve the minutes as amended. Laura seconded. All in favor.
Public Business:
1. Treasury: Alicia does not have the account balances.
2. Correspondence:
a. Cheshire County Conservation District Annual Meeting – October 29th. Tom Beaudry is being honored.
New Business:
1. Easement Property List: Alicia asked if anyone would like to dig into the files and the spreadsheet to see what easements are under the responsibility of the WCC for monitoring and or reporting. No one was interested. Decided to wait until next month.
2. Second Mill Pond Trail Work Day: discussed the need for removing the downed tree and some additional treadwork on the upper part of the trail. Lew is very busy but he will try to get out when he can to at least remove the tree. Peter mentioned he can help. France also offered assistance.
3. Walker Road Property: Jeffry Littleton from Moosewood Ecological was in attendance to discuss the idea of a pollinator garden at the Walker Road property. Jeff wanted to meet with the WCC to discuss priorities, answer and ask questions, and discuss the process before he provided a proposal. You can seed or plant an area, depending on the look you are trying to achieve. Alicia discussed the layout and soils of the property, and the three separate fields. Jeff would first go do a site visit to see the layout and examine the existing plants, review the solar layout, etc. Jeff can use a standard seed mix or provide a custom seed mix depending on the wants/needs of the commission. He suggests using a standard mix. There is also the process of preparing the site. This can be done with chemicals or done organically. The organic route usually takes a season for the site prep alone. Peter mentioned that we would most certainly use the organic route. Jeff would do a soil analysis to help him determine the mix. He also recommends a shrub border around the exterior of the fields. Lew asked about the Surry project and if the path was installed before the field plantings or the other way around. Jeff mentioned the path was laid out before and he planted around it. Jeff discussed the maintenance requirements, specifically watering. If you install “plugs” you get immediate results but the watering requirements are more frequent. Moosewood can contract to do watering/maintenance or the WCC could do it. Jeff mentioned that fall seeding is the best. There would need to be a full season of plowing and site prepping before the seeding. If we went with plantings, that could take place in June or July of next year, after site prepping. If we are to go with Jeff and his company, he would need a vote and approval to proceed with a planting plan. The site assessment and planting plan would be around $2,000 – $2,500. After, depending on the mix, the plantings and the scope the actual planting, costs are variable. The site also needs to be prepped. Jeff prefers to work with a local farmer or worker to prep the site. A budget from the WCC is also needed. For plantings, Jeff needs to place an order by December of this year. Peter asked for Jeff to send him a copy of what a planting plan looks like. Jeff will send a copy of a plan. Jeff mentioned that seeded fields do not need watering, only natural watering. It also does not need any mowing, just need to keep watch for woody plants growing in. For this year, Jeff needs a contract to spend up to $2,500 for a planting plan. The actual site work would begin next year. Alicia asked if anyone would like to pass a motion to get Jeff started. There was no motion. The WCC asked for more information, including a sample planting plan, and would like to discuss further. Jeff will send and Alicia will share with the WCC ahead of the next meeting,
Old Business:
1. Harold Putnam Memorial: Lew presented the following verbiage to the family; “In honor of Harold S. Putnam and his vision for conservation in the town of Walpole” or “In honor of Harold S. Putnam and his vision of conservation for the town of Walpole”. Both have been discussed with the family. The cost of the bench is $445. The lettering is $569.25 and the installation/delivery is $598 for a total of $1,612.25. If we accept soon, the bench could be installed within the next month. Jackie made a motion to fund the full amount of the bench, in the amount of $1,612.25. John seconded. All in favor. The final location of the bench needs to be determined. Lew will also discuss the location with the Hooper Institute.
2. Town Website: Kelli is not in attendance. France reached out to Sarah Downing.
3. Reservoir Dam Work Update: John spoke with Ben Northcutt from Fuzzy Brothers for an estimate on the three options for the culvert. He is still working on it. There may be a discount if he buys through the state. John also noted that Brian Vincent is no longer employed with Fuss & O’Neill, and he has been our contact person. John and the town need to setup a meeting with the new representative from them. John also let Ben know that we will not have a lot of funds for the project since it is coming from the Forestry account of the WCC and not any specific town funds. John believes he will have estimates within the next few weeks. He will send them out ahead of time if they come in.
4. Membership: waiting for word on Duncan’s membership.
Other Business:
1. Tools: Lew bought tools for trailwork, specifically loppers. The amount was $43.98. John made a motion to reimburse him and Jackie seconded. All in favor.
2. Kiosk at Walker Road: The posts are in. The question was asked if we settled on a name. Steven noted that on July 1 we discussed “The Walpole Gateway” but we did not come up with a final decision. After discussion, it was decided to be “The Walpole Gateway”. Lew then asked if he could incorporate a piece of curved live edge cherry for the name. The consensus was yes. Lew also asked about the lexan panel on the face. Lew will install a sliding panel that can lock in place.
3. Steven mentioned that he would like to step down as the recording secretary, but would still like to be on the commission as a member. Steven will email Sarah to let her know. He will remain on until a replacement is found.
Adjournment: At 9:02 John made a motion to adjourn the meeting. France seconded. Meeting adjourned.
Next Meeting: Monday, November 4, 2019 at 7:30 PM.
Respectfully submitted; Steven Dumont, Recording Secretary
Note: These are unapproved minutes. Corrections, if any, will be found in the minutes of November 4, 2019.
A Reminder
Just a reminder that the hydrants will be flushed on the 6th and the 7th. Be sure to get your laundry done before then. Really messes up the white load! – Lil
Planning Board Agenda – 11/12/19
WALPOLE PLANNING BOARD AGENDA
TOWN HALL
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
7 pm
Roll Call – Appointment of alternates if needed.
Minutes – Review minutes of the October meeting and workshop meeting.
Old Business:
Public Hearing No. 1.
Boundary Line Adjustment for Caribou Realty LLC, Trustee of the Aloysisus Hollingsworth Trust, Old Keene Road. Tax Map 18, Lot 19. Lot 18 Griffin Sivret and Andrea-Vickers Sivret, Residential B. Lot 19 is taking .21 acres from a strip of land from the boundary, 331 square feet from an easement and .01 acres to be annexed near the road from Lot 18.
Public Hearing No. 2.
Greg Gay, Site Plan for Office Building. Greg Gay proposes a 30-by-70-foot-office building at 8 Len-Tex Lane, North Walpole, Map 27, Lot 8-1, Industrial district. The building will have six offices, a bathroom and room for inventory. Postponed until December.
Subdivision: Laura Madden. Public Hearing in December. Joe DiBernardo should have application and plat at this meeting.
Vote on final draft of Rules of Procedure.
New Business:
Site Plan – Mable LLC – Chad Thurston, Griffin Construction, Former American Legion building, 73 Main St., Map 20, Lot 52, Commercial District, Second Floor Renovations – two apartments on second floor and some plumbing and heating changes on the first floor. Request for a Public Hearing.
Next meeting: Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Minority Report from Withdrawal Committee
The following 29 page report has been forwarded to the State Department on Education to describe the position of those who voted against the recommendation for withdrawal that was posted here last week. By doing screenshots of the PDFs I was able to include the charts. A lot to digest but by presenting both sides, Walpole voters should be better prepared when it comes time to vote. Thank you William Stahl. – Lil
The Walpolean 
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