The Walpolean

Call to order by Albert St.Pierre, 5:35 pm.

 

Approval of Minutes made by Mr. Stahl, seconded by Mr. Beam.   All in favor.  Abstain by Mrs. Henry and Mr. Emig.

[noting that a future discussion of paragraph regarding 195:25 be had, noting the specifics of 195:25 wording for clarification]

 

Report from Subcommittees

 

1  Methods of financing a single district and Methods of financing Co-op from withdrawal perspective.  Mr. Beam, Mr. Dustin (Mr. G. St.Pierre sitting in), Mr. Levesque

This committee met twice during the previous two weeks.   The findings of these two meetings was presented by Mr. Beam.  The committee looked at how to develop budgets for the withdrawal and discussed what processes they will use to determine the budgets, while keeping it simple.  A lot of discussion regarding process, timelines (critical to this group), and the process to use for determining costs were discussed in committee. It was determined that three budgets will be created.  

Gabriel St. Pierre has been asked to be an additional member of this finance committee, and he has accepted that position.  

 

A second meeting was held with Mr. Fenn.  Mr. Levesque and Mr. Beam attended to present the idea of three separate budgets to Mr. Fenn, and to determine the difficulty in completing this task.   The finance committee has tasked themselves with having the Charlestown template in place — and for it to include items in the current budget that can easily be migrated over (wages and such) at their next subcommittee meeting.   The 2020 budget will be used as the comparative for development of the Charlestown budget.  The current available data by current district and town vendors will be used.  The committee plans to meet every other week, on the off week, and will be presenting updates on the templates at each meeting.  It is noted that the finance committee discussed that the FM Teachers Association and support staff should be invited to the committee meeting — for transparency as well as to hear their concerns for the path forward.  The four town and high school budget will be the hardest, and require the most work due to use of ADM.  

 

Mrs. Henry has asked to be a part of this committee as she currently builds budget for a single town district, as well as for FM, and has experience that she feels will be valuable.   This is acceptable to the current committee.  Mrs. Henry is now part of this and the Disposition committee.

 

Mr. Beam asked for any questions, comments, recommendations?  

 

2  Education impact of Charlestown and impact of Co-op comprised of four remaining towns. (Impact from school and SAU perspective.  Including if Charlestown does not tuition in.)  Ms. Vogel, Mr. Stahl, Mr. Emig

 

3  Disposition of buildings.  SAU assets and liabilities.  Mr. Bushway, Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Henry

 

 

Mr. Stahl noted that per Mr. O’Shaughnessy, the RSA 195:25 wording of feasibility and suitability no longer exists in the RSA.  However, Mr. Stahl notes that it is in the first sentence of the RSA.   Mr. Stahl notes that in part II, this committee has to submit a report to the Co-op School Board whether the withdrawal is recommended, not recommended, or more time is needed.  In part III the committee shall develop a plan and submit to the State Board by 11/1 if recommending withdrawal.  Mr. Stahl  asked for clarification, Do we need a plan in place or just a recommendation by 11/1?  

Mr. Spilsbury, Charlestown, noted that feasibility and suitability is in the first paragraph of 195:25.  Paragraph III states that in the event that withdrawal is recommended by the committee, a plan must be filed with the State Board of Education by 11/1.  However, if not recommending withdrawal, a report must be filed with the school board.  Only in the case of recommending withdrawal does a plan need to be filed.

 

Mr. Stahl asked if one lawyer is here, should advance notice be made?  Mr. Stahl wondered if school attorney should be here?  Mr. A St.Pierre noted that Mr. O’Shaughnessy came because it was the Charlestown presentation and he was here to reinforce the information that he has provided to the Charlestown School Research Committee.

 

Mrs. Henry commented that the plan is going to take a lot of time and the committee must focus on what the RSA is requiring be done.

 

Withdrawal plan preparation

Mr. A St Pierre was in contact with the State Board of Education, and was advised that we can be on the agenda for September.  They want to see the written plan by 8/29 for the September 12th meeting.   

 

Other Business  

 

Mr. Fenn is present to explain some concerns from the Charlestown Withdrawal Committee in their 5/29 presentation.  

 

Mr. St.Pierre asked for any other questions for Mr. Fenn?  Seeing none, thanked Mr. Fenn.

 

Mr. Beam would like to establish timelines for the whole committee in order to meet the August 29 deadline.  What do we need?  Noted in 195:26 —

 

Goal is for September 23 date to submit to Board of Education for presentation at the October 10, 2019 meeting of the State Board of Education.  

 

Subcommittees email plans to Mr. St.Pierre for June 26 meeting agenda.  

 

Motion made to adjourn made by Mr. Emig, seconded by Mr. Stahl.  All voted in the affirmative.  Meeting adjourned at 6:52 pm.

 

 

Respectfully submitted, 

Alissa Bascom

 

(Note:  These are unapproved Minutes. Corrections, if necessary, will be found in the Minutes of the June 26, 2019 meeting.)

 

“

The Library Book Sale is in need of about 20 4’x4′ pallets.    We will pick up.

Please call Paul Happ @ (603) 756-6553 or email phapp@yhpb.com.”

That is correct, another deadline date approaches – a week from this Friday on 21 June – thus giving you an additional day’s “heads-up” in case you have not yet thought about the July CLARION. Once school is out everyones’ focus shifts to other things, but if you have something to share with the community – past or present – now is the time to “set pen to paper” and get your submissions on Walpole events in for possible inclusion.

Article submission guidelines are available on the CLARION website at https://thewalpoleclarion.com – as are full advertising details. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at my address at the top of the right hand column on the website, or on this post.

Thank you, yours, RAY – Publisher

Present: Albert St.Pierre; Scott Bushway; Lucien Beam; Alan Dustin; Steven Dalessio; Joseph Levesque; William Stahl; Sarah Vogel

Mr. St.Pierre called the meeting to order at 5:38 PM

Motion to approve minutes of May 22, 2019 as presented made by Mr. Stahl, second Mr. Dustin. All voted in the affirmative.

Introduction of Patrick Adrian, reporter for the Eagle Times, Town of Charlestown attorney, Jim O’Shaugnessy from the firm of Drummond/Woodsum, and the Charlestown School Study committee members – Trina Dearborn, Scott Wade, Gabe St.Pierre, Terry Spilsbury, John Murray.

HISTORY. Mr. St.Pierre presented a brief history of the actions taken by the citizens of Charlestown regarding the formula and funding of the Fall Mountain School District.

● 1986 Charlestown called for a withdrawal study to be done, through Nathan and Rich. It was determined that Charlestown would be able to leave the five town cooperative at no additional cost. The four remaining towns voted down the proposal.

● 1987-88, an article was placed on the warrant to change the formula. Voted down at town meeting.

● 1998 TRACE study, resulted in Charlestown found to be overpaying.

● 2002 District wide vote to change formula.

● 2015 Charlestown motion to change to 50/50 formula to fund district. Districtwide, the resulting vote was 913 yes, 1970 no. 68% to 31%. However, Charlestown voted 805 yes, 294 no.

● 2019 Charlestown article to enact RSA 195:25. The vote was 71% yes in Charlestown.

WHERE WE ARE. Ms. Dearborn presented the findings of the Charlestown School Research Committee.

● Charlestown has the HIGHEST local taxes in the state.

● Property values are continuing to drop, while taxes increase.

● There is no grievance process for problems/concerns with funding a complex, multilayer charging formula.

● There is no district Budget Committee to be a check and balance to the School Board.

● Charlestown will pay 45.03% of the 2019-20 school year budget by ADM.

● 63.16% of taxes in Charlestown go directly to the school district.

WHERE WE WANT TO BE. Scott Wade presented the conclusion of the Charlestown School Study Committee. The people of Charlestown want:

● A simplified charging formula for costs in Charlestown.

● 5 member school board in Charlestown, for Charlestown.

● Charlestown voters to control costs for the education of Charlestown students.

● Continue to fund our own Pre-K to 8th Grade.

● Tuition our high school students to Fall Mountain.

Gabriel St.Pierre presented on the Inequities and Anomalies of the SAU 60 Budget.

● ADM (Average Daily Membership) is not a benchmark. The students at FMRHS are not tracked by town. There is a 36 child discrepancy in Charlestown between the published number in the 2019 Annual Report and the number of students that Charlestown is billed for at the high school level.

● There are fluctuations from 8 to 9th grade. In the 2016-17, Charlestown gained 2 students going from 8th grade to 9th grade. Walpole lost 6.6 students. Most costs are distributed by ADM, and if we can’t track our students, ADM is unreliable.

● Line items can be followed through the budget, and year after year, many do not get used. An example is Contract Services Student Testing. This budget item is distributed via Method 6, and is is budgeted for $25,000. Method 6 is based on ADM, of which Charlestown will pay approximately 45%. The actual amount used in 2017 is 0.00. In 2018, $25,000 was again budgeted. The reported actual amount spent for this line item in 2018, $0.00. $25,000 was placed in that line of the 2019 budget. The amount, unused, is simply put into surplus. The surplus amounts are then distributed back to the towns in a proportion that is unequal to the percentages paid in.

○ Scott Wade asked Mr. G. St.Pierre about where this $100,000 in unspent funds goes? Mr. G. St.Pierre has a graph showing how the unspent funds are redistributed to the towns. Charlestown pays about 48% of the budget, but only received 17.92% back when unspent funds are redistributed. 50% of unspent funds are attributed to the High School Capital Reserve Fund. The remaining 50% is redistributed to the towns as a percentage of the budget that the individual towns contribute, after the amount of State Aid is factored in.

● The SAU 60 actual budget as reported in the School District annual reports changes. For example, regarding fiscal year 2016, the reported actual budget in the 2017 annual report was $28,954,000. In 2018, the number reported for the 2016 actual was $29,354,570. In the 2019 Annual Report, the actual amount spent reported for 2016 was up to $29,457,554 .

● In 2010, the district entered into a 6 year bond. Between Fy 16 and FY 17, the bond was paid off. The $627,712 was no longer owed. What happened was that the 2018 budget increased by $993,966l, for a total of $31,205,365.00. When the bond payments ended, the budget absorbed that cost plus over $300,000. Mr. Dalessio clarified that even though the bond had ended, the $627,712 was rolled into the budget. Over the last three years, this amounts to $2,375,525 that the budget absorbed.

Terry Spilsbury presented a summary of the present atmosphere in Charlestown: (This is Mr. Spilsbury’s words, with his permission.)

“Good afternoon, folks. I’m often accused of speaking in a very soft voice, so I’m going to try to speak much more loudly than comes naturally. My name is Terry Spilsbury, I live in Charlestown. I’m an elected member of the town Finance Committee, and after the March vote when Charlestown voters supported this withdrawal study, Albert asked me to join our local committee. So this evening, I’ve been asked to pull together what I would call “closing arguments.”

Charlestown has been sending out dismay signals for decades, and we’ve been sending out SOS signals for the last decade, with no real help forthcoming. Everybody is aware that Charlestown consistently, year after year, comes up here to the deliberative session in force, protests loudly and sometimes succeeds in making adjustments.

Charlestown consistently votes down the school budget even while it supports its municipal budget, consistently is outvoted by the other four towns, and has made many prior calls for studies for reallocations and cost containment.

The result of all this is why I would characterize the mood of Charlestown voters and taxpayers as “very frustrated”. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to those of us on the inside that the support for mandating this withdrawal study was over 70%.

Real estate taxes are out of control. Charlestown’s municipal mill rate is second highest in the state, second only to Claremont — at 37.54 and going up, and I have no doubt it will go up again when it is reset this fall. That’s primarily driven by local education rate where we pay 23.71%, the highest in the state. There are 215 taxing municipalities in the state of NH. It is quite a claim to be #1. Not something to be proud of.

There are only a handful of municipalities in the state who pay over $20. At $23.71, no town in this district is even close: Langdon $17.30, Alstead at $15.04, Acworth is 13.19, Walpole is 13.18. Charlestown’s education rate is dramatically more than the other towns and escalating.

Trends are all in the wrong direction. The revaluations of 2011 killed us after the 2008/9 recession. The revaluation of 2016 made it worse, with no signs of recovery. And quite frankly, as a close watcher of the real estate market, I see no evidence at all that it is not going to be worse again when we do our next revaluation in 2021.

So the upshot is that we are in a death spiral. The mill rate goes up, property value goes down; this drives the mill rate up further and drives the property values down even further. It’s like a negative reinforcing echo chamber. The result, of course, is intense pressure on municipal budgets.

As somebody who came to the state a dozen years ago from Connecticut, I was really amazed when I got involved almost immediately in watching the town budget makers, the Select Board and the Finance Committee, pinch pennies, and I suspect, as fellow Granite Staters, you selectmen are pretty tight with budgets in your towns as well. But it can get excruciating. It’s been a decade more of tight discipline, cost containment, pretty much level funding at the municipal level, and massive accumulated deferred maintenance. Building needs which we have now estimated at over one million dollars; deferring any recommendation of a bond because we don’t know how we would fund it.

The buildings that include a 45 year old town pool that is falling apart, a Fire Department that is coming apart at the seams, a very beautiful and historic library that needs massive renovation to its mortar, and on and on. We have a building needs committee working out to try and figure out what to do and how to juggle that balancing act.

In our most recent budget we just approved, we included purchase of a police cruiser and a highway truck. But, a fire truck and an ambulance that were heavily promoted by their departments, I believe they came to practically every finance committee meeting, was ultimately voted down. The finance committee voted to recommend against approval, and when the Charlestown voters went to the poles on March 12, it was quite interesting set of dynamics. They approved the municipal budget, but voted down the school budget. They approved the other capital projects, but where the finance committee recommended against, they convincingly turned down a fire truck — a 29 1⁄2 year old vehicle is what we are working with and want to replace, and an ambulance that is 14 1⁄2 years old. So, in that same vote, they overwhelmingly approved the withdrawal study.

This is a very coherent set of messages. The voters and taxpayers are demonstrating that they are prudent and discerning and they are making value judgements. They have a sense of what they can afford and what they can’t afford. For the school costs and the real estate tax rates are literally killing our community. And I think everybody in these five towns sense that there is a difference going on in Charlestown. It’s causing us to defer and forgo necessary services. It’s forcing the property values down.

It’s a very sensitive issue, but I’m going to allude to it: I think it’s also very much influencing negative demographic trends relating to touchy topics such as poverty, transience and community spirit. So, this plea for help is about allowing Charlestown voters to make their own value judgements — to weigh their own choices and have that local control, self-determination, home rule. These are New Hampshire credos.

We think that if we can take control again, of our education expenses and incorporate them into the decision making of our select board and finance committee, we can find the right balance for ourselves given the constraints and given the commitment to education. The current system fundamentally stifles and prevents the vote of the Charlestown voters.

Slogging through the details of what’s wrong here is very tedious business, and Gabe is only trying to give some examples. I think everyone here realizes that there are literally dozens of problem areas. The inequities –things we can see and understand are inequitable. The anomalies — things that aren’t operating the way they were intended to. And the mysteries – things we just can’t even figure out. So, with that kind of cost allocation problem, opaque accounting, this intermediated decision making, all of these dynamics undermine the possibility of intelligent thoughtful evaluation. And they make sound decision making for the community virtually impossible.

Ultimately, the RSA’s withdrawal criteria are feasibility and suitability. Charlestown voters are clear in that they want to regain control of their own edification spending. If the terms of the withdrawal are spelled out clearly, and then Charlestown voters approve them, doesn’t this by definition, mean that they are feasible? Because Charlestown taxpayers in that case are saying that they are willing to shoulder the burden of taking care of their schools independently. It is suitable because that is what they prefer. Other towns may choose to stay in the district. But as their representatives, you must each realize that granting Charlestown the right to exit is exactly what preserves your town’s right to choose its own destiny. So no other town should act to block what one town has decided is in its best interest. Charlestown voters are very clear on that point.”

Mr. Dalessio asked if ADM applies to the elementary schools? Mr. A St.Pierre answered, Yes, K-12 total is how ADM is figured for use in the budget.

Mr. O’Shaughnessy clarified terminology and options for school districts, and clarified recent amendments to 195:25. Wording of “feasibility and suitability” no longer exist in the RSA. The process required of this committee is to study the current situation, and report the finding to the State Board of Education and the Co-operative District School Board. In those finding, the committee must determine that it is recommended, not recommended, or that the committee needs additional time. If the committee is recommending withdrawal, only then is a plan needed in accordance with 195:26. Upon completion of report, the committee must take the report to the Commissioner and Board of Education. The findings will be submitted in letter form. According to Mr. O’Shaughnessy, the Board will need a lot of lead time for their agenda. The question to ask is “When do I need to get this letter submitted to be on your September or October agenda?” Mr. A. St.Pierre will contact State Board of Education secretary and get this committee’s findings on their agenda.

Formation of Subcommittees: (Ms. Vogel will arrange for a smartboard to be present at each meeting.)

1 Methods of financing a single district and Methods of financing Co-op from withdrawal perspective. Mr. Beam, Mr. Dustin (Mr. G. St.Pierre sitting in), Mr. Levesque

2 Education impact of Charlestown and impact of Co-op comprised of four remaining towns. (Impact from school and SAU perspective. Including if Charlestown does not tuition in.) Ms. Vogel, Mr. Stahl, Mr. Emig

3 Disposition of buildings. SAU assets and liabilities. Mr. Bushway, Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Henry

The main Committee agrees to a schedule consisting of meetings on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month starting 6/12/19.

Motionto adjourn made by Mr. Beam, seconded by Mr. Dustin. All voted in the affirmative. Meeting adjourned 7:39 pm.

Respectfully submitted, Alissa Bascom

Withdrawal Committee, May 29, 2019

(Note: These are unapproved Minutes. Corrections, if necessary, will be found in the Minutes of the June 12, 2019 meeting.)

Yesterday morning, Peggy Pschirrer and Steve Dalessio traveled to Nashua, NH
in order to present for the 2019 EPA Grant Award Ceremony. The Town of
Walpole was awarded a $500,000 Clean Up Grant to remediate the former
Central Plating Brownfields Site that is located behind Joanie Joan’s Eatery
and which abuts several Walpole Foundation Properties and the Mascoma Bank
parking lot. More information will be forthcoming in the July edition of the
Walpole Clarion and Selectboard Minutes. Much thanks to Peggy Pschirrer for
leading this project which now enters another phase of work to be completed.

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

 

CALL TO ORDER:  Mr. Dalessio called this meeting of the Selectboard to order at 6:35 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.  He advised this meeting is being recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record.  There were three members of the public in attendance.

 

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

WENTWORTH ROAD POWER POLE WORK:  Ms. Suzanne Steisel of Wentworth Road was present to advise that yesterday a notice was left on her door by a tree company. They were going to cut tree branches in three days to make way for new utility poles.  The man said these poles will be half again as high as the poles that are there.  They are running a trunk line down Wentworth Road.  The old poles will be left there plus these taller poles.  The poles will destroy the whole look of rural Wentworth Road that is residential.  She does not think many other residents on Wentworth Road know about this happening including the Planning Board member she spoke to and the Selectboard Office.  Ms. Steisel displayed pictures on her lap top of the new poles on Route 5; it is what Wentworth Road will look like.  Mrs. Pschirrer said 30 poles have ribbons around them.  Mr. Dalessio felt they will transfer the wires to the new poles and then remove the old poles.  Ms. Mayberry explained different companies have different responsibilities on the poles; there is the phone company, utility company and other companies.  Everybody has to coordinate and do it piece-meal.  Ms. Steisel noted this is a rural road that will be destroyed.  It will look like an industrial area.  Mr. Dalessio felt they will be putting more on these higher poles; everybody is asking for broadband.  Walpole wants fiber-optic service.  Mrs. Pschirrer said Walpole has 37 miles that do not have internet access.  It is not being done on private land but rather in right-of-ways.  Ms. Steisel feels it will make property values less.  Mr. Dalessio said they will be doing this across the State; it is not localized.  Mrs. Pschirrer advised that unfortunately the Selectboard cannot do anything about this.  Ms. Steisel thought people would look more at the aesthetics; the poles will look terrible.  She asked why the Planning Board and Selectboard were not aware of this.  Mr. Dalessio replied it could be because by law/statute these companies do not have to notify them.  Mrs. Pschirrer mentioned that quite a few newer houses are being built on Wentworth Road.  This will require more poles. Mr. Dalessio summarized that people will be aware of these poles after they read the minutes of this meeting.              

 

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Accounts Payable Check Register in the amount of $86,815.02 for checks issued May 31, 2019.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

The above amount includes a payment of $31,313.00 for a new garage at the Highway Department.  This payment will be attributed to encumbered funds from last year.  

 

PAYROLL:

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Payroll Check Register for the week ending May 25, 2019, in the amount of $26,979.99 for checks issued May 31, 2019, and the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes in the amount of $5,214.67.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:

SELECTBOARD MINUTES – May 23, 2019:  There was a consensus of the Selectboard to hold approval of these minutes until the next meeting on June 6, 2019.

 

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – May 23, 2019:  There was a consensus of the Selectboard to hold approval of these minutes until the next meeting on June 6, 2019.

 

STAFF MEETING MINUTES – May 16, 2019:  There was a consensus of the Selectboard to hold approval of these minutes until the next meeting on June 6, 2019.

 

PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENTS:

MAP and LOT #022-013-000:  The Selectboard signed page 4 of this application as it was approved but not signed at the last Selectboard meeting.

 

MAP and LOT #003-059-000:  The Selectboard signed page 4 of this application as it was approved but not signed at the last Selectboard meeting.

 

BUILDING PERMITS:

EMMA and SCOTT KOBESKI, 1505 County Road, Map and Lot #003-034-006: Ms. Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit No. 2019-18 for Emma and Scott Kobeski to build a “48’ x 30.8’ Two Story Residential Home” at 1505 County Road.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved. 

 

MARK STEVENS and SIBLINGS, 363 Watkins Hill Road, Map and Lot #005-059-000:  Ms. Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit No. 2019-19 for Mark Stevens and Siblings to build a “56’ x 28’ Single Story Residential Home” at 363 Watkins Hill Road.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

SHELDON and JENN SCOTT, 676 County Road, Map and Lot #005-035-007:  Ms. Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit No. 2019-20 for Sheldon and Jenn Scott to build a “32’ x 8’ Farmers Porch” at 676 County Road.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

Water and Sewer Receipts to Date:  The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the Water and Sewer Receipts to Date report from Mrs. Jody Daigle.  Mr. Dalessio noted it appears to be in line with other quarters.  The due date for invoices is tomorrow.

 

Amendment to Settlement and Pilot Agreement:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the Amendment to the Settlement and PILOT Agreement on Great River Hydro.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

Town Hall 2nd Floor Replacement Window Warrant #6 Purchase Order:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve and sign the Purchase Order for the Town Hall 2nd Floor Replacement Windows as per Warrant Article #6.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

Mascoma Bank Loan Documents re: Police Vehicle:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the new Mascoma Bank loan documents for the Police vehicle.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

New Hampshire Emergency Notification System:  Mr. Dalessio spoke with Mr. Mark Houghton and they blocked out designated people for emergency contacts.  He will complete the document and hand it to Mrs. Downing for final submittal.  The Selectboard agreed that it is important to sign up for participating in this NH Emergency Notification System.  There is no charge.  

 

Tax Deeded Properties: Mr. Dalessio reported that for the first time in many years the Town took two properties for three years of unpaid property taxes.  The Selectboard is working with Attorney Hockensmith on the legal procedures to be taken to eventually sell these properties.     

 

NEW BUSINESS:

Posting of Weight Limits on Alstead Center Road: Mr. Chip Wood was present for a response from the Selectboard regarding the posted weight limit on the Alstead Center Road.  Mr. Dalessio explained there is no weight limit on the culvert.  The Alstead Center Road was not designed nor is it up to the highway standards. Therefore, it has a posted weight limit on it.  Agricultural machinery is exempt.  Mr. Dalessio apologized for not contacting Mr. Wood after his last visit with the Selectboard.  Mr. Wood said the road is posted for 20,000/tons.  He questioned if he would be exempt if he took concrete, gravel, rip-rap, etc. from one farm to another.  Mr. Dalessio felt they would have to check on this and let him know.  They need to find out what falls under the agricultural exclusion.  There was a discussion pertaining to other roads in Walpole; their standards and weight limits.  Mr. Wood does not want to be limited with a weight limit on trucks.  This road is in good shape so will last for 100 years.  Mr. Dalessio will ask the question about what design and highway standards the Alstead Center Road was built as.  Mr. Wood is looking for 80,000-to-90,000/tons.  About 80% of the time he uses the Drewsville Road as opposed to the Alstead Center Road.   Mr. Dalessio mentioned they are planning to put a counter across the road so they will know how many trucks go across that road in a day. Ms. Mayberry advised that RSA 231:190 and RSA 251:191 address posting of the roads.  She read portions of both RSAs.  Mr. Wood would like to meet with the Selectboard and Mr. Rau, as he feels that would be beneficial.  Mr. Dalessio will talk with Mr. Rau and he will respond to Mr. Wood in two weeks. Mr. Wood would like to see the posted weight signs come down.            

 

FMRSD Board – Bill Stahl:  Mr. Dalessio had previously introduced Mr. Bill Stahl as Walpole’s representative to the Fall Mountain Region School District Board.   He advised the Selectboard appreciates all the work the FMRSD Board is doing on the budget.  It would be nice if they could find out more detail on the budget.  Ms. Mayberry shared that on the website there are break-outs by town, etc.  Everything is visible on line.  The Walpole budget is in there.  Mr. Dalessio presented the following question to Mr. Stahl:  If the Town of Walpole wanted to add funding, perhaps $50,000, to the budget could it be for a specific item.  It is not clear to the residents what we are getting for our monthly payments.  He would like a on– page breakdown of information published in the Clarion.   It should include salaries (broken down for educators and other employees), maintenance, training and transportation.  The Selectboard appreciates having Mr. Stahl attend meetings when possible.        

 

Mutual Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement: Mrs. Pschirrer would like to move forward with the broadband services project.  This is the first step.

Ms. Mayberry moved to authorize Mr. Steven Dalessio, Chair, to sign the Mutual Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement with Consolidated Communications.   Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

Patricia Rodrigues vs. Town of Walpole, Summons – Planning Board Appeal:  The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the Summons – Planning Board Appeal – Patricia Rodrigues, et al v Town of Walpole, et al.  This is the first step in taking the Town to court.  They will be asking the Planning Board for certified copies of specific documents.      

 

Hooper Golf Course Properties Assessments:  Mr. Dalessio advised the Hooper Golf Course Properties will need to seek a property tax abatement. However, they have to wait until after the fall property tax bills are issued.

 

Thank You Note:  The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the thank you note from CASA for the Town’s donation.

 

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (a) Personnel.  Ms. Mayberry seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved at 8:00 PM.

 

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 8:28 PM.

 

Ms. Mayberry moved that the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of May 30, 2019, be sealed.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:

Ms. Mayberry moved to recess the Selectboard meeting.  The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 8:39 PM.

 

ADJOURNMENT:

Ms. Mayberry moved to adjourn this Selectboard meeting.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

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

 

CALL TO ORDER:  Mr. Dalessio called this Hooper Trustees meeting to order at 8:29 PM.

 

HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING MINUTES:

HOOPER TRUSTEES MINUTES – May 23, 2019:  There was a consensus of the Hooper Trustees to pass over approval of these meeting Minutes until the next Hooper Trustees meeting.

 

HOOPER BUSINESS:

Hooper Search Committee Update:   Ms. Mayberry reported on the first two phone interviews that occurred with the Hooper Search Committee before the Selectboard meeting tonight.  TheCommittee will do two more interviews and complete score worksheets.  There was discussion by an applicant about the salary being increased above what is being offered.  Mrs. Wycoff asked Ms. Mayberry to bring the following question before the Hooper Trustees:  Could the door be opened on this with the condition that they would do fundraising to meet their budget.  Mr. Dalessio likes to see higher rewards for incentives.  Mrs. Pschirrer said the letter of employment could be written to give a base salary and, depending on fundraising, there could be a condition relative to additional compensation.    

 

Ms. Mayberry thanked Mrs. Wycoff for being such a good facilitator.  

 

ADJOURNMENT:

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to adjourn this Hooper Trustees meeting.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:39 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

 

 

Selectboard Present:Steven Dalessio; Peggy Pschirrer; Cheryl Mayberry

 

CALL TO ORDER:  Mr. Dalessio called this meeting of the Selectboard to order at 6:30 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.  He advised that this meeting is being recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record.  There were three members of the public in attendance.

 

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

WHIPPLE HILL ROAD:  Mr. Jody and Mrs. Barbara Spivey of 171 Whipple Hill Road had come before the Selectbhoard regarding a tractor trailer incident on the Class VI portion of Whipple Hill Road. The Spiveys had been out– of–town before April 9th when the damage occurred to both the road and to granite posts on their property. When they reviewed their trail camera footage, they found that a tractor trailer from N&D Transportation Co. from North Smithfield, RI had caused the damage.  Mr. Spivey did obtain quote of $1,200 to repair road and reposition the granite posts. Mr. Spivey was able to speak with the manager of N&D on May 17th who said since the road was not posted, therefore it was a Town issue. Mrs. Spivey said she had spoken with the Road Agent, Mike Rau, who put up a dead-end sign after the incident. The Spiveys were wondering if the Town could hold the trucking company responsible for repairing the damage. Mr. Dalessio said that he would contact the NH Municipal Association (NHMA) and/or the Town’s Attorney for legal assistance in this matter. Under RSA 236:11, it requires anyone who excavates or disturbs town roads to restore them to the satisfaction of the authorized local official.The Selctboard has to do more homework regarding the issue and then can respond. The Spiveys had discussed the Town improving the culverts on the Class VI portion of Whipple Hill Road with the prior Road Agent. Mr. Spivey wondered if this could be done. Mr. Dalessio stated that he and the Road Agent, Mr. Rau, would visit the area in the following week to see the damage done and the culverts. A response would be completed within a week or two.

 

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Accounts Payable Check Register in the amount of $50,000.08 for checks issued May 24, 2019.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

The above amount includes a payment in the amount of $35,511 for the new Bobcat for the Recycling Center. There was a discussion of the maintenance line for the Recreation Department regarding repairs to the Pool House.

 

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:

Ms. Mayberry moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (a) Personnel.  Mrs. Pschirrer seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved at 6:52 PM.

 

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:22 PM.

 

Ms. Mayberry moved that the Minutes of the Selectboard Session of May 23, 2019, be sealed.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

PAYROLL:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Payroll Check Register for the week ending May 18, 2019, in the amount of $26,774.14 for checks issued May 24, 2019, and the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes in the amount of 5,162.30.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:

SELECTBOARD MINUTES – May 16, 2019:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of May 16, 2019, as submitted.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the Minutes were approved.

 

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – May 16, 2019: Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of May 16, 2019, as submitted. These Minutes will remain sealed.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the Minutes were approved.

 

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

The Selectboard received and viewed Minutes of the following meetings:

 

LAND USE CHANGE TAX:

MAP and LOT #005-049-004:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Land Use Change Tax in the amount of $14,000 for Map and Lot #005-049-004.  This change is due to the lack of contiguous property in current use for the under 10-acre parcel.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENTS and/or REFUNDS:

MAP and LOT #019-043-000:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Property Tax Refund in the amount of $2,071.73 for Map and Lot #019-043-000.  This is due to an Abatement Appeal that was granted by the BTLA.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

MAP and LOT #022-013-000:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Property Tax Abatement in the amount of $1,576.00 for 2018 for Map and Lot #022-013-000.  This property has now been foreclosed upon.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.  

 

MAP and LOT #003-059-000:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve this Property Tax Abatement of value and Refund of 2018 taxes for $1,153.46 for Map and Lot #003-059-000.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

MAP and LOT #016-007-001:  Ms. Mayberry moved to deny this Abatement request for Map and Lot #016-007-001 upon the recommendation of Avitar Associates.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

BUILDING PERMITS:

SETH and FRANNIE ASHWORTH, 1127 County Road, Map and Lot #003-014-000:  Ms. Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit No. 2019-16 for Seth and Frannie Ashworth to construct a “32’ x 24’ single story garage” at 1127 County Road.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs.Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

SIMON and HEIDI GASCOYNE, 41 Dearborn Circle, Map and Lot #012-055-019:  Ms. Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit No. 2019-17 for Simon and Heidi Gascoyne to construct a “18’ x 14’ deck” at 41 Dearborn Circle.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

ABENAKI SPRINGS PHASE 1 LIMITED PARTNERS, 17 Avery Lane, Map and Lot #012-013-004:  Ms. Mayberry moved to grant Building Permit 2014-10 Renewal for Abenaki Springs Phase I Limited Partners to construct “multi-family housing for units 22 through 42 in the second building”, at 17 Avery Lane.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved. Mr. Dalessio requested that Mr. Franks be given a cover letter with the building permit to notify him that the Life Safety Standards had changed for multi-family dwellings.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

Water and Sewer Receipts to Date:  Mrs. Jody Daigle had submitted a report advising that currently they are at 52.4% of billing paid for Q1 2010 as of 5/22/19.

 

Open Container Requests: Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the Open Container Requests for Bastille Day and Oktoberfest Events held by Walpole Grocery and the Restaurant at Burdick’s.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

Response Letter to Mr. Edkins and Mr. O’Brien: Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the Response Letter to Mr. Edkins and Mr. O’Brien.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

Amendment to Settlement and Pilot Agreement: Due to an error in the name of the hydro company, the agreement needs to be corrected. This item will be brought back on the agenda once the document is updated by the Town’s attorney.

 

Trivantus Payroll and Timekeeping Demonstration Follow-up:  After reviewing additional information, the Selectboard did not feel that this payroll service provider was a good fit to the Town. The Board remains interested in finding other providers for these processes.

 

PDIP and Revolving Funds: The Treasurer did not recommend removing funds from PDIP and moving them to Mascoma Bank. Additionally, Mr. Goins did not recommend moving revolving funds to PDIP since the process would become more complicated and time consuming. Ms. Mayberry agreed it would be messier to be constantly moving money between accounts. Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer agreed. 

 

Tax Deeded Properties: Atty. Hockensmith’s response to the NHMA information has been sent earlier to the Board for review. Mrs. Pschirrer questioned if Atty. Hockensmith had seen the recent Polonsky Court Decision. Mr. Dalessio will e-mail Atty. Hockensmith to confirm if this would have any impact on the Town and what the next steps will be regarding selling the tax deeded properties.

 

Ruggerio Property: Mr. Dalessio stated it was the Selectboard’s job to enforce zoning ordinance. Ms. Mayberry questioned if the Selectboard could go onto the property. The Board discussed options for a possible inspection and the need to treat all business owners in the same manner.

 

Patricia Rodrigues vs. Town of Walpole, Court Decision: The court denied the Town’s Request to Dismiss due to a submission date issue. The court was lenient with Ms. Rodrigues in this instance. The  court case is pending.

 

 

NEW BUSINESS:

 

Town Hall 2nd Floor Replacement Window Warrant #6 Purchase Order: Ms. Mayberry moved to have Mr. Dalessio, the Chair, sign the Installation Agreement with Windows by Brownell. Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved. A deposit of $3,260 was requested in the agreement.

 

Recycling Bobcat of NH Warrant #9 Purchase Order: Ms. Mayberry moved to sign the Purchase Order that concurs with the release of the payment check for the new Bobcat. Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved. The cost of the Bobcat was $35,511 which included the offset of a trade-in.

 

Highway Garage Purchase Order:  Ms. Pschirrer moved to approve the Purchase Order for a new 30’ x 35’ Highway Garage for the amount of $31,313.00 from encumbered funds from last year’s budget.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

 

New Hampshire Emergency Notification System: Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer felt it was a good to be part of the system. Mr. Dalessio will contact the Fire Department to determine points of contact and if they are already addressing the inquiry. This will be a follow-up item on next week’s agenda.

 

Thank You Notes:  The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of Thank You notes from Big Brothers and Bit Sisters and the Walpole Seniors for the Town’s donations.

 

Air Conditioning on 2nd Floor of Town Hall: In the past there had been discussions with the Walpole Players regarding adding air conditioning to this area of the Town Hall. There hadn’t been any solutions per Mr. Dalessio. However, EE Houghton has a new solution that would cost between $35-$40,000 to install. The Board would like to invite Lisa Bryan, the president of the Walpole Players, to a future Selectboard Meeting to discuss this potential project.

 

Pro Tem Recording Secretary: The search for a fill-in Selectboard recording secretary continues. Potential candidates were discussed.

 

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:

Ms. Mayberry moved to recess this Selectboard meeting.  The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved at 7:55 PM.

 

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 8:13 PM.

 

ADJOURNMENT:

Ms. Mayberry moved to adjourn this Selectboard meeting.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the meeting adjourned at 8:14 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Sarah Downing, Recording Secretary Pro Tempore

 

 

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

 

CALL TO ORDER:  Mr. Dalessio called this Hooper Trustees meeting to order at 7:55 PM.

 

HOOPER TRUSTEES MINUTES:

HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING – May 16, 2019:  Mrs. Pschirrer moved to accept the Minutes of the Hooper Trustees meeting of May 16, 2019, as submitted.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the Minutes were approved.

 

HOOPER BUSINESS:

Hooper Search Committee Update:  The Search Committee met today from 4:00-to-5:30 PM.  Ms. Mayberry attended the meeting and felt it went well. Sam Jacobs could not attend due to a previous commitment. The leading qualities desired in an applicant were determined. The committee conducted a first review of the five applications received. Four are to be interviewed.  Phone interviews are to start next week on either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and/or the following Tuesday. They hope to do two interviews on each day. The chair was to touch base with Sam Jacobs. The committee would like to use the Selectboard Office for the interviews since a speaker phone and large table are readily available. The interviews would be scheduled from 4pm or later.

 

The committee wanted to know about salary and benefits since this topic could come up during the interview process. The salary range for the Hooper Institute Director was discussed at the April 25, 2019 Hooper Trustees meeting. The consensus was that the range would be between $40-$45,000.  Employee benefits such as paid time off, health care, and dental would be extended to the full-time position.

 

There was a discussion regarding retirement benefits. Mrs. Pschirrer was to follow-up on questions raised by the Trustees. Ms. Mayberry would like to see a hiring package that is competitive in order to attract educators who currently have retirement benefits. Mr. Dalessio agreed.

 

The Trustees reviewed changes, over the years, to the terms of the Hooper Will and Trust. In 1995, there were significant changes to the trust per Mrs. Pschirrer.

 

Ms. Mayberry confirmed that the deadline for submitting applications for the director position. None shall be accepted after May 24th. There was one application attributed to the ad in the Keene Sentinel. It was unknown where the other applicantsheard about the open position.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to adjourn this Hooper Trustees meeting.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:13 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Sarah Downing, Recording Secretary Pro Tempore

 

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

 

Staff Present:Sarah Downing (Manager of Administration); Rich Kreissle (Manager of Finance); 

Lt. Justin Sanctuary (Police Department);  Justine Fafara (Library Director); Eloise Clark (Hooper Institute); Justin Cassarino (Recreation Department Director); Ben Hoy (Recycling Center Director); 

 

Excused:Sandra Smith (Town Clerk/Tax Collector); Michael Rau (Road Agent); Chief Michael Paquette (Police Department); 

 

CALL TO ORDER:  Mr. Dalessio called this Staff Meeting to order at 5:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall and welcomed everyone.  He advised this meeting is being recorded.

 

Manager of Finance:  Mr. Rich Kreissle had submitted the highlights from the NHGFOA Conference he recently attended. This is the second year that he attended this conference.  

 

Lisa Parker – Senior Project Manager, GASB:

Audit:

Continue to work with Jennifer Dorr, audit manager to tie up a few loose ends. Work progresses based upon when she’s in the office and able to continue to work on our information.

 

Retro Pay:

Employees have received retro pay with new pay rates enacted.  There were no questions regarding calculations. As always, Rich is available to address any concerns, questions or suggestions.   

 

Mr. Dalessio asked department managers to check and keep track of their budgets and to check seasonal expenses.  It will be a tight year. We would like to end the year within budget.  

 

Recreation Department: Mr. Cassarino proved the following report:

Pool:

Clinics:

WSBL:

Men’s Basketball League:

Court:

Company is going to try and come up to post the area for us;

Company said it will take two clear/nice days to finish the court.

 

Selectboard Office:  Mrs. Downing submitted the following Staff Meeting Report, dated May 16, 2019:

Assessing Update:

 

Water and Sewer:

Emergency Plan Updates/Reviews:

Town Hall Facilities:

 

Walpole Library:  Mrs. Justine Fafara reported that April was a good month.  She handed out the Walpole Town Library Monthly Statistics for April.  Construction is expected to start on May 28th.  They are packing stuff up.  They now have quite a few volunteers to help with the packing and the move. Friday, May 31st is the moving day from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  Women of Walpole are setting up a refreshment stand.  Mr. Dalessio asked if Mrs. Fafara had talked to the Police Department about blocking and/or posting “No Parking” signs off one side of Westminster Street and “No Parking” in front of this Town Hall building.  Mrs. Fafara mentioned they found a video of the moveable stacks that is on their Facebook page.  Mrs. Fafara thanked Mr. Hoy of the Recycling Center for about 600 banana boxes.       

 

Recycling Center:  Mr. Ben Hoy had distributed copies of the Daily Weights for April and the 2019 Recycling Revenues as of May 15, 2019.  Business has been picking up.  This is a busy time of the year.  This week he shipped out four shipments of commodities.  This month they did the following:

 

Hooper Institute:  Mrs. Eloise Clark had submitted the following written report for the May 16, 2019 Staff Meeting:They have about four more weeks of school.

Hooper Institute staff continues to visit each classroom at the Walpole Schools on a weekly basis.  They reach roughly about 250 students per week.  Primary school children have started flower seeds that will be planted in the garden for pollinators.  Students have also planted potatoes, radish seeds, zinnias and harvested asparagus.  North Walpole students have planted popcorn and carrots.  The whiskey barrel planters have been replaced with new ones and are now planted.  Second graders finished their farm designs.  Becky Whippie also did lessons on flowering maples and dandelions as pollinators.

 

WES fifth graders are learning about birds, their anatomy, songs and calls and nesting behavior.  They helped harvest overwintering spinach from the high tunnel and have enjoyed edible pea shoots.  Sixth graders continue to learn about the Connecticut River through lessons about river morphology (the parts of a river) as well as designing a river watershed, then designing a community to inhabit the area. They also studied local topographic maps to look for similarities to their design and what natural resources contributed to development.  Coming up students will learn about plants and animals we may see on our annual trip as well as their habitants.  Eloise Clark will also conduct a water safety lesson for students and parents before the trip on June 6th & 7th.  

 

Preparations for the High School Summer Work Program are well underway.  They have 23 applicants who were interviewed May 7th.  Eloise has placed most of them at work sites for the summer.  Students must now interview with their potential mentors.  If parents and mentors are agreeable students will begin work after the end of school. Mrs. Clark found one new mentor; it is the golf course.  

 

Summer camp plans are underway.  Brochures will go home for all students this month.  The two week camp will be held the weeks of June 17-21 and June 24-28.

 

The work day May 4th at the Community Garden went well.  Some old gardeners returned and new gardeners were welcomed.  There is a $20.00 membership fee.  Many spring chores were accomplished.  

 

Police Department:  Lt. Justin Sanctuary thanked Mr. Hoy for pickup up tires they could no longer use on the cruisers.  It is still vacation time.  The department will be down one person through the summer.   Their new prosecutor started.  She is doing great and working well with their cases.  They have also been working with a new judge.  They now have cases waiting for a few days as this judge does not work on weekends and holidays.  The speed control sign has been out and is operating again.  They have had quite a few requests for it; there is a waiting list.           

 

Public Safety Comparison:

Emergency – 10Administration – 67Citizen Assists – 27

Motor Vehicle Calls:

Accidents – 6MV Stops – 109Traffic Safety – 16

Criminal Investigations:

Drugs/Alcohol – 19     Crimes Against People – 29Crimes Against Property -14

 

Total Monthly Calls For Service:  April 16, 2019 to May 14, 2019 – 306 Calls.

. 

Town Clerk/Tax Collector:  Mrs. Smith was unable to attend this meeting but had submitted the following report for the period of April 16th to May 14th.

They have collected $52,246.91 in property taxes.

She executed a Tax Deed on April 25th, to the Town of Walpole.

April 2nd she executed her Tax Lien and Total Notice is doing the search of mortgagees.

They have answered quite a few calls regarding property taxes.

They are scheduled to attend a Town Clerk’s Workshop on May 22nd in Jaffrey.

The Clerk Department has collected $62,189.16.

Dog licenses were $722.00.

Boat registrations $210.16.

They only processed one Marriage License during this period.

She has taken some vacation time and some sick time.

Meghan is planning on some vacation time in June.

 

Highway Department:  Mr. Michael Rau was unable to attend but submitted the following report from April 18, 2019 to May 15, 2019.

 

Selectboard Comments:  Mr. Dalessio would like all department managers to start to think about who is second in command.  They should be kept up-to-date on everything.  Ms. Mayberry said cross-training needs to be done.  Who is in charge during vacation time?  Mrs. Pschirrer pointed out that procedural manuals help a lot.   

 

ADJOURNMENT:  Mr. Dalessio declared this meeting adjourned at 6:00 PM.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary