The Walpolean

FROM Office of The Principal @ FMRHS

In the event of an emergency, it is important to have current contact information on file. Please be sure to update home/cell phone numbers and email addresses when a change occurs. Email addresses will also be used to send student progress reports starting in March.

It has not been since the mid 1980’s that our high school had a varsity basketball player reach 1,000 career points. Currently, the girls’ basketball team has Morgan Ferland with less than 100 points from reaching this astonishing accomplishment. I hope you can join us to cheer the entire team’s pursuit of excellence.

The second semester of the school year has begun. Please let us know if you have any questions.

My question is:  Can anyone tell me who the last varsity basketball player was that reached the 1,000 point mark? – Lil

TOWN OF WALPOLE
MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD
JANUARY 15, 2015

Selectboard Present: Chas Street (Chair); Steven Dalessio; (Absent: Whitney Aldrich)

CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Street called this meeting of the Selectboard to order at 6:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall. He advised that this meeting is being tape recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record. There were three people in attendance.
These are unapproved Minutes.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest in the amount of $555,234.51. This includes a monthly payment in the amount of $488,319.18 to the Fall Mountain Regional School District. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Payroll Voucher for the week ending January 10, 2015, in the amount of $17,921.27 for checks dated January 16, 2015. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the electronic transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $6,148.41 for the week ending January 10, 2015. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – December 30, 2014: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the regular Selectboard meeting of December 30, 2014, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the Minutes were approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
The Selectboard received and reviewed Minutes of the following meetings:
 North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners – December 30, 2014 and
 North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners – January 6, 2015.

BUILDING PERMITS:
73 TURNPIKE STREET, LLC, Main Street, Map & Lot #020-052-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve Building Permit No. 2015-01 for 73 Turnpike Street, LLC to “Renovate the interior building” at 73 Main Street, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO CUT WOOD OR TIMBER:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the following Notices of Intent to Cut Wood or Timber, as submitted:
 Bryon Fletcher, French Road, Map & Lot #009-030-000, Cut #14-461-16-T;
 Scott & Judith Northcott, Valley Road, Map & Lot #013-054-001, Cut #14-461-17-T;
 Damaziak Trust, Cheney Hill Road, Map & Lot #013-053-001, Cut #14-461-18-T;
 Damaziak Trust, Valley Road, Map & Lot #013-054-000, Cut #14-461-19-T.
Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

VETERAN’S CREDIT:
SWAIN, Alstead Center Road, Map & Lot #015-032-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to grant the Veteran’s Credit to Steven Swain, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENT:
RASCAL BABY, LLC., Woodshed Road, Map & Lot #011-019-000: Mrs. Clough advised that this lot is still owned by the Estate of Peter Van Dyke Berg. The property transfer on this property was incorrect.
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Notice of Property Tax Abatement in the amount of $5.00 and any interest accrued for Rascal Baby, LLC. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SUPPLEMENTAL TAX WARRANT:
ESTATE OF PETER VAN DYKE BERG, Woodshed Road, Map & Lot #011-019-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Supplemental Tax Warrant in the amount of $5.00 with interest for the Estate of Peter Van Dyke Berg. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

NEW BUSINESS:
HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DATES: A letter was received from the City of Keene advising that they are now in their 10th year of their program consisting of 24 household hazardous waste collections per year. In the Summer/Fall 2015 there will be 12 collection dates to be announced and in the Spring of 2016 there will be 12 collection dates to be announced. Walpole 2015-2016 Fixed Cost (Participation in all twenty-four (24) collections) is $3,608.00.
Mr. Dalessio moved to authorize Paul Colburn to sign the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Project Letter of Commitment with the City of Keene, on behalf of the Town, for the amount of $3,608.00. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SAVINGS BANK OF WALPOLE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION EVENT: The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of a letter from the Savings Bank of Walpole to advise that this year, on July 2nd, the Savings Bank of Walpole will mark its 140th anniversary. They are asking for the reservation of the Walpole Common for Friday, June 26th from noon until 2:00 PM (with additional time for set-up/take-down). The Selectboard approved this request.

INVESTMENT POLICY STATEMENT: Mrs. Peggy Pschirrer advised that every year the Trustees of Trust Funds are required to up-date this Investment Policy Statement. This year some language changes were made but they made no changes in the philosophical aspect. The Trustees of Trust Funds have not as yet received the final report for this year.

NHTI COURSE ON PLANNING & ZONING LAWS: A notice was received that a course will be offered by the law firm of Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios, LLP in partnership with NHTI, Concord’s Community College. The subject matter will be the basics of planning and zoning law in New Hampshire.
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve having Mrs. Clough attend this course as per her request. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL AND ACCOUNTS PAYABLE: Mr. Dalessio moved to ratify that the Selectboard gave Mrs. Clough the authority, in the interim period, to approve the Payroll and Accounts Payable for checks dated January 9, 2015. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

POLE LICENSE AGREEMENT: Mrs. Clough reported that Avitar Associates asked that the Town have an up-dated Pole License Agreement. A Public Hearing will be required. There was a consensus to hold this Public Hearing on February 5th. The Selectboard reviewed the “Proposed Amendment To Pole License Language” packet of information submitted by Attorney Hockensmith. This will be on the Agenda for the next Selectboard meeting.

OLD BUSINESS:
LETTER FROM NH DES – Ruggiero Processing Facility: The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the letter from Mr. Gildersleeve at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services regarding the Ruggiero Processing Facility.

WELLSTONE ASSOCIATES (Continued): There was a Selectboard consensus to close the question raised by the Zoning Board of Adjustment on Wellstone Associates at 308 Main Street, Map #024, Lot #013 and 5 Maplewood Circle, Map #024, Lot #014 as it was cleaned up to the Selectboard satisfaction.

HEAVY EQUIPMENT FUND: Mrs. Pschirrer advised that a Warrant Article will be needed if a decision is made to close out this account as it has a small balance. Mr. Dalessio felt they should check the Minutes of the last Town Meeting to be sure that their understanding of the discussion is correct. Mrs. Clough will check with Mrs. Smith, Town Clerk.

WARRANT ARTICLES: Mr. Dalessio asked Mrs. Clough to submit a list of the 2015 Warrant Articles for the meeting next week.
Mr. Dalessio would request that, in the future, when the Department Heads have equipment purchases that they submit a small paragraph to identify and explain what they their requests are for.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:
Mr. Dalessio moved to recess this Selectboard meeting. The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved at 6:48 PM.
The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:05 PM.

TRUSTEES OF TRUST FUNDS: Mrs. Pschirrer, as a Trustee of Trust Funds, met with the Walpole Fire District as she wanted them to be aware of the Warrant Article that will be coming up for a vote on the Capital Reserve Funds. The members raised a couple of questions. They have money in a Capital Reserve Fund that they will not use for about two years therefore it should be invested in a CD. She will recommend that they vote on this at their own meeting. Next week she will meet with the North Walpole Fire District to discuss the same issues.

NORTH WALPOLE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: Mrs. Clough has not received copies of any Building Permits from the Village of North Walpole for two years even though she has contacted the Commissioners and the people who issue the permits a number of times. The Selectboard requested that Mrs. Clough draft a letter that they will sign as this information is needed for assessing the North Walpole properties.

NON-PUBLIC SESSION:
Mr. Dalessio moved to enter into a Non-Public Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (a) Personnel. Mr. Street seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with all in favor, the motion was approved at 7:14 PM.
The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:40 PM.

DEPARTMENT HEAD MEETING:
Mrs. Clough will be meeting with the Department Heads next Thursday.

ADJOURNMENT:
Mr. Dalessio moved to adjourn this meeting. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved at 7:50 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

TOWN OF WALPOLE
MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD
DECEMBER 30, 2014

Selectboard Present: Chas Street (Chair); Steven Dalessio; (Absent: Whitney Aldrich)

CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Street called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall. He advised that this meeting is being tape recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record. There were three people in attendance.
These are unapproved Minutes.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest in the amount of $55,991.69 for checks dated January 02, 2015. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Payroll voucher for the week ending December 27, 2014, in the amount of $21,833.94 for checks dated January 02, 2015. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the electronic transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $5,487.29 for the week ending December 27, 2014. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – December 24, 2014: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the regular Selectboard meeting of December 24, 2014, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the minutes were approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
The Selectboard received and reviewed the following committee reports:
 North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners – December 23, 2014;
 Conservation Commission – December 1, 2014.
Mr. Dalessio referenced the Conservation Commission minutes. Mrs. Flammia will be working with another person to do the trail mapping. She knows they now have digital mapping that can be used.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO CUT WOOD OR TIMBER:
WALPOLE D&D, LLC, Wentworth Road, Map & Lot #008-015-009: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Notice of Intent to Cut Wood or Timber, No. 14-461-15-T, off the Hooper Road for Walpole D and D, LLC, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

WARRANTS:
SUPPLEMENTAL TAX WARRANTS:
TOWN OF WALPOLE, Map & Lot #008-062-000, Prospect Hill Road: Mr. Dalessio pointed out that these Supplemental Tax Warrants are to bring funds in from the Hooper Cottage and Golf Course.
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Supplemental Tax Warrant in the amount of $15,174.50 for the Town of Walpole, Map #008, Lot #062-000, Prospect Hill Road. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

TOWN OF WALPOLE, Map & Lot #008-062-00A, Prospect Hill Road: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Supplemental Tax Warrant in the amount of $7,200.00 for the Town of Walpole, Map #0008, Lot #062-00A, Prospect Hill Road. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

NEW BUSINESS:
2014 SALES TO ASSESSMENT RATIO ANALYSIS: The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the letter from Avitar Associates of New England, Inc. regarding the “Preliminary Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) to Assessment Ratio”.

OLD BUSINESS:
SMART POWER SPORTS / TWIN BIRCH REALTY, 4 Ames Plaza Lane, Map & Lot #012-055-005: This matter was discussed at the last Selectboard meeting. Mrs. Mansouri called Mr. Dalessio to advise that because this business will have retail sales it is a change of use and has to go before both the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment. The Selectboard thanked Mrs. Mansouri for bringing this to their attention. Mrs. Clough was asked to pass on ownership information to Mr. Jeff Miller and Mrs. Myra Mansouri and to ask them to contact the owner(s) of the business.

2015 HOLIDAY SCHEDULE: Mrs. Clough met with the Department Heads about the proposed 2015 Holiday Schedule. They will keep the ten holidays they have every year but would like to trade Civil Rights Day for a floater day. If approved, the Department Heads will meet again in January and then make a recommendation to the Selectboard on their choice for the floater holiday.
Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the proposal from the Staff to change Civil Rights Day for a floating holiday to be determined by the Department Heads and approved by the Selectboard. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:
Mr. Dalessio moved to recess this Selectboard meeting. The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved at 6:21 PM.
The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 6:28 PM.

NEXT SELECTBOARD MEETING:
The next Selectboard meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 25, 2015, at 6:00 PM.

2015 PROPOSED BUDGET:
Mr. Rich Kreissle provided 2014 year-to-date figures but some bills are still coming in including the Health Trust and a major bill from the Highway Department. Mr. Dalessio is concerned with the bottom line figure. Mrs. Clough pointed out that the report to the State has to be accurate therefore both she and Mr. Kreissle will work on the report to be sure their figures balance out. Mr. Kreissle presented a progress report on his preparation of the 2015 proposed Budget. He met with the Department Heads and those figures have been entered. He also created a goal worksheet. Hopefully he will have the 2015 proposed budget finalized by the end of next week.

ADJOURNMENT:
Mr. Dalessio moved to adjourn this Selectboard meeting. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved at 7:19 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

Mon. Feb. 2^nd, 9^th, 16th, 23rd 10 a.m. Baby Lap Sit

Mon. Feb. 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd 2 p.m. Knitting Club

Tues. Feb. 3^rd, – 7 p.m. Non-Fiction Book Club (Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s The Black Swan)

Wed. Feb. 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th 10:15 a.m. Story Time

Wed. Feb. 4^th, 11^th6 p.m., Spanish Conversation Group

Thurs. Feb. 5^th, 12^th, 19th, 26th 10 a.m., Homeschooler’s group

Tues. Feb. 10^th, Library Trustees Meeting

Wed. Feb. 11^th, 7:00 p.m. , Evening Classics Book Club (Dostoevsky’s The Idiot)

Mon. Feb. 16^th, OPEN for President’s Day

Sat. Feb. 21st, Writing It Down, 10 a.m.

Thurs. Feb. 26^th, 12 p.m. Library Afternoon Book Club (William Maxwell’s So Long, See You Tomorrow and Flight of the Swallow

Thurs. Feb. 26^th, 2 p.m., Investment Club

Thurs. Feb. 26^th, 7 p.m. An Evening of Winter Poetry

Sat. Feb. 28^th, 1 p.m., Sci-Fi Book Club (organizational meeting)

Walpole Zoning Board of Adjustment

Minutes: January 21, 2015

Present: Board Members: Chair Myra Mansouri, Vice-Chair Peggy Pschirrer, Clerk Ernie Vose, Jan Galloway Le Clerc, Mary Therese Lester.

Alternates:, Judy Trow.

Absent: Alternates Stephanie Stoughton, Bob Anderson.

Recording: Marilou Blaine. These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the February 18, 2015 meeting for corrections, additions and/or omissions.

Roll Call: Ms. Mansouri called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. All board members were present so no alternate was needed to fill in.

Minutes: Mr. Vose made a motion to approve the minutes as written. Ms. Pschirrer seconded the motion and the board approved the minutes.

New business: Informational meeting with Mr. Doug Palmer who owns the store SMART Power Sports located at 4 Ames Plaza Lane. He opened the store in December.

Ms. Mansouri explained that the Selectboard received a letter from Jeff and Cathy White of 35 Dearborn Circle, who had concerns about the store. Dearborn Circle is right around the corner from the store. Their concern was that if motorcycles and ATVs were sold or repaired at the store, that customers might be testing out their purchases on their street. Since there were several children in the neighborhood and people like to walk, there was a concern for the safety of these people as well as for peace and quiet.

Mr. Palmer said he is strictly a mail order and Internet business that does some retail business. His business is in parts for snowmobiles, motorcycles and ATVs.  The store sells parts and equipment such as helmets and appropriate clothing. Mr. Palmer said he started his business in 2010 in North Walpole, then went to Keene and now is in Walpole. He wants to work in his hometown, Mr. Palmer said. The business has two rooms in the building, each about 12-feet-by-15 feet. One is a showroom and the other a general office.

Ms. Lester asked how many employees he had and Mr. Palmer replied “one.” Then she asked if he actually sold motorcycles. Mr. Palmer said he didn’t sell them or repair them.

How much foot traffic do you have? Ms. Lester continued. Mr. Palmer said Keene was different and that he was trying to step away from the retail business. He estimated he saw three to five people a day. Mr. Palmer said his business is 40 percent telephone, 40 percent Internet and 20 percent drop-in sales.

Ms. Lester asked when the store was open. Mr. Palmer said he was open Monday through Friday from 9 to 6; Saturday 9 to 3.

People place an order by telephone or over the Internet, Mr. Palmer said. Most of the items are Drop Shipped, meaning that they are ordered through the store but sent directly from the manufacturer with our label. The store does sometimes use the US Postal Service, Fed-Ex or UPS. We actually don’t touch about 90 percent of our sales.

Mr. Vose asked if Mr. Carmody still had his business there. Mr. Palmer said “yes.”

Regarding the letter, Mr. Palmer said that he thought that since they were not going to be doing sales or repairs, that most of the concerns in the letter did not apply to his shop.

Mr. White said that this meeting allayed a lot of his concerns. He said the meeting had been helpful.

Ms. Pschirrer said she hoped Mr. White would share this information with the neighborhood. Mr. White said he would.

The owner, Mr. Carmody, thought SMART Power Sports were within the existing zoning laws, Mr. Palmer said. That’s why he hadn’t come in before.

Regarding signs he has one six-foot-square-sign on the building letting the public know when he is open and a lighted sign that turns on when he’s open.

B&B on Alstead Center Road: The owner is Barbara Dodge, 94 Alstead Center Road. http://www.airB&B. Ms. Dodge’s residence is California.

Ms. Dodge is running what she advertises as a B&B at the Alstead Center address. She shares the driveway with a neighbor and he complained.

Ms. Dodge does not have a license to have a B&B. She is renting the entire two-bedroom ranch. She is not serving breakfast and she does not live there. Her daughter, who lives in Alstead, looks after the operation.

The matter was referred to the Planning Board. Mr. Miller said the Selectboard needs to send the owner a letter asking her to cease her operation and she needs to come in for a Site Plan Review.

Tom Graves gravel pit saga:  Mr. Vose reported that the Westmoreland Planning Board is now involved with the dispute between Mr. Graves gravel pit in Westmoreland and Ms. Patricia Rodrigues.

The Board is going to hire an expert, who can hopefully resolve the situation.

The board adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine

Secretary

Our school district is offering free technology workshops to community members during the next two weeks. Check out the sau60.org website for information and registration.  (On behalf of the School Board, I would also request that, while you are at that site, please take a moment and fill out the 2015 Schoo Board Strategic Planning survey. – Lil)

High school students will be dismissed at 11:20am on Friday, January 23 following the end of semester 1 final exams. Semester 2 begins on Tuesday, January 27.

Beginning Semester 2, ALL progress reports and report cards will be sent electronically. Information will be included with the Semester 1 report cards.

Thank you Kim Lewis for forwarding these approved minutes – Lil

Cold River Local Advisory Council

Next meeting: January 22th, 2014

Present: Kim Lewis, Debby Hinman, Fred Ernst, Cathy MacDonald, Sam Sutcliff, Mike Heidorn, Mitch Harrison, Gary Speed

Absent: Carol Wallace

Meeting called to order at 7:01 PM.

Minutes from October 30th, 2014 meeting were reviewed and approved.

Getting Our Minutes Out

Debby will get a draft of a cover letter for the chairs of planning boards, conservation commissions, DES, and town officials of Walpole, Langdon, Alstead, Acworth, and Lempster. Upon receipt of this cover letter, Kim will send approved minutes to the town offices and ask them to please post to the websites and outside the offices.

Treasurer’s Report

Balance, 2014 – $ 8875.81

Income Interest $0.73 in Oct and $0.73 in Nov

Expenditures None

Balance , 2014 $8877.29

Membership

No new information on membership. Two offices in DES had conflicting membership information. All has been updated.

Vilas Pond

The issue of maintenance of Vilas Pool is under discussion.

Warren Brook

Fred has been communicating with John McGee of NH Fish and Game, Steve Landry of DES, and Sean Sweeney of Headwaters Hydrology and funds appear to be in order to proceed with the 900 feet on-the-ground restoration of Warren Brook immediately upstream of the confluence with the Cold River. Working with a budget of 200,000 plus dollars, various aspects of the project have been assigned. We have to have completed $35,000 worth of work before the NH Fish and Game grant runs out June 15th.

Fred will clarify with Sean what materials will be needed and provide a contact person for Mitch at Cold River Materials. Mitch will contact Cold River Materials to confirm they will still honor their commitment to donate rock and inform them of the anticipated construction schedule. Cold River Materials pledged $1850.00 worth of stone. Fred will clarify what kind of rock and what time in the spring this will be needed.

Sam contacted the Town of Alstead road agent to confirm they will honor their commitment to provide trucking services. Sam will contact landowners affected by the project (Stan Kmiec and Michael Sweeney) to confirm they are still willing to allow the work on their properties.

Sean will coordinate contract negotiations with the original low bidder (KA Stevens,Inc). Sam and Fred will be involved in a meeting in Alstead with KA Stevens and Sean to review the work and KAS’s original bid. Rebidding may be necessary if KAS cannot do the work.

Sam, Mitch, and Mike (the Alstead contingency) will monitor contract timing in the spring to ensure the work is completed within the specified time period.

Sean will review the various grants to determine required submittals and prepare those submittals.

Wetland Permit in South Acworth

Debby has not heard any response after contacting Travis Royce by email about CRLAC’s concerns. Debby will email Travis to let him know that we have met tonight and inform him of our next meeting date and request a response from him

River Quality

No new news. Mike will be researching costs for new equipment.

Electrofishing Results of Warren Brook

Backpack electrofishing was conducted in Warren Brook on September 24th, 2014 by New Hampshire Fish and Game Inland Fisheries Division staff. A single pass was done at two sites, which have been previously surveyed following the October 2005 flood. Site 1 is immediately upstream of Griffin Hill Road and downstream of Route 123. It had been surveyed in October 2010 to evaluate the fish community one week after the restoration work was completed there. Site 2 is just downstream of Mad Brook and had been surveyed in 2006, 2007. 2008. and 2010 to evaluate the fish community after restoration work was completed there in 2007.

John McGee sent the electrofishing results. He was surprised that Blacknose Dace and Longnose Dace comprised 85% of the total number of fish caught. This was similar to the results found upstream of the DES site. DES also caught 7 white suckers while there were none on Warren Brook. John thought this might be because there are many white suckers in the Cold River which is just a few feet from the DES site.

John plans to do a more thorough analysis of the fish data comparing populations prior to the October 2005 flood and up to 2014. This will show any trends in the fish community data.

Fish Species Caught at the DES Site (at Rt. 123A) in Warren Brook:

Blacknose Dace (56)

Brook Trout (1)

Common Shiner (4)

Common White Sucker (7)

Creek Chub (4)

Longnose Dace (67)

Wlimy Sculpin (4)

Yellow Perch (1)

John also commented that the lack of riparian trees along the Warren Brook is not good for water temperature, stability of the floodplain or for the long-term instream habitat benefits of riparian trees. He recommends that someone (and he offered to help) plant native saplings where landowners provide permission. DOT may be one of the major landowners. Mitch thinks the trees are doing OK, just not yet maturing enough to provide shade. We will investigate.

DOT Guardrail Replacement: Cold River Sites in Acworth

NH DOT is planning a replacement/extension of guardrail runs at 75 locations. Four locations in the Town of Acworth are located within ¼ mile of the Cold River. All work will be completed within the existing state Right of Way. The Department’s Bureau of Environment is conducting an environmental study for the project and they have requested Cold Rivers LAC’s input. They provided a project location map and asked for an early response to the letter so they may prepare their environmental document.

Mike responded that this appears to be a project with the potential for only minor impacts to the Cold River corridor if completed with careful attention to the

·         Erosion prevention and monitoring in disturbed areas

·         Re-vegetation of disturbed areas with native plantings

·         No introduction of invasive species via the importation of contaminated fill

He noted that it is the opinion of the CRLAC, that the project area is still recovering from recent flood events such as the Flood of 2005 and, as a result, is extra sensitive to further erosion and the spread of invasive species such as knotweed.  He encouraged them to employ the best available BMPs to avoid further impacts.

Bower Brook Bridge

We have been notified that DOT plans to begin work on Bower Brook Bridge and CRLAC has been asked for input. We agreed that Debby would indicate how supportive we are of their initiative and call attention to the design and engineering work which Sean Sweeney has already done.

Meeting adjourned at 8:14 PM

Respectfully submitted,

Kim Lewis

Walpole Fire District Budget Hearing

And

Commissioners Meeting

The public is invited to a Budget Hearing on Tuesday, February 10, 2015 for the Walpole Fire District.  The hearing is set for 7:00 pm and will be held at the Walpole Fire Station.

The February monthly meeting of the Walpole Fire Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, February 10^th immediately following the Budget Hearing.

Walpole Planning Board

Walpole Town Hall

January 13, 2015 Minutes

Presiding Members: Jeffrey Miller (Chair), Robert Miller (Vice-Chair), James Aldrich, (Secretary), Kelley Hicks, Dennis Marcom.

Alternates: Edward Potter and Jeff White.

Absent:  Chas Street (Selectboard Representative), Jason Perron, Member.

Recording: Marilou Blaine. These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the February 9, 2015, meeting for corrections, additions and/or omissions.

Meeting Opened: Mr. J. Miller, Chair, called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

Roll Call: One board member was absent so Mr. Miller asked Alternate Mr. Potter to sit in his place.

Minutes: Mr. Aldrich made a motion to accept the November minutes as written. Mr. R. Miller seconded the motion and the board approved the motion.

Old Business: Public Hearing No. 1: Request for Lot Line Adjustment: Matthew Drew, LLC, of Richmond, N.H., was representing  Albert Fontaine Revocable Living Trust, who was requesting a Lot Line Adjustment at 37 North River Road. The property is listed under Town Tax Map 18, Lots 12 and 12-1 in the Residential B Zoning District. A board member made a motion to accept the application as complete and the board voted in the affirmative.

Mr. Drew said that Mr. Fontaine’s lot is No. 12 and he would like to transfer 4,631 square feet to Lot 12-1, owned by  Allen J. and Tiffany M. Parker. The Parkers are already using the land, Mr. Drew said, so Mr. Fontaine is selling it to them.

The total area of Map 18, Lot 12 before the adjustment was 41, 316 square feet or .95 acres. The total area of Map 18, Lot 12-1 before the adjustment was 51,793 square feet or 1.19 acres. After the adjustment, Lot 12 will be .84 acres and Lot 12-1 will be 1.3 acres.

After looking at the map, there were no questions from the board, so the public hearing was closed.

Public Hearing No. 2 Steven W. Brode Subdivision – one lot into two lots – Town Tax Map No. 7, Lot No. 22,  15 Macri Lane.

This was a rehearing of a previous decision the board made on the Steven W. Brode property in November 2014. Alternate Potter stepped down from voting on this hearing because he is the recipient of one of the pieces of property. Alternate Mr. White replaced him. Ms. Cindy Westover was representing Mr. Brode. The application was voted on and approved as complete.

Ms. Westover said that the state had trouble with this subdivision because of the grade, soil and also because the lot was being proposed as a non building lot. She said Mr. Ted Fellows has been working on this and test pits had been dug. There are now the provisions for a building lot regarding septic and well.

The state just had never had a request for approval of a lot that was less than five acres where the lot was going to be a non building lot, Ms. Westover said. She added that the buyer of the lot, Mr. Edward Potter, was to eventually going to add more land to the lot, but the state said “no.” The state said it had to have all the conditions that a building lot would have.

So now this is a full-fledged lot, Ms. Westover said. It is now 1.17 acres. The other lot is a full-fledged lot. There are provisions for wells, septic and there is correct road frontage for both lots. So the state has approved them as building lots .

The difference in this map and the previously approved map is the amount of land each lot has. The state wanted more acreage on the southern  lot, so the east to west boundary line between the two lots was moved over to make the lot 1.17 acres. It was exactly one acre before. The other lot was originally proposed to be 1.95 acres and now it is 1.78 acres.

One board member asked about frontage. Ms. Westover said one lot has 200 feet and the other 229.

The minimum is 200 feet.

Since there were no more questions, Mr. J. Miller closed the hearing.

Public Hearing Decisions: Mr. Aldrich made a motion to accept the Lot Line Adjustment for the Albert Fontaine property. It was seconded by Mr. R. Miller and all the board member voted “aye.”

Mr. J. Miller asked for a motion on the Brode subdivision. Mr. Aldrich made a motion to accept it. Mr. R. Miller seconded the motion and the subdivision was approved by the board.

Mr. R. Miller and Mr. J. Miller signed both Mylars. Mr. Drew and Ms. Westover gave the secretary checks to pay for registering the Mylars with the County Registry.

Mr. Miller asked about the notation about a Clarification on the agenda. The secretary answered that there were copies of some clarifications of the water ordinance that board members should pick up and  read.

Mr. Miller said that the board was working on the language for the water protection amendment and the introduction comes right from the RSA. He was going to check with the regional planning commission about notification requirements.

Mr. Miller also mentioned that there were a couple of members whose terms were ending so they had to go to the Town Clerk to re-up.

Mr. R. Miller said that since there was no upcoming work, we would skip the monthly workshop. A motion was made to not have the monthly workshop. It was seconded and approved by the board.

Mr. James Aldrich made a motion to adjourn. Mr. R. Miller seconded the motion and it was approved by the board.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine

Secretary