The Walpolean

Agenda for Zoning Board of Adjustment

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Walpole Town Hall – 7:30 p.m.

Roll Call

Appointment of alternates – if needed

Minutes – Review minutes of July meeting

Old Business:

Public Hearing No. 1 – Costume Ladies – Ray Boas, Barbara Kasper and Lynne Rollins-Kinnear, owners of Costume Ladies request a Variance of Article X, Part D of the Walpole Zoning Ordinance – an Expansion of a Non- Conforming Use at the former American Legion Hall on Main Street, Town Tax Map 20, Lot 52 

New Business :

1^st US Realty requests a 3-foot-by-4.5-foot double-sided sign at Route 12 and Upper Walpole Road, Tax map 12, Lot 56. Property Owner Walpole Properties LLC. Mark Sobel, president.

Consider raising cost of fee for a public hearing. The current cost is $75.00

Next meeting Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Thank you Marilou Blaine for being so prompt (and I didn’t even have to ask) with these minutes! – Lil

TOWN OF WALPOLE

PLANNING BOARD MEETING

AUGUST 12, 2014 

Presiding: Jeffrey Miller (Chair), Robert Miller (Vice-Chair), James Aldrich, (Secretary), Dennis Marcom, Jason Perron, Kelley Hicks, Chas Street (Selectboard Representative).

Alternate: Jeff White.

Absent: Ed Potter, Alternate

Recording: Marilou Blaine, Recording Secretary.

These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the September 9, 2014 meeting for corrections, additions and/or omissions.

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

Roll Call: Mr. J. Miller asked Alternate Jeff White to sit in for Jason Perron..

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

Old Business: Public Hearings 

Public Hearing No. 1. JR Development LLC – Site Plan Review: Cont’d – Add a 2030 square-foot unheated building to be used as cold dry storage behind the existing building in North Meadow Plaza – Town Tax Map No. 12, Lot No. 55. This is in the Commercial Zoning District. It is a wood building with metal siding and a sloping metal roof that goes from 11 feet to 8 feet.

Mr. Jeff Miller asked for updates. Mr. David Zhang, an engineer representing JR Development, brought a new plan showing the interior of the storage shed. Mr. Zhang said that two gas meters on the interior wall were eliminated. The one at the end of the building will remain. Mr. Zhang said he has already coordinated this with Suburban Propane.  He also said an extra door has been added from the store to the storage shed.

Mr. George Hurlburt, a building inspector with the Walpole Fire Department, said he didn’t see any differences in the new plan as far as the means of emergency egress. The plans show exits from the store to the storage area. But people would be leaving a sprinkled area and going into a wood construction that’s unsprinkled, he said. There must be a secondary means of egress in the storage area.

Mr. Zhang said he didn’t understand exactly what Mr. Hurlburt was looking for. Mr. Hurlburt said an architect should understand a secondary means of egress.

Mr. Hurlburt said the concern is that people in the store could be compromised if they couldn’t get to the front exit. He explained that two double doors in the front are fine but a secondary means of egress doesn’t exist on the plan from the storage area. Those three doors to the storage area are not secondary egress.

1. Mr. Miller added there must be a secondary egress from the store to the storage and the storage to the outside.

Mr. Hurlburt gave an example. If you wanted to take that first door that’s closest to the gas meter and make a two door enclosure – make one door enclosed and make an outside exit – have emergency lighting and emergency hardware, that would be considered emergency egress. And Mr. Hurlburt said the door should be a minimum of 36 inches.

Mr. Marcom said I think it would be in your interest to check that code. I’m puzzled why you didn’t do that before coming to the meeting.

Mr. Zhang said the developers wanted to get the site plan through so they didn’t include construction -level documents. They wanted to let everyone see the first concept.

1. Hurlburt said normally a code compliance officer would point all this out and and give him a shopping of list of what has to be done. The town does not have a code compliance officer.

Mr. J. Miller said that the Planning Board was always interested in what the fire and police had to say so this is typically in the purview of the Board. He tabled the hearing until next month. Mr. Zhang asked if it was possible to get conditional approval. Mr. Miller responded no.

Public Hearing No. 2: Henry Fletcher, March Hill Road, Minor Subdivision: Town Tax map No. 9, Lot 4. Subdivide 70 acres into two lots of 5 and 65 acres in the rural agricultural district.

Mr. Miller asked the secretary if the application was complete. She replied it was. Mr. Aldrich made a motion to accept the application as complete.  The motion was seconded.

Mr. Fletcher presented the board with maps showing that Lot 1 would be 5.01 acres: Lot 2 will be 65.79 acres. There is no proposed change in use of the property. He wanted to separate the farmhouse and the barn.  There is access for Lot 2 at the circle at the end of the driveway.

Mary Lou Montgomery, an abutter, said she was here just because she wanted to see the map and it wasn’t accessible at the Town Offices. Pointing to the map, Mr. Fletcher explained what he wanted to do to Mrs. Montgomery. Mrs. Montgomery was satisfied.

Teregram LLC – Lot Line Adjustment – RN Johnson property.

Two members of the board signed the Mylar on July 10 after they revived assurances from Alan W. Johnson, treasurer of R.N. Johnson, and Erick Kruger of Deconstruction Works that the work would be completed before Friday, July 18, 2014.

The Planning Board received a letter on July 21 that the work on the Northern Section had been completed and that all the material for work on the Southern Section was on the site and that Deconstruction Works of East Dummerston, VT was to be back on property on Monday, July 18 to finish the work before the end of the week.

New business:

The requests for a public hearing from Liberty Utilities to cut on a Scenic Road and from Mr. Richard P. Drew for a lot line adjustment at 37 North River Road on property owned by Albert Fontanel Revocable Living Trust were continued to next month because no one representing these requests came to the meeting.

Mr. Chas Street had a question. He had never heard of scenic byways.  Is there a list?

Mr. Miller said the request for a hearing to cut on scenic roads is a state statute. Farnun Road and one other road in Walpole are designated N.H. Scenic Roads.

Decision on the Fletcher hearing:

Mr. Aldrich made a motion to accept the application as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. Robert Miller and the board agreed. Mr. Miller said that he and Mr. Robert Miller would sign the Mylar.

August workshop: Mr. Miller said that since it is still summer the workshop on the fourth Tuesday would be canceled. A motion was made and seconded and the board agreed.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.

As one of the infamous “Facebook Stalkers” (those who seldom post but read the posts of others, I thought it might be helpful if The Walpolean readers were advised of this reminder from the Costume Ladies.  It may be early for Halloween, but thought you might be coming up on another masquerade event! – Lil

“Reminder to all our great customers!

We’re closed for the next 2 weeks (Aug 18 – Sept 2) for our annual August break. With luck, we’ll be finished up with renovations at our new location by the time we re-open. Don’t worry, we’ll still be easy to find — we’re only moving 4 doors down to 73 Main Street! We’ll keep you updated on our progress here on our page. See you in September!”

PLANNING BOARD AGENDA

WALPOLE TOWN HALL

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

7 p.m.

Roll Call – Appointment of alternates if needed

 Minutes – Review minutes of the July meeting

 Old Business: 

Teragram LLC – Lot Line Adjustment – RN Johnson property – Decision to delay but approval and Mylar signed on Friday, July 11, 2014 by Board Members Mr. Robert  Miller and Mr. James Aldrich.
Public Hearings:

Public Hearing No. 1: JR. Development, LLC – Site Plan Review:  Cont’d – Add a 2030 square foot building to be used as cold dry storage behind the existing building in North Meadow Plaza – Town Tax Map No. 12, Lot No. 55. This is in the Commercial Zoning District. Mr. David Zhang is representing JR Development, LLC..

Public Hearing No. 2: Henry Fletcher, March Hill – Minor subdivision, Town Tax Map No. 9, Lot  4. Subdivide 70 acres into tow lots of 5 and 65 acres on March Hill and Maple Grove Road. This is in the rural agricultural district. New abutter list.

New Business

Request for a Public Hearing:  Tree Cutting by Liberty Utilities on east and west end of Farnum Road.  As this is a designated Scenic Road in Walpole, a public hearing needs to be held on the matter. Liberty Utilities wants to schedule routine maintenance and hazard tree removal as part of their routine vegetation management program.  Jeffrey Carney, Certified Arborist, will represent Liberty Utilities.

Other Business: 

Planning Board: Workshop session: There will be a Workshop Session Tuesday, August 26, in the Walpole Town Hall Downstairs Office at 7 p.m.

Cc: PB, ZBA, Town Offices, Walpolean

Posted; Town Hall Lobby and Outside Bulletin Board, Walpole Grocery Store.

I have to confess that, since my own children are close to Jacqueline’s age, I have never attended a movie night but it does sound like fun.  It just may be that the word “desserts” has struck a chord! – Lil

Join us for an evening of old-fashioned fun! Sit on hay bales (or bring your own blanket or chair) and watch great cinema projected inside our century-old barn surrounded by neighbors and friends!

7:00 p.m. Saturday, August 2^nd ~ Rain or Shine

The fun begins at 7:00 p.m. when we gather for desserts and conversation. We’ll start the evening with classic cartoons and then @ 7:30 p.m. we’ll start this year’s feature film – UP! Disney-Pixar’s 2009 instant classic about a hilarious and heartfelt adventure of a 78 year old man pursuing his lifelong dream when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But, he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.

Popcorn, drinks and homemade cookies provided. Pot luck desserts encouraged. Free-will donations accepted.

DON’T MISS THIS GREAT FAMILY EVENT!

The Inn at Valley Farms is located at 633 Wentworth Road in Walpole just 3 1/2 miles from the center of downtown Walpole and just past the back entrance to Alyson’s Orchard. Questions? Call 756-2855.

Not sure if it is a question of geographical knowledge, poor listening skillls or bad information but please be advised that the small plate menu that starts this Friday at the Bellows Walpole Inn features flavors of Asia, not the Middle East.  Does that mean more rice and less curry?  :-)  Guess we have to wait and see. – Lil

TOWN OF WALPOLE
MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD
JULY 17, 2014

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

CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Street called this meeting to order at 6:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall with two people in attendance.
These are unapproved Minutes.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:

Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest for checks dated July 18, 2014, in the amount of $515,463.15. This includes a monthly payment to the Fall Mountain Regional School District in the amount of $460,493.39. 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 July 12, 2014, for checks dated July 18, 2014, in the amount of $24,118.44. 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 $5,297.28 for checks dated July 18, 2014. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – July 10, 2014: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of the July 10, 2014, meeting with the following amendment on page 4, under June Statements: add “That concerns may be the result of report timing and the Selectboard is looking into it”. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the minutes were approved.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – July 10, 2014: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of July 10, 2014, as submitted. The Minutes will remain sealed. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the minutes were approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
The Selectboard received and reviewed Minutes of the following meeting:
 Planning Board – July 8, 2014.

BUILDING PERMITS:
WEBB/LATHAM, March Hill, Map & Lot #009-043-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve Building Permit No. 2014-27 for William Webb and Tim & Shannon Latham to “Construct a 30’ x 24’ 1 Story Addition” at 380 March Hill Road, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

NEW BUSINESS:
METAL DETECT REQUEST: The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of an email from Ed Merrill to request permission to do metal detection on the Common. Following a discussion there was a consensus of the Selectboard to deny this request. Mrs. Clough was asked to respond to Mr. Merrill’s request.

OLD BUSINESS:
WETLAND PROCEDURES RESPONSE: The Selectboard asked Mrs. Clough to forward a copy of their email that was received through their consultant to the Conservation Commission, Mrs. Alicia Flammia and Mr. Jack Franks. The DES is satisfied that the Avanru Development site is in compliance. If they have any further questions, contact the Selectboard.

Mrs. Clough’s Report: 1) Mrs. Clough advised that Mr. Ray Boas will attend the Selectboard meeting on July 31st. 2) Relative to the medical coverage – Mrs. Clough explained that this amount was put in monthly, as divided by twelve months, rather than put in weekly. The company bills the Town a month in advance; they pay by invoice date. The Auditors make adjustments. 3) The Auditors had submitted a few questions and Mrs. Clough will follow-up with them. As soon as that is done the Auditors will finalize the Audit. 4) Today the Department Heads met with Mrs. Clough. They are all on-board with what they should be doing. 5) Pool Supply Budget: Mrs. Clough advised that she went through that today and they are all set. Chemicals got posted to the wrong line. They did not hire as many youth this year as last year. 6) Library – Mr. Dalessio responded that this budget is okay.

Town Hall Repairs: Mrs. Clough contacted Mr. Rohr Cook from Cook Construction to tell him that the Selectboard accepted his quote and explained that he should submit a quote for siding on the back side. There are several different siding options and he will send in quotes with a recommendation on which one he feels would best suit the building. It has been seven years since the Town Hall was painted. Mr. Dalessio would like to have a quote on fixing the concrete on the Town Hall as a lot of it is chipping off.

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 6:25 PM.
The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 6:44 PM.

NON-PUBLIC SESSION:
Mr. Dalessio moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard 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 6:45 PM.
The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:03 PM. No announcements were made.

OTHER BUSINESS:
CEMETERY TOMBS: Mr. Dalessio recently took a look at the tombs in the cemetery and took another set of photos; they are deteriorating since he last looked at them. He suggested they email the Cemetery Trustees to ask where they stand on the tombs. Mrs. Clough understands the Trust is for up-keep of the cemetery. There are line items in the budget for cutting trees and cleaning tombstones. Mr. Street felt they would have to look at the guidelines of the Trust but feels some money could be used for capital expenses.

RECREATION TRUST: Mr. Dalessio mentioned that there is a Recreation Trust of about $5,000. It is going backwards due to the expense of maintaining the Trust. The Selectboard should encourage them to use a percentage of the total. Mrs. Clough will be meeting with the committee; they have things they would like to purchase. She will check with Mrs. Pschirrer on the terms of this Trust.

LIBRARY – HUBBARD TRUST: Mr. Dalessio mentioned that the Hubbard Trust for the Library is going in the negative direction. He felt the Selectboard should look into the terms as somebody should be providing guidance.

ADJOURNMENT:
Mr. Dalessio moved to adjourn this meeting. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved at 7:14 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary
____________________
Chas G. Street, Chair
____________________
Whitney R. Aldrich
____________________
Steven Dalessio
(Note: These are unapproved Minutes. Corrections, if necessary, will be found in the Minutes of the July 17, 2014, Selectboard meeting.)

In June of 1965 Meeting Waters YMCA ran its first summer camp on a loaned field in North Westminster. Fifty years later, the regional Y’s camps continue to play a vital role in keeping kids engaged and active in the summer while also providing working parents with day-long care. Over those years, more than 12,000 area children have now spent between one and eight weeks of their summer break developing new skills, forming new friendships and making lasting memories.

On Thursday, August 7^th from 6-8pm, Meeting Waters YMCA is holding a celebration and reunion for campers, camp staff, volunteers and donors that have been part of the half-century of history, fun and impact. The event will be held at the Y’s Lewis Day Camp facility on Missing Link Road in Springfield, home of its camp programs since 1987.

“We are very proud of our 50 years of helping kids learn, grow and thrive in the summer months,” said Executive Director Steve Fortier. “It’s rewarding to reflect on the fact that we’ve been such an important and memorable part of so many young people’s experiences—well, when they were young. Some are not so young anymore!”

Fortier says he sees the August 7^th event as having two main themes. “It’s an opportunity for campers and camp staff from over all the years to have a reunion of sorts. I hope a lot of connections are re-established.” He adds, “We also look forward to the opportunity to thank the many people—volunteers and donors—that got our camps off the ground in the 60s, those that helped us elevate our quality and impact by creating a beautiful, permanent home for our camp in the 80s, and those that have ensured that our camp has always been accessible to all children with their donations to our Reach Out to Youth Fund.” Fortier estimates that over the past 50 years, parents have benefited from around $1.25 million in financial assistance and subsidized services.

The committee that’s been working on the celebration has planned a theme of “A Day at Camp” which will involve camp activities from throughout the years. There will also be a brief ceremony with comments from former campers who are now parents of current campers as well as a couple of volunteers who played vital roles in developing camp. The evening will end with a campfire as has been the tradition at family nights over the 50 years.

The 50^th celebration is free and open to the public. Fortier asks former campers and staff to help with outreach. “Unfortunately, our records before 1998 are not very good. We need help from others to spread the word about the event. If you’re still in touch with a friend from camp, please let them know about the celebration. It’s also listed within the ‘events’ tab on our Facebook page, so people can go there and share it on their wall or invite their friends that way.”

For more information, visit http://www.meetingwatersymca.org, Meeting Waters YMCA on facebook, or call the Y at their office nearest you—Brattleboro: 246-1036 or BF: 463-4769.

Meeting Waters YMCA is a charitable, social service organization founded in 1895. Its programs and services focus on youth development, healthy living, social responsibility and family strengthening throughout the Fall Mountain, Bellows Falls, Springfield and Brattleboro regions.

The other night I heard the the Bellows Walpole Inn is changing up its menu as of August 1st.  It was described to me as food with a Middle Eastern flair.  No idea what that means. – Lil