Selectboard Meeting Agenda – 6/4/25

SELECTBOARD 06/04/2025 Leave a comment

TOWN OF WALPOLE

SELECTBOARD MEETING AGENDA 

June 4, 2025

Starting at 6:30 PM in the Town Hall

HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING

HOOPER TRUSTEES NON-PUBLIC BUSINESS: RSA 91-A:3 II (b)

HOOPER TRUSTEES PUBLIC BUSINESS

  • Hooper Institute Renovation Update
  • Meeting with Hooper Institute Board Chair

HOOPER TRUSTEES MINUTES

  • Hooper Trustees Meeting – May 28, 2025
  • Hooper Non-Public Session – May 28, 2025

SELECTBOARD MEETING

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE

  • Accounts Payable Check Register in the total amount of $94,050.64 for checks issued 6/09/2025

PAYROLL

  • Payroll Register totaling $36,320.68 dated 6/06/2025 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $7,028.44

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES

  • Selectboard Meeting – May 28, 2025
  • Selectboard Non-Public Session – May 28, 2025

COMMITTEE REPORTS

  • Trail Committee Meeting – May 14, 2025
  • Safety Committee Meeting – May 29, 2025

ABATEMENTS

  • Map and Lot# 012-056-002
  • Map and Lot# 012-056-004
  • Map and Lot# 012-058-000

WARRANTS

  • Supplemental Tax Warrant for Map and Lot# 012-056-002

EXCAVATION INTENT

  • Map and Lot# 012-073-000

OLD BUSINESS

Pending Further Actions: Parking Policy, Generators, Old North Main and High Streets Bridges/Culverts, School and Union Street Drainage, Reservoir Dam, and Houghton Brook Bridge

  • Special Use Permit (SUP) for Rail Trail
  • Recycling Center Solar System Repair Update
  • Hazard Mitigation Plan Update
  • Rt. 12 Repaving Project in North Walpole Update
  • CPCNH Meeting and Rate Update Notice

NEW BUSINESS

  • Mascoma Bank Account
  • Walpole Players Banner on the Town Hall
  • Recreation Revolving Fund Request
  • Police Cruiser Capital Reserve Request
  • Drinking Water Sustainability ARPA Grant Reimbursement

NON-PUBLIC BUSINESS: RSA 91-A:3 II

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

Zoning Board Meeting Minutes – 5/21/25

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Zoning Board of Adjustment Minutes

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Town Hall

7 pm.

These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the June 18, 2025 meeting for corrections.

Roll Call:  Board members present: Chair Tom Murray, Vice-Chair Pauline Barnes, Clerk Dave Edkins, Shane O’Keefe and Bill Sommers. Alternate Don Sellarole. Absent Myra Mansouri.

Call to Order: Mr. Murray called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm. A full board was present.

Minutes: Mr. Murray made one correction. He mentioned that the caveat about the minutes not being approved was not at the beginning of the April minutes. Ms. Barnes made a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Mr. O’Keefe seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Walpole Zoning Ordinances: The Board received copies of the updated zoning ordinances booklet recently reorganized by Southwest Region Planning Commission. This update reflects the recent changes voted on by townspeople at the March warrant vote. After members have had a chance to look over the booklet, they’ll come back next month with their comments. A quick look showed that all the definitions were in alphabetical order. 

Conway in the news again: Ms. Barnes said Conway, NH was in the news again. The NH Superior Court recently made a decision about a bakery that had a mural painted over the top of its sign. The mural had pictures of pastries in it. The bakery was said to be in violation of the sign ordinance, however the high court found in favor of the bakery owner.

Gravel Pit Inspections: Mr. Murray said that later this year he will go over the gravel pit inspection process with the Planning Board. Inspections are required once a year and this is done usually in the fall. The Zoning Board has been doing this for years but legally it’s under the purview of the Planning Board. There are three gravel pits in Walpole that are still operating – Cold River Materials on Brewery Road, Tim Graves gravel pit at the end of Wentworth Road and the former Hodgkins gravel pit on Old Drewsville Road now owned by Josh Perry Trucking. 

It was suggested by Mr. Sellarole that he may want to get an expert to help him because it can be complicated. Mr. Edkins suggested a geologist who lives in Charlestown. Someone else suggested an engineer from a company that is hired to do this from a nearby town such as Westmoreland. He will also cover reclamation or closing of gravel pits and add what happens to those inspections: letter to gravel pit owners including a copy of the inspection report. Regulations on gravel pit are RSA 155:E.

Mr. O’Keefe briefly brought up development of regional impact. He referenced RSA 36:56, Section I. “A local land use board as defined in RSA 672:7, upon receipt of an application for development, shall review it promptly and determine whether or not the development, if approved, reasonably could be construed as having the potential for regional impact. Doubt concerning region impact shall be resolved in a determination that the development has potential regional impact.”

Spring conference: Ms. Barnes said she virtually attended a webinar on Saturday, May 10 put on by the New Hampshire Office of Planning and Development Spring Conference. This is what she gleaned from the conference in the afternoon question and answer session.

Recusing oneself:

  • The refusal of a Board member to recuse him/herself when there is a perceived conflict. When that happens, you can be 100 percent sure that there will be an appeal.

There was a lot to say about variances:

  • The applicant must answer all of the five questions. Otherwise the application is incomplete.

Hardship is often the hardest part of application to answer. Here’s some help:

  • Figure out what the underlying purpose of the restriction is about.
  • Is that purpose affected by a request?
  • Focus on the merits of the proposition.
  • What is the purpose behind the zoning restriction for which the variance is being requested. Is the purpose furthered when you apply the restriction to this particular property? If so, then there may not be a hardship.
  • Be tolerant on matters of procedure and focus instead on the merits of the proposition.

Equitable Waivers:

  • The lecturers themselves couldn’t agree on some questions about equitable waivers, underscoring how complicated they are. An equitable waiver does not confer protected status.  Once granted, it does not create a non-conforming use. Ms. Barnes wondered if the Board had ever dealt with an equitable waiver, leading to a discussion about them.  No member could recall having done so.     

Adjournment

Mr. O’Keefe made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Edkins seconded the motion and the motion carried. The time was 8 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine

Recording Secretary

Reminder: Walpole Summer Trail Challenge

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June 2025 Clarion Now Online

Uncategorized 05/30/2025 Leave a comment

From Ray Boas:

The OLD HOME DAYS June issue will be at the post offices early on the 30th for delivery to you shortly – Twenty pages for you packed with details on Old Home Days, including a center two page schedule and details of activities June 25-29. You will want to save this issue for your planning to have fun to enjoy the festivities and celebrations.

So, click on this link for the issue or the front cover below. Stay safe and well, yours– RAY BOAS, Publisher.

Selectboard Meeting Minutes – 5/22/25

SELECTBOARD 05/30/2025 Leave a comment

Town of Walpole, New Hampshire

Meeting of the Selectboard

May 22, 2025

Selectboard Present: Steven Dalessio, Chair; Carolyn Vose and Cheryl Mayberry

Staff Present: Sarah Downing, Manager of Administration, and Sue Bauer, Recording Secretary

Guests Present: Adrian Basora and Peggy Pschirrer

CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Dalessio called the Selectboard meeting to order at 6:32 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.

The following item was moved to the top of the agenda to accommodate guests who wished to speak to it.

River Valley Seniors at Home (RVSAH): RVSAH thanked the Town for the annual donation.  Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Basora explained the new initiative. There are currently 771 seniors in Walpole, about two-thirds are living alone.  They have a new project to create a database that will help the Fire District and EMS respond to calls.  There will be refrigerator magnets with emergency contacts and medical issues plus more extensive data in a database for first responders.  They will be working with community organizations and the churches and request two advocates from each organization to help gather data and create the database.  They will start at Old Home Days. 

Two additional issues for seniors are filling out forms and keeping up with bills.  There is a service in NH that when the State sends a form or bill to a senior, they can send a copy to a registered advocate.  However, the word needs to get out, so people know about the service.

Mrs. Pschirrer and Mr. Basora left the meeting.

Accounts Payable

Ms. Vose moved to approve the Accounts Payable Check Register totaling $280,202.65 dated May 27, 2025.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.  

Payroll

Ms. Vose moved to approve the Payroll Register totaling $31,550.29 dated 5/23/2025 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $6,001.80.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

Selectboard Meeting Minutes

Selectboard Meeting – May 14, 2025: Ms. Vose moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of May 14, 2025.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

Committee Reports

Ms. Mayberry brought to the chair’s attention the following committee reports:

  • Police Building Committee Minutes May 12, 2025
  • Walpole Planning Board Minutes May 13, 2025

Mr. Dalessio acknowledged these minutes.

Property Tax Warrant

Spring Property Tax Warrant: Ms. Vose moved to approve the property tax warrant for $6,954,220.00 with payment due July 1, 2025.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the property tax warrant was approved.

Building Demolition Permits

2025-16, Map and Lot# 002-008-000: Ms.  Vose moved to approve Building Permit #2025-16 for Map and Lot # 002-008-000 to demolish a 40’ x 12’ lean-to between chicken coops. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the permit was approved.

2025-17, Map and Lot# 014-005-000: Ms. Vose moved to approve Building Permit #2025-17 for Map and Lot # 014-005-000 to demolish the house and barn. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the permit was approved.

Old Business

Pool Pavilion Contract: Bensonwood submitted the contract for the Shade Structure at the Town Pool.  Ms. Vose moved to have the Chair sign the contract dated May 13, 2025 for Bensonwood to build a shade structure at the Town Pool for $21,700.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved, and Mr. Dalessio signed the contract.

New Business

Consultant Selection Justification Form for ARPA Grant: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the Consultant Selection Justification Form for ARPA and for Mr. Dalessio, the Chair, to sign the form.  Seconded by Ms. Vose.  With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

Drinking Water Sustainability Grant Reimbursement Form: Ms. Vose moved to approve the Drinking Water Sustainability Grant Disbursement Form, and for Mr. Dalessio to sign the form. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved, and Mr. Dalessio signed the form.

Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the invoices from Weston and Sampson.  Seconded by Ms. Vose.  With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved, and the invoice was signed.

Police Building Capital Reserve Fund: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve and sign the letter to the Trustees of Trust Funds requesting them to issue a check to Walpole for $5,425.10 for reimbursement of the expenditures for the Police Station.  Seconded by Ms. Vose.  With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

Eagle Scouts: Two of the Walpole Scouts will become Eagle Scouts on Sunday.  There will be a Court of Honor and Pig Roast at Hogue Base.

  • Ms. Vose moved to sign the certificate and congratulate Bennett Hook on his accomplishment.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved, and the certificate was signed.
  • Ms. Vose moved to sign the certificate and congratulate David Northcott on his accomplishment.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved, and the certificate was signed.

The Town of Walpole congratulates the two new Eagle Scouts. The Town is proud of the scouts’ accomplishments.

Non-Public Business RSA 91-A:3 II (a, b, c, e)

Ms. Mayberry moved to enter into Non-Public Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II (a, b, c, e) at 7:21 PM.  Ms. Vose seconded. With Ms. Mayberry, Ms. Vose and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

The meeting was reconvened at 8:04 PM.

Ms. Vose moved that the Non-Public Session Minutes be sealed. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Ms. Vose, Ms. Mayberry and Mr. Dalessio in favor, the motion was approved.

The Selectboard will meet next week on Wednesday, May 28th at 6:30 PM.

ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Dalessio declared the meeting adjourned at 8:04 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Sue Bauer, Recording Secretary

(Note: These are unapproved Minutes. Corrections will be found in the Minutes of the May 28, 2025 Selectboard meeting.)

Selectboard Meeting Agenda – 5/28/25

SELECTBOARD 05/28/2025 Leave a comment

TOWN OF WALPOLE

SELECTBOARD MEETING AGENDA 

May 28, 2025

Starting at 6:30 PM in the Town Hall

HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING

HOOPER TRUSTEES PUBLIC BUSINESS

  • Greta Drager – New Hooper Executive Director
  • Hooper Institute Renovation Update
  • Hooper Maintenance Trust – Petition to the Court Update
  • Countryside Lock and Alarm Contract

HOOPER TRUSTEES NON-PUBLIC BUSINESS: RSA 91-A:3 II (b)

HOOPER TRUSTEES MINUTES

  • Hooper Trustees Meeting – May 1, 2025
  • Hooper Non-Public Session – May 1, 2025
  • Hooper Trustees Meeting – May 14, 2025

SELECTBOARD MEETING

PAYROLL

  • Payroll Register totaling $33,002.37 dated 5/30/2025 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $6,841.23

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES

  • Selectboard Meeting – May 22, 2025
  • Selectboard Non-Public Session – May 22, 2025

COMMITTEE REPORTS

  • Conservation Commission Meeting – May 5, 2025
  • Library Trustees Meeting – May 13, 2025

OLD BUSINESS

Pending Further Actions: Parking Policy, Generators, Old North Main and High Streets Bridges/Culverts, School and Union Street Drainage, Reservoir Dam, and Houghton Brook Bridge

  • Rt. 12 Repaving Project in North Walpole

NEW BUSINESS

  • Waiver of Municipal Liability for Private Driveway
  • Repairing Solar Energy System at Recycling Building
  • 2024 Total Equalized Valuation Notice
  • Showcase at North Walpole School

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

Walpole Trail Committee Summer Hiking Challenge – Starts 6/1/25

Uncategorized 05/26/2025 Leave a comment
Walpole Trail Committee Summer Hiking Challenge from 12:01 am June 1 - 11: 59 pm September 30. Hike any trail and class 6 road in Walpole, keep track of dates and mileage for each hike. Email iam@france-menk.com for log sheets and answers.

Rummage Sale at First Congregational Church – 5/31/25

EVENTS 05/24/2025 Leave a comment

RUMMAGE/FOOD/WHITE ELEPHANT SALE

Saturday, May 31 

9 am to 1 pm

$5/bag sale starts at noon

First Congregational Church (on the Common), Walpole, NH

We will accept items of clean, gently used clothing and tag sale items (no cords, please, and no furniture or shoes) on Tuesday, May 27, Wednesday, May 28,  and Thursday, May 29 from 10 am to 6 pm

For more information, call 603-756-4866.

Police Building Committee Meeting Minutes – 5/12/25

Police Building Committee 05/22/2025 Leave a comment

POLICE BUILDING COMMITTEE

Minutes, May 12, 2025

Peggy Pschirrer called the meeting to order in the office of the Selectboard. Present were Trevor MacLachlan, Andrew Dey, Jay Punt and on Zoom, Cheri Watson.  Chief Justin Sanctuary, Dave Adams and Steve Dalessio were absent.

Andew Dey moved that the minutes of April 21, 2025, be approved. The motion was seconded by Trevor MacLachlan and so voted.

Mr. Dalessio had emailed an agenda to everyone prior to the meeting.

The first item was to discuss the latest rendering provided by Michal Petrovick. The door which Chief Sanctuary had requested at the last meeting is shown as exiting out the back of the building across from the Records Room. This will provide privacy for anyone leaving the building. The broad front will be a good space for the Police Logo.

The Committee discussed how to maintain the property we now own on Upper Walpole Road. This is now Town property. Is it possible that the Highway Department could brush hog the site at least twice a year?  If this is not feasible, then the group agreed we should hire a local landscaping company to brush hog twice a year.

The Police Building Committee will have a booth or table at Old Home Days, Saturday, June 28.  Andrew Dey, Trevor MacLachlan and Cheri Watson each may be able to volunteer at the table for a short period of time.  We may need a pop-up tent for shade or rain cover.

The Committee spent some time discussing fund raising. They agreed we need a timeline; to consider the stages of fund raising; naming opportunities for the new building; the formation of a fund-raising committee made up of local citizens; and to seek local input.  We will ask Nancy Merrill who has already filed a Congressional Grant application with Senator Sheehan’s office, to explore the possibilities of a Northern Borders Grant for buildings of all wood.

The Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for June 9, 2025, at 6:30 in the office of the Selectboard.

Library Trustees Meeting Minutes – 5/13/25

LIBRARY TRUSTEES 05/21/2025 Leave a comment

Walpole Town Library

Board of Trustees Meeting

May 13, 2025

Present:  Amy Howard (Chair), Kathy Nerrie (Treasurer), Gail LaHaise, Susan Johnson, 

Bill Ranauro, Sarah Mann, Erin Bowen, Jean Kobeski (Recording Secretary), Jane Malmberg (Library Director), 

Absent:  Jana Sellarole

Amy called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. in the Community Room of the main library.

Approval of Minutes:  Gail made a motion to accept the April, 2025 minutes as written.  Erin seconded the motion and all voted to approve. 

Treasurer’s Report: The trustees decided it would be more appropriate to change the name of the line item “Volunteer Dinner” to “Staff Appreciation” in the budget. This could then include dinners or other tokens of appreciation and avoid confusion.

Bills:  Jane discussed the library passes, which appeared in the bills.  She stated we will no longer purchase passes to the Currier Museum because they are seldom used.  She has added the Mariposa Museum in Peterborough.  With no further discussion, Amy moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report and Bills.  Gail seconded, and all voted in favor.  Motion carried.

Old Business

Survey Results:  There were 102 responses to the survey.  Sarah compiled results and shared them with Jane, who highlighted the most frequently mentioned comments with the board. Results include the following:

  1. 89.6% of respondents feel the library is meeting its mission while 10.4% feel it is somewhat meeting its mission.
  2. The library needs more adult programming, including more intellectual programming (history, science, etc.).
  3. Many feel the library should engage more with the school and community.
  4. Roughly 52% of respondents come to the library once/week, 17% more than once/week, and 17% once/month. 90% come to the library to borrow books, 87% attend programs. Many use the library for the downloadables.
  5. Expand the collection to include more fiction in addition to best sellers.
  6. Several patrons expressed frustration using the moveable stacks; however, due to limited space in the library, the board feels it is the practical solution for meeting our collection goals.

Patrons were asked how they learn of announcements and events at the library and they replied:

  1. Library newsletter and emails
  2. Walpole Clarion
  3. Library website
  4. Sandwich board outside the library
  5. Library staff

Patrons feel the following are the strengths of our library:

  1. The staff 
  2. Children’s programming
  3. Large number of books
  4. Lovely space
  5. Customer services
  6. Inter-Library Loan
  7. Safe and inclusive
  8. Great for all ages

After looking at the survey results, it was decided that the 5-year planning should address:

  1. More resources for students and families
  2. More programs
  3. Opportunities for volunteers to participate in the library
  4. Increased resources for seniors
  5. Promotion of community partnerships

It was also decided that the library needs to do more self-promotion.  It was clear from the survey that many people are not aware of many services the library and its staff already provide.  

Next step is to set a time to do the long-range planning, which will include the entire board and some staff members.

Old Home Days

The musician is scheduled for the afternoon program at the library.  The parade was discussed. The staff felt that the idea proposed at last month’s board meeting focused too much on children;  the theme should include both adults and children.  The new and final idea was presented and Jane invited board members to participate, either by marching and/or doing the needed artwork. 

Bill presented his idea for the bookmark and asked for board input.  After a short discussion, decisions were made and Bill said he would take care of getting them made. 

Operations

Porch Lights:  Jane reported that Houghton came and adjusted the new lighting;  neighbors are satisfied with the adjustment.

State Budget:  Jane stated that monies are still available for libraries, so none of the services, ILL, Libby, and talking books, are threatened at this time. She has heard nothing new about the progress with the state budget but will keep the board informed of any news from Concord.

Circulation:  Libby and Hoopla continue to be very popular services, with Hoopla the most widely used.  Sarah asked Jane to explain the differences between the two.  Hoopla does not necessarily have all the latest best sellers that Libby does and it never requires a hold.  Holds on books in Libby can last several weeks.  Hoopla also has audio books (as does Libby) and videos.

Printer Problems:  Jane said Sarah’s husband came to the library to try to solve the printer problem but was unable to do so. Jane has been in contact with Consolidated again, and is waiting to hear when they can come to the library. Bjorn will meet with them when they come.

Buildings and Grounds:  Jane reported that the bark on one side of the new tree was scraped by machinery being used for roof repair next door. 

Friends of the Library:  The Friends have told Jane they want to give more money to the library.  Jane suggested the money be used for programming because she is unsure if grant money will be available for that.  The Friends also mentioned paying for newspapers and magazines.

Adjournment:  With no further business to discuss, Gail made a motion to adjourn;  Erin seconded. Amy adjourned the meeting at 5:08 p.m.

The next meeting will be June 10, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. in the Main Library.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jean Kobeski, Recording Secretary

** These minutes are in draft form until approved at the June 10, 2025 meeting.