The Walpolean

TOWN OF WALPOLEHOOPER TRUSTEES MEETINGJULY 5, 2018 Hooper Trustees Present:  Peggy Pschirrer (Chair); Steven Dalessio; (Absent: Cheryl Mayberry) CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer called this Hooper Trustees meeting to order at 7:45 PM. HOOPER TRUSTEES MINUTES:HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING – June 28, 2018:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Hooper Trustees meeting of June 28, 2018, as submitted.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved. OLD BUSINESS:Easement Donor Tribute:  Mrs. Pschirrer felt the plaque should state something similar to “Thank You to the people of Walpole who contributed”.  It will not list all the names.  They need to obtain a price and choose the location.   Hooper Property:  The Hooper property was sold on July 2, 2018.  Attorney Hockensmith will notify the Court and the NH Office of Charitable Trust.         ADJOURNMENT:Mr. Dalessio moved to adjourn this Hooper Trustees meeting.  Seconded by Mrs. Pschirrer.  With Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 7:50 PM.   Respectfully submitted,Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

Agenda for Zoning Board of AdjustmentWednesday,  July 18, 2018Walpole Town Hall7:30 pm  Roll Call: Appointment of alternates if needed. Minutes: Review minutes. New Business:Joe Sawyer would like to rent his land for someone who owns a trucking business. Gravel Pits: Assign inspection sites. Old Business: Ted Johnson – shed on School Street – decided to put the shed on wheels Solar ordinance. Model Ordinance from NH Energy. Stephen Buckley NH Municipal Assoc. Solar Ordinance from Hollis. Update: Matrix: Discussion in August  Handout: Wind turbines. Next meeting Wednesday,  August 15, 2018

Members Present:John Peska (Vice Chair), Jackie Kensen, Lew Shelley, Laura Hayes Alternates Present:Myra Mansouri, Peter Palmiotto, Elaine Heleen Members Absent:Gary Speed, Duncan Watson, Kelli Wilson, Alicia Flammia Others Present:Peggy Pschirrer (Selectboard Representatives), Ray Boas, Marcus Lovell Smith, Sherrie Trefry (VHB), Ryan Owens, Steven Dumont (Recording Secretary) Call to Order: John Peska, Vice Chair, called the meeting to order at 7:25 PM. Seating of Alternates: Peter Palmiotto was seated as a regular member. Review and approve minutes – May 7, 2018. On page 2, under “3. Merriam Forest”, it should state that NH Fish & Game “came out and met with Rebecca and Lew”. Also on page 2, under (4.), it should state that Jeff White’s property is near the Gowdy property, it does not abut the property. On page 3, under “Other Business, 1.” it should state that Myra is a member of the Zoning Board and not the Planning Board. Lew made a motion to accept the minutes as corrected. Peter seconded. With all in favor, the minutes were accepted as corrected. Public Business:1. Treasury: The Forestry account has a balance of $2,269.00 and the Conservation account has a balance of $9,171.14. There is no info on the PDIP accounts. John passed around information on the town trust funds including the Hooper and Mason trust funds.2. Correspondence:a. Newsletter from the Monadnock Conservancy.b. Letter from the Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH asking for donations.c. NH Charitable Foundation Spring/Summer publication.d. Letter from the Connecticut River Conservancy asking for donations. New Business:1. Sherrie Trefry, representing Kristopher Wilkes from VHB, was in attendance. They are working for National Grid and are seeking an expedited Wetlands Permit Application from the NH DES for work along National Grid’s power line right of way in North Walpole. A power line has sagged over time and there needs to be a certain distance between the ground and the power line. National Grid plans to remove ledge below the power line to create the required distance. National Grid needs to upgrade, resurface and regrade their existing access road, as well as create a new section of road to the site. VHB has contacted the National Heritage Bureau. There is a rare plant species in the area. About 40 plants will be removed. The National Heritage Bureau has given their approval due to a large population of said plant. There is a vernal pool and an intermittent stream in the area which will not be affected. The new road will affect 2,337 square feet of wetland. Below 3,000 square feet the NH DES allows an expedited 30 day review of the application with Conservation Commission approval. John noted that the study and report is very thorough. Myra noted that the North Walpole Village Commissioners have their own Zoning Board of Adjustment, and that VHB needs to contact them for notification as well. Lew asked what the plant species was. Sherrie noted that it is bulrush. Peter asked about the tools being used as “hand tools” noted in the application. Sherrie believes it will be power hand tools. Peter asked if anyone has been to the site and what the impact of the wetlands will be. Sherrie noted that there are pictures in the application. Peter made a motion for the vice chair to sign the application. Lew seconded. All in favor.2. Peter introduced Ryan Owens, a Walpole residence and executive director of the Monadnock Conservancy (MC). He was in attendance to discuss options for the conservation of the Walker Road Property. Ryan said his involvement started with the recognition that with at least one of the NH State funding sources, if the state gives a grant to buy the land, the land has to be protected. This suggests a preference for a conservation easement to be granted on the land, to another organization, along with the town’s ownership of the land. Ryan has discussed the feasibility of the MC or another organization being the holder. This would enable grant funding. Ryan noted that the MC and other organizations are being much more selective with the easements they choose to hold due to the growing financial demands of representing the easements. The MC is moving toward outright ownership of land as an alternate, but this does not always work for some properties. Ryan noted that if the town owns land, an easement may not be worth the effort or needed at all. A Declaration of Conservation Restrictions is another mechanism which may satisfy the state’s requirements for grant funding. John asked Ray Boas about the groups intent on the property. Ray stated that the group initially started coming up with reasons why the property was a bad location for a gas station. After the application was withdrawn, they realized that someone else could purchase the property and try again. Phase two of their efforts is to purchase the land and turn it over to the Conservation Commission for protection, and to update the master plan and zoning ordinance to prevent this from happening again. Ray Boas and Chuck Shaw talked with D&C Transportation and came to a handshake agreement about purchasing the property. D&C has been very busy and Ray has not heard back with further information. Ray is looking to get a deal worked out before they aggressively ask for donations or pursue state funding. Ray said negotiations might take longer than expected but they are optimistic that a deal can be worked out. Ryan asked if the property should be appraised to make sure what D&C is asking for the property is a fair price. Ray mentioned the recent appraisal was $161,000. D&C paid $269,900. Ryan mentioned that when fundraising, it is good to know what the land is going to be used for, as people donating are going to want to know. Ray mentioned the group may ask for donations from the WCC if/when the deal goes through.3. Great Brook Town Forest/Boggy Meadow: Marcus from Boggy Meadow Farms was in attendance. Most of Boggy Meadows is under easement with the MC. Boggy Meadow Farms has farmed 3-4 acres of the Great Brook property for about the last 30 years. Boggy Meadows uses “farming partners” which means they allow other farmers to use their land, including the 3-4 acres of the Great Brook property. They have partnered with Mike Barrett but are now switching to Roy Holman, who may bring cows back to the land. Marcus is looking for formal approval to use the 3-4 acres of land. John noted that the discussion last meeting was knowing whether or not the land is being leased. Marcus said there is a formal lease on his land and including the 3-4 acres. Peggy was discussing this with the selectboard and they thought it was land that the Sawyer’s gave to the town. Jackie thinks that land is a different property. Peggy is interested in whether or not the land is taxed. Peter asked about other land in the town. Specifically if town owned land gets leased to someone else, if they are to pay for it, and is this a precedent. Marcus noted that Boggy Meadow is not looking for a special deal and mentioned that if there is an appropriate fee for them to pay to continue to lease the land, they are very willing to do so. Peter noted that we don’t have information on other town owned lands and whether or not people are paying to lease them. The WCC is working to inventory town lands. Peter suggested that Boggy Meadow continue to operate as they have been until we know otherwise. Marcus reaffirmed that Boggy Meadow is willing to pay whatever is fair and appropriate.4. Gowdy Property: Jackie followed up with Holly. The trees that had been left cut high were left this way due to state requirements. Jackie mentioned that the land looks much better now that things are growing in and looking green. She said it may have been cut more than necessary but not much more. Laura noted that she knows people who have expressed alarm due to the extent of the logging. It looks more logged than pruned. Jackie does not think that the logging went over what was allowed in the language of the easement. Lew asked if the logging is completed. Jackie said it is. Steven noted that in hindsight, it may have been helpful to walk the property ahead of time and flag it to ascertain the extent. Lew noted that when the cutting happened in Moody park in Claremont, the immediate reaction was shock but people are very happy with the result now that things have grown in. Peter pointed out that the main use of the land is for farming, and the cutting back was long overdue and had not happened in a long time. Old Business:1. Reservoir Dam: John spoke with Mark Houghton. Mark would like to see some movement on this project. John emailed and called CDL Engineers in Concord and has not heard back. He also called the office in White River Junction and has not heard back either. John stressed the need to move ahead with this and hopes to have more information at the next meeting.2. Walpole Easement Database: Laura contacted Anne McBride. They do not have a good system for tracking or reporting their easements. Anne sent Laura a link to a program some smaller groups are using, called “Landscape”. It’s about $700 a year for what we would need. It looks like a good system. Laura also emailed the NH Association of Conservation Commissions about what they use or have heard of, and has not heard back. The commission verified that the goal of this is to record all the easements in the town. Peter suggests Laura come up with the master list and we fill in the gaps later. Laura has the list except anything new since the last Granite update in about 2012. She only has the new ones from the MC. Lew suggests setting up a separate meeting to go over the easements only. WCC to explore a time that would work.3. Fannie Mason Feasibility Study: Lew is dealing with a back injury but walked the west end and discovered some carriage trails. He needs to do the south side still. He has been using GPS on his phone but will go back with a Garmin later. He is hoping to finish in about a month.4. Bill Callahan Land Survey: The land has been surveyed. Maps are complete. Alicia is out and will follow up at the next meeting.5. Town Conservation Maps: Peter has done some merging of maps and progressed but they are not complete.6. WCC Appointments: John and Myra are approved. The selectboard received a letter from Steven to fill Kelli’s seat. Peter made a motion to approve Steven’s request. Jackie seconded. All in favor. Kelli to send a letter to the selectboard asking to become an alternate. Other Business:1. Barry Conservation Camp: The student who was identified for the scholarship was selected, and when registering, it was determined the camps were booked solid. The email that was sent out reminding the WCC was sent to the wrong people. John reaffirmed our intent to sponsor a Walpole student. They are hoping that the student can get into another camp with a smaller waiting list.2. Peggy received a letter from a man in Keene who rides rail trails, and thought that Walpole has the worst biking trails in the area, specifically on the rail trail. Lew would like to renew efforts to make the trail more complete and passable. Lew will respond to the gentleman.3. Agreed to switch the next meeting to July 9th in lieu of July 2.4. John will email Ray Boas to have him add the monthly WCC meeting to the calendar on the Walpole Clarion. Adjournment: At 9:20 Peter made a motion to adjourn the meeting. John seconded. Meeting adjourned.Next Meeting: Monday, July 9, 2018 at 7:30 PM.Respectfully submitted; Steven Dumont, Recording SecretaryNote: These are unapproved minutes. Corrections, if any, will be found in the minutes of July 9, 2018.

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

CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer called this Selectboard meeting to order at 8:00 AM in the Walpole Town Hall.  She advised this meeting is being recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record.  There were two members of the public in attendance.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Accounts Payable Check Register in the total amount of $12,305.20 for checks issued June 29, 2018.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.  

The above amount includes the Police Department’s ductless workstation in the amount of $5,499 as approved on Warrant Article #9 by the voters at Town Meeting.

PAYROLL:

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Payroll Register for the week ending June 23, 2018, in the amount of $26,549.85 for checks issued June 29, 2018.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $5,282.55 for the week ending June 23, 2018.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:

SELECTBOARD MEETING – JUNE 21, 2018:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of June 21, 2018, as submitted.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – June 21, 2018:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of June 21, 2018, as submitted.  These Minutes will remain sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

The Selectboard received and reviewed Minutes of the following meetings:

• North Walpole Village Board of Commissioners Meeting – June 5, 2018;

• North Walpole Village Board of Commissioners Meeting – June 19, 2018;

• Cemetery Trustees Meeting – June 9, 2018;

• Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting – June 20, 2018.

SOLAR ENERGY EXEMPTION:

MAP and LOT #004-044-002:  Ms. Mayberry moved to grant the Solar Energy Exemption for Map and Lot #004-044-002 on Blackjack Crossing Road.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

Thank You Letters to Basketball Uniform Donors:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve and sign the letters to Dr. Peter Bowman (Bowman Dental), Applied Bolting and Jayson Dunbar (Jancewicz & Son) the donors of the basketball uniforms and to thank them for their support of the Recreation Department’s Summer Basketball Program.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

24 Homestead Avenue:  Mrs. Pschirrer reported Mrs. Downing is still doing research in an attempt to find the owner of 24 Homestead Avenue.

GASB Quote:  Mr. Kreissle pointed out that the Town’s rates are affected by post-retirement medical benefits that will/are being paid to retired full-time employees.  Quite a few changes on the formulas and other information are now being sent out to the towns.  By February 15th, 2019, the Town has to provide names and titles of retired full-time employees.  Between Mr. Kreissle and Mrs. Downing there needs to be a procedure for keeping track of it all.  There needs to be a plan in place.

NEW BUSINESS:

Recreation Revolving Fund Request:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the purchase of 12 bathing suits for the Recreation Department out of their Revolving Fund.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Walpole Main Holdings Association:  Mr. Steven Rudek talked to Mrs. Downing about his two buildings and how the assessment was reached.  The assessment on the Potato Barn nearly doubled.   He asked what methodology the assessors are using on his property.  Is Income based an option?  Mrs. Downing contacted Mrs. Loren Martin at Avitar Associates who confirmed that income based was not used.  Mrs. Pschirrer will draft a letter to Mr. Rudek advising that the Town does not use the income approach but he should feel free to come into the office for additional information.

NHMA Memorandum re: 2019-2020 Legislative Policy Conference:  Mrs. Pschirrer questioned how this will impact our tax base and the Town’s residents.  Ms. Mayberry noted the Selectboard is here to try to assess what is best for our Town.  It is important to give the legislators direction on what they are lobbying for.  The Selectboard has until August 10th to decide if they want to name a representative to attend this conference or pass attending.

Appreciation BBQ: Mrs. Pschirrer mentioned that for last two years they had an Appreciation BBQ for the employees, their families and Town volunteers.  Prior to that there was a Christmas Dinner/Dance.  A decision was made to have a BBQ again this year.  There was a consensus to schedule it on Saturday, September 8th at 2:00 PM.  Everybody will be asked to bring a dessert.

Reservoir Dam:  Last Friday Mrs. Pschirrer, Mr. John Peska, Mr. Mark Houghton and two engineers from CLD, one is a dam specialist from Connecticut, met in the Town Hall.  They then traveled to the dam.  Everyone except Mrs. Pschirrer walked the area.  They all agreed brush needs to be cleared-out and some trees need to be removed.  Mr. Houghton was going to do this as soon as possible.  They asked for a letter or email confirming the Town wants them to work with us and they need a deposit of $500. Mrs. Pschirrer’s concern is the Walpole Conservation Commission will not meet again until Monday, July 9th but we should hire these engineers now for the dam design repairs to begin as soon as possible.  The Selectboard agreed to authorize hiring them and to issue the $500 check. The Town will then bill the Walpole Conservation Commission Forestry Fund for the $500.  It is a positive step forward.

Mrs. Pschirrer advised there always has to be more than one person working on the site at any time as it is a dangerous area.

Mr. Dalessio moved to hire CLD Engineering to do the work on the dam project and to pay a $500 deposit.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.          

Walker Road:  Mr. Dalessio reported that LCHIP accepted the application.  A site visit will be done within the next couple of weeks for the NH DES Grant Program.

Brownfields Meeting:  Mrs. Pschirrer attended a Brownfields meeting last week at Southwest Regional Planning Commission.  They had discussions between the Department of Environmental Services (DES), Ransom, J.B. Mack and Mr. Peter Adams on the Westberg property.  This week J.B. Mack, Ransom and the DES indicate there is a grant coming up and they all think we should apply for it; it would help us with a match for another grant.  Mrs. Pschirrer talked with an EPA representative and they are all supportive of the Town getting money for the clean-up so they will help us as much as they can.  The Federal guidelines will come out in the late fall. The application might not be due until December or January.  They still are uncertain about the maximum amount for each lot.

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 and (c) Reputations.  Mr. Dalessio seconded and, on a roll call vote with Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 8:55 AM

The regular meeting resumed at 9:16 AM

Ms. Mayberry moved that the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of June 28, 2018, be sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer 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 Ms. Mayberry.  With Ms. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 9:24 AM.

ADJOURNMENT:

Ms. Mayberry moved to adjourn this Selectboard meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 9:25 AM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

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

CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer called this Hooper Trustees meeting to order at 9:17 AM.

HOOPER TRUSTEES MINUTES:

HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING – June 21, 2018:  Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Minutes of the Hooper Trustees meeting of June 21, 2018, as submitted.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

Hooper Property Ownership Transfer:  Mrs. Pschirrer reported we are on-target to close on the Hooper property on Monday, July 2, 2018.  This will be held in the first-floor meeting room of the Walpole Town Hall.

ADJOURNMENT:

Mr. Dalessio moved to adjourn this Hooper Trustees meeting.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 9:24 AM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

,

TOWN OF WALPOLE

STAFF MEETING

JUNE 21, 2018

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

Staff Present:  Sarah Downing (Manager of Administration); Michael Rau (Highway Department); Chief Michael Paquette (Police Department); Lt. Justin Sanctuary (Police Department); Rich Kreissle (Manager of Finance); Justine Fafara (Library); Kevin Pinsonault (Recycling Center)

Staff Absent:  Sandy Smith (Town Clerk/Tax Collector); Justin Cassarino (Recreation Department); Rebecca Whippie (Hooper Institute)

Public Present:   Ray Boas

CALL TO ORDER:  Mrs. Pschirrer called this Staff Meeting to order at 5:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.  She advised this meeting is being recorded.

Mrs. Pschirrer had asked several Department Managers to report on some projects they are involved in.  Sarah, Paul (absent) but Kevin is filling in, Justine and Sandy (sick).

Selectboard Office: Mrs. Downing is going to talk about Current Use – Overview and Audit.

Definition:

• In order to preserve open space in the State of NH, in 1973 the legislature passed several RSA;s (79-A-1, 2, 3, etc.) that would allow for the reduction of the tax value for qualifying land based on a current use rate or value.

• The legislature, per the RSA, felt that open space imposed low or no cost to local government.

• It also allowed for a method to conserve space that may have been forced to be developed due to the financial pressures of full taxation.

• There are health, work and recreation benefits to preserving open outdoor space.

• In Walpole, this RSA allowed for 14,692 acres to be placed in current use.

• Approximately 4,000 acres are qualified as farmland which is cleared land such as hay, corn or grazing fields.  In Walpole there are 21,875 acres; 67% of the land in Walpole is in CU.

• 462 acres are unproductive or wetlands.  These lands have access issues, are swampy, have extreme slopes or extremely rocky.

• Remainder of the acreage is pine or hardwood forests of which 77% is unmanaged.

• A managed forest requires a forestry plan be submitted with the current use application and be updated.  Costly; only large property owners get a return on their investment (ROI).

• A recreation credit which allows for a 20% reduction current use value is an option.

o 4,428 acres in CU in Walpole have the recreation credit.

o No Trespassing signs cannot be posted if this option is elected.

o No prohibition of fishing, hunting, hiking, skiing, snow shoeing, etc.

o Motorized vehicle can be prohibited.

o Once the recreation credit is removed, property is not eligible for the credit for 3 years.

• Valuation is based upon the income producing capability of the land for growing forest or agricultural crops; not real estate market or Ad Valorum value.

• Intents to Cut Timber permits are allowed on property that is in current use.

• Intents to Excavate, driveway and building permits disturb open space.  Disturbed areas will be removed from current use.

• To add land to current use, a property owner fills out a BTLA A-10 form, submit a map of the area with developed areas measured, the types of open land i.e. unmanaged pine, and include a check for filing the approved form with the Cheshire County Registry of Deeds.

• 10 acres must be undisturbed.  It can be a single lot or be a combination of adjoining lots with the same owner.  If one lot sold to a new owner, all lots will come out of current use.

• LUCT incurred when land is taken out of CU.  It is 10% of the land’s market value.

• The first $25,000 of LUCT taxes each year is deposited in the Conservation Fund.

Audit of property in current use to be conducted this summer.  Will confirm:

o Minimum acreage requirement is being met

o Contiguous properties must have same owner name

o Recreation credit – need confirmation is elected or not.

o Managed forests – undated forestry plans will be required including tree farm certification..

Current use files need updating and research; will be a time-consuming process

259 current use property owners will be receiving notices.

Current use rates increased in 2018 for all categories except for farmland.

Mrs. Pschirrer mentioned there are also many Conservation Easements in Town.  Most Conservation Easement lands can also be put in Current Use.

Recycling Center:  Mr. Kevin Pinsoneault made the following report:

• They bought the LED lights and about half have been installed.  It was a great investment.

• A thank you was extended to the Highway Department for helping pack cans;

• The department, including Cheryl, went to a NRRA Conference in Concord for continued education; there are some new things they started after that.  They are now taking “peanuts” but not Styrofoam containers.

• Three Hooper Summer Program youth are signed up to work at the Center.  The parents have to be present when they are meeting with the youth.  There is a process they go through.   They will not work until all the paperwork has gone through the Institute and office.  The youth will be doing painting, sorting bottles, separating returnables, a little bit of everything but they will not be allowed to go near machinery or anything with working parts.  They would be happy to have a few more youth.

• They are on target for delivery of the new bailer next month.  All four employees will try to go to Peterborough in the next 2-or-3 weeks and watch the operation so they know how it works before they actually take delivery.  There will be training.

• Their commercial products are extremely busy right now.  It will make the new bailer worthwhile.  They expect to double the output with the new bailer.

The Recycling Center submitted a monthly report on Quantities, Types of Product and Waste Shipped.  “The Daily Weight Report and 3 Year to Date Comparison” plus the “3 Year Comparison to Recyclables” were also distributed.

Walpole Town Library:  Mrs. Justine Fafara submitted a report for the month of June 2018.

Inter-Library Loans:  Mrs. Fafara reported the loan system has been down since September 6, 2017.  This is how they have been getting books from other libraries around the State.  They do 11,000 requests a month state-wide so the system being down is a huge problem.  Every month there are a lot of phone calls and emails trying to find certain books.  The State Library finally put out the Request for Proposal (RFP) last week.  They are going to have demos from vendors the middle of August and then the evaluation team goes through all the demo scores, they select a vendor and the contract negotiations begin.  The recommendation goes through the Department of Internal Technology and the Attorney General’s Office. After they approve the contract, it goes to the Governor and the Executive Council who have to approve it.  Final approval by the Governor is expected on October 17th.  Mrs. Pschirrer said it probably will not start until 2019.  It has increased Mrs. Fafara’s work load; it is time consuming.  There are three book clubs that meet at the Library and seven other book clubs in Town; there are at least ten book clubs all together.  When she begins to look for a book for one of the book clubs she has to find enough copies for all their members.  She has gone almost a year without something that is in high demand.   Mrs. Fafara mentioned every library in the State is sorting through hundreds of emails that have nothing to do with you but you have to read them in case they do.

Mrs. Fafara advised they are working on three grants.  They are about $140,000 away from their goal for the expansion/renovation project.  Hopefully grants will make up most of this amount.  An LCHIP Grant was submitted for $49,000; they should have an answer in November.  In order to apply for an LCHIP Grant you either have to be on the National Historic Registry or the State Historic Registry; The Library is now on the State Historic Registry.  There will be a plaque on the building outside.  They applied for a $10,000 grant and are working on three other grant applications now; through NH Charitable Foundation for $60,000 ($20,000/years for three years).  C & S has a grant and they are applying for $25,000. Mascoma Bank has a small grant for $1,000.  They hope to have the $448,000 to start by next May 2019.  Mrs. Pschirrer noted people are still making contributions.  Mrs. Fafara said they have T-shirts for $15.00 and tote bags for $20.00 for sale at the Library.

Mrs. Fafara submitted a monthly report on the attendance at the Library.  Physical circulation is down a little bit but overdrive circulation just about evens it out.

Police Department:  Police Chief Mike Paquette provided a report from May 16, 2018 to June 15, 2018.  Chief Paquette reported they were asked to host the NH Cheshire and Sullivan Counties Police Chief’s Association meeting by the President.  This was the first time the two counties held this event together.  In the past, each county met separate once a month.  This was the first time in his eight years as Chief that he was asked to host an event.  He had a lot of help and thanked everyone who worked so hard.  It was a tremendous success.  It went well.  They served about 50 breakfasts.  The tables were decorated in a blue and gold theme with flowers. There were County Attorneys from both counties, many Chiefs, Sheriff’s Deputies, Corrections Officers and the Director of the NH Police Academy, Drug Enforcement Representatives, plus representatives from the Attorney General’s office, etc.  The guest speaker was from Foxboro, Massachusetts who spoke on “How to Bridge the Gap in Law Enforcement Today”.  It was great.  Lt. Sanctuary mentioned many attendees spoke about the support this department gets from their Selectboard.  Mr. Dalessio noted we are a team and want to keep going in a good direction.  He was impressed with the event.  Mrs. Pschirrer felt people attending were impressed.

• Police Safety Calls:

Emergency Calls – 32 Administrative –

• Motor Vehicle Calls

Accidents – 9 MV Stops – 98 Traffic Safety – 36

• Criminal Investigations:

Drugs/Alcohol – 29 Crimes Against People – 50 Crimes Against Property – 30

Manager of Finance:  Mr. Rich Kreissle requested that all employees review their pay slips and if anybody has questions about their vacation/sick hours contact him through their Department Head.  They will set a time to sit down and talk about the discrepancy.  He will do quarterly reports on the hours. Also distributed were copies of the Expenditure Comparison Summary for the Year Ending December 31, 2018 As of June 20, 2018, the Consolidated Statement of Activity, and Recycling Revenues Monthly Report as of June 20, 2018.

Highway Department:  Mr. Mike Rau, Highway Superintendent, advised they had call-outs for trees down.  For two days they were cleaning-up after that one storm.  North Walpole had some damage.  There were power outages in the Town.  Per Mark Houghton, the Fire Department had about 30+ calls.

Mr. Rau submitted a report from May 17, 2018 to June 20, 2018, as follows:

• Serviced trucks and equipment;

• Installed Road Signs;

• Did Cold Patching;

• Changed out winter tires;

• Mowed Town properties;

• Removed downed trees from wind storm 6/18/18;

• Graded, graveled, and put chloride down on dirt roads;

• Fixed sink hole on Old Keene Road;

• Installed new bike racks;

• Fixed Catch Basins;

• Painted Crosswalks, No Parking and Handicap spaces;

• Road sweeping for painting and paving;

• VT Road Works sweeping in villages;

• Street Lines Painted;

• Paved in culvert cuts;

• Crushed metal in dumpster at Recycling Center (2 times);

• Fixed sink hole on Westminster Street.

Hooper Institute:  Ms. Rebecca Whippie was unable to attend this meeting but submitted a Hooper Institute School Programs for Primary grades Pre-K through 4.  This included a detailed three page document for the period of January –June 2018.  Also submitted was a Director’s report from Eloise Clark – Winter-Spring 2018 for the Fifth and Sixth Grades and an Administration Duties/Non-School activities summary.   These reports are available in the Selectboard office.

Walpole Recreation:  Mr. Justin Cassarino, Recreation Department, was unable to attend.  He submitted the following report dated June 21, 2018.

Pool:

• Stephanie passed her CPO class, so our pool is now CPO certified.

o This is not required in HH, but the State Inspectors always encourage it.

• Pool House has been repainted on the inside

• Looking to see if Kelly Lawn Care would be interested in taking care of the bushes and mulching areas of the park for us.

• Opened with modified hours on Monday (12-6) and will officially be opening on Friday (12-8) to the public.

• Changed their hours to open sooner and start open swim earlier for the public.

o Pool closes at 7:00 on Sundays to have a lifeguard training.

• In the process of having the pool be Red Cross Certified.  This will allow them to hold trainings and also have their swim instructors log their hours.

• HUGE thank you to Paul for coming down and taking the trash.  They will be taking the refrigerator this week.

Basketball:

• They have 80 participants this year;

o That is the most that they have ever had;

• Could not find a parent volunteer to coach one team, so he will be doing it.

• The season starts next week!

Community Nights:

• Getting dates for community nights throughout the summer;

• Some ideas:

o Trivia Night (adults)

o Daddy Daughter Dance

o Fire/Police Dept. vs Kids Kickball game

o Candy Bar Bingo

o End of summer celebration.

Tennis:

• Backboard was ordered

o Takes 4-5 weeks to be made

o Highway said they would help setting it up when it arrives

Mr. Cassarino told them there is no rush and only when they have a free moment.

• Trying to start a two-week tennis clinic for kids

o Reached out to a resident to see if they would be interested in doing the lessons.

August/September Meetings:  Mr. Dalessio suggested the Selectboard make reports on some of their projects in the August or September meeting.  Mrs. Pschirrer advised there will not be a Staff meeting in July.  They will start talking about the next budget at one of these meetings.

Adjournment:  Mrs. Pschirrer thanked everyone for their time and hard work.  She closed this Staff Meeting at 5:55 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

The Walpole Selectboard is hosting a

End of Legislative Session Forum

with State Senator Jay Kahn

Monday, July 9th at 4pm

Town Hall, 1st Floor Meeting Room

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

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

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

RAY BOAS:  Mr. Boas is driving the LCHIP Grant application for the Walker Road property to Concord tomorrow but there are blocks that need to be signed.  They do not know who the Easement holder will be at this point.  Various sections were reviewed.  Mrs. Pschirrer advised the Bridge Memorial Library Board of Directors applied for an LCHIP Grant and the Selectboard signed to support their application.  The Town did not make the application. Mr. Dalessio was uncomfortable signing the Easement section as Mr. Boas should contact either Mrs. Alicia Flammia or Mr. John Peska, Co-Chairs of the Walpole Conservation Commission.

Mr. Dalessio moved to sign the Applicant Acknowledgement for the LCHIP Grant application for Walker Road, Map and Lot #010-002-000 and authorize Mrs. Peggy Pschirrer, as Chair, to sign the Governing Body acknowledgement to the LCHIP application.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.    

WILLIAM CARMODY:  Mr. Carmody is present to discuss his property behind Shaw’s.  Reference was made to the Planning Board meeting of December 12, 2006, on the Proposed Amendment #1 to change Dearborn Circle and Burrows Lane Zoning district designation from Commercial to Residential B by amending Article VI Commercial District Section F. and Article V Residential District Section E.  The Minutes of the Annual Town Meeting on March 13, 2007, Article 2 were also mentioned.  Mrs. Pschirrer felt they need to go back to change what was mistakenly done but she discussed this with Mrs. Myra Mansouri, Chair of the ZBA, who suggested Mr. Carmody might go back to the ZBA to ask for a Variance.  The Selectboard would need to go to the next annual Town Meeting to change Article 2 as they do not have the authority to over-turn a Town vote.  Mr. Dalessio mentioned the Article should have excluded Lots #1 and #18 but it did not.  Mr. Carmody did research and pointed out some new information he found since his last meeting with the Selectboard.  The new lot numbers are #5 and #21.  He wants these two lots to have the original Commercial designation they had.  Mr. Dalessio asked Mrs. Downing to remind the Selectboard about putting in a Warrant Article for the next annual Town Meeting to clarify the language on these two lots.   Mrs. Pschirrer will send these documents to Attorney Jeremy Hockensmith to ask for a legal opinion.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Accounts Payable in the amount of $82,448.87 for checks dated June 22, 2018.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.  

The above amount includes $45,150 that is the final payment for the Recycling bailer.

PAYROLL:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Payroll Register for the week ending June 16, 2018, in the amount of $25,613.60 for checks dated June 22, 2018.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Witjholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $5,150.03 for the week ending June 16, 2018.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:  

SELECTBOARD MEETING – June 14, 2018:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of June 14, 2018, as submitted.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – June 14, 2018:  Ms. Mayberry moved to accept the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of June 14, 2018, as submitted.  These Minutes will remain sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the Minutes were approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

The Selectboard received and reviewed Minutes of the following meetings:

• Recreation Committee – June 10, 2018;

• Walpole Planning Board – June 12, 2018;

• North Walpole Village Board of Commissioners – June 12, 2018.

PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENT:

MAP and LOT #008-062-00A:  Ms. Mayberry moved to grant the Property Tax Abatement in the amount of $1,938.00 for the George L. Hooper Trust cottage, Map and Lot #008-062-00A.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

SOLAR ENERGY EXEMPTION:

MAP and LOT #011-051-000:  Ms. Mayberry moved to grant the Solar Energy Exemption for Map and Lot #011-051-000, March Hill Road.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

OLD BUSINESS:

Recycling Bailer Final Invoice:  Ms. Mayberry moved to approve payment of the final invoice in the amount of $45,150 for the Recycling Bailer for the delivery.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

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

NEW BUSINESS:

Selectboard Meeting – Time Change:  There was a consensus of the Selectboard to change the time for the June 28, 2018, meeting from 6:30 PM to 8:00 AM.

Recreational Revolving Fund Request:  A request was received from the Recreation Committee to purchase uniforms for the 80 participants in the Walpole Summer Basketball League.  They have four sponsors who have each donated $360 toward the uniforms.  Total cost is $1,464.00.  The Recreation Committee is covering $24.00 of the cost.  Mrs. Pschirrer would like letters sent to each of the sponsors thanking them for their donations.

Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the purchase of the Summer Basketball League uniforms of which $24.00 will come from their Revolving Fund.  Mr. Dalessio felt the $24.00 should come out of their regular budget unless the sponsors’ donations went into the Revolving Fund then the $24.00 should also come out of that fund.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

Recreational Revolving Fund Request: Mrs. Pschirrer mentioned the Recreation Committee would also like to purchase a new refrigerator for the pool house.   The current fridge no longer works and they need one for drinks, ice pops, and the staff’s lunches.

Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the purchase of a new refrigerator for the pool house in the amount of $505.00.  These funds to be taken out of the Recreational Revolving Fund.  Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.  With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.      

List of Owners with Unlicensed Dogs: The Town Clerk will be sending out notices to the owners of unlicensed dogs.  A list was sent to the Selectboard for their information.  They agreed the Town Clerk should move forward with the process for licenses/collections.

Request for Meeting from the Selectboard of Alstead. Ms. Kelly Wright of the Alstead Selectboard Office is starting inquiries to set-up a meeting with the Langdon, Alstead and Walpole Selectboards and Police Chiefs to discuss the Resource Officer position at the FMRHS.  The Alstead Selectboard would like to schedule the meeting in the near future.  Mrs. Pschirrer responded that the meeting is fine but she felt the meeting should include someone who represents the administration or board of the school.  Nobody disagrees with the need for an officer.  There is a question of how the position would be funded.

Flag Pole:  Mr. Whitney Aldrich advised there is a member at Post #77 who would like to have a flag pole at the Recycling Center.  Mrs. Pschirrer did not feel there would be any objections to this.  A suggestion would be to have it placed near the Memorial Park.  Mr. Aldrich will have the member attend a Selectboard meeting.

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 and (b) Hiring.  Mr. Dalessio seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 7:35 PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:50 PM.

Ms. Mayberry moved that the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session of June 21, 2018, be sealed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:

Ms. Mayberry moved to recess this Selectboard meeting.  The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 7:52 PM.

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 8:04 PM.

ADJOURNMENT:

Ms. Mayberry moved to adjourn this Selectboard meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 PM.  

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

I have an email from Sarah Downing who just had a call from Brian Burgess of TPI Staffing who confirmed that the Hubbard hiring event will be held on:

Tuesday, July 24th from 11am – 2pm at Diamond Pizza.

There are signs in front of Diamond Pizza that Sarah noticed this weekend. Brian was happy to hear they are catching drivers’ attention. And, there’s been a sign in front to the Hubbard office building for quite some time too.

Love to publish these pictures. Thanks Michael and Kate Nerrie. – Lil

Moving From Spring into Summer

Each day brings more flowers, more life!

Rose Pogonia orchids (Pogonia ophioglossoides) are blooming in the cranberry bog at Distant Hill.

Our cool spring is but a memory, and the early season plants of Distant Hill Gardens and Nature Trail have all finished blooming. Its time to move on and welcome summer, with its own long list of flowers to look forward to, and the insect life that the blooms bring.

At the top of my list of favorite summer flowers is the Rose Pogonia orchid that is blooming now in our Cranberry Bog. In fact, many of my favorite summer blooms are found in the bog. This list of native wetland plants includes Virginia Marsh St.John’s-wort, White Water Lily, and American Bur-reed to name but a few.

Virginia marsh-St. John’s-wort (Triadenum virginicum)

White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata)

American Bur-reed (Sparganium americanum)

The list of summer flowering plants in the gardens, wetlands, fields, and forests of Distant Hill is too long to list here. I hope you get to visit us soon, and experience the beauty of summer at Distant Hill Gardens and Nature Trail for yourself.

Michael Nerrie

Two of our best summer shrubs for pollinators at Distant Hill – Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescence) and Kalm’s St. John’s wort (Hypericum kalmianum).

July Events at Distant Hill

We Added a Second July ‘Open Garden Weekend’!

Click to Learn More About Our July ‘Open Garden Weekends’

To make it easier for you to visit us and experience the beauty of our many summer flowering plants, we are having two ‘Open Garden Weekends’ in July.

A Bumble Bee, with a large pollen sack, visiting a Purple Coneflower

We are also having a Garden Insect Identification Workshop on Friday, July 20th, from 4:30 to 6:30pm.

If you garden at all, chances are you’ve come across some insects you can’t identify.
Although some are definitely garden pests, not all insects are bad! There are quite a few species that are beneficial and worth keeping around, and even encouraging! This workshop will help you separate the good ones from the bad.

GARDEN INSECT IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOP Friday, July 24th, 4:30 – 6:30pm – Register Now

And remember you can visit Distant Hill Nature Trail anytime. It’s open seven days a week, dawn to dusk.

Distant Hill Nature Trail on ‘Trail Finder.com’ ►