Please Help

Betty Prentiss sent along this request from the Walpole Cemetery Trustees.  Something we all tend to forget and yet compliance will make the work of the “grounds crew” so much easier.  Thanks, in advance. – Lil

All pots and decorations must be
removed from cemetery lots by
November 1 to facilitate fall
clean-up. Thank you.

Walpole Cemetery Trustees

Book Sale – 10/23-25/15

books

The Annual Friends of the Library Book Sale is quickly approaching! Here’s the information:
Friday the 23rd 6-7pm $20 donation required for preview
Saturday the 24th 9am to 2pm
Sunday the 25th 11am to 2pm

Planning Board Agenda – 10/13/15

PLANNING BOARD AGENDA

WALPOLE TOWN HALL

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

                        7 p.m.                         

 

Roll Call – Appointment of alternates if needed

Minutes – Review minutes of the September meeting and Workshop meeting.

Old Business:

Public Hearing for a Site Plan Review – (continued from September meeting)           Ruggiero Processing Facility, LLC, 32  Industrial Park Road, Map 1, Lot 10-1, Zoning District Industrial – wishes to add another 2,500 square-foot pole barn, new access road, trailer for employee break room and a scale near the entrance to the property.  Joe Ruggiero owner, Rob Hitchcock of SVE Associates, Tom Hanna, lawyer.

Postponed until November. Public Hearing Site Plan Review Site Plan Review: Hubbard Farms LLC, 44 Upper Walpole Road, Town Map 12, Lot 57-1, Commercial District. Hubbard Farms wants to convert the building currently used for vehicle space into office space and a laboratory, add a 20-by-80-square-foot space to the back of the building, and another 20-by-24-square-foot addition to the back. The larger space will be used to house vehicles and the smaller space for a loading dock. Chip O’Brien is representing Hubbard Farms.

Bensonwood Site Plan Review – Town Map 12, Lot 4, Zoning District Rural/Agricultural and Commercial: Huntington Realty of Walpole LLC, Bensonwood Woodworking Co. Inc. of 6 Blackjack Crossing, Town Map 12, Lot 4-3. Bensonwood wants to use the site for light manufacturing facilities to produce and assemble wall, floor, roof and mechanical systems for construction. The new shop space will be 55,000 square feet. Waiting for special exception and variance from Zoning Board. Hearing on October 21, 2015.

New Business:

Amend Site Plan – Potato Barn The plan is to split the connector and the main barn into two permits as the connector is going to be ready for occupancy by the end of the year and the barn will be under renovation for some time after that which will be largely determined by whatever time it takes to find a tenant and complete their required fit-up. So the change from the 2012 permit would include             removing 24’ of the connector where it attaches to the barn so an occupancy permit can be granted and the building be occupied. The barn would remain as a stand-alone permit which would get a new application once a tenant commits to the space and the end use is known.

Subdivision – North Walpole – Joanne Gay, Cray Road.

Next meeting  Nov. 10, 2015 Cc: PB, Town Offices, Walpolean. Minutes posted: Town Hall Lobby, Outside bulletin board of Walpole Grocery, http://www.walpolenh.us

Conservation Commission Meeting Minutes – 9/14/15

Minutes for the regular meeting of the

Walpole Conservation Commission

Monday, September 14, 2015

 

Present:  Tom Beaudry, John Peska, Sharyn Tullar (alt.), Alicia Flammia, Lewis Shelley, Gary Speed, Peter Palmiotto (alt.), Duncan Watson

Not Present:  Myra Mansouri (alt.), Kelli Wilson, Whit Aldrich (SelectBoard representative)

Mr. Beaudry, chair, called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM.

Non-Public session: 

No Alternates needed seating

Minutes

Corrections to the minutes: the Planning Board reviewed the Merriam Farms proposal but should not be considered “tentatively in favor”.  Scout names misspelled: Benjamin Haefner and Paul Beliveau. Mr. Speed moved to accept the minutes for the August 3, 2015 meeting as corrected. Mr. Peska seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

New Business

    Bensonwood representative, Randall Walter reported on updates for the land on Huntington Lane next to Chamberlain Machine.  In 2008, Bensonwood came before the Conservation Commission for consideration of a proposal of a production building on Map 12, Lot 4-3. The Recession happened and progress stopped. In 2009, the Planning Board approved a Lot Line adjustment to take land from the adjacent lot 4-2 and add it to lot 4-3 (creating a 25.60 acre lot).  This lot was then put into Current Use.

Bensonwood now plans to put in an assembly and manufacturing facility for the cutting and assembly of wood products (most of which will arrive on site in a prefinished condition). Since the natural death of the Pignut Hickory, the building will change orientation and the chicken coops will be dismantled. The building will be around 56,000 sf with 175,000 sf of impervious surface which is about 17% of the 25+acres. There will be parking for around 35 cars with about 20 employees.  They will heat with gas fired wood boiler and have a propane backup source.

A letter of support from the Conservation Commission shall be drafted.  Mr. Speed moved to send a letter to Bensonwood stating no opposition to the plan as briefed and for the conditional use as presented.  Mr. Watson seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Treasury/Budget Report

As of 8/31/15, the total amount in the Forestry account was $10,345.14, and in Conservation account was $53,170.70.

Correspondence

  1. Request from the NH Association of Conservation Commission for payment of $296 for 2016 Annual Dues. Watson moved to pay the Dues of $296 to the NHACC at the beginning of 2016. Mr. Peska seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.
  2. Town & City Magazine
  3. Thank you note from Maeve Perron for sending her to Barry Conservation Camp. She will be invited to a future meeting to report on her experiences.
  4. Highlights, the SWRPC newsletter
  5. Reminder of the Pot Luck dinner to be held at Stonewall Farm in Keene September 15, 2015.

New Business, cont.

  1. Budget for the next year is due mid-October. It will be added to next month’s Agenda.
  2. All members are invited to follow The Walpolean. If interested, go to https://thewalpolean.org/ and register.
  3. NH DES letter regarding the Pine Street dredging just says “Note conditions”. The approval date was 9/1/2015 and TransCanada has until 9/1/2020 to complete the work.

Old Business

  1. A letter was sent to the Rockingham Conservation Commission listing the waterfall names acceptable to the WCC and the Walpole Historical Society.
  2. The letter by the Mason Conservation Commission regarding the Kinder Morgan Pipeline project has been compiled and sent on to all appropriate parties.
  3. Eagle Scout projects–Mr. Shelley: Paul Beliveau will not be doing trail work for his project; Adam Terrell will do from the parking lot out to just before the reroute section; this will include retaining wall structures. Benjamin Hefner wants to do a kiosk and the reroute. Both of these are subject to approval by the Scout leaders.
  4. Water Co Timber Harvest-Garland Lumber had wanted to be there in August. Beaudry and Mr. Speed will look at end of Reservoir Rd to see what has been done.
  5. The Land Map update is almost ready, just waiting to see if one final easement can be included.
  6. KSC trails mapping- Ms. Flammia heard from Professor Bream. The fieldwork is completed, the data is in some state of data entry and but just waiting for the finished product.
  7. Class 6 Roads Subcommittee will meet October 5 @7pm.
  8. Hooper Golf Course sale has not gone through due to a major investor pulling out.
  9. Timber Harvest at Hooper Forest will be done after the Reservoir harvest. Peter Rhoades is expecting to start marking the trees this winter. Funds from the Hooper Forest harvest will go to the Hooper Trust and they will pay Mr. Rhoades for that work.
  10. Dam maintenance may need to be increased in the next budget discussions. Peska moved to take Conservation power equipment to Pinnacleview for service. Mr. Shelley seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Other

  1. High Blue gate is being circumvented. Mr. Shelley will talk with the Land Steward about this. A cross-country trail has become an ATV track.
  2. Sidney Craven & Monadnock Conservancy will host an event recognizing Conservation people of Walpole. Invitations will be out soon.
  3. Shelley will be presenting a workshop at Pembroke Academy the 1st Saturday of November.

The next meeting will be Monday, October 5, 2015.

Mr. Peska moved that the meeting be adjourned at 8:49pm.  Mr. Speed seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Heleen, Recording Secretary

NOTE:  These are unapproved minutes with corrections to be found in the minutes of the next meeting.

Selectboard Meeting Minutes – 9/17/15

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD

September 17, 2015

 

Selectboard Present: Steve Dalessio(Chair), Whitney Aldrich, Peggy Pschirrer

CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Dalessio called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:22pm in the Walpole Town Hall.  He advised that this meeting is being recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:

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

The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 6:40 PM. There were two people in attendance.

Myra Mansouri, ZBA Chair, brings several issues to the Selectboard’s attention.

  1. Several complaints of Richard Lafayette of County Road/Graves Road dumping washers, dryers, and other machinery on land across from his home lot. A letter will go from the Selectboard to Mr. Lafayette notifying him of the violations of the Junkyard Zoning Ordinance, Article 4 G.
  2. The Unitarian Church Board complained of a statue put on their property by the Art Gallery even though the Board has told Ms. Reeves that they did not want the statue installed. They went to the Zoning Board hoping that there would be some type of ordinance that could force her to remove it.  Neither the Zoning Board nor the Town has any such ordinance that would apply. It is the Board’s opinion that this is a civil matter between the Art Gallery and the Unitarian Church.  Another statue in front of the Art Gallery may be too close to the sidewalk.  Dalessio will check to see if there is proper clearance in order to avoid damage by sidewalk snow clearing machines. The Art Gallery had come to the ZBA for a variance for signs that were going to be less than 100 feet apart. When the signs went up, one was only 3 feet from the property line with the Unitarian Church instead of the proper 10 foot setback. The Selectboard will send a letter to Ms. Reeves and Mr. Carruthers (property owner) to either move the sign or return to Zoning Board for another variance.

Accounts Payable

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Accounts Payable check register and manifest in the amount of $560,859.31 for checks dated September 18, 2015. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor. This includes a check to Fall Mountain Regional School District for $488,319.18.

Payroll

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Payroll Register in the Amount of $21,910.67 for payments dated 9/18/15 be approved as submitted. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Payroll Tax Electronic Funds Transfer 15-38 for W/E 9/12/15 in the amount of $4,966.86 be approved as submitted.  Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Selectboard Meeting Minutes

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Selectboard Minutes of September 10, 2015 be approved as submitted. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Committee Reports

The Selectboard acknowledges receipt of the minutes of the Planning Board and Hooper Institute, both dated September 8, 2015; and the North Walpole Village Commissioners report of September 15, 2015. A note on the NW Village minutes questions a missing guardrail on Main Street.  This has already been discussed with the Highway Department.

Building Permit

  1. Pschirrer moved to approve Building Permit 2015-38 Map & Lot 016-005-MH01, 1 Hogan Lane for upgrading an existing trailer site, demolishing an old one and putting a new concrete slab in. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.
  2. Pschirrer moved to approve Building Permit 2015-38 Map & Lot 001-003-001, 19 Industrial Park Drive for Old Dominion Trucking to expand their building. They went to the Planning Board and the Site Plan was approved with conditions on September 8, 2015. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Old Business

  1. Hubbard Farms Barbeque Pit and Right of Way: Mr. Dalessio still has not been able to contact Mrs. Diane Miller. He will continue to attempt to contact her especially in regards to the Right of Way.
  2. Town Ordinance, procedure and policy manual – Nothing new to report
  3. Primex Insurance application should be ready for the Selectboard next Thursday.
  4. NH Retirement System Auditors emailed Janet and she is answering their questions.
  5. The Kitchen Committee met and will replace the stoves with a Garland which will be gas with 2 ovens, the fire suppression system that is needed and a hood over it. It will be installed by Melanson. A dishwasher is being donated and will be checked out by Houghton’s before installation. A new refrigerator is still in debate and depends on how much it impacts the cabinets. It is expected that the work will be complete by the end of the year.

New Business

  1. Pschirrer moved to accept a Return of Ownership of Cemetery Lot 224 in Section C of the Walpole Cemetery and reimburse the original purchase price of $175 to be divided between the Cemetery Trust Fund and the Town of Walpole. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.
  2. Aldrich moved to approve the Draft copy of the 2014 Financial Audit. Mrs. Pschirrer seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.
  3. Personnel Requests: Paul Clark request to rollover one week of vacation time to 2016. Mr. Dalessio would like to hold this request until it is known when the rolled week will be used.
  4. A letter of complaint was received from Jeffrey & Cathy White that power equipment was being used at North Meadow Plaza at 3:15 am. The Selectboard will send a letter to the owner of the parking lot reminding them of the rules regarding hours of maintenance. The State noise ordinance does not have a time limit but Walpole Police Department tends to use midnight as a limit.
  5. A Right to Know workshop will be held in Chesterfield on December 3rd at 7 pm. Dalessio recommends that Mrs. Clough attend and others as needed.

Recess Selectboard Meeting: Mr. Aldrich moved to recess this Selectboard meeting.  The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees.  Mrs. Pschirrer seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor at 7:30pm.

The Regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:45PM.

Mrs. Pschirrer will be out of town from September 25 – 30 but will be back for the October 1st meeting.

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to adjourn this meeting.  Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor at 7:46PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Heleen, Acting Recording Secretary

Selectboard Meeting Minutes – 9/10/15

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD

September 10, 2015

 

Selectboard Present: Steve Dalessio (Chair), Whitney Aldrich, Peggy Pschirrer

CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Dalessio called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:00pm in the Walpole Town Hall.  He advised that this meeting is being recorded and asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves for the record. There were two people in attendance.

Accounts Payable

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Accounts Payable check register and manifest in the amount of $20,956.36 for checks dated September 11, 2015. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor. Mrs. Pschirrer requests that the check to the Auditors be held until the final report is received.

Payroll

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Payroll Register in the Amount of $20,696.93 for payments dated 9/11/15 be approved as submitted. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Payroll Tax Electronic Funds Transfer 15-37 for W/E 9/5/15 in the amount of $4,755.75 be approved as submitted.  Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Selectboard Meeting Minutes

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Selectboard Minutes of September 3, 2015 be approved as submitted. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Mrs. Pschirrer moved that the Selectboard Non-Public Minutes of September 3, 2015 be approved as submitted and remain sealed. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Committee Reports

The Selectboard acknowledges receipt of the North Walpole Village Commissioners report of September 8, 2015. The NH DOT 10yr Plan meeting will be held in Charlestown in September.

Intent to Excavate

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to approve the Notice of Intent to Excavate Permit #15-461-07 for Avenru Development from 504 Main Street, Map & Lot 012-013-004.  Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.

Old Business

  1. Hubbard Farms Barbeque Pit and Right of Way: Mr. Dalessio still has not been able to contact Mrs. Diane Miller. He will continue to attempt to contact her.
  2. Town Ordinance, procedure and policy manual
    1. Pschirrer moved that the Board rescind the following policies: the Cash Receipts policy, the Payroll policy dated 1996, the Accounts Payable policy dated 4/8/04, the Notice to Dog Owners, and the Purchasing and Procedures policy dated 10/4/01. These are to be rewritten into clear and comprehensive policies. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.
    2. Pschirrer moved to accept the policies that have been rewritten: False Alarm Policy, Memorial Acknowledgement, Snow Removal and Ice Control Policy, Solid Waste Fee Schedule, and Emergency Roads or Lanes Policy. Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor.
  3. Primex Insurance application is almost ready for submission for quote. Department heads are compiling an inventory of vehicles.6+sss
  4. NH Retirement System Audit went back 3 years and found very few issues or questions. The Auditors will be emailing some questions and the Board will respond.
  5. NH DOT will be meeting on 9/17 with J. Terrell, M. Houghton, M. Paquette, and some engineers to discuss the washed out bridge on March Hill Road.
  6. The Kitchen Committee will be meeting Sept. 17th at 10:30am

New Business

  1. A check was received from Ruggerio to pay the fine for not filing a Building Permit.
  2. A compressor for the dry system for the sprinkler has failed. Houghton will be installing a new one and the cost will be around $1,500.
  3. Mike Symonds was offered the position of Interim Road Agent until a replacement for retiring Road Agent J. Terrell is hired. It is hoped that Mr. Symonds will apply for the permanent position.

Recess Selectboard Meeting: Mr. Aldrich moved to recess this Selectboard meeting.  The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees.  Mrs. Pschirrer seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor at 6:39PM.

The Regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:01PM.

Mrs. Pschirrer met with the members of the Highway Department. With Mr. Terrell’s upcoming retirement, they voiced concerns about the changes. More training will be needed.  All employees have at least CDL-B licenses but only one has a CDL-A.  Mrs. Pschirrer will continue to meet with them as needed.

Mrs. Pschirrer moved to adjourn this meeting.  Mr. Aldrich seconded, and the motion passed with all in favor at 7:20PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Elaine Heleen, Acting Recording Secretary

Family First Breakfast – 10/4/15

Family First Breakfast at the Walpole Unitarian Church, Sunday October 4 at 10 AM. We will meet in Hastings House, the WUC parish house on Union Street in back of the church.
Our Harvest theme is “Stone Salad”, a variation on the classic story Stone Soup. There will be other breakfast goodies of course, as well as story telling and games.
All are welcome.
For more information call Dorothy Read at 802-463-9333, Virginia Carter at 603-756-3948 or Antonia Andreoli at 603-756-9036.

Invasive Plant Workshop – 10/11/15

 

Header With No Shadow

JUST ADDED! A Hands-on Invasive Plant Workshop

Beautiful but Invasive

Flowers of the beautiful but invasive Mulitflora Rose.

Join us for a special ‘Hands-on Invasive Plant Workshop’ at Distant Hill Gardens in Walpole, NH, on Sunday, October 11, 1pm to 4 pm.

Come and learn how to identify the many invasive species of plants in the region, why we should all be concerned with their spread, the various removal methods available to control them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Common Buckthorn Removal with a Tractor Winch  1

Removal of a large common buckthorn using a tractor winch.

You will get to try your hand at pulling large invasive plants with a tractor winch, removal of smaller seedlings with tools called ‘Weed Wrenches’, use an excellent non-spray chemical applicator called the ‘Buckthorn Blaster’ which will be available to purchase, and hand pulling of some of the smaller seedlings. We will be working on the removal of a number of the most common invasive plant in the area, including glossy buckthorn, common buckthorn, burning bush, Japanese barberry, oriental bittersweet, multiflora rose, autumn olive, and black locust. Control of some other common invasives not found at Distant Hill, like Japanese Knotweed, will also be covered.

Consider wearing long pants, boots, and bring some gloves and water.

There is no better way to learn to identify an invasive plant than to look it square in the eye, grab hold of it, and pull!

***

Space is limited. Registration is required. To save a spot:
Email Michael at distanthillgardens@gmail.com
or call 603-756-4179

There is a suggested donation of $10 for this special workshop

Planning Board Workshop Minutes – 9/22/15

WALPOLE PLANNING BOARD WORKSHOP

September 22, 2015

Present: Vice-Chair Robert Miller, Secretary James Aldrich, Jason Perron, Steve Dalessio, Dennis Marcom. Alternates, Ed Potter, Jeff White.

Absent: Jeff Miller, Kelley Hicks.

The meeting opened at 7:15 p.m. Two topics of discussion were: Special Exceptions and Changes to the Site Review Plan document.

Special Exceptions

Mr. R. Miller read the Zoning Ordinances for the Industrial District, Article VII.  His focus was on two things:

“Manufacturing operations are those in which materials are changed physically in form; changed chemically or mixed to provide other compounds…. On recommendation of the Planning board, the Board of Adjustment after considering the facts in light of the welfare and benefit of the community, may allow such industry…”  It was noted many of the businesses currently in the Industrial Park don’t follow the criteria of an Industrial District.

“The purpose for establishing an Industrial District is to provide within the Town area is which manufacturing operations may be carried on without infringing on the health, welfare and quiet of the residents of Town.” And in the same vein the ordinance later says,  “No commercial venture or use shall be permitted which would cause any undue hazard to health, safety or property values or which could be offensive to the public because of noise, vibration, excessive traffic, unsanitary conditions, noxious odors, smoke or similar reason.”

The feeling of some of the board members was that:

The Zoning Board is not enforcing its own rules on Special Exceptions.

The Townspeople agreed to the Zoning Ordinances, but a board of five can change that                          meaning and grant permission to people or businesses outside of the manufacturing                              scope.

Site Plan Review

In July 2014, the Planning Board approved an update to Section VII on page 6 that added an item to require timber/earth plans for each site plan IAW RSA 79 and RSA 155-E. Planning Board members had copies of that amendment.

The following items were discussed because the language was not clear and was could be open to a couple of different meanings..

  1. On page 3 under Activities Not Subject To Site Plan Review. Point 4, Suggest changing the word “Value” with “Value or Replacement Cost” of which does not exceed $10,000.

The purpose of the change is that if someone builds a structure out of used, donated, found materials, using their own labor, the person could say the structure costs “$0” amount. The purpose is to close the ability for a commercial building that is build from “scrap” to be constructed  without site plan approval. Some suggestions for changing the word “value” were  “commercial value” and “assessed value.”

  1.   On page 5 under Submission Requirements add sentence after the first paragraph that reads        “Applicants are urged to submit site plans in electronic PDF formats when practical or possible      on CD or USB key.

It was suggested that there be an effort to start urging people to do that so the maps can be sized so board members can look at them.  Having the site plans in PDF format would allow for board members to have site plan copies that are more manageable and would aid in application storage.

  1.   On page 18 Section XlI in the first sentence change the wording: “An approved and recorded subdivision plot” to “approved site plan where a building permit has not been issued.”  The time frame for this is a year.

The intent when this section was updated in April 2012 was to shorten the length of time an approved site plan would remain approved if no work was being done on the site.

These are all language problems. Before anything can change, there will be more discussions and there has to be a Public Hearing and input from the public before anything can actually be finally changed.

It was the feeling of the Board that Town Officials must be vigilant when making decisions to preserve the rural nature and the character of the Town.  Some National chains have no interest in Walpole as a Town, but do have an interest in making a profit for their businesses.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine

Secretary

Busy Weekend

Just some reminders about this weekend.  9/25 is the first Friendly Friday at the church.  Saturday is the Pastel Workshop and the Apple Festival is this Sunday at Alyson’s.  Given the great weather forecast, it should be a good one.  Enjoy! – Lil  

PS, the details on these events can be easily found through the Links on the Events page.