It’s on the tip of my tongue to say, “be there or be square” but I fear that it would date me too much, so let’s just say that The Common is the place to be this Saturday.  Please adhere to the signs and don’t park on the common, though. – Lil

The Thanksgiving Market, on the Common this Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm, will provide a great opportunity to load up on fresh, local ingredients for your Thanksgiving meal and for winter storage. It will also provide a good opportunity to start your gift shopping.

We expect to see an abundance of fall crops, from green veg like kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts (line forms behind me) to all manner of root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, celeriac, and of course winter squash. The folks from Pete’s Stand will be joining our veggie vendors for this market.

For something different for your holiday meal, try duck or make coq au vin from heritage breed chickens for flavorful, old time taste. Our meat vendors also expect to offer all manner of beef, pork, chevon, and lamb.

Look for great breads, maple treats, baked goods (weather permitting), jams, relishes, pickles, dilly beans, salsas, and candied maple nuts from a new vendor.

Pleasant St Soaps expects to return after a long absence. Kristie Kinson will also be returning with balsam greens.  Get a jump on cheering up the house with holiday decorations.

The non-profit Cocoa Farmers Future Initiative, a non-profit that helps cocoa growers in Grenada clear and re-establish their hurricane damaged forest gardens, add value to their crops, encourage the next generation of growers, and maintain the island’s biodiversity on which the cocoa crop (and thus my happiness) depends. They’ll be selling spices, chocolate, and spice cakes to raise money.

The Walpole Bits and Bridles 4H Club plans to join us with their annual pie sale fundraiser.

This market is part of a multi-venue Holiday Fête in Walpole. St. John’s Episcopal Church’s “Christmas on the Green” holiday bazaar, and the First Congregational Church’s “Mistletoe Mart” both run during the same hours, at the respective churches. This year The Orchard School’s 18th Annual Craft Fair and Cafe will also be held on the same day, from 9:30 am to 4 pm in the Walpole Town Hall. You’ll find a number of our craft vendors participating in this Fair. All four venues are within an easy walk of each other.

Again – “Be there ….

It may seem like a long time away but we all know, “time flies when you are having fun”!  Kelley wanted to make sure we have this on the calendar so we can make plans and develop our great ideas! – Lil

Save the Date!!!

Walpole Old Home Days 2014

June 25^th – 29^th

Event Sponsors Needed!!!

email Kelley Hicks Kelley@hicksmachine.com or Cindy Westover cindy@gallowayservices.com

NOTICE

THE

TOWN OF WALPOLE

 PLANNING BOARD

HAS CANCELLED

THEIR

WORKSHOP SESSIONS

FOR

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2013

And

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2013

(Walpole, Bellows Falls, Brattleboro, Springfield/November 22, 2013) – The Board of Directors of Meeting Waters YMCA is launching its annual Community Support Campaign to ensure that everyone in the Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Springfield and Fall Mountain regions has access to vital community programs and resources that support youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

Every day, Meeting Waters YMCA works to support the youth, adults, families and communities that need it most by addressing community issues such as the achievement gap, chronic diseases, summer learning loss, and food insecurity.

“As part of our year-long strategic planning process, we have been meeting with people throughout our vast service area,” according to Board President, Dr. Vernon Temple. “On our ‘listening tour’ it became very clear that when most people think of ‘The Y,’ they think of a facility with programs inside its walls. That’s not what we are! We are a ‘Y Without Walls’ that makes its impact out in more than two-dozen communities up and down the Valley. So, part of our outreach is simply to educate people about who we are and what we do to live our cause of strengthening the foundations of community.”

According to Executive Director Steve Fortier, “Every day, year-round, Meeting Waters YMCA’s lives its cause by weaving together our three areas of focus—youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. For example, in the past year, we provided out-of-school care for 376 youth and their working parents through one or more of our youth development programs.”

“While that number makes us the largest provider of child care in the region, even greater impacts lie behind those numbers,” Fortier adds. “While mom and dad are working, all those young people are developing vital skills to help them learn, grow and thrive. Our caring and highly-qualified staff lead activities that build community, self-esteem, relationships and character. They model and support healthy lifestyles. They build skills, memories and friendships for life.”

“Then there are the impacts for the parents, businesses and communities throughout our service area. By providing care after-school for all 180 days of school as well as full-day care on all teacher in-service days, school vacations, snow days, during the summer break and even on most holidays, we are helping hundreds of area parents to work full-time. This, in turn, lets them contribute to—and participate in—the local economy. Over 50% of all the youth we serve are living in poverty or on the edge of poverty. By supporting their parents’ ability to work, we are helping these families meet their basic needs of food, shelter and clothing which contributes to decreasing the need for them to depend on other community and state agencies to do that for them. We are not a homeless shelter or food pantry, yet we prevent and reduce food insecurity, poverty and homelessness,” Fortier says with pride.

Temple concludes by saying, “We are taking the lead on some of the most pressing issues being faced by our communities, businesses, families and youth. We are working collaboratively with others to address complex community and family challenges. While working with many of our region’s most vulnerable youth and their families, we are not only supporting their basic human needs but also giving them the tools and resources to reach their full potential. To do this—and more—we need the strong support of the communities we serve. We thank people in advance for that support.”

Meeting Waters YMCA is a charitable, non-profit, social service organization founded in 1895. Its services strengthen community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility throughout the Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Springfield and Fall Mountain regions. To learn more about their services or how to make a donation, visit them at http://www.meetingwatersymca.org or contact them at 802-246-1036 (Brattleboro region), 802-463-4769 (Great Falls region) or 802-885-8131 (Springfield region).

Mark your calendars for these upcoming events at out local library. – Lil

Giftwrapping Workshop at the Walpole Library – 12/3/13

Ever wonder why some people’s presents look like works of art – and others like the cat has been at them?

On December 3^rd, Susan Tollett will be hosting a giftwrapping workshop at the Walpole Library.  Starting at 6:30 p.m., Susan and Chris Burchstead will also help you create your own festive paper and tags. All materials supplied.

The workshop is free, but participants need to register ahead of time to make sure there are enough materials.  To sign up, call Mary or Chris at 756-9806.

Poetry Reading Planned for January – 1/10/14

Four local poets will be reading at the Walpole Library on January 10^th at 7 p.m.   The poets include:

James Fowler, a 25-year Navy veteran, first became fascinated with Japanese poetry forms while stationed overseas.  Fowler, who now teaches poetry at the Village Bookstore in Bellows Falls, will be reading works that reflect various Japanese poetic traditions, including prose poems, free verse and strict iambic forms.

Martha Carlson-Bradley has published five collections of poetry.  She’ll be reading from her most recent book, Sea Called Fruitfulness (WordTech Editions, 2013), which was inspired by a 1651 map of the Moon.

Patricia Fargnoli,  the New Hampshire Poet Laureate from 2006-2009,  has published seven collections of poetry.  She’ll be reading selections from her latest book , Winter (Hobblebush Books, 2013) which explores the nature of winter, a time of looking to the beauties of nature, of memory, of spiritual contemplation.

Kathleen Fagley’s chapbook, How You Came to Me, was published in July 2012 by Finishing Line Press as a finalist in the New Women’s Voices Series.  She has had poetry published in The Stillwater Review, Memoir Journal, Cutthroat, The Comstock Review and others.

The reading is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be served.  For more information, call the library at 756-9806.

Jennifer Palmiotto wanted to share this update on the Community Initiative to Support Walpole Youth.  The progress is great to hear.  There remains more to be done so if you’d like to be involved, I am sure she would love to hear from you. – Lil

Greetings!

It has been a year since the Walpole Youth Initiative held a Community Meeting to discuss ways to support and enrich support for the area’s youth and families. This well attended meeting resulted in a number of good ideas. Since last October, two of the ideas discussed during this forum have come to fruition.

1. Meeting Waters YMCA has started an after school program at the Walpole School.

2. A committed group of Walpole Volunteers has initiated a Big Brothers Big Sisters program at the Walpole School. The Director of BBBS praised the success of Walpole’s mentoring group acknowledging how difficult it is to start a new program. There are a number of Big Brothers Big Sisters signed up and meeting with their Little Brothers and Sisters. If you would like to become involved or even be a substitute BB/BS, please contact Sheila Lennon or Natalia Goraski for more information. Their email addresses are: ngorawski@chroma.com and smlennon57@hotmail.com

A third idea was the creation of a website and FaceBook page which would provide information about local activities and resources for youth and families. Last January a group of community volunteers and students from the Fall Mountain Regional High School began work to create the website.

A contest was held to name the site, some content has been collected, and quite a bit of time and resources have gone into building a site. This project has been put on “pause” because one of our key players, Chuck Bingaman, has moved to California. We hope to reactivate this committee in 2014 and welcome any interested volunteers.

Many thanks go out to everyone who helped to organize the Community Meeting. Too many names to list here… but you know who you are. A special thank you to Principal, Sam Jacobs and Glenn Stan for attending the event, providing important feedback and for their roles in making the after school program and Big Brothers Big Sisters program a reality.

Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

Jen

Thanks to Janet we are almost up to date.  (There should have been a meeting last week but the minutes may not be ready as yet.) – Lil

TOWN OF WALPOLE
MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD
NOVEMBER 7, 2013
Selectboard Present: Jamie Teague (Chair); Chas Street; Whitney Aldrich

CALL TO ORDER: Mrs. Teague called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall with three people present in the audience.
These are unapproved Minutes.

The Selectboard observed a moment of silence in remembrance of Joe Dion who will surely be missed. They expressed appreciation, on behalf of the Town’s people, for all his efforts and time spent as a Trustee of Trust Funds and for his work on various committees and projects.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:
MYRA MANSOURI: Mrs. Mansouri explained that the Zoning Board of Adjustment secretary’s salary line will be over-spent at the end of the year. The issue has been extra time spent on Westmoreland and the gravel pit. She distributed copies of an email from Mary Pinkham-Langer from the Department of Revenue Administration regarding Excavations – Regulations and Taxation. Mrs. Clough billed Attorney Rebecca Wagner but she called to ask where the figures came from and where Mrs. Clough got the authority to bill her for time and copies of records. Mrs. Teague noted it is found in the RSAs; they can charge for time if it is a law suit. The time being billed is for the research being done and copies being made by Mrs. Mansouri, Mr. Vose and Ms. Blaine in connection with the gravel pit matter.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
Mr. Street moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest for checks dated November 8, 2013 in the amount of $22,358.58. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL:
Mr. Street moved to approve the payroll voucher for the week ending November 2, 2013, for checks dated November 8, 2013, in the amount of $20,818.39. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street moved to approve the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $4,767.48. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – October 24, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the October 24, 2013, Selectboard meeting, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the Minutes were approved.
NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – October 24, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the October 24, 2013, Non-Public Selectboard session, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the Minutes were approved.
SELECTBOARD MEETING – October 30, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the October 30, 2013, Selectboard meeting, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With Mr. Street and Mr. Aldrich in favor, the Minutes were approved. Mrs. Teague abstained as she was not present at this meeting.
Selectboard Meeting –November 7, 2013- Page 2
NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION #1 – October 30, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the October 30, 2013, Non-Public Selectboard session #1, as submitted. The Minutes will remain sealed. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With Mr. Street and Mr. Aldrich in favor, the Minutes were approved. Mrs. Teague abstained as she was not present at this session.
NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION #2 – October 30, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the October 30, 2013, Non-Public Selectboard session #2, as submitted. The Minutes will remain sealed. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With Mr. Street and Mr. Aldrich in favor, the Minutes were approved. Mrs. Teague abstained as she was not present at this session.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:

The Selectboard received and reviewed the following meeting minutes:
 Walpole Recreation Committee – November 3, 2013;
 Trustees of Trust Funds – October 8, 2013;
 North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners – October 22, 2013;
 North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners – October 29, 2013; and
 North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners – November 5, 2013.

BUILDING PERMIT:
GRAVES, Wentworth Road, Map & Lot #001-016-000: Mr. Street moved to grant Building Permit No. 2013-34 for George Graves to “Construct a winter sand shed” at 834 Wentworth Road. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

NEW BUSINESS:
Monadnock Farm & Community Coalition Invitation: The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of an invitation to a special screening of “A Place At The Table” at The Colonial Theatre on Sunday, November 17th at 1:00 PM that is sponsored by the Monadnock Farm & Community Coalition, a regional collaboration of over twenty-five organizations. This notice will be posted on the Town Hall bulletin board.
November and December Meeting Schedule:
November 28, 2013, Selectboard Meeting: Mr. Aldrich moved to cancel the November 28, 2013, Selectboard meeting as it falls on Thanksgiving Day. The Administrative Assistant was authorized to do the Payroll and Accounts Payable. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
The Selectboard set the following Schedule for their meetings in November and December 2013:
 Thursday, November 14, 2013 – 6:00 PM
 Thursday, November 21, 2013 – 6:00 PM
 Thursday, December 05, 2013 – 6:00 PM
 Thursday, December 12, 2013 – 6:00 PM
 Thursday, December 19, 2013 – 6:00 PM.
There will not be a Selectboard meeting during the week of December 23rd through December 27th, 2013, in observance of the Christmas Holiday.
There will be a Holiday Celebration and Appreciation Night on Saturday Evening, November 30th, 2013, for all Town employees, Board/Committee members and their guests.
The Budget meeting schedule will be set next week.

OLD BUSINESS:
Letter From Curtis Congdon: The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of a letter from Curtis and Elizabeth Congdon. A copy of the letter, along with their request, will be given to Jim Terrell, Road Agent.

Meeting at the Hayes Property: The Selectboard will meet at the Town Hall next Monday at 10:00 AM to do a site visit at the Hayes property. Mrs. Clough was asked to let Jim Terrell know of their plans.

Town Hall Building: Mrs. Clough reported that during the last storm there was a leak in a different area of the Town Hall. She called Rohr Cook to check on the roof and he discovered that a window in the cupola area was put in backwards so the rain came in. Mr. Cook came back today to do the repairs.

NON-PUBLIC SESSION:
Mr. Street moved to enter into a Non-Public Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (a) Personnel. (c) Reputations and (d) Acquisition, Sale or Lease of Real or Personal Property. Mr. Aldrich seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 5:10 PM.
The regular meeting resumed at 5:35 PM. No announcements were made.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:
Mr. Street moved to recess this Selectboard meeting. The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
The regular meeting resumed at 5:51 PM. No announcements were made.

ADJOURNMENT:
Mr. Street moved to adjourn this meeting. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 5:52 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

TOWN OF WALPOLE
MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD
OCTOBER 30, 2013

Selectboard Present: Whitney Aldrich, Chas Street, (Absent: Jamie Teague, Chair)

CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Aldrich called this meeting to order at 6:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall with eight people present in the audience. He noted that Mrs. Teague was not present. Mr. Aldrich advised that this meeting is being tape recorded therefore asked anyone wishing to speak to identify themselves.
These are unapproved Minutes.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:
MR. TIM HAYES: Mr. Hayes lives on 73 Hayes Road. He explained that they are having issues on the Class 6 part of that road where it dead-ends at the end of his driveway. He has talked to Mr. Terrell many times about the water bar. The Town has put a water bar in numerous times but a neighbor runs a skidder up and down that road with loads of wood and knocks it down. The neighbor also has a driveway at the end of the Class 6 road, he was able to get a Driveway Permit, even though Mr. Hayes was unable to get one for his driveway in that area. The neighbor has a culvert and the Highway Department drains the water into that culvert that goes down that side of the road. Mr. Hayes driveway is right across from it. Because the neighbor runs that skidder up and down the road so many times it changed the flow of the water; it used to have a good slope to it but now only has a slight slope to it. The Highway Department fixes that culvert but the neighbor runs over it after they leave. The culvert now sticks up. They changed the way snow is plowed. They now back into the Hayes driveway. When he put in his driveway, Joe Smith who was the Road Agent at that time, told him that the driveway had to be so wide and so far back. He does not see that happen anywhere else in Town but it made sense because the Town trucks needed a place to turn around. Mr. Terrell told him he had researched the water bar and Mr. Madden has his driveway on the Class 6 road so a part of the reason was that he was to maintain that water bar. Mr. Hayes said the neighbor is not going to maintain that water bar. It still is washing out his driveway. Mr. Hayes runs a small business so needs to get in-and-out of his driveway. Mr. Hayes went to see Mr. Terrell many times late winter because with the weird rainy weather he was starting to have problems. Mr. Terrell told him they could not do much with the frost in the ground but they would go up and do something. After he stopped in several times to see Mr. Terrell he appeared to get upset with him. He finally came up at the end of one day and said “yea, it looks pretty bad here”; he brings up a load of stone and puts it in the driveway. It was not much longer when the thaw came and he promised he would come up to take care of it. He also said he would send the Madden’s a letter saying if they did not take care of it from now on he would pull their culvert and the Town would take care of it. He never came up and someone got stuck in his driveway, it got worse, Mr. Hayes did what he could with his equipment, it helped but still no Town. He is looking at the weather report, saw what was going to happen so he went out the day before and dug a healthy water bar. He was there the night of that storm; his road was getting washed out. If he was not out there nobody else was going to take care of it. He has been out there three times to fix that culvert / water bar, he did not see the Town until a week ago when they graded the road and graded that water bar right out of there and made a smooth road. All summer he goes up and down his road and there is a over-hanging tree there that hits his vehicles every time he goes by there. The Town never comes up to do anything so he trims it. Almost a month ago something happened in the Madden driveway as one of his vehicles rolled out and hit a bush that was still there. When they graded they pushed the bush back. He has lived in this Town a long time and this Highway Department was the best. They grade the roads twice a year. He wants some answers. He no longer wants the Town to turn around in his driveway until they fix this problem right. That road was always a one lane road, laid out as wide as the first culvert, which is above the Bingham’s place. That road is too wide for what it was laid out for. There used to be a nice stone wall all up and down that road but 90% of it is buried now. Mr. Aldrich noted that stone walls are not supposed to be touched. That road is not 50-feet wide. This week he is going to dig another trench across that road so his road does not get washed out. He asked the Selectboard to help him out if they can. Mr. Hayes did not like being told that Mr. Terrell would be up there when the ground thawed in the spring but we are now almost into November. It is a Class 5 road until just past Hayes when it turns into a Class 6 road. Mr. Hayes would like answers from Mr. Terrell; he asked if Mr. Madden is responsible for that water bar. Mr. Madden will not maintain it so either the Town has to maintain it and bills Mr. Madden for it or else Mr. Hayes will maintain it and bill the Town who in turn should bill Mr. Madden. Mr. Terrell responded that Mr. Madden is responsible and he will speak to him. Mr. Terrell did the best he could during the winter when Mr. Hayes contacted him. Mr. Terrell went up there when the ground thawed and the water was running as it was supposed to. When he got the time to go up there to address it again he found Mr. Hayes had already dug the water ditch across the road. He felt that was good for now. About a week ago they talked about getting the backhoe up there because where the ditch was they were not able to turn around. When they graded the road the operator came back to tell Mr. Terrell that he slanted the road and put in a water bar. He has a call into Mr. Madden. The culvert is on Mr. Madden’s side of the road; it was put in before Mr. Terrell’s employment with the Town. This provides access to another lot. Mr. Terrell pointed out that nobody is responsible for maintaining the road except for the Town. Mr. Hayes stated he has a right to protect his property. If the Town is not going to do that then he has to. The water bar right now is insufficient. The Town allowed Mr. Madden to change the slope of that road. Now the Town plows up just past the new Madden driveway but they never plowed that far before. They bring gravel up for Mr. Madden but take Hayes away. Mr. Aldrich asked if there is any documentation on the culvert and, if so, he would like to see a copy. Mr. Terrell explained it is in the Driveway Permit. The water bar is in the notes. Mr. Terrell said he was not involved in this until last winter when Mr. Hayes came to him; as Road Agent when they did any work there it was done as regular maintenance. Mr. Hayes has about 10 hours of work on that road already; he will do the work but charge the Town for it. The Town is trespassing on his property. If they do what they say they are going to do then they are more than welcome to turn around in his driveway otherwise turn around in Mr. Madden’s driveway. Mr. Hayes felt it would be good for the Selectboard to look at Hayes Road. He wants a water bar. Mr. Terrell will stay in touch with Mr. Hayes and Selectboard to let them know what is happening.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:
Mr. Street moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard Session #1 pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (d) Acquisition, Sale or Lease of Real or Personal Property. Mr. Aldrich seconded the motion and, in a roll call vote with all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 6:28 PM.
The regular meeting resumed at 6:47 PM. No announcements were made.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:
Mr. Street moved to recess the Selectboard meeting. The Selectboard will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees. Mr. Aldrich seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 6:48 PM.
The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:20 PM. No announcements were made.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:
Mr. Street moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard Session #2 pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (a) Personnel and (c) Reputations. Mr. Aldrich seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with all in favor, the motion was approved.
The regular meeting resumed at 8:05 PM. No announcements were made.

OLD BUSINESS:
MILL POND BRIDGE: Mr. Terrell advised that this is now a red listed bridge but he has had Warren Stevens look at it and he has made suggestions. The bridge is structurally fine but it could deteriorate quickly. A figure for repairs will be included in the 2014 budget.
Mr. Stevens has also looked at the two bridges on Wentworth Road. He is working on the engineering and permits.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
Mr. Street moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest for checks dated November 01, 2013, in the amount of $29,317.46. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL:
Mr. Street moved to approve the payroll voucher for the week ending October 26, 2013, for checks dated November 01, 2013, in the amount of $20,012.71. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street moved to approve the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $4,499.84. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – October 24, 2013: Mr. Street moved to table the Selectboard meeting Minutes of October 24, 2013, until the next Selectboard meeting. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – October 24, 2013: Mr. Street moved to table the Non-Public Selectboard Session of October 24, 2013, until the next Selectboard meeting. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
The Selectboard received and reviewed the following meeting minutes:
 Planning Board – October 8, 2013.

BUILDING PERMITS:
HARDING, 186 Barnett Hill Road, Map & Lot #009-062-001: Mr. Street moved to approve Building Permit No. 2013-32 for Russell & Pamela Harding to “Construct an addition onto an existing 6’ x 8’ Front Porch to make it 8’ x 16’” at 186 Barnett Hill Road. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
LENNON, 9 Washington Street, Map & Lot #020-074-000: Mr. Street moved to approve Building Permit No. 2013-33 for Charles & Sheila Lennon to “Construct a 17’6” x 8’ Kitchen Addition” at 9 Washington Street. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

ADJOURNMENT:
Mr. Street moved to adjourn this meeting. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 8:19 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

TOWN OF WALPOLE
MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD
OCTOBER 24, 2013

Selectboard Present: Jamie Teague (Chair); Chas Street; Whitney Aldrich

CALL TO ORDER: Mrs. Teague called the Selectboard meeting to order at 5:34 PM in the Walpole Town Hall with fifteen people present in the audience.
These are unapproved Minutes.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:
THE WALPOLE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY: Mrs. Teague announced that the Selectboard is starting their regular meeting a half-hour earlier than scheduled to allow time to talk with the students of the Walpole Leadership Academy. Mr. Dalessio thanked the Selectboard for taking time out of their schedule to meet with the class this year as they would like to know what the Selectboard does in general and what they are responsible for. They changed their format a little this year; in the beginning they will talk to all the elected Boards and people in political positions. After the first of the year they will attend the budget hearing and finish up with Town Meeting. The students and Selectboard introduced themselves. Mr. Aldrich has been on the Selectboard for 9-1/2 years; Mr. Street about 1-1/2 year; and Mrs. Teague about 5-1/2 years.
Mrs. Teague explained that the Selectboard are elected officials who represent the will of the people for the greater good of all. They manage the Town, its resources and departments because Walpole does not have a Town Manager. Each of them has a list of departments they are the liaisons for; the managers usually attend a meeting once a month or more if there is a need. At times the manager will contact the Selectperson by phone to let them know what is going on and that Selectperson will communicate with the other two members to make them aware of the issue. The Selectboard wants to be informed of events before they are published in the newspaper so they are prepared.
The Selectboard is also the Trustees of Trust for the Town by default for the Hooper Trust as the person that left the property to the Town had a vision that he wanted them to oversee it. They attend a lot of meetings. They are also liaisons with the Village of North Walpole who have a Board of Commissioners therefore there is some over-lap between the Village and the Town; they meet together when there are issues as they share resources and assets. They also attend meetings in the Village of Bellows Falls because we share bridges and participate in their sewer operations; Walpole sewer goes to the Bellows Falls Wastewater Facility. They meet with utility companies because their lines and/or poles go through the Town so there are Rights-of-Ways. Sometimes they settle disputes on land but quite often it is a civil matter.  Mr. Street advised that they handle day-to-day items; they review things that have happened or are about to happen and make sure all the numbers add up. They give a great deal of authority to their Department Heads to take care of their day-to-day responsibilities. It seems to work; sometimes it is give-and-take. They try to keep costs down as best as they can. They are not always directing hands-on because they place a lot of trust in the employees. Mrs. Teague advised that the Town is non-union.

Mr. Dalessio pointed out that the Town is a business too with payroll and accounts. There are weekly things that have to get done. The Selectboard meets weekly. They do not allow for payments to be made prior to the Selectboard’s approval unless it is an emergency situation. Mrs. Clough noted that if there is an emergency welfare need the Treasurer gets involved. Mrs. Teague confirmed that the Treasurer over-sees all the checks as a third party; the Treasurer does not work for the Selectboard but is an elected official. It is a check-and-balance issue as the Treasurer can question issuance of checks.
Mr. Aldrich advised that the Department of Revenue Administration sets the tax rate. The DRA usually comes into the office in early October and goes through all the forms that the Town has submitted to
them. In the Annual Town Report there are a few pages that reference the Fund Balance. The Town can use some of the Fund Balance to lower the tax rate. This money can also be used for emergency expenditures after approval is granted by the DRA. Mr. Sawyer added that the Town is required to have at least 5% of the Fund Balance on-hand but if it gets to about 10% they like the towns to spend some of it; the DRA likes the Fund Balance to be about 7%. Mr. Aldrich said the Town has been debt free for about four years now. Mrs. Teague explained that the Town does not usually have to take out a Tax Anticipation Note (TAN) at the bank. They did take a TAN out last year because the tax rate got set late and they wanted to be sure they would not have to pay interest on top of the bill to the County. Mrs. Teague explained that when setting the tax rate they take the whole total wealth of the Town, land and buildings. We are very fortunate in Walpole to still have a lot of building going on; commercial and residential. When the budgets or the school bills go up, they have been able to keep the tax rate somewhat steady because there are more dollars to spread the expenditures over. In reverse, a couple of towns around Walpole lost property wealth when they did the revaluation so their property taxes increased. When folks vote on their budget it is one portion of the taxes; every time you add a Warrant Article it has to be added on.
In Walpole the Fire District is a separate entity; it is its own corporation. The Town Selectboard has no over-sight for the Fire Department. In North Walpole the Village Commissioners have control over their Fire Department; it is funded by the people in North Walpole. She encouraged residents to attend the Fire District meetings because that is where they can ask questions, learn about the equipment and find out what is going on. The Fire Departments do a great job. There is a separate Fire Rate on the Town’s tax bill; it will say School, County, Fire and Town on the tax bill.
Mr. Dalessio asked how long it takes after they are elected to get up-to-speed. Mr. Aldrich felt it takes about a year. It takes common sense, researching the RSAs plus calls to the Local Government Center for free legal advice. The RSAs are state laws that are now on the computer. Mrs. Teague noted that every time you run for something you have a pre-conceived notion of what the job will be about but she was shell-shocked. She realized early in the process that there is a lot to do and know on this job. You learn a lot really fast. Mr. Street advised that after a year they have seen the full cycle. Every year they switch being liaisons to the departments so they learn a lot more of the day-to-day operations. The whole repertoire is not complete until the full three years is over.
Mr. Sawyer advised that one of the biggest lessons he learned when he first was elected to the Selectboard was that the previous Selectboard had over-spent the budget on this building and that is illegal. But it worked out as the over-expenditure was approved by the voters. Mr. Aldrich said they are bound by the bottom line figure. Mrs. Teague felt it was similar to this year when they found an error and had to have a special hearing to explain why and then had to petition the DRA to tell them what occurred; the DRA looked through the documentation, approved it and allowed the Town to fix that number. Mr. Aldrich mentioned that all reports go into the State where they are checked. If the DRA does not have questions, the Town does not hear from them but they do watch the tax figures.
Relative to Water and Sewer; Mr. Aldrich stated that they are funded by user fees. It is confusing. Many towns keep them completely separate.
Mrs. Marcom asked if it would be beneficial to have the Water and Sewer separate. Mr. Aldrich responded that they do not affect the tax rate. He would prefer to keep it the way it is; it is self-funded. Mrs. Teague feels it can maintain a balance for projects down the road. They are going to look at it again because of what occurred this past year. There is a process for changing that. More than half the people in Walpole have private wells. North Walpole water is separate.
Mrs. Marcom asked how the Commissioners in North Walpole work. Mrs. Teague explained that North Walpole has a Board of Commissioners structured like the Selectboard. There are three members; they meet weekly on Tuesday nights at 7:00 PM. They meet with their Fire Chief, the Water and Sewer operator, Zoning if there is an issue, the meetings are open to the public. The Village is independent for Fire, Water and Sewer, and Ambulance. Commercial building is over-seen by the Walpole Planning Board. Building Permits go to the Zoning Board in North Walpole.
Responding to a question, Mrs. Teague advised that Drewsville used to be a separate Village until 1948. The Villages of Walpole, North Walpole and Drewsville were within the Town of Walpole. In 1948 or early 1950s votes were taken in the villages to disband the Charters and become a part of the Town. Walpole Village voted to disband; North Walpole voted not to disband but the State made the governing body of Walpole over-see them because it was still within the confines of the Town. Drewsville also gave up their Village structure; they do not have their own Board of Commissioners.
Mr. Dalessio thanked the Selectboard for their time and for providing so much information on the Town.
The regular Selectboard meeting began at 6:15 PM. Mr. Street advised that this is the business usually conducted at the weekly meetings.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
Mr. Street moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest for checks dated October 25, 2013, in the amount of $38,404.41. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

PAYROLL:
Mr. Street moved to approve the payroll voucher for the week ending October 19, 2013, for checks dated October 25, 2013, in the amount of $19,396.81. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street moved to approve the electronic fund transfer for the 941 Employer Taxes for Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $4,403.44. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – October 17, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the October 17, 2013, meeting, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION – October 17, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the October 17, 2013, Non-Public Selectboard session, as submitted. The Minutes will remain sealed for personnel reasons. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
The Selectboard received and reviewed the following meeting minutes:
 Walpole Zoning Board of Adjustment – October 16, 2013.

BUILDING PERMITS:

HARDING, Farnum Road, Map & Lot #005-051-000: Mr. Street moved to grant Building Permit No. 2013-30 for the Harding Family Revocable Trust, Roxanne & Thomas Harding, to “Construct a 14’ x 24’ Addition unto Existing Home” at 22 Farnum Road. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

LAWRENCE, Prospect Hill, Map & Lot #017-022-000: Mr. Street moved to grant Building Permit No. 2013-31 for Victor & Pat Lawrence to “Demolish and Rebuild a 12’ x 30’ Section of Existing Home” at 92 Prospect Hill. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street advised that the Selectboard now has the history on this former Cutter property that was researched by Mark Houghton.

SEWER ABATEMENT:
AUMAND REALTY, Mountain View Road, Map & Lot #028-244-000: Mr. Street moved to grant the Sewer Abatement in the amount of $261.74 for Aumand Realty at 3 Mountain View Road, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

TIMBER TAX LEVY AND WARRANT:
SIMONDS, Sawmill Lane, Map & Lot #013-034-000: Mr. Street moved to approve the Warrant for Timber Tax Levy and the Certification of Yield Taxes Assessed in the amount of $676.67 for Rita L. Simonds at 15 Sawmill Lane. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

NEW BUSINESS:
USED OIL GRANT AGREEMENT: Mr. Street moved that the Grant Agreement for the Funding of Used Oil Collection Centers, for the amount of $2,500, be submitted for the Walpole Recycling and Transfer Facility, as submitted. Mrs. Teague, Chair of the Selectboard, is authorized to sign the document. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

OLD BUSINESS:
POTATO BARN PROJECT: The Selectboard acknowledged receipt of the email from Attorney Hanna regarding the Potato Barn property, Tax Map #024, Lot #006, owned by Steven J. Rudek for the Conditional Layout of Town Highway Pursuant to RSA 231:23.
Mr. Street moved that the Selectboard support Mr. Rudek’s request as set forth in the Petition for Conditional Layout and that, upon approval of the street plat by the Planning Board, the Selectmen intend to formally grant the conditional layout as proposed. In addition, the Selectmen support the granting of the driveway permit by the State and the approval of the street plat by the Planning Board.” Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street recommended that the Selectboard ask the Highway Road Agent to recommend a figure for the Bond. Mrs. Clough will talk to Mr. Terrell about this.

RECESS SELECTBOARD MEETING:
Mr. Aldrich moved that the Selectboard recess this Selectboard meeting as they will enter into a meeting as the Hooper Trustees. Seconded by Mr. Street. With all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 6:40 PM.
The regular Selectboard meeting resumed at 7:47 PM. No announcements were made.

NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION:

Mr. Street moved to enter into a Non-Public Selectboard Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss (c) Reputations and (e) Pending Claims or Litigation. Mr. Aldrich seconded the motion and, on a roll call vote with all in favor, the motion was approved.
The regular meeting resumed at 8:05 PM. No announcements were made.

NEW BUSINESS (Continued):
2014 Medical Rate Exhibit: The Selectboard reviewed the Health Trust – Under 50 Pool – Current Renewal Benefit and Benefit Options for Consideration. Mrs. Clough reported that the Town received their share of the surplus money from the Health Trust and will be getting a refund of additional surplus monies in 2014. Mrs. Clough felt they should do research on self-funding the deductible to see how much money the Town would be saving.

ADJOURNMENT:
Mr. Street moved to adjourn this meeting. Mr. Aldrich seconded the motion. With all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 8:09 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary