The Walpolean

“Did You Know” messages are sent from FMRHS to better communicate what is happening at our high school.  As a school board member I have enjoyed them very much and want to share them with you.  I find them short and sweet and yet very informative. Thank you Principal, Tom Ronning. – Lil

Thank you Regina for getting these minutes to me. – Lil

TOWN OF WALPOLE

PLANNING BOARD MEETING

MAY 14, 2013

 Presiding:        Robert Miller (Vice-Chair); James Aldrich, Henry Fletcher, Dennis Marcom, Eric Merklein

Alternates:      Steve Dalessio, Ed Potter, Jeff White

Recording:      Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

These Minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the June 11, 2013, meeting for corrections, additions and/or omissions.  There were seven people present in the audience.

Meeting Opened:  Mr. R. Miller called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall.  He advised that meetings are tape recorded therefore asked anyone that wishes to speak to identify themselves.

Roll Call:  Mr. R. Miller noted that Jeffrey Miller (Chair) and Jamie Teague were not present.  Mr. R. Miller called upon Mr. Dalessio to sit on the Board for Mr. J. Miller.  Mrs. Teague is the Selectboard’s representative to the Planning Board therefore an alternate cannot be appointed in her absence.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING on April 9, 2013, and WORKSHOP SESSION on April 23, 2013: 

Mr. Aldrich moved to approve the Minutes of the regular PB meeting on April 9, 2013, as printed.  Seconded by Mr. Merklein.  With all members in favor, the minutes were approved.

Mr. Aldrich moved to approve the Minutes of the PB Workshop Session on April 23, 2013, as printed.  Seconded by Mr. Dalessio.  With all members in favor, the minutes were approved.

PUBLIC HEARING:

B& H Realty:  Mr. R. Miller advised that Mr. Joe DiBernardo, surveyor, was not present.  There was a consensus of the PB members to put this “on-hold” until he arrives.  

NEW BUSINESS:

STEVEN AND ANNETTE GRENIER – Lot Line Adjustment:  Mr. Grenier submitted an application for a Lot Line Adjustment.  He is requesting that 0.4 acres from the property owned by Elizabeth A. & Deborah L. Kubik be adjusted to the Grenier property.  Originally the Grenier lot was subdivided off the Kubik lot.  This will straighten out the boundary between the two properties.  The Kubik property has frontage on County Road and the Grenier property has frontage on Meeting House Road.  This is in the Residential Zone.

Mr. Aldrich moved to schedule this application, as submitted by Steven and Annette Grenier, for a Public Hearing for the June 11, 2013, PB meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Marcom.  With all in favor, the motion was approved.

HUNTINGTON REALTY OF WALPOLE, LLC – Site Plan Review:  Mr. Randall Walter was representing Huntington Realty of Walpole, LLC who submitted an application for a Site Plan Review for their property located at 9 Edwards Lane where the Walpole Scoop Shop is located.  This is the continuation of the discussion on the development of that building that was started in 2010.  They are now in negotiations with a second tenant for a sandwich shop that will be locally operated.  It will be compatible with Dave Westover’s business.  Some exterior up-dates to the façade of the building will be made and they will be connecting to the Town sewer.  The building is 40’ x 60’; 60% is the scoop shop.

There is about 7,500 square feet of undeveloped space.  There will be some common areas for the rest rooms, hallway and janitorial supplies.  They are developing a porch, timber architecture, on the north side to protect a second entry but it will be less than 20,000 square feet of disturbance of the site.  They would like to continue where they left off in 2010.  They have a Special Exception from the Zoning Board of Adjustment for parking in the Agriculture Zone.  The parking that was already accepted, 10,100 square feet, would be more than adequate at this time even for the second use.  It would allow them to develop another 25 parking spaces but that would be done gradually.  In 2010 there was mention of a timber pavilion to be constructed to the East however they have not yet done this.  The footprint of the scoop shop will not be increased.  Mr. R. Miller read from the section pertaining to Expedited Site Plan Review Procedures.  It seems clear that they will be following these Criteria.

Mr. Aldrich moved to schedule a Public Hearing on June 11, 2013, for Huntington Realty of Walpole, LLC.  Seconded by Mr. Fletcher.  With all in favor, the motion was approved.

PUBLIC HEARING:

Mr. R. Miller called this Public Hearing to order at 7:19 PM.

B & H Realty:  Subdivision of one lot into three lots at 10 Lanbro Lane, Tax Map # 001, Lot # 003-003 to be Subdivided into: Lot 1 – 1.36 acres; Lot 2 – 1.45 acres; and Lot 3 – 7.18 acres.  This is in the Industrial Zoning District.  Mr. Bill Ballou, owner of Cold River Bridges, and Mr. Joe DiBernardo, Surveyor from DiBernardo Associates, LLC, were present.  Mr. DiBernardo advised that the Zoning Board of Adjustment had granted a Variance to use a private road for frontage.  He explained the proposal on the plan that is off Industrial Drive.  Lot 3 will include Lanbro Lane.  All three lots meet the requirements for road frontage and lot areas.  Tom Forest from Forest Designs is looking into doing the State permitting for the two smaller lots that are less than five acres.  By subdividing, the three buildings will each be on their separate lot with set-backs.  The Right-of-Way will be put in the Deeds.

Mr. R. Miller closed this Public Hearing at 7:24 PM. 

Mr. Dalessio moved to approve this Subdivision of one lot into three lots for B & H Realty, as submitted.  Seconded by Mr. Marcom.  With all in favor, the motion was approved.

NEW BUSINESS:  There was no New Business to come before this PB meeting.

OLD BUSINESS:

Discussion on Planning Board Alternate Members:  The current Alternate Members, Mr. Potter, Mr. White and Mr. Dalessio, indicated that they want to remain on the PB as Alternate members.  Mr. Dalessio was appointed as an Alternate in March of 2012 therefore his three year term will not expire until March 2015.  When the paperwork is completed he will go into the Selectboard office to take the Oath.  Mr. R. Miller recommended that the discussion on the other PB Alternate members be put “on-hold” until next month when Mr. J. Miller will be present.

PLANNING BOARD:

Workshop Session:  There will be a Workshop Session on Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at 7:00 PM in the Town Hall Downstairs Office.  Mr. Dalessio requested that the Agenda include the continuation to “Review Amendments to the Site Plan Review”.

Adjournment:  Mr. Aldrich moved to adjourn this meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Marcom.  With all members in favor, the motion was approved.  The time was 7:32 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

Cc:  PB, ZBA, WCC, Town Offices, BOS

Posted:  Town Hall Lobby, Burdick’s Market, Town’s Web Site

Judy Trow from “Our Place” in Bellows Falls asked if I would share these posters with you.  While “Our Place” is located in Bellows FAals, their services benefit North Walpole and Walpole residents as well. – Lil

She is entitled to a much deserved vacation, and now that Janet is back she sent me the minutes from the meeting on May 22nd.  (No meeting was held the previous week.)  Thanks, Janet. – Lil 

TOWN OF WALPOLE
MEETING OF THE SELECTBOARD
MAY 22, 2013

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

CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Aldrich called the meeting to order at 3:00 PM in the Walpole Town Hall with one person present in the audience.
These are unapproved Minutes.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
Mr. Street moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest for checks dated May 16, 2013, in the amount of $47,727.30, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest for Article 4 for the 2013 Ford F550 in the amount of $35,450.00, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest for checks dated May 24, 2013, in the amount of $506,128.20. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
The above amount includes a payment to the Fall Mountain Regional School District in the amount of $483,288.72.

PAYROLL:
Mr. Street moved to approve the payroll voucher summary for checks dated May 17, 2013, for gross wages in the amount of $17,648.02. 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 $4,061.85. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street moved to approve the payroll summary register for checks dated May 08, 2013, for gross wages in the amount of $17,602.48. 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 $3,972.30. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Mr. Street moved to approve the payroll summary register for checks dated May 24, 2013, for gross wages in the amount of $18,103.05. 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 $4,177.56. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – May 2, 2013: There was a consensus to table the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of the May 2, 2013, as a quorum was not present.
NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION #1 – May 2, 2013: There was a consensus to table the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session #1, of May 2, 2013, as a quorum was not present.
NON-PUBLIC SELECTBOARD SESSION #2 – May 2, 2013: Mr. Street moved to approve the Minutes of the Non-Public Selectboard Session #2 of May 2, 2013, as printed. The Minutes will remain sealed. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD MEETING – May 9, 2013: There was a consensus to table the Selectboard Minutes of the May 9, 2013, meeting, as a quorum was not present.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:
The Selectboard received and reviewed the following meeting minutes:
 Conservation Commission – May 6, 2013;
 North Walpole Village District Board of Commissioners – May 14, 2013; and
 Zoning Board of Adjustment – May 15, 2013.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO CUT WOOD OR TIMBER:
RICCI, March Hill, Map & Lot # 009-012-2-1: Mr. Street moved to approve the Notice of Intent to Cut Wood or Timber, Cut # 13-461-04-T, for Chris Ricci, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
WINDGATE WOODLANDS ASSOCIATES, Priest Road, Map & Lot # 003-003-000: Mr. Street moved to approve the Notice of Intent to Cut Wood or Timber, Cut # 13-461-05-T, for Windgate Woodlands Associates, LLP, as submitted. Access to Priest Road will be from Whipple Hill Road. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

BUILDING PERMITS:
BEERS, Sandhill Heights, Map & Lot # 012-044-001: Mr. Street moved to grant Building Permit No. 2013-13 for Lee Beers to “Construct a 24’ Above Ground Swimming Pool” at 126 Sandhill Road, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
BILODEAU, Scovill Road, Map & Lot # 003-079-000: Mr. Street moved to grant Building Permit No. 2013-14 for Richard Bilodeau, Sr. and Gloria Beauregard to “Construct a 66’ x 30’ 1 Story Garage” at 36 Scovill Road. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
MDB HOLDINGS, INC., Pinnacle Lane, Map & Lot # 012-011-000: Mr. Street moved to grant Building Permit No. 2013-15 for MDB Holdings, LLC to “Complete construction (insulate/finish) the existing 100’ x 50’ Building” at 19 Pinnacle Lane, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
SNIDE, Ramsay Hill Road, Map & Lot # 009-003-000: Mr. Street moved to grant Building Permit No. 2013-16 for Snide Revocable Trust / Elizabeth & P. Michael Snide to “Construct a 20’ x 16’ 1 Story Pool House” at 84 Ramsay Hill, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

WARRANTS:
PROPERTY TAX: Spring, 2013 Tax Warrant: Mr. Street moved to approve the Tax Collector’s Warrant for Property Tax Levy in the amount of $4,618,501.00, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
WATER: Walpole Water Fees: Mr. Street moved to approve the Walpole Warrant For The Collection of Walpole Water Fees in the amount of $69,557.04, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
SEWER: Walpole Sewer Fees: Mr. Street moved to approve the Walpole Warrant For The Collection of Walpole Sewer Fees in the amount of $39,510.11, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
SEWER: North Walpole Sewer Fees: Mr. Street moved to approve the Walpole Warrant For The Collection of North Walpole Sewer Fees in the amount of $35,343.85, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

ABATEMENTS:
WATER AND SEWER: Madden, Old North Main, Map & Lot # 021-038-000: Mr. Street moved that the Abatement for Water and Sewer for Victoria Madden at 16 Old North Main Street in the amount of $207.32 for Water and $180.32 for Sewer be approved as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

REFUNDS:
Central Mortgage Co., Map & Lot # 018-015-000: Mr. Street moved to grant the Property Tax Refund for the Central Mortgage Company at 15 Hillside Acres in the amount of $2,380.00, as submitted. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

NEW BUSINESS:
Letter from Sandy Smith: Mr. Street moved to acknowledge the letter from Sandy Smith and to approve that Meghan Hansson be hired as the Deputy Town Clerk/Tax Collector. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Planning Board Appointment: Mr. Street moved to approve that Steven Dalessio be officially appointed as an Alternate member of the Planning Board until March 2015. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.
Thank You Letters: Acknowledgement was made of Thank You letters from The Community Kitchen and the Fall Mountain Food Shelf for the Town’s donations.
Road Scholar Program Award: The Selectboard received a letter from the University of New Hampshire to advise that Ralph Campbell has achieved the status of Roads Scholar One. A copy will be put in his personnel file.
Hubbell Fields: The Selectboard received an email from Hubbell Fields who works on the Community Development team at Wells Fargo. This was put “on-hold” until a full Selectboard is present.

OLD BUSINESS:
Walpole Players Improvements Letter: A letter was received from Ray Boas, President of The Walpole Players, explaining the improvements they would like to make relative to the lighting and to replace the “temporary” black cloth with a finished matching look to the rest of the second floor.
Mr. Street moved to accept the funding for materials and labor provided by The Walpole Players to improve the stage lighting and light bar as well as replacing the “temporary” black cloth with a finished
matching look to the rest of the second floor. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

NON-PUBLIC SESSION:
Mr. Street moved to enter into a Non-Public 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 time was 4:03 PM.

The regular meeting resumed at 4:15 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. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved.

SELECTBOARD MEETING (Continued)
Mr. Aldrich called this recessed Selectboard meeting back to order at 4:23 PM.
Next Selectboard Meeting: There was a consensus of the Selectboard to schedule the next meeting on Thursday, May 30th at 3:00 PM.

Adjournment:
Mr. Street moved to adjourn this meeting. Seconded by Mr. Aldrich. With all in favor, the motion was approved. The time was 4:26 PM.

Respectfully submitted,
Regina Borden, Recording Secretary
_________________________
Jamie J. Teague, Chair
_________________________
Chas G. Street
_________________________
Whitney R. Aldrich
(Note: These are unapproved Minutes. Corrections, if necessary, will be found in the Minutes of the May 30, 2013, Selectboard meeting.)

Once again, some odds and ends picked up from Facebook, the internet or the old-fashioned grapevine – Lil

• Pam and David Howard have 2 tickets for the Red Sox game this Thursday.  They can’t use them but if you can, give them a call at Firstday Cottage.
• I regret that I wasn’t timely in posting the Wildflower Walk at Distant Hill Gardens.  They hold this on the first Saturday of each month and June’s walk was yesterday, the 1st.  I recommend the website for information on future walks and so much more!  www.distanthillgardens.org The pictures alone are worth visiting the site.
• “Your Market Need Your Old IThingy” – a catchy title, don’t you think?  In this weeks email from the Walpole Farmers Market they asked, “Can you possibly donate an iPod Touch or iPad you’re no longer using to the market? This would save us a couple hundred bucks that we could put toward other start up costs.”  Now does the title make sense?  If you can help, I’m sure Jill Robinson would love to hear from you.
• I noticed a Facebook post that indicated that the Walpole Pool will be opening on June 21st.  With the weather we had this weekend, it can’t be any too soon!

Mike Tollett wanted to be sure that the community is aware of the accomplishment of these students in our 5th grade classes.  Thanks, Mike for sharing and thanks to the Walpole Police Department for doing this. – Lil

The Walpole Schools 5^th grade classes and the Walpole Police Department would like to announce the 5^th grade D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony which will be held Tuesday, June 11, 2013.  The 5^th grade students of Mrs. Ronning and Mr. Cassarino have worked hard to learn different strategies to live drug-free lives.

The students have completed a 10 week program which included completing a workbook, an essay, and extensive role-playing with officers, on practical ways to resist pressure to experiment with drugs and alcohol. The D.A.R.E. (Drug Awareness Resistance Education) lessons focus on four major areas: providing accurate information about alcohol and drugs, teaching student’s decision making skills, showing them how to resist peer pressure and giving them ideas for alternatives to drug use and violence.

The graduation ceremony is a wonderful time to recognize them for their efforts.

Thank you Mary Schoppmeyer, for alerting us to this Craft Fair. – Lil

St. John’s Episcopal Church will host a Spring Craft Fair at the Walpole Town Hall on Saturday, June 8th, 2013 from 9 AM to 2 PM.

Many local artisans will offer an astonishing array of quality, handmade goods. Enjoy a light lunch and a hot or cold beverage as you browse the booths, and be sure to visit the St. John’s bake sale table for a bread or dessert to accompany your evening meal, or an afternoon cookie snack! The event will be held rain or shine. We’ll see you there!

St. John’s welcomes everyone to its Sunday services. Sunday School begins at 9:45 each week; services begin at 10 AM, followed by coffee hour. Find us on the corner of Westminster and Elm Streets.

For more information about our church, our Spring Craft Fair, our Art After School program, or our outreach efforts, please call the church office at 603-756-4533.

Thanks Jeanne Jeffreies for sharing this invitation to all Walpole Seniors. – Lil

The Walpole Seniors will meet for a picnic at Alyson’s Orchard at noon on Monday, June 17, 2013.  Everyone should bring a sandwich and accompaniments, but dessert and beverage will be provided. You should bring lawn chairs and if you need a ride, please meet at 11:30 AM in front of Congregational Church on the Walpole Common. In case of inclement weather, the meeting will be at the church.  Everyone is asked to bring a contribution for the Fall Mountain Food Shelf. All Walpole Seniors are welcome. We hope to see you there for food, fun and socialization. 

Sarah Manning wanted everyone to know that summer will be coming and that means the opening of the pool and the first of many hours of swim practice.  Time to start getting in shape, kids! – Lil

The Rockingham Area Swim Team will be holding sign-ups and their first swim practice on Friday, June 21^st at 7:00 am at the Walpole Town Pool. Morning practices will be offered at the Walpole Town Pool and afternoon practices at the Bellows Falls Town Pool. We offer flexible practice times to fit most work schedules.  This is a great program for all levels of swimmers ages 4-19. Swimming is great cardiovascular, strength and endurance training for fall athletes.

We are very excited to introduce our new swim coach, Diana Pimer, who is currently a Keene State College student studying for a Bachelor of Science in exercise science.  She is a 3-time NCAA provisional qualifier, Keene State record holder, has made Deans List and was awarded Lifeguard of the Year at the end of the 2012 Spring Semester.

For more information and to sign-up please call Sarah Manning at 1-978-495-1313 or Evelyn Beliveau at (603) 756-3832 or e-mail Sarah at nissl1@myfairpoint.net or Evelyn at walpolecoach@aol.com.

Thanks to Jennifer Kelly, Walpole Library Trustee, I have more information about the new events at the library.  We must have been at our computers at the same time because this came in right after I published “Have You Heard”. – Lil

New night-time book club at the Walpole Library

The Walpole Library’s newest book club is set to meet on June 5^th. The club, which is open to all, is the first to be scheduled during the library’s extended evening hours, making it accessible to patrons who work during the day.

The book for June is Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White. Multiple copies are available at the library.

The library is also planning to host an additional non-fiction book club, starting this fall.

For more information about either book club, please contact the library at 756-9806 or by email at librarydirector@thewalpoletownlibrary.org.

Save money: New coupon clipping group

A Coupon Group will meet for the first time on Monday June 3rd, from 6:30 to 7:30 at the Walpole Library. Join in to learn how to use coupons to get the best value for your food dollars. The group is open to all, beginner to coupon savant. Call the library (756-3328) for more info.

Survey results: Walpole library a great local resource

In March, the Walpole Town Library conducted a survey to find out why people use and don’t use its facilities. Surveys were distributed at the Walpole Town Meeting, at the library itself, through a school mailing, over the internet and via volunteers in downtown Walpole and at Shaws. In all, 165 people answered the survey.

Though the survey was aimed at both patrons and non-patrons, almost half of the respondents (49%) said that they used the library once or twice a month; another 21% came once or twice a week and 13% visited even more frequently than that. Thirteen percent said that they never used the library.

Write-in comments to the survey were overwhelmingly positive, including, “We are very happy with the library, the staff, EVERYTHING! Thank you,” “Love this resource, true value to our community” and “You’re doing a great job! Couldn’t ask for anything more.”

When asked what prevented them from using the library, however, 13% said inconvenient hours, followed by 8% who had trouble parking. The library expanded its hours last year to remain open until six on weeknights except Friday, but patrons would clearly like to see more evening hours.

“We are seeing a steady growth in patrons during those early evening hours, and we would love to be able to extend our operations to serve people who work during the day,” said Librarian Mary Farrell. However, she added that last year’s extension in hours was paid for out of the library’s existing budget with no additional funding required. Even longer hours might require more money for staff.

The survey also showed that many patrons do not know about all the services that the Walpole Library offers, both off and onsite, including downloadable e-books and audio books, DVDs and videos, foreign language teaching software and periodical databases. “We have to do a better job in letting people know about all the things the library offers,” said Farrell. “It’s not just books anymore.

Great poets at the Walpole Library: Emily Dickinson Night

In April, the Walpole Library hosted its second Great Authors Night, with a reading and discussion honoring Amherst poet, Emily Dickinson.  Librarian Mary Farrell kicked off the evening with a brief recap of Dickinson’s life, while attendees passed around Dickinson collections and read favorite poems. There was a long, animated discussion of Dickinson’s possible epilepsy and how it may have affected her life and writing.

The library hopes to host another author-related gathering in the fall. If you have ideas about a favorite writer or poet, or if you would like more information about the reading series, contact the library at 756-9806 or librarydirector@walpoletownlibrary.com.

 This is what you missed if you didn’t attend the Emily Dickinson Night.