Planning Board Meeting Minutes – 4/9/24
Roll Call: Present Board Members Chair Jeff Miller, Vice-Chair Dennis Marcom, Clerk Jason Perron, Jeff Harrington, Joanna Andros, Trevor MacLachlan, Select Board Representative Steve Dalessio. Alternates Travis Adams and Bill Carmody.
Call to order: Mr. Miller called the meeting to order at 6:58 pm. A full board was presented so he didn’t need an alternate to fill in.
Election of Officers: Mr. Harrington made a motion to appoint Jeff Miller as chair, Dennis Marcom as vice-chair and Jason Perron as clerk. Mr. Dalessio seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously.
Minutes of March 2023: Mr. Harrington made a motion to approved the minutes of the March as written. Mr. Marcom seconded the motion and the motion carried.
New Business:
Site Plan for Tractor Supply LLC, 8 Red Barn Lane, addition of 1600 square-foot space outside – a covered canopy structure for a garden center. Tax Map 12, Lot 13-2, commercial district. Request for a public hearing. Dwight MacKenny, project manager for Tractor Supply, was the presenter.
It was explained to Mr. MacKenny that the reason he was here tonight was because the structure for the garden center would cost more than $10,000 and site plan regulations mandate that any structure costing that amount or over has to have a site plan.
Mr. MacKenny introduced himself. He said the outdoor project is on the north side of the Tractor Supply building and the gable architecture of the building will be facing toward the west where the parking lot is. It’s a gazebo look-alike and instead of being made of wood the building will be made of steel. It is 1600 square feet and there will be hookups for hoses to water plants. He was requesting a public hearing in May.
Mr. Dalessio noticed that there was a propane tank in the area of construction and it was going to be moved from the area where the new structure is going to be built to some place else around the building. He told Mr. MacKenny that the new hookup had to be approved by Walpole’s fire chief, Mark Houghton, and Mr. Houghton had to write a letter to the Planning Board saying it had been approved. Mr. MacKenny said he would get in touch with him. The secretary will supply her Tractor Supply contact with Mr. Houghton’s email. The application, list of abutter and support documents, as well as the fees, has already been filed at the Town Offices.
Mr. Perron made a motion to hold a public hearing for the addition of a garden center to Tractor Supply. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion and the motion passed.
Mr. Dalessio reminded Mr. MacKenny that the signage needs to be approved by the ZBA. Mr. MacKenny said that the secretary’s contact, Beth Dorminey of OnPoint, would get the name of the company creating the sign. That would be a separate meeting with the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Workshop: Joint Planning and Zoning Boards workshop April 23.
Mr. Miller and current ZBA Chair David Edkins visited with Southwest Region Planning Commission’s executive director Todd Horner earlier in the month to discuss the updating/recodifying of the Walpole Ordinances this year. Mr. Homer sent Mr. Miller an outline and contract of their proposal. The proposal is for “a high-level audit of the Walpole, NH Zoning Ordinance” and the first item out of 8 items is “Recommend strategies for improving the organization and structure of the zoning ordinance so that it it better understood by Town Officials who are responsible for administering it and can be more intuitively navigated by the general public.” Both Mr. Homer and planner Carol Ogilvie will be at the first joint workshop of the Planning and Zoning Boards on the fourth Tuesday, April 23, in the main meeting room of the Town Hall.
Mr. Marcom asked if it has to then go to the town attorney. Mr. Miller said they’re (Southwest planners) not lawyers but they are the experts on this type of thing. We’ll let them do their thing and once we’ve had discussions about their outcome, we’ll make a decision on whether or not it needs to go to the town attorney.
Mr. Dalessio reminded the board that the Master Plan still has to be finalized. It’s basically all done except for one small item that needs confirmation from the Conservation Commission. It will need a public hearing.
Handout
Planning board members received a copy of a four-color zoning map originally created by students of Peter Palmiotto’s at Antioch-New England. It was updated with Mr. Palmiotto and some zoning board members a year or two ago. Everyone was impressed with the color, its readability and information on the map.
Adjournment
Mr. Perron made a motion to adjourn the meeting at about 7:30 pm. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion and the motion passed. The next meeting is May 14, 2024.
These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the March 12, 2024 regular meeting for corrections.
Respectfully submitted,
Marilou Blaine
WPB Recording Secretary
Women of Walpole Change of Location
The Women of Walpole will meet on Wednesday, April 17 at 6:30pm at the home of Karin Gravina. This is a location change from the previous meeting notice in the April Clarion. All women who live or work in Walpole are welcome to attend. For meeting address or other information, please contact Susan Johnson at pete_suejohnson@verizon.net or Carolyn LeBail at carolynlebail@gmail.com.
“Great Decisions” Resumes in One Week, on April 15
Our Topic of Discussion: “The Middle East”
“Great Decisions” public forum will meet on Monday, April 15, 6:00 p.m., in the Walpole Town Library. All are welcome to join the discussion, which will focus on the Middle East and U.S. Foreign Policy in the region, a topic dominating the news today.
We begin with a 20-minute “Master Class” video prepared by the Foreign Policy Association. (The Master Class is available at the library on DVD.) The relevant reading is the first article in the “Great Decisions” 2024 Edition: “The U.S. and the Middle East” by Marc Lynch, which provides a succinct history of U.S. entanglement in the region. This article is available at the library or via email by contacting Jane Malmberg, Library Director: jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org
For those wishing to join via Zoom, you must request the Zoom link from Jane Malmberg. Please note that we are unable to show the “Master Class” on Zoom, so we suggest you join the meeting at 6:20 p.m.
The war in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis and killing of relief workers, the intractable cycle of violence and unresolved statehood of Palestine, the realignment of regional powers, Israel’s options and the role, if any, of the United States in this volatile region will be topics of discussion. Join us at the library on April 15, 6:00 p.m., for a stimulating exchange of ideas.
Sue Kibbe
Selectboard Meeting Minutes – 3/28/24
MARCH 28, 2024
Selectboard Present: Cheryl Mayberry, Steven Dalessio and Carolyn Vose
Staff Present: Jodi Daigle, Administrative Assistant
CALL TO ORDER: Cheryl Mayberry, the Selectboard Chair, called the Selectboard meeting to order at 6:36 PM in the Walpole Town Hall. Ms. Mayberry introduced Selectboard members that were present, who were herself, Steve Dalessio and Carolyn Vose. Jodi Daigle was present, as a substitute for Sarah Downing.
PAYROLL:
Ms. Vose moved to approve the Payroll Register totaling $32,118.01 dated 3/29/24 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $6,929.30. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Vose, Mr. Dalessio, and Ms. Mayberryin favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – March 20, 2024: Ms. Vose moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of March 20, 2024. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Vose, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD NON-PUBLIC SESSION – March 20, 2024: Ms. Vose moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard Non-Public Session of March 20, 2024. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Vose, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved. The minutes are to remain sealed.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Ms. Vose brought to the chair’s attention the following committee reports:
• North Walpole Village Commissioners’ Meeting – February 20, 2024
• North Walpole Village Commissioner’s Meeting – February 27, 2024
• North Walpole Village District Budget/Warrant Hearing – March 5, 2024
• North Walpole Village Commissioners’ Meeting – March 5, 2024
• Police Building Study Committee Meeting – March 19, 2024
• Zoning Board of Adjustment Board Meeting – March 12, 2024
Ms. Mayberry, as the Chair, acknowledged these minutes.
DEMOLITION PERMIT
2024-09, Map and Lot# 008-010-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve Demolition Permit #2024-09 for Map and Lot# 008-010-000 to remove a screen porch and bump out. Seconded by Ms. Vose. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Vose and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.
BUILDING PERMIT
2024-10, Map and Lot# 008-010-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve Building Permit #2024-10 for Map and Lot# 008-010-000 to construct a 9’ x 18’ screen porch. Seconded by Ms. Vose. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Vose and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.
OLD BUSINESS:
There was discussion related to the status of updating the Town Parking Policy. Ms. Mayberry thought the updated policy would allow for ticketing vehicles.
Solar Installation the Recycling Center: Ms. Mayberry confirmed that the purchase order for Warrant Article #6 was received. The process had not been confirmed yet in terms of grants and other details. There was a consensus by the Selectboard to table signing the solar installation purchase order until the Walpole Power Committee confirmed the grant applications.
Fall Mountain Regional School District (FMRSD) Letter: Ms. Vose moved for the Selectboard to sign the letter to the FMRSD superintendent. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Vose, Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved.
NEW BUSINESS:
Herbicide Notice Letter from National Grid: The Town received a notification letter of vegetative management treatments under the power lines/right of way. The letter was acknowledged. A copy of the letter was to be sent to the North Walpole Village Commissioners.
The Selectboard discussed potential interviews for the two open recording secretary positions. There was a consensus by the Selectboard for Mrs. Downing to conduct the interviews for the positions.
There was a discussion of the appointment policy. Letters of interest are gathered by the Selectboard Office and then sent to the committees/boards/commissions for review and endorsement. Mr. Dalessio clarified that the Zoning and Planning Boards appoint their own alternates without Selectboard approval. These boards have elected positions with the members having the right to choose their own alternate members. Ms. Mayberry recommended that those interested in serving on a committee/board/commission should consider attending meetings before expressing an interest in serving as a member. She found it helpful to do so in the past.
ADJOURNMENT:
Ms. Mayberry declared the meeting adjourned at 7:01 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Sarah Downing, Recording Secretary Pro Tempore
The Walpolean 
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