Selectboard Meeting Minutes 8/3/23
Selectboard Present: Peggy Pschirrer, Chair; Cheryl Mayberry; Steve Dalessio
Staff Present: Jodi Dagle, Administrative Assistant; Jordan Cannon, Recording Secretary
CALL TO ORDER: Mrs. Pschirrer called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:29 PM. She introduced herself, Peggy Pschirrer, Selectboard Chair, Cheryl Mayberry, Steve Dalessio, Jodi Dagle, and Jordan Cannon, Recording Secretary.
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Accounts Payable Check Register totaling $949,328.85 dated 8/04/23. This includes a $700,531.13 for the Fall Mountain Regional School District. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved. Mrs. Pschirrer stated that the amount was adjusted because the paving payment for the former Brownfields site was removed because DES is paying for the paving.
PAYROLL:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Payroll Register totaling $41,605.63 dated 8/04/23 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $10,474.57. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – July 27, 2023: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of July 27, 2023. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, andMrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD NON-PUBLIC SESSION – July 27, 2023: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard Non-Public Session of July 27, 2023. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved. The minutes are to remain sealed.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Mr. Dalessio brought to the chair’s attention the following committee reports:
• North Walpole Commissioners Meeting– March 28, 2023
• North Walpole Commissioners Meeting– May 16, 2023
• North Walpole Commissioners Meeting– June 13, 2023
• North Walpole Commissioners Meeting– June 20, 2023
• North Walpole Commissioners Meeting– June 27, 2023
• North Walpole Commissioners Meeting– July 5, 2023
• North Walpole Commissioners Meeting– July 11, 2023
• North Walpole Commissioners Meeting– July 18, 2023
• North Walpole Commissioners Meeting– July 25, 2023
• Cemetery Trustees Meeting– July 26, 2023
Mrs. Pschirrer acknowledged these minutes.
WARRANTS:
Walpole Water Fees Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Town of Walpole Warrant to collect Walpole Water fees of $49,046.47. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Walpole Sewer Fees Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Town of Walpole Warrant to collect Walpole Sewer fees for $80,971.12. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
North Walpole Sewer Fees Mr. Dalessio moved to accept the Town of Walpole Warrant to collect Walpole Sewer fees for $65,766.00. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, andMrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
BUILDING AND DEMOLITION PERMITS:
Demolition 2023-22, Map and Lot# 007-024-001: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the demolition permit for Map and Lot# 007-024-001 to remove an in-ground swimming pool. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry.With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Building 2023-23, Map and Lot# 005-005-001: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the building permit for Map and Lot# 005-005-001 to construct a 44’ x 10’ ground mount solar. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Building 2023-24, Map and Lot# 001-018-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the building permit for Map and Lot# 001-018-000 to construct a 20’ x 12.7’ addition on the back of the home. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
OLD BUSINESS:
Pending Further Action: Mr. Dalessio stated that for the Reservoir Dam, a 15-minute online meeting would occur tomorrow at 1:00 PM. Mr. Dalessio said that the bridge at High Street can start with funding from FEMA but would have to be paid mostly by the State Mitigation Program. The engineering work would need to be completed before plans are submitted for this bridge. Mr. Dalessio added that the Houghton Brook Bridge would be a single-lane, wood-plank bridge.
Pearl Street: Ms. Mayberry commented upon a Town resident’s statement that an agreement was reachedwith a previous Town employee to pave Pearl Street in North Walpole. Ms. Mayberry stated that formal correspondence should be sent to the Town resident, clarifying the paving being a shared cost. Ms. Mayberry reflected that the road in question is in fact a driveway. Mr. Dalessio stated he would speak to Mike Symonds regarding this matter.
NEW BUSINESS:
Recreation Revolving Fund Request: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve Walpole Recreation’s use of their revolving fund, not to exceed $2000, for the purchase of basketball jerseys, and will be replaced by their revolving fund by the company sponsors. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Health Officer Nomination Form: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve Simon Gascoyne as the new Health Officer for the Town of Walpole. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
High Street Garage Storage Request: Mrs. Pschirrer announced a request from the Fire Department to store a boat trailer at the High Street garage for approximately a year. Mrs. Pschirrer stated that the Fire Department could be told that a consensus was reached to approve this request.
September 21st Meeting Conflict: Mrs. Pschirrer stated there was a request to change the meeting from 9/21/2023 to 9/20/2023. Mrs. Pschirrer stated that an agreement was reached to move the meeting.
HOOPER TRUSTEES MEETING:
Ms. Mayberry moved to enter into Hooper Trustees Meeting at 6:56 PM. Mr. Dalessio seconded. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
The meeting was reconvened at 7:00 PM.
NON-PUBLIC BUSINESS RSA 91-A:3 II (a) (c):
Ms. Mayberry moved to enter into Non-Public Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II (a) (c) at 7:01 PM. Mr. Dalessio seconded. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
The meeting reconvened at 7:28 PM.
ADJOURNMENT:
Mrs. Pschirrer declared the meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jordan Cannon, Recording Secretary
Conservation Commission Meeting Minutes – 8/7/23
Members Present: Alicia Flammia, John Peska, Peter Palmiotto, Lewis Shelley, Wendy Grossman, Steven Dumont
Members Absent: France Menk
Alternate Present: Kara Dexter
Visitors Present: Peggy Pschirrer (Select Board liaison), Steve Dalessio (Select Board), Nicole Adams, Jean Kobeski (Recording Secretary)
Call to Order: Alicia called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Review and Approval of Minutes: Kara noted the misspelling of a name. Under Visitors the name should be spelled Nicole. John moved to accept the July, 2023 minutes.
Lew seconded and all voted in favor. Minutes accepted.
Public Business: Kara asked for the procedure needed to become either a commissioner or alternate. Alicia explained the candidate needs to write a letter of interest to the Select Board. With a letter of recommendation from the Conservation Commission to the Select Board, the candidate would be approved.
Report from the Chair: Alicia announced that, as of this evening, she can no longer serve as chair of the WCC. She will serve out the remainder of her term, but not in that capacity.
Correspondences: Alicia shared the newsletters from the Monadnock Conservancy and NH Charitable Foundation.
Treasury: (As of June 30) Mason Non Expendable Fund: $19,881.04
Mason Expendable: $469,723.74
New Business
Selection of New Chair: A discussion ensued from Alicia’s announcement that she would no longer chair the Commission. Peggy and Steve Dalessio suggested that the reluctance to assume this role might be the result of the Commission’s taking on too many projects. Steve asked how much is mandated by statute. He suggested focusing on 1-2 projects/year. They also discussed the possibility of shortening meetings by conducting some business via email. Wendy offered to take the lead on property monitoring. Kara said she would read through the statute book again and create a list of projects to prioritize.
Peter and John agreed to serve as co-chairs. Wendy moved to elect Peter and John as co-chairs of the Commission. Steven Dumont seconded and all voted in favor. Motion carried. Kara led the commissioners in thanking Alicia for her leadership.
Ray Boas: Tree Replacement on the Common – Ray attended the meeting to discuss his interest in the trees in town, not just on the common. He presented the idea of assembling a citizens group under the purview of the Conservation Commission, which will study the trees in town and do some fundraising to purchase new trees and maintain them. The volunteers would report to a liaison from the Commission. Peter Palmiotto stated his support for this project and offered to serve as liaison.
Ray stated he would begin the process by writing an article for the next issue of The Clarion describing the project and soliciting volunteers for a tree committee and donations.
Old Business
Adopting Meeting Norms: The Commission reviewed the draft of the Meeting Norms that Peter posted in Google Docs. They postponed formally adopting these norms until the full membership is present to vote on them.
Walpole Gateway Update: Lew reported that the road down to the river washed out but has been repaired. The group discussed where the fence should be installed so rescue vehicles can access the river. They agreed that Peter could go ahead and install the fence. John moved to approve the purchase of 3 sections of split rail fence for the turnaround area of the Gateway from the Gateway account. Steven seconded and all voted in favor. Motion carried. Peter will take care of this.
Kara reported that France had not created signs for the fence because she did not have the wording from the Commission for the sign. Commissioners discussed what they want to see on the signs. Kara thought she might be able to find pre-made signs at Home Depot or online and Commissioners were fine with that. Lew suggested buying two signs to have an extra on hand.
Steven moved to spend money on two signs for the fenced area. Lew seconded and all voted in favor. The group also decided to put a handmade sign with additional directions on the kiosk. Steven offered to draft language for the kiosk sign.
Wendy reported that Mike Hubbard would be willing to brush hog the Gateway area but he needs more information about the scope of the job. Wendy will have him contact John to discuss this.
Commission Liaison to the Hooper: It was explained that the workload is not heavy but regular monthly attendance is important. Meetings are held at the Hooper Institute but in the winter they are online because there is no heat in the institute building. Members were asked once again to think about this and they would revisit the topic in September.
Other Business
Walpole Trails Subcommittee: Steven said the maps have been printed but he does not yet have the invoice. Once he does, he will send it to Rich to be paid from the maps and charts budget.
Mountain Biking: Lew met 2-3 weeks ago with Rob Westover and some other mountain bikers at Hooper Forest. The bikers would like to create some hand-built trails, with supervision from the Trails Committee. There would also be a machine-built trail. Lew said he would scope it out and do some marking. There was also discussion about parking. Lew located a small area to start. It may need to be expanded later if more bikers learn of these trails. Lew was asked if the Hooper Board and Monadnock Conservancy know about this. He said he would notify them. John also suggested notifying the Fire Department so they could scope out trails to see how emergencies could be handled.
Rail Trail Update: Wendy reported that Lew will be the contractor on the RTP grant project. He plans to get started on a trail site in early October. He’s working on getting a Special Use Permit now.
Mike Hubbard plans to do the next brush hogging August 24. Wendy received the invoices and will forward them to Rich. The $450 will come from trail budget and $200 from the Gateway budget.
Property Monitoring: Lauren will send an email to commissioners later this week to let them know what her status on the property monitoring is. Wendy asked if Lauren still has any Commission files. Alicia will email her to find out the answer.
Peter will call a meeting of the monitoring subcommittee at the end of September. Kara expressed interest in attending the meeting.
Reservoir and Cranberry Meadow Dam: On the 25th of July John met with members of the Dam Safety and Inspection Division in order to photograph deficiencies at Reservoir Dam and Cranberry Meadow Dam. At the Reservoir Dam the post that holds the gate closed is rotting and needs to be repaired. John stated the cost of repair is $40.68. Steven moved to approve $40.68 from the Dam Repair budget to repair the post. Lew seconded and all voted in favor.
At Cranberry Meadow Dam they could not take photos or do their inspection because the area needs to be brush hogged. In the past the Conservation Commission has been responsible for keeping the area clear. It has not been brush hogged for some years, and John said he feels the Commission will need to do this. As far as repairs to the dam, John does not know what needs to be done. The dam is actually on private property so the Letter of Deficiency will most likely be sent to the landowner. It is unclear at this time who will be responsible for doing whatever repairs are needed. Steve Dalessio said he would have Sarah look into this. John said Bryan Fletcher, who has done brush hogging there in the past, is planning to go down and look at it this week.
John reported that Reservoir Dam repair will start in September, 2024, with an end date of December, 2026. Steve said they are in the engineering phase right now. Core sample will need to be taken and in a few months the work will be put out to bid.
With no further business, Steven Dumont moved to adjourn and Lew seconded. Alicia adjourned the meeting at 9:05 p.m.
The next meeting will be on Monday, September 11, 2023.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jean Kobeski, Recording Secretary
** These minutes are in draft form until approved at the September 11, 2023 meeting.
No Book Sorting – 8/10/23
Jana Sellarole says, “There will be no Friends of the Library book sorting on Thursday, August 10 at 4pm. We’re all caught up on sorting currently. Thank you.”
Planning Board Meeting Minutes – 8/8/23
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. Alternate: Travis Adams. Absent: Alternate Bill Carmody. Also at the meeting were Jessi Dussault, Griffin Dussault, John Sheldon, Adam Naeck and Marilou Blaine.
Call to Order: Mr. Miller called the meeting to order at 6: 57 pm.
Minutes of the July 2023 meeting: Mr. Marcom made a motion to approve the minutes as written. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion and the motion carried.
Old Business:
Public Hearing: Site Plan: Change of Use: Dussault Property Management LLC, Jessi Dussault, wants to put three apartments in the former Head Start School. The building was the original carriage house adjacent to the Drewsville Mansion, 4 Common Road, Drewsville.
Ms. Dussault said she and her husband own 18 properties in the Fall Mountain area and have a long list of people interested in renting a residential apartment. The Dussaults recently purchased the Drewsville Mansion and the Carriage House, which is in back of the mansion. The mansion already had five occupied apartments and the former carriage house was converted to a Head Start school several years ago. The school served 25 pre-school students each year for many years. The Dussaults’ vision is to put three one-bedroom apartments in that space.
The plan is to divide the space right down the middle of the first floor. There are already two entrances, one on each side the building. The basement of the building will be the third apartment. Entrance would be from the pond side and entry would go into a kitchen with a bedroom to the south. An egress window will be needed in that room. There are no plans to change the outside of the building, so it will keep its historical value, Ms. Dussault said. However, some of the trim is rotten so that needs to be replaced, Ms. Dussault said. Water is from a private well. Currently the building is tied into the mansion septic system. They are planning to upgrade the system and are talking to two septic companies with a larger tank. Ms. Dussault said there was plenty of parking and more than a dozen parking space. When the building gets a little closer to being ready, she said she will submit a parking plan.
Mr. Miller said that the Dussaults need to contact Fire Chief Mark Houghton and have him look at the space. While they may get site plan approval tonight, final approval is contingent on a letter from Mr. Houghton approving the project. Mr. Miller closed the hearing.
Mr. Marcom made a motion to approve the Dussault’s site plan. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion and the Board voted unanimously to approve the project.
New Business:
Site Plan: Adam Naeck, owner of Alyson’s Orchard, site plan application for new campsites and a future addition to the farm store. Request for a public hearing.
Mr. Naeck put up a map of the property. He said there are three ponds on the property and currently there are three campsites around Lilly Pond, which is the largest pond. It is at the top of hill if you are entering from the Wentworth Road side of the property. His intention is to eventually have six or seven “glamping” sites here. Glamping is a term meaning “glorified camping.”
There are port-o-potties here now but in the future, on the advice from Fire Chief Mark Houghton, there will eventually be a separate bathroom facility for these camp sites. This would need an entirely new independent system. Currently the guests use the bathroom in the farm store for showers. The camp sites have been filled on the weekends and the reviews have been good, Mr. Naeck said, but during the week it’s “so-so.” He did have two families who stayed on the premises while they were they there. They swam in the pond, used the playground, ate at the restaurant and participated in the music, he said. However, the other lodging on the property has had a capacity of 70 percent compared to previous use of 12 percent. Mr. Naeck said he only uses Airbnb. They do a background check of the people and properties they advertise and according to Mr. Dalessio also pay the rooms and meals tax.
The addition to the farm store will be on the south end or if you are facing the store – the left side. The plan is for it to have its own foundation. It is a 40-feet-by-50-feet two-and-a-half story post-and-beam building. There will be a loft, 30-feet out from the building. The building will have a couple of bathrooms and the flow will be into the current farm store space. The event space accommodates up to 250 to 300 people and the septic system is currently for this building and the farm store. The siding will be ship-lap, metal roof, barn like with a nice entrance, Naeck said.
Mr. Perron made a motion to hold a public hearing in September. Mr. Marcom seconded the motion and the motion carried.
Mr. Naeck was asked to bring a plan of the building to the next meeting, along with pictures of the campsite and a parking plan for the new farm store.
Workshop
Mr. Miller said that Southwest Regional Planning Commission has been short of staff lately and that is why they have consistently canceled their appearances for workshop meeting the fourth Tuesday of the month. However, there will be a workshop this month on August 22. The agenda will includes discussion and corrections or additions of the Master Plan section titled Natural Features.
In September, Carol Ogilvie will attend and Natural Features will be discussed and a final decision made on that section of the Master Plan.
Mr. Harrington made motion to adjourn. Mr. Perron seconded the motion and the motion carried.
These minutes are unapproved minutes. The August minutes will be reviewed at the September meeting for corrections, omissions and additions.
Respectfully submitted,
Marilou Blaine
WPB Recording Secretary
Selectboard Meeting Minutes – 7/27/23
Selectboard Present: Peggy Pschirrer, Chair; Cheryl Mayberry; Steve Dalessio
Staff Present: Sarah Downing, Manager of Administration
CALL TO ORDER: Mrs. Pschirrer called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:30 PM. She introduced herself, Peggy Pschirrer, Selectboard Chair, Cheryl Mayberry, Steve Dalessio, and Sarah Downing,Manager of Administration.
PAYROLL:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Payroll Register totaling $34,308.87 dated 7/28/23 and the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer of $7,321.49. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – July 20, 2023: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of July 20, 2023. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, andMrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD NON-PUBLIC SESSION – July 20, 2023: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard Non-Public Session of July 20, 2023. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved. The minutes are to remain sealed.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Mr. Dalessio brought to the chair’s attention the following committee reports:
• Trustees of the Trust Funds Meeting – July 18, 2023
• Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting – July 19, 2023
Mrs. Pschirrer so recognized these minutes.
BUILDING PERMITS:
2023-21, Map and Lot# 008-008-001: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the building permit for Map and Lot# 008-008-001 to construct a 40’ x 26’ residential home. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
OLD BUSINESS:
September Budget Meeting: Mrs. Pschirrer found consensus of the Selectboard that the budget meeting would still be scheduled for 9/8/2023.
Pending Further Action: Mrs. Pschirrer gave a paving update the former Brownfields site/new parking lot. She stated that the parking lot line striping job has been put out to bid.
NEW BUSINESS:
DMV Letter: Ms. Mayberry moved to send a letter to the NH Department of Motor Vehicles to allow Mike Symonds, Interim Road Agent, to register vehicles and vehicular equipment. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Personnel Policy Proposed Updates: Mrs. Pschirrer reviewed suggestions for personnel policy updates provided by Mrs. Downing. Mrs. Pschirrer stated that one of the updates is that exempt or salaried employees cannot be employed by another municipality while employed by the Town of Walpole. Mrs. Pschirrer stated that she would run these suggestions by Atty. Cole. If approved by Atty. Cole, this item would be placed back on the agenda for approval.
Selectboard Office Closure: Mrs. Pschirrer commented on the proposed closure of the Selectboard office on 8/04/2023 because of staffing obligation conflicts. The Selectboard reached consensus to approve of this closure.
Employee Appreciation Lunch: Mrs. Pschirrer announced that an Employee Appreciation Lunch is planned for Tuesday, 9/19/2023. Lasagna will be the main course.
NON-PUBLIC BUSINESS RSA 91-A:3 II (a):
Ms. Mayberry moved to enter into Non-Public Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II (a) at 6:45 PM. Mr. Dalessio seconded. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
The meeting reconvened at 7:33 PM.
ADJOURNMENT:
Mrs. Pschirrer declared the meeting adjourned at 7:33 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jordan Cannon, Recording Secretary
Conservation Commission Meeting Agenda – 8/7/23
Agenda
Walpole Conservation Commission Meeting
Monday, August 7, 2023
Location and Time: Walpole Town Hall, 7:00 p.m.
1. Call to Order
2. Seating of Alternates
3. Review and Approval of July Minutes
4. Public Business
Report from Chair
Treasury Report
Correspondence
5. New Business
6. Old Business
Ray Boas: Tree Replacement on the Common
Adapting Meeting Norms
Walpole Gateway Update
Commission Liaison to the Hooper
7. Other Business
Becoming a Commissioner or Alternate
Trail Committee Report
Property Monitoring
8. Adjournment
Whoops!
I lied, but not intentionally. The Police Committee Meeting that is rescheduled to the 14th is the COMMITTEE Meeting. The public meeting continues to be on the 23rd at 7:00 PM. – Lil
The Walpolean 
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