Invitation for new members to join our investors group that has been active since December 1997. The purpose of the group is to invest the assets of the partnership solely in public traded equities for the education and benefit of the partners. Monthly meetings are held at the Walpole Library on the third Thursday of the month at 1 p.m. for approximately one hour. Requirements include members have an interest in learning & sharing knowledge about investing. Monthly minimum investment is $30.
Please join us for one meeting to see if it is a good fit for all involved. Email Carol Malnati @ carolmalnati@yahoo.com with questions and available times to attend a meeting.
Investment Group of Walpole IGROW
Easter Egg Hunt
I missed Debbie’s beautiful picture of all the “hunters”. – Lil
From the Cub Scouts
Cub Scout Pack 299
We would like to Thank everyone that made our annual Easter Egg Hunt a huge success. Also a huge Thank you to Rob and Barbara Kasper for the Creamery donations.
Next a special Thank you the gentleman who handed me a monetary donation.
Walpole Cub Scout Pack 299
Debbie Pawelczyk
Cub Scout Committee Chair
Clarion Deadline – 4/22/23
| Apr 14 |
Yes, finish up your taxes, and then get your May CLARION submissions to me by next Saturday the 22nd – now eight days away. If possible, by next Friday the 21st even better. As usual, I already have a number of submissions, so the sooner you get me your articles, announcements or advertisements, the proverbial better for proper placement and design work.
As I have said, this is “your community resource” to share information about your group – its activities and events that residents will enjoy attending. And, having a nice mix of articles for readers, I welcome “feel good” news of past local events, stories and accomplishments to share. All subject to space, of course, space that is made possible by the CLARION’s supporting advertisers. We all owe them a big “thank you.”
If you have any questions, or interest in placing an advertisement, reaching over 1900 Walpole, North Walpole and Drewsville addresses, I welcome your inquiries, so please do get in touch with me. All contact information is on the CLARION website.
Thank you, yours, RAY BOAS, Publisher
Selectboard Meeting Minutes – 4/6/23
Selectboard Present: Steven Dalessio, Cheryl Mayberry and Peggy Pschirrer, Chair
Staff Present: Sarah Downing, Jordan Cannon
CALL TO ORDER: Mr. Cannon called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:31 PM. The first agenda item for this meeting is the Election of a Chair for the next year.
ELECTION OF CHAIR: Ms. Dalessio moved to nominate Mrs. Peggy Pschirrer as the new Chair of the Selectboard for the next year. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. Mr. Cannon asked if there were any other nominations. There were none. With Mr. Dalessio and Ms. Mayberry in favor, the motion was approved. Mr. Cannon announced that Mrs. Peggy Pschirrer has been elected as the new Chair of the Selectboard for the next year.
OPENING OF THE SELECTBOARD MEETING: Mrs. Pschirrer called this Selectboard meeting to order at 6:31 PM.
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE: ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Accounts Payable Check Register in the total amount of $157,788.68 for checks issued April 7, 2023. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved. This includes a payment of $38,776.68 to the NH Retirement System. Ms. Mayberry asked why the amount for Age in Motion was being removed. Mrs. Pschirrer explained that each person who attends Age in Motion (AIM) pays a fee, and that these fees are placed in the Recreation Revolving Fund.
PAYROLL:
Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Payroll Check Register in the amount of $30,096.41 dated April 7, 2023, and for the 941 Payroll Tax Transfer in the amount of $5,851.05. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD MEETING MINUTES:
SELECTBOARD MEETING – March 30, 2023: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard meeting of March 30, 2023. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
SELECTBOARD NON-PUBLIC SESSION – March 30, 2023: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Minutes of the Selectboard Non-Public Session of March 30, 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 called attention to the minutes of:
- Five Town Selectboard Meeting – January 27, 2023
- Planning Board Workshop Meeting – March 28, 2023
Mrs. Pschirrer acknowledged the minutes.
ELDERLY EXEMPTION:
Map and Lot# 025-030-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve of the elderly exemption application for Map and Lot# 025-030-000. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
CURRENT USE:
Map and Lot# 017-013-000 and 017-030-000: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the current use application for Map and Lot# 017-013-000 and 017-030-000. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
EXCAVATION INTENT:
Map and Lot# 001-016-002: Mr. Dalessio moved to approve the Intent to Excavate for Map and Lot# 001-016-002. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
OLD BUSINESS:
Town Hall Replacement Door: Ms. Mayberry moved to approve the replacement door purchase order with a deposit payment of $2,345 for Brian DeJesus Construction. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Ms. Mayberry moved for Mrs. Pschirrer to sign the contract for Brian DeJesus Construction. The motion was seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Procurement Policy: The Selectboard reviewed the present procurement policy. Mrs. Pschirrer commented that she would return this to the finance manager with the revisions noted in red ink.
Community Power: Mrs. Pschirrer stated that 42 individuals were present at the meeting last night. She stated that questions primarily concerned people’s grievances with Liberty Utilities. Mrs. Pschirrer commented that Liberty Utilities is not providing necessary information regarding net metering.
NEW BUSINESS:
Selectboard Liaison Assignments: The Selectboard agreed to the following Liaison Assignments in 2023:
- Selectboard Mrs. Pschirrer
- Finance: Mrs. Pschirrer
- Highway: Mr. Dalessio
- Police Department: Ms. Mayberry
- Recycling: Ms. Mayberry
- Recreation: Ms. Mayberry
- TC/TC Mrs. Pschirrer
- Water/Sewer Mr. Dalessio
- Welfare: Mrs. Pschirrer
- Website Mrs. Pschirrer
- Planning Board: Mr. Dalessio
- Library: Ms. Mayberry
- Hooper: Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Pschirrer; Ms. Mayberry
- Conservation: Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Pschirrer
- Brownfields: Mrs. Pschirrer
- Community Power: Mrs. Pschirrer
- Police Station Comm: Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Pschirrer
- Dams, Bridges, Roads: Mr. Dalessio
- Emergency: Mr. Dalessio, Mrs. Pschirrer, Ms. Mayberry
Cemetery Deeds for Lots: Mr. Dalessio moved to accept cemetery lot deeds for E879, E880, Lot E949 and Lot E950. The motion was seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Ms. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Appointment Notice- Conservation Commission: Ms. Mayberry moved to appoint Wendy Grossman to the Conservation Commission. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Appointment Notice- Recreation Committee: Ms. Mayberry moved to appoint Scott Rodenhauser to the Recreation Committee. Seconded by Mr. Dalessio. With Mr. Dalessio, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
Low Income Household Water Assistance Program: Mr. Dalessio motioned to allow the chair, Mrs. Pschirrer, to sign the low income household water assistance program application. Ms. Mayberry seconded the motion. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
National Flood Insurance Program: Mr. Dalessio stated that a contact person would need to be assigned. Mrs. Downing stated that she would be the contact person.
Pearl Street Road Condition Complaint: Mrs. Pschirrer commenced a discussion concerning a citizen complaint about Pearl Street. The Selectboard commented on the road experiencing disintegration. Mrs. Downing stated she would review the deeds, and then report back to the Selectboard. Mr. Dalessio stated that there may need to be a procedure to handle these types of complaints. He stated that if they go to the department heads, they should then go to the Selectboard office so complaints can be placed on the agenda. Mrs. Pschirrer reflected that the next steps would be to look at all the deeds to see if there are easements. Mr. Rau is to meet with the individual who made the complaint.
Sidewalk and Road Edge Damage Complaint: Mrs. Pschirrer reflected on a complaint received by the Selectboard Office. Ms. Mayberry commented that the softness of the ground may be a factor when considering the damage caused by snowplows. Mr. Dalessio stated that tomorrow he would measure the plow and the sidewalk. Mrs. Pschirrer stated that the sidewalk would be repaired, and that loam could be supplied if needed. She stated that the damage to South street may be the responsibility of the State.
Recycling: Ms. Mayberry stated that a musician has asked if he could play music the first weekend in May from 12-2 pm at the Recycling Center. Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer voiced their approval of this request. Mrs. Pschirrer stated that a representative from Fidium also contacted the Selectboard Office asking if he could set a time at the Recycling Center to speak to residents. Ms. Mayberry stated that Ben Hoy asked if he could attend the next Selectboard meeting to discuss the status of building a structure for storage. Mrs. Downing stated that she would place this on the agenda for the 4/13/2023 Selectboard meeting.
2023 Projects: Mrs. Pschirrer stated she had a list of items/projects to address over the next year and asked if the other two members had similar lists as well. Mrs. Pschirrer asked the other two members to present their lists at the next meeting.
NON-PUBLIC BUSINESS RSA 91-A:3 II (a) (c) (e):
Ms. Mayberry moved to enter into Non-Public Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II (a) (c) (e) at 7:37 p.m. Ms. Dalessio seconded. With Ms. Mayberry, Mr. Dalessio and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved.
The meeting reconvened at 7:51 PM.
HOOPER TRUSTEES:
Mr. Dalessio moved to enter into a meeting of the Hooper Trustees. Seconded by Ms. Mayberry. With Mr. Dalessio, Ms. Mayberry, and Mrs. Pschirrer in favor, the motion was approved at 7:51 PM.
The meeting reconvened at 7:59 PM.
ADJOURNMENT:
Mrs. Pschirrer called the Selectboard meeting adjourned at 7:59 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Jordan Cannon, Recording Secretary
Planning Board Meeting Minutes – 4/11/23
Roll Call: Present: Chair Jeff Miller, Vice-Chair Dennis Marcom, Clerk Jason Perron, Jeff Harrington, Bill Carmody, Select Board Representative Steve Dalessio, Trevor MacLachlan and Travis Adams.. Absent: Board member Joanna Andros. There were also about eight or nine people from the Watkins Hill area at the meeting who were interested in the public hearing about the lot line adjustment on a property on that road. There concern was about an easement on the property.
Recording: This meeting was recorded. These minutes are unapproved minutes and will be reviewed at the next meeting for additions, corrections and omissions.
Minutes: There was confusion in the minutes about how many apartments were in the Connector section on the Potato Barn property so approval of the minutes will be revisited at the workshop meeting on April 25. During the writing of these minutes it was determined there was one correction on page 1 in paragraph seven. There are three apartments approved for the this section not four.
Also, regarding the March minutes it was also decided on page 2 to remove the last sentence quoted from Fire Chief Mark Houghton’s letter in the second paragraph and instead insert his email regarding a clarification. The clarification email says, “To clarify the last paragraph of the attached letter, Walpole Fire is awaiting confirmation for the suppression and Fire Alarm compliance/testing in the approval dated August 9, 2022 before these three units may be occupied. These may be occupied if conditions are met, regardless of the application status for the additional nine units.”
New Business:
Election of Officers
Mr. Perron made a motion to elect Jeffrey Miller as chair of the Planning Board and Dennis Marcom as vice-chair. The motion was seconded and carried. Another motion was made and seconded to elect Jason Perron as clerk. That motion carried. And since Bill Carmody decided he preferred being an alternate rather a board member, a motion was made to recognize Mr. Carmody as an alternate. That motion was seconded and that motion carried. Trevor MacLachlan was recognized as a new board member after being elected on March 28.
Old Business:
Two Public Hearings:
Continuation of public hearing for Adam Naeck, Lot Line Adjustment, one lot into two lots, 107 Merriam Road, Tax Map 3, Lots 55 (15.63 acres) and 56 (1.66 acres) Lot 55 – 200 foot feet road frontage; Lot 56 – 322.28 feet road frontage, Rural/Ag district.
Mr. Joe DiBernardo explained that he spoke with Walpole Road Agent Mike Rau and Mr. Rau told him that Merriam Road is a Class 5 road up to a few feet past the 200 foot frontage mark of Lot 55 on that road. The property is owned by Adam Naeck. There is a home and some outbuildings on that property. Mr. Naeck is dividing that property into two lots. Lot 55 (15/63 acres) is the original lot and the new lot, Lot 56, is 1.66 and its frontage is on a Class 6 road. Because the lot frontage is on a Class 6 road, it means in order for Mr. Naeck to build a home on that property, he must get a waiver to build from the Select Board to release the town from any liability
There being no further discussion from the public or board, Mr. Perron made a motion to approve the lot line adjustment as presented. Mr. Marcom seconded the motion and the motion carried.
Public Hearing No, 2: Lot Line Adjustment between two lots on Watkins Hill Road, Christine Mayer and Helen Hamilton trustees. Tax Map 5, Lots 49 and 49-4, Rural/Ag District. Lot 49-4 is five acres. Lot 49 is 31.37 acres. Joe DiBernardo is representing the owners.
Mr. DiBernardo said this property is also in the rural/ag district. Lot 49-4 is currently 5 acres. The plan is to take .5 acres from the lot to the south, which is Lot 49, and add it to Lot 49-4. Then 3.5 acres will be taken from lot 49-4 and add it to the larger lot, Lot 49, now making it 34 plus acres. It also makes Lot 49 more square, Mr. DiBernardo said. That leaves lot 49-4 as a 2-acre lot with 275 of frontage. The easement property will also have 275 feet of road frontage.
There were several abutters who were at the meeting because there is an easement on the property and they wondered what would happen to the easement and their properties. An easement always stays with the property, Mr. Miller said. It can’t be changed by this board.
Mr. Watson, who is an abutter and had received a certified letter about a lot line adjustment on the property, said he came to the Town Offices and there wasn’t any information about the lot line adjustment. The application plus the plat were available at the Town Offices as of the previous Friday. Mr. Watson wanted to know about the easement. Mr. DiBernardo said the easement only affects Lot 49 and regards light, air and view. It also means that there can be no building on the easement property and that includes the original property before the .5 acres was added to 49-4.
Mr. Watson and Mr. Larry Britton came up to the easel to take a closer look at where the easement property is, just north of Mr. Jay and Hannah Greenfield’s property. Mr. Greenfield sent a letter to the Planning Board mentioning his concern about the easement. After looking closely at the plat, Mr. Watson and Mr. Britton seemed satisfied.
There being no further questions from the public Mr. Perron made a motion to approved the lot line adjustment as presented. Mr. Marcom seconded the motion and the motion carried.
New Business:
Mike Hubbard, Old Drewsville Road, two-lot subdivision, Tax Map 10, Lot 9, rural/ag district. Lot 9 is now 20 acres. Lot 1 will be 14.5 acres and Lot 2 will be 5.5 acres. Request for public hearing.
Mr. DiBernardo said this is a fairly simple subdivision. Michael Hubbard is dividing 20 acres into a 5.5 acre lot and a 14.5-acre lot. The lot is for his mother so she can build a house. It’s the field across from Levi Lane on the west side of the road. Mr. DiBernardo requested a public hearing for May.
Mr. Perron made a motion to hold a public hearing in May for the Hubbard 2-lot subdivision on Old Drewsville Road. Mr. Marcom seconded the motion and the motion carried.
Abuttter notification
When the Planning Board is having a public hearing, abutters of property under consideration must be notified. According to RSA 672:3 the word abutter means any person whose property is located in New Hampshire and adjoins or is directly across the street or stream from the land under consideration by a local land use board. Currently, abutters of a property being considered for a public hearing receive notification of the hearing by a certified/return receipt letter. Previously, the secretary for the Planning or Zoning Boards would consider each piece of property and send a letter to the owner of that property. However, sometimes a person would own two or more lots that adjoin or are directly across from property under consideration at a public hearing. That person would receive two or sometime three certified letters. Chair Miller said that in the future only one certified/return receipt letter would need to be sent but it must reference each of the lots owned by that abutter in the certified letter.
Workshop
A workshop will be held Tuesday, April 25 in the basement conference room. Mr. Miller invited members of the Conservation Commission because the plan is to review the natural features section of the updated Master Plan. Lisa Murphy of SWRPC will also be there.
Respectfully submitted,
Marilou Blaine, Recording Secretary
Letter from Craig Vickers
04/13/2023
Why I resigned from the School Board in 2022:
I’ve yet to actually address to anyone why I elected to resign from the FMRSD school board in July of 2022.
There was not just one reason, there were many. The biggest reason was the amount of time that I was
spending, and that all board members spend. As board chair that exponentially increased. I joined because I
thought I could make a difference to represent Walpole and to parse through the differences between our
communities; to help unite. It became clear to me that “Equity” had a very different meaning or definition to
some members of the board than the actual definition.
When I joined the board I assumed that I would be able to have open and direct conversations with the public
about all issues that arise, and to work through these based on open and creative dialogue. This assumption
was very quickly shut down, to the point where you were discouraged from having any conversations about
school related business outside of board meetings because of the fact that your discussions could be
misrepresented as “board opinion”.
Early on in my tenure on the board I had made up my mind that individual towns needed to somehow regain
control of their individual budgets, to make decisions unilaterally for their town, as best they saw fit. I was
told by administration and representative attorneys that was not possible due to the legal structure of a
cooperative district. This presented a problem, and will continue to present a problem.
The real rub here is that I was not allowed to discuss this with anybody outside of the board or
administration. It’s a stay in your lane, abide by the rules, and don’t disrupt the “unity”. “We’re 5 towns one
mission”. That last statement is a fallacy in my opinion.
I had no choice but to resign because my view of the structure of the district had come to a head and I knew
that the only representation in good conscience that I could make would be for the benefit of Walpole and
Walpole’s students. If you’re going to spend exorbitant amounts of time on something, that stresses your
business and your marriage out, you better believe in it. I don’t believe FMRSD should be a cooperative
district at the Prek-8level. I strongly disagree with this in fact. Being on that board would have been
inauthentic.
“Equity” has become a buzzword in the educational realm, and it is being unjustly used. The term equity is
now a judgement and to gaslight towns that wish to invest above the defined adequate and equitable
standards. We’re told it is not “equitable” for Walpole to invest in an additional teacher above and beyond the
standardized district structure because that is not equitable for the other towns. People actually start
believing this, ergo the gaslighting. Let me be very clear, if Walpole INVESTS above and beyond the equitable
standards set by the state and federal government, Walpole is NOT perpetrating inequitability on the other
towns, they are making an investment in their own town, school, and students. Investment above and beyond
the equity bar is not something to be looked down on, and the results of these investments are shown in data
over and over and over again
.
There are changes that need to be considered including, and most importantly, consolidating schools.
Consolidation is the only clear way that we are going to be able to address the burgeoning educational costs.
Cutting a teaching position has such a ridiculously small impact on the overall budget, but a substantial impact
on educational opportunity. This is not a balanced proposition. Cutting staff was a hail mary by the budget
committee to say, “hey look, we did something”, something that none of the administrators wanted to do.
School consolidation would save so much more money and likely allow the hiring of MORE staff and teachers
to bring down the student/teacher ratio even more.
There was an error in the budget that has left Walpole with additional funds which would allow us to keep a
teacher that nobody wanted to cut in the first place. This isn’t about one teacher, this is a significant issue of
control. We don’t have any control as a town and the board made that abundantly clear on Monday night. I
urge Walpole residents and frankly residents of each five towns to watch the end of the meeting.
(https://youtu.be/CFqkBmtIsBM?t=7545) *I’ve marked the start of the conversation here.
The dismissiveness of the members of the community that attended this meeting is appalling. The inferences
made about the march vote obtuse, and the generally disrespectful tone, concerning, if we value our voices as
voting citizens.
One board member stated (I’m paraphrasing) the voting outcome of the budget was declared to be a clear
representation that Walpole is in favor of the cuts being made. There is no way to know that voting members
of the public, outside of those that have ties to the school had any idea what they were voting on. What they
did see is that the school board, and the budget committee recommended a YES vote. I’m not sure that there
has ever been a warrant article voted down, when the board had recommended it. This is a manipulative
statement.
The voting results for the petition article that I had out there was also called into the mix as a failure, but there
was essentially zero context to that as well. No grassroots campaigning was done, because the outcome had
no bearing. This was a litmus test to see how many Walpole residents would vote for a withdrawal study
based on no knowledge of why. Nearly one quarter of Walpole residents that voted, voted for a withdrawal
study with absolutely zero input as to why. Pretty telling if you ask me.
For some context here: The Charlestown withdrawal study and petition to withdraw was all predicated on
saving money (false narrative) and there were two YEARS of grassroots effort put into that. Two years of
convincing people why and that was voted down by nearly 2/3.
I have no doubt in my mind that when Walpole voters see the numbers that I have been looking at for the last
5 years that they will strongly consider Walpole withdrawing from the Fall Mountain district and tuitioning
their students likely to FM (possibly others) to adopt full control of their Pre-K through 8 Budget. There are
many options for us from a HS perspective, but a proper study is needed.
What is happening to Walpole right now is suppression of opportunity born out of investment, in the falsified
name of “Equity” by people outside of Walpole. Take the photo below. In the Equity picture, if any one of those
people elected to invest in another box, or hey even a ladder or even a man-lift and the other two said no,
you’re not allowed, that isn’t equitable, that would be an inaccurate statement. It isn’t as if there is a scarcity
of “apples” in the context we’re having this conversation.
There is a selectboard meeting tonight in Walpole at 6:30 and I will be there along with some other members
of the community to discuss a proper withdrawal study which needs to start at the town level, not as a
petitioned school article. There will be a grassroots effort to educate ALL Walpoleans through this effort and
when that vote happens, we’ll be able to assess what the voters of Walpole actually think. Please join, it will
make a difference.
I want to create a school culture where we celebrate the investment in our students education and our
community and to STOP fighting. Over 50 years of fighting in the Fall Mountain District needs to come to an
end.
Craig Vickers
The Walpolean 
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