TOWN OF ATKINSON
Board of Selectmen
Regular Meeting
August 20, 2007
7:30 PM PUBLIC HEARING:
Chairman J. Sapia opened the Public Hearing to seek comment concerning the withdrawal of $1,550.00 from the Police Department Equipment Fund and $765.00 from the Senior Citizen Donation Account.
Police Chief P. Consentino stated that he wished to withdraw $1,550.00 from the Police Department Equipment Fund for the following purposes:
To provide a resident with groceries $200.00;
Town-wide mailing 850.00;
Window decals 350.00;
Miscellaneous items 150.00
Total $1,550.00.
Chairman Sapia sought comment from the audience; hearing none,
MOTION: P. Sullivan
To approve the withdrawal of $1,550.00 from the Police Department Equipment Fund. SECOND: F. Childs. VOTE: 3/0/0.
Chief Consentino explained that he would like to donate $765.00 from the Senior Citizen Donation Account to supply a coach for the Senior Citizen’s Foliage Trip to Hart’s Turkey Farm in Meredith, NH on Wednesday, October 3, 2007. The Seniors will then be treated to a turkey dinner during a train ride around Lake Winnipesaukee, thanks to a $1,592.00 donation from the Life is Not Done Committee.
Chairman Sapia sought comment from the audience; since there was none,
MOTION: F. Childs
To approve the withdrawal of $765.00 from the Senior Citizen Donation Account. SECOND: P. Sullivan. VOTE: 3/0/0.
Chairman Sapia closed the Public Hearing at 7:45 PM. J. Sapia will ask Town Administrator R. McAllister to send a letter of gratitude to the Life is Not Done Committee.
OPEN MEETING:
Chairman J. Sapia opened the Regular Meeting of the Atkinson Board of Selectmen at 7:45 PM on Monday, August 20, 2007, in the Atkinson Town Hall Conference Room.
MEMBERS PRESENT: OTHERS PRESENT:
F. Childs P. Consentino, Chief, APD
J. Sapia, Chairman M. Gross, MHF Design Consultants
P. Sullivan M. Muscola, Member, TRSB
E. Stewart, Highway Agent
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
MOTION: P. Sullivan
To accept the minutes of August 6, 2007, as submitted. Second: F. Childs.
Vote 3/0/0
J. Sapia asked for the minutes of the August 6, 2007 Non-Public Session. He will get them from Town Administrator R. McAllister for the next meeting.
DEPARTMENT HEADS:
Police Department:
Chief Consentino presented his departments’ Statistical Reports for July and August. He again reminded residents
The Atkinson Police Department must respond to all "911" calls, even if the caller hangs up, or has misdialed; and
Residents should always lock their cars, even in their own driveways.
W. Baldwin discovered that his appointment to the Highway Safety Committee had not been seen by the Board of Selectmen, and submitted another Application for Appointment. Chairman Sapia acknowledged having the application in his packet.
Chief Consentino also noted that Lt. Baldwin had applied for a Highway Grant in the amount of $621.00 for an Atkinson Regional DWI Saturation Patrols. Pending the assent of the Board of Selectmen, this will be held on the weekend of September 3, 2007, in conjunction with Plaistow and other area towns. The Selectmen approved the plan and signed the application.
Mr. Kozak, 1 Balsam Court, requested that crosswalks be painted on Bryant Woods Road to provide additional safety for pedestrians, bicycles, etc., where the trails cross this road, as well as to alert vehicular traffic to these areas. Chief Consentino said he would provide a freestanding "Stop for Pedestrians in the Crosswalk" sign.
P. Sullivan asked why the Town couldn’t do the same in front of the Village Store. Chief Consentino said that, since Main Street (Route 121) is a State Road, it is necessary to get permission from the State Highway Department to paint such a crosswalk. He has made this request several times. This request has always been denied by Steve Ireland because there isn’t enough room for parking on the west side of Main Street across from the Village Store, however Chief Consentino said he would try again.
J. Sapia suggested setting up a daytime business meeting during the week of August 26, 2007, with Steve Ireland, P.E. and Subramanian Sharma, P.E., Traffic Research Engineer, both from the NH Bureau of Traffic, as well as Cliff Sinnott, Executive Director, Rockingham Planning Commission, and Representative George Winchell to discuss the progress of the committee formed as a result of the May 7, 2007 Traffic Calming conference.
Chief Consentino noted that the Police Department was unable to locate the Animal Control Officer (ACO) quickly in the event of an injured or dangerous animal, or other animal-related emergencies. He suggested that the Board of Selectmen appoint Officer Charles McCarthy as an Assistant Animal Control Officer. Chief Consentino suggested that such an appointment would be particularly advantageous since Officer McCarthy has both a Police radio and pager and is available during the daytime hours. P. Sullivan said that there was no need to appoint another Assistant Animal Control Officer because we had enough already.
Chief Consentino read a letter of appreciation he received from the Library regarding the bicycle safety course last June. This event was co-sponsored by one of the Police Department’s donation accounts and the Kimball Public Library. They noted special thanks to Officers Jo-Ann Consentino and Charles McCarthy for setting up and presenting the Bike Rodeo and Safety course. Chief Consentino publicly added his thanks to both officers for a job well done.
J. Sapia asked if the Police Department had any plans to heighten awareness of the opening of school. Chief Consentino responded that he has already received the American Automobile Association’s (AAA) posters and plans to put them up during the week of August 27.
Highway Department:
Road Striping and Stop Bars
Highway Agent E. Stewart informed the Board of Selectmen that painting the road stripes and stop bars on roads off East Road and Leroy Avenue, was completed today. He said that the size of the crosswalk at Tyke Towers was tripled in size, and a sign "DO NOT ENTER" was painted there to discourage people from driving up there since there was no parking beyond that point.
J. Sapia asked if we could paint crosswalks in front of the Atkinson Academy. E. Stewart replied that Academy Avenue was a State road and the State has crews who go around and paint road markers. He did say that he has had several requests from Chief Consentino for the same. (NOTE: P. Sullivan handed E. Stewart a letter, then Ted said he would paint the paths.)
Tyke Towers Fencing
R. McAllister signed the proposal from Fences Unlimited to repair the fencing around Tyke Towers for $859.00, and Faxing the Town’s acceptance to them. In return, Fences Unlimited has acknowledged receiving the FAX but said it could be up to a month before they would be able to get to this job.
P. Sullivan asked about the post and gate that had been broken. E. Stewart replied that he had temporarily repaired the gate by straightening the hinges, and added 100 pounds of concrete to stabilize the post. He said that Fences Unlimited would fix it professionally.
F. Childs wanted to review the scope of the work on site. He said that the only concerns he has heard from the Recreation Commission was about the hole under the fence and the broken gate. E. Stewart said he has received complaints about three sides of the fence from N. Yoshida-Travers, Recreation Director. F. Childs, E. Stewart and P. Sullivan will go to look at the proposed work to be done on Tuesday, August 21.
J. Sapia asked if the fencing work outlined included fixing the fence behind the soccer field. He also inquired about discussions concerning a second gate to avoid posing a challenge for kids to get out by damaging the fence. E. Stewart replied that the Recreation Commission believed that a second gate would give parents two ways out to watch, so it was decided to stay with one gate.
Offsite Improvements
P. Sullivan asked about offsite improvements to be made referencing the Atkinson Country Club. E. Stewart asked Town Administrator R. McAllister the procedure for accepting Offsite Improvements, and was told that the Planning Board can approve these improvements on behalf of the Town. P. Sullivan asked to have a letter sent from the Planning Board to the Board of Selectmen, notifying it of such approvals. J. Sapia noted that a copy of all of the minutes is available in the Selectmen’s Office.
Sawyer Avenue – from the old entrance of the Sawyer Recreation Field halfway to the "STOP" sign at the intersection of Main Street:
T. Dube, Lewis Construction, agreed to grind and "super elevate" 485 feet of Sawyer Avenue. E. Stewart explained that Sawyer Avenue is "crowned", meeting all Town specifications, however vehicles are sliding into the guardrail when the road is slippery.
P. Sullivan asked if the Town Engineer reviewed the improvement. E. Stewart replied that Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. (formerly Vollmer Associates, LLC) performed two traffic studies in this area and determined that this was the optimum solution.
Intersection of Salem Road and Providence Hill Road
E. Stewart said he was going to try to "narrow" this intersection to create a "T", to create a stop, rather than a yield.
Salem Road Guardrail
E. Stewart noted that a guardrail was needed for a culvert on Salem Road, just past Jericho Road. He said that this was completed a month ago.
Providence Hill Road and Shannon Road
E. Stewart said he was planning to improve this intersection once the house is torn down.
Signage
J. Sapia asked if there has been any resolution to the signs on telephone poles. E. Stewart replied that the Town owned +200 acres adjacent to the corner, and that the road had about 40 feet of land off the pavement. He noted that a large sign frame could be placed there with provision for people to put in a slip-in sign for an annual fee. He spoke with Mr. Miner’s neighbor to see if he had any objection to this proposal. He did not.
E. Stewart said he would rather see a benevolent company or individual donate the frame, rather than asking for taxpayers’ money.
P. Sullivan didn’t see anything wrong with things the way they are. He said the existing signs are well done and tasteful. F. Childs asked if more businesses wanted space than we could accommodate. J. Sapia said we would have to develop criteria for participation.
NEW BUSINESS:
Freshwater Farms Parking:
Mr. Mark Gross, MHF Design Consultants, introduced himself to the Board of Selectmen as a representative of Freshwater Farms, Inc. for some off-site improvements to Kip Cam Road that runs in front of Freshwater Farms. M. Gross appeared before the Planning Board on August 15, 2007 with a Site Plan for improvements to the Freshwater Farms property, to be performed at the owner’s expense. The Planning Board gave a conditional approval to the plan because the Rockingham County Planning Commission’s Circuit Rider recommended that the plan be forwarded to the Board of Selectmen for approval, since implementation would require work to be done in the Town’s Right-of-Way (ROW).
P. Sullivan and F. Childs said that this was the first they had heard of this proposal and asked M. Gross to explained the work to be done in the Town’s ROW. J. Sapia said that he was familiar with the area, and invited M. Gross to outline the relevant work on the plan. He indicated the location of a 20-foot wide shoulder area to be graveled, from the east end (on the south side of Kip Cam Road) of the Freshwater Farms property to the end of Kip Cam Road, about 150 feet in length; the proposed placement of an irrigation pond; and where some crosswalks would be.
J. Sapia ask Highway Agent E. Stewart to join M. Gross at the table to provide the Selectmen with some history of Freshwater Farms, and the effect of the improvements from the Town’ s perspective. E. Stewart said that Freshwater Farms was the best kind of landowner. When the Owner bought the property, Kip Cam Road was in dire need of repair. As an offsite improvement, the Owner agreed to upgrade the road, and "dress out" the area between the buildings and the pavement, at his own expense. The only thing the Town had to pay for was the actual paving of the road.
E. Stewart continued that the betterments would be an attractive addition to the neighborhood. He said that the Town had only 8 feet of graveled shoulder up to the Freshwater Farms’ line, and the addition of 20 feet to the end would make the road much easier to plow in the winter. Also, the Owner would have the trees in the dead end removed, a costly project, all at his expense.
E. Stewart suggested that this meeting be continued until F. Childs and P. Sullivan could see the locations of the alterations on site. F. Childs, M. Gross, E. Stewart and P. Sullivan agreed to meet at 9 AM on Tuesday, August 21 in front of Freshwater Farms.
Atkinson Academy Update:
J. Sapia welcomed M. Muscola, Timberlane Regional School Board Member, introduced him to the other members of the Board and asked about the progress of the construction at the Academy.
Fire Protection
M. Muscola responded that, about two weeks ago, Atkinson Building Inspector R. Jones, Fire Chief M. Murphy and members of the Administration (SAU #55) and the Timberlane Regional School Board met to discuss fire protection at the Academy. As a result, it was agreed to install the sprinkler system in two phases:
Phase 1 to be performed this year (2007) prior to school opening:
Install sprinklers in the area from the Dyke Auditorium to the First/Second Grade wings;
Phase 2 to be performed next year (2008), with the money raised at the 2008-09 School District Meeting in March 2008:
Dyke Auditorium; and,
Cafeteria.
Delay
9/4/07 - All children will start school at the same time;
9/17/07 - All inspections should be completed and Certificate of Occupancy issued;
9/24/07 – Kindergarten kids can go into their new classrooms.
Retaining Wall
A Professional Engineer (P.E.) reviewed the design and said it was to the proper specifications. Following completion of the wall, M. Muscola said that Primex (our insurance carrier) sent a letter to the Timberlane Regional School Board, which alleged they (Primex) had inspected the wall and it was all right.
Trees
M. Muscola indicated that several residents noticed that trees were being cut in front of the Academy. He said that this was to improve the site distance when entering and exiting the parking lot and for some septic system work.
Appointment:
Highway Safety
MOTION: P. Sullivan
To appoint William Baldwin to the Highway Safety Committee, such term to end on December 31, 2007. Second: F. Childs VOTE: 3/0/0.
Animal Control Officer and Assistants:
P. Sullivan said that we had enough already, so no action was taken.
Fire Truck Bids:
J. Sapia opened the bids for the 1972 Mack Pumper:
Barry Moses $1,972.00
59 Newton Junction Road
Kingston, NH 03848
(603) 401-0391
Troy Palmer $200.00
141 Hampstead Road
Sandown, NH 03873
(H) (603) 887-8157
(C) (603) 216-4992.
After noting the irony of a $1,972.00 bid for a 1972 truck,
MOTION: P. Sullivan
To award the 1972 Mack Pumper, as is, as shown, to Barry Moses for the amount of $1,972.00. SECOND: F. Childs. VOTE: 3/0/0.
R. McAllister will be instructed to notify the successful and unsuccessful bidder.
Resignation:
J., Sapia announced the resignation of D. Jackson from the cable production crew for personal reasons.
Shade Contest:
Nils Ericsson, a 4th grader at the Atkinson Academy, has done very well in a Shade Poster Contest, sponsored by the Shade Foundation to promote awareness of skin cancer. His "Shadey the Bear" won first place in the New Hampshire contest. J. Sapia would like the Town Administrator to invite Nils to a meeting to congratulate him.
Personnel Reviews:
J. Sapia would like a date and time certain set for Town Personnel Reviews to be turned in. He suggested that it be scheduled before October 15, to have things ready for the Budget Committee.
Town Employee Workshop:
J. Sapia would like an Employee Workshop held on October 15 to familiarize all employees with some new procedures.
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT:
Server Purchase:
The Town Administrator, R. McAllister has recommended the purchase of a new server to supplement the Town Hall computer system. The Selectmen have questions and, in the absence of the Town Administrator, will postpone discussion until the next meeting.
Conservation Commission Request for a Wireless Server:
J. Sapia suggested that it might be an advantage for the Town to have a couple of wireless servers available for the use of the various boards, and to transmit information from their home. The Town Administrator noted that he has investigated Verizon’s FiOS (fiber-optic system) for Internet service. His notes suggest however, that FiOS seems to have a problem with firewalls. P. Sullivan wants to discuss WiFi with the Town Administrator. J. Sapia asked whether the Emergency Communications’ Committee is considering wireless computer systems for use by the Town. The Selectmen decided to postpone discussion of providing a wireless server until the next meeting.
Staples Finance Charges:
J. Sapia asked who has control over the use of the Town’s credit card. F. Childs said he always got the card from Town Administrator R. McAllister. P. Sullivan thought it was Finance Administrator S. LaVallee, and noted that he wanted the card always signed out and in. F. Childs pointed out that this is already done.
J. Sapia said that it was necessary to develop a purchasing policy to maintain control of expenses. Town Administrator R. McAllister suggested that in the interim, two steps might be taken:
Change to a government account; and
Centralize all purchases with the use of Purchase Orders.
He also included sample Purchasing Policies from several area towns for the Selectmen’s review. J. Sapia asked members to review the material provided and be prepared to discuss this issue at the next Selectmen’s meeting, reminding the Board that any expenditure over $1,000.00 must first come across the Selectmen’s desks.
MS-1:
The Town Administrator has included the NH DRA form MS-1 (Summary of Inventory Valuation) for the Selectmen’s review and signatures. P. Sullivan wants to see the MS-4 (Revised Estimate of Revenues) as well before signing the MS-1. He will ask R. McAllister for a copy of the MS-4.
Volunteer Policy:
J. Sapia told the Board that the volunteers should have a policy to define the scope of their responsibilities within the Town. P. Sullivan said that Atkinson’s volunteers are the heart of the Town, and precautions should be taken to protect them while working under our "umbrella". The Selectmen agreed to review the sample policy under advisement.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Lions’ Club, will be held at the Town Common and Atkinson Fire Station on September 3 from 9 AM to 2 PM.
From the sale of the New Hampshire Moose license plates, a New Hampshire town received a grant from the State of New Hampshire to paint one of their historic buildings.
There has been a confirmed case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in a human in Newton, NH. All citizens are reminded to take every precaution against getting bitten by a mosquito, and to eliminate its breeding places.
NON-PUBLIC SESSION:
MOTION: J. Sapia.
To go into non-public session authorized under RSA 91:3, A-2 at 8:45 PM
to discuss Employee issues. SECOND: P. Sullivan. VOTE: 3/0/0.
FUTURE AGENDA:
F. Childs:
8/21 – check Pope Road fencing;
9 AM - check Freshwater Farms improvement site.
P. Consentino:
Call S. Ireland for permission to paint a crosswalk in front of the Village Store.
R. McAllister:
Send a letter of thanks to the Life is Not Done Committee;
Submit the minutes of the 8/6/07 Non-public Session;
Set up a follow-up meeting for "traffic calming" progress;
Notify successful and unsuccessful fire truck bidders;
Invite N. Ericsson to a congratulatory meeting:
Re-list T/A Report items for 9/10.
J. Sapia:
Develop criteria for commercial signage;
Set a date for Employee reviews;
Confirm Employee Workshop for October 15;
Contact ECC RE: FiOS and WiFi consideration.
E. Stewart:
8/21 - Meet at Tyke Towers to review fencing;
9 AM – check Freshwater Farms site.
P. Sullivan:
8/21 - Meet at Tyke Towers to review fencing;
9 AM – check Freshwater Farms improvement site;
Request letter RE: Offsite Improvements from Planning Board.
Next Regular Meeting:
Monday September 10, 2007 at 7:30 PM.
With no further business to come before the Board
MOTION: F. Childs
To continue the meeting until 9 AM, Tuesday August 21 at Freshwater Farms. SECOND: P. Sullivan. VOTE: 3/0/0.