Town of Bristol
Board of Selectmen
Minutes of 11-29-07
Members Present: Rick Alpers (RA), Paul Fraser (PF), Steve Favorite (SF), Bruce Van Derven (BVD), Town Manager Elizabeth Corrow
Members Absent: Joe Denning (JD)
Chairman Rick Alpers called the meeting to order at 7:00pm.
Purchase Order
Highway Department -$12,233.15 R.C. Hazelton Co. - Repair engine in the road grader. Motion by PF to approve the Purchase Order for Hazelton Co. to repair the engine in the road grader: seconded by SF; vote was 4-0.
Conservation Commission Appointment
Chairman Alpers stated Mr. Gerald Curran would like to be appointed to the Conservation Commission. Mr. Curran came before the Board and introduced himself and explained his background. The Board thanked him for getting involved with the Conservation Commission and encouraged him to contact the Board with any questions or concerns.
Downtown Parking Ordinance
Chairman Alpers stated the Board adopted a Downtown Parking Ordinance in 2006 for municipal parking. Ms. Corrow stated the Board had earlier discussions on permit parking in the Downtown before her arrival. She explained the ordinance was vague and the permit was specific and she wanted to make sure that they were not in conflict with one another. Ms. Corrow stated the permit identified two locations, the library annex and Central Street parking by the cannon, which she had confused with the Central Street parking lot. Ms. Corrow stated a property owner questioned getting a parking permit for the Central Street parking area by the cannon because they thought the Library Annex and the Central Street parking lot was too far for property owners to walk. Ms. Corrow stated these property owners are looking to sell their condominiums in the downtown and have been before the planning board recently and the planning board stated before they can get approval to move forward they need to identify parking. Mr. Dan Paradis referenced the zoning ordinance which stated “municipal parking may not be credited toward the parking requirement for residential use without the approval of the BOS and, at the next possible Town Meeting, approval by the legislative body”. Ms. Corrow stated there is confusion with which lots are identified as municipal parking lots to be used with this permit and the Board needs to resolve the parking issue for the new condominiums. Ms. Corrow stated if it is the boards desire to have parking in the Central Square near the cannon then she would recommend adding that into the permit as a separate lot and would recommend putting a time limit as to when people should have their cars moved after a snow storm. She suggested the Library Annex lot should require cars to be moved before 8am for clean up as the library employees need to have the lot cleared of snow so that they may park. The Central Street parking lot could be cleaned later in the day for those that do not use their car first thing in the morning. Mr. Van Derven thought the intent was to keep people off the streets during the storm and put them in a parking lot such as the Central Street parking lot. Highway Superintendent Mark Bucklin stated he likes to use the Spring Street parking lot as storage for the immediate need so the square can be cleaned up first and is then moved the next day. Mr. Bucklin stated they try to clean the square at 11pm and would like people to be out of the downtown. Mr. Alpers stated the Board does have the ability to revoke permits and the permit parking is not intended to give a permanent permit for owners of buildings for their tenants. Ms. Corrow agrees there are not a lot of permits issued but the Board needs to come to agreement on where the designated parking areas are. Mr. Fraser stated the permit needs to state where one can park and the time criteria. Mr. Fraser suggested having permit parking for the Spring Street lot, Central Street lot and the Library Annex, not at the cannon. The Board agreed. Mr. Van Derven stated it would be subject to Mr. Bucklin’s and Chief Clarks snow removal requirements. Chief Clark stated there are people that live downtown and there is a need for parking by these residents, and he also suggested charging a fee for parking permits. He stated the enforcement has to be consistent. He also suggested placing wording on the permit regarding no parking in the Downtown Square and Spring Street lot immediately after a snow storm. The board discussed whether cars should be out of the square at night year round or just during the winter snow storms. Mr. Alpers was concerned about public safety for instance a fire at night and cars being in front of a building. Ms. Corrow questioned if the board was in favor of a fee. Mr. Favorite made a motion to establish a fee of $25: seconded by Mr. Fraser; vote was 4-0. Mr. Favorite questioned whether the bank parking lot was considered part of the Central Square parking. Mr. Bucklin stated it was. Mr. Fraser stated regarding the Planning Board part of the question, he feels having deeded parking spots that are sold as part of a condominium is not the intent, but the tenant can apply for a parking permit and believes the board is in agreement. However, this may conflict with the planning board process. Mr. Favorite stated the parking behind the bakery is not feasible for these proposed condominiums. Ms. Corrow questioned if the tenants applied for a parking permit, would that satisfy the Planning Boards requirement. Mr. Van Derven questioned if a citizen applied to develop a two or three bedroom condominium and then they came before the board for permission to have two permanent parking spaces and the board approved, would town meeting also have to approve. Mr. Alpers confirmed and stated the tenants are more then welcome to apply for a permit. Mr. Fraser stated in the future the board may be questioned by an owner of one of these condominiums as to where their guests can park if they own the property.
Police Building Project
Mr. Alpers stated Chris Dolloff, Chairman of the police building committee, Keith McBay from Bonnette Page and Stone and Paul Mirski, the architect have come before the board to give them an overview of the process and answer any questions. Ms. Corrow stated the committee has spent a lot of time revisiting the police building project this year, after it was defeated last year at town meeting. Many of the concerns from town meeting were about location and the general sense was that citizens wanted more details before making a decision. Therefore, the committee went back and discussed other options based on the comments. Currently the Historic Town Hall is a building that is owned by the Town and is not being used for anything due to many issues. Therefore, they looked at whether Historic Old Town Hall could host the town offices and whether or not it made sense to renovate the current town office building to become the Police Department. By reusing property, it would reduce the need to take property off the tax roles while addressing the need for Town hall and the Police Department. Last year the committee had a quote of 2.6 million to acquire land and build a Police Department; however, this proposal will accomplish two projects for about the same price. Currently, the Construction Manager is still working on a final price. The price will be different either way as it was last year due to inflation. Mr. Mirski has done many revisions to the layout of the Police Building project and found this is a viable building for the Police Department. Mr. Mirski then looked at the Historic Town Hall to see if that would meet the need of the Town Office and he found that it would. Ms. Corrow stated hiring a Construction Manager from BPS made a lot of sense because quoting out every aspect of the project individually gets competitive biding and will set a maximum price for the project for Town Meeting. Mr. Dolloff stated 2 years ago the primary focus was to focus on a Police Department and get the Police Department out of the basement of Town Hall and into a new facility that is up to date and safe. Mr. Dolloff wanted to emphasize that the committee has not strayed from the primary objective it just so happens the Historic Town Hall was an option for this project. He stated the Police Building does remain the focus and the team will go forward with both projects as a committee. Mr. Van Derven questioned the funding for the preliminary work that has been done. Ms. Corrow stated 2 years ago money for a Police Building Study was appropriated and the 1st year little money was spent. This year some money was spent on the Architect and a survey but there has not been any money spent on the Construction Manager thus far. The Contract states that if the project moves forward at town meeting only then will there will be a charge for construction manager services. Mr. Alpers questioned the life expectancy of buildings as we grow. Mr. Mirski stated the Police Department will accommodate the current needs and future expansion for a long time. Mr. Mirski stated there will be minimal facility renovations to Town Hall to transform it into a Police Building. Mr. Mirski explained if you do a desk count from the proposed plans for Historic Town Hall then it should accommodate the town for a long time unless many positions are added. Mr. Mirski stated the intent is to fix and clean up the main hall at the current Historic Town Hall and add an 18 foot addition as well as parking behind by acquiring the property behind. There will also be parking along the structure. The building will be picked up and moved to the east and the driveway entrance will be from Summer Street and the entrance to the building will be from the left side. One can enter or exit also from Winter Street. The vault will be double the size and fire proof. Mr. Fraser questioned if Ms. Corrow was looking for support from the board to move ahead and promote the project and continue to ask and answer questions. Mr. Van Derven felt the board should give Ms. Corrow the go ahead to proceed and to develop a plan to present to town meeting. Mr. Dolloff stated Chief Clark had the Local Government Center do an inspection of the current facility and there were many safety and liability issues. Chief Clark gave a lot of credit to Lt. Lewis, Mr. Dolloff, Ms. Corrow and the Committee as they have done a nice job with this plan. He also stated he has no problem working with this building in the transformation and feels it will support the Police Department for future growth for 30 years or so. Chief Clark stated the town needs to feel comfortable coming to the Police Department and with the proposed sally port, it will enhance safety. He stated the Police Department can not function in this current building and the liability is huge, but retrofitting this building would suit their needs. He thinks this is a great opportunity and would appreciate the support from the board. Mr. Keith McBay stated BPS was formed in 1969 in NH doing municipal buildings. They work on a fixed fee and develop pricing. They come on board with the architect and try to get to a number that works. He explained in most projects money is always the issue, however this type of agreement allows proper bidding which gets the best pricing. Mr. Mirski stated that historically often times a project goes before Town Meeting with a number for a budget and is not always accurate, but by using a Construction Manager, every piece of the project is bid out and they provide a guaranteed price. Mr. Mirski also explained all the savings will come back to the town if actual costs are less than the guaranteed maximum price. Mr. McBay stated appropriate contingencies were set and there will be weekly meetings as the project proceeds to address issues and make changes as needed. Mr. Alpers questioned if Mr. McBay is like a clerk of works and he agreed. Mr. Alpers questioned whether it is feasible to move the Historic Town Hall and Mr. McBay stated NH has some very accomplished building movers. He is very confident that it can be done. He explained there may be a little silt rot which can be easily fixed. Mr. Mirski stated they will be using products that look similar to keep the building looking historic. He also stated he has been working with historic buildings for a long time as he has been able to save two old mills by preserving those buildings. He stated preservation is about 60% of his work and he thinks it is important maintain and renovate these buildings otherwise you lose history. Mr. Alpers stated it is important to get information out and educate the voters. Mr. Dolloff stated this is the only option for this project; otherwise it is back to the drawing board next year. He explained many professionals have told the committee to go with one option unlike the committee did last year. Chief Clark stated Bristol is about saving money and meeting the service needs. He explained it’s not about whether we prefer retrofitting of a building or not; it’s about meeting the safety needs of the Police Department and providing comfortable work space for the officers. Chief Clark does not see any reason why this would not work. Chief Clark stated that he has gone through each room to brainstorm the uses and the space needs. He stated Bristol is a hub and he wants the surrounding organizations such as the State police and Sheriffs office to feel comfortable coming to our Police Department. He stated this building, under Mr. Mirski’s architectural ability will meet the standards and there is also still room to expand this building in the future if needed. Sergeant Magdich stated this is our opportunity to grow, what we have now is not suitable and we need to take care of this issue. Mr. Fraser made a motion to support the projects and move forward with the necessary steps to support the project: seconded by Mr. Favorite vote was 4-0. Mr. Mirski stated this was the Town Managers idea and it is hard to find a lot of creative people and she has been very creative with this project. Mr. Alpers questioned if Mr. Mirski and Mr. McBay will be willing to meet again regarding this project on the camera to get out to the public. Ms. Corrow stated by having a construction manager this allows all the information to be right in front of them to answer questions. Mr. McBay stated the Historic Town Hall will be first to allow the current town hall to move and then the building will be renovated for the Police Department. The Police Department will be able to stay here during construction. They should be able to work around them.
Health Insurance Renewal
Ms. Corrow stated there was a small decrease in the rate, less then 1%. There is also a small change for the employee co-pay for prescriptions. Ms. Corrow quoted with RJ Dragon and the Local Government Center. The rate is based on our experience and we have had a good year which kept the insurance the same. Currently there is a system in place where the employees pay the difference between the base plan and the higher plan. Ms. Corrow wanted to make sure it was adjusted accordingly and Ms. Petraszewski stated it has not been adjusted in 3 years. Therefore, even though the insurance rate is not going up the co-pay for the employees will because of this adjustment. Ms. Corrow has instructed Ms. Petraszewski to make the adjustment unless the board would like to handle it differently. There will be a small reduction in the health insurance budget line due to this adjustment.
Workman’s Compensation
Ms. Corrow stated there is a significant reduction in the Workman’s Compensation by switching from Primex to the Local Government Center. Ms. Corrow stated had the LGC’s Health Insurance quote been lower, our Workman’s Compensation would have been even lower because you are able to get a better deal when you go with multiple programs in one organization. If LGC offers a better insurance rate next year then Workman’s Compensation will be reduced even more. Mr. Alpers suggested the Town of Bristol be a part of the TRIM Program in the future. This program offers different safety training programs.
Tax Deferral
Ms. Simpson is requesting the board approve a tax deferral for 2005 as it was missed. Mr. Fraser made a motion to approve the tax deferral for 2005: seconded by Mr. Favorite; vote was 4-0. Mr. Alpers stated tax deferrals are not abatements. A tax deferral defers the taxes and are paid when the property transfers or are repaid by the owner or family. The taxes do not go away.
Cable Franchise Fee
Ms. Corrow stated there has been a Public Hearing regarding a franchise fee. One of the Boards goals is to communicate better with the public and this will help you improve communication. Currently, the meetings are recorded and submitted to Lakes Region Public Access. There is no consistency as to when the meetings will be played because it depends on the length of the meeting from week to week. Ms. Corrow stated we have also recently been recording the other boards and it would be nice to record and broadcast all of them. The franchise fee can be used to raise funds to do our own broadcasting without raising taxes. There are many benefits both tangible and intangible by implementing a franchise fee. Ms. Corrow stated the Board needs to make 3 decisions, do they want to implement a franchise fee, if so at what percentage and last how the board would like to proceed with implementation. Mr. Fraser stated Bristol is one of the few towns that do not have a franchise fee. He explained at a 5% fee, $46,504 would be generated based on the number of subscribers. Mr. Fraser questioned what would happen to the funds that are not spent, could they be carried over or go into the general fund. Ms. Corrow suggested carrying the funds that are appropriated over which will allow for additional equipment purchases. Mr. Van Derven stated this site could become the hub for other communities in the area to get involved. Mr. Fraser questioned whether this had to be approved at town meeting because it is a line in the budget. Ms. Corrow stated it would be its own line as part of the budget process. Ms. Corrow stated there is at least a 30 day notice that needs to be given to Metrocast before they can start collecting the fee. Next a plan will need to be implemented, equipment will need to be purchased and someone will need to be hired part time to get the broadcasting up and running. Ms. Corrow believes the board will see benefits right away. Citizens will know the times that each meeting will be broadcasted, information will get relayed to the public in a timely fashion, and people will get more involved in their government. It will help the board in recruiting volunteers. Citizens will be able to set their VCR’s to tape a meeting that they can watch at their convenience because there will be a schedule. Ms. Corrow explained the paper is good but in my experience people like to watch meetings and people become more knowledgeable of their local government. This will also allow organizations like the Chamber, the Library and the Downtown Revitalization Committee to utilize the camera for various events or meetings. Ms. Corrow recommends implementing a percentage that will be substantial enough that they will not have to go back and keep raising it. She recommends the 5% because initially there needs to be various equipment purchases. Mr. Van Derven made a motion to implement a 5% franchise fee at the earliest possible date with the required 30 day notice: seconded by Mr. Favorite. Mr. Fraser stated there are approximately 1438 customers and a 5% fee will impose a $2.20 increase a month if one is subscribed to Metrocast. Mr. Van Derven questioned if the fee can be reduced once the production is set up. Ms. Corrow stated it could and the funds are sent to us by Metrocast on a quarterly basis. Mr. Van Derven stated Town Meeting asked the board to do this two years ago. Mr. Van Derven questioned what would happen if the Budget Committee did not recommend this even though Town Meeting wanted this. Ms. Corrow stated if Town Meeting does not want this then they can always go back to what we are currently doing. The Board voted 4-0.
Land Use Change Tax – Denton’s
Mr. Alpers stated the Board needs to decide whether to grant an abatement on the Land Use Tax that was brought to their attention in August. The Board had decided to make it contingent upon the assessor’s recommendation of a value. The assessor then returned a recommendation back stating he could not equitably make a recommendation of value as he felt the board’s decision was a bit incorrect. Therefore, Ms. Corrow sent the information to the town’s attorney and the attorney recommended the board either comes up with their own value or reconsider the abatement all together. Mr. Fraser stated if we are paying the attorney for advice then legally we should do what they recommend. Mr. Van Derven questioned if there was a time crunch for a decision. Ms. Corrow stated there was as they have been holding this for a while. Mr. Van Derven questioned whether they should wait for Mr. Denning. Ms. Corrow stated Mr. Denning expressed the board should abate a specific value. Mr. Van Derven stated he would be going against the assessor’s recommendation. In response to a question, Ms. Corrow stated the first couple of acres carry the highest value. Ms. Corrow also explained that the property will not go back into current use until next year so the Denton’s will receive a tax bill for the full value this year. Mr. Van Derven would like to wait until Mr. Denning is back. Mr. Alpers believes the fair thing to do is to impose the entire penalty. Mr. Van Derven felt the Denton’s did not seem to have a full understanding of the process.
Town Manager Items
Ms. Corrow stated there was an updated schedule for the Central Street Bridge project. The closing date has now been scheduled for December 17th. Ms. Corrow stated there was a plaque on both sides of bridge and they were in poor shape. Ms. Corrow explained Mr. Bucklin thought someone in town had requested the plaque on the Bristol side previously. Ms. Corrow would like to know where the board would like the plaque to go and she suggested perhaps the Historical Society.
Selectboard Items
Mr. Fraser stated the Masonic lodge will be holding a Pancake breakfast with Santa on December 8th. The Grafton County Commissioners and representatives from the Jail Committee will be making a presentation on December 13th regarding the need and the proposed jail.
Mr. Van Derven encouraged citizens to run for upcoming local government openings if one is interested. He stated there are openings on the Selectboard, Budget Committee, Planning Board and others.
Motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Paul Fraser; seconded by Mr. Steve Favorite; vote was unanimous.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Krystal Alpers
Administrative Secretary
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Richard Alpers, Chair Steve Favorite
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Joe Denning Paul Fraser
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Bruce Van Derven