Town of Bristol
Board of Selectmen
Minutes of 07-28-07
Members Present: Joe Denning (JD), Rick Alpers (RA), Bruce Van Derven (BVD), Steve Favorite (SF), Town Manager Elizabeth Corrow
Members Absent: Paul Fraser (PF)
Chairman Rick Alpers called the meeting to order at 10:00am.
Chairman Alpers welcomed the residents and explained the Board has a small agenda but they would like to hear the residents’ questions and concerns. Mr. Alpers would like to keep the meeting to two hours. He explained they have a presentation from Mike Welch of CDM on the Water and Sewer to the Lake. He stated Burt Williams is also here as he is the Clerk of the Works and has been doing a great job working with CDM and the Town Manager as well as trying to get federal funding.
Mr. Williams stated they are close to being done with the necessary upgrades to the treatment Plant which will allow the process to move forward after they finish getting grant money. Mr. Welch from CDM gave a presentation and discussed what has been done over the past couple of years. He stated the work that has been done has not been obvious but the treatment plant needed to be upgraded to ensure it could hold the capacity it will need. The design has been drafted during this process. They began planning in 2001 and began the upgrades in 2002. Mr. Welch reviewed the different projects that have been done and the costs to upgrade the plant. The project will be 90% grant funded and DES wanted to ensure the plant is in compliance. He stated the costs of the project have increased significantly since the beginning phases of the project in 2001. He explained the project is very big and will have to be done in phases but they have been very successful in getting funding in the past. He explained where the grant funding will come from; however, some funding will need to come from the town. He explained there are many ways to fund the towns portion such as a betterment, taxes could be raised, or could have user rates increased or some combination of the choices. He stated there are many ways to fund the town’s portion as many communities have done it many different ways. He explained they are looking to phase the project out over 10 years. Ms. Lévesque stated she came to a meeting in 2003 regarding water and sewer to the lake and has not seen anything done. Mr. Welch stated they have been doing upgrades to the treatment plant and working on the preliminary design which was paid by an EPA grant. These were both necessary to move forward. Ms. Lévesque questioned what happens if people do not want to hook onto the Water and Sewer system. Mr. Welch stated they will probably have to tie into the system but that would be up to the town. Ms. Levesque questioned whether the citizens will be able to vote on the issue and Mr. Williams confirmed they would. Mr. Welch stated there would be many decisions that will need to be made at the town level. A resident questioned whether they would have to tie into the system if they just replaced their system and was also concerned with development. Mr. Corrow stated most likely there would be a certain time period that would be grandfathered before they are required to tie into the system. Ms. Corrow stated they have not made any decisions on this but it has been discussed. Mr. Welch stated many residents are afraid of development and Mr. Alpers stated the Zoning Board has made aggressive steps to address the development issues by adopting set backs, lot size, and other Zoning Ordinances. The resident felt there has been a lot of zoning issues addressed at Town Meeting but the summer residents do not have any input. A suggestion was made to include a letter in the tax bill updating people on the project. Ms. Kathleen Girona questioned the tax impact on each tax payer. Mr. Welch stated the figures were just estimates and will have a more definite calculation when they finalize grant funding and the town determines how they want to raise the Towns portion. Ms. Girona stated the average income for a single female is 22,000 and 35,000 for a single male and feels it is a lot of money which may force them out of their homes. She also questioned if the streets, sidewalks and businesses will be disrupted. Mr. Alpers stated it would not disrupt the downtown businesses as the project will begin at the old Mill Stream parking lot and run to the lake. This area will be ripped up to place the water and sewer pipes; however, the DOT is planning to repave this section of the road in 2009. He stated the DOT will be repaving 104 and Lake Street all the way up to Hebron. Ms. Osgood from CDM stated they are trying to plan the construction along with the repaving to ensure both projects are done with as little disruption as possible. Mr. Alpers stated DOT has had to remove some of there paving projects from the list but is not sure which ones. Mr. Rolf Pagel questioned how the Condominium association will tie into the water and sewer system. He wondered if the lines will go up to the individual units or if there will be one main line and then branch off to the units. Mr. Alpers stated the water and sewer lines will run down West Shore Road and then it will be Manor Estates responsibility to hook into the system. All the private roads will need to do the same. Mr. Bob Assalin would like to get a copy of the presentation from CDM. He also suggested looking into private investing for capital projects. He suggested not only looking for grants but also at alternative ways of funding. He is concerned because the cost of the project has already increased significantly over the past few years and to wait over a period of 10 years may cause the cost of the project to increase even more. He suggested looking into alternative ways to fund the project to help expedite it over a shorter period of time. Mr. Ron St. Cyr questioned if they would be billed for usage. Mr. Alpers stated it would be based on water usage. Mr. St. Cyr questioned how they would determine this if they have well water. Mr. Williams stated the well would have a meter. A resident stated he pays about $13,000 a year in taxes and does not get to voice his opinion except for Summer Town Meeting. Mr. Alpers suggested attending a Selectmen’s meeting or any one can come to Town Meeting and ask the moderator to speak as a tax payer but non resident. The resident was concerned with his taxes raising 60% but the cost of living only increased 5% and many people are struggling to pay their taxes. Mr. Glenn Dorr questioned how they would tie into the water and sewer system if they live on a private road. Mr. Williams stated the town may need an easement to install and maintain the lines. Mr. Thouin stated the school is the main part of the taxes. Ms. Levesque stated she was not trying to compare the summer residents with the year round residents but if Bristol did not have the summer residents they would not have the income they do. She stated they would have to change state law to allow the summer residents to voice there opinion on the ballot. She would like to see how the summer residents’ voice would affect the town. She questioned if all the summer residents decided to leave, where would Bristol be then. Mr. Alpers stated 3 years ago he asked the board to have this Summer Town Meeting to give the summer residents an opportunity to voice there opinion and this was the only thing they were able to come up with. Mr. Joe Long thanked the board for having this meeting and for working on a Saturday and he feels with the increase in taxes, the middle class is getting pushed out. Mr. Pagel stated everyone hates to pay taxes but for those people that own property on or around the water may pay more for taxes but will also sell there house for a lot more then in town. They have more value in the homes. Ms. Girona questioned whether the Zoning issues around the lake can be addressed by the Zoning Board. Mr. Alpers stated they have already been doing this. The last few years there has been 6-12 Zoning articles on the ballot and the Zoning Board has been very dedicated to addressing the Zoning Ordinance. Mr. Dan Paradis ask for the residence opinion regarding the ordinance allowing one to tear down an existing non conforming structure and replacing it with a larger structure. Ms. Girona suggested an ordinance that would not allow any more development around the lake which would force new buyers to purchase a house in town and on the outskirts that could be fixed up. Mr. Shaun Leguex questioned if the original warrant article state the Water and Sewer to the lake was dependent on 90% of grant funding so the project would not go forward if you can only get 65%. A resident questioned what the requirements for the new park model homes to hook into the water and sewer system. Mr. Alpers stated they would have to hook into the system as well; however they may have a grandfathered period as Ms. Corrow had explained before. A resident stated it is very important that water and sewer come to the lake because if something is not done soon, there will be no lake and as it is now there are already systems failing. The resident was also concerned due to the increase of 4 million dollars over a couple of years and may increase even more if a lot more time goes by therefore a private investment may be a great idea. A resident questioned if there was a committee that kept track of problems with the lake. Ms. Corrow stated Boyd Smith with Newfound Lakes Region Association (NLRA) does coordinate volunteers that monitor the Lake and they work with area towns. They have also been working on a water shed plan. Ms. Corrow has been working closely with Mr. Smith and NLRA and is trying to implement a planner for this community. She explained the Zoning Ordinance had not been enforced very well in the past and we now have a Land Use Enforcement Officer to enforce the ordinance and provide some assistance to our volunteers on the Planning and Zoning board that spend hours and hours at meetings. She explained the Board has been holding Regional Selectboard meetings with the area Selectmen to work on collaborative efforts such as a shared planner. Mr. Williams said water and sewer to the lake has been something needed for a long time and we are all looking out for newfound lake.
Town Manager Corrow gave a general overview of the different projects. She stated this Board of Selectmen is very progressive. She stated Jeff Chartier the Water and Sewer Superintendent is doing a great job working with CDM and Mr. Williams to continually move the Water and Sewer project forward. The Highway Department went out to bid for paving and will begin paving in August. Ms. Corrow explained the paving on Lake Street was a temporary fix and they will hopefully be back in 2009 to do the real paving. She explained the Board of Selectmen has recently created a recycling committee as it is clear that we do not have recycling program and we are missing out on a great opportunity to raise revenue. She asked the residents to get involved. Ms. Corrow stated this Board of Selectmen has initiated Regional Meetings with the area Selectboards and have been discussing ways to cost share and work together. She explained we offered to do a collaborative paving bid and have also compiled an equipment list in an effort to share equipment that is not needed on a regular basis like a grader. She would like to start working together on joint services like a planner. She explained there is a new Land Use Officer as we had a part-time permit coordinator and things were not enforced as maybe they should have been. Mr. Nebesnik compiled a list of activity over the last few months for the residents. Ms. Corrow updated the residents on up coming projects. She stated the Central Street Bridge replacement did not start in July because of permits needed through the Federal agencies. The project will take about 18 months and will cost about 4 million dollars which is mostly funded by the state. The Town of Bristol will have to pay 10% and New Hampton will also pay 10%. Another Bridge that is in need of replacement is the Borough Bridge that is shared with Hill. This is a project that will come up in the 2008 budget and the Town of Bristol will have to raise 10% of about a million dollar project. Town Manager Corrow discussed the need for Mainstreet redevelopment and ways to help the downtown to survive. She is working on a proposal for a version of the NH Mainstreet program. She suggested funding part of it through the budget and then try to self funded it in the future. Ms. Corrow explained she has hired KV Partners to do a preliminary design of improvements to both Avery Crouse. The design will address drainage aesthetics, safety, and stabilization. She plans to hold a public hearing after she has a preliminary draft. She explained the project would need to be broken into phases and fund over time. Ms. Corrow suggests doing a plan, identifying permits needed and present it as a package to DES, it will save a lot of time and money. Ms. Corrow explained the surfacing of metal on Cummings beach and stated in October they are hoping rake the area and have a magnet remove the pieces from the sand. While addressing this issue Ms. Corrow would like to fix the drainage add more sand and make the beach handicap accessible. She explained it is not budgeted for and will need to find a way to finance the project but it is not safe and needs to be dealt with. Town Manager Corrow stated the Board discussed implementing a franchise fee. She explained we currently belong to Lakes Region Public Access and currently there is not a set schedule for the various meetings. She stated this would be a small fee on the cable bill and it would allow us to have one channel to do our own broadcasting. Ms. Corrow thanked the residents for coming and stated if they have questions to feel free to call or email. Ms. Corrow stated she understands its frustrating for the summer residents not to have a voice at Town Meeting but encourages everyone to be a part of things when they are here.
Ms. Corrow introduced John Clark the new Chief of Police. Chief Clark explained he likes to be out in the public and encourages residents to introduce themselves. He stated the department is now fully staffed and they have excellent officers. He stated Lieutenant Lewis did an excellent job in the interim. He explained one of his main concerns is quality of life. He stated there has been a rise in crime in the North Country and wants to keep Bristol a safe community. Chief Clark stated the Police Department now has a new bike patrol to assist with safety along the beaches, downtown and along the new Multi-use path. He wants to address the alcohol and drug issues and make sure they are not in the downtown as well as enforcing the speed limit on side roads. He wants to work on retaining officers as it is very expensive to train new officers. He is working on accreditation and looking at state grant funding for various traffic controls and equipment. He would like to continue to work closely with surrounding towns and the schools.
Fire Chief Skantze stated he is both the Fire Chief and the Emergency Management Director. He stated the department is very busy in the summer months and have a lot of second calls. They currently have a good relationship with surrounding towns and will continue to work together. He explained he does a lot of inspection as there is a lot of construction. The Fire Department provides EMT services and they strive to have one paramedic on a shift. He stated he has been working closely on capital improvements with all the department heads. He stated seasonal burn permits are available during the day at the Fire Department. He has initiated a Citizens Corp Council that addresses Homeland Security issues and Emergency Management. The Council is made up of volunteers that will assist with emergencies or disasters.
Mr. St. Cyr questioned the drainage issue on Shore Drive. Ms. Corrow stated that drainage along shore drive is part of the plan that KV Partners is working on. Ms. Corrow stated they will try and address the issues in the plan but does not think they will all be eliminated. It might mitigate some of the drainage that is backing up on some private properties along shore drive however it most likely will not eliminate it. She stated the engineer’s card is on the back table if any property owners want to address any drainage issues on their own property feel free to contract with the engineer privately while he is working in the area. Mr. St. Cyr is also concerned with the different size pipes for drainage that are being used. Mr. Alpers agreed that there is a problem due to the water running into the different size pipes and flooding citizen’s septic systems. Mr. St. Cyr questioned the Police Departments budget and Mr. Alpers stated you can not compare to other towns by population, you have to compare to calls for service and then compare to those towns budgets. Mr. St. Cyr questioned if they could fix the drain on north Main Street as there is quite a drop. Mr. Bucklin stated they may be able to put stone in. Mr. Pagel questioned if they would be putting crosswalks back in after they have done the paving on Lake Street. Mr. Alpers stated they wanted to wait to make sure DOT was done before they repainted the sidewalks. Mr. Bucklin stated he will do so as soon as possible. A citizen congratulated the Board and the Department heads for all the hard work and stated they do a great job. Ms. Julie Morgan is concerned with possibility of flooding on Bristol Hill Road as the river has overflowed twice and accumulated silt, logs and trees. She is concerned something serious is going to happen and would like the town to address the issue to prevent a dangerous situation. Mr. Alpers stated DES has told Freudenberg they need to rebuild some of the damn because they recognize this issue. Right now DES and Freudenberg are dealing with the issue in court. Mr. Bob Assalin wanted to thank the Board for all they do. He stated the professionalism at the window in town hall is wonderful and knows it comes from the Board and the department leadership. A citizen questioned the level of the water in the lake and Mr. Alpers stated the State controls the damn. He would suggest the citizens with concerns write letters or call the State. A resident is concerned with the weeds in the lake and Mr. Alpers state Newfound Lakes Region Association is aware of the situation and is trying deal with the issue. A resident is concerned with the turnover of people around the lake and feels there will only be millionaires owning the properties because the middle class can not afford it anymore. Ms. Levesque suggested trying to figure out a way to get people into Bristol. Mr. Favorite stated there is very little land left in Bristol for any real development as they realized this when trying to find a place for the Police Department. Mr. Alpers stated the board did put together short term and long term goals and would like to focus on the downtown area. He did explain with any growth there is an increase in fire and police calls and they need a focused plan for the improvements. Mr. Favorite stated Selectmen Fraser has been working to get a cell tower which will also help the Fire and Police Departments’ communication. Mr. Alpers stated Verizon would lease the space from the town for a pole and it would also be taxed.
Mr. Alpers thanked everyone for coming and stated Town Hall is open Monday – Friday from 8:00am – 4:00pm. He suggested calling 744-3354 with questions. He stated the Board would like to help the summer residents out as much as possible because they know they do not have a voice on the ballot.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 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