Town of Bristol
Board of Selectmen
Minutes of 09-27-07
Members Present: Rick Alpers (RA), Paul Fraser (PF), Bruce Van Derven (BVD), Joe Denning (JD), Steve Favorite (SF), Town Manager Elizabeth Corrow
Chairman Rick Alpers called the meeting to order at 7:00pm.
Public Hearing – Snowmobile Use On Multi- Use Path
Chairman Alpers opened the public hearing for snowmobile use on the Multi-use path at 7:00pm. He explained they wanted to discuss the pros and cons of allowing snowmobiles on the path and also wanted public input to help the board make a decision. Mr. Walt Waring felt they should allow snowmobiles on the path because this is another activity that will draw people to Bristol to support the local businesses. George Faran, the assistant trail master for the Bridgewater Snowmobile Club stated they are willing to help in anyway if the board allows snowmobiles. Mr. Michael Bannan questioned who would be responsible for maintaining it and keeping people off the trail when there is not adequate snow coverage. Mr. Alpers believes the club opens the trail only if there is at least 8 inches of snow on the path. Mr. Faran stated they usually start grooming the trials when there is about a foot as they need to have sufficient snow coverage. Mr. Alpers stated there are still people that will find a way onto the trail whether they are allowed to or not. Mr. Alpers would like to meet with the snowmobile club to discuss the responsibility and maintenance of the trail. Ms. Nancy -- stated there were people that used it last year when there was not sufficient snow on the path and is unsure how they will control this. She is also concerned with the speed of snowmobiles on a path that is used by people that are walking, skiing, snowshoeing, etc. Ms. Sue Waring stated snowmobiles were ticketed by fish and game last year if they were misbehaving on the trail. Mr. Walenda stated the trail should only be used for people that are walking or riding bikes and we should build a path next to it for the snowmobiles. Ms. Corrow stated they did discuss the use of snowmobiles on the path in the past as she read them in the minutes. Another citizen in the audience questioned how far the snowmobiles can go. Mr. Alpers stated they would only go to Village House of Pizza. Mr. Fraser stated whether they vote yes or no, people are still going to use it. Mr. Fraser questioned if there was any other trial for them to use and Mr. Faran stated no. Mr. Faran explained the trails cover a lot of different property but they get written permission from all owners and if they do any clearing along the trail then they also get written permission. They would also put signs up along the way marking the trail and are willing to do whatever they can to make it work. They would also list it as an official trail which would automatically provide the trail with 2 million for liability insurance. They would also get permission from all the property owners as well as the board that own parts of the path. Ms. Corrow stated they may need to get a permit to cross a state road and she will be budgeting for maintenance this year. Mr. Alpers suggested a partnership with the snowmobile club for maintenance. Mr. Faran stated they do have some money that they could help with maintenance. Mr. Alpers also felt that snowmobilers are considerate most of the time. Mr. Faran stated it is a law that snowmobilers are required to stop and let the walkers go by. Mr. Van Derven questioned if there was something like headway speed that could be posted. Mr. Faran stated they do have signs that they can put up to try and reduce the speed and signs that enforce yielding to pedestrians. Chief Clark agrees with the signage and feels if they have a system set up before winter then it enforcement will be easier. Mr. Bucklin does not forsee a huge issue with maintenance. He felt if there is an agreement with the snowmobile club then there shouldn’t be a problem and believes it will take a few years to see significant damage. Mr. Fraser questioned if the Board votes yes, then the snowmobiles would only be allowed on the north section of the path. Mr. Faran stated the club has no interest in the rest of the path. Mr. Tim Gallagher thinks it is great to have the path and it is handy to have access to a place to eat while snowmobiling. Mr. Van Derven questioned if 10mph was a reasonable speed to post. Both Chief Clark and Mr. Faran agreed. Mr. Alpers suggested making a conditional motion to allow Ms. Corrow, Chief Clark, Mr. Bucklin and the snowmobile club to negotiate a memorandum of agreement to address maintenance, speed, and signage. Mr. Van Derven questioned if there seems to be a problem, can they shut it down. Mr. Faran stated generally they give a 30 day notice but it can be done immediately if necessary. Motion by JD to allow snowmobiles on the path this year after a memorandum of agreement addressing the maintenance, speed and signage has been negotiated: seconded by PF; vote was 5-0.
Purchase Orders
Highway Department - American Rock Salt/Barrett Trucking - Salt for 07/08 season @49.80 per ton up to 500 Tons. Motion by JD to approve the purchase order for American Rock Salt/Barrett Trucking: seconded by PF; vote was 5-0.
Highway Department - MB Tractor $3,800 - Rental of road side mower that is a budgeted item. Motion by SF to approve the purchase order for MB Tractor: seconded by JD; vote was 5-0.
Water & Sewer Department - Idexx distribution - $3,694 - Model 115V 2X Quanti-tray sealer UV lamp. This is state mandated to test for bacteria in water. This was not budgeted for but they did get a good deal because all of the towns were required to do this. Mr. Chartier stated this system is more accurate and time saving. He then explained the testing process. Motion by PF to approve the purchase order for Idexx and take from capital reserve funds: seconded by JD; vote was 5-0.
Mr. Denning expressed his confidence in the Department Heads for what they do and how well they do it specifically recognizing Mark Bucklin & Jeff Chartier present this evening. They do a great job. Mr. Waring agreed as they were very quick to help him when he had a problem.
Public Comments
Mr. Walenda questioned the status with Freudenberg as they still have not begun to fix the dams. He suggested beginning legal step to try and move this forward. He also heard a rumor that they changed ownership. Mr. Alpers stated they have been addressing the issue as they sent a letter to Representative Burt Williams, Governor Lynch and Executive Councilor Raymond Burton. They did respond back with their progress and at this point they are waiting for approval from DES. Mr. Fraser stated there are a lot of items in the letter of response that need to be addressed and it will take time. Mr. Alpers stated Freudenberg will not start anything until they have approval from DES. Ms. Corrow stated moving forward with legal may or may not be good as they should look at all their options. Mr. Van Derven stated the first step was a letter now we should send an additional letter to see what is happening next because lawyers cost a lot of money.
Mr. Bannan stated the community Bulletin Board is not good because you can not read it easily due to the length of the notices and the length of time one has to read it. He also stated things are out dated.
Mr. Bannan stated the dump is open Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday and is closed for the Fourth of July and Christmas. However, it was closed on Labor Day and there was no notice posted. He stated if something like this is changed people need to be informed. Mr. Denning stated they did publicize it but he may have missed it. He stated the employees at the dump also want to spend their holidays with their family like everyone else and it is open the following day. Mr. Denning stated it was posted and we try and be as communicative as possible.
Mr. Bannan questioned why the Help Wanted sign that is listed in the town hall states the Selectmen are encouraging citizens to run for the Budget Committee. He does not understand why they are not encouraging citizens to run for all the elected offices. Mr. Alpers stated it was due the meetings the Board has had with the various boards and committees. The Budget Committee stated they will be looking for members to run this year as they have positions coming up and therefore they were added to the list as will any other board or committee if they state a need. Mr. Denning stated they have asked the boards and committees that have come in thus far what is it they need. All have needed members. Mr. Van Derven stated now is the time to start pushing for citizens to run for all positions. Mr. Bannan feels there are not a lot of young people on the Boards and Committees. Mr. Alpers stated each group they meet with are added to the list if they have openings. Ms. Corrow stated they do advertise for all the elected positions available closer to the elections as it is required by law.
Mr. Van Derven stated he likes the information that is on the Bulletin Board. Ms. Corrow stated the information that is posted on the bulletin board is what is sent to us. Mr. Van Derven suggested asking people that send information to us to keep it short and to the point.
Ms. Corrow stated we do post notices in more places then just town hall. They are posted at the Library, in the Record Enterprise and the Penny Saver. Mr. Bannan questioned whether we could put the scrolling bulletin board on the website. Ms. Corrow did not think it can be at this time and stated all the town notices are also listed on the website.
Resolution For Swiss View Boundary Line Agreement
Ms. Corrow stated this agreement was a follow up to the meeting the board had with the town’s attorney in July to discuss the boundary line and the attorney has reviewed the revised plan and drafted a resolution. Ms. Corrow would like a vote from the Board to approve this agreement. She stated we now have a surveyed plan and the resolution was drafted by town council. Motion by PF to accept the Resolution for Swiss View Boundary Line Agreement: seconded by SF; vote was 5-0.
Municipal Coalition
Ms. Corrow stated Lincoln wrote a letter to the Grafton County Commissioners regarding the budget and the construction of the jail. Mr. Alpers stated the jail project started at 65 million and is now down to 47 million and the funding will come from the tax payers. He stated they are trying to get grants. Mr. Alpers stated the current facility is in very bad condition and does not meet regulations for a jail. Mr. Denning feels this coalition is more of a political thing and not factual and therefore, does not support the letter. Mr. Fraser stated everyone agrees there needs to be a new jail, but the concern is the process of how the commissioners are getting the information out to the public. Mr. Fraser wanted to review the letter in depth and suggested the Selectboard write their own letter. Mr. Van Derven agreed and would like to do an independent letter discussing the concerns with the budget.
Selectboard Goals
Ms. Corrow stated she had put a list of goals together for the upcoming budget season as she felt she has a good sense of what the selectmen’s goals are. She explained they are working on all of the goals they had originally drafted however, they can not afford to do them all at in the next budget. Ms. Corrow’s first goal is to follow through and implement the pay classification as this will help with employee retention. Ms. Corrow’s second goal is to maintain infrastructure. This will be done by implementing the CIP program. This will implement a plan to show we are maintaining the infrastructure and investing in ourselves. The third goal is to provide professional emergency services to the community. We have compliance issues in the police building and some issues with the EMS and Fire Department. She explained the Police Department is going to be addressing the drug issue in town and a comprehensive drug program will be proposed soon. The fourth goal is to improve the financial condition of the town. By implementing a fiscal year that has been previously discussed would help this issue greatly. The implementation of economic development and growth to the downtown is needed. Enhancing programs to increase revenues and regionalization would also improve the town’s financial situation. Ms. Corrow’s fifth goal is to improve community relations by implementing the franchise fee to enable the town to do its own broadcasting of meetings and events. The sixth goal ties in with economic development to address the inevitable growth of the town and would like to share a planner with the other communities. The seventh goal is the water and sewer to the lake. Ms. Corrow stated there is a great deal of financial preparation and land use planning that is necessary for the sewer extension project. These items are all already being worked on. Ms. Corrow stated there are a lot of projects in the works and would like to get the boards priorities as the goals we currently have. Mr. Alpers agreed that there are many things that could be added to the list but they need to finish what they have started. He stated the hard part is prioritizing the list to move forward.
Mr. Alpers questioned if they could discuss the personnel manual next meeting as he is still reviewing and has a few minor changes.
Ms. Corrow stated she has moved forward with the implementation of disability.
Ms. Corrow stated she has been discussing with other towns how they deal with Temporary Alternate Duty. She explained it is required with workman’s comp if someone is injured on the job but it is not required if someone is injured at home. The town opens themselves up to many issues if they allow temporary alternate duty to someone that was injured at home. Ms. Corrow stated there is a fitness requirement in some departments.
Selectboard Items
Joe Denning – Mr. Denning questioned if the letter from DRA went to the Budget Committee.
Mr. Denning would also like an update from the Trustees of the Trust Fund.
Mr. Denning questioned the safety issue of the barrier that was put on Riverdale Road as you can not see it very well. Ms. Corrow will look in to it.
Steve Favorite – Mr. Favorite stated the Planning Board has almost finalized an excavation policy. He explained Mr. Corey Johnston helped with this greatly and they will now bring it before the public for input. He stated it is also revenue producing.
Mr. Fraser stated he is still working on a cell tower. He has began looking into another company as this new company seems ready to go.
Mr. Van Derven questioned if we could still get partial programming from Lakes Region Public Access is we do our own programming as there are shows that he would still like LRPA to broadcast and the town to see.
Mr. Van Derven complimented Mr. Walenda for attending the entire meeting and encourages others to do the same.
Mr. Alpers requested a budget update for the next meeting or provided in their boxes.
Mr. Denning questioned the status of the Land Use Enforcement Officer. Ms. Corrow stated Mr. Dan Bouchard will be helping with the interviews along with Chief Skantze and Ms. Montague is doing a great job.
Town Manager Items
Ms. Corrow questioned if the board would like to invite the Historic District Commission to the next Selectboard meeting as they are very anxious to meet with the Board.
Mr. Alpers stated they should write something back to the folks that petitioned them regarding the Downtown.
Mr. Van Derven questioned the Boards decision on the Franchise Fee. Mr. Denning had not decided yet. Mr. Alpers does not understand why we would pay someone else to do something we can do through the franchise fee. Mr. Van Derven questioned if other towns may be interested as well. This would be self funding and other communities can join once they have the broadcasting up and running.
Mr. Walenda questioned who did the paving of the sidewalks on Route 104. Ms. Corrow stated the town did.
Motion to adjourn was made by Mr. Paul Fraser; seconded by Mr. Van Derven; vote was unanimous.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 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