June 26, 2017 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH 03221 Board of Selectman Meeting Minutes of June 26, 2017 The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Robert Wright, Jr., Chair. Present at the meeting was Robert Wright, Jr., Chair; William I. Curless, Selectman; Walter Baker, Jr., Selectman; Cindy Stillman, Deputy Town Clerk and Elly Phillips, Recording Secretary. The minutes from June 19, 2017 were approved as written. The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests: PAYROLL MANIFEST: $ 13,788.71 VENDOR MANIFEST: $ 12,131.67 PERMITS: The Board reviewed and approved the following building permits: Angeli/Spenser, Map 08-288-524, 78 Kings Hill Road, for a dwelling Mark Peterson, 04-493-097, Fox Chase Road, for a dwelling Neil Shifrin, 10-410-215, Summit Road, for roof mounted solar panels Carol Conforti-Adams, Blaisdell Lake Protective Association, 02-704-486, for a removal lift, approved by the ZBA June 21, 2016. Selectman Wright recused himself from this building permit stating that he is a party of interest as a Board Member for the Blaisdell Lake Protective Association. Selectman Wright added that his recusal is not an indication of whether he is for or against granting the permit. INTENT TO CUT: The Board approved an intent to cut for Richard Stockwell, 04-115-056, Roby Road, for 4 acres out of 4. NEW BUSINESS: The Board executed the 2018 Tax Map Maintenance Proposal with CAI. The board received notification of the NH DOT resurfacing project on North Road. Cold planing is to occur on June 26, 2017. Paving is anticipated to begin on Wednesday June 28 and shoulder leveling to be completed on Friday, June 30. Line striping has not been scheduled at this time. The Board received notification of public hearing relative to the nomination of the Warner River into the NH Rivers Management and Protection Program — July 11, 2017, 6:30 p.m. Warner Town Hall. Selectman Wright agreed to attend to represent the Town of Sutton. The Board discussed the Deputy Town Clerk/Tax Collector positon. Phillips observed that there has been a high turnover for the position and speculated that in part this was due to the fact that the hours were so limited, it was difficult to find a candidate willing to make a commitment to the position. The current Deputy was offered a position with another town with additional hours and higher wages, but has indicated she would like to stay with the Town of Sutton. Administrative personnel discussed the positon at a staff meeting and felt there were several areas were additional support was needed. Between necessary tasks for the Town Clerk/Tax Collector, Selectmen, Planning/Zoning, and building and grounds, a regularly scheduled part-time position could be supported within the 2017 budget. The Planning and Zoning office is in need of administrative support to review and file archived information as well as support for the Master Plan and CIP process. The Selectmen’s Office was in need of intermittent backup personnel for the Town Administrator and bookkeeper during scheduled vacations. There was also an opportunity to assume housekeeping duties for approximately 6 hours per week. Selectman Curless discussed scheduling for the Town Clerk’s Office noting that there were 12 regular hours scheduled and additional hours were needed to cover absences. Selectman Wright added that there was a demonstrated need for additional support for the Selectmen’s office. The consensus of the Board was to allocate a minimum of 20 hours per week, pay rate and pro-rated benefits for the part-time positions were discussed. The Board will review the current allocation as well as the personnel policy for possible amendment. Selectman Baker observed that it was more cost effective to use support personnel for some of the tasks which department heads are currently undertaking. Selectman Baker stressed the need for back up for the Town Clerk/Tax Collector’s office and that the last Saturday of the month was critical based on feedback Selectman Baker has received from the residents. Phillips agreed that the first priority for the support position being discussed was for coverage for the Town Clerk’s duties. Selectman Wright emphasized the fact that the Town Clerk/Tax Collector had the authority to set her own hours and that the Select Board did not have authority over the Town Clerk/Tax Collector. Selectman Baker made a motion to offer a position to Cindy Stillman for a minimum of 20 hours per week as Deputy Town Clerk and Office Assistant for the Executive Department to be paid at the current rates. Selectman Curless seconded the motion. The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. OLD BUSINESS: The Boston Post Cane replica is getting engraved, and it is anticipated that it will be available for presentation the second week in July. Once the engraving is complete, the presentation of the cane will be scheduled for the oldest citizen of Sutton. Phillips reported on the status of the Grist Mill/Corporation Hill Footbridge. The beam has been fabricated and Hansen Construction has begun work on the footbridge. The projected date for installation of the footbridge is mid-August. REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE: The Board received legislative bulletins from NHMA. Selectman Wright will report on pertinent legislation at the next regularly scheduled meeting. Linda Ford, Town Clerk/Tax Collector, provided the Board with a list of individuals slated for tax deed. There was a lengthy discussion regarding the tax deeding process. After the deed letters have been issued from the Tax Collector, the Board will follow up with correspondence to individuals facing tax deed in order to reinforce the seriousness of the situation. SELECTMEN’S COMMENTS: Selectman Curless reported that he will be meeting with a contractor to receive recommendations and an estimate for fence repairs at Millwood’s Cemetery. Selectman Curless indicated that it appears that the most cost effective approach would be to take the fence down in sections for repair and to powder coat or dip the sections with a galvanizing agent. Selectman Baker felt that it would be less expensive to do the section/coat repairs as discussed by Selectman Curless than to erect the granite posts with chains as previously discussed with the cemetery trustees. Selectman Wright inquired about the tree removal at Millwood’s. Mrs. Marne Thompson, Cemetery Trustee, is following up on the tree removal process. Selectman Baker is in the process of developing a plan for the Sutton Mills Cemetery. He needs to coordinate with the Highway Department as the preliminary estimate does not include labor costs for digging and trenching which the Highway Department may be able to provide. Selectman Baker reported that Don Davis has discovered some Town-related records from his Irene Davis’s estate that may be of interest to the Town. The Board agreed that the records should be reviewed by the Town Clerk’s office to see if they are required to be permanently retained or are of historical significance; otherwise they should be disposed of. Selectman Baker added that he has been asked by a citizen about what the plan is for cleanup of Horse Beach. Selectman Baker advised that the Conservation Commission will be developing a management plan at a regularly scheduled meeting. Selectman Wright discussed the Historical Society’s assessment of the condition of the South Sutton Meeting House. The Historical Society is exploring the extent of and estimated cost for repairs. The Historical Society is considering fund raising opportunities and may seek an appropriation from the Town for the repairs through a 2018 Warrant Article. Selectman Curless opined that if the damage is structural than it will likely require engineering and the total system will need to be assessed due to the post and beam construction. If the damage involves the tower, the tower will need to be removed with a crane in order to do repairs. Selectman Wright noted that the building is on the National and State Historic Registries. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elly Phillips Recording Secretary