Town of Sutton, NH

26 Grist Mill Street Committee

Meeting Minutes of August 12, 2019

Members present:  Dane Headley, Chair, Don Davis, Glenn Pogust, Andy Jeffrey and Betsy Forsham.  Absent:  Bob DeFelice and Cindy Johnson

Call to order:  Chair Dane Headley called the meeting to order at 2:46 p.m.

Previous meeting minutes: It was moved by Don, seconded by Andy and unanimously approved to accept the minutes of August 5, 2019 as written.

Old Business:

The group discussed an email, dated 8-8-29, fromAndrew Cushing of the NH Preservation Alliance (NHPA) in which he expressed some ideas about what could be done if the buildings were retained, as well as relaying that landscape architect, Karen Fitzgerald of Francestown, would be happy to assist us with ideas. He informed members about a small planning grant of $500, with the town paying $100 and the NHPA $400. Don will contact Andrew and ask about the timeframe for applying for the grant and how long it would take to know if it was accepted or not. Members are inclined to apply if it can be accomplished by our Sept. 26^th deadline.

Appointment – 3:00 p.m. with William Curless, Custom Construction.  Bill made it clear that he was here wearing his builder hat, not his Selectman one.  He also wanted it stated that he felt insulted by comments made at past meetings which questioned his impartiality and integrity.  He has been in the construction business for 46 years and feels that he can present unbiased opinions on the various costs associated with our scenarios, divorced from his role as a selectman/fiscal agent for the town.  He was assured that no insult to his integrity had been intended.  That said, Bill presented “ball park” figures (rough estimates) as follows.  He noted that the figures he is presenting for the  four scenarios all include landscaping, complete site work, filling in the septic and dug well (where applicable) and creation of parking spaces, 10’ x 18’:

Sheet # 1 – this shows all buildings removed, construction of a 20’ x 20’ shed, 19 parking spaces and 1 van accessible space, and a park of 6,459 sq. ft.  Bill said the shed should be built on a slab and have frost walls.  The cost would include fees for the demolition and removal of the buildings.  The cost would be $105-$120,000.

Sheet #2 – this shows the buildings removed but the erection of an 18’x 20’ shed made to look similar to the present house, 21 parking spaces but no van accessible one, and a park of 10,080 sq. ft. The cost would be $120-$140,000.

Sheet #3 – this shows just part of the house remaining, with the ell and barn removed, a 20’ x 20’ shed, 19 parking spaces and 1 van accessible space, and a park of 6,645 sq. ft.  Bill felt the cost here would be to make the house “usable” which might require a new foundation and some structural work.  He also felt that it might need to be ADA compliant, even if just used for storage, but some members questioned this.  The cost would be $195-$225,000 and perhaps more, depending on what needs to be done to the house. 

Glenn wondered what it would cost to just remove the ell and barn, leave the rest of the house and stabilize it, and wait another year or so to decide what could be done with it.  Bill felt it

would be a waste of tax payers’ money to spend money only to have the building just sit, unused.

Sheet #4 – this shows all the buildings retained, a shed of 16’ x 20’, 21 parking spaces but no van accessible one, and a sectional park of 224 sq. ft. and 1,556 sq. ft. Again, the costs here would be to make the house “usable’ and the rest of the buildings safe.  It does not include things such as sprinklers, architectural plans, septic updates, ADA compliance, etc.  The cost would be $325-$350,000.

Bill opined about the cost of ongoing maintenance for all the town’s buildings and infrastructure and feels the town doesn’t have funds sufficient to do the necessary maintenance on what we presently have.

Glenn asked what plans which explore the condition of the building and problems encountered   might cost.  Bill felt maybe $50,000 or so.

Don asked what, if anything would need to be done to the building to just let it sit if we needed more time to decide what to do.  Bill felt it would be ok for at least another year, but he does have concerns about the barn.

Andy has had people ask questions about potential water problems if the basement were to be filled in and the effect water coming from the property would have on the value of adjacent properties.  The general consensus seemed to be, not much.

Some discussion ensued about using the town’s highway department to plow the lot vs. hiring a private contractor to do year round maintenance.  This is something to address further down the road.

Bill was thanked for his time and insights.

Committee Members’ Comments:

Members discussed the need to fine tune the probable costs and focus on our presentation of each scenario.  First we need to decide what the best routes to take are and come up with two positons. We should also be ready to discuss with the public positions we did not take.

Next Meeting date: 

Members discussed when to meet next.  While no meeting for 8/19 has been scheduled, it was agreed that, if necessary, a quorum could meet for a few minutes to formalize the decision to move forward with the grant application, depending on what information we get back from Don.  We also agreed that at our 8/26 meeting, we need to come up with a firm schedule of what we need to accomplish at each of our meetings going forward.

Adjournment:

There being no further business to conduct, it was moved by Glenn, seconded by Don and unanimously approved to adjourn at 3:55 p.m.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, August 26, 2019 at 2:45 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, Betsy Forsham, Recording Secretary