March 2, 2023 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH Sutton Mills, NH 03221 Select Board and Library Trustee Joint Meeting March 2, 2023 @ 6:00 PM Dane Headley opened the meeting at 6:00 PM. Present at the meeting were: Dane Headley, Chair; Walter Baker, Jr., Selectman; Michael McManus, Selectman; Robert DeFelice, Budget Chair; Library Board of Trustees: Nancy Glynn, Chair; Lauren Avery, Trustee; Tracy Mingarelli, Trustee, and Library Director, Elizabeth Geraghty. Mr. Baker discussed contractor bids he had obtained to rectify the current standing water and wiring problems that exist in the Library Building’s basement. There was a bid for approximately $2,500 from Irish Electric that included the installation of a new electrical panel with appropriate circuit breaker protection for the building and a bid from Wet Basement Solutions to include a whole building dehumidifier, drain/drainage system to move water to the outside of the building, and appropriate seal/sealant over the entire basement floor and its perimeter foundation areas. This bid was at $17,000 and could go up if mold issues are found to exist in the basement walls, in which case, all wall panels will need to be torn out and replaced. It was decided by the Select Board and Budget Chair that the new electrical panel and dehumidifier with outside drainage should and could be installed now using currently available funds for these repairs while further basement water repairs could be postponed to a later date. The Library Trustees were all in favor of this plan and Mr. Baker indicated he would get back to Wet Basement Solutions to obtain a scaled back bid for this more limited scope of work. Future repairs and/or improvements to the Library were also discussed. Included was the need to revisit an ADA compliant ramp and access to the building via new designs or possibly an outdoor, enclosed lift from the building’s ground level to its main floor. Both functionality and affordability are considered key in determining a plan going forward. Another issue of concern by the library was the need to improve sewer drainage from the building to the site’s septic system. Robert DeFelice, Budget Chair, led a discussion of accounting procedures and revenue reporting between the Trustees and the Town that must be complied with. Ms. Glynn said that she and the Trustees become frustrated with the time it takes for the Select Board to get back to them after they have submitted an issue to the Town Administrator. Selectman Headley noted that NH Law dictates procedural policies and while Trustees could call him at home, it would not speed up the process, as he would still have to bring the issue to the Town Administrator, who in turn, brings it to the Select Board. He emphasized that there is no or “zero” instance when an individual Selectman can speak on behalf of the Board and that anyone who engages in any discussions with a Selectman needs to realize that. It was suggested that scheduling routine departmental meetings between the Trustees and the Select Board could go a long way in improving communications between the two groups. It was further agreed upon by the Select Board and Trustees that their current “Memo of Understanding” or MOU document needs work and that this should also be the subject of future meetings. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Dane Headley Select Board Chair