March 20, 2023 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH Sutton Mills, NH 03221 Select Board March 20, 2023 @ 5:00 p.m. Dane Headley opened the meeting at 5:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Present at the meeting were: Dane Headley, Chair; Walter Baker, Jr., Selectman; Michael McManus, Selectman; John Maynard, Catherine Paden, Lynn Wittman, Linda Jaggard, Chris Geurette, and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator. APPOINTMENTS: John Maynard, Baker Road, met with the Board to discuss a dog nuisance issue in his neighborhood. The neighbor had two Great Pyreneese dogs, approximately 30 sheep, goats, chickens and ducks on a 2.7 acre lot. The dogs do not stay on the property. The Pyreneese were bred, and there were up to fifteen dogs on the property. At this point, there are nine dogs on the property. One of the dogs is aggressive toward livestock so it is penned. Other dogs are aggressive towards fowl. The barking is incessant and uncontrollable. Mr. Maynard has trail cameras on his property and has observed more dogs on his property than wildlife. Mr. Maynard has attempted to work with his neighbors regarding the barking issue. The dogs have an outside kennel which helps to keep them contained to the property but does not alleviate the barking issue. Mr. Maynard also expressed concerns regarding manure management and the potential for pollution of his farm pond. Mr. Maynard tests his water annually to ensure that it is safe. Mr. Maynard has contacted the Police Department regarding the matter. Mr. Maynard has done research on the matter and has found that regulations and guidelines for livestock dogs are limited. For pet canine, state RSA’s apply to dogs barking for ½ hour or more. The general standard is one livestock guard dog per five acres. The dogs are capable of guarding a large area. Mr. Maynard indicated that a dog on a chain or in a kennel is not guarding. Mr. Maynard expressed an interest in developing a local ordinance. He was advised that amendments to the zoning ordinance require adoption by ballot at the annual meeting. The Board will provide information on the process for amending the zoning ordinance. The Board explored whether or not the use met the definition of a commercial kennel. If so, a special exception and site plan review might be an option. The Board recommended that Mr. Maynard review the matter with Peter Stanley, Planning and Zoning Administrator. Selectman Headley sought public comment from those present. Hearing none pertaining to the issue, public comment was closed. Mr. Maynard is awaiting guidance from the Police Department regarding the matter. At 6:00 p.m. Catherine Paden met with the Board regarding lighting of the Grist Mill Parking Area. Ms. Paden’s property abuts the parking area. It was noted that the lights have been malfunctioning. A lock has been installed to prevent tampering with the lights. Selectman McManus advised that the lights have been reset a number of times but appears to lose track of time within one to two days. At this time, the lights have been disabled. The town is arranging to have the lights serviced by the installing electrician. Ms. Paden has volunteered to assist with monitoring the lights once the problem has been resolved. The current plan is to set the lights from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. during daylight saving time except for occasions, such as election, when the lights will need to be on later. At 6:30 p.m. Selectman Headley made a motion to enter into Non-Public Session Under RSA 91-A:3, II(b) The hiring of any person as public employee. Selectman Baker seconded the motion. The Board was polled with Selectmen Headley, Baker and McManus voting in the affirmative. Public Session resumed at 6:06 p.m. Selectman Baker made a motion to seal the minutes as they pertained to hiring of a public employee. Selectman McManus seconded the motion. The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. Selectman Baker made a motion to accept the minutes of March 13, 2023 as corrected. Selectman Headley seconded the motion. The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. REVIEW OF MANIFESTS: The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests: Vendor Manifest: $23,829.32 Payroll Manifest: $15,828.86 OLD BUSINESS: Selectman McManus discussed the report from the DES regarding the Septage Lagoons. Testing shows that the groundwater testing results are improving since the Town has stopped accepting septage. Selectman McManus felt that expending funds on an engineering closure plan is not a cost effective solution. Selectman McManus felt that things should remain status quo in view of the fact that the water quality is improving. If acceptable to the DES, Selectman McManus felt the lagoons should be filled with sand and allowed to lay fallow. The Board will notify the DES that the Town will no longer accept septage, wish to fill the lagoons with sand if that is acceptable and seek guidance on the testing requirements if this plan is acceptable to the DES. NEW BUSINESS: The Board received notification from the Department of Revenue Administration the 2022 Equalization Ratio has been set at 66.2%. The Board received a request for Disbursement from Capital Reserve for Records Preservation from Jack Noon. Selectman Headley made a motion to approve the request for funding from the Records Preservation Capital Reserve of up to $10,000 for preservation of Town Records as specified in Mr. Noon’s letter dated March 13, 2022. Selectman McManus seconded the motion. The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. The Board considered a Request for an Amendment to Mission Square Retirement Plan to include the opportunity to borrow against the plan and reviewed the associated procedure and paperwork. Selectman Baker made a motion to go forward with the amendment to allow for participants to borrow against the Mission Square Retirement fund. Selectman Headley seconded the motion. The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. Selectman Headley executed the 2022 Audit Management Representation Letter on behalf of the Board. The Board granted an Abatement Request from Mark and Wendy Rosenthal, Map 06-265-381. The property owner requested a frontage correction which was applied. There is no change to the property assessment as affected area is categorized in Current Use. LAND USE CHANGE TAX: The Board issued the following land use change taxes: Neil Shifrin and Laura Hanson, Stone House Road, Map/Lot: 10-598-414, $2,280 Nicholas Vanderwerff, Nelson Hill Road, Map/Lot: 06-935-095, $1,730 REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE: The Board noted receipted of a groundwater monitoring report from Knollwood Engineering. PUBLIC INPUT: Lynn Wittman presented a letter she had drafted commenting on the Warner River Advisory Committee’s Draft Report recommendations for response to drawdown from Kezar Lake during periods of low river flow. Selectman Baker made a motion to issue the letter. Selectman Headley seconded the motion. The motion passed 2-0 with Selectman McManus abstaining from the vote. SELECTMEN’S COMMENTS: The Board discussed snow removal during the latest severe winter storm event and will discuss the matter with Adam Hurst, Road Agent, at their next department head meeting. Selectman Baker updated the Board on a meeting that he attended with representatives from the North Sutton Improvement Society, Kezar Lake Protective Association and Peter Blakeman, Blakeman Engineering regarding parking matters. Heidi Thoma, President of the North Sutton Improvement Society has agreed to contact the State to see if they would agree to the Town’s use of the main entrance to use the parking area which has been used for the ballfield. There are many safety concerns that will be difficult to address at the North Sutton Improvement Society parking area across from Horse Beach. The possibility of reserving the Conservation Commission’s parking for Sutton residents only was also discussed. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:07 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elly Phillips Town Administrator