TOWN OF SUTTON
Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall
93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH
Sutton Mills, NH 03221
Select Board

March 22, 2021 @ 4:00 p.m.

 

Selectman William I. Curless, Chair, opened the meeting at 4:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Present at the meeting were William Curless, Chair; Dane Headley, Selectman; Walter Baker, Jr., Selectman; Jonathan Korbet, Police Chief; Robert Wright, Jr., Budget Committee Scribe; and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator.

 

APPOINTMENTS: 

At 4:30 p.m. Jonathan Korbet, Police Chief, met with the Board to discuss a proposed parking ordinance.  Chief Korbet provided the Board with a draft copy of the ordinance for consideration.   A public hearing will be required to adopt such an ordinance.  Chief Korbet has reviewed the proposed ordinance with Adam Hurst, Road Agent.  Mr. Hurst supports adoption of this parking ordinance.  The draft has been reviewed and approved by Town Counsel.  Chief Korbet recommended enforcement under a municipal ordinance as opposed to state statute which would result in a lesser fine structure.  Previous ordinances which were adopted in the 1980’s would be superseded by the proposed ordinance.  No parking areas would be identified with signage.  Chief Korbet discussed the ongoing parking problems.  It was noted that the Horse Beach parking area is owned by the North Sutton Improvement Society who would have control over any parking restrictions.  Local citizens have requested that parking area to be designated for Sutton residents only.  Chief Korbet wondered whether the Conservation Commission might support a parking area on their land. Selectman Baker will follow up with the Conservation Commission.   Selectman Baker supported a parking area on State land.  Chief Korbet will contact the State about opening up the Wadleigh parking area.  The Board discussed the possibility of having volunteers to open and close the parking area which has been the practice in previous years.  It was recommended that the Town obtain input on parking considerations from the Kezar Lake Protective Association.  The cost for signage was also discussed.  The Board will review the proposed ordinance and discuss it at their next regularly scheduled meeting.

 

Chief Korbet advised that he is in the process of getting quotations for the cruiser that was approved at the 2021 annual meeting.  Chief Korbet informed the Board the Police Department had some unanticipated repairs to their furnace which is 16 years old.  Consequently, it is likely that the building maintenance line item will go over.  If necessary, funds can be obtained from the capital reserve emergency building fund.  Selectman Curless discussed the need for a facilities maintenance plan.  Selectman Baker discussed necessary repairs on the Pillsbury Hall Roof and was advised that there has been a problem with the contractor.  Phillips and Baker will follow up.

 

The public and non-public minutes from the meeting of March 15, 2021 were approved as written.  The non-public minutes relating to personnel compensation were not sealed.  The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests:

Vendor Manifest:    $42,024.39

Payroll Manifest:     $13,661.59

 

BUILDING PERMITS:

The Board approved a building permit for the Sutton Historical Society, 04-252-402, Meetinghouse Hill Road, restore Meetinghouse tower, windows, preserve functional and decorative features.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

Due to the fact that an ordinance is under consideration, action was deferred on a request for permission for OHRV use under RSA 215-A on Eaton Grange Road, by Joseph Bourgeois.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

Action Items:

Stotler property – Selectman Baker and Phillips to follow up.

Old Store Museum Repairs – Selectman Curless to follow up with RFP Criteria.

Grist Mill /Lane River Embankment – Article 9 -Selectman Curless to follow up.

Grist Mill Parking Area – Article 10 – Selectman Headley to continue with follow up.  Forming a Parks and Recreation Committee was discussed.  Selectman Curless recommended that the Select Board continue working on the parking plan and solicit citizen input for the greenspace.  Selectman Headley emphasized the need for citizen input.  Selectman Baker recommended working with the Planning Commission for initial engineering as a precursor to RFP for the lot area.   It was noted that citizens were interested in a Veteran’s memorial in the greenspace.  Selectman Baker recommended involving Conservation Commission members in the planning process for the park area.  The sense of the Board was that the Select Board would take the lead on the parking area and citizens would have direct involvement in planning the greenspace.  Phillips will follow up with the Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission to for engineering services and to develop a draft plan for the RFP.

Cemetery land purchase – Article 11.  Selectman Baker made a motion to have Selectman Headley execute the closing document on behalf of the Board.  Selectman Curless seconded the motion.  Closing costs will be taken out of cemetery operating budget.  The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote.

The Board executed the quit claim deed for sale of tax deeded property to Stephen Gunnerson and Susan Lewis pursuant to Article 14 of the 2021 Town Meeting.

The Board agreed to meet with Carol Merullo, Town Clerk/Tax Collector, at their next regularly scheduled meeting to discuss Article 16.   Although the Warrant Article was advisory, funding was available from the salary contingency line item.

 

The Board approved the following Board appointments:

Marc Beauchemin, Zoning Board of Adjustment/Building Board of Appeals Alternate Member for a 1-year term.

Zachary Brock, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Building Board of Appeals Member for a 1-year term.

Samantha Gordon, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Building Board of Appeals Member for a 3-year term.

Betsy Forsharm, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Building Board of Appeals Member for a 3-year term.

Donald Davis, Jr., Conservation Commission Member for a 3-year term.

Deborah Lang, Conservation Commission Member for a 3-year term.

Roger Wells, Planning Board Member for a 3-year term.

Christine Fletcher, Planning Board Member for a 3-year term.

 

The Board discussed whether or not online recruiting might be helpful in attracting a candidate for the vacancy in the highway department.  The sense of the Board was that it would be too broad for the targeted area.  Advertising with NHMA and participating in the Concord Monitor’s employment database was generally preferred by the Board.

 

The Board approved Vacation days for the Town Administrator.

 

Robert Wright,  Jr., advised that he was willing to continue taking minutes for the Budget Committee under specific terms that he has reviewed with the Budget Chair.  Scheduling of Budget Committee was discussed.  The Board discussed putting budget committee minutes on the website.  The Select Board felt that digital submission should be required for posting on the website.

 

Selectman Baker made a motion to start Select Board meetings at 4:30 p.m. beginning March 29, 2021.  Selectman Headley seconded the motion.  The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote.

 

The Board discussed whether or not to re-instate the telephone conferencing system for their meetings.  The general sense of the Board was that in-person meetings were preferred.  However, call-ins by appointment could be arranged to accommodate COVID concerns.  The Board agreed to have ongoing meetings with department heads and committee chairs and KRSD Budget and School Board members.  The Board will discuss their functions as ex-officio members at a future meeting.

 

 

SELECTMEN’S COMMENTS:

 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:26 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

Elly Phillips

Town Administrator