November 18, 2019 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTONPillsbury Memorial Town Hall93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NHSutton Mills, NH 03221Select Board November 18, 2019 @ 4:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Dane Headley, Chair. Present at the meeting were Dane Headley, Chair; Robert Wright, Jr., Selectman; William I. Curless, Selectman; Robert DeFelice, Budget Chair; Adam Hurst, Road Agent; Cory Cochran, Fire Chief; Aaron Flewelling, Deputy Fire Chief; Tom Schamberg, State Representative; Gail Guertin, Budget Committee member and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator. The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. on November 4, 2019. The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests: PAYROLL MANIFEST: $10,435.83 VENDOR MANIFEST: $16,639.18 BUILDING PERMIT: The Board reviewed and approved the following building permits: Finlay Florida Trust, 10-085-400, Meadowbrook Road, for a deck Jason Abair, 01-578,450, Birch Hill Road, request for extension for permit 2017-43 CURRENT USE: The Board approved an application for Current use for Robert Wright, Jr., 02-456-278 for 1.3 contiguous acres. APPOINTMENTS: At 4:05 p.m. Selectman Headley opened the public meeting to adopt the Sutton Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2019. Elly Phillips, Town Administrator, presented the plans and maps. The minutes from the August 19, 2019 public information meeting were made available for review. There were no questions or comments from the audience. Selectman Headley acknowledged the significant effort of the committee and read into the record the following resolution. A Resolution Adopting the Sutton Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2019 WHEREAS, the Town of Sutton has historically experienced severe damage from natural hazards and it continues to be vulnerable to the effects of the hazards profiled in the Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2019including but not limited to flooding, high wind events, severe winter weather, and fire, resulting in loss of property and life, economic hardship, and threats to public health and safety; and WHEREAS, the Town of Sutton has developed and received conditional approval from the NH Homeland Security and Emergency Management (NHHSEM) for its Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2019 under the requirements of 44 CFR 2015.6; and WHEREAS, public and Committee meetings were held between November 2018 through July 2019 regarding the development and review of the Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2019; and WHEREAS, the Plan specifically addresses hazard mitigation strategies, and Plan maintenance procedures for the Town of Sutton; and WHEREAS, the Plan recommends several hazard mitigation actions (projects) that will provide mitigation for specific natural hazards that impact the Town of Sutton with the effect of protecting people and property from loss associated with those hazards; and WHEREAS, adoption of this Plan will make the Town of Sutton eligible for funding to alleviate the effects of future hazards; now therefore be it RESOLVED by Town of Sutton Select Board: The Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2019 is hereby adopted as an official plan of the Town of Sutton; The respective officials identified in the mitigation action plan of the Plan are hereby directed to pursue implementation of the recommended actions assigned to them; Future revisions and Plan maintenance required by 44 CFR 201.6 and FEMA are hereby adopted as a part of this resolution for a period of five (5) years from the date of this resolution; and An annual report on the progress of the implementation elements of the Plan shall be presented to the Select Board by the Emergency Management Director or designee. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have affixed their signature and the corporate seal of the Town of Sutton this 18th day of November, 2019. The resolution was executed by the Select Board and signed and sealed by Carol Merullo, Town Clerk. There being no further comment the public meeting was closed at 4:12 p.m. At 4:28 p.m. Selectman Wright made a motion to enter into non-public session Non-public – under RSA 91-A:3,II(b) to discuss personnel matters. Selectman Curless seconded the motion. The Board was polled with Selectman Headley, Selectman Wright and Selectman Curless voting in the affirmative. Public session resumed at 4:58 p.m. the minutes were not sealed. The Board discussed setting the compensation for Adam Hurst, Road Agent, and Eugene Cote, Assistant Road Agent, upon completion of a six-month probationary period. Mr. Hurst received a salary increase of $1.50. Mr. Cote received a salary increase of $1.00. At 5:00 Cory Cochran, Fire Chief; Aaron Flewelling, Deputy Fire Chief and Robert DeFelice, Budget Chair, met with the Board to discuss the obsolescence of the Fire Department’s Scott Air Pack equipment. Mr. DeFelice provided the Board with handouts describing three different replacement scenarios. Chief Cochran provided a history regarding the replacement schedule for air packs. Chief Cochran advised that the Scott Air Packs utilized by the Department were due for replacement, and the department was currently exploring options for the replacement of obsolete non-complaint air packs. Each oxygen bottle costs $1,000 and each unit has two bottles. The Department needs to replace 13 packs (or 26 bottles). The air packs have an OSHA mandated 15-year life. Chief Cochran worked with Robert DeFelice to establish a replacement plan. As a short-term solution, the Department was considering acquiring 13 used air packs with a 4-year life for $1,000 each. This alternative would allow the Town to develop and budget for a long term solution. Chief Cochran reviewed the matter with the Budget Chair. Establishing a capital reserve plan for replacement of the packs is necessary. Options for leasing the packs or acquiring new packs were explored. Mr. DeFelice described the following replacement options. To replace all 13 packs immediately, the cost would be approximately $100,000. To replace the packs with 13-used packs (with a 4-year usable life) would be $13,000. To replace the 13 packs in four years, the cost would be $127,000 (inflation projected) To lease to own, the projected cost would be $104,804 with a 3-year payment plan $106,482.49 with a 4-year payment plan $108,177.44 with a 5-year payment plan Mr. DeFelice recommended acquiring the 13-used packs for $13,000 and establishing a capital reserve in 2020. This would allow the Town to fund an expendable capital reserve for replacement over the next 4 years. This would result in 18 years of air pack coverage. The Town will then have an opportunity to keep the tax rate level and explore grant opportunities. Chief Cochran recommended establishing the capital reserve to cover other life safety equipment such as the SCBA, thermal imaging camera equipment, and jaws-of-life which are all big ticket items. Funding is available through the Fire Department operating budget to acquire the used equipment this year. Chief Cochran advised that this is because the Fire Department did not have to outfit any new members this year. Typically, the Department outfits two members at a cost of approximately $6,000 each. Mr. DeFelice suggested the availability of the DeFelice Fund for a possible offset to the expense. Chief Cochran noted that in the interim, the Town could explore grant opportunities which are often available for this type of equipment. It was noted that the Town does not currently have a grant writer. The Select Board supported the purchase of the used equipment in 2019 and the establishment of an expendable Capital Reserve for safety equipment and the acquisition of the used SCBA equipment in 2020. The capital reserve for the fire department addition/facility was also discussed. As the department is still exploring options, they agreed to reduce the level of capital fund for the Fire Department addition/facility to $70,000. In 2019, $180,000 was placed in reserve for this purpose. To maintain level funding Mr. DeFelice was recommending that $80,000 will go to road capital reserve and $32,000 will be allocated to establish a capital reserve for safety equipment. The Board expressed appreciation for the Department’s willingness to be flexible with capital planning in order to help keep the tax rate level acknowledging this year’s substantial increase. OLD BUSINESS: The Board noted that the Library Ramp RFP Pre-Construction Conference was scheduled for 11/19/2019 at 9:00 a.m. – Selectman Curless will attend on behalf of the Select Board. The Board issued letters to abutters of a discontinued section of Birch Hill Road confirming discontinuance. NEW BUSINESS: The Board executed the 2019 Equalization Municipal Assessment Data Certificate. The Board executed an Oath of Office Form for Yvonne Howard as Deputy Town Clerk/Tax Collector. Ms. Howard was appointed at the Select Board Meeting that was conducted on 11/4/2019. The Board executed a dispatch contract with the Town of New London for year 2020 in the amount of $25,601.00 noting an increase of $178.82 over 2019. The Board received a confidential residency report from the Kearsarge Regional School District. The Board discussed retired computer equipment. Phillips was instructed to dispose of the equipment. The Board received correspondence from Jack Noon regarding possible hazardous waste improperly disposed of on East Sutton Road. Adam Hurst, Road Agent, verified that there were materials in the location described. The materials are on private property. Phillips to follow up. The library notified the Board that the supply budget line item was going over by $1,200. The libraries total operating budget would not be going over. Selectman Wright made a motion to approve an expenditure of up to $1,200 from the Police Department Computer Equipment Capital Reserve fund for the replace on a non-compliant (life expectancy expired) workstation. Selectman Curless seconded the motion. The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. SELECTMEN’S COMMENTS: Selectman Wright reviewed an article from the recent addition from Town and City, page 26, regarding municipal agreements. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:49. Respectfully submitted, Elly Philips Town Administrator
