TOWN OF SUTTON

Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall

93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH

Sutton Mills, NH 03221

Select Board

April 10, 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; Elly Phillips, Recording Secretary and David Grinsell, Town Administrator.

 

Election of Chair

Selectman Headley stated that he would like to remain as board chairman for the time being.  Selectman Baker agreed with Selectman Headley suggesting the chairmanship be extended for a three-month period.  Selectman Baker then made a motion to re-elect Selectman Headley as Chairman.  Selectman McManus seconded the motion.  Selectman Headley abstained from voting and the motion passed by a majority affirmative vote from Selectman Baker and Selectman McManus.

 

Designation of Ex-Officio Roles

Selectman McManus motioned that Selectman Baker remain on the Budget Committee in the capacity as Ex-Officio.  The motion was seconded by Selectman Headley and passed by a unanimous affirmative vote.

 

Selectman McManus made a motion to keep Selectman Headley as the Ex Officio for the Planning Board.  The motion was seconded by Selectman Baker and the motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote.

 

Recording Secretary Phillips Transition to Part-time

Selectman McManus asked Recording Secretary Phillips if she is going to come in as the seasons change to show the new Town Administrator what he needs to be doing.  To clarify, Selectman Baker asked Recording Secretary Phillips if she will be coming in part-time to help the new Town Administrator transition over to assuming the full responsibilities of the position.  Recording Secretary Phillips replied that she was willing to work part-time to assist with the transition.

 

CONSENT AGENDA:

 

REVIEW OF MANIFESTS:

The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests:

Vendor Manifest:  $30,095.93

Payroll Manifest:   $15,983.27

 

PERMITS/Yield Taxes:

The Board reviewed and approved the following permits and yield taxes:

Michael and Elke Melody, 01-105-256, Eaton Grange Road for an addition (removal of deck), wetlands approval attached.

Intent to Cut:  John Brown & Sons, I-89, Operation 22-439-03, for 14 acres

Report of Excavated Materials, Excavation Tax, $14.78

Intent to Excavate:  Christopher Rowe, et al for 1.0 acres out of 1.5 acres

 

New Appointments

Recording Secretary Phillips provided the board with Oath of Office forms for newly elected positions and reminded the Select Board that should an elected appointee fail to accept the position then the board is the appointing authority.

 

Old Business

Library Repairs – Selectman Baker provided an update on the work being performed at the library by Irish Electrical indicating he is following up with Irish Electrical to ensure their work is completed and then contacting Wet Basements to start their work.  Selectman Baker is also having Irish Electric provide a quote for the library ceiling lights and to replace the bulbs at town hall.

 

Corporation Hill Embankment – An expenditure report for the Corporation Hill Embankment project indicating total expenditures from inception of $447,435 was provided to the Board for review.

 

New Business

Septic Drainage System Location at Solid Waste Facility – Recording Secretary Phillips mentioned that she has contacted Peter Blakeman who has prepared a number of plans for the solid waste facility.  Mr. Blakeman believes that a tank is there and    offered to probe for the tank and, if necessary, research plans at DES to assist in locating the septic tank.  His billing rate is $162.50 an hour and estimates he will require 3 hours of time.  The Board authorized Mr. Blakeman to proceed after he provides a written estimate including the scope of the work to be performed.  It was discussed that the information would be beneficial for the April 17, 2023 Board meeting with Anthony Drouin from the State of New Hampshire to discuss the septage issue. A concern was expressed whether Mr. Blakeman could prepare an estimate and complete the requested work prior to the upcoming Board meeting.  It was also mentioned that it would be helpful if Mr. Blakeman’s findings could be incorporated into the cite plan.

 

Cost of Living Allowance (COLA)

A brief discussion ensued related to cost-of-living adjustments (COLA).  Selectman Headley questioned the budget committee establishing the precedent of using an annual COLA increase for town employees’ pay, indicating that this is not a rule and this practice can be changed.  The Board commented that in Sutton the Budget Committee has determined to do COLA increases annually based on Social Security’s cost of living calculation.  The Board expressed concern that such an escalation limits their discretion to potentially provide merit increases. It was mentioned that Municipal Resources Inc has been contacted to begin conducting an independent wage classification study to update personnel and purchasing policies pursuant to Warrant Article 7.

 

Selectmen’s Comments

RFP Old Store Museum – Selectman McManus requested that an RFP (request for proposal) be prepared by April 24, 2023, for the purpose of making repairs to the Old Store Museum (South Sutton Store) according to Warrant Article 8.  Selectman Baker is providing a diagram and details of the scope of work to be completed.

 

Remove dying maple tree  at the Pillsbury Memorial Hall –  The Board discussed removal of the dying sap maple,  and it was agreed that a public informational meeting is appropriate and will be conducted on April 24, 2023.  Selectman McManus will provide the names of three tree service vendors from Sutton who will be invited to provide an estimate

 

Grist Mill Parking Lot Maintenance – Selectman McManus recommended having the highway department assume responsibility for maintaining and plowing the Grist Mill Parking lot.  The Board will meet with  Adam Hurst on April 17, 2023to discuss the matter  Due to the appointments already scheduled a suggestion was made and approved to start the April 17 board meeting at 4:30.

 

Open pit to store grinding materials –  Selectman McManus stated the grinding on I-89 is to begin shortly and we need the Highway Department to open the pit at the old Ash landfill to store the grindings.  A driveway permit has been requested from the State of New Hampshire, but has not been received.  The permit is necessary for access to the storage pit.

 

Tim Hayes / Cemetery – Selectman Baker requested that we follow up with Tim Hayes for information regarding the cemetery.

 

The was a general discussion regarding right-to-know inquiries.  Citizens who are interested in accounts payable information or police department logs will be provided with that information upon request subject to RSA 91-A.

 

ARPA Bridge Grant – Selectman McManus requested a report on the ARPA grant for bridges next week.    The Town received $86,461 from a one-time Special Highway Block Grant for bridges.  The Board will seek guidance from the Dot  to learn if these funds can be utilized for the Archcon Culvert Project.

 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

David Grinsell

Town Administrator