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

April 17, 2023 @ 4:30 p.m.

 

Dane Headley opened the meeting at 4:30  p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Present at the meeting were:  Dane Headley, Chair; Walter Baker, Jr., Selectman; Michael McManus, Selectman; Mark Peterson, First Free Will Baptist Church; Adam Hurst, Road Agent;  Diego Solimine, Solid Waste Supervisor; Anthony Drouin, Supervisor- Residuals Management Section, NH DES;  Elly Phillips, Recording Secretary; and David Grinsell, Town Administrator.

 

 

APPOINTMENTS:            

At 4:30 P.M. Mark Peterson met with the Board on behalf of the First Free Will Baptist Church.  Mr. Peterson serves on the Building and Grounds Committee of the church.  Mr. Peterson advised that an extensive spring cleanup of the lawn is required due to the amount of sand and salt applied on Keyser Street for winter maintenance.  Mr. Peterson stated that sugar maples were  removed. He indicated that they died due to the application of  sand and salt used  for winter road maintenance.  He noted that now that the maple trees are gone, vehicles are cutting the corner and driving fifteen feet up onto the lawn.  The church is concerned because the cars are compromising the church’s leaching field.  Mr. Peterson observed that citizens and organizations  use the church property for functions and the parking area is frequently used by folks enjoying a walk around Kezar Lake.  Mr. Peterson sought feedback from the Board and the Road Agent regarding  possible solutions to the problem.  Mr. Peterson suggested replanting trees to stop people from cutting the curb.  Selectman McManus felt that there was little that the road agent could do to mitigate the issue  because of the way the road is laid out in that area.  Various remedies were suggested to keep vehicles off of the leach field.   Mr. Hurst advised that technically the right-of-way that is being discussed is owned by the State.  However, the Town maintains that portion.  Selectman Headley recommended that Mr. Hurst and Mr. Peterson meet to discuss solutions.  In addition, the annual appropriation amount for the church will be reviewed.   The Town Administrator agreed to follow up on the matter.

 

 

4:40 P.M  Adam Hurst, Road Agent met with the Board to discuss the Grist Mill Parking Area and access and storage of materials at the Ash Landfill Site.

 

The Board acknowledged and shared a compliment from Jack Curry regarding Mr. Hurst and the highway crew’s prompt response to a concern that he raised regarding downed trees on Bum Carter Road.

 

Selectman McManus advised that there are some changes and modifications necessary to the Grist Mill Street Parking Lot.  The entryway on the left hand side needs to be excavated and gravel applied, and on the exit side near the greenspace there is an area that also has to be dug out and filled in.  The lot also  needs to be graded.   Selectman McManus indicated that in the future, the highway department should assume winter maintenance duties (plowing) for the parking lot.

 

Mr. Hurst expressed frustration that he was only invited to one meeting regarding the parking lot.  Mr. Hurst felt that the recommendations that he made were not incorporated into the final plan.  Mr. Hurst felt that the parking lot should have been paved for maintenance purposes.  The Board replied that the public response indicated that they preferred a gravel surface for the parking lot.   Selectman Headley suggested that the parking area  be treated with hardpack and maintained in a similar matter to Class V  gravel roads in town to attain the  optimum surface for maintenance.

 

Selectman Baker reiterated the fact that public input played a major factor in determining the surface and layout of the parking area.    Mr. Hurst asked for verification that the Highway Department would be in charge of plowing the parking area.  Selectman Baker responded that it is town property and that the Highway Department would be responsible for plowing and maintenance activities.  Selectman Baker added that the gravel surface would need to be in place for a year or two for compaction purposes and that paving the parking area is an option for future consideration.  Selectman McManus recommended that a bid should be obtained for paving the parking lot in conjunction with paving projects in proximity to the lot .  Mr. Hurst said that he has already requested a bid for that area and that he would have it revised to include the parking lot.

 

Selectman McManus inquired about the status of the ash landfill driveway permit.  Mr. Hurst replied that the Department has begun preparation of the site but needed the driveway permit prior to the installation of a culvert to facilitate heavy truck access.  The highway crew has begun debris removal. Mr. Hurst provided an estimate from local contractor, Jonah Caldwell, to strip the loam and stockpile it to one side and level off the storage site.  The estimate is for $3,000 based on two workdays and would include the equipment and operator.  The funding would come from the rental line item.  Mr. Hurst provided the Board with a copy of the estimate.  Selectman McManus asked if the access was adequate to stockpile ground materials from the I-89 project and if Mr. Hurst needed funding for trucking the material onsite.  Mr. Hurst replied that as soon as he gets the driveway permit and installs the culvert/access, the I-89 contractor will truck the materials in for the Town.  Selectman McManus encouraged commencing site work as soon as possible.  Mr. Hurst said that Mr. Caldwell is prepared to start the project next week.  The Board authorized Mr. Hurst to start the project as soon as possible.

 

At 4:49 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 a public employee.  Selectman Baker seconded the motion.  The Board was polled with Selectman Headley, McManus, and Baker voting in the affirmative.  Public session reconvened at 4:53 p.m.  The minutes were not sealed.  The Board was delighted to reinstate Brandon Grendell in his position as Assistant Road Agent at the same rate of pay and tenure along with the  two days of sick time previously accrued.

 

Mr. Hurst discussed the status of the calcium chloride tanks.   Mr. Hurst had the leaking tank pumped out and the calcium chloride is temporarily being stored at the vendor facility.  Mr. Hurst has obtained a price on a replacement tank of $4,064.  This price includes delivery.    The Department currently has one viable tank.  Selectman McManus asked if the Department needed two tanks, or could they get by with one tank?  Mr. Hurst replied that usage was dependent on the weather.   A lengthy discussion regarding the tanks ensured.  Selectman Headley asked Mr. Hurst to obtain some quotes for a replacement tank. Mr. Hurst said that he has obtained quotes and the amount of $4,064 reflects the lowest quotation received and was from an established vendor.   Mr. Hurst said he would like to empty the good tank and inspect it.  Mr. Hurst said that the tank had a 3,000 gallon capacity.

 

At 5:00 P.M. Anthony Drouin, Supervisor – Residuals Management Section, NH DES and Diego Solimine, Solid Waste Supervisor met with the Board to provide guidance on the closure of the septage lagoons.  Selectman Headley advised that the Board was leaning toward closure and would like to complete the project with as minimal impact/cost effectiveness as possible.

 

Mr. Drouin said that he was talking to a number of towns regarding the closure of their septage lagoons.  The closures were being recommended due to groundwater impact caused by PFAS which exceed the  recently adopted DES standards.  Mr. Drouin provided the Board with a sample closure plan which would require monitoring in perpetuity.  As the Solid Waste Facility is required to perform groundwater monitoring, this would be a  viable option for the Town.

 

Mr. Drouin said another option is to evaluate the material to see if it has a beneficial use as a biosolid.  If the material passes DES standards, (standards will be adopted in November), it could be spread on the property.  If not, it could be filled in as a monofil.  This option would also require  continued  groundwater monitoring.   Mr. Drouin observed that this was  the least desirable option, due to the fact that  the soil would continue to release  PFAS into the groundwater and could pose a risk of liability for the Town, because the groundwater could affect the adjacent properties.

 

Mr. Drouin suggested that the lagoons get dredged and the soil assessed.  If the soil passes DES standards, it could be spread out and seeded.  The grass (vegetation) would uptake the PFAS and provide attenuation which would mitigate the PFAS from going into the groundwater.

 

If the soil does not pass, the soil can be piled and capped with a synthetic or paper cap.  The cap provides an impermeable layer which prevents rainwater from passing through and contaminating the groundwater.  Mr. Drouin noted that PFAS locks onto carbon so that what is currently in the solid matter is from years gone by.

Another scenario described would be to  extract the solids from the lagoons and replace the solids with clean fill.  The next step would be to cap the lagoons.

 

If the soil passed eq. testing, Mr. Solimine recommended spreading it in the area that the Town previously applied the solids  when servicing the lagoons.  Mr. Solimine marveled at the robust vegetation resulting from the application of the solid material.    Mr. Drouin recommended spreading the material some distance from the monitoring wells and agreed that the area Mr.  Solimine was suggesting would be a suitable location.

 

Mr. Drouin felt that a stamped (engineered) plan would not be required for the closure.  There was a lengthy discussion regarding the associated costs of various closure options.

 

Mr. Drouin said that the DES could do the sampling for the Town and that funding may be available to offset the cost.  Once the testing is complete, the Town will have the necessary information to develop an  appropriate closure plan.  Mr. Drouin offered to work with Mr. Solimine to coordinate testing  and agreed to keep the Select Board Office in the loop.  Mr. Drouin will also explore potential funding opportunities for septage lagoon closure projects.  Mr. Drouin described the sampling process which requires a six inch sample.   The consensus of the Select Board was that they  would like to complete the project prior to November 2023.      On behalf of the Board,  Selectman Headley thanked Mr. Drouin for the informative and productive meeting.

 

Mr. Solimine proposed a new location for composting material utilizing an empty cement pad (where the plastics container was previously located).  Mr. Solimine said that this would facilitate the handling and cycling of the material.  The TA will check to see if a Solid Waste Facility Permit amendment is required for this change.   The sense of the Board was that this would be an appropriate location for the compost.

 

Selectman Headley made a motion to approve the April 17, 2023, minutes as corrected.  Selectman McManus seconded the motion.

 

CONSENT AGENDA:

REVIEW OF MANIFESTS:

The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests:

Vendor Manifest:  $40,021.65

Payroll Manifest:   $14,138.65

BUILDING PERMITS:

The Board approved a building permit for Gregory Rusnica, 05-868-555, Gile Pond Road, to replace a deck.

 

EXEMPTIONS:

The Board approved the following exemptions:

Elderly:                 Edward Bourgeois, 02-790-368, North Road

Solar:                     Jason & Jenn (Alford) Teaster, Map 02-790-368, Foothills Road

Karla & Rich Krajewski, Map 09-100-067, Baker Road

Michael & Lindsay Stickney, 07-600-593, Cotton Road

James and Kathryn Mathias, 10-406-263, Summit Road

William & Jennifer Knopf, Map 04-226-218, Roby Road

Martha Lennon and Martha Goettelmann,  Map 02-661-514, Route 114

Griffiths Revocable Trust, Map 02-055-155, Cottage Lane

 

NEW BUSINESS:

Selectman McManus administered the Oath of Office for Selectmen Headley for a three-year term.  Selectman McManus ratified the oath of office for Selectman Baker at the request of Beth-Holly LaDuke, Town Clerk Tax Collector.

Selectman Headley administered the Oath of Office to Alison Jones, Overseer of Public Welfare at the request of Beth Holly LaDuke.

 

The Board issued an appointment for Jennifer Call, as Treasurer, for a one-year term.

 

Town Administrator Grinsell reported that he and Treasurer Call were meeting with representatives from Bar Harbor bank on April 18, 2023, to explore investment opportunities and banking services.

 

OLD BUSINESS:

The Board reviewed a proposal from  MRI  for a Classification and Compensation Study as well as options to develop a performance appraisal system and a new personnel policy as voted through Article 7 of the 2023 Annual Meeting.  Selectman Headley made a motion to authorize David Grinsell, Town Administrator, to execute Option F of the proposal which includes: a Full Classification and Compensation Study of twenty-five positions; Development and Training of a Performance Appraisal System and a new Personnel Policy at a cost of $20,250.    Selectman McManus seconded the motion.  The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote.

 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 6:07 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

Elly Phillips

Recording Secretary