March 19, 2024 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH 03221 Select Board Minutes March 11th, 2024, 4pm PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Select Board Chair Walter Baker opened the meeting at 4:05pm with the Pledge of Allegiance. Present at the meeting were: Walter Baker, Select Board Chair; Michael McManus, Selectman; Glenn Pogust, Selectman; Robert DeFelice, Sutton Budget Committee (SBC) Chair; Nancy Glynn, Sutton Free Library Trustees of the Trust Fund Chairperson; Bob Wright, SBC Member; Adam Hurst, Road Agent; Alison Jones, Welfare Administrator; Julia Jones, Town Administrator; Lee Booker, Richard Lovell, Eric Werme, Pearl Thomas, Carroll Thomas, John W Jones, and Sue Esposito. APPOINTMENTS: At 4:05pm the Board met with Road Agent Hurst to discuss the Highway Department’s proposed 2024 budget. Due to an early mud season with heavy rains, Sutton and surrounding towns have been using more material to repair roads. Two local suppliers have run out of 1.5” stone, forcing the Highway Department to truck in material from the Upper Valley. As a result, year-to-date expenditures on stone have exceeded the Department’s proposed budget for line item 1-03-4312-802, HD GRAVEL. The Road Agent and Board discussed plans to stockpile surplus stone for next year to insulate the Town against future shortages. To accommodate these plans, and to ensure the Highway Department is adequately supplied with stone, the Board agreed to move to increase the Budget by $37,000 at Town Meeting. At 4:20pm the Board met with Lorri Himes, Executive Assistant & Bookkeeper. Himes presented a detailed statement of accounts for January and February, including cash on hand as of February 29th. Himes shared that she and Deputy Treasurer Joanne Lord completed February’s bank reconciliation together, reconciling to within $10. The Town Administrator emphasized the importance of this achievement, recognizing Himes and the Deputy Treasurer for their exceptional teamwork. MINUTES: The Board reviewed and approved public minutes from March 11th. The Town Administrator was not present for a non-public session on February 19th. The Board was presented the New Hampshire Municipal Association’s (NHMA) Nonpublic Session Minutes Checklist, which the Board agreed to complete during a non-public session later in the meeting. MANIFESTS: The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests: Payroll: $16,663.01 Vendor: $11,408.11 INTENTS: BUILDING PERMITS: The Board reviewed and approved an application for a $170,000 Building Permit for kitchen updates submitted by Kyle Hubbard and Stephanie Ross. NEW BUSINESS: The Town Administrator shared information about NHMA’s Right to Know Workshop, which will be held online and in-person April 17th and encouraged the Board to join her in registering. Chair Baker and Selectman Pogust agreed to attend. OLD BUSINESS: The Board briefly discussed plans for employee milestone recognition. The Town Administrator encouraged the Board to register for NHMA’s Local Officials Workshop, which will be held online and in-person April 3rd. Selectman Pogust agreed to attend. The Board reviewed a preliminary mold analysis report prepared by the Lawson Group for Pillsbury Memorial Hall. Samples taken from the basement ceiling and furniture tested positive for Cladosporium with some Aspergillus. These mold types are common in the outdoor environment, frequently found on the intake of air handling units. Air samples did not have any concentration anomalies, which suggests that the growth is largely limited to the areas where it is visible. While the Lawson Group does not consider the current indoor environment to be very problematic, there may be a risk of continued growth in the basement. At a minimum, the Lawson Group recommended ductwork cleaning, and dehumidification unit(s). The Lawson group offered to prepare a work plan for the Town, gather bids from contractors, and conduct post-testing. The Board directed the Town Administrator to request an estimate for these services. REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE: The Board reviewed correspondence from Jack Minich of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests regarding a conservation easement dispute involving property owned by the Keith Revocable Trust, E. H. #2. The Board directed the Town Administrator to prepare a response to Minich. The Board reviewed correspondence from George Nixon regarding a complaint involving the East Sutton Road Cluster Development Project. The Board agreed to arrange a visit to Nixon’s property. The Board reviewed correspondence from Ira Thomas regarding the East Sutton Road Cluster Development Project. In a series of emails, Thomas provided supporting evidence for complaints about the East Sutton Road Cluster Development Project. Thomas expressed disappointment with Selectman Pogust’s comportment at the March 4th meeting of the Board. Thomas expressed disagreement with Selectman Pogust’s statements regarding communications with Pogust when he served on the Planning Board. Pogust suggested that Thomas may have misheard his statements at the March 4th meeting of the Board. Pogust clarified his statements: After a Select Board meeting in August of 2023, Pogust had not heard additional complaints. The Town had previously submitted a complaint to DES about the need for an alteration of terrain permit. At that time, DES had told the town that there was no need for an alteration of terrain permit. According to Pogust’s review of meeting minutes, the Planning Board never received notification of an additional complaint about the AOT issue. Pogust acknowledged that Thomas called frequently with concerns. Pogust shared he encouraged Thomas to do so going forward. Pogust shared that he would be happy to speak with Thomas. Chair Baker shared that he planned to meet with Thomas to discuss the matter. The Board reviewed the Primex Cyber Security Audit Assessment. Primex identified several recommendations to better manage cyber risk. Primex urged the Town to take immediate action to begin a process to address each recommendation in a timely manner. Recommendations included: Work with Managed Service Provider(s) and switch to a .gov domain for all agency websites and emails. These domains are managed by the Federal Government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and are free to local government entities. Among other benefits, the .gov domain provides additional email protections not available through publicly available domains. Conduct an organization wide cybersecurity assessment. Free assessments are available through the Federal Government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), or paid assessments can be arranged through a trusted private cybersecurity company. Develop a comprehensive cyber incident response plan to prepare for a cyber-attack. The Board reviewed correspondence from Elizabeth Geraghty expressing support for the relocation of Town Meeting to the High School Gymnasium to accommodate a drama festival at the High School. The Board reviewed correspondence from the Town of Wilmot notifying the Board of a public hearing for an industrial tower & wireless site plan. PUBLIC INPUT: SBC Member Bob Wright suggested the Board compile a list of RSAs cited in warrant articles. Wright suggested the Board make this list available in hard copy and on the website. Wright went on to acknowledge drainage issues in the Grist Mill parking lot. Based on conversations with the engineer engaged to work on the parking lot, Chair Baker shared that stormwater carries fine sediment from the parking lot into the retention pond, impairing drainage. Chair Baker shared proposed solutions, including re-grading the parking lot after it dries out, compacting the parking lot, digging a deeper pond, filling it with crushed stone. Chair Baker shared his hope that paving the parking lot would redirect water. Wright also emphasized the distinction between bridges and what he referred to as foot culverts. SELECTMEN’S COMMENTS: Chair Baker expressed appreciation for the Highway Department’s efforts to maintain passable roads and acknowledged challenging road conditions faced by the Department. Selectman McManus shared that Select Board meetings will start at 5pm beginning Monday, March 18th. Chair Baker reminded the public that Town Meeting will be held Wednesday, March 13th at 7pm in the High School gymnasium. At 5:17pm Selectman Pogust made a motion to enter into a nonpublic session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, II (a) The dismissal, promotion, or compensation of any public employee or the disciplining of such employee, or the investigation of any charges against him or her, unless the employee affected (1) has a right to a meeting and (2) requests that the meeting be open, in which case the request shall be granted. At 5:30pm a motion was made by Chair Baker to leave the nonpublic session. The motion was seconded by Selectman McManus and passed unanimously. Once back in public session a motion was made by Chair Baker to seal the nonpublic minutes. The motion was seconded by Selectman Pogust. The motion passed unanimously. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 5:30pm. Respectfully submitted, Julia Jones Town Administrator Approved by the Board of Selectmen as amended Monday, March 18th, 2024. Published online Tuesday, March 19th, 2024.