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

Continuation of March 18^th, 2024 meeting on March 20, 2024 at 5pm

 

Select Board Chair Michael McManus reconvened the meeting continued from March 18 on March 20 at 5:00pm on-site at the Sutton Free Library. Present at the meeting were: Michael McManus, Select Board Chair; Walter Baker Jr, Selectman; Glenn Pogust, Selectman; Lance Carter. The meeting later moved to Pillsbury Town Hall and was joined by Julia Jones, Town Administrator; and Lorri Himes, Bookkeeper.

APPOINTMENTS:  Lance Carter

The Selectmen met with Lance Carter to discuss the library disabled access project at the and other potential repair and renovation projects at Pillsbury Town Hall.

At the library, the discussion involved the potential location of a lift on the rear wall. Selectmen Baker had marked the level of the interior floor on the building exterior and the preferred location for the entryway.  There was discussion of the required dimensions of a structure to protect the lift from the weather as well as the location of a pathway from the parking lot to the lift.  It was agreed that Mr. Carter would need the dimensions of the proposed lift unit before he could provide a more detailed proposal for the construction needed for the project.  It was also noted that the steep sloping down toward the building foundation along the rear wall creates an issue regarding water infiltration into the basement. The potential need for gutters was therefore also discussed.

The meeting then proceeded to the Town Hall and the Selectmen and Mr. Carter were joined by Ms. Jones and Ms. Himes. There was discussion of the floor to be installed in the Clerk’s office. It was recommended by Mr. Carter that the most efficient type of flooring would be a prefinished wood floor shimmed to make it level. The possibility of expanding the office into an area under the balcony by putting a doorway at the rear of the office was discussed.  After determining that the space under the balcony would not provide adequate area for a desk, it was concluded that such an option is not feasible.

The discussion then turned to finding a way to expand the floor area of the clerk’s office without doing structural work. This included opening and framing in an area under the adjacent stairway so that the file cabinets can be pushed back into that alcove creating more floor space for the desks and circulation within the office.

Also discussed was the advantage of having a service window or windows installed so that Clerk and Deputy Clerk could simultaneously attend to customers without standing in the doorway. This might require moving the location of the office doorway to provide wall space for a window or windows. Another issue is whether any alteration of the office would necessitate providing a second exit doorway and/or that any new doorway would need to be ADA compliant (36” wide).

To complete the review of potential alternative solutions to the space problem, the Round Room was also examined. Although the current wall safe is no longer needed, it was determined that the interior of the safe is surrounded by masonry and that this masonry extends back to the chimney at the rear of the Round Room and also to the left of the safe almost to the doorway.  Because of this masonry, it would be prohibitive to install a service window in the Round Room. Therefore, the Round Room plaster will be repaired and the room re-painted, but there is no anticipated renovation work.

Based on the review of possibilities for the Clerk’s office and the limitations on what is feasible, it was agreed that Mr. Carter would confer with the Town Clerk on March 25 to discuss the options with her and get her input on what she believes is the best solution for improving that workspace.

The meeting concluded with a walk around the exterior of the building to look at other previously identified issues, including the degradation of the concrete pavement and the deterioration of the external wood trim. Also discussed were the replacement and relocation of the outdoor notification kiosk and the need to remove the large light fixture on the front of the building that is not only unattractive, but attracts insects that are damaging the wood trim on the front façade and the roof of the front porch.  

ADJOURNMENT:  The meeting was adjourned at 6:30pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Glenn Pogust

Selectman