April 1, 2020 | Town Admin TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH 03221 Select Board March 30, 2020 @ 4:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Robert Wright, Jr., Chair. Present at the meeting were: Robert Wright, Jr. Chair; William I. Curless, Selectman; Dane Headley, Selectman; Robert DeFelice, Budget Chair and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator. The minutes for March 23, 2020 public and non-public unsealed minutes were approved as written. The unsealed minutes pertained to setting the compensation for a public employee. A salary increase of .50/hr was approved for Brandon Grendell for obtaining a commercial driver’s license, and additional .50/hr raise will be given upon successful completion of a six-month probationary period. The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests: PAYROLL MANIFEST: $ 13,380.94 VENDOR MANIFEST: $ 375,062.10 BUILDING PERMITS: The Board approved a building permit for Christopher Lambert & Laura Ballam, 04-494-022, Route 114, for a chicken coop OLD BUSINESS: Public Meeting Access/Teleconferencing: Mr. DeFelice reported that he was able to obtain equipment to facilitate teleconferencing of public meetings. There was a severe shortage of the equipment, so Mr. DeFelice ordered the equipment on behalf of the town. Installation of a dedicated line for public meeting purposes is scheduled for April 10, 2020. The Board approved the acquisition of the equipment. All potential COVID-19 related purchases will be tracked in the event that federal grant reimbursement will be available at a future date. The Select Board is also exploring the use of Zoom and other web-based meeting software for public access. It was noted that Zoom is being used by many municipalities. The public workstation can be used for Zoom. Meeting materials could be emailed to participants or provided online. Selectman Curless reported on a web-ex meeting recently conducted by the Emergency Operations Committee. Procedures for conducting web-ex/teleconferencing meetings were reviewed with a goal to arrive at a solution by next week. Currently, the Select Board agreed to conducted meetings as usual provided that there are no more than 10 in attendance. Selectman Wright asked if the Select Board wanted to meet via teleconferencing and sought a motion and formal vote adding that the decision should be unanimous. It was noted that the meeting materials could be forwarded to Selectmen Curless and Headley. Selectman Wright could need to pick up the materials or review them online. Selectman Headley stated that he was comfortable attending the meetings until a better solution was in place. The Board deferred action on the matter pending further information on a teleconferencing/virtual meeting options. The Board discussed conducting their regularly scheduled meetings on a bi-weekly basis. Selectman Headley expressed concerns regarding processing building permits timely. It was noted that the Building Inspector could act as their agent to approve. The Board discussed the need for other Board’s to meet. Selectman Curless observed that the planning board was not experiencing much activity. However, they did want to proceed with master planning. If a citizen did have business before the planning board, they would have to meet. However, most citizens are amenable to holding off in view of Covid-19 considerations. The Board felt that given the rapidly evolving issues arising from the pandemic that meetings should occur at least once a week and that it is likely that meetings with 24-hour notice will likely have an increased necessity. The sense of the Board was to maintain weekly meetings and revisit the matter after the installation of the teleconferencing equipment is installed on April 10, 2020. The Board issued a letter to Thomas Stotler, Map 01-407-067 notifying Mr. Stotler that a cleanup of his property has been scheduled for May 4, 2020 pursuant to the Superior Court Decision Docket No. 217-2019-CV-108. NEW BUSINESS: Selectman Curless made a motion to Amend Building permit fees to match town costs for wetlands inspection which is currently $75.00. Selectman Headley seconded the motion. The motion passed by a unanimous affirmative vote. The Board executed an agreement with Sanders Searches for title research in conjunction with the lien process. The Board discussed issues that the Transfer Station has raised regarding disposal of municipal waste. Not all trash is being disposed of in a sanitary manner. The attendants were also concerned about residents not maintaining social distance. Selectman Headley discussed a policy adopted by the town of Chester and recommended that the Board adopt a similar policy. After lengthy consideration, the Board arrived at the following policy effective March 31, 2020. Notetakers addendum: Prior to implementing the policy some additional factors were brought to the board’s attention. The Board scheduled a 24-hour noticed meeting on April 1, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. The minutes from this meeting follow. It was noted that walkers around Kezar Lake were not observing social distancing protocols. Signs will be posted reminding walkers of social distancing protocol as well as the 14-day quarantine period guidelines. Mr. DeFelice will follow up on the signage. The Board issued a Current Use Release for Joseph Walz and Sara Reney, 04-320-030. The release was a Corrective Release no tax was assessed as Current Use Penalty was not filed timely. REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE: The Board reviewed correspondence from Dick and Beverly Benson regarding road conditions on Rowell Hill Road. The Board will invite Adam Hurst, Road Agent, to a future meeting to address the Benson’s concerns. TOWN ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS/REPORTS: Phillips reported that Emilio Cancio-Bello, Sutton KRSD School Board Representative has advised that the District is delivering meals to citizens in need. Information regarding meals delivery has been given to public safety. SELECTMEN’S COMMENTS: PUBLIC INPUT: Mr. DeFelice made suggestions for the website to let people know that the COVID-19 information link is updated by DHHS regularly. Mr. DeFelice expressed concerns regarding public participation at the School Board Meetings. Board Members can participate via telephone, but there does not appear to be a mechanism for the public to listen aside from attending (attendance is limited as well). This is a problem especially for those with compromised immune systems. Phillips will contact the district advising of those concerns. Selectman Wright agreed to attend the school board meeting on behalf of the Select Board to convey 91-A/ADA concerns. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elly Phillips Town Administrator TOWN OF SUTTON Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall 93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH 03221 Select Board March 30, 2020 @ 4:00 p.m. The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. by Robert Wright, Jr., Chair. Present at the meeting were: Robert Wright, Jr. Chair; William I. Curless, Selectman; Dane Headley, Selectman; Diego Solimine, Solid Waste Supervisor; Robert DeFelice, Budget Chair and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator. Mr. Solimine notified the Select Board of covid-related concerns regarding disposal of household trash. Mr. Solimine observed that if the attendants handled barrels it was an additional point of contact and that unless there were extenuating circumstances it would be best if citizens deposited their own trash in the compactor. Mr. Solimine has received citizen feedback supporting this practice. There was a discussion regarding disposal of white goods and other recyclables. The transfer station is no longer accepting payment. Mr. Solimine thought that the transfer station could continue to accept payment. Selectman Headley emphasized the need to reduce contact interactions. Mr. Headley felt that container-based recycling such as plastic, glass, cardboard etc. could still be accomplished safely using social distancing. It was noted that large items could be recycled at Naughton’s which is nearby. Mr. Solimine reported on what he has gleaned from other towns. A lengthy discussion regarding social distancing ensued. The Board discussed procedures. Selectman Wright summarized the following points: Anything that is large enough to require assistance – they do it themselves No money will be accepted at this time. The Board rescinded the previous policy. Selectman Headley felt that large items should not be accepted at this time and that people could hold on to them for a couple months. Mr. Solimine will let people know that if they want to get rid of large items that they can take them to Naughtons. The Select Board discussed signage. Mr. DeFelice will help with signage. Mr. Solimine wanted a very simple signs. Mr. Solimine will reinforce the rules. Mr. Solimine asked for a simple written procedure for citizens. UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: Deposit your own trash and recyclables. Maintain a minimum 6 foot distance at all times. Only trash and recyclable bins are open. No monetary transactions at this time. (Exception septage). PER ORDER OF THE SELECT BOARD The Swap Shop is closed. The transfer station will not be accepting white goods such as stoves, refrigerators, air conditioners, or electronics. The Board discussed policy for COVID-19 related leave and will seek guidance from Counsel for federal compliance with rapidly evolving guidelines. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elly Phillips Town Administrator