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

April 19, 2021 @ 4:30 p.m.

 

 

Selectman William I. Curless, Chair, opened the meeting at 4:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Present at the meeting were William Curless, Chair; Dane Headley, Selectman; Walter Baker, Jr., Selectman; Thomas Schamberg, State Representative, Diego Solimine, Solid Waste Supervisor; Jonathan Korbet, Police Chief; Adam Hurst, Road Agent; Leigh Stepp, Marcy McNamara, Mark and Liz Peterson, Steve Hamilton, Don Davis, Charles Ash, Marilyn and Pete Thompson, Sue Esposito, Glenn Pogust, Tom Paul, Adam Hurst, Betsy Forsham, Kim Ortakales,  and Elly Phillips, Town Administrator.

 

APPOINTMENTS: 

At 4:30 p.m. Diego Solimine, Solid Waste Supervisor, met with the Board to discuss the closure of the Septic Lagoons.  Selectman Headley explained that Selectman Curless has strong concerns for environmental reasons and for the eventual closure costs.  Selectman Curless recollected that there was an issue with excess liquids last year which have likely dissipated at this time.  Mr. Solimine advised that the lagoons passed DES inspection.  There was a problem finding a contractor for annual maintenance.  However, Henniker Septic has agreed to perform the maintenance.  Mr. Solimine observed that the Town has just received a ten-year permit for the lagoons and felt that if there were issues the state would have flagged them at that time.  Selectman Headley advised that the Board had decided on putting a temporary hold on accepting septage until further information was available on PFOA testing and closure costs.   The Select Board was interested in obtaining further information on closing costs.

 

Selectman Baker asked about the PFOA and potential costs for mitigating.  Selectman Baker discussed the PFOA issue at the Middle School where the source was determined to be from fertilizer and recycling of water.  Phillips advised that a commercial load was accepted in the area and that was likely the source of the PFOAs.  This finding was reported to the State during the permitting process.  Mr. Solimine advised that PFOAs were used in Scotch Guard and Teflon  products in the  1970’s and that PFOAs are everywhere.  The DES has added two different steps to the maintenance procedure which involved leaching and holding of the septage.  The septage needs to leach back into the lagoons.  The material is then dried and subsequently stored in a fenced in area.  The final step is the application of lime to the material.   The Board will be provided with copies of the permits and supporting materials.

 

Whether or not there were costs savings for Sutton residents was debated.  Mr. Solimine advised that he is researching that but at least one vendor offers cost savings.  The operation process was discussed.  Selectman Curless asked about the current operations plan.  Selectman Curless recollected that the ash pit was operated in conformance with DES requirements and that the Town incurred substantial costs for the closure due to evolving requirements.  Selectman Curless reiterated his strong concerns regarding future costs.  Selectman Curless stated his concerns regarding PFOAs detected in the lagoons and their source and the potential for contamination of the Lane River.  Mr. Solimine observed that the PFOA’s were in the ground and were not going anywhere.

 

Selectman Headley recommended that the Town obtain professional guidance regarding PFOA impact and future costs.  Another concern of the Select Board was whether or not Sutton citizens were getting any cost benefit from the operation of the lagoons.  Selectman Baker discussed the maintenance plans for the lagoons and agreed that the town should hire someone to develop a formal plan for filtration and placement of septage before any sitework is done.  Selectman Curless felt that there should be a hold on accepting septage until plans are available.  Phillips will contact the DES for guidance and clarification of the testing requirements.  Selectman Headley felt that if there were annual tests, and there is no increase in PFOAs then the Town is going in the right direction.  Selectman Headley felt that the Town should temporarily leave the lagoons open.  Selectman Baker felt that as long as the Town does not accept commercial waste no further harm would be done.  Selectman Curless felt that whether or not citizens were obtaining a discount further research was indicated.  Marcy McNamara said that she felt that the Board was addressing a problem that does not exist yet and objected to the fact that notice was not given regarding the lagoon closure noting that the State did not require closure and that there were no existing conditions that would require the lagoons to be closed immediately.

 

The Board determined that the Town would hold off on any sitework until an expert opinion/plan was available.  In the interim, Selectman Headley made a motion that the lagoons should be reopened on a temporary basis and no further modifications are to be made until the Town has had a professional opinion rendered.  Selectman Baker seconded the motion.

 

A discussion ensured.  It was noted that Blakeman Engineering has assisted the Town with the lagoons and the Board agreed to retain Peter Blakeman to provide engineering plans.

 

Selectman Curless called for a vote.  The motion passed by a vote of 2-0 with Selectman Curless abstaining.

 

Marcy McNamara commended the Solid Waste crew on the operation of the facility and complimented Mr. Solimine on his efforts managing the facility with a declining recycling market and during the pandemic.  The Board agreed.

 

At 5:00 p.m. the Board recessed for a discussion with Counsel.

 

The minutes from April 12 were approved as written.  The Board reviewed and approved the following manifests:

Vendor Manifest:  $18,737.73

Payroll Manifest:   $11,394.36

 

OLD BUSINESS:

The Board OHRV received correspondence from Conservation Commission regarding the proposed OHRV ordinance.  The Select Board will defer scheduling the Public Hearing until after the Conservation Commission has an opportunity to review the draft ordinance.

 

NEW BUSINESS:

The Board issued the following Excavation Taxes:   Rowe map 08-270-222 $13.90 and West Map 09-437-245, $8.00.

 

Town Mask Policy – there are no changes to the Town’s mask policy at this time.

 

REVIEW OF CORRESPONDENCE:

Notice to BTLA regarding date of 2020 tax issue from Carol Merullo, Town Clerk/Tax Collector

KRSD Mask Wearing Policy

 

At 6:00 p.m. Selectman Curless called to order a public hearing to discuss a proposed parking ordinance.  Chief Korbet discussed ongoing parking problems which have increased due to recreational use during the pandemic, noting that the parking problem was a huge safety concern and was interfering with emergency response.   Chief Korbet reviewed each Section of the proposed ordinance.  Section 1-1 states that the following areas to be listed as no parking at any time:

Mastin Road-both sides of the road

• From North Road to the dead end of Mastin Road

 

Gile Road-both sides of the road

• From Gile Pond Road to Davis Court and Route 114

 

Wadleigh Hill Road-both sides of the road

• From Route 114 to Corporation Hill Road

 

Penacook Road-both sides of the road

• From Wadleigh Hill Road to Kings Hill Road

 

Keyser Street-both sides of the road

• From Route 114 to the intersection of Hominy Pot Road and Kings Hill Road

 

Kings Hill Road-both sides of the road

• From the intersection of Hominy Pot Road and Keyser Street to the class VI portion of Kings Hill Road and the King Hill Reservation – Maple Leaf Natural Area parking lot.

 

Hominy Pot Road-both sides of the road

• From the intersection of Keyser Street and Kings Hill Road to the New London Town Line

 

Kim Ortakales asked for a description of the specified areas for those not familiar with the street names, which Chief Korbet provided.

 

Pete Thompson expressed concerns about available parking for church functions such as suppers, weddings, and funerals.  Mark Pederson discussed the likelihood of use of the church parking lot potentially interfering with church activities such as bible study, men’s suppers etc.  Chief Korbet responded that the police department would need to be advised ahead of events and that he would establish parking areas per order of the police.  (Section 1-3).  Tom Paul stated that it was good to hear that the Department would not ticket events such as ice day, fishing derbies and Muster Field events if notified in advance.

 

Betsy Forsham asked whether parking was a problem on Gile Road.  Chief Korbet responded that it was and that the Department has received numerous complaints from residents regarding parking on Gile Road.  Betsy Forsham also asked for clarification as to what section of Wadleigh Hill Road is of concern and was informed just the paved portion.

 

Various areas for additional parking were proposed including Smiley Grove, KLPA and Conservation land.  Selectman Baker said that he would bring the matter up at the next Conservation Commission meeting.  Sue Esposito indicated that she had explored this use when she was a member of the Budget Committee and thought it would represent both a service and a cost savings.

 

Marne Thompson asked if fire and rescue would be ticketed when responding.  Chief Korbet replied that they would not be ticketed for emergency response.

 

Don Davis asked if anyone had met with the State Parks to negotiate parking and offered to facilitate a meeting with them.   The need to educate the public was discussed regarding the parking ordinance and also to identify available parking areas.  Parking at Wadleigh was discussed.  It was noted that the Wadleigh State Parking area is open.  Don Davis discussed quota limitations at the park, which may not be a factor for individuals who are just using the area for parking to recreate outside of the park.

 

Glenn Pogust asked if it was possible to post just one side of the street in order to facilitate the need for parking as well as allowing enough space for emergency response and phasing in the other side if necessary.

 

Methods for public notice and outreach were reviewed such as the Police Department’s Facebook page and the town website.  Chief Korbet reviewed the fine structure observing that if fined under State law it goes on your permanent record and that the municipal fine structure allowed for the fines to be set at a lower threshold.

 

Chief Korbet recommended communications with the other organizations to determine if they might be able to provide additional parking, opining that the process would be time intensive.

 

After receiving public comment, Selectman Curless thanked those in attendance for their participation and  closed the public comment portion of the hearing.  The Board agreed to deliberate on adoption of the proposed ordinance at a future meeting.  The sense of the Board was that they supported adoption of the ordinance.

 

The Board discussed signage cost and placement with Chief Korbet.  Chief Korbet indicated that signs could be placed 200 feet apart for aesthetic purposes.  The parking signs will be acquired along with other signs Adam Hurst, Road Agent, is purchasing as this will provide a cost benefit.  Chief Korbet provided a preliminary estimate for no parking sign acquisition at $1,000.  Chief Korbet will look at signage in New London as they have a similar situation with parking along lakes and recreation areas.

 

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:06 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

 

Elly Phillips

Town Administrator