BOARD MEETING AGENDA
November 24, 2003
Selectmen Present: Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Silverman
7:00 MEET WITH GENE CUOMO
· 2004 HIGHWAY AND TRANSFER STATION BUDGETS
Gene stated that this is a draft of his budget and represents a small increase over 2003. He increased the overtime line. Gene went line by line through his 2004 budget. There are some areas that he cut that the board would like him to put a little more money into. If he has to make cuts down the road he could pull money back out of these areas.
Gene and the board discussed capital projects and capital reserve. He feels that the orange truck should be replaced – it has 180,000 miles on it. Gene would like to purchase the replacement at the state surplus auction that is held in May and October. This could be purchased using funds from the expendable highway account.
For many years Gene has had a new loader in his CIP. However, the loader they have has had a lot of work and is in good shape. The new ones now have a lot of electronics on them that neither he nor Richard feel is good. So he is thinking about buying a four wheel drive backhoe instead of replacing the loader. He would like to do this in either 2004 or 2005. A new backhoe would cost about $60,000. Currently when a backhoe is needed, Gene uses his and bills the town $20.00 per hour which is a very cheap rate.
He has looked at the brick building and has concerns about its structural integrity. He is currently using it to store the chipper and some other small equipment. He has looked into tearing this building down and erecting a metal building that would be big enough to put some of the trucks in. It would have electricity and be unheated. In connection with this he also would like to look at the possibility of acquiring more land. The most usable land for the highway department is Bob Dunton’s property. It is flat and Gene estimates they would need about an acre. The board would like Gene to look into this. Mrs. Silverman asked what it would take to make the brick building structurally safe and if it could be used for another purpose. Gene said that it has a concrete
roof, the beams are not sound and some of the brick is deteriorated. The board agreed that it would be best to tear it down and would like to see what the brick is worth – there may be a market for it and we could get some revenue from selling it.
Gene would like to consider having the interior of the barn painted. He’s not sure if this is feasible and will look into it more.
Gene would like $150,000 for road projects next year. He is completely redoing Holman Road and it will take most of the $150,000 to complete. The selectmen asked Gene for an updated 10 year plan for road work. Gene would also like to add $20,000 to the highway expendable trust.
If it looks like he will have some money left in his operating budget before the end of the year, he’d like to buy a dump body for the green truck. It would cost about $6,000.
Gene stated that he is recommending almost level funding for the Transfer Station budget. He has increased the amount for Waste Management but there are some areas in the operating budget that can be decreased. His recommendation is $120,200. One of the recent changes at the transfer station is that we have a container for metal. In the past we have had a metal pile but the DES is looking to place all materials into containers. In the past we could sell the metal but now there is no market for it so we have to dispose of it at $95.00 per pull. One of the problems now is that we do not charge a fee for metal disposal in our regulations. The selectmen feel that metal should be classified as C & D especially when it’s coming in from dismantled trailers. The cost to dispose
of C & D has also increased and our fees are very low for this material. The board would like Gene to look over the regulations and recommend any other changes. The selectmen will schedule a public hearing once everyone agrees on the new fees for truck loads of C & D and metal.
· NON-PUBLIC SESSION – PERSONNEL EVALUATIONS
These were not ready and were not discussed.
*** DISCUSS QUESTION REGARDING ASSESSMENT OF
TAX MAP 37 LOT 23
Mr. Harkins is questioning the assessment of this lot – this is the property that he bought many years ago in a tax sale from the town. He had it surveyed this year and discovered that it was on the opposite side of the road. He feels the assessment is too high. The board looked at the survey map. The lot is about 0.4 acres and is being assessed as a developable lot without waterfront. The assessment is correct. The selectmen noted that the other lot he owns, Tax Map 37 Lot 1, is not a developable lot anymore since it doesn’t have frontage on the road. If Mr. Harkins does not wish to merge these two lots, we will adjust the assessment on map 37 lot 1 to reflect it’s non-buildable status.
*** REQUISITION FROM TAX COLLECTOR
Mrs. Wright is requesting to replace her computer. It is quite old and she has recently been having problems that she thinks are related to memory issues. She has the money in her budget to do this. Mrs. Silverman made a motion to approve the requisition for $1163.40 with an additional $200 for a computer consultant to set it up. Mrs. Knight seconded the motion and it passed 2-0.
*** REQUEST FROM RECREATION TO PURCHASE USED SKIS AND BOOTS
Mrs. Stark has 6 pairs of cross county skis and 4 pairs of cross county boots that she feels
the recreation department can use for the ski program. She would like $495.00 for all the
equipment. Mrs. Silverman moved to purchase this equipment from Mrs. Stark. Mrs.
Knight seconded and the motion passed 2-0.
*** DISCUSS LETTER FROM LOIS KELLY REQUESTING ADDITIONAL TIME TO REMOVE LLAMAS
Mrs. Silverman made a motion to grant Ms. Kelly an extension on the removal of her
llamas to December 15th . We will send a copy of this letter to Mr. Caouette.
*** REVIEW LETTER FROM ATTORNEY PRIGGE REGARDING TAX DEEDED PROPERTY EXCESS FUNDS –
TAX MAP 12 LOT 16
The board reviewed this letter.
*** REVIEW LETTER FROM DES REGARDING NEWCOMB WETLANDS VIOLATION
The board reviewed this letter. DES has determined that no violation exists at this time.
*** REVIEW SIGN APPLICATION TAX MAP 15 LOT 60-03
Mrs. Silverman made a motion to approve this sign permit. Mrs. Knight seconded and
the motion passed 2-0.
*** DETERMINE MARKET VALUE OF LAND BEING REMOVED FROM CURRENT USE – TAX MAP 08 LOT 02
This is additional back land being removed in order for excavation to take place. Mrs.
Silverman made a motion to set the market value of these 4 acres at $4000. Mrs. Knight
seconded and the motion passed 2-0.
*** REQUEST FROM PROJECT GRADUATION FOR DONATION
No money was appropriated for this purpose. The town administrator will write them a
letter explaining this.
*** LETTER OF THANKS TO FITZWILLIAM POLICE DEPT.
The selectmen reviewed this letter.
*** UPDATE ON POSSIBLE CODE VIOLATION ISSUES
The town administrator reports that Mr. Hall needs to arrange to have a police officer go
with him to inspect this property since it is posted. He would also like an officer to go
with him to inspect the possible violation on Angier Road. The selectmen would like the
Town Administrator to arrange to have an officer meet Mr. Hall at the town hall next
Wednesday at 5:30. The board would like to meet with Mr. Hall to see how things are
going December 10, 2003.
Mrs. Thompson reported continuing problems with Hampshire Fire Protection related to
the sprinkler project. They have not been returning calls to provide the information Gene
needs before he pours the concrete floor in the pump house. Gene stated that his
department has spent considerable time working on various aspects of this project and he
has kept track of all the hours and work done. Mrs. Silverman would like to know what
the cost of this is and feels it should be discussed in the selectmen’s report in the town
report.
SECONDARY:
· Various committee/board minutes
· Newsletters
· Review Police logs/reports
SIGNED:
· Minutes
· Correspondence
· Payroll and Accounts Payable Manifests
There being no further business, at 9:10pm Mrs. Silverman made a motion to adjourn. Mrs. Knight seconded and the motion passed 2-0.
Submitted by,
Paula Thompson
Town Administrator Joan Knight, Chairman
Susan S. Silverman
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
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