Planning Board Minutes
May 19, 2009
Members present: Terry Silverman, Suzanne Gray, Robin Haynes, Mac Landy and Carmen Yon, Selectmen’s representative.
Others present: Alternates Paul Grasewicz and Carlotta Pini, Nancy Carney, Deputy Fire Chief, and abutters.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m.
Public hearing: Richard Rettig application to subdivide property for the purpose of condominium conveyance located on Ice House Point Road, Map 25, Lot 4, Rural District.
Silverman moved, Gray seconded and the Board accepted the application as complete.
Grasewicz presented a slightly revised site plan and floor plans for the two structures, describing the plan as being one lot with two structures on it, a grandfathered non-conforming use. The owner, Mr. Rettig, wants to sell one of the units separately and by creating a condominium he will be able to do that. There are no proposed changes to the structures or the lot.
Draft condominium documents create a condominium association and bylaws for its governance. Unit one will control the garage on the property. There is a limited common area for the exclusive use of each unit, and each will share the common land, including the access driveway. Both structures draw water from the lake for use in the homes. It is not potable water. A proposed well site has been identified and a protective radius release form has been filed with the state, which protects the abutter. Gray expressed concern that the Board will be creating condos without potable water available.
Yon noted there was nothing to prevent these structures from being converted from seasonal use to full time use. Grasewicz thought the state might have something to say about that, based on septic issues. Landy wondered if the Board could restrict use to seasonal. Shelia Burnham, attorney for Mr. Rettig, said she would research that issue. Grasewicz said the plan for the condominium has been submitted to the State for approval.
An abutter asked if a new owner would need a right of way to access their home. Grasewicz said no, a new owner would be buying the structure not the land and would use the common driveway for access.
Mr. Tousley asked if the structures could ever be enlarged. Grasewicz said bedrooms could not be added due to septic restrictions, but vertical development might be possible, however, both structures are partially within the 50 foot setback of the Comprehensive Shoreline Protection Act, which may limit expansion. Mr. Tousley said that as long as the houses stay the same, he has no objections to the plan. He noted that Mr. Rettig had people living in an RV parked on the property all last summer, and he hoped that wouldn’t continue.
Several abutters needed clarification about what it meant to do a condominium conveyance.
Ms. Burnham said that any expansion would have to get the same town approvals any other expansion would need. A condominium describes a method of ownership.
Silverman said it looks like the application meets the requirements of RSA 356-B:20. The Board will look at the condominium instruments and resolve the seasonal use questions. He requested that a new note be added to the plans stating there will be no dimensional changes to the structures or usage changes.
Silverman moved, Landy seconded and the Board voted to continue the hearing to June 2, 2009, at 7:40 PM.
Master Planning – Public Works
Silverman welcomed Gene Cuomo, the Town Road Agent, to share his thoughts on the future of the transfer station and the town’s roads. He said they had met briefly earlier in the day.
Transfer Station. Cuomo said a population increase means more people will be using the transfer station, and every year there are changes to regulations governing recycling. There are cost effective options for recycling, including single stream recycling. Plans for a cooperative recycling center to handle single stream recycling are underway. He is looking into that as an option for Fitzwilliam. With this method, all recycling goes into one container and will be sorted into component parts at the center using sophisticated technologies. Depending on market value of recycled materials, the town could either pay for dumping or receive revenue. Now the town is charged $30 per ton to dispose of recycling. ‘Pay per bag’ is another option to consider. He’d like to streamline transfer station operation to decrease labor costs. If the town goes to single stream with the cooperative, should it become a reality, the town would not need additional space or a larger labor force for
the transfer station.
Yon asked about handling hazardous waste now there are more and more environmentally driven state regulations. Cuomo said the state would like all hazardous waste to go to the disposal site in Keene. While Cuomo is trained to handle hazardous waste disposal, storage space is the issue in Fitzwilliam. Now the town collects fluorescent light bulbs for disposal in Keene and sends mercury and Nikon batteries to the state. Inside storage is not an issue for these products.
He expects the burn pit to be shut down anytime. They don’t burn now because smoke can obscure visibility on Route 12. They haul brush for off-site disposal.
Gray asked if single stream recycling will reduce costs. Cuomo said he didn’t know, that it depends on market value of recycled material. The cooperative has found a site for the recycling center but more towns are needed to make it financially feasible. They can’t build it unless there is enough tonnage to make it worthwhile. He said it would save the town on equipment and space, and when the cooperative is up and running the recycled material will get a better price because the coop can sell larger quantities than town can. Now he takes plastic to Swanzey because, combined with their recycling, he can get a better price for it. Cuomo said single stream is pretty sophisticated and he wants to look into it.
Gray asked if there was swap shop at the transfer station – there is an informal one; it is not organized in any particular way and it is outdoors.
Pini asked about solid waste. Cuomo said the town uses Waste Management – they were the lowest bidder. It costs $100 per ton to haul away. Fitzwilliam’s solid waste goes to Turnkey Recycling and Environmental Enterprise (TREE) in Rochester, NH and it is projected to be full in about 12 years. He said NH accepts trash from other states and it’s filling up our landfill sites more quickly.
Roads. Cuomo said everyone wants the road that passes their home to be bumpy – to slow traffic – and wants all the other roads in town to be smooth so they can go fast! He said town roads are the town’s biggest asset and these assets must be maintained. He posed the question of whether the town wanted all the roads to achieve the same standard, or did it want some roads to be narrower and more rural in character. He said some roads in town are in very good shape, particularly the thoroughfares; others are in acceptable shape. He tries to make all the roads acceptable within the budget. He does not widen roads or change roads unless there are safety issues.
He added that some roads do not have much of a base and the funds aren’t there to properly fix them. He tries to make them the best they can be under the circumstances. He described trade-offs to be considered, for instance, a raised road bed drains well and can be maintained more easily, but it also drains into abutting properties/lawns.
Cuomo suspects a population growth of 300 people won’t have much impact on the road situation. His philosophy is to keep a good road good, don’t let it go. The department is staying on top of road repair at this time.
He added that Karl Lane, a private road built with planning board oversight per the subdivision review process, is the best road in town now.
Gray asked about dirt roads like lower Templeton Turnpike. Cuomo said it needs major surgery to fix. There are drainage issues and large rocks in the road bed. Nancy Carney, Deputy Fire Chief, added that emergency vehicles have no problem serving residents on lower Templeton Turnpike because there is another entrance to the area, via Sandy Hollow Road, so emergency vehicles don’t have to use TT.
Silverman asked Cuomo to comment on other public works, like water and sewer. Cuomo said there are no public works now, but there may be sometime in the future. He said, tongue in cheek, that DES and other state regulations require so much administrative work that the town may need an engineer to keep up with it.
He noted the water commission is private and there is no sewer system. He can foresee a time when all public works come together under one umbrella to save on equipment, labor and administrative services. Major building maintenance is contracted out. There is a town hall agent now for the town hall.
Silverman and the Board thanked Gene for talking with them.
Historical Society and Historic District Commission. Carole Beckwith and Terri Sillanpaa represented the Historical Society. Ms. Beckwith read a list of comments the Society prepared for the Board. They are attached to these minutes. The list includes a recommendation to coordinate building standards throughout Fitzwilliam, not just in the Historic District. The Historical Society will need to consider accommodating a growing population of seniors, which will mean making the building accessible. The water supply will need to be improved. The Historical Society anticipates increasing their outreach and education efforts. The Historical Society building will need to expand at some point.
Gray asked for clarification of the building standards recommendation. Ms. Beckwith said there are historic areas and homes throughout town and they should be protected/preserved like the Historic District homes. Yon said most of the town would be in the historic district if that scenario was followed, because there are so many old homes scattered through town.
Ms. Beckwith said the Society would like to do more outreach and educational programs, but the water supply is not sanitary and the Society won’t be able to handle more people. Landy asked if they could tap into the town water system. Ms. Sillanpaa said they could but it’s expensive and the Society is a nonprofit organization depending on contributions for its revenue. The town does not contribute to or fund its budget. Landy noted that the law exempts historical buildings from the accessibility requirement.
Gray asked if they saw other areas in town that should be within a historic district. Ms. Sillanpaa said she would like to see historic protection for the three historic roads in town, Royalston Road, Fullam Hill Road and Military Road. Silverman suggested a first step would be for the Society to inventory resources they see as historic and make that document available to the Planning Board for the Master Plan.
The Board thanked them for sharing their thoughts.
The Historic District Commission submitted it’s comments in writing and they are attached to these minutes.
Water District Commission. Ben Thomas and Tom McHugh represented the Commission. Thomas said they were more worried about a decrease in population, given there are so many houses for sale and businesses closing or moving out of town. He said they would love to see a sewer system and public water system in town, and wondered if now the federal government would provide funds for these projects.
The Water Commission serves 65 households in town. The system, Thomas said, is held together with chewing gum. Currently, it is a system of private wells tied together, but it would be better if there was one source that was protected and owned by the town or the Water District.
Regarding waste disposal, Thomas opined that the Village lots are so small, there is very little room for individual tanks, adding there are three distinct areas where density would indicate the need for a shared or public sewer system; the Village, the Depot and Laurel Lake. He felt it couldn’t be done given the current tax base.
Gray asked if in twenty years he still saw no public water in the village. Thomas said that now there are three different systems, and last year there was a plan to interconnect two of the three. The project nearly came to fruition, but at a critical moment they did not have access to the Common for digging water mains and the project was scrapped. The Commission decided to manage the radon problem in a different way, and now they are just trying to hold together what is already in place.
He said it is impossible for volunteers to take on a whole new water system.
Tom Mc Hugh feels that new growth probably won’t be in the Village in any case. Pini asked if the Filipi subdivision is in the Water District. Thomas said it looked like it could be for awhile, since the primary well site was on that property. The costs to create a new system were daunting. The Water District annual budget is $30,000. He suggested that maybe the Water District is not viable and should disband.
The Board thanked Mr. Thomas and Mr. McHugh for talking with them.
Energy Committee. Carole Beckwith and Susan Rolke represented the Committee.
Beckwith said the Committee worked with PSNH for a year and a half to complete an energy audit of the town’s buildings. The audit is now complete. The Committee is part of the Carbon Coalition and Cool Monadnock, two groups that work with local energy committees to bring about energy savings and reduced carbon emissions. The Committee will meet with the Selectmen to prioritize building renovation projects identified by the energy audits.
Beckwith feels the town needs to set the example by making municipal buildings more energy efficient and then set standards for citizens energy use. As the population increases, so will energy use. She’d like to see 1) more education on energy efficiencies, 2) revisit the dark skies ordinance to include residences and 3) more active involvement in the energy committee. She also added that the town really needs to have a community social and civic gathering place.
Gray suggested ‘green’ tours of energy efficient homes and businesses to raise awareness. Rolke said there is one ‘green’ residence in town. Beckwith said they are thinking about these kinds of things, but the committee is very small and they need to build momentum for taking action. Gray asked if they had thought about incentives the town could provide. Beckwith said there are a lot of ideas, adding the Committee is limited. Pini said the state allows towns to adopt exemptions for renewable energy systems but tax assessors say there is no way to break out the value of the system from the value of the home for the purpose of exemptions. Frank Bequaert said there were two reasons for the town to get energy efficient: it saves money and it sets an example. He feels
there is pressure for the town to act, and wondered if goal could be set to reduce energy by a certain percentage by a certain date.
Silverman said he’d heard a lot about the “town” should do something, and he wondered who is the “town” they refer to. He said Selectmen are limited by what the town meeting has said can be done in a given year. He said it is our town and our town legislature and the town is us. Beckwith said the town has to come together. Pini added leadership is needed too – someone needs to take an idea, be passionate about it and move it forward.
Beckwith suggested rebates and incentives. Landy asked if the town could be ‘green?’ Beckwith feels it could be. The committee has ideas of ways to reduce energy consumption with or without PSNH, one of which is to extinguish some of the streetlights, for an immediate drop in costs. Silverman said the Board asks for streetlights to be shielded to protect night skies. Beckwith feels some could be turned off completely right now. Pini offered to consult with the Energy Committee. Silverman said the Planning Board would like to be the forum for the public meetings on street lights.
The Board thanked Ms. Beckwith and Ms. Rolke for their ideas.
Economic Development.
Carole Beckwith, Mac Landy, David and Barbara Green, and Frank Bequaert represented the Historic Fitzwilliam Economic Development Association. David Green acted as spokesperson. He said with the Bard building, Crossroads and the Inn being empty, or nearly so, the town is like it was years ago.
The group reviewed the 2004 Master Plan and Green distributed a list of suggestions for a revised Master Plan (attached to these minutes). Their small group is trying to encourage a healthier business community with a website and information board. At one time there was a town Industrial Business Committee but it has not functioned for a long time and they recommend that references to it should be taken out of the revised Master Plan. They suggest a separate section for Economic Development Recommendations in the revised Master Plan. They would like to see a review process for the master plan, an effort to monitor progress periodically, so the document becomes a working document.
Silverman noted that a lot of work was done to tailor the previous master plan to meet Fitzwilliam’s needs. He said the Planning Board modified many of the ideas and concepts put forth by SWRPC and the document has guided Fitzwilliam for years. Gray said she would like to see a list of recommendations with a list of the boards, commissions, groups and individuals responsible for those areas and ask them to review the feasibility of and monitor progress on the recommendations.
The Board thanked the group for sharing their thoughts and recommendations.
Minutes. The Board reviewed the minutes of the May 12, 2009 meeting. Haynes clarified two sections and changes will be made accordingly. Haynes moved, Gray seconded and the Board approved the minutes as corrected.
Meeting with Selectmen. Silverman announced the Planning Board will meet with the Selectmen on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 to discuss a legal update on the WiValley case with Joe Hoppock. He invited board members to attend.
Boundary Line Adjustment question. Paul Grasewicz asked the Board its advice on the boundary line adjustment plan he presented last month. The client is asking for the Board to do a boundary line adjustment that would result in a lot with two dwelling on it, which is contrary to town ordinance. Grasewicz pointed out that the adjoining lot to his client’s is land owned by one individual but there are 12 cottages, owned by others, on the land. The situation is a nonconforming use, but grandfathered under town ordinance. Silverman said that from a land use perspective, nothing changes. Staff will talk with the Local Government Center attorney, and suggested Mr. White see the ZBA for a variance.
The meeting was adjourned at
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