Walpole Notes…Chuck Bingaman, Editor

Walpole School Principal Sam Jacobs and SAU#60 School District Business Manager Steve Varone were the faculty members for last week’s Walpole Leadership Academy (WLA) session in Town Hall. (Fall Mountain Principal Tom Ferenc had to cancel due to a family emergency.)  

Jacobs outlined how the school district is structured and operates, and Varone explained the budgeting and financial situation of the district.  Varone also announced that, just hours before, a new agreement had been made with the administrative staff of the district that will need to be voted on by both the school board and the members of the bargaining unit.

The next session of the Leadership Academy will be led on November 4 by the three selectmen.

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Wanted: A PC-savvy teenager that can help me solve various computer problems, answer questions and give understandable guidance.  If, together, we can find such a person in Walpole, I bet a NUMBER of us would hire him or her on an hourly basis and make it a win-win opportunity.  Any suggestions?  Call Chuck Bingaman at 756-9268 or email me at chuck@chuckbingaman.com.

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If you missed the Hooper Institute Open House yesterday, you missed a nice event and an introduction to a terrific local resource that offers educational programs in agriculture, forestry, botany, soils and environmental conservation. 

I learned that…

• Hooper personnel, primarily Director Eloise Clark, visit EACH classroom at the Walpole and North Walpole schools on a weekly basis.
• Walpole fourth graders participate in Hooper’s Farm & Forest Project that is offered in cooperation with local farmers and woodsmen and visit dairy, sheep, and horse farms, sawmill and sugaring operations, and a woodturning shop.  In the fall they study apples and other fall crops and visit a poultry farm and a Christmas tree farm.  This program is in its 25th year!
• At the high school level, fourteen teens were placed last summer at local farms and related businesses as part of the two-month summer work program sponsored by the Hooper Institute.  In eight years of the program, Hooper has funded 128 jobs for youth.  And, in 2005, students in Hooper programs worked 1500 hours in the community.  Along the way they gained insights into the responsibilities of caring for animals and plants as well as the skills needed to manage a business.
• The Hooper Institute has trust fund money to support high school students pursuing independent studies in agriculture, forestry, botany, soils and environmental concerns.  And, the George L. Hooper Scholarship—up to $6,000—is available to any Walpole resident for college or graduate studies in the same fields based on academic ability, financial integrity, responsibility and character, and initiative and effort.
• The Hooper Institute Field and Forest Museum—open by appointment only during the school year—is an attractive resource on local natural history and agriculture.

For further information on the Hooper Institute, contact Director Eloise Clark at 756-4382.                                                           

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Ed. Note: Thanks to Regina Borden, here are the October 19 Selectmen's minutes.

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN

OCTOBER 19, 2006

Selectmen Present: Whitney Aldrich, Sheldon Sawyer, (Absent: Charles Miller)

Mr. Aldrich called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. with one person present in the audience.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

BRUCE CRAMER – HOOPER TRUSTEES:  Bruce Cramer and the Board of Selectmen reviewed the fund balance of the Hooper Trust, the contracts, cost of repairs and painting on the Hooper Institute and Mansion.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest in the amount of $44,356.83.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

PAYROLL:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the payroll voucher for the week ending October 14, 2006, for gross wages in the amount of $17,398.74 or net wages in the amount of $10,083.66.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the electronic fund transfer for the Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $4,161.68.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

MINUTES –SELECTMEN’S MEETING- OCTOBER 12, 2006:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Minutes of the public Board of Selectmen’s meeting of October 12, 2006, as printed.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted. 

DEPARTMENT / COMMITTEE MEETINGS:

The Board of Selectmen received and reviewed the minutes of the following meetings:  1) the North Walpole Village Board of Commissioners – October 17, 2006, and 2) Planning Board – October 10, 2006.

WARRANTS:

NORTH WALPOLE SEWER USER WARRANT:   Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Warrant for the Collection of the North Walpole Sewer User Fees in the amount of $39,969.99.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

WALPOLE SEWER USER WARRANT:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Warrant for the Collection of the Walpole Sewer User Fees in the amount of $47,102.74.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

WALPOLE WATER USER WARRANT:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Warrant for the Collection of the Walpole Water User Fees in the amount of $80,667.02.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

BUILDING PERMITS:

JAMES WHITCOMB – MAP 013-034-000:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve Building Permit No. 2006-055 for James Whitcomb to enclose an existing porch.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

OLD BUSINESS:

MARK HOUGHTON – WATER/SEWER RATE INCREASES:  The proposed Water/Sewer rate increases were reviewed.

Mr. Sawyer moved to postpone any action on the Water/Sewer Rate increases until 2007.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

NEW BUSINESS:

TRACY NASH FUND AT CONNECTICUT RIVER BANK: 

Mr. Sawyer moved that a notice regarding the establishment of a Tracy Nash Fund at the Connecticut River Bank be placed on the Town web site.  Tracy Nash is now at the Tufts-New England Medical Center, 750 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111.  Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

A request was received from the Police Department regarding the Police Benevolent Fund.  The Board of Selectmen postponed making a decision until a full board is present.

USDA EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROTECTION PROGRAM: 

Mr. Sawyer moved that the Board of Selectmen sign the letter to the USDA Emergency Watershed Protection Program requesting a waiver of 25% cost share fees in regards to clean-up of Town property caused by the October 2005 flooding in Walpole.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Sawyer moved that the Chairman be authorized to sign the USDA Damage Survey Report forms for the following projects:  1) 78 Main Street and Old Town Garage; 2) 13 Ford Avenue; 3) March Hill Road; and 4) Mill Brook Bridge and Graves Road.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

REAL DATA / AVITAR TRAINING FOR WALPOLE AND WESTMORELAND: 

Mr. Sawyer moved to approve having Elaine Moore attend the Real Data / Avitar Training in Westmoreland for both Walpole and Westmoreland on Tuesday, October 24th from 10:00 am to Noon.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

CARTOGRAPHIC ASSOCIATES, INC. – MAPPING 2007:  Mr. Sawyer moved to have Cartographic Associates, Inc. do the 2007 annual mapping up-dates and maintenance at the contract price of $2,475.00.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted. 

TOWN HALL RENTAL – CHILDREN’S GROUP:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve renting the Town Hall to a children’s group of eight children for one-and-a-half hours for six weeks.  There will be no charge if all the children are from the Town of Walpole.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

LGC CONFERENCE:  The Board of Selectmen acknowledged receipt of information for the 2006 Local Government Center Conference.

ROUTE 123 BRIDGE:  Mr. Sawyer received a copy of a letter that someone had written to the Department of Transportation asking about replacement of the Route 123 Bridge with a wooden covered bridge.  As a response, Mr. Sawyer drafted an email, on behalf of the Board of Selectmen, to the DOT stating that they are requesting expediency in re-building the bridge that

was proposed over the Cold River.  A wooden covered bridge would cost more money and cause a substantial delay. 

2006 MUNICIPAL LAW LECTURE SERIES:  Mr. Sawyer moved that the office staff order a copy of the 2006 Municipal Law Three Lecture Series publications.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.     

Mr. Sawyer moved to adjourn this meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.  The time was 8:48 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

                                                                                   

                                                                              

Thanks and congratulations to the Fall Mountain High School Junior ROTC group for their help in moving thousands of books into Town Hall for tomorrow’s and Sunday’s Friends of the Library Book and Tag Sale.  A large number of other volunteers, led by Carol Christian, also worked very hard for months to get ready for the big fundraiser for the library.

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Vicki Gohl, owner/developer of Ruggles & Hunt and The Walpole Village Market, is proceeding with her plan to return trees and related landscaping to the center of town around the Market.  Talented local landscaper Jennifer Burr has donated a design and will plant four large canopy deciduous trees and two large evergreens along with “many other plants an shrubs” around the gas station.  In fact, initial steps were taken today to get things going. 

The current garden on the south side of the building will be attached to a new 20’ by 25’ garden at the southwest corner of the Market.  All the new flowerbeds will be edged with the same granite curbing used on Main Street. 

The total price for the project is around $17,500, of which The Hubbard Foundation has donated $10,000 and Connecticut River Bank is also making a donation.  Vicki is hoping that some other town citizens will make donations to assist with the project to beautify the center of the town.

Says Vicki, “It was never my intention to run a gas station business and certainly not after just opening my other new business, Ruggles & Hunt.  However, when I learned that Paul Tole was losing his space in the Burdick Building and was going to close the business, I felt that Tole’s Variety needed to be saved and that, by moving it into the gas station, I might be able to ‘make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!’  (Well, satin, anyway!).  At this point I have exhausted my investment capabilities and am not in a position to pay for this landscaping project.  But I believe in it completely.  It took me 18 months to convince the Sandri Oil Company that it should let me plant trees.  I believe that the main intersection of Walpole deserves more and that the parking lot behind the gas station and bank building is an unnecessary eyesore.”

“School children,” Vicki continues, “residents, and local workmen come to the gas station every day for penny candy, breakfast, lunch, local papers and other sundries.  It is a hub of local traffic, news and events.  I think it can stay the way it is and be a little beautiful too.  Likewise the asphalt desert behind the station greets nearly every visitor that comes to town.  It does not need to look the way it does.  I hope you agree with me and will support this project.”

[Ed. Note: If you want to make a donation to the beautification project, make your check to “Green UP Walpole” and drop it off at Ruggles & Hunt or at the gas station.]

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If you want to enjoy a really impressive demonstration of what the Walpole School does with our children, attend the Veterans Day program at the school on Tuesday, November 7 at 1:45 p.m.  The kids themselves present the whole program and, this year, they are interviewing local veterans as part of their preparation.  The public is welcome. Use the Gym door.

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The Windham World Affairs Council's October program features AP and New York Times reporter, editor and foreign correspondent Louis Uchitelle discussing his new book "The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences" Tuesday, October 31 at Brooks Memorial Library on Main Street in Brattleboro. Coffeee and conversation with the speaker is at 7:00 p.m. followed by the program at 7:30 p.m.

The Council's December 6 program will feature former Iranian UN ambassador Mansour Farhang discussing America and the Middle East. Farhang is now a faculty member at Bennington College. This program will also have a coffee period at 7:00 p.m. and lecture at 7:30  p.m. at Brooks Memorial Library.  CCB

Editor's Note: At the suggestion of Walpolean reader Jill Robinson and some technical help from Jill and from old friend Lowell Bauer, here is an advance look at the town ballot for November 7. Town Clerk Sandy Smith also assisted by providing asample ballot. CCB

Friends of the Library President Lyn Cooke reminds us that the GIANT BOOK & TAG SALE is coming up this Saturday & Sunday (October 28 & 29) at the Town Hall is really going to be a GIANT!  The sale is sponsored by the Friends of the Walpole Town Library to benefit both the Bridge Memorial and North Walpole libraries, will offer 5,000 books of all descriptions and ten tables of fascinating tag sale items, all at impossible-to-resist bargain prices!  In fact, Carol Christian, chairman, has had to ask that no more books be donated as they are full to the brim.  Now she is ready for LOTS OF BUYERS so mark your calendar and tell your friends...sale opens at 9:00 am Saturday, and 11:00 am Sunday, going both days until 2:00 pm.  See you there!

Ed. Note: Thanks to Lucy Weber, here are the minutes of the October 18 Zoning Board meeting.  CCB

Minutes—18 October 2006.

Present:  M. Mansouri, J. Galloway-Leclerc, L. Britton, L. Carignan (alt) B. Webb (alt), L. LaClair (alt.), L.Weber.

NOTE: THE FOLLOWING MINUTES WILL BE REVIEWED ON 15 November 2006.

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM.

  New Business:   Ms. Mansouri said that she had a call from a member of the Walpole Unitarian Church regarding off-premises directional signs for the church.  No one was present from the church, so the matter was not discussed.

  Denise and Ken Horn, 11 Alstead Center Road, Drewsville, Setback Variance for shed.  Mr. and Mrs. Horn have owned the three family dwelling at 11 Alstead Center Road for nearly four years.  They have improved the property during this time.  They recently ordered a 12 foot by 20 foot garden shed which will be placed on the property.  The delivery is scheduled for next Friday. It takes 60 days to schedule a delivery.  When they got delivery confirmation, they were told they might need a building permit.  The Horns applied for a building permit, which was denied because they did not meet the 65 foot setback requirement from Route 123.  The edge of the shed will be 41 feet from the center line.  The land rises from the road, and the spot where the shed will sit is about 4½  feet above the road.  There will be no electricity, no plumbing and no heating in the shed, which will be installed on a 4 inch gravel base and blocks.  The lot is two acres, but there is a dropoff at the back of the property.  To comply with the 65 foot setback, the shed would have to be placed right next to the house and 2 feet from the dropoff.  In this location, wet weather conditions would cause the wood to deteriorate.  The shed would house two lawn mowers, two snowblowers, and other equipment.

  Mr. LaClair asked about the proposed location of the shed.  If you are standing at the Drewsville Store, looking across, Apartment #1 is the entrance facing the store.  The shed would be on fill there.  The 12 foot side, which has no windows, would face Route 123, and the 20 foot side would face the common.  The shed cannot be placed on the other side of the house, which has a large tree and the parking pad for Apartment #3.  Mr. LaClair noted that the house itself is not in compliance with the ordinance, and is grandfathered.  It was moved seconded and unanimously voted that the matter be set for a public hearing at the November hearing, pending the receipt of a completed application.

  Old Business:

  Minutes.  Three sets of minutes were presented for approval.  The minutes of the regular meeting held 20 September were approved as submitted.  Proposed revisions to the 25 September Special Meeting submitted by email by Mr. LaClair were distributed and reviewed.  The minutes of the 25 September Special Meeting were approved with the changes submitted by Mr. LaClair. The minutes of the 2 October Special Meeting were approved as submitted, with the addition of “(alt.)” after Mr. LaClair’s name.

  Gravel Pits.  Ms. Mansouri and Mr. Britton will visit the Woods pit and the two Cold River pits next week.  Ms. Galloway-Leclerc and Mr. Carignan presented the report on Joe Sawyer’s pit, and said all was in order.  It is unclear whether he has taken any gravel out.  Mr. LaClair and Ms. Weber visited the Hodgkins pits and George Graves’ pit.  The Graves pit was found to be in order with the request that a berm be placed in a low spot which might, in a bad storm, allow runoff into the brook. There is no evidence of runoff at that spot at this time. 

  Ms. Weber distributed a draft of a letter detailing the concerns that still exist at the two Hodgkins pits.  She and Mr. LaClair summarized the concerns as follows:  In the Drewsville Road pit, the issues were runoff into the brook, missing berms, potential contamination of groundwater from storage of construction debris including painted or pressure treated wood, missing berms at the top of vertical slopes and spills from the diesel pump and waste oil drums.  These concerns were discussed with Mr. Hodgkins, and steps were outlined to correct the problems.  At that point, the issue of a reclamation plan for the Route 12 pit was also discussed with Mr. Hodgkins, who said that a reclamation plan is on file, and that there may be a buyer for some of the front land, which will be leveled and reseeded.

  Concerns with the Route 12 pit included missing berms separating the property from the property to the west, near Extra Innings, and at the top of a vertical slope at the southeast corner, and the completion of a berm around a drainage pond in progress.  The major concern here is the deposition of construction debris at the back of the property.  A runoff area is being filled with debris, and debris is sliding down a nearly vertical slope into the streambed.  In some places, water has eroded holes between chunks of construction debris.  These issues were detailed in a list given to Mr. Hodgkins in the spring, but were not discussed with him after the fall site visit because of scheduling conflicts.  The Board decided to send the letter to Mr. Hodgkins, and to invite Mr. Hodgkins to our November meeting to discuss the concerns.

  Budget:  Ms. Mansouri reported that she had talked to Teresa Kissell about the budget process.  The State lumps Planning and Zoning into one category, so that is how they are reported in the Town Report, and that is how they will continue to be reported.  Ms. Kissell has the ability to separate our budget from that of the Planning Board as an internal mechanism.  It was thought this would be helpful to allow us to track our costs and to determine if we are staying within our budgeted amounts, and to determine if our fee schedule properly reflects the costs of noticing hearings.  A motion was passed unanimously to request Ms. Kissell to keep separate records for the ZBA and the Planning Board.

  Attorney:  As a followup to a seminar offered by the Local Government Center attended by Ms. Mansouri, Mr. LaClair and Ms. Weber, Ms. Mansouri raised the issue of having an attorney on retainer.  The town currently hires an attorney when needed.  This might cause a problem when an issue arises, and we may not be able to use the attorney we think best.  It was noted that the Selectmen would actually hire and pay for the attorney, and would have final authority over who was chosen, as we have no line item in our budget for legal services.  It was moved and seconded that Ms. Mansouri get in touch with Southwest Regional to see how other towns in this region handle the issue, and report back to the Board.

  Ms. Weber noted the recommendation that the content of emails, if any, among the group, other than the routine circulation of an agenda, should be disclosed at the next meeting and records kept of their contents.  A file will be created for these communications.

  Mr. LaClair noted the suggestion at the training that we appoint five alternates in order to ensure a full Board at each meeting.  This has not been a problem for our current Board, as attendance has been consistent from both elected members and alternates.  However, with the resignation of Mr. Vose, we now have a pool of only seven individuals.  It was noted that both Ms. Mansouri’s and Mr. Vose’s term will be up in March.  We should be thinking about encouraging anyone with an interest who might be a good candidate to run.

There being no further business, the Meeting was adjourned.  The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 15th, 2006 at 7:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Lucy McVitty Weber

Ed. Note: Thanks to Regina Borden, here are the minutes of the 10-12-06 Board of Selectmen meeting.

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN

OCTOBER 12, 2006

Selectmen Present:   Whitney Aldrich, Charles Miller, Sheldon Sawyer

Mr. Aldrich called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. with two people present in the audience.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

CHARLES BINGAMAN – UPDATE OF WALPOLE LEADERSHIP ACADEMY:  Charles Bingaman provided an up-date on the Walpole Leadership Academy sponsored by the Walpole Grange.  The first session is Saturday morning at the Walpole Inn.  The Walpole Grange now has three co-sponsors:  the Walpole Foundation, American Legion Post #77 and Women of Walpole.  There are fifteen participants; most work in Town.  They have enough revenue to do the entire project.  The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to participate in the seminar on Saturday, November 4th from 9:30 to 11:30 am.  Some topics will include current issues, daily problems, what kind of public feedback they get, their goals and budget preparation.  All the sessions are scheduled in the Town Hall except for three that will be held at the Walpole Inn due to conflicts in the Town Hall.

EMERGENCY OPERATION PLANNING:  Dick Hurlburt received a letter from the Southwest Region Planning Commission regarding the development of an Emergency Operation Plan as required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the NH Bureau of Emergency Management.  A few weeks ago Mr. Hurlburt met with State representatives who advised that there should be an Emergency Operation Plan in place.  SWRPC offered to assist and want to start working on a grant that will be 50/50 funded; in-kind contributions can be included toward the match. 

Mr. Miller moved that the Chairman be authorized to sign the Southwest Region Planning Commission agreement to work on the Emergency Operation Planning Grant.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest in the amount of $44,763.73.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Miller moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest for voided check No. 331615 for Irving Oil.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.      

PAYROLL:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the payroll voucher for the week ending October 7, 2006, for gross wages in the amount of $14,447.49 or net wages in the amount of $7,473.49.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Miller moved to approve the Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $3,528.69.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the supplemental payroll voucher for the week ending October 7, 2006, for gross wages in the amount of $271.54 or net wages in the amount of $250.76.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the supplemental Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $41.56.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

MINUTES –SELECTMEN’S MEETING- OCTOBER 05, 2006:  Mr. Miller moved to approve the Minutes of the public Board of Selectmen’s meeting of October 5, 2006, as printed.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

DEPARTMENT / COMMITTEE MEETINGS:

The Board of Selectmen received and reviewed the Minutes of the North Walpole Village Board of Commissioners meeting of October 10, 2006.

ABATEMENT:

DOUGLAS GAY – PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENT:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve a 2003 Property Tax Abatement in the amount of $844.39 plus interest and fees for Douglas Gay.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted. 

BUILDING PERMITS:

KENNETH & DENISE HORN – MAP 025-020-000:  Mr. Sawyer moved to put Building Permit No. 2006-053 on-hold until it can be determined if a Variance is needed.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

NANCY TUREK / JOSEPH HARNED – MAP 012-071-000 – RENEWAL FROM 2005:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve and sign Building Permit No. 2006-054 for Nancy Turek and Joseph Harned to remodel – connect a building and make an apartment.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

OLD BUSINESS:

MS-1:  Mr. Miller moved to approve and sign the MS-1 (2006 Summary Inventory of Valuation) form as presented.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

RECYCLE/TRANSFER CENTER – NO TRESPASSING SIGNS:  Mr. Sawyer moved to allow the Solid Waste Manager to put up “No Trespassing” signs around the perimeter of the center.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

WATER / SEWER RATES:  There was a consensus of the Board of Selectmen to pass over taking action on the Water and Sewer Rates to do more research.

COPIER -2-STUDIO28:  The Board of Selectmen agreed to put this agenda item on-hold pending receipt of additional information.

MUNICIPAL VOLUNTEER AWARD FOR 2007:  Mr. Sawyer moved to nominate Buck Taylor for next years Municipal Volunteer Award for 2007.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

INTERSECTION OF NORTH MAIN STREET, OLD DREWSVILLE ROAD AND NORTH ROAD:  Mr. Aldrich reported that Jim Terrell feels that the second plan at this intersection appears to be working out satisfactorily.  He would like to make it permanent before the snow flies.  There was a consensus of the Board of Selectmen to approve this plan and for Jim Terrell to talk to the State about it.

FENCE PROBLEM – SCHOOL/TOWN:  Mr. Aldrich has been doing some research on the fence by Whitcomb Park and the Walpole Elementary School.  He will talk to Joan Devault of the Recreation Department to see if they have an interest in the fence.

NEW BUSINESS:

BRATTLEBORO ROOFING AND SHEET METAL:  The Board of Selectmen has been looking for a roofing company to do work on the Town Hall slate roof.  Brattleboro Roofing and Sheet Metal responded, provided information and references.  There was a consensus of the Board of Selectmen to have Elaine Moore proceed to check on their references.

VACATION – DAVID HEWES:  Mr. Sawyer moved to grant the vacation request from Police Chief David Hewes to take October 20th through 27th, 2006, off.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

SWRPC – 2007 PLANNING AND LAND USE MANUALS:  Mr. Miller moved to approve purchasing eight 2007 Planning and Land Use Manuals from the SWRPC as follows:  2 for the Planning Board, 2 for the Conservation Commission, 2 for the Zoning Board of Adjustment and 2 for the Selectboard Office.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

LETTERS TO BE SIGNED:

JIM RICE – REIMBURSEMENT LETTER:   Mr. Miller moved to approve and sign the letter to Granite State Assessing Service.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

JIM MacLEAN – MASTER ROADS SCHOLAR:  Mr. Miller moved to approve and sign the letter of congratulations to Jim MacLean on achieving the status of Master Roads Scholar.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

TROY WILMOTT – SENIOR ROADS SCHOLAR:  Mr. Miller moved to approve and sign the letter of congratulations to Troy Wilmott on achieving the status of Senior Roads Scholar.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

TRACY NASH – SENIOR ROADS SCHOLAR:  Mr. Miller moved to approve and sign the letter of congratulations to Tracy Nash on achieving the status of Senior Roads Scholar.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Miller moved to adjourn the Board of Selectmen’s meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.  The time was 9:18 pm.

The Board of Selectmen entered into a meeting as the Trustees of the Hooper Trust at 9:20 pm.

TRUSTEES OF HOOPER TRUST

BRANDON HONEY – WORK ON HOOPER MANSION:  Mr. Miller moved to approve payment in the amount of $4,711.49 to Brandon Honey for work done on the Hooper Mansion.  This will be taken out of the Hooper Trust Funds.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

The Board of Selectmen agreed to have Mr. Miller contact Tom Cashel to inquire about the status of the Hooper Mansion being listed as an Historic Building.

Mr. Aldrich moved to adjourn this meeting of the Trustees of the Hooper Trust.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.  The time was 9:28 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

These are unapproved minutes.  Corrections, if necessary, may be found in the minutes of the October 19, 2006, Selectmen’s meeting.        

 

     

 

 

Elaine Moore, secretary to the selectmen, told me that Tracy Nash of Valley Road, a worker in the Walpole Highway Department, has had a heart attack and has been transferred to Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston.  YOu can send cards to him there at 750 Washington St., Boston 02111

Have you noticed the new window treatments at Jayson Munn's Flower Shop on Main Street?  Pretty amazing!  CCB

Ed. Note:  Here's a Letter to the Editor that appeared in yesterday's Keene Sentinel from Heidi Gove, a Fall Mountain Regional High School teacher and President of the Teachers' Union.  She raises important points that have to be resolved and soon.  While our resources are not unlimited and political realities are political realities, we MUST get our teachers a contract if we want to maintain the quality of schools we have.  A recent editorial cartoon in the Keene Sentinel showed a father talking to his little boy and saying something like, "I'm going to let you in on a dirty little secret, son.  While everyone says they care about our children and their futures, actually we really don't."  Let's do whatever it takes to show OUR kids in Walpole and surrounding towns that, actually, we really DO!  CCB

Teachers in Fall Mountain get no respect

To The Sentinel: This is an open letter to Gov. Lynch: For the past 21 years, I have taught business education in New Hampshire public schools. In that time I have been proud to be a teacher and have worked hard to earn and maintain my teaching certification. In May of 2002, I earned my masters of education in school leadership. I continue to teach a subject I love to the children of New Hampshire. In 1988, I began teaching in the Fall Mountain Regional School District. The district serves the towns of Charlestown, Alstead, Acworth, Langdon and Walpole. As I’m sure you will remember, one of our towns, Alstead, was devastated by the flooding in early October of last year. This devastation brought all five communities together to support the people of Alstead as they began the long road to recovery.

However, this is not the reason I am writing you today. I am writing to you not only as a resident of New Hampshire, but as the current president of the Fall Mountain Teachers’ Association, an affiliate of the NEA-NH. Today my colleagues and I will work our 825th day without a contract. This extends back to June 2004. Teacher morale is at an all-time low in our district. We are losing high-quality, dedicated teachers to other districts that have settled contracts. And sadly, we are losing teachers to other professions and jobs due to the lack of pay increases over the past three years. In the time we have been without a contract, we have proceeded through the steps of mediation and fact finding. Last year, a fact finder’s report was placed on the ballot. This article was not recommended by the school board or budget committee of the district, and this was indicated on the ballot. Therefore, I believe, the communities of the Fall Mountain Regional School District, voted the fact finder’s report down. At the deliberative session, teachers were called “seasonal, part-time workers” and were made to feel devalued, demoralized and disrespected. After a “cooling off period” the process of negotiating began again. It was realized quickly by both sides that the stalemate was caused by the issue of health care. While the two sides continue to meet, the process of scheduling a fact finding session has been put into motion. The association fully expects that whatever the fact finder recommends will not be accepted by the school board and budget committee and will again be defeated at the polls. While health care is a hot topic in the political arena and has also been labeled a state and national problem, it is the sole reason my colleagues and I have gone without any salary increase, including cost of living, for the past three years, while at the same time the amount deducted from our paycheck has increased due to our contributions to health care. The school board argues that we did receive an increase because of the increase in health care premiums; however we cannot present our healthcare card to the mortgage company or the grocery store for payment. In my opinion, the school board doesn’t care that this is our reality. Our situation is a grave one, governor. In my 19 years in this district I have never felt so discouraged and defeated as I do at this time. Because of state law, we cannot strike. I have been asked in my capacity as president if striking would make a difference. Of course it would. Our neighbors in Vermont are able to strike, and some have. Of those schools, a settlement is reached within a few short days. Because we in New Hampshire cannot strike, we enter into a job action known as work to rule. Simply stated, this consists of working to the letter of the contract-arriving and leaving at the contracted times, not volunteering for additional non-paid activities, not chaperoning dances, etc. But we are teachers. We want to work with our students and provide as many educational opportunities as possible. One of your goals as governor of New Hampshire is to improve education. I am not asking that you fix our specific situation. I am simply making you aware of how some of the teachers that you speak so highly about in your state are being treated. Teachers do not enter the profession to get rich. They do, however, believe that earning a competitive wage isn’t too much to ask. HEIDI A. GOVE President Fall Mountain Regional High School 134 FMRHS Road Langdon

Ed. Note: Thanks to Secretary Regina Borden, here are the minutes of the October 5 Selectmen's meeting.

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN

OCTOBER 5, 2006

Selectmen Present:   Whitney Aldrich, Charles Miller, Sheldon Sawyer

Mr. Aldrich called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. with seven people present in the audience.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

BRUCE MARTIN – UPDATE ON VETERANS MEMORIAL:  Bruce Martin distributed copies of the latest artist conceptual drawing of the Veterans Monument.  Attorney Kasper referenced the Minutes of the April 6th meeting when there was a consensus of the Board of Selectmen to support the memorial and use of the Common as it is the most appropriate location.  Several members of the American Legion were present to report that they are ready to offer a gift, a new Veterans Memorial, to the Town of Walpole and requested that the Board of Selectmen reconfirm their support and acceptance of the gift.  They are proposing a 5-foot tall granite memorial as depicted in the sketch.  Its footprint is the same as the present memorial but there will be room for 1,200-plus names.  The group has raised over $100,000 and are prepared to enter into a contract with the Rock of Ages in Barre, Vt.  A scale model of the memorial on the Common is in the Town Hall entryway.

Mr. Sawyer moved that the Board of Selectmen vote to act with the American Legion to contract with the Rock of Ages to start cutting the blocks and to accept the gift.  Seconded by Mr. Miller. 

Krystyna Marcom was present and, before the vote is taken, wanted to say that she is not anti-memorial but the Common is a public space and the Town should decide if they want the memorial.  A Petition was submitted with 72 signatures.  Mr. Sawyer said they do not look at this new memorial as new construction, it will not take up additional space and, if the tree is removed, it will be replaced.  As a part of this project the two cannons are being refurbished.  Mr. Miller feels the motion has nothing to do with the placement but only the authority to move forward.  Mr. Aldrich said this project was started over a year ago long before the Petition came in.  Bruce Martin stated the foundation will not go in until spring after the ground thaws.  Ed Potter said there are a lot of residents in this Town that support this new memorial to honor the people that have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.       

Vote:  The full Board of Selectmen is in favor, the motion was approved.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest in the amount of $367,230.93.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted. 

This amount includes a payment of $328,427.85 to the Fall Mountain Region School District.

Voucher Request – Conservation Commission:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the payment to Robie Speed for a clean-up on Route 12 with funds coming out of the Mason Forest Fund.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted. 

PAYROLL:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the payroll voucher for the week ending September 30, 2006, for gross wages in the amount of $17,133.89 or net wages in the amount of $9,785.00.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the electronic fund transfer for the Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $4,180.47.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Miller moved to approve the recommended pay increase for Mike Symonds of the Highway Department that will be retro-active back to September 6, 2006.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

TRANSFER:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the transfer of funds in the amount of $500,000 from the MBIA to the Savings Bank of Walpole and that the Chairman be authorized to sign the documents.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

MINUTES –SELECTMEN’S MEETING- SEPTEMBER 28, 2006:  Mr. Miller moved to approve the Minutes of the public Board of Selectmen’s meeting of September 28, 2006, as printed.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Miller moved to approve the Minutes of the Non-Public Board of Selectmen’s meeting of September 28, 2006, as printed.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

DEPARTMENT / COMMITTEE MEETINGS:

The Board of Selectmen received and reviewed Minutes of the following meetings:  1) Zoning Board of Adjustment – October 02, 2006; 2) Hooper Institute – September 19, 2006; and 3) North Walpole Village Board of Commissioners – October 03, 2006.

REFUNDS:

HUBBARD FARMS – Map 010-006-000:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve and sign the Refund for the 2005 Property Taxes for Hubbard Farms in the amount of $3,873.00.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

BUILDING PERMIT: 

STEVEN AND SHARYN TULLAR – MAP 008-096-000:  Mr. Miller moved to approve and sign Building Permit No. 2006-052 for Steven and Sharyn Tullar to refinish the porch and put on a new roof.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

OLD BUSINESS:

MUNICIPAL VOLUNTEER AWARDS NOMINATION:  Mr. Miller advised that Elaine Moore will be given the Municipal Volunteer Awards Nomination form.

TREES ON BOOKSELLER ROAD:  Following a discussion relative to the trees on Bookseller Road that were mentioned during the last meeting, there was a consensus of the Board of Selectmen to have Mr. Miller draft a letter to Mrs. Dodd suggesting that she contact her neighbor about the trees that she has concerns about. 

SOUTHWEST REGION PLANNING COMMISSION – MAPS:   Mr. Sawyer moved to sign and send the letter along with the corrected road maps to the SWRPC.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted. 

JAY CHAMBERLAIN:  Mr. Aldrich will contact Jay Chamberlain to see if he is still interested in taking on an Eagle Scout project to plant flowers and/or shrubs near the Town Hall or on the Common.

FENCE PROBLEM – SCHOOL/TOWN:  Mr. Aldrich will contact Sam Jacobs at the Walpole Elementary School about the fence problem after he completes his research.    

 NEW BUSINESS:

COMMUNITY NETWORK TEAM TRAINING – OCTOBER 19, 2006:  Mr. Sawyer moved to allow Elaine Moore, Welfare Manager, to attend the Community Network Team Training seminar on October 19, 2006.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

WATER/SEWER RATES: 

Water Rates:  Mr. Miller moved to set the water rate from a flat fee of $60.00 to $100.00.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

Sewer Rates:  Mr. Miller moved to pass over setting the sewer rates to allow time to study them.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

COPIER -2-STUDIO28:  There was a consensus of the Board of Selectmen to pass over the copier at this time.

WORK MEETING DATES –PREPARING FOR 2007 BUDGETS:  The Board of Selectmen agreed to have a letter sent to the Department Heads to request that they start looking at their proposed 2007 Capital Expenditures and equipment and to submit their lists within the first week of  November .  The preliminary proposed budget should be submitted during the week of December 11th.

KINGSBURY ROAD / WATKINS HILL – SCHOOL BUS REQUEST:  The Board of Selectmen acknowledged receipt of a letter from the State of New Hampshire, Department of Safety, to Dr. Joseph Della Badia at Fall Mountain Region School District relative to a blind spot for the school busses on Kingsbury Road / Watkins Hill.  A copy of this letter will be referred to Jim Terrell      

TOWN REPORTS:  The Board of Selectmen agreed to have Elaine Moore make arrangements with Village Printers in Bellows Falls to print the Town Reports.

LETTERS TO BE SIGNED:

Arthur Audsley / Suzanne Reynolds:  Mr. Sawyer moved to put this letter on-hold for revisions.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Miller moved to adjourn this meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.  The time was 9:42 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Regina Borden, Recording Secretary

Walpole Living Notes by Chuck Bingaman

Wow! Has there ever been a more beautiful week of fall colors and crisp October weather?   How lucky we are to live here!

A few accumulated notes on life in our town…

• Did you notice that they again restructured the intersection of Old North Main, North Road and Old Drewsville Road?   Actually it’s been restructured for a couple of weeks, and I think it’s a bit of an improvement over the initial restructuring.  But it still doesn’t deal with the speeding on Old North Road and North Road as they continue north and around past the cemetery.  Comments, anybody?

• I had an interesting visit Friday with Patti Abbott, Kim Tomlinson and Amanda Kinson, the three kindergarten teachers at Walpole School about the full-day kindergarten and how it’s going.  The full story will probably appear in tomorrow’s Eagle Times.  Summary: things are going very well!

• The Walpole Leadership Academy, sponsored by the Walpole Grange, the Walpole Foundation, the Bridge Wilson American Legion Post #77 and the Women of Walpole, opened yesterday with a full class of 15 participants.  In the first session, Vicki Gohl, Alan Johnson and Dave Westover gave thoughtfully prepared, stimulating, and, at times, sobering, views of the business economy of Walpole and the surrounding area.   While celebrating the pleasures and beauty of life here, they also pointed out the real problems we face with a very difficult dairy farming economy, our need for planned commercial growth and housing development, and our shortage of housing for moderate income and elderly residents.   The next Academy session October 25 features top school administrators in our district, followed in early November by a session with our three selectmen.  (Full disclosure requires that I note that Sue and I have been involved in getting the Academy going.)

• In another key community organized and managed activity, the Walpole Village School held a successful open house yesterday in its new facility at the foot of Westminster Street in the old Long River Gardens property.  The parents and teachers have done a beautiful job of transforming the building into a GREAT facility for the school, and they have matched it with an ambitious expansion of the school’s programs for town and area youngsters.  If you haven’t seen the new facility, you really should take a look!

• If you haven’t tried the ice cream from the new Walpole Creamery on Rt. 12 north of the North Meadow Plaza, you’re missing a real treat!  It’s really good, and I understand that—-in addition to the scoop shop on the premises that is open from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m.—-it is now available at 13 stores, inns and restaurants in the area.

 

 

Ed. Note: Thanks to Secretary Pam Aslinger, here are the draft minutes of last Tuesday's Planning Board meeting.  Although they are quite long--no one will accuse Pam of incomplete minutes!-- they're worth reading as they contain details of several interesting development proposals.  CCB

PLANNING BOARD MEETING

October 10, 2006  7:30pm Town Hall

MINUTES

Presiding:  Ch. Jeff Miller

Members Present:  Bob Miller, V-Ch., Dave DeCoste, Henry Fletcher, Fred Dill, alt.

Absent:  Sheldon Sawyer, Eric Merklein, Ben Daviss, Dave Edkins, alt., Ray Boas, alt.

Recording:  Pamela Aslinger, alt. and Secretary

These minutes are unapproved and will be reviewed at the November 13, 2006 meeting for errors, omissions and corrections.

I.            Meeting opened at 7:35pm

            A.  Ch. Miller designated Fred Dill as a voting member mentioning Mr. Dill would recuse himself for the Whitcomb and Walpole D&D applications.  He would be designating Ms. Aslinger to take over for Mr. Dill during his recusals.

            B.  Minutes were passed over until the end of the meeting.

II.            Review application submitted for completeness

            A.  Meadowsend Timberlands Minor 2 lot subdivision located in the Timberland District, Map 6, Lot 21.  Members reviewed the application materials.  Sec. Aslinger reported the application was received complete within the required deadline, the request for a waiver on a full survey would need the Board’s approval once the application was accepted as complete prior to the Public Hearing being opened.  A motion was made to accept the application as complete, seconded, with no further discussion, motion carried unanimously.   A motion was made to accept the applicant’s request to waive the requirement of a complete survey for the entire remaining parcel due to the size and scale incompatibility of the two lots. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

III.            Meeting Closed/Public Hearing Opened

            A.  Meadowsend Timberlands - Virginia Foote of Lawrence Associates was present representing the applicant and described the purpose of the subdivision is to create a small 2.29 acre lot to be sold as a view, recreational lot.  They were granted a variance by the Walpole ZBA on 9/20/06 waiving the road frontage requirement for the district.  Ch. Miller called for questions and comments from the public, being none he closed the Public Hearing and re-opened the meeting.

V.         Action on Meadowsend Timberlands Minor 2 lot subdivision

Ch. Miller asked for Board comments.  Mr. Dill reminded the lot created was non-buildable and so states on the maps and mylar.  A Motion to approve the subdivision as presented was made, seconded and carried unanimously.  Ch. and V-Ch. Miller’s signed the maps and mylar. Sec. Aslinger and Ms. Foote agreed that Ms. Foote would record the plan with the Registry.  Ms. Foote stated she was not ready to file the application for a Lot Line Adjustment on behalf of the Fitzpatrick’s who have expressed an interest in purchasing the newly created lot, but would like to be added to November’s agenda as a preliminary review.

II.            Review application submitted for completeness

            B.  Clair Whitcomb Trust Minor 3 lot subdivision located in the Rural Agricultural District on Rte. 12, Map 7 Lot 19.  Ch. Miller designated Ms. Aslinger to replace recused Mr. Dill, he felt with former and future relation to the property it would be inappropriate for him to remain on the Board during the review.  Sec. Aslinger reported the application was received complete as of the required deadline, all abutters had been notified, notices posted, fees received.

She said the Board has received a letter from abutter Mr. Schupack, each member was given a copy at the meeting.  Ch. Miller called for a motion to accept the application as complete, it was so moved and seconded, with no further discussion the motion carried unanimously.

III.            Meeting closed/Public Hearing Opened

            B.  Clair Whitcomb Trust - Joseph DiBernardo presented for Mr. LaHaise describing the basic lot configuration, road frontage, access and private driveway locations, all lots meet the Town requirements.  He showed where each lot has access from a 50ft. ROW off of North River and Webster Lane via a private drive. 

Mr. John Hansel, audience member asked for a better description of the proposal location, Ch. Miller obliged, with help from abutter Mr. Schupack.  Mr. Miller stated that in the past a proposal was made for the same parcel, however it was turned down because it included a dead end road greater than 600ft. in length, the project was for many more houses.

Ch. Miller asked for clarification of where the access and ROW is being proposed.  Mr. DiBernardo showed the location on the map and stated it was at the end of North River Rd. across the private road Webster Land entering into the 50 ft. ROW servicing all three of the lots.  Each lot would have a private driveway stemming from the 50 ft. ROW.  Ch. Miller asked where the houses would be located.  It was determined they would be on the top of the lots where the better views are.  Preliminary maps showed proposed sites. 

Bob Anderson abutter asked if the proposal did infact have frontage on Rte. 12.  He referred to the deed stating the State of NH has all rights of access to the property.  He went to the Highway Dept. where they agreed the property cannot have any access via driveways to Rte. 12.  He is concerned if you can not have access off the road, would the road be considered “frontage”.  Ch. Miller said access to the property is not on Rte. 12, but on a Town maintained road, he said frontage must be on a Class V or better road, Rte. 12 is better than a Class V road, so the frontage is met.   Mr. Anderson felt without direct access for each lot from Rte. 12 they did not meet the frontage requirement.  Ch. Miller said they had met the access requirement by putting in the 50ft. ROW, the access is not required to be off the frontage although he could see Mr. Anderson’s point.

Mr. Steve Horton abutter, said in a related issue to access, the beginning of the ROW at Webster Lane ie; a shared driveway between he and Mr. Schupack ,needs to be guaranteed a  covenant or have conditions provided to them as owners of Webster Lane of who would be responsible for repairs and maintenance once the traffic from the proposal begins to effect the access area.

He said he did not see anything provided with the application.  He said they weren’t completely sure if the proposal actually has access.  Ch. Miller asked if he agreed they had a ROW over Webster Lane, Mr. Horton said he did see the designation on the map but wasn’t sure it had been granted. 

Mr. Mel Schupack said he had talked to Mr. Fish at DOT who said while Mr. Schupack and Mr. Horton have ROW over the State owned portion of Webster Lane the Whitcomb property did not have a ROW at this point but the State would not deny it so long as the Town approved the subdivision.  Mr. Schupack’s concern is if the subdivision contains the ROW what conditions get attached to the ROW for expansion of the project for three more houses.  He wonders if the

adequacy of the private drive will be sufficient for the new property owners and if the subdivision process would provide for it and whether Webster Lane needs to be improved.

Mr. Horton asked if he could show the Board where the Whitcomb property bisects Webster Lane, Mr. Schupack showed where the State owned all the direct access, he had a ROW across the State property.  Ch. Miller asked if the Whitcomb’s have a ROW, Mr. DiBernardo said he thought they had the State ROW in place.

Mr. Miller said he thought an agreement was needed between the Whitcomb property and the Webster Lane property owners describing who would be in charge of maintenance and repairs. 

Mr. Schupack was concerned about the adequacy of the road within the property.  Mr. Miller said it was a private driveway, the Board would not have any requirements on the driveway.  The Town has a driveway permit process only. 

Mr. DeCoste asked Mr. Schupack for clarification on their ROW over the state portion.  Mr. Schupack said they do have a ROW from the State but did not think the Whitcomb property did, but would be granted a ROW if the Town approves the subdivision.

Ch. Miller said he gathered that one of the concerns of Mr. Schupack and Mr. Horton was the traffic on Webster Lane would be increased by three and how would the new property owners provide their share of the maintenance, it should be equitable and formalized. 

Mr. Anderson said he did call the DOT Bureau of ROW’s.  The State did give a ROW across the State land to the property long before this subdivision was proposed.  They did mention it is for a driveway, not a road.  Mr. Miller agreed it was for a driveway only. 

In answer to Mr. Anderson’s original question regarding “frontage”, Ms. Aslinger read the definition of “Frontage” from the Zoning Ordinance and also the definition of “Public Street”.  She said she was quite certain the plan did have the required “frontage”.

Ch. Miller called for further discussion, being none closed the Public Hearing and reopened the meeting.

V.  Action on the Whitcomb 3 lot subdivision

Ch. Miller called for further Board review.  He said he thought it would be respectful to the abutters to have the applicant check with the ROW and come up with a formal agreement before the Board takes final action.  Members agreed.  A motion was made to delay action on the application until the next meeting (11/14/06) and to notify the applicant the Board is requiring further information related to the State ROW approval and a maintenance agreement over Webster Lane with the existing abutters.  Motion was seconded and carried unanimously. 

II.            Review application submitted for completeness

            C.  Marvic Management Minor 4 lot subdivision located on Rte. 12/118 Church St. in N. Walpole in the Industrial District Map 27 Lot 1-1.  Mr. Dill returned as designated alternate for the Board.  Sec. Aslinger reported the application had been received complete within the required deadline, fees, abutters notified, notices posted.  Ch. Miller called for a motion to accept the application as complete, so moved and seconded.  Motion carried unanimously.  Ch. Miller noted a Site Visit had taken place on 9/16/06. (minutes on file)

III.            Meeing closed/Public Hearing opened

            C.  Marvic Management - Mr. Joseph DiBernardo presented for the Castellano’s. 

He described the subdivision, showing the lots and their accesses.  He said the ROW off of Rte. 12 is pending.  He said there is no frontage or minimum lot size requirements in the Industrial district.  Mr. DeCoste said Lot 3 also shows a pending approval from the Town for access.  Mr.

DiBernardo agreed, they were currently working with both the State and the Town for access permits. 

Mr. John Foster abutter, said there is a problem with the Connecticut River that borders the west side of this proposal.  In the last 40 years over 60 feet of the bank has eroded, there are maps showing the erosion.  He believes that if the trees are removed from the property there will

be even more erosion and the property is also an old dump with lots of buried waste.  He said the soil is poor and once the trees are removed it will create extensive erosion especially on Lots 3 and 4.   He said the road known as Marshall St. was originally just a driveway that was paved to service a few houses and is not up to specs, the Town maintains it and it is a Town road given to the Town by the property owners but there is no sewer only a dry well, no street lights, and a very bad drainage problem. 

Mr. Miller asked if the new lots are to be served by Town water and sewer, the answer was yes.

He asked if anyone from the North Walpole Zoning or Village Precinct was present, there was no one present.

Mr. Barry Sharkey abutter said the Town had barely put in the dry well two years ago, it did not function in heavy rain situations with much of the surrounding property catching the overflow all the way to the River.  It freezes in the winter and floods basements.  He said the Town had talked about bringing up the pitch of the road, right where the new proposed driveway is. 

Ch. Miller asked Mr. DiBernardo if they had talked to the Water/Village Commissioners.  He said they had been talking to them including the Road Agent.  Mr. Castellano said they had spoken with Mr. McCormick today, he was aware of the meeting and not happy they weren’t notified.  Mr. Castellano said Mr. McCormick was happy with the plan as proposed.  Mr. DiBernardo said they were working with the road agent about the access off Marshall St., he thought the drainage issues would be addressed at that time. 

Ch. Miller suggested the Board delay action on the application since these issues and others have been raised.  He suggested the North Walpole officials be contacted and invited to come to the next meeting for their formal recommendation since the issues impact their jurisdiction.  Mr. DiBernardo felt enough was underway for the Board to act tonight with a conditional approval.

Mr. Castellano didn’t feel they needed to go back to the Commissioners.  Mr. Miller disagreed saying he thought it was only considerate to have their formal recommendation before the Board makes a final determination. 

Abutter Mr. John Foster said the State will not allow anyone to put in rip rap on the river, he sited a few instances up the river where development had added to erosion and the State put up some plastic netting that was ineffectual.  Mr. DiBernardo thought the Charlestown River Corridor Protection agency works with the Army Corp of Engineers regarding the River bank and could be contacted. 

Mr. DeCoste agreed with Ch. Miller to include the N. Walpole Commissioners recommendations.  Mr. DiBernardo asked who’s responsibility is it to let the Commissioners know of land use changes, the applicant or the Planning Board? 

Ms. Aslinger said it was a good question for the Board, they would have been properly notified the same way the Public is notified with the publishing of the notice, the availability of the maps hanging in the Town Hall lobby, and posted notices.  Mr. DiBernardo said it was very confusing for the applicant to think everything was in place and to be delayed because North Walpole wasn’t included at tonight’s meeting.  The Board agreed, Ch. Miller said most of the time the Commissioner’s did participate either by communication or attendance on subdivisions or site plans.  Sec. Aslinger said this meeting was the first formal review of the application, the Board goes through its process in a manner that allows for issues to be raised during the Public Hearing.  If issues are raised the Board needs to make sure everyone is satisfied before the Board makes it final decision.  She said most of the time applications are cut and dry, they come and go,

but for the first time she can remember, there are two applications at tonight’s meeting that action will be delayed until the next meeting. 

Ch. Miller said the Board would send paper copies to the N. Walpole Village Commissioners and hopefully they will respond with a recommendation.

Ms. Sharkey asked if the abutters would be involved in the continued review.  Ch. Miller said to attend the next meeting, the hearing has been closed but the Board’s review will be continued until Nov. 14, 2006 at 7:30pm without further notification.

Mr. Dill wanted it clear that this review would be continued until the next meeting without another notification, all agreed.

Mr. Dill clarified if the other three Rte.12 frontage lots have Town sewer, answer was yes.

Mrs. Castellano asked if there was anyway the Boards could better coordinate with one another on applications that involve both North Walpole and Walpole, perhaps through the written procedures, it is very confusing.  She said she didn’t think it should be one way for people in Walpole and another way for those in North Walpole when someone from North Walpole has to appear in Walpole.  She said the delay is creating a problem for them since they are trying to sell the building, they would have done the extra legwork to move the application forward at tonight’s meeting.

Ch. Miller said some confusion is created over the two separate Zoning Ordinances for Walpole and N. Walpole.  The differences create separate procedures.

Sec. Aslinger said if the Board instructed her to do so, she could make an explicit effort to notify and invite North Walpole to be a part of any application that involves them, to avoid this situation in the future.

Mr. Dill asked if the Board could approve just one lot.  Ch. Miller said it would not be possible.

Mr. DiBernardo asked if they could get a conditional approval since most of the issues are simply awaiting already discussed permitting.  Ch. Miller said he thought some of the issues prevented the Board from doing a conditional approval.

Ms. Aslinger said having attended the site visit, she was still concerned over the erosion, she said she wasn’t comfortable giving a conditional approval without more information.  Members felt that was more of a landowner’s issue, that a lending institution might be more interested.

Ch. Miller said years ago a gentleman wanted to start a commercial auto repair business but he couldn’t get financing because of the erosion factor, the lender felt he couldn’t pay the loan off before the building eroded. 

Mr. DeCoste wanted input from the Commissioner’s before a final decision is made.

Ch. Miller called for final comments, being none he announced that the Public Hearing would be continued as well as the Board’s review at the November 14, 2006 meeting to be held in the Town Hall at 7:30pm.  He said the Board will send maps and ask for formal input to the Commissioner’s, if we do not hear from them, then we’ll assume they agree with the proposal as submitted.

Mr. Dill said the applicant should be prepared to answer questions from Selectmen Sawyer regarding the access off Marshall St., he was concerned at the preliminary review about drainage issues.

II.            Review application submitted for completeness

            D.  Walpole D & D, LLC Minor 2 lot subdivision - It was announced that the street location was incorrect on the hearing notice and agenda, however, the map and lot number was shown correctly.  Sec. Aslinger said she felt the Board properly noticed the application.  Mr. Dill recused himself, Ms. Aslinger was designated in his place.  The subdivision is located on Hooper and Wentworth roads in the Residential A District, Map 8 Lot 15.  Sec. Aslinger said the

application had been submitted complete prior to the required deadline, fees received, abutters

notified, hearings posted. Ch. Miller called for a motion to accept the application as complete, it was so moved and seconded, the motion carried unanimously.

III.            Meeting closed/Public Hearing opened.

            D.  Walpole D & D, LLC  - Mr. Fred Dill presented the plans showing where the farm house is being subdivided from lot 2 and the surrounding parcels.  Mr. Hansel asked for a

location, Mr. Dill described the location for him.  Ch. Miller asked about the land south of Hooper Road, why was it being shown on the plan.  Mr. Dill said there were actually 3 lots on that side, bound by a stonewall, they were in 3 separate lots of record he has purchased all three to make one large lot.  Ch. Miller asked if the septic system for the farmhouse was across the street.  Mr. Dill said the septic is across the street but they will relocate it to be on the same lot as the house behind the garage, test pits have been dug.  It was noted the zone changes to Residential B on the other side of the road.

Mr. Dance abutter, asked about Hooper Rd. it is maintained by the Town, he asked about future development on the south end, whether the road would need to be upgraded. 

Ch. Miller said it was a good point, the road being very narrow and in fair condition.  He said if the area is to be developed on a larger scale, then the road would need to be brought up to a higher standard to handle the increased traffic.  Currently the road is “paved”, top coated with a recycled pavement and has drainage problems which have led to potholes.

Mr. Dance asked about Lot 2 being very wet.  Mr. Dill said he does not know if it would be considered wetlands, test pits have been dug and could handle one or two homes.  Mr. Dance asked if Mr. Dill was planning on further subdivision of the lot, noting it has the frontage?  Mr. Dill said it does have frontage for 4 lots.  Mr. Dance said he was criticized about the development of his property being the cause of increased traffic on Wentworth Rd., if Mr. Dill develops this area, how will that effect increased traffic?   Mr. Dill said in a snapshot, they are planning to build 10 homes on the entire 40 acres, although they are allowed as many as 40 homes.  Mr. Dance asked what the building standards would be?  Mr. Dill said they would be at least 2500 sq. ft. homes with attached 2 car garages, by deed restriction.  He said they would be similar to the homes he has built on Old Keene Rd.  Mr. Dance said he was concerned as an abutter about the potential for cluster housing noting the Boards recent discussions.  Mr. Dill said he was not planning a cluster development, the Town does not have a cluster development ordinance and he did not agree the Town needed a cluster development option and emphatically does not propose or support it.

Mr. Dance said his property is up for sale, although they would like to stay, he is concerned that 300 to 400 thousand dollar homes built nearby would effect his property value.  Mr. Dill said the lots alone are likely to sell for that amount without the homes.

Mr. Dance said his biggest concern is the increased traffic and condition of Hooper Rd.  Ch. Miller said it was a good point and would be addressed.  Mr. Fletcher asked if Lot 2 was going to be further subdivided.  Mr. Dill said if they do, it will be part of the final proposal including all the lots to be subdivided.  They would come in all at once.  He is mainly concerned with subdividing the house so it can be sold immediately.  Ms. Aslinger noted the importance of a developer to come in with their entire plans rather than many minor subdivisions.  Without knowing the entire scale of a development the Town cannot properly plan for its potential impact on Town services such as Road upgrades.  Ch. Miller agreed with the Dance’s point about the road condition being a matter of safety, the potential upgrade costs should be borne by the applicant since they will have the most benefit from its upgrade.  Some felt a passable road should be part of what you get for your taxes, noting the upgrade may be offset by the tax revenue generated.

Mr. Anderson said he lives in one of Mr. Dill’s built homes and would like to be assured Hooper Road would not be changed to Dill Rd.  All agreed it was not a change that Mr. Taylor would be likely to allow.

Ch. Miller called for final comments, being none he closed the Public Hearing and re-opened the meeting.

V.         Action on Walpole D & D, LLC minor 2 lot subdivision

Ch. Miller called for board action on the application.  A motion was made and seconded to approved the minor 2 lot subdivision as proposed.  Motion carried unanimously.  Ch. and

Vice Ch. Miller’s signed the maps and mylar.  Mr. Dill agreed to record the plans at the Registry of Deeds.

VI.       New Business:  Preliminary Conceptual Consultations

            A.  Mr. Eric Frink - Merriam Rd. Class VI Road Resoultion.  Mr. Frink was present with his grandfather.  He stated he would like to build a house on a piece of land that is 500 - 600 feet down Merriam Rd. from where the Town maintenance ends, he said he wanted to fix up the road just to meet his needs to get in and out.  He asked what would be needed.  Sec. Aslinger said Sheldon Sawyer had requested this be added to tonight’s agenda.  It is a Class VI Road “Resolution”, if the Planning Board could make their recommendation the Board of Selectmen would hold the public hearing.  She asked Mr. Frink if he had brought any drawings for the Board to review, he had not.  Ch. Miller said to come back to the next meeting, to bring a survey, the meeting date is November 14th.  Myra Mansouri asked for clarification on the distance in.

Ch. Miller asked if they owned all the land along the 5-600 feet. Answer was no.

            B.  Bensonwood Homes Site Plan Reivew for a 56 x 100 ft. storage shed.  Mr. Randall Walter presented.  He submitted plans, fees and an application.  He described and showed where the location is, stating it was going to be used for storage of about 2 homes that are not completed in time for construction prior to winter.  He said the building would look similar to the new building at Fall Mountain Building Supply.  He said it meets all the set back requirements.  It is about 30 feet high, being shorter than the building ahead of it.  They’ve done the physical layout and he invited anyone to come and see what it looks like.  He said the building is very screened with trees and is barely visible.  He said they included in the design provisions that could lead to a covered loading area in the future.  Mr. Dill asked what the size of the property is, answer was 11 plus acres.  Mr. Walter said he did not feel they were going beyond what was allowed for the property indicating they had allowed for a large portion of permeable surfaces, a community garden and outdoor area.  Sec. Aslinger provided them with a copy of the Site Plan Review regulations asking they include the “Check list” with their application submission by the 10/30/06 deadline for the Nov. 14, 2006 meeting.  She said if they were requesting waivers this would be required to be included with their application.  There was a comment made about a previously granted special exception because it is in the Rural Agricultural district and there were Current Use issues.  Mr. Walter said the property is very limited and more expansion is unlikely.  He asked about the procedure, was told the Board would review the application at the next meeting and hold the Public Hearing.  From there they would apply for their building permit with the Selectmen,  Ch. Miller reminded the Board would be meeting in the upstairs of the Town Hall due to ballot counting.

Sec. Aslinger said if they are submitting their application tonight, they still need to look through the Site Plan Review Regulations for conformance and submit the checklist within the deadline for the next meeting.  She said if there are any changes to the plans, they also need to be resubmitted by the deadline.  Myra Mansouri asked if Bensonwood’s prior special exception, plans and applications would be brought to the meeting for reference.  Mr. Walter said they would bring their plans, the Planning Board can also bring up their records on file.   The Board

agreed to add their Site Plan Review application to the November 14, 2006 agenda pending receipt of the application materials on or before 10/30/06. 

C.  Jim Mort 2 Lot Minor Subdivision located on Brewery Rd.    Mr. Mort submitted an application for review at the Nov. 14th meeting.  He proposes to subdivide 2 lots from his parcel Map 14 Lot 11. The existing northern house is already on it’s own lot 11-1 from a previous subdivision.  Proposed subdivided Lot 1 is 16 acres and includes all of the existing cabins. 

Proposed subdivided Lot 2 is 15 acres includes a pond and existing house.  Both lots have

frontage on Brewery Rd. with access for both lots at the end of Brewery Rd. along a shared ROW.  Sec. Aslinger asked Mr. Mort to renumber the lots on the plans to reflect the subdivision

proposal and to resubmit corrected maps by 10/30/06.  A motion to add the application to the agenda for Nov. 14, 2006 and schedule the Public Hearing pending receipt of the corrected maps was made and seconded.  Motion passed unanimously.

D.  Brendon Honey - Mr. Honey was asked to appear by the Selectmen to clarify that the project he is working on, formerly the Irish property on Main St., is not an apartment.  Mr. Honey said it is a building similar to what was taken down, houses a half bath, a loft and a downstairs, no one will be living in it.  Ch. Miller thanked Mr. Honey for appearing.

VII.            Communications and Miscellaneous

            A.  Other - Sec.  Aslinger said member Ben Daviss in an earlier e-mail, thought the Board should consider a work session to go over potential zoning amendments and Master Plan review since tonight’s agenda was so full.  Myra Mansouri said she was concerned about potential changes affecting the existing ordinance making it less cohesive.  Ch. Miller said he wasn’t aware of any specific changes and doubted whether there would be anything substantial enough to hold work sessions on.  He said in response to Ms. Mansouri’s concern that changes go through the Public Hearing process allowing for input before they are proposed.

Members did not schedule a work session for October.  Sec. Aslinger mentioned the Zoning change proposed by the Dearborn Circle petition, Ch. Miller asked to have it added to the November agenda. 

I.          B.  Minutes of 9/12/06, 9/16/06, correction to 7/11/06.

Sec. Aslinger asked to have the minutes of 7/11/06 corrected to include a missing discussion on the Cellco’s tower request to have be taller than the regulations allow.  She said Mr. Daviss had relayed the discussion via e-mail to her when she asked about the meeting she did not attend.  She thought it was important information to include since it specifically indicated that towers greater than 100 ft. are not allowed in the Telecommunications Ordinance.  The discussion specified, while the waiver was granted for this application, it did not set a precedent for applications in the future.  She read Mr. Daviss message to the Board.

Members who were in attendance at the July meeting agreed the discussion had taken place and agreed to have Mr. Daviss’s e-mail response added to the minutes.

A motion to approve the minutes as presented for 9/12/06 and 9/16/06 was made, seconded and carried unanimously.

VIII.            Meeting Adjouned at 9:10pm.

Added Note:  Ch. Miller received a letter of resignation from Alternate Member Ray Boas,  while this was not brought up before the meeting adjourned, he asked the record reflect his receipt of the resignation.

Cc:  PB members, ZBA, BOS, Town Clerk

Posted:  Town Hall, Lobby, Burdick’s Market, websites:  www.walpolenh.us, www.the walpolean.com

 

           

       

 

                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WALPOLE VILLAGE SCHOOL GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION SCHEDULED

     Walpole, NH— October 3, 2006 — The Walpole Village School invites the public to join in celebrating its grand opening in its new location on Saturday, October 14th from 12:00 – 3:00 pm.  An official ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at Noon, followed by an afternoon of family fun and games.  The event will take place at the school’s new building located at 75 Westminster Street in Walpole (formerly LongRiver Gardens).  The school’s playground will be open for kids to enjoy and a moon bounce will be on site as well.  Hay rides, an array of fall games, and a book sale sponsored by Usborne Books are also slated for the event.  Proceeds from the book sale will be used to purchase additional titles for the school’s library.  Refreshments will be served.  Admission to the event is free.

     “We are very excited for the public to come see the improvements we have made to the building and what an ideal space we now have”, says Kelly Patch, organizer of the event.  The open house will take place immediately following the school’s annual Walk-A-Thon fundraiser which has been a Walpole tradition for many years.

 ###

    ABOUT THE WALPOLE VILLAGE SCHOOL:  Incorporated in 1974, the Walpole Village School is a non-profit educational institution offering preschool, pre-kindergarten, and after-school enrichment programs.  Its child-centered program strives to achieve a balance between offering new experiences and incorporating students’ interests and abilities.  Built on a strong foundation of social skills, the goal of the school’s curriculum is to foster respect and compassion in a child’s decision-making processes. 

     Funding for the school’s programs comes from a combination of tuition payments, parent fundraising activities, and donations from local businesses and the public.  Tuition assistance is available.  The Walpole Village School does not discriminate on the basis of physical handicap, race, creed, color or sex in the administration of its educational policies, admissions, tuition assistance and other school programs

Thanks to Regina Borden, here are the munutes of the September 28 Selectmen's meeting.  CCB

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN

SEPTEMBER 28, 2006

Selectmen Present: Whitney Aldrich, Charles Miller, (Absent: Sheldon Sawyer)

Mr. Aldrich called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. with six people present in the audience.

BULDING PERMIT:

LEO AND DONNA DROUIN – MAP 012-044-300:  Mr. Miller moved to approve Building Permit No. 2006-051 for Leo and Donna Drouin to attach a greenhouse to their garage on Abenaki Lane.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT:  The Southwest Region Planning Commission sent a revised road map for Jim Terrell to review.  There were some mislabeled roads; he made the corrections and turned it into the Board of Selectmen to check and then return to the SWRPC. 

Mr. Miller asked Jim Terrell to check on some trees on Bookseller Road.  They are not in the Town’s right-of-way but some of them look very fragile.  It appears that if they are not taken down they will fall down. 

Jim Terrell reported that “No Thru Traffic” signs were put up on the Cold River Road but people are still using the road.  Mr. Miller suggested additional signs for “Limited Traffic”.  Mr. Terrell felt he could also put them up but he has to stay within the RSAs.     

Jim Terrell advised that in order to put up signs around the intersection of the Old Drewsville Road, North Main Street and North Road there needs to be a Traffic Committee of two or more people.  The Board of Selectmen appointed Jim Terrell and Police Chief David Hewes to the Traffic Committee.

After the accident last winter with the Verizon telephone pole in North Walpole, Jim Terrell did some investigating and discovered that 32 poles are in the Town’s right-of-way or too close to the sidewalks.  He discussed this with Verizon who feel they could not move some of the poles, therefore, would like to work with the Town.  Verizon is going to send back the payment made to them for the pole. Jim Terrell is questioning the Town’s liability if the poles are allowed to remain within the Town’s right-of-ways.  The Board of Selectmen asked Jim Terrell to contact the Local Government Center to discuss this matter with them.

Jim Terrell advised that some of the Highway Department employees are asking about staying on a four-day, ten-hour a day work week for the winter.  It was suggested that they split the days whereby some of the department will work on Mondays and others on Fridays so the five days are covered.  The Board of Selectmen approved this request but that it will be on a trial basis. 

Jim Terrell met with the USDA and showed them some of the locations that might qualify for funding.  At that time, he was not aware of the Duncan Watson concern but did notify the USDA who will contact him and will add that location if they feel it should be on the list. 

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

Fall Mountain Region School District:  Dr. Charles Shaw and Steve Varone were present to discuss on-going negotiations within the Fall Mountain Region School District.

NON-PUBLIC SESSION:

Mr. Miller moved to enter into a Non-Public Session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II to discuss Negotiations.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich and, on a roll call vote with all in favor, the motion carried.  The time was 7:48 P.M.

The regular meeting resumed at 8:46 P.M.

PUBLIC BUSINESS (Continued):

Special School District Meeting by FMRHS:  Mr. Miller moved to sign the letter to James I. Peale, Clerk, Sullivan County Superior Court to support the School Board’s petition for a special school district meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.               

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:  Mr. Miller moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest in the amount of $31,743.14.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Miller moved to approve the Accounts Payable supplemental check register and manifest in the amount of $1,330.00.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

PAYROLL:  Mr. Miller moved to approve the payroll voucher for the week ending September 23, 2006, for gross wages in the amount of $13,914.23 or net wages in the amount of $7,310.20.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Miller moved to approve the electronic fund transfer for the Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $3,575.94.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

MINUTES –SELECTMEN’S MEETING- SEPTEMBER 21, 2006:  Mr. Miller moved to approve the Minutes of the public Board of Selectmen’s meeting of September 21, 2006, as printed.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

DEPARTMENT / COMMITTEE MEETINGS:

The Board of Selectmen received and reviewed the minutes of the following meetings:  1) North Walpole Village Board of Commissioners – September 26. 2006, and 2) Zoning Board of Adjustment – September 20, 2006.

WARRANTS:

TIMOTHY AND STACY ALLEN –TIMBER TAX- MAP 005-043-002:  Mr. Miller moved to approve the Warrant for the Collection of Timber Tax in the amount of $1,970.00 for Timothy and Stacy Allen.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.

NEW BUSINESS:

CHESHIRE COUNTY CHAMPION NORWAY SPRUCE:   The Board of Selectmen acknowledged receipt of a letter from the University of New Hampshire Extension Service advising that the Town of Walpole has a 78-foot Norway Spruce.  This is the largest Norway Spruce in the county.

SOUTHWEST REGION PLANNING COMMISSION FALL MEETING:  The SWRPC will be holding their Fall Meeting on Tuesday, October 17th at 6:00 pm in Troy, NH.  Mr. Miller and Mr. Aldrich plan to attend.

MUNICIPAL VOLUNTEER AWARDS NOMINATION:  The form for the Municipal Volunteer Awards Nomination was passed onto Mr. Miller.

BUILDING QUESTION FOR MAP 005-005-002:  The Board of Selectmen agreed that a property owner is allowed to live in an apartment over their garage only until their house is built.  They will need a Building Permit for the garage and apartment.

WEB SITE – MEMO FROM TERESA:  Relative to a memo from Teresa Kissell, the Board of Selectmen agreed to have the Master Plan added to the website provided there is sufficient capacity.

FENCE PROBLEM – School/Town:  A letter was received from Sam Jacobs, Principal of the Walpole Elementary School, regarding ownership of a fence between the school and Whitcomb Park.  Mr. Aldrich will call Mr. Jacobs in the morning regarding the fence problem.

Mr. Miller moved to adjourn this meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Aldrich.  All in favor, so voted.  The time was 9:28 P.M.

THESE ARE UNAPPROVED MINUTES.  CORRECTIONS, IF NECESSARY, MAY BE FOUND IN THE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 5, 2006, SELECTMEN’S MEETING.

Thanks to secretary Pam Aslinger, here is the agenda for next Tuesday's Planning Board meeting.  CCB

TOWN OF WALPOLE, NH  03608

PLANNING BOARD MEETING

October 10, 2006  7:30pm  Town Hall

Agenda

I.          Open Meeting

            A.  Roll Call/Designate Alternates

            B.  Approve Minutes of 9/12/06 and 9/16/06, make correction to 7/11/06.

II.            Review Applications Submitted for Completeness:   Accept -- Reject -- Delay

            A.  Meadowsend Timberlands Minor 2 lot subdivision located in Timberland District, Map 6, Lot 21.  Purpose is to create a non-buildable view/recreation lot.

            ZBA granted a variance for the frontage requirement, a request for waiver of a full survey is pending.  Bill Lawrence Assoc. presenting (Virginia Foote)

            B.  Clair Whitcomb Trust Minor 3 lot subdivision located in the Rural Agri-Cultural district on Rte. 12, Map 7 Lot 19.  Purpose is to divide 55.35 acres into 3 lots with a private driveway accessing the 3 lots.  Peter LaHaise presenting.

            C.  Marvic Management LLC Minor 4 lot subdivision located on Rte. 12/118  Church St. in N. Walpole, Industrial District, Map 71 Lot 1-1.  Lots 2, 4, 1 are accessed from Rte. 12, Lot 3 has access off Marshall St.  Joseph DiBernardo presenting for the Castellano’s.

            D.  Walpole D&D, LLC Minor 2 lot subdivision located on Old Keene Rd. in the Residential A District, Map 8 Lot 15.  Purpose is to divide existing farmhouse with 5 acres and create a second lot with frontage on Hooper Rd.

III.       Close Meeting/Open Public Hearings

            A. Meadowsend     

            B.  Whitcomb

            C.  Marvic            

            D.  Walpole D&D

IV.       Close Public Hearings/Re-open Meeting

V.        Take Action on applications submitted:  Approve -- Disapprove -- Delay

            A.  Meadowsend   

            B.  Whitcomb

            C.  Marvic                 

            D.  Walpole D&D

VI.       New Business:  Preliminary Conceptual Consultations

            A.  Mr. Eric Frink - Merriam Rd. Class VI Road Resolution PB review and recommendation to the Board of Selectmen, the BOS will schedule the Public   Hearing at a later date.

            B.  Keith Fiori - Bensonwood Homes Site Plan Review for a 56x100 storage shed at the Blackjack Crossing Road facility.

            C.  Other (could change, no additional preliminaries at the time of posting)

VII.            Communications and Miscellaneous

            A.  Other

VIII.            Adjourn Meeting

Posted:  Town Hall, Lobby, Burdick’s Market, www.walpolenh.us, www.thewalpolean.com

Cc:  PB members, ZBA, Town Offices

 

 

 

Ed. Note: Thanks to Acting Secretary Pam Aslinger, here are the draft minutes of last night's special zoning board meeting. This is the second special meeting on this matter--a testament to the conscientiousness and dedication of our zoning board members!  CCB

ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

Walpole, New Hampshire  03608

Minutes-----SPECIAL MEETING----02 October 2006.

Present:  M. Mansouri, Ch., J. Galloway-Leclerc, L. Britton, L. Carignan (alt), B. Webb (alt).

Absent:  L. Weber, L. LaClair

Recording:  Pamela Aslinger, Secretary to the Planning Board for Ms. Weber

NOTE:  THE FOLLOWING MINUTES WILL BE REVIEWED ON 18 October 2006.

The meeting was called to order at 7:30PM.  B. Webb and L. Carignan designated for L. Weber, L. LaClair.

Continued Public Hearing --- LaFayette Variance Request --- 454 County Rd.  This hearing was continued from 25 September 2006.  Ms. Mansouri asked the applicant to provide two pieces of information requested from the 25 Sept. meeting.  1)  Mr. LayFayette ask for a waiver from the NHDES or 2) take new measurements on the lot and slide the mobile home down.  Mr. Poisson provided new drawings (on file) showing the location of the site and measurements in relation to the septic system.  He said he provided these maps to the NHDES last Friday and made an application for a waiver of their setback requirement.  He said it was likely they would receive the waiver per NHDES because NHDES has allowed this type of waiver before, but Mr. Poisson said they would not have the waiver for 1 week to 10 days.  He said the plan was done from the survey that Mr. Lawrence prepared and was signed by a licensed septic engineer.  It shows the home on a concrete slab being one foot from the septic tank.  He requested  the Board grant the variance for the front (there is no place to move the site that will not require a variance) subject to obtaining the waiver from NHDES. They cannot build anything until the waiver is granted, he felt this was the final stage.

Ch. Mansouri called for questions from the audience, being none asked for comments from the Board.  Ch. Mansouri said she contacted the State this morning and received a fax from the NHDES stating they did approve the waiver “Approval amended to grant a waiver to allow the existing septic tank to be 1’ away from a new mobile home on a slab.” effective 9/29/06.  The Approval for Construction she received via fax (on file and attached to minutes) on 10/02/2006 also requires that “this approval is valid for 90 days from date of said approval, the existing system is to be discontinued and filled, and the approval is contingent upon obtaining state subdivision approval for the lot”, because it is less than 5 acres.  She reiterated the statement regarding the waiver.  She said she is concerned that the State subdivision approval is still pending for the lot.  Mr. Poisson said his understanding of the lack of State Subdivision approval as explained to him by DES (this afternoon) was the result of an error in 1977 at which time it was overlooked when it was originally subdivided and was never recorded with the State, he said DES has a copy of the map Mr. Poisson gave the Board, the one they obtained from the Cheshire Registry of Deeds.  Then in 1997 when Mr. McPherson submitted the septic plans, no subdivision number was given to them at that time.  Now DES says they need to submit a subdivision form, and in fact both the Lafayette’s and the Mack’s properties are in violation because

they do not have state subdivision approval.  He said they have the form to be filled out and will submit it.

Ch. Mansouri asked to whom the form would be given, such as the Selectmen, once it is approved.  Selectmen Sawyer said they would receive a copy of it in the office.

Ch. Mansouri called for Board action on the variance.

Mr. Webb stated they have requested a variance to the dimension to the road, he moved to approve the variance to the dimension to the road, subject to all the paper work being completed.  Ch. Mansouri called for a second, Mr. Carignan seconded, further discussion.

Mr. Carignan asked if the Mack’s concerns had been addressed regarding the discontinuance of using the well and shed removal.  Mr. LaFayette said he would be removing the shed once it was cleaned out and during construction.  He said he would discontinue using the well.  Mr. Poisson offered that the well will be disconnected in 30 days or less from the issuance of the building permit and the shed removed.  Mr. LaFayette agreed. 

Ms. Mansouri asked if members would like to amend the motion to include the well and shed information.  Ms. Galloway-Leclerc amended the motion to include the Mack’s well disconnection within 30 days of the building permit and the shed removed from behind the house as part of the approval for the variance.  Ms. Mansouri asked if the existing mobile home would also be removed.  Mr. Poisson stated it would be removed during construction and taken to Charlestown.  Ms. Mansouri called for a second to the amendment, Mr. Carignan seconded.

Cindy Westover, audience member and abutter asked for a clarification on the motion to make sure it included the State subdivision approval. 

Ms. Mansouri stated the motion contained the state subdivision under the “paper work  being completed”, and suggested the motion reflect the exact conditions wording in the faxed DES Approval for Construction be added.  Ch. Mansouri re-read the conditions out loud 1)the approval is valid for 90 days from the date of said approval, 2) existing system to be discontinued and filled, 3) this approval is contingent upon obtaining state subdivision approval for this lot, *)approval amended to grant a waiver to allow the existing septic tank to be 1’ away from a new mobile home on a slab, waiver granted.,  thereby amending the first part of the motion regarding the “paper work” to include the conditions, members agreed.  Ms. Galloway-Leclerc noted that condition #2 pertained to a prior septic system that is no longer in service and had been properly filled.   

P. Aslinger asked if the Planning Board records had been checked to see if a State subdivision approval was part of the original subdivision.  The records had not been checked, however since the State does not have a record of it, it is thought is does not exist.  She said she would investigate and determine how the Planning Board approved the subdivision without it.

Ms. Mansouri reviewed the criteria as follows for granting the variance.

No decrease in value of surrounding properties would be suffered:  Ms. Galloway-Leclerc said the new home would be an improvement, thereby not hurting the surrounding property values.  Mr. Webb agreed.  All were in favor.

Granting the variance must not be contrary to the public interest:  Mr. Carignan

stated the Board had spent a lot of time in the review process and had been able to 

address all the public’s concerns.  Ms. Mansouri and Mr. Webb agreed.  All were in favor.

Denial of the variance would result in unnecessary hardship by the owner seeking it:

Mr. Webb said the owner had already put a substantial time and effort in improving the property.  Ms. Galloway-Leclerc said the small lot size and dimensions created a hardship for the owner.  All were in favor.

By granting the variance substantial justice would be done:  Mr. Britton said he thought with all the hearings and amendments to the plans, all the I’s had been dotted, t’s crossed, all issues had been taken care of, things brought out in the open,  it had been a healthy review and substantial justice done.  Mr. Webb agreed.  All were in favor.

The use must not be contrary to the spirit and intent of the ordinance:  Mr. Webb said the ordinance allows variances under certain mitigating circumstances, that this variance is allowable without compromising the ordinance.  Mr. Carignan said it would be counterproductive to go back at this point since it had been allowed before.  Ms. Mansouri agreed saying the applicant had been helpful in the long process.  All were in favor.

Ch. Mansouri said the variance was granted, a follow up letter will be sent.  Mr. Poisson thanked the Board.

Cindy Westover approached the Board noting that the waiver was on hold as of this afternoon 4PM, she had been in touch with DES after Ms. Mansouri received the fax.  Ms. Westover said Mr. Poisson knew the State had not granted the waiver even though Ms. Mansouri had been faxed.  It was agreed that the Selectmen could not give them a building permit without State Subdivision approval.  Mr. Webb said the ZBA would be watching and following up on the conditions set forth in their granting the variance.  The Board would consider a compliance hearing.

Meeting was adjourned at  7:50PM

Cc:  All ZBA members, PB, Town Offices

Posted:  Town Hall, Lobby, Burdick’s Market, Town website

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

GREAT RIVER ARTS OFFERS WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP WITH PAUL CHING-BOR

Bellows Falls, Vt., - Great River Arts Institute, a non-profit arts agency,
is offering a three-day workshop with watercolor artist Paul Ching-Bor from
October 25 to the 27th.   The cost of the workshop is $500.

Paul Ching-Bor handles watercolor the way most artists handle oil: layering
and veiling, glazing and washing. In Ching-Bor¹s hands the watercolor
becomes a much more deft and responsive medium. He applies this innovative
way of utilizing the medium to his complex compositions of urban streets,
bridge abutments and overpasses‹the stark lines of which seem antithetical
to the fluid and seemingly passive nature of watercolor. But his
compositions have tremendous depth of field and powerful contrasts combined
with softly shaded planes and areas of light. Ching-Bor, who teaches at the
School for Visual Arts in New York City, is interested in bringing this
perspective to the industrial town of Bellows Falls.

Paul Ching-Bor started learning about watercolor as a child in primary
school in China. He continued his studies in art schools and universities,
as well as at the Ceramic Institute of Jinig De-Zhen in South East China. He
immigrated to Australia and established himself in Sydney, where he began
his career as a professional artist working mostly in watercolor. After
having moved to the United States and embarking on a successful career
showing his work in New York, he began teaching at the School of Visual
Arts, where he is received as a first rate instructor of watercolor.

The Great River Arts Institute is a non-profit, New-England-based arts
center dedicated to supporting and nurturing the visual and literary arts
and providing regional youth programs. Great River Arts is located at 33
Bridge Street in Bellows Falls. More information about GRAI is available at
www.greatriverarts.org.

Note: Artist and poet Alice Fogel of Acworth has created a new business called Lyric Couture based in Acworth and described in the following box.  You can find much more information on her colorful web site at www.lyriccouture.com.  Chuck Bingaman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ed. Note: Thanks to Regina Borden for these Selectmen's minutes of September 21.

TOWN OF WALPOLE

MEETING OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN

SEPTEMBER 21, 2006

Selectmen Present:  Whitney Aldrich, Charles Miller, Sheldon Sawyer

Mr. Aldrich called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M. with seven people present in the audience.

PUBLIC BUSINESS:

NORTH WALPOLE VILLAGE COMMISSIONERS – METERS:  Barbara O’Brien, Nancy Finlay and Patrick Kiniry, Board of Commissioners of the Village of North Walpole, were present to discuss an agreement with the Board of Selectmen to purchase meters, the installation and future maintenance.  Mark Houghton was unable to attend because of a Fire Department meeting.  Barbara O’Brien explained that there is a time limit on their funding through their contract with USDA.  They voted this into this year’s budget so the meters could be ordered.  The Board of Selectmen needs to approve ordering the meters and when the bill is received the Commissioners will write a check.  North Walpole will still maintain the meters and do the readings as they have in the past; Walpole will continue to do their readings.  Barbara O’Brien asked if the Village can buy a hand-held radio under the Town License.  Mr. Sawyer felt Mark Houghton could answer that question; the Board of Selectmen will find out. 

There was discussion relative to the agreement containing language relative to the fees for printing the bills; in the future North Walpole might print their own bills.  Mr. Sawyer noted that they try to save money for all of the residents so they would be agreeable to this clause.   The Commissioners feel that a reading in December will not be needed because when the new meters are put in they will have a reading from both the old and new meters.  It seems that the first reading will require the most time; possibly this reading could be done on an hourly basis rather than a flat fee.  The Board of Selectmen and Commissioners agreed to meet after the computer is set-up to talk about fees, etc.  North Walpole would like to continue reading the meters on/or about January 1st and July 1st.         

The Board of Selectmen agreed that the meters could be ordered as soon as possible.  Bob Brooks will do the installation.  Barbara O’Brien will call the engineer to advise that the meters will be ordered.  A copy of the purchase order will be FAXed to Barbara O’Brien along with a copy of the proposal.

Mr. Sawyer moved that the Board of Selectmen approve having the meters ordered for North Walpole as soon as possible.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

RICK LARSON:  Rick Larson was informed that the Board of Selectmen was going to discuss the USDA National Resources Conservation Funding in more detail at this meeting.  Mr. Sawyer advised that this was not an agenda item as the Town had not yet received the DES report.  There was a consensus of the Board of Selectmen to notify Mr. Larson when they receive their DES assessment.

ROBERT JASSE:  Mr. Jasse said it was his understanding that Krystyna Marcom had presented a Petition to the Board of Selectmen during their meeting on September 7th that was against any building on the Village Green.  Mr. Jasse asked for clarification of the Petition.  The Board of Selectmen acknowledged receipt of the Petition.  After Mr. Jasse left the meeting the Board of Selectmen reviewed the Petition wording:  “We, the undersigned citizens and voters of Walpole, hereby petition the Selectmen to defer any decisions on the construction of all permanent

structures or monuments on the ‘Walpole Town Common’ to a vote of the town by an article on the official ballot to be voted on at the polls.”.             

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:   Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Accounts Payable check register and manifest in the amount of $104,371.98.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

PAYROLL:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the payroll voucher for the week ending September 16, 2006, for gross wages in the amount of $18,444.46 or net wages in the amount of $11,137.08.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Miller moved to approve the electronic fund transfer for the Withholding, MEDI and FICA taxes in the amount of $4,191.64.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

MINUTES –SELECTMEN’S MEETING- SEPTEMBER 14, 2006:  Mr. Miller moved to approve the Minutes of the public Board of Selectmen’s meeting of September 14, 2006, as printed.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  Mr. Aldrich abstained as he was not present.  With Mr. Miller and Mr. Sawyer in favor, the motion was approved.

Mr. Sawyer moved to approve the Minutes of the Non-Public Board of Selectmen’s meeting of September 14, 2006, as printed.  The Minutes will remain sealed as they contain information on real estate.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  Mr. Aldrich abstained as he was not present.  With Mr. Sawyer and Mr. Miller in favor, the motion was approved.

BUILDING PERMIT:

MARINA AND JOSEPH CONEENY – MAP 019-039-000:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve Building Permit No. 2006-050 for Marina and Joseph Coneeny to remodel the existing barn that will be on the same foundation, the barn will be converted into part of the house, no bedrooms being added.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

OLD BUSINESS:

COLD RIVER – SIGNS:  The Board of Selectmen confirmed that Jim Terrell will be purchasing the signs for the Cold River Road. 

NEW ENGLAND POWER ABATEMENT REQUEST:  The Board of Selectmen had moved to approve the letter to New England Power regarding their Abatement request at their last meeting but Mr. Miller put the letter on-hold pending additional information. 

NORTH MAIN STREET, OLD DREWSVILLE ROAD AND NORTH ROAD:  Mr. Sawyer moved that the Board of Selectmen allow Jim Terrell to re-design the North Main Street, Old Drewsville Road and North Road intersection by trying the second plan.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

EAGLE SCOUT:  Mr. Aldrich acknowledged receipt of a letter from Andrew Street thanking the Board of Selectmen for the Certificate of Congratulations on achieving the Eagle Scout badge.

PANDEMIC:  The Board of Selectmen acknowledged receipt of a thank you note from Sarah Ward of the Public Health Network for their participation in the Pandemic Study.

NEW BUSINESS:

COLD RIVER ROAD – STREAM CLEARING – MR MILLER:  Duncan Watson contacted Mr. Miller about his concern that there will be erosion problems on his property due to the channel change of the Cold River after the flood.  It was agreed to have Mr. Miller write a memo referring this concern to Jim Terrell. 

BLACK JACK CROSSING – PAUL HEBERT – STREAM CLEARING:  It was noted that Paul Hebert is an abutter of Rick Larson.

LEGISLATIVE POLICY CONFERENCE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2006:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve having Mr. Miller attend the Legislative Policy Conference on Friday, September 29th, if he chooses to do so.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

WALPOLE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MEETING – SEPTEMBER 27, 2006:  The Board of Selectmen is invited to attend the Walpole Emergency Management Meeting to be held on September 27th, 2006, at noon in the Fire Station. 

J.H. DUNNING – DEFICIENCIES:  The Board of Selectmen received a copy of the letter from Steve Bonnette to Daniel Gray, Chairman of the CDFA of NH, regarding deficiencies at the J.H. Dunning building in North Walpole.

SCHEDULE MEETING FOR BOS AND ELAINE MOORE:  The Board of Selectmen scheduled the Staff Meeting for Wednesday, October 4th, 2006, at 5:00 P.M.

WALPOLE CREAMERY:  The Board of Selectmen was invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony and opening at the Walpole Creamery on Sunday, September 24th, at 2:00 P.M.

ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT:  Mr. Sawyer reported that the ZBA scheduled a site visit on Saturday, September 23rd at 1:00 P.M. to look at the Lafayette property and their proposed location of the double-wide mobile home. 

LETTERS TO BE SIGNED:

SAM HICKS:  Mr. Miller moved to approve and sign the letter to Sam Hicks regarding parking.  Seconded by Mr. Sawyer.  All in favor, so voted.

BELLUSCIO CONSTRUCTION COMPANY:  Mr. Sawyer moved to approve and sign the letter to Belluscio Construction Company regarding their bid on the Town Hall doors.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.

Mr. Sawyer moved to adjourn this meeting.  Seconded by Mr. Miller.  All in favor, so voted.  The time was 9:34 P.M.

        

  

BOOK & TAG SALE OFFERS
BARGAINS & BENEFITS TO ALL

 
     Great bargains on books and tag sale items featured at the Friends of the Walpole Town Library's annual Book & Tag Sale are a genuine "win-win".  The buyers take home bags of books for their own enjoyment; the libraries, both Bridge Memorial and the North Walpole branch, gain shelf space and extra funds; the tag sale tables provide necessities and surprises alike, and everybody is happy; although the many volunteers go home weary.

 

      This year's bigger-than-ever Sale is scheduled at the Walpole Town Hall for both Saturday and Sunday, October 28 & 29.  On Saturday the Sale starts at 9:00 a.m. --  on Sunday at 11:00 a.m..  Both days close at 2:00 pm.  Refreshments will be offered both days.  The bargains get even bigger on Sunday after 12:00 noon as prices are marked even lower.

 

     Area residents who still want to donate books or who want to know the availability of tag sale tables are encouraged to call Carol Christian, chair, at 756-3879 as soon as possible.