Washington Planning Board

Meeting Minutes

December 3, 2013

0.0 Assembly: 6:30PM

0.1 Members present: Cook, Crandall, Dagesse, Marshall, Schwartz

0.2 Alternates present: Kluk, Terani

0.3 Members and Alternates Absent: None

0.4 Visitors: Annie Bissonnette, Ed Thayer, Joe Tapp, Lolly Gilbert

Cook called the meeting to order at 6:30PM

1.0 Minutes: November 5, 2013, no changes needed, Crandall motioned to approve, Schwartz seconded, all voted in favor.

2.0 Old Business:

2.1 CIP – Ed Thayer spoke with the board about his department’s CIP requests for 2014. We went through list of items and discussed each one. For asphalt road maintenance he is asking for $135K, 80 to be raised by taxes and 55 would be block grant. For his Equipment Capital Reserve fund, he is requesting $40K, which is the amount he has previously asked for. We discussed the Bridge fund, which he is requesting $80K for. He is working with FEMA to get $20K to replace Barden Pond Road culverts with a larger culvert as part of a storm mitigation settlement. He is waiting on word from DES as to whether he will get a waiver for the culvert or whether they will need to do a real box bridge to cross the stream. This is a much more expensive option, which would be about $160K and require a temporary crossing and road would be needed. He needs an answer before he can decide what to do. He is scheduled to do the Valley Road bridge for $150K. There is around $138K in the fund right now. If he can do Barden Pond as a culvert, FEMA will pay 75% and the town will pay 25%. Dagesse asked if he is required to do a bridge, would he have the funds available and will he know in time to adjust the amounts needed before Town Meeting? Thayer said he hoped to know soon. He spoke about the paper/cardboard container request and that the money for this will come from the recycling fund or a grant. We thanked Thayer for coming in and Schwartz will make some adjustments to the CIP before passing it on to the Selectmen this Thursday. We will check with Moser about the apron paving for E. Washington station and see if it is a priority. Terani asked if the CIP requests take inflation into account. Schwartz answered no, the requests can be adjusted up in later years if more funds are needed when a purchase is anticipated.

2.2 Master Plan Update – Kluk gave us a rundown of the community survey status and next steps. She said we received a total of 341 survey responses, which was a 24.7% participation rate. There were 217 paper surveys returned to Town Hall and 124 surveys were entered directly into Survey Monkey. The final data entry session was November 6^th. All paper surveys received by then were entered. Two additional surveys that were postmarked November 4^th and 6^th were received after the 6^th and were not opened. The committee met weekly to enter the paper surveys into Survey Monkey in order to utilize the powerful analysis tools and reporting functions. She wanted to give a HUGE thanks to all of the committee members: Carolyn, Annie, Lolly, Jim, Steve, Bob and Nan. Crandall asked if the response rate was different from the last survey done in 2003. He thought that 600 were sent out that time and around 160 were returned. Kluk will check with Jack Sheehy to get the actual numbers.

Kluk said the drawing for incentive prizes was conducted on November 19^th at our MPUC meeting. The winning key codes have been published on the website, NIXEL, Washington News and posters around town. No winners have claimed prizes so far. She thinks unclaimed prizes could be used at the workshops in the spring/summer as door prizes. The prize donors were: Maple Syrup from Ed Thayer, Lionel Chute, Shawn Atkins, Bob Crane, and Gift Certificates from: Eccardt Farm Store, Wandering Bull, Historical Society, General Store, Lemon Tree Pastries, Becky’s Fine Preserves, Sage Knoll, Step Back in Time, Kluk watercolor.

We reviewed the reports generated from the Community Survey responses. 23 reports have been produced comparing the data in different ways. Kluk explained that although Survey Monkey is a powerful analysis tool, report formats are standard with limited flexibility. Schwartz was able to do some editing for pagination and reduce the total number of pages and to “X” out 3 personal names that were mentioned in comments. Planning Board members received these via email along with the two comprehensive reports and the four comparison reports on November 21, 2013. The MPUC discussed which reports we would recommend to be “published” and which reports the MPUC, Planning Board, Selectmen and town committees and departments would utilize for updating the Master Plan. The MPUC recommended publishing the two comprehensive reports. She asked the Planning Board members if they agree and for permission to release them to the public. Crandall made a motion to release these two comprehensive reports to the public, Marshall seconded and all voted in favor.

We discussed how to release them and it was decided that Kluk would have 4 copies made (2 of each report), in order to have paper prints available to read at the Library and Town Hall. The reports will also be posted on the town website, with an announcement sent to let people know of their availability. If people want a hard copy, Dagesse can make them a copy for her usual copy fees. Bissonnette added that we should report something about our next steps, so the public knows what the committee is doing now. Cook asked about the question about town services that aren’t now provided. Kluk said these are free form comments in the order that they were received and there is no priority to the comments. Kluk asked Marshall if the Selectmen would like the committee to come in and present the reports to them. Marshall felt the Selectmen should have time to look at the reports and then they would ask the committee to come in if needed.

Kluk spoke of the committee’s next steps. The MPUC is meeting next Tuesday, December 10^th, at 4 pm to begin discussion, analysis and summarization of the actual content of the survey responses. At 6:30 pm, Dan Reidy of the UNH Cooperative Extension will meet with them to discuss the guidance and services that he can provide for our spring/summer visioning workshops. He has sent a workshop summary that he conducted for Brookline, as a sample for the committee to review. He quoted approximately $1,000 to work with us for about 6 months for workshops. Christine Frost from UVLSRPC was also contacted regarding her services. UVLSRPC cost for workshops could be more expensive depending on services we request; she quoted up to $2,500 for four workshop facilitations. The PB budget needs to include money for these workshops. Marshall said that whomever the committee decides to go with, they should get a letter of commitment from them.

Kluk mentioned one thing that came out of the survey and that was an interest by the community to hold Town Meeting on a different day/time. She asked Marshall how this could be brought up. He said it is either a petition article or a warrant article brought forward by the Selectmen. There was a question if it could be a ballot question. Dagesse will call DRA to find out and report back.

2.3 Planning Board budget for 2014 – We looked at the budget from last year and discussed what would be needed for next year. Kluk mentioned that the continuing work on the Master Plan update would require funds for the workshops and possibly more printing costs. We discussed what was spent this year and came up with what we think we will need. Schwartz mentioned that she thinks the only other thing we need to budget for is consulting fees for a cell tower permit application. We will look at what we paid our consultant last time and adjust our budget to include this.

2.4 Business permits – Thunder Mountain Construction - Cullen, Snell Construction & Excavation. We will move this item to the January meeting.

3.0 New Business:

3.1 Joe Tapp came in to speak with us about an issue he had recently with an abutting neighbor concerning a fence. Marshall felt that he should come in to talk to us in the event that we though it was an issue that might be important to include in the LUO. Tapp’s neighbor erected a fence on Tapp’s property. When this happened he looked into the local and state laws about fences, because he wasn’t sure what his rights were. There was nothing in the LUO concerning this issue and the state RSA’s only covered “spite fences” and who is responsible for the fence. They state that if a fence is erected on the property line the responsibility is shared equally for maintenance and cost. Tapp feels that there should be something in the LUO that requires a setback of 6” to 1 foot off the property line. His property is on Valley Road and there are a lot of small lots out there where this might be an issue. He would like something done in case it ever happens again. Marshall said at this point this is a civil issue and any property lot line issue is civil. Schwartz asked what other issues, besides setbacks might need to be covered in an ordinance. Things mentioned were height, ugly fence side not toward abutter (spite fence) and shrub-planting setbacks. Marshall said that any fence installer coming in would set a fence off the property lot line. Terani asked if the offending fence would be grandfathered at this point and it would be. Tapp said he has an agreement with the abutter to move the installed stockade fence by May 7, 2014. Tapp wants it off the property line because he doesn’t want to be responsible for it in any way. Marshall said it is late in the year for us to consider writing an ordinance at this point. Dagesse mentioned we would have to hold 2 hearings once an ordinance was written, to bring it to Town Meeting on a ballot.

Cook thanked Tapp for coming in and said we will take the matter under advisement.

4.0 Driveway permits:

4.1 Shane Mulliner, logger, for Craig Bell, landowner, Dole Schoolhouse Rd., TM 21-15, temporary driveway for logging, Ed checked and made recommendations for drainage restoration after the logging is done, Lynn checked, fee was paid. Marshall motioned to approve the permit, Crandall seconded it and all voted in favor.

5.0 Mergers: None

6.0 Communications:

6.1 Intent to Cut - Craig Bell, Dole Schoolhouse Rd., TM 21-15

6.2 Intent to Cut – Riordan, Balsam Circle, TM 20-62

6.3 Intent to Cut – Riordan/Dugan, Balsam Circle, TM 20-77

6.4 Copy of “The Source” NHDES newsletter

7.0 Meeting date for next Planning Board meeting, January 7, 2014, at 6:30PM.

8.0 Adjournment: Time 7:59PM

Motioned by Marshall, seconded by Crandall, all voted in favor.

Respectfully Submitted,

Nan Schwartz