TOWN OF STODDARD
PLANNING BOARD
MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD February 6, 2008
MEETING CONVENED AT 7:35 PM
Members attending included:
Louis GrandPre’, Dale Smith, Terry McMahon, Dennis Marquis, George Davenport,
George Preston and Michael Oldershaw, alternate. Absent was Casey Hayes
Correspondence: various
emails from George Preston re:
Junk Yard Subcommittee; Errata Sheet for CIP from Terry McMahon; CIP
document; Minimum Impact Expedited Application for Dredge & Fill proposal
by Debra and Steve Rothman; letter from Selectmen re: Hayes Car and Truck being in violation of Site Plan Review
conditions; letter from Fred Ward.
Minutes of previous meeting:
George Preston moved and Terry McMahon seconded to approve the minutes of the
January 16, 2008 meeting as presented, the board approved.
Public rudimentary
questions: George Davenport asked
the chairman to confirm, for the record, that Roberts Rules of Order are used
for the Planning Board meetings.
Dale Smith affirmed that
those rules are used.
General business:
a. Site Plan Reviews – being recorded at Cheshire
County Registry of Deeds issue:
George Preston moved and Michael Oldershaw seconded to require SPR plats
to be recorded for future information, the board approved.
b. National Flood Insurance Program – Dale Smith
has read through the document.
Louis GrandPre’ suggested that Dale Smith meet with John Halter about
this issue. Louis said John Halter
is well versed on the program and could shed more light on the direction the
Board should go, the board agreed with Mr. GrandPre’.
c. Dale Smith read Fred Ward’s letter to the board. George Davenport moved and Terry
McMahon seconded to take no action because of the lack of identity precludes
being able to consider the issue, the board agreed.
d. Budget:
the Selectmen have asked the Planning Board to submit a budget for the
fiscal year 2009 on February 18, 2008 at 8:30 PM. George Preston agreed to work together with Dale Smith to
draft a budget for eighteenth’s
meeting with the Selectmen. George
Davenport agreed to write a draft of the Planning Board’s report for the Town
Annual Report.
Subdivision
applications: None
Dale Smith convened the public hearing at 7:45
PM.
Terry McMahon thanked
the residents for attending this hearing.
He explained several errors in the tables and talked about the
background of the CIP proposal.
Carol Clark asked if
the selectmen plan on merging the library in the new town offices building.
Terry McMahon said
that issue is a part of the study by the building committee.
Marsha Kayser
suggested a community room for use of the library and other departments.
Carol Briere asked
where the building for a new library would be placed.
Terry McMahon said it
would be a part of the study for that work.
Carol Clark thanked
the committee for the work put into creating the CIP. She appreciated the idea of planning. She also said there has been a
committee formed for the Preservation of Stoddard History (POSH) which has
applied for and received a grant to work on the current town hall. The grant has been approved and will
allow consultants to interface with concerned citizens for what the town hall
will become.
George Preston touched
on the important issue for possible grants available to help the town’s tax
burden.
Carol Clark asked if
SWRPC has a power point presentation for future CIP informational meetings.
Mary Lou Stymest asked
what the CIP committee has done to encourage economic development?
Terry McMahon said
those items are presented for possible future needs.
Harry Power said the
financial growth projections are too high considering 8 or 9 million increase
in one year.
Terry McMahon said
SWRPC used average of the state based on population growth in the past.
George Preston asked
what growth has been in Harry Power’s experience?
Harry Power said 1%
financial gain (10% in 10 years).
He asked if the there were a CIP would the Planning Board entertain a
growth management plan?
Terry McMahon said he
couldn’t project what a future board will do but there is some sentiment among
members for such a plan.
Richard Briere thanked
the board for all the work this CIP represents.
Carol Briere asked if
there would be a possible relocation of the Transfer Station?
Terry McMahon said no,
it was not brought to the committee for consideration.
Carol Briere asked if
the Transfer Station were relocated, what would the present site be used for?
Terry McMahon said
that issue was out of the scope of this committee.
Kristin Newell asked
if the committee would do a survey of who would use the community room before
proceeding with the project?
Jim Newell hoped the
town will really need a project and not go forward with a wish list before
considering any action for any department.
Alfrieda Englund
congratulated the committee on the work put into this document.
Bob Fee wants to see
about getting a growth management plan in place. He also wants to know how to use the CIP to stop growth.
Dale Smith thought a
petition was in order to have an interim growth management plan placed on the
town warrant after the CIP is adopted.
George Davenport
explained that the sole reason for a CIP is to institute growth
management. The town must have a
Master Plan and a CIP and then it can enact a moratorium on growth. Hillsboro adopted a growth management
program – a 3-year plan to regulate new home building permits. It in no way would stop additions, out
buildings, etc – just new homes.
Bob Fee said equipment
requests from the Fire Department might not be needed if existing clubs and
individuals, that have equipment available, would offer use in an emergency. He
thought social services weren’t as necessary as the requesting department might
think.
George Preston said
Wednesday evenings the Fire Department conducts meetings and suggested Mr. Fee
attend and offer the idea of use of private equipment in the event of an
emergency.
Dale Smith suggested
contacting Arnold Antak, emergency management coordinator, to register
equipment that is available during an emergency.
Curt Taylor asked, if
all the projects were adopted, would his taxes continue to increase as they
have in the past? He wants to hold
growth to allow people to continue to afford to remain residents in town.
Don Green said he
attended the meeting because he is concerned with expenses.
Ed Saleski said the lake
seasonal properties support taxes but don’t give them too much comfort as to
encourage the owners to move here full time.
Harry Power would like
to see a zero growth rate but the town would have to set a real rate that the
courts will support. He hopes the
town has a growth management program in place as soon as possible.
Pat McMahon worried about the inability to legally stop growth. She also noted that some folks do need social services to get out and visit with neighbors in a social atmosphere (such as the Senior Meals Program).
Bob Fee said he didn’t
mean these social services but such fancy equipment.
Mary Lou Stymest
thought the amount of money needed for a Surban Vehicle was unrealistic.
George Preston said
that figure was for a used, surplus market vehicle.
Kristin Newell
indicated that there are a number of residents using services from Monadnock
United Way agencies.
Don Green said he
understands the Eaton property has been sold – is there any notion of the
buyer’s intentions to subdivide, etc?
The board has no indication
at this time of the plans for the former Eaton property.
Mary Lou Stymest added
– fore or against a subdivision?
Terry McMahon said
there are regulations to guide applicants through the subdivision process.
Thanking the attendees for
their input, Dale Smith closed the public hearing at 9:05 PM.
Site Plan Review: The board addressed the Selectmen’s letter concerning a complaint on the Hayes Car and Truck Site Plan Review.
George Davenport asked what
the specific complaint was.
Louis GrandPre’ said the
complaint was that there is too much junk on the premises.
The board agreed to review
the file on the Site Plan Review conditions for this company and address the
issue at the March regular meeting.
Other business: Junkyard Subcommittee update: George Preston discussed the
subcommittee’s current labors.
George Davenport commented on the subcommittee’s meetings going on and
on and that the meetings are combative and contentious. He also said current
State RSA regulations are more than adequate, if enforced. He suggested the Board send a letter to
the Selectmen calling for enforcement.
He noted that the Junkyard
Subcommittee was formed specifically to get input from the municipal boards and
members of the public. He pointed
out that dissolving the committee, because certain members of the Planning
Board had made up their minds, was heavy-handed. He said it is a disservice to all those individuals who had
spent a great deal of time and effort participating on the committee to learn
more about the regulation of junkyards.
Mr. Preston noted that Atty. Little cited solid waste management
regulations (RSA 149-M) and hazardous waste regulations (RSA147-A) as solutions
to egregious accumulations of debris on private property, in addition to a
Junkyard Ordinance. Mr. Little
also made it clear that in the absence of a local junkyard ordinance, it is the
Selectmen alone with enforcement powers.
Mr. Preston went on to note that enforcement is the crux of the issue
and reminded the board that both DES and the State Health Department
enforcement divisions are woefully understaffed. Thus, in the event that the Selectmen take no decisive
action on complaints, it is highly unlikely that state officials would ever
come to Stoddard to enforce recycling or waste management regulations, and
everyone knows it. Therefore,
with, or without, any local ordinance, the burden remains with the Selectmen to
proactively enforce existing laws, if they so choose. Mr. Preston stated that the time has come for the town,
through the Selectmen’s office, to hire a part-time compliance officer to
follow up on citizen complaints as well as make certain that stipulations on
development from the Selectmen’s office, the Zoning Board of Adjustment, the
Planning Board or the Conservation Commission be adhered to. He said the Junkyard subcommittee was
deliberating on the very issue.
Mr. Preston reiterated his disappointment with Mr. Davenport’s
motion. Mr. Preston urged the
Board to reject the motion.
Dennis Marquis reiterated the
subcommittee has spent an inordinate amount of time on Junky Yards – that
can be addressed by the Town’s Health Officer or NH DES.
Louis GrandPre’ said the NH
RSA has everything we need to control junk in yards.
George Preston said he is
against the motion but agrees that an ordinance is ill advised. He said the subcommittee feels a
compliance officer to follow up and enforce the regulations now in place will
be adequate. He felt it would be
heavy handed to disband the subcommittee prior to their next meeting (2/7/2008)
where he planned to call on the subcommittee to disband itself.
Dennis Marquis moved the
question but thought some of the members of the subcommittee had an agenda to
get a junky yard ordinance.
George Davenport moved and
Dennis Marquis seconded to discharge the junkyard subcommittee at this time,
requiring a 2/3 of the board members.
The vote was:
Louis GrandPre’ – yea
Dale Smith – yea
Terry McMahon – yea
George Davenport – yea
George Preston – no
Michael Oldershaw – no
Dennis Marquis – yea
The vote was in the
affirmative by more than 2/3 of members, the motion passed and the junkyard
subcommittee is disbanded.
Dale Smith thought if
Building Permits were required to have a surveyor’s stamp on the plat, it would
ensure the proposed building is within the setbacks as required by Zoning.
Louis GrandPre’ thought a
surveyor is an expensive option for someone to place an addition on an existing
building.
Harry Power said it is hard
to get a surveyor and is a very expensive proposal.
Michael Oldershaw suggested a
code enforcement officer’s cost could be included in the building permit fee
– say a percentage of the building’s estimated cost.
Louis GrandPre’ called on the
Planning Board members to support the Selectmen’s proposal at the next town
meeting to fund a compliance officer.
Secretary’s
Hours: 17 hours 1/1 –
2/16/2008.
Adjourned: George Davenport moved and Louis
GrandPre’ seconded to adjourn at 10:13 PM, the board approved.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia
E. Putnam
Secretary