TOWN OF STODDARD, NH
SELECTMEN'S MEETING
MARCH 24, 2008
7:00 PM @ TOWN HALL
ATTENDANCE:
Bradley
C. Pratt, Jr., Chairman
Louis E. GrandPre'
John D. Halter
Evelyn Nadeau, Administrative Assistant
PERSONS
APPEARING BEFORE THE BOARD:
1.
Amy Rokoszak - submitted
three petitions for the Town Warrant.
2.
Marc Spinale & Bob Close (ConVal
Technologies) - requested
a letter of support for a USDA grant application for making high speed internet
service available to Stoddard residents. They think they will be able to
service everybody around Highland Lake at a monthly charge of $39 to $79
depending on the level of service. They estimate the initial installation
charge per residence to be under $400. Their plan includes offering two
years of free internet to the town (Town Hall, Town Clerk, Police, Fire Dept,
etc.) and the creation of a community center with ten computers, possibly at
the Library. The consensus of the Selectmen was to prepare a letter of
support for the grant application.
3.
Dick Betz - came
to pick up a Town Hall key for an upcoming Stoddard Democrats caucus. No
keys were available, but Selectman GrandPre' agreed to open the hall on the
date requested.
4.
Brian Pratt - submitted
a petition for the Town Warrant.
5.
Joe and Shannon Sarcione - present for the opening of the Road Bids at 8:00 pm. Two
bids were received: (1) David Vaillancourt: $17,000 for Summer
Maintenance; $45,000 for Winter MaintenanceÉ.Total $62,000 (2) Joe & Shannon
Sarcione: $17,500 for Summer Maintenance; $1,500 for
Administrative; $42,000 for Winter MaintenanceÉ.Total $61,000. In
addition to these basic quotes, each submitted equipment use rates. The
Selectmen stated they would take a couple of weeks to review the equipment
prices and determine who to award the bid to.
6.
Alan Champney, ACO - The
Selectmen let Mr. Champney know they are okay with his letters being read into
the minutes (See
pages
). Selectman GrandPre' telephoned Police Chief David Vaillancourt to come
in to the meeting. After Chief Vaillancourt arrived, he stated that
if Mr. Champney is discussing problems with the Animal Control Officer
position, Mr. Champney should meet with him at his office. Mr. Champney
asked for complaint forms and said he needs to have a log book. Chief
Vaillancourt said he can track his calls, time and mileage on a plain piece of
paper
The
consensus of the Board was to meet first with Chief Vaillancourt to discuss a
personnel matter.
A
MOTION was made by Selectman Pratt, seconded by Selectman Halter and
approved by unanimous vote to enter Non-public session [RSA 91-A:3, II (a)].
A
MOTION was made by Selectman Pratt, seconded by Selectman GrandPre' and
approved by unanimous vote to come out of non-public session and to seal the
minutes.
Mr.
Champney was called back into the meeting and asked if he wished to meet with
the Board and Mr. Vaillancourt in public or non-public session to discuss his
position and performance as Animal Control Officer. Mr. Champney elected
to meet in non-public session.
A
MOTION was made by Selectman Pratt, seconded by Selectman Halter and voted
unanimously in the affirmative to enter non-public session [RSA 91-A:3, II
(a)].
A
MOTION was made by Selectman Pratt, seconded by Selectman Halter and approved
by unanimous vote to come out of non-public session and to seal the minutes.
ITEMS
FOR SIGNATURE:
1.
Weekly manifest
2.
Selectmen's Minutes 3/10/08
3.
Selectmen's Non-Public Minutes 3/10/08
4.
Selectmen's Minutes 3/17/08
5.
Parade Permit - Road Race for Linda's Closet. A MOTION was
made by Selectman Pratt, seconded by Selectman GrandPre' and approved by
unanimous vote to approve this parade permit.
6.
Parade Permit - Olde Home Day Parade --A MOTION was made by Selectman Pratt,
seconded by Selectman GrandPre' and approved by unanimous vote to approve this
parade permit.
7.
Town Hall rental - Democratic caucus – APPROVED.
ITEMS
FOR DISCUSSION/ACTION:
1.
Selectman GrandPre' addressed Beverly Gay regarding her previous comments
essentially calling him a liar for saying that MacMillin Co. had worked for him
when in fact they had done work for him some time ago when he was at Franklin
Pierce College. An apology was asked from both Mrs. Gay and MacMillin Co.
2.
Selectman GrandPre' addressed Arnold Stymest saying we had asked for something
stamped and signed by a licensed structural engineer with regard to the Fire
Station, but what we received was not so stamped or signed and we have no
information on the credentials of the person who signed it. Also,
concerning the septic system at the Fire Station and the ability to expand it
as claimed, Mr. Stymest was asked to get something in writing from the
septic designer, Mr. Forrest, stating that the expansion can be done.
3.
Review of Transfer Station hours and holidays. There had been some
confusion about the station being closed on Easter Sunday. A review of
the current contract showed that it had been changed from previous years and
was supposed to be closed on Easter.
4.
SVE Associates - Granite Lake Proposal - add a warrant article for this at
$10,500
5.
Building permit application for a new house - Tris Construction - TM# 103-12
--APPROVED.
6.
Payroll Authorization - Doug Whitcomb - Firefighter
7.
Granite
Lake Dam notice - to read into the minutes:
************************************************************************
|
SULLIVAN EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT |
DATE: March
10, 2008
TO: East
Sullivan Residents
FROM: Al Henry
– EMD
SUBJ:
Potential for Flooding
On Monday,
March 3, I was alerted to stability issues concerning the Dam on the "Mill
Pond" at Granite Lake in the Town of Nelson. The Dam is comprised of three
components, the Box Culvert, Bridge and Spill Way. The Mill Pond receives the
outflow from Granite Lake and of concern is the condition of the Box Culvert.
On Thursday, March 6, I received a copy of a letter from the NH Dam Bureau
which was sent to the Granite Lake Village District Commissioners (GLVD). This
letter was provided by one of the Commissioners and contained a report and
recommendations by the Department of Environmental Services - Dam Bureau
resulting from a recent inspection of the dam. Two of the recommendations to
the GLVD were to notify all downstream residents that might be affected by
potential flooding and that emergency officials should prepare for a
"worse case scenario" if the Dam were to breach.
The purpose of
this letter is not intended to cause alarm or overreaction but rather to
heighten your awareness of the situation, advise you of Sullivan's emergency
response plans should there be a chance of flooding or, the worse case
scenario, if a breach were to occur and to help you pre-plan if an evacuation
is necessary due to flooding. At this time the condition of the dam is not
critical and does not require immediate draining of the Mill Pond. Repairs to
the dam are scheduled for later this fall. Any change in the condition of the
box culvert could initiate the State to take steps necessary to keep the dam
safe, including the draining of the Mill Pond.
AWARENESS
Recently I
have been in contact with representatives of the State and the GLVD concerning
the Dam. I have learned that structural issues with the box culvert may or may
not be the cause of "sink holes" found in the roadway opposite the
dam and that efforts to control the damage and emergency planning are underway.
The bridge over the spill way has been closed and the water levels of Granite
Lake and the Mill Pond are being lowered to accommodate recent and predicted
rainfall and runoff from snowmelt. This office will continue to monitor the
situation and keep you informed if there are any changes.
EMERGENCY
RESPONSE PLAN (Remember, this is for the worse case scenario.)
In the event
of dam breach or if a major flooding incident is immanent, the following
Emergency Response Procedures will be initiated.
NOTIFICATION:
Upon receiving notification, the Sullivan Fire & Rescue Department and the
Sullivan Police Department will notify residents in the affected area to
evacuate immediately. This notification will be by the use of long blasts of
apparatus sirens, loud speakers then door to door contact. The affected areas
may include; Old Concord Road; parts of Route 9, Heights Lane, and Valley Road.
EVACUATION
ROUTES: The evacuation routes are Route 9 West to Centre Street or Route 9
East to Nelson & Stoddard. DO NOT evacuate along the Old Concord Road
towards Nelson or Route 9 from Centre Street towards Keene as these roads may
become flooded. For safety, always seek higher ground; do not attempt to cross
flooded roadways by foot or in a vehicle.
SPECIAL
NEEDS: You should plan on using your own vehicle to evacuate. For those
residents needing assistance, Sullivan Fire & Rescue Personnel and other
Emergency Personnel will be available to assist you during an evacuation.
EOC &
EMERGENCY SHELTER: The Sullivan Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will be
opened and The Sullivan Fire and Rescue Department will open the emergency
shelter at the Town Hall.
ACCOUNTABILITY:
If safe to do so, proceed to the emergency shelter at the Town Hall and check
in with the personnel at the shelter. We are asking you to simply register at
the shelter for accountability purposes. From that point you are welcome to
stay at the shelter or if you desire to seek shelter elsewhere (i.e. with
friends, relatives or on your own). Please advise the shelter personnel of you
plans and contact numbers. If you are unable to proceed to the shelter, please
call the shelter at 847-3316 as soon as you can to let us know your location.
INFORMATION:
The affected area(s) will be closed to residents and traffic until it has been
determined it is safe to return. Information on the status of conditions will
be provided by the EOC and posted at the emergency shelter. A Public
Information Officer will also provide scheduled updates (to be determined) on
the situation at the shelter.
EMERGENCY
OPERATIONS CENTER: The Emergency Operations Center is located at the Fire
Station and WILL BE CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC during emergency operations. The phone
number to the EOC is 847-9020 and is for emergency communications ONLY. Please
do not call or stop by the EOC with requests for information. If you require
immediate emergency assistance please call 911 or the EOC, for information
please call the Shelter.
EVACUATION
PRE-PLANNING
As mentioned
above, you are not required to stay at a shelter, you may make own
arrangements. Regardless of where you go you should be prepared to take
personal and other essential items with you. You should also consider making
arrangements for your pets. Other than service animals, pets are not allowed in
the shelter.
Here are a few
items that you should have readily available to take with you should you have
to evacuate. Have these items readily available, in an evacuation you may not
have time to gather them together.
á
Prescription medications
á
Eyeglasses or contact lenses
á
Medical and Family contact
information
á
Personal insurance
information and personal records
á
Cash and credit cards
á
Personal hygiene products
á
Cell phone chargers
á
At least one change of
clothing
á
Blankets or sleeping bags
á
Comfort items for children
Again, the
intent of this letter is for awareness purposes only. If you have any questions
please call me at home 847-9598, if you get the "machine", I will
return your call just as soon as I can. I am also available Monday nights at
either the Town Hall (Selectmen's Meeting) or at the Fire Station and Wednesday
nights at the Fire Station.
Sincerely,
Al Henry
– Director
Sullivan
Emergency Management
************************************************************************
8.
Email & letter from ConVal Technology re: broadband Internet Services
9.
Planning Board letter re: Mike Hayes' compliance/non-compliance - A letter will
go to the Planning Board for the Selectmen and Planning Board members to
conduct a site visit, asking for a couple of possible dates for the meeting.
10.
Garden Club request for Town Hall use - A MOTION was made by Selectman
Pratt, seconded by Selectman GrandPre' and approved by unanimous vote to
approve this request.
11.
Andorra Forest letter re: Ballfield lot size error.
12.
Richard Holland septic (2 BR) house (4BR) - It was discovered that the house
was built with 4 bedrooms, while the septic system was only approved for a 2
bedroom house. Septic designer Carl Hagstrom recommends that a note be
added to the property file recognizing this as a potential problem if the owner
ever wants to sell the property. A MOTION was made by Selectman
GrandPre', seconded by Selectman Pratt and approved by unanimous vote to draft
a letter to put in the file regarding the discrepancy and to send a copy to Mr.
Holland.
13.
Intent to Cut - TM# 412-12.11 - No action taken at this time.
14.
Information on AED devices.
ITEMS
FOR INFORMATION:
1.
Ratio study results = 100%
2.
Highland Lake Unified Association letter
3.
NH-DOT Driveway Permit for TM# 134-07
4.
Letter to DES re: Laurie Mercer property - Waiver of Shoreland Protection
Act.
5.
Emails from John Halter re: PB minutes etc.
6.
Memo from Peter Heed
7.
Legislative Bulletin
8.
Miscellaneous newsletters, bulletins, etc.
Respectfully
submitted,
Evelyn
Nadeau
Administrative
Assistant
Letters
Alan Champney requested be read into the minutes:
(1)
Town of Stoddard
Board of Selectmen
Animal Control Officer
Feb. 7, 2008
On Feb.
7, 2008 time approx 8:15 A.M. I was in Mr. Mikes having my morning coffee when
Mr. Vaillancourt came in and approached me and asked me what my budget would be
for 2008. There were many people sitting around the table and I thought
it was very inappropriate for him to ask me about the budget in a public
place. Then he asked me to give a figure off the top of my head, I said
David I have only been on the job since Aug. 13, 2007 and have only had 32
calls and 7 free calls which I did not charge the town, totaling to 39 calls in
all. I asked him how many calls did he do since the beginning of the year
to August. He said he did not know. I asked him don't you keep a
log book and he said no. I said then how many calls did you go on? He
said he don't need to keep a log book. He then again asked off the top of
your head give me an amount and I told him $1,200.00. Then I asked him
about the mileage, all other towns around has $.45 to $.50 per mile by law by
the State. I asked him to bring this to the budget and in reply to me he
said to add one to two hours to your work and it should cover it. A red
flag jumped up into my head, I could not believe that he asked me to deceive
the taxpayers of the town of Stoddard, he then left. This is my truth and
I have many people that witnessed the conversation.
A.C.O. Alan Champney
(2)
Town
of Stoddard
Board
of Selectmen
Feb. 25, 2008
Dear
Selectmen,
I
have a diesel backhoe and as you know diesel needs to be plugged in to electric
to keep it warm so it will start. I have some snow banks I have to remove
with my backhoe and I wonder if I can get permission to plug into the Fire
Station or the Town hall because it is town property.
Has
there been any time when you let any resident to plug into any town buildings
for any length of time? Have you given anyone in the town permission to do so?
If you have in the past is there any restrictions, do I need to put it in
writing?
As
I went on Forest Road on Feb. 7, 2008 I saw a backhoe plugged into the Police
Station. I would like to know why. I have monitored this for 16 days, and
out of 16 days Mr. Vaillancourt has had his backhoe plugged into the police
station for 14 days. I also want to know if we became a storage place for
Mr. Vaillancourts equipment. I ask that you remove immediately the
outside electric box on the Police Station and to do an investigation on the
personal equipment that has been plugged into the P.D.. And again I ask
for this to be handled by an outside investigator from the State for conflict
of interest.
Concerned
Taxpayer
Town of Stoddard
Alan Champney
(3)
Town
of Stoddard
Board of Selectmen
Feb. 25, 2008
Subject:
Animal Control Job
As
of Aug. 13, 2007 I was sworn in as Animal Control Officer from the town
clerk. It is now 6 Months and 12 days later and I have still not got
paperwork to do my job for the town of Stoddard. Under RSA:91:A:4 item 3
each agency will keep and maintain all public records.
RSA:91:4
item 4, that each public body or agency show upon request must make public
records available for inspection and copying. You have 5 business days
for this request. Also RSA:A-6 unemployment records made available and
also RSA:282:A:117 thru 123 shall also apply. Also RSA:91:A item 7
Violations of any person shall apply.
Item
1. A log book to show that I am doing my job.
Item
2. A complaint form to do my job.
Item
3. A pager so I can receive calls for my job.
Item
4. I want in writing why you have not sent me to the academy
Item
5. There is quite the difference between Criminal Law and Civil Law. I
have given you many samples from towns around us to come up with a complaint
form to do my job. It has been over 6 Months and 12 Days and no action
has been taken so I can do Civil Law pertaining to my job and job description.
Item
6. Attached to this letter you will see the job description that has been
bestowed upon me called essential duties. And if you see item 4 it states
all fines will be issued by the Police Dept. and if you look under Civil Law as
Animal Control Officer it shows I have the right to issue Civil Complaint Fines
under the RSA:466 ect.
A.C.O. Alan Champney
(Attachment)
Town
of Stoddard
Animal Control Officer
Job
Summary
Enforces
municipal ordinances pertaining to the regulation and control of dogs and other
animals including the investigation of complaints concerning regulation,
licensing and control.
Department
Works
under general supervision of the police department reporting directly to the
Chief
of Police.
Supervision
Exercised
None.
Essential
Duties
1)
Responds
to complaints from mutual aid or individuals
2)
Transports
animals to shelter or appropriate destination
3)
Determines
if situation deems higher authority and reports immediately to Chief of Police
or state police if police chief is not available
4)
Attends
to complaint until personal conflicts arise and then reports immediately to
Chief of Police or state police
¯ All fines will
be issued by police department
¯ No fire arms
are allowed with this position
¯ The animal control officer will not patrol for violations