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Selectboard Meeting

Meeting date: 
Thursday, June 3, 2021

  

Town of Greenfield

7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047

Selectboard’s Minutes

Thursday, June 3, 2021 – 5:30 PM

 

Selectboard: Chairman Robert Marshall, Selectman Michael Borden, Selectman Mason Parker

Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator; David Martin, Emergency Management Director; Karen Day, Deputy Emergency Management Director; Diane Boilard, Deputy Emergency Management Director; Rick McQuade, Fire Chief; Tom Bascom, Broadband Coordinator;

Public: Linda Dodge

Documents for Discussion/Signature

  1. A/P Check Manifest dated 6/02/2021 in the amount of $260,271.88
  2. Payroll Check Manifest dated 5/28/2021 in the amount of $25,502.46
  3. A/P VOID Check Register dated 4/21/2021 in the amount of $0.00 ($36.99)
  4. Vacation Request(s) (3) –Recycling Center, DPW, Executive
  5. Oak Park Rental Agreement – 6/27/2021
  6. Oak Park Rental Agreement -  7/03/2021
  7. Oak Park Rental Agreement – 7/10/2021
  8. Oak Park Rental Agreement – 8/22/2021
  9. Non-resident Beach Permit
  10. Minutes of 5/20/2021

Other letters/ items for Discussion/Signature:

1. NHMBB – Bond Bank Approval Letter

2. Chelstin, LLC – Planning & Zoning Board Decisions

3. Greenfield Spirit – Draft June-July ‘21

5:30 PM: Selectboard Business Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 5:30pm by Chairman Marshall. There was no public attendance for the public comment session (first 15 minutes of every meeting).

The Selectboard reviewed the Consent Agenda items and signed the Consent Agenda documents.

5:45PM: Non-public Session under RSA 91-A:3, II, b

At 5:45pm, the Chair made a motion to enter into non-public session for the purpose of hiring a public employee under RSA 91_A:3, II, b. The motion was seconded by Selectman Parker. On a vote of 3-0 the motion passed in favor.

At 6:17pm, the Selectboard voted on a motion by the Chair and a second from Selectman Borden to enter into public session. The motion passed 3-0 in favor.

While in the public session, the Chair made a motion to seal the minutes under RSA 91-A:3, III to protect the reputation of the candidate that was discussed and preserve the efficacy of the Board’s decision making process. It was noted for the minutes that Jim Morris has been hired as the DPW Director for the Town of Greenfield.

6:00PM: Selectboard Business Meeting (Contd).

At 6:20pm, the Selectboard Chair requested a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Selectman Borden made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Selectman Parker seconded the motion. On a vote of 3-0 in favor, the motion passed.

The Chair made a motion to approve the non-public minutes of 5/20/2021. The motion was seconded by Selectman Parker. On a vote of 3-0 in favor, the motion passed. The minutes remained sealed.

The Board discussed the June/July Spirit.

The Board discussed a survey about the Meeting House and asked that the Library be contacted to host a drop off box for residents to turn in completed surveys. The surveys will be planned for the week of the 12th.

The Selectboard discussed water testing and the cost of testing the water at Sunset Lake Beach and Zephyr Lake. At the conclusion of the discussion, Selectman Parker made a motion to approve water testing of the town beach water, once per month, with additional testing if warranted by bacteria counts, and for the testing to be completed by the Buildings & Grounds Manager. The intent of the motion is to have the town take on the testing of the lakes. Selectman Borden seconded the motion. On a vote of 3-0, the motion passed.

6:30PM: Tom Bascom, Broadband Coordinator

At 6:30pm, the Chair welcomed Tom Bascom to the meeting. Mr. Bascom provided a brief presentation to the Selectboard regarding the American Rescue Act (ARA) funding and its potential to offset the bond amount that was recently voted by the town for a Broadband installation. ARA funding may provide grant funding that the town could use to offset the bond amount for the Broadband project. The ARA funding will be available based on Senate Bill 85 which has not yet become law. Mr. Bascom is encouraging the Selectboard to vote to pursue the grant funding because it will lower the bond amount and potentially reduce user fees. The amount of grant funding potentially available is up to 50% of the project cost. A discussion followed. The Selectboard and Mr. Bascom discussed the potential for risk to the bond process if the town were to apply for the grant funding. If the funding were not available in a timely manner as required by the contract with the Broadband provider, there could be some risk of delay in the project. The contract funding could ultimately end up being 100% bond funding if the grant program does not publish guidelines in time for the town to apply, or, if the guidelines are too restrictive. At the conclusion of the discussion, the Chair noting the time, asked for a motion on the proposal. Selectman Borden stated that 50% of the project cost is significant and would be a great opportunity for the town. Selectman Borden made a motion to authorize the application for grant funding for a portion of the Bond amount, and to authorize the release of information to Bond Bank to support such a process where necessary. Selectman Parker seconded the motion. The Chair stated that there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding the grant process; the guidelines have not been published, the grant is not authorized in the law yet, Bond Bank has not worked with such an application before. As such he stated he would vote to work with the bond that has been approved. The vote was called and recorded as two Yea votes against one Nay vote. The vote being 2-1 the motion was approved. The Chair thanked Mr. Bascom for his hard work and excellent presentation.

7:00PM: David Martin, Emergency Management Director

At 7:27pm, members of the Emergency Management Response Team (EMRT) and the Emergency Management Director met with the Selectboard. Mr. Martin outlined that the EMRT has met and held a debrief session on the COVID-19 Pandemic; what went well and what could be improved. Mr. Martin outlined that there were some areas where the EMRT felt that there could be a benefit in engaging with the Selectboard to have an open discussion about some of their findings. Mr. Martin stated that one of the things that the EMRT would like to bring forward is that during the Pandemic the EMRT did not have a clear mandate from the Selectboard. The EMRT felt ‘held back’ by the decision-making process of the Selectboard, which Mr. Martin described as slower than the EMRT would like. He stated that the EMRT prefers to solve issues faster. One of the significant issues that came to light was the fact that the EMRT thought they could act independently, which is often the case in an emergency. At the conclusion of these remarks, Mr. Martin stated that the EMRT is wondering where do their responsibilities end [with COVID-19].

The Chair stated that there are two new members of the Selectboard, so as the only remaining member of the Board present he would try and provide some thoughts to the discussion. The Chair stated that is has become clear that the EMD should be someone who is outside of the pool of the emergency responders. One of his concerns was the discovery during the pandemic that the EMD was one of the most frequent responders, which is so vital for the town. Adding the responsibilities of the EMD role to one of the few people that responds to emergencies does not seem prudent in hindsight. The Chair stated that despite there being a Selectboard liaison there was not sufficient communication, which was problematic. Also it’s clear that the next Emergency Operation Plan needs an update that includes pandemic response.

Chief McQuade stated that it was important to “bring the plan back”. He stated that the breakdown in communication occurred, he felt, because early on in the process the Selectboard voted to waive the policies of the town in order to respond effectively to the crisis.

Town Administrator Patt stated that during the pandemic it became apparent that the definition of ‘essential worker’ underwent a change. Every worker was essential because there is a specific statutory role, or tasks that are covered by employees, which are essential (to government). When government is threatened with shutting down, the question of who is an essential worker broadens out to nearly every employee. This is especially true when you look at a 12-14 month timeframe.

Mr. Martin stated that the town needs a continuity of operations plan. Emergency Management Deputy Boilard outlined the EMD’s role coordinating with the State of New Hampshire.

Selectman Parker stated that the key issue with COVID-19 is that it decentralized the team. Communication suffered because the team members were isolated. When staying separate was the issue and the goal, communication suffers. The people that needed to get together to solve problems couldn’t get to together, which also was exacerbated by the duration of the event. Long term states of emergency are different from short term emergency responses.

Selectman Borden stated that the Emergency Operations Plan is based on a categorization of hazards. Specific incidents warrant specific actions. The Chair stated this includes specific “authorities”. Selectman Borden agreed and stated that this is a unique opportunity to grow for the team and for the lessons learned to be incorporated into the next build of the Emergency Operations Plan. He stated “we did better than a lot of communities, so kudos to everyone here.”

There followed a discussion about the EMRT’s coordination during the pandemic. EMD Martin outlined that the EMRT was more comfortable with the health guidance, as evidenced by their willingness to meet in person, socially distanced, to brainstorm how to respond to the unfolding emergency.

Selectman Parker stated that this emergency opened our eyes that everyone is essential and he is hearing that there are two mindsets about how this is being looked at.

Selectman Borden stated that the EOP is created with the help of a professional planner and under the EOP the EMRT has authority to make decisions but not to spend money. That is why it is so important to have collaboration.

Emergency Management Deputy Day stated that many companies have plan for emergencies. She stated that the town office could have a plan that would be included in the EOP. There followed a discussion on the communication necessary in a lockdown.

Emergency Management Director Martin suggested that he call the planner that was used for the most recent grant program [the Hazard Mitigation Plan] and see if there is a module for pandemics that the town could add to its EOP. Diane Boilard stated its important to encompass today’s knowledge in the plan. She noted that there appears to be an “Emergency” thought process from the emergency responders, and a “Town” through process from Town Government. She suggested that there be an MOU with the town and the EMRT. There followed a discussion about the possibility of starting the Emergency Operations Plan update this year in order to capitalize on the recent knowledge gained from the pandemic.

The Chair asked what the EMRT was doing at this point in the program. He stated that the Selectboard has been reviewing its responsibilities and voting to open up the office as the pandemic recedes. He stated that in hindsight it might have been a good idea to involve the EMRT in some conversation about those decisions.

Chief McQuade stated that the EMRT is in “standby mode”.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the Chair thanked the members of the EMRT for bringing their thoughts forward. The Board will look forward to next steps regarding the Emergency Operations Plan.

8:45PM: Selectboard Business Meeting (Contd.)

At 8:46 the Chair requested a vote on the Consent Agenda. Selectman Borden made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Selectman Parker seconded the motion. On a vote of 3-0 in favor, the motion passed.

The Chair stated that at the next meeting he would like to review the request from the Recycling Center to provide bark mulch to residents.

The Board discussed the Chelstin LLC letter regarding the property’s connection to the wastewater system. Noting the time, the Board agreed to vote on the request at the next Selectboard meeting.

There being no further business the Board voted to adjourn.

Adjournment

At 8:55 pm, Selectman Parker made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by the Selectman Borden. The motion carried 3-0 in a roll-call vote: Selectman Borden, Aye; Selectman Parker, Aye; Chairman Marshall, Aye.