Selectboard Minutes
Town of Greenfield
7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047
Selectboard’s Minutes
Thursday, October 14, 2021 – 5:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairman Robert Marshall, Selectman Michael Borden, Selectman Mason Parker
Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator; Diane Boilard, Library Trustee
Public:
Documents for Discussion/Signature
- Payroll Check Register dated 10/01/2021 in the amount of $27,351.09
- Purchase Order– Oak Park track gravel
- Intent to Cut – R6-8
- Minutes of 10/07/2021
Other letters/ items for Discussion/Signature:
1. Request for Qualifications (DRAFT) – Meeting House Renovations
2. Selectboard schedule – Superintendent Rizzo-Saunders
3. Broadband Update – Consolidated Communications
4. Selectman’s Advisory Committee Meeting – October 28th
5:30 PM: Public Forum
The meeting was called to order at 5:30pm by Chairman Marshall. The Selectboard began working through the Consent Agenda documents. Chairman Marshal noted that there were no members of the public for the public forum.
5:445 PM: Selectboard Work Session
The Selectboard discussed a purchase order request from DPW to put hardpack on the track at Oak Park. The P.O. is for $7,500 and includes delivery of the material. DPW Director Morris has requested that some of the funds come from the Parks & Recreation budget and the remainder can be covered by the DPW budget. The Selectboard agreed to the request and signed the purchase order.
Chairman Marshall took up the Consent Agenda. The Chair requested a motion for the Payroll manifest dated 10/01/2021. Selectman Borden moved to accept the manifest and release the funds. Selectman Parker seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 3-0 in favor.
The Chair requested a motion on the Selectboard minutes of 10/07/2021. Selectman Borden motioned to accept the minutes as presented. Selectman Parker seconded the motion. The motion passed on a vote of 3-0 in favor.
The Selectboard discussed an Intent to Cut for a property on Slip Road, R6-8. The timber cut will comprise a clear cut of 60 acres out of a total of 68 acres. Part of the timber cut will take place in wetlands. After a discussion and examination of correspondence with the Town Forester, the Chair requested a motion on the timber cut. Selectman Borden made a motion to approve the timber cut. Selectman Parker seconded the motion. On a vote of 3-0 the motion passed.
A brief discussion on the Wilton Ambulance program followed. Selectman Borden noted that the next Ambulance Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for October 19th.
The Chair brought forward a scheduling issue that will occur on October 28th. The ConVal Selectmen’s Advisory Committee will meet that night at 7pm. The Chair requests that the Board schedule an earlier start time for the 28th. After discussion and comparison of schedules, board members agreed to a 5pm start time for the selectboard meeting on Thursday, October 28th.
Next the Chair informed the Selectboard that the Superintendent of ConVal school district has asked to meet with the Greenfield selectboard. Thursday evenings are not available to the Superintendent. The Board discussed and agreed to a meeting on Tuesday, November 30th, at 2:30pm.
6:30 PM: Diane Boilard, Library Trustee
At 6:30pm, the Chair welcomed Diane Boilard to the meeting. Ms. Boilard is the Chair of the Library Trustees. She outlined an interest of the Library Trustees in expanding the Library parking lot. The Trustees would like to use funds remaining in this year’s budget to fund a parking lot expansion. A brief discussion followed.
Next, Trustee Boilard stated that the Library Trustees are revisiting the Library facility space reservation policy and she is requesting that Town Counsel address issues raised during the process. Trustee Boilard outlined a concern raised by the Trustees regarding RSA 202-A, which states that the library will be free to residents. The Trustees feel that the current facility reservation policy, which requires insurance for outside organizations and residents who want to reserve facility space for private functions, conflicts with the RSA. A discussion followed. At the conclusion of the discussion, Trustee Boilard requested that the Selectboard authorize the expenditure of legal funds for a review of the policy draft in order to have Town Counsel address the Trustees’ concerns. It was noted that the legal line in the town budget is over-expended (although there is an expectation that costs associated with the Broadband contract will be reimbursed by Consolidated Communications – the timing of reimbursement is unclear). As the Library does not have a legal line in their budget, Trustee Boilard indicated that the Trustees would prepare the 2022 library budget with a legal line, and they understand that they will need to under-spend their 2021 library budget in order to offset the expenditures from the town’s legal line. The Selectboard agreed that they could support over-expenditure of the legal budget if there are offsetting funds. A brief discussion followed on constitutional issues with meeting spaces in public facilities. At the conclusion of the discussion, Trustee Boilard thanked the Selectboard for their support.
7:30 PM: Selectboard Work Session (Contd.)
The Selectboard discussed the process for personnel evaluations and agreed to discuss this in more detail at their next meeting. The Chair requested that a non-public session be scheduled to start the evaluation review process.
Selectman Parker stated that now that the Selectboard is back to its regular meeting schedule, he would like to see the agendas scheduled two weeks in advance so that the selectboard members receive documents each week for the following week’s meeting. This was discussed and agreed by the Board. It was noted that a letter to Department Heads would help them adapt to the changes and this change could uploaded to the website.
There being no further business the Board voted to adjourn.
Adjournment
At 8:12 pm, Selectman Parker made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by the Selectman Borden. The motion carried 3-0.