Selectboard Minutes
Minutes
Town of Greenfield
Greenfield Town Offices, 7 Sawmill Road Greenfield, NH
Selectboard’s Minutes
Thursday, June 28, 2018 – 5:30 PM
Selectboard: Chair Robert Marshall, Selectwoman Margaret A. Charig Bliss, Selectwoman Karen Day
Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator; Rick McQuade, DPW Buildings & Grounds Manager; Karissa Vincent, Head Lifeguard
Public:
Documents for Review/Approval:
- Payroll Check Register – June 29, 2018
- Vacation Requests (2) – Police Department
- Abatement –Correction of posting error R1-1-6
- Minutes of Selectboard Meeting – 6/21/18
- Welfare (1)
5:30 PM: Public Forum
At 5:30 pm Chairman Marshall opened the meeting and noted there were no members of the public in attendance. The Selectboard began working on the Consent Agenda items.
5:45 PM: Karissa Vincent, Head Lifeguard; Rick McQuade, DPW Building & Grounds
The Selectboard welcomed Karissa Vincent, Head Lifeguard for Sunset Lake Beach. A discussion followed regarding youth employment. The Selectboard reviewed past practices regarding the hiring of youth lifeguards. The Board noted the absence of a formal recreation department and then reviewed past practice of training youth lifeguards. A discussion followed regarding the 16 year age cut-off for lifeguarding at natural bodies of water. Head Lifeguard Vincent outlined the past practice of Greenfield and described the lifeguards’ responsibilities, certification, and training. A discussion followed regarding the summer schedule. The Board was of a consensus that parental permission be obtained before allowing youth lifeguards to work on their own. Vincent noted that if an adult is needed at the beach every shift then the budget will need to increase for next year.
6:45 PM: Welfare Director, Leah Fiascanaro Conway
Welfare Director Conway approached the Selectboard and requested a non-public session. On a motion by Selectwoman Charig Bliss and a second by Selectwoman Day, the Board voted on a roll call vote pursuant to RSA 91-A:3 II C - reputation, to enter into a non-public session.
At 7:27 pm the Selectboard voted 3-0 to enter into public session. While in the public session, Selectwoman Charig Bliss made a motion to seal the minutes pursuant to 91-A: III to preserve the effectiveness of the Selectboard’s decisions and to protect the reputation of individuals other than the Board members. The motion was seconded by the Chair. The motion passed on a vote of 3-0 in favor.
7:29 PM: Selectboard Work Session
It was noted that the Fire Chief had to leave to respond to a call and was not present for a scheduled 7pm meeting time. The Selectboard began the work session with a brief discussion of items on the Consent Agenda. The Selectboard voted 3-0 on a motion by Selectwoman Day and a second by Selectwoman Charig-Bliss to accept the consent agenda.
The Chair provided a report on the Dunklee Hill culvert. The town’s engineer believes that the permitting will get done in time for the town to replace the culvert this year. He noted that the size of the culvert is significant and similar to the work that was performed on Russell Station Road. During the conversation the Administrator provided notice that residents have called about beavers causing the water level of Zephyr Lake to rise significantly.
Next the Selectboard discussed a recent email from the Library Director regarding an economic development program that uses tax incentives. There followed a discussion in which the Board discussed community vibrancy in the context of, and versus, economic development.
8:15 PM: Fire Chief David Hall
The Selectboard welcomed Chief Hall to the meeting. Chief Hall explained that he had been called to a high level emergency medical call. The Selectboard and Chief Hall took up a conversation about administrative policies and the fire department. The Selectboard provided a list of current policies and a bullet list of potential policies, designed to expand on current practices between the fire department and the Town Office. The discussion captured fire fighter training, stipend payments, background checks, and the future burn building. The Board noted that many of the current policies have been instituted by Chief Hall, including the institution of criminal background checks and review of driving records, as well as the current training and stipend payment practices. The Selectboard reviewed and discussed several items related to administrative policies, including risk management, asset management, purchasing, and volunteer enrollment. The Board reviewed RSA 41:9-b and discussed recent advice from NHMA legal services. Finally the Board discussed the bunk-in program and asked about policies regarding the bunk-in volunteers. The Chief noted that bunk-ins are members of the department and are on-duty when they are taking shifts overnight.
At 8:55 pm, the Chair asked if there were any additional items for discussion. There being none, the Chair stated that he had an item for non-public discussion and asked for a motion. Selectwoman Charig Bliss made a motion under RSA 91-A:II, a and c, to enter into non-public discussion to discuss a personnel matter. The motion was seconded by the Selectwoman Day. On a roll-call vote the Board voted 3-0 to enter into non-public session.
At 9:13 the Board voted 3-0 to enter into public session. While in the public session, Selectwoman Day made a motion under RSA 91-A: III to seal the minutes in order to preserve the integrity of the Selectboard’s decisions and to protect the reputation of individuals other than members of the public body itself. The motion was seconded by Selectwoman Charig Bliss. The motion was called by the Chair and passed 3-0 in favor of sealing the minutes.
There followed a brief discussion about department head evaluations. The Chair stated that he would like to start evaluations in August.
Adjournment
At 9:18 pm Selectwoman Charig Bliss made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by the Selectwoman Day, the motion carried 3-0.