Selectboard Minutes
Town of Greenfield
7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047
Selectboard’s Minutes
Thursday, July 30, 2020 – 5:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectman Robert Marshall
Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator;
Public:
Documents for Review/Approval:
- Payroll Manifest – 7/24/2020
- Selectboard Minutes – 7/16/2020
Items for Discussion/Signature in the Public Session:
5:30 PM: Virtual Meeting Open – Dial In 1+717-275-8940
The meeting was called to order at 5:30pm. Chairwoman Charig Bliss welcomed everyone to the virtual Selectboard meeting. Chairwoman Charig Bliss opened the meeting and read a statement provided by the Attorney General’s office regarding virtual meetings. “As Chair of the Selectboard, I find that due to the State of Emergency declared by the Governor as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and in accordance with the Governor’s Emergency Order #12 pursuant to Executive Order 2020-04, this public body is authorized to meet electronically.
Please note that there is no physical location to observe and listen contemporaneously to this meeting, which was authorized pursuant to the Governor’s Emergency Order. However, in accordance with the Emergency Order, I am confirming that we are providing public access to the meeting by telephone. We are currently working on providing additional access possibilities by video or other electronic means, however, we are a small town and that is not feasible for tonight’s call.
We are utilizing Freeconference.com for this electronic meeting. All members of the Board have the ability to communicate contemporaneously during this meeting through this platform, and the public has access to contemporaneously listen and, if necessary, participate in this meeting through dialing the access number posted online or by following the directions on the Meeting Instructions link from the Selectboard’s page on the website. The Website address is greenfield-nh.gov.
We previously gave notice to the public of the necessary information for accessing the meeting, including how to access the meeting telephonically. If there are problems with access, please email the Town Administrator and he will attempt to help you in real time. In the event the public is unable to access the meeting, the meeting will be adjourned and rescheduled.
Please note that all votes that are taken during this meeting shall be done by roll-call vote.
Let’s start the meeting by taking a roll-call attendance. When each member states their presence, please also state whether there is anyone in the room with you during this meeting, which is required under the Right-to-Know law. “
Each selectperson noted that they were alone. The Selectboard members are each home and alone, EMD Martin is home in his office and the Town Administrator is in his office at home and is alone.
The Chair stated: “at this point I would ask that everyone mute their phones by pressing * (star) 6 (six). If there isn’t time for your questions tonight, you can email the Town Administrator and request to be on the agenda during the next meeting. If you have technical difficulties on your end with your computer, laptop, or other electronic device email the Town Administrator if you having trouble connecting in real-time and we’ll try to be of help.
Gov. Sununu’s Emergency Order #16 has been lifted however, given the headlines where other States are pulling back from re-opening and the virus appears to be surging in many areas, there is a risk that the Selectboard cannot ignore. For the foreseeable future the Board will continue to meet by conference call as a result. We'll ask that - to the extent possible - you submit your questions/concerns/comments to the Town Administrator via email in advance so we can have answers ready. Remember to charge whatever device you are using in advance of the meeting. I can assure you everyone in your town government is doing everything in their capacity to ensure your safety, their safety and Greenfield's future. With that said, I would invite participants to bring issues before the Board.”
5:30 PM: Tom Bascom, Broadband Committee
At 5:35pm, the Selectboard heard from Tom Bascom of the Greenfield Broadband Committee. Mr. Bascom provided an overview of the Broadband Survey results to date. The results are preliminary and are based off of 238 responses. The survey will remain in the field for a few more weeks. The responses are based on the website and paper copies turned in. There are a number of conclusions from the preliminary data. The majority of respondents (78%) have Consolidated Communications DSL service. About 5% use a cell providers, 6% use satellite. There are one or two other respondents that have a local service that is undefined, with one respondent using TDS. The percentage unserved by Broadband according to the definition are equivalent to about 97.5%. 76% are neutral to very unhappy and about 10.5% expressed a satisfied or very satisfied report.
There followed a discussion on a draft RFP for Broadband Services. The Selectboard agreed to send the RFP to Town Counsel for review. Selectman Marshall advocated for the review of the RFP by counsel in order to advance the process of solving for the long standing broadband issue in town. Mr. Bascom thanked the Board for their time and left the meeting.
6:00 PM: Selectboard Business Meeting
The Chair reviewed the Consent Agenda and made a motion to accept and approve the A/P Check Manifest dated 7/30/2020 in the amount of $659.14. The motion was seconded by Selectman Marshall. On a roll-call vote the Board voted 3-0 in favor of approving the A/P manifest of 7/30/2020.
The Chair asked for a motion to approve an A/P Check Manifest in the amount of $47,340.60. The motion was made by Selectman Marshall, a second was provided by the Chair, and the Board voted 3-0 in favor by roll-call vote.
The Selectboard discussed the minutes of 7/23 and Selectwoman Day made a motion to approve the minutes, seconded by Selectman Marshall. The Chair called for a roll-call vote and it passed 3-0 in favor.
Next the Selectboard discussed vacation time for the Administrator. It was noted that as the Board is not taking a summer session (every other week off), the Board will need to make arrangements to host and hold the weekly virtual meeting on the conference call platform. Selectman Marshall suggested that the week of August 10th is a good week, and volunteered to record the minutes of the weekly meeting. After some discussion the Selectboard agreed.
The Selectboard reviewed a request for vacation days from DPW staff and approved the request.
The Selectboard reviewed a request from Monadnock Community Hospital (MCH) for the Town of Greenfield to join with MCH in partnership to promote wearing masks in public places. On a motion by Selectman Marshall and a second from Selectwoman Day, the Board voted 3-0 in favor by roll-call vote to join MCH in support of a COVID-19 mitigation program. The Board authorized MCH to use the Town Seal for a flyer.
Next the Selectboard discussed the upcoming Spirit edition. Several changes were discussed. The Selectboard had intended to print a copy of an absentee ballot in the Spirit, however the Town Clerk felt that might be confusing. As such the Board outlined several changes and asked for the copy to be revised.
Next the Selectboard held a brief discussion about the visit from Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center Chief Executive Officer Ned Olney. The Selectboard outlined several items of the discussion that they would like to understand in more detail. During the conversation, the Chair offered that with the closure of CMRC, the police and fire department calls for service may be reduced significantly. As part of the 2021 budget process, she suggested that the Selectboard review the past several years of call volumes and be prepared to discuss the impact on call volumes, and potentially the budget in the new year.
Next the Selectboard discussed the State VLAP program: the Volunteer Lake Assessment Program may be a solution to the fact that the State has discontinued testing of lake waters.
The Selectboard heard from the Administrator on recent calls to HVAC companies relative to COVID-19 mitigation in town buildings. Selectman Marshall outlined recent conversations with a commercial HVAC specialist. Due to the nature of the town buildings, which do not have centralized air systems, the path forward to mitigate COVID-19 is likely to be stand alone systems in each office or specific area of the buildings. He stated that the ozone generator is unlikely to be a good solution because once a person enters the previously cleaned space, there is a chance of contamination again immediately. Instead he suggested that the town look at medical grade filtration systems that use negative ionization and hepa filtration. There are devices on the market that are more affordable, free-standing, and which can cover a variety of areas in square feet, based on the equipment purchased.
The Selectboard reviewed the question of enforcement of masks in the buildings as part of the workplace policy. The Board requested that the Police Chief meet with the Board on August 6th.
The Board discussed a recent NH Department of Public Health flyer, which called for continued vigilance in the face of COVID-19 and provided guidelines for employee travel.
There being no further business the Board voted to adjourn
Adjournment
At 7:45pm, Selectwoman Day made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by the Chair. The motion carried 3-0 in a roll-call vote.