Selectboard Minutes

Town of Greenfield

7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047

Selectboard’s Minutes

Thursday, September 17, 2020 – 5:30 PM

Selectboard: Chairwoman Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectman Robert Marshall

Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator; Rick McQuade, DPW Buildings & Grounds Manager; Katherine Heck, Treasurer; Diane Boilard, Chair Library Trustees; David Bridgewater, Library Director; David Martin, Emergency Management Director

Public:

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, the Town Administrator is in his office at home and is alone. Rick McQuade is at the DPW office alone. Diane Boilard is at her home, David Bridgewater is at the Library alone, Treasurer Heck is at home with family elsewhere in the house. David Martin is at his home office and his wife is in the house.

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: Rick McQuade, DPW Manager

The Chair welcomed Mr. McQuade to the meeting. The Chair asked if Mr. McQuade is ready to provide a recommendation to the Board on the purchase of air purifiers for town buildings. Mr. McQuade stated that he is ready, however he would first like to discuss a suggestion that he has made via email prior to the meeting, which is to have an engineering study provided by a licensed engineering firm for the Town Office and the Library on the best way to manage air quality and the heating and cooling of the buildings. A discussion followed and the Selectboard asked if Mr. McQuade had a quote for such a study. Mr. McQuade stated that he believes that the studies will cost $3,000 for a report without an engineering stamp and $4,000 for a report with an engineering stamp. It was noted that there have been studies done of the Library heating system to quantify the heat loss into the attic, but that those studies have not dealt with the air quality of the library. The Library heating system re-circulates the air in the building and does not draw air in from the outside, or exhaust air to the outside, which is problematic during a pandemic.

A conversation followed in which the different budget sources were discussed. Funding for engineering studies could come from the annual budget, or from Capital Reserve Funds, or from End-of-Year monies, or as an encumbrance from funds at the end of the year for work to be done in 2021. A discussion on the Library Capital Reserve Fund outlined that the use of these funds will require a vote by the Library Trustees and a vote by the Selectboard because the Selectboard are the Agents-to-Expend according to the warrant article that was voted at Town Meeting.

There followed a discussion on filter technology and the degree to which the air purifiers can filter particulates and other impurities from the air in the buildings. The effects of negative ion generation were discussed relative to the size of the impurities. Mr. McQuade outlined his review of several products including the iWave negative ion generators that were quoted by Granite State Plumbing & Heating, the vendor to Monadnock Hospital. The iWave generators were not a good fit for the Town Office, the Meeting House, or the Library (all places that residents may frequent). This is because these town buildings do not have air handler systems that bring in air from the outside. While the Meeting House and Library both have forced hot air, these systems are not circulating air unless the thermostat calls for warm air. As a result, there is no way to move the purified air when the heater is not running. Mr. McQuade then outlined the installation requirements of installing portable heating/cooling units that exhaust to the outside through specially constructed window exhausts.  These units would not be portable and more units would be required than if the town went with portable stand alone purifiers. Portable stand-alone units would allow the Meeting House meeting space to be covered by units from the Town Office or Library for the two monthly Planning Board meetings for instance. The Selectboard deliberated whether to conduct engineering studies and then address the air quality, or, whether the Board should move ahead with a decision in the near term to mitigate air quality. It was decided that the best course was to install air purifiers in the near term and then look at the possibility of having engineering studies carried out to show how the heating and cooling systems could be upgraded.

Mr. McQuade outlined the research into several solutions and his recommendation to use a vendor from Tyngsboro Massachusetts with two stand alone products; a larger system for large spaces, and a smaller system for smaller offices. The pricing is $1,699 for the larger unit and $699 for the smaller units. Based on his calculations, the Town Office (and Police Station) will require one large unit and six smaller units for a total price of $5,893. The Library will need three large units and two smaller units for a total cost of $6,495. The Fire Station needs one large unit and DPW needs one small unit. The total number of units equals 6 large and 9 small purifiers, for a total cost of $16,485.

Selectwoman Karen Day made a motion per RSA 21-P:39, III to provision air purifiers for all of the buildings and to purchase the Acquilite US air purifiers in the amount of $16,485 for six large purifiers and nine small purifiers. The motion was seconded by Selectman Marshall. By roll-call vote, the Board voted 3-0 in favor of the motion.

Next the Selectboard Chair asked about the status of the cleaning contract with McGurty Maintenance. The contract addendums have not been received from the vendor but should be available any day. Mr. McQuade stated that he is able to provide cleaning in the Town Office and other buildings until the cleaning contract is re-started.

The Selectboard discussed the next phase of the re-opening plan, which will include a review of the workplace policy, recent updates from Primex, and look at measures that will help in the event that contact tracing is required by NHDHHS. As the School Board members, Katherine Heck outlined that steps that ConVal School District is taking in the district. This includes a ConVal’s website where a great deal of information can be found about the school’s re-open plan for the individual schools.

6:00 PM: David Martin, Emergency Management Director

At 6:15pm, Mr. Martin was welcomed to the meeting. Mr. Martin outlined that the Emergency Management team will be transitioning to one meeting per month. Mr. Martin has forwarded the results of the emergency managers’ conference call at the State level. Mr. Martin concluded the meeting and the Selectboard thanked him for his time.

6:30 PM: Selectboard Business Meeting – Appropriations and Consent Agenda

The Chair welcomed Trustee of Trust Funds Vicki Norris and Adele Hale to the meeting. The Chair explained that the Selectboard, faced with a revenue loss due to the coronavirus disaster and the closing of Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center, expect that the tax rate for residents will increase significantly as a consequence of the larger budget and much lower revenues. Because the Trustees had been concerned about the possibility of the Capital Reserve Funds being cut, the Selectboard has invited them to learn more about the current budget predicament. The Chair asked that the Town Administrator provided an overview of the 2020 budget as it was originally forecast. The overview discussion covered the 2020 budget in detail, and the result of the current disaster on revenues. The result will be weaker revenue overall and the potential for a two dollar tax increase over the previous year for the town portion of the tax bill. The Selectboard’s decision to lower the appropriations is based on the tax rate and keeping the tax rate flat. In order to do that the budget needs to be lowered approximately $261,750. The Selectboard has decided to forego paving East Road ($125,000) and to forego the gravel roads warrant article ($50,000). The Selectboard has also reduced the down payment on the 2020 MACK truck (6 Wheel Dump Truck approved at Town Meeting in March). The remaining $86,750 needs to come out of the budget, and, the Board will need to use approximately $218,000 in Fund Balance when setting the tax rate. At the end of the presentation, Trustee of Trust Funds Chair Vicki Norris asked several questions. She asked for and was provided with a copy of Emergency Order #56. A discussion about Crotched Mountain was held. At the conclusion of the discussion, Ms. Norris stated that the Trustees are concerned that the residents voted for the Capital Reserve Funds and that to not fund these accounts will result in time lost building up the savings that the town needs for future capital purchases. The Chair stated that the current crisis can be averted and that it’s not the intent of the Selectboard to derail the Capital Reserve Fund savings plan, but to address the scope of the current disaster and help ensure that residents impacted by the disaster are not unduly overburdened by additional taxes. Treasurer Heck explained that the Board’s goal is a stable tax rate. During the budget process for 2021, the role of the Capital Reserve Funds can be preserved but that this year a stable tax rate is the goal of the Board in order to provide relief to families that are struggling. Trustee Norris thanked the Board for the explanation and left the meeting.

The Selectboard held a lengthy discussion and reviewed their tax rate setting workbook. At the end of the discussion the Board agreed to remove $242,000 from the budget and use $200,000 in fund balance for a tax rate projected at $8.32 for 2020; this will include a reduction of various capital reserve funds in the aggregate amount of $67,000. On a motion by Selectwoman Day to lower the 2020 appropriation by $242,000, and a second by the Chair, the Board voted by roll-call vote 3-0 in favor of the motion. The Town Administrator thanked the Board and stated that these numbers would be forwarded to the DRA representative for review.

Next the Chair outlined the Payroll check manifest in the amount of $29,995.23. On a motion by Selectman Marshall and a second by Selectwoman Day, the Board voted by roll-call vote 3-0 in favor of accepting the manifest and releasing the funds.

Next the Chair outlined a request for vacation time from a member of the DPW Roads Department.  On a motion by Selectman Marshall and a second by Selectwoman Day, the Board voted by roll-call vote 3-0 in favor of the vacation time.

Next, the Selectboard discussed a building permit issue and asked that Building Inspector Mike Borden attend a meeting to help review and discuss the issue.

Next the Chair requested that the Board review the Minutes of 9/10/2020. On a motion by the Chair and a second by Selectman Marshall, the Board voted by roll-call vote, 3-0, to accept and approve the minutes.

The Selectboard reviewed and approved a signed copy of the MS-535 financial report provided by the Auditor for 2019.

The Selectboard discussed the need for a facility tour of the Old Town Office by DPW Manager Rick McQuade.

Lastly, the Board discussed a recent notice from the NH Department of Environmental Services regarding a drought in effect in NH. The Board discussed and agreed that the notice or similar information should be published in the next edition of the Greenfield Spirit.

There being no further business the Board voted to adjourn

Adjournment

At 8:45 pm, Selectwoman Day made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by Selectman Marshall. The motion carried 3-0 in a roll-call vote.