Selectboard Minutes
Town of Greenfield
7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047
Selectboard’s Minutes
Thursday, September 24, 2020 – 4:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectman Robert Marshall
Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator; Todd Mason, DPW Road Manager
Public:
4:30 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. Todd Mason is at the DPW office 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: Todd Mason, DPW Manager
The Chair welcomed Mr. Mason to the meeting. The Chair asked Mr. Mason to provide an update on the information he was asked to gather regarding a request by village residents for speed bumps on Slip Road. The Selectboard previously received a letter with sixteen signatures from residents in the village district on Slip Road. Mr. Mason outlined the information that he has been able to pull together. This includes a quote from JDK Paving, a regular vendor to the town for the speed bumps, in the amount of $2,000. The quote includes two speed bumps on Slip Road in the vicinity of Depot Street. A discussion was undertaken and Mr. Mason reported on his conversations with the Police Chief, Fire Chief and with other municipalities that have tried both permanent and non-permanent speed bumps. The size of the speed bumps in several communities was discussed and Mr. Mason outlined his discovery process. He stated that DPW does not have an issue plowing in this area if there are speed bumps. After a lengthy discussion the Board reached a consensus that they were ready to hold a vote on the question of installing the speed bumps. Recognizing that the need has been long standing, the Chair made a motion to move forward with the quote from JDK and to install two speed humps permanently with asphalt. The motion was seconded by Selectman Marshall and the vote was held by roll-call vote and passed 3-0 in favor. The Chair thanked Mr. Mason for his help with the residents’ request.
5:30 PM: Selectboard Business Meeting – Appropriations and Consent Agenda
The Chair opened a discussion on the Consent Agenda. It was noted that Carol Baldwin had joined the call. The Board reported to Ms. Baldwin, that the vote to install speed bumps on Slip Road had passed. Ms. Baldwin stated she would let the downtown residents know and they would be very pleased.
Next the Chair requested that the Board review the Minutes of 9/17/2020. 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 an electronically signed copy of the MS-1 inventory report provided by Avitar Assessing.
The Board discussed an intent to cut. The Chair called for a motion. Selectman Marshall moved the Intent to Cut. Selectwoman Day seconded the motion. The motion passed by roll-call vote 3-0.
The Selectboard received a request to rent the Meeting House on the weekend following the General Election. After some discussion, Selectwoman Day made a motion not to open the Meeting House for rentals. The Chair seconded the motion. On a roll-call vote the Board voted 2-1 in favor of the motion. The motion passed and instructions were provided to the Town Administrator to advise the applicant that there are no rentals of the Meeting House for the foreseeable future.
The Selectboard discussed the re-opening timeline. A number of aspects of the re-open plan were discussed. The initial step will be to open town buildings to Staff only. After a lengthy conversation on the responsibilities of the Employer according to State and Federal laws, it was determined that the Town Administrator will reach out to Primex and Town Counsel for additional information on policy issues relative to employees in the buildings.
Selectwoman Day made a motion to re-open the town buildings to staff only as a back-to-work phase one. Selectman Marshall stated that the Board should make the date a tentative date in case something occurs that causes the time frame to slip. There was agreement among the Board members. Selectwoman Day withdrew her motion. Selectman Marshall made a motion to set the re-open data for staff only tentatively October 13th. Selectwoman Day seconded the motion. On a roll-call vote the Board voted 3-0 in favor of the motion.
6:00PM: Michael Borden, Building Inspector
At 6:05pm, the Selectboard welcomed Mike Borden, Building Inspector to the meeting. The Chair outlined a recent complaint by a vendor from the region about a building permit issue. Mr. Borden provided an overview of the permit process and indicated that the project in question had several moving parts but eventually the permit process was completed. Mr. Marshall asked if the residents that requested the project were now in compliance. Mr. Borden explained that the owner of the property is a landlord and the project was commissioned by the renters. A builder from the area did not believe that the work needed a permit even though there was electrical work done on-site. Mr. Borden stated that he explained the situation to the owner of the property and the project is coming into compliance. A building permit application is underway and will be provided by the property owner. There followed a brief discussion on the project’s background and Mr. Borden stated that he was apprised of the project originally by another vendor who had asked him to attend a meeting with the renters on-site. The original builder knew that a permit was required. However, when the project commenced it was with a different builder. The Board thanked Mr. Borden for his outreach in this case and agreed to forward a response to the complainant.
6:30PM: Selectboard Business Meeting
At 6:30pm, the Selectboard discussed the upcoming Spirit and reached a consensus to try and finalize the Spirit by email. Prior to October 1 if possible.
Selectman Marshall had several suggestions including:
- A follow-up with Gersh Autism and an invitation to a Selectboard meeting
- The possibility of appointing a committee to discuss the CMRC departure and what it means to the community – how might the property use be harnessed for Greenfield
- Budget Committee – start-up
- A request to meet with the Moderator at the next meeting to debrief the Primary Election experience and see what other support the Moderator and Town Clerk felt they needed-if any-for the upcoming General Election in November.
- A note that the CIP posted by the Planning Board is not the most recent version
There being no further business the Board voted to adjourn
Adjournment
At 6:45 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.