Selectboard Minutes
Town of Greenfield
7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047
Selectboard’s Minutes
Thursday, October 29, 2020 – 5:30 PM
Selectboard: Chairwoman Margaret Charig Bliss, Selectwoman Karen Day, Selectman Robert Marshall
Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator; Brian Giammarino, Police Chief; 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, which has been extended for the 9th time, this public body is authorized to meet virtually.
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. The Mr. Giammarino is in his office at the Police Station, and EMD David Martin is home 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: Brian Giammarino, Police Chief
The Chair welcomed Chief Giammarino. Chief Giammarino outlined a difficulty with the vacation policy within the Police Department. The staff has not been able to take its allotted vacation time. There is a reduction in the manpower within the department due to a retirement. During the pandemic the staff has been unable to take time off due to the State of Emergency. Going forward it is not possible to meet the guidelines in the personnel policy, which allows for only one week (40 hours) of roll-over to the following year. As a result the current policy will result in a significant loss of benefit. A discussion followed. At the conclusion of the discussion, Selectman Marshall stated that this is the case for all of the departments, given the pandemic and the difficulty that each department has faced working remotely and in staggered shifts, which is likely to continue. Selectman Marshall stated that the Board should vote on this question as it entails waiving a policy. After some discussion, Selectman Marshall made a motion to waive the vacation use policy in FY2020 and allow for roll-over of all outstanding vacation time (for full-time employees) and to revisit the policy in 2021. Selectwoman Day asked to amend the motion to include that the policy would be revisited by April 30th of 2021. The amendment was accepted. On a roll call vote the Board voted 3-0 in favor of the amended motion to waive the vacation policy for FY2020. This allows full-time employees to roll-over any outstanding vacation time at year end.
Chief Giammarino thanked the Board for their consideration. There followed a series of questions about how well the Police Department is positioned in case the full-time staff are out for quarantine. The Chief explained that part-time officers would receive an order to fill the open times in case of reduction of manpower due to quarantine/isolation.
6:00 PM: David Martin, Emergency Management Director
David Martin provided a brief update. He noted that recent community exposures appear to be restaurant exposures, which are indoor settings where people remove their masks to eat and drink. Mr. Martin stated that he will be attending a call with the State to learn about the State’s vaccination plans and how vaccinations will be administered State-wide once they become available. Mr. Martin stated that there is a 1st responder testing program that is being rolled out by the State that he expects to have more guidance on soon. Mr. Martin stated that he called the Department of Transportation and spoke to their staff about the DOT’s capability to pick up local routes in case some of the towns have staff out due to quarantine. He reported that the State does not have a plan in place that extends to the local towns. However, he said that the State does have a best practices document on cleaning the equipment and keeping staff healthy that they are sending him, which he will send to DPW for review. Lastly, Mr. Martin outlined the PPE supplies that are on hand and a discussion followed about providing some supplies to the Town Office for use by staff.
6:30 PM: Selectboard Business Meeting
The Chair outlined the items on the Consent Agenda. The Board agreed to move the items and voted by roll-call vote 3-0 in favor of the Payroll Manifest, and release of the funds and, acceptance of the Selectboard Minutes of the 10/22/2020 meeting.
The Board discussed a question from the Library Trustee Chair, Diane Boilard. Trustee Boilard has requested that the Board consider a title search on the portion of the Greenfield Inn property that the Library and Town are purchasing. Town Counsel has stated that this is standard practice and is encouraged. On a motion by Selectman Marshall and a second by Selectwoman Day, the Board voted by roll-call vote 3-0 to have Town Counsel (Upton & Hatfield) contract to have a Title Search completed as part of the finalization of the purchase of land from the Greenfield Inn.
7:00 PM: Tom Bascom, Broadband Committee
The Chair welcomed Mr. Bascom to the meeting. Mr. Bascom reported that the Broadband Committee received and reviewed three proposals for Broadband within the footprint of Greenfield. The respondents were Consolidated Communications, Matrix Group, and ComCast. Mr. Bascom stated that a review of ComCast was less favorable than expected, mainly because the proposal does not have a capacity to have user fees offset the bond payments. As such the proposal is the more expensive option. A discussion of the three proposals followed. The discussion touched on separate topics such as Net Neutrality, cost of the installation, bonding, and the alignment of the companies with the town from the stand point of their business model. At the conclusion of the discussion, the Chair asked Mr. Bascom if the Committee was ready to make a recommendation. Mr. Bascom stated that the Committee is ready and the recommendation is for the proposal by Consolidated Communications, in large part because that company seems to have a stronger track record in completing these fairly new bond programs.
The Chair asked the board members if they needed additional time for review. Selectman Marshall stated that the purpose of gathering the proposals was to have one to bring to Town Meeting so that the voters have the choice of Broadband in the community. As such he was relying on the advice of the Committee and believes that the Board should support their hard work by advancing their recommendation to the voters. Selectman Marshall made a motion to accept the recommendation of the Broadband Committee and to advance the proposal made by Consolidated Communications to the voters. The motion was seconded by Selectwoman Day. On a roll-call vote of 3-0 in favor, the Board voted to accept the recommendation and advance the proposal to voters at Town Meeting in March of 2021.
6:30 PM: Selectboard Business Meeting (Contd.)
The Selectboard heard from the Town Administrator that the State of NH has a regulation in place for Zephyr Lake of 10MPH speed limit. The Town Administrator explained that the research that uncovered the regulation was discovered as a result of receiving a letter from a resident asking that the Board post a “trolling speed only” sign at the lake. The Board received the information and agreed to post the sign. On a motion by Selectman Marshall and a second by the Chair, the Board voted 3-0 in favor by roll-call vote to post a 10MPH speed limit sign at Zephyr Lake.
Next the Selectboard heard a request from a resident on Fletcher Farm road relative to a “Dead End” sign on the road. After discussion, it was agreed that the DPW Road Manager should contact the resident and discuss the placement of the sign.
The Selectboard discussed several additional items including:
- Set-up of the Meeting House for elections
- An appointment with the Wastewater Operator, Matt Miller at an upcoming meeting
There being no further business the Board voted to adjourn
Adjournment
At 9:10 pm, 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.