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Selectboard Minutes

Meeting date: 
Thursday, March 30, 2023

Town of Greenfield

7 Sawmill Road, Greenfield, NH 03047

electboard’s Minutes

Thursday, March 30, 2023 – 5:30 PM

Selectboard: Chairman Mason Parker, Selectman Michael Borden, Selectman Bascom

Staff: Aaron Patt, Town Administrator- absent

Public: Nanette Perrotte

Documents for Discussion/Signature

  1. Payroll Check Register dated 3/31/2023 in the amount of $35,837.97
  2. A/P Check Register dated 3/29/2023 in the amount of $138.93
  3. Intent to Excavate – R1-1-3 gvl

Other letters/ items for Discussion/Signature:

  1. Selectboard Chairman position

5:30 PM: Public Forum

The Chair opened the meeting at 5:30 pm. The Chair stated that his term as chairman has ended. Selectman Parker nominated Selectman Borden as new chair, Selectman Bascom seconded, motion carried unanimously. The meeting was turned over to Selectman Borden.

Selectman Borden welcomed Sheldon Pennoyer of the Friends of the Greenfield Meeting House, in attendance for the public comment period.

Sheldon Pennoyer provided an update regarding recent FGCMH activity:

  • Pursuing a grant from NHCDFA, could be up to $1M, requires a 15% match
  • FGCMH approved spending up to $5,000 with SWRPC to support grant writing for above
  • Also, applied for CEDR funds that could be used to pay for SWRPC (if approved)
  • Exploring technical details related to applying to NHCDFA:
    • Should the applicant be the town or the friends?
    • Pros and cons of pursuing a “traditional grant” vs “forgivable loan”?
    • NHCDFA requires that construction start within 6 months (October), what qualifies as “starts”?
  • Developing phasing plans with a view to how different levels of available money would affect things
  • Selectman Parker shared an overview of the town's grant policy, Mr. Pennoyer agrees with its importance and sees no issue with following it 

The Selectboard signed documents the consent agenda was approved on a motion by Selectman Parker, and a second by Selectman Bascom, all in favor.

5:45 PM: State Representative Molly Howard

The Chair welcomed State Representative Molly Howard to the meeting. Nanette Perrotte, resident of East Rd. is in attendance. Representative Howard mentioned that she is holding a public forum in Hancock on April 17, along with Senator Donovan that is open to all. She would like to host a similar meeting in Greenfield along with Senator Ricciardi. A wide ranging discussion then ensued regarding matters important to the town. Among the discussion topics:

  • Roads and bridges, the board discussed the need for bridge building support not just for “red list” bridges such as Schoolhouse Rd but also for bridges that the town has previously closed for lack of repair money such as Cavendar Rd and Dodge Rd and the impact that these closures have on commute times and emergency access by creating long dead ends with extremely round about detours.
  • A discussion of HB 436 and the negative impact that rolling back pension reform will have on NHRS and how the state would better serve towns by using the money (revenue from the communications tax) to strengthen the retirement system and reduce the downshifted retirement costs instead of downshifting even more.
  • Burden of regulations, the state passes laws and imposes regulations that are difficult or impossible for small towns to adequately implement without support and guidance from the state. For instance, changes to rules regarding planning board and zoning regulations without corresponding guidance and supporting material such as sample document templates, or, proposed state wide zoning changes that make no sense at all in small towns. The state needs to recognize that small town boards consist of volunteers, not lawyers or professional planners.
  • The board discussed the difficulties of finding police and fire staff and the need for the state to support towns by providing mandated training. The chicken and egg nature of there being no part-time police academy for the last 3 years and thus no part-time police available was discussed.
  • A discussion of housing and infrastructure needs and that the state should be much more strongly supporting of rural NH, especially given the emphasis in Concord on the state's rural charm and natural beauty. There won’t be any charm and beauty if the state doesn’t adequately invest in rural areas.
  • A discussion of taxation and how the town of Greenfield is squeezed by the combination of extremely high school tax and a lack of taxable property in town aggravated by the large number of non-profit and non-taxable entities (including the state itself) and how those entities drive services, such as fire and police, well out of proportion to services in other towns. General agreement that if the State education tax were fairly distributed it could improve things by relieving some of the pressure that the current school taxation scheme puts on the town.
  • The board stated that the rooms and meals tax reform has been very helpful and that more reforms of this nature would be welcome.
  • The board requested that Representative Howard look into how it could be possible to get the state to return control of land abutting Oak Park ("the triangle” from the parking by the soccer field through the wooded area and then the mowed portion heading towards town).

6:45 PM: Selectboard Work Session

The Chair will contact Senator Ricciardi and arrange a meeting with the board

The Chair will reach out to a citizen regarding a concern about a traffic stop

The board discussed goals for the coming year. Selectman Parker offered to make a list of the goals and share them prior to the next meeting. All agreed.

There being no further business, the Board voted to adjourn.

Adjournment

At 7:45 pm, The Chair made a motion to adjourn the meeting; the motion was seconded by the Selectman Bascom. The motion carried 3-0.