Littleton, New Hampshire

Approved Minutes Nov 28, 2011

TOWN OF LITTLETON
BOARD OF SELECTMEN’S MEETING
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2011
5:00 PM
COMMUNITY CENTER HEALD ROOM

Present: Interim Town Manager Fred Moody, Chairman Ron Bolt, Vice Chairman Marghie Seymour, Selectman Mike Gilman, Executive Secretary Ceil Stubbings

Others Present: Khela McGann (The Courier), Robert Blechl (The Caledonian), Chief Paul Smith (Littleton PD), Tom Alt (Littleton Conservation Commission), Bill Nichols (Littleton Conservation Commission), Chad Stearns (Littleton Area Chamber of Commerce), Milt Bratz, Eddy Moore, Bob O’Conner, Alex Smith (Channel 2), Michelle Schaeffer (WLTN), Mary Edick, Jim Alden, Bob Mancini (NH Fish & Game Department), Todd Hartshorne, Scott Hamilton, Bryan Hadlock, Casey Hadlock.

Bolt called the meeting to order at 5:00 PM

Pledge of Allegiance

Bolt gave a brief description of the meeting rules. He then advised there would be a work session at the end of this meeting that will be open to the public but without public input.

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes: This item was postponed until the next meeting.
September 26, 2011 Regular Meeting
October 24, 2011 Regular Meeting
November 2, 2011 Work Session/Meeting

Feedback:
Bolt said there were two actions items from the last meeting. The two items were a proposal for an elected budget committee and a five member select board warrant article. There have been two meetings with the budget committee. There was a special meeting on the 21st to go over the 2012 budget and warrant articles. Bolt went on to advise that the town has received a letter of deficiency at the McDonalds entrance. The town manager will address this during the town managers report. The primary election date is the 10th of January 2012 and the opportunity to change parties has expired.

Appointments: Maximum time per appointment is 15 minutes: None

Beaver Trapping Permit
Bolt started with the request for a permit to trap beavers. Bolt advised that Chuck West and Roland Goulet were the proposed trappers. There is no permit required to catch and relocate and there are no costs to the town for granting the permit. Bolt said that he has been hearing a lot of support for a catch and release. Mike Gilman said that during the parade what he heard was that they should approve the permit. Bolt said the board had received emails concerning this issue with recommendations to not approve the permit. Bill Nichols a member of the conservation commission said there is another way of dealing with the water behind the beaver dam. He handed out information on how to control the water level instead of removing the beavers. Tom Alt said that Bill Nichols were not in support of saving the beavers. Tom said the commission looks over the Dells Pond area and that is the beavers’ mother home area. The problem that the snowmobile club has is that it is such a narrow trail. One of the options would be a relocation of the trail and you would have to get out of the water zone. For this to happen there would have to be permission from different landowners. Trapping and removing is an option but the beavers would just keep coming back and forth. Bolt said that it seems they could have the morality debate about the right thing to do with these animals but they need a practical solution to the problem. Several people asked if the trail could be relocated. Seymour said there are a couple of issues that were not mentioned. Seymour asked if the beavers have been in that area for the last couple of decades. Scott Hamilton said he was not aware of the time the beavers had been there. Seymour asked if it was true that the snowmobile trail goes up on the road anyway. Bryan Hadlock said he was one of the ones that originally put the trial in and provided the history of the trail. A lengthy discussion then ensued regarding the possibility of moving the trail. Bob Mancini (NH Fish & Game Department) told Seymour she brought up a good point about the beavers having been there historically for some time. If a species is seeing a decline in numbers fish and game puts limits on them. NH has not set a limit on the beavers because there is a healthy population. Mancini then talked about the difference between preservation and conservation. Scott Hamilton lives on the trail and is an avid snowmobiler and a member of the club. He has lived on Fox Ridge Road since 1999. The beavers have reached the level of nuisance. Bryan Hadlock said that beavers have always been a problem there. Trappers were there every year taking out the beavers. Bryan said he was concerned that there is an issue with the Dells Dam. If we allow a beaver dam up there and it wipes out the Dells Dam there will be trouble with the state. Bryan said they would also have an issue with the property owners below the dam. Seymour said it has not reached that stage. Bryan said that it makes a breeding ground for bugs and many people are concerned with that. He then said there is no way to reroute the trail. In his opinion is there are a lot of beaver out there who breed and they will continue to build more dams. Seymour said what we have here is a classic of how things are different to different people
Seymour said that she understands why the snow mobile club has issues. Her position is that she feels it isn’t supposed to be all about money. Her feeling is that we should not just kill them. Seymour wanted to know what type of trap was going to be used. Mancini said they would use the Conibear 330 body traps that kill the beaver almost instantly. After further discussion and debate, Chairman Bolt made the motion to approve the trapping permit for the beavers on Brick Yard Road on the condition there would be further examination of lowering the water level in the said area. Gilman seconded the motion. Motion passed 2-1 with Seymour voting no.

Citizen’s Concerns:
Mary Edick announced the closing the Community Center Annex through December, January and February. They we are doing this to save on heat. The groups that are currently using the Annex will be using this building.

Eddy Moore brought up his concerns with the Redington Street Bridge. Moore said he has traveled across it five times a week and that all the ice on the east side of the bridge melts and runs across to the other side of the road. Moore said he does not think it is a good design. When it’s cold bridges freeze first and when salt is applied it ruins the bridge. Moore said that if you look at the other bridges in town the water runs off from the center and it runs off to the sides. This is a very poor design. Moody said he could confirm the description is how it was designed. He believes the reason for the design was to meet the railroad line challenges. The concrete deck has been asphalted. The town has been highly advised to wash the bridge every spring and every two or three years to apply the protective coating.

Old Business:
Inclement Weather Policy
Bolt said this this was introduced three weeks ago and is to be adopted tonight. Moody listed the numerous changes made to the policy. Bolt said the highlights were reducing the number of plow routes by one and assigning the mechanic to a plow route, however vehicle repairs would take priority. The other change is to begin plowing for snow fall two to three inches from one to three inches. Adding a rest period is another significant change. Seymour moved to approve the changes to the Inclement Weather Policy. Gilman seconded the motion. Motion passed 3-0.

Elected Budget Committee Warrant Article
Five Person Select Board Warrant Article
Bolt said that he wanted to also discuss the possibility of putting on a warrant article regarding the SB-2 form of government versus the traditional town meeting. Bolt said there are petitioned warrant articles going around for signatures for a five member select board and an elected budget committee. After some discussion the board agreed these warrant articles should be petitioned warrant articles instead of being presented by the board of selectmen

New Business:
Reaction to Budget Committee Advice
Bolt said he wanted to talk about the budget committee’s action from the meeting on November 22nd. The budget committee said they would support the ten warrant articles that had no tax impact but they did not support the warrants with a tax impact. There will have to be one more meeting with the budget committee but they have not voted on the proposed budget. They want to wait until they know what the school budget will be. We could be looking at a budget committee meeting early next week. The welfare director proposed a compromise on the welfare budget with the condition there would be a warrant article that would set up a welfare capital reserve fund with $15,000 for starters. It would give us the flexibility to add or to subtract from the welfare line as needed. Bolt said the budget committee seemed to like that solution.

Town Manager’s Report:
Moody reported that Slate Ledge Road paving was completed last week with some shoulder work remaining to be finished this week. Staff has a meeting with DOT regarding the routes through town. Moody said that if the selectmen have any concerns on town DOT issues to please advise him of their concerns. The town received a letter of deficiency from the DOT regarding the driveway permit at the Old County Road regarding traffic congestion and inadequate vehicle access. Moody said the DOT has given the town until February 10th 2012 to submit a plan that addresses the issues. If this is not complied with the state will revoke the driveway permit. The town would not be the one putting together the remediation plan it has to be the land owner or the lessee. This information has been provided to all parties involved and he will be following up with them. Moody said that hopefully they will be setting up a meeting to set up a resolution. Moody said the state could close Old County Road therefore impacting two businesses. Bolt asked what parties would be involved in this meeting. Moody said the meeting would include the town, the Patel’s, the town, McDonald’s and the Hadlock’s. Moody said he would like to also have the DOT in attendance. Moody said that several months ago he submitted an application to the state to the state Hazard Mitigation Program to fix the Dells Road Culvert. He just received a letter today requesting him to submit a full application.

Moody then asked the selectmen to accept on behalf of the town the Emergency Management Performance Grant Agreement (EMPG) for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Emergency Generator. The grant total cost $46,355 with a 50% applicant share (local match) of $23,178 and federal share of $23,177. Seymour made the motion to accept the EMPG Grant and to authorize Moody to sign the application for the emergency generator. Gilman seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0. Moody said the Food Co-op wants us to remove the lien on the co-op with the CDBG grant they had received. Seymour moved to release the lien on the co-op. Gilman seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0. Eddy Moore asked of the letter of credit on Patel’s property still existed. Bolt said it was still in existence.

Other Business:
Work Session on Community Project (No Public Input)
Bolt provided a report he had drafted as a response to the recommendations made by the LACP Steering Committee. The board reviewed the list of recommendations. Seymour and Gilman asked for more time to review the letter of response. Gilman made the motion to adjourn at 7:50 PM. Seymour seconded the motion. The motion passed 3-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:51 PM.

Status Review of Action List

Takeaways: None

The Town of Littleton prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital or family status. The Town of Littleton is an equal opportunity employer.

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