Littleton Board of Selectmen’s
Meeting Minutes-August 24, 2005
LITTLETON BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
LITTLETON OFFICE CONFERENCE ROOM
AUGUST 24. 2005
Present: Chairman bill Hight, Vice Chairman George Hicks, Selectman Burt Ingerson, Town Manager Jason Hoch, Executive Assistant Cheryl Sargent
Chairman Hight opened the Selectmen’s Meeting at 4:00 pm.
Dick Merrow requested the Selectmen’s assistance in coming up with the wording of a warrant article to raise money at Town Meeting to tear down the Opera House. Jason explained to Mr. Merrow that he will need to obtain a petition signed by 25 legal voters to place a petition warrant article on the ballot to raise and appropriate the funds necessary to tear the building down. Jason and the Selectmen will review the wording to make sure it is legal.
Mr. Merrow stated the elimination of the building would result in land on which another building could be built.
Mr. Merrow was advised that mid-December, early January will be the time to get the petition article ready.
Dick Merrow also expressed concern with the Redington Street bridge. He stated that the condition of the bridge and walkway create a very dangerous situation for pedestrians as well as motorists. He asked if there was anything that could be done in the interim before work is started to replace the bridge.
Eddy Moore stated he would like to see the Town sell the Opera House for a dollar to an organization which could take ownership and maintain the building. He does not want to see it demolished but realizes that the tax payers cannot afford the renovations.
Dick Merrow also stated that it was somewhat disturbing to read in the paper that there were 80,000 rounds of ammo being stored in the building. Jason noted that in order to retain certification each officer must use a certain amount of ammo. Also, when there is a good buy on the ammo, the PD buys extra to save money.
Jason stated that the bridge is slated to be replaced in 2008. He added that they cannot patch it anymore and there are no more easy repairs they can make. Jason said one option they have is to put traffic lights at each end of the bridge and make it one-way traffic. He stated he did not think this option would be very popular with the public as they are already complaining about the number of traffic lights in town.
Chairman Hight asked if the sidewalk could be planked creating a safer walkway. Jason stated that this option could be looked into however, planking the sidewalk would create more weight to the bridge and it is not sure if the bridge could sustain the extra weight of the planking at this time.
Dick Smith told the Selectmen he had concerns with the re-appraisal. He stated he did not think the appraisers had ever stepped foot into his house and several people he has spoken to have said the same thing. He stated he did not know how a valid reappraisal can be made without a physical inspection of the property. A windshield survey of properties is not sufficient.
Jason replied that field inspections of property has taken place over the last five years in the process of building the data base.
Mr. Smith replied that he does not ever remember an assessor coming to his home nor has there been any letter or notice of a visit from an assessor.
Jason stated he will take a look at Mr. Smiths file and see when the actual visit to his property took place. Mr. Smith also stated at he has filed a building permit within the last few years and Jason said that this is when the field visit may have taken place as building permits automatically trigger a site visit.
Eddy Moore stated he felt Vision Appraisals had done a good job. He said they had explained the process to him in detail and he felt that they had done a good job for the Town.
Jason stated the reval has taken a considerable amount of his time. The tax rate will not be available until October but he is projecting it will be around $20.
Lowes representatives have met with Town officials to discuss traffic related issues. The traffic lights at Home Depot have been put back on an automatic cycle.
Meetings with DES continue regarding septic disposal plan with the Town and Schofield. A scope of work will follow shortly.
In preparation for the new budget, Jason is investigating a new source for uniforms which will save the town money. It is estimated that the Highway Department alone would save about $2,000 a year.
Jason and Karen Noyes are getting quotes for Health Insurance.
Office interns are making revisions to the tax maps. They have been able to use the printer at the school. The Town has furnished rolls of paper to print the maps on.
Gregg Colby from Plodzik and Sanderson contacted Jason to let him know the full audit will be ready by the end of the month. He was happy to say that there were no findings.
The Police Department has recently made a large drug bust.
The Fire Chief is working on updating the Emergency Plan.
The Highway Department continues to work on culverts, manholes and some paving projects.
Jason asked the Selectmen to forward any comments they may have on the draft of the Town Road Standards which were handed out at the last meeting.
Jason noted that the Town has finally received their copy of the report from the State Fire Marshall’s Office listing code violations for the Opera House. Jason and the Selectmen are looking into what steps can be taken to comply with some of the violations. He noted for the record that contrary to public belief, this situation has not come about by some conspiracy of the Town Manager, Police Chief and Fire Chief.
In other business, Selectmen Ingerson moved to appoint Carrie Gendreau to the Citizens’ Police Advisory Committee. The motion was seconded by Selectman Hicks and carried 3-0.
Chairman Hight noted that the sidewalks on Main Street are becoming obstructed to pedestrians who are being forced to step off the sidewalk to avoid merchandise in the walkway.
Selectman Ingerson moved to accept the minutes of August 10, 2005 as amended. The motion was seconded by Selectman Hicks and carried 3-0.
Respectfully submitted
Cheryl Sargent
Executive Assistant
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Chairman William R. Hight Vice Chairman George O. Hicks
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Selectman B urton E. Ingerson