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Town of AmherstBoard of SelectmenAugust 14, 2006
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Chairman Bruce Bowler called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Selectmen present: Jay Dinkel, George Infanti, Reed Panasiti and Thomas Grella. Also present Town Administrator Gary MacGuire and Executive Assistant Sharon Frydlo.
There were no comments or questions raised by the audience.
Cemetery Trustees Peter Bergin, Kevin Grassett and Marie Grella met with the Board. Chairman Bergin reported they had come before the Selectmen within the last year to discuss the maintenance budget of the cemeteries and the money they had available. Back in 1989 the Trust Fund was earning high interest and they had a great deal of money available. They have been depleting the interest and have not touched the principal. They felt that now was the time to make the maintenance of the cemeteries as part of the operating budget. They were looking at the expansion of Forestview Cemetery (currently Cemetery Fields) around the year 2011 – they have an agreement until 2014 with the Recreation Commission. Between the years of 2011 – 2014, they would like to begin laying out this area for a cemetery. The Town approved a warrant article to establish a Capital Reserve for $15,000. Mr. Bergin believed this was a one year Capital Reserve payment. Mr. Bowler’s understanding was this was the beginning to establish these funds on a yearly basis.
Mr. Bergin advised they had invited a landscape and/or cemetery architect to look at the land and come back with an estimate to lay out the cemetery. They engaged an architect and gave him a wish list and his firm is working on it – they hope to receive a report by the end of September that will give them a maintenance budget. With the $15,000 Capital Reserves incurred, they believe they will have enough funds by 2011-2014. Mr. Bergin spoke about the handout he gave to the Board relative to the current income, RSA 289:4 Maintenance of municipal public cemeteries, and the average money spent between 2002-2006 to maintain the cemeteries. He spoke of the past amounts that they have saved the Town. The Trustees’ recommendation is that the Town appropriates the amount they feel necessary.
Mr. Bowler asked Sexton Bruce Berry if he had anything in the budget now. Mr. Berry advised they had approximately $6000 that dealt with the old cemetery, had no perpetual care and were items not covered under cy pres. Mr. Grassett remarked there were funds used in previous years that were not supposed to be used and they were playing catch-up. They were averaging $30,000 in maintenance and only have $26,000. He spoke about the issue of pine trees in several cemeteries that would cost of $10,000 alone to remove. He also talked abut the wall near the cemetery by Town Hall which is sagging and had to be addressed. He commented on the curbing planned in the area and whether or not they should hold off until they repair the wall. After a brief discussion on this issue, Mr. Grassett advised they had a sonar company scope the area and they believe the tombs did not come out 3-4’ from the wall. Once they have this report, and once the wall is done, they should be cleaning out one or two entrances to the tombs. These were two of the major projects they were just starting to investigate.
Board members commented on the issue. Mr. Dinkel asked if the Town was still offering perpetual care because many towns in the State were not offering this. This information came up at a recent Trustee meeting he attended. Mr. Berry explained that the Attorney General requests they give them a summary of the new lots sold, as well as perpetual care and this was never given to them as an option. Mr. Grassett added they do not all get the money – a portion of it goes for the sale of lots coming back to the Town. Where the Trustees have not been able to earn any income, after development of Forestview, they will have more income coming in. Mr. Dinkel asked the capacity of Meadowview and how many lots were left? Mr. Grassett advised there were approximately 40 lots sold per year and approximately 320 lots left.
Mr. Dinkel asked that they go back to the discussion on curbing – was it the Cemetery Trustees who were concerned about the vaults underneath the wall? Mr. Bergin advised there was more of a concern about the wall and the reason they had someone come in with sonar. They also looked at Cricket Corner Cemetery because they did not have any mapping, they also wanted them to check the vaults and work down at Meadowview. Discussion ensued relative to the wall and potential solutions that might be taken on a temporary basis. Mr. Bergin felt they needed to have an expert come in and look at the wall and give them an estimate - if he said there was a safety problem the Trustees would address it at this time.
Mr. Dinkel asked if the on the interest account they were earning, could this be used to offset the income side or does the Town pay net? Mr. Grassett indicated they were looking to banking the interest for Forestview. Mr. Bowler remarked that according to the RSA’s, they have to fund this. Mr. Bergin mentioned that once they get the estimate from the Landscape/Cemetery Architect, they will come back with a financial plan. Mr. Dinkel commented that from what he understood Terry Knowles had said, is that towns were now changing their contracts to eliminate perpetual care. Mr. Grassett advised of the only change the Trustees were of.
Mr. Bergin briefly spoke about the difference of a cemetery plot deed vs. a deed to a house. Mr. Grassett added that every year they had to turn in an updated list of perpetual care to the Attorney General’s Office. Mr. Bowler asked the Trustees to get some numbers back to the Board by the beginning of October. Mr. Bergin advised they will present this through DPW and at the same time come back with a future financial plan for Forestview and the cemetery wall near Town Hall.
DPW Director Bruce Berry indicated he was not sure all of the Selectmen had a chance to observe the machine in operation and spoke of the process from start to finish. This was a worthwhile experience, but if he had to do it over, he would do it a bit differently. He commented that he was extremely pleased with the results of the roads that had been reclaimed and those areas were very smooth. He hoped the Board would endorse the opportunity to lease/purchase this. Mr. Berry also advised there were some areas they were unable to get to. The use of the Zipper was for 30 days or 40 hours and required parking the machine to prep sites. There was a learning process and when the representative came back he pointed out what should have been done differently. If this was supported, they were only going to be hindered by the time available for other projects they have. The machine both met and exceeded his expectations.
Mr. Panasiti mentioned that Mr. Grella and Mr. Bowler had met with the DPW staff and asked what were their comments both pro and con. Mr. Grella advised that for the most part they were impressed. One of the drawbacks, which can be handled very easily, was the dust problem. They talked about having a water tank which would also help make the teeth last longer. Another concern was about some brush still along side the road. Before it is purchased, a crew will be sent to do the brush cutting beforehand. Mr. Berry had satisfied 90% of the questions the crew had, he said.
In response to Mr. Panasiti’s questions, Mr. Berry remarked that in previous years they spent a great deal of time doing catch basins for drainage. What suffered was they were not cutting brush or ditching sides of the roads. He briefly spoke of his strategy in order to get all of the things done that they were scheduled to do. There was also no need to bring on other people in this particular project. In answer to Mr. Dinkel’s question, Mr. Berry described the typical crew needed to perform this type of project which depended on the road they were on and the traffic control needed. On a consistent basis, he said they had 6-9 people working. Mr. Dinkel thought this seemed like a disproportionate number of people involved on the Zipper project with six crew members working on short sections of road. He would like to see one person doing this on a half mile of road and have other crew members do other things. Mr. Berry indicated there was no easy answer to reclaiming an area in a small proximity and the cost per day from going from spot to spot to spot. Mr. Dinkel thought this was a great deal of people to tie up where they were “under the gun” and his request was to try and maximize it.
Mr. Berry advised that when the Department cut brush, they do it about one mile per month and briefly spoke about the number of crew members needed when they do other projects. Mr. Grella felt the crew did a commendable job in picking this up and running with it in such a short period of time and knew Mr. Berry spoke about having a larger piece of equipment.
In answer to Mr. Infanti’s question, Mr. Berry indicated the cost for the lease/purchase was $82,950 for the one they tested and he was recommending a five year lease. Mr. Infanti’s scenario was that he would be looking at bringing in a CAT with an operator at a cost of $22,500 per week and if they used it for four weeks it would be $90,000 and four 40 hour weeks would more than pay for the machine with labor being a wash. This was a “money maker” for the Town as far as he was concerned compared to having someone else coming in and doing the work. He thought their biggest problem was bodies – what Mr. Berry gets out of his people for the number of people he has - they may want to look at outside hire to keep up with the brush cutting, etc. The roads are atrocious, with no offense to Mr. Berry, he felt this made sense to do it, but they needed to review their labor force for Public Works.
Mr. Bowler commented he was absolutely right about their getting more bodies. He also spoke about having a heavier machine. Mr. Berry advised they had some damage to the machine and presented the Board with a photo of it. The representative came and explained what they could have done. Mr. Berry explained that there were other heavier models of Zippers available and spoke of their costs. He indicated he was comfortable with the one they tested and what they have after speaking with Chappell Tractor and Perry Day, the operator.
Mr. Grella commented that the money the Town has already spent would go towards the purchase price. Mr. Dinkel added they would do a five year lease/purchase. Mr. Berry added this was his initial presentation and what he recommended – it would be a political nightmare if they brought someone in to do it. This would not dictate more people and they have taken on more responsibility in different directions over the years. Relative to this, he mentioned the Baboosic Lake Septic System as an example which eventually takes its toll.
Mr. Panasiti asked why this purchase did not become a warrant article since they were talking about a $90-100,000 purchase? Mr. Berry was asking the Board to approve buying this equipment where there were trucks and fire trucks that came out of warrant articles and to him this was a capital expenditure. Mr. Dinkel mentioned that this just came up in this budget. Some of the CIP items go as low as $5000. Mr. Panasiti wanted the people to decide to go for the bigger Zipper – he did not feel comfortable making a $90-100,000 purchase. Mr. Berry commented this was a lease/purchase option with a funding clause built into it. Mr. Dinkel remarked that the decision before them was through July of next year at approximately $13-14,000.
Mr. Bowler also advised that this initial funding was to come from outside hire, which the Board increased to $50,000. They could place it as a warrant article to fund it for a second year to see if the taxpayers want to fund it for another year. Mr. Infanti heard what Mr. Panasiti was saying, the biggest complaint he has heard was about the Town’s roads and the Town had an opportunity to use it for 30 days.
In response to Mr. Panasiti’s question, Mr. Berry told the Board he had marked all the areas. He talked about the number of layers of asphalt found in areas that deal with the base of a road. Mr. Panasiti asked if they were relying on this piece of equipment to do all of the Town roads or was he talking about buying it as a maintenance tool? Mr. Berry compared the Zipper with the use of the Grader. Mr. Bowler mentioned that Baboosic Lake Road was only done a year ago and was already showing wear. Mr. Panasiti asked about the number of teeth they would go through over a year’s time. Mr. Bowler indicated in less than 40 hours, they would not go through a full set of teeth. Mr. Berry confirmed this. Mr. Bowler also heard what Mr. Panasiti was saying and remarked that their roads were not going to be fixed overnight. They could try and hire a contractor and it would cost them $5-6 million dollars to fix things. He commented that seal cracking would bide them 4-5 years of time. He spoke about Boston Post Road and the number of vehicles traveling it per day – the road was not built for this, he said. He also mentioned overlays that don’t last. People are talking about the roads being in rough shape and Mr. Berry has come up with a plan. Mr. Berry added he was not suggesting this was a cure all and wasn’t something that went through the budget process, but came to his attention in the spring. Mr. Panasiti suggested they do it, but at the end of the year let the voters decide.
Mr. Berry indicated there was a question raised as to did he know what was under their roads, he did not and was surprised there was 12” of asphalt under them. Mr. Dinkel moved to have Mr. Berry negotiate a lease/purchase so that they can enter into it for the AZ500, second by Mr. Grella. Discussion: There was a brief discussion about this particular model. Mr. Infanti was comfortable when people see what it does for approximately $20,000. Vote: Unanimous. Mr. Dinkel thanked Mr. Berry for being innovative in trying to accomplish fixing the roads.
Mr. Infanti moved to accept the sand bid from Pike Industries of $6.25 per ton for the winter season of ’06-07, second by Mr. Grella. Vote: Unanimous.
Other DPW Matters
Mr. Berry said he had comments on the work session minutes, but was not prepared to comment on the goals at this time. Mr. Bowler indicated he could discuss the issues when he came before them on September 11 to discuss his State of the Department. Mr. Dinkel suggested Mr. Berry may want to write up something on the Zipper for the next installment of the Amherst Quarterly.
Award AFD Engine 5 Refurbishment Bid
Mr. Bowler advised that Engine 5 went back into service over the weekend after the pump was repaired. This bid was to award the refurbishment associated with the warrant article that was approved in March. They only received one bid, one company kept asking for extensions and they had to finally cut the time limit off. Mr. Infanti moved to award the bid to E. J. Murphy Co. of Woodville, MA for $56,032.09 for the refurbishment of Engine 5, second by Mr. Grella. Discussion: Mr. Infanti thought they had done business with the company in the past and believed they purchased the engine originally from them. This was based on what Town Meeting allocated for the refurbishment. In response to Mr. Dinkel’s question on why they only received one bid, Mr. Bowler explained the issues associated with Lakes Region and Minutemen as well as another company in Pennsylvania, where they were getting the tanker from. Relative to the length of time being out of service, Mr. Bowler advise it had been out of services since May because of the pump issue, but had been back in service for awhile. Vote: Unanimous.
Appoint Citizen Member to Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Committee
Mr. Infanti moved to appoint Michael Campbell of 20 Ponemah Hill Road as a member of the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Committee as recommended by Chief DeSilva, second by Mr. Grella. Vote: Unanimous.
Appointment of PMEC Co-Director
Mr. MacGuire advised they were looking for the Board to appoint a new PMEC Co-Director. Both he, Mr. Panasiti and some members of the PMEC Advisory Board, who sat in on the interviews, unanimously chose Victoria Laforet, a resident of Amherst. After sitting down and talking with her as well as doing a background check, he was asking the Selectmen to appoint her. Mr. Panasiti reported that the interview went very well, she was very enthusiastic about the position and “hands down, she was tops and they were unanimous in their decision”. Mr. Infanti moved to hirer Victoria Laforet as the Co-Director of PMEC, second by Mr. Panasiti. Discussion: Mr. Dinkel commented that her role is more management while Sussy’s is educational. Vote: Unanimous.
Other Business
Abatement Recommendation – Salzburg Square
Mr. Bowler advised this was a settlement of a BTLA case. Mr. Dinkel reported, after reviewing the documents that this was a reduction of the assessment on tax map 8-44-3, 292 Route 101 Salzburg Square for the tax years 2004 and 2005. In both years, the reduction went from $1,371,000 to $1,056,000. Mr. MacGuire advised he had a brief conversation with Scott Marsh of MRI that day which was why this was presented at the last minute and had to be wrapped up because of the appeal and he felt this was a fair recommendation. Mr. Dinkel moved to reduce the assessment for M/L 8-44-3 from $1,371,000 to $1,056,000 for tax years 2004 and 2005, second by Mr. Grella. Vote 4-1, Mr. Infanti opposed.
Prioritize Goals
Each Board member prioritized their goals, some with commentary of why they made this decision and the primary responsibility of who is to obtain and finalize these goals. They ranked them as follows: 1 High, 2 Medium, and 3 Low. Timeframe ranking: A (<6 Months), B (6-12 Months), C (12+ Months).
Department Head Performance Reviews – Mr. MacGuire. Group I Retirement or Other Options – Mr. MacGuire & BOS. AFD/EMS Integration – John DeSilva, Brian Gleason, Jay Dinkel, Bruce Bowler (Group to meet with the BOS on 8/28). Baboosic Lake Septic System Phase II – Mr. Berry, Mr. MacGuire (Perhaps Charlie Tiedemann and Heather Seitz). Town Road Funding Improvement Plan – Mr. Berry, Mr. MacGuire and Road Commission. Landfill Facilities Upgrade – SWTF and DPW. Master Plan Review – Mr. Infanti and Committee. Telecommunications/Technology Review – Mr. MacGuire, Department Heads, Ways & Means. Drainage/Sidewalk Plan – DPW, Road Commission, HDC, Highway Safety. Recreation Field Development – Recreation Commission and BOS. Tree Committee – Mr. Berry, Mr. Grella and Anne Krantz. Cable Negotiations – Mr. Dinkel and Steve Coughlan. Boston Post Road/ SHS Improvements – Schools, DPW, Mr. MacGuire and BOS. Stormwater II Implementation – Stormwater Committee. Town Hall Traffic Plan – DPW, Heritage Commission, BOS and Mr. MacGuire.
Minutes
Mr. Infanti moved to approve the minutes of July 24, 2006, second by Mr. Grella, amended as follows: Line 17 – After “house” insert “, with a septic tank”; Line 26 – Insert a period after “increased”; Line 29 – Strike “it”, change “should” to “could”, change “inches” to “feet”; Line 51 – Change “use” to “system”; Line 70 – Insert “Mrs. Lockwood said” before “If”; Line 73 – Strike “ would close up” replace with “was working on a policy”; Line 77 – Insert “like” after “epidemic”; Line 88 – Reverse the sentences; Line 109 – Change “GMAC” to “GMC”; Line 109 – Insert “large” before “trucks”; Line 110 – Strike “this insignia” Change to “their name of the company”; Line 125 – Insert “of” before “Stormwater”; Line 335 – Change “2005” to “2006”. Vote: Unanimous.
Mr. Dinkel moved to approve the minutes of July 31, 2006, amended as follows: Line 36 – Strike “of” replace with “to”; Line 125 – Change “There” to “Their”. Vote: Unanimous.
Other Business
Mr. Panasiti reported that meetings have been sporadic during the summer months. PMEC and Recreation were progressing.
Mr. Dinkel reported on the cable negotiations. Adelphia has canceled on them, has not rescheduled yet and the clock is ticking. They haven’t come to any public hearings and he did not have a good feeling about this. He wished the FCC was aware of their tactics. Towns have operated without a contract and he did not think this was where they should be. He also suggested we make sure W&M know they are beginning the State of the Departments. He advised he read the Assessing letter and the dates to call and make appointments did not seem fair to the citizens and were too short. He suggested that additional information is put in the Amherst General.
Mr. Grella mentioned he met with the DPW Director and personnel recently.
Mr. Infanti said he received a complaint about a political sign of someone running for Sheriff on 101A and asked about the sign ordinance. Mr. MacGuire advised they did change the State law and he was not sure if the Town ordinance is contrary to State law. He mentioned that the Planning Board will be discussing Master Plan proposals that were submitted for consulting.
Mr. Bowler advised the SRLD met and there were several things the District was going to do which will help Amherst. They have had great success with glass being taken out of the commingles. They will be buying a larger container and getting one for “anything that rips”. A meeting for the Solid Waste will be coming up.
Non-Public Session
Upon a roll call vote, the Board unanimously entered non-public session at 9:48 p.m. under RSA 91-A:3 II (d) Acquisition. The Board exited non-public session at 9:57 p.m.
After discussing an easement on 3 Norton Street for a possible pump house for a future community septic system, a motion was made and seconded to transfer the property to the bidder without the easement. The vote was unanimous. Mr. MacGuire will contact Attorney Dokmo regarding this change.
Upon a motion made and duly seconded, the Board adjourned the meeting at 9:58 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon L. Frydlo
Executive Assistant