Bids for cemetery maintenance were opened and will be passed on to the Cemetery Trustees at their meeting. Two bids were received for the Town Office Grounds and Chaffee Park (hourly rate). Poulin Property Maintenance was awarded the bid.
Transfer Station
Reggie Roy: Single stream recycling has been well received. More people are recycling now than in the past. The single stream recycling container went out today, the first time in two weeks. The volume in the container after four days, two operational weeks, is at maximum capacity. Reggie is waiting to find out what the tonnage has been for the two hauls that have been made.
Reggie reported that the attendants have been told that they are not to be in the office unless on break.
Transfer station keys. Reggie will determine the number of keys necessary. Selectman Coolidge recommended a $25 deposit per key. Keys will be placed on large fobs with cables so they cannot go in pockets. Keys will be stamped “Do Not Duplicate.”
Reggie presented a quote for guardrail to be installed on the east side of the road and around the utility pole. He also presented a quote from Andover Fence for chain link fence to go from burn pile to metal container with a gate and also in front of the single stream compactor to prevent accidental falls from the dock. The Board authorized the fence work.
Selectman Danforth recommended the use of a log book to be used by everyone who goes into the Transfer Station after hours, with signature and reason for entry.
The Board asked Reggie to tally numbers for time spent processing electronics so that fees can be adjusted if necessary.
Leonard Caron
Mr. Caron asked many questions about work that comes under the Road Agent’s responsibilities and the materials used for this work. The Board explained that his questions were for the Road Agent, not the Selectmen. The Road Agent establishes the scope of work. The Selectmen are responsible for the financial aspect of road operations.
The Board stated that it is doing everything it can to use materials in Town inventory, and that operations are now in one sand pit. The Board stated that using our own materials is by far less expensive than purchasing and trucking from an outside source.
The Board explained that it is trying to gather information for material inventory, individual road maintenance, etc. Currently, there are very few records available. The raw material inventory is now listed in the Town Report to help townspeople understand the process and the priorities.
The Board also explained that the Road Agent is elected by the voters to make the decisions about what road work needs to be done and about crushing operations. They reiterated that Mr. Caron’s discussion needs to take place with the Road Agent, not the Board of Selectmen. Unfortunately, the Road Agent is not able to be at this meeting.
Mr. Caron stated his opinion that the property at 76 Bridge Road needs to be surveyed.
Community Solar Gardens
Janet Moore and Jeff Dickinson: New Hampshire Solar Gardens is a young company run by Andrew Keller. His proposal is to erect solar gardens that would benefit schools and communities. The primary driver is the desire to use renewable energy.
The process involves group net metering and the placement of centralized solar panels. The location of the garden determines which utility company purchases the power. New Hampshire Solar Gardens does all the work, but a group must be formed before work can begin.
Selectman Danforth stated that the Town needs to determine the property assessment factor. If a payment in lieu of taxes were an option, it would be a Town Meeting decision.
Community Solar Gardens are new in New Hampshire, and this company has no track record. This is a way for people who cannot afford to put solar panels on their roofs but can be part of renewable energy. There are regulatory and contractual questions that will need to be answered.
The Board would like to set up a meeting where Keller would make a presentation that would be well attended by the public. Jeff Dickinson will arrange the meeting.
Cable TV
Selectman Danforth will come up with a draft document for the Cable TV Committee and will write an article for the Beacon. He will invite Tina Cotton and Charlie Darling to the next meeting to make agreements with them to determine the make-up of the committee. A program manager, a station manager, and a limited volunteer membership seems appropriate.
Swap Shops
There are five people who are arranging the swap shops. Unofficially, the Board would like to finalize the plan for the Transfer Station and would like to encourage that group of people to continue operating a swap shop. Ken Tripp organizes the people who work. Selectman Coolidge will talk with Ken.
Chaffee Park
Selectperson Viandier is organizing a brainstorming event for improvements at Chaffee Park at Highland Lake on June 8 and a clean-up and implementation event there on June 15. She suggested signage at the far end of the beach to eliminate boat moorings. The Town Administrator will order new and longer floats to reach the far end of the beach. The Selectmen asked that she contact the chairperson to verify that new floats and ropes were included in the Recreation Department’s budget as requested by the Selectmen last summer.
The boundary line at the far end of the beach needs to be determined and delineated and an enforceable ordinance needs to be adopted to make enforcement possible. Sandra Graves asked if the Selectmen can request of the State that speed be reduced outside the buoys.