July 22
Condensed from approved minutes
The regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Selectmen was convened at 6 PM by chairperson Mishcon.
Those in attendance: Selectmen Mishcon, Danforth, and Coolidge; Road Agent Jon Champagne; Town Administrator Marjorie Roy.
Road Agent’s Report
Jon thanked his crew for setting up and taking down the traffic barriers used during the Fourth of July celebration.
Jon reported that the signs will be installed at the public beach this week. Also, the old signs will be removed.
Jon reported a culvert problem on Route 11 near Barton’s Performance and Applecrest Lane. This is state road, but the culvert goes under Route 11, under the old rail bed, and out on Channel Road. The pipe needs to be replaced.
New England Catch Basin Cleaners came in and cleaned twice the number of basins that they have done in the past. This is due to newer equipment.
Jon reported that Boston Hill Road needs tree work that will require a bucket truck. He stated that the criteria for tree work are “dangerous conditions.” He reported that crane work is the most expensive and that Boston Hill, Flaghole, Raccoon, and Shaw Hill roads all have areas that need this type of work. The problem trees need to be targeted.
The Selectmen signed a work proposal for roadside mowing to be done by Jim Shaw. John left a proposal for ditching with the Board.
Jon will meet with Marj and Tatjana on July 24 to review his budget.
Morrill Hill Road Bridge Project
The Board decided to request a meeting with Nancy Mayville of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation. The Board will meet with her here or in Concord if that is more convenient for her.
Sam Hill Road Culverts
This project has had to be delayed again due to heavy rains and the high water level. Jon Champagne will call Armand Boisvert to discuss the situation.
EMS Report
John Kinney presented a “snapshot” report of department activity for the month of June. Receipts for May were $4,787.90. A direct mailing will be sent out as a fundraiser for the LUCAS device. John will contact Salisbury for a copy of the letter they used for the same purpose.
Avitar Associates
Mark Stetson reviewed the scope of services provided by the Avitar contract. These services are broken down into three areas: (1) General assessing (2) New construction (3) Data Verification
Avitar’s information is generated by notes entered into the assessing system by Town Office staff. Building permits are part of that data. Avitar assesses what is actually on a property. Listing history is added to the property cards after Avitar visits a property.
Avitar can customize reports for the Town. PA-28 forms were helpful to Avitar, but most towns no longer use this form. Building Permit information has been listed and is included in the New Construction Report. Septic system information can be entered by Town personnel.
Approval numbers should be entered. Temporary depreciation sometimes becomes permanent. Exemptions can be reviewed and recommended by Avitar.
Yearly data verification: one third of properties are inspected over a three-year period. In the fourth year, the town-wide revaluation takes place. At that time, Avitar inspects all sales properties, develops new values, and applies them to all properties. The goal is to compare market value to assessing.
The Shared Services RFP is incorrect in that our revaluation is 2014, not 2019. Chairperson Mishcon explained that the goal of the RFP was to try to combine services and save money.
General assessing: The budget for this should be the gross amount of $52,400 less the balance in the Capital Reserve Fund. The easiest way to process this is to budget for general assessing in the general budget and divide the revaluation expense by five.
Town Office Building
The Town Office Building Maintenance and Energy Audit’s Tier 1 Recommendations included adding foam to go around the basement window and removing bulbs in the meeting room. Selectman Danforth moved to complete Tier 1 plus $500 for repair/replacement of the basement windows, not to exceed $2,100. The motion was seconded by Selectman Coolidge and the vote was unanimous.
Andover Horseshoe Club
According to RSA 41, any lease exceeding five years is up to the town legislative body (Town Meeting). A warrant article is now required to allow continued lease of the Town property to the Andover Horseshoe Club. The club’s certificate of insurance is due immediately.
Transfer Station
At the end of August, figures will be available for the first month of single-stream recycling. The Town Administrator will check with Proctor Academy about the contents of the dumpsters at their barn.
Common Lands
There are three “common lands” in town. When subdivisions went in, there was a parcel that was non-conforming, and everyone in the subdivisions pays a portion of the property tax on that property. The Board of Tax and Land Appeals (BTLA) ruled that each owner must pay the full tax assessed on the property.
The Town should send information on the three properties to the BTLA for ruling as to whether or not the common lands are the same situation as the Maple Street properties that were appealed to the BTLA.
Standby Generator and Electrical Service Upgrade
Lloyd Perreault secured five quotes for the generator and panel work in the basement of the Town Office building. Yastremski Electrical Services of Contoocook was selected. The Koehler generator will be installed on a 2′ x 4′ pad filled with crushed stone.
Lloyd met with Frank Szilagyi from New Hampshire Electric Co-operative (NHEC) to plan temporary service while the work is being completed. The office will be out of power for about two hours, and this will be prearranged.
A trench will be dug across the driveway, new conduit will be buried by NHEC, and a new meter will be installed. Lloyd and Rene Lefebvre will volunteer some time for this project. The building will have 200-amp service with expansion possible.
The generator company will set up the generator, do the inside work, the wiring, and disconnect the old generator connection. Irving Gas will hook up the tanks and will not charge for the tanks. The electric meter will have to be moved, and vinyl siding work will need to be done to take care of this. Rene made it clear that he is uninsured, so if the Town wants to have the Road Agent do the digging, it’s okay with him.
The generator service contract of $285 per year will need to be included in the budget.
76 Bridge Road
Michael Foulds attended this portion of the meeting and expressed an interest in purchasing the property. The Town Administrator will check with Town Counsel as to how to proceed with the property. The question is, “Can it be sold ‘as is’ to a neighbor who wants to rehab the property?” If this is advised, the procedures required by state law will be adhered to.