Town of Lyme
Board of Selectmen
Minutes for January 24, 2008
1. The regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen convened at 8:00 AM in the Fire Station training room. The following attended the entire meeting: Simon Carr, Dick Jones and Charles Ragan. Police Chief Pauline Field, Bookkeeper/Secretary Dina Cutting, Administrative Assistant Carole Bont, Planning and Zoning Administrator Francesca Latawiec, Town Clerk Patty Jenks and Deputy Town Clerk Sharon Greatorex attended part of the meeting.
2. The following administrative matters were discussed and actions taken:
a. The minutes for January 17 Session I were approved with minor amendments
b. The minutes for January 17 Session II were approved.
c. The manifest was reviewed and signed.
3. Patty and Sharon came in to discuss various issues:
a. The State’s requirement for additional software to maintain “Municipal Agent” status will cost approximately $1,000. Dick confirmed that this had been added to the budget and the Board voted to sign the agreement with the state.
b. There had been some concerns about communications over transfer station charges and the bags:
i. Dan has a warning notice at the compactor saying “Black Bags $4”. This is not correct as the Board has only authorized an additional charge on contractor (55 gal) bags.
ii. Some of the rates changed at the beginning of January. The transfer station flyers have been revised, but Patty and Sharon have not received any to hand out to office callers.
iii. The existing green bags, especially the large ones give trouble as they have a small throat. There is a large stock of these but we will investigate alternative shapes before re-ordering.
4. Francesca came in to discuss the work being undertaken on the McLaughlin-Kitchel property on River Road. The contractor has a building permit to undertake interior demolition, however, he has now found damp in some of the ground beams and would like to demolish a portion of the building by means of an amendment to the existing building permit. Eventually it is intended to apply for a new building following the existing footprint. The Board considered that there could be no amendment of the current permit, until the appropriate State shore land permits and ZBA wetland buffer special exemptions were in place; to permit demolition without the other permit and special exemption could
result in the permissible building footprint being reduced.
5. Bob Coyle wishes to move the existing notice board at Stella’s (Nichols) to the lobby adjoining the Post Office. The Board was happy for him to do this, but, in this location, it is no longer a public notice board. The board voted to designate the notice boards at Lyme Center Post Office and at the foot of the library ramp as the two official notice boards.
6. The Hanover Selectboard has invited the Board to a meeting on Monday, regarding the cost of the new county jail. Dick and Charles will go and Simon will try to join them after the Recreation Commission meeting.
7. The Recreation Commission has proposed two warrant articles:
i. To appropriate $3,000 for work to the town beach; the appropriation conditional on the Conservation Commission maintaining the average seasonal water level at two feet on the water gage. Non-lapsing until December 31, 2009
ii. To appropriate $90,500 for renovating the John Balch Memorial Ball Field. $30,500.00 to be raised by taxes and $60,000.00 to be raised from donations; the appropriation and donations conditional on the Conservation Commission maintaining the average seasonal water level at two feet on the water gage. Non-lapsing until December 31, 2009
b. The Selectboard unanimously voted to recommend both articles.
c. There was a discussion on the Recreation Commission meeting with the Conservation Commission. It appears that only a small number of Conservation Commission members are available to meet with the Recreation Commission. Dina was concerned about this as she felt it was important to be able to share some of the most recent information with them in as a non-confrontational format as possible. As an alternative, it might be appropriate to schedule and warn a special joint session of both commissions, together with the Selectboard.
8. The Energy Committee had proposed a warrant for a property tax exemption for solar heating systems. The Board had various reservations with the warrant, but has the policy of putting forward standing committee warrant articles. Carole will give Town Counsel the proposed warrant, together with the Board’s reservations and ask for her suggestions.
9. There was a discussion on the recent comments on listserve about a Post Pond bike path and the East Thetford Road/Route 10 intersection. Suggestions were to investigate possible funding from the NHDOT Transportation Improvement Plan and to involve people in the Highway Safety Committee.
10. Dick reviewed the proposed town budget as voted on by the Budget Committee, Wednesday, January 23:
a. An increase on the Elections, Registrations and Vital Statistics: Computer Software line of $1,000.
b. An increase on the Planning and Zoning: Administrator’s Wages of $3,000 and a reduction in Administrator’s Benefits of $8,000
c. A reduction in the Fire: Station Major Equipment of $6,000
d. The total expenditure is now $3,470,303
11. The draft Selectboard annual report was reviewed and approved with minor changes.
12. The Boston Post Cane was reviewed. The board had not yet been able to make an appointment with Don Carmichael. Patty proposed that future recipients should receive a certificate and that the cane be displayed with a plaque listing recipients. The Board authorized Patty to go ahead with this proposal.
13. Dina had asked the State for an extension of time to carry out the work on the Highway garage boilers. The work would take at least two days to carry out and the plumbing did not want to undertake it at this time of year.
14. The Memorandum of Understanding between the town and the Library Trustees was reviewed and approved with minor amendments.
15. The Memorandum of Understanding between the town and Crossroads Academy was reviewed and will be sent to Town Counsel for review.
16. At 10:07 AM. Dick moved and Simon seconded a motion to go into non-public session under the authority of RSA 91-A:3 II(c) – ““matters which, if discussed in public, would likely affect adversely the reputation of any person”. The motion carried by unanimous roll-call vote. Simon Carr, Dick Jones and Charles Ragan attended the non-public session. The Board returned to public session at 10:44 AM having taken no decisions.
17. The meeting adjourned at 10:45 AM.
Simon Carr
Recorder
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