Office of the Select Board

Town of Orange, New Hampshire

Minutes of April 9, 2019


Present: Dorothy Heinrichs, Chair; Tamara Fairbank, and Sandi Pierson (clerical). Bob Ells was absent

Others: Aaron Allen, Doug Weekes, Alex Smith, Gulley Dunlap, Anita Garland, Ali Proctor, and John Powell.

Meeting opened at 6:15 PM. Attendance taken by the secretary.

Minutes: The minutes of March 26, 2019 were approved.

Building inspector: Building Inspector Don Pfaefflin had contacted the office and said he would be submitting his resignation on May 8 due to relocating. After discussion, Tamara motioned toappoint Doug Weekes as building inspector, effective upon Don’s resignation. Dorothy seconded. Motion passed unanimously in favor.

Building permit inquiry: A resident wanted to know if building permits were necessary for a heat pump system or a solar array. Doug said because there are installation codes, a permit is necessary. Solar energy systems come in two forms; those that use sunlight to heat water (thermal) and those that use sunlight to produce electricity. The first is covered in the IRC code M2301 and the second (electric) is covered inn IRC section 324. As for heat pumps they are in the IRC as well. Doug said he has responded to the person inquiring.

Alex Smith said he understood the Planning Board was working on a solar ordinance but that it was unclear what it actually was. Dorothy, the Planning Board ex officio, will follow up.

Other building permit discussions:

  •   Doug said that at present, the building permit schedule does not cover the cost of inspection. He shared his research from surrounding towns. He will bring forth a fee schedule recommendation at the next Board meeting.

  •   Doug said the Select Board’s office should have copies of the International Residential Code (IRC) for public review. He has the 2015 edition and has ordered a couple of used ones from amazon. He said that more recent editions cost $140 each, but that the 2015 editions are sufficient; the minimum requirement is using the 2009 edition. The Board needs to formally vote to adopt the IRC. The issue was tabled until the April 23 meeting.

    Timber tax warrants: The Board reviewed and signed the following warrants for timber cuts:

  •   Roanld Goodearl/100 New Colony Road: $877.33

  •   Williams Bachelor/Route 4: $1,349.03

Gravel tax abatement: The Board reviewed and signed an abatement for $81.24 for the gravel tax for Bobby Senter, d/b/a Razor Hill Construction, as approved at the March 26 meeting.

Letter of support: The Board signed a letter in support of a grant application for the HealthFirst Family Care Center to have a satellite location in Canaan. The Canaan location would be locally controlled and owned.

Training request: The Board reviewed and approved the following training requests:

  •   Town Clerk Tammy Daley, April 8 and 15: New Town Clerk workshops

  •   Deputy Town Clerk John Daley, April 8 and 15: New Town Clerk workshops

  •   Sandi Pierson, April 12: Registry of Deeds software training

    Town House improvements: Sandi recapped her meeting with NH Preservation Alliance representative Andrew Cushing regarding the grant possibilities (funding) for work to be done at the Town House, specifically electrical upgrades and structural improvements to the upstairs ceiling and roof. Funding possibilities include an LCHIP matching grant up and a grant from theConservation License Plate “Moose Plate” Grant Program (NH Division of HistoricalResources). The latter has a threshold grant amount of $10,000 and does not have to be matched. LCHIP grants are announced at the end of the year, meaning the work would be done in 2020. An estimate for the total project cost needs to be submitted by May 8. At present, town funding is available from the Town House Capital Reserve, which has a current balance of $5000, and from the $1000 annual appropriation of the Town House Building Capital Outlay. Studies and projected costs need to be done in order to proceed.

    The Board revisited the idea of forming a Town House committee that would review the work that needs to be done. After discussion, Tam motioned for the Board to appoint an ad hoc committee to study and determine the scope of the work to be done and to get estimates. Dorothy seconded. Motion approved unanimously in favor. Sandi said a number of qualified people have come forward and said they would be willing to serve on the committee.

    Other: n/a

    Other business: n/a

    Secretary’s report:

  •   Skip Smith recommends the Town House septic be pumped out prior to the Historical Commission program scheduled for April 27. The Board concurred.

  •   There was a request to have Angel Buckwold clean the Town House prior to the Historical Commission program scheduled for April 27. The Board concurred.

    Reports from other Boards and Committees:

  •   Tam noted that the next Orange Historical Commission meeting will be June 3 at 7 PM.

  •   Green-up day at the Town House will be May 11.

Public comment:

 Aaron Allen said he will be submitting a building application for an outbuilding but does not know if it will be in conformance with the 35-foot setback regulation from DougWeekes’ property line. He and Doug Weekes will meet at the site to determine the boundary line. If the proposed building is going to be within 35 feet, Aaron will ask the Board for a waiver.

Bills and vouchers were reviewed and signed.

Nonpublic session: Tam motioned to go into nonpublic session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3-1 to review an application for a veteran’s tax credit. Dorothy seconded. Motion passed unanimouslyin favor.

Motion to come out of nonpublic session was approved.

Meeting adjourned 7 PM

Dorothy Behlen Heinrichs

Robert Ells

Tamara Fairbank