Office of the Select Board

Town of Orange, New Hampshire

Minutes of August 9, 2016

 

Present: Dorothy Heinrichs, Chair; Robert Ells, Lyell ‘Skip’ Smith, and Sandi Pierson (clerical). Others present: Beverly Ells.

Meeting opened at 7:00 PM.

Minutes: The minutes of July 26, 2016 were unanimously approved.

Large Trash Pickup: Skip stated that Casella is charging a fee of $15.00 per tire on Large Trash Pick-up day which is scheduled for August 26. The Board agreed that this could be a concern to a resident that had planned on digging up and disposing of 30 to 40 tires that were long ago used to construct a roadside retainer wall. After discussion, it was agreed Dorothy would contact the property owner and the resident who planned on removing the tires to make them aware of the cost of disposal.

Town House repairs and maintenance:

Scott Borthwick, owner of Estate Wildlife Control, has sealed all possible rodent entries at the town house and has set traps. Because he found evidence of bat occupancy, the traps adhered to the vents allow exit but not reentry. Scott has submitted his Certificate of Liability Insurance.

Bob stated that he and his son Bruce will begin installing the downstairs handrail the following day.

Skip stated that he met with Bruce Ells to examine the rotted trim board and clapboards in the vicinity of the back door and to get a repair estimate. Bruce offered a quote of $750.00 for the repairs. Skip said that if there is deterioration of the sheathing behind the clapboards, the cost may increase. After discussion, Dorothy motioned to have Bruce do the repairs. Skip seconded. Motion passed. Bob abstained from the vote.

Building permit: The Board reviewed and approved a building permit for Paul Shwarz/57 Eastman Road/Map 1, Lot 10 for an addition to an existing residence. The permit was already reviewed and signed by Building Inspector Don Pfaefflin.

Other:

  •   The Board was in receipt of the budget status as of July 31, 2016. Of the $225,538.00 municipal budget, as of July 31 $133,961.71 has been expended. School payments as of July 31 have totaled $254,159.64.

  •   The Board received a notice of a forestry and sawmill field day sponsored by the NH Sustainable Forestry Initiative for small woodlot owners. More information will be included on the email listserv and at www.orangenh.us.

  •   Trash report: As of July 31 the town has disposed of 42.67 tons of trash and 14.98 tons of recyclables.

  •   Regarding a prior request for the Building Inspector to inspect a structure that a resident would like to have formally condemned, Skip said that to his knowledge Don Pfaefflin has not yet visited the property.

  •   Regarding one of the violators of the junk ordinance, Skip stated that the resident has disposed of three of the unregistered vehicles and there are four more to go. The resident has said that he needs to get titles to the vehicles in order to dispose of them. The Board speculated on how old a vehicle has to be before no title is required for ownership purposes. The Board agreed that if the violation is not resolved by October 1, the Board will contact the property owner.

  • Skip said that he has asked Sandi to contact the Local Government Center legal counsel to find out what the protocol is for a donation to the town being eligible to be taken as a tax deduction for the donor.

 

 Secretary’s report:

  •   The NHMA Legislative Bulletin summarizing all new bills that were signed into law was sent by email to all town officers.

  •   There are a few protocols in the Auditor’s Report (MS-60) that are not consistent with Board and/or office procedures as well as other offices within the town. After discussion, it was agreed that all financial officers of the town should review the MS-60 to be sure their practices and duties correlate to the report and to see what modifications need to be made. Dorothy asked Sandi to submit the MS-60 to all officers it pertains to for their review.

  •   Regarding the MS-4 (Revised Estimated Revenues), because it is the data that sets the tax rate, the Board agreed that officers collecting monies for the town should be contacted to see if they recommend adjustments from the figures given on the MS-7.

Reports from other Boards and Committees: n/a Public comment: n/a
Bills and vouchers were reviewed and signed. Meeting adjourned 7:20 P.M.

Respectfully submitted, Sandi Pierson

__________________________ ____________________ Dorothy Behlen Heinrichs Robert Ells

______________________ Lyell Smith