PITTSFIELD PLANNING BOARD
Town Hall, 85 Main Street
Pittsfield, NH 03263
Minutes of Public Meeting FEBRUARY 1, 2007
ITEM 1. Call to order at 7:05 P.M.
ITEM 2. Roll Call
Members Present: David Simpson (DS), Chairman, Bill Miskoe (BM),
Vice-Chairman, Eric Bahr (EB), Paul Metcalf, Jr. (PM), Rich Hunsberger
(RH), Peter Newell (PN) Alternate, Dan Greene (DG), Alternate and Delores
Fritz, Recording Secretary.
Members Absent: Larry Konopka (LK), Donna Keeley (DK), and Ralph
Odell (RO).
Dan Greene seated as Alternate.
ITEM 3. Hearing with respect to an application for a Voluntary Lot Merger
filed by James E. Donini, Sr., 186 Webster Mills Road, Pittsfield, NH
03263 of property located at 186 Webster Mills Road (Tax Map R-53, Lot
16B) and Webster Mills Road and Locke’s Road, Pittsfield, NH 03263 (Tax
Map R-53, Lot 15A). These properties are owned by James E. Donini, Sr.,
186 Webster Mills Road, Pittsfield, NH 03263. These properties are located
in the Rural Zone.
(DS) related that applicant, James Donini, will not be present tonight.
(RH) Motion to approve application for Voluntary Lot Merger for James E.
Donini. Second (DG)
(BM) wanted to know if anything in Statutes prevents Board from approving
application without applicant being present. (PM) wanted to know reason
for Voluntary Lot Merger. (RH) related it would be for tax purposes and
2
that the Board cannot not approve this application unless lot is nonconforming.
(DS) According to property maps Lot 16B is 19.7 acres and Lot 15A is 8.2
acres.
Board voted Unanimous 6-0 to approve application. (DS) advised he would
notify applicant in regard to 30-day appeal process.
Only one abutter (name unknown) who lives on Locke Road on the Epsom
side was present. He had no objection and appears tonight just to hear what
the applicant wanted to do as far as the lot merger was concerned.
ITEM 4. Approval of Minutes of January 18, 2007.
(EB) Motion to approve Minutes of January 18, 2007, (RH) Second.
Unanimous 6-0.
ITEM 5. Missing Minutes October 5, 19, 26, 2006 and November 2, 2006.
Donna Keeley was to check on some of these minutes, but since she is
unavailable tonight due to Public Town Meeting, this will be tabled until
next Planning Board meeting. Board members will check their files to see if
they have any records of these meetings.
ITEM 6. Selectman’s Report
None. Selectman’s Board members not present this evening.
ITEM 7. Members Concerns
(DS) Jennifer McCourt has submitted some new plans in regard to
Thompson Road to Board with a copy to Louis Berger Group. Tony Puntin
was unable to be here today. This will be going to Selectman’s Board and
someone from the Planning Board should be present at that meeting. The
Selectman’s Board is planning a Site Walk this Saturday. (BM) Any
objection by Sonny Sell for this to happen? (DS) No, we have a release
from Sonny for this. (DS) I volunteered and we will need another person
from the Board to be present. (LK), (DG), and (RH) have recused
themselves from this. (BM) related that he will try to be there.
3
(DS) Louis Berger has sill not received updated Governor Road contract and
is missing engineer stamp. (BM) related that they are holding themselves up
in regard to this.
(DS) related that Trigger Development found out from Mike McLaughlin
via phone call that no building permits would be issued until road bond
corrected. New Bond has been delivered, though it is not signed. He is
questioning the additional $1,500 and he would like breakdown from Louis
Berger as to why the additional fees are needed.
(BM) related that the Board has two diligent alternates that are present at
most Board meetings. He relates that one member of the Board has missed
about 85% of the meetings and feels Board should ask member to resign so
that one of the alternates can become a full-time member. (DS) related that
he has talked to this member and that the member was thinking of requesting
a leave of absence from the Board. (BM) requested that the Board ask him
to either attend or specify an alternate be appointed in his place. I am aware
that he is working on the Master Plan Committee and I do not want to deter
him from that but we need people on Board who will show up. (DS) He
should be an alternate rather than a regular Board member. (RH) How long
of a leave of absence are we talking about? (DS) About two to two and a
half months, (RH) suggested (DS) discuss this with him and see if there is a
time period that he would like leave of absence. (EB) related the problem
with granting a leave of absence is that it would leave the Board one
member short and this Board is not “built” to be one member short. (DS)
doesn’t RSA’s allow for more alternates? I thought I read some place that
there could be three alternates. (RH) suggested that (DS) talk to him and he
will either resign or come to meetings. (EB) related that according to
RSA 673:13 that five alternate members can be elected. (DS) I believe our
Rules of Procedure state two alternates. I will talk to Ralph this weekend.
(DS) related that (RH) brings up a valid point that once we know what Ralph
is going to do that we could submit that to the Selectman Board, if
necessary, and also letter requesting changing number of alternates. (EB) if
Ralph is amenable, perhaps he would like to be alternate and we have an
alternate as full time member. (BM) related if we do this swap, he thinks we
should have two more alternates, preferably someone who will be here on a
regular basis.
4
(DS) related that Department Heads are not impressed with the way this
Board does business. There is a series of things they are not happy with and
would like to see some progressive changes. The Department Heads want to
be more of an interactive part of the subdivision. (RH) once this starts being
built, they would be involved. (BM) related that often applicants will make
changes with Department Heads and that this should not be going on in
private. The approval process should not be fragmented.
(DS) related he is contemplating calling a Department Head meeting to sit
down and listen to their concerns, maybe on some Wednesday around 3:00
P.M. (BM) wanted to know “What about the public?” We approve
deliberations in public and we should not take out little pieces of it with
Department Heads. (RH) Department Heads should be able to give
feedback on changes. (BM) I think we should try and avoid situations where
an applicant meets with a Department Head and then comes back to
Planning Board with thoughts that they have the right to do certain things
that the Board has not approved. (RH) We need to keep them aware of
things that are happening. When they make comments, they are signing off.
The whole purpose is to get Department Head feedback; we need this
feedback and we are not getting it. (EB) Department Heads need to
comment on what they feel about these projects. (BM) It is easier if the
applicant comes in.
(DS) regarding 15 Broadway. The Superior Court has remanded this back to
the Planning Board. We need to schedule a public hearing for
reconsideration at our own expense and notice him at every address we have
for him. He said he was never notified. Building inspector and Fire Chief
should make sure that the renovations that should have been done, are done.
(RH) related that the Fire Chief and Mike need to document their approach
to him. Once we have their information, we can make a decision.
(EB) Motion to schedule a public hearing regarding 12 Broadway on March
1, 2007. (BM) Second. (EB) amend Motion to schedule on March15, 2007
instead. (BM) Amend Second.
(EB) related that if renovations not done, the Board can shut him down
again. (BM) related that Building Inspector and Fire Chief should be
noticed to meeting. (RH) related that it should be documented and that
public hearing notice should be sent via regular mail and certified mail as
individuals often do not pick up certified mail. (BM) related that the
5
Building Inspector and the Fire Chief’s report should available to Board by
March 1, 2007 for review by Board. Vote: Unanimous 5-0.
ITEM 8. Adjournment
Adjournment at 8:00 P.M. to Work Session. All members remain present.
__________________________ _________________________
Bill Miskoe, Vice-Chairman Date
APPROVED: FEBRUARY 15, 2007