MEETING MINUTES
Town of Pittsfield
Housing Standards Agency
Town Office, 85 Main Street
Pittsfield, New Hampshire 03263
Monday, November 19, 2007
Chairman Elkins called the meeting of the Housing Standards Agency to order at 7:07 P.M. on Monday,
November 19, 2007, in the Pittsfield Town Office. Chairman Elkins called a roll of the members present.
Members Present
Chair Bill Elkins, Vice Chair Elizabeth Hast, Members – Mike Wolfe, Paul Provencher, Fire Dept Rep. Lt. Nick
Abell, Planning Board Rep. Bill Miskoe, HSA Inspector Fred Okrent, and HSA Administrator Cara M. Marston
Public Present
Steve Aubertin, Walter Purtell, Richard Munn, and Building Inspector Michael McLaughlin.
Meeting Minutes
Chairman Elkins noted that the Board did neglect to do a roll call when entering into Non-Public Session at the
October 22, 2007 meeting, yet all Board members did vote to enter the Non-Public Session (except B. Miskoe,
who was absent from the meeting).
Motion made by M.Wolfe to accept the minutes as presented, seconded by P.Provencher. Motion passed, 4-0, as
Vice Chair Hast was not in attendance during the voting and with B.Miskoe abstaining as he was not present at
that meeting.
Information Items
The Board discussed the two rental properties, 43 Main Street and 29 Bridge Street, that are in bankruptcy and
have been abandoned by the bankruptcy court. Building Inspector McLaughlin informed the Board that 43 Main
Street currently has no tenants and 29 Bridge Street has only two tenants left.
New Business
1. Route 140 Properties LLC response letter – Admin. Marston will send a letter to the owners of 1 Bridge
Street to invite them to the next scheduled meeting on December 17, 2007.
Old Business
1. Inspection Forms – Inspector Okrent stated that the revisions to the forms were still in process as there
were some personnel issues that needed to be clarified.
Public Input
Building Inspector McLaughlin inquired about the status of 29 Manchester Street. The last inspection that he was
scheduled for was an electrical inspection that was not able to be completed, as a tenant over the age of 18 was
not present for entry to inspect the electrical work. Mr. McKechnie has not rescheduled this inspection yet, which
needs to be completed before Inspector Okrent can return for a housing standards re-inspection. The building has
not been in compliance with the inspection requirements for a good length of time and the Board has given the
owner, Bob McKechnie, ample time to come into compliance. A notice of inspection letter will be sent to prompt
Mr. McKechnie to get the building in order for a housing standards re-inspection on December 13, 2007. Failure
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Minutes_11_19_07
to comply on Mr. McKechnie’s part from that date will start the rental license revocation process. A similar letter
will also be sent to Deborah Magliozzi, owner of 7 Marshall Court, as her building has been out of compliance
for a good length of time as well, with a same re-inspection deadline of December 13, 2007.
The Board engaged in a general discussion with the public in attendance about the aged, non-licensed rental units
and their ‘valid’ rental license status, as Steve Aubertin brought up the point that until the rental license is
actually revoked, the building can still be rented, it’s just not in compliance with the inspection requirements. As
the Board is now becoming more active, with more frequent meetings, they will be using more of the ‘enforcement
avenues’ provided in the Housing Standards Ordinance to try to get, and keep, the rental units in compliance and
properly licensed without timely gaps in inspections/re-inspections.
Next Meeting Date
The next meeting is set for December 17, 2007 at 7PM at the Town Office.
Motion by M.Wolfe, second by V.Chair Hast, to move into non-public session under RSA 91-A:3, II(a) to discuss
personnel matters. Roll call vote indicated all six members voting in the affirmative to move into a non-public
session. The Board moved into non-public session at 8:02 PM and did not return to public session.
Respectfully submitted,
Cara M. Marston