by admin | Apr 19, 2021 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 6:01 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier, Stohl and Campbell.
On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Campbell, the Board voted to elect Selectman Cloutier as Chairman for the upcoming year.
At 6:02 , Jenny Mitchell entered the meeting. Ms. Mitchell is interested in running a “clean-up day” for Columbia and Colebrook. She wishes to concentrate on the “secondary” roads. She will be going to Colebrook and asking for their permission. She is doing this through the New Hampshire the Beautiful – Litter Free Blue Bag Program. Ms. Mitchell has spoken to Lynch Trash Disposal regarding picking up the bags if they are at one specific location – in our case the Columbia Town Hall. Discussion continued about safety, liability concerns for the Town, etc. Ms. Mitchell is going to do some more research and will get back to the Town on how much progress she makes. Ms. Mitchell left the meeting.
Steven LaFrance (Horizons Engineering) entered the meeting at 6:30 pm. Mr. LaFrance’s company is doing the engineering on the Lyman Falls site. Mr. LaFrance went over with the Board exactly what the project will consist of. He asked the Board to sign the necessary permits for the State, which Chairman Cloutier did. Mr. LaFrance left the meeting at 6:45.
Mail was reviewed.
Checks and manifests were signed.
Land Use Change tax forms and a warrant were signed for Fred Smith and Mark St. Clair.
Selectman Cloutier informed the Board that he had put up the road ban signs today and spoken with two loggers who are currently doing jobs in Columbia. Marcia will have an ad placed in the newspaper regarding the road ban.
It was noted that there will be a Dispatch Center meeting tomorrow night (March 12th) at the Colebrook Town Office beginning at 5:30 pm.
Marcia reviewed for the Board a list of people who have not yet paid their 2018 property taxes. The Tax Deed date is March 22nd.
Selectman Campbell told the Board that he had spoken to Clark Jeffers and that he will be taking the “Bovill” building down in the next few weeks.
Meeting adjourned at 7:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectmen
by admin | Apr 19, 2021 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier, Stohl and Campbell.
Mail was reviewed.
Checks and manifests were signed.
An Intent to Cut was approved for Eric McLendon.
A three-year contract for winter plowing was signed for Cloutier Sand & Gravel, Inc.
On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Campbell, the Board approved the minutes of the February 10, 2021 meeting.
Wetland Applications were received and reviewed from the State of New Hampshire (Sims Stream Bridge) and Horizons Engineering (Lyman Falls).
A Current Use application was approved for Arvid Rain.
The Forest Fire Warden Reimbursement Form was approved and signed.
Marcia informed the Board that she had been approached by a resident (Russell Marcotte) who is interested in purchasing a piece of property owned by the Town on Marsh Road. This property was taken for taxes in April, 2016. After reviewing the map and property tax card, the Board instructed Marcia to tell Mr. Marcotte that they would like to receive a purchase price of $20,000.00.
Selectman Campbell informed the other Board members that the Town has been approved for a grant to update the Town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.
Marcia informed the Board that the Town Report is being printed and that it is already on the Town’s website.
The remainder of the meeting was spent deciding who would speak for each Warrant article and any problems that might arise at Town Meeting/Elections because of the pandemic.
Meeting adjourned at 7:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectmen
by admin | Apr 19, 2021 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 5:55 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier, Stohl and Campbell.
Mail was reviewed.
Checks and manifests were reviewed and signed.
An Intent to Excavate was signed for Clark Jeffers, Jr.
A Veteran’s Tax Credit was approved for Daniel Cloyd.
On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Cloutier, the Board approved the minutes of the January 27, 2021 meeting.
It was noted that there will be a Dispatch Center meeting tomorrow night (February 11, 2021) here at the Columbia Town Office.
A letter was signed to be sent to Rebecca King who owns property on Kelsea Notch Road regarding her driveway.
The Board discussed a letter received from State Representative Dennis Thompson asking for support for his proposed House Bill 329. After discussion, the Board voted to not issue a letter of support. Marcia will contact Mr. Thompson with their decision.
At 7:00 pm. Chairman Cloutier open the annual Budget Hearing. No members of the public were present. The budget was reviewed. On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Cloutier, the Board approved the 2021 Budget as presented. The annual Budget Hearing was declared closed at 7:20 pm.
The Warrant for the 2021 Town Meeting was signed.
The MS636 (Proposed Budget for the Town) was signed.
The Board instructed Marcia to put a notice in the paper informing the public that the annual School District meeting will be held on a different date this year due to COVID.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectmen
by admin | Feb 16, 2021 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier, Stohl and Campbell. Members of the public present: Gary Fournier (Brett S. Purvis & Associates).
Mr. Fournier came to the meeting to have the Board sign the contract with his company to do the Town’s assessing. Mr. Fournier informed the Board that DRA had already reviewed the contract and had suggested a couple of minor “wording” changes. Mr. Fournier currently plans to have his “office day” the first Wednesday of each month. The Board signed both copies of the contract and Mr. Fournier left the meeting.
Checks and manifests were reviewed and signed.
Mail was reviewed.
On a motion made by Selectman Campbell and seconded by Selectman Stohl, the Board approved the minutes of the January 13th meeting.
A contract was signed with CAI Technologies in the amount of $1,200.00 (annual) for updating the Town’s tax maps.
Marcia gave each Board member a list of taxpayers who will be receiving a Notice of Impending Tax Deed for the 2018 taxes next week from the tax collector. The Board discussed various individuals on the list and what actions may need to be taken.
Marcia also informed the Board that Tax Collector Debbie DeBlois will also be sending out Notices of Impending Tax Lien for the 2020 taxes next week.
One more appropriation request was received for NH North Country Veterans. After discussion on this request, the Board decided not to include it on the Town’s warrant.
The Board opened the bids received for winter plowing as follows:
Cloutier Sand & Gravel – Year 1 – $108,000
Year 2 – $112,000
Year 3 – $112,000
Clark Jeffers, Jr. Years 1 – 3 – $120,000 per year
On a motion made by Selectman Campbell and seconded by Selectman Stohl, the Board voted to accept the bid of Cloutier Sand & Gravel. (Selectman Cloutier abstained from the vote.)
The Board discussed the road issue on Kelsea Notch Road. It was decided to write the property owner a letter informing them that if spring water/rain damages the road due to the slope of their driveway, that the Town will hold them responsible. Marcia will draft a letter for the Board to sign at the next meeting.
Marcia said that she had Richard Schofield, who owns property on South Jordan Hill Road inquiring about the work that was done on the road and how wide the Town road actually is. Marcia will write a letter to Mr. Schofield informing him that the road was laid out as 3 rods wide (50 feet approximately).
Paperwork was signed by the Board for Treasurer Carrie Klebe to open a new bank account at Northway Bank.
An Intent to Excavate was not signed by the Board pending information from the Planning Board that the owner is up-to-date on his permits.
Selectman Campbell said that the Town has received a donation from the local Chamber of Commerce of masks and hand sanitizer. This replaces the supplies that we gave to the Coos County Nursing Home earlier this year.
Selectman Campbell gave an update on the Hazard Mitigation Plan.
The Board discussed Town Meeting and Town Elections. It was felt by the Board that elections could run as usual with masks and social distancing required. Last year we had approximately 60 voters in the 7 hour period. Executive Order #83, which was signed by the Governor, gives Towns the option of postponing the annual meeting. After discussing the pros and cons, the Board decided to proceed with the meeting on the second Tuesday of March as usual. Masks and social distancing will be required. We usually have approximately 40 people attend and the Board feels that we can separate people adequately and not allow “gathering’. An e-mail was received from Donna Jordan (Colebrook Chronicle) who stated that she had asked the Governor personally about using remote technology and that he answered that Towns’ will have to make allowances. How a meeting could be accessed remotely was discussed by the Board. It was decided that the Town would wait to see what instructions we receive from the State regarding this matter.
Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectman
by admin | Feb 16, 2021 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier, Stohl and Campbell. Members of the public present: Treasurer Carrie Klebe and School Board Member Stacey Campbell.
Treasurer Carrie Klebe came to the meeting to discuss the Town acquiring a check scanner that could be used to electronically make deposits. Mrs. Klebe said that she had been discussing this with Northway Bank. They are willing waive any fees associated with this and would sell the Town a scanner for $269.00. At the present time, Northway Bank is paying .2% on deposits which is currently more than we are earning at NHPDIP. Monies could be transferred electronically from Northway Bank to the town’s general fund at Citizens since we already have direct deposits going into this account from the State. Also, we have checks already printed. It was decided that we would keep a small balance in the NHPDIP just to keep the account open. The Board was in agreement with this plan. Town Treasurer left the meeting.
School Board member Stacey Campbell came to the meeting to discuss the School District meeting. Based on prior year’s attendance, the Town Hall will not be large enough so that everyone could property “social distance”. It was discussed having the meeting at the Colebrook Elementary School cafeteria on a different night than the Town Meeting. The final decision will be made by the Columbia School Board at the February 3rd Budget Hearing. Mrs. Campbell left the meeting.
Checks and manifest were reviewed and signed.
Intent to Cut forms were signed for Granite State Landholdings, Daniel Klebe and David Moren.
On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Cloutier, the Board accepted the resignation of Brett Brooks as the Town’s representative to the 45th Parallel EMS Board. A letter was signed to be sent to the 45th Board appointing Michael Collins as our new representative.
On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Campbell, the Board approved the minutes of the December 9, 2020 meeting.
On a motion made by Selectman Campbell and seconded by Selectman Cloutier, the Board approved the minutes of the December 23, 2020 meeting. (Selectman Stohl abstained from voting.)
Marcia informed the Board that Cloutier Sand & Gravel’s winter plowing contract will expire this year and that we need to put it out for bid. Marcia will place an ad in the newspaper asking for bids for a three-year contract. Bids will be opened at the next Selectmen’s meeting.
On a motion made by Selectman Campbell and seconded by Selectman Stohl, the Board voted by a majority vote to accept the terms of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program as presented in the amount of $6,999.75 to update the Town of Columbia’s local Hazard Mitigation Plan. Furthermore, the Board acknowledged that the total cost of this project will be $9,333.00, of which the Town will be responsible for a 25% match ($2,333.25).
Selectman Campbell reviewed for the other members what steps have been taken so far in revising the Plan. The Board signed the Grant documents, which were notarized by Town Clerk Marcia Parkhurst.
Selectman Campbell reminded the Board members that there will be a Dispatch Committee meeting tomorrow night via Zoom. A contract has been signed with the landowner in Cree Notch for the new tower. The Town of Stark has expressed interest in becoming part of the Dispatch Center. Groveton is also expressing interest.
Selectman Cloutier reviewed for the other Board members a recent meeting that he had attended via Zoom with the Coos County Broadband Committee.
A letter was received from the Colebrook Fire Department outlining the services that they will provide, their billing process, etc.
Marcia told the Board members that in 2020 115 taxpayers used the “on-line” tax payment option. In the month of December 25 taxpayers used it.
The removal of the former Bovill gift shop building was discussed. Clark Jeffers will be doing the work in March (after Town Meeting). The electric work was discussed and an electrician will need to be hired.
The remainder of the meeting was spent discussing the 2021 budget. The Town’s Budget Hearing will be held on Wednesday, February 10th, at 7:00 pm. Petition Warrant articles are due in the office by February 2nd. Filing period begins on Wednesday, January 20th and runs until Friday, January 29th. There are only three positions open this year – Selectman, Trustee of Trust Funds and Planning Board.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectmen
