by admin | Dec 4, 2019 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier, Stohl and Campbell.
Mail was reviewed.
Checks and manifests were reviewed and signed.
On a motion made by Selectman Campbell and seconded by Selectman Stohl, the Board approved the minutes of the August 14, 2019 meeting.
The tax exempt application for the Great North Woods Center for the Arts was discussed. Marcia was instructed to write to them explaining that we couldn’t act on it until we receive the rest of the requested information.
Marcia was instructed to send the letter to Charlie Jordan (GNWCA) which was signed by the Board earlier in the week.
A letter has been received from the Town of Stratford asking to perambulate the town line between Stratford and Columbia. The Board instructed Marcia to send a letter to Stratford saying that we support the idea but that we will need to appropriate funds at the 2020 Town Meeting. Also, Columbia will agree with either hiring Greg Ainsworth or putting it out for bids, whichever Stratford wants to do.
It was approved to put out for bid both the snowplowing of the town buildings and the pre-pay oil contract as in the past. Marcia will take care of this.
Selectman Campbell reviewed for the rest of the Board members changes to the Dispatch Agreement which have been proposed. Two of the agreements were approved and signed by the Board. The other agreement will need some clarification before being approved.
A letter was received from Donohue, Tucker and Ciandella regarding the Fairpoint case. They are suggesting that we wait on negotiations until the current Superior Court case is settled.
Another letter was received from Donohue, Tucker and Ciandella regarding doing a “group representation” in regards to establishing a “public rights-of-ordinance”. After reviewing the letter and discussing it, the Board felt it might be a good idea and instructed Marcia to let them know that Columbia would like to be included.
At 6:36 pm, Town Treasurer Jennifer Wells, entered the meeting and gave the Board an update on monies currently available. Mrs. Wells left the meeting at 6:45 pm.
The Board reviewed the MS-1 and the new utility assessments provided by George Sansoucy.
The Board reviewed revenue figures through June 30, 2019, and gave Marcia updated figures to use on the MS-535.
Meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectmen
by admin | Dec 4, 2019 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier and Campbell. Selectman Stohl arrived at 6:30 pm. Members of the public present: Bob Baker, Franco Rossi (CAI Technologies), Charles Jordan and Nancy Smith (GNWCA).
Mail was reviewed
Checks and manifests were signed.
Bob Baker came to the meeting to discuss his idea of turning the rail road bed into a walking trail. Mr. Baker shared with the Board copies of correspondence he received from Shelley Winters (Bureau of Rail & Transit), Ed Jeffrey (NH Central Railroad) and Lou Barker (Railroad Planner). From his e-mails and conversations, he feels that the State is not saying “no” to this idea and wants to deal only with the Town. Mr. Baker said he wants to look into grant opportunities to be used for surveying and engineering that might need to be done. The Board encouraged Mr. Baker to continue to work on this project and to keep them informed of his progress. Mr. Baker left the meeting.
Franco Rossi (CAI Technologies) entered the meeting at 6:31 pm at the request of the Board to explain how a change was made to one of the Town’s maps. Mr. Rossi said he had been contacted by Joe Daley from Lemington regarding the island which was previously believed to be part of Columbia (New Hampshire) but that is really part of Lemington (Vermont). Mr. Rossi did some research and came up with a 1936 Supreme Court decision which outlined the boundary between New Hampshire and Vermont specifically. This description clearly shows that the island is part of Vermont. The Board and Mr. Rossi also discussed updating the maps and assessing information on the Town’s website. It was stated that this is
the Town’s responsibility (which Marcia didn’t realize). Mr. Rossi will have one of his technicians contact Marcia and instruct her how to do this. Also, in the future if the Town wanted to save money on their map contract (approximately $300.00) CAI would no longer receive the deeds and would no longer provide the Town with a map & lot and/or owner name listing. It was decided to do that and Mr. Rossi said he would adjust our next bill. Mr. Rossi left the meeting at 7:00.
Charles Jordan and Nancy Smith from the GNWCA entered the meeting at 7:04 pm. Selectman Stohl started the discussion by reading a letter which the Town had drafted instructing the GNWCA that any changes that affect life safety need to be done through the Columbia Board of Selectmen not through the Fire Marshal’s Office. Mr. Jordan shared with the Board members pictures of work that had been done and things that were being worked on. Both parties were in complete agreement about which parts of the property can be used and by whom. Selectman Stohl offered to accompany Mr. Jordan on Thursday, August 15th, in measuring the “museum” room and seeing if removing a wall would allow the room to accommodate more than 50 people. (Selectman Campbell left the meeting at 7:40 pm.) The Board also requested that the Town be allowed to put up one of the new “Welcome to Columbia” signs on the GNWCA’s property. Mr. Jordan and Mrs. Smith said they would bring it up to their Board but they felt there shouldn’t be a problem. Mr. Jordan and Mrs. Smith left the meeting at 8:14 pm.
Town Treasurer, Jennifer Wells, entered the meeting at 8:15 pm and gave the Board members an update report on monies the Town has on hand. Mrs. Wells left the meeting at 8:25.
On a motion made by Selectman Cloutier and seconded by Selectman Stohl, the Board approved the minutes of the July 10th and July 24th meetings.
A Gravel Tax Warrant in the amount of $76.22 was signed.
Marcia informed the Board that the Sweatt family had paid the rest of the purchase price of the tax-deed property (Map 402, Lot 31.2). Marcia gave them the deed and they will have it recorded.
Marcia said that she had spoken to Mr. & Mrs. Archambault, who are interested in purchasing the former Falcucci property (tax-deed property known as Map 420, Lot 63). Mr. & Mrs. Archambault have counter-offered $17,500 for the property. On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Cloutier the Board voted to sell the property to Mr. & Mrs. Archambault for the price of $17,500.00. The Archambaults had prepared a Purchase & Sale Agreement which Chairman Cloutier signed.
The Board discussed paving projects. Selectman Cloutier has received a quote from Central Paving in the amount of $76,414.65 for paving Fish Pond Road by Edward Poulin’s and the section that has just been re-done. On a motion made by Selectman Cloutier and seconded by Selectman Stohl, the Board approved the work being done. It was noted that $27,000 of this amount, is monies held over from 2018 for the purpose of paving.
The Board reviewed a letter form Donahue, Tucker & Ciandella regarding the Eversource suit. On a motion made by Selectman Cloutier and seconded by Selectman Stohl, the Board approved Donahue, Tucker & Ciandella to enter into settlement negotiations on Columbia’s behalf.
Meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectmen
by admin | Oct 10, 2019 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier, Stohl and Campbell. Members of the public present were Kenneth Hastings.
Kenneth Hastings arrived at the meeting at 6:02 pm. to discuss with the Board the fact that the local Teachers’ Association would like to install a plaque at Lyman Falls in memory of William Schomburg. The plaque will be mounted on a slab of granite and placed on a base. It will be placed underneath the sign that is there now. A dedication ceremony will be held on October 13th. The Board overwhelmingly gave their approval for this project. Mr. Hastings left the meeting.
At 6:09 pm, the Board members briefly left the office to go to the Wallace Farm to present Robert Young with Columbia’s Boston Post Cane for being the oldest person in Town.
The meeting resumed at 6:20 pm.
Checks and manifests were reviewed and signed.
The MS-1 was signed.
On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Cloutier, the Board approved the minutes of the September 11th meeting. (Selectman Campbell abstained.)
On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Cloutier, the Board approved the minutes of the special meeting held on September 20, 2019.
An approval for the Colebrook Ski-Bees to use certain town roads as part of the trail system was signed by Chairman Cloutier.
The Board opened bids for heating fuel for the upcoming season as follows:
C.N. Brown $2.249
- Bean $2,459
On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Campbell, the Board voted to award the bid to C.N. Brown.
The Board opened bids for snowplowing at the Town Office and Town Hall as follows:
Boire Property Maintenance $50/plowing $50/sanding (office)
$35/plowing $35/sanding (hall)
Since that was the only bid received, on a motion made by Selectman Cloutier and seconded by Selectman Stohl, the Board voted to award the plowing contract to Boire Property Maintenance.
Selectman Campbell presented the other Board members with two amendments to be signed for the Northern Borders Dispatch Center. The amendments were discussed and signed.
Selectman Stohl gave each Board member a copy of an Enforcement Policy that he had gotten from the Town of Albany. The Board members will review it for changes and discuss it at the next meeting.
The Board also discussed the need for an “Event Policy” for the Town. This would be a good time to draft something up.
The Board members reviewed the Balance Sheets provided by the GNWCA in support of their tax exempt application. Marcia will contact the GNWCA and ask for the 990s that we are still waiting for. The Board will discuss this at the next meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 7:20 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectmen
by admin | Sep 26, 2019 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier and Stohl. Selectman Campbell was absent.
Mail was reviewed.
Checks and manifests were reviewed and signed.
A thank you card was received from the Colebrook Public Library for the use of the football field as part of the “star gazing” program.
An Intent to Cut was approved for Dennis Tewksbury.
A Yield Tax Warrant in the amount of $802.23 was signed.
A Road Liability Waiver was signed for Gary Newcombe.
A letter from NH DOT was received informing the Town that the State is holding public hearings regarding the State Ten-Year Transportation Plan.
On a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Cloutier, the Board approved the minutes of the August 29th meeting.
Brush hogging the football field was discussed. Selectman Cloutier will contact David White to see if he is interested in doing it.
The Board discussed possible road projects:
Paving Titus Hill Road (by Boudle’s)
Culverts on Bungy Road (by Washburn’s)
Marcia told the Board that she had received a complaint from Rick Johnsen about water running down the road near his driveway.
Meeting adjourned at 6:50 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectmen
by admin | Aug 19, 2019 | Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting began at 6:00 pm. Present were Selectmen Cloutier, Stohl and Campbell. Members of the public present: Tax Collector Debra DeBlois, Town Treasurer Jennifer Wells, Sandra Tremblay, Allen Coats (Stewartstown Board of Selectmen) and Amy Savard.
Mail was reviewed.
Checks and manifests were signed.
An Intent to Cut for Carolyn Foss was approved.
Mrs. Sandra Tremblay entered the meeting at 6:05 pm. Mrs. Tremblay had many questions regarding the tax lien/tax deed process, etc. Selectman Stohl explained that the assessment of properties in the State are based on “market value”. Mrs. Tremblay was concerned that her tax bill said “6 Marshall Hill Road” but that her deed didn’t indicate that. Selectman Campbell explained that the “911” address had nothing to do with the tax bill and/or assessment. At 6:43 the Board asked Mrs. Tremblay if she could leave the meeting and return in a few minutes as they had other people to speak with. Mrs. Tremblay left the meeting and waited in the lobby area.
At 6:45 Amy Savard and Allen Coats entered the meeting. Ms. Savard and her husband have a trash business. They pick up trash for approximately 85 – 90 customers in Stewartstown, Lemington and Columbia. In the past few months, the Transfer Station has left the gate unlocked and they were able to enter after hours to dump and then locked the gate when they left. Recently, they spoke with Ben Champagne and Mr. Champagne indicated that they would no longer have access after hours. This is creating a hardship for their business because if they don’t make it to the Transfer Station before they close, they have to take the truckload of trash home and keep it until the next morning or until Monday morning. They are
requesting to have access after hours. After discussion, Selectman Stohl made a motion, which was seconded by Selectman Cloutier, to award them access. Mr. Coats indicated that Ms. Savard will be attending Monday night’s Stewartstown Selectboard Meeting and that he believes that they will vote to grant them access also. After that happens, one representative from the Columbia Board and one representative from the Stewartstown Board will meet with Ben Champagne and get the matter straightened out. The Board informed Ms. Savard that they will get back to her after they meet with Mr. Champagne. Ms. Savard and Mr. Coats left the meeting.
At 7:10 Town Treasurer Jennifer Wells entered the meeting to present the Board will a report of monies on hand as of June 30, 2019. Now that the majority of the tax money has been received, monies have been transferred from the regular checking account to the NHPDIP account in order to receive a better interest rate. Mrs. Wells left the meeting.
At 7:39 pm, Mrs. Tremblay re-entered the meeting and continued her discussion with the Board. She requested a print-out of what is owed by her for property taxes and stated she would pick it up tomorrow. Mrs. Tremblay indicated that she planned on making a payment on her taxes and would like to attend the next meeting to ask some more questions. Mrs. Tremblay left the meeting at 8:00 pm.
The PA28 form was signed by the Board. This form indicates that the Town will not be using the State inventory forms this year.
A Supplemental Property Tax Warrant was signed in the amount of $1,288.00 along with a refund check in that same amount for Norman Cloutier. Mr. Cloutier’s tax bill included the cell tower which is on his property which should have been billed to Wireless Partners. Marcia indicated that she had contacted DRA about to handle this matter.
A Supplemental Yield Tax Warrant in the amount of $3,310.58 was signed by the Board.
A Supplmental Land Use Change Tax Warrant was signed in the amount of $3,530.00.
A Road Liability Form was signed for Jeremy Lambert.
Marcia informed the Board that she had received an e-mail from SDI Signs in Jefferson and they have started work on our Town line signs.
Marcia informed the Board that she had received a request from a Gray Road resident to have a “speed limit” sign placed on the road. The Board discussed it and decided to not install a sign since there is no way to enforce it.
Marcia told the Board that she had been corresponding with Melissa Elander from Clean Energy. The person who will be doing the energy audit on the Bovill building won’t be available until October or November. The person doing the LED lighting audit for the Town Office has not contacted us yet.
A deed was signed transferring the former “Stanton Heirs” property to the Sweatt family as per the winning bid that they had placed for the property. Marcia said she had contacted them and told them the deed was ready as soon as they pay the remainder of the bid price. An Abatement Form was signed by the Board abating the 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 taxes.
A quote was received from No Sweatt Mowing (Dwane Sweatt) for mowing the cemeteries for the remainder of the year. The Board discussed it and on a motion made by Selectman Stohl and seconded by Selectman Campbell, the Board voted to have Mr. Sweatt do the job. Marcia will send a letter to Mr. Sweatt informing him of the Board’s decision.
An e-mail was received from CAI Technologies informing the Board that while updating the Town’s maps that the “town line” had been moved slightly. Marcia will contact CAI and see where the documentation came from and if they would be willing to meet with the Board to discuss this change.
The former Falcucci property was discussed. Marcia informed the Board that per the Board’s discussion at the last meeting, she had written to the
person who had held a mortgage at the time the Town took possession of the property. This individual had asked that he be notified if the Town decided to sell it. The letter that was sent was returned by the Post Office as “undeliverable”. The Board instructed Marcia to contact Mr. & Mrs. Archambault and informed them that the Board would be willing to sell the property for $20,000.00.
The Board discussed the recent meeting that was held with the Deputy State Fire Marshal and representatives of the GNWCA. No written report has been received from the Fire Marshal’s office.
Meeting adjourned at 8:33 pm.
Respectefully submitted,
Marcia Parkhurst, Secretary
Board of Selectmen
