Washington Planning Board
Washington Planning Board
Meeting and Public Hearing Minutes - Draft
September 5, 2017
0.0 Assembly: 6:15PM, Camp Morgan Lodge
0.1 Members present: Crandall, Hatch, Dulac, Schwartz and Williams (joined us at 6:30PM)
0.2 Alternates present: Terani
0.3 Members and Alternates Absent: Kluk and Russell
0.4 Visitors: Tara Van Meter, Patrice Roulx, Ryan Curran, Linda and Peder Halverson
Crandall called the Public Hearing to order at 6:15PM.
1.0 Public Hearing for Halverson Business Permit for Bed and Breakfast business – Crandall stated that we conducted a site walk last month at the business and we accepted the application as complete at the last meeting. Hatch asked if there were any items we needed to look at. Schwartz said she looked at the septic approval and it is adequate for this use. Crandall asked if there were any persons present opposing the business or seeking to comment and no one spoke up at this time, there being no other discussion or comments, Crandall closed the Public Hearing at 6:20PM.
Crandall called the Meeting to order at 6:21PM.
2.0 Minutes:
August 1, 2017 – Dulac suggested a couple of corrections on 4.7, Schwartz will make the corrections. Hatch motioned to approve the minutes with corrections, Dulac seconded the motion and all voted in favor.
3.0 New Business:
3.1 CIP – Schwartz said that she delivered the CIP forms to all the town departments and committees/commissions. We should have the responses back before our October meeting. She will update the data from Town Meeting into the spreadsheet for review next month.
3.2 ZBA Report – Hatch reported that the newly reformed ZBA had their first meeting last Wednesday, where they made a plan for working more efficiently. He said the website has been updated with new members and they are updating the application package to say that the board will consider correct and complete applications at the last Wednesday of the month meeting and schedule a hearing for the next monthly meeting. They considered one application at their first meeting and learned of another at that meeting. He said they are off and running and moving forward with four members.
3.3 Town Center Future Vision – Crandall asked Patrice Roulx to speak on the issue. She presented us with a letter written by Kevin Provencher and herself requesting that a subcommittee of the Planning Board be formed to look at the issues in the center of town and come up with possible solutions focusing on paving, drainage, parking, pedestrian access, idling trucks, crosswalks and sidewalks. Pat spoke about contacting the Highway Department and BoS about the crumbling pavement and that lack of lines and proper drainage. They don’t mind the trucks parking in front of the house to patronize the store. They were told by DPW and BoS that it is the state’s responsibility. Crandall said that Provencher called him and he wants a subcommittee formed that will come up with a mission statement. Crandall thinks that a subcommittee with broad membership is called for to look at a pedestrian friendly and traffic friendly scheme. He said Provencher asked if the Master Plan supports this. Crandall said it does. Hatch said that there are several new owners in the center of town and this is a good time to tackle this. Roulx said she is involved with the Washington Artisan’s group and she does mixed media and puppet theater shows. Dulac asked if the issue is maintenance oriented is it the state’s responsibility? Crandall said yes, if we can come up with a plan maybe we can take it to the state. Dulac said he is an advocate for such a project. Crandall said that we have the most photographed Town Center in the state. Hatch asked how the Library parking lot was conceived and done. Crandall said that Carolyn Russell was the driving force to get it done. Hatch said that with Gibson’s move here there is great potential and this is a transitional time with the construction going on at the Town Hall. He asked about the availability of parking behind the TH. Williams said it is not open right now because it is covered with machinery and dirt piles, it may be available later on for weekends. Schwartz asked about the parking on the side near the church. Williams said that DPW will be creating some parking there but they are too busy right now. Roulx asked about the construction schedule and Williams said that it is a 6 to 7 month duration, maybe a little longer. Van Meter asked about the road to the community garden, stating it is in rough shape. Crandall said we need some planning done for that. Van Meter said that a real crosswalk for the Library is needed, it is a safety issue, she doesn’t see how the state could say no. Crandall said that we need to get together and talk about a vision for the town center. Dulac said that you need to define the town center area clearly and decide the territory it covers. Hatch said that in the Master Plan we don’t designate zones but with positive activity we should push it forward, Dulac agreed. Crandall said we should call a meeting with the PB and get some ideas. Hatch suggested a short list of people (stakeholders) that want involvement. He thinks it is an important idea and wants PB to be involved. He said there is a need to raise money for the lift to access the upstairs of the TH. He recommended that those involved take a look at the Master Plan.
4.0 Old Business:
4.1 Halverson Business Permit for Bed and Breakfast business – Crandall said that there was no opposition and all is in order. He asked for any other comments. Crandall made a motion to approve the business permit, Dulac seconded the motion and 4 voted in favor, Williams abstained, having missed the hearing.
4.2 Parking at the General Store:
Crandall said that we discussed the parking at the General Store last month and read the minutes to the group. Hatch said he and Dulac went to speak with Ryan but the store was too busy so he went back at a quieter time. He wanted to alert Ryan to the discussion and that the state rep and DOT were alerted to the issue. Roulx said there was a misunderstanding about her concerns about the parking issue and the Gibson’s complained about the idling trucks. Curran said he received his business permit a year ago. Hatch asked him how it was going. Curran said they have had a good, busy summer, not a lot more than last year, he asked why the parking has been brought up now. Roulx said she doesn’t have a problem with it. Dulac said he was trying to find a place to park for the store the other day and couldn’t find one. He said the store seems to be taking off with the new environment, the issue is parking is a problem at times. Dulac said we want to be part of the solution, we are advocates, as you grow and things are growing, get people to go down back and park. Hatch said he spoke with the Gibson’s and they had a similar issue with parking, Rt 31 traffic is a problem (not the store) and people drive fast. Gibson did what he needed to do to get a permit from DOT and wants to see Curran do the same. Hatch said we can’t dictate how to solve the problem, he asked Curran what he thinks. Curran said that he is 50% done with the outside of the store and he wants to repave, paint lines and put down gravel in the back for parking but it takes money and he plans to do it later. He said that even with proper signage people seem to park where they want to; his handicap spot is used by people who shouldn’t be using it. Hatch said we are all citizens of Washington, we have different neighbors now and we have to compromise. He thinks people who come into the store everyday can be asked to help the situation. Curran said that locals try to help but large trucks can’t fit in the parking lot. Dulac said we can’t solve the problem tonight, Curran needs to work piece by piece to get it done and his lunch crowd can help. Hatch suggested using the Library parking lot for overflow. Willams said we won’t solve the problem tonight and we are supportive of the store. He wanted to say for the record that he felt that section 4.8 of the July minutes was inaccurate. He didn’t say that the BoS was concerned about parking, that the problem was brought to Jim Grenier by others. He felt the middle section of the minutes left much out, there was a discussion that suggested potential non-compliance and his question about procedure and revoking of licenses was concerning that and he is supportive of the store. He feels the minutes were not fair to him. Curran asked why the question of revoking came up. Williams said some people were talking about non-compliance and he asked if it continued, what was the recourse, at what point would we do such a thing. Curran said that there was no communication with him before that was said, his customers were upset when they read the minutes and he wasn’t alerted to it. Dulac said, to ease his mind, that during the discussion it was the state rep and the liquor commission involvement that concerned us. Curran said why didn’t someone come talk to him. Dulac said that he and Hatch tried to come talk to him but he was busy, the spirit in which the discussion was made wasn’t clear, we stand corrected, we should have come and talked to him earlier and things could have happened differently. Curran said it shouldn’t have happened the way it happened. Hatch agreed with Curran, we misunderstood the motivation of the neighbors but he feels Curran should put up better signs. Crandall wants to feel that Curran has done what he can, he said there are signs you can buy online to clearly tell people where to park. Curran said he wants to clean up the outside of the store. Hatch said let’s continue to work together in a spirit of cooperation and keep talking. Roulx asked where do we go from here on the town center vision? Crandall said we will notice a meeting and ask for volunteers. Williams suggested we hold a community workshop to brainstorm ideas and open it up to everyone to get people involved. He suggested break out sessions like we did for the Master Plan. He suggested Kluk help facilitate a workshop. Schwartz said to keep an eye out on the town website for announcements of future planning events.
4.3 Lou and Joyce Borey cistern issue – Crandall said that after our last meeting Schwartz asked Chief DeFosse to look at the pond that the Borey’s offered as an alternative to installing the cistern. He shared the letter from the Fire Chief concerning the pond. He said we require a 25K gallon pond as an equivalent to the 10K gallon cistern. Crandall said we need to get back to the Borey’s by letter. Williams suggested he could quote out of the chief’s letter. Crandall will write the letter.
4.4 Municipal Buildings project update:
Williams said that there is not much to report, the Town Hall is being raised this week if it is dry enough. They found a lot of clay under the Town Hall when digging when they expected sand and rocks. There is a bit of water collecting under the building, which complicates the raising process. He said they have found the sill beams to be in remarkably good condition and the supporting beams are too. Some of these have been cut but the undercarriage is in surprisingly good condition.
The Schoolhouse has had a structural assessment by a structural engineer and they are awaiting the report. Krygeris is working with Dave Drasba.
Williams said that on the Fire/Rescue building, they had a good surprise. The Army Corp of Engineers came through at the last minute with their approval. They were able to move right into working on the site and that has gone well with the footings and some foundation poured this week. They pinned the foundation to the existing ledge. Crandall asked about Morton’s dates for delivery. Williams said that they are saying late September, they are still waiting on plans for the change in roof lines. Terani asked about the connector. Williams said it is now a 9-foot wall with a 4/12 pitch on the roof. They are waiting for the structural engineer plans to upgrade the existing building’s roof to receive the connecting roof. He said Morton won’t do the connection, we will do it.
4.5 LUO Changes to RV section –Hatch said he met with the BoS to get clarification on what they wanted for the RV section and about the Building Permit issue and when a BP is required and when it is not required. He and Schwartz met to work on updating our previous version of section 306. This new version tries to meet the objectives of the BoS with less enforcement needed. They were suggesting a 120-day permitted period for residential use but wanted a conversation about whether removal after the permitted period expired should be required. They suggested bringing both permitted periods into line with the construction use at 120-days with a 60-day renewal with pump out receipts and visible signs of construction required. Schwartz pointed out the addition of 306.5, which requires pump out receipts before the next year’s renewal permit is given. Dulac asked if we were looking for board approval. Crandall asked if 180-days is enough for construction. Schwartz said that it resets for the next year if the building Permit is still in force. Dulac said it is a health issue and the pump out receipts are important. Hatch asked Williams if they get pump out receipts. Williams said they do so few RV permits and he doesn’t recall any pump out receipts, he feels the current problem is minimal. Hatch said he is struggling, we had marching orders from the BoS that they needed more teeth in the LUO, then they said it wasn’t an issue, we were trying to give them the tools they needed. Williams said they have had two court battles with significant fines, removal and property cleanup. They don’t look for enforcement, it is a complaint based system, they follow up on complaints, they want more teeth, He suggested bringing it to the board to see if they are happy with it. Hatch said he hoped he understood what they wanted, he asked if we get rid of the removal and let people keep their RV’s on site. Williams said that BoS said there is inconsistency between the property owner removal and construction, what are we solving for? Dulac said it is incumbent on us to provide teeth and clear intent and it has to make sense, we have a version, why not give it to the BoS and see what they think. Schwartz asked how do we feel about removal or not. Hatch said we can remove it but he is concerned about timely black water pump out. Williams said that septic pumpers do this for people, they have someone on Valley Road that mentioned using the service. He asked if removal has always been in there and suggested being consistent, he thinks we should let people do their thing unless it is a problem to others. Terani said that the emphasis could lead people to think that the intent is to make people build a proper home on their lot. Schwartz said that was the intent; to get a proper building with septic and running water and not turn the town into a seasonal RV park. Hatch said he was conflicted , we can continue to work on this. Terani asked if he had a couple of acres and made a building and moved his RV in to it each year would that meet the LUO? Hatch said it would not meet the LUO. Crandall commented he wanted the committee to work on this not the board. Hatch wants to know what the board thinks. Dulac said that unless it creates problems the LUO needs teeth and black water is an issue. He suggests taking this version to the BoS and find out what they think. Hatch said that we did put wording in and will take it to the board, the question is removal or not. He asked the board to review it again and send suggestions by email.
4.6 Building Permit Issue – We looked at the list of whether a BP is required or not for certain scenarios. Williams suggested we be more specific and add a few more examples. He thought it was a step in the right direction and could be used for a FAQ on the website associated with the Building Permit process. Hatch asked that the board review what was updated on the BP section.
4.7 Master Plan – this is a placeholder.
5.0 Driveway Permits:
5.1 Tyler Curran, East Washington Road, TM 16-98, Ed checked, Jim checked.
Crandall brought up the fact that this driveway was completed before a permit for it was applied for or approved. He suggested we add a statement to the permit application for future applications doubling the fee for a permit if construction has started before approval. He made a motion to this effect, Dulac seconded the motion and all voted in favor. Schwartz will add this to the application. Dulac motioned to approve the driveway permit, Hatch seconded the motion and all voted in favor.
5.2 Shane Branch, East Washington Road, TM 16-99 – Schwartz said that the driveway was permitted in August 2015, she spoke with Ed after our last meeting when Kluk mentioned the truck in the ditch at this location. Ed suggested we write a letter to the owner requesting that he finishes the driveway (fill is needed to bring it up to grade, the culvert is in place). Crandall will contact Ed about suggestions for the letter and write the letter.
5.3 Lynnette Frongillo, Dole Schoolhouse Rd, TM 20-116, Ed checked and recommended a large pipe arch, Jim checked. The owner provided a missing sketch of the driveway location for the application. Crandall motioned to approve the driveway permit, Dulac seconded the motion and all voted in favor.
5.4 Lou and Joyce Borey, East Washington Road, TM 16-77-9, this driveway site hadn’t been checked yet, we tabled the permit application until Ed and Jim could do site visits and check on the status with the Borey’s.
6.0 Mergers:
6.1 Tyler and Deborah Libby, merger of TM 15-168, TM 15-78 tracts 1 and 2, deeds provided, fee paid. Dulac recused himself from the issue because he is related to the applicant. Crandall asked where the extra lot was abutting the Libby’s lots. Schwartz showed him the plot plan that was registered at the Registry of Deeds. Hatch made a motion to approve the merger, Williams seconded the motion and all voted in favor. Crandall signed the merger and Schwartz will send to the Registry.
7.0 Communications:
7.1 Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Invitation to State-owned Land Certification Field Day, Sept. 22nd, Lancaster, NH
8.0 Meeting date for next Planning Board meeting, October 3, 2017, at 6:30PM at Camp Morgan Lodge (CML).
9.0 Adjournment: Time: 8:23PM
Motioned by Dulac, seconded by Crandall, all voted in favor.
Respectfully Submitted,
Nan Schwartz