Washington Planning Board
Washington Planning Board
Meeting Minutes
July 1, 2014
0.0 Assembly: 6:30PM
0.1 Members present: Crandall, Marshall, and Schwartz
0.2 Alternates present: Kluk
0.3 Members and Alternates Absent: Cook, Dagesse, Terani
0.4 Visitors: Ed Thayer
Schwartz motioned for Kluk to sit in for Cook, Marshall seconded and all voted in favor.
1.0 Minutes: Minutes from June 3, 2014, no changes were requested, Kluk motioned to approve, Marshall seconded and all voted in favor.
2.0 Old Business:
2.1 We took a look at the Private Access, Drainage, Maintenance & Installation Policy and Driveway Permit application that were revised after discussion at last month’s meeting. Crandall asked if it would be helpful to ask for the nearest established street number on the Driveway Permit application. He feels it would aid in finding the location for the site visit. Schwartz said that they are supposed to flag and mark the driveway for this purpose. Thayer thought it would be helpful and suggested we add a line to the application to identify the closest street number if applicable. Schwartz will add this to the Driveway application. She pointed out that the “Permission to Excavate” is now attached to the Driveway Permit app. We moved to the Private Access, Drainage, Maintenance & Installation Policy document and Crandall asked about whether we needed a designee under the management section. All thought it was fine. Kluk asked about “existing structure” in the Management section, she felt it could be elsewhere in the document. Thayer suggested moving it to Section II and Schwartz will move it there. Thayer asked how we could get the documents out to the public before holding a public hearing. It was suggested that we put them in the Selectmen’s minutes. Kluk suggested we post the meeting on the website and have a link there for the documents. Schwartz will do this and send the link to Marshall who will put it in the “Did You Know?” section of the Selectmen’s minutes. We set the hearing for our next meeting date, August 5th at 6:30 PM with the regular meeting to follow. Schwartz will let Dagesse know to put an announcement in the Villager. Kluk asked about posting for meetings and public hearings. Marshall said it is OK to do the posting in the Selectmen’s “approved” minutes.
Thayer asked if we had any questions about the driveway permits we were considering tonight. We briefly went over them with him and decided they were complete.
Schwartz mentioned the Bartevian issue and said we haven’t heard back from them as of now. We gave them until July 15th to respond, so we will wait until then. Thayer said he has no authority to maintain the drainage except from us. Without an easement we can instruct him, under RSA 236:16, to go in and maintain the drainage and bill them for the work accordingly. We will deal with it at our next meeting.
Thayer said he met with a logger who is planning a harvest out Halfmoon Pond Road about 600’ past Martin Road. He said no driveway permit will be needed, but he is having them post a bond. There will be an additional cut out near Ed’s Corner. Thayer said he would attend the scheduled hearing on August 5th.
2.2 Master Plan Update Committee status report -
Kluk said the Master Plan Community Workshop took place on June 21st and it was a successful day. About 67 people attended, the Seniors group did the lunch, Lolly and Jean did the continental breakfast and our student facilitators did a wonderful job in the focus groups. Crandall said he had heard nothing but positive feedback from participants. We should have Facilitator Dan Reidy’s report back in 45 days. The next step for the committee is to get feedback/input from town boards and committees. Crandall asked if we want to have town boards do a first draft of chapters that are appropriate to their focus. Kluk will take that idea back to the MPUC for a decision.
2.3 Warrant article #29 – Crandall stated that the questionnaires went to eleven towns. Marshall said so far 4 have been returned and one more is promised. Crandall said the deadline given the towns has passed and asked if the Selectmen intend to reach out one more time to those that didn’t respond. Marshall said they would. Kluk asked if PB members could have a copy of those that came back. Crandall said he has copies at home. Marshall said that Jackson, Bridgewater, Sandwich and Woodstock have been returned and Lempster promised to send theirs in soon. Marshall said that he would give us copies on Thursday. Kluk asked what are the plans from the Selectmen now? Marshall said that they would analyze the responses, they have moved their “summer meeting” to August 2nd and the exhaust system is nearing completion at the Fire/Rescue Center Station. Crandall asked if the Selectmen would ask for reports from SMAC and WESAC. Marshall said they would ask for reports from them. Schwartz asked that Kluk be allowed do a report on the Community Workshop and the Master Plan Update for the meeting. Crandall asked what Kluk is hoping to get from the “summer meeting”. Marshall said he is hoping to get relevant input from the town on whatever issues they want to bring up. Crandall said that quite a few non-residents attended the Community Workshop and they appreciated having a chance to speak and have their say in matters.
2.4 Business Permit application and request for exemption of site plan review - Brian Colley withdrew his business application.
2.5 Bartevian culvert and easement issue - no news yet, see 2.1 for relevant discussion.
3.0 New Business:
3.1 Business Permit application – Q-In Medical Technologies, Gilbert Mettler, 416 Washington Dr. TM 12-131, Crandall approved and signed the permit, so it was already executed. Crandall said that Dagesse asked him to sign it on June 12th and he did and he realizes now that it wasn’t reviewed by the board or approved, at the time he thought it was all in order. Kluk asked if it was a minor home business and Crandall thought it was. After discussion we decided that because it wasn’t reviewed and voted on by the board it wasn’t actually approved. The business is run from home on a computer in WLE. We discussed the possible WLE covenants that might apply, as these supersede the town ordinances. We will get copies of the associations deed restrictions. Kluk felt we should add something to all of the business permit applications that reference the possibility of deed restrictions that override the town permit process. We all agreed and Schwartz will update the permit applications to reflect this. We will discuss Mettler’s application at our next meeting.
4.0 Driveway permits –
4.1 We reviewed an application for a permanent driveway for Lou Borey, East Washington Road, TM 16-77-11, Ed Thayer checked and said that no culvert was needed, Crandall checked and thought it looked OK. Schwartz made a motion to approve the permit, Crandall seconded and all voted in favor. Marshall said there are two RVs parked on the old skid site and he isn’t sure about a septic system. Kluk looked at her copy of the LUO and thought that Section 303 applies to the septic in this situation. Town Health Officer Berry should permit the system and they also need an RV permit from the Selectmen. The Selectmen will take care of both matters.
4.2 We reviewed an application for a permanent driveway for Chad Thurston, Highland Haven Road, TM 16-29, Thayer checked the site, made a sketch of the driveway and recommended a culvert be installed. A water turnout will be provided by DPW and a drainage easement has been agreed to by the owner. Crandall checked and approved. Schwartz made a motion to approve, Marshall seconded the motion and all voted in favor.
5.0 Mergers: None
Crandall had one other piece of new business, he said that Eastman thought that the Planning Board has responsibility and should be involved in the consideration of putting a conservation easement on the Camp Morgan Town Forest. Crandall explained that Camp Morgan has no permanent protection through easement on it. He was involved in a conference call with Brian Hotz from the Forest Society (SPNHF), who explained the process of putting a conservation easement on the property. Crandall said it would cost $20,000 to do it, half going to surveys and legal costs and half for the stewardship fees. Crandall said he would write a grant to help get money to do it and would ask the Conservation Commission to raise money. Schwartz said that they need to talk to the Forestry Committee because they oversee all the Town Forest properties. Kluk asked whether the Conservation Commission could hold the easement and Schwartz answered no, the Forest Society would hold the easement. Kluk asked about just doing a deed restriction and have we talked to other towns that have done this? Schwartz said Lempster recently put an easement on their Town Forest. Marshall said there is a straight line from the beach to the bun warmer that could be kept out of the easement (10 acres) and it would be mostly the backside of Camp Morgan that would be in it. He also commented that if the Selectmen wanted to subdivide the property they could with Town Meeting approval, an easement would protect the property. Schwartz said this is not a Planning Board issue. Kluk said the RSAs don’t give us any responsibility in this matter.
6.0 Communications:
6.1 Copy of Accepted wetlands application by DES, Valley Road, TM 24-ROW
6.2 Copy of letter to Edmond approving his driveway and asking for an easement, copy of easement.
7.0 Date for next Planning Board meeting and hearing, August 5, 2014, at 6:30PM.
8.0 Adjournment: Time 8:11 PM
Motioned by Kluk, seconded by Marshall, all voted in favor.
Respectfully Submitted,
Nan Schwartz