|
Town of
Warner – Planning Board Minutes of Work Session Monday, May 19, 2008
7:00 PM Warner Town Hall, Lower Level Members
Present: Barbara
Annis, Paul Violette, Hank Duhamel, Ed Mical, David Hartman Members
Absent:
George Pellettieri Members Late:
None Alternates Present:
Rick Davies, Dan Watts Alternates Late:
None Alternates Absent:
None Presiding:
Barbara Annis Recording:
Jean Lightfoot Open Meeting at 7:00 PM Roll Call Ms. Annis opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m.
1. COMMUNICATIONS AND
MISCELLANEOUS Ms. Annis announced that she had just
received an e-mail from Wayne Eigabroadt at 4:27 this afternoon.
She read it: It
is with regret that I inform you of my intention to resign my
appointment to the Warner Planning Board as of 5-19-08.
I have struggled over this decision for some time now and feel it
is the right thing to do. I
have many reasons for making this decision but I will just say it will
allow me to refocus my efforts in other areas that I feel are of greater
importance at this time. Thank
you and other members of the Board for being patient with me as I
learned and tolerant of me as we did our very important work.
It has been an incredible experience over the last four years and
I hope to work with you again in the near future.
Wayne Eigabroadt She continued to announce that Stacey
Cooper had also resigned, so there now are two vacancies – one on the
Board and one for the Alternate position.
She asked if the Board wished to discuss this tonight, even
though it is not on the agenda. Mr.
Duhamel suggested that the discussion take place tonight and he noted
that it was a shame because both of the individuals did contribute to
the Planning Board. He said that Mr. Watts has had some experience, having been
an Alternate for all of last year.
He said that Mr. Watts is familiar with a number of the issues
that are still before the Board, like the Alan Wagner subdivision
proposal. Mr. Duhamel MOVED that it be recommended to the Board of
Selectmen that Dan Watts be elevated to be a full Board member.
Mr. Violette seconded. Mr.
Violette said he thought it would be valuable to have someone who had
the experience. There was no further discussion.
Mr. Hartman abstained from voting.
The motion was PASSED with no dissents. Ms. Annis said that this now would leave
two alternate vacancies. She
asked about Mr. Richard Ricard, who had indicated interest in serving on
the Planning Board. She
said he was supposed to come in to the Selectmen’s meeting for an
interview, but did not come in. She
asked if anyone knew him and if he had a background and interests that
would be helpful on the Planning Board.
She said she did not know him.
Mr. Hartman said he had met him on voting day in the Town Hall
when he picked up the application form to volunteer.
He said he had not shown up for an interview, however.
Mr. Mical and Mr. Davies said he was in the audience at the
second Selectmen’s meeting. Ms.
Annis said she would like to meet Mr. Ricard to see what his interest
is, what his background is, and what his dedication would be to the
Board before making a recommendation to the Selectmen.
Mr. Davies asked about putting a newspaper ad out for volunteers.
Mr. Hartman said there is a standing ad on the website asking for
volunteers. Mr. Duhamel
asked Mr. Hartman about Mr. Harold French.
He said that at the Selectmen’s meeting, Mr. French’s name
came up and he was not considered for appointment.
He said that Mr. French had served as an alternate last year. He said that he thought it was Mr. Hartman who did not want
Mr. French re-appointed, even as an alternate.
Mr. Hartman said that he didn’t know that he took a position on
that. He agreed that Mr.
Duhamel may be right, but he said he just didn’t know that he did. Mr. Duhamel said that Mr. French was present last year at
most meetings and contributed a lot to the conversation and decisions.
He said that if Mr. French is willing to volunteer, he would like
to see him re-approached. Mr. Davies said that he would like to see some younger people
and different genders, also, to balance out the Board, to offer some
different perspectives, from the older people.
Mr. Duhamel agreed and said that during the Master Plan meetings,
if there are people attending who are voicing concerns; they may be
approached to serve on the Board or other town committees.
Mr. Duhamel continued to say that Mr. French knows the town well,
where the wetlands are, for example, because of his experience, and
offers a perspective and insight that is good for the Board. Mr. Davies said that he was not speaking against Mr. French,
but that he was suggesting that younger people and women be specifically
sought out, as well. Mr.
Watts added that it was good that we have two positions available and
both of these considerations could be addressed.
Ms. Annis said that there need to be at
least two alternates, right now. This
is because, occasionally, it is difficult to get a quorum because of
people being unable to attend each meeting.
She said she could see leaving the third alternate spot vacant
for awhile, but she thinks it’s important to have at least two
alternates on board. Mr. Violette said that he had spoken with Mr. French and he
is the only one who, apparently, the Board members know who is still
interested and could begin serving immediately.
There were no other suggestions.
Mr. Violette MOVED that it be recommended
to the Board of Selectmen that Harold French be appointed to be an
alternate Board member. Mr.
Mical seconded. Mr. Hartman
abstained. All other
members voted yes. Ms. Annis said the other vacancy in the
alternate position will be left open for now.
Mr. Davies asked if someone from the Conservation Commission
might be a resource. Ms.
Annis said that the law is that a person is a member of the Planning
Board who can also be a member of another committee.
She said the first obligation is the Planning Board. She
said the person needs to be a member of the Planning Board and then a
member of the Conservation Commission.
There was some further discussion about the issue.
2. RECOMMEND INDIVIDUALS
TO REPRESENT THE TOWN AT THE CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIONAL PLANNING
COMMISSION Ms. Annis referred to a letter to the
Board of Selectmen from Sharon Wason of the Central New Hampshire
Regional Planning Commission. In
the letter, she says, “In accordance with RSA 36:46-III,
representatives to the CNHRPC shall be nominated by the Planning Board
from the residents of the community. . . . The names of the nominees
shall be submitted by the Planning Board to the Board of Selectmen for
consideration. The
Selectmen shall appoint two representatives and notify CNHRPC in
writing. . . . The
Commission should also be informed of any resignations of
Representatives.” She continued to say that the current two representatives are
Jim McLaughlin and Rick Davies. Mr.
Davies said that he and Mr. McLaughlin were appointed for a three year
term last year. There was a
discussion about the importance of having a quorum at the CNHRPC.
And, it was agreed that there is no need to consider the
appointments at this time. 3. RECOMMEND INDIVIDUALS
TO REPRESENT THE TOWN ON THE CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE REGIONAL
TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Ms. Annis said that Ms. Wason also said
in the letter that interested citizens may be appointed to the Central
New Hampshire Regional Transportation Advisory Committee.
She read, “The committee is comprised of local appointed
representatives from communities within the region as well as members
from other local, state, and federal agencies and typically meets four
or five times a year.” Ms.
Annis said she would like to volunteer to represent Warner on that
committee. She asked if
anyone else were interested in going on the committee.
Mr. Hartman asked how many representatives are allowed.
Ms. Annis said it does not say – it only says “you may
appoint interested citizens or town employees . . .”
Mr. Davies said he thought it was two.
Mr. McLaughlin said he thought it would be good to have a Warner
representative on the committee. There
were no other people who said they would be interested.
Mr. Duhamel asked if there is to be a recommendation to the Board
of Selectmen. Ms. Annis
said it was not clear in the letter.
Mr. Violette MOVED that Barbara Annis be
recommended to the Board of Selectmen for appointment to the Central New
Hampshire Regional Transportation Advisory Committee to represent
Warner. Mr. Duhamel
seconded. All voted yes,
except Mr. Hartman who abstained. 4. ALLAN BROWN, DIRECTOR
OF PUBLIC WORKS Ms. Annis recognized Allan Brown,
Director of Public Works. Mr.
Brown began the discussion of minimum road standards to be included in
the Subdivision Regulations. He
said he wanted to add was the use of geotextile fabric as item g., under
number 3, “Road Sub-grade.” He
said it is widely used now and he said he wanted to be sure that a
subdivision road that this is in our specifications so we can require it
without any questions. He
suggested using the wording, “Geotextile fabric will be required when
deemed necessary.” Mr. Duhamel asked if that is easy to
acquire. Mr. Brown replied
yes, it’s very common, standard material today.
Mr. Violette asked what it consists of.
Mr. Brown said it’s a membrane that is used a lot in wet areas. He said it’s used when you’re building a road and with
the typical clay subgrade that is in this area, and there is a lot of
water under it, you lay the geotextile fabric down and then a layer of
gravel on it. What it does
is it keeps the soils from contaminating each other.
He continued to say when you get a lot of traffic and if you
have, say, a foot of gravel, that gravel gets squashed down into the
clay, so you end up with only 5 or 6 inches of free draining material.
He said the geotextile fabric keeps it so the foot of free
drainage material is still there. He
said it’s a stabilization material.
He added that it is expensive, though.
He said it comes in a roll which can be laid and then covered.
He continued to say when it frosts, it all comes up in an even
sheet so you don’t get a lot of heaving.
It’s also good for the culverts, too, to keep them from
heaving, too. Mr. Violette
asked if the drainage goes down through it.
Mr. Brown said it comes in woven and non-woven, and there are a
whole line of fabrics available. That’s
why we don’t try to list them because they all serve a different
purpose. He explained that
some pipes are going to be put in the Mason Hill Swamp and some of the
geotextile fabric will be used there to keep it from mixing.
Mr. Violette asked if Mr. Brown had used the fabric before.
Mr. Brown said yes. He
said it’s about 75 cents a square yard, so it is expensive.
Mr. Violette said if we were to put this into the subdivision
road standards, we would have to add the specification, as well.
Ms. Annis said we have section B in the subdivision regulations.
Mr. Brown said there are so many different specifications for the
fabric that just saying geotextile fabric will cover all of them and
what is needed. He said he
will check to see what the technical term for the fabric is from the
person he buys it from. Mr.
Davies suggested that the New Hampshire Department of Transportation
also has their specifications. He
added that a lot of private jobs simply refer to their specifications. He said he believes that some towns say, “Unless stated
otherwise, you will use New Hampshire specifications,” and there is a
book on line for that. Mr.
Brown said that some of the requirements we have in Warner are way above
what is required by the State. He said that the stringency of our
regulations discourages a lot of new subdivision roads.
He added that also because of the stringency of our regulations,
we have not had to do any work on subdivision roads that were built 20
years ago. He said the
things that are going are the metal culverts that were used in the
1980s. Now, he said that
plastic culverts are in the specifications.
He said that the word steel should not be taken out of 4.e. in
the specifications because plastic goes up to only 5 feet.
So, the larger culverts need to be metal.
Mr. Brown continued to say that he wanted
to change the regulation on cul-de-sacs, the turnarounds.
He said that the turnarounds, the 100-foot circles, are very
difficult to plow. There
was a discussion about the ones that have been constructed.
Mr. Brown said the biggest problem with the turnarounds is the
driveways that come off of them. The
developer uses it as part of the road frontage to build more houses.
He says there is one off of Chase Farm Road that has 5 driveways
off the 100-foot circle. The
question becomes where to put the snow in the wintertime because the
snow has to be pushed somewhere and with 5 driveways it makes it very
hard to do. Ms. Annis asked
which diagram of turnarounds in the regulations needs to be deleted. Mr. Brown said that he hasn’t experienced any of the kinds
that are in the regulations. The ones he is talking about are all paved,
but the diagrams show landscaping in the middle.
He said he advocates a T kind of construction, where there are no
driveways and it’s a lot quicker to plow than the circles. He said he wants the driveway placement 50 feet prior to the
turnaround. Mr. Violette
asked if Mr. Brown also wants no driveway entrances on the turnaround.
Mr. Brown said yes. Mr.
Violette asked about traffic turning around.
Mr. Brown said they have to go in and back up and turn around.
He said that he will give the Board the measurements that he is
requesting. There was more
discussion about how some are done in the Town of Hopkinton.
Mr. Davies said he didn’t think a tractor trailer could turn
around in the one pictured. Mr.
Brown said that no, a tractor trailer could not turn around there.
He said he was only building the turnaround so that town trucks
will be able to turn around. Mr.
Duhamel asked if signage would be required.
Mr. Brown said there would be a “no outlet” sign, but nothing
else. Ms. Annis said in the
subdivision regulations, there is a section on dead-end streets, with
temporary turnarounds or permanent turnarounds.
She said that Ms. Lightfoot will make a copy and put it in Mr.
Brown’s mail folder for him to review.
She added that this does not need to go before the town for
approval. She also asked
him to think about placing the “Minimum Road Standards” within that
area of the Subdivision Regulations. Mr. Mical said he thought it used to be in the regulations.
Mr. Brown said he thinks it hasn’t been in any of the newer
versions of the regulations. He
said that you still have to have these listed as Class VI and Class V
specifications. Ms. Annis
asked if Mr. Brown will also review the different turnaround diagrams to
be changed or deleted. Mr.
Brown agreed to do that. Mr. Duhamel asked how the regulations are
enforced. Mr. Brown said
that there is a form that he uses and there must be inspection every
step of the way as a road is being constructed.
He said that the builders have to stake out before they even
start what the limits of work are and he must inspect those, too.
Mr. Duhamel agreed with the inspection procedure since, he said,
in the end it pays off by not having to go back every year if it’s
done correctly when it’s built. Mr.
Brown said this also saved taxpayers’ money since the builders incur
the expense up front and do a quality job.
Ms. Annis asked Mr. Brown if the Wagner
subdivision road and the turnaround are up to his specifications. Mr. Brown said yes. He
said the turnaround is designed for tractor trailers and is actually a
little bigger than what is required because of the tractor trailers’
turning radius and it is a commercial area.
She asked if the gravel depth, the drainage, etc. are all within
the specifications. Mr.
Brown said yes. Mr. Davies
said that he had never seen a 12-inch gravel depth and asked if there is
a reason to have it so deep. Mr.
Brown said yes, it gives more cushion and depth before it hits the base
gravel. Mr. Davies
commented that this is just a starting point in the specifications.
Mr. Brown said yes, a lot of the specifications allow for
discretion because it may not be needed, depending on what area is being
built on. He gave some
examples around town of the changes that were made from the
specifications. Ms. Annis asked if there were any other
questions. There were none. Ms. Annis asked Mr. Brown to strike out any of the diagrams
that he did not want in the regulations.
He said yes. Mr.
Duhamel asked if a bond is required when someone gets a building permit
in case any damage is done to a town road.
Mr. Brown said when damage is done, they do have to pay.
He said it’s illegal to damage a public road.
There was some further discussion about shared driveways versus
roads. There was a
discussion of the Exit 9 area traffic control problems.
Ms. Annis asked if there were any other questions.
There were none. Ms. Annis thanked Mr. Brown.
There was no other business. Mr. Hartman MOVED to adjourn.
Mr. Mical Seconded. The
Motion PASSED unanimously. The
meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m. |