Bethlehem Board of Selectmen
Meeting Minutes
November 18, 2019
Present: Chairman Boisseau, Selectman Moritz, Selectman Moore, Selectman Jensen, Selectman Caplain.
Chairman Boisseau opened the meeting at 5:15 pm and moved to go into non-public session per RSA 91A:3 II for matters of legal and reputation. Selectman Moritz seconded. Chairman Boisseau did roll call with all members agreeing to go into non-public session.
The Board discussed their contract with KW.
The Board discussed a legal matter and a legal opinion.
At 6:00 Selectman Moritz moved to come out of non-public session. Selectman Moore seconded. Chairman Boisseau did roll call with all members agreeing to come out of non-public session.
The public session began at 6:12.
PUBLIC INPUT
David Van Houten told the Board he sent the assessor a note to get the tax implications of the solar project at Profile. He said it is a fixed asset on land leased from the school and whatever they are taxed will be added to the proposal. He said there was a warrant article to exempt renewable energy projects from being assessed but that is only up to $25,000. He will follow up with the assessor.
Rita Farrell asked what is going on with the traffic committee and the preservation society. Selectman Caplain said he spoke to the person at the preservation society and said there are different options for grants. He said one is the moose plate grant which is up to $10,000 and does not require a matching amount. He explained there is the L-chip grant which is $50,000 and requires a $25,000 match but we can use $10,000 from moose grant to put towards that.
Mrs. Farrell asked how do you market Bethlehem and what would the sales pitch be.
Chairman Boisseau said that is what the community, businesses, marketing company, etc. would work on together to come up with.
Selectman Moritz said it is an economic development opportunity to increase our tax base.
Todd Wiggin from Verizon came before the Board to do a presentation on a new phone system. He explained it is a voice over through internet system and can put an app on a smartphone and works as your desktop phone. He said there is no contract so can cancel at any time and prices don’t change or expire. Mr. Wiggin said we pay up front for the phones so will own them. He said installation and training will be included and there will be a call center with ongoing support. He said the quote will be good until December 18th. Selectman Jensen asked if there were any circumstances when you can lose phone service and was told there is no guarantee but there are generators on cell towers, and it is cloud based.
(Selectman Moore left at 6:50)
Vivian Winterhoff came before the Board and explained that she is a recruiter for the census bureau and would like to put some signs on the lawn in front of the town building. She said they pay $17.50/hour and will need multiple people. Selectman Moritz moved to put it up in front of the town building and Heritage. Selectman Jensen seconded. Carried 4-0. The Board also discussed putting it on the website and in the newsletter.
The Board reviewed the RFP for a marketing company. They made a change to the title to community branding, marketing and economic development initiative for the Town of Bethlehem. They also discussed and decided to pick the top ones (2-3) to invite to come to meet with the Board. They will open the proposals, review them and pick which ones to come in. They discussed the timeline and decided on: proposals due on 01/10/20, Board to open and review at meeting on 01/13/20, Board decide who to invite in on 01/20/20, Interview with Board on 01/27/20. There was discussion about where to post it. It was decided to post it on our website site, invite companies to send a proposal, ask NCIC for suggestions where to post, post on social media, and NH travel & tourism website.
Selectman Caplain told the Board he talked with Dave Wiley about the proposed changes to the building permit fee change and said the reasoning behind the change is because of the large houses it takes more time so need to be more proportional. He said it is subjective and asked the Board if they want to charge a lot for a permit for people to build a house when we are trying to get people to come here. He said Dave is going to do more research.
The Board discussed the Kerosene tank at the country club not passing inspection and needing to be replaced. A plumber will be called.
The Board reviewed the minutes from 11/04/19 and 11/11/19.
Selectman Caplain moved to approve the minutes from 11/04/19 and 11/11/19. Selectman Moritz seconded. Carried 4-0.
Chairman Boisseau said the Board received a letter from DOT in response to the request for a crosswalk and a speed reduction by Baker Brook on Route 302. He said DOT said it would require a $50,000 investment for a crosswalk for crossing signs and a traffic study could cause a change in speed limit but not for the better. DOT also said it would need to look like a downtown setting to have a 30-mph speed limit with sidewalks etc. They also said a crosswalk isn’t safer because there is an assumption it is safe, so people are not as diligent.
Selectman Jensen said Chris McGrath had mentioned the VW program but doesn’t help us, but another program would have helped us except the deadline was Nov. 12th. He said he emailed DES and questioned him about notifying people and asked why we weren’t notified directly. He said he also asked about extending the deadline. He asked the Board what they thought about sending a letter to DES commissioner and said he had asked if state departments were directly informed and never got an answer. Selectman Moritz said she thinks it is worth it and said she would also like to know how much was awarded to state versus municipalities. Selectman Jensen said he will draft a letter.
Selectman Caplain said he will apply for moose grant for some windows for the town building and maybe a second moose grant for the country club for paint, roof, etc.
At 7:53 Chairman Boisseau moved to adjourn. Selectman Moritz seconded. Carried 4-0.
Respectfully submitted,
April Hibberd
Administrative Assistant
