07/19/2022 SB Minutes

Bethlehem Board of Selectmen

Meeting Minutes

July 19, 2022

 

In person – Vice Chairman Hibberd Selectman Jensen, Selectman Morris, and Selectman Queiroga. Chairman Caplain joined @ 7:15pm

Vice Chairman Hibberd opened the meeting at 6:00pm and reminded zoom participants to keep their microphones on mute and in-person public members to use podium to speak.

 

Public Input –

None

Abatement – Rambling Woods Co-Op

Selectman Hibberd – couple lots with back taxes the co-op is looking for an abatement for. Selectman Jensen from Rambling Woods – Fred Wheeler and Carol King from Rambling Woods Coop – trying to take care of abandoned properties in the park – looking to abate back taxes to lessen burden on the co-op to take over properties – looking to put lots back into use and providing taxes for town and removing eyesore – Selectman Queiroga – 2 lots? – Carol King – owners of these lots have passed away with no next of kin. Went to court and got permission to clean up properties, co-op in agreement with process – next step is to obtain writ of foreclosure – lawyer handling process – move forward with renting out properties or get new owner – Selectman Hibberd – total amount of taxes? – Selectman Queiroga – roughly $10k total – Carol King – lots have been abandoned for 7 and 11 years – Selectman Jensen – abandoned properties – co-op can’t move forward because of back taxes – not collecting lot fees and town not collecting taxes – Selectman Hibberd – probate? – Carol King – nothing found through probate – went through legal process to make sure – Fred Wheeler – co-op has possession of properties, but not ownership – co-op voted to go through legal process if back taxes can be abated – Selectman Queiroga – have all legal rulings for process? – Carol King – yes – assuming town won’t be coming for back taxes – Frank Wheeler – bids to remove around $15,000 – Selectman Queiroga – would like legal record before moving forward – Frank Wheeler – next of kin located but not interested in ownership of trailer – Selectman Hibberd – would like to have copy of paperwork – can you bring in paperwork for next Monday? – Selectman Queiroga – would like to see that – Selectman Jensen – makes sense to move forward to get it resolved – Selectman Hibberd – will return with paperwork for review at next scheduled meeting on 7/25

 

WREN/Sullivan Creative – WREN Community Day information, summer marketing update

Selectman Hibberd – Pam Sullivan from Sullivan Creative – shared screen to share information – Pam Sullivan – 2 items – Sat 8/13, WREN hosting community day at park outside of WREN – open to entire community – businesses encourage to sign up and set up tables/tents etc. for exposure – WREN will piggyback marketing through their channels – $10 for non-WREN members, complimentary for WREN members – promote farmers market and Super-Secret Ice Cream – pams@wrenworks.org for information

Pam Sullivan – Sullivan Creative – marketing dashboard – May 2021 through July 17^th – website traffic up 26% – sending dashboard to Tim to distribute if needed – 2 vlogs shot currently and more coming at end of month – DASHBOARD attached at end – Pam Sullivan gave overview of Dashboard and marketing information –

Selectman Queiroga – would like to see dashboard prior to meeting if questions arise – Pam Sullivan – next update in September after wrapping up summer campaign and moving into fall campaign – town has been super busy this summer –

 

Jennifer Donovan – Moose Trail Road

Jennifer Donovan and Brian Donovan – 131 Moose Trail Rd – only full-time resident of road – talked with people in office and decided to come to board meeting to talk to board – seeking advice on land issues with neighboring lots – lot behind sold and proposing building 2, 2-bedroom homes for short term rental – town ordinance 19B-5 – “harmony of surrounding properties” – land has been cleared – Selectman Morris – how large is property? – Jennifer Donovan .92 acres – told lot is grandfathered in – did research on grandfathering – ordinances allow grandfathering at this point, does not believe it is legal on state level – town ordinances are being revamped, how can this be included? – Selectman Hibberd – checking with Mike Bruno – can have 2 houses on one lot? – if lot is non-conforming or non-buildable, they must go to zoning for approval – Selectman Queiroga – confirming that current ordinance can’t build on less than 1.86 acres unless grandfathered? – Selectman Hibberd – yes but if grandfathered, still must go to board – Selectman Queiroga – can’t build house without permit – can clearcut without approval cand can’t build home without permit – Jennifer Donovan – permits supposed to be in place before clearing for home – Selectman Hibberd – department of revenue is enforcement for that issue, not town –  Selectman Queiroga – road piece separate, private road, not town issue – Selectman Jensen – if putting 2 structures up for short term rental, is it a commercial operation? – Selectman Morris – short term rentals are not considered commercial in NH – Jennifer Donovan – seeking guidance on where to go next, AirBNB, private road, etc. for next steps – Selectman Morris – when anyone purchases land in subdivision are they buying into HOA? – Jennifer Donovan – no – Selectman Morris – suggests starting HOA for road maintenance and use issues – Jennifer Donovan – road doesn’t exist as shown on map – Selectman Queiroga – private road so will have to work out legally on own time – Brian Donovan – grandfathering? – Selectman Hibberd – have not gone to zoning or planning yet for permit – will need approval before moving forward with building process – Selectman Jensen – could send letter from town reminding new owners that they need permit before building – Selectman Queiroga – building inspector could send letter – Jennifer Donovan – how do we get notified if building permit is filed or issued? – Selectman Morris – no notification needed for building permits – Selectman Queiroga – opinion that town has concerned citizen over neighbor not having permits in place and building structures – confirmed that they have started building? – Jennifer Donovan – no building at this time – Selectman Queiroga – doesn’t see how we can send letter if they haven’t started building at this time – Selectman Morris – town ordinances state if land has been subdivided prior to ordinances in 1974, lots do not have to meet size limits but have to meet setbacks and other regulations – Selectman Jensen – have they stated that they have a permit from town? – Jennifer Donovan – not in those words (gave letter to board to read) – Selectman Hibberd – where does state say grandfathering is not legal? – Jennifer Donovan – gave court cases to board – Selectman Queiroga – doesn’t know of state RSA that limits grandfathering in town – Selectman Hibberd – reading from case notes given to her from Jennifer Donovan – Selectman Queiroga – haven’t submitted building permit, so any action by board is premature – Brian Donovan – when they apply for permit, wants town to know all information in making decision on permit – Selectman Morris – provided DES approves well and septic, under current ordinances owners could build on lot as long as they meet restrictions – Selectman Jensen – not giving up on sending letter – could send friendly reminder – letter shown by Jennifer Donovan does not specifically state they have permit, but implies they have all approvals to build – Selectman Morris – asking Bob Francis input as building inspector – Selectman Queiroga – doesn’t feel comfortable as board sending letter to owners that have not started building – overstepping board – Selectman Morris – step back from writing letter and has building inspector pay visit and get in touch – Selectman Jensen – building inspector can reach out to give contact information for future questions – Jennifer Donovan – do not want letter sent – Selectman Queiroga – would set bad precedent for future landowner issues – Jennifer Donovan – looking for: have clearcut land when they should not have already, who stops them from building home without permit? – Selectman Queiroga – if building is occurring, call town and check on permit – Selectman Hibberd – if zoning variance is sought, abutters will get noticed of public hearing – Selectman Hibberd – other options is offering a sit down meeting between parties to hear from both sides and work it out – Brian Donovan – would like to wait for permits before having a sit down – Jennifer Donovan  – will check with town offices for permits and agendas of upcoming meetings –

 

Highway Department – discuss sale of old truck

Brett Jackson – 2001 Freightliner – bought 2 new trucks since owning this truck and no offers for trade on this truck – vendor showed interest and have scrap price for truck – would like to see minimum bid of $500 – scrap value is $480 – board discussed bid process – Selectman Morris – provide description to Tim and get it out to bid –

 

Highway Department – sand bids

Selectman Hibberd – one sand bid – AB excavating – screened sand from pit in Dalton – 2000 yards – $10/yard picked up, delivered $17.31/yard – Brett Jackson last year $13.84 delivered – Dalton pit is 20 minutes one way – lots of diesel cost to pick up sand – closest pit is 7 miles round trip – important that trucks are available to push snow in the winter and not be hauling sand all winter – Selectman Morris – same vendor as last year? – Brett Jackson – yes – Selectman Queiroga how much sand? – Brett Jackson – 2000 yards – Selectman Queiroga – would it hurt to extend the bid deadline again to get more bids? – Brett Jackson – right to refuse any bids, don’t have to accept bids if not acceptable – the board discussed and decided to extend bid deadline until the next meeting.

 

Brett Jackson – recognition

Brett Jackson – witnessed tractor flipped on hill pinning operator, got out and helped rescue operator with assistance from bystanders. Board commended Brett and Mary Jackson for their actions.

 

 

 

Building Inspector discussion

Selectman Hibberd – Bob Francis – new building inspector – mid May – code enforcement and building inspector – 50 years carpenter – moved to town from NY and retired – perfect match for the position as semi-retired position – working on back log of code violations. The board and Mr. Francis discussed plan moving forward. Selectman Hibberd/Selectman Jensen – the board is the enforcement entity for the position.  Go to Tim Fleury with issues and he will pass them along to the board – Selectman Hibberd – can be hard to move forward based on past actions – Selectman Queiroga – agrees with Chris, board is enforcement, building inspector has authority to research issues and fine but can come to board if there is no response or change from individuals – in support of fining individuals to move to action and enforcement – Selectman Morris – when it comes to ordinance violations – found form to use – setting up conference call between code officer, health officer, and police department with town attorney to go over form use – Bob has the authority to send letters to residents based on observations when around town – Selectman Queiroga – follow up with Tim on conference call – Selectman Jensen – if there are any continued education course available, please let us know – Bob Francis – talked to Nicole about that today – Selectman Jensen – planning board – conditional approvals – follow up on meeting those approvals has fallen through the cracks in the past – planning board has new form to follow up on conditions, will get to you (Bob) – signed by planning board chair and applicant – Bob Francis – building codes are in place to keep people safe, not to disrupt people’s lives –

 

The board discussed revisiting dilapidated property ordinances.

 

Board answered questions from Zoom chat.

Nancy Strand – commercial properties – different responsibility of owner between rental commercial property, not short-term rental, and residential property? – Selectman Queiroga – same requirements between types of properties – Selectman Morris – if number of residential units exceeds a certain number, more restrictions come into play – NS – referencing dilapidated buildings that are being used as rentals – different codes or way to fine owners? – Selectman Queiroga – renters’ choice to rent in those buildings – NS – withdrawing questions

 

Addiction Committee – discussion

Chairman Caplain arrived at 7:15pm

Chairman Caplain – month/6 weeks ago Colonial Symposium – opioid crisis – AskPETRA – asked speaker if Bethlehem could partner with them to assist – form addiction committee to address safety in town – spoke to police and fire chief as they are on the front lines and they are in support of committee – Selectman Jensen – how would committee duplicate efforts of various health agencies – Chairman Caplain – work with the various agencies – town backed committee would help to push agenda – Selectman Hibberd – talked to chief DeMoranville –  the chief has concerns about people that have been on the street after coming out of addiction programs – people leave programs and have no funds or no follow up and end up on the street – Selectman Queiroga – goal of the committee – ability as a town to help support the community or do something – obligation to community to spread awareness of available resources and working with experts in the area – Selectman Morris – concerned that all entities mentioned are not drug users – is there a local drug users organization to bring in to serve as experts – don’t want to see it one sided – Selectman Queiroga – lots of options to make committee inclusive and non-judgmental – Selectman Morris – do we need a committee to do that or do we need information where to send people? – Chairman Caplain – committee can organize what we do as a town – creates structure – Selectman Morris – have North Country Health, and ACHS actively working on issue in the community – duplicating work? – Chairman Caplain – not duplicating, complimentary – looking to start it in other towns – Selectman Queiroga – AskPETRA doesn’t have active or recovering users giving advice – how town can provide safety and resources to our community – Selectman Hibberd – can be for resources for getting people back home – Selectman Morris – no issue with small pool of funds to assist with travel or other issues – not sure what another committee can accomplish other than more meetings – Selectman Jensen – doesn’t see how it’s not duplicative with other entities – tough to get volunteers – current committees and commissions are having issues filling with volunteers – lots of issue sin town right now and would hate to see select board focus on issue that has lots of other entities working on the issue already – Chairman Caplain – doesn’t see select board spending resources on it – supplying liaison from board, no other resources – helping save a life is an important issue – Selectman Jensen – still sounds duplicate – Selectman Hibberd – addiction causes many problems and negative stigma – approach as town being supportive of cause

Selectman Queiroga made a motion to look into to creating addiction committee – Selectman Hibberd – seconded – roll call – Selectmen Caplain, Jensen, Hibberd, Queiroga – yes – Selectman Morris – no – motion passed 4-1    

 

Liquor Approval – Vintage Market event

Chairman Caplain – liquor approval for Vintage Market event –

Selectman Hibberd made a motion to approve request – Chairman Caplain seconded – roll call – all – motion passed

 

Liquor Approval – Bethlehem Country Club – beer cart and pro-shop beer sales

Selectman Hibberd made a motion to approve request – Chairman Caplain seconded – roll call – all – motion passed

 

 

 

Profile Technologies – Quote for cameras in town building –

Chairman Caplain – quote for cameras in town building – ARPA discussion – Selectman Hibberd – yes – funds are available right now in GGB and can move money after – Selectman Morris – feels it is good to commit funds now for different items – Selectman Hibberd – items like this are good to fill in at the end of the ARPA budgeting process – funds available now –

Selectman Hibberd made a motion to approve camera quote for town offices up to $7000 – Selectman Jensen second – roll call – all – motion passed

 

Overpayment Refund – Map 410 – Lot 006

Chairman Caplain – overpayment refund – Selectman Hibberd – recommended – came from tax collector

Selectman Morris made a motion to approve overpayment refund for 410-006 – Selectman Hibberd seconded – roll call – all – motion passed

 

Overpayment Refund – Map 407 – Lot 34-005

Selectman Morris made a motion to approve overpayment refund for 407-34-005 – Selectman Hibberd seconded – roll call – all – motion passed

 

Intent to Excavate – Map 210-5

Selectman Morris -DRA came in person to recommend against this excavation – Selectman Jensen – planning board has questions on if it is an actual active pit as well

Selectman Morris made a motion to not approve intent to excavate map 210-5 – Selectman Hibberd seconded – roll call – all – motion passed

 

Minutes 6/27/2022

Selectman Queiroga made a motion to approve minutes from 6/27 – Selectman Morris seconded – roll call – all – motion passed

 

Other

Selectman Morris – Conservation Commission interested if select board would be interested in co-signing letter drafted by the Transfer Station Committee urging NH Beverage Committee to step up recycling information – would cut down on roadside cleanups – final copy not out yet – Chairman Caplain – supports that – Selectman Morris – will send final draft to board to look at and discuss at the next meeting.

 

Chairman Caplain – request from Irving Station across street to change signs – same size and footprint – Selectman Queiroga – resurfacing original signs, not replacing signs

Selectman Hibberd made a motion to approve sign request for Irving Station – Selectman Queiroga seconded – roll call – all – motion passed.

 

Chairman Caplain – North Country Council – Facebook chatter about safety of PMR crossing area – North Country Council and DOT have meeting next week to sit down and discuss what can be done to add safety to area – talked about PMR contributing to cost of signage – Selectman Morris – want to be careful as prior owner had lawsuit against them based on unsafe crossing conditions and was found liable –

 

Non-public Session per RSA 91A-3 II (personnel)

 

Chairman Caplain made a motion to go to Non-public Session per RSA 91A-3 II (personnel) @ 8:00pm – Selectman Morris seconded – roll call – all – motion passed

 

Chairman Caplain made a motion to adjourn @ 8:15pm – Selectman Queiroga seconded – roll call – all – motion passed.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

Tim Fleury

Administrative assistant

 

MINUTES TRANSCRIBED FROM MEETING RECORDING

Town of Bethlehem: Summer Marketing Dashboard

Date Range: May 1 – June 30, 2022

 

 

The following data reflects the results to date from the Town of Bethlehem’s 2022 Summer Marketing Campaign.

This campaign consisted of paid and unpaid social media, paid GoogleAds, and email marketing. Please note that elements from this campaign are still in progress.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS:

 

Overview

• Users: 8,257
• Sessions: 10,593
• Page Views: 21,743
• New Visitors: 83%

 

 

Top Geolocations

1. New Hampshire 1,925
2. Massachusetts 1,244
3. New York 904
4. Virginia 700
5. Connecticut 236

 

 

Acquisition Overview

• Organic Search: 4,070
• Direct: 1,907
• Referral: 179
• Social: 357
• Other: 671 (VisitNewEngland & Yankee)

 

Top 10 Web Pages:

1. Homepage: 7,021
2. What to Do: 1,606
3. Departments: 871
4. Golf: 769
5. Where to Stay: 686
6. Where to Eat: 487
7. Town Clerk: 472
8. Tax Collector: 428
9. Nearby Attractions: 409
10. Emergency Services: 379

 

Top 10 Landing Pages:

1. Homepage: 4,657
2. What to Do: 850
3. Golf: 487
4. Town Clerk: 258
5. Tax Collector: 202
6. Assessing: 201
7. Where to Stay: 200
8. Emergency Services: 197
9. Where to Eat: 182
10. Hiking: 163

GOOGLE ADS:

 

The Google Ads campaign is currently in progress. The focus of this summer’s campaign is to drive awareness around the location of Bethlehem and the abundance of recreational activities it surrounds. Using keywords including “Things to Do” and “New Hampshire Summer Activities” as anchors for this campaign, the goal is to drive traffic to the website and encourage visitors to plan a trip.

 

 

 

Overview

 

• Dates: 06/24/2022 – 07/15/2022 campaign in progress
• Total Cost: $366
• Total Clicks: 308
• Total Impressions: 11,213
• Avg. CPC: $1.19

 

Top Devices by Clicks:

1. Mobile Phones (77%)
2. Computers (21%)
3. Tablets (1%)

 

Top Keywords by Clicks:

• Things to see (do) in NH / Fun things to do in NH
• New Hampshire vacations / visit New Hampshire / New Hampshire tourism
• New Hampshire hotels
• New Hampshire summer activities / hiking in NH

 

 

 

Top States & Cities by Clicks:

1. New Hampshire – Bethlehem, Nashua, Lincoln, Jefferson, Laconia, Manchester
2. Massachusetts – Whitman, Fitchburg, Jamacia Plains, Lowell, Middleborough
3. Rhode Island – Providence, Warwick, Tiverton
4. Maine – Old Orchard, Winslow

 

UNPAID SOCIAL MEDIA:

 

 

Facebook:

• Page Likes: 960
  • Up +50 likes from 3/31/2022
• Total Post Engagement: 629

 

 

Instagram:

• Total Followers: 863
  • Up +88 followers from 3/31/2022
• Total Post Engagement: 747

 

 

 

PAID SOCIAL MEDIA:

 

Summer Paid Social Media Campaign – Shop Main Street

• Dates Run: June 13 – June 27
• Impressions: 13,516
• Reach: 7,959
• Link Clicks: 512
• CPC: $0.20
• Amount spent: $100.00

 

• Main Street Video re-running July 18 – July 31. Budget $100
  Agriculture Video will start running Week of July 18.
  • Budget: $100. Run time: 2 weeks

 

EMAIL MARKETING:

 

 

June:

• Date Sent: June 30, 2022
• Open Rate: 38%
• Click Rate: 4%
• Total Contacts: 343

 

 

	Facebook Summer Ad Video Example

 

 

 

CONCLUSION & NEXT STEPam Sullivan:

 

The focus of the Summer Campaign is to educate and drive traffic to the Town of Bethlehem website. From there, people can explore seasonal activities, local businesses, and places to dine and stay. This summer, we have continued to look for ways to engage local businesses in the Town’s marketing efforts. In addition to creating the “Just Be an Insider” feature to e-newsletters, Sullivan Creative continues to develop a series of vlogs/videos as a new and engaging marketing element. The first vlog was filmed and edited in June and ran as the first in a series of videos created for social media. Additional videos are being filmed and edited this summer and fall.

 

 

Next Steps:

• Continue year-round social media campaign.
• Year-round VisitNewEngland.com advertising package – runs through Dec. 2022.
• Develop a series of itineraries and vlogs to utilize on social media and e-newsletters.
• Summer Campaign: Continue paid social media and Google advertising.