Town of Troy Board of Selectmen August 15, 2024

and that's it and then that's ready all right I will go ahead and call the this meeting to order for the four selected it is the 15th um 59 and we will go ahead and start with the board number comments start with you Curtis uh the rec department is going to have their Community dinner this this Saturday August 17th at the community center for $5 to go meals I do not know how I it's Saturday from 4 to 6 doors open at 4 uh and they first come first September 6th roller skating start back up at the try School uh so if we want to participate that I don't know if it's going to be a two session or if it's going to be one session but we getting start back up for the school year and then September 7th community breakfast is back on uh we don't get a lot more participation with that we may be shutting it down and not doing it we're losing money so money for breakfast we either we kind of just make it sometimes we breaking it even but it's it's cos so we're hoping that we can get some more people to start showing up for these Community records that's kind of why we uh delayed it for the summertime people on vacations and people just don't show up during the summer so during the school year we're back up with the community breakfast so hopefully with the participation that uh the planning boards meeting next Wednesday 21st 21 21st uh at 7:00 here um for any updates on that oh uh yeah the once again the prices for the recycling center everyone understands it we went up on the prices uh the new stickers are available down at the recycling center and here the price went up to $20 that's the two years for the full year 25 and full year and the remainder of this year so if you want if you don't have a sticker you can go other places and we're now open on Tuesdays from noon to 6 so the third day or the extra day is now open so we did have a I think 12 people show up last Tuesday so we open let people know and get it out there we're going to be posting on the website and put on Facebook people right I don't have anything for the I I think there's a lot we have to go through and much as I love to chat and talk to everybody we'll just skip that for now all right um just passing out for some homework for each of you guys I say home to read through it um about the town travel policy um the treasure brought it to our attention that we don't have one so we should probably get one into effect he wrote up a draft of one um what he recommends does not say draft on it but it also doesn't have steel or anything so it's good on that jery you've got one you one one that uh the Water and Sewer meeting was canel last night due to um illness we say say was sick then of course so it's hard to fill room um that's all I've got for this uh so I was told that the air conditioner being on hasn't been an issue for hearing so if there is an issue on it I'm just need to let know so yes if you guys on Facebook world can't hear us or sorry YouTube world can't hear us let us know we'll turn off p uh most of you have either one of our numbers so EAS I noticed you could speak up if you speak up when I listened to that last meeting it was fine sometimes it gets really hot in here and it's just all right so that's some board member comments um we have lots of public here so 's go ahead and start with some public comment we'll start it's yours go and state your name where you live and what you got for a uh I'm Jamie z uh I apply for the so you're here for a building permit yes for a building so later in the meeting so you're you'll be right after the public comment we'll go through the building permit so that should be good next s yeah about the solar array John butter I don't know now I heard we get a upgrade road uped so the Developers for the solar for this is from the planning board side of it uh they said that they're going to upgrade the road themselves so as as a general rule any anytime somebody wanted to build on a class six Road and you tell them that they have to upgrade the road of town standard they don't want to put the money into it and then they say no we've had one person Bill Daniels up on the end of West Hill he said okay so he upgrading it two Town standards with John the road agent and he's doing it no cost to the town yeah the town's going to have to maintain it no no no it's still class six Brook and this as a as a point of Interest now is there variances involved in this no uh class six roads under New Hampshire Law class six road is a public way privately maintained so the a Butters can maintain it or not obviously we all know mostly it's or not so if this other thing happens they would have a responsibility for maintaining that on Ro now besides the updates we hear from Curtis they have not come to visit this board uh they haven't they have not I told them at a conservation meeting when they came to visit the Conservation Commission they still haven't meet met with the first boards you should meet with but they were like oh we don't see we have to so again we haven't heard anything from them but this whole thing is just a you know Big H I'm with you um I told him they needed to start here before they even got to the other boards but they basically said no our lawyers feel not that we so for any approval they need us for a building permit they can't build without our approval so they're kind of just going a circle and we told them America so they're like forging ah head thinking they're going do it well we told them it's not how it works I I will point out but they can't get a building permit until the site plan is ADT so if they come this board first this board has to and they have to come back to the plan board anyways before they go back to this board to get build they have to legally they are doing the correct thing come to get site first before getting a building permit and then they have to come to us with a build a site plan a building permit and say we'd like to do this and then we say oh it needs and they can't approve it we we've kicked it out of here so it's got to come here get kicked out of here go over there and then come back here yes car I have a very simple question Carl P I live on big hill what is the selectman stance on this if this goes through the planning board with all these waivers and it comes to before the selectman for this project to happen what is the selectman's position what waivers are you talking about yeah the one at the end a bigo hill subject to Gates and bars what waiver well I'm just asking no I I'll explain it um it's not decided yet the planning board is still in right in their their their deliberation and and and taking input from the public let's say that the planning board gives a waiver on this class six row where the ordinance says class five or better to have access to this to this uh this site what is the selectman's position I'm going back saying I understand the difference between somebody maintaining it and somebody I I get all that but this town's pretty touchy dealing with six class six RADS now there's also things such as hardship cases with residences that border a class five Road on class 6 Road this is none of that this is somebody coming in a corporation bastardizing somebody else's land could you not yellow us I'm not I'm talking about above the air conditioner I'm just trying to talk loud I'm not yelling and uh so somebody bastardizing somebody else's Land There is no hardship here this isn't somebody who lives on the end of the road who is going to wants to build a house for example where there's a hardship example right there which we would deny okay my question is um and I'm not yelling I'm asking uh so everybody can hear what is the selectman's position when this comes before the select select board on a class six Road for them to proceed so and you and I I read everything you wrote on Facebook uh so my personal answer is you're asking me to make have an opinion on an event that hasn't occurred yet and I can't properly evaluate so until they've gone through their process and as TJ told you they're doing it inside out that's not my problem I get that it's not my job to fix that at some point when they get here uh based on I would then make that decision based on what the planning board where the planning board is on so if the planning Bo's a on it they've made a good case I would probably be inclined to go along with it but if the plane board says this is not going to happen and we don't like it then it's not even going to get get here because it's let they go to the zba or something so you wouldn't revisit you would not the select necessarily wouldn't revisit these waivers we visit the whole we haven't we the whole we look at the whole package car we haven't seen the it's like I haven't seen the case yet we like I said they have not brought anything to us the only reason I knew about it was because I went to a Conservation Commission covering for Curtis and they came to that meeting and I was like you guys have even blend to the select board and the guy straight well who are you I'm like I'm the chair of the select board you haven't been to me and I had virtually the same conversation with the planning board meeting because I was covering for Curtis and it sounds like we're all covering for Curtis but he covers us too yeah he makes it the most of the meetings so but I covered I happened to cover for him at that planning board meeting and you folks were there and I I would say this uh this isn't the first solar project that we've had brought to us and it so far every one of them has gotten this far and walked away so and I don't understand that business at all and I and the more I think I try understand the more confused it is with their credits and stuff so I'm not sure what they're proposing is even viable in New Hampshire based on New Hampshire's current law concerning uh solar power so they may be looking to structure this based on something they think is going to get happen in the legislature I can tell you the legislature has kicked this thing absolutely out of out of the building three times in the two years I've been there so the answer is really the most honest answer is until until they get their act together and they're here it's impossible to say I also like to point out that it is privately owned property that they're putting this on correct so if the land owners want to do that to their land that's on them they meet all the criteria and our ordinance says nothing about stopping them or you know it says okay they just have to upgrade the road to a class five standard but the ordinance no wait a minute the ordinance does not say they just have to upgrade the road the ordinance says they just that was using it for an example understand but once again I've been through most of the stuff for the planning board there's still questions they're still working the stuff out the chair of the planning board is right here as well we're still working that out on the plan board side it hasn't even come to this side if they were going to Grant waivers would it make a more uh wouldn't it make more sense this isn't a situation just my opinion okay you have a you you gave an example I'm going to give an example this isn't a case for waivers so if the planning board was deny this they still get another bite of the apple with the Zoning Board of adjustment with a asking for variance right correct and the variant they have to prove hardship which you've already mentioned several times but also hardship is mentioned in the ordinance of the um of the zoning ordinance dealing specifically with these solar fields one that was just put in this year see it's it's however it's written it it's in there now so with that being said we got to let the process happened you're you're jumping ahead you they haven't came to us example the process hasn't come they haven't gone to the cbaa they haven't completed their stuff with this planning board and and I let them finish the process right and the point is Carl there's a process I mean we could all think of examples where a process sucks we can all think of examples where the process is great and mostly it has to do with whether it went our way or not but but this is something I'm giving you guys Food For Thought I want to know where you stand that's all we we until we see all the evidence we have we're we're we're switching on this we're neutral because I could Le either way right now just based on my own opinion and my personal opinion right now is not looking good because they're not following the process I'm all about following the process they're not following it right now I'm thinking worse of it but until they come and follow and follow and connect all the dots correctly I have nothing to say right it's not our job to reach out and grab me but in the end the buck stops with you guys in the end starts with us and stops with us we can stop them and then they can take to the zba and zba denies them and they have to take to Superior for and do they want to pay that money to fight at that point on them just so you know the decision of whether or not they can do anything on that classifi V goes in this board not us we're going to get a recommendation just so we're clear right so that recommendation is not to be used as a determination yes or no is for information for you to make the decision right but we don't have any of that I'm just let you know because you said you going to go off over said we're just going to give recommendation well sure if your if your recommendation says this is the worst idea ever what just is an example yeah you know okay that's one there's one hypothetical or you come to us and your recommendation says oh my God this thing is going to rain rainbows on us and you know it's going to be the second coming and it's the most wonderful thing ever well maybe that's another conversation somehow I don't think you're going to say either of those things and so that's what we have to look at but we can't I don't see how you can ask us to make a decision on something that hasn't happened without going through the process and I think it takes the decision down the road if we jump the gun on it I guess I can buy some of that I mean the best place for you to be voicing your opinion and your right now is right now and go to the meetings show up with them and discuss it with them cuz like I said right now they haven't presented us nothing literally nothing I understand there's also a select a select board member who's at the meetings or that's correct correct so they I'm sure the board knows what's going on well I just told you I went for Curtis Curtis was there before and DJ went to the conservation committee meeting so we we've given them we have literally given them our unsolicited input like hi we're the select board would you care to stop in because if you want anything you're going to have to get us to sign off on it and they basically told PJ to go off and I brought it up to the planning board as well a meeting verify it and you talk to them after that about what I said I brought it up we' been talking the updates like okay well they hav showed up here we're not making any decisions on anything right now we'll see what the planning board decides if if if you were going to grade them on their salesmanship and capacity for winning prints and influencing people with this board they're they're at a solid D+ so I don't know where you want to Comm in on that but it doesn't mean it wouldn't pass and it doesn't mean it isn't the right thing that's that's not how they've approached it but thank you all for your honesty anyway and uh I mean I I I hear what you're saying thank you anything so based off what you just said you know that mean we we talk about the process you went did you next we to talk about that about what I said part the you said they have to go siteb first cuz they're legally doing it going to us first right well they're not legally they need a site plan for Bill they have to go to you first if they know they're going to get denied but I told you if this board wants to do it differently to invite us to sit together make a process on paper right how they how did they know they're going to get denied because in the Solar is because it's a commercial it says right there no building perm without site plan but the problem is get a sight plan but they could I'm just I'm being Devil's Advocate P yeah they could walk in here with a they my argument on why they should have come here first is they could have walked in here with a sight plan they could have drawn it with a Crayola crayon on the back of a shopping bag and they could say this is my site plan we might feel that that's inadequate but wouldn't be the most inadequate site plan that's ever happened inme so you know they could come in they don't know that they're going to be denied so our my argument with that is they should have come here and least said how do you do we're going to do a site plan they and they clearly had drawings and stuff so they had that we could have looked at it and we could have said yeah looks like a good idea to us your permits 49 8 drop off a check and we'll sign it but here's the is I don't think we would do that but well the issue is you did do that once with a different developer board gave a bill permit before a site permit right so that's why I'm saying if you guys want to have them come here for a permit before site plan we need a these two need to have onp paper process otherwise I'm going by law site plan first well that's fine I mean I'm just that's why I told him if you guys just told if this board wants to do it differently I'm fine with that yeah if it's a written process and we're all agree on it's also they can go to the planing board and get a conceptual as well which was brought before select meeting get a conceptual find out whether or not it's even going straight to the plan Bo that's what he that's what so I was kind of like we saw the other night no that's the actual site plan the conceptual was when he visited us early in the year Conservation Commission and plan board that was conceptual they decided that they were close enough they felt they could do an actual site plan y they knew they needed a site plan for building and they came to us through were fine with because supposed to be done right okay he expressed that you should go and he did Express to they should go to us first I said that's fine if you want them to do that contact them or as planed board I'm going do the process that was supposed to be done well I site plan then I'm I'm I'm somewhere in the middle I think I think they should have at least said they should have at least checked in with us and said and I have no problem with that like I said happy to have all the work on the planning board without the they wouldn't have to go to you that's the thing so that ordinance is put in by the town but without that ordinance they wouldn't have to go to you for a site plan correct but because the ordinance is there they have to and we're going to base it off what is there is there currently if you want to talk about what else we can go put on top of every roof you know just because the town wants to do it that's not what we can do ordinance is there so that's what we're based off of not what could be you're going to ask me well that's my problem with Carl's question is it's a what if I don't know because it's got a long ways to go before it gets here or it's got ways to hi hello we're Sam Joyce nor um and we live on at the end right at the end just before it becomes classic um we've been interested in this full project from the very beginning we were in Montana when it first came forward my brother my sister my mom came we came to the last Mee and we are here because we have obviously a vested interest in what could possibly happen and um and then it plus we feel a big commitment to be involved and be informed know each one of you um hold you accountable and oh my goodness but that's why we're here we're here to listen and to speak when it's appropriate but make no mistake about it we have a vested interest as many others do and have been concerned over relationships too because all of you are voted in by us you know your your public servant and not understanding why there wouldn't be um true communication now I understand all the ordinances I'm not sure I have a lot of faith in them because I listen to Three waivers pass at the um planning board so I guess everything's up for discussion can be just wa might probably be more education right well and the planning board can weigh certain things but again when it comes down to it this board can say no we need to go back and do all this my point was coordin they're either good or they're not good so I don't know was that but that's why we're here basically to listen not here to speak to anything as we think pretty much the town's people should be doing anyway right we probably agree well I can't come to the breakfast because we sorry he's going to start delivering for you oh deliver I won't be there I got I got go this weekend all right it's this weekend I anyway that's that all right thank you you're welcome and you guys are here for something else that I think needs to wait until not um okay um yeah it' be a nonp public thing so okay we're good with that um we'll go ahead and we'll continue on so next one we've got appointments for Cemetery trustees yes um so a couple things with the cemetery trustees the board change um leadership a little bit um Tuesday I got um eled in as Chief question the board so that's one of our one of our bigger things um and the other thing is um we have lost uh one of our employes um has tendered his resignation I guess you would say Jeremy was there a letter CU we haven't seen it I it's came and told us so uh we we are in the process of formulating what we want to do because I think that the whole Cemetery crew next year is may look different um and so what we're trying to do is we're we're going to try to fill Go's position maybe change it a little bit to someone who's interested in staying on and kind of learning the rumors we do have to revisit pay scale there's a huge difference between us several the towns around so the cemetery trustees it's just you and Dian right Diane and Chris oh yeah so um Diane chair chis so this board has suggested to Dian and her capacity as chairman that board for two years at least because skip has been yes going to retire at the end of every year for the last four years yeah uh and I would you know I'd like him to work forever but it is what it is we have suggested that you contracted out much like the Communist mod and you might find that you have a any number of bids on that who are local and taking more doing it uh it is so that's our that would be certainly my personal suggestion and that fits with the business model of most towns most of the time you know if you're the city of keen and you have a staff of hundreds maybe it's different but you'll find most of the little towns either they they just job it out because there's not really enough to make a job out of it yeah and then you have the seasonality of it yeah so and that's part of something that we're running into is all of a sudden you know we have our job that we do basically spring summer and into fall and then all of a sudden there's nothing really lock the gates and lock the gates and stuff like that nobody dies for four months um I have looked at Keen a little bit definitely not taking their model uh well there's no money for that yeah um but um I the I wasn't told about that kind of uh Contracting out but that's something willing to consider as chairman and kind of that I wanted to just bring it to the board to say needs to happen the reason I mentioned it I mean I I don't want to speak out of term but the reason I mention it now is uh you may not realize this but sometime in the next 45 to 60 days you as chairman are going to be expected to produce and present a budget and the budget should anticipate whether you're going to contract that out yes or have an employee if you're going to contract it out you probably want to get bits yes just say yeah yes I mean the library just did it and I know who they hired I seen up all the time um the town the com we had there their bid it's it's the way to go unfortunately keeping a person on Stafford that well we don't have yeah we don't have a road department with eight people we have one and a half you know and so if we had we don't have parttime employee that we can reallocate half half time to the cemetery and half time to the road group and that's what I've seen with different different uh cities and towns is a lot of them will do that um in ke the Public Works apart but cemeteries are actually under a wreck in ke um but we won't go to that CU they don't they don't they don't have they don't even have records so um but yeah I wanted to bring it to the board uh because D and I'm glad it did get the suggestion because I do know we're going season and it would simplify the processually do it right after yeah all right so our recommend is get the bids okay CU there there are quite a few companies reach out to the library with their aspect um they turn the one for the com turned into JY the on for the comment turned into Jeremy the bid where do we you talking about the mowing yes we' just based it on the Lawrence's bid for the last several years okay so jery I'll give you who we it's Jason yeah I've seen it and it looks nice does and they pick up the leaves that's the best part so the cemetery I thank you really I did want to say just in closing you know if we do go out for bids or whatever um the the town I want to interrupt the town does all the town does is no the common they do not maintain the flowers they do not in the trees they do not MCH just so we're clear on that that's definely someone else but it looks nice looks nice and with the cemeteries um I do want to give another shout out to to skip because he has done this for 26 years I believe and oh yeah he does he does all the flowers um he does he basically does everything and stuff like that so it's it's no small task that he's taken on and if is moving on to something different just time for us as a Cemetary commission trust to do a little no definitely all right so we're going to go ahead and continue on with our lovely agenda today we've got some building permits to approve or deny or could I ask a question sure let's go I see an agenda but um at the meeting said some Ro would be discussed not tonight not tonight no yeah and we may move that back okay we're going to we're going to discuss that later okay we going excuse ourselves thank you thank you so the first one is I move we approve a building permit uh 20247 for map 28 7 a all any further discussion so the house check porch um it looks like he's just standing out on the taking out the old one which ising off the old you're within the set right yeah your yes yes I just extend a little bit at the back there now it's already there it's 14 by 12 I want tot for 20 by 14 okay the back all right all those in favor I one Circ now since you're here has J you know been paid always ask uh we have a request for building permit on I'm not seeing the number of the lot it's uh maap 20 lot 36a I guess that's what I'm looking at so this this needs to be they have to get denied and has to go to variance because it's not pered we deny it or do we uh we table has to be all right so I move that we deny the application for building permit for two six unit 363 I'll second all right any further discussion those in favor table it or denying it to send to theba zv zv for Vari VAR it's not for multi family yeah the sing business or something we emailed Carol our consult board and she verified here what are we uh one more me a second the uh that one was why I give him his original and then he can out door make sure he doesn't leave make sure he doesn't leave here's his permit he can go just Curtis needs to sign up Curtis So if he goes and gets a variance from the zda he's still got to go back to the planning work for site planning right yes yes I just gave him the copy so you got the yellow copy gave it to him it's right here is this his Cofe yes he's just in the resturant oh he just hangs it where he's doing his work and then when it's time to have sign off on he's got to call Jeremy to get it signed off on right still have to be appr what report have to be approved by building it's under 200 ft no well it's going bigger isn't it yeah it's 273 him to contact think sitting right there hi Mike I don't mean we're hear you you can join us all right stay there whatever it suits you what do you want to do all right I move that we uh approve building permit on map 18 lot 82 for Consolidated Communications it's all next to your generator on concrete bad and a pressure scen pressure treated screen this one this one's kind of you didn't think that would app what they told me they no this is this is just trying to kind of because they're putting the generator right here between the two trans typical Kow I think we're missing something that's the is this a sa this is a giant draft of where they want to put okay this is a blow up of this is that correct no that's not correct that's the building and this building already exists yes but they want to put a generator right here what is 41 oh oh that's the the power the the communication station right yeah yeah yeah it's the uh was and this is actually up behind Lisa this is this is be where you get down the driveway behind Lisa St that's there H yeah yeah yeah I forgot that they're okay so I don't know if that's set concern what is the setback out there I don't District it's where um Street in the hill it's the first like right across from Stan CLK let me look it up oh you I tripped on hallowe last year is it rural or village Village District Village district is 15 ft off property lines he got whatever this is 10 he's got half well no this is the place where closest is here giant one if you want don't want to splin your eyes yeah it looks the middle are location South oh so no these are he wants to put in two proposed concrete P proposed concrete p 3 ft on all sides well I I I I think that we should St list for more information their their submission is line is here he's only got 4 ft so he's not in well right that's he's in the except that's not actually except that's not actually a building it's a Concrete path so does that matter I mean I don't know yes you can't put something on a set without generator structure VAR I guess the question comes down to is a pad SL generator consider a structure is saying yes when they submitted they didn't think they met it so they were honest with okay size is that here I'm going yeah that's why I'm trying to look this GI why are we troubling ourselves with this they are the ones that have toate submission motion table Yeah motion to table for more information for more information they can go directly to the zba who made a motion I was going to do that who made the motion he he made the motion I said Perfect all those in favor thank so I withdrew my motion jerem and Curtis withdrew his second because I had made a motion to approve it no you didn't get that no because we still looking at it trying to figure it out um okay now do it now yeah so let's go ahead and skip he firsted he seconded yeah so can go ahead oh okay they don't keep them here all night oh okay I'll take a motion to go into nonpublic under 91 a 32d the consideration of the acquisition sale or lease of real property making I am making the got up be roll call vote Curtis yes dick yes TJ yes uh we're going to go into nonu for a little bit guys so you guys you two can stay the rest of you please vacate for a few minutes I you all a good night thank you an informative