Harrisville Planning Board
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Meeting Minutes

The Harrisville Planning Board held a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at town offices and via zoom.

The meeting opened at 7:05 pm.

Members present: Ryan Stone Co-Chair, Lisa Anderson Co-Chair, Ned Hulbert, Don Scott Alternate, Jon Miner Alternate, Courtney Cox, Kate Neary Alternate, Andrea Hodson Select Board Representative

Members absent: Peter Thayer

Members of the public: Mary Day Mordecai, Harry Wolhandler, Scott Stone

Attendance, Roles and Voting Members
Co-Chair Ryan Stone noted that the voting members for the evening included himself, Lisa Anderson, Ned Hulbert, Courtney Cox and Andrea Hodson.

Approval of Agenda
Members voted in favor to approve the agenda.

Minutes of previous meeting 3/9/2022
Following a correction to the minutes by Don Scott on the basement ceiling heights in the main house and proposed ADU for the Carmel property on Silver Road, members voted in favor to approve the minutes of the previous meeting as amended. Andrea Hodson abstained due to her departure prior to the close of business.

Transportation Committee Update
Mary Day Mordecai reported that the repaired radar sign on Route 137 was reinstalled and is up and functioning. She thanked Mike Tollett, Jeff Cady, Ned Hulbert, Earl Horn and Wes Tarr for their assistance. She also noted that the residents, who had previously expressed concern about the sign’s location, are happy with where it is installed.  Earl Horn is collecting traffic and data from it. Separately, the school zone radar signs have been ordered and are expected before the end of the school year. School zone speed tests, as required as part of the MAST grant funding, will be conducted before and after installation.

On meeting minutes of the Transportation Committee, Ms. Mordecai confirmed through Andrea Hodson that the TC is required to publish its minutes. The minutes are now posted on the town website. The list of members and the objectives of the TC will be added as content on the Planning Board page.

To fulfill the educational outreach requirements of the MAST grant, the TC will solicit feedback from townspeople via survey monkey on the effectiveness of the grant work. The TC also will co-host a booth with the Trails Committee at the 150th celebration this July 22-24.

ADU Permit Application follow up – Randall Carmel, 132 Silver Road
PB members discussed how conditions placed on permit approvals get enforced after property is transferred. The board wants to ensure that the condition on the Carmel ADU, that the basement remain storage/non-living space, is permanent. Lisa Anderson shared Peterborough’s process for attaching affidavits to Notices of Decision/approved ADU plans that get recorded at the Registry of Deeds. The board will consult with the Assessor and Building Inspector.

Nomination of a representative to SWRPC
Harrisville is invited to submit two nominations for commissioner seats on the Southwest Region Planning Commission.  With the passing of Jay Jacobs, Harrisville’s only representative in recent years, the town is not currently represented among SWPRC commissioners or its board of directors.  Commissioners attend 4 quarterly meetings each year, plus one annual meeting, as well as any meetings of committees they choose to join.

Following discussion of the responsibilities involved and the benefits of membership and collaboration with the SWRPC, Lisa Anderson moved to nominate Kate Neary to serve as representative to the SWRPC, with Don Scott expressing interest in serving as alternate.  Ryan Stone seconded. Members voted unanimously in favor. The nomination now goes to the Select Board for consideration of appointment, followed by submission to the SWRPC. 

2022 Planning Board
– Membership – Ryan Stone noted that Ned Hulbert has requested to transition to Alternate from full voting member and that longtime PB member Noel Greiner has stepped down following the expiration this March of his final three year term. The board acknowledged Mr. Greiner’s many years of service.

–Training (past and future) The Co-Chairs shared upcoming training opportunities, expressing the importance of all members’ having the same foundation in order to serve effectively and hoping this is the case by this time next year.

While all the courses are available online, the chairs encouraged live participation for the opportunity to ask questions and listen to others. They recommend three courses through NHMA and one through the Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI). Lisa Anderson will connect with Pete Thayer on options.

Calendar of courses:
NHMA – Right to Know, April 28, 9:00 – 1:00
NHMA – Hard Road to Travel, May 5, 9:00-12:30
NHMA – Workings of a Planning Board, June 29, 11:30 – 1:00
OSI Planning/Zoning – 2 day class 9:00-12:00, April 30 and May 7

-PB Focus Topic – The Co-Chairs noted they believe the board’s focus topic is the Master Plan Review Committee and subcommittees. They anticipate moving forward this month after the recent hiatus. Members who have different ideas on a focus topic are encouraged to share.

-Housing – Ned Hulbert shared that SWRPC has undertaken a needs assessment on housing for every town in their region. The assessment includes 10 year census data. Mr. Hulbert hopes that J.B. Mack of SWPRC can present to PB members, possibly this summer or fall, on the importance of the data and SWRPC’s work.  Data is anticipated to be collected by end of summer. Mr. Hulbert will share a copy of the spreadsheet. PB members also briefly discussed affordable housing as a subtopic of housing. 

–Ordinance Review Committee – The Co-Chairs asked members to keep them apprised of topics, provisions, and/or articles that need clarifying or amending. The list will be shared with the ORC for its next round of proposed ordinance revisions, anticipated to begin in 2023.

New Business:
Scott Stone, 64 Silver Road (Map 51 – Lot 34) – Mr. Stone submitted an application to subdivide his parcel, which also fronts Blood Hill Road. The board formally accepted the submission. Courtney Cox and Jon Miner will review it for completeness within 7 days and notify the applicant if anything further is needed.  At next month’s PB meeting the determination on completeness will be made and announced.

SB Document for Wilderness Trail– In response to questions from the PB co-chairs, the SB offered guidelines for Wilderness Trail and potentially for proposed development in other areas of town.  Ryan Stone noted that the Select Board in 2015 established a policy on the Issuance of Building Permits on Class VI and Private Roads, in which a definition of private road is included as follows: A strip of land over which one or more individuals has the right to pass in a highway vehicle, and which is not a Class I through VI highway and is not an official trail. Jon Miner added that the definition arose out of the implementation of E-911, after which the town labeled private roads as such. Ryan Stone will email the policy to PB members, as well as the guidelines shared by the current SB.

Draft Guide/Brochure on the Subdivision process – Andrea Hodson shared a draft information brochure for property owners on subdivisions, including the guidelines, ordinances and statutes involved and the planning board review process. PB members were asked to review it and bring feedback to next month’s meeting.

Other business
Courtney Cox suggested that the board begin meetings with heavy agendas earlier in the evening, possibly 6:30 pm, something previous boards have done. Members requested that topic information be distributed as early as possible so they have adequate time to prepare.

The meeting adjourned at 9:08 pm.