Select Board
Thursday, September 1, 2022
Meeting Minutes

Select Board: Andrea Hodson, Kathy Scott, Pegg Monahan
Attendees: Mary Day  Mordecai, Ned Hulbert, Earl Horn

The Chair called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.

Agenda, Minutes – For the agenda, the Chair added an update from the Transportation Committee, and postponed the update from the Electric Aggregation Committee and Jeff Cady’s facilities update. Kathy Scott added an item under new business. Agenda approved as amended.

For the August 26 meeting minutes, the total valuation on the MS-1 Report of Valuation was corrected to $135,822.

Chesham Road noise complaint – A resident complained of noise from a home-based business, including from machines, beeping from vehicles in reverse, truck horns both during the day and occasionally at night. The board will review the permits issued to the owner and any specific conditions associated with them.

Transportation Committee – Mary Day Mordecai updated the board that the speed radar signs installed with funds from the first MAST grant are working and data from survey responses is being collected. The former Police Chief had managed the traffic and speed data collection so the committee is still figuring that out. They noted the signs are helpful for speed enforcement and traffic calming.

For the Wells Memorial School Safety Zone, the signs are on hand but solar accessible locations are still being finalized.  Ms. Mordecai noted that the cost to electrify the signs is estimated at $1500-$3,000 plus the monthly electricity cost of $17-18. Assistance may be available from SWRPC, the school and/or the town. The Transportation Committee will continue to work on this.  The SB confirmed the town would be willing to pay the monthly electric bill for the connection.

Church Alley – The board discussed the request from a Church Street resident to repair Church alley, which connects the post office parking lot to School Street. The board is researching the deeds of abutting property owners as it believes this is a private road and town funds cannot go toward repair of private ways. The board will also reach out to Historic Harrisville to discuss the idea of signage on their property to notify drivers that the alley is not maintained.

Recycle Center – The SB moved to appoint the Recycling Center Committee and will ask the Town Clerk to prepare the Oaths of Office. The members of the RCC are Courtney Cox, Mary Lou DiPietro, Penelope King, Diana Shonk and Connie White, in addition to SB members Kathy Scott and Pegg Monahan.

Separately, the SB Rethink Plastic team are volunteers who are appointed as acting in conjunction with the town as volunteers on the ReThink Plastic initiative.  If the list of volunteers changes, Mary Armstrong should notify the SB office.

CIP – The board noted the Capital Improvement Plan is to be updated. The last update was in 2014.

Finance – The SB reviewed the MS-434 worksheet, the forecasted non-tax revenues for 2022. The Chair noted that revenues for the  3rd quarter of 2022 have been updated based on input from the Assessor, Finance Dept., Town Clerk and the DRA. The SB approved and signed the report for submission to the DRA.

FD/Town Hall Road Sign – Pegg Monahan presented options from manufacturers to replace the existing roadside billboard with a digital version. The goal is to install a sign as similar as possible, but programmable from office computers and occasionally lit. As required by Article XVII of the town zoning ordinances, Ms. Monahan will submit an application to the ZBA for a special exception.

Legal – The Chair noted that Town Counsel has prepared the Sales Agreement and Deed for repurchase of Clukay Estate on Route 137 by heirs of the former owner.

Employee Manual – SB will resume work on this when they meet on Election Day, September 13.

EAC – Electric Aggregation Committee has spoken to Thomas Carter at Freedom Energy Logistics, who will provide an electric supply rate quote to the SB. 

Meeting calendar – PB will hold an internal workshop on 9/6. The Conservation Commission meets on 9/7; and the SB will meet on 9/8.

At 9:30 pm, the SB moved to continue the meeting to Friday, September 1, 2022 at 3:15 pm at town hall to meet with the Officer in Charge for an update on the PD budget.


Select Board
Friday, September 2, 2022
Meeting Minutes con’t

Select Board: Andrea Hodson, Kathy Scott
Attendees:  Officer-in-Charge Zach Byam

At 3:20 pm, the SB continued its meeting to discuss the Police Department budget and staffing. The board followed up on its discussion with Temple-Greenville Police Chief James McTague to consider how the Temple-Greenville department model could be adapted for Harrisville. Considerations include cost savings, increased police coverage and a more competitive compensation plan for officers.  The board will explore the option with neighboring towns, and the board chair will draft an overture letter for review and transmittal in the coming week.

Legal/Finance follow up – The SB voted in favor to sign both the Sales Agreement and Deed for the Clukay property repurchase, affirmatively finding that sale of the deeded parcel to the heirs of the prior owner, and disposal of the real estate by a method other than sealed bid or public auction, is in the public interest.  The board will sign and have both documents notarized and returned to counsel for execution.

Subsequently, the SB chair confirmed that, for the MS-434, Revised Estimated Revenues, the DRA approved the booking of the $25,000 from the sale of municipal property to non-tax revenues.

The meeting adjourned at 5:00 pm.