Board of Selectmen Meeting, October 2, 2023
Huge rat at Town Hall. Correction of claims about officers leaving the Fire Department. Unscheduled pay raises for firemen.
Fire Department Issues
The Town Administrator reported that the town had received a quote from Municipal Resources to do an assessment of the Fire Department. Their starting price was at $15k. The town does not have budget for an amount this high. Alternatives are being explored.
During the period for public comment, there was a question about whether the rumor was true that the full-time employees of the Fire Department had received large pay increases. The Town Administrator reported that they had received pay increases in August, typically from $22/hr to $24/hr. It was noted that these pay increases had not been budgeted for.
Another question was whether it was true that two of the lieutenants had resigned. The board said it wasn’t true. While it was true that Lieutenant Kustra had taken a full-time position with the Durham Fire Department, he was still active with the Nottingham Fire Department on a per diem basis. The board also denied that Lieutenant Ross had left the department.
Previously, Sandra Vilchock had submitted a right-to-know request to the board to unseal the minutes of several of the board’s non-public sessions. The board rejected the request on the basis that the minutes contained discussions relevant to matters currently subject to litigation. She has submitted a new request for just the minutes of the February 27, 2023 non-public session based on the claim that those minutes do not contain such a discussion. [It has elsewhere been disclosed that former Fire Chief Jaye Vilchock filed a formal complaint against the town’s former Interim Town Administrator, John Scruton, an employee of Municipal Resources.] The board consented to reviewing the minutes in non-public session and will respond to the request.
Highway Department Issues
Steve Parkinson, an employee of Municipal Resources, who has been serving as Interim Public Works Director has completed his contract period with the town and left the position last week. The town is still advertising for the Highway Director position, which supervises 4 full-time employees.
The Highway Department proposed selling its 2019 hydraulic sander it used for only one season. The department has an electric sander it prefers to use, as the hydraulic sander is extremely noisy to operate and requires the truck driver to wear ear protection. The board approved putting it up for bidding.
Recreation Issues
The board is still seeing public input on renaming the Marston Recreational Area. So far only 108 citizens have voted in the online poll, and the vote is nearly even regarding whether the name should be changed - although quite divided on exactly what it should be changed to. Vote now.
The new dugouts at the Marston Recreational Area are getting close to completion.
Other News
There will be a public hearing on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, at 6:00 pm in Conference Room #1 at the Town Hall about accepting and spending $19k in unanticipated grant revenue to be used for police body cameras.
There will be a public hearing on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, at 6:15 pm in Conference Room #1 at the Town Hall about increasing Planning Board fees. The Planning Board recommends the fee increase to bring Nottingham’s fees to be similar to those of neighboring towns.
The town’s increased efforts to protect the town hall from vermin, necessitated by a rodent that broke into the police offices and died in the ceiling, producing an awful odor, succeeded in trapping a rat the size of a house cat. Town officials did not comment about whether the rat got fat being on the town’s payroll.
News Not from the Board of Selectmen Meeting
The Historical Society is offering a free tour, with actors sharing stories and information about the lives of those buried there, of the Col. Joseph Cilley Burial Ground on Deerfield Road at 3:00 pm Saturday, October 14.
Watch the video: