Board of Selectmen Meeting, September 16, 2024

Updates on facilities repairs, building permit fees. New Highway Department truck.

Facilities

Facilities Director Alan Trant gave an update on facilities issues.

Gym Floor

The mastic in the Community Center’s gym floor was determined to contain asbestos. The alternatives are to encase it, as was done with the kitchen, or to remove it. Removal would cost in the high $50k range. Encasing it would violate the warranty for the new floor. The new floor is warranted for 17 years and should last 15-25 years. It is made of removable planks, so spot repairs can be made to the floor. Laser testing showed the floor to be uneven by 5/8ths of an inch, which is typical of floors this old (approximately 70 years old). 

The board discussed the 4 bids it had received. It unanimously agreed to encase the old floor and to award the contract to Wilder Flooring. Wilder was not the low bid, but it was chosen for the thoroughness of what was covered in its bid, the helpful information it provided at the prior board meeting, and the company’s community involvement.

Old Fire Station

The Old Fire Station has substantial deterioration. The sheeting under the metal roof is rotten. The back wall is falling apart. One tenant backed out of renting it because of the high moisture levels in the interior. Trant estimates the building needs over $150k in repairs. His conclusion is that the building should be demolished and the land sold. 

The board briefly discussed the options before deferring a decision.

Community Center Back Area

The project to gut the interior of the sealed-off back portion of the Community Center should be done by the end of the year. The team is currently on its third dumpster. By next week it should be wide open to the exterior walls. 

New Conference Room

Work to create Community Center Conference Room #2 will start in a couple of weeks. It will probably will take 3-4 weeks to complete. Most likely cause of any delay would be the installation of the audio/visual equipment.

New Recreation Department Space 

By end of year the Recreation Department’s new space, created from what’s currently the conference room, should be complete.

Recycling Center

A new ramp for the trash compactor will be done within 2-3 weeks. The new ramp will have flow-through boards to help prevent winter icing.  

Building Permit Fees

Town Building Inspector Dale Sylvia discussed the building permit fees with the board. The board wished to explore whether the fees should be increased to be in line with the fees charged by other towns. The board also had questions about the solar fees.

Sylvia’s opinion is that our fees are good as is. The purpose of the fees is not to make money for the town, but simply to self-fund the department. As is the town is making a profit on the fees. Last year the town generated $69k in fees and had $16k in profit. 

It is true, however, that Nottingham’s fees may be a little lower than neighboring towns, particularly for new construction. On the other hand, Nottingham may be charging slightly higher fees on small projects. 

Sylvia praised Nottingham’s simple and straightforward fee structure. The fee schedules used by some neighboring towns is tremendously complex and takes up a lot of administrative time. Contractors engage in gaming the system.

He suggested only two changes to the fees. One is for a per-project fee on solar installations as they’re more administratively time-consuming than the town is currently charging. He explained that free-standing solar permits were more expensive because they required an extra site visit to inspect set-backs. 

He also suggested a fee for fencing projects. These currently do not require a permit, but the Building Inspector infrequently gets called in on fence disputes between neighbors, which is costly for the town. 

Nottingham Day Celebration

On Saturday the 21st it’s Nottingham Day. Free admission to Pawtuckaway State Park 8 am to 5 pm. Family hike at 11 am. Ice cream truck 11 am to 1 pm. 1:30 to 3 pm boat tours. Details. 

New Highway Department Truck

The board unanimously approved the acquisition of a 2011 Ford F350 diesel truck with 66k miles on it for use by the Highway Department. The $25k for the purchase will come from the department’s equipment trust fund. The department’s former utility vehicle, which broke down and had to be scraped, will be replaced with a truck the deparment already owns, and that truck will be replaced with this new heavier and more-capable truck that can be used in the winter to plow some of the narrower roads in town that are currently subcontracted, providing the town a cost savings. 

Recycling Center Inspection

Selectman Morin inspected the Recycling Center on Saturday. He thought everything was running well there except for the appearance of a picnic table where the sharing shed had been upon which residents were placing items they thought were usable, for others to take. The staff told him that they removed all items from the table every Monday morning. Years ago the board had voted to end this practice. 

Exeter Hospital’s Discontinuance of Paramedic Service

The board unanimously endorsed a letter created by the Fire Department complaining to Exeter Hospital about its unilateral decision to terminate its ALS paramedic service which it has operated for over 25 years. This deprives communities in the area, including Nottingham, of a critical life-saving service. 

Friends of the Recreation Department

The Recreation Department is looking to create a non-profit organization similar to the Friends of the Library. 

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