TranscriptSelect Board Meeting ~ August 8, 2023

all right good evening everybody uh welcome to the Durham Board of Select board meeting we have four people with us and Mr Roy is excuses this evening um liberty and justice for all right so do we really need any amendments they have

uh public comments process things that we do here run around Pond Road um I am on the the Union Church committee and we're at a loss on how to meet the three goals that you gave us without having any money is appropriated to us so what I'm here to just ask is if there will be money available because one of the goals is to make sure that we have everything up to code so that we can put it not everything up to so we can put down everything on a piece of paper that will bring it up to code and in order to do that we need to get a structural engineer underneath that building so we started sort of thinking about it and somebody reached out to a friend that they or a person that they know that is a structural engineer that estimate for that work was twenty two hundred dollars so I just want to give a heads up that if you want us to do the research by December that

put into that goal we may need some money to back it up okay just great for you to talk about thank you very much for sharing we have no own business on the agenda and new business uh Mike Clark sir here yeah thank you baseball yeah um yeah for those of you that may not know me Michael Clark uh president Derby's baseball uh my vice president and our equipment manager former president uh Chris sanamon with us tonight um so back in the spring we we were here talking about

work out which was great had an excellent season this year with the kids over there at the field I think we had maybe a hundred and ten or so kids from t-ball up through our miners age group which is U10 um a lot of good feedback from the parents in the community of what went on over there this year and when we were here in the spring we kind of provided um a maintenance plan of things that we would like to do um we did do this is just something in addition to what was sent to you guys ahead of time um [Music]

we did a few things before the season started um I don't know what I've even done over there but we resurfaced and replaced all the benches on the first base side bleachers reinforced the third base Dugout that had a lot of rot and some Holes in the Floor reinforced that put fencing up on front of a Dugout for safety for foul balls and things like that um we read kind of graded the infield for the season um but we'd like to try to start to move forward on some of the things that we proposed to the board back in the spring so I know I had sent Jerry over

um I don't know if it's here you guys probably have it but kind of an outline so one of the one of the big things for us is um so for this year the size of the field worked great for the age groups that we had t-ball through U10 next year we will very likely

have a u12 at least one maybe even two u12 teams next year so the fence line is pretty short for that age group so we would like to push that fence back it's currently at about 165 feet um I'll hand this out to you guys too this is just kind of a real rough I just pulled a Google map overhead of the field we'd like to ideally the standard kind

of little league Cal Ripken size field is 200 feet to the fence so pushing that fence back 200 feet would kind of roughly around where that this red line that I drew is now we're out there a few days ago and one of the issues we run into is if you allow us to push that back to 200 feet there's some trees that kind of run our way there which I've circled here one in right center field there's kind of a big clump of pine trees and then a few Birches there kind of in center field so we would ask that we'd be able to take those down to make room for the fence that will obviously a license arborist come and do that for us grind this stumps regrade the land of a field there Outfield does have some some bare spots I know it's a lot of sand over there so we'd like to you know assuming we can get that fence pushed back do some new grading and seating back

there as well there's kind of some potholes throughout the field which does kind of run into some safety issues with kids running out there you know twisting ankles and things like that so you know filling those in we did meet with Kyle actually had a meeting with Dan Bowie last week over there kind of measured things out and he gave us some things that he would be willing to help us with as a local contractor here either through you know donations of time or materials certainly wouldn't be doing it all for free but you know so that he's more than willing to help us out where he can with some of those things um in addition to that we also plan on or

would like to fully resurface the infield instead of just kind of turning it over every year and regrading it we'd like to actually get a real baseball infield mix in there we found there's a company out of Monmouth that does sell infield mix for ball fields so getting that you know kind of digging out a little bit what's there and you know filling that in with baseball field Knicks at this point and then lastly in the back of the PowerPoint presentation here the equipment shed and concession stand that's over there um you know that was certainly great for us to have this year the it is a little bit too small for to keep all of our equipment there on site and if we are going to be adding a couple of teams that's going to be a bigger problem for us next year so we would like to be able to add on to that additional to add an addition on to that shed that's already there so there's a sketch in the last two pages

here and what we're proposing is adding to the if you're looking out at The Shed from here the left side of the going towards the parking lot a six foot overhang in the back to um we do have portable Mound out there we don't have an actual baseball Mount built into the field so we are using a portable Mound um you know that would give us a place to store that out of the weather for the winter or any other larger items that um

like to really get started on this fall if we could to have ready for spring of next season jump in but um yeah so I wanted to take any questions safety operate for the kids I don't I don't have any particular questions so I have three yeah just just to get them out there it's all going to be paid for by donations or by pyramid baseball yes um in the shed the shed belongs to the town um

I wanted to come early I just didn't get a chance tonight how far is the feel that 200 feet from the parking lot way away yeah that's not gonna I mean so it's 165 for the fence now so we're talking eventually 35 feet so um yeah it's not going to come anywhere close

just thinking like I grew up in Freeport uh you know the high school field you're hitting into the Gap park yeah [Music] yeah of course yeah I think you have adults sitting out there probably wouldn't make the Cardinals yeah there's a lot of space couldn't picture it yep no that's okay [Music] well um actually the the other thing that I forgot to mention regard to fencing um you know we've talked about this too we would like to um we've had we have a parent that works at uh Dugas and he said that they're willing to possibly donate some fencing to us um we'd like to if we can enclose the field um you guys probably know there is a house right next door that rides dirt bikes around through here um I was over there with my daughter yesterday and there's dirt bike tracks in the infield so you know torn up in you know just kind of a safety thing too as well but we're going to close the field you know with some

gates access gates the first base of therapist fence into the actual audio post putting the six foot fence Gates we can get them on any tractors or whatever we need to and then do a walk-in fence and you seem to walk in where it kind of zigzag to get in kind of keeping that stuff out to keep them off the field especially the amount of money trying to put into it

with with vehicles right right the walking Gates would be opened so anybody can walk in and out um it's just to keep the motor vehicles off the field I mean seeing it over here plus the school Fields this past winter it's a strong

handle the questions um so number one I have a little bit of knowledge of defense and my husband installed it through that and none of the posts are concreted so we're using that existing material um I'm process wise did does any of this have to go through a conditional use permit situation I know that when softball is trying to do changes he was having to go through conditions permit situation I don't know that the softball was trying to do

them go I don't it's a town field it's not a private thing it's stamped or approved by codes of course this would even interfere with any like future plans or use of um you know like we've talked about in the past like you know tying the Eureka Center and here together in any way even with a path or something it doesn't even come close to interior

safe um extending the fence to impose is a great idea I would just like to put it on your table not necessarily the roadside is really scary the backstop yeah yeah the backstop and like down that you know when kids are like behind and people are driving through there and the parents are watching the game and their little one is like impact behind the I've watched many kids run out into the road chasing the ball they're just playing so anyway just putting that on your radar yeah no that's perhaps

yeah basically you're just talking like along the the difference ditch line here yeah yep um improvements to the end field and bring in baseball next yep are you going to try to Grass an infield no no no no the least when we came to the slide court at least was for us to leave that open so softball board it was a big part through through baseball thank you

it was yeah that's fine it's just a resurface so that we have a better material that is not you know it's easy to work with we can form it better it's not um you know what's on there now is not the problem so I just kind of want to make it so it's better it's you know that proper material in there it's easy for us to work in the late

is this face path this goes all the way to the Outfield how far is isn't it a 40 [Music] to put the plugs in further for the base path because he was only at like 52 feet on one base 54 or another so another bases were actually what it should have been right even for solvable right where they're supposed to be uh so we set up in place where they were supposed to be and then we had that's why our Outfield we kind of now we're shortened on the input

because when I'm looking for Russian line yep if this is 60 if you like this probably isn't 35 feet in the shrine which is fine try not to scale right but yeah yeah so that that that's my only thing I don't know what the process

and Mike you know Mike we want to do the 200 but little league you can do anyways from one night so you have that range if if we you know if you say hey we need to have player one look at that that's not what I'm suggesting I'm just saying that I think that if we were actually proportionate that probably comes out here where there's yeah no it's so so where I've circled these trees um that's literally what needs to be taken down so you know it wasn't it doesn't um all of this stuff back here doesn't need to be touched there's a front Clump right here and then just a few Birches on this side um none of this stuff over here so I mean it's actually probably pretty close um if it wasn't such a mess out you know we could even walk out and look at it but um but yeah it's we were out there the other day 190 gets us like right to the tree line without maybe you know maybe just trimming some branches

or a little bit but uh 200 would you know have us take a clump out which you know would be ideal yeah hang over the field and have one bigger Bridge um I think I think your plans look great um with that said the only thing that I would recommend you guys do um is flag trees that you think are going to have to be removed kind of flag around them mark off wear that 190 or 200 foot Mark is okay um Gary feels about the Calvin we've improved that into the and as long as it's not intrusive in terms of like clear cutting that whole field and it's just as it's Illustrated together

kind of where I was in as well take them 200 yeah so here we're going to cut this off yeah guys are Illustrated to vote to approve this pending Calvin's of what how do you want to say this is that what they're looking for is a rope I I guess if you wanted to vote we could really go yeah make a motion to authorize Durham youth baseball to proceed with the plans that they've Illustrated pending review of the tree cut line and 190 and 200 foot Foundry markers approval by Calvin barnier I'll second that

my other question would be sure I think it's a great idea I I would just like to limit The Cutting of trees um you know at 200 you know cutting trees I think that should be the idea of the goal is that 200 I think it's better for that age um but you know as long as you limit yeah I mean there's no intention or reason for us to take out anything more that we have to I know yeah no I hear you and it's a buffer foreign so I got a motion on the floor

any other questions all in favor everybody gentlemen yeah appreciate it stretch one question that's for the fence line and the trees or is that for the shed right yeah but on the shed too yeah you guys okay with that one I know that was it's not correct stuff the shed's not ours yeah okay the only question there is this and I don't know there's just I would I would do this I don't I don't think they'll charge you I would just check with codes in regards to once you reach a certain square footage on a shed there is something that transpires here I don't know I don't own these sheds personally but just check with him and you know he can send us a waiver for anything I'm still going to go through the code enforcement for the shed I just didn't know here if we had to get that approved before and then if you were looking for us to go to the plan I don't believe it got no it's never been through the

planet board on that no I don't the planning board has more than enough to do than a little footage field before the road so there's a there's an overhang on the front just for water when the extension the extension's on the back yeah just make sure you're not encroaching into the towns right I don't think you are but yeah I'll have to talk to him about the uh overhang if that's going to count because that back rule or if it's just the shed itself so I'll I'll deal with him on that yeah

appreciate it for doing everything you're doing it's great for the program so it means a lot thank you thank you [Music] okay be gently one up at the 31 runaround Pond Road in Durham and I'm the chair of the historic district Commission what I did first was just hand it out to you explanation of what the um three different groups who have

investment in the Union Church who they are and what our responsibilities are so the first thing on the page is the Durham historic district Commission and on the historic within the ordinances the um historic district commission has given a lot of different rules to follow I guess is what we call them since the wooden insists to follow the first is that we have our purpose

the purpose is to prevent inappropriate alterations of buildings of historic or architectural value to prevent the demolition or removal of designated besides through landmarks and significant historic structures within designated districts whenever a reasonable alternative exists to preserve the essential character of designated districts by protecting relationships of groups of buildings and structures and to assure that new construction in the historic district is compatible with a historic character of The District so as to protect property and tax valuations the district runs approximately from where the Bandstand is

a little bit down route nine up over the hill toward the get and go and down Ferry Road and then is bordered by the river so I'd love to be able to tell you there's a nice map in here that shows it but the one behind Heather is the best I can do and you can barely see it so right at the Southwest band in the river thank you heather is we're the where the historic district is so we are responsible for that and without reading this all to you I hope that you all realize that

put up barriers to um repairing or building or adding on to any of the houses in the district what we do is we just make sure that everything that's done within the district is done appropriate way so if somebody wanted to put an addition on their house they would come to us and they would bring drawing some to scale sorts of um things that they might have had someone else draw that they brought we look at them we go over it we decide whether or not it's appropriate then we give them a certificate of appropriateness and then they can go forward as long as the code says they can so we work really closely with codes on this um so

what we want to do and what we're told to do is to protect that District well in addition to that we're supposed to also inform the community and educate the community so we try to do that as well that's why we have a Facebook page to try to put some things up um the second group that has an interest in the union chart is the Union Church committee that y'all put together and that you gave us the three goals

of finding out what the purpose is for the building for the long term what the restoration would be to bring it up to code and um how that's all going to become in actuality and that report is due to you in December it of course is the Historical Society so the Historical Society has a long-term agreement since 1988 with the

town that they have oversight of the building they have the use of the building not the repairs but the use of it and that's um what they've been doing most recently is getting it cleaned up inside and um and getting it ready for an open house for the museum that they put together now I'm in a little bit of an odd position because I'm chair of the commission and vice chair of the Union Church committee and I'm a member of the Historical Society so yeah sometimes when I come I sort of have to watch my boundaries but I try to be careful that what I'm doing is who I'm representing at that time and tonight I'm representing the commission

so we're a little con maybe more than a little we're a lot confused on the RF on the sorry on the uh ten thousand dollars that was given to the commission for repair on the Sill and I came in yesterday and double checked the language on the motion that was made at the town meeting and that's what it says that ten thousand dollars would go to the commission for the repair of the sale of the Union Church

from you but I need to be sure that's true because if it's supposed to come from us we need to get off our and and get them get moving on it because it's already been from April till now ten thousand dollars of that has to be spent before December and we all know how hard it is to get anybody to even look at property although we've been lucky enough to have two groups come and look at Union Church and give us estimates on what the repair would be for the sale um so

this okay that'd be good okay so the town approved ten thousand dollars yes so we can we can put out an RFP assuming that work can be done for opportunity we know the sales are going to cost more than ten thousand dollars so until we have an idea of let's say it's 35 000. once we got that money here marked by town then we could put out an RFP for 35

000. so we have another 21 that's banked that doesn't run out I it's in the restoration restoration right right so we can use that as well as the 10. so that would give us 31. I don't believe we could use that because it's over 10 without

say is um more well we're only typically unless it's been approved by the town yes like for example we can authorize you to spend ten thousand dollars if we had something that was tangible this is this cost ten thousand dollars or less it was cool for that that money has been earmarked to fix that count but we haven't really designated what that money is going to go to to get the talents approval to utilize utilize all of them does that make sense not at all okay simply say that I think we would have to have a special time the town would have to have to authorize us to spend up to that 21 000 in addition to the 10. to repair the cell so right right so still was not on the board

but that I think still is on the warrant it's just the fact that it's going to cost more than 10. um number one who authorizes an RFP typically the board would once the town has like for example we want to buy a new truck and we go to the town we say we want to raise or we want to use ten thousand dollars of capital funds to buy a new truck in the town says yes you can spend up to 110 000. we would come back after a town meeting and say Calvin go put an rfpl for the truck okay so

commission up to the ten thousand but because it's going to cost more I think the board has to should be the one doing it if it were 10 000 or less then I think the commission could do it under the warranty yeah I'm asking for the is is a bit an RFP you're we're

attaching a number to that like because we've been authorized already to spend that money so we have to budget now I go up our I get quotes for less than that um that number or the same number so an R an RFP is different

a formal quote the money has to exist before in RFP because what I think and correct me if I'm wrong what I think that they're trying to do is in order to accomplish these goals that we're asking is if if the present proposal oh wait a

minute restoration what restoration is required and present a proposal to how those goals were going to be accomplished if they don't have numbers attached to that how at that point do we make it important wrong group things you use the estimate to make the RFP that's correct thank you so you bring it all in and then you formulate say okay green I want white I want wood and then I go and now we'll keep okay I understand that now thank you for clarifying can I ask one other question when the it was the roof that was done over at the Union Church yes okay I

don't recall um voting on the funds for the roof of the church that was in the restoration fun and people were out of that so how did that work if we didn't go to town meeting and so there's never been a vote of anything that's been a restoration on that building where we had 60 66 000 basically four years ago they've never taken a special town meeting they've never voted it at town meeting the money in the restoration fund which is in the budget and has been and it's been carried forward because it is in operational funds or no it's in its own it's in its own okay

okay so it carries over year to year in prior to about four years ago talk to the select board and ask for ten thousand dollars and it would get in a warrant but that fell off the wagon during I guess probably during the pandemic I don't know maybe just prior to it so the sixty six thousand dollars has been spent down now it was used about twenty thousand dollars went to the roof eighteen thousand dollars went to the repairs of the back of the church uh some amount which I don't have the slightest idea was for tar to Tar from

the road to the stairs of the of the Union Church that doesn't meet the standards for what it needs to for the Department of the Interior because it's tart should've been either cobbles or bricks or something but or left alone exactly but now it's there I mean you could tear it out but we're probably not going to right away but none of that money came up for a private town meeting vote I the only thing I can tell you that in my recollection of this that's different here is it's something specifically that's earmarked meaning we asked the town specifically for ten thousand dollars to fix the Sills to help think the word help is in there to help fix the cells and during the discussion at the town meeting I repeatedly said that there was twenty one thousand dollars so everybody who was Voting heard that so when we we've done the restoration Fund in the past paying for work that's been done on

that building has that come to the select board as a request from the commission and then the select board has authorized that work and paid for it out of the restoration fund is that how that's worked in the past the group got brought up by so I thought it would do those so the roof Calvin and I had a conversation about the roof he asked me what color um as well things well there was a leak but yes I mean and

there's cases where like that like an emergency and I'm not saying the sales is not fall under that I'll keep trying to describe what the RFP process is versus so right so I don't understand I'm sorry I'm going to get [Music]

in the last April May June July August five months hasn't told us that that 21 000 isn't available to us because every time I've talked about this nobody said it wasn't available yeah I don't know where you just you just said that I thought you just said that we have to go to a special town meeting that's not what I'm saying is I don't know under these circumstances because that money that that 10 000 was earmarked or the Sills now if this is an

emergent situation we we probably can use that I would have to defer to the town attorney if it's like the roof where it's causing more and more damage that's a hard argument to make if the if the sales have been rotted for x amount of years you know I I think one of the things that you alluded to earlier as far as like the ten thousand dollars is using that 2200 of that and getting the structural engineering there and figuring that's a different committee well but it still holds water to this conversation it owns a lot of why because mission the other committee was formed to address all the issues with just the cells so the cells should be part of that that agenda so it almost

took some of some of what you're worried about and put it into this other committee's hands that can be fed in there so that when we get back option a option b option C and there's estimates with those which is I believe if I look at the meeting minutes from the Union Church committee that's what you guys are off doing bringing all those estimates back to including themselves because from what I can tell the sales the building's not going to fall down tomorrow we've got a three to four month window to have the committee come up with the plan what is the plan and then we'll start decide how much money goes if if the sales are averted I agree with Rich Let's allocate the money to fix something that has a hole in it that's leaking that's that's causing big problems we need to keep the church upright but but it is but the plan and

again at town meeting I said it we're going to perform this committee to look at the whole picture and that includes everything the fact that they gave 10 more thousand dollars how voted for ten thousand more dollars for this I think that that's great they are committed to it they will be committed to whatever plan comes up but I think that money should be used for either as you say the survey that we need done on the building or the committee to make those sound decisions so do we have to have a special town meeting in order for the town to now say that twenty two hundred dollars out of the money that was allocated to the commission goes to the Union Church committee because it seems like we should because [Music] we're not if we use it for twenty two hundred dollars it's for the entire building the roof from the bell tower to the ground oh you can make an argument you need this instructional Integrity of

a building I mean I don't think that's I don't think that's unrealistic I I I do agree I agree with the sentiment because that is what they're saying they're saying that if we're going to use it for a different purpose I agree with what you're saying I also agree with the fact that a structural engineer would be required to determine

the process that's needed or the work that's needed to fix the cell so what rich just said I don't think that that distressed so that twenty two hundred dollars would come out of the ten thousand dollars can I ask a question of course I I have two yes yes the bids you've talked about for the still is that the 50 000 no yeah yes okay and second Jerry you had your hand up

for the 21 000 whether it's an emergency if it's not an emergency or we so let me explain what I know and I've been here a year so that restoration account with the 21 000. that isn't a reserve account it's not earmarked for anything okay so when fire and

Public Works they have money in reserve accounts it could be a hundred and fifty thousand they just can't go buy a truck with that 150 000 without going through this process and asking the town to buy that truck out of that Reserve account now if in the past a restoration account has been different I haven't been here I have no knowledge of what's been going on it's it's it's not the same as the other Reserve account so I don't know where the town is with that and I'm only recovering that we've done upgrades to the church

better words like the code also called like C ushions where the Uber does have a power back on that but if it's not a life-saving issue the town engineer shouldn't look in that building before its place where I am on this I think you you're the same point as me where maybe we haven't been doing it I didn't remember that we didn't have a town meeting uh vote on it and so I I agree with you in your assessment um um but as I see it anyway we look at it we're short twenty thousand dollars give or take right to get to get the sales repaired not exactly that's what I was going to try and expect I just went to a no but so I can I now extrapolate a little bit Okay so

been in that building knows what the target is because come and they came and looked at it we just said what needs to be fixed I'm going to stop so your note to us yes says his estimate referring to Mr Cobb was 50 000 to raise the building and replace the cells Mr cops right that was not house surrounds okay but but that's the only estimate we have right now correct nope we have two of them last time and what was that amount that amount was 50 179 I believe but

the person who did it Mr Gilbert and Jerry was there whether you wanted or whether we do we have a written estimate or not sorry we have two written no we have one room has one for Mr Cox we have one written and one verbal yeah is what I'm hearing okay there are about 50 000 bucks so we're so twenty thousand dollars sure if I can finish so when Northeast house rights came

he said we could do the entire sale raise it up do the entire cell we could raise it up do the most rotten parts of the cell and call good for a while because the other pieces on the the way a sale I'm sure you guys all know what a cell looks like but like big blocks of wood that it sits on and so some of it is good some of it some of it is not across the back it's not great across the front it's okay so rather than say okay

do 14 different estimates if you do 10 feet of sill if you do 20 feet of sill if you do 30 feet of cell [Music] I said do the whole thing you got the building up do the whole thing came in at 50. I immediately said to him

we got 31. that doesn't work and he said you told me to do those the whole sale and I said okay so now what he said you can bring it down the I'm going to call it rear right quarter post totally wrong from the ground from where it meets the foundation to the roof which should have been fixed when the roof was fixed because we although the roof at least now has new sheathing on it the corner post is gone so when house rights did their estimate they included the corner post came out fifty thousand dollars when Mr Carr came and we talked about moving it they didn't want to even have that discussion yeah I mean they gave us three reasons why one is it won't go down the road one is it'll cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to go underneath the wires and the other one was it would have to be cut like a layer cake because it's too hot to move um so he said if I was taking a wild

guess I'd say it would probably be fifty thousand dollars to raise it and to put sales in okay Sills all the way around I don't know still is 10 feet I don't know because that's not in an estimate that was as you say verbal so is it is a question about Mr Coppell certainly one of one of the things that I read in your report was Mr Kopp said possibly an additional fifty thousand dollars for the foundation so right that's where I that's where my mind went to the structural engineering component of this because there's no point in replacing Sills if we've got to replace the foundation also so Mr Kopp's recommendation

you raise it up put new seals in it call somebody else to come in pour a cement Foundation and then face it face that with granite with thin cut Granite so that it looks like it's a granite Foundation but it's not I mean he was like and you can put a kitchen in you could put you know meeting rooms in yeah we could but then that's a hundred thousand to start and plus whatever else it goes up and up I mean pure I mean no I I just saw that notation if I was I had a concern that the he because the Shelby means a lot of houses oh absolutely let's move the one for me yeah I mean that he is that company is they're out of gray they are the best in me that I know of yes so my concern with somebody with his knowledge sees something in a basement that says if it was me I'd replace the foundation while you're at it what's wrong with the foundation the first thing that I would ask well we know there's stuff wrong

with the foundation well that's my concern like that's why it's crap that's why we need to structural engineer I believe that so that directly relates to the email that I sent asking the question about how the church puts

about the structural engineer is essential not only to what you're here asking for but also or not you that you're representing the commission um and to the task that has been given to the Union Church committee I think however it works that we would be able to authorize out of that ten thousand dollars to pay for the structural engineer for them to be able to answer some of these really important questions that we're going to need to know the answer to in order to take Direction on this makes the most sense to me

my concern is kind of is not messing around with stuff like that you better have somebody that knows what they're looking at before you start making those is there another account we can get the 2200 out of yes absolutely yeah we could we could do that out of the general account I believe as long as there's funds in there oh the 22. I thought I might bring her 22 000 like you were trying to arrive at the Philippines

make it safe for the 31 I don't want to have to go back and look for that other two or four right I think there's other accounts that can come on up but I think that's a better use of money I also think that this conversation is one of the concerns it highlights the concern that I have about this blind and I will tell you outside of you and members of your committee then there's many people in this town would want to preserve this building or other historical buildings more than me but I feel like we are just throwing money at this and we need to figure out

up keeping it we need to have a plan so that we don't get stuck with all of these expenses again 30 40 years down the road and and I think that just needs to be said because frankly for me this is making me think we need to find an alternative for the town owning this because we're using taxpayer prepare money on a building 99 of the town is probably not going to go inside and see and frankly after hearing from you I'm not sure I don't want to go inside and I hope they do and it scares the Daylights out of me that you're having people over in September when all this stuff it is still a concern um if it's if it's if it's such a big concern that has to be done now why are people why why are you having this get-together and that is something that I just felt someone needed to say thank you um and um and there's who pays the insurance on that building if something happens when when the tenant is is having an event is

the town responsible yeah so I've no concerns when you said that there is a dollars there is there's twenty two hundred dollars somewhere in the budget that we would be able to pay for the shrimp rural engineer I'd have to look have you spent

for your training every day to give you a different perspective on the twenty two hundred dollars that's why I separated it out and I didn't bring the twenty two hundred dollars up exactly here I did it in the three minute time that I had asking you if you had the money to be able to meet the goals because the goal that you set includes that we have a structural engineer basically because we have to have someone yes yes the three goals for the church committee so my response to that is we're trying to give you that I know I don't think I think I think by fixing the sales and doing that we're putting the car before the horse because if if somebody else needs to get done we're going to spend the money to do it this one time and they're gonna have to come back and do it again and I think that is a waste of factor of money that we need to avoid

concern if it's that unsafe I don't think I ever said it was I just heard that the back corner post all the way the roof is gone is that a structural issue and we don't know that then then the door gets locked and nobody goes in or out and and that's a that's a liability so we need to be really careful about how unsafe we classify this as so does the still need to be replaced and is the structure going to fall now for the first two questions do we know that we know from what Northeast house rights said that right they they they just say that the corner post is rotten yeah that this a portion of the cells need to be replaced and that it could be done okay so most likely for 30 something percent of the question of do we get a structural engineer in there and

if that person goes and certifies that that that's the question I think that's overreacting but I guess because about a quarter board right on the cladding of the house right right we're not talking about the corner we're talking about the decor piece that does for the lab size I don't believe so I believe we're talking about posts that goes up to the roof [Music]

and we need to authorize the money to go and get until that gets certified I and then can I be honest with you and then then we can have the committee come up with the long-term plan I think reactionary is a good word to use here I I understand I understand the course of reactionary we're we're tasked with protecting the town and and I'm sorry I agree I don't want to stop this event in September but I will tell you right now based on what I've heard I wanted to bring my daughter she is she's grown up here she's lived here her entire seven years she's told me she's going to stay here as long as we do she's going to move away for college and come back and live with us till we die I wanted to know her Town her history I knew that growing up in Freeport yeah and I think it's important but based on what I hear I don't know if it is safe and I don't know that I want to go a little bring a seven year old

and sure Cowboy nothing's going to happen but what if it does and and for that reason you can call it reactionary I think it's our duty as a select word for the town of Durham to make sure that our citizens are safe and the people come into our town and visiting our buildings that we're responsible for are safe and so with that well I will tell you that it was never my intent to get that Building closed I didn't ever expect that to be anything that came out of this conversation that you would then say the building is so unsafe that we're going to lock the door and nobody's allowed in it

necessarily say that but I think that's certainly something for it's safe I think we now have an obligation don't know it hello um I would like I would just like to point out that if we get a structural engineer I I feel I can recognize that this might be able to be I think the structural engineer really accomplishes a lot of things that all of us you you the commission the committee the board all of us need to know I think that that's a really that's a win to get a structural engineer in there and get an accurate assessment I think that we as a board should consider having Jerry send Calvin over

to determine um the safety situation part of it that we could have Calvin hire us engineer does and if there's a way for us to make room prior to the event that they have scheduled because I know that they've put a lot of work into that um I would like to see that I mean two things we can do I mean prior to that and if we do have it's not a problem

the code enforcement officer okay so the code enforcement can officer can go over there he may or may not have that Authority but he what he says okay this building I have concerns here before we're utilizing any more disabilities okay so instead of me recognizing

preservation structure that's who I'm talking about that's the 2200 because it's an older and they know more I mean we could really concerned about this 10 grand I am because as soon as we start pulling money out of it we don't have the money to fix it

with that amount of money is foreign required to take that ten thousand dollars and put it into the restoration account so that it doesn't go away December 31st there's no mechanism in place unless you have an ordinance written out allow Ed or it would automatically go for at the end of the year it automatically default

[Music] what my question was try to move that ten thousand dollars if the voters allocated to that into this restoration account that's what I was asking the question about I just wanted to make that really clear the restoration says

pretty I think it's premature to have that conversation I think we need to get the structural engineer yep in there and I think it comes from a different account I agree with you thank you um but I think that needs to be a priority and that needs to be something set up um and I think that uh typically I think this is something that we might push back another meeting but I think based on this and the time frame of what's going on I think it's something that we should we should vote on tonight and and that's be expedited as quickly as possible so can I ask your question about twenty two hundred dollars does that then

or because it's under some cash we're good okay authorized Jerry seek out a structural engineer at the recommendation of who I if I were to make the motion I would make a motion that that the board authorized up to four thousand dollars from general fund account or to hire a structural engineer with

knowledge or experience in historical buildings to determine if the building is safe and what if any repairs need to be done needs to be done trying to think of the appropriate word for a complete repairable well this says bring building to code

additionally to bring the building to code which falls under the chief the chief no the code is pretty broad is that historical code we got to try to meet Ada no no all right okay and and that's a really good question because I'm asking that question too initially out of the gate we want to know the safety right that's what we need to know immediately when we are saying bring the building to code here are we referring to that or are we we're Life Safety because it's exempt from other codes yeah I mean we didn't have to accept it

just tell me what life safety codes are just so that I have an idea when I go back and my my definition to keep it simple would be somebody can go in there with a reasonable expectation that floors not going to cave in okay that it's saved for somebody to occupy the building for x amount of people to occupy okay now one thing I do want to make clear is the estimate so so the the the preservation structural engineer that we did get the twenty two hundred dollars just sort of as an estimate because we wanted to know we didn't know if it was going to be 200 or twenty thousand dollars that did not include any Plumbing electrical or mechanical I believe okay okay

four thousand dollars out of the general fund to hire a structural uh and historical type engineer to assess what repairs it needed and Church to assess life safety codes of Life Safety and occupancy like up to 40. just I just to make an amendment of it I was actually going to go up to six thousand just in case we have a pretend I get it yeah I don't care it might be more than one engineer that we need to hire yeah

I'd just rather get the right people get over there so I'll amend it to up to nine thousand nine hundred ninety nine dollars is and I have a question yes when the select board is authorized to spend up to ten thousand dollars that can be multiple times a year

it can break 999 for the chief's truck so this is different okay that's what I'm asking is that we can do that the reason why this one is different is because a truck it was because it was a kid came in higher um that was that was acceptable to go through as well because we had already had an automation the wall x amount of dollars okay

have a second to raise [Music] needs to be done at the church life safety and some of the structural issues that opposed we have a motion carries for zero and then the only thing I will add is just double check with the insurance company that you're willing to hire is going to make insurance policy still good okay right just double check that we don't have a policy issue whatever certification is we need out of whoever it is make sure that

Okay so bids do we have to get none none none the town the whoever Jerry delegates to do this yeah so you have to do nothing yeah you're gonna wait for Jerry you're you're welcome to so they so the Union Church committee doesn't do anything with the structure the town is doing it okay if you want to make donations

recommended you know that I think that that's appropriate I just just no just leave don't have the answer to the very first question I have because I'm still I get this this is all this is all Union Church committee business because now I can go back to the Union Church committee and tell them that the structural engineer is going to be paid for by the town that we don't have to worry about it under our goal for this for the um Community Church committee but now I'm going to go back to the commission when any repair needs to be made I'm not even going to say the sill because

when any RFP needs to be made for authority of the commission who writes the RFP the select board or the commission do we take the information that we get do you take the information that you can so suppose let's just say that we get the structural engineers report and the structural engineer said the only thing that we need is a new cell and a new corner post who because the restoration fund I'm going to say belongs I know it doesn't it belongs to the town but it's under the authority I believe of the No

No it isn't but the ten thousand dollars is no no it's under honorable so the fact that the town gave it to the commission earmarked it the year Market were to be used ourselves for the commission for the church okay so we have no authorities so you write the RFP yes well it you're describing an RFP as if we're we're doing Cosmetics things here I think what we're looking for is to Define any structural integrities of a building and and fix those if if and what is required by the engineer so to answer your question I think generally this board drafts the rfps I think it can be delegated by this board or the town of the town meeting to the commission and the wording of that ten thousand dollar uh measure may have done that but because it doesn't cover the entire cost I think it falls back to us that's what I was looking for we just usually this board will just put out a like we'd ask Jerry to put out an RFP

that's that's typically all or whatever the scope of work deemed by the engineer and it gets advertised into newspapers color of the paint That's historical district historic district commission to get the RFP going okay

actually the last paragraph in the thing the document that I sent you guys ahead of time for the repairs what's the procedure for the repair so we get the structural engineer ing I don't think I don't think getting the repairs is the the commission right that's right we're talking where you're not much of the committee or the community but well I don't I don't think the commission doesn't know the building right okay the Town does and so the commission I think can say these repairs need to be done and then bring it to us

whatever happens all the money it needs to roll through this table here in in US decide how it gets executed so everybody's bringing the ideas in and maybe even estimates when they're doing the work of the church committee or even the historical district might have a but then when it gets turned into something real that actually you have to spend money on then yeah it goes over RFP it gets voted on here first you'll know for RFP if the money is available or return [Music]

very much I I think that's perfect I would like to point out that on the paper that I handed out to you that had the Durham just the Durham commission and it had the Union Church the very end of it and then I'm done the very end of it is about Article 5 in the ordinances

town who's watching this to realize that there are some no's about some no's about what can and can't happen to historic buildings one is that no archaeological site identified by the main historic preservation commission can be disturbed the second one is no structure listed on the National Historic register of historic places will be torn down or its exterior facade altered except to restore it in accordance with the standards of the Secretary of the Interior Durham decided that the Secretary of the Interior did it that's not necessarily the way it's done it's the way Durham does it because it's in our ordinances and no churches or school buildings older than 100 years of age will be torn down or altered except to restore them in accordance with their original design I share that because the word demolition kept coming up Union Church committee the other night if we can't move it maybe we should just demolish it

so I just want to put that out there to whoever might think of tearing it down is a good idea because bell falls through that thing or catches on fire but you know what I'm saying I mean unless it was a safety issue that we were forced to tear it down and that's it but nobody's nobody's tearing down in the buildings we just want to make sure that it's not a public hazard and you know that the commission after all that

and so we are reasonable yeah it's just it's a week when it comes to repairs I just point out 12.6 of the land use ordinances we talked about the commission show work with you know it basically puts up puts the owners on the commission to work with public and private parties to assist and finding funding so I think that is that is to answer your question about the repairs that is your role it's not you know you know you can be tasked by us to you know investigate it further because you're probably that commission is probably in a better place than we are but I think that's your rule so you know start writing I'm writing grants all the time for the other one recap where we are oh and yeah really what the expectation is so so let's let's talk about this so here we are it's about August [Music] time is fine so you you we're gonna go I'm gonna get on this structural engineer person as soon as I can I don't

know when so say that he or she can get in there September 1st does the evaluation sends a report back it's in line with the fifty thousand hundred thousand whatever it is this year the repair yes well I think that's I think we're I think we need to see that it's safe and so I think not only are you is it your job to to find that person but I think you need to instruct the chief and codes an enforcement officer to go over and check the safety of the building right would they let us know when they're going in so they don't set off the alarm again

is why I thought it was codes so I don't know I'm not a I'm not a Gambling Man but I don't see a lot of money being spent on repairs before snow flies right okay so maybe I'm wrong maybe maybe maybe it will happen so in if that's the case this ten thousand dollars that got raised at town meeting is going back into designated funds

so why not use that ten thousand dollars to get the structural and you raised up to 10 grand instead of taking it out of the general fund I don't I'm not sure I think we get on this air mark category end of the day it's a town building where the money comes from this where is earmark from local fire department

up that we had these structural integrities and that you know before we could pursue with this committee for saying we need to get an engineer in there and figure this out well the money's already really available structure that's why I approach it that way I gave I think it's at this point it's six and a half dozen on the other simply because we as a board have identified it and believe that there's a chance that the building is a hazard in public safety so it doesn't really matter where the one comes from no it is well let me explain my reason right because I made the motion right my reason is is that taking out of the general fund we'll leave that ten thousand dollars there that we can then if we need to we can't get the repairs done or we can then have it at a special time meeting if we have one we can then move it into the the restoration account and that way we have that money and we don't have to just say

hey we're raising this again because something different and I I think that's a town meeting Yeah we're taking 10 out of the general fund and I'm going to take the 10 that they've already raised to put back in right and that's all that's awesome Springtime now if you had to stick to your 4 000 that would have been different but but you still could have taken it out in the four and then six would have gone back to

money was specifically earmarked for the civil and there's no question that you know maybe we could use it because this is looking at that but this is something slightly different than what the town voted on and to me it's later to do with that way a little extra work for you but I think you can yeah yeah it's just it's just it's just a watch

out getting some of this work done before December 31st yeah I'm more afraid then you might have to do it yeah and then the availability of the contractor well that was the point of the thing right now they've got someone who could start right away but they're sitting on their hands probably filling up their time with other smaller jobs but waiting for I just got another email the other day and he said what's the decision and I said I don't know so I think based on what the comes back

eventually [Music] ten thousand they know that the commission is concerned about losing the ten thousand dollars right that if we're in a situation based on whatever the report might say that that could at that point then be used a deposit for work that was going to be done be done or whatever so that ten thousand dollars doesn't just

report and I just now need one more thing I guess in order to access the twenty one thousand dollars what is the process emergency it's been historically done it I think that's something we might need to discuss in the future uh I think it needs to go to a town meeting or a special job so it would be like how we have one article that says translate uh transfer out of whatever to

cover money and that advice been given to me before town meeting I would have put that in but I didn't I did not realize but my understanding was the red because of the way it had been done in the and I know you can't depend on what happens in the past but what had been done in the past I thought that 21 000 was ours to use in every conversation that I had with anybody that it was ours to use for repairs on the church so let's say tomorrow

appropriated twenty one thousand dollars this year for specific or not specific but let's just say a general repairs for that building then we could say hey Lois what did some wishlist bids and so forth and we could optimize that under 21 000 because it wasn't forecasted of what we were going to do with that money nothing was allocated for it so the tar walkway I don't even know where the tower I think Calvin took up Mom so if the car walkway was we got some tar and this thing is eroding away I think it was more in love so I don't know specifically uh the tar walkway is I know it's done it's done yeah it's done there's nothing there's nothing we can do today I think you know to wrap up in and I don't want to throw salt here just I think because Lois has so many hats in this we need to give a direction as far as you know Josh made a point of Public Access and public use of this building which would include your

committees and so forth to have the meetings there until is there something you want to see for findings before anybody else utilizes that building well either board wants to see it I mean to me that falls on the chief and the Hopeless officer if they determine it's unsafe then then I think they yeah but if they think it's safe but by that rationale nobody should be using that building until that determination is made is what I'm trying to bring up yes this is the fire chief we're talking about yes yeah

evidence project in the area until Jerry can get the appropriate folks over there to assess the building give it a thumbs up come in afterwards and look at it structurally as well so if we need a quick assessment on that before anybody else so you want the fight Chief and the codes enforcement to go look at it yes make sure it's safe before anybody uses it

qualified or not capable of assessing the any part of the structure that's hidden we need to lock the door so the Union Church committee was planning a meeting in church next Thursday then you might be free but yeah or or go to Eureka well we meet here normally anyway but they wanted to see the building so not until he clears it not until they walk around the outside but we can't go

enforcement officer can get over there before that date and they say that they feel confident to make a decision that it's safe for for the community to be in be inside then that potentially you know leave your abuse of it the way that it is it's not barring the structural if they determine that they can't take that call then but I do agree with Josh I wouldn't have 100

there amend emotions if we vote on it but I I would like to authorize the fire chief and the quote of course officer to utilize some portion of the money that's been allocated if they're not capable of making that determination to get somebody in quickly who can do it that's why we help the amount why yeah I think that's why I think I think but it might not terms might not be a structural engineer

you go and faith we we did refresh the 9 000. so you can roll it so you can reconsider the vote because you voted in favor well first of all I think we're all set as we said life's safety I think yeah I think there's everything so I think we're pretty much covered that they do need somebody else

gentlemen have access to state folks yeah so they can call homemade I agree we'll get that Ballroom okay that'd be great all right all right thank you Lois that building for the next time we see you um church I think you're just copying pasting it I wish I could do that that's a different set of questions that's interesting there's no one that brought this up I know I am I know I am and I've already said I'll do grants as soon as that one's done

hi we're on to our next item Let's see we have um Ron Williams uh resigned from the planning board um and that we thank Ron for all this time on the planning board I really appreciate it it's not an easy job being a planning board members being a eight or nine year member myself at one point um it is rewarding at the end of the day so we thank Ron for all this time so we we have Brian lenoy um moving him in as a full voting number and if I remember I believe it just at this point Brian's been an alternate so he's able to just move right into that full-time position we just have to advertise that there's a position that's correct yeah so we just need to put I believe I saw that on I see that on our website already I saw that today on the website so you guys are ahead of the ball game here which is great thank you very much so anyway interested in enjoying the playing board like I say it's very rewarding I did it

for a great number of years and a lot of fun um learned a lot about the town and how it's inner worked we'll uh we'll appoint you right away thank you thank you any other questions on that no but I think we need to make a motion to

think just I don't I don't I don't know yeah honestly I can't think that we have I was it it's one of those things that yeah John retire a long time ago there's no hurting it now it makes it I make a motion that we accept Ron Williams resignation from the planning board and move to approve by Illinois as a full voting member take that part out no no he's automatically he's automatically there thank you all right I think motion that we accept Ron Williams resignation for the Playboy seconds all in favor okay

Jerry all right my friend of you thank you along the same lines as committee members we are also will be advertising to fill Heather's seat on the budget committee so we'll look for applications there I also was on I was the altar was I an alternator

all right and board of appeals so we'll look for members great thank you yeah yeah all right so let's um get down to it so you probably saw on the news blast that the tax stabilization program is dead is dead I just want the residents to know that and you folks to know and you tell your constituents in 2024 no more attack stabilization what's going on I thought it was replacement something the state level I'm not really but are they have they been [Music]

um so yeah I don't know that was they thought that was inequitable and they repealed it so I have a question so that they froze in 2022 and and was applied to 2023 right and so that the municipality will get reimbursed for the difference the way that we do for homestead exemption and then into four their taxable would be what it would have normally been will they will the homeowner know what their 2023 tax bill

was without the freeze yeah so that people would be able to like gauge what the difference is I think so doesn't it say on the tax bill this is what you tax bill would have been multiplied by know how many people took a part in the program it was a couple hundred it's pretty close to 200. wow

paying this around we got a um Municipal Association for our good performance and our loss prevention programs also that's we'll put that on the website but that's them sending that I just got that yesterday so I didn't have time to warn you

Trustees and the towns do well they they take the dividends from the money that they have right in the bank distribute everything else to the tolls so no no just giving here just it's just letting you know and we'll put that on because that's really a press release coming from the town officials from you folks so we'll put that on the website right and

because just just this is that the Swamp Road Calvin's not here he's on vacation yeah so the Swamp Road Bridge Project is going to get started much quicker than they thought it was like it's going to start on Monday oh awesome yeah here's the detours uh so we're putting the detour uh all right so basically what they're going to do is they're going to detour the traffic all the way down Route 9 and across around to the other Bridge Project like a speedboat in front of my house or something yeah because otherwise we'll use your trash cans right okay don't jinx it yeah so the reason for the

early start though just so you know is because of they want to restricted uh permitting regulations on that one um there it's not as long as 125. no no this is going to be done yeah they want to be done before school starts that's why they're gone

that traffic plan was developed by Saint Laurent in science uh I'll apologize it's a little sloppy how long will I be able to keep there I think it's amazing the detour is down 125 which is awesome that's right yeah but I think the residents you know will know if they have to they can cut across the other road to the right Brunswick if that's okay but the majority of the traffic

so which is which is kind of good because I just want to make sure that this aren't yeah okay um so while that Road is closed maybe that would be a time to um and Calvin's on vacations now I can bring it up at the next meeting but just um and

what I can tell and um yeah I would say Jacob [Music] before those random things that are a lot you know that octagonal and have that can pay attention to them what they think they are about I know that we can talk about that yeah

foreign a bit of a meeting when the road's closer would be a good time for us to start the director is that I will be attending the main town city managers conference tomorrow Thursday Friday which it's a good conference because it gives folks us Town manage time to talk to one another bringing the staff up on opposite days no that's the MMA conference that's in October this is just strictly put down the city manages

all I got for any any reports all right thank you any other questions tomorrow to do this I will be making some phone calls to Chief and uh won't waste much time minutes from extensioner because I think there's an error um there was one I think it's is it nine

yes it should be the eighth instead of the 11th oh not a big deal but um I think we make that change yeah it's just a date right yeah second Rich seconds [Music] okay motion carries um and upcoming town meetings I think we need to approve the agenda

[Music] at the minutes it says agenda items for next select board meeting but then our current agenda doesn't have I know and I I apologize no that's okay just because I have some so how do you how says um agenda items for next select board meeting oh yeah and it's not all right I

apologize for that so so I don't know how to handle this one okay do you have an item I do so um I would like to add for the next agenda whoa whatever what do you prioritize no I want to add to the next one um I want to form a solid waste committee okay please a solid waste committee

motion to add that to the agenda okay yeah that's what we want me to do yeah just make a motion that the board of agrees at the efficient agenda yeah maybe you want to discuss an email to you saying I'd like to interview you saying that I would like this added to the next slide board

here um in two weeks and I do not want any part of that because shut I did a good job very good job so you wanna what do you want to add I would I would like to add the discussion okay okay [Music] all right so I will add this we'll add that onto our agenda to discuss our waste committee and events meeting thank you and then one other thing that I just wanted to talk about we have a lot of things that are upcoming before December and areas going away

one of those things to add to the next agenda for next week too yeah okay yep um that I think somewhere either in between meeting in the next meeting or after our next meeting in between our next two I think that we need to add a meeting to our schedule because of the volume of work that needs to take but you will be here in October

just okay please please discuss a plan for the plan yes adding a meeting um just so you know well this is up to you I don't have to do this to you folks but what I have asked is have somebody come in that knows a little bit about these land use codification process so if you have questions in regard to that you can ask them directly and I have them coming in next week if you're okay with that next week on next meeting sorry so the you know just to kind of go over that what it means how it works and that sort of thing because and the reason why I'm doing it is like I've been in some meetings where like Georgia says you know when you go down through the land use there's been a lot of copying and pasting that has gone on and that so Alan has kind of struggled a little bit on what he's supposed to do and um and it's been a long time since the whole thing has really been updated and uh I think it's be a good idea to you know

just take a look at that just to make sure that we're following the state statutes because things change and so that process there is a process that can be done that we would go out to RFP with if you decide to do that but I think it's important that we bring someone in so you can ask the questions that you have so you can fully understand that so we're going to do that next next meeting too all right and then uh two Alan wants to come in and talk to you about the signs and what he found out about the legal account and so you can see how quickly agendas can fill up real fast so it'll be a it'll be a pretty good meeting next week

all right thank you thank you thank you Jerry yeah hi so now I'll go to upcoming meetings all right we uh select board meeting we had that on the kids session tonight Jared select board meeting do I get anniversary