TranscriptMarch 3, 2021 ~ Planning Board Meeting

corner of the field and and we'll uh wheel a gurnie in if he needed to. Okay. It wouldn't be a problem. Okay. you guys, uh, spent a lot of time in your application discussing the field site, which is helpful, and the buffering that exists there. What about the house site? Because you're starting at the house, the wedding party, staying at the house possibly, and then you're moving to the field. So what I mean you're going to have a ceremony, you're presumably going to have music. You're going to have a PA there. Um the whole neighborhood going to hear that. What is what is what protections are at that site so your neighbors won't feel like they're also attending a ceremony?

In my mind, the the the field and the house are I mean they have they abut each other. It's It's probably what 50 feet from my front door to the field. Yeah. Yeah. 505. I mean Yeah. It's right there. I mean, I'm I'm right there on the rock wall and

there's a whole bunch of garden there. And then and then I'll look right out my front door and there's my tent, you know, my gardens and then the tent. Um, so I don't think it's any any different. I'm not Did I I'm not sure if I answered your question or not. Ann,

so I mean what I heard you saying and this is not the best way to do this, but we don't have it electronically. Um, so is the We can't hear you. Ann, is this the wavy line? Is that the row of oaks that you were talking about? But there are oaks all the way around.

All the way around the field. All the way around that field. So where are they on your property? Right there. Right where Right where you see the rock wall. I wish I could reach right through the ca. Right. There are oaks all the way around that field.

Okay. So if I'm having a ceremony here, the sound presumably can go this way without any trees. Am I It's more than a quarter of a mile through the woods, but it's all wooded. It's all dense wooded area. Okay, that's what I was asking.

Yeah, dense wooded area, but I'm surrounded. I mean, you wouldn't even know I'm back there. Okay. Um, remember for now. Juliet, did you want to jump in? Yeah, I would love to. Thank you. Um, so I've got a couple of questions and um, try not to repeat any that that have already been asked. Some of these um, are pertaining to the letter we received, comment letter. Um, my first question is, um, did you guys contact

all folks along Stack Pole between your property and say, is it Claudia Road? Clutier. Yeah, Clutia Road. Clutier Road. Sorry. Yeah. So everyone everyone on the um everyone on my side of the road. So Pauline Pauline's last name

the so the three houses the three houses um from Maplewood down towards the corner did not contact the one on the corner but then turned the corner and contact and talked to Diane and Danny Martin. um left tried to get the next folks, left letters with them, talked to the Woods, the Gaston Gase, Milt, Simon, and Provos, which goes all the way down Stack Pole.

Okay. And you heard you heard responses back from all of those people or I personally talked to them all. You personally talked to them all. Okay. Yeah. Also going if you as you take a left out of Stackpole off out of Maplewood um tried and tried to get hold of the folks who are right next door who are the Shadic Shadich and Ma in Manning could not get them but I've talked with Lambbergs and I've talked with Joe Serice

as well as Ste Steve and Christine Nisho who live on the other side of the field. Okay. I would just like to say that you guys did a great job with a Butters like Thank you. you you obviously have tried really hard, so want to commend you on that.

Thank you. Thank you. Couple more questions for you. Alcohol license. Yep. So, you're bringing in a bartender, right? Um if they want it if they want drinking. Um do you need any sort of special license for that? We we don't we don't they in

order for them to serve alcohol at their event, they would need to. They can have they can drink a beer at my house, but they have to provide the alcohol. They also have to will per contract will have to have event insurance. We will have event insurance on my home. We will have event insurance on the field. And then the the party that is in contract with us will also have to take out event insurance.

Okay. I think probably the number one concern which Ann brought up I think all of us have brought up is traffic and then if we add in alcohol you know that's late night driving. Um so that is definitely a concern. Um, for noise,

I wonder if So, there's going to be a PA system, right? There's going to be probably a DJ with speakers. [clears throat] Small small, not a rock concert, right? Not a rock concert, but still. I just wonder. It is, you know, quite quite a bit wooded, but still I think um noise can travel Um,

it's a, you know, consideration for the board potentially for, you know, to consider a a noise assessment maybe. You know, I know that if I was a neighbor, that's probably something I would I would want. Um, so and and as as you're thinking about that, um, you know, we had a family wedding there this summer. The only the only folks in in all the abutters that we tal and neighbors that we talked to who even heard it was the

Mishos who live up over the hill. You know, they they live they live across the field over the rock wall and I don't know how many hundreds of yards into the woods. And it just happens that I'm sure that's the direction that the speakers were aimed. Yeah, that's that's definitely something that we could consider is just how the speakers are aimed.

Yeah, that's a good point. So, it doesn't hit the majority of homes that are behind us even though, you know, yeah, there's as much or more woods on that area. Okay. And you mentioned other types of activities such as craft fairs, um birthday parties, [clears throat] things like that that could happen at this

that's going to be so small. I mean, when you're talking about when you're talking about, you know, birthday parties, retirement parties, I mean, you're talking 50 people max. You're not talking Yeah. So, I really don't anticipate anything larger than that.

And so, at your large weddings, thinking possibly 50 to 100 cars potentially, right? I mean, we're really thinking right now 50. And we talked about it a little bit while we were while we were waiting for the meeting to start back up. Max 175. I

can't even fathom. I mean, are we in agreement? We could I don't think we'll even hit that. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And so all of those cars are going to be parking off of Maplewood and in that area kind of along the rock wall in front of the

in the field. Yeah. In the field. All of the cars will be off that road. Okay. Yeah. Um, let's see. Oh, any animals? so there won't be any on site. Um, yeah. Is is it's possible that a bride and groom are going to want their favorite pet to be there, but they're going to need they're going to need to contain they're going to need to contain that animal. and let us know who's going to be responsible for it, where it's going to be the rest of the ceremony. But in terms of everybody just bringing their animals and letting them run free in the field, absolutely not. Absolutely.

Dog show. And that's just Yeah. No. Only we're allowed to do that. Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. No. Absolutely not. There's way too much liability with that. Okay. My last question is, so I think I heard I read somewhere one one day on the weekend. Is there potential for Friday night? You know, say it's a it's a you know, the night before a party of a wedding and then you've got your wedding Saturday. So, is that a potential? Right. Friday night and Saturday night.

Yeah. I know Lindsay just suggested maybe a rehearsal dinner at the hubs, right? But we're not Yeah. Okay. We really our business plan is for someone to rent the house and the field with the field with the ceremony and the reception taking place, you know, during one on one day. That's what that's what we are going to be promoting.

Okay. Yeah. We're not It show could there be a a wedding Friday night, a wedding Saturday, a wedding Sunday? That is not our business plan. That is not what we're planning to do. No, it's we want to care for our clients,

right? Yeah. Lindsay just said, you know, we want to care for our customers. That's that is not what we're show that's not what we're selling. Okay. We're selling the ability to rent the house, access to the field, and enjoy the weekend with your family.

Okay. And friends. All right. Thanks. Thank you. The one question, one last question I have is about the sound, about the PA systems, what um do you have a do you have a contract yet? And what how are you going to make sure that that noise is contained?

So, we're not going to be contracting. We don't we don't anticipate contracting for the PA system itself. That would be something that the disje would be bringing in. Um and glad to glad to make sure since you know just based on this one wedding this summer, the fact that the Mish shows it still blows my mind because they're they're like half a mile away that they even know that they even noticed. Um, but we can definitely make sure our speakers are are aimed that way because that's that's across the field and it won't it the the speakers wouldn't even be aimed at the rest of the abutters and

quite honestly there's no reason to there's no reason to because the activity is going to be in the field. It just makes the most sense to just aim the speakers out through the field. And I was asking more about your contract with with the with your customers, right? Typically a contract will have all of those. You have to have liability insurance. You can't have fireworks. You you know,

right? Your PA system needs Do you have that document drafted yet? No. No. No. We have a model. We have a model, but we do not have the document drafted yet. Okay. All right. Planning board. Any more questions before we take public comment?

Can I just add one more? the the letter that went to the butter and some of the language in the application um mentioned a lot about in um your intention for this summer um and it seemed to limit the number of events. Um, is that anticipated

to continue to have like sound like the there would be a limit of only six weddings, maybe 10 total events? Is is that your business plan on and on or is, you know, if it does really well, you'd have something every weekend?

So, we're getting started late this year, right? I mean, um, couples have already decided for this coming season where they're going to be. I mean, it'd be I think we'd be crazy to think otherwise. So, that's why we put in the letter, you know, we're thinking six because we'd be really excited if we got six wrong. We'd be we'd be really excited. Um, could it grow to one every weekend? It could. It could. you know, we don't we don't know what the potential is right now. We think we have a honestly we think we have a great window open here with the COVID requirements and the fact that folks can be outside, have their weddings and, you know, celebrate their their unions and be socially distanced. We think we have a great opportunity for that. What's going to happen down the future? I mean, we don't know what folks are I mean, so much is changing right now. We don't know.

out of my house more than six weekends a [laughter] month a year, right? Okay. Um I'm gonna open it up to I can't um I'm gonna open it up to public comment. Um, we did get the other link, Ann, if you want to try that. We did. I'd like, if we're able to, I'd like to wrap this that we have 40 minutes.

Yeah. Yeah. If we're able to wrap this up in 40 minutes, I'd like to wrap this one up on this link and then we'll close out and go to the next one. If we get close and somebody help me watch the time. Um, but if we get close, we'll just we'll switch into the permanent link. So,

All right. But thank you. Um, [sighs and gasps] all right. Did or do any members of the public have a comment that they wanted or a question that they wanted to offer? U I'd like to speak up on Lee's behalf. Okay. I am not

Give your name and address, please. Uh Jenny Woods. I live at 118 Stackpole Road. Um I'm not a director of butter, but I'm a close neighbor. Um, I personally haven't heard anything over there at all, but um, I love the idea of what

they're doing. I love the idea of bringing more small businesses into town. I love supporting um, small businesses in general. Um, I am not concerned about the noise. Um, I mean, we have neighbors that shoot off guns and ride four-wheelers and do all kinds of other activities that make noise and it's really no big deal. I mean, that's part of living in the country. And to be perfectly honest, I'd rather listen to music from a wedding or people having fun than all of that anyway. And I just don't see that being a problem out here. I mean, it's part of living in the country. The noise that carries across the field. My daughter plays her flute outside sometimes in the summer and our neighbors can hear that. And um I don't know. I like their idea. I'm in complete support of it.

Sure. Um Jill, you had your hand up. Do you want to talk? Just give us your name and address and then go for it. So this is Jill and Pierre Gastonay. We are at 110 Stackfo Road and we are direct a butters to Lee's property. Um

I actually believe we're the closest house to her house. Yeah. Um and she has informed us when she's had gatherings before. Um, and our back deck faces her house. Granted, there's woods in between us, but our back deck faces her house. And our only complaint is that we wish she would turn up the music because we can't hear it very well. So, we're really not concerned at all um about the noise factor. um the fact that they plan on ending things by, you know, I think they're saying 9:30 or 10:00. Even fireworks are going to end before anybody else in town is even starting fireworks. Um and I think that they're also going to be very um conscientious

of their neighbors and they've already told us that they're going to inform us when there is a gathering. They're going to inform us what's going on. So, I think for those people that have um pets that have noise phobias, they're going to have ample time to address that. Um

as compared to a lot of other neighbors, including us, that just shoot our guns without calling our neighbors and telling them that we're about to do it. So, [laughter] at us because his dog is petrified under the bed because we're shooting our guns. So, [laughter] um so

um I mean traffic, yes, traffic is going to arrive, traffic is going to leave. Um, but but where's the difference in when 136 used to get flooded out and all of a sudden every car that used to go up 136 all of a sudden is detourred through Stackpole Road and we'd have a hundred times what kind of cars that Lee and is going to have going to her party for

like two two hour windows in a day. Yeah, I'm not worried about that. Um, and let's face it, most of us are in bed by 9:30, 10 o'clock. So, when they're leaving, we're not on the road competing with them. So, I'm really I'm not worried about it at all.

I'm going to piss off her patrons more when I'm up at 3:00 or 4 in the morning making noise [laughter] and they're trying to sleep off the drinks that they had the night before. I'm [laughter] happy with that. So, all right. Thank you. Um, did anyone else want to offer public comment on this one?

comment and planning board, if we can get this done in 20 minutes, we won't get kicked off. [gasps and laughter] Um, so let's I have um I started drafting a decision form that I'm going to share with everyone so you all can see my screen.

Is it big enough? Yes. Yeah. Okay. So my introduction and as a reminder to everyone what's in here you're stuck with. So if you I put in 175 if you want to have 500 people that doesn't fall under this approval. So um the applicants are proposing to operate a wedding and event venue at the house located at 58 Maplewood Lane owned by Miss Fischer in the adjacent field owned by Miss Bolier. Miss Bolier has given applicants permission to use her field for this purpose. The venue will only host and I struggled a little bit with this because things changed as we talked. So, um we'll only host one prime

event and smaller events the evening before. Up to 10 guests may stay at the house overnight, both the night before and after the prime event. Events will only take place during the months of May through October with a maximum of 175 guests. Events on the site will only occur during the hours of 9:00 am and 10 pm on the designated weekend day and all events will end by 9:30 p.m. Any smaller events will also be required to end by 9:30 p.m. Is that an accurate description? Yes.

Okay. And do you want in the description, do you want to say the smaller events are associated with the main event? sure. Let's see. And smaller associated. Yeah. Yep. Okay. I think that's the intention that was described.

Yep. So, they're not having a bridal shower on Friday night and then a completely unrelated wedding on Saturday. Yep. Yes. Um, setup, breakdown, maintenance, and other activities will occur during the other days of the week. Um, and I was hoping we could put a time limit on that, you know, during daylight hours or something like that. Is that reasonable?

Yes. Okay. I mean, I honestly think that if you're going to be decorating, you know, any vendors coming in, any vendors coming in are going to be during daylight hours. Um, but if you're out there decorating, and I'm looking at Lindsay because Lindsay will be our our wedding coordinator. But, um, it's very possible folks are going to be there late decorating, isn't it?

Party. But, you're but you're talking about, you know, 10 people max who are going to be there and they're going to be at the house anyway. I mean, they're not going to be creating any noise or disruption anymore than they would be sitting around the campfire.

Yeah. And I think that probably Ian what you're trying to hit is setting up the tent, putting, you know, putting down port toilets, pumping to ported toilets out, stuff like that that's going to have truck traffic and noise.

Business hours are typically that's when they set up anyway. Yeah. Right. Right. Yeah. We if we're talking about vendors coming in and out, we have that. That's perfect. Okay. Um, okay. Uh, all events will be staffed by applicants or their representatives.

Applicants will erect a 60 by 100 foot 10 on the site. We'll provide portable toilets. I'm going to say sufficient. made to the site other than running electrical service closer to the 10 site and potentially improving the parking lot in the future. Applicants will inform all interested neighbors of the events ahead of time by email.

Is everybody okay with my summary planning board and applicants? Yep. As long as the neighbors provide us with their email address. Yeah. And so I put interested and if they're not interested then they want to then you don't have to inform them.

No. Do you have a minor minor typo in that first line of provide should not be plural? uh and will prevail. Thank you. All right. Planning board public health impact. The proposed use will not create unsanitary or unhealthful conditions by reasons of sewage disposal, emission to the air or water, or other aspects of its design or operation. Um does anyone have any thoughts on this one?

I have no concerns with that one. Okay. Anyone else have any concerns? If not, I will make a motion on this one. No. Okay. in the house like life safety? Anything related to that at all or? It's a good question. Um I [clears throat] can't see every

improvements to the house, but 10 people. I don't know. Just a question. All right. I just got a notice that our free account will end in 10 minutes. I'm sorry everyone. Um, so if everyone can go in the in the chat, there is a new link. If everybody can go to that, we will resume our deliberations in that new Zoom meeting. So, does anybody before we leave, does anybody have a question on how to get to the new Zoom meeting? No,

I'm gonna put it up on the website, too. Great. Thank you, Tammy. I'm sorry about this transitioning. It is what it is. [laughter] All right, everybody, go there and I will see you in that new Zoom shortly. Okay, here. No, no, no.

Okay. Um, Yeah, no worries. All right. Hey Pete, let me finish this meeting. I'll give you a holl back. Okay. Oh, you go. Leave. Leave me.