Planning Board Minutes

Meeting date: 
Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Planning Board

September 15, 2020

Final

 

Members Present:  Bruce Healey, Chair; Darren Finneral, Christopher Hernick, Joanne Lord, and Richard Wright,Members; Peter Stanley, Advisor; Russell Smith, Ex-Officio Member.

 

Public: Peter Disch, Ivor Freeman, Steve and Sue Russell, Cal Prussman

 

Mr. Healey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.

 

Minutes:

 

The Board reviewed the minutes of August 18, 2020. Corrections were made.

 

Mr. Healey made a motion to accept the minutes.  Mr. Wrightseconded the motion.  All were in favor.

 

7:00 p.m. – Administrative Business

 

- Planning Board Advisor – Mr. Healey introduced Peter Stanley as the new advisor to the Planning Board. Mr. Stanley told a little about himself. He lives in New London and explained that his schooling was in industrial engineering and minored in mechanical and civil engineering. He was involved in industrial planning and then moved to New Hampshire and was self-employed making industrial signs. He then became fire chief for many years and began to really get involved with planning and zoning regulations. In 2001, Mr. Stanley worked part-time as a planning and zoning administrator. In 2012, he worked for the Dartmouth Coach and worked for the city of Lebanon in land acquisition. He was then semi-retired and took on a part-time position for the town of Sutton as a planning and zoning administrator. He will now also work part-time for the Newbury Planning Board as well.

 

- Member Absent - Mr. Healey stated that Mr. Beaton is staying at home because he is not feeling well tonight.

 

- CIP Report - Mr. Freeman gave a review of the CIP. 

 

Mr. Healey made a motion to accept the CIP. Ms. Lord seconded the motion. All were in favor. All Board members signed the CIP.

 

7:15 p.m. – Steve and Sue Russell – Mount Sunapee Five-Year Master Development for 2020-2025 

 

Mr. Russell gave a presentation on the Mount Sunapee Five-Year Master Development for 2020-2025. He explained that the park is 2,960 acres with 2,787 acres within the Newbury town limits. He said this area is unique due to the high quality forest and because of its landscape context. This makes it an exemplary forest.

 

Mr. Russell explained the Natural Heritage Bureau is the ‘planning board’ of the park. He said that when the Bureau went out to Polygon 23, the Bureau concluded that any development within that polygon would have a detrimental effect on the forest. This observation was approved. 

 

The other area they are concerned about is a proposed trail widening in between polygon 20 and the East Bowl. 

 

In 2010, the project was approved by the Commissioner at the time, even though there was an agreement between the lease holder and the state to not do anything in these areas.

 

The last area in question is the area by the west bowl where there is a proposal for a new chairlift.

 

Mr. Russell said that if these projects move forward, the area would lose its defining area and it would lose its landscape context. He feels that the entire project needs to be re-looked at. He feels that this project should have never have been approved. 

 

Mr. Russell said the Newbury Conservation Commission thinks these proposals should be withdrawn. 

 

Mr. Healey asked if there were any questions. 

 

Mr. Wright said this area was probably not burnt in the fire in 1947. He agrees that it is very unique. 

 

Mr. Healey told Mr. Russell that any of the projects that were outlined tonight would need to come before the Planning Board for approval.

 

Mr. Disch, the new general manager for Mount Sunapee Resort,said that his approach is learning right now. He said if they moved forward with any of these pre-approved projects, they would be going to the state and town for any construction at the mountain. As of right now, they have not pursued any of these projects for this year. 

 

Mr. Healey assured Mr. Russell that they are trying to stay ahead of this.

 

Other Business: 

 

- Driveway Regulations – Mr. Healey explained that we are talking about driveway access from the town roads. He said that Mr. Prussman had come to him several months ago looking for a more complete set of regulations for proposed driveways. Mr. Healey said the state has a lot of model regulations. He said an applicant can appeal to the Planning Board if they are not happy with the decision of the highway administrator. 

 

Mr. Prussman said they go by the state regulations as far as line of sight. He said he depends on the steep of slope and the speed, rather than just the line of sight. He said that if an applicant does not do what he has suggested, there is no course of action to enforce. He said the residents need to do stormwater management.

 

He would like to have something in place for residents who breaking the rules.

 

Mr. Healey asked if the members could look at the recommendations from Mr. Prussman and we can do a work session to work on this document so it can go to a public hearing.

 

- Hilton – Reclamation Plan & Cost

Mr. Healey said that he had worked on the notice of condition for two days and finally decided to call Mr. Hilton. He said that Dave Eckman was always present in the development of the plan that was approved by DES. It occurred to Mr. Healey that Mr. Eckman would have all of the data on this project. Also, Mr. Hilton had no idea how long it would take to do this project. Mr. Healey said there were two phase to this project. He asked Mr. Hilton if he might just want to just do the first phase of the project. He said Mr. Hilton said he would like to do just the first phase of the project. Eckman gave an estimate of what phase one would be to complete. Mr. Healey said this permit would be strictly for phase one and if he wants to proceed to the second phase, he will need to get approval. Mr. Healey made a motion to accept Eckman Engineering’s cost estimate for reclamation of phase 1 of Hilton’s. Mr. Wright seconded the motion. All were in favor.

 

- Potential Zoning Ordinance Amendments

Mr. Healey does not think that the Board should be trying to grind out amendments for this March. He said that he would like our advisor to get more familiar with our regulations before asking him to start writing amendments. 

 

Mr. Healey said he is not running for re-election in March. 

 

Mr. Smith made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Wright seconded the motion.  All in favor.

The meeting adjourned at 8:37 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Donna S. Long

Recording Secretary

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