Moultonborough Town Meeting Mar. 17th - Pay Attention
 

For voting residents in particular, but of concern to all taxpayers, there are a few items on the upcoming March 17th Moultonborough Town Meeting Warrant that you should pay close attention to and ATTEND / Vote at Town Meeting if you care how your hard working money is spent:

Article 3: Requests $125,000 to construct a bathroom pavilion (2 bathrooms with composting toilets) at Kraine Meadow Park/Playground Drive. Even the Advisory Budget Committee voted 1 Yes, 4 NO to NOT fund this expenditure. Seems very expensive and there are other alternatives.

Article 7: Requests $670,000 to construct approx. 3000 ft of NEW sidewalk in the village center. Some existing businesses will have serious adverse impacts, lose signs, etc. Note…our historic Country Store will lose their front signage. So much for supporting local business! No formal Planning Board review. Sidewalks are totally premature, as no new buildout of the village has happened.

Article 8: Requests $85,000 for a sidewalk tractor with snow blower and sander attachments to plow the sidewalks. If Article 7 passes, the town will be on the hook to plow and sand the sidewalks FOREVER. Note, since there is little space to blow the snow, the snow will have to be trucked elsewhere. Labor costs to plow, drive dump truck, hire police officers/flaggers is totally unknown but taxpayers will be on the hook.

Article 12: Requests $250,000 for funds to “study” the Taylor property site and move ahead with a BoS/Rec. plan, not a community approved plan. This is purely, in my opinion, another back door attempt to begin building a Community Center that was previously rejected. This funding would be an open checkbook for the Board of Selectmen to not only study the property but begin to implement some sort of a decision on reuse that would not have been approved by Town Meeting in advance. Takes future decision making for the Taylor property away from Town Meeting and eliminates the Planning Board and Town Planner from a lead role in the reuse of the property, instead placing the full process in the hands of the BoS.

As you can see from the above, there are many reason why residents MUST attend Town Meeting on March 17th….less than two weeks from now. Had the town elected to reduce the tax rate instead of embarking on this spending spree, taxpayers would see a cumulative $.38/1000 reduction in property taxes IF the town applied these unexpended funds to lower taxes instead of spending it on these projects. And the $.38 impact does not include the ongoing annual sidewalk maintenance costs…..that have not been disclosed. Also, the annual School bond cost of almost $1M was paid back last year but taxpayers never saw any benefit, as the bond savings were spent this year on other things despite declining enrollment.

What is missing from BoS agenda…??
1. No tax refund (lower tax rate) to taxpayers who overfunded prior year taxes…this is where the funds come from for all this spending.
2. No payments to offset very large future pension liability….we are obligated to pay for this longer term
3. No payments to offset very large post employment benefits….we are obligated to pay for this longer term

Even non-residents should be very concerned about how their hard earned money is being spent.

Very interesting. Where do the sidewalks go and why would snow removal equipment be bought before the sidewalks are even approved, let alone built?

What is article 12 about, wasn't a gym/ rec center turned down several years ago? Why is it being tried again?

Looks as though it is important for Moultonboro voters to attend town meeting to make sure that a bunch of wild spending is not approved.

M'boro - here we go again???
 

Tummyman,

Thanks for calling this to our attention. It has been a little quiet in town.
I read with great interest your note here and the Letters to the Editor in today's edition of the Laconia Daily Sun on similar concerns and matters for Town Meeting. Yes, I agree we must attend again this year!

I thought this Community Center thing was over, but apparently not. Seems like a back door plan to get it in. I went to the Town of Moultonborough website and downloaded a copy of the Town Report. It is very interesting reading. I wonder how it is that the Selectboard can sleep at night? It is clear to me that the cards read that the Community Center is back. They want Sidewalks too! And what is this about $125,000 for composting toilet pavilion at Playground Drive? Seems a bit extravagant even for Moultonborough standards. How ridiculous!

I am very disturbed but not surprised that we are not getting the $976,000 dollars back into our pockets from paying off the school bond. Our taxes should have been reduced by that amount.

Out of curiosity I went to the School website and found a document that compares last year's budget to this year's budget. Oh my. There it is in black and white. With a declining population (another sheet shows 500 students in ALL grades) the School is adding funding for EIGHT positions and decreasing one. These add another $300,000 to the salaries budget. Then another school bus is added for $75,000. Wow, and I see the buses going around practically empty.

If you add in the toilets, sidewalks, plow and who knows what else is buried in the numbers, the town eats up the rest of the Million Dollars we should have seen as a tax reduction.

Will see you all at Town Meeting. In the meantime I will be spending some more time with the reports. This is going to be bad. Good reading for a snowstorm day.

I like this Tummyman, thank you for bringing it to our attention.

A non-voting taxpayer.

Moultonborough Town Meeting
 

Out of State residents may not be able to vote at Town Meeting however they can still voice displeasure with spending practices in a letter to the Selectmen or to the local newspaper.

Thanks for the info--a fine idea!

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Is this the "front signage" that that the Country Store would lose? Looks like there is somewhat of a sidewalk there now.
Seems as though an alternative signage could replace it.

Yes Rusty, you are correct. there is a sidewalk there. I like the idea of sidewalks in town. My wife or I walk the dawg down Holland St and then up to the school, get on the dirt roads, past Lee Pond and come back past Woodshed and home up Holland. I am not advocating for sidewalks throughout town. It will make it much safer.

Check with the town. In Alton, when we had town meetings, non-resident taxpayers could appear at the meeting and sign up to speak on specific issues of interest to them. It has been a while since I have been at a deliberative session (SB2) and I think the process was the same. If you want to speak, check with the town.

Dave

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.... Meredith sidewalk snow blower
 

Have you seen the relatively new sidewalk snowblower working up and down the sidewalks in the Town of Meredith? It showed up during the first big snow, last winter, probably in December, 2016. It is very similar to a yellow front end loader, except thin enough to drive down a sidewalk, and instead of a loader bucket, it has a snowblower that can be raised and lowered.

This new sidewalk snowblower seems to be very effective, and the driver/operator deserves a round of applause. The big plows that do the roads will pile the snow up on the sidewalks, so it takes a strong snowblower to cut through a walking path about 36" wide. The snow gets blown onto abutting front yards. Have yet to see a dump truck used to catch the snow blower's thrown snow.

How much did it cost? Have no clue, but it could not be cheap and it does a great job, hopefully will be lasting for years and years and years.

The driver/operator sits relatively high up, in an enclosed cab which I assume is a heated space, with large glass windows, all around.

For the low reduced price of $700, Lowe's in Gilford had a Husqvarna 24" snowblower, reduced from $1099, which is a very well made and durable machine..... so's why not just have Moultonborough go with a walk behind snowblower on a trial basis for one winter to see if it's a good money saver, and still keeps the sidewalks clear.

Husqvarna; the world's biggest snowblower maker, making snowblowers in Sweden since 1689 ..... back when snow was real snow!!

As far as building a bathroom/public toilet pavilion at the M-Boro playground/tennis courts; what's been in use for years is a large, handicapped size rental porta potti. It is very effective, clean, and gets the job done! So, why the heck upgrade to flush toilets?

Be careful in Alton! If you speak too long, or say something that the "Town" doesn't like, they'll tell the cops to arrest you (as history has shown).

Link to information about Moultonborough Town elections, Tuesday March 13th & Town Meeting, Saturday March 17th.

https://www.moultonboroughnh.gov/tow...ay-information

Conceptually, the sidewalks were supposed to be phased in over time as benefits are observed and other development occurs...maybe. And the projected cost has risen over three times the original estimate. What was to be a simple sidewalk has grown into a six foot behemoth along with an enormous reconstruction of the village streetscape, with major landscaping, land acquisitions, drainage, and curbing. The "keep it simple" process has been totally abandoned because the money is there in the bank to spend. Imagine, many sidewalks are 3-4 feet wide....but we spec. out 6 ft. which means even a double pass to clear snow. I think folks would accept a $200,000 project as originally forecast, not an $800,000 project. Maybe the engineers need to go back to the drawing board.

Just curious, what is the minimum size of a sidewalk under code? Is there an ADA requirement?


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Sidewalks should cost around $10/sqft, that's graded, compacted, placed and poured. A little extra for the ADA mats at the ramps. Granite curbing should be around $45/LF that's the curbing furnished, trenched out, and backed in place with concrete. How much sidewalk and curbing are we talking about downtown? Seems high. Those numbers I gave are probably high even if the project falls under the Davis Bacon wage act.

I'm just curious why the town doesn't partner with and approach the local businesses that would directly benefit from the addition of these sidewalks and work a deal to help fund the construction and maintenance of them including snow removal?

While it may improve the overall aesthetics of the area, if there is no economic benefit for the town as a whole that is a lot of money to spend on fluff, never mind the reoccurring costs associated with it.

Interesting data and why I have had a problem all along with the numbers. At 3000 lineal feet long X 6 feet wide = 18,000 sq. ft X $10 = $180,000. Town Administrator says curbing cost is approx. $70,000. So that amounts to $250,000. While that does not include land taking, a smaller sidewalk would result in less land acquisition. That sure is one heck of a long way from $670,000 PLUS the tractor/snow blower. And all of that is for a 6 foot sidewalk that I believe is excessive in width. We should not be creating a promenade.....!! This project is totally unreasonable and out of control.

You raise a very good point. In Moultonborough the norm over the years has been that the town (taxpayers) always pays for everything and the business people are smart enough to realize this fact. Actually, I am not aware of a single business being in favor of the project except the privately owned and operated child care center across from the central school. She realized it was a great deal since the cross walk would be built with taxpayer dollars but would only go to her business.

The idea has been STRONGLY pushed by basically two people on the basis of safety for the school children (whose numbers have dropped drastically over the past few years) and never on the basis of any economic benefit.

If you read tummyman's post you'll see mention of composting toilets, not flush toilets. Still an upgrade over port potties but I expect the town will see little day-to-day savings as they struggle to remove improperly disposed non-compostable waste (cans, bottles, diapers).

cast your vote
 

The bottom line people is to show up and cast your vote. We are living in an era of easy money and huge wasteful government spending. Does Moultonboro want to follow that trend? Up to the populace to make their say.

There must be some engineering, utility poles, & land improvement costs in the $670,000.
If you take these costs out of the total than the sidewalk cost would probably be much lower. My guess the sidewalk cost would be in the $300-$350 thousand range. That's a little high but they probably want to make sure they have enough money if some unknown problem occurs.

2 years ago at Town Meeting voters defeated a $6.4 million dollar Bond to build a Community Center and gym on the Taylor property. Article 12 is a back door approach that will allow the Selectmen Cart Blanche to move forward and construct a multi-million dollar facility on the Taylor property. Article 12 in part reads “The Select Board, with input from the community at public meetings, will determine the final use of the property including the former Taylor home and move forward with implementing the determined use.”

If the Select Board were genuinely interested in “public input” they have had the last 2 years to solicit public input. Residents who have attended public input and listening sessions over the past decade have lost trust in what the Selectmen say they will do and what they actually do. Article 12 is asking voters to approve a project with too many unknowns. If the Select Board were sincere about getting to the heart of this issue they would have public input sessions and build community consensus first.

Many in the community would like to explore what could be done with the former Lion’s Club property which IS our Community Center. Why have out Select Board not asked the community what they would like to see happen with that facility?

The Select Board have their own agenda. They’ve also made it clear at recent BoS meetings they will be heading the project they are proposing in Article 12. Why is the Planning Board not more involved?

A link to the 2018 Town Report is below which contains information for Tuesday’s March 13th election of Town officers and Warrant Articles and budget reports for Saturday’s March 17th Town Meeting.

https://www.moultonboroughnh.gov/sit...ges_e_file.pdf

Sidewalk from where to where? the entire distance from the country store to Irving is already paved with a wide shoulder. I but you could count on one hand how many people walk that distance for any business reason aside from being out of gas. Is there a big demand for tourists to park at the country store then walk to irving and back to buy slim jims?

You bring up a excellent point. We have no idea how many people will be helped , need a six sigma type committee formed , all the stake holders , several meetings and hearings , traffic studied , a final report . I think we could do the review for just under $200 k ,
I cant make the meeting , could you suggest it for me.

Billy Bob, your post makes absolutely zero sense!

There are a number of important topics for this year’s town meeting, and I am counting on the voters to SHOW UP, join in the discussions and vote! Article 12, involving giving the BOS $250,000 to decide the disposition of the Taylor property (community center/gym) and $675,000 for sidewalks to nowhere. Vote NO on both articles! Don’t let a little snow keep you away! See you there!

what happened at the town meeting yesterday

Town Meeting Results
 

Excellent turnout and lots of discussion across the warrant article. 410 people signed in at the meeting, which was a large turnout.

Article 3 - Pavillion and bathrooms @ Kraine Meadow Park ($125,070) - passed by show of hands, but funding source changed from taxation to available funds balance. DPW generator replacement ($42,000) passed as well but also change in funding from taxation to available funds.

Article 7 -Sidewalks in village area - $670,000 from taxes…….defeated on a secret ballot 122 Yes, 275 NO

Article 8 - Tractor snowblower for sidewalks - $85,000 from available funds…..tabled and not acted upon since sidewalk Article 7 failed.

Article 12 - Taylor property reuse study, etc. - $250,000 from available funds….defeated on a secret ballot 105 Yes, 250 NO

Article 13 - Conservation Land purchase (37 +/- acres)…funds reduced from $100,000 to $60,000 due to more donations received….Passed by show of hands. No tax impact as funding from available funds. Congratulations for a superb fund raising effort by Conservation Commission folks !

Article 15 - Recreation Dept. 25 passenger van - $12,648 from Rec. Revolving Fund….Passed by show of hands….no taxation impact as funds come from Recreation Revolving Fund. One year lease with escape clause if not funded by future town meetings.

Sounds like a reasonable outcome to me. Nice job, everyone!

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I agree with you but don't understand why the Taylor thing keeps coming up since the rec center was defeated last year. Glad on the sidewalk as spending that kind of money on a " build it and they will come" to me makes no sense.

The Taylor property keeps resurfacing because there are some who are determined to make a community center/gym a reality. If they are worried about infrastructure, why aren’t we as a town more concerned about areas that have no internet access/cable tv. Now THAT is an example of infrastructure that is lacking! BTW, there is over $230,000 in the communications technology fund as of year end 2017.