Third-Party Reviewer Chosen for Woodmont Project
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"We decided we had to investigate it, to see what was behind it," Rugg said. He expressed frustration with the developers, saying, "Two hours before the meeting - that's not the nicest thing to do. They had this information two weeks ago."
Rugg said John Michels and Ari Pollack, two of the attorneys for Pillsbury, had reviewed the issue with Mayer and Mayer had decided there was no legal conflict.
The issue concerned a legal firm, Robinson Cole, that had been the opposing counsel in a case in Massachusetts involving Woodmont principal Mike Kettenbach.
Reilly said Howard/ Stein Hudson emerged as the front-runner in the Jan. 17 interviews. "They anticipated a lot of our questions, and they presented a strong, well-rounded team," Reilly said. "They impressed us with their talk about the project, with what they brought to the project. Their expertise was outstanding, and we gave them a strong recommendation."
The board agreed that the conflict would be mitigated if Robinson Cole were removed from the proposal. The board voted unanimously to accept the subcommittee's recommendation.
Next steps
Community Development Director Andre Garron opened the bid from HSH. The bid for the third-party review is $139,830. Garron said any costs associated with Robinson Cole will be removed from the dollar figure.
The proposal also included optional services in the amount of $42,710, Garron said. These would include a fiscal impact study and other services.
Garron said the staff would look at the "optional services" and determine which are necessary.
The next step, Garron said, was to establish a contract and to have the applicants place the money for the review in an escrow account.
Rugg said the original schedule called for a 10-day window between the choice of a consultant and the public hearing for application acceptance. The Planning Board will hold a special meeting and public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 16, to have the application accepted for completeness.
After the meeting, Rugg said he was pleased with the selection of HSH. He said he agreed with the staff and subcommittee on the choice: "They were much more robust in putting information into the proposal."
Woodmont Commons is the first development under the town's Planned Unit Development ordinance. It is planned to cover 600 plus acres, including the former Woodmont Orchards property.
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Heritage Commission OKs Opening in Stone Wall at Town Forest
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Wagner recommended an opening of 6 feet in the wall. She said were it any wider, vehicles would be able to go through.
But the wall, which dates to early Londonderry, evoked strong discussion.
Should the project be approved, Wagner recommended seeking out an expert in antique stone walls, to make sure the job was done right.
Caron questioned whether it should be done at all. It's an historic wall, she said, and "We are supposed to be the 'stone wall police.'"
Other members wondered if emergency personnel could get through a 6-foot opening.
Member David Colglazier suggested, "Do it once, do it large." He recommended a 10-foot opening, for possible emergency vehicles, and removable posts to keep non-emergency vehicles out of the area.
But Wagner and others said the opening behind the bandstand is large enough for emergency vehicles.
"We need an opening," member Marty Srugis said, explaining that children jump over the wall or play on it. Other members observed that the section of the wall was already weakened by constant contact.
Wagner said, "The general public has told us where the opening should be."
Caron advised against the project. "I don't think we should make a hole in the wall, and I don't think we should use that land for Old Home Day," she said. She pointed out that the land behind the Common was wet, and she had concerns about electricity being run out there.
Rugg said he had heard several comments on how "ugly" the area is where the trees were taken down.
But Rugg was also reluctant to cut into the wall. "I would rather let the area 'go back' to nature," he said. "I'd rather keep it natural. Tampering with the Town Forest is like tampering with motherhood."
An informal poll of the group found four voting members in favor of the action, and two dissenters, Rugg and Caron.
Srugis made a motion to approve the action, and the committee once again voted 4-2, with Caron and Rugg in the minority.
The town will provide in-kind services from the highway department for the seeding, loaming and stumping of the project. As for the stone wall expert, however, there is no funding yet, and no money in the budget for it.
Rugg said this week that he and Wagner will meet with Town Manager Dave Caron to discuss funding.
In other business, the committee reviewed plans for Bauchman Towing on Enterprise Drive for an expansion, Derry Plaza on Nashua Road for a small addition, and Executive Fitness and Sports Club, for pool and tennis court expansion. All three projects will be recommended to the Planning Board.
The committee also held its annual election. Rugg will remain as chair, Jim Schwalbe as vice-chair and Colglazier as secretary.
The committee's next meeting is Thursday, March 22.
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New Anti-Littering Effort Kicks into High Gear
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The Londonderry Rotary Club is helping and will fund a large banner, similar to the Old Home Day banner, to hang at the intersection of Mammoth and Pillsbury roads. It will say simply, "Pick it up!"
Tomaselli said the group is also planning to create window clings with its message, and to place them in local businesses, especially fast-food outlets. She is hoping the businesses and Londonderry schools will display the stickers in the first two weeks of March.
"They can choose just to put the sticker on, they can choose to have a crew do a roadside clean-up," Tomaselli said.
Tomaselli is excited about getting the schools involved, especially Londonderry High School. She visited the school recently and talked with Assistant Principal and Housemaster Katie Sullivan. When Tomaselli mentioned two of the school's clubs, the environmental club and the Pay It Forward group, Sullivan said there were 50 clubs at LHS and they possibly all could be involved.
Tentative plans include a competition among clubs to see which one can bag the most trash, and a "Trash Flash Mob" program. Tomaselli explained, "Kids can descend on a littered area on a Saturday morning. Weather-dependent, the message would go out on Friday through Twitter or Facebook, and whoever shows up, shows up."
If funding is available, she said, the group would like to purchase biodegradable car litter bags and hand them out at restaurants and the high school.
She and member Carol Bartlett presented the "Roadside Pride" concept at a Rotary meeting a few weeks ago, Tomaselli said.
She said they also have the support of Police Chief Bill Hart. Recently a couple of ALAC members witnessed a littering incident from a car and obtained the license plate number. Tomaselli happily reported, "We called the police, and an officer followed them and made them go back and pick up their trash."
That's the low end of the accountability spectrum, she added: fines for littering can go over $1,000.
The core group of Roadside Pride discussed the program with Kerri Stanley, chairman of the annual Beautify Londonderry effort, and her response was positive, Tomaselli said. If Roadside Pride takes off, Stanley and her volunteers will have less trash to pick up in the spring, and can concentrate on raking, fixing and planting flowers in the town's common areas.
After more than 30 years of Earth Day, why are people still littering? "Darned if I know," Tomaselli said. She often cleans up Gilcreast Road, from Home Depot to the cemetery, and she's amazed that "there are fresh things every week."
The next meeting of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, of which ALAC and Roadside Pride are subsidiaries, is Monday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Sunnycrest Conference Room, Town Office Building.
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