July 15, 2019 - Mailed To Residents
Dear South Hampton Residents, One of our goals this year is to keep residents informed about town government and actions. This is the first newsletter since the March 2019 Town Meeting where voters provided the Selectmen with guidance for expenditures and inquiries. As reported at the Town Meeting, the old Barnard School, which houses our town offices, has been condemned; we can no longer hold meetings there. The main carrying beam in the center of the building broke for the second time. In addition, there is considerable rot in the rim and floor joists which has caused the floor to sag towards the center of the room. The original building (front part) also has issues. These conditions prompted Town Meeting attendees to ask about the future plans for the building i.e., renovation, demolition (partial or complete). There is general agreement by professionals in building trades that the addition is not salvageable, and that we might not want to keep the original building since significant repairs to it will require us to bring it up to code. Whatever South Hampton decides to do, each of the following will be expensive: bringing the building up to code, repairing the original building…particularly if we want a historical renovation, tearing down the building, building new town offices, or adapting the town hall or another building in town for town offices. Since all options would require asbestos removal, the Selectmen felt that a reasonable first step would be to contract with Desmarais Environmental, Inc., who had previous experience with the building, to identify the type and source of asbestos as well as related costs for removal. The firm estimated that it would cost $96,000 to remove and dispose of the asbestos whether or not we tear the building down. If we decide to keep the original building, our town clerk and town administrator will have to move out while work is being done. We are looking into renting a temporary office trailer for this purpose.   Clearly, we are facing a big undertaking in which the whole town must take part in deciding what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. In order to prepare for the future, we are organizing a committee of interested townspeople who can volunteer to move forward with plans for safely housing our town offices. We have a great deal of talent and expertise in this town, and together we can get the job done. If you would like to be involved and can make a commitment to the town, we will meet on Wed., July 31, at 6:30 PM in the Town Hall for a 90-minute meeting.   Our town hall is structurally sound but has issues. In March the Town’s insurance provider inspected the boiler that heats the town hall and library and notified officials that the town would no longer be insured if the hot water coil on the boiler was not replaced. The estimate for the repair was $2,000-$3,000. Upon considering the age of the boiler and associated costs for repairs, the Selectmen decided to replace the boiler. The Furnace Replacement Fund had approximately $18,000. Working closely with the contractor, David Heating and Cooling, the Selectmen negotiated replacing the boiler, removing three oil tanks, and installing two new oil tanks and a stainless steel indirect water heater – all for $15,490. The state-of-the-art, cold start, triple-pass boiler should save the Town considerable monies in fuel oil. In the process of installation, a leak in one of the zones was detected in the crawl space. Therefore, an unanticipated but necessary cost was incurred.   To remedy a wet boiler room floor that is known to flood, we met with Dennis Quintal, owner of Civil Construction Management, who has made recommendations for gutter design and boiler room drainage that would eliminate the sump pump. We plan to follow through with the recommendation to get the water away from the building and keep the boiler room floor dry in order to protect our investment in all of the new equipment in the mechanical room.   The Selectmen have discussed repairing and painting the Town Hall and Library. The Town Hall is in a state of disrepair with its peeling lead paint, missing clapboards, and rotting trim. Just the painting of the Town Hall is projected to cost $30,000 to $40,000. It’s a big building, and the lead paint abatement drives up the price. We are currently talking to contractors and looking at options such as vinyl siding, cement board, etc.   Not having lead paint, the library is in better shape but has some minor rot and needs to be scraped and painted. Carpentry work needs to be done first, then we intend to discuss a volunteer paint party for the fall with the Library Trustees. Stay tuned for details.   Over the past month many residents have been surprised to find that their recycling was left at curbside. Without a “heads up,” to the Town, collector G. Mello refused any and all plastic trash bags and one-use bags such as you would find at a store checkout counter. The following insert explains what is acceptable to recycle. Recycling needs to be loose, not placed in plastic bags of any type.   The South Hampton Planning Board presented a warrant article that dealt with regulations for manufactured storage containers. The article passed at the 2019 March Town Elections (See the article below). The Selectmen are tasked with the responsibility of enforcing this zoning amendment. Property owners or lessees who have a storage container(s) on their property in South Hampton’s commercial, rural, residential, or historic districts have until February 3, 2020, to either have the storage trailer(s) removed or have obtained a variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The Penalties and Remedies for noncompliance are described in New Hampshire RSA Section 676:17 Planning and Zoning Administrative and Enforcement Procedures, which may be accessed through an Internet search. Understanding the time it will take property owners to make alternate storage arrangements, the Selectmen are granting a six-month period before enacting the amendment on Monday, February 3, 2020 after which prescribed penalties will be enforced.   Any storage facility not in place prior to the date of this letter is subject to the new amendment. The cost to legally place a new storage facility on your property for a maximum of 180 days is $100, payable to the Town of South Hampton and submitted with the Temporary Storage Container Permit application which is available on the town’s website and at the town office.   Zoning Ordinance Article III :19. Manufactured Storage Containers:

A. Manufactured Storage Containers are any structure, such as a cargo
container, “POD” container or truck trailer, that is reusable and
transportable, designed to be rented, leased or purchased for the
storage of residential, commercial or industrial goods.

B. Any property owner or lessee may have one (1) manufactured storage
container. Use is limited to a period not to exceed 180 days per
calendar year and must meet all wetland, front, rear and side setbacks.

C. For use exceeding 180 days, a property owner or lessee shall apply
for and receive a Special Exception from the Zoning Board of
Adjustment.

D. A manufactured storage container shall not be considered living
quarters for any period of time."    

  Sincerely,  
South Hampton Selectmen
John Gamble, Chair
Ron Preston
Lee Knapp