Allenstown Alt. - Board of Selectmen 2024

2024 Board of Selectmen

As of the March 10, 2020 election, the Board of Selectmen (BOS) consists of five residents who are elected to administer public affairs for the town. The board is the typical governing entity of small New England towns. The Selectmen do not have governing authority over the School Board or the Sewer Commission.

Selectmen are elected for a three-year term with terms of office staggered so that only one selectman's term expires each year.

Highlights of latest meeting

Select Board Members

At the March 2024 election, Kathleen Pelissier and Patricia Caruso were elected to the Board. May God bless them all with the wisdom to guide our town. Long-time Board member Sandy McKenney passed into Eternity Feb. 21, 2024.

Name and E-mail Address	Term	Phone 603-
Kathleen Pelissier kpelissier@allenstownnh.gov	2024-2027	485-4276
Patricia Caruso pcaruso@allenstownnh.gov	2024-2027	485-4276
Maureen Higham mhigham@allenstownnh.gov	2022-2025	485-4276
Jim Rodger jrodger@allenstownnh.gov	2022-2025	485-4276
Scott McDonald smcdonald@allenstownnh.gov	2023-2026	485-4276

Meetings

The selectmen meet every other Monday at 6 p.m. at Town Hall, and sometimes less frequently if few issues need addressing.

Meeting Agendas and Minutes

2024 Meeting Agendas - Go to the town web's 2024 Agendas page. At that page, click on a link. The next page displays a list containing the agenda document and any other pertinent documents. Click on any link to open that document.
2024 Meeting Minutes - Go to the town web's 2024 Minutes page. Meeting minutes inform you as to how the selectmen handle town affairs. Minutes usually take up to several days to be typed, proofread, approved, and uploaded to the web site. Instead, read the meeting highlights below, which are much more timely and to the point. Read the official minutes to see how exciting or dull the actual meeting was.

The following acronyms are used:

BOS - Board of Selectmen
CNHRPC - Central NH Regional Planning Commission
DOR - NH Dept. of Revenue
EDC - Economic Development Committee
FD - Fire Department
NH DOT - NH Dept. of Transportation
NHMA - NH Municipal Association
OAMH -Old Allenstown Meeting House
PD - Police Department
RSA - Revised Statutes Annotated (state laws)
TA - Town Administrator

NOTE	Due to the somewhat poor acoustics of the meeting room, echoing, and occasional mumbling, some discussions were difficult to hear clearly. Check the official minutes to get more details. If any details were incorrectly reported, please advise the web master (not the bear).

BOS Meeting Highlights

Meeting highlights began in July 25, 2016. Meeting highlights for last year are available via the Meeting Archive link at top right.

BOS Meeting on Mar. 11, 2024

Citizen's Comments – None
Fire Dept. new hires and other items – Chief Lambert had a few possible hires and other topics but postponed them until after the election and a new board was in place.
Employee & Volunteer Appreciation Party – Chirman Klawes said teh only place they could find was the Epsom American Legion Post 112 on Short Falls Rd. THe tentative date is April 13. This would be a short distance off Route 28.
Storage Shed – The trusses for the new salt shed were on site. Mihachik Builders of Epsom came in with the best bid of $17,664.00 to construct the shed, so the BOS approved them as the contractor.
Mobile Home Removal – A mobile home (possibly tax deeded to the town) on Hillside Drive off Deerfield Rd. was demolished by a huge fallen pine tree. The BOS authorized the TA to file an insurance claim to have it removed.
Audit Engagement – The chairman signed the audit agreement.
Houle Ave. – Still stuck at law office.
Kettle Rock Rd. – Still stuck at law office.
Town Election – Tuesday March 12 at St. John's Parish Hall.
Town Administrator's Report:
- The BOS visited the new school and discussed a problem with the new paved sidewalk where it merged with River Rd.
- The wake for Sandy McKenney would be Sunday March 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Roan Funeral Home, Pembroke. A Memorial Service would be on Monday March 18 at 11:00 a.m. at the Veterans' Cemetery in Boscawen.
Meeting minutes – The BOS approved the meeting minutes for January 8, January 22, and Feb. 26, 2024.
The meeting then went into non-public session.

BOS Meeting on Feb. 26, 2024

Citizen's Comments – Mr. Frascinella announced the latest edition of the Hooksett Bridge newspaper which had over three pages of Allenstown news that he had submitted. The first EDC event would be a concert on May 19. Ha also suggested that the BOS invite officials and others to write of their memories of Sandy McKenney, all of which could be put into an online tribute. Chairman Klawes said the BOS need to discuss this before going any further.
Meet the Candidates Night – Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Center.
Flag Pole Update – The Highway Dept. installed new hardware and raised the flags this day.
Employee and Volunteer Appreciation Party – Date and Location still TBD.
Houle Avenue – Tabled at Legal Office. Resident Timothy Sylvernale read several old documents that he thought might be related to ownership of the road.
Kettle Rock Road Discussion – Tabled at Legal Office
Reminder of Town Election – March 12, 2024 at St. John the Baptist Parish Hall
Town Administrator's Report:
- A new clerk was getting trained.
- Absentee ballots were online.
- All town budgets were online.
- The BOS was invited to the school board meeting on March 11 so the BOS meeting would not start until 6:30 p.m.
- The BOS approved a P.O. for new computers for police cars.
Road Agent's Report:
- Roads were to be posted for a 6 ton limit due to the Spring thaw.
- Several vendors were contacted for bids for building a new salt shed but only a few quotes had been received.
- Road paving: have received several bids. The BOS approved the bid from Advanced Excavating.
Meeting minutes – The BOS approved the meeting minutes for Dec. 18, 2023, Jan. 8, 2024, Jan. 22, 2024, and Feb. 5, 2024.
The meeting then went into non-public session.

BOS Meeting on Feb. 5, 2024

Citizen's Comments – None
Town Clerk Update – Selectman Klawes stated that the town clerk has minimal duties and by separating the town clerk/tax collector positions and making the tax collector an appointment, the selectmen could more easily hire a new tax collector if needed. He noted that Christine Solans had resigned wihin a month after being appointed. Jackie Tate then applied for the position and was appointed in late January.
Town Deliberative Session – The BOS reviewed the revised (watered down) Article 12 on separating the town clerk/tax collector positions and voted to not recommend it.
Town Appreciation Party – Still working on this.
Meet the Candidates – Still working on this
Fire Department Intern – The fire chief has a candidate from Laconia who would work at the station weekdays and go home on weekends.
Fire Act Grant – The fire chief was to apply for grants for equipment like a ventilator, defibrillator, and a monitor. The BOS authorized the chief to apply for the grants.
Town Election – To be on March 12th at St. John's Parish Hall.
Road Agent Report – The town hall flag pole was finally renovated and installed. Some hardware was on order.
Rail Trail – Hooksett wanted a grand opening on May 16th for their trail. Mr. Pelissier said they have laid down a base layer on our part of the trail and hoped to complete it by the end of April.
TA Report – Currently Hooksett agreed to accept vehicle registrations on Wednesday only until the end of March.
Meeting Minutes – Minutes were approved for December 18, 2023, January 8, 2024, and January 27, 2024.
The meeting then went into non-public session at 6:55 p.m. [This was a very short BOS meeting!]

BOS Meeting on Jan. 22, 2024

Scott McDonald stepped down as Chairman and Keith Klawes took over that position.

Citizen's Comments – Mr. Frascinella urged the BOS to produce a one-page memo explaining why it was criticl to vote Yes on the proposed town budget. Chief Lambert offered to provide details about the new Fire-Based Ambulance Service. Ron Adinolfo urged the BOS send a memo to all residents by U.S. mail. Derik was to lok into the mailing costs.
Town Clerk Appointments – Christine Solans was appointed and was to start on Jan. 25, with a term ending on March 12, unless elected. The BOS appointed Veronica Anaya and Sheri Miller as interim clerks.
Resignation of Asst. Town Clerk – Ron Adinolfo resigned as Assistant Town Clerk.
Clerk's Office hours – TBD. Hooksett was to help with vehicle registrations on Wednesdays only.
NH Highway Grant – The BOS accepted a grant of $12,816 for mobile terminals for police cruisers.
NIMS Resolution – The BOS adopted the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS).
Town Meeting Warrant – Approved. Article 12 would make the Tax Collector an appointed position who did not have to be a resident.
Special BOS Meeting – This would be for signing the town warrant articles.
Forestry Grant – Chief Lambert spoke of the $3801.00 grant for forestry equipment. The BOS accepted the grant for the stated purposes.
EMS Grant – The Fire Chief spoke about a state grant for EMS training.
Plow Truck Driver – The Highway Dept. hired Jacob ??? as a new driver.
Town Report – To be discussed in the non-public session.
Town Appreciation Day – Location and date still TBD.
Houle Ave. – Still stuck at law office.
Flag Pole – It has been sanded and primed and should be ready to be installed soon.
Kettle Rock Rd. – Still stuck at law office.
Presidential Primary Election – January 23 at St. John's Parish Hall.
Deliberative Smackdown –On Feb. 3 at the AES gym at 9:00 a.m.
Candidate Signup – Candidates for office can sign up from Jan. 24th to Feb. 2nd at town hall.
Town Administrator's Report:
- Mentioned several minor items.
Road Agent's Report:
- Recent snow storms have used up a lot of plowing hours and materials, especially on Mt. Delight Rd.
Meeting minutes – The BOS approved the meeting minutes for Dec. 18, 2023 and Jan. 8, 2024.
The meeting then went into non-public session.