TOWN OF SUTTON
Pillsbury Memorial Town Hall
93 Main Street Sutton Mills, NH
Sutton Mills, NH 03221
Select Board Nonpublic Minutes

August 24^th, 2024, 6:30pm

At 6:31 pm Glynn made a motion to enter a non-public session pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, II (b) consultation with legal counsel. McManus seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Present at the meeting were: Glenn Pogust, Select Board Chair; Nancy Glynn, Select Board Member; Michael McManus, Select Board Member; Julia Jones, Town Administrator; and Laura Spector-Morgan, Town Counsel.

Also present at the meeting were:

Andy Jeffrey: Director – Kearsarge Food Hub Director – Kearsarge Neighborhood Partners, Member – Friends of Wabasso Working Group, Resident – Blaisdell Lake

Dorothy Jeffrey: Director – Sunset Hill Educational Institute, Member – Friends of Wabasso Working Group, Resident – Blaisdell Lake

Leon Malan: Interim Co-Chair – Kearsarge Food Hub, Professor – Colby-Sawyer College, Member – Friends of Wabasso Working Group, Property Owner – Blaisdell Lake

James Bruss: Principal – Relax & Company, LLC.

Derek Castano: Employee – Relax & Company, LLC.

The purpose of this meeting was to discuss a proposal for a donor to purchase the Camp Wabasso properties and donate them to the Town of Sutton. Bruss had asked the Select Board to conduct this meeting at the offices of Relax & Company, LLC. The Board declined this request.

Bruss presented the attached agenda, information sheet, and timeline, which were prepared by Relax & Company, LLC. He shared the donor’s intention to purchase the Camp Wabasso properties and donate them to the Town of Sutton.

Malan and Jeffrey expressed disappointment at this news. Jeffrey shared his concern that the Town would not move quickly enough or commit the necessary resources to support an overnight camp or establish new programs on the property. Malan shared his hope that the Kearsarge Food Hub would establish an educational farm and food processing facility on the property.

The Board reviewed the timeline and discussed deadlines relevant to submitting a warrant article to see if the Town would vote to accept the Camp Wabasso properties at Town Meeting in March 2025.

Potential uses were discussed, including those listed under “Identified Potential Uses” on the attached information sheet prepared by Relax and Company, LLC. Pogust shared that the property’s use as an overnight camp may be abandoned. Pogust shared that the Town’s Zoning Ordinance does not permit this type of use. He expressed doubt that a new owner would be successful in qualifying for a special exception and may fail to convince the Town to vote in favor of a Zoning amendment to allow an overnight camp on the property. Bruss disagreed and shared that his lawyers hold a different opinion. Pogust shared that if the Town owned the property, an overnight camp operated by the Town would be a legal nonconforming use because Town-owned property is not subject to the Zoning Ordinance.

Malan shared his desire for the Kearsarge Food Hub to use the existing kitchen as a commercial food processing facility. Pogust shared that the Town’s Zoning Ordinance does not permit this type of use. Malan expressed disappointment at this.

The strength of the Town of Sutton’s governance structure, longevity, financial oversight, and management capacity were discussed. Concerns regarding a nonprofit’s governance structure, longevity, financial oversight, and management capacity were discussed. Covenants and other easements were discussed as methods of enforcing the conditions of the property transfer and ensuring that the donor’s wishes are met, the endowment is appropriately managed, and that the property does not fall out of use. Pogust emphasized the Board’s desire to engage interested parties, community organizations, and members of the public on a regional scale to identify and support a range of property uses.

A discussion proceeded on the attached letter addressed to Barbara Fortier, Executive Director of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts (GSEMA) from Cynde Robbins, President of the Blaisdell Lake Protective Association. In this letter dated August 20^th, Robbins makes the following request:

In order to protect one of the last undeveloped properties on the lake and to ensure that its benefits continue to positively benefit Blaisdell Lake and Billings Pond, we are requesting that the GSEMA place a Conservation Easement on the Camp Wabasso property prior to its divestment.

Bruss responded to Robbins’ letter in the attached email to the Town Administrator. At 4:28pm on August 24^th, Bruss wrote:

I fully support the desire to conserve the land.  However, this presents a significant lost opportunity.  If the donor conserves the land they can receive 5-7 million in tax credits which they can use to satisfy their existing tax bill.  The donor would then turn around and donate the funds saved on taxes to this project.  That is not an option if a non profit conserves the land.

Not sure how to go about approaching them to get them to withdraw this if possible and sign on to our plan, but in essence this wastes would could be as much as 6-7 million in tax credit funds which create a larger endowment.

The Board discussed next steps for the project, ways of engaging and ensuring transparency moving forward. The Board agreed to revisit the minutes for nonpublic sessions once a proposal has been submitted to GSEMA.

At 7:58pm McManus made a motion to leave the non-public session. Glynn seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Once back in public session, McManus made a motion to seal the minutes pursuant to RSA 91-A:3, II (b) consultation with legal counsel. Glynn seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Respectfully submitted,

Julia Jones

Town Administrator