Town Council Approves Formation of Elmhurst Reuse Committee

The Town Council voted to approve the formation of an Elmhurst Reuse Committee at its meeting on Monday night, but not before a lengthy discussion about who should be on the board.

Elmhurst Elementary School closed last year in order to cut costs. The town is now debating the future of the waterfront property next to the Glen Manor House.

The town council previously assigned the task of forming a list of potential committee members to Town Administrator Robert Driscoll. The town administrator was asked to work with the Glen Manor House Authority to form a list of potential residents for the board, as well as develop a mission statement and charter.

Driscoll's recommendations to the town council on Monday were:

• Form a committee that shall be known as the Elmhurst Planning Committee (EPC).

• Approve the mission statement of the committee, which reads, "The committee is charged by the Town Council to identify and explore options for the future reuse of the Elmhurst School and property. These options must be consistent with the mission of the Glen Manor House Authority and the surrounding neighborhood and must be for the benefit of present and future generations of Portsmouth residents."

Driscoll also recommended that the town council form a committee with the following membership: 

• Five members of the Glen Manor House Authority

• One member from each of the following nine organizations (chosen and designated by the organization): Portsmouth Economic Development Committee, Open Space Committee, Conservation Committee, Agricultural Advisory Committee, Lower Glen Farm Preservation Committee, Glen Park Working Committee, Portsmouth Youth Sailing and Portsmouth Arts Guild.

• Three members of the general public to be selected by the town council.

• One council person and the town administrator will serve as liaisons. Liaisons shall not be members of the committee, according to Driscoll, but shall facilitate interaction between the committee and other entities as needed.

After a reading of the recommendations, Councilor James Seveney motioned to add the word "preliminary" before the mission statement.

Councilor Keith Hamilton suggested adding a group from the neighborhood to the list of recommended organizations.

Not everyone on the town council was in favor of the recommendations.

"Another committee in this town is ridiculous," said Councilor Jeffrey Plumb. "I think committees are important," replied Councilor Dennis Canario.

"I'm not going to vote in favor of having nine people from nine different special interest groups ... and only three peopel from the public," said Councilor Karen Gleason. "Why are we treating this committee any different from all other committees?"

"These committees (organizations) have a serious investment in this property," said Wimpress.

"You are discriminating against the people of this town that own that property," Gleason said to Wimpress.

The town council voted 4-3 to approve the town administrator's recommendations with the word "preliminary" added before the mission statement. Councilors Peter McIntyre, Plumb and Gleason were in opposition.

Driscoll also recommended holding a charrette (public meeting) in the future for all residents to voice their opinions for the future use of this property.

"It should not be dominated by any one group," he said. 

The Town Council also took the following actions at Monday's meeting:

• The council voted unanimously to approve a change to the Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Ordinance. Assistant Town Planner Gary Crosby presented the change to the council.

• A proposed amendment to the Tax Exemption on Farm Land Ordinance was postponed for discussion until the first week of December. The council voted unanimously to request the tax assessor to provide a full listing of all farm properties that fall under this exemption. The change, according to the town solicitor, is a "housekeeping error." Language in the ordinance was erroneously kept when the ordinance was passed in 1990.

• The council voted unanimously to approve a request for a public hearing made by Town Planner Robert Gilstein. The request for a public hearing was made to discuss a change in a proposed zoning amendment on agriculture. The Planning Board has recommended adding the words "or an adjacent parcel" to an existing ordinance, Article V.C. - Agriculture. The new ordinance, if approved, would read, "One roadside stand per farm for the sale of agricultural or horticultural products the major portion of which are grown on the premises or an adjacent parcel; must provide off-street parking. The public hearing will be held on Oct. 25.