Finally some activity

Lumber has been delivered to the Mica building and Suldenski was there today. Looks like he is going to shore it up and make it 'safe' to work on for his grand renovation. I'm not holding my breath on any of it. If he does, however finish shoring up, we should be able to get back to our building as soon as the fire chief and code officer declare it safe to do so. Below is a list of conditions that Suldenski has to follow in order to proceed with this work......wait a minute? Read number 15! He can waiver any of them if he chooses!!!!! Well done Selectmen! Continue to trust Suldenski implicitly, he certainly earned that trust, right?

The paid professionals of Bristol have to be tearing their collective hair out.

CONDITIONS FOR THE ISSUANCE

OF

LAND USE PERMIT # 09-043

Finalized on June 25^th, 2009

The following items are conditions of approval for the land use permit to shore and brace 8, aka 5, Central Street, Map 114 Lot 123, also known as the Mica Building:

1. Duration of construction under this permit will be five (5) weeks. This permit is to allow the owner to brace and shore the four story building captioned above, only, and specifically does not address reconstruction, bracing or other activity associated with the roof, itself. This permit shall expire after five (5) weeks from date of issuance, unless an extension of such permit is granted by the Town of Bristol. Due to the nature of the project and the danger posed to the public by the building in its current state, an extension shall only be granted upon request by the owner and by showing of exceptional circumstances that warrant such an extension.

2. The owner/contractor is authorized to temporarily tarp the area of the roof collapse to deter weather from entering the building during the permit activities.

3. This permit is subject to Chapter 17 of the ICC International Building Code/2006, Chapter 17, “Structural Tests and Special Inspections” on CASE (Council of American Structural Engineers) forms submitted to the Town of Bristol, by the New Hampshire licensed professional structural engineer of record.

4. Location of the dumpster is to be in the four (4) spaces in front of, and parallel to the building, as approved by the Police Chief and the Highway Superintendent. The dumpster is not to block water shut offs. Reflective tape or equal to be adhered to the dumpster and maintained at all times.

5. There is to be no occupancy of the building, and the building is to be secured against trespass.

6. Portable toilets, a contractor trailer, or a travel trailer that is clearly signed as the construction office for the project is permitted to be sited on municipal property, located easterly from the subject property, in an area approved by the Police Chief and Highway Superintendent. The travel trailer shall not be used for residential purposes at any time.

7. Upon completion of the work under this permit, the professional engineer of record shall certify such completion, as well as, certify that the building is structurally sound and poses no danger to the public, in writing with signature and seal, as provided under Chapter 17 of the ICC IBC/2006.

8. The licensed professional structural engineer of record shall provide an inspection schedule, wherein said engineer will be on site for inspections at a minimum of once per week, with the understanding that daily inspections may be required at particular times, as agreed to by the Town of Bristol and the structural engineer of record and as stated in the CASE forms submitted before the issuance of any permit.

9. Final proposed engineered plans are required to be submitted to the Town of Bristol prior to any brace/shore activities, signed and sealed by the licensed professional engineer of record. Field changes are required to be submitted to the Town of Bristol, signed and sealed by the licensed professional engineer of record, prior to implementation. As-built drawings, signed and sealed by the licensed professional engineer of record, shall be submitted within ten (10) days of completion of that particular work.

10. Inspection reports will be submitted to the Town of Bristol by the professional structural engineer of record, signed and sealed, within ten (10) days of the inspection.

11. The contractor will notify the Police Chief of any activity requiring a detail for traffic control, a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours before the activity is to commence. The owner has agreed to meet with the Police Chief to ascertain the requirements for a traffic detail.

12. In the event that steel or engineered lumber is designed for any part of the building, the professional structural engineer of record will supply to the Town of Bristol the manufacturer’s specifications and his calculations for said structural members.

13. The use of acetylene or other type of “hot” tools will not be utilized in this project.

14. The owner will supply and maintain fire extinguishers, to be of the type, size and location in the building, as determined by the Fire Chief.

15. Given the unpredictability of the repair project and the necessity for deviations which may occur, notwithstanding the foregoing conditions, for good cause shown, the applicant may request waiver of any condition which will be considered by the permit issuing authority.

Part of the Community at the Naturally Newfound Fair

We scooped up lots of, "Newfound's Natural Homemade Ice Cream" to many happy people at the Naturally Newfound fair in Hebron last Saturday. We just about sold all the ice cream we brought with us, joking at the end to customers, "Would you like coffee, coffee, or coffee?"People didn't seem to mind though. Maybe next time we'll bring 3 coolers!

The Newfound Lake Region Association organized the fair along with some local co-sponsors. The crowds came out to celebrate the "Newfound way of life" despite a little rain. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and we hope our ice cream and fudge added to their enjoyment.

It was really cool to notice how much more "known" we were this year compared to Naturally Newfound '08 and '07. Before, we were the newbies, with locals asking where we were located and what we're up to. This time, probably 90% of people knew about our fudge and ice cream. Many asked about our situation with the mica building. It was great to feel like we're truly an integral part of the Newfound community now. The people who didn't know about us were often new to the community and just discovering what's here! We're honored to be part of such a wonderful community of people.

We look forward to being at the Newfound Chamber of Commerce event, "Taste of Newfound" and hope to see you there.

Dangerous, irresponsible crazy development!

Terry was in the Square today and talked to a kid of about twenty, who has been hired by Suldenski to start clearing the floors of the Mica building! He was in there for three hours this afternoon on his own, with no hard hat! Not only that, but he 'borrowed' our wheelbarrow to get the job done! This is a building that the Fire Chief, the code officer and two structural engineers have said is so unsafe that we had to be evacuated, and Suldenski sends in a kid to clean it up.

If this is the way he is going to proceed, and I can't say it's a surprise, someone is going to get hurt. Please call and write to the selectmen, particularly Bruce Van Derven, since he seems to be the selectman who is most involved with Suldenski, or better still go to the meeting tomorrow night and demand answers as to how they are going to oversee this project so that no one is killed

Something moving at last

Suldenski and Bruce Van Derven were spotted outside of the Mica building the other day, and a dump truck was delivered. We had heard that the selectmen were negotiating with Suldenski, remember his rights are infinitely more important that ours, or the down town area of Bristol! :) It looks like work is about to start to shore up the building from the inside. If that is what is happening, we should be able to move back into our building as soon as the Mica building is made safe. Then it will be interesting to watch how the situation develops. Will Suldenski stop there, or will he renovate the whole building? Where is he getting the money for this, since he owes the town of Franklin $26,000 in back taxes? Is he going to shore it up and leave it as an unsightly blight on the Square while he makes useless appeals to NH Superior court? The selectmen clearly believe in him. They think he will honor the negotiations, and continue with the renovation. If indeed it turns out he had money all along, then why could he not have met his responsibilities before it nearly put us out of business? I'll keep you posted

Need a last minute Father's Day gift? Send an online gift certificate by email for fresh New England fudge! http://ping.fm/wEX26

Front page news!

Check out this great article which is on the front page of the Concord Monitor today. 

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090606/FRONTPAGE/906060339

It is well written, captures the situation perfectly, and in my opinion shows up the selectmen and Suldenski very well indeed! :)

After four months of nothing happening and Suldenski's rights being put way in front of ours by the selectmen, even when the court deemed otherwise, we have been forced to retain a lawyer. It is not something we wanted to do. We would have preferred to be on the same side as our town government. If they had even once agreed to sit down with us face to face to listen to us, and to ask us intelligent questions about our situation, and what would best help our business  survive, things could have been very different. The communication with them was abysmal from the day in February when we all stood outside the Mica building and the selectmen refused to meet with us, instead going into a closed meeting. We had to push them then, and ever since, to at least listen to us, and all we have ever received is political platitudes. So now it is in the hands of lawyers, and quite frankly it is a relief. 

So just to be clear, the Selectmen now have the power to demolish the Mica Building, regardless of what Suldeneski said in the article.  Please let the Selectmen know how you feel about their delay, and remember,  since they have to vote in public session, stay in touch with their agenda. Those votes are first discussed in private, and the vote can be over before you noticed in the public arena! 

Great article in the Concord Monitor today, "Empty factory's fate looms over cafe" - http://ping.fm/gIqZS