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Residents urge Alton selectmen to address town-hall hours, building-department enforcement and zoning delays
Summary
Multiple residents used public input to press the board on three related issues: restoring five-day town-hall hours, inconsistent building-department enforcement and lengthy delays in planning and zoning approvals that they say hinder local development.
Several residents raised related concerns about town services during the public-input period at the Sept. 9 Alton Town Board of Selectmen meeting, asking the board to address reduced town-hall hours, what they called heavy-handed or inconsistent enforcement by the building department, and lengthy delays in planning and zoning reviews.
Roger Sample, who said he submitted an application related to a town roll-off truck, discussed complaints about limited town-hall hours and said the building department often appears unmanned: "It used to be 40 hours, 5 days a week... that place is unmanned all the time," Sample said, adding that residents need daytime access for inspections and registrations.
Bob Flannery, who said his property at 208 Main Street is undergoing landscaping, criticized the use of police to deliver code-enforcement paperwork and a cease-and-desist rather than contacting property owners by phone first: "A simple phone call to me would have resolved the issue versus a cease and desist," Flannery said.
Walter Borowski, representing the Eagles Rest family trust, urged the board to examine zoning and code-enforcement procedures and cited state statute RSA 674:32-e (manufactured housing), saying the town's process and late-distributed staff notes to applicants have led to repeated continuances and delays. "When you go to a meeting, you don't get the planners or code enforcement building inspectors notes until an hour before the meeting... that's how you go from 1 or 2 meetings to 13," Borowski said.
Board members replied with a mix of acknowledgment and explanation. A selectman noted some budget and staffing constraints, saying warrant-article votes had moved prospective positions out of the default budget and that volunteers had helped fill inspection gaps. The selectmen also reiterated that they changed the board's operating schedule to retain employees; they said the four-day week provides longer daily hours though it leaves some residents seeking Friday access.
The board did not take regulatory action during public input; residents asked that staff and the board address communications and permitting timelines, and several selectmen said they would follow up with department heads.
