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Temple Planning Board 
Minutes
Tuesday, September 1, 2026 
7:00pm, Temple Town Hall
Present: Russ Huntley, Chair; Jim Medeiros, Vice Chair; Randy Martin, Secretary; 
Bruce Kullgren, Jr; Matt Cabana; Christine Robidoux, Alternate; Ken Caisse, ex officio, 
Select Board
Absent: Kent Perry; Murray Collette, Alternate
Guests: George Russell, Andrew Johnson, Keith Charlton, Simon Denis, Boo Martin
Board Chair Russ Huntley called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm and chaired the 
meeting. Russ appointed Alternate Christine Robidoux as a full member of the board 
for this meeting and Christine joined the board at the table.
Approval of Draft Minutes
August 18, 2026 Meeting: Christine motioned to accept the minutes as amended. 
Jim and Bruce seconded. Approved by a roll call vote with all in favor except 
Matt who abstained.
Public Hearing: Board Rules of Procedure 
1. Russ opened the hearing at 7:05 pm. 
a. Russ explained the updates: cleaned up parts of the document that were unclear, 
duplicated, or didn’t meet the RSA; added language about how to select 
alternates; defined more responsibilities; added a flow-chart from NHOPD to 
provide a visual representation.
b. There was no public comment.
2. Russ closed the hearing at 7:07 pm.
3. Christine made a motion to adopt these updates. Jim seconded. Approved by 
a roll call vote with all in favor. 
4. Christine will submit a clean copy for the website and town office.
Public Comment: George Russell is an abutter to the Barry property and explained 
that there are 5 culverts which drain directly from the Barry property onto George’s 
property. George has conducted soil tests which show elevated levels of arsenic.
New Business: 
1. Resident Email: Russ received an email from Lillian LeBel and will forward it to the 
rest of the board for discussion at the next meeting.
 
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2. Conceptual Consultation for Minor Subdivision, Map 8A, Lot 8-2-1, Andrew 
Johnson: Andrew presented an initial survey, explaining that his goal is to purchase 
the 5-acre field which is currently part of Lot 8-2-1. Randy is the owner of that lot 
and recused himself from the board. 
a. Members reviewed the plan. Discussion included: the perc test has not been 
done so we could not confirm whether it is a conforming lot; the perc test is 
generally not waived; the state allows the creation of nonconforming lots, 
however Temple has no provision; part of the lot is designated as a flood hazard 
area in the Merrimack River Watershed and a LOMA study was suggested to 
more accurately map the flood zone; fill can be brought in to raise the septic 
system above the flood level if needed.
b. Members recommended the perc test as the next step. 
c. Randy rejoined the board.
3. Email Distribution Lists: There is some confusion around the use of 
templeplanning@temple.gov and .org addresses and who is on the lists. Keith 
Charlton will follow up on this. Ken noted that the templenh.org website no longer 
exists.
Old Business 
1. Tax Map Updates - Budget: Christine noted that the town website shows the old 
tax maps from 2023, instead of the recent updates. Ken will follow up with Carole 
Singelais.
Work Session
1. LLA and Subdivision Fees for Tax Map Updates: The comments from the legal 
review arrived just before the meeting. Russ researched the fees of other towns and 
discovered that Temple’s fees were the lowest. Members did not recall ever raising 
the fees from the original amount. Many towns have a higher application fee and 
some charge $100 per lot for more than 2 lots; New Ipswich charges $25 for “tax 
map corrections.” 
a. Members discussed options, aiming to 1) maintain transparency, while 2) shifting 
the burden of paying for tax map updates from taxpayers to the applicant. 
b. Keith noted that the tax map updates have been occurring all along and are not 
specific to the GIS conversion of the tax maps.
c. On a related note, Russ highlighted that both checklists allow the applicant to 
request a waiver for the survey. Do we want to amend the checklists to show that 
the survey cannot be waived, or leave it unchanged and then the board can deny 
the request?
d. The discussion will continue at the next meeting when members have had time to 
review all the materials.
 
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2. Subdivision Regulations Updates: Members discussed the Section 6 Draft 
document (attached.) The legal review suggested improving the definition of 
“sensitive areas.” Christine noted that RSA 125-H “Health Risk Assessment” has 
similar language but is more strict. Jim stressed the importance of defining a step-
by-step process.
a. Public Comment:
i. Simon shared that NHDES Env-Or Chapter 600 “Contaminated Site 
Management” lists types of testing and mitigation. Simon also noted that it 
was normal for towns to hire a consultant to evaluate test results since board 
members are unlikely to have this expertise. Members noted that we already 
have a provision for a third party review; does the language state that the 
applicant bears the cost of this review? 
ii. Boo brought up the topic of recent NHDES water tests at the Barry property 
that showed arsenic and lead. Boo explained that she called the NHDES 
Wetlands Bureau and discovered that citizens can submit a complaint. 
Members reiterated that the changes being discussed for the Subdivision 
Regulations will apply to all properties in Temple, with the goal of protecting 
the town from future projects that create a hazard.
iii. Another resident asked whether the excavation at the logging landings fell 
under Temple’s Excavation Regulations: No. The landing excavation is part of 
the logging operation; our regulations refer to operations such as gravel and 
sand pits. 
iv. Keith suggested that soil survey maps can indicate contamination.
b. Members will review Chapter 600 for continued discussion at the next meeting.
3. C-PACER Program: Tabled until the next meeting.
4. Floodplain Ordinance Draft and NFIP: Members agreed with the final, minor 
change. The draft is now ready for our first public hearing this fall.
5. Site Plan Review for Large Scale Construction: Tabled until the next meeting.
6. Update Master Plan: Tabled until the next meeting.
Other Business
1. Legislative Updates: Tabled until the next meeting.
2. Webinars and Trainings
•
NHOPD Plan NH 2026 Annual Fall Conference “Built to Belong”, September 
15th, Dover, NH. 9am - 4pm. $65-$125. Register here.
 
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•
NHOPD Plan NH “An Overview of RSA 79-E: Community Revitalization Tax 
Relief Incentive” webinar, Thursday, September 17th, noon - 1pm. Free. Register 
here.
•
NHMA 2026 Annual Conference, Wednesday-Thursday, October 28-29. 
Manchester. 7:30-4:30 on Wednesday, 7:30-2:45 on Thursday. $150 one day/
$220 both days. More information is here. Contact Leala to register.
3. Tabled Business: No update.
Bruce motioned to adjourn the meeting. Matt seconded. Approved by a roll call 
vote with all in favor. The meeting adjourned at 8.45 pm.
Next Planning Board Meeting: 
Tuesday, September 15th, 2026
7:00 pm at Temple Town Hall
Minutes respectfully submitted by Cathy Joly.
Attached documents can be found here: 
1. Board Rules of Procedure
2. LLA and Subdivision Applications
3. Subdivision Regulations
•
Legal Recommendations
•
Section 6 Draft
4. Floodplain Ordinance Draft
 
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