CMM 2023-02-12

Minutes of Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting of

the Religious Society of Friends

Second Month 12^th, 2023

Sixteen Friends gathered for Meeting for Worship to attend to business, in person and by Zoom.  We opened with a brief period of quiet Worship.

Minutes of First Month 2022 were approved as posted on the Meeting website.

02.01  Possible Day Care Letting:  The co-clerk, Heidi B, reported on a request that we explore allowing a day care to operate on our property, mostly outside.  Property committee was forwarded the request but has not had any opportunity to consider this and also needs to take some time to explore this with the person who is requesting we consider it.  We heard from members regarding their thoughts on this and note that there is generally a positive reaction to the idea.  We also need to know whether there could be any conflict with other potential uses, especially in coordination with the local Abenaki band as our PSECC committee has begun to explore.  Property committee members will begin to work on further communications with the person requesting we consider this use.

02.02  Zoning Board Letter:  Ministry and Counsel brought a letter that they propose we send to the Canterbury Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) about a request for a special exception for use of a nearby property for work on heavy weapons.  Concerns were expressed about leading off the letter by invoking our own peace testimony.  The remainder of the letter was well expressed and would potentially be a useful way of influencing this decision of the Canterbury ZBA in the direction of denying this use in the area near our Meetinghouse.  Some Friends objected to implying that we would be OK with this activity happening in a different zone.  It was suggested that Ministry and Counsel spend some more time to craft the language with both our strategic goal and our status as a peace church in mind.  We asked Ministry and Counsel to work some more on this letter and to bring it back to a called Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business next First Day, February 19^th, after a brief period of fellowship after the rise of worship.

02.03  Finance Committee circulated a report on the first 8 months of the fiscal year.  Total income was $22,967.  Our current expenses were $16,727.  Report is attached to these minutes.  They also brought a request that Meeting consider a minute about the amount of money to keep in current cash on hand, temporarily setting this at $30,000 until Property committee and Finance committee do more work on what this figure should be longer term.  They also would like authority to put any other cash beyond the $30,000 into CDs or other investments consistent with our Quaker principles, providing that these funds should be in FDIC insured instruments.  That figure can be changed after an update to our prior work on what our replacement reserves should be.

02.04  Investments:  Finance committee asked that Meeting consider two different minutes regarding their policies about what investments to make with our cash in hand.  One minute provides the committee with full authority in shifting investments as seems prudent.  The alternate minute would require that the Finance committee return to Meeting with a new proposal whenever they thought funds should be moved.  Friends were easy with giving Finance committee authority on these decisions to shift investments.

After a brief time of quiet worship, Meeting adjourned, purposing to meet again on the Third Sunday of the Second Month of 2023.

Minutes of Meeting for Worship with Attention to Business

Concord (NH) Monthly Meeting of

the Religious Society of Friends

Second Month 19^th, 2023

Fifteen Friends gathered for Meeting for Worship to attend to business, in person and by Zoom. We opened with a brief period of quiet Worship.

02.05  Zoning Board Letter:  Ruth H read to us the proposed letter from our Meeting to the Canterbury Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) opposing the request for use of a nearby property to produce and modify heavy weaponry.  Friends reflected and discussed this letter and found unity with our purpose and proposed language and the way we have asked our clerks to present this at the ZBA meeting.

We agreed to allow the clerks to make changes that they feel are needed for the sake of clarity or accuracy.  Friends are in agreement to have the clerks present this letter to the ZBA at the upcoming board meeting.  The letter is attached to these minutes.

NB. The Income & Expenses Sheet was created with two decimal points, which were removed for readability, the cents being unimportant to the overall understanding.  This can have the effect of throwing off any given sum by a dollar due to compounded rounding.  —  Prepared by Greg Heath and Chris Haigh.

Draft Letter to Canterbury Zoning Board of Adjustment

(Meeting letterhead)

Zoning Board of Adjustment

Town of Canterbury

10 Hackleboro Road

PO Box 500

Canterbury NH 03324

Dear Members of the Board:

We, Quakers, gathered at Concord Friends Meeting monthly meeting for business on February 19, 2023, have discerned that our peace testimony leads us to ask the Canterbury Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) to deny a special exception to Feuerstoss, LLC “to operate a specialized firearm, repair, modify, design, build business.”

Title II firearms include “machine guns, short-barreled or ‘sawed-off’ shotguns and rifles, and so-called ‘destructive devices’ (including grenades, mortars, rocket launchers, large projectiles and other heavy weapons such as NFA firearms).” (https://www.concealedcarry.com/resources/terminology/types-of-firearms/t... [‘dead’ hyperlink, try instead https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-82/pdf/STATUTE-82-Pg1213-2.pdf#page=1])

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) is a historic Christian peace church.  Friends down the centuries have been called to live “in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars.”  (George Fox, founder of Quakerism, 1650)

It is our peace testimony that guides our discernment regarding Feuerstoss’ application to the ZBA.  We do not believe that the town of Canterbury should host a dealer/manufacturer of such weapons of war, nor should any town.

However, if the town decides such a business should exist in Canterbury, a firearms dealer/manufacturer is not a land use that belongs at 6 Oxbow Pond Road.  Another location such as the industrial district at Exit 18 might be more appropriate.

Ours is a mixed-use neighborhood.  We host meetings for worship on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings, a Zen Buddhist group on Monday evenings, and occasional other gatherings. We are considering a proposal for a day-care facility on our premises.

Children use the field at Thomson Lawn Care for lacrosse practice. Brookwood Pet Resort dog walkers and their charges are a constant presence along the road. Muchyedo Banks State Wildlife Reserve and Riverland Conservation area attract visitors throughout the year. The school bus comes and goes.

This is a commercial district.  Don and Lois Booth, founding members of Concord Friends Meeting, subdivided much of this land.  They envisioned people living and operating businesses here in a community of cottage industries.  This vision has proven to be inconsistent with modern zoning law and, therefore, almost impossible to enforce in practice.  The Gateway Plaza in Concord, across Route 4, has also dramatically increased development pressure.

We would like to see the commercial development in our Exit 17 commercial district be in harmony with the residential uses already here and in the spirit of the Booth’s vision of community.  That would likely include businesses that would offer amenities to the people already living here and to Canterbury at large such as retail establishments and providers of services (for example, medical buildings or professional offices).

We are loath to create conflict, especially with our neighbors.  We have watched as large, metal buildings full of bays or garages, mostly for contractors, have been approved and built here at Exit 17.  We note that they do not offer amenities to the people living here and are not in keeping with the Booth’s vision of people and commerce living in community together.

In our view, this new proposed use — the manufacturing and dealing in Type II firearms — is not in harmony with existing (and likely future) uses.

We note that the Booths had the foresight to put conditions in most of the deeds when they subdivided this land.  The deeds stipulate that in part that:

“A quiet atmosphere shall be maintained on the PROPERTY.  There shall be no use of noisy equipment for outdoor recreation such as loudspeakers, amplified music, or motorized recreation vehicles.  Commercial use should preclude activities that would disturb the quiet of the neighborhood…”

This would appear to be a good starting point for deciding what uses are harmonious in a mixed-use neighborhood.

We may have more to say about our practical concerns once we have heard the details of what is being proposed.

In peace,

Heidi Babb

Mark Barker

Co-Clerks, Concord Friends Meeting

Concord Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

11 Oxbow Pond Road

Canterbury, NH 03224

February 22, 2023

Zoning Board of Adjustment

Town of Canterbury

10 Hackleboro Road

Canterbury NH 03324

Dear Members of the Board:

Concord Friends Meeting, close neighbors to the applicant, asks that you deny a special exception to Feuerstoss, LLC “to operate a specialized firearm, repair, modify, design, build business” dealing in Title II firearms.

Title II firearms include “machine guns, short-barreled or ‘sawed-off’ shotguns and rifles, and so-called ‘destructive devices’ [including grenades, mortars, rocket launchers, large projectiles and other heavy weapons such as NFA (National Firearms Act) firearms].” (https://www.concealedcarry.com/resources/terminology/types-of-firearms/t...)

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) is a historic Christian peace church.  Friends down the centuries have been called to live “in the virtue of that life and power that took away the occasion of all wars.” (George Fox, founder of Quakerism, 1650)

It is our peace testimony that guides our discernment regarding the Feuerstoss application to the ZBA.  We do not believe that the town of Canterbury should host a dealer/manufacturer of such weapons of war, nor should any town.

Understanding that our peace testimony is not foundational to the Town’s zoning ordinance, we urge you to also consider how inappropriate such a business would be in our neighborhood based on communitywide concerns, concerns anticipated by the zoning ordinance: A special exception may be granted only if the proposed use would not be “contrary to the public interest.”

Ours is a mixed-use and quiet neighborhood, a commercial district.  It is not an industrial district for manufacture.  At our church we host meetings for worship on Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings, a Zen Buddhist group on Monday evenings, and occasional other spiritual retreats and gatherings.  We are considering a proposal for a day-care facility on our premises.

Children use the athletic field at Thomson Lawn Care for practices.  Brookwood Pet Resort dog walkers and their charges are a constant presence along the road.  The Muchyedo Banks State Wildlife Reserve and the Riverland Conservation areas attract visitors throughout the year.  The school bus comes and goes for the children in the neighborhood.

Don and Lois Booth, founding members of Concord Friends Meeting, subdivided much of this land.  They envisioned people living and operating businesses here in a community of cottage industries.  This vision has proven to be inconsistent with modern zoning law and, therefore, difficult to honor in practice.

We would like to see the commercial development in our Exit 17 commercial district be in harmony with the residential uses already here and in the spirit of the Booths’ vision of community.  The zoning code says the purpose of the commercial district is “to meet the daily needs of the community.”  That would likely include businesses offering amenities to the people already living here and to Canterbury at large such as retail establishments and providers of services (for example, medical buildings or professional offices).  At the very least they would be quiet operations that would draw a clientele welcomed in the neighborhood and not include hazardous materials.

We are loath to create conflict, especially with our neighbors, and regret the need to stand in opposition.  However, in our view this new proposed use — the manufacturing and dealing in Type II firearms — is a danger and not in the public interest because it is not in harmony with existing and likely future uses.  It is an “obnoxious use” prohibited by the ordinance.  From the ordinance: “Under the reasonable person standard, a use is obnoxious if that use unreasonably disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, peace, or safety of the community; or if that use causes public inconvenience, annoyance, or alarm to reasonable persons of ordinary sensitivity.”  Having such weapons stored, stockpiled or tested in this community endangers the community.