Small businesses raise big concerns about treatment

Grafton has created a cold business climate, with a cumbersome permitting process, unhelpful staff and lack of clear communication, residents said Dec. 9 at a packed forum.

About 60 people filled the Finance Committee room to discuss, at times heatedly, what was described as an unfriendly business environment. The forum was hosted by Timothy McInerney, who said he had heard concerns by long-time town resident Charles Bolack that business owners felt frustrated.

The forum allowed residents to express their opinions publicly or anonymously in writing.

A major complaint concerned the time and expense involved in obtaining permits for business projects. 

Frustrations were also raised about the treatment of business owners by municipal staff members.

"It's a question of growth, but we're not going to grow this town without a change of attitude,'' said Dick Anderson, owner of Holy Cow Ice Cream Shop. "The small businessman is overlooked.''

Dennis Doe, owner of Danielle's Pub, said he spends many hours at the municipal center "jumping through hoops to get a permit. There is a very big lack of communication between departments.''

Working with the  and Zoning boards and the Conservation Commission "is an absolute nightmare,'' said John Gosselin, who owns several commercial buildings in town. "Their only agenda is stopping us from building.''

He cited an example a call he received from a town employee on the last day of the year telling him that the permit on one of his businesses would not be renewed because he had fallen behind on his taxes.

Gosselin said he would upset with the abrupt nature of the call, because he had always been a reliable taxpayer. "For 17 years I owned a business and for 17 years you got taxes,'' he said. He said he appreciated that McInerney was able to work with him on this issue.

"Every time we want to do something, it's an incentive for the town'' to make money, he said. "It's reached a boiling point.''

Concerns were raised about the individual roles played by the Zoning and Planning boards and the Conservation Commission and whether their duties and responsibilities could be streamlined.

One audience member suggested the town hire an ombudsman to work with business owners looking to understand and navigate the permit process. Another suggested  having set days or hours when everyone needed to sign off on permits and other business regulations could be available.

This could allow a relatively straightforward project such as a house addition to be signed off on in a matter of hours, rather than the weeks and months that can delay a project.

Selectman chairman Brook Padgett said that concerns should be brought to the town administrator immediately, rather than allowing frustrations to build.

McInerney said he would bring the suggestions to his staff and look at potential solutions. He suggested holding these forums on a regular basis.