===OCR macOS Vision===
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Members present: Tom Alonzo, Chairman; Phyllis Luck, Vice Chairman, Damon McQuaid, Clerk;
Katey Adams, Michael- Ray Jeffreys
Others present: Heather Lemieux, Town Manager; Jim Marino, Police Chief
The meeting was called to order at 6:15 p.m. Mr. Alonzo stated he would entertain a Motion to enter
Executive Session under M.G.L. Chapter 30A, § 21, Reason #6, to consider the purchase, exchange,
lease or value of real property, and the Chair so declares that an open meeting may have a detrimental
effect on the negotiating position of the governmental body (635 Massachusetts Avenue) and to enter
Open Session after adjourning from Executive Session.
Ms. Luck made the Motion and Mr. McQuaid seconded it. Vote: Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Ms. Adams-
aye, Mr. McQuaid-aye, Ms. Luck, Mr. Alonzo-aye
*************************Executive Session Minutes are Separate*********************
The meeting commenced at 7:03 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Alonzo announced in
accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being
recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access channel.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Ms. Luck reminded all of the Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast at the Senior Center tomorrow from 8-10
a.m. All you can eat for $2.00
Ron Dionne, 131 White Street, has been reading the Vertex Property Condition Report on the old
Primary School and doing some research. He believed all the building needed was an interior upgrade to
bring it back to code. Regarding the $10,000 estimate for the roof, he thought the roof did not look bad
at all. Mr. Alonzo noted the $10,000 was to repair the roof, not replace it. Mr. Dionne stated the building
is structurally sound and the Board should not have it demolished. It could be used as a school or for
housing.
Dave Tocki, 72 Leominster Road, thanked the Board for having all the old playground equipment
removed from the back of the old Primary School yard. He was here to listen and thanked the Board for
continuing the dialogue. He did not have an opinion on the best use of the property but thought there
were multiple opportunities for it. He believed the only thing that has been consistent is that the
townspeople want to hold on to it as an asset of the community.
Town Manager Report
Announcement on Existing Vacancies:
The following is a list of vacancies on the following committees:
RECEIVED & FILED
NOV 20 2019
LUNENBURG TOWN
CLERK OFFICE
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members and Selectmen)
• Zoning Board of Appeals (1 regular member and 2 Associate vacancies)
Talent bank forms can be obtained on the Town Website and forwarded to the Board of Selectmen's Office.
Update on the Summer Street Road Reconstruction Project:
The Contractor is currently forming and placing concrete sidewalks in the Leominster section of the project. It is
anticipated that the sidewalks will be completed by the end of September. The Contractor is also raising all casings
and water gates priorto the placement of the surface course. The placement of the surface course is currently
scheduled for the week of October 7th.
Mosquito Control Update:
Atourlast meeting I provided an update about the Community Advisory thatthe Nashoba Associated Board of
Health issued that has been publicized in various forums and that the School was spraying the athletic field at the
Middle/High School on Monday, September 9th. After that meeting I worked with the BoardofHealth, the DPW
Directorand the Parks Commission Chairand Marshall Park was included in thespraying thattook placeon
September 9th dueto its proximity to wetlands.
Human Resource Audit and Harassment Training for Staff:
I coordinated an audit by a Human Resource consultant of our existing human resource practices, including
policies, procedures, how personnel records are keptandam awaitingthereport. This audit willbea good starting
point fortheHR Director/Assistant Town Manager on areasthatneed improvement, as well as areas we are
doing well with.
Thisconsultant willalso be conducting a harassment training for the department heads on September 24th and
one for all the staff on October 3rd.
Open Meeting Law, Conflict of Interest, and Public Records Law Training:
Thedate that Town Counsel was availableto provide elected/appointed officials an Open Meeting Law, Conflictof
Interest, and Public Records Law Training is Thursday, October 3rd. Thelocation will be advertised once
determined. I am still workingon adate forthe same training forstaff,butit will likely bethelastweekof
October.
Update on OSHA Compliance Requirements:
Due toalawthat wasenacted in Marchof 2018 andtookeffectin February of 2019, certain staff membershave
taken required OSHA Training courses and the DPWDirector and I met with a firm last weekthatisgoingto
provide uswith ascopeofworkto assess complianceand workonanyareas where corrections need to be made
and safety trainings.
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time for people who would like to serve on some committees to meet members and get more
information about what is involved with serving.
Ms. Lemieux announced former employee, Jan Carrier, passed away yesterday. The Board expressed
their condolences to the family and friends and stated she would be missed
Ms. Luck asked if the mosquito spraying was being done at no charge by Mosquito Control Project. Ms.
Lemieux confirmed. Ms. Luck asked if other parks besides Marshall Park could be sprayed. Ms.
Lemieux stated upon request they would.
CURRENT BUSINESS
1. Minutes/Warrants/ Action Items
The Board approved Minutes of August 12, 2019. Mr. Alonzo signed an earth removal permit with
revised conditions for P.J. Keating. The Board signed an accounts payable warrant in the amount of
$316,122.26.
Action Item: Mr. Alonzo asked if there was any information regarding the chair lift door in Town Hall.
Ms. Lemieux reported the company came once to repair the door but she will follow up for more
information. Ms. Adams had noticed the hallway downstairs was dark during a Planning Board meeting
and lights should be left on when there are public meetings at night. Mr. Alonzo stated those should be
replaced with motion sensor lights.
Mr. Jeffreys asked for the status on the report related to the Annual Town Meeting ballot questions.
Mr. Alonzo stated he had been given a draft from the Town Manager and he was reviewing it. It will be
made public at either the next BOS meeting or the first October meeting.
2. Committee Reports
Ms. Luck attended the Central Mass Regional Stormwater Coalition meeting on August 22. They are
receiving an EPA Environmental Award this morning at Faneuil Hall. The Storm Water Task Force will
be meeting Thursday evening. The MS4 permit annual report due on September 30 should be ready for
submittal.
Mr. McQuaid reported Capital Planning met for the first time; they organized and set their schedule for
meeting. Forms should be sent out October 1 to department heads and interviews for Capital requests
should begin by the end of October. Mr. Jeffreys stated the Council on Aging meeting that he was going
to attend this morning has been postponed to next week,
WORKSHOP: TOWN FACILITIES WITH FOCUS ON OLD PRIMARY SCHOOL, 30
SCHOOL STREET
1. Discussion re: letters from APDC re: old Primary School and cost estimate from Facilities
Director
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believed they should discuss it tonight as if it were still in effect.
The APDC called their meeting to order. Members present were Richard McGrath, Jim LaVeck, Cullen
Dwyer and Brian Corcoran. Mr. LaVeck stated he had noticed this back in 2017 and had informed the
Town Manager at that time. Mr. Alonzo stated since it was approved by the voters, we will proceed as if
it was approved.
Regarding the building, Mr. LaVeck stated the APDC would like to see the town attempt to stop further
decay to the OPS building until we determine what is going to happen to it. Mr. Alonzo asked if the
APDC has discussed what position they would take if the town decided the building should be
demolished. Chairman McGrath stated they had not. Mr. Alonzo clarified his question to, "Do you see
that building as something architecturally worth preserving? Mr. McGrath stated yes, that is why we
sent the letters. Mr. Corcoran asked what the town's plan is for the building; we have not heard
anything. Mr. Alonzo stated the town has defeated three warrant articles concerning the building, so it is
not for lack of a plan; it is more lack of agreement on it, which puts us all in a very difficult spot.
Ms. Adams noted the town has not agreed to convey or demolish the building. She stated her goal is to
see it enhanced as municipal land for parking and possibly a park. She recalled going there in 2004-2005
because her mother worked there and the building was falling into disrepair up until it was closed. So, it
has been neglected longer that the fifteen years it has been vacant.
Mr. Alonzo stated there are varying opinions on what to do with the building. Mr. LaVeck believed the
majority of the APDC wanted it maintained so it does not deteriorate any further. The APDC reviewed
Mr. Walker's estimate of about $11,000 for what is needed to keep the building from falling further into
disrepair.
Mr. Jeffreys asked the APDC if there was a process they use to identify what buildings are falling into
disrepair in the district. Mr. McGrath stated no. Most people keep their properties in good condition. The
APDC did approach the owner of the house on the corner of Whiting Street and volunteers got together
and cleaned up the property. The trigger to approach anyone is observation of the property.
Mr. Corcoran asked the Board how do we move forward on the building, do we put items to the town to
vote on. Are there different scenarios with associated costs? How do we get there?
Mr. Jeffreys stated this is one of our goals. Mr. McGrath stated the water runoff that is eroding the
building would worsen the brickwork and foundation.
Mr. McQuaid noted the list submitted by Mr. Walker would not make the interior of the building more
safe. Ms. Adams suggested performing a hazardous audit of the building. Mr. McQuaid noted the Vertex
report estimated around $300,000 to abate the hazardous materials in the building. Mr. Alonzo asked
Ms. Lemieux if the building was under the liability insurance coverage for the town. She replied yes.
Mr. McGrath asked McQuaid, as an architect, what his opinion of the building was. McQuaid stated he
has a soft spot for the building but taking a realistic look at it, took exception to the statement that it has
"good bones." It is farther gone that a lot of people want to admit as far as the structural elements,
rebuilding of the floors; making it compliant for someone else to use is a completely different story.
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Ms. Adams stated this is a safety concern.
Ms. Adams amended her motion that if there is funding available in the DPW budget, we allocate
the $10,869.85 towards these repairs. Mr. McQuaid stated there is never just $10,000 waiting to be
spent. The DPW Director has a list of what is needed to be done. Further discussion ensued on the list.
Mr. Alonzo asked Ms. Lemieux to find out if there is funding available within the budget for the next
meeting.
Vote: 2 in favor (Luck, Adams), 3 against (Jeffreys, Alonzo, MeQuaid)
2. Discussion re: Selectmen's Objective #1 and #2 for Fiscal Year 2020:
Objective 1: To identify, define, discuss and finalize the criteria to be used in determining the use
and/or re-use of the following buildings: Town Hall, Ritter Building, Old Primary School, Brooks
House, T.C. Passios building.
i. Action: Schedule a variety of meetings and discussion sessions (at Selectboard meetings, public
charrettes, etc.) to get input from the widest variety of voices possible and practicable.
ii. Action: Write a final report at the conclusion of those meetings and discussions to be voted upon by
the Selectboard. That report will list AND prioritize the criteria to be used by the Selectboard and other
municipal bodies in evaluating any/all projects to be done with the above named buildings and the land
on which they lie.
Mr. Alonzo stated Objective 1 needs to be done before going to to Objective 2.
He deferred to Mr. Jeffreys who had a list of questions for criteria.
1. Is the building safe?
2. Is the building doing what it was intended to do and does it meet the current needs of the
community?
3. Is it likely the building will meet the needs of the community in 30 or 50 years?
4. Is there adequate parking?
5. Can all residents come in and out of the front door regardless of disability?
6. Are town employees in different departments co-located?
7. Can the building be expanded to meet future needs?
8. Is there a clear future necessity for retaining the land?
Ms. Adams suggested changing question #8 to, "What could future land use be?"
Mr. McQuaid suggested criteria for any other future proposal should include, "Does the proposed use
add value to the community?"
Rebecca Lantry, 251 West St., noted none of the municipal building could answer yes to #5 because
they were built during a different time, so it must be accessible, but not through the front door. Mr.
McQuaid stated if you spend over a third of the value of the building on renovations, access must be
through the front door. After some discussion, it was suggested to change the criteria wording to ADA
compliant entry. He stated cost should also be added to the criteria.
Ms. Lemieux suggested adding whether the building is currently in use.
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come to Town Hall and need to actually go to the Ritter.
Mr. Alonzo noted 30% of the population in town are over 50- 60 years old, many of whom are not
technology-driven. Discussion ensued on working online versus on-site customer service at Town Hall.
Dave Tocki, 72 Leominster Road, stated he works from home but still needs time to work face to face
with his colleagues to work collaboratively. He thought it was a great idea for everyone to work in one
location.
Mr. Martin suggested surveying residents to see what they want to do with the buildings. After much
discussion, Mr. Alonzo asked to focus on the criteria requirements. He read aloud a bulleted list based
on Mr. Jeffrey's questions.
• Building safety
• Meets current needs of the community
• Addresses defined future uses of the town
• Adequate parking
• ADA accessibility
• Centralization of resources
• Expansion potential
• Importance of the real estate ownership
• Financial implications
• Proposed added value to the community
• Current structural integrity
Mr. McQuaid suggested adding "Meeting zoning requirements." Mr. Martin suggested adding "Energy
Efficient." Mr. Alonzo will type up the criteria list for the next meeting.
Mr. Alonzo stated the finance Committee had reached out about holding a symposium at the
Middle/High School Auditorium about the potential increased school population, budget concerns,
building concerns and more. The only night that everyone is available and the auditorium is free is
Tuesday, October 29. Mr. Alonzo will reach out to the Finance and School Committee Chairs about that
date.
Regarding the Unitil Storm Resiliency Program, the Board will walk the proposed tree route at 5:30 p.m.
on September 17. Everyone will meet at the Ritter Building.
Objective 2 was tabled until a future meeting.
Mr. Alonzo asked the Board to review the Natick School Committee public comment policy and the
Town of Easton's social media policy before next week's meeting for discussion.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Ms. Adams asked if the public should be invited to participate in the storm resiliency walk. Ms.
Lemieux noted due to time limitations there will not be opportunity to engage in discussion. Mr. Alonzo
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Carm reerson
Elaine M. Peterson
Executive Assistant to the Town Manager