===OCR macOS Vision===
===PAGE 1===
Members present: Damon McQuaid, Clerk; Katey Adams, Michael- Ray Jeffreys
Members not present: Tom Alonzo, Chairman; Phyllis Luck, Vice Chairman,
Others present: Heather Lemieux, Town Manager; Jack Rodriquenz, DP Director; Adam Burney, Land
Use Director
The meeting commenced at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mr. McQuaid 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.
He reminded all per policy that speakers during public comment would be limited to 3 minutes per
speaker except at the discretion of the Chairperson.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Mr. Jeffreys reminded everyone that there are a lot of scams out there, many times coming through
email. Just be mindful that if you get something you don't recognize with a link, don't open it.
Ms. Adams stated her town outgoing emails haven't been sent as of August 20th
, and there was no
indication of that to her so for anybody who never got a response, she was not ignoring them. The issue
is being worked on now.
Rhonda Lisio, 181 Reservoir Road, noticed on the agenda that there are four candidates for three
positions on the TC Building Design Committee, and wanted to speak in opposition of one of the
candidates. She was in opposition due to her belief that he was unwilling to apply objective standards in
the decision-making process during his service as the School Building Committee chairman. She would
prefer candidates who identify needs versus wants on the TC Building Design Committee.
Ingrid Helmer, 141 Canterbury Drive, informed the Board of a Youth Pain Management forum
sponsored by ROAR at the Middle/High School auditorium on October 17% at 6:30 p.m.
APPOINTMENTS:
Kindness Rocks Presentation from LHS Community Service Club
Holly Smith, President of the LHS Community Service Club, and Mrs. Jennifer Miller, Advisor/Teacher
to the club presented on Kindess Rocks; a national project that they would like to join. The club will be
painting kind and inspirational messages on rocks and dispersing them throughout the community. The
mission of the project states one message at just the right moment can change someone's entire day,
outlook or life. Take a rock when you need one, share with a friend or leave one for someone. Smith and
Miller provided some painted rocks and read some of the messages painted on the rocks. Mrs. Miller
stated they are seeking donations of paint supplies and rocks. They can be dropped off at the school. She
noted within the next month you should see the rocks around town. The Board thought it was a great
idea.
===PAGE 2===
would depend on the project and location. She thought this would be a good opportunity to see it this is
a good fit before running for election.
Motion: M. Allison
2n: G. Bittner
To appoint Marisa Thompson to the Planning Board vacancy
Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Ms. Adams- aye, Mr. McQuaid-aye, Mr. Allison- aye, Mr. Bittner- aye, Ms.
Bertram-aye, Mr. Cole-aye
Joint Meeting with Lunenburg Housing Authority to mutually appoint to Housing Vacancy due to
Failure to Elect - Ron Dionne, 131 White Street
Linda McDonald, Vice Chair of the Housing Authority stated they had a quorum for their meeting and
called their meeting to order. Ron Dionne stated he lives in the Pearl Brook Apartments and has started
attending the Housing Authority meetings. He has experience in building maintenance. He also served in
Townsend on the Housing Authority for one year.
Mr. Jeffreys asked Ms. McDonald if there was a history of members of the Board also being subject to
the authority of the Board. Ms. McDonald stated no, but it is not against the law. She added the position
is until the next election and since he had a history with Townsend, she motioned to appoint him to the
Housing Authority. Ms. Adams seconded it.
Vote: Ms. McDonald- aye, Ms. Menard- aye- Ms. Christen- aye, Mr. Jeffreys -aye, Ms. Adams-
aye, Mr. McQuaid - aye
Special One Day Beer & Wine License: 3 Lancaster Ave. for October 17- Dragonfly Garden Café
LLC
Owner Joslin Schneider, 3 Lancaster Avenue, presented for the application. She had a request for a
special event for the Lunenburg Community Pollinator Habitat at the café. It is a two-three hour
timeframe with around 30 attendees. Mr. Jeffreys asked if town meeting passes the two additional liquor
licenses, would you be interested? Schneider stated it is something that she considered as there has been
a lot of interest in the other events over the summer. We are looking at the new year and seeing if this is
something that fits. Mr. Jeffreys asked if the license process was cumbersome for her. She stated yes,
she was not comfortable with public speaking and preferred cooking and baking.
Motion: K. Adams
2nd: M. Jeffreys
To approve the special one day beer and wine license for October 17" from 5-8 p.m.
Discussion: Mr. Jeffreys asked if the Board had to compel applicants to appear for the license
applications. Ms. Lemieux stated it's best if there are questions that need to be answered.
Vote: All in Favor
TC Building Design Committee Citizens at Large Interviews: (3 positions)
Ms. Lemieux informed the Board this was the first of two interviews for these positions, the other is on
October 8'' when votes will be taken. Present tonight were Mike Mackin, Deb Cristen and Dave Blatt.
Pete Lincoln had withdrawn his request to be appointed. Town Moderater Tim Murphy was also present
as he participates in the appointing to building project committees.
===PAGE 3===
used for schools. Mackin answered currently, no.
Ms. Adams asked, "What do think about the fact that the schools are currently using the building?" Mr.
Mackin stated there will be times that there is a need for expanded space, which is nice and why I think
it's useful to maintain the building as much as we can. He clarified he did not see a future use as a
school. Mr. Jeffreys stated there was no question Mackin was qualified, but had to hear from the other
applicants first.
Deb Christen, 100 Boucher Road, has lived in town all her life. She is currently on the Housing
Authority and has volunteered on various committees in town, including the Personnel Committee. She
and her children attended school at the TCP.
Mr. Murphy asked Ms. Christen if there are any particular uses for the TCP that you think are most
important for us to consider. She believed we should look at the needs of everything. There could be a
variety of things there. It could be a diverse community center. It still has a functional gym and
cafeteria. Murphy asked, "Do you think the schools need the building?" Ms. Christen stated she did not
understand why they were (still) there when they built a new school. Ms. Adams answered they needed
room for the extended day care program.
Mr. Jeffreys asked,
"Do you think town offices may have a future purpose in the building?" She stated
"It's level, so it would be handicapped accessible, so it's a possibility. But they would need more
parking spaces." The Board thanked her for coming in this evening.
David Blatt has lived here almost 25 years and has volunteered on other boards and currently is on the
Green Community Task Force and Zoning Board of Appeals. He brings a background in construction,
design and energy efficiency. He looks at the TCP as a community building and what it is going to be is
yet to be determined. It would be based on what it is going to look like and what the town needs are as
well as all the different community groups.
Mr. Murphy asked Blatt if there are any particular uses for the TCP that you think are important for us to
consider. Blatt stated he would like to see town offices under one roof making it easily accessible for all;
and then looking at other things we can do with the building.
Murphy asked "Do you see it being used by the schools?" Mr. Blatt would not want to see it as a
classroom facility because he did not like the idea of moving the kids around too much. But if the school
needs it for after school care, it is something to be considered.
Mr. McQuaid thanked all three for volunteering and stated the other interviews would be next week.
Ratification of Town Manager's Appointments
Ms. Lemieux stated tonight's notice of appointment is for three positions, a Council on Aging Senior
Van Driver, Recreation Director and Assistant Town Manager/HR Director.
The first is Helen Godin as the COA Senior Van Driver. She was recommended by the COA Director to
fill a vacancy in the MART Thursday/Friday driving schedule. Godin previously drove for MART and
came with glowing recommendations.
Motion: M. Jeffreys
2nd: K. Adams
To ratify Town Manager appointment of Helen Godin as COA Senior Van Driver
===PAGE 4===
Motion: K. Adams
To ratify the Town manager appointment of Kayla McNamara Wright
4: M. Jelfreys
Vote: All in Favor
Mr. Lemieux stated the last appointment is for Asst. Town Manager/HR Director. There were 112
applications submitted for this position. It was narrowed down to six in-person interviews. Julie
Belliveau comes with glowing references and has 14 years of experience in Human Resources, with the
last six being in Westminster as their Personnel Administrator. She holds two Associates Degrees.
Ms. Lemieux introduced Ms. Belliveau to the meeting. Ms. Adams congratulated Belliveau on making it
to the final interview process and appointment. Mr. Jeffreys stated it was great this position finally exists
and Belliveau will fill a critical need for the town and take some of the weight off the Town Manager's
plate. He asked her if she had any concerns about the schedule. Ms. Belliveau stated no, she thought it
was a good a balance as she has two school-aged children.
Mr. Jeffreys asked what she thought would be her primary focus once she starts. She stated getting
acquainted with the department heads and finding out if they have any specific needs.
Motion: M. Jeffreys
2": K. Adams
To ratify the appointment of Julie Belliveau as Assistant Town Manager/AR director
Vote: All in Favor
Ms. Belliveau thanked the Board and stated she looked forward to working with everyone.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT
Announcement on Existing Vacancies:
The following is a list of vacancies on the following committees:
• Agricultural Commission (1 regular memberand 3 alternate vacancies)
• Americans with Disabilities Act Commission (1 vacancy)
• Architectural Preservation District Commission (1 design professional; craftspersonor building
contractor familiar with historic renovation)
• Finance Committee (1 position appointed by the Finance Committee Appointing Committee)
• Open Space Committee (1 vacancy-citizen at large)
• 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.
Open Meeting Law, Conflict of Interest, and Public Records Law Training:
Reminder for all elected/appointed officials that there will be an Open Meeting Law, Conflict of Interest,
and Public Records Law Training this Thursday, October 3rd at 7 p.m. at the Eagle House Senior
Community Center.
===PAGE 5===
I contacted our bag vendor, Wasterero, and was able to get two rolls of 34 × 34 large bags that we can
test out to see if switching to this larger opening has positive results. For anyone that wishes to test out a
sample bag, please contact our office. For anyone that receives a sample bag, we will need your contact
information and will need your feedback on how this sized bag compares to the current bag.
Summer Street Road Reconstruction Project Update:
The Summer Street Road Reconstruction Project isnearing completion. Theremaining guardrailis
scheduledto be installed the week of September 30th. Paving of the surface course is scheduled for the
week of October 7th. MassDOT has had message boards up for the past week notifyingmotorists of the
pavingschedule. Sometraffic disruptions are expected, particularly on the side streets in the Leominster
section of the project while paving is underway. Line striping/pavement marking is scheduled for
the week of October 14th.
Recycling IQ Grant (TM Goal #2):
The Recycling IQ program is goingwell. The Recycling Inspectors havebeenasked questionsabout
which items are recyclable or not and we will be taking this feedback to incorporate it into our
educational materials and social media posts. Residents have shown an effortto make sure they are
putting the correct items in their recycling containers and the inspectors have been received well.
LAND and PARC Grant Announcement:
On September 25th, the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs announced the Town was a
recipient of a $100,000 PARC grant and a $400,000 LAND grant. The Land Acquisition Committee
submitted these grant applications with the approval of the Board of Selectmen in July for the purchase
of 318 acres of property at 961 and 964 Northfield Road for conservation and recreational purposes. The
purchase of the property is an article on the Special Town Meeting warrant. The total purchase price is
$782,000 and after reimbursement from the grants is received in the amount of $500,000, the price is
$282,000.
Tier 3 Complete Streets Grant Application (TM Goal #3, ii.)
Today I completed the upload of all the documents necessary to submit to the Massachusetts
Department of Transportation Tier 3 Complete Streets Grant. Ourtotal grant request is for $258,460 for
threeportions of the Main Street area: the Oak Ave/Main Street intersection, improvementsto
Memorial Drive, and pedestrian access from Main Street from Town Hall crossing Mass Ave. to the
Ritter Building. For the narrative section of the grant, I included pictures from Sheri Bean at MRPC
from our Walkability and Parking Study public meeting on Main Street. I haveasked Representative
Benson, Representative Hay, and Senator Tranto submit letters of support for our application as well.
When we submitted an application last fall, we were notified in January.
===PAGE 6===
portion of the project.
The other grant application was for a Project Grant request in the amount of $17,000 to install a ramp
and railings that meet ADA requirements to access the Niche Wall at North Cemetery. This was a
request by the Cemetery Commission that I completed all the necessary information.
Lastyear wereceived one of the three project grants and did not receivethe planning grant. I was able to
ough detail the issue was that funding was very competitive. They hadreceived 100 adand hi
only 30 were chosen with the average request being around $30,000.
925 Mass Ave (TM Goal #1)
Town Counsel drafted an Administrative Search Warrant that utilizes the powers of the Board of
Health that evaluate properties that may pose a public health risk in order to gain legal access to the
property for the inspection, assessment and all related sampling needed to perform a Phase I and Phase
Il environmental assessment of925 Mass Ave(theold gas station). This Administrative Search Warrant
was signed off by the Assistant Clerk Magistrate yesterday. Attorney Counsel is going to provide a
service of the warrant to the current owner according to his last known address. As part of the next
steps, I will get an updated cost estimate from an environmental consultant and review possible
fundingsources.
Interviews for the Principal Clerk Position in Treasurer/Collector's Office
The Treasurer/Collector and I willbe conducting interviewstomorrow for the Principal Clerkposition I
hope to have a Notice of Appointment for this position for either one of the upcoming meetings in
October.
Meetings and Other Announcements:
Town Counsel Office Hours for October will be October 23rd from noon until 4 p.m. The Harassment
Training for all staff will be this Thursday.
Iwill be attending the Finance Committee meeting this Thursday at 6 p.m. to review the warrant articles
for the Special Town Meeting.
I willbe visiting the Community Service Learning English Class this Friday to discussneedsofthe
community. The purpose of this class is for students to find a need in the community, research that need,
develop a strategy for solving / mitigating that need, and then employ that strategy. I attended this
session last year and the final presentations made by the students at the end of the year and the students
put a lot of effort and thought into needs they identified in Lunenburg.
CURRENT BUSINESS
1. Minutes/Warrants/ Action Items
The Board signed a payroll warrant in the amount of $807,094.20, a payroll deductions warrant
in the amount of $36,110.15 and an accounts payable warrant in the amount of $285,134.24.
===PAGE 7===
Selectmen hearing next week. Ms. Lemiuex stated all decisions of both Boaras would be
compiled on one spreadsheet.
OLD BUSINESS
submitted. Recently added articles concern the purchase of streetlights from Unitil:
To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow, or transfer from available funds, a
sum of money for the purpose of converting the Town's existing street streetlights to energy efficient and
long lasting LED fixtures; or take any other action relative thereto. (Submitted by the lown Manager)
She did not want to miss the opportunity for possible Green Community grant funding
opportunity in March.
Another is a non-binding article concerning the old Primary School:
To see if the Town will vote to provide guidance to the Board of Selectmen on a non-binding
resolution as follows: Do you support the demolition of the old Primary School located at 30 School
Street? (Submitted by the Board of Selectmen)
Ms. Lemieux noted the two articles petitioning the state for additional alcohol licenses are for
off-premises (package store) only. She had consulted with town counsel on questions asked about
the alcohol licenses at the last meeting. There would three options: the license could be
transferred to that specific location if Lanni Orchards sold the business. If they relinquished it, it
could remain an existing license for another business in town or it would go away. So that will
have to be part of the discussion before the article is finalized.
Mr. McQuaid reviewed the upcoming meeting schedule. October 8th is the next BOS meeting. A
workshop meeting on October 15' will address identifying, defining, discussing and finalizing 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. Regular business will be on the
October 22 agenda. Special Town Meeting is Tuesday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Dave Rodgers, 82 Highland Street, regarding the interviews for members for the TC Building
Design Committee, asked if this is a done deal as there is no funding, etc. Ms. Lemieux stated it
would be for putting out a Request for Proposals to hire an architectural engineering firm to
provide a detailed design and cost estimate for the TC Passios Building.
Mr. Rodgers in response to the public comment policy respectfully requested this three-minute
rule would also apply to the Board members.
Mr. Jeffreys noted during his tenure on the Board that there has not been a limit to anyone
speaking, but there have been public comment periods going over 45 minutes, and in order to get
business done they can't continue to allow this. It is important to hear from members of the
===PAGE 8===
Kespectiully submittea,
Elaine m. Peterson
Elaine M. Peterson
Executive Assistant to the Town Manager