===OCR macOS Vision===
===PAGE 1===
Clerk; Katey Adams, Michael-Ray Jeffreys
Also Present: Town Manager Heather Lemieux; Assistant Town Manager Julie Belliveau,
Finance Director Karen Brochu, PAC Coordinator Jo McLaughlin, Bernie Goulet, Adam
Costa, Town Counsel
The meeting commenced at 7:00 p.m. Mr. Alonzo announced this was the April 14th Board
of Selectmen meeting. In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please
be advised this meeting is being recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg Public Access
channel and also being recorded as a zoom meeting.
The Town of Lunenburg, in response to the COVID-19 (Corona Virus) is currently following
the guidance from the Lunenburg Board of Health, Massachusetts Department of Public
Health and the CDC regarding the virus and steps communities can take to prevent the spread
and all town facilities are currently closed to the public.
In accordance with the Governor's Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open
Meeting Law, G. L. c. 30A, § 20, all public meetings are being conducted remotely. This
meeting will be broadcast live through local access cable, on FacebookLive on the Public
Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-
157427270975305/) and will be able to be found on the LunenburgAccess YouTube channel
within 24 hours after the meeting.
The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to
participate in the meeting remotely:
To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public
meeting webinar: https://zoom.us/j/9091740347 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number
(888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 909-174-0347 #
Mr. Alonzo stated he would do a roll call to confirm that all persons anticipated on the
agenda are present and can hear me. When I call your name, please respond in the affirmative
and then state your name."
Mr. McQuaid-"Yes, I am here"
Ms. Adams-"Yes, I am here,"
Mr. Jeffreys - "Yes, I am here,"
Ms. Luck: "Yes, I am here,"
Mr. Alonzo stated, "I as the Chair am here."
Town Manager Heather Lemieux-"Yes, I am here,"
Mr. Alonzo also acknowledged Finance Director Karen Brochu was present.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Jeffreys encouraged as many people as possible to head outside and pick up trash and
recyclables on the roads. DPW has bags available for residents to use.
Ms. Luck while at the Acton Arboretum, noticed the Acton Board of Health had signs
requesting the public not touch handrails, sit on benches or sit at picnic tables. She thought
that was great advice and hoped everyone was practicing those habits in public spaces.
===PAGE 2===
Mr. Alonzo read aloud the public notice:
"The Lunenburg Licensing Authority will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 at 7:05
P.M. at Town Hall, 17 Main Street, 2n° Floor, Lunenburg, MA on the application submitted by
Smokestack Roasters LLC, d/b/a Smokestack Roasters, for a Wine & Malt On-Premises License
(§12) license, located at 39 Massachusetts Ave., Lunenburg, MA. The premises is described as a
single floor building, 6300 sq. ft. retail space with two garage doors and three exits."
Mr. Alonzo noted that this hearing was opened on March 24th and continued to tonight's
meeting. Jaclynn Nicoll, owner, was present for the hearing via telephone. She stated they
opened the shop about six months ago for coffee and food service. The number one request
when people come in is they want to have beer, wine and live music. We thought this would
be a good complement for the afternoons. She did not anticipate extending their hours except
for a special event or function. Right now we are 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. everyday. Ms.
Lemieux confirmed everything regarding the application was in order.
Mr. Jeffreys asked how many licenses will remain if this license is approved. Ms. Lemieux
stated there would be four wine and malt on-premises licenses available. Mr. Jeffreys asked
Ms. Nicoll what their alcohol policy was. Ms. Nicoll replied she had written a three page
policy that she would share with employees if she hires any. It includes topics such as
looking for signs of intoxication, occurrence logs, etc. We are going to do our absolute best
especially from a risk liability perspective to enforce the policy. We will also make sure
everyone is e-TIPS certified as well. Mr. Jeffreys asked if they had added any employees.
Ms. Nicoll stated just before the pandemic struck they had added two part-time employees.
We had to take a step back then but are still hanging on doing deliveries. We will be looking
for some full-time employees to help out with the operations going forward. Ms. Nicoll
added she was TIPS certified as well as the one time employee they hired for the one day
liquor license event they had held. Going forward she wanted to have every employee
certified. Mr. Jeffreys noted their lease has a condition that you have to replace any broken
glass within 30 days. He suggested she have a glass replacement company lined up just in
case of such an occurrence for security purposes. She thanked him for his advice.
Ms. Adams suggested due to the large amount of space at the location, to add ways to be
creative to use the space. When asked, there was no further comment on the license
application.
Motion: K. Adams
2nd: D. McQuaid
To approve the wine and malt on premises license to Smokestack Roasters, LLC at 39
Massachusetts Avenue
Vote: Mr. McQuaid-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Ms. Luck-aye, Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Alonzo
Mr. Alonzo closed the public hearing. He advised Ms. Nicoll to work out picking up the
license with the office.
===PAGE 3===
4t v
a single story building with one entrance and two exits with a rectangular bar, one Men restroom and
one Women restroom. Tom Alonzo, Chairman, Board of Selectmen, Lunenburg Licensing Authority"
(Note for the record: This hearing was readvertised with the corrected date according to license
regulations.)
Bernie Goulet presented for the license applications and stated he was looking to open up a
country bar with live bands on Friday and Saturday nights. Proposed hours would be Monday
through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Sundays.
Mr. Alonzo noted this public hearing is only for the all alcohol on-premises license. When
asked, Mr. Goulet stated the establishment is not currently open; it was previously J & M
Mr. Jeffreys asked how many licenses would be available if this license was approved. Ms.
Lemieux stated there would be two all alcohol remaining. Mr. Jeffreys asked Mr. Goulet
where the other licensed locations were. Mr. Goulet replied one in Haverhill, Worcester and
New Hampshire. The two in Massachusetts are country bars but are called Moonshiners. He
stated he would be working at this location but had a general manager already lined up. He
would be there 20-30 hours per week. Mr. Goulet stated the Haverhill location has been open
for three years this September and the Worcester location will be a year this September. The
NH location has been open for three years. Mr. Goulet stated he has been in the bar and
restaurant business for over fifteen years. He has not had any incidents with alcohol licensing
at the other locations, but in Worcester there is a pending ABCC hearing for a minor
drinking. Worcester is a college town and the hearing is delayed until April. Mr. Jeffreys
referring to the Worcester incident, asked for further explanation. Mr. Goulet stated there was
a fake id used for a compliance check and we did not have an id scanner at the time, so the
bouncer accepted the fake id. Within a week of that happening, I spent almost $4000 on an id
machine which was suggested to me by the ABCC and Worcester Police Department. Since
then we have confiscated around 30 fake ids and turned them over to the ABCC. Mr. Jeffreys
asked if he had purchased the same machine for Lunenburg. Mr. Goulet stated he had not yet;
it's costly, but he has them at all his bars now. He did plan on purchasing one for this town.
Mr. Jeffreys asked if all of the employees were TIPS certified. Mr. Goulet stated he and his
general manager were and any new employees coming on would have to be. Mr. Jeffreys was
concerned about serving to minors and the pending hearing and suggested postponing until
the ABCC hearing for the Worcester bar was held
Ms. Adams noted there had been several compliance checks in town a couple of years ago
and the best thing to do was to learn from mistakes going forward. Mr. Alonzo agreed with
Ms. Adams.
Motion: T. Alonzo
2nd:D. McQuaid
To approve the general on premises license for Whiskey Girl Bar LL.C, d/b/a
Whiskey Girl Country Bar, located at 10 Summer Street, Unit #10
Vote: Mr. McQuaid-aye, Mr. Jeffreys- nay, Ms. Luck-aye, Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Alonzo
-aye
===PAGE 4===
Mr. Goulet thanked the Board after being advised to coordinate how to pick up his licenses
from the office.
INTERVIEWS/APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS
There were none this evening.
CURRENT BUSINESS
Mr. Alonzo took some agenda items out of order due to pertinent staff being present for
discussion.
Adoption of Emergency Family and Medical Leave and Emergency Paid Sick Leave
Policies
Ms. Lemieux noted these are new policies per the Federal Family First Coronavirus Response
Act. She asked Assistant Town Manager Belliveau to introduce the policies. Ms. Belliveau
asked the members if they had reviewed both policies and had any questions. Ms. Luck,
referring to the emergency paid sick leave policy using a 40 hour work week, asked how
would that work for anyone working 32 hours; would the maximum be 64 hours? Ms.
Belliveau stated yes. Ms. Lemieux stated it is allowable under the law to exempt public safety
workers for both policies but after talking to the Fire and Police Chiefs, and DP W Director,
asked that emergency workers not be exempted under the sick leave policy except for reason
#5 (child care). Ms. Luck asked if the Town had a sense of what this would cost. Ms.
Belliveau stated it would depend on who took advantage of the policy, but there are daily
caps on the amounts. Mr. Alonzo asked would these be costs we could add to the emergency
expenditures related to the pandemic. Ms. Brochu stated all expenditures related to the
pandemic would be tracked separately and when submitted to FEMA should be reimbursed at
75%, except for payroll expenses. Mr. Alonzo asked how could they not be applied it we are
being directed to adopt this policy. Ms. Lemieux stated she would check with the MEMA
Regional Coordinator regarding this question. Mr. Jeffreys asked about the difference in
benefits from what the state provides versus the federal government. Ms. Belliveau noted the
Town does not pay into the FMLA fund via paycheck deductions, so we might not be able to
use that.
Motion: M. Jeffreys
2n: P. Luck
To approve the Emergency Sick Leave Policy
Vote: Mr. McQuaid-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Ms. Luck-aye, Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Alonzo
-aye
The Board moved on to the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Policy. Ms. Belliveau
stated the difference between this and the Town's FMLA policy is that this one only covers
child care. The Town will grant an eligible employee up to a total of twelve (12) work weeks
of EFMLA between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 if the employee is caring for a
child whose school or place of care is closed (or child care provider is unavailable) for
masons related aCt emp9 An as playad ekendity fore 2-month peris d as described
===PAGE 5===
employees would not want to exhaust their accrued time.
Peter Beardmore, Finance Committee member, asked via chat what the cost to the Town
would be. Mr. Alonzo stated we don't know what it would be because we don't know who
would use it.
Ms. Lemieux noted this is only if the child care facilities stay closed. If they open this will
not apply. Ms. Belliveau did not see this exceeding someone's normal pay unless we have to
fill that position with someone else and this is also if you can't telework.
Motion: D. McQuaid
2nd: M. Jeffreys
To approve the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Policy as discussed
Vote: Mr. McQuaid-aye, Ms. Luck-aye, Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Mr. Alonzo
-aye
Mr. Alonzo thanked Ms. Belliveau and she exited the meeting.
Vote to Authorize Emergency Expenditures Related to COVID-19 per MGL 44 Section
31
Ms. Lemieux read her memo to the BOS:
"After the issuance of the State of Emergency by the Governor on March 10th, and prior to the
Governor's request for federal disaster assistance, the Massachusetts Emergency Management
Agency (MEMA) issued guidance on what expenses towns should be tracking so when federal
assistance became available, municipalities would be able to submit for reimbursement for costs
incurred by the Town related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These expenses relate to costs outside
of regular payroll but would be for payroll related expenses for any additional expenses related to
COVID-19 such as related overtime costs, forced call-ins for public safety, volunteer hours by our
Meals on Wheels volunteers, cleaning supplies, and IT equipment. On March 19th
departments the guidance document from MEMA on expenses that should be tracked that would
be eligible for reimbursement. At that point any related expenses were being tracked separately,
but being paid out of regular accounts. Subsequently, through conferences with state officials, they
advised these expenses should be accounted for in a separate account as it would make the
reimbursement process for federal aid easier. The Finance Director spoke with our Department of
Revenue representative that advised that per MGL Chapter 44, Section 31, no department financed
by municipal revenue, or in whole or in part by taxation, may incur liabilities in excess of
appropriation "except in cases of major disaster, including, but not limited to, flood, drought, fire,
hurricane, earthquake, storm or other catastrophe, whether natural or otherwise, which poses an
immediate threat to the health or safety of persons or property, and then only upon a declaration by
the governor of a state of emergency with respect to the disaster".
As a result of the Governor's declaration of a state of emergency on March 10", towns may
expend from any available funds in relation to the emergency without an appropriation but the
Board of Selectmen must vote to request approval from the Director of Accounts of the Division
of Local Services and the request must include a spending estimate to address the emergency
situation, a description of the types of expenditures anticipated to be made. This will allow
payments to be made from any available funds and the written authorization from the Director of
Accounts will deem these expenditures legal overdrafts. The spending estimate may also be
increased upon approval by the Director, if needed.
===PAGE 6===
Brochu reported the dollar amount is $30,400, but there are additional expenses such as
additional cleaning at Town buildings and IT costs as a result of everyone working remotely.
She believed $100,000 was enough to get to the end of this fiscal year, but we can request an
increase in that spending authorization from the Division of Local Services (Dept. of
Revenue). When asked what the IT related costs were, Ms. Lemieux reported laptops were
purchased a ZOOM account for the Town and additional Chromebooks for the school.
Motion: D. McQuaid
2nd:K. Adams
To request approval from the Director of Accounts of the Division of Local Services to
expend an estimated $100,000 in COVID-19 related expenditures that include,
personnel costs, overtime costs, costs related to the extraordinary cleaning of public
facilities, costs related to maintaining the health and safety of employees and the public,
including the purchase of personal protective supplies and equipment, costs related to
the implementation of remote participation, the costs of providing food security
services, and IT related costs related to remote learning and telework.
Vote: Mr. McQuaid-aye, Ms. Luck-aye, Ms. Adams- aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Mr. Alonzo
- aye
Local Option Vote to extend the due date for taxes until June 15, extend the deadline to
apply for exemptions to June 1"', and waive penalties and interest on late payment of
bills per Chapter 53 of the Acts of 2020
Ms. Lemieux reported per the special legislation signed by the Governor on April 35, there is
an option to delay the property tax due date to June 1; this allows the municipal chief
executive (BOS) to delay the due date for municipal property tax bills to June 1 as well as
extend the deadline to apply for exemptions and to waive penalties and interest on late
payments on bills no later than June 30th. While the Finance Director and I discussed this, we
are recommending the deadline remain at May 1, but to waive penalties and interest until
June 30th. To be clear, June 29th would be the last day where there would not be penalties or.
Motion: P. Luck
2nd: D. McQuaid
To keep the current deadline for tax payments at May 1 and extend the deadline for
exemptions until June 1st and waive of penalties and interest per C. 53 through June
29th
Vote: Mr. McQuaid-aye, Ms. Luck-aye, Ms. Adams- aye, Mr. Jeffreys- aye, Mr. Alonzo
- aye
Mr. Alonzo thanked Ms. Brochu for all of her work in coordination with the Town Manager
and all the departments. Ms. Brochu exited the meeting.
Town Manager COVID-19 Update
Here are a number of updates specific to Lunenburg that will also be posted on the town
website, town facebook page, the "town-wide" listserv, sent to the Lunenburg Ledger and
to Public Access:
===PAGE 7===
closed until May 4th
• To clarify, previous public service announcements identified Marshall
Park, Wallis Park, and Kids Kingdom that have town playgrounds that are closed. The open
spaces at Marshall Park and Wallis Park can still be used as well as other town open spaces
but any use must abide by the Governor's Order Prohibiting Gatherings of 10 or more
people and by social distancing protocols.
Tax payments should not be left in the box outside of Town Hall due to staff working
limited hours in the building and working remotely. Tax payments should only be mailed
to the town's lockbox or can be paid online. The online bill payment link is
https://www.lunenburgma.gov/departments/resident-services/online-services and the
lockbox address is: Town of Lunenburg Department 1260 P.O. Box 986500 Boston, MA
02298-6500 For any questions, please contact the Treasurer/Collector Myleen Mallari at
(978) 582-4130 x 135 or mmallari@lunenburgonline.com.
On Friday, April 10t Governor Baker signed Chapter 56 of the Acts of 2020 that suspends
MCAS testing requirements for the school year, pushes back due dates for school district
improvement plans required by the Student Opportunity Act, and allows the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education to modify or waive graduation requirements for
students set to complete high school this summer. The federal government allowed states to
cancel testing requirements if they filed waivers, which Massachusetts did, along with the
vast majority of other states.
As of April 13th there are 26,867 COVID-19 cases and 844 deaths. 122,049 patients have
been tested to date by the MA State Public Health Laboratory, hospitals and commercial
laboratories.
The Town Caucus has been rescheduled until May 13th at 7 p.m. to be held at the Turkey Hill
Elementary School.
Approval of Minutes of January 28, February 4, and February 11, 2020
Motion: P. Luck
2nd: D. McQuaid
To approve the minutes as listed above
Vote: Mr. McQuaid-aye, Ms. Luck-aye, Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Mr. Alonzo
- abstain
Action Items: Ms. Luck repeated her request for an update on the Teachers union
negotiations.
Ms. Lemieux stated she had not had a chance to speak with the School Superintendent. She
will follow up on that tomorrow. Ms. Luck asked about the BOS not meeting on April 28th.
Mr. Alonzo stated there is budget work to be done before we can discuss it and noted we
===PAGE 8===
Town should look at all their contracts to see what can be put oil.
OLD BUSINESS:
1. Vote on Right of First Refusal for Chapter 61 property: +/- 8 acres Holman
Street and Northfield Road
Mr. Alonzo recalled one of the things that was unclear during the last discussion was the
location of the 8+/- acre parcel. On the application it is shown in the corner of the larger
parcel right on the corner of Holman Street and Northfield Road. If you are looking from
Northfield Road it ends 200 feet short of the property right above it on Holman Street. Mr.
McQuaid agreed and wondered why this was postponed from last meeting. Mr. Alonzo noted
we have a legal opinion that it was a bona fide offer. (Town Counsel Adam Costa joined the
meeting.) Mr. Alonzo noted the property is not near any Town property. Ms. Adams
questioned the lack of engineered drawings in the notice. Attorney Costa stated when we
received a notice, we go through a check list to see if it meets the statute. The statute does not
require engineered plans, it requires that the location and acreage of the land be drawn on a
scale of the Assessors' maps. In the notice Attorney Bowen stated the parcel is shown as
"Tract A" on a map drawn to scale of the Assessors map prepared by Szoc Surveyors. We
have a scaled drawing that shows the location of Tract A and we have the dimensions. Mr.
Alonzo did not see any need to keep the land owner waiting if we are not going to purchase
this.
Motion: M. Jeffreys
2nd: P. Luck
To not exercise the Right of First Refusal for the above listed property
Ms. Adams asked in terms of the description being 8 acres, more or less, if one could specify
not more than nine acres. Mr. Costa stated the wording can't be vague; if a change occurs the
owner would need to notify the Town again. It is a drawing prepared by a surveyor along
with a description. The dimensions are stated.
Vote: Mr. McQuaid-aye, Ms. Luck-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Ms. Adams- abstain, Mr.
Alonzo - aye
Review of Annual Town Meeting warrant articles
There was nothing as of tonight.
Proposed ballot question for the Annual Town Election regarding Adoption of the
Community Preservation Act
Ms. Luck had sent some data via email to the BOS members. Mr. Alonzo read it aloud:
"Several of you indicated you were interested in having more information on the Community
Preservation Act (CPA). Like you, I wanted to learn more. So, as Ms. Lantry suggested, 1
went to the state's website and was able to locate a list of all MA communities which details
each community, date of adoption of the CPA, as well as percentage each community has
adopted.
In summary, as of 4/10/2020, 172 of the 351 communities in MA have adopted the CPA
(49%). Of those: 76 are at 3%, 15 are at 2 %, 39 are at 1.5%, 1 is at 1.25%, 1 is at 1.1%,
===PAGE 9===
Round 3 distributed the tinal 3% of the state tunas (only to communitles al 370).
In that process, 9 communities (all at 3%) received a 100% match. I have been unable to find
information on the website to indicate exactly why those 9 were chosen
although most municipalities receiving 100% match had a "decile" ranking of 1 or 2.
"Decile" is a 1-10 ranking, where 1 is the most highly ranked and 10 lowest, in determining
Rounds 2 & 3 funding levels, although ALL 3% communities receive some funding in
Rounds 2 and 3. Smaller, less affluent communities are clustered in the 1 or 2 decile ranking,
generally.
Lunenburg has a decile of 4. One decile 4 community, Whately, did receive a 100% match.
Other decile 4 communities: Mendon received a 53% match; Tyngsboro 39%; Upton
44%. The decile 3 community of Southwick received a 56% match.
Round 2 is guaranteed, Round 3 has occurred annually since 2010, although is not guaranteed
to occur.
Communities adopting the CPA may at any time change the percentage. Littleton, for
example, recently went from 1% to 3%." Mr. Alonzo thanked Ms. Luck for the information.
Mr. Jeffreys stated last week when this was presented I asked with regards to taxes and
getting some data together. The information Ms. Luck presented makes this decision more
difficult. The challenge or the difficulty here is not apples to apples. I find it difficult with a
39% match when you are crunching these numbers to get to the point where the average
taxpayer does not see a significant increase. This makes sense to me only if it is a savings for
the Town. Now is not the time to be asking people to add an additional 3% to their tax
payment. Ms. Lemieux stated a decision was not needed tonight.
Mr. McQuaid stated this creates a savings account for the Town, it doesn't say taxes would
not be increased by another 2.5%. Ms. Adams stated it is a difficult time to ask people for
more money, but Town meeting should make the decision. Ms. Luck thought asking 3% gets
you more for your money, but it feels like a tax and it is going to hit everyone like a tax. I
feel it will not succeed this year and the proponents of the CPA Act should back off and
propose it in better economic times. Mr. Alonzo agreed with Ms. Adams, let the voters decide
if they can afford it. Mr. Jeffreys asked do we have any understanding on what the impact of
this would be on the Town. It all sounds great but we have to put it in context when we hear
unemployment is being projected at 15%.
Mr. Alonzo stated I am not asking anyone for money, I am asking the taxpayers to decide if
they want to put away money for future projects.
Mr. Jeffreys heard what he was saying but we should be prudent. Mr. McQuaid understood
Mr. Jeffreys' concerns and was unsure this is the right year to get it passed. It was decided to
check with Ms. Lantry to see if she could discuss this further with the Board at the next
meeting.
Discussion on Fiscal Year 2021 Budget, FY21 Capital Plan, and Five Year Financial
Forecast
Ms. Lemieux stated some of these items are updated in her report.
===PAGE 10===
• Americans with Disabilities Acl
Commission (1 vacancy)
• Architectural Preservation District Commission (1 design professional;
craftsperson or 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)
• Planning Board (1 position appointed by the remaining members of the
Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen until the next Annual Town
Election in May)
• Zoning Board of Appeals (2 Associate vacancies)
Talent bank forms can be obtained on the Town Website and forwarded to the Board of
Selectmen's Office.
Community Compact Grant:
Currently therearestill fundsinFY20 forCommunity CompactProgramand| wouldlike to
submitan application as soon as possible in order to take advantage of this funding source
that will likely be eliminated by the end of this fiscal year due to the impact of COVID-19.
There are three best practices that I see as needs that will benefit the Town, in no particular
order:
• Create a formalized Continuity of Operations Plan for Pandemic/Epidemic
situations;
• Prepare a Succession Plan that will help address pending wave of retirements
that will challenge a municipality's ability to maintain service levels and
utilize expertise and experience of mature workers through consulting or
mentorship program;
• Utilize Financial Trend Monitoring modeled after the International City
Management Association's Financial Trend Monitoring System.
Discussion ensued on the timing of the application. Attorney Costa exited the meeting.
Community Development Block Grant:
Based on the federal stimulus package and increased funding for Community
Development Block Grants (CDBG), I have reached out to Montachusett Regional
Planning Agency to see how they may be able to assist us with putting together a CDBG
application.
Also, Lunenburg was part of a multi-town CDBG funded Housing Rehab program many
===PAGE 11===
Taxpayer's Association, Standard & Poor's, among other officials. The meeting started at 10
a.m. and I had to log offat 1 p.m. to attend a briefing from the Lieutenant Governor, Sean
Cronin, MEMA, and DPH and the economic round table was still going on. The economic
round table testimony included the projected decline in tax revenues, the projected
unemployment rate, the decline in GDP, and the economic prospects for weathering the
impacts of COVID-19. The take-aways that I gleaned from listening to the testimony is
that there will be dramatic shortfalls in state revenues up to 20%, unemployment may rise to
15%, but there are many uncertainties in all the projections that are dependent on a number of
unknowns at this point including when the economy will re-open, if COVID-19 has a
resurgence later in the year that will cause a shutdown, consumer behavior, being a "coastal
community" and that impact on our state economy, among other factors that help create
models for forecasting. The Commonwealth compared to other states is in a good position
with the level of funding in the Rainy Day fund that will allow for more financial flexibility
than other states. It was announced that this is the first of many economic discussions and
currently we do not have a revised State Aid estimate from the State as they are at the
beginning of hearing testimony on the impact of the public health crisis on FY20 and FY21
revenues.
I have forwarded the examples of the impact of how I outlined how I would approach
revamping the FY 2021 budget and if we were to eliminate the new positions and
additional hours and level funding our State Aid and Local Receipts and reduce our New
Growth to the worst level we have seen in the last 10 years during the Great Recession to
$130,000, this would equate to a $30,000 deficit. I am in the process of scheduling a
meeting with the Capital Planning Committee on Thursday to discuss the possibility of
decreasing the amount available for Capital in order to reallocate that to the operating
budget. As soon as I have any updated projections, I will send them to both the Finance
Committee and the Board of Selectmen.
Mr. Jeffreys asked about the DPW fuel tanks being placed in the same location as the
underground tanks close to conservation land. Ms. Lemieux stated this has all gone through
proper engineering and will be discussed at the Conservation Commission meeting tomorrow
night. Ms. Luck agreed the tanks were too close to the Mulpus. Mr. McQuaid stated his
recollection of the discussion was the above ground tanks option was an environmental
advantage so a leak could be detected, if one occurred.
Other Department Updates:
• The Assistant Town Manager, the Assessors Administrative Assistant and I
===PAGE 12===
based on the responseto both the RFP and to the Principal Assessor position,
determine the best course of action for that department. The RFP will be put out to bid
this week with bids due by May 13th.
• The Sewer Commission held a meetingtoday whichI attended, to review the draft
Request for Proposals for Operations and Maintenance of the Sewer System that
will go out to bid shortly and a new contract would be in place for the start of the
new fiscal year on July 1st.
Meetings, Events and Other Announcements:
• Town Counsel office hours in May will be on May 20th 12-4 p.m.
• Disposal of Yard Waste at the old landfilloff Youngs Road is occurring each
Saturday untilMay 16th and is open 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
• The School Committee is meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, April 15th at 7:00 p.m.
via a Zoom meeting.
• The Conservation Commission is meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, April 15th at
7:00 p.m. via a Zoom meeting.
• The Library Board of Trustees will be meeting on Thursday, April 16th at 6:45
p.m. via a Zoom meeting.
• Iwill participate in the Finance Committee will be meeting on Thursday, April
16th at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom.
I. UPCOMING MEETING/EVENTS SCHEDULE
Mr. Alonzo stated their next meeting is on April 21. Mr. Alonzo stated we can discuss then if
we need to meet on April 28th.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Dave Passios, 56 Whiting Street, recalled the fuel tank discussion about their location was
that they be relocated to facilitate the maintenance of the pumping system that is presently
there and install the tanks first and then remove the underground tanks.
Ms. Adams stated she was thinking of everyone during this time and looked forward to some
sort of normalcy at some point.
Mr. Alonzo appreciated the way Lunenburg residents have together with the one glaring
exception of accumulation of trash, especially personal protection items. We will get through
this together.
Motion: P. Luck
To adjourn the meeting at 7:24 p.m.
2nd: M. Jeffreys
===PAGE 13===