===OCR macOS Vision===
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Members present: Tom Alonzo, Chairman; Michael-Ray Jeffreys, Vice Chairman; Katey
Adams, Clerk; Todd Dwyer, Jim Marino
Also Present: Heather Lemieux, Town Manager; Brandon Kibbe, Open Space Committee Chair;
Bob Pease, Conservation Commission Chair; Adam Costa, Town Counsel; Joel Normandin,
ibe opens S, e ormite Chair,
Cesira Newcomb, James Xarras, Margot Xarras, Sean O'Neill
Park Commissioners present: Susanna Jewell, Dave Passios, Karin Menard
Chairman Alonzo called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. and announced in accordance with
the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting will be
recorded and broadcast over the Lunenburg public access channel. It can be viewed on the
YouTube Lunenburg public access channel within 24 hours after the meeting.
Mr. Alonzo read the remote meeting information and asked if everyone was present and could be
heard. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance that was recited by Ms. Adams.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Ms. Adams' thoughts went out to the school teachers, students and parents during these
abnormal times, wishing them good luck and hoping it ends soon.
Ms. Lemieux announced from the Town Clerk office: the last day to register to vote is Saturday,
October 24t,
', the Clerk's office will be open from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. There will
also be opportunity to vote early on the 24* from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Rhonda Lisio, 181 Reservoir Road, expressed dissatisfaction with town departments about
getting a garage built on her property and recent action taken by the Select Board in regards to
reimbursing school bus companies for services due to the shutdown of school due to Covid-19.
Mr. Alonzo reminded all about the fundraiser "Lobsters for Lunenburg." All profits will go to
the Lunenburg Police & Fire Association. It will be a "Grab and Go" event due to Covid -19.
Pick up is October 17, Noon -3:30 P.M. at the TC Passios Building. To order and/or purchase a
raffle ticket, visit lakeshirley.com/lobsters.html or email: davebettymacdonald@comcast.net.
Orders must be received by 10/12/20.
APPOINTMENTS
Public Hearing for a Wine & Malt Package Store License Application by Lanni
Orchards, 294 Chase Road
Applicant and proposed manager Jerry Lanni presented for this request. Ms. Lemieux stated the
Town had petitioned the state legislature for an additional alcohol (wine & beer) retail license
for Lanni Orchards, which was approved. Mr. Lanni is required to apply through the ABCC
and local licensing authority for the license.
Mr. Alonzo read the hearing notice aloud:
"The Lunenburg Licensing Authority will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at 7:05
P.M. via ZOOM video conference on the application submitted by Lanni Orchards Inc., d/b/a Lanni
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depending on the season. Mr. Jeffreys asked about alcohol training and policy. Mr. Lanni stated
he is the only one who is trained. The employees will be signed up to take the course at Lanni
Orchards' expense. He added there will be periodic refreshers with staff to ensure adhering to
the law.
Motion: K. Adams
2n°: T. Dwyer
To approve the wine & malt license application for Lanni Orchards, 294 Chase Road
Vote: Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Ms. Adams- aye, Mr. Dwyer-aye, Mr. Marino-aye, Mr. Alonzo-
aye
Mr. Lanni thanked them and exited the meeting.
Joint meeting of the Select Board and Park Commission for appointment of Christopher
Sullivan (108 Highland Street) to the Parks Commission
The Parks Commissioners called their meeting to order at 7:23 p.m. and did a roll call.
Mr. Sullivan stated he has been a resident for over 15 years and had children in various
recreational and sports programs. He has been considering how to volunteer in town for a while.
He has attended one Parks Commission meeting.
Motion: D. Passios
2nd: K. Adams
To appoint Chris Sullivan to the Parks Commission until the next annual election
Vote: Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Dwyer-aye, Mr. Marino-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Mr. Alonzo-
aye, Ms. Jewell- aye, Mr. Passios- aye, Ms. Menard-aye
The Boards congratulated Mr. Sullivan. Ms. Menard noted there is still a vacancy on the Parks
Commission. The Parks Commission adjourned at 7:32 p.m.
Notice of First Right of Refusal for Chapter 61 property located at 250 Howard Street
and discussion on donation of a portion of 250 Howard Street in lieu of Town exercising
First Right of Refusal
Mr. Alonzo stated the Board has received notice from the Open Space Committee and
Conservation Commission that this is a desirable property for the town. Mr. Kibbe stated he
had met on the site with the prospective buyers. Connectivity to other town-owned property
and protection of the Mulpus Brook is the goal of the Open Space committee. He stated he
had discussed with Joel Normandin and Cesira Newcomb the possibility of some division of
the property north of an existing stone wall that would allow them to purchase the remaining
parcel. They would covey ownership of the northern portion of the property to the town. This
was presented to the Open Space Committee for discussion. Open Space voted to approve this
proposal. The best alternative would be a 200 foot setback south of the Mulpus Brook. The
prospective buyers agreed that made sense. This would come as a gift to the town and allow
them to purchase the property and move forward with their plans to build a home. The way
forward would be to enter into an agreement with the town that would lay out all the steps.
Once the agreement is signed the Town would waive the Right of First Refusal.
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agreement. A straw poll was taken from the members on this method. All members supported
it. Attorney Costa will draft the agreement and contact all concerned.
CURRENT BUSINESS
Discussion on town-owned properties including 111 Mulpus Road Rear, 970 NW
Townsend Road Rear, and 671 West Street
Ms. Lemieux stated there was previous discussion due to residents' inquiries about purchasing
some of these properties, including the 671 West St. property. That information has been
forwarded to the Open Space Committee and Conservation Commission and there were some
questions. Years ago Town Meeting approved selling off portions of the 671 West Street
parcel and the resident that inquired is an abutter to the property. Conservation Commission
and Open Space would like to have the other two parcels transferred from general municipal
use to under the care of the Conservation Commission. There are two warrant articles
submitted to accomplish that at Special Town Meeting. Mr. Pease confirmed they abut other
conservation land or town forest land. Some of the land is primary habitat for several species.
Ms. Lemieux recommended taking these two parcels together under one umbrella with other
parcels yet to be reviewed at the 2021 Annual Town Meeting as the STM warrant already had
many articles. This would be to keep the Special Town Meeting as short as possible during a
pandemic.
Ms. Adams noted although she was in favor of passing the land to the Conservation
Commission' care, this item was not listed specifically on their meeting agenda. She had a
problem with a warrant article having surfaced the way it did and Open Meeting Law should
be adhered to. The addresses should have been listed on the agenda to be discussed; "warrant
articles," was too generic. Mr. Pease stated he reviewed the agenda in question and under New
Business it read "Town Meeting discussion." He did not know how they could have dealt with
it any differently without the Open Space Committee's endorsement. Discussion ensued on
whether the posting was sufficient. There will be more discussion about these properties at
another meeting.
Amended Liquor License application to Transfer an All Alcohol On Premise License to
Embers Lounge & Restaurant LLC d/b/a Embers Pizzeria, 84 Lakefront St.
James and Margot Xarras were resubmitting the application for the transfer of the on-premise
alcohol license for reconsideration by the Select Board, as requested by the Alcoholic
Beverages Control Commission (ABCC). The ABCC investigator requested the application be
amended to remove Mr. Xarras as having any ownership interest in the license other than
being the landlord of the property, as that was the original intent. The application has been
amended to show Margot Xarras having 100% interest in the alcohol license and the business
filing with the state has also been changed accordingly.
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are five total.
Motion: J. Marino
2°°: K. Adams
To reconsider and approve the amended transfer application for Embers Pizzeria
Vote: Mr. Jeffreys-nay, Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Dwyer-aye, Mr. Marino-aye, Mr. Alonzo-
aye
Mr. Alonzo stated the application would be resubmitted and the Xarras' thanked the Board.
Meeting with Bright Farms to discuss Tax Increment Financing Agreement
Bright Farms representative Sean O'Neill joined the meeting. Ms. Lemieux noted in early July
Mr. O'Neill came before the Board to present the Bright Farms project and proposal, as well
as the concept of a Tax Increment Financing Agreement (TIF) with the Town. They had
submitted a timeline of the process. Tonight's appointment is to follow up on the TIF
agreement. Ms. Lemieux has been working with Principal Assessor Byrne and doing research
as the Town does not have any previous TIF agreements. She had been looking at other town's
TIFs as well as reviewing the benefits for both the Town and Bright Farms. The company is
willing to invest in Lunenburg's economy by adding job opportunities and the added value to
the tax revenues. From Ms. Lemieux's memo dated July 14th.
"Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreements are meant to provide an incentive for large-scale
transformative investments by businesses and developers. The Town can negotiate a Tax Increment
Financing (TIF) agreement when the benefits of private investment are expected to exceed any
foregone tax revenue. One important feature of these negotiated agreements is that they temporarily
reduce taxes on the improvement to the property resulting from new investment (the "increment").
The Town does not lose existing revenue because it continues to collect taxes on pre-investment
property value. A negotiated and temporary reduction in taxes collected against the incremental value
is intended to encourage investment that may not otherwise occur. After the reduction period, the
Town gains all taxes against the baseline value-and all taxes gained against the increment. "
There are two phases that Bright Farms is proposing; the first phase of the project is an
estimated value of a ten million dollar investment. The proposal is a ten year TIF agreement
where year one would start at a 100% discount and then going down by 10% each year.
By the tenth year the Town would be receiving 90% of the value. Year eleven would be the
full tax assessment.
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estimated current
Property Tax (Base
Only)
estimated
Incremental
Assessed Value
Property Tax
Estimated TIF Savings
to Company
Year
% Exempt
$ 16,036
$ 16,036
$ 16,036
$ 16,036
$ 16,036
$ 16,036
$ 16,036
$ 16,036
$ 16,036
$ 16,036
$ 160,360
$ 10,000,000
$ 10,000,000
$10,000,000
$10,000,000
$ 10,000,000
$ 10,000,000
$ 10,000,000
$ 10,000,000
$ 10,000,000
$ 10,000,000
$ 181,200
$ 181,200
$ 181,200
$ 181,200
$ 181,200
$ 181,200
$ 181,200
$ 181,200
$ 181,200
$ 181,200
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
$ 181,200.00 $
$ 163,080.00 $ 18,120.00
$ 144,960.00 $ 36,240.00
$ 126,840.00 $ 54,360.00
$ 108,720.00 $ 72,480.00
$ 90,600.00 $ 90,600.00
$ 72,480.00 $ 108,720.00
$ 54,360.00 $ 126,840.00
$ 36,240.00 $ 144,960.00
$ 18,120.00 $ 163,080.00
$ 996,600.00 $ 815,400.00
10
Est. Real Property
*Projected assessed values shown are estimated, actual assessed values to be determined by the Assessor.
Assumptions are based on no annual inflation factor increases in assessed property values or tax rate
Actual property values and tax rate subject to change
This projection is based on estimated value so the assessed value would have to be determined
by the principal assessor. It also doesn't take inflation into account. Ms. Lemieux noted
Conservation Commission is interested in a corner of this property because it provides
connectivity to the recently purchased Saliba property and the Rayno Conservation Land
located off Chase Road. There has been discussion between Mr. O'Neill and Conservation
about a donation of approximately 1.5 acres. Mr. O'Neill thanked the Select Board and stated
what this TIF does is not only add new jobs but adds stability to the business so it can continue
and remain a steady taxpayer. We did visit the site with Open Space and this would create a
corridor for pass through and avoid a wetlands. Discussion ensued about reducing the TIF
from 10 to 8 years. Mr. Alonzo suggested Ms. Lemieux provide an eight and a ten year TIF
agreement. Mr. O'Neill thanked the board and exited the meeting.
INTERVIEWS/APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS
Resignation of Todd Dwyer from the Conservation Commission
Mr Alonzo thanked him for his years of service on the commission and added they were very
happy to have him on the Select Board.
Resignation of Laura Brzozoksi from the Cultural Council
Mr Alonzo thanked her for her service and bringing the Arts Festival to town.
Resignation of Tanner Cole from the TCP Building Design Committee
Mr. Alonzo thanked him as well and noted he will be continuing on the Planning Board.
Letters of thanks will be sent to all.
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abutter who wants to purchase the approximately 100 x 150 foot area lives at 78 Pratt Street
being shown on the assessors' map 81 as lot 83. By purchasing that area he would be bringing
his property in line with the other owners of lots 84-89. This property is so small there is no need
to put out a Request for Proposal (RFP). Discussion ensued about whether or not to offer the
opportunity to purchase the town land to other abutters.
Discussion on Halloween
Mr. Alonzo noted residents are looking for guidance on Halloween as far as Trick or Treating
hours given the ongoing pandemic. Discussion ensued and the general consensus was it could be
done safely by both trick or treaters and the people providing candy if all follow safety
guidelines. Mr Jeffreys abstained from the discussion as he does not participate in Halloween for
religious reasons. It was decided to keep the 6-8 p.m. hours and strongly recommend that
people follow all health guidelines provided by federal and state agencies.
Vote to sign Bond Anticipation Note (BAN) Renewal
The Finance Director provideed a synopsis of the BAN:
Below is a summary of the Bond Anticipation Note Renewal dated 10/15/2020, due 10/14/2021:
Purchase of Saliba Property - Article 6, 11/12/19 STM
Amount Authorized
$ 782,000.00
Grants Received from State
$ (500,000.00)
FY21 Budgeted Pay down (1/5th of Balance)
$(56,400.00)
BAN Renewal
$ 225,600.00
Purchase Ladder Truck - Article 6, 5/5/18 ATM
Amount Authorized
FY21 Budgeted Pay down (1/5th of Balance)
BAN Renewal
Total BAN Renewal dated 10/15/2020, due 10/14/2021
Interest @ .59% for 359 days
$ 480,495.00
$(96,099.00)
$ 384,396.00
$ 609,996.00
$
3,588.98
Three Board members will need to come into the office tomorrow morning to sign the document.
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aye
Warrants
Mr. Alonzo reported he signed the following warrants last week:
• Accounts Payable Warrant #15 21, dated 9/29/2020, in the amount of $970,902.40
• Payroll Deduction Warrant #16 21, dated 9/30/2020, in the amount of $30,057.19
• Payroll Warrant #7P21, dated 10/1/2020, in the amount of $842,978.23
Sign November 3, 2020 Election Warrant
Motion: J. Marino
aye
2"°:T. Dwyer
ofe: Ms. Asigningh, No. Dwyer-,ye, Mrlion o-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Mr. Alonzo-
Action Items _Ms. Adams would like to put articles on a future agenda; such as the old Primary
School. Mr. Alonzo will work with Town Manager to schedule this.
Committee Reports
Mr. Jeffreys reported the TCP Building Design Committee (TCPBDC) met and their focus has
been to meet with community organizations to get a better understanding of what their needs. We
had input from the Boys & Girls Club of Lunenburg, the Turkey Hill Lions Club, the Grange,
individual requests for space for ages from 18 to 55 years old. Requests were for expanded space
for the Boys & Girls Club, more accessible space for the food bank, community meeting spaces,
and a community kitchen. The committee prioritized the community needs. The first was for co-
locating town/school offices/files storage; the second was expanded studio rooms for Public
Access, next came all school-related programs including after school and preschool programs.
Next was the Lions Club, the commercial kitchen and the Boys & Girls Club in that order.
The committee will be discussing how we can better use the spaces in the building. We shall be
reviewing the plan with the architect. The committee is preparing a report fot the STM.
Mr Alonzo noted after following this for the last few months that two years ago when the school
turned the building over to the town; the architect was recommending one wing be demolished.
Thankfully the TCP Building Design Committee did not vote in favor of that. Now we don't
seem to have enough room for the people who want to use the building. He hoped the committee
was looking at the bigger picture and how some of their decisions are going to impact a lot of
people. Mr. Jeffreys stated he understood but the plan is to keep the current users there, as there
is no place for them to go. There is only so much square footage in the building and we just can't
do it all.
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Announcement on Existing Vacancies:
The following is a list of vacancies on the following committees
• Architectural Preservation District Commission (1 vacancy)
• Conservation Commission (1 vacancy)
• Cultural Council (1 vacancy)
• Historical Commission (1 vacancy)
• TCP Building Design Committee (1 vacancy for member at large)
• Zoning Board of Appeals (1 associate vacancy)
Interested persons can find application forms on the Town website and completed forms can be sent to
the Select Board's office
DEPARTMENT UPDATES:
Finance Director:
• Due to reporting requirements for the CARES Act funding the Town submitted a reimbursement
request in the spring and the Finance Director had to submit a detailed report to the Division of
Local Services on September 25'". She is working with the Police and Fire Public Safety
coordinators to submit a FEMA reimbursement request to MEMA by October 15th.
• The balance sheet for FY20 has been submitted to DLS and the projected free cash amount is
anticipated to be $1.6 to $1.7 M.
Assessors:
• ThePrincipal Assessor reported that Motor Vehiclecommitment is going out and shesubmitted New
Growth to be certified. It was certified on October 15 at $308,732. This is $135, 332 more than
was reported at ATM.
• The Board of Assessors voted to terminate their contract with Tyler Technologies for assessing
software and their contract with Vision. I worked with Town Counsel on the termination letter sent to
Tyler Technologies and crafted an RFP that was used to solicit proposals and finalized all the
contract documents with Vision.
Treasurer/Collector
• The Treasurer/Collector has closed out all the end of the year Dept. of Revenue reports and is
working on tailings.
• She is anticipating holding a tax lien sale in the spring.
DPW:
• The paving season is wrapping up for the calendar year.
• The underground fuel tanks are expected to be removed in a couple of weeks.
Police Dept.
• The four new Reserve Police officers have started and the newest full-time officer in the academy will
graduate at the end of October.
• The Acting Chief has been receiving a number of inquiries from residents about adding 25 mph speed
zones.
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• Meals on Wheels is back to delivering four days a week.
Land Use
• The Planning Board is currently updating their Approval Not Required process to contemporize
their septic regulations.
• The new unit at Tri-Town is currently under construction and expected to be done this fiscal year.
• Bright Farms will be wrapping up with the Planning Board at the end of October/beginning of
November.
• The Conservation Commission is looking for Bright Farms to donate 1.5 acres of land on the
northeast corner that would provide access from the Saliba property to the Rayno Conservation
Land off of Chase Road.
PACC
The Public Access Manager reported that the equipment to enable hybrid public meetings has
been installed and tested at the Town Hall.
• PACC is working on a Story time series with the Library and four episodes have been recorded to
date.
• PACC is also working on building up their programming on the educational channel.
PACC has been working with the architect for the TCP Building Design on space needs and will
be visiting other studios to see their layout.
Meetings, Events and Other Announcements
• The School Committee has a Zoom meeting on October 7 at 6:00 pm
• Conservation Commission has a Zoom meeting on October 7 at 7:00 pm
• I will be attending the Finance Committee Zoom meeting on October 8 at 7:00 pm
• Council on Aging has a Zoom meeting on October 13 at 6:00 pm
• Sewer Commission has a Zoom meeting on October 13 at 5:00 pm
• Open Space has a Zoom meeting on October 13 at 6:00 pm
• Special Town Meeting will be on November 17 at 7:00 pm
• A Flu Clinic will be on October 14 from 3 - 6 pm at the High School. Persons 60 + will be
given priority from 3-5 pm
COVID 19 UPDATE
COVID-19 in Lunenburg and Board of Health Notices:
The Board of Health issued their weekly update and as of October 2nd there are 81 confirmed positive
cases in Lunenburg and one death.
COVID-19 in Massachusetts (as of 10/1/20):
As of October 1st there are 130,461 COVID-19 cases and 9,265 deaths and 2,252,361 patients have
been tested to date by the MA State Public Health Laboratory, hospitals and commercial laboratories.
Current Status: Step Two of Phase II:
The Governor announced on September 29th through Executive Order #51 that effective Monday,
October 5th,
*, lower risk communities will be permitted to move into Step II of Phase III of the
Commonwealth's reopening plan. All other communities will remain in Phase III, Step I. Governor
===PAGE 10===
• Indoor performance venues will be permitted to open with 50% capacity with a
maximum of 250 people.
• Outdoor performance venue capacity will increase to 50% with a max of 250 people.
• For arcades and indoor and outdoor recreation businesses, additional Step II activities like
trampolines, obstacle courses, roller rinks and laser tag will also be permitted to open, and
capacity will increase to 50%.
• Fitting rooms will be permitted to open in all types of retail stores.
• Gyms, museums, libraries and driving and flight schools will also be permitted to increase their
capacity to 50%.
Revised Gatherings Order:
The Governor issued a revised gatherings order through Executive Order #52 on September 29 that
includes the following:
• The limit for indoor gatherings remains at a maximum of 25 people for all communities.
• Outdoor gatherings at private residences and in private backyards will remain at a
maximum of 50 people for all communities.
• Outdoor gatherings at event venues and in public settings will have a limit of 50
people in Step I communities, and a limit of 100 people in lower risk, Step II
communities.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Dave Rodgers, 82 Highland Street, suggested Town Manager speak with Attorney Rob
Bowen as he has previous knowledge of the 671 West Street property sales. Regarding the
TIF, he asked if the Town has received financial projections for Bright Farms so they have a
forecast of expected revenue.
Mr. Jeffreys clarified that all gym purposes are considered a high priority for the town and
will be considered part of the town needs by the TCPBDC. Ms. Adams related a story told to
her by a teacher about kindergarten children who hadn't met before reaching out to each
other.
Mr. Alonzo announced the Board would be entering Executive Session.
Motion: J. Marino
2n: K. Adams
To enter into Executive Session and to adjourn after exiting Executive Session:
(i) Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30, Section 21, Paragraph 3, to discuss strategy with respect to
collective bargaining if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining
position of the public body and the chair so declares. (Municipal Employees and Fire
Unions)
(i) Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30, Section 21, Paragraph 2, to conduct strategy sessions in
preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel or contract negotiations with non-
union personnel (Town Manager)
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Claire m. Peterson
Elaine M. Peterson
Executive Assistant to the Town Manager