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Members present: Tom Alonzo, Chair; Michael-Ray Jeffreys, Vice Chairman; Katey Adams,
Clerk; Todd Dwyer, Jim Marino
Also Present: Heather Lemieux, Town Manager; Anthony Calozzo, Daniel Burns, Donna Saila,
Dave Passios, Dave Blatt
Chairman Alonzo called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and 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. 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. Mr. Alonzo read the remote meeting
information for anyone who would like to join the meeting. He asked if everyone was present
by roll call.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance that was recited by Ms. Adams.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Ms. Adams noted students are returning to school this week.
Rhonda Lisio, Reservoir Road, stated this is in regards to the Select Board's town meeting
warrant article that amends the APDC bylaw. She submitted a public records request and
received two letters from the APDC to the Select Board and the minutes of January 12, 2021
that details the joint meeting of both boards. She noted an APDC member suggested
preserving the shell of the old Primary School which would satisfy both the bylaw and the
Select Board's use of the property as a green space. She expressed displeasure with the select
Board's plans for the building's demolition and endorsed Ms. Adams for reelection.
APPOINTMENTS
Update from Lunenburg Skate Board Park Group
Anthony Caiozzo reported the group's fundraising has been heavily affected by the pandemic.
They held an online raffle and raffled off a tractor donated by Powell Stone and Gravel.
We were able to align with the National Park Service and did an interview which led to other
contacts in the industry. We meet every Monday night at 8 p.m. and we have had conversations
with six or seven skate park designers. We have met with Senator Cronin and Rep. Lori Trahan's
office. We are meeting next week with the U. S. Skate Board Education Association. We will be
putting on an event with the Friends of the Lunenburg Public Library later this year. We just
reached $75,000 in cash and donations. We are in the process of revamping our website.
Our next event is a Learn to Skate Day. Everything will be conforming to Covid-19 safety
guidelines. We have been discussing with the Park Commissioners about building the skate
park at Marshall Park. Mr. Alonzo thanked him for the update.
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Motion: K. Adams
2°°: J. Marino
To appoint Daniel Burns to the Cultural Council with a term to expire June 30, 2024
Vote: Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Dwyer-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Mr. Marino-aye, Mir. Alonzo-aye
Mr. Alonzo advised Mr. Burns to get sworn in by the Town Clerk.
Donna Saiia, 32 Sandy Cove Rd., is interested in serving on the Cultural Council because art and
all things creative is her background. She is an artist as well as a writer. She likes to see people
have opportunities to show, explain and teach their work and she would like to be involved in
that. Mr. Alonzo having seen Ms. Saiia's work thought she would be an excellent addition to the
council. Ms. Adams thanked Ms. Saiia for her interest.
Motion: K. Adams
2°: M. Jeffreys
To appoint Donna Saiia to the Cultural Council with a term to expire June 30, 2024
Vote: Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Marino-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Mr. Dwyer aye, Mr. Alonzo-aye
Mr. Alonzo advised Ms. Saiia to get sworn in as well.
Dave Passios, 56 Whiting Street, is interested in the Green Community Task Force. Mr. Alonzo
questioned whether this would be better addressed in June when annual appointments to
committees are addressed. Dave Blatt, Chairman, reported the Green Community Task Force
was originally a group of seven members with three alternates. At some point, the membership
was reduced to five members and right now we only have three members. We can use more
members in order to maintain a quorum. Mr. Passios has attended several of our meetings and he
has provided some great input so we welcome him as a potential new member. Mr. Alonzo
asked about the terms for the GCTF membership. It was not listed on the town website. Ms.
Lemieux noted the task force was never changed to a committee. A task force has no term.
Mr. Passios stated he was drawn in to the task force when the street lights project was proposed.
He is very interested in seeing this through to its fruition. He is a Parks Commissioner and on the
Finance Committee and a former Board of Health member. He was born and raised here.
Mr. Alonzo thanked Mr. Passios for his service on all the boards, but noted since he is on an
elected body and has four appointed positions already, he would not support appointing him to
another board as he believed there is a limit to how many positions and voices on these
committees that a person should have. It is just a matter of principle and not a reflection on Mr.
Passios.
Motion: M. Jeffreys
2nd: T. Dwyer
To appoint Dave Passios to the Green Community Task Force
Vote: Ms. Adams-aye, Mr. Marino-aye, Mir. Jeffreys-aye, Mr. Dwyer-aye, Mr. Alonzo-nay
Mr. Alonzo reminded Mr. Passios to get sworn in. Mr. Blatt stated he welcomed more members
to the task force. Mr. Alonzo stated they would need to add this to a future agenda to discuss
making this a task force a committee.
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immediate effect with expiration dates of June 30. Terms shall not exceed three years, unless specifically allowed
by Massachusetts General Law.
Appointments shall be based on merit and qualifications that relate to the duties of the subject board, committee
or position. Where possible, the Board will seek variety in backgrounds, interest, ages, genders and geographic
areas of residents, so that town boards and committees will reflect a true cross-section of the community. In order
to attract qualified and interested persons, vacancies and reappointments will be made public as far in advance of
the appointment as practicable. The Town Manager will ensure the availability of up-to-date talent bank forms in
Town Hall, other town buildings and on the town's website. She/he will also ensure that completed talent bank
forms are maintained in an organized and easily retrievable manner, that receipt of the completed torm is
acknowledged, and that the resident be given a sense of the appointment process.
Reappointment shall not be considered automatic, but shall be based on an evaluation of the appointee's past
contribution to the board, committee or position. As part of the annual appointment process, the Town Manager
will ask incumbents whose terms will expire on June 30 to fill out a modified talent bank regarding their desire
for reappointment and description of their past contributions. The Town Manager's Office will forward the
reappointment form to the board or committee asking for their review and response relating to the
reappointment of the person as well as the written comments in the application, prior to date of the meeting at
which the reappointment will take place. The board will review and consider such comments. The Town
Manager will ensure that the Selectmen receive by May 1st a list of appointments and reappointments to be
filled by the Board
As Board-appointed vacancies occur, the Town Manager will ensure that local newspapers are advised of the
vacancies, and that vacancy notices are posted on Town bulletin boards and advertised on the town's website and
local cable access television channel. Vacancies shall be so advertised on the town bulletin board for no less than ten
(10) days per Section 7-10 of the Town Charter. The chairman of the board on which a vacancy occurs will seek
talent bank forms, and nomination recommendations from a majority of the relevant committee.
The Board shall meet with applicants to fill any given Board-appointed vacancy or reappointment. This
requirement may be waived at the Board's discretion. Appointments shall require a nomination and a second, and
shall be made by a majority vote of the Board.
Appointees must contact the Town Clerk to be sworn in and be provided with information on the Open Meeting
and Conflict of Interest laws.
Mr. Alonzo stated we are going to try to interview all the same applicants for a particular
Board that same time. Discussion about standing committees versus ad hoc or task forces
ensued.
2. Discussion on Fiscal Year 2022 Budget, Capital Plan, Financial Forecast and
Annual Town Meeting Warrant articles and vote on warrant article
recommendations that have been deferred (if needed)
There was no discussion on this topic.
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• Article 4; Amendments to Appropriations and Sources of Funds for FY 2021, as long as
the motion is to pass over this article
• Article 7; Regular Stabilization Fund
• Article 8; Special Purpose Stabilization Fund
• Article 10; OPEB Trust Fund
• Article 11; FY 2022 Sewer Enterprise Budget
• Article 12; Sewer Capital Reserve Stabilization Fund
• Article 13; FY 2022 Solid Waste Disposal Program Enterprise Budget
• Article 14; FY 2022 Water Enterprise Budget
• Article 15; FY 2022 PEG Access Budget
• Article 22; Rescind Borrowing Authorization from Article 11 of May 5, 2012 Annual
Town Meeting
• Article 23: Rescind Borrowing Authorization from Article 1 of January 7, 2014 Special
Town Meeting
• Article 27; Amendment to Code of Lunenburg, Chapter 70, Schedule A- Salary
Administration Plan
She noted if anyone at town meeting objects to any item on the consent calendar list it would be
pulled from the list before voting.
Motion: K. Adams
2nd: T. Dwyer
To approve the above recommended articles for the consent calendar
Vote: Ms. Adams- aye, Mr. Marino-aye, Mr. Dwyer-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye, Mr. Alonzo-
aye
2. Warrants:
Mr. Alonzo reported he signed the following warrants last week;
• Accounts Payable Warrant #45 21, dated 3/30/2021, in the amount of
$256,447.97:
• Payroll Deduction Warrant #46 21, dated 3/31/21, in the amount of $49,640.00;
• Payroll Warrant #20P21, dated 4/1/21, in the amount of $839,923.83
3. Action Items- there were none
4. Committee Reports
Mr. Alonzo reported the Capital Planning Committee met and discussed potential
recommendations of modifications to the Select Board's fiscal policy regarding capital planning
and capital projects and voted to recommend to change the base threshold amount from $10,000
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warrant article amending the APD bylaw. Their next meeting is at the end of April and we might
want to communicate with them about who has the authority to enter the town buildings into the
National Register.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT AND COVID-19 UPDATE
COVID-19 in Lunenburg:
The Board of Health issued their weekly update and the cumulative laboratory confirmed number of
COVID-19 cases reported to the Town as of April 2nd was 710. The state report showed 675 cases as of
March 30th. There has been one death in town since the pandemic began. This is an increase of 18 cases
from March 26th.
Announcement on Existing Vacancies:
The following is a list of vacancies on the following committees:
• ArchitecturalPreservationDistrictCommission(1 vacancy)
• Bylaw Review Committee (4 vacancies)
• Green Communities Task Force (1 vacancy)
• Historical Commission (1 vacancy)
• Housing Authority (2 vacant positions)
• TCPBuildingDesign Committee (1 vacancyappointedby the SelectBoardand Town Moderator
for member at large)
• Senior Work Off Program Committee (1 vacancy)
• 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.
Update on Debris Found on Woodruff Property
Last week I reached out to the consultant that will perform an Environmental Site Assessment and he was
planning on visiting the site this week.
Mass Ave Bridge over Pearl Hill Brook:
MassDOT and their contractor for the replacement of the Mass Ave bridge over Pearl Hill Brook project
are scheduled to begin work shortly. This bridge is located just east of the intersection of Mass Ave and
Richards Way (near Maki Building Center). Signs for construction are going up and message boards are
out to keep drivers updated, so please watch for changes.
The first phase of this construction will reduce Mass Ave to a single lane width and traffic flow will be
controlled by temporary traffic signals. During this phase, Richards Way at Mass Ave will be blocked and
residents in the neighborhood will be detoured up White Street to the northern end of Richards Way
where the existing gate will remain open for access to residents. A shift in traffic pattern is scheduled for
April 12th. This detour will be in Phase 1 of the project and last approximately 10 weeks. There will also be
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Gazebo in the center of town on Saturday, April 17th.
The DP W is providing bags for the continuation of the annual "Neighborhood Cleanup". If you are
interested in helping clean up your neighborhood, you can stop by the DPW Building during office hours
and notify the DPW once they need to be collected.
Invitation for Bids/Request for Proposals:
We received 6 bids for the work for the Complete Streets project. Richard D'Ambrosia Inc. provided the
low bid of $198,314 and has been issued a Notice of Award. We will have a pre- construction in the next
couple of weeks, after which I will give an update on project timeline and any traffic impacts. I submitted
an extension letter to MassDOT to extend our ability to submit for reimbursement up to September 30th,
in the event there were unexpected delays that would prohibit us from finishing this by the end of June. I
do not anticipate there will be but this will ensure that leeway.
Proposals for Curbside Trash and Recycling Services are due on April 14th. Bids for Landscaping Services
for town properties are due on April 15th.
925 Mass Ave (Goal #1, ii,ili)
On March 31st I had a meeting with MA DEP, our consultant that performed the Phase II
Environmental Site Assessment (BETA Group), and MassDevelopment in order to discuss the site
and any assurances they could provide that the town would not be a responsible party if we
foreclosed on the property.
During the meeting MA DEP identified possible funding through the LUST (Leaking Underground
allowing us to take the property after it is cleaned up. MA DEP also confirmed that there is an exemption
for remedial action if the town's intent is to market the property for redevelopment in accordance with the
exemption's requirements. If the town were to take the property with the intent to market the property for
redevelopment the town would not be considered a Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) with liability for
response action costs and damages as required under MGL c. 21E section 5. Although the municipal
exemption applies if the Town is marketing the site for redevelopment, the Town would need to address
any sudden releases, conditions of Substantial Release Migration, or Imminent Hazards requiring an
Immediate Response Action (IRA), if present. The Phase II ESA that was performed indicates no known
such conditions requiring an IRA. Also, the exemption does not require the Town to submit a tier
classification (unless the Town decides to keep the property or conduct Comprehensive Response Actions).
The property has been in tax title since 2005 and we have maintained it in tax title and can foreclose
on the property at any point we determine. At this point I recommend continuing to work with MA DEP to
see ifclean-up can occur before taking the property even though no known imminent hazards are present
and take the property once the tanks and contaminated soils are removed.
We will also be proceeding with having the property surveyed shortly.
Correspondence from the APDC:
I received correspondence from the APDC recently on different items, including, a request for a copy of the
2017 RFP to sell the Old Primary property, a request for an appropriation in the FY 2022 budget for an
expense line for the APDC, and that APDC has become aware, through reporting in the Ledger, that there
will be upcoming work on the Ritter and Town Hall. Their correspondence was a reminder that APDC
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these projects reviewed by the APDC but that would not be until after they receive town meeting
approval and I anticipated this would not be until after the start of the new fiscal year (July 1).
Meetings, Events and Other Announcements:
The TCP Building Design Committee has a meeting on Wednesday, April 7th at 5:30 p.m. through
Zoom.
• The Finance Committee has a meeting on Thursday, April 8th at 7 p.m. through Zoom.
• Spring 2021 Yard Waste Days are the following Saturdays from 8 am to 4 pm:
April 17th and 24th and May Ist, 8th, 15th and 22nd. More information is found on the DPW page
on the website.
Primary School Fire Alarm Upgrade Earmark:
As reported last week, formal requests to include the earmark for the Primary School fire alarm
upgrade in the end ofthe year supplemental budget weresentto the Houseand Senate Ways & Means
Chairs. The end of the year supplemental budget will occur around the end of June- beginning of July.
Representative Kushmerek will be running point on the continuance in the House and Senator Cronin will
be running point on the continuance. It is unlikely there will be any updates as the supplemental budget
until after the end of this fiscal year.
With regards to any possible additional funding in the upcoming FY 2022 state budget, additional
funding was included in our legislator's district budget priorities. At this point, the House draft budget
draft will be released later this week or early next week. From there, amendments will be filed by the end
of next week and the formal votes on those house budget amendments will occur the week of April 26th.
As this was his earmark secured in last year's budget, Representative Sena will be filing the amendment for
the FY 2022 earmark and Representative Kushmerek will be a co-sponsor to the amendment.
Mr. Alonzo reminded the Board about the process for the Town Manager performance
evaluation. By next Friday each member should have scheduled an appointment with Ms.
Lemieux to go over your draft evaluation of the Town Manager. The first two meetings in May
will be discussion about the composition of the final evaluation.
UPCOMING MEETING/EVENTS SCHEDULE
This board meets again on April 13", April 27", and May 1s is the Annual Town Meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Jettreys stated he would be coordinating the Memorial Day service this year. There will be
an informal meeting on Thursday April 8" at 6 p.m. Anyone who is interested in helping out or
participating should email him at mjeffreys@lunenburgonline.com or call him at 508-662-1914.
Mr. Alonzo stated the board would be entering Executive Session and adjourning immediately
after.
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*************EXECUTIVE SESSION MINUTES ARE SEPARATE****************
The meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Elainem. Petuson
Elaine M. Peterson
Executive Assistant to the Town Manager