===PAGE 1=== SELECT BOARD MINUTES November 1 , 2022 Town Hall, 17 Main Street and via ZOOM Members present: Michael-Ray Jeffreys, Chairman; Tom Alonzo, Vice Chairman; Lou Franco, Clerk; Todd Dwyer , Heather Sroka Also Present: Heather Lemieux, Town Manager ; Dave MacDonald, Lynnette Valentine - Warren , Mohamed Mohamed, Police Chief Gammel, Police Sergeant Morreale, Chairman Jeffreys cal led the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. He asked everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. He announced in accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg public a ccess channel and Facebook Live and it will be uploaded to the Lunenburg public access YouTube channel within 2 4 hours after the meeting . The agenda lists all the topi cs which may be discussed at this meeting and are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. Votes may be taken as a result of these discussions. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by the Open Meeting Law. PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Jeffreys stated recently there was a vote with the Water D istrict Commission and many residents in town have expressed concerns about the way that that process was handled . I want to clarify that the W ater D istrict was created by a special legislative a ct . I t is not part of the town government , so not underneath the Select Board. T he water distric t has its own elections and the members who can vote are members who are in the water service area . T he district has its own moderator , funding and budget and is separate from the Town . They do have to follow th e Open Meeting Law but are a separate entity . Any concerns about process should be directed towards the Water D istrict Commission and the alternative would be the Secretary of S tate office . Mr. Jeffreys stated many residents receive d their tax bills recently . T he T own goes through its budgeting process every year . T he Capital Planning C ommittee has already been meet ing to go over capital project proposals . I n the beginning of January , the Town Manager meets with the Select B oard and provides us with a proposed budget . T here's a series of meetings that happen all throughout the spring with the Finance C ommittee in which there's a lot of review of the b udget . T he Town Manager is really good with budgets, but taxes do go up e very year and part of that are the staff pay increases , generally about 2% annually. We are paying hi gher energy and health care costs. M ost pe ople who own their homes in Lunenburg typically only live here for about 10 years . T here are many people who choose to be here , myself included , for the rest of our natural lives . The Select B oard is working on some form of senior tax relief to account for those who make the decision to invest in Lunenburg and want to remain here . I think we have a responsibility to consider those individuals and ensure that we have a fair system for them to ensure they can remain here in retirement . A home is an investment and for most it's the largest investment you can make . M ost people who've sold their h omes in the last five years have seen a substantial incr ease in value . I have some friend s who've sold their homes and doubled their money in five years . W e have never received a complaint from someone who sold their home and said the town didn't do enough to make sure that their homes have a good value . Although taxes are related to property value, many people myself included , are looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars of ===PAGE 2=== equity in their ho mes and that is one of the values of the g eneral market . None of us enjoy paying taxes but I jus t want to put that in a little different context . My third comment is about Veteran ’s Day. The town has a Memorial Day service but we don't have a Veteran ’s Day service. Ve teran ’s Day is for th e living, for those who've served . W e have people in the room , myself included who served, Mr. Dwyer, Chief Gammel , who made that sacrifice and the biggest thing that we can offer anyone is our time . I enco urage you if you have family members or friends who ar e veterans to consider reaching out to them on Veteran ’s Day . Mr. Alonzo stated yesterday Mr. Franco and the T own M anager were able to participate and join in the Volunteer Appreciation D ay at Eagle H ouse Senior Center that was sponsore d by Senator Cronin and R epresentative Kushmerek . They presented a $100,000 check for the Eagle H ouse ADA patio proje ct . I want to thank al l of the people who attended; Senator Cronin , R epresentative Kushmerek , Town M anager an d all the town officials who were there . M ost importantly the day was for th e volunteers who help the Council on Ag ing do their good work . A couple of people were acknowledged with awards for all the ir times of service and volunteerism . V olunteerism at Eagle H ouse is a large part of what makes it work , that's true of other sections of the town too . S o I thank everybody who came out and a special congratulations to the volunteers themselves Mr. Alonzo added he was honored  to be able to go to a memorial servi ce for a citizen who has passed away . John Mayall was a longtime resident o f Lunenburg and truly involved in many aspects of the town . H e and his wife were involve d early on with Hickory Hills when it became a homeowners ’ association . I got to know him when he served as Chair on the Finance Committee when I first joined the c ommittee . He was a mentor to me and taught me a lot of principles that h ave carried me through all the years , and to see the service and the people speaking on his behalf ; it was a wonderful ceremony for a really special person . A great sense of humor , great dedication, great family person and so I just want to acknowledge h im. Lastly, I actually was in attendance at t hat W ater D istrict meeting and my comments I make here are not because I think the town can do anything , but on the same principle that brought the W ater Comm issioners and their S uperintendent here to present their projec t because they know that we reach a larger audience . T he meeting that night was basically divided into two halves ; the first half was the discussion around the single article of the special meeting they called regarding the study for treatment of the well at Hickory Hills . T hey had presented here asking for the board's support for that study . T hat discussion went very well and people presented both sides of the argument and back and forth . H owever a t the point where it came to vote, i t devolved into absolute chaos, it really was a debacle of how not to run a meeting and because of that I believe there was a lot o f confidence lost by the voters of the district in the result . F irst of all i t was a very close vote , there were two counts; one was tied at 77 to 77. T hen there was a whole discrepan cy about some people who weren't there , some were using the restroom , some thought it was over so they left . They asked for a recount and that came out to 79 to 77 , but all around there was no order to this . T here was mulling around and a lost opportunity to gain the confidence of the people . After that meeting it was discovered that there w ere 60 people left off the list of potential voters and one person at least showed up and could not vote at that meeting . T herefore if g overnment regardless whether it's the town or the water district , gets its power from the consent of the people being governed and the people taking the votes and it really relies on the confidence that those votes are taken and are fair; I would say that that meeting did not reach that hurdle . W hile I have no power over what they do , I can say as an elected official in the town , that I would highly recommend that they recall that meeting and prepare for the number of people that would show up and have counting mechanisms in place to regain the c onfidence of the people that the vote was ===PAGE 3=== actually accurate . I am a voter in the water district being a w a ter district user , but it was clear the process of the meeting was not something that should be looked at as any kind of standar d. They fell well b elow that and I would urge the W ater Commissioners and anybody who feels similarly to these comments , should ask for a new meeting with the same a rticle to debate this again where people can feel confident in their votes and that the people who want to vote could vote. Ms. Lemieux added that the volunteer appreciation at Eagle House was a fabulous event spons ored by Senator Cronin and the Eagle H ouse supporters. T he recognition was for 40 volunteers who donated 1183.25 hours of their time in the last year . I also want to extend my gratitude to all the people that volunteer . The other event I attended at the senior center was on October 24 th ; the annual High T ea that was started by Sarah Grant in 2014 . S he initiated it , and decorated all the tables for the first two years of the event and if you haven't gone you should go . I t's a great event , a lot of time planning and food preparation , the donations and everything went into it . T hey raised $2, 756 dollars for the Council on Aging .  Mr. Alonzo thanked everyone involved in Homecoming this past Saturday. It was a great day all around. Dave MacDonald, 155 Island Road, read aloud a letter expressing disappointment about the water district meeting and the water commissioners ’ behavior. Salvation Army tollbooth fundraiser request for December 10 th 10 am to 2 pm in two locations Dave MacDonald and Lynnette Valentine -Warren presented on behalf of the request to hold a tollbooth fundraiser on December 10 th in two locations; the intersection of Main Street and Lancaster Ave. and the intersection of Electric Ave. and Whalom Road. The rain date would be December 17 th . Discussion ensued about providing waiver forms to the office after the event. Motion: T. Alonzo 2 nd : T. Dwyer To approve the tollbooth fundraiser for the Salvation Army for Dec.10 th and rain date of December 17 th at the two locations from 10 :00 am to 2 :00 pm Vote: All in Favor For more information or to send gifts directly, you can call 978-342-3300 and the Salvation Army ’s address is 739 Water Street in Fitchburg. Mr. MacDonald and Ms. Valentine-Warren thanked the board and exited the meeting. Public Hearing (continued) for Alteration of Premises to Alcohol License: Il Forno Lunenburg Bar, Inc., 494 Electric Avenue Mr. Jeffreys opened the public hearing that was continued to tonight. Mr. Mohamed was present and had forwarded the requested building plans for the new addition. Mr. Dwyer had reviewed them and believed the plans were clear and straightforward. Mr. Franco believed they were satisfactory and Mr. Alonzo concurred. Mr. Jeffreys did not have any concerns as well. In addition to the plans the following points were provided: Proposed Detached Dining Structure Key Points  Proposed structure will be detached but permanent  Intent of structure is to safely allocate allowed seating capacity as granted NOT gain additional seating  Proposed structure will have glass garage doors that can open it up for open air dining in good weather conditions  Proposed structure will have heat and a/c to accommodate those appropriate weather conditions. ===PAGE 4===  SAFETY: Proposed structure will have a concrete walkway surrounding the front and left side and will be protected by a metal fence/railing with buried steel posts to prohibit improper exit of building and also to add protection from parking lot  Structure will have the necessary points of egress, however, all patrons must enter through normal restaurant entrance and will access the new structure via a new door to be cut in the back right corner of the existing bar side of the restaurant.  A temporary soft- sided covered vestibule will go from the new door to the entry door of the new structure so patrons and staff will be protected from the elements in the event of inclement weather Motion: T. Alonzo 2 nd : M. Jeffreys To approve the alteration to premises for the alcohol license to Il Forno Lunenburg Bar, Inc., at 494 Electric Avenue contingent upon the building being built without any significant or substantial changes being made from what is being presented to us today on November 1 st by the applicant Vote: All in Favor Mr. Mohamed thanked the board and exited the meeting. Presentation from Police Department on Certification Process and Status Police Chief Gammel and Sgt. Morreale were present . Ms. Lemieux noted the certification process was started by former Police Chief Marino in 2015. Chief Gammel confirmed it has been a long process but finally came to fruition on October 26 th . This voluntar y program opens our department up for review to assure the highest professionalism is met ; the certification process includes review of our policies and procedures, our rules and regulations , our facilities and also what our operations are within the police department . Sgt. Morreale reported he was assigned as accre ditation manager of the process last September. We started out reformatting all our policies to make sure we met the standards. We went t hrough all our training records and how we retained them and made sur e we met the standards. We reviewed our facility, cellblock evidence room, even the lobby , to make sure all met certain standards. We had a mock assessment and they provided us with a list of recommendations in advance of the actual assessment in July. That went well and in October we met with th e board and they awarded us certification through the Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission (MPAC) . Now that we are certified we are aiming to become accredited through MPAC. Chief Gammel noted w e would not have been able to meet these standards if it w e re not for th e cooperation of the entire d epartment. I would be remise if I did not also re cognize the Union President Officer Bradley McNamara. Officer McNamara was an integral part of the process as we had to introduce new polici es, and re-write old ones. Officer McNamara worked diligently with us, and addressed any issues that arose in a cooperative manner . He also thanked Public Safety Coordinator Amanda Moore for all her assistance. The board praised the Police Department for accomplishing the certification. INTERVIEWS/APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS Ratification of Town Manager ’s Appointment of Tax Collector Principal Clerk Alisha Aquino Ms. Lemieux reported the town received 33 application s for this position; we interviewed four applicants and Alisha Aquino was hired . S he has ni ne year s of banking experience, familiarity with real estate taxes, municipal lien certifi cates and reconciliation . Her references described her as providing great customer service, reconciliation and a great fit anywhere. Motion: L. Franco 2 nd : T. Alonzo To ratify the Town Manager appointment of Alisha Aquino as Tax Collector Principal Clerk Vote: All in Favor ===PAGE 5=== Announcement on Existing Vacancies The following is a lis t of current vacancies on t h e following c o m m itte e s :  Finance Committee (2 vacancies)  Green Communities Committee ( 2 Associate vacancies) Historical C o m m is s io n (2 vacancies)  Open Space Committee (1 Member at Large vacancy)  Planning Board (1 vacancy jointly appointed by the Planning Board and Select Board until the next ATE)  Zoning Board of Appeals (1 Associate vacancy) Interested persons can find application forms on t h e T o w n W e b site a n d c o m p le te d forms can be sent t o t h e S elect Board's Offi ce. Anyone t h a t h a s a n y questions on volunteer opportunities can contact t h e S elect Board's Offi c e a t (978) 582-4130 x 144. Current Employment Opportunities with the Town The following is a list of current employment opportunities with t h e Town:  Administrative Assistant IT ( P a r t T im e Non-Benefitted)  Conservation Administrator (Full T im e Benefitted)  Heavy Equipment Operator (Full Time Benefitted)  Library Assistant (Part Time Non-Benefitted)  Police Officer (Full Time Benefitted)  Production Technician (Part Time Benefitted)  Public Safety Front D esk C le rk (Full T im e Benefitted)  Recreation Director ( P a r t T im e Non-Benefitted)  Videographers ( P a r t T im e Non-Benefitted) More information on each position can be found on t h e job postings, which a r e located on t h e t o w n website. Invitation fo r Bids/Request fo r P r o p o sa ls  IFB for A s s e s s o rs Real Property Data C o lle c tio n S e rv ic e s : Two bids were re c e iv e d on October 1 1 t h a n d t h e bid w a s awarded t o Patrick Harring in t h e amount of $45,000, pending t o w n m e e tin g a p p r o v a l of t h e funding a t t h e S p e c ia l T o w n Meeting.  IFB Surve y Work a t Marshall Park: Two bids were re c e iv e d on October 1 3 t h a n d t h e bid w a s awarded t o D illis & Roy in t h e amount of $17,700. The t o t a l budget in t h e capital plan for this project w a s $25,000.  R F P for Lease of Space a t T o w n Hall for Communications Equipment : O n e proposal w a s re c e iv e d from T -M o b ile on October 1 8 t h . The proposal is currently under re v ie w .  R F P for Cleanup of S o lid Waste Materials a t Woodruff Property : W e did not re c e iv e a n y proposals in response t o t h e R F P . W e a r e currently reaching out t o those t h a t receiv ed bid packages a n d re a sse ssin g t h e scope of work. Department Updates DPW : Currently t h e DPW is down four large trucks: t w o of t h e trucks a r e on order a s capital projects a n d t w o a r e requested in t h e FY24 capital requests t o be replaced. The Director a n d t h e Superintendent a r e working out a plan t o make sure w e h a v e enough coverage for all our roads for winter operations. The D P W 's contractor will be fixing t h e pavement a t t h e S e n io r Center circle driveway a n d t h e puddling issue a t T o w n Hall this week. The sidewalks on Highland were done last week. F a c ilitie s: The Director is working with t h e Assistant T o w n Manager on various capital projects t h a t will n e e d t o be p u t out t o bid. He will be attending t h e APDC m e e tin g this Thursday following up on additional information they requested comparing t h e re p la c e m e n t versus restoration costs of t h e ===PAGE 6=== windows a t t h e Ritter. The Director is m e e tin g with McCarty Engineering this week t o re v ie w t h e ADA d e sig n for t h e S e n io r Center patio. A s s e s s o rs : The Principal A s s e s s o r submitted t h e S a le s Reports a n d t h e form t o certify N e w G r o w t h a n d w e re c e iv e d notification t o d a y t h a t N e w G r o w t h w a s certified a t $234,383, which is $20,860 more than the A nnual T own M eeting estimate. L a n d U se: The L a n d U se D ire c to r, P o lic e C h ie f a n d DPW Director h a v e a m e e tin g with P J Keating t o re v isit t h e possible removal of t h e rocks a t t h e corner of Reservoir R o a d . Cavicchio Greenhouses of Sudbury is looking t o build a c o m m e rc ia l greenhouse on Reservoir R o a d . Lunenburg Central is currently working on the road widening and the building should be fully finished by this spring. Fire : The 3rd Paramedic is on board. The S t a t e conducted their inspection for t h e Paramedic licensure on October 2 7 t h ; there were a couple of follow up ite m s t h a t n e e d t o be addressed b u t licensure should be is s u e d shortly. L i b r a r y : The Library is using t h e L S T A g r a n t for extra programming related t o S T E M a n d they a r e Partnering with Smokestack Roasters on a STEM program at their location in order to get more out into the community. T h e y h a v e b e e n open on Fridays a n d they a r e seein g a good t u r n o u t on Friday afternoons. COA : The COA is holding a new meditation class in D ecem b er a n d h a s b e e n busy with all their other monthly a n d regular programming. Cable: P A C C is covering t h e H o m e c o m in g Football game a n d is currently working with t h e School a n d Suzor IT on making one of t h e collaboration rooms hybrid -capable . Opioid Settlement Funds As p a r t of t h e S e ttle m e n t A g re e m e n t with t h e case against t h e opioid manufacturers a n d distributors, w e h a v e re c e iv e d a t o t a l of $28,706, which is roughly half of t h e t o t a l amount w e will re c e iv e . This is c o m in g in a s a general f u n d receipt, which in order t o spend it w e would h a v e t o appropriate it a t t h e A n n u a l T o w n Meeting. There is legislation t o change this t o a S p e c ia l Revenue Account, b u t t h a t legislation h a s not passed yet. DLS Certi fi cation of Free Cash Free Cash for FY23 w a s certified by t h e D iv isio n of Local S e rv ic e s on October 2 5 t h a s follows:  General F u n d : $2,838,550  Water Enterprise: $57,539  S o lid Waste Enterprise: $134,318  S e w e r Enterprise: $2,232,978  PEG A ccess Enterprise: $922,599 The General F u n d Free Cash is allocated a t t h e A n n u a l T o w n Meeting on next y e a r's Capital Plan, t h e S p e c ia l Purpose Stabilization F u n d , t h e regular Stabilization F u n d , a n d w e usually c lo s e o u t a portion of t h e free cash t o go t o w a r d s t h e following y e a r's Free Cash. Streetlight Update The DPW Director h a s b e e n working with Unitil on re c o n c ilin g t h e inventory lis t of lights t h a t were both on our lis t a n d ones t h a t were not on t h e lis t b u t a r e in t h e field. The Purchase a n d Sale A g re e m e n t included a provision for reconciliation of lights not lis te d on t h e Exhibit t h a t lis te d all t h e lights known a t t h e time of c lo s in g a n d t h a t if within 90 d a y s of t h e c lo s in g date, either P a r t y identifies lights t h a t should h a v e b e e n included, there would be no additional charge t o t h e Town. W h e n t h e DPW Director m e t with John DiNapoli from Unitil , a b o u t 30 lights were identified t h a t were found in t h e field t h a t t h e T o w n never paid for a n d there were lights t h a t t h e T o w n paid for b u t were not in t h e field. There were 19 lights t h a t w e h a v e not b e e n paying for t h a t t h e DPW Director is c h e c k in g with t h e P o lic e C h ie f on adding t o our inventory a n d t h a t w e would be b ille d for a n y f u t u r e e le c tric a l e x p e n s e . Overall, t h e T o w n made out a s there were more lights t h a t w e were not b ille d for t h a n t h e contrary. The T o w n will be engaging t h e s e rv ic e s of a consultant for a s s e s s m e n t a n d oversight s e rv ic e s t h a t will h e lp us with t h e bidding process a n d oversight of t h e entire project. ===PAGE 7=== F la t Hill Road Drainage Study P r o je c t McCarty Engineering h a s issu e d his findings regarding t h e study of t h e Flat H ill R o a d Drainage issu e s in a report, which h a s b e e n forwarded t o t h e B o a r d a n d t o t h e residents involved. The DPW D ire c to r, t h e E n g in e e r, a n d I will be m e e tin g this week a n d will c o m e t o t h e B o a r d with a n u p d a t e a t a f u t u r e meeting. Meetings, Events, and Other Announcements:  The remaining Fall Yard Waste Days a t t h e old landfill, off Young ’s R o a d , will be November 5 t h , 1 2 t h a n d 1 9 t h from 8 a m until 4 pm on t h e following S a t u r d a y s . This is open t o L u n e n b u r g residents o n ly .  The Zoning B o a r d of Appeals will be having t h e next hearing on t h e Pond V ie w Commons 40B comprehensive p e rm it application on November 9 t h a t 7 PM in t h e T o w n Hall m e e tin g room.  The S T M will be on November 15, 2022 a t 7 PM a t t h e MS/HS Auditorium. OLD BUSINESS 1. Review American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding Requests and Evaluation Criteria Mr. Jeffreys stated this item was carried over from last month. Mr. Alonzo presented a draft of rating criteria to the board and thanked Ms. Lemieux for her assistance as well. ARPA RATING CRITERIA (based largely on CAPITAL PLANNING COMMITTEE RATING CRITERIA) I. EFFECTIVENESS OF GOVERNMENT: A . State, Federal Mandate Does this request address a current or foreseeable state or federal regulatory or legal mandate such as Protection Agency (EPA) directives, the Americans with Disabilities Act or other County, State and Federal laws? B . Replaces an Asset Due for Replacement Identify the estimated useful life of the facility, vehicle, equipment, etc. Identify whether asset is Over/At/Under Reasonable Life C . Increases Effectiveness or Efficiency Does the request increase effectiveness or efficiencies of the department(s)? D . Reduces Potential Liabilities/Threats to Operations Does the request reduce potential liabilities or threats to operations? E . Adds or Expands Customer Service Does the request add or expand customer service? II. EFFECT OF CAPITAL INVESTMENT ON OPERATING COSTS AND REVENUES: A . Anticipated Change in Operating Costs How does the request impact the Town ’s operating costs? B . Anticipated Changes in Revenues How does the request impact the Town ’s revenue? C . Grant Funding Is grant fund ing available for this request? III. COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION: A . Economic Growth -Community Contribution Does the request contribute to econom ic growth? ===PAGE 8=== B . Cultural or Recreational Opportunities -Community Contribution Does the request contribute to cultural or recreational opportunities? C . Education -Community Contribution Does the r equest contribute to education? D . Public Safety-Community Contribution Does the reque st contribute to public safety? E . Aesthetics, Historic Preservation-Community Contribution Does the request contribute to the aesthetics of a town building or property? Does the request contribute the historic preservation of the building or property? F . Environmental Sustainability-Community Contribution Does the request contribute to environmental sustainability? Does the request help create a beautiful and clean community? Does the request specifically promote the responsible use of resou rces? G . Public Health-Community Contribution Does the request contribute to the health and/or wellbeing of the community? ONE TIME EXPENSE: Is this request a one-time expense that will not be an annually r eoccurring operational expense? PERSONNEL IMPACT: Will this request require additional pers onnel and/or impact operations? CAPITAL EXPENSE: Is this request a capital expense that is currently on the 10-year capital plan? TIMEFRAME FOR COMPLETION: Can this project be completed in its entirety (including any preliminary planning) by 2026? OVERALL QUESTION: What are the ramifications for not funding this request through ARPA? Mr. Jeffreys stated the hope is to finalize this by the end of December. He noted one thing in his notes to Mr. Alonzo was to have a two part funding process. There are some projects that we have awareness of now that may need funding in the spring. The first phase being a small dollar amount in spring and the second phase being paid in the fall. Since this was presented thi s evening it was decided that the board read it over and discuss at another meeting. Discussion on November 15, 2022 Special Town Meeting (STM) Warrant Articles and Consent Calendar Ms. Lemieux stated they have their new growth figures and a finalized source of funding, and the surplus capacity that we have to spend at STM. The prior fiscal year number has not changed. For the Police collective bargaining agreement, the amount needed to be transferred from the surplus reserve account will be $16,000. Ms. Lemieux added the agreement is a 2% increase for fiscal 23, 2.5% for fiscal 24 with a wage adjustment and 2.55 for fiscal 25 . The wage adjustment was based on a comp analysis indicating that we were below par for our sergeants and our patrolmen wages . T here was a wage adjustment made there ; also added a n officer in charge pay, s pecialty pay and field training officer stipends . The total impact to the budget for fiscal 23 and this is utilizing the surplus and other lines is $ 37 ,823. 45 ; of which we only need the $ 16 ,000 from the salary r eserve account . T he impact for fiscal 24 is $ 197 ,489.13 and for fiscal 25, $53,948.82 for a total three-year impact of $289. 261 . ===PAGE 9=== Discussion ensued over an increase in overtime hours,  particularly in the Police Dept. and how it is utilized and how to better control it. Ms. Lemieux for Article 4 noted after talking with the Facil ities Director and Parks Commis s ion C hair that cost for the engineering and design for Marshall Park is estimated between $150,000 and $200,000. After speaking with the Finance Director we would like to keep a surplus at the close of town meeting, so $184,000 would be available for that. If it doesn ’t pass it will be recommended to deposit those funds into a special purpose stabilization account, which is Article 5. They also have remaining funds of about $10,000 from the Capital Plan for the M aster Plan for Marshall Park . For A rtic les 6 and 7 we already have the information. For A rticle 8 we still do not have a number, she will try to have one by next meeting. Article 9 will be discussed by the APDC and they will vote on whether to pass over it or not at town meeting . The APDC will also be taking a vote on the Ritter Building Certificate to Alter project. Ms. Lemieux will be attending that meeting. Articles for the Consent C al endar were discussed. Ms. Lemieux would be recommending placin g Articles 2, 6, 7 and 9 on it. Motion: T. Alonzo 2 nd : T. Dwyer To add articles 2, 6, 7 and 9 on the consent calendar Vote: All in Favor Status Update on Town Manager and Select Board Goals for FY23 Mr. Jeffreys reported the board ’s first objective is to continue to pursue a project acceptable to the town regarding the property and building at 30 School Street ; we will be discussing this in more detail in December/ January. O bjective number two was working with the Town Manager and Finance D irector to establish a means- tested senior citizen property tax exemption or a batement . Mr . Alonso reported there is no change since last month. O bject ive number three was to review Select B oard bylaws and propose update s for 2023 Annual Town M eeting , so we will be splitting that between a meeting in Dece mber and January. Ms. Lemieux reported on goal number one, Continuation to Redevelop R euse 925 Mass Ave ; the project i s moving forwa rd in the targeted brownfields a ssessment program and is anticipated to be complete by the end of the calendar year by the EPA . A fter the last correspondence I had with Jim Byrne from the EPA , they're looking at removal of the cano py as part of the project and there's no update as far as the disposition of the property at this point .  For Goal #2, Long-term P lanning ; for Capital plan ning we did our annual review of our insured vehicles and eq uipment and those forms will be updated accordingly this fall . W e started using the same software that we use for budgeting which is Clear G ov for a capital planning process . A ll the d epartments that submitted project reque sts had to submit them through Clear G ov , all that information is compiled in a central location and the software allows for repo rting out of all the projects; that's what I've used th e last couple meetings for the Capital P lann ing C ommittee as far as summarizing all the requests by d epartment . For long-term s taffing I've begun to meet with department heads about long-term staffing needs so that's in progress . The pavement management condition report has been submitted by the Beta G roup an d the DPW D irector and I will be reviewing this with the project manager . W hat they noted in their initial findings came back very positive ; our overall Network rating came in at 84.75 which is one of the highest scores our project manager has seen in New England for the last 12 years . T he DPW D irector has received a quote for their bridge/c ulvert management plan and he and I are looking at possible grants to fund this expense. For employee recruitment recognition and retention -regarding working with towns on a regional approach to recruitment , I have approached other towns and they are open to a regional approach for recruitment so that was nice to hear . For design job postings that ===PAGE 10=== market the town and position to attract greater pool of applicants , the A ssistant Town M anager has been working on job posting s that would be geared more to marketing a flashier type advertising for positions because our everyone knows that the job market has changed significantly . For attend college job fairs and explore internship programs , I recently reached out to Suffolk University about a job shadowing program , so not specifically internship , but it starts the process of trying to get people interested in the types of jobs that municipalities have . For C reate a formal recognition plan - I do n ot have an update on the annual Employee Appreciation event . F or retention su rvey, I have surveyed department heads at our department h e ad meetings and as of yet nothing's come out of that f or training specifically . I did work with Worcester County Retirement and we're doing a benefit seminar this Monday for all eligible employees . For C onduct Employee S urvey to assess job satisfaction; that is one of the funding requests on the special town meeting budget adjustment article . Discussion about the lack of line striping on roads ensued again, it was noted that the weather has not been cooperating and Ms. Lemieux has reached to other towns for suggestions of other companies but no vendors have responded back to the DPW Director as of yet. Mr. Alonzo noting comments on social media about trash not being picked up, pointed out the trash pickup contract is similar in that no one else bid on the service and we need to work with the vendor as best as possible. CURRENT BUSINESS Approval of Minutes of October 4, October 15, 2022 Motion: L. Franco 2 nd : T. Alonzo To approve the minutes of October 4, 2022 as presented Vote: All in Favor Motion: L. Franco 2 nd : T. Alonzo To approve the minutes of October 15, 2022 Vote: 4 in favor, 1 abstention (Sroka)   Warrants – there were none this week Action Items Mr. Franco asked for an agenda item to be added to the next meeting regarding a clothing drive. Committee Reports Mr. Alonzo reported Capital Planning met last week and we heard a presentation from the School D epartment on their requests. These meetings are now being recorded. We meet next week and on Monday there will be a facility presentation and on Wednesday there will be presentations from Fire, Police and DPW. Mr. Jeffreys reported he was working with the Green Communities Committee about the possib ility of placing solar panels at the old town dump. He will come back to the board with more details later. Lunenburg Municipal Building Committee meets again in December. We are still awaiting feedback from other boards on our three concepts. He also attended the School Committee meeting and it was a lengthy one. He did not stay for their workshop. We had a discussion on behal f of the Municipal Building Design C ommittee on the three concepts and the environmental policies that we sent to them to get their feedback. They are meeting again to discuss what we sent to them. The library is doing well. T he Chair of the T rustee s wants to thank Treasurer Mallari and Town Manager for the work that's ongoing with getting the trust funds i nto a different f inancial vehicle . Mr. Jeffreys had two updates; w e received a request from a resi dent on Summer Street for an ADA parking space in front of their home . In response to that I sent a couple of qu estions to ===PAGE 11=== the homeowner, pr imarily my question was looking at the residence driving by, they have a two-car garage , there's two parking spaces behind that garage , they have parking for an RV and this is a section of Summer Street that we just put in new sidewalks and their request is to move the sidewalk closer to their hou se and to put a private parking space in front of their house . M y question to them was why this can ’t be achieved on your own prope rty as a first question and I asked them to respond. W e have not rec eived a response , so at this point I did send a follow-up communication to them . The other request concerns town property at 51 Parmenter Road off Lake Shirley . The owner /abutter at 45 Parmenter is lo oking to put in a septic system and his request is to access Town property to get to his existing septic tank to remove it . T hat request is coming on behalf of the homeowner but it's through contractor Dan Proctor and the request is on our agenda for next week . Ms. Lemieux added we had received an abutter notification from C onservation because they have a hearing for the homeowner on the septic install due to its proximity to the lake . I asked Ms. Peterson to get more inform ation on it knowing the address and that we've had a history of encroachment on both sides of that prope rty. So the concern was making sure because we had the property surveyed where the boundary was knowing that this property owner is selling the property and to ensure that the installation of a new septic system is on their property and not on ours . I reached out to Town Counsel because any access on that property should have a R ight of Entry agreement with the homeowner that will lay out a ny stipulations on the property; if there's damage to the propert y and formalize that in an agreement from the board . UPCOMING MEETING/EVENTS SCHEDULE Mr. Jeffreys reported the board will be meeting on November 8 and Special Town Meeting is on November 15. The board is not planning on meeting the rest of November but that could change. PUBLIC COMMENT Ms. Lemieux reminded about the municipal aggregation program and the low residential rate for electricity supply only is .11740 per kilowatt. Anyone can opt in or out of the program. Most residents are automatically opted in. Mr. Jeffreys reminded all about the Recycle Your Reusables event on Saturday the 12 th from 9: 30 am to 1:30 pm. at A y e r S h i r l e y R e g i o n a l M i d d l e S c h o o l , 1 H o s p i t a l R d , S h i r l e y . M o r e i n f o r m a t i o n i s o n t h e t o w n w e b s i t e . Motion: T . Alonzo 2 nd : T. Dwyer To adjourn the meeting Vote: All in Favor The meeting adjourned at 9:20 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Elaine M. Peterson Executive Assistant to the Town Manager