===PAGE 1=== Select Board Meeting Minutes December 3, 2024 1 Town of Lunenburg Select Board Meeting Minutes Town Hall, 17 Main Street and via Zoom Tuesday, December 3, 2024 Members Present: Chair Caesar Nuzzolo, Vice-Chair Michael-Ray Jeffreys, Clerk Amanda Moore, Member Tom Alonzo, and Member Renee Emkey Members Absent: None Also Present: Interim Town Manager Carter Terenzini Note: At the discretion of the Chair, several agenda items were taken out of order. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Chair Caesar Nuzzolo called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Chair Nuzzolo informed attendees that the meeting was being recorded and broadcast live and would be uploaded to YouTube after the meeting. He explained that the agenda listed topics may be discussed, but not all items may be addressed and other items not listed could be brought up as permitted by open meeting law. PUBLIC COMMENT Board Comment Vice-Chair Michael-Ray Jeffreys commented to the public on the importance of changing personal and work passwords. He recommended having a different password for your job than you have for personal things. Public Comment None. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chair Nuzzolo announced that the annual tree lighting at the town gazebo will be this upcoming Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 6:00 PM. COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER BOARDS None. SCHEDULED MEETINGS AND HEARINGS Introduction: Recent Employee Hires Interim Town Manager Carter Terenzini introduced recent employee hires as follows: • Denise McCue: Office of Board of Assessors Data Collector. • Maddison Berthet: Conservation Commission Administrative Assistant. • Christopher Riley: Land Use Director. • Autumn Buck: Department of Public Works Driver/Laborer. • Anthony Russo: Call Fire Fighter/EMT. • Robin Nano: Board of Assessors Administrative Assistant. ===PAGE 2=== Select Board Meeting Minutes December 3, 2024 2 APPOINTMENTS, RATIFICATIONS, AND RESIGNATIONS Action Re: Interim Town Manager’s Nomination of LPD Acting Lieutenant (S. Zrate) Interim Police Chief Jeffrey Thibodeau recommended Sergeant Sean Zrate for the position of acting Lieutenant for the Lunenburg Police Department. Interim Chief Thibodeau stated that Sergeant Zrate is currently the department's Senior Sergeant. Interim Chief Thibodeau stated that Sergeant Zrate has 20 years of experience in policing, and with his experience with the Lunenburg Police Department, he believes Sergeant Zrate is extremely qualified for the position of acting lieutenant. Motion by Vice-Chair Jeffreys to ratify the appointment of Sean Zrate as Acting Lieutenant of the Lunenburg Police Department. Seconded by Clerk Moore. Call for the vote: Five-aye. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). Action Re: Interim Town Manager’s Nomination of Council On Aging Director (D. Goodsell) Interim Town Manager Terenzini stated that 5 applicants were invited for final interviews for the Council on Aging Director position. The final interview panel selected Debra Goodsell for the role. He reported that Debra has 10 years of experience as the Council On Aging Director for the Town of Clinton. Interim Town Manager Terenzini stated that Debra’s experience from her work in Clinton aligns strongly with the Town of Lunenburg and will make for a seamless transition. Interim Town Manager Terenzini stated that there were several excellent candidates for the position. He expressed his hope that, in the future, the Council On Aging can mentor individuals already serving to support career development within the organization. Motion by Member Alonzo to ratify the nomination of Debra Goodsell as the Director of Council On Aging. Seconded by Clerk Moore. Call for the vote: Five-aye. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). Action Re: Interview for Appointment to Cultural Council for Britny Pasturszak & Nancy Peterson Chair Nuzzolo stated that there are three vacancies on the Cultural Council with terms to expire June 2025. Nancy Peterson, a lifelong resident of the Town, approached the Board. Nancy is retired and is looking forward to spending her time getting involved in the Town. Member Alonzo commented that Nancy would be an excellent addition to the Cultural Council. Vice-Chair Jeffreys, Member Alonzo, and Clerk Moore thanked Nancy for volunteering. Britny Pasturszak, a resident of Lunenburg since 2021, joined the Board via Zoom. Britney has been an art educator and artist for 10 years. Britny is currently pursuing her Master of Education and Art ===PAGE 3=== Select Board Meeting Minutes December 3, 2024 3 Education at Fitchburg State University. She stated that she wanted to be involved in the community and this opportunity would be a good way to do so. Chair Nuzzolo and Member Alonzo thanked Britny for volunteering. Motion by Member Alonzo to appoint Britny Pasturszak and Nancy Peterson to the Cultural Council, terms to expire June 30, 2025. Seconded by Member Emkey. Call for the vote: Five- aye. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). INTERIM TOWN MANAGER REPORT Interim Town Manager Terenzini provided his report to the Board and reported on the following: • He began by thanking Jo Toale and PAC for the improved sound for meetings at the Town Hall. • The Interim Town Manager reported that he met with the Cemetery Commission. The Historical Commission has indicated interest in a cemetery found at 34 West Street Terrace and he will be meeting with the property owner. There was also discussion with the Cemetery Commission regarding a stone wall that they would like to erect. • He reported on his meeting with the Capital Planning Committee and discussed the potential capital budget. He reported that the capital budget is anticipated to be around $1.1 million. • The weekly meeting with the Facilities Director concentrated on projects that may be terminated for lack of need. Any termination of projects will be brought to Town Meeting if funds are to be transferred. They also discussed better coordination with other projects and possible property disposition. • He reported that he has been meeting with Bliss Cannabis regarding the community host agreement. • The Adult Activity Center roof is complete. • The Friends of the library have provided a formal commitment to fund a contingency up to $20,000 for the library teen room project. • The Municipal Design Committee met with the designer. He indicated that the Chair of that Committee will speak further on this topic. • Town Hall roof replacement and chimney restoration submittals are starting to come in. He commented that if any changes to costs occur, it would be due to the chimney restoration. He recommends completing the chimney restoration before the roof replacement. • The Ritter Building bids were opened last Thursday. The total budget is $230,000. The roof, trim and gutter repair had bids ranging from $100,000 to $315,000. The windows and doors had a bid of around $435,000. The Board engaged in a discussion related to the replacement of the windows and doors in the context of the Municipal Building Design projects. Board Members want to ensure that windows and doors are not replaced only to be removed in a few years as part of the larger municipal building design projects. The ADA ramp was not put out to bid. He suggests revisiting the Ritter Building project. Project submittals for the DPW floor are coming in. Vice-Chair Jeffreys commented on the need for a better process to ensure that projects that have been funded do not linger before going out to bid. He commented on project costs increasing if not put out to bid quickly. He also commented on the need to engage with regulatory agencies, such as the APDC, on the front-end. He stated there needed to be policies around these concerns. Member Alonzo commented on the need to obtain professional estimates as opposed to back-of-the-napkin estimates when planning for capital. He stated when projects are coming in five-fold over the estimate which ===PAGE 4=== Select Board Meeting Minutes December 3, 2024 4 indicates not only an inflation problem, but also an estimate issue. Member Moore commented on the potential need for an estimate policy. • Interim Town Manager reported that he is waiting for DOR to sign off on Free Cash. He reported that the final tax rate is still estimated the same. • The Interim Town Manager announced current vacancies including PAC Videographer, Sewer Business Manager Assistant, Police Officer and Network Administrator. Vacancies on Boards and Committees: Agricultural Commission, Architectural Preservation District Commission, Board of Health, Conservation Commission, Cultural Council, Finance Committee, Historical Commission, Library Board of Trustees, Master Plan Steering Committee, Personnel Committee, Public Access Cable Committee, Storm Water Task Force, and Zoning Board of Appeals. CURRENT BUSINESS Action Re: MHP/MBTA Technical Assistance Grant Chair Nuzzolo welcomed Land Use Director Christopher Reilly to come before the Board to talk about this agenda item. Mr. Reilly explained that this is a grant available to communities to assist with compliance with the MBTA Zoning Act. The grant is approximately $20,000 and is funded through the Mass Housing Partnership. The technical assistance funds are used to help communities achieve compliance by developing develop district options, community engagement, and drafting the bylaw. Mr. Reilly explained that the Act’s application to Lunenburg- Lunenburg is required to zone a district with a minimum of 15 dwelling units per acre (three times the density allowed by the current bylaws). Mr. Reilly stated he believed the Town will have options to consider that will allow for compliance without having a negative impact on residential areas. He also stated that if the Town does not comply, grant funding could be affected as well as potential legal consequences. Motion by Member Alonzo to authorize Interim Town Manager Terenzini to allow for the application of the MHP/MBTA Technical Assistance Grant as presented by the Land Use Director. Seconded by Vice-Chair Jeffreys. Call for the vote: Five-aye. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). Action Re: Request for Merger by APDC/HC Chair Nuzzolo stated that the APDC and the Historical Commission both unanimously voted for this merger. He stated the next steps would be to determine whether to use Town Counsel to craft language that would be presented to Town Meeting. Interim Town Manager Terenzi stated that he wanted to bring this matter before the Select Board prior to bringing it to Town Counsel, as this would be a major decision. APDC Chair Anthony Sculimbrene and Historic Commission Chair Richard McGrath approached the Board. Mr. Sculimbrene stated that the APDC and the Historic Commission are doing the same work, but with two different groups of people. The APDC and Historic Commission are looking to combine their bylaws. Mr. McGrath stated that recent Historic Commission meetings had no ===PAGE 5=== Select Board Meeting Minutes December 3, 2024 5 quorum, and this merger would help with staffing the Commission. They discussed that the Town has historical assets within the Architectural Preservation District. Member Alonzo commented that he was in favor of going forward to see what this looks like fleshed out, but stated there was a reason to have two separate entities despite having overlapping interest- areas. Member Jeffreys stated he supported the request and also agreed with Member Alonzo’s comments as well. Member Jeffreys stated the APD was created to promote economic activity in the center of Town. He commented that the Town should explore whether it has met its intended purpose as the cost to maintain town properties. He suggested that in addition to exploring the merger they should explore focusing more on preservation and not so much on economic activity. Motion by Vice-Chair Jeffreys to support the request by the Architectural Preservation District Commission and the Historical Commission to engage Town Counsel to explore merging. Seconded by Member Alonzo. Call for the vote: Five-aye. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). The Chair allowed Anthony Sculimbrene of 92 Beal Street to provide public comment out of order. Mr. Sculimbrene commented that the consequences of not moving forward with the Ritter Building project are significant. He stated the Town needs to do a much better job of obtaining project cost estimates. He commented that Lunenburg has not been a good builder or good owner (of its buildings). OLD BUSINESS Action Re: CCC Host Community Agreements There was no discussion on this agenda item. Action Re: ARPA Status Interim Town Manager Terenzini reported that approximately $205,000 remain in APRA funds. Mr. Terenzini stated it will cost $105,000 to deploy MUNIS. He estimated $15,000 should be set aside for training. He stated this plan will help bridge the cost increases over two years. He recommended $140,000 to soften the impact to the operating budget. $108,000 was already appropriated for MUNIS. The delta is $32,000. Mr. Terenzini stated the $140,000 gets the Town through two years. The Board and Town Manager engaged in a discussion about the transition to subscription-based services. Members discussed the requests that came in from the Library. Vice-Chair Jeffreys, liaison to the Library Trustees, spoke to their requests and said that they would like to retain the amount originally appropriated and now use the funds on other projects, such as teen room furniture. Member Alonzo advocated for increased funding for the food pantry. Motion by Member Alonzo to the Select Board committing an additional $30,000 to the food pantry. Seconded by Clerk Moore. Call for vote: Four-aye. One abstention: Chair Nuzzolo. The motion passed (4-0-1). ===PAGE 6=== Select Board Meeting Minutes December 3, 2024 6 Motion by Vice-Chair Jeffreys to commit $32,000 for MUNIS, $25,000 for the before and after school program, $12,000 for the Library’s teen room furniture. Seconded by Member Alonzo. Call for the vote: Five-aye. The motion passed unanimously. Action Re: Lunenburg Skate Park Letter of Support Vice-Chair Jeffreys drafted a letter of support but wants to hold it until next week so a colleague experienced with grants can review it. The deadline for the letter is the last week of December. Discussion on Annual Climate Survey Policy Clerk Moore stated that the Board should get the results from the last Annual Climate Survey along with what questions were asked. and how the Board can improve the previous questions versus new questions. Chair Nuzzolo stated he would work on a draft of the policy for consideration by the Board at a future meeting. Discussion on Select Board and Town Manager Goal-Setting Process There was no discussion on this agenda item. NEW BUSINESS Action Re: Annual License Renewals Chair Nuzzolo stated Lunenburg Liquors has an outstanding property tax bill and that there were no delinquent sewer bills for any of the renewals. Chair Nuzzolo stated that the office had not heard from several of the licensees and the status of several licensees. The Board deferred votes on the licensing to the next meeting. Action Re: Vacating Final Judgement #17TL001765 Interim Town Manager stated that the current owner is looking to redeem the property. Interim Town Manager Terenzini explained that this was in relation to 14 Sunset Ave. He stated that the former owner is looking to re-purchase the property and that in order to do that the Select Board would need to vacation the judgment. Mr. Terenzini stated the Boad had been provided a draft of the motion by the Treasurer/Collector. Mr. Terenzini asked that the matter be tabled to the next meeting. MINUTES/WARRANTS/ACTION ITEMS Regular Session Minutes December 12, 2023. Motion by Member Alonzo to approve minutes of December 12, 2023. Seconded by Member Emkey. Call for the vote: Five-aye. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). Warrants There was no discussion on this agenda item. ===PAGE 7=== Select Board Meeting Minutes December 3, 2024 7 Action Items Vice-Chair Jeffreys requested an action item for the Facilities Director to look into the temperature settings in Town Hall. COMMITTEE REPORTS Budget Task Force: Member Emkey reported that the Budget Task Force met last night to discuss the Community Preservation Act. Capital Planning: Member Alonzo reported that Capital Planning met last night to review the 25 projects on their list. Project list will be finalized at the next Capital Planning meeting. Town Manager Screening Committee: Member Alonzo reported that the Town Manager Screening Committee will be conducting interviews next week. Economic Development Committee: Clerk Moore reported that the Economic Development Committee has not met, and the next meeting is scheduled for December 19, 2024, with location confirmation pending. Library Trustees: Vice-Chair Jeffreys commented on the Trustees engaging in the annual review process for its staff, including the Director. He encouraged everyone to check out the library website to be informed of the activities that they hold. Municipal Design Committee: Vice-Chair Jeffreys met with the Municipal Building Design Committee and reported that Taylor & Burns Architects was contracted and hired. He stated that they are still engaging with staff on current needs and future proofing. He discussed a conversation that he had with the Facilities Director on the TC Passios building and the Director’s concern about the building making it through the winter. This requires the Town to now explore a more immediate solution for the PAC program. UPCOMING MEETING/EVENTS SCHEDULED December 10 th; December 17th PUBLIC COMMENT Town Manager Comment There was no discussion on this agenda item. Public Comment John Bowen, 162 Highland Street (via Zoom): Mr. Bowen commented that the APDC and Historic Commission merger should be carefully considered as each Commission has its own intended directions. Mr. Bowen also commented on the MHP/MBTA Technical Assistance Grant and stated he disagreed with the Act. He provided comments on the Cemetery Commission and their votes at a recent meeting not being taken by roll-call. He also discussed the Cemetery Commission’s use of the Ramaker program. He also discussed moving bodies on West Street. ===PAGE 8=== Select Board Meeting Minutes December 3, 2024 8 Board Comment Vice-Chair Jeffreys commented that a gentleman from Lunenburg Liquors reported to the Board that he is receiving two bills for the property, instead of one. He has been paying both bills but would like this issue to be resolved. ADJOURNMENT Member Alonzo moved to Adjourn. Seconded by Clerk Moore. Call for the vote: Five-aye. The motion passed unanimously (5-0-0). Meeting adjourned at 10:08 P.M. Respectfully Submitted, Lauren Menard Minute Clerk These Minutes were reviewed and approved by the Select Board on: Tuesday July 1, 2025 Chair Nuzzolo made the Motion to Approve the minutes from December 3, 2024. Seconded by Vice-Chair Moore. Call for the vote: Four-aye. One-abstain (McLeod). Motion passed (4-0-1).