# select-board — 17 documents, concatenated for reading and search # # This is a CONVENIENCE BUNDLE, not a source. Every document below is # published separately and byte-identically; cite the individual file, # whose path is given in each header, rather than this bundle. # Index of all boards: https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/minutes/INDEX.txt # The town's own scanned original is linked per document. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-03-05-minutes-4835.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-03-05 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-03-05-minutes-4835.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03052013-4835 ======================================================================================== ===OCR macOS Vision=== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES 3/5/13 RECEIVED & FILED MAR 1 3 2013 LUNENBURG TOWN CLERK OFFICE The Board of Selectmen met in the Joseph F. Pilotta meeting room at Town Hall as scheduled with Dave Matthews, Tom Alonzo, Carl (Ernie)Sund, Paula Bertram and Steven M. deBettencourt Absent was Town Manager Kerry Speidel. Regular Meeting opened at 7:00 PM 7:00PM PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Matthews began the meeting by requesting from the public a picture of Lunenburg be submitted for the cover of the town report. The photo should be sent to Linda Douglas at ldouglas@lunenburgonline.com. Mr. Alonzo started the public discussion from the board by congratulating the Boys and Girls Club for their successful fundraiser titled "Are You Smarter than a Sixth Grader" the previous Friday night. Mr. Sund stated that Joanne McQuiad from the Green Communities Task Force has negotiated for paper and cardboard recycling bins to be available to the public at each of the four Lunenburg Public School buildings receiving areas. The Director of Facilities John Londa expects the schools to recycle about 15 tons of paper and cardboard which will generate a small revenue of about $120.00 for the town. KLT Industries pays the town $8.00 per ton and the proceeds go into the Town's general fund. Mr. Sund continued his public comments by announcing he will not be seeking another term as a member of the BOS. Mr. Sund stated that he enjoyed his time serving the town since 1987 and that he will miss the people and that the town of Lunenburg has some of the most dedicated employees. Mr. Matthews thanked Mr. Sund for his term on the BOS. Those sentiments were echoed by Mr. Alonzo, Mrs. Bertram and Mr. deBettencourt. Mr: deBettencourt continued the public comments from the Board and also announced that he will not be seeking another term on the BOS. Mr. deBettencourt thanked the people of Lunenburg for their support during his 22 years on the board. Mr: Matthews thanked Mr. deBettencourt for his time and service on the BOS. Mrs. Bertram, Mr. Alonzo and Mr. Sund echoed the sentiments of Mr. Matthews. Mr. Matthews reminded the citizens of Lunenburg that there was a Town Caucus Monday, March 11th and the election for the two empty seats on the BOS would be held on April 30th. Rob Bowen spoke thanking Mr. deBettencourt and Mr. Sund for their time on the BOS. Mr. Bowen also congratulated the Lunenburg/Leominster High School Girls combined ski team for winning the State Championship. APPOINTMENTS 7:00 p.m. - Common Victualer License for Bangkok Hill Restaurant- Mr. Rob Bowen spoke on behalf of the Bangkok Hill Restaurant stating that although they are not in possession of a liquor license, Bangkok Hill ===PAGE 2=== still intends to go forward with their purchase and sale agreement so that they could still serve food. Mr. Matthews asked Mr. Bowen if Bangkok Hill had obtained a Food Permit through the Board of Health. Mr. Bowen responded by saying that he already had a food permit and provided a copy of it to the BOS. Mr. Alonzo questioned the differences between the new owner and the old owner of Bangkok Hill. Mr. Bowen responded by saying the new owners intended to keep the restaurant exactly as it had been purchased. Mr. Alonzo made a motion to approve the Common Victualer License for PP Group LLC. d/b/a s Bangkok Hill. Mr. Sund seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. 7:15 PM- Request for Permit to Ride on Whalom Lake- Police Chief Marino spoke to say that there was confusion about the Bylaw that anyone can apply for a permit to ride on Whalom Lake and that the BOS can issue permits. The original intent of the Bylaw was to help control the ice races that were once held on the lake with cars on Sundays. He also mentioned that they did not want you to be able to enter the lake unless it was from the Leominster side. The problem is that if you allow individual people to ride snowmobiles or any other vehicles on the lake the Town has to be made aware if the ice is safe because since they issue the permits they are liable for any accidents. Currently no one reports on if the ice is safe or not. Mr. Matthews asked Chief Marino if the preference was to not issue permits to individuals because the permits have never really been enforced. Chief Marino responded by saying that they have enforced the permit rule in the past, including within the past few weeks, but only if they have the manpower to enforce it on duty. Ultimately the concern is that people will fall through the ice if the ice is not safe. Ms. Bertram stated that as a member of a local snowmobile club she would question why the Bylaw exists. She understood the point about groups of people on a lake requiring a permit but she questions why the Town of Lunenburg regulates just the one body of water at Lake Whalom and not any of the other lakes in the town. Chief Marino stated that the Town does have a Bylaw concerning Lake Shirley as well. Mrs. Bertram reiterated her questioning of a Bylaw that regulates access to the lakes of Lunenburg by residents who live on the lakes in question. Chief Marino stated that it is difficult for the law to be enforced. What concerns him is the safety of the ice, there is no good way to judge the safety of the ice or inform the citizens of the town of the safety of the ice, and that the original intent of the Bylaw was to regulate the ice racing activity. Mr. Alonzo stated that he would personally check with Town Counsel to see if they could either cease issuing individual permits or add language to the permit stating that the Town is not liable for any accidents that happen on the Town's lakes in regards to the safety of the ice. Mrs. Bertam agreed with Mr. Alonzo that the liability of the Town when issuing a permit is a concern and that the town of Lunenburg should not be regulating what the residents of the Town does on their lakes. Mr. Sund stated that his concern was if an accident did happen and a life was lost or the Town had to do a rescue and recovery mission who would be responsible for paying for that. Mrs. Bertram stated that the responsibility fell on the owner in those situations. Mr. Matthews stated that we don't have a history of major issues with the activities on the lakes and that the Town does not employ any experts on ice so we have to defer to the residents of the Town participating in the activities using common sense. Ultimately we need to update or eliminate the Bylaw so that we don't have liability if any accidents happen. ===PAGE 3=== Mr. Alonzo stated that he isn't necessarily in favor of removing the Bylaw but that he would be in favor of removing the special permit for use of the ice. Mr. deBettencourt stated that the last time this was an issue was in 1991. Ms. Bertram stated that it was time to revisit rewriting the Bylaw by consulting Town Counsel and addressing it at Town Meeting in May but that the Bylaw should not be enforced until the issue was revisited. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. FY2014 Budget Discussion - Ms. Bertram stated that she had many questions about specific line items but would e-mail them directly to the Town Manager and the Finance Committee. Ms. Bertram asked Mr. Sund why the purchase of a new street sweeper was left out of the Capital Plan request. She said that the DPW Director has concerns about the current machine running for another year. Mr. Sund replied that the Capital Planning Committee had worked out a figure of approximately $500k for Capital Planning and that adding in a new street sweeper was not going to work out financially. If one was purchased it could potentially drive the Capital Plan up to $700k. The Capital Planning Committee inspected the current street sweeper and tound that it had low mileage, low usage and there was an opportunity to outsource street sweeping opposed to purchasing a new street sweeper at the possible cost of $185,000.00. Mrs. Bertram asked Mir. Sund if they had quotes or looked at other Towns with street sweepers. Mir. Sund responded that he had looked at other Towns and the initial assessment was that outsourcing the problem would be the best choice financially. He mentioned that getting quotes on expenses was the responsibility of the DPW Director. Mr. Matthews stated that the time for the citizens of the Town to come forth with issues and concerns about the budget was at the upcoming Finance Committee meeting. Mr. Matthews also said that the budget was a balanced budget as enforced by law. Ms. Bertram stated that she wanted to recognize Fire Chief Sullivan's creative thinking on ways to offset costs at the Public Safety Building and for his ideas on Fire Fighter Education. 2. Minutes/Warrants/Action File Issues Minutes: 2/12/13 2/19/13 Warrants: 47-13 $433,487.36 46-13 $249,004.67 18P-13 $591,581.55 Action File Issues: None Committee Reports -Ms. Bertram stated that she could not attend the last Planning Board meeting but she did want to announce that they did receive a Local Technical Assistance Grant from MRPC to look at the Town center via the master plan. The next MPO meeting is on Wednesday the 16". Trish Domigan from VHP reached out to Brad Harris from MRPC and they are aware of the project. The earliest the Summer Street project could be plugged into the TIP would be FY16. Mr. Alonzo stated that at the last Finance Committee meeting, the Town Manager presented the FY13 budget and beginning this Thursday Department Heads would be consulted on an individual basis concerning their budgets. ===PAGE 4=== Mr. Alonzo stated that he was able to attend the Planning Board meeting and that there were two agenda items, ne regarding the proposed development for Aro Farm, and the other was Findings and potential Directives for : awmill on 35 Leominster Roac OLD BUSINESS - None APPOINTMENTS/RE-APPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS - None. PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Matthews stated that the next BOS meeting the State Delegation of Senator Flanagan and Representative Benson would be in attendance. Mr. Alonzo reminded the public about the Town Caucus on Monday March 11th. Members of Boy Scout Troop 1728 came forward and said that they are attending this evenings meeting as part of their requirements to obtain a merit badge. EXECUTIVE SESSION - None Being no further business, Mr. deBettencourt moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Bertram seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. Meeting ended at 7:52 pm. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE March 12, 2013 March 19, 2013 Respectfully Submitted, Susan Doherty, Recording Secretary Board of Selectmen ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-03-12-agenda-4836.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-03-12 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-03-12-agenda-4836.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03122013-4836 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN March 12, 2013 7:00 PM – Town Hall Bilotta Meeting Room, Second Floor AGENDA 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS APPOINTMENTS 7:00 PM- Senator Flanagan, Representative Benson, Representative DiNatale 7:30 PM- Conservation Commission, Pleasant Street Request for Proposals CURRENT BUSINESS 1. FY2014 Budget Discussion 2. Minutes/ Warrants/ Action File Issues 3. Committee Report 4. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS EXECUTIVE SESSION UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE March 19, 2013 ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-03-12-minutes-4836.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-03-12 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-03-12-minutes-4836.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03122013-4836 ======================================================================================== ===OCR macOS Vision=== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES 3/12/13 Sams The Board of Selectmen met in the Joseph F. Bilotta meeting room at Tøwn Hall as scheduled with Dave Matthews, Tom Alonzo, Carl (Ernie) Sund, Paula Bertram, Steven M. deBettencourt andRECETVED & FILEI Kerry Speidel. Regular Meeting opened at 7:00 PM MAR 28 2013 7:00PM PUBLIC COMMENT LUNENBURG TOWN CLERK OFFICE Mr. Matthews began the meeting thanking everyone who turned out for the town caucus the previous Monday. Mr. Matthews stated that some open positions did have candidates nominated to fill them while others still needed candidates to step up and take them on. Nomination papers for interested candidates could be picked up at town hall. Open positions include Board of Selectman, School Committee, Sewer Commissioner, Board of Health, Constable, Cemetery Commissioner, Housing Authority, Assessor, Commissioner Trust Fund, Library Trustee and Planning Board. APPOINTMENTS 7:00 p.m. - State Senator Jennifer Flanagan, State Representative Jennifer Benson and State Representative Stephen DiNatale - Senator Flanagan started by stating after redistricting went into effect Representative DiNatale now represents portions of Lunenburg whereas before it was just herself and Representative Benson. The Senator continued by saying she understood that the BOS wanted to talk about the state budget but currently there is no Local Aid Resolution approved and there is a $2 billion tax package attached to the Governor's budget which has not yet been voted on. The House of Representatives will be voting on the budget the week after April vacation and the budget would move from the House to a Senate vote sometime around Memorial Day. Mr. Matthews stated that Town Manager has issued a preliminary town budget that mirrored the same budget from the previous fiscal year opposed to one that mirrored Governor Patrick's proposed budget this year as a safety precaution. Representative DiNatale spoke thanking the BOS for the invitation to the meeting. Representative DiNatale stated that he understood all the questions and issues the BOS had regarding Chapter 70 Funding, Chapter 90 and the Paper Form. Representative Benson spoke and said that she currently sits on Health Care and Finance, Public Service, Telecommunications, Public Utilities and Energy Committees. She also mentioned that she is chairing the Special Education and Disabilities Caucus. Representative DiNatale stated that he was sitting on the Higher Education, Telecommunications, Public Utilities Public Service, and the Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committees. Mr. Alonzo asked both Representatives if the Municipal Electric Choice Bill had been re-filed for this year. Representative DiNatale replied that he had filed the Municipal Electric Choice Bill. Mr. Alonzo said that his support for the Municipal Electric Choice Bill has not waned at all despite the difficulties in having it passed. Representative Benson stated that she is co-sponsoring the Municipal Electric Choice Bill and that the recent storms that have caused utility problems have been helpful in pushing that legislation. Mr. Matthews stated that the Town Manager had put together a packet for the delegation to look at with specific issues and causes the Town had specific interest in. He specifically outlined that the Town is receiving lower State Aid for FY 12 and FY13 then they did in FY10 and this is an issue for the Town. Mr. Matthews continued by stating if Chapter 70 was more in line with the municipalities needs then there wouldn't be such a massive gap in funding between the Towns needs and what the State offers. ===PAGE 2=== Representative Benson spoke specifically to Chapter 70 and stated that Special Education was calculated into the Chapter 70 funding formula. She said that the formula might be off today compared to when it was originally drafted, but that there are assumptions in the Chapter 70 formula for in-house special education. In the Governor's budget there is a push to get municipalities to provide their full local contribution number for Chapter 70 in a faster manner and that 1/3 of Municipalities in the state are not providing their full contribution and that 2/3 of Municipalities are paying too much. Mr. Matthews stated that he does recognize there was additional Chapter 70 funding in the past year that helped out the school district but that more funding is still needed. Senator Flanagan said that we should keep in mind where the State was a few years ago and where it is today. Massachusetts is one of only three states that has over $1 billion in its stabilization fund and that this has helped lead the state to its highest ever bond rating. Reforms to State departments and budgets have been ongoing to help streamline and minimize government and this has resulted in 6,000 less State jobs but has also resulted in a higher demand for government services by citizens of the Commonwealth. Chapter 90 specifically addresses transportation needs of roads and bridges but the State has not received the proper funding from the federal government for such projects and they are trying to avoid asking citizens for more money in taxes, but that the current proposal put forth in the Governor's budget doubles the amount of funding in Chapter 90 and is a viable option that is currently being discussed by the State Legislators and by their constituents. Senator Flanagan finished by saying they had to balance the needs of many constituencies and she appreciated the input from the BOS on all issues but that no firm numbers could be provided as of yet regarding the budget for the current fiscal year. Mr. Alonzo questioned what the mood was in regards to the Governor's Budget proposal in the State House and Senate. Senator Flanagan responded by addressing the $2 billion in new tax revenue proposed in the Governor's budget as it being "dead on arrival" Representative DiNatale mentioned that the Speaker of the House was not a supporter of the Governor's budget. Representative DiNatale personally views any tax increases as a pay cut to his constituents. Mr. Sund requested that Representative Benson provide an update on the gasoline tax proposed in the Governor's budget. Representative Benson responded by saying there are proposals to change the gasoline tax but that nothing is set in stone. The Governor's budget presents one solution to increase funds to transportation but it wouldn't solve the entire problem.. Mr. Alonzo asked the delegation if the BOS could improve on anything in communicating with them. Representative DiNatale stated that the Town Manager and Town Clerk have been outstanding in communicating with them. Senator Flanagan echoed Representative DiNatale's praise of communication between them and the town but that they needed to voice their support for particular tax increases if they wanted increased funding. Mr. Matthews stated that budgetary reforms could be tighter in his opinion. Mr. Matthews continued by saying that the Regional Dispatch is ready to go ahead but they needed Legislation in the State House to go Representative Benson responded by saying that she put forth Legislation for the Regional Dispatch but that it hit some stumbling blocks to slow it down but that more and more communities are looking at the issue and supporting it. Mr. Matthews mentioned that the Summer Street project needed some help moving forward. Representative DiNatale said that it was just an issue of getting the money released for the project. Ms. Bertram stated that the BOS would be looking for support from the delegation for many other projects including the Pleasant Street Conservation Land project. Representative DiNatale stated that the BOS has their support for all projects in the future. ===PAGE 3=== The BOS thanked the delegation for attending this evenings meeting. 7:30 pm- Conservation Commission, Pleasant Street Request for Proposals - Representatives from the Conservation Commission, Rob Verge, and Sharon Jordan attended the meeting to discuss with the BOS a proposal from the Conservation Commission that involved accessing Conservation land on Pleasant Street to remove some gravel and then sell the gravel to generate funds for future land purchases that the commission and the town are interested in. Mr. Verge explained that the State has a lot of programs that can help in such land acquisitions but that they require the municipalities to match funds in many of these programs. Mr. Verge also noted that the project would include a few different aspects to it including some of the gravel taken from the property being donated to the town to help sand the roads in the wintertime, residents who live in the development at Tri-Town would be given a better access route into the conservation land where the gravel would be removed from, and that the Commission would also like to add a handicap access trail in the Conservation area. The land sits under Article 97 which labels the property as for "Passive Use Only". Four steps must be taken before the changes to the land can be made and they are as follows: 1. Conservation Commission must approve the project. 2. Coming in front of the BOS to see if they are interested in approving the project. 3. If BOS approve, the project must go to a town vote. 4. If the town approves the project, it has to be approved in a vote by the House of Representatives and the State Senate in Boston. Once the project is finished the land will go back to being labeled as for "Passive Use Only". Ms. Jordan added that the property on Pleasant Street is under the care of the Conservation Commission but that over the years the land and trails had been subject to a number of illegal and dangerous uses. The property and the trails are heavily damaged and in need of major repairs. Ms. Jordan said that she would like to see the trails restored, restoration of some of the wildlife habitats, as well as further access to the land for people with disabilities as this is a requirement for Town properties. Mr. Matthews stated that he believed it was a win-win situation all around. Mr. Sund questioned if the current access to the Conservation land was locked off at the Tri-Town entrance by a gate and which entrances to the land would the gravel and fill be removed from. Mr. Verge stated that he did not believe that had been discussed by the Conservation Commission yet but that Pleasant Street was an option as well as some residents who would be willing to allow access to the land through their property. Ms. Jordan stated that this decision would have to be included by any respondent to the RFP. Mr. Sund repeated his question regarding to the access to the land at the Tri-Town side where the current locked gate resides. Ms. Jordan responded by saying that she was not expecting to maintain access to the land during the renovations to the land. Mr. Sund stated he was confused because he thought the project included access for the people at Tri-Town and how it would be arranged. Ms. Jordan stated that in the long term there would be access to for the Tri-Town residents. Ms. Bertram echoed the chairman's comments that this is a "win-win" project. Ms. Bertram continued by asking where the 30% re-grading of trails would fit into the plan to revive the Conservation land's trails. Ms. Jordan stated that about 1/3 of the trails are impassable and it would be those trails that would be re- graded. Ms. Bertram pointed out that she did not see this specification in the RFP and she encouraged the Conservation Commission to include it in the RFP. Mr. Alonzo asked why the special legislation was needed for the Conservation land to be worked on. Mr. Verge responded by saying that whenever land goes into Conservation and the Town receives any money from the State for Conservation, the land goes under Article 97 so that it remains Conservation land and isn't changed later on for soccer fields, schools, etc. Ultimately the purpose of Article 97 is for protection of the land. ===PAGE 4=== Ms. Bertram asked how the Commission planned to place the land back under Article 97 for Conservation land after the renovations were finished. Mr. Verge said that when the Legislation was presented on Beacon Hill, it would be required in the Legislation to revert back to Article 97 land. Currently there is no time frame ready because they needed to get the Legislation through the State House first. Mr. deBettencourt said that the Town landfill would also have to be taken into consideration to get to this piece of Conservation land. Mr. Verge responded by saying that the Town landfill would not alter any plans and would not be touched in any of the restorations to the Conservation land. Mir. deBettencourt stated there needs to be a plan to recap the town landfill embankments after the gravel was removed. Additionally Mr. deBettencourt requested that they have a Performance Bond for the contractor that works the land in the end Ms. Speidel asked at which point the Commission would request proposals from contractors. Ms. Jordan responded by saying after all four steps of approval mentioned earlier were completed. Mr. Matthews reiterated Mr. deBettencourt's concern about the town landfill and the traffic on Pleasant Street along with the Performance Bond. Ms. Bertram asked if the Conservation Commission wanted this project to go to vote at the 2013 town meeting. Ms. Jordan and Mr. Verge stated that they would like to see it go to vote at the 2013 town meeting. Ms. Bertram motioned to support the Conservation Commissions proposal to go to town meeting. Mr. Alonzo seconded the motion. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. CURRENT BUSINESS Minutes/Warrants/Action File Issues Minutes: 3/5/2013 Warrants: 3/13 3/13 3/11 48-13 $284,539.92 49-13 $389,137.68 19P-13 $663,691.01 Action File Issues: None FY2014 Budget Discussion - Ms. Speidel confirmed that she had received a list of questions from Ms. Bertram regarding the FY2014 budget and stated that she did not have all the answers readily available but that she will be getting back to her with answers on Wednesday. Ms. Speidel did state that she wanted to review the calendar because there had been one change made for the Finance Committees meeting the previous Thursday which was cancelled due to poor weather, but they have rescheduled the meeting to Thursday March 14th. Finance Committee meetings will also be held on Wednesday, March 20th, Thursday March 21st and a final public hearing on the budget on March 28th. Committee Reports - Mr. Alonzo stated that the Finance Committee Meeting that was cancelled due to snow from the previous week is rescheduled for this coming Thursday, March 14th. OLD BUSINESS - None APPOINTMENTS/RE-APPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS - None. PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. deBettencourt requested an update on the street lights that are out in the town. Ms. Speidel responded by stating they had a firm master list of all the street lights but that the Town needs to ===PAGE 5=== report the outages to the Unitil when they see the lights are out. Ms. Bertram stated that she believes when the power outages are reported they are not often fixed. Mr. Matthews suggested looking into the Finance Committees proposal to buy the street lights from the utility but also stated if the Town bought them they would have to maintain them. Ms. Speidel noted that the Town does not receive many calls regarding street lights without power and that those calls may be going directly to the utility company. The BOS will meet at 6:30PM on March 26" to sign the Warrant for Town Meeting. Ms. Bertram informed the BOS that she will be out of town until March 27* and requested that the Article concerning recreational vehicles also be included in the warrant. Mr. Alonzo questioned whether or not the newly elected officials will be taking office immediately after the April 30" election and it was determined that yes it would become effective the day after the election. Mr. Matthews mentioned that they would be re-organizing the BOS the Tuesday after the election. Mr. Matthews reminded the BOS that Town Manager reviews need to be finished by April 30th. EXECUTIVE SESSION - None Being no further business Mr. deBettencourt moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Bertram seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. Meeting ended at 8:15 pm. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE March 19, 2013 Respectfully Submitted, Susan Doherty, Recording Secretary Board of Selectmen ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-03-19-agenda-4837.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-03-19 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-03-19-agenda-4837.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03192013-4837 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN March 19, 2013 7:00 PM – Town Hall Bilotta Meeting Room, Second Floor Revised AGENDA 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS APPOINTMENTS 7:00 PM- Open Space Committee, Right-to-Farm Bylaw 7:15 PM- School Building Committee, CM at Risk Presentation CURRENT BUSINESS 1. FY2014 Budget Discussion 2. Minutes/ Warrants/ Action File Issues 3. Committee Report 4. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS 1. Jonathan J. Broc to the position of Patrol Offic er EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 21A [2], to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining or litigating position. Also, to conduct strategy session in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel; to actually conduct collective bargaining and contract negotiations with non-union personnel or Section 21A[5] to investigate charges of criminal misconduct or to consider the filing of criminal complaints. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE March 26, 2013- Special Meeting at 6:30 p.m. April 2, 2013 April 9, 2013 April 16, 2013 April 23, 2013 ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-03-26-agenda-4838.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-03-26 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-03-26-agenda-4838.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03262013-4838 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN March 26, 2013 7:00 PM – Town Hall Bilotta Meeting Room, Second Floor AGENDA 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS APPOINTMENTS 7:00 PM- Open Space Committee, Right-to-Farm Bylaw CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Order Warrant for 2013 Annual Town Meeting 2. Declaration of Support for FY2014 Mosquito Contr ol Budget 3. FY2014 Budget Discussion 4. Minutes/ Warrants/ Action File Issues 5. Committee Report 6. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS 1. Jonathan J. Broc to the position of Patrol Offic er 2. Whitney Lacka to Council on Aging 3. Connie Odea to Council on Aging EXECUTIVE SESSION UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE April 2, 2013 April 9, 2013 April 16, 2013 April 23, 2013 ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-03-26-minutes-4838.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-03-26 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-03-26-minutes-4838.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03262013-4838 ======================================================================================== ===OCR macOS Vision=== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES Matthews, Tom Alonzo, Carl (Ernie) Sund, Steven M. deBettencourt and Fown Manager Kerry Speidel Absent was Paula Bertram. Regular Meeting opened at 7:00 PM 7:00PM PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Matthews began by thanking the Sewer Commission for allowing the BOS to use their allotted television spot to hold the makeup BOS meeting meant for the previous week. Mr. Alonzo reminded the BOS and audience that the "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" show performed at the High School will be shown on Lunenburg Access Television throughout the weekend and at various times in the coming weeks. Michelle Belleza, Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Lunenburg, thanked the BOS for their support for the group and reported that this year has been the clubs most successful ever with the average daily attendance doubling and a record number of members. Ms. Belleza stated that the benefits of the Boys and Girls Club and of the Teen Center can not be measured in a snapshot but are measured over time in the accomplishments and productivity of their current and former members as they grow older. Ms. Belleza asked that the BOS and the Town as a whole honor the commitment the Teen Center and the Boys and Girls Club has made to their members and to the Town's youth by celebrating National Boys and Girls Club Week whose theme is "Open the Door, Take the Tour". Events include an art show, a talent show and community service projects. Ms. Belleza asked the BOS to officially proclaim the week of April 8-12 Boys and Girls Club Week in Lunenburg. Mr. Matthews has a Proclamation in hand which will be officially made the week of April 8-12. APPOINTMENTS/RE-APPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS — (Taken out of order) 1. Whitney Lacka to Council on Aging 2. Connie Odea to Council on Aging Representatives from the COA Board, Mary Lynn Conrad and Peter Lincoln presented Ms. Whitney Lacka of Reservoir Road and Ms. Connie Odea of Pratt Street as the recommend members to be appointed by the BOS to the COA. Ms. Odea introduced herself as a citizen of the Town of Lunenburg for 41 years and stated that Mr. Lincoln contacted her to see if she would be interested in joining the Council and she said she would be. Ms. Lacka stated her recruitment to the Council was similar and that she also was interested in working on the Council. Mr. Lincoln noted that as of the last census there were 2,150 residents of Lunenburg who are considered senior citizens and soon that number will be close to 25% of the Towns population. Mr. Alonzo motioned to approve the nomination of Ms. Lacka and Ms. Odea to the Council on Aging. Mr. Sund seconded the motion. On vote motion carried, 4 in favor, O opposed. 3. Jonathan J. Broc to the position of Patrol Officer Police Chief Marino introduced Mr. Broc to the BOS and stated that since the retirement of officer Stan Barney there has been a vacancy and that he would like to fill it with officer John Broc. Mr. Broc is a reserve officer in the Town and has fulfilled all the necessary qualifications for the position. Mr. Marino also noted that Mr. Broc has served in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Matthews welcomed Mr. Broc to the Police staff and thanked him for his service to the town and the country. Mr. Alonzo motioned to approve the nomination of Mr. Jonathan J. Broc to the position of Patrol Officer. Mr. Sund seconded the motion. On vote motion carried, 4 in favor, O opposed. ===PAGE 2=== APPOINTMENTS 7:00 p.m. - Open Space Committee, Right-to-Farm Bylaw. Marion Benson, Planning Director for the Town of Lunenburg, spoke to the BOS and stated that this was a part of the Town's Master Plan as an Open Space Element. This has been discussed and developed by the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission and was approved by the State. Ms. Benson and Ms. Jan Carrier from the Conservation Committee held a meeting, with their board's approval, with the farmers in Town to discuss their needs, and there was a large turnout of participants. Ms. Benson stated that she is in support of all of the farmer's requests. Jim Lattanzi, Hollis Hills Farm, spoke on behalf of the farmers in Town. Mr. Lattanzi stated that the agricultural community in Lunenburg was invited to a meeting to discuss their needs and desires a little over one year ago by the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission. Mr. Lattanzi said that he has been fortunate enough as a first generation farmer to work with enough community, State and non-profit groups to realize that Lunenburg is an agricultural gem. Part of what farmers in the town want is some form of official representation to help promote agriculture and agricultural business in the town. Mr. Lattanzi stated that many towns have an Agricultural Commission made up of a majority of members who are involved with the agricultural industry but also containing members who may have an interest in agriculture but are not directly involved in the industry. Mr. Lattanzi stated that Lunenburg is the largest and most agriculturally diverse community in Worcester County. Mr. Lattanzi told the BOS that what the farmers have done is submitted to Article 4 of the Town Warrant to officially form an Agricultural Commission and gathered the necessary signatures to do so. Mr. Lattanzi stated that the commission has the backing of the Planning Board and that the farmers were seeking official support from the BOS. Mr. Alonzo asked Mir. Lattanzi to describe whant an Agricultural Commission would do. Mr. Lattanzi said the mission of an Agricultural Commission revolves around education, protecting and preserving the land, promoting agricultural business and to work with the community. Mr. Lattanzi outlined some of the Commissions responsibilities as educating the community about what is available to them as well as what the mechanics are behind running and operating an agricultural business, ácting as an avenue for mediation and reconciliation for issues or concerns that arise in the agricultural community, promoting farmers markets and advocating to protect the agricultural land that the Town has. Mr. Lattanzi stated that there were a number of APR Farms in town, farms that the State has purchased the development rights on to permanently restrict the land to agriculture use alone. There are other properties in the town that wish to be APR properties and the Agricultural Commission would advocate on behalf of these properties. Furthermore, Mr. Lattanzi stated that if the Town were • looking for funding or special grants to help with the agricultural industry in town, the State would recognize Lunenburg above other communities if it were to have an Agricultural Commission. Mr. Alonzo mentioned that a prior member of the BOS had advocated on behalf of an Agricultural Commission but that support for the idea never caught on. Mr. Alonzo thanked Mr. Lattanzi and the farmers for pushing for an Agricultural Commission and stated his support for the commission. Mr. Lattanzi stated he would be speaking to this Article at Town Meeting. Ms. Speidel stated that she talked to Mr. Lattanzi earlier about fixing some of the language in the Warrant to make the Commission part of the Town ByLaws. Ms. Speidel stated that the issue was a technicality but since it was a Petition Article she could not personally change the language without the permission of the Farmer's. Mr. Lattanzi said he would fix the language. Mr. Matthews stated that Mr. Latanzi and the Farmer's had the support of the BOS. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Order Warrant for 2013 Annual Town Meeting - Ms. Speidel stated that there were 22 articles submitted with an additional 6 consent calendar articles for the Town Meeting. Ms Speidel reviewed the Articles with the BOS (See attached) Ms. Speidel mentioned in past years they have held a Special Town Meeting within the Annual Town Meeting which in effect takes care of any Articles that will effect the current year. She proposed that this not be done at the ===PAGE 3=== upcoming Annual Town Meeting in May. An opportunity remains to open a STM if necessary but she does not think that it will be needed. Mir. Matthews stated that he wished that anything that would impact the budget come before the budget discussion. Mr. deBettencourt asked that before they proceeded with anything for FY14 we finish business on FY13. Articles after the Consent Calender were re-ordered as follows: Article 18 re-ordered to #1 Article 12 re-ordered to #2 Article 14 re-ordered to #3 Article 15 re-ordered to #4 Article 16 re-ordered to #5 Article 17 re-ordered to #6 Article 13 re-ordered to #7 Discussion on Article 13/7 ensued as follows: Mr. Alonzo stated that Article 13 was listed as the last article of the STM in December 2009 and in his opinion the Article was largely approved because people were ready to leave the meeting rather then spend more time considering another Article. Mr. Alonzo said that if you are going to tax someone you should have a good reason to do so and a firm understanding of why you are taxing them, and it seemed to Mr. Alonzo that adding a local meals tax on top of a State Sales Tax was nothing more than a money grab to help local budgets. Mr. Alonzo continued by stating that the reasons for passing the tax originally included the fact that the Town needed more money and that the tax was so minuscule no one would notice. Mr. Alonzo stated that he would like the issue brought before the Town again to see what support the issue to repeal the tax has. Mr. Matthews said the BOS's response at the time was not to support the tax by a vote of 4-1, but that it is not the BOS's choice to guess on the state of mind of the town's people voting on the issue. Mr. Matthews also noted that the restaurants in town have not only thrived but expanded despite the tax and that the Town could really use the small amount of revenue the tax brought in. Mr. Matthews stated that personally, he supports the tax. Mr. Alonzo said he found out that according to State Law you have to wait three years to repeal a law which is why he is bringing this issue up three years later. Mr. Alonzo said that he did not think it would damage the restaurant business, but the fact that Mr. Matthews originally opposed the tax but now supports it to help fill holes in the budget was the exact reason why Mr. Alonzo rejected the idea. Mr. Alonzo did not want the BOS to get comfortable using tax money that was never supposed to be there because then the tax could never be repealed. Mr. Sund stated he could see both sides of the argument. He stated that there are not many Communities surrounding Lunenburg that have implemented the meals tax. Mr. Sund stated that he did not see the harm in putting the Article in front of Town Meeting, but that the tax brings in $66,000-$67,000 per year and that if the tax is repealed that money would have to be found somewhere else. Mr. deBettencourt stated that he was for the repeal of the tax. Mr. Matthews said that he was all for bringing this issue to the voters but please come ready to discuss where the money that is generated through this Article for the Town, that will be lost, will come from if it is repealed. BOS continued re-ordering as follows: Article 11 re-ordered to #8 Article 7 re-ordered to #9 Article 8 re-ordered to #10 Article 9 re-ordered to #11 Mr. Sund asked if the Town became a Green Energy community the town should received $100,000.00 in grants. ===PAGE 4=== Ms. Speidel said that that money is earmarked for specific issues and isn't just granted to us to spend as the Town pleases. BOS continued re-ordering as follows: Article 5 re-ordered to #12 Article 10 re-ordered to #13 Article 1 re-ordered to #14 Article 2 re-ordered to #15 Article 3 re-ordered to #16 Article 4 re-ordered to #17 Article 19 re-ordered to #18 Article 20 re-ordered to #19 *Article 6 was not discussed for re-ordering. 2. Declaration of Support for FY2014 Mosquito Control Budget - Ms. Speidel explained that the town receives an assessment on an annual basis from the Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project for the work that they do in the town of Lunenburg. Ms. Speidel noted that this agency has received some criticism for not having much input from member communities. The agency does have an open public hearing for members to attend, but because of the criticism they have received the agency is asking each of their member communities to take a vote in support of the budget that they agency has suggested. Ms. Speidel specifically stated this was more of a symbolic vote as the town does not have the option not to pay the bill given by the agency, but that the assessment issued by the agency to the town of in the amount of $59,934.00 was a slight increase from previous years but by and large reflected past assessments. Mr. Matthews questioned how the agency comes to the percentage that drives the assessment. Ms. Speidel stated she believes it's based off of land area but that she would have to check for an official answer. Mr. Sund asked if there was any input from the Board of Health on the issue. Ms. Speidel said that the issue was brought to the BOS by the Board of Health but that they did not have a specific position on the matter. Mr. Alonzo stated that the Agency wasn't being any more transparent then before and that although he was neither inclined to vote for or against the budget he has no guidance as to which way to vote. Ms. Speidel asked the BOS if specific answers were given to their questions would they be inclined to vote on this issue. Mr. deBettencourt stated that he has no issue with being involved with the mosquito activity at all but he would like to see documentation. Mr. Matthews stated the BOS would like to hear more detail about the activity before voting. Ms. Speidel said they had time to get the information and vote on the issue. 3. FY2014 Budget: Ms. Speidel noted that the Finance Committee will be holding their public hearing on Thursday, March 27th at 7:00pm and will continue with voting on the budget that night. She also noted that whatever votes need to be taken by the BOS for warrants to end up on town meeting need to be done by April 11th so that the correct information can go to the printer. Ms. Speidel stated she would be able to amend her Chapter 70 estimate to the school committee if needed. 4. Minutes/Warrants/Action File Issues Minutes: 3/12/2013 Warrants: 3/19 W#50-13 $274,871.23 ===PAGE 5=== 3/25 3/26 3/27 Action File Issues: None W#20-P13 W#51-14 W#52-13 $593,357.86 $355,699.89 $249,407.49 5. Committee Reports- Mr. ALonzo noted that he attended the Planning Board meeting on Saturday where they discussed the Saw Mill on 35 Leominster Road and the Aro Farm Property. The continuation date for discussion on the Saw Mill is April 8th at Town Hall and the continuation date for the Aro Farm property is April 3rd at the Ritter Building. Mr. Matthews noted that the School Building Committee is getting very busy and that the Town should start paying close attention if they want input on the matter. Mr. Matthews noted that they would be coming to terms quickly with a design plan and reviewed the options on the table for a new school or renovate and adding on to the current option. If the Committee decides to build a grade 6-12 school the Town will need to decide what to do with TC Passios Elementary School and the BOS should start thinking about an Ad Hoc committee to discuss the matter. 6. Town Manager Report- Ms. Speidel discussed Health Insurance and the potential to make some adjustments if they Town is able to negotiate with the Public Employee Committee. Ms. Speidel is awaiting a meeting with all the necessary parties before going forward but has provided them with the options available. Ms. Speidel noted that she told the School Committee that even though May 4th is the Town Meeting, the Town has up until about June 1st to work on negotiating health insurance. Ms. Speidel also noted that the two solar projects in town are moving forward. EPG has submitted to and accepted by the Department of Public Utilities and is guaranteed through the end of this calendar year. The Chase Road project is moving slower due to a new property owner. Once completed the Chase Road and EPG project will bring savings to the budget. Ms. Speidel also stated that she has been in contact with Unitil about issues to due with street lights that are out. She stated that Unitil bills the town a flat fee based on the size of the light and the bill is based on the assumption that all of the 323 street lights in town are working. Unitil has no idea that a light isn't working unless the Town, a citizen or one of the Unitil workers reports that a light is out. Ms. Speidel stated that Unitil told her that they don't know when lights are out because they work during the day and not during the night. Unitil divides up their lights into 5 separate groups and every year 1/5 of the lights they own are up for maintenance. The bulbs Unitil uses have a life expectancy is between 5-7 years. Ms. Speidel noted that Unitil's maintenance plan seems to be inadequate. The town pays $56,000.00 per year for street lights. There are 75 communities in the Commonwealth that have purchased the street lights from the utility company and they hire an independent contractor to maintenance the lights. The average savings for a Municipality purchasing their own lights and hiring a contractor to maintain the lights equals a savings between 40-75%. Ms. Speidel spoke to a consultant who said he would provide a free preliminary analysis of whether or not the Town should purchase their own street lights. Mr. Sund asked Ms. Speidel asked if the solar panels on the MART building are included in the net metering number. Ms. Speidel stated that the solar panels were included in the number provided. Mr. Matthews asked if the consultant looks at the light fixtures to see if new fixtures will be needed. Ms. Speidel stated that the consultant said that Unitil is very difficult to work with, but that the town will have to ask Unitil how much they are willing to sell the street lights for and that street lights have been purchased in the Commonwealth for as low as $1 per fixture and as much as about $100 per fixture. Mr. Alonzo stated he was in support of the plan to purchase the street lights based off of the information Ms. Speidel provided. OLD BUSINESS - None ===PAGE 6=== PUBLIC COMMENT - None EXECUTIVE SESSION - None Being no further business Mr. deBettencourt moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Sund seconded. On vote motion carried, 4 in favor, 0 opposed. Meeting ended at 8: 25 pm. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE April 2, 2013 April 9, 2013 April 16, 2013 April 23, 2016 Respectfully Submitted, Susan Doherty, Recording Secretary Board of Selectmen RECEIVED & FILED APR 0 3 2013 LUNENBURG TOWN CLERK OFFICE ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-04-02-agenda-4839.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-04-02 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-04-02-agenda-4839.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04022013-4839 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN April 2, 2013 7:00 PM – Town Hall Bilotta Meeting Room, Second Floor Revised AGENDA 6:00 PM EXECUTIVE SESSION 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS Proclamation for National Boys & Girls Club Week 20 13, April 8 – 12, 2013 APPOINTMENTS 7:00 PM- Lion’s Club, Request for Spring Roadblock, April 27, 2013 7:05 PM- Memorial Fund, Request for sign at Ritter Memorial Building 7:15 PM- School Building Committee, CM at Risk; Project Timetable, Related Matters CURRENT BUSINESS 1. 2013 Annual Town Meeting, Vote on Warrant Articl es 2. Declaration of Support for FY2014 Mosquito Contr ol Budget 3. FY2014 Budget Discussion 4. Minutes/ Warrants/ Action File Issues 5. Committee Report 6. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS 1. Sean Connery, Acting Police Sergeant 2. Jack Hebert, Acting Police Sergeant EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 21A [3], to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining or litigating position, and the Chair so declares and/ or Section 21A [5] to investigate charges of criminal misconduct or to consider the filing of criminal complaints. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE April 9, 2013 April 16, 2013 April 23, 2013 ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-04-02-minutes-4839.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-04-02 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-04-02-minutes-4839.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04022013-4839 ======================================================================================== ===OCR macOS Vision=== ===PAGE 1=== RECEIVED & FILED APR 10 2013 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES 4/2/13 LUNENBURG TOWN CLERKOFFICE - The Board of Selectmen met in the Joseph F. Bilotta meet foom at Town Hall as scheduled with Dave Matthews, Tom Alonzo, Carl (Ernie) Sund, Steven M. deBettencourt, Paula Bertram and Town Manager Kerry Speidel. Regular Meeting opened at 7:25PM 6:00 PM EXECUTIVE SESSION 7:25PM PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Matthews began by apologizing to the audience and viewers for the late start to the meeting. The late start was due to an extended Executive Session of the BOS before the meeting. Katrina Sweitzer, Lunenburg Town Civic Forum, stated that there will be a Selectmen Candidates debate on Friday, April 19th at 7PM at Town Hall. Mr. Matthews read a proclamation making April 8-12, 2013 National Boys and Girls Club Week in Lunenburg. APPOINTMENTS/RE-APPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS - (Taken out of order) 1. Sean Connery, Acting Police Sergeant 2. Jack Hebert, Acting Police Sergeant Police Chief Marino spoke to the BOS in regards to filling two vacancies on the Lunenburg Police Force. Officer Sean Connery was recommended by the Police Chief for the position of Police Sergeant noting that he was highly trained, experienced with supervisory experience and would be an asset to the police department. Chief Marino also recommended Jack Hebert for the position of Acting Police Sergeant noting that Officer Hebert was highly qualified, very productive and highly trained. Officer Connery would be the supervisor for the 3-11 shift and Officer Hebert would be the supervisor for the 11-7 shift. Mr. Sund motioned to ratify the Town Manager's appointment of Officer Connery and Officer Hebert to the positions of Acting Police Sergeant. Ms. Bertram seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. APPOINTMENTS 7:25 p.m. - Lion's Club, Request for Spring Roadblock, April 27, 2013: Lisa Normandin, impresentin of as. A C and kaid teLes no tep roy as weld lock in lock at ter of trse at tot Electric Ave. and Whalom Road on April 27, 2013 from 8:00am-2:00pm for a fundraiser to help support the Lion's Club. Mr. Alonzo motioned to approve the request for a Road Block on April, 27, 2013 to help support the Lion's Club. Mr. Sund seconded the motion. On vote motion carried, 4 in favor, 0 opposed. Ms. Bertram abstained as a member of the Lion's Club. 7:30 p.m. - Memorial Fund, Request for a Sign at Ritter Memorial Building: Dawn Johnson, President of the Lunenburg Memorial Fund spoke to the BOS and explained the purpose of the Luneburg Memorial Fund. This group was created over 50 years ago and people donate money in lieu of flowers in ===PAGE 2=== - people's memory upon their passing. Ms. Johnson stated that the Lunenburg Memorial Fund would like to purchase a sign in memory of Nance Ware to place on the lawn in front of the Ritter Memorial Building. Mr. Matthews stated that the BOS had a letter from the Building Inspector in support of the sign. Mr. Alonzo asked if the top of the sign was reserved for Town announcements. Lisa Normandin, Lunenburg Memorial Fund, stated that the blank space at the top of the board was meant for Town announcements. Mr. Alonzo motioned to approve the new sign in memory of Nance Ware in front of the Ritter Memorial Building. Ms. Bertram seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, O opposed. 7:40 p.m. - School Building Committee, CM at Risk: Project Time Table, Related Matters: Jeff Luxenberg and Greg Cohen representing Joslin, Lesser and Assoc., stated that they were attending the meeting tonight to give the BOS an update on the school building project and the CM at Risk method of construction in regards to the new school building. Mr. Luxenberg began by stating the CM at Risk delivery method was part of the 2004 Construction Reform. CM at Risk is an approach where the Town submits an application to the Office of the Inspector General, with the assistance of Joslin, Lesser and Assoc, if the Town requests it. If the town requests the assistance of the firm there is a certification attached to the application that the Town's Legal Counsel must approve on behalf of the BOS or School Building Committee before the firm can submit the CM at Risk application to the Inspector General. Mr. Luxenberg stated that the traditional approach is called Design Bid Build which is a linear process where a building is designed, put out for bid, and then the building is built. Under Design Bid Build the owner, with the help of the owner's Project Manager, Architect and School Building Committee reviews the design, advertises the design publicly, and then people can come in to review and bid on them. Two weeks before general bids are due, filed sub-bids that take up about half of the project and include 16 various trades including electric, plumbing, etc. will be tabulated and sent out to those who have bid on the design. Two weeks after that the general contractor takes those bids, includes the ones that they want in their bid, and submits those bids to the Town. Whoever the lowest bidder is the Town is required to select that general contractor so long as they have a certification from the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance and are pre-qualified. Mr. Luxenberg stated that this process works well if you get a good general contractor and does not go well if you do not get a good general contractor. There are often scope changes from unforeseen events that will increase the final cost of the building, however under the Design Bid Build process the general contractor will often look for holes in the contract to increase their funds, regardless of the initial bid put The concept of CM at Risk came out of the 2004 Construction Reform Law and the idea is to bring in a Construction Manager carly during the design process of the job. This position will be similar to a general contractor, but will help review the drawings and cost estimating so that when the review is finally done they cannot tack on additional costs if unforeseen circumstances increase the cost of the project after building begins. First a Construction Manager will be selected based upon qualifications before the building is fully designed and they provide a fee for what they would charge for overhead and profit. Then they give you an estimate on what they would charge for general conditions or general requirements. There is a Selection Committee which consists of a representative(s) of the Building Committee, the Architect and the Owners Project Manager. The Committee will oversee two phases, the request for ===PAGE 3=== qualifications and the request for proposals. In the qualifications the Committee must make sure the building firm is qualified for the job, and those that are qualified are able to send a proposal. In the proposal there is a section for a fee and a non-fee section. The Committee reviews the non-fee proposal first and then the fee proposal, combines the two proposals together, and selects a proposal that best suits the job, but isn't necessarily the least expensive proposal. The CM at Risk method then uses an "Open Book Process" ", which means the Construction Manager will review with the Town all the costs of building and negotiate a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP). The GMP then becomes the limit, where if the final cost of the project comes in less than the GMP, the money goes back to the Town. If the price of the project exceeds the GMP, the over costs are the responsibility of the firm. All of the construction numbers are audited and submitted to the MSBA. There will be Change Orders added onto the GMP to cover changes in site conditions, etc., but room for a Construction Manager to tack on extra costs at the end is severely diminished. The advantages of going the route of the CM at Risk method include: the MSBA will provide a 1% additional reimbursement it you use the CM approach, contractor is able to be selected based on qualifications and the overall fee, the Town is able to proceed with early phases of the building while still finishing the design of the building, minimize disruption to students by giving advanced warning on how the construction of the building will proceed, the Construction Manager will have advanced knowledge of who the trade contractors will be and will be able to develop a better relationship with them. The Construction Manager sits with the town and de-scopes non-trade contracts, and if a GMP can't be agreed upon the Town can go back and change to the General Contracting approach. Some of the down sides to the CM at Risk method include: less competition from non-trade contractors, up front pre-construction costs that could cost the Town .5%, coordination issues with the early release packages, the GMP is not executed until after initial construction begins, which limits the Towns options, and first day hiring cost would be slightly higher. Ultimately, Joslin, Lesser and Assoc. recommend the CM at Risk process to build the new school building and is looking for the BOS concurrence. Mr. deBettencourt stated that past construction projects that used the General Contractor method has produced many problems because the Town was unable to pre-qualify contractors. He stated that he likes the pre-qualification method used in CM at Risk and prefers the CM at Risk method. Mr. Alonzo also stated that he believes the CM at Risk method is better than the General Contractor method but asked if the CM at Risk bids still require the town to choose the lowest bidder. Mr. Luxenberg stated that that the Town would have to choose the lowest bidder but the Town would be able to prequalify them. This only affects the trade contractor and not the non-trade contracts. Ms. Bertram agreed that the overall concept of CM at Risk makes sense but questioned the funding component of starting to build the building before agreeing on a GMP. Mr. Luxenberg stated that the firm was trying to get someone on board with the project early so that they can review the cost. The 1% that the MSBA will return to the Town for choosing the CM at Risk project should cover all the costs of any early building projects. Ms. Bertram asked from a timeline perspective when the project could start. Mr. Luxenberg stated that on August 8th the firm would be submitting the schematic design submission to the MSBA and a cost estimate would be needed between 2-4 weeks before the schematic design submission. The MSBA will then approve the project in a "Scope and Budget Agreement" on October 2nd. Local approval would be needed after MSBA approval and once local approval was had then the ===PAGE 4=== project would be put into a design process that would take one year. By October 2014 the building would be fully designed with the possibility of some construction having started in the summer of 2014 but with the main construction project starting in the fall of 2014. The GMP would be agreed upon in October- November 2014. Mr. Matthews stated that a winter 2014 Special Town Meeting to approve the funding for a school would be needed. Mi. Alonzo motioned to recommend the CM at Risk method as the construction method for a new school to the School Building Committee. Mr. Sund seconded the motion. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 ! opposed. CURRENT BUSINESS 1.2013 Annual Town Meeting, Vote on Warrant Articles Ms. Speidel stated that she had provided the BOS a paper with the warrants in the correct order as they would appear at the Town Meeting. She said that the only thing that may be changed is some of the dollar amounts attached to the warrants but that these dollar amounts would not be significantly altered from what was currently listed and she would have the firm numbers for the next BOS meeting. Mr. Matthews continued by reading through the order in which the warrants needed to be approved ARTICLE 7, To see if the Town will vote to hear and/or accept the regular written reports of the Town : Officers and Committees. Mr. Alonzo motioned to approve the position of ARTICLE 7. Ms. Bertram seconded the motion. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. ARTICLE 8, To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or transfer from available funds, a sum of money for payment of prior year expenses; or take any other action thereto. Ms. Speidel stated that at the moment no prior expenses were held by the town and that ARTICLE 8 may be passed over. ARTICLE 9, To see if the Town will vote to appropriate from available funds all sums of money necessary to amend the amounts voted for the Town's FY2013 Budget, under Article 8 of the May 5, ; 2012 Annual Town Meeting; or take any other action relative thereto. Ms. Speidel stated she did not have the final budget adjustments ready for ARTICLE 9. Ms. Speidel continued by stating any other articles involving budget numbers should be held until the following week. 2. Declaration of Support for FY2014 Mosquito Control Budget. Ms. Speidel stated that the Board of Health was looking for support from the BOS to designate the Board of Health or the Chair of the Board of Health as the final voice of approval for the FY2014 Mosquito Control Budget which they support. Ms. Speidel also stated that she had been in contact with the Executive Director of the Mosquito Control District and that the assessment they provide comes from a formula developed by the Revenue Department that is based on land area and equalized value. Three-quarters of the assessment comes from land area and one quarter of the assessment comes from equalized value. She also stated that the Mosquito Control District also provides services for larva spraying, source reduction, wetlands restoration, surveillance, public education, adulticiding, research and geographic information systems. Ms. Speidel also stated that if the community were to withdraw from the district and decide to rejoin later ===PAGE 5=== on, there would be no waiting period for the community to rejoin the district but that admission to the district would be based on the discretion of the Executive Director of the Mosquito Control District. Mr. Alonzo asked Ms. Speidel that in her professional opinion was there any issue or problem with designating the Board of Health as the final voice of approval for the Mosquito Control Budget. Ms. Speidel stated that she did not have any problem with the designation of the Board of Health to make final approval. Mr. Sund motioned that the BOS designate the Board of Health to be the main contact and the final approval for the Mosquito Control Budget. Ms. Bertram seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. 3. FY2014 Budget Discussion - Ms. Speidel said that the Budget Committee had their Public Hearing on the budget the previous week and that she had made another presentation to the Finance Committee. Ms. Speidel said that based on what she heard from the Mass Municipal Association and from the Town's Legislative Delegation she does believe there will be a minimum increase in aid for Chapter 70 of $25 per student that would result in an increase of Chapter 70 funding to the Town of Lunenburg in the amount of $40,200.00 and that she had revised her estimate in the town budget to reflect the Chapter 70 funding. Ms. Speidel continued the budget discussion by providing the BOS with the status of the Town's free cash. The last free cash certification was $572,129.00, and Ms. Speidel recommended that the Town transfer the amount of $286,958.00 to the stabilization fund to bring the balance of the stabilization fund to 5% which is the minimum required to remain in the fund in order to meet the Town's financial policy. Ms. Speidel also recommended in her budget that an additional $139,000.00 of capital items be funded and that that funding would come from free cash. The two deductions from free cash would leave a balance of $146,171.00. Ms. Speidel is not recommending at this time that any appropriation be made out of the remaining balance in free cash. Ms. Speidel stated that she expected the deficit in the budget to be around $80,000.00 and she is not sure if the Town can cover the deficit in the budget as has been done in years passed. Dave Passios, 56 Whiting Street, asked Ms. Speidel if the information passed out to the BOS include the slide with the budget numbers for School Choice and Charter Schools. The cost to the Town of Lunenburg to allow students in town to choose to attend other schools has significantly increased in the past few years. Ms. Speidel confirmed that it did. Mir. Passios asked Ms. Speidel to discuss the figures with the BOS. Ms. Speidel thanked Mr. Passios for bringing this issue to her attention. She said that over the last 5 years the T owns choice and charter assessments have increased significantly. This is a result of a growing number of students choosing to leave the school district to attend other schools due the public schools budget cuts, increase in student to teacher ratio, cuts to student services, etc. The increase in the assessment for the students to be educated elsewhere is taking money away from both the school and the town. The second thing that Ms. Speidel brought to the attention of the BOS is that the students who live in the Tri-Town and Emerald Place developments are choosing not to attend school in Lunenburg. Ms. Speidel stated that she believes that the increase in Lunenburg students to go elsewhere to be educated has a direct connection with the choices in funding the town has made for the Lunenburg Public Schools. Mr. Alonzo had Ms. Speidel clarify the title of one of the charts regarding choice and charter students. ===PAGE 6=== Ms. Speidel clarified that the chart reflected the total number of students in Lunenburg who chose to go to schools regardless of if it was another public school or a charter school. Mr. deBettencourt asked if the cost of sending a student to be educated outside of town was a flat cost. Ms. Speidel stated that choice was based on $5,000 per student and that charter was based on actual tuition at the school. Ms. Bertram stated that there should be more specific information on who the students leaving the schools are and what their reason for not attending Lunenburg Public Schools were. Joanna Bilotta Simeone, 266 Sunset Lane, asked if there was a way to start saving for a new school now to reduce the burden on the Town taxpayer later on. Mr. Matthews stated that saving any money would be very hard to plan for and would result in large changes to the current budget. Ms. Speidel clarified that what Ms. Billotta Simeone was asking was whether the Town could raise a tax now that would go directly to the schools as opposed to sticking the Town with a larger bill 5 years from now to pay the building costs. Mr. Matthews stated that it was an interesting idea but that it would be tough to get people to support it. Ms. Billotta Simone stated that the School Building Committee meetings should be televised Dave Passios brought to the attention of the BOS that the long term debt service is dragging on the Town's available funds within the budget. Mr. Passios asked the BOS if there was a way to accelerate the long term debt payment to help reduce the burden on the taxpayer once the larger additional debt from the school would be brought on. Ms. Speidel stated that over the next two fiscal years the Town will be paying about $2.9 million in debt service. All but $611,000.00 this year and $678,000 next year has a dedicated funding source. At present : the non-exempt debt increase will not dip significantly until 2017-2018. Mr. Matthews stated that this year there is no new borrowing in the budget. Ms. Speidel stated there is not a lot of opportunity to accelerate debt payment. 4. Minutes/Warrants/Action File Issues Minutes: 3/26/2013 Warrants: Accounts Payable 53-13 $28,829.69 Action File Issues: Ms. Bertram stated that she wanted to bring up the Hollis Hills Project at the next BOS meeting. Ms. Speidel stated that representatives from the ZBA, the Sewer Commission and Town Counsel should be present during the meeting to discuss the Hollis Hills Project. This item will be discussed at Executive Session at 6PM before the regular BOS meeting on April 9". 5. Committee Reports- Mr. Matthews stated that the School Building Committee will be voting on the best route to proceed for a new school on April 9th. He stated that the SBC started by looking at 5: building options and whittled the options down to 2. More detail into the options would be discussed at ===PAGE 7=== the next BOS meeting but that the option to renovate the existing high school as a 9-12 school is not really an option as it would not meet any of the standards of the MSBA. Mr. Alonzo announced that the Finance Committee heard from all the departments regarding the budget last week and the Finance Committee will make their decisions regarding their recommendations on Thursday. 6. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports- Ms. Speidel updated the BOS on the issue regarding the Town purchasing street lights from Unitil. She stated that she spoke with the consultant who did the free analysis on the issue and he believes that if the Town purchased the lights, after the initial cost of purchase and maintenance on the lights was deducted, the Town could be saving about $25,000.00 per year. If the Town decided to convert to LED lights the conversion project would cost between $125k- Unitil provides a grant for the conversion but the amount of the grant is unclear. Assuming no grant was offered, the payback on that expenditure would be from 4 to 4.5 years. Ms. Speidel said she asked the consultant if he could analyze the light fixtures themselves to make sure the Town wasn't buying outdated fixtures and that the service contract that the Town would have would cover general maintenance. A typical light fixture lasts about 50 years. If the town can stay within the budget then the purchasing of the streetlights would not need to be voted on at Town Meeting. Ms. Bertram asked for a savings estimate after the initial costs of the LED lighting was paid. Ms. Speidel stated that it would be an additional 40% savings. OLD BUSINESS - None PUBLIC COMMENT - None. EXECUTIVE SESSION - Conducted at 6PM 1. M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 21A (3), to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government's bargaining or ! litigating position, and the Chair so declares and/or Section 21A (5) to investigate charges of criminal misconduct or to consider the filing of criminal complaints. Being no further business Mr. deBettencourt moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Bertram seconded. n vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposer leeting ended at 9:05 pr UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE April 16, 2013 April 23, 2016 Respectfully Submitted, Susan Doherty, Recording Secretary Board of Selectmen ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-04-09-agenda-4840.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-04-09 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-04-09-agenda-4840.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04092013-4840 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN April 9, 2013 6:00 PM – Town Hall Bilotta Meeting Room, Second Floor AGENDA 6:00 PM EXECUTIVE SESSION 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS APPOINTMENTS 7:15 PM- School Building Committee, School Building Options, Related Matters CURRENT BUSINESS 1. 2013 Annual Town Meeting, Vote on Warrant Articl es 2. Minutes/ Warrants/ Action File Issues 3. Committee Report 4. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 21A [9], to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining or litigating position, and the Chair so declares. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE April 16, 2013 April 23, 2013 ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-04-16-agenda-4841.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-04-16 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-04-16-agenda-4841.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04162013-4841 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN April 16, 2013 6:00 PM – Town Hall Bilotta Meeting Room, Second Floor AGENDA 6:00 PM EXECUTIVE SESSION 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS APPOINTMENTS CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Lion’s Club Annual Spring Road Block, change dat e from 04/27/13 to 05/18/13 2. 2013 Annual Town Meeting, Vote on Warrant Articl es 3. Minutes/ Warrants/ Action File Issues 4. Committee Report 5. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 21A [9], to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining or litigating position, and the Chair so declares. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE April 23, 2013 ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-04-16-minutes-4841.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-04-16 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-04-16-minutes-4841.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04162013-4841 ======================================================================================== ===OCR macOS Vision=== ===PAGE 1=== RECEIVED & FILED APR 2 4 2013 LUNENBURG TOWN CLERK OFFICE BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES 4/16/13 6:00 PM EXECUTIVE SESSION The Board of Selectmen met in the Joseph F. Bilotta meeting room at Town Hall as scheduled with Dave Matthews, Tom Alonzo, Carl (Ernie) Sund, Steven M. deBettencourt, Paula Bertram and Town Manager Kerry Speidel. Regular Meeting opened at 7:02PM Mr. Matthews opened the meeting with a moment of silence for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. 7:00PM PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Sund began public comment from the board by talking about a program the Lion's Club participates in called Boys State. Boys State program is to help develop citizens and leaders for a democratic society. The two juniors chosen from Lunenburg High School to participate in Boys State are Samuel Arciprete and Isaiah Rowlinson with an alternate being Kyle Lourens. Mr. Alonzo reminded the public that there was a debate scheduled for selectman on Friday, April 19th at 7:00pm at the Town Hall. There will also be an opportunity for the School Committee candidates and the Town Clerk candidates to speak before the debate. Joanna Billotta-Simeone, 366 Sunset Lane, began public comment from the public by asking if the sign board in front of the Ritter Building could be utilized to remind voters of when the town election was scheduled. Ms. Bertram suggested that a message also be placed in the Lunenburg Ledger to remind voters of the election. APPOINTMENTS-None. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Lion's Club Annual Spring Road Block, change date from 04/27/2013 to 05/18/2013: Mr. Matthews stated that the Lion's Club had originally requested approval from the BOS to hold a Road Block on April 27th but have now decided to change the date of the fundraiser to May 18th. He said that the BOS needs to vote on this issue to approve the change of date. Mr. Alonzo asked if all the information regarding the Road Block, including the location, times, and its intentions, had changed. Ms. Speidel responded by stating that all the information regarding the Road Block remained the same, only the date of the event had changed. Mr. Alonzo moved to approve the date change of the Lion's Club Road Block to May 18th. Mr. Sund seconded. On vote motion carried, 4 in favor, O opposed, 1 abstained due to affiliation with the Lion's Club (Bertram). ===PAGE 2=== 2. 2013 Annual Town Meeting, Vote on Warrant Articles Vir. Matthews stated that the order of the warrants for Town Meeting still needs to be finalized but tha he specific warrants that needed to be approved required updated monetary amounts and those warrant would be voted on at next week's BOS meeting. 3. Minutes/Warrants/Action File Issues Minutes: None Warrants: 4/16/13 #56-13 $80,596.01 Action File Issues: None. 4. Committee Reports- Ms. Bertram stated that the planning board met on Saturday and the hearing continued on the Aro Estates property. The hearing for the property has been extended to this coming Mr. Matthews stated that the School Building Committee had met the previous Wednesday and voted to support Option Five, which proposed building a new 6-12 High School building in Lunenburg. 5. Town Manager Report- Ms. Speidel noted that at least 400 residents of Lunenburg received a letter from ConEdison, a company that the Town had purchased its electric supply from through the Municipal Aggregation Program for the last six month period that ended in January. The letters stated that there was a past due amount which the individuals owed. These letters were sent in error and are due to an accounting issue between ConEdison and Unitil. Ms. Speidel stated that if any residents had received a letter from ConEdison, they should disregard the letter because it is an issue that needs to be settled between Unitil and ConEdison. If your bill with Unitil is passed due then your issues are with Unitil, but if your bills are current the issue does not involve the residents. Ms. Bertram stated that her concern is if this issue between the two companies continues it would reflect poorly on the credit of the individuals receiving the letters and the situation should be monitored. Ms. Speidel said that ConEdison did acknowledge that the issue is with Unitil and that Unitil has stated the issue is with ConEdison, but that both have stated the issue is not with individual utility customers. She continued by saying the only way the BOS could figure out who the 447 individuals in Lunenburg are who received the faulty letters is by sending out a town wide mailer. Mr. Sund asked how the individuals who received the letters were singled out by ConEdison. Ms. Speidel stated the names came from those participating in the electric aggregation plan. Mr. Sund stated that he feels Unitil made a mistake in allowing these names to go to ConEdison. Ms. Speidel responded by saying ConEdison had a record of all participants in the Electric Aggregation Program and measures the usage from each customer individually. Each customer pays Unitil, and then Unitil pays ConEdison on behalf of the participant. She stated that she will try to apprehend an official answer to Mr. Sund's question. OLD BUSINESS - None ===PAGE 3=== PUBLIC COMMENT - Mr. Matthews mentioned that prior to this meeting the BOS had met in Executive Session to discuss the development on the Hollis Hills development. The Housing Appeals Court had a finding for the developer and against the town regarding a number of issues but most important to the Town the sewer betterment and privilege fees and connection fees. The BOS met with Town Counsel and have decided to support an appeal of the finding. EXECUTIVE SESSION - None Being no further business Mr. deBettencourt moved to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Bertram seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. Meeting ended at 7:20 pm. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE April 23, 2013 Respectfully Submitted, Susan Doherty, Recording Secretary Board of Selectmen ... ... ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-04-23-agenda-4842.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-04-23 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-04-23-agenda-4842.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04232013-4842 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN April 23, 2013 7:00 PM – Town Hall Bilotta Meeting Room, Second Floor AGENDA 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS APPOINTMENTS 7:00 p.m. Public Hearing on General on Premises A ll Alcohol License for Donald E. Lyons d/b/a Settlers Pub, 994 Northfield Road CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Common Victualer’s License for Donald E. Lyons d /b/a Settlers Pub, 994 Northfield Road 2. Town Manager’s Annual Evaluation 3. 2013 Annual Town Meeting, Vote on Warrant Articl es 4. Minutes/ Warrants/ Action File Issues 5. Committee Report 6. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 21A [9], to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining or litigating position, and the Chair so declares. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-04-23-minutes-4842.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-04-23 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-04-23-minutes-4842.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04232013-4842 ======================================================================================== ===OCR macOS Vision=== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES 4/23/13 ta D The Board of Selectmen met in the Joseph F. Bilotta meeting room at Town Hall as Matthews, Tom Alonzo, Carl (Ernie) Sund, Steven M. deBettencourt, Paula Bertram and Town Manager Kerry Speidel. Regular Meeting opened at 7:00PM 7:00PM PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Matthews began the meeting by acknowledging that it was the last meeting for Selectman Sund and Selectman deBettencourt. He thanked both for their service to the town and their time on the board. Mr. Sund thanked Mr. Matthews for his word and said he greatly enjoyed his time on the board. Mr. deBettencourt also thanked Mr. Matthews and thanked the town for their support and for a great run on the BOS. Ms. Bertram & Mr. Alonzo both thanked Mr. Sund & Mr. deBettencourt for their service to the Town. Mr. Alonzo thanked the Lunenburg Civic Forum, the Lunenburg Ledger, and the town moderator as well as the town clerk candidates for the excellent debate that was put on the previous Friday. He also reminded everyone about the town election on Tuesday, April 30th from 7am-8pm. Joanna Bilotta-Simeone, 362 Sunset Lane, told the BOS that it would be former selectman Joseph F. Biolotta's birthday and he would have been 73 years old. She said that it is fitting that the two Selectmen leaving the board would be leaving on his birthday. Mr. Matthews made an announcement regarding Memorial Day observances in Lunenburg. Selectman Sund is helping to organize the services, which will be held on Sunday, May 26th at 11:45am. All BOS members are invited. APPOINTMENTS 7:00 p.m. - Public Hearing on General on Premises All Alcohol License for Donald E. Lyons d/b/a Settlers Pub: Donald E. Lyons representing Settlers Pub stated that he had purchased the old Maple Wood Gold Course in November 2012 and that he was trying to rebuild a business that was highly run down. Their business plan included bringing in golf tournaments, youth leagues, community events, work leagues, etc. To run a successful golf club the business would require an alcohol license. Previously the golf course had a seasonal license for beer and wine, but to run a more attractive business they would need a full liquor license. Mr. Lyons stated that the Settlers Pub would be looking to have a liquor license 7 days a week, from 9am-11pm Monday through Saturday and from Noon to 11pm on Sunday. The golf course itself would be opened from dawn until dusk. Mr. Matthews asked Mr. Lyons if he was the manager on site and if he would be the 50% of the time the course would be open. Mi. Lyons stated that he would be the manager on site five days a week, but that the course could be open 100 hours a week during the peek part of the season so he wouldn't be on the premises 50% of the time. He stated that he does own two other golf courses and he needs to manage those courses as well. Additionally he and his staff serving alcohol will be TIP certified. Mr. Matthews asked if it was correct that they would serve alcohol only for the first 6 holes of the course. Mr. Lyons said that was correct. He continued by saying that there were the 6 holes that would allow alcohol served on one side of the street and then 3 non-alcohol holes on the other side of the street. The 3 non-alcohol ===PAGE 2=== holes would be marked and monitored by staff. All alcohol would be served from the building and there would be no alcohol served outside of the bar. Ms. Bertram asked Mir. Lyons if the bar would be open to the general public as well. Mr. Lyons replied that it would be open to the general public. Ms. Bertram continued by asking if the course had the proper permits from the Board of Health to serve food and if he planned to expand the hours of operation once the restaurant was up and running. Mr. Lyons replied that the restaurant is not in focus yet but that currently they have a license to sell hot dogs and snacks. The hope is that the restaurant would be up and running by May and that there was no intention to expand operating hours. Mr. Lyons stated that the primary focus was to run a golf course, not run a bar. Dennis Stewart, 252 New West Townsend Road, stated that he has lived in Lunenburg since 1962 and he welcomes the new owners of the golf club. Mr. Lyons stated the course would also welcome back the Lunenburg High School golf team if they would be Willing to return. Mr. Lyons said that the grand opening would be on Sunday, May 19th. Mr. Matthews closed the public hearing regarding the gold course and continued with the regular meeting by stating that that there was a lot of interest in the town with this golf club and that it is an opportunity as a whole. Ms. Bertram moved to recommend approve the All Alcohol License for Donald E. Lyons d/b/a Settlers Pub, 994 Northfield Road Mr. Alonzo seconded the motion. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Common Victualer's License for Donald E. Lyons d/b/a Settlers Pub, 994 Northfield Road: Mr. Matthews asked Mr. Lyons if the hours of the restaurant would be the same hours of the bar. Mr. Lyons replied that the restaurant would be open from 9am-11pm Monday through Saturday and from Noon to 11pm on Sunday. The restaurant would open in late May. Ms. Bertram moved to recommend approve the Common Victualer's License for Donald E. Lyons d/b/a Settlers Pub, 994 Northfield Road. Mr. Alonzo seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. 2. Town Manager's Annual Evaluation: Mr. Matthews explained to the public that all five members of the BOS fill out an evaluation form for the Town Manager and meet with the Town manger to discuss her performance. He then read an outline of the criteria for the Town Manger evaluation formn which includes five rating sections and three personal essays. The rating sections include: A. Relationship with the Board, B. Fiscal Management, C. Community and Public Relations, D. Personnel Administration, E. Professional Skills and Abilities. There is also a numeric grading in each section which has members of the BOS rank the Town Manager between a 1 (unacceptable) or a 5 (outstanding). When the evaluation forms from each member of the BOS were tallied, Town Manager Speidel received a 4/5 ranking. Mr. Matthews thanked Ms. Speidel for her dedicated work and service. Points that were discussed under each particular evaluation section included: Section A. The town manager's relationship with the BOS was strained after lingering political fallout over difficult personnel cuts that required resolution, but the Town Manager worked diligently to provide the BOS with in depth information and respond in a timely manner to BOS questions and inquiries. Section B. The Town Manager remains an excellent fiscal steward of the Towns finances. Financial data and reports are prepared on time and enormous responsibility is placed on fiscal stability and the Town's finances and fiscal well being have been in great care directly due to Ms. Speidel's talents and abilities. ===PAGE 3=== Section C. In a small town where relationships and personal ties run deep it is difficult to make decisions that aren't taken personally or misunderstood. The Town Manager has provided accurate and clear information on all of her decisions to minimize negativity and explain the reasoning behind all of her decisions. Specifically, Town Meetings have changed from petty, argument driven meeting with mistrust of the Town government at hand, into well debated and well organized civic forums. Section D. This continues to be the area of most negative focus when it comes to the Town Manager's performance. Just as this evaluation for the Town Manager is an excellent tool, a similar evaluation of all government employees from the top down would be valuable to determine productivity and the value of each Town employee. This would also increase communication and the value of each department. Section E. The Town Manager continues to provide high levels of ethics and honesty, but is continually challenged by diminished staffing and assistance. As such she has had to have more of a reactionary response to issues in the Town then one that identifies issues and is able to set goals for which the Town can accomplish. An assistant for the Town Manager is the biggest area where the Town Manager's performance could improve, but this position has been identified as one that the Town is unwilling or unable to fund. Mr. Matthews continued by highlighting the most common comments in the essay section as follows: "How has the Town Manger Performed Well" Ms. Speidel has done well with budget, planning, and presentation, specifically with solid detail and documentation. There has been movement forward on longstanding personnel decisions and excellent fiscal stewardship kept. "What Could the Town Manager Do Better", Answers included Town wide performance evaluations to correct personnel performance deficiencies, better documentation of performance issues as they arise, improvement on meeting previously set goals to report on regular annual and special projects along with in depth operational review and efficiency analysis and confirmation that best practices are in place, required staff development by the State would enable Town employees to be updated on new laws and practices to increase efficiency and productivity, and more can still be done to put budgetary issues into perspective for the Town's people. "What could the BOS do to help the Town Manager and what Could the Town Manager do to Help the BOS" The board must focus on representing the community and not employees in the various departments, hence leaving to the Town Manager the job of running the Towns departments, human resource issues and • of real the eve depart personnel policies are not being addressed mostly due to there not being enough hours in the week, some headway was made on the policy manual but it still must be completed, and increased use of non-televised work shops would allow for a better exchange of ideas, but it is the opinion of the Chair that it would be doing a major disservice to the Town by taking some discussion of major Town issues offline. Ms. Bertram stated that once the discussion on new goals is had, it would be valuable to have a periodic review of goals and go back to them throughout the year. Mr. Alonzo echoed what Ms. Bertram said. He also said it might be a good idea to re-evaluate the evaluation form for the Town Manger. Mr. Matthews stated that the Town Manager suggested they implement a way for the Town's department heads to review up. Ms. Bertram also said that it would be a good idea to look at the BOS meeting schedule to utilize the BOS meeting's time more effectively. Mr. Alonzo asked when the Town Manager provides her response to the BOS evaluations. Ms. Speidel responded by saying she already provided her response to the Chairman and that she would provide additional copies to the members of the BOS. 3. 2013 Annual Town Meeting, Vote on Warrant Articles: Ms. Speidel said that one of the remaining warrant articles needed for the BOS to review is the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Adjustments. Ms. Speidel and the Town Accountant reviewed this issue to determine where they need to make adjustments. She put together a spread sheet for the BOS to explain how the budget will be put together at town meeting. At this point in time ===PAGE 4=== Ms. Speidel and the Town Accountant are looking to gain approval at Town Meeting to move some money around to close out some deficient deficits in the FY2013 Budget. The first is in Maturing Debt where there is a projected debt of $16,849.00. The reason for this debt is due to a refinanced bond issue that was done after the budget was put together. The Town was able to save over $100,000.00 due to the refinancing, but it requires an adjustment in the payment of $16,849.00. In the Unclassified section of the budget there is a total surplus of $234,550.00. She has identified some of the significant changes, including an additional payment of $21,000.00 in Liability Insurance due to an additional assessment placed on the Town by the State Insurance Commission, a surplus of $177,000.00 in Health Insurance due to a consistent lower enrollment in the Town's Health Care and a lower Medicare Part B penalty. The Finance Committee Reserve Fund falls under the Unclassified section where there was a request to cover vehicle maintenance but there is enough money in the Vehicle Maintenance budget to cover this request. A $21,163.00 deficit in the retirement buy back line due to four retirements, (3 employees had three significant sick leave buy backs). Unemployment has a surplus of $28,000.00 with an additional $9,000.00 in Medicare surplus. General Government has a surplus of $3,587.00, and there is a deficit of $15,000.00 in legal expenses. In Central Purchasing there is a deficit of $6,000.00 due to the solid waste cost. In Protection there is an overage of $23,500.00 due to an increase in non-bondable detainees. Within the Fire Department there is a deficit of $10,000.00 and a projected deficit in Emergency Management of $8,750.00 due to Blackboard Connect management which the Public Access Committee did not agree to fund. Mr. Sund believed that the Blackboard Connect service was being over funded and that he had never seen it in use. Ms. Bertram stated that she approves of the way Public Access has been operating, but she does not recall any time where the BOS has been able to review their budget when it comes to Blackboard Connect. Ms. Speidel stated that there have been strong attempts to use the service in an effective manner, but that it would be a good idea find another way to fund the service then the Public Access Committee. Ms. Speidel continued her explanation of the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Adjustments by highlighting the Wiring Inspector at a deficit of $7,500.00, Health and Sanitation at a deficit of $7,020.00, Public Safety at a surplus of $10,000.00, General Highway Maintenance with a deficit of $7,000.00, Snow and Ice at a deficit of $100,500.00, and with the Assistance portion of the budget a deficit in Veterans Benefits of $32,035.00. With all of the budgetary items taken into consideration there is a surplus of $13,596.00. There is one additional expense that comes in the Non-Appropriate section of the budget where Verizon filed an abatement, which the Courts granted, that cost the Town $44,154.74 with an estimated interest payment of $12,968.19. The Assessors had some money to cover the abatement but the Town is still responsible for paying $17,000 of the abatement. This would leave a deficit of $3,400.00. Ms. Speidel stated that Town Meeting would be the last opportunity to make any additional appropriations and that she does not feel comfortable going, nor is it permissible, to go into next fiscal year operating over budget As such she would request that an additional $25,000.00 from Free Cash be approved to cover the costs and to provide a buffer for the fiscal year. Ms. Bertram asked if the Veterans Agent would be able to provide projections on the costs of Vets in Town for future Town budgets. Ms. Speidel replied that she has some additional information on this that she will provide to the BOS. Mr. Sund asked if the move of the Central Dispatch to Devens would change the lock up procedure in Lunenburg. Ms. Speidel replied that the Town will still provide lock up services despite the Dispatch Service being provided in Devens, adding that there will be certified staff members in position for lock up procedures. ===PAGE 5=== Mr. deBettencourt asked if there were any budgetary provision set up to prepare for future retirements. Ms. Speidel replied that there may be merit in setting up a Trust Fund with Free Cash to prepare for retirements. She said that in direct concern to the FY2013 Budget Adjustments, she was going to present all information to the Finance Committee before Town Meeting. She also stated that as far as additional warrant articles she does not expect any more settlements in contracts negotiations and there were no more warrant articles to discuss. 4. Minutes/Warrants/Action File Issues Minutes: 4/16/2013 Warrants: 4/23/13 4/24/13 4/23/13 57-13 58-13 22P-13 $288,656.92 $405,485.78 $575,529.43 Action File Issues: None. 5. Committee Reports. Ms. Bertram said that the Planning Committee met the previous night to review the Aro Farm Developments and they voted to deny all 10 subdivisions. She also said that she met with MassDot and MRPC and identified 4 potential projects in Lunenburg where improvements were needed. The Summer Street project ranked #2 in the region for 2016-2017 funding. Ms. Speidel stated that the next milestone in the Summer Street Project was to have the engineer meet with the BOS so that they could have a vote on the project. Mr. Alonzo said that he had an update conference call with the Mass: Broadband Institute about when Lunenburg can go live, which is projected to be in July. Additionally, there is a Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday, April 20th. 6. Town Manger Reports-None EXECUTIVE SESSION Being no further business Mr. Matthews moved to go to executive session citing M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 2,1A (9), to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government's bargaining or litigating position, and the Chair so declares Roll Call Vote to go into Executive Session: Alonzo - Aye, Bertram - Aye, deBettencourt - Aye, Sund - Aye, Matthews - Aye Meeting ended at 8:30 pm. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE May 7, 2013 Respectfully Submitted, Susan Doherty, Recording Secretary Board of Selectmen ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-05-04-agenda-4843.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-05-04 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-05-04-agenda-4843.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05042013-4843 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN May 4, 2013 8:00 AM- Lunenburg High School Cafeteria AGENDA CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-05-07-agenda-4844.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-05-07 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-05-07-agenda-4844.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05072013-4844 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN May 7, 2013 7:00 PM – Town Hall Bilotta Meeting Room, Second Floor AGENDA 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS APPOINTMENTS 7:30 p.m. – Trish Domigan, VHB Engineering, Update on Summer Street Project; Select Design Option CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Board Reorganization; Liaison Assignments 2. Building Reuse Committee 3. Minutes/ Warrants/ Action File Issues 4. Committee Report 5. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 21A [9], to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining or litigating position, and the Chair so declares. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE May 14, 2013 – Workshop on Open Meetings Law May 21, 2013 ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-05-07-minutes-4844.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-05-07 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-05-07-minutes-4844.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_05072013-4844 ======================================================================================== ===OCR macOS Vision=== ===PAGE 1=== RECEIVED & FILED MAY 1 6 2013 LUNENBURG TOWN CLERK OFFICE BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES 5/7/13 The Board of Selectmen met in the Joseph F. Bilotta meeting room at Town Hall as scheduled with David Matthews Tom Alonzo, Paula Bertram, Robert Ebersole, Jamie Toale and Town Manager Kerry Speidel Regular Meeting opened at 7:00 PM 7:00PM PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Matthews opened up the meeting by thanking everyone who came to Town Meeting and also by welcoming the newest members of the BOS, Jamie Toale and Robert Ebersole. Mr. Alonzo reiterated what Mr. Matthews stated and also noted that there was no negativity during the campaigns which was refreshing and he wanted to congratulate the candidates for that. He did note that there was a conflict of interest on Election Day when candidates didn't stay 150 feet or further from the doors to the polling locations. He hopes that this will be stopped in the future. Ms. Bertram noted that she was very welcoming of the clean campaigns that were run within the town. Mir. Matthews continued the Public Comment from the BOS by reading a proclamation that recognized Tuesday, May 7, 2013 National Teacher's Day in Lunenburg. He continued by acknowledging that Wednesday, May 8, 2013 was National School Nurse's Recognition Day. ANNOUNCEMENTS APPOINTMENTS 7:30 p.m. - Trish Domigan, VHB Engineering, Update on Summer Street Project; Select Design Option - Ms. Speidel stated that invitations were sent to all of the abutting properties to the project explaining what was happening with the project and that it would be discussed at the BOS meeting. Ms. Domigan presented the BOS and the public with a brief history of the Summer Street Project and explained the relationship between the project and the communities of Leominster, Fitchburg and Lunenburg. She stated that she was at the meeting tonight asking for consensus on one of the concepts. Ms. Domigan continued by explain that there were 3 Concepts which the communities could choose from for the project. Concept A involved reducing the size of the intersection on Summer Street in Lunenburg for better geometry, introduce a turn lane, and potentially remove pavement to replace with a grass strip down the center of the road. Concept B would include a center turn lane which would start in Fitchburg on John Fitch Highway and would change the roadway section to 47 feet. Concept C would be just for Fitchburg and it would look at putting in a center median, but just in the city of Fitchburg. This concept would not really work due to the surrounding neighborhood. The city acknowledges this and will not move ahead with Concept C. Ms. Domigan stated that Concept B, with the center turn lane, was the best idea and she was seeking consensus from the BOS in support of Concept B. Ms. Bertram questioned how large the shoulders of the road would be. Ms. Domigan responded that the shoulders would be five feet, as per MassDOT regulations. Ms. Bertram asked is there would be green ways along the residential sections of the road. Ms. Domigan said that there was ample room for greenways along the entire project from city line to city line. Mr. Ebersole asked if there was any median or hard surface between the lanes. ===PAGE 2=== Ms. Domigan stated there would not be any median. Mr. Ebersole asked if property owners would still have good access to their driveways. Ms. Domigan stated they would still have good access to the driveways. Ray Morin, 48 Youngs Road, stated that he was co-owner of the property on Youngs Road and his property has egress to the Summer Street plan which does not show the changes to accommodate his business. He would like to know how the plan would accommodate his trucking business. The plan would also block the advertising that he has on his property for the business. He would also like to know who will be taking care of the greenways. Additionally, the changes would make it very difficult for his trucks in his business that currently leave on Youngs Road would be accommodated as the new plans limits space for movement of the trucks. Mr. Matthews said to Ms. Domigan that the greenways and turning lanes would have to be adjusted to accommodate the trucking businesses in the area and that there would also have to be discussion on who would take care of the greenways, the municipalities or the abutting property owners. Ms. Bertram said that any discussion of the green space will ultimately hinge on the drainage issue in the area. This is important because the BOS wants to accommodate the residents and the businesses but the green space is central to the economic revitalization of the area. Joe Smalley, Daewoo North, asked if the plan is set in stone or are the entrances and exits negotiable. Also, how will the green spaces affect his display of the cars that his business sells? Does he have any input on the layout of the green space? Mr. Alonzo state that nothing is set in stone and that everything is just a concept at the moment. He continued by saying the BOS wants the input of all the property owners in the area and that he believes his concerns in regards to his business and property will be taken into consideration. Dave Pacillo, co- owner of a Hair Salon located at 91 Summer St., stated that he prefers Concept B. He continued by stating that his concerns are with the power lines being above ground and asked the BOS if the train yard would be moved. Mr. Matthews stated the power lines would remain above ground. Mr. Alonzo said that he has not heard what the plan is for the train yard. Mr. Dion, 236 Summer Street, asked the BOS how the project would be financed and he notices that there are trees being placed in driveways in many of these plans and he's concerned he is going to lose part of his property to trees he does not want. Mr. Alonzo stated that it is the intention of the BOS to work with property owners to design a space that is accommodating and preferable to the property owners. In concerns to financing the project, it is part of a MassDot grant and the towns would maintain the roads as they do now. Without the MassDot grant, the area would fall into further disrepair and none of the three municipalities in the area would be able to repair the roads. After due and diligent discussion among the board members, they were in agreement that Concept B would be the best design for this area. Ms. Bertram made a motion to endorse concept B as the main concept plan for the Summer Street project moving forward. Mr. Matthews seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. Ms. Speidel asked for Ms. Domigan to review the process going forward. Ms. Domigan stated that there would be a review process going forward that would include a configuration of the roadway and an approval from MassDot. Another meeting would be set up in the fall between the engineers and the BOS. Plans would be submitted to the MassDot in November, and a public hearing for the project run by MassDot in January. Mr. Ebersole stated that there needs to be input and a meeting with the Sewer and Water Departments in regards to the project. ===PAGE 3=== Ms. Domigan stated that these meetings will happen and that MassDot offers to pay for 50% of any relocation costs in concerns to utilities to help expedite work on projects, but that MassDot will not pay for underground utilities. Mr. Alonzo reiterated how important it is to work with all the property owners, and especially to allow the businesses abutting the project to remain open and thriving. Ms. Domigan stated that there was plenty of room in the roads for businesses to remain open and that all of the turn lanes would be large enough for trucks to turn in. Ms. Bertram said that she met with MassDOT and MRPC and they strongly support this project. She stated that hopefully by tomorrow they will receive approval to proceed with a 2014-2017 TIP project. This is important because it will lay out funding for a specific target year. Sharon Leblanc, 171 Summer Street, asked if what Ms. Bertram was referring to was a date to end the project or simply a date to receive funding. Ms. Bertram stated she was specifically referring to the receiving funding for the project. Ms. Domigan stated that if the project has an add date of Jan. 1, 2017, MassDOT has a turnaround of about 4 months. Construction of the project would take two construction seasons and be completed by 2019. Mr. Alonzo thanked Ms. Domigan for coming to the meeting. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Board Reorganization; Liaison Assignments - Mr. Matthews explained that after every Town Election there was a reorganization of the BOS where new roles and committees were assigned to each member of the BOS. Mr. Matthews stated that although he had been the BOS Chair for the past two years it was his belief that the Chairmanship of the BOS should be a rotating position. With that said Mr. Matthew opened nominations to the BOS. Mr. Matthews nominated Mr. Alonzo to be the Chairman of the BOS. Ms. Bertram seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in tavor, 0 opposed. Mr. Alonzo thanked the BOS for electing him to be the Chair and commended Mr. Matthews for his time as Chair of the BOS over the past two years. He then opened up the floor for nominations for Vice Chair for the BOS. Mr. Toale nominated Ms. Bertram for the position of Vice Chair. Mi. Ebersole seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. Ms. Bertram nominated Mr. Matthews for the position of Clerk of the BOS. Mr. Toale seconded. On vote motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed. Mr. Alonzo stated that there now needed to be a reorganization on the BOS of the liaisons between the BOS and the various committees that exists in the Town. Liaisons for the year will be as follows: Mr. Matthews - School Building Committee Ms. Bertram - Planning Board Mr. Alonzo -MassBroadband Committee & Finance Committee Appointments Mr. Toale - Finance Committee & Capital Planning Commission Mr. Ebersole - Sewer Commission & PACC ===PAGE 4=== Mr. Alonzo noted that the Memorial Day Committee was looking for a speaker for the Memorial Day services held on May 26" ". If one or more members of the BOS wished to speak at the Memorial Day services, the committee would welcome their participation. 2. Building Reuse Committee- Mr. Matthews explained that there was a need for an Ad Hoc Committee regarding the Passios Building to see if the building should be renovated and kept for future use or if it should be torn down. He stated that if the building was kept it could be used as a future Town Hall, Senior Center, School Services building, or serve a number of other purposes. The committee would be setup with members of existing committees and people from the Town with backgrounds in architecture, carpentry, real estate, etc. and would determine if the building should be kept or demolished. He continued by saying there were many problems with the building that needed to be looked at if the Town wished to keep it. Mr. Alonzo asked Mr. Matthews if the committee would be Ad Hoc from the School Building Committee or the BOS. Mr. Matthews answered that it would be an Ad Hoc Committee from the BOS. Mr. Toale stated that he would be interested in serving on such a committee and that his professional background would qualify him to serve. Ms. Bertram noted that the committee would also have to see how any decision with the Passios building would work within the context of the Town's Master Plan for a more "walkable" community. Mr. Ebersole state he would also like to hear if there was any use for the building as a commercial property or, if demolished, if the area could be used as athletic fields. Mr. Matthews stated he would come back the following week with a plan and encouraged people from the town to join the committee. 3. Minutes/Warrants/Action File Issues Minutes: April 23, 2013 Warrants: 5/09 5/08 5/07 #23-P131 #60-13 #59-13 $621,072.38 $146,703.88 $458,032.35 Action File Issues: Ms. Bertram asked if Town Counsel had set up a seminar regarding the open meeting law. Ms. Speidel stated the meeting was set up for the following week. 4. Committee Reports - Mr. Ebersole updated the BOS and the public that at Town Meeting the Sewer Commission changed the sewer map to eliminate the developments in the Tri-Town lot because they were going to be served by the city of Fitchburg and added 3-4 lots on Leominster Road that were being serviced by the sewer but were never listed on Ms. Bertram said that she was unable to attend the last Planning Board meeting which was the continuation on the issue of 35 Leominster Rd. and asked Mr. Alonzo if he could update the public on the last meeting. Mr. Alonzo stated that he had attended the meeting and the board heard the final thoughts from the public regarding the property, closed the meeting, and voted 2-1, with one recusal, to allow the sawmill on 35 Leominster Road. Mr. Alonzo stated the last Finance Committee meeting was at Town Meeting and the next meeting was scheduled for Thursday, May 9' at Town Hall. The meeting would not be televised. 5. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports - Ms. Speidel reported that Unitil had sent a sale price to the consultant and it was about double what the city of Fitchburg had paid per street lamp. The city of Fitchburg had purchased at a higher price than other communities due to budget reasons. Fitchburg had about half of their street lights turned off and the town simply wanted to get all the lights back on as quickly as possible. Ms. Speidel said she was encouraged that Town Meeting approved the Stretch Code because it was the final prong to the State approving the Town as a Green Community and receiving grant money that could be used to purchase LED lights for the street lights that would further reduce the cost of operating the street lights. ===PAGE 5=== Mr. Alonzo asked Ms. Speidel if the Town had to go through Unitil to purchase the lights or if they could put up their own lights since the poles were owned by Verizon. Ms. Speidel stated she would have to look into that question further and bring back an answer. Ms. Speidel continued by saying the Town would be going back out to bid on the Municipal Electric Aggregation Program in the next week since the new 6* month period beings June 1". She talked to Colonial Power Group who is the Consultant for the Town on this project, and they expected to bring a bid back that was slightly better than Unitil's rate. They believed they could bring back a better bid if the Town was agreeable to signing onto a rate period longer than 6 months and there are only about 2-3 companies bidding on this program. Ms. Speidel noted that she met with the Developer of the Eagle Heights project and they would like to meet with the BOS as soon as the following week. Since the HUD 202 funds had been cut back significantly, the funding available through State programs is more likely to be received for the project. The difference is that there would have to be a set design ready to propose to the State. RCAP Solutions, one of the partners on the projects, has signaled they are prepared to finance a design to present to the State so long as the Town confirms partial financing of the project. The design for the i present to step tina one i d project would be in the $400,000.00-500,000.00 price range for a senior housing project. Ms. Bertram stated that they needed feedback from the Sewer Commission on fees to be waived to get the project moving, and the Town would need Sewer Commission approval. APPOINTMENTS/RE-APPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS - None PUBLIC COMMENT- Mr. Ebersole asked if there would be a session to set goals to complete projects and that he would like to see a time set during a meeting to discuss goals. Mr. Alonzo agreed and said the BOS should take a couple weeks to think about goals before they move forward with goals and evaluations. EXECUTIVE SESSION - Being no further business, Mr. Alonzo moved to enter into Executive session citing M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 21A (9), to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government's bargaining or litigating position, and the Chair so declares. Roll Call vote: Matthews - Aye, Bertram - Aye, Toale - Aye, Ebersole - Aye, & Alonzo - Aye Regular scheduled meeting ended at 8:13PM. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE May 14, 2013 - Workshop on Open Meeting Law May 21, 2013 Respectfully Submitted, Susan Doherty, Recording Secretary Board of Selectmen ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2013-05-14-agenda-4845.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2013-05-14 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2013-05-14-agenda-4845.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05142013-4845 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== BOARD OF SELECTMEN /g48/g68/g92/g3/g20/g23/g15/g3/g21/g19/g20/g22 7:00 PM – Town Hall Bilotta Meeting Room, Second Floor AGENDA 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS APPOINTMENTS 7:30 p.m. – Joel Bard, Open Meetings Law Seminar CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Building Reuse Committee 2. Minutes/ Warrants/ Action File Issues 3. Committee Report 4. Town Manager Reports or Department Reports APPOINTMENTS/ RE-APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS 1. Samantha J. Hudson, Reserve Police Officer EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Section 21A [9], to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining or litigating position, and the Chair so declares. UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULE May 21, 2013 June 4, 2013 June 11, 2013 June 18, 2013