# select-board — 6 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 : 2023-04-11-minutes-230.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2023-04-11 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2023-04-11-minutes-230.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04112023-230 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SELECT BOARD MINUTES April 11, 2023 Town Hall, 17 Main Street and via ZOOM Members present: Michael-Ray Jeffreys, Chairman; Tom Alonzo, Vice Chairman; Lou Franco, Clerk Member not present: Heather Sroka Also Present: Heather Lemieux, Town Manager; Rob Robinson, Mark Capedona; Fire Chief Patrick Sullivan, Ashley York-Aronovich, Ana Lockwood, Dave Passios, Karin Menard Chairman Jeffreys called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and asked everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Jeffreys announced in accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg public access channel and Facebook Live and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg public access YouTube channel within 24 hours after the meeting. The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at this meeting and are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. Votes may be taken as a result of these discussions. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by the Open Meeting Law. PUBLIC COMMENT: Ms. Lemieux read aloud a press release: IMPORTANT UPDATES RELATED TO FY 2023 REAL ESTATE TAXES On January 17, 2023, the Lunenburg Select Board voted to initiate an investigation as authorized by Section 3-2(e) of the Lunenburg Town Charter into the process that contributed to the FY23 property valuation and tax assessments. During this process the date the tax bills were mailed was investigated due to reports it may have been mailed after December 31, 2022. Due to documentation from the Postal Service that contradicts the Affidavit of Mailing from company that handles the mailing of the Town’s tax bills and their associated postage statements, it has been determined there is enough doubt for town officials to determine that tax bills may have been mailed after December 31, 2022. Based on this information it has been determined the Town will rely on the Postal Service date of processing, January 6, 2023, as the date of mailing for the third and fourth quarter tax bills. Following this determination, and per M.G.L. c. 59, Section 57C, the due date for the third and fourth quarter tax bills will be May 1, 2023 and no interest is due on the third quarter taxes between the period of February 1, 2023 and May 1, 2023. The Tax Collector will be adjusting any interest amounts or interest paid on tax payments that were made after the original February 1, 2023 deadline. Any interest on 3rd quarter tax bills paid after February 1, 2023 will be applied as a partial payment towards the fourth quarter tax payments. If both the third and fourth quarters have been paid and the adjustment of interest results in an overpayment based on the total amount due for the fiscal year, the Collector’s Office will initiate refunds after June 30, 2023. If you have questions related to your FY 2023 property tax bills, please contact the Tax Collector’s Office at (978) 582-4130. Under M.G.L. c. 59, Section 59, the Lunenburg Board of Assessors has voted that based on the reliance of a tax bill mailing that is later than December 31, 2022, the deadline for anyone who has not already submitted a tax abatement application is now May 1, 2023. Tax abatement applications can be found on the town website at: https://www.lunenburgma.gov/departments/assessors-office/real-estatepersonal-property-abatement-forms-procedure For anyone who has previously submitted a tax abatement application to the Board of Assessors and is approaching the 90-day deadline, the Assessor’s Office has mailed out extension form letters. The Board of Assessors, and the consultant the Town has hired to assist the Town in conducting all the necessary inspections and valuation recommendations to the Board of Assessors, is making all efforts to meet the 90-day deadline from the date the applicant filed the tax abatement request to the Assessors, but due to the sheer volume of applications, applications may require an extension in order not to be deemed denied. Written consent from property owners is required for extensions and the length of the extension is at the discretion of the property owner. The property owner also has the right to request more than one extension if the length of the first extension is not sufficient. Extension forms can be found on the town website at: https://www.lunenburgma.gov/departments/assessors-office/real-estatepersonal- property-abatement-forms-procedure Questions related to tax bill amounts due or interest amount adjustments should be directed to the Tax Collector’s ===PAGE 2=== Office at (978) 582-4130 x 2. Questions related to filing an abatement and extension requests should be directed to the Assessor’s Office at (978) 582-4130 x 5. APPOINTMENTS PJ Keating: Amendment to Earth Removal Permit #16 & discuss future development of the land involving current earth removal permits Rob Robinson, VP of Aggregates at P J Keating, stated the parcel was under Keating Land Holdings and the land was sold through them. The land was sold for construction of a distribution center located on Reservoir Road. We're looking to take that section out and you have the as-builts here as well, so we're looking to take that out of the actual permit but keep the surrounding permit in place. Motion: T. Alonzo 2nd: L. Franco To amend Earth removal permit #16 as presented by removing the land that was sold for the Lunenburg Central warehouse, ~34 acres, and keeping the remainder of the property under the Earth removal Permit Vote: All in Favor Meeting with Municipal Aggregation Broker Colonial Power Group re Municipal Aggregation Rate Amendment due to Clean Energy Standard Expansion Mark Capedona of Colonial Power Group was here to speak about a small increase coming to the program. As the result of a change in law, the Town of Lunenburg’s current aggregation rate will increase by $0.00128 per kWh effective with the May 2023 meter reads. The new rate (increasing from $0.11740 per kWh to $0.11868 per kWh) will be fixed through the remainder of the term, ending November 2024. Mr. Alonzo stated it’s been great working with your company and this partnership has been productive for our residents. Given the average usage of 600 kWh per month, the new aggregation rate represents an increase of $0.77 per month versus the current rate per customer. Mr. Capedona stated this increase will go into effect with the May meter readings and will be seen on the June bills. Mr. Jeffreys asked what percentage of the power is from renewable sources of energy. Mr. Capedona stated starting in 2023 the required renewables are 59.2%. The board thanked Mr. Capedona for coming in tonight. Meeting with the Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director Patrick Sullivan re: updated Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Chief Sullivan reported this plan was updated last May that you accepted. Tonight is a smaller update. The Town had gotten support from the UMass Collins Center to develop a continuity of operations plan for a major disaster. We started that in January of 2020 and like a lot of other things in life that went off the rails fairly quickly. A few months later after we had developed this plan, they reached back out to us. We reconnected and developed that plan and their suggestion was to add that plan into the comprehensive emergency management plan, so that's now section 21. It is basically a plan for if something affected a lot of department heads, management personnel, how we would keep things operating in town; what the chains are through each department stuff like that. We also added a little bit of language in the sheltering section that they suggested. On the update page, section three, there's a couple of typos that I found in there that I updated and changed also. Motion: T. Alonzo 2nd: L. Franco To accept the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan as presented Vote: All in Favor INTERVIEWS/APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS Appointment to Agricultural Commission as Associate- Ashley York-Aronovich- term to expire June 30, 2023 Ms. York-Aronovich stated she has already had an interest in agriculture. She is market farm manager and has attended an Agricultural Commission meeting. This appointment is only good until June when she will have to apply to be reappointed. Motion: T. Alonzo 2nd: L. Franco To appoint Ashley York-Aronovich to the Agricultural Commission with a term to expire June 30, 2023 ===PAGE 3=== Vote: All in Favor Ratification of the Town Manager’s Appointment of Heavy Equipment Operator Alex Page Ms. Lemieux noted Alex is from Lunenburg. He comes to us from the Town of Boxborough where he worked as a skilled laborer for about a year and a half prior to that his relatable experience was with the Town of Harvard where he worked for a year as a truck driver laborer. He was a graduate of Monty Tech from their automotive program and he comes fully licensed and with excellent recommendations. Motion: L. Franco 2nd: T. Alonzo To ratify the Town Manager’s appointment of Alex Page as Heavy Equipment Operator Vote: All in Favor Ratification of the Town Manager’s Appointment of Public Access Production Technician Eric Foster The second Town Manager appointment is of Public Access Production Technician Eric Foster. Eric is currently a videographer for public access and he is being recommended to be promoted to the production technician position because of his knowledge and experience in video production. The PAC Coordinator described him as an expert trainer and having keen camera skills, experience with the program server and the videographer meeting procedures. He also lives locally so he is available as situations arise which they sometimes do. Motion: L. Franco 2nd: T. Alonzo To ratify the Town Manager’s appointment of Eric Foster as Public Access Production Technician Vote: All in Favor Ms. Lemieux informed the board of the resignation of Building Commissioner Casey Burlingame. His last day will be the end of this week. There is an alternate covering temporarily while the position is being advertised. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Warrants The board signed an accounts payable warrant in the amount of $681,570.09; a payroll deductions warrant in the amount of $975,455.36 and a payroll warrant in the amount of $975,455.36. 2. Committee Reports Mr. Alonzo reported the Finance Committee met last week and voted on the remaining warrant articles. That had a financial impact. The senior tax relief article got an affirmative vote of approval. Mr. Franco reported the Council on Aging met this morning. Facilities Director Chris Ruth attended that meeting to discuss various projects relative to the buildings and grounds over there. Mr. Franco presented the senior tax relief warrant article to those attending. There will be a Covid vaccination clinic on Friday. The Eagle House Supporters’ clothing drive in conjunction with the Epilepsy Foundation is still going on at TC Passios Building on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to Noon. They have collected around 792 bags to date. This collection will end on April 28th. Mr. Jeffreys reported he and Mr. Franco met with some 8th grade civics classes at the middle/high school on Friday to go over how local government works. It appeared to go well as the students appeared engaged. After this Mr. Jeffreys met with School Supt. Kate Burnham and School Committee Chair Carol Archambault about initiatives they are taking with the school district. Meeting with Parks Commission on Funding Plan and ARPA Funding Request for Marshall Park Ana Lockwood called the Parks Commission meeting to order at 7:38 p.m. Ms. Lockwood presented a PowerPoint presentation that was given at town meeting but has since been updated. ARPA Funds & the Success of Marshall Park Renovation Project Select Board questions from the December meeting with Parks Commission: 1) How far will ARPA funds get the project? 2) Sources of funding for the remainder of the project • Combination of Public & Private Grants • ARPA Funds ===PAGE 4=== • General Fund Regular Debt 3) Grant information and deadlines Town General Fund Debt Policy: Cap of 4% for Net Regular Debt to Levy • If the Marshall Park renovation construction is fully debt funded by the town, $5.2 M, it would represent 1.68% of the levy • Our Policy: Cap of 14% for Aggregate Debt Service Costs to Total Levy • If the Marshall Park renovation construction is fully debt funded by the town, $5.2 M, it would represent 1.53% of total levy If ARPA and grant funds are used, these numbers will be lower. Cost Timeline The conceptual design has been created and paid for in the amount of $36,000. The property survey of about $18,000 has been completed. The schematic design, costing $45,000, has just begun and was funded at the last town meeting. We got a rough estimate for the next phase from the group that's doing this work, it'll probably be about the same amount which would be 50 000. There will be another phase in between which is the bidding and bid management that's not quoted here but we should have enough from what was funded last time at the fall town meeting. The last part of the presentation is the breakdown of the phases and what they are, but the way it was conceptualized was the first phase would be cost about $3.3 million and that's the bulk of the construction. That's where we are going to build a pavilion, two pickle ball courts, a basketball court, the playground and the biggest part of the parking which will be the entrance off Mass. Ave. Also within the pavilion there will be bathrooms. The second phase would be the 90 foot diamond along with the softball field and that's $1.5 million. The third phase would be the dog park with the path that's going through the woods through Marshall Pond with the overlook. The last little phase will be the overlook on Highland Street; kind of a little pocket park there and that's estimated at $86,000. As we go through the schematic design and start doing the engineering, the phases might get shifted around a little based on what's the best decision for engineering. Detailed Grant Information What makes a grant funding application attractive? • ARPA give us the funding needed to apply for matching grants without obstacles or delays • Project Merits: Multi-generational, accessible for all, adds multiple uses to a centrally located public park • Project Readiness: Shovel-ready projects receive higher marks • Community Support: Ability to show community support also receives higher marks • Having an approved Open Space and Recreation Plan Available Grants • Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program (LWCF) January 2024- Up to $1M for projects that have a significant impact on climate resiliency • Parkland Acquisitions & Renovations for Communities (PARC) Grant- June 2023-Up to $400K for communities that are larger than $35,000 residents or projects with more than 100 parking spaces, cannot be applied to same project as the LWCF grant • AARP Community Challenge-($15-$25K) January 20240 we would apply for this to fund the pickle ball courts • Municipal Americans with Disabilities Act Improvement- August 2023 - (Up to $250K) - playground, walking path, parking lot • MassTrails Grant-November 2023- (Up to $60K)- Trails leading to a viewing dock at Marshall Pond • The Stanton Foundation-(open timeline) – ($100K- $250K)- Dog Park • USDA Loans & Grants (open timeline) - (No Maximum amount) Bathrooms, Water & Sewer Connections ===PAGE 5=== Phases & Costs PHASE 1 $3.3 million • Parking for 94 vehicles with lot wide enough for emergency vehicles • ADA compliant walkway to park • Basketball Court • Pickle ball Courts • Pavilion • Bathrooms • Concession Stand / Restroom Building • Universally accessible playground PHASE 2 $1.48 million • Parking for 38 cars off Chestnut Street • Upgrades and reorientation of the 90' Baseball field and Softball field • ADA compliant walking paths PHASE 3 $270,000 • Dog Park • 4 foot wide walking path to Marshall Pond • Overlook/Platform toward southern end of Marshall Pond PHASE 4 $86,000 • Pocket park along Highland St. • Overlook/Platform on northern end of Marshall Pond • Small Parking lot for a couple of cars The board thanked Ms. Lockwood for the presentation. Mr. Alonzo asked what amount of ARPA funding is uncommitted. Ms. Lemieux stated $2.3 million. ARPA funds must be committed by December 31, 2024 and spent by December 31, 2026. Ms. Lockwood stated her best case scenario would be breaking ground next summer after baseball season. Construction to completion would take 18 months; breaking ground by 2024 and completion by 2026. Discussion about the grant application process and deadlines for applying. Ms. Menard noted that their April 19th meeting is a community meeting with WOLA via ZOOM and we are starting the schematic phase. This will be the first of two or three community meetings. The Parks Commission reported they are continuing on with their Earth Day projects and it's been very successful so far. Last week the Cub Scouts helped work on Veterans Park; we had two groups working at the Lane Property (Holman Street) removing invasive plants. This coming weekend we have more projects, we're going to be cleaning up around the Town Pound, then the week after is Wallace Park. More information is on the town website, Town Facebook page and also the Parks and Recreation page. The Parks Commission adjourned their meeting at 8:14 P.M. TOWN MANAGER REPORT Announcement on Existing Vacancies The following is a list of current vacancies on the following committees: • Lunenburg 300th Anniversary Committee (1 vacancy) • Finance Committee (1 vacancy) • Green Communities Committee ( 1 Associate vacancy) • Open Space Committee (1 member at large) • Personnel Committee (1 vacancy) • Zoning Board of Appeals (1 Associate vacancy) • Interested persons can find Volunteer Forms on the town website and completed forms can be sent to the Select Board office. Anyone that has any questions on volunteer opportunities can contact the Select Board's Office at (978) 582-4130 x 144. ===PAGE 6=== Ms. Lemieux reported on the Historical Commission membership; the way the bylaw reads is membership is up to seven member positions and they've always operated at five. They have contacted me about this because they don't want a seven member person committee, they operate well at the five members, so I think the best thing to do is a bylaw change to make it five members. The other two positions will not be advertised at this point. Current Employment Opportunities with the Town The following is a list of current employment opportunities with the Town: • Assistant to the Sewer Business Manager (24 hrs./wk) • Building Commissioner (36 hrs/wk) • Asst. Town Accountant (32 hrs/wk) • Digital Services Staff Librarian (20 hours/week) • Library Assistant (19 hours/week) • Police Offi cer (40 hours/week) • Seasonal Lifeguards (Seasonal) • Beach Director (Seasonal) • Videographer (2-10 hours/week) Status on Becoming "Age Friendly" Community Similar to becoming a Dementia Friendly Community, the COA Director, Land Use Director, Parks Chair, Library Director, Police Chief, and I have been working towards becoming Age Friendly. Our regional planning agency was assisting us this fall and where we left off with them has required the COA Director and me to regroup and try to get this over the finish line. The COA Director is working on the application and I will put together our commitment letter that accompanies the application to AARP. We hope to get this submitted over the next couple of weeks. Town Website Updates and Social Media: The new IT Administrative Assistant, Kara McCarthy, has been cleaning up the town website pages to make them more uniform. She has completed all the individual department pages and is now going through the Board/Committee pages. Kara and Casey from Suzor IT will be leading the migration to our new website through CivicPlus, which should take approximately 4-6 months. Kara also has been added to the Town Facebook page as an editor and has created a new town Instagram account called townoflunenburgma . 30 School Street Hazardous Abatement and Demolition The 30 School Street project has been progressing and the hazardous abatement is complete. Today the architect let the Facilities Director know that the Board of Health has put a hold on the demolition permit due to the old septic system. The BOH wants the town to remove it before they let the permit go through. The Facilities Director will be speaking to the BOH agent tomorrow. Ms. Lemieux provided an update related to Facilities/Grounds and Parks. The Facilities Director has been working on getting quotes to replace the water heater at the public safety building that is leaking. He will be proceeding with a contractor and that total project will be under $10,000. The Senior Center patio project will be put out to bid starting tomorrow and bids will be due on May 1st. The backstop at Marshall Park was damaged due to the last snowstorm and he's already had a contractor in place, I think maybe installed already and will include a pulley system so it'll be able to be taken down every season. The second floor of the building at McNally was demolished and there are some small minor repairs being made to the remaining structure. At 30 School Street all the utilities have been disconnected, the hazardous abatement has been completed and there were records that were still remaining in the building that the Town Clerk wanted to preserve so the Facilities Director worked with a contractor and those records were removed and they're cleaning them and we'll be storing them at our location at TCP. Meetings, Events, and Other Announcements: • The Finance Committee has a public hearing on the budget and articles on the ATM warrant on April 20, 2023 at 7 PM at Town Hall. • The Annual Town Meeting is Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 9 AM at the Lunenburg Middle/High School. • The Annual Town Election is Saturday, May 20, 2023 7 AM-5 PM at TCP. ===PAGE 7=== Ms. Lemieux reported the Assistant Town Manager, Payroll Coordinator, MIIA and I have all been working on doing a benefit and health seminar for all Town employees which includes school employees as well. That is going to be May 9th at the Middle/High school cafeteria. We are looking forward to that because I don't think the town has done one before. Status update on Capital Plan Projects from FY23 and prior Ms. Lemieux began with FY21; the highlighted yellow projects are all the projects that tally up to the unexpended capital amount being applied to the fiscal 24 Capital plan. Those are all projects closing out; there are some remaining amounts that there's a little bit of work that needs to be done around the fuel tanks, a little paving work that needs to be done, so the DPW has asked to retain that amount. The master plan amount of $50,000 is fully committed towards the Master Plan. The portable radio amount is being retained for now. It is our policy with amounts within the same fiscal year that if a project is over, we could use that remaining balance towards another project. We are going to going out to bid again on the carport reconfiguration project. Last time it was put out was during Covid, so prices were astronomical during that time; it came in at almost $300 000. We will try again and see what the market is like now. If we need to we can apply any of that portable radio money towards that. That's why it's being retained. The kitchen remodel project at the Senior Center is slated for the fall with Monty Tech. The remodel project at the Ritter Building is complete, so that's the balance of that project. FY2005-FY21 CP Fiscal year Dept. Project Name Appropriation Current Balance Notes FY 2005 Sewer Engineer and Construct Sewers $ 1,215,000.00 $ 440.17 Original vote was borrowing; closing out as unexpended borrowing FY 2014 Historical Chimney Repair - Town Hall - Historical Commission $ 5,575.00 $ 5,575.00 Advertising 1/11/23, Bids Due 2/23/23 FY 2016 Infrastructure Intersection Reconfiguration, Plan & Implementation $ 40,850.00 $ 8,800.26 Closing out and will be available for FY24 Capital Plan at ATM FY 2017 Police Police Department - Bullet Proof Vests $ 17,500.00 $ 17.67 Closing out and will be available for FY24 Capital Plan at ATM FY 2017 DPW Townsend Harbor Bridge $ 15,000.00 $ 5,100.00 Closing out and will be available for FY24 Capital Plan at ATM FY 2020 Police Patrol Rifles & Shotguns - Police Department $ 16,000.00 $ 1,034.00 Closing out and will be available for FY24 Capital Plan at ATM FY 2020 DPW Fuel Tanks $ 220,000.00 $ 1,887.00 FY 2020 Planning Master Plan $ 50,000.00 Will be used in conjunction with the additional FY23 CP funding for Masterplan to complete all chapters. Total project $153K, using all of th e $43,090 FY 2021 Police Portable Radios $ 45,000.00 $ 16,132.90 Project complete; either available towards other capital in FY21 or available for FY24 Capital Plan at ATM FY 2021 Facilities Carport Reconfiguration - Public Safety Building $ 135,000.00 $ 135,000.00 When bid in FY21 low bid was $298,750. Decided to hold off due to market. Now that Chiller is complete, Asst TM & Facilities Director will be rebidding soon. FY 2021 Facilities Kitchen Remodel - Senior Center $ 22,000.00 $ 20,615.00 Monty Tech will be making the new cabinets for this project but due to their schedule cannot begin until next school year. FY 2021 Facilities Kitchen Remodel - Ritter Building $ 12,000.00 $ 320.70 Project complete. $ 1,793,925.00 $ 194,922.70 11% Unexpended Capital to be Reappropriated $ 14,951.93 Ms. Lemieux moved on to the FY22 Capital Project Status. FY2022 Capital Plan CIP# Dept. Project Name Appropriati on Balanc e Status FD21- 01 Fire Turnout Gear 100,000.00 - Complete PD16- 07 Police Bulletproof Vests, 29 Officers 17,500.00 1,594.98 Complete; reserving for Ritter and Town Hall projects on FY22 Capital DPW17 -07 Highw ay 6-Wheel Dump, plow & sand/Repl.2005 International 211,000.00 1,164.00 Ordered 9/22; Est Delivery changed from fall of 2023 to Jan. 2024 FM17- 05 Town Faciliti es PSB, Chiller Replacement 150,000.00 5,954.00 Installation of Chiller complete; remaining invoice to be processed NFRA2 0-0 Highw ay Flat Hill Culvert Construction 428,500.00 394,210. 00 DPW/Engineer working on securing all easements. Will be put out to bid in spring 2023, Construction Fall of 2023 PD17- 02- B Police Police Vehicle, Marked Replacement 66,950.00 2,259.72 Complete; reserving for Ritter and Town Hall projects on FY22 Capital LPS20- 01 School s THES Exterior Envelope Repairs 67,000.00 - Complete; reserving for Ritter and Town Hall projects on FY22 Capital FM20- 03 Town Faciliti es Ritter, ADA Ramp Construction 127,500.00 127,500. 00 Facilities Director secured architect to update specifications, represent before APDC. Drawings estimated to be done by end o f April. FM21- 02 Town Faciliti es Town Hall Repairs- Vertex Year Items 2,3,5,6 69,425.00 59,975.0 0 Received 1 bid on 2/23/23 for approximately $300K ===PAGE 8=== NFRA2 1-0 Highw ay Page Street Survey/Design/Pe rmit 20,000.00 - Final Design plans and contract specs 90% complete FM21- 03 Town Faciliti es Ritter, Envelope Repair Projects in Vertex#6-12 120,000.00 115,910. 00 Facilities Director secured architect to update specifications, represent before APDC. Drawings estimated to be done by end o f April. PD20- 02 Police Police Vehicle, Marked Replacement 66,950.00 2,259.72 Complete; reserving for Ritter and Town Hall projects on FY22 Capital FM16- 05 Town Faciliti es PSB, Replace Carpet 1st Floor 55,000.00 55,000.0 0 Facilities Director secured architect to draw up specs Will put out to bid as soon as complete. FM21- 08 Town Faciliti es Marshall Park Masterplan 50,000.00 Conceptual Design Complete; $13,377 left from phase 1 will be used on schematic DPW21 -02 Highw ay 3/4 Ton Pickup with Plow 48,000.00 - Received Jan 2023 and now on the road. Total Capital Plan 1,597,825.0 0 765,827. 42 48% The highlighted projects are ones that are completed and those amounts could go towards any expended amounts. The chiller project minus about $1200 is complete, so that balance can go towards other projects. For the Flat Hill culvert construction project, right now we're working on all the easements with those abutting property owners and as soon as those are signed off on that can be put out to bid. Those specifications have been completed by our engineer. The Facility Director has secured an architect for the Ritter ADA ramp construction project, also related to the Ritter envelope repair project and the window project. The drawings are expected to be complete by the end of the month. The Town Hall repair project that we received one bid on February 23rd and was it approximately $300,000 for all the work for that project. That is on hold and will be reassessed by the Facilities Director and how to move forward. The Public Safety carpet project will be going out to bid shortly. The Facilities Director has secured architect for that project as well. Ms. Lemieux moved on to the Status of Fiscal Year 2023 Capital Projects: s FY2023 Capital Plan CIP# Dept. Project Name Appropriation Balance Notes INFRA21- 02 Infrastructure Page Street Culvert Construction $ 150,000.00 $ 146,289.37 Anticipated to be put out to bid in spring 2023; Construction to start summer 2023 DPW17- 08 DPW 10-Wheel, plow & sand Repl. 1994 Mack $ 250,000.00 $ - Ordered 9/22; Est. Delivery changed from fall of 2023 to March 2024 FM22-01 Infrastructure PSB Engineering Design for Drainage $ 25,000.00 $ 25,000.00 New Facilities Director will need to assess and whether concurs with previous that not needed. FM22-04 Facilities Senior Center, HVAC Upgrades $ 25,000.00 $ 25,000.00 New Facilities Director will need to assess GG22-01 Planning Boar Master Plan $ 110,000.00 $ 90.00 Contract awarded for $153K, using all but $90 of the $110K from this capital article DPW22- 03 DPW Two Way Radio System $ 35,000.00 $ 3,715.54 Ordered; Est. Delivery April 2023. PD22-01 Police Canine Replacement $ 24,250.00 $ 24,250.00 Officer Jack Wagner will be new K-9 handler; beginning process of procuring K-9 PD20-03 Police Police Marked Ford Interceptor Hybrid - Addition to Fleet $ 62,000.00 $ 13,388.00 Ordered 9/22; Delivered in March and needs to be upfitted. FM19-05 Facilities Town Hall Repairs- Vertex Year 2 Items 7-11 & 13 $ 96,000.00 $ 96,000.00 Need specifications drawn up by architect/engineering firm INFRA21- 05 Infrastructure Flat Hill Road Drainage Study $ 45,000.00 $ 40,197.00 McCarty Engineering submitted report of drainage study findings; Rec'd Village Trustees response to McCarty recommendations LPS19-05 Schools One Ton Dump Truck with Plow $ 58,833.00 $ - Ordered; Est. Delivery January 2023 GG22-02 Town Manage Records Retention $ 62,500.00 $ 62,500.00 Working on RFP DPW21- 01 DPW Utility Tractor/Rotary Mower Combo $ 170,000.00 $ - Ordered 9/22; Est. Delivery changed from May/June 2023 to April/May 2023 INFRA22- 03 Facilities Marshall Park Survey $ 25,000.00 $ 7,300.00 Project complete ===PAGE 9=== FM21-05 Facilities Senior Center, Vertex Items #4, 7 (1998 Roof Replacement) $ 35,661.00 $ 35,661.00 Need specifications drawn up by architect/engineering firm DPW17- 09 DPW One Ton Dump Truck with Plow $ 58,000.00 $ - Ordered 8/22; Est. Delivery end of April 2023 LPS19-10 Schools Mower $ 45,000.00 $ - Ordered FM21-06 Facilities Brooks House-Vertex Items #3, #4 Foundation $ 24,000.00 $ 24,000.00 New Facilities Director will need to assess PD16-14- 2 Police Police Marked Ford 150 Responder - Addition to fleet $ 67,805.00 $ 14,978.00 Ordered 9/22; Rec'd 4/6/23 and being upfitted. FM19- 08A Facilities Old Primary- Vertex Haz. Matls Abatement $ 371,000.00 $ 371,000.00 Awarded bid to Costello Dismantling; work expected to be complete by 5/8/23 FM17- 16B Facilities Senior Center, Install Generator $ 90,000.00 $ 90,000.00 Facilities Director working with electrical engineer and getting quotes. FM22-03 Facilities Senior Center, Outdoor ADA Patio $ 100,000.00 $ 100,000.00 Out to bid 4/12/23 due 5/1/23 LPS19-3- B Schools AC for Classrooms at Primary School $ 232,800.00 $ 232,800.00 On hold; School reassessing project after new estimates $ 2,162,849.00 $ 1,312,168.91 61% Ms. Lemieux began with the Page Street culvert construction; that is close to being complete as far as the specifications. The DPW director has been going back and forth with McCarty Engineering on those specifications, so that's getting closer. For the Public Safety building engineering design project, the Facilities Director still needs to assess whether that's needed; it was the assessment of the last Facilities Director that it wasn't needed, so I’d like his input as well before we abandon that. The Senior Center HVAC upgrades; the Facilities Director will need to work on that. He's been getting a lot done. For the Master Plan project, the balance remaining is $90.00. The two-way radio system for the DPW was ordered and the estimated delivery is April, so it should be any time now. There is no update on the canine replacement; Officer Jack Wagner is a new canine handler. The Ford Hybrid Cruiser is in and that's being upfitted. The other Town Hall repairs project needs specifications drawn up by an architect. We have a meeting on the 25th with all the stakeholders concerning the Flat Hill Road drainage study. The 1 ton dump truck for the schools was ordered and delivered. For the records retention, I'm working on an Request for Proposals (RFP). The utility tractor/rotary mower combo was ordered in September and the estimated delivery has been moved to April/May. The Marshall Park survey is complete and those funds will be used towards the work that WOLA and Meridian will do, so those are committed. The Senior Center roof replacement will need specifications, so the Facilities Director has that on his list. The 1 ton dump truck with plow was ordered and delivered in April and the mower for the schools was ordered. I don’t know if that was delivered yet. The Facilities Director will need to assess the Brooks House project as well for the foundation work. I was happened to be at the public safety building the day the Police Ford F-150 was delivered, so I got to see it first hand and Sergeant Tocci is working on the upfitting for that vehicle. The old Primary School hazardous materials abatement project was awarded to Costello Dismantling and that's expected to be done by no later than May 8th. The Facilities Director had an electrical engineer come in for the Senior Center generator project and that will be going out to bid shortly. I gave an update on the ADA patio tonight and those bids are due May 1st, and the AC at the classrooms for the Primary school we should be receiving correspondence from the schools on that. They would like to proceed with kind of like an alteration of that original plan. Discussion ensued about deviating from the original plan. Discussion on Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, Capital Plan, Annual Town Meeting Warrant articles, and Consent Calendar Ms. Lemieux reported there was an unpaid bill of $4000 from last fiscal year received today from Central Mass Storm water Coalition that has to be added to the warrant; this will come from free cash. This will increase the ===PAGE 10=== amount of free cash that we are using towards the budget which includes overlay, the capital plan stabilization, special purpose stabilization, OPEB, that prior year expense and the Historical Commission warrant article. Ms. Lemieux noted she has put together a list of non-controversial articles for the Consent Calendar. Article 1 we typically include in the consent calendar, but this year the Finance Committee didn't submit a report in the Town Meeting booklet. They discussed that their report would go into the Annual Report but the Annual Report is a one-year delay. So the thought I had today was maybe they could discuss the report under Article 1 which we typically just pass over. Articles that I am recommending to put in the Consent Calendar are: Article 2 - Revolving Funds article Article 3- the prior year expense as long as both Finance and Select Board think that's not an issue. Article 10- Stabilization Fund article Article 11- Special Purpose Stabilization Fund article Article 12- Town and Sewer OPEB deposits Article 15- Sewer Capital Reserve Stabilization Article 16- Solid Waste Disposal Program Enterprise Account Article 17- Water Enterprise Article 18- Public Access Enterprise Article 19- Cemetery Lots Sales of Cemetery lots account for $10,000 Article 20 - the Historical Commission's historic homes survey of $25,000 The board members had no issues with these articles being in the Consent Calendar. Mr. Jeffreys noted the upcoming meetings: April 25, May 2, May 6t (ATM), May 9, May 16, May 20 (ATE), May 23. PUBLIC COMMENT: Ms. Lemieux stated the goal of my public comment tonight is that I hope it will clear up some misinformation that has been mentioned both publicly and what I have been told. Comments have been made that I put a gag order on employees and that this was construed as I am either not being helpful or not allowing employees to do their job or that I was covering up something. I believe this stems from an email that I sent back on Thursday January 19th after the January 17th meeting held on the tax assessment issue at the middle/high school. I am aware that email that I sent to town employees was circulated to people who are not Town employees. I will read from that email for the rest of the public who has not seen it. “Good afternoon, at the Select Board’s meeting on January17th, the board addressed concerns related to the tax assessments at length and ultimately voted to proceed with the inquiry into an investigation of the matter pursuant to section 3-2, section e of the Town Charter. This email was to notify employees that the Town is not presently in a position to comment substantially due to the pending investigation. Employees are to direct all questions to the Chairman of the Select Board, Michael Ray Jeffreys and I and are not to comment on the matter. The Town through the Select Board will make every effort to share new information with the public as it becomes available. Sincerely, Heather” This was not a gag order for employees not to continue to do their jobs, but it was intended to notify employees that there was an investigation into this matter and communications about the investigation would be channeled through the principal investigator Chairman Jeffreys and myself. Just to add some more context to the situation at that time in the days following the January 17th meeting, we had the media calling our offices, approaching employees outside of Town Hall, including employees that didn't even work in the Assessor's Office. This was in no way intended that employees could not continue to do their jobs. I also want to clear up the misinformation that I directed the Board of Assessors that they could not handle the abatements. I had no such conversations with the Assessors individually or collectively. It has been known early on that due to the number of abatement applications expected that we would need to hire an outside consultant to conduct inspections and provide recommendations on abatement applications. This was discussed publicly at Select Board meetings. The board voted publicly to allocate funding from ARPA towards ===PAGE 11=== the investigation which included the cost to hire this consultant. It has also been stated publicly that requests for proposals were sent out once with no response and it was re-advertised. This was all done to support the Board of Assessors and getting through the over 400 abatement applications. I never stated nor insinuated or had a conversation with any of the assessors or staff that the assessors could not handle abatements. I've also said publicly that I have no jurisdiction over the Board of Assessors nor does the Principal Assessor nor does the Select Board; they are an elected body accountable to the voters. As I stated at the January 10th meeting I am sympathetic to the affected taxpayers and that I would help guide taxpayers through the process by relaying important information and seeking answers to your questions. To say this has been a difficult last three months is an understatement; a constant flow of foot traffic, emails, phone calls and follow-up was required of the Assessor's office, especially during those first few weeks. Our office was inundated with emails, various public records requests, countless hours have been spent assisting with the investigation, working with the relevant staff that is constantly being asked to provide answers to questions. All of this in addition to the normal daily/weekly/ annual responsibilities. My staff and I understand the urgency of the situation in individual situations. I ask the public to understand that we want to provide accurate, good information to questions and any important updates that may need to be addressed. This may not meet the expectations that information should be immediately available, it takes staff time and other competing priorities. Mr. Alonzo announced on Friday, April 28th at the Lunenburg Middle/High School auditorium it will be the Ninth Annual “Are You Smarter than a Sixth Grader,” Fundraiser for the Lunenburg Boys and Girls Club. I am absolutely thrilled to be back as host for this for the ninth year in this role. He encouraged everyone to attend this fun event. Mr. Jeffreys announced the board would be entering Executive Session. Motion: M. Jeffreys 2nd: T. Alonzo To enter into Executive Session and adjourn immediately following pursuant to MGL c. 30, Section 21, Paragraph 3, to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining, where an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining position and the Chair so declares. (Fire Union) Vote: Mr. Franco-aye, Mr. Alonzo-aye, Mr. Franco- aye *******************EXECUTIVE SESSION MINUTES ARE SEPARATE****************** The meeting adjourned at 8:58 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elaine M. Peterson Executive Assistant to the Town Manager ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-04-25-agenda-227.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2023-04-25 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2023-04-25-agenda-227.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04252023-227 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SELECT BOARD Tuesday, April 25, 2023 7:00 PM AGENDA Bilotta Meeting Room, Town Hall In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg Public Access channel, on FacebookLive on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be uploaded to the LunenburgAccess YouTube after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://zoom.us/j/9091740347 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 909-174- 0347 # If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e-mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Tele phone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at the meeting and are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. Votes may be taken as a result of these discussions. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by Open Meeting Law. 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE I. PUBLIC COMMENT***  BOARD  PUBLIC II. ANNOUNCEMENTS III. COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER BOARDS IV. APPOINTMENTS 7:10 PM Meeting with Auditors Powers & Sullivan re: FY 2022 Audit 7:30 PM Flat Hill Road Drainage discussion V. INTERVIEWS/APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS  Appointment to 300th Anniversary Committee- Laura Brzozoski, 21 Francis Ave.  Ratification of Town Manager’s Appointment of Seasonal Beach Director Elizabeth Simeone and Seasonal Lifeguards -Paige Gengler, Ethan Gengler, Jarrod Bowser, Mason Bowser, Ean Laundree, Nicholas Coronella VI. TOWN MANAGER REPORT VII. OLD BUSINESS 1. Discussion on Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, FY 2024 Capital Plan, and Annual Town Meeting Warrant articles; Votes may be taken VIII. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Approval of Minutes of February 21 & February 28, 2023 ===PAGE 2=== 2. Warrants/Action Items 3. Committee Reports IX. UPCOMING MEETING/EVENTS SCHEDULE May 2nd, May 6th (ATM), May 9th, May 16th, May 20th (ATE), May 23rd X. PUBLIC COMMENT***  TOWN MANAGER  PUBLIC  BOARD XI. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Motion to enter into Executive Session and to adjourn the meeting after exiting Executive Session: Pursuant to MGL c. 30, Section 21, Paragraph 3, to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining, where an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining position and the Chair so declares. i. (Fire Union); ii. (Public Employee Agreement). XI. ADJOURN *** Per Policy, Public comment is limited to 15 minutes, with no more than 3 minutes per speaker except at the discretion of the Chairperson. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-04-25-minutes-227.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2023-04-25 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2023-04-25-minutes-227.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_04252023-227 ======================================================================================== ===OCR macOS Vision=== ===PAGE 1=== Vice Chairman Alonzo called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and asked everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Alonzo announced in accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg public access channel and Facebook Live and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg public access YouTube channel within 24 hours after the meeting. He provided the ZOOM link for those who would like to participate remotely. The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at this meeting and are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. Votes may be taken as a result of these discussions. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by the Open Meeting Law. PUBLIC COMMENT: It was noted by Ms. Lemieux that longtime resident John Henshaw had passed away on April 11' Henshaw had volunteered for the town, serving on the Finance Committee and Capital Planning Committee and participating in other community events. He will be missed. Mr. Alonzo concurred, stating he was very active in the community and a personal friend Mr. Alonzo reminded all of the Lunenburg Boys & Girls Club fundraiser, "Are You Smarter than a Sixth Grader," coming up this Friday, April 28th. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at the middle/high school auditorium and encouraged all to attend. Thomas Laford, 53 Pleasant Street, proposed naming the Town beach house after long-time resident, Genevieve Nass, who passed away in November of last year. He was directed to the Parks Commission who are the caretakers of the property. Mark Bursch, Lunenburg Water District Chair, provided an update on the PFAs issue. The EPA is meeting next month to discuss lowering their allowable limits in water from 20 parts per trillion to 4 parts per trillion and are considering a three year compliance period. We need to be concerned from a health perspective as it has been found to cause many health problems. This is a high priority for the water district. The main concern is ingestion. APPOINTMENTS Meeting with Auditors Powers & Sullivan re: FY 2022 Audit Frank Serretti began by thanking the Town Manager, Finance Director, Treasurer/Collector and the rest of the financial team for their cooperation and timeliness in getting information to the auditors. The audit went very smoothly and they appreciated all the assistance. Mr. Serretti stated our responsibility is to plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable but not absolute assurance that the financial statements are free of material misstatement and are fairly stated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Management is responsible for the selection and use of accounting principles. There were no new accounting policies adopted this year and the application of existing policies was not changed. We had no difficulties with management while performing the audit. The preliminary audit work was completed in early June and then we returned for our year end work in mid- October. The overall results of the audit were that we were able to issue an unmodified opinion on the financial statements. That means that they're fairly stated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. All the reporting deadlines were met, the information that we received was accurate. As I mentioned all of our ===PAGE 2=== The Stabilization Funds and your General Stabilization Fund totals $2.6 million; that's up about $100,000 from the prior year; the Zoning Stabilization fund totals $231,000, consistent with what it was in the prior year. The Vehicle and Equipment Stabilization fund totaled $1.5 million; that was up about $300,000 from the prior year and you established a new Health Insurance Stabilization fund and that had $373,000 in it at the end of the year. The Town is doing a great job setting aside reserves for these various needs and your real estate and personal property tax collections came in at over 99% of the commitment, which is a great collection rate. Regarding the General Fund, your operations resulted in an $852,000 increase in the fund balance; your revenues came in over budget by $1.6 million dollars, mainly related to tax liens which are unbudgeted. That was about $585,000. Penalties and interest were $307,000 over. Intergovernmental revenues were $238,000 over and motor vehicle revenues were $151,000. Your expenditures came in under budget by $754,000. That's conservative budgeting and that's what leads to building up healthy reserves so that you can address some of these unexpected things such as the pandemic and other things. Those increases were offset by the use of $1.5 million used to balance the FY22 budget. The budgetary results indicate that you have a structurally sound budget process and you have good budgetary controls in place. The Town contributed another $181,000 to the Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Trust Fund in FY 22. The trust fund ended the year with the net position of $652,000, so you're starting to accumulate a decent sized balance in the fund. Although this year you actually had a net investment loss of $118,000 which is consistent with what we've been seeing in our other communities with the downturn of the market. Your net OPEB liability totaled $50.8 million; that was a $14.8 million decrease from the prior year and your discount rate increased from 2.75% to 4.76% and that's the main driver of that decrease in the liability. Your discount rate is really impacted by the double A 20-year municipal bond rate and that's been going up as the FED has been increasing rates. As a result of these rates going up, your rate is also a blended rate which takes into account the money that you're setting aside in your trust fund. As you build up more money there and you have a policy in place, they'll also look at the long-term rate of return that you can earn on the funds that you've set aside and that will also increase your discount rate over time. As far as the net pension liability related to the Worcester County Regional Retirement System; this is for town and any school employees that don't qualify to be in the Mass Teachers Retirement System. The liability there was $17.4 million and that was a decrease of $2.4 million from the prior year. That liability is about 56% funded right now and that was an increase of 6% from the prior year. The discount rate went down by 7.25% which is more conservative, that's the trend with the discount rate on the retirement systems over time. The PERAC (public retirement administration commission) has been recommending that the retirement systems reduce those rates; they just feel that 7.5% is a little bit on the high side. Even though that rate went down typically the liability would go up, but the retirement system has a 12/31 year end and the investments were still performing well at that point. That's what caused the decrease in the liability. Federal Awards: Entities that expend more than $750,000 a year in federal funds are required to have an audit. The town expended $1.9 million during 2022. $808,000 of that was for the school lunch program and another $556,000 was related to COVID funding for the education stabilization fund grants. Another $299,000 was related to the special education program and there was $282,000 related to other federal funds. We were required to test compliance on the Child Nutrition cluster; we didn't have any findings, we didn't have any question on costs and we were able to issue an unmodified opinion on the program. ===PAGE 3=== those off on a timely basis and having policies and procedures in place to be followed to improve collections and have timelier write-offs. The Select Board adopted a policy on June 14, 2022 and those procedures are currently being put into place, so the last two comments should be fully resolved. From our standpoint it was a very good audit with very good results; financial position is very strong for the town, great progress on the management letter, no concerns from our standpoint. Mr. Alonzo thanked the Town Manager and Finance Director and their team for all their hard work which shows up in the audits. He also thanked Mr. Serretti for his audit report. Flat Hill Road Drainage Discussion Ms. Lemieux reported this is a follow-up item from previous ongoing discussions. She noted there has been work done and meetings with our consultant, Brian Marchetti of McCarty Engineering. He did a study for the town that was partially funded through town meeting and we had a meeting with the Trustees at Flat Hill to discuss those results. The DPW Director and the Land Use Director were present as well. Mr. Marchetti stated he did some preliminary investigations up and down Flat Hill. We had the right-of-way surveyed, we did some test pits along the shoulders of the road trying to figure out if there are areas within the town's right away where we could try to collect, intercept and infiltrate the runoff that's been problematic. The preliminary findings of those investigations showed that groundwater on the shoulders of the road was high. We did test pits and it was about 12 inches to 18 inches below grade, so it didn't bode well for us to have a solution within the right of way. We looked at the actual drainage within the subdivision; the detention basins, the infiltration basins, we did site inspections at different times of year to try to determine from where this runoff was coming. It was evident during springtime there was a lot of runoff flowing straight over the grassy areas into the roadway. There was runoff exiting the detention basins through their outlet structures towards the right of way. We went back last fall and I was did an in-depth study of the actual subdivision approval back in the 1990s/2000s. I reviewed the plans, drainage calculations, all requirements that were supposed to be followed at the time. All of the documents that the town had were in compliance with industry standard, so nothing was designed inappropriately. I found documentation that there was flooding in that location before the subdivision was built and flooding was exacerbated after it was constructed. So what can we do at this point! Maintenance of the existing storm water best management practices, and cleaning the catch basins. Are they functioning properly? Have the infiltration basins located at both entrances to Cortland Circle been maintained? They still have the same volume that was designed at the time when it was installed. Those basins if not maintained, collect a lot of sediment which affects storage capacity. When we were out there I noted in the outlet control structure that there wasn't much water in the basin, but it was flowing so it seemed there was groundwater infiltrating from underneath the structure. A low flow pipe in that outlet appeared to be separated, so water was seeping through cracks that probably shouldn't have been. Due to the groundwater situation, being able to detain it somewhere is really the only way to collect this and let it release it slowly somewhere else. But we can't just move it downstream to somebody else's backyard. He noted the drainage system is on private land of the Trustees of Flat Hill, and based on what I saw, maintenance was required. The inlet pipes were partially buried which tells me that a lot of sediment has built up in the basin. The maintenance that I saw according to their inspection reports was just vegetation clearing, mowing the banks, cleaning the bottom of the basin out; that's not restoring the flood capacity of the basin or taking all that silt and material that's built up over 15-20 years. Digging it out to restore that volume in the pond would go a long way. ===PAGE 4=== situation, but not completely eliminate it. Mr. Marchetti stated yes. Marchetti stated we could not find the source of the groundwater. The ultimate way to fix the problem is to collect it, pipe it underground and put it somewhere else. But there's simply no easy location to do that. Ned Pratt, Paul Sarapsas and Sleu Soukamnuth introduced themselves as trustees of the Flat Hill Homeowner's Association. Mr. Pratt noted that no trustee was present when the town did the walk through. He added he met with neighbors Susan Whalen and Matt Allison who provided information about the history of the flooding of the area. He stated the Village at Flat Hill wanted to be good neighbors and they are in the process of getting bids of cleaning the structures and future maintenance. They would like to work with the town to find a permanent solution. Chris St. Germaine, 268 Flat Hill Road, stated he has a grandfathered buildable 2 acre lot with 50 feet of frontage. Behind him is another 2 acre lot where the runoff is occurring as well. He asked Mr. Marchetti if someone built on that, is that going to make the situation worse? Marchetti responded the builder would have to control the storm water runoff. Mr. Burney added there are other requirements as well. Susan Whalen, 377 Flat Hill Road, asked if that lot could be used to detain water on it. That question could not be answered without further research David Melvin, 655 Page Street, asked if a geological survey had been done. He expressed frustration at several studies being done over the years and no action being taken. Chris Menard, 672 Page Street, stated taking no action causes the storm water to end up in Beaver Brook which is against EPA regulations. Mr. Marchetti reiterated that you can't send water rushing downhill, it has to be detained and released slowly so it doesn't become someone else's problem. The roadblock for this issue is you need a detention area and there is none available in that area. Susan Whalen asked if a hydrological or a topological has been performed. Marchetti stated at the time a topographical study was suggested for understanding the watershed system but after reviewing town records he did not see the need. Karin Menard, stated the people on Page Street are being affected by a new development's drainage system put in on the corner of Watt and Flat Hill and added something needs to be done about this as well. Further discussion ensued on different solutions to the flooding. INTERVIEWS/APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS Appointment to 300" Anniversary Committee- Laura Brzozoski, 21 Francis Ave. Laura Brzozoski stated she had been on the Cultural Council and planned the arts festival a couple of years ago. Motion: H. Sroka 2"d: L. Franco To appoint Laura Brzozoski to the 300t Anniversary Committee Vote: All in Favor Ratification of Town Manager's Appointment of Seasonal Beach Director Elizabeth Simeone and Seasonal Lifeguards -Paige Gengler, Ethan Gengler, Jarrod Bowser, Mason Bowser, Ean Laundree, Nicholas Coronella Ms. Lemieux noted these are all repeat employees, so we welcome them back. They are all certified lifeguards. 2'd: L. Franco Motion: H. Sroka ===PAGE 5=== • Zoning Board of Appeals Associate - 1 Vacancy Anyone interested in any of these positions can get a volunteer application found on the town website or at Town Hall, complete it and submit it to the Select Board office. If you have any questions on the rules and responsibilities of boards/committees, you can contact our office at 978-582-4130 x144. Employment Opportunities Ms. Lemieux reported we received recent resignations from the conservation administrative assistant, Rebecca Manley; she's been with the town for over a year and has accepted a full-time position elsewhere. The Veterans Service Agent also gave his resignation; he's been studying for a degree in counseling and he accepted a position elsewhere. Leominster is going to be helping out in the interim for veteran services. Assistant to the Sewer Business Manager - 24 hours/week Assistant Town Accountant-32 hours/week • Building Commissioner-36 hours/week • Digital Service Staff Librarian-20 hours/week • Finance Director-40 hours/week • Library Assistant-19 hours/week • Police Officer-40 hours/week • Public Access Videographer- 2-20 hours/week Information on these job postings can be found on the town website under the employment tab and you can find out more information on their job descriptions and responsibilities. • There is currently one invitation for bids for the senior center patio that is due on May 1s!. • Update on 925 Mass Ave We've received the feedback report from our expression of interest that I submitted for that project from Mass Development. It is an eligible project and that application is due in June. They provide feedback on what makes a competitive application to give you some parameters. They typically award no more than $50,000 for this type of project so that wasn't too long a turnaround. The EPA notified us yesterday that a subcontractor has been chosen and that the work will commence soon. They're looking at a mobilization date of May 15th for the old gas station. Part of the working with Mass Development will be putting together an RFP on how to dispose of the property; how do we can get it back on the tax rolls and a viable business in the center: • The Assistant Town Manager will be participating in the Monty Tech job fair on May 4; the DPW director and the Fire Chief will be going along with her. • Announcements • The Annual Town Meeting will be on Saturday, May 6' at 9:00 a.m. at the Lunenburg Middle/High School Auditorium • The Annual Town Election will be Saturday, May 20" from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the TCP building. OLD BUSINESS 1. Discussion on Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, FY 2024 Capital Plan, and Annual Town Meeting Warrant articles; Votes may be taken ===PAGE 6=== Motion: L. Franco 2": H. Sroka To recommend approval of warrant article#14 with the information presented Vote: All in Favor Ms. Lemieux updated the board on the opioid stabilization account warrant article. When Town Council reviewed the motions, he denoted there was an Informational General Release from the DOR that we request that exact amount that we received in this fiscal year from those settlement funds and revise our Free Cash number to include that. So the motion will be to create the stabilization fund and to transfer the amount that we received in fiscal 23 from the opioid settlement to that stabilization fund. She stated the Consent Calendar was provided to the Finance Committee but they did not discuss it. She added because they did not submit a report for the Town Meeting booklet, I know they are planning on distributing a written report at the town meeting. There still could be opportunity for them to discuss it. (Article 1: To see if the Town will vote to hear and/or accept the regular written reports of the Town Officers and Committees; or take any other action relative thereto.) CURRENT BUSINESS Approval of Minutes of February 21, 2023 Motion: L. Franco To approve the minutes of February 21, 2023 as presented 2nd: H. Sroka Vote: All in Favor Warrants The board signed an accounts payable warrant in the amount of $301,536.34; a payroll warrant in the amount of $903,572.39 and a deductions warrant in the amount of $207,088.54. Committee Reports Mr. Franco reported the Economic Development Committee will be meeting on the April 27" at the Ritter Building. Mr. Alonzo reported the Finance Committee met last Thursday and approved their report for the annual town meeting. Mr. Alonzo noted under the tax investigation issue that they have received a preliminary draft report from the Assessor who is doing the lakefront property assessments. That report was provided to the Assessors. They met this afternoon and Mr. Franco attended and it was discussed briefly. They will looking over that and it will be finalized in the next week. He reminded anyone who has not filed for an abatement that they have until close of business day on Monday, May 1st to do that. Ms. Sroka reported the school would like the transportation surveys back on Monday as well. Mr. Alonzo added the school sent a letter to the Finance Committee, the Select Board and Capital Planning Committee regarding a capital article about air conditioners last year that got approved, but the amount went over what was budgeted so they now have another proposal for those committees to review. Mr. Alonzo listed the upcoming meetings schedule: May 2", May 6" (ATM), May 9"', May 16", May 20" (ATE), May 23rd Mr. Alonzo reminded the board that Town Manager has submitted her self evaluation to all of them, so you should start doing your digital evaluations of her. Then you will need to make an appointment to meet with her to review it. ===PAGE 7=== Fire Department Part Time Admin. Asst. Full Time EMT/Paramedic 1.00 2.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 0.40 1.00 16 hours/week; non-benefitted Seasonal Cemetery Workers Scasonal Fall and Spring: non-benefitted position Facilities & Parks Part Time Recreation Director Facilities Technician* Facilities Director* Recreational Programming Staff 0.48 19 hours/week; non-benefitted 1.00 1.00 Scasonal staff, non-benefitted positions Library Part Time Library Assistants 0.95 2 Assistants at 19 hours/neck; non-benefitted positions Council on Aging Meal Site Manager Outreach Assistant 0.48 0.25 19 hours/neck; non-benefitted 10 hours/wreck; non-benefitted Sewer Assistant to Sewer Business Manager X Denotes hours vary or seasonal *Denotes a benefitted position 0.60 24 hours/week; non-bencfitted 6 FT Police, 6 FT Fire, 2 FT Facilities (one was a restored position cut in a previous FY), 2 other benefitted positions, & non-benefitted, and seasonal staff at Cemetery, Parks and Board Clerks Mr. Alonzo stated the board would entering Executive Session. Motion: L. Franco 2"d: H. Sroka To enter into Executive Session and to adjourn the meeting after exiting Executive Session: Pursuant to MGL c. 30, Section 21, Paragraph 3, to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining, where an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government's bargaining position and the Chair so declares. i. (Fire Union); ii. (Public Employee Agreement). Vote: Ms. Sroka-aye, Mr. Franco-aye, Mr. Alonzo-aye ******************EXECUTIVE SESSION MINUTES ARE SEPARATE************************ The meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elaine m. Peterson Elaine M. Peterson Executive Assistant to the Town Manager ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-05-02-agenda-237.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2023-05-02 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2023-05-02-agenda-237.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05022023-237 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== SELECT BOARD Tuesday, May 2, 2023 7:00 PM AGENDA Bilotta Meeting Room, Town Hall In accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg Public Access channel, on FacebookLive on the Public Access Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lunenburg-Public-Access-Cable-157427270975305/) and will be uploaded to the LunenburgAccess YouTube after the meeting. This meeting will be held in-person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. The following information is also provided for members of the public that would like to participate in the meeting remotely: To Participate Remotely: From a computer, please use the link below to join the public meeting webinar: https://zoom.us/j/9091740347 or from a telephone, dial the toll free number (888) 475-4499 and enter Webinar ID: 909-174- 0347 # If you have not registered with Zoom you will be asked for your name and an e -mail address. Note: No participant ID is needed, just press # when asked. Telephone users may dial *9 to request to speak after joining the meeting. Computer and app users may use the “raise hand” feature to request to speak. The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at the meeting and are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. Vote s may be taken as a result of these discussions. Not all items listed may in fa ct be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by Open Meeting Law. 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE I. PUBLIC COMMENT*** • BOARD • PUBLIC II. ANNOUNCEMENTS III. COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER BOARDS IV. APPOINTMENTS 7:15 PM Public Hearing for Transfer of All Alcohol License & Common Victualler License to Lakefront Beverage Inc. d/b/a On The Rocks, 96 Lakefront Ave. (including temporary extension of premises) V. INTERVIEWS/APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS • Ratification of the Town Manager’s Appointment of Police PT Administrative Assistant Gail Kemp • Ratification of the Town Manager’s Appointment of Building Commissioner Brian Gingras VI. TOWN MANAGER REPORT VII. OLD BUSINESS 1. Discussion on Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, FY 2024 Capital Plan, and Annual Town Meeting Warrant articles; Consent Calendar; Votes may be taken VIII. CURRENT BUSINESS 1. Approval of Minutes of February 28, 2023 ===PAGE 2=== 2. Warrants/Action Items 3. Committee Reports IX. UPCOMING MEETING/EVENTS SCHEDULE May 6th (ATM), May 9th, May 16th, May 20th (ATE), May 23rd X. PUBLIC COMMENT*** • TOWN MANAGER • PUBLIC • BOARD XI. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Motion to enter into Executive Session and to adjourn the meeting after exiting Executive Session: Pursuant to MGL c. 30, Section 21, Paragraph 3, to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining, where an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the government’s bargaining position and the Chair so declares. (Public Employee Agreement). XII. ADJOURN *** Per Policy, Public comment is limited to 15 minutes, with no more than 3 minutes per speaker except at the discretion of the Chairperson. ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-05-02-agenda-450.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2023-05-02 KIND : agenda OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2023-05-02-agenda-450.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05022023-450 ======================================================================================== ===PAGE 1=== ===PAGE 2=== ======================================================================================== DOCUMENT : 2023-05-02-minutes-237.txt BOARD : select-board DATE : 2023-05-02 KIND : minutes OUR COPY : https://lunenburgbudgetproject.org/docs/minutes/text/select-board/2023-05-02-minutes-237.txt TOWN PDF : https://www.lunenburgma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_05022023-237 ======================================================================================== ===OCR macOS Vision=== ===PAGE 1=== Chairman Jeffieys called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and asked everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Jeffreys announced in accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law, please be advised that this meeting is being recorded and broadcast live over the Lunenburg public access channel and Facebook Live and will be uploaded to the Lunenburg public access YouTube channel within 24 hours after the meeting. He provided the ZOOM link for those who would like to participate remotely. The agenda lists all the topics which may be discussed at this meeting and are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair. Votes may be taken as a result of these discussions. Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by the Open Meeting Law. PUBLIC COMMENT: The board members thanked outgoing member Heather for her service to the Town. They welcomed new board members Renee Emkey and Caesar Nuzzolo. Ms. Emkey and Mr. Nuzzolo thanked everyone for supporting them in the election. Mr. Franco stated he had been getting phone calls and emails regarding the Water District's request for ARPA funding. He encouraged people when the time comes to express any concerns or questions regarding the ARPA funding request. Ana Lockwood, 91 Main Street, spoke about the ARPA funding process and how there were three questions that had to be answered by requestors in the process. She noted that Mr. Alonzo had mentioned the Flat Hill Road drainage issue and possibly applying some ARPA funding towards it. If those questions were applied to it, it would not qualify. She also did not agree with using the capital project process for the ARPA funding requests. Acceptance of Gift from Eagle Scout Marcellus Thorson for Food Donation Box Marcellus Thorson of Carlisle is working on his Eagle Scout project and interested in doing something for a food bank because he was interested in addressing global hunger. He was contacted by Lions Club President Corinne Scouten about a need for a food drop off box in Lunenburg. He was interested in doing the project. It would be in front of the TC Passios building and will have a 5' × 2' base and it will be around 2-2 1/2" feet high with a slanted roof to keep it waterproof, It will have an inner lining to keep it animal and waterproot; have a latch to keep animals out and it will be blue color to represent the Town. The board thanked him for doing this project. Corinne Scouten noted it would sit in front of the cafeteria facing Route 2A. Motion: T. Alonzo 2'd: C. Nuzzolo To accept the gift from Marcellus Thorsun of a food drop off box for the food pantry Vote: Mr. Nuzzolo-aye, Ms. Emkey-aye, Mr. Franco-aye, Mr. Alonzo-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye ANNOUNCEMENTS The Memorial Day Ceremony will be on Monday, May 29 at 10 AM at Veterans Park. Refieshments will be provided by the Lions Club outside the Lunenburg Adult Activity Center: Please bring a folding chair if you wish to have seating • The Town Beach will open on Saturday, June 17th. Seasonal beach passes and swim lessons can be purchased through the lunenburgma.myrec.com site. ===PAGE 2=== Request from School Committee to Support Modified Scope for the FY23 Capital Plan AC Project at Primary School Dr. Burnham referred the board to a letter dated April 24, 2023; "The purpose of this letter is to provide information on FY23 Capital Plan Primary AC Project and ask for your support for the modified plan outlined herein. The intent of the project remains the same - managing classroom air comfort; however, the scope and execution are modified from the original plan presented last spring. The district administration presented this plan to the Lunenburg School Committee and the Committee approved this plan on March 15, 2023. BACKGROUND During the 2021-2022 school year, two hundred and thirty eight thousand dollars ($238,000.00) was approved under the 2023 Capital Plan to install air conditioning improvements at the Lunenburg Primary School, 1401 Massachusetts Avenue. The original budgeted amount was $290,000, and then reduced to $238,000. The initial assumption for the air conditioning upgrade was that the existing roof top air handling units could be utilized for this purpose. It was later determined that it was not possible. A subsequent assessment and project pricing for a complete air conditioning upgrade/replacement was conducted by VAV International. This consultant provided recommendations and complete project pricing; a total estimated project was $7,984.035. This was not viable. PROPOSED SOLUTION Alternative solutions were reviewed and it was determined that the best alternative plan would be installing ductless split systems for each classroom. These "systems" consist of one (1) 48,000 BTU Dual Zone condenser with Heat Pumps and two (2) 24,000 BTU wall or ceiling mounted heads for distribution. Each system will provide coverage for two (2) classrooms. Currently there are seven (7) rooms on the second floor and eight (8) rooms on the first floor that are air conditioned by permanently installed AC units as opposed to removable window mounted units. We are looking to provide air conditioning and supplemental heat in twenty two (22) classrooms and an additional two (2) offices. PROJECT PRICING The district has been working with various vendors on estimated projects costs, here is summary: PHASE 1-FY23 Capital Plan Funding $238,000.00 It is estimated that the district will be able to purchase eight (8) 48k BTU Condensing Units and sixteen (16) 18k BTU Cassettes Units 16 for classrooms. Electricians and roofing contractors will be hired independently to complete the installation of the units. This includes all thirteen (13) classrooms on the 2nd floor as well as three (3) classrooms on the first floor. PHASE 2 - Alternative Funding $119,000.00 The district will seek alternative funding, such as grants, and/or begin the local budgeting process to purchase the remaining eight (8) units for the six (6) remaining classrooms on the first floor and two (2) offices on the second floor: OPERATING COST ===PAGE 3=== the summer break. Unless there are supply chain challenges, we are quite confident that PHASE I can be completed during the 2023 summer break. The district will solicit bids for this project. We thank you in advance for your consideration." Mr. Cassidy stated the alternative Phase 2 funding has not yet been identified. We are looking within our own budget and toward the end of the next school year and this is just to give you a preview. There's a good chance that this may end up as a capital project submission as well. Mr. Pusateri clarified only the classrooms would be affected by the mini-splits; common areas will not be addressed. Mr. Jeffreys asked what the expected lifespan of these units would be noting 24 items would need to be replaced at some point in the future and with Phase 2 that's an additional 14 more. This is not the normal approach to air conditioning. Mr. Pusateri agreed this was not the optimal solution but they are working with the funding they have. He believed they could probably get 15-18 years out of these systems. There are other alternatives out there for a central chilling unit but you're looking at a much larger and expensive system and running refrigerant supply and return piping to every classroom. Mr. Jeffreys asked if a mechanical engineer was consulted. Mr. Pusateri stated no. We engaged with an engineering firm and the initial cost quoted was $7 M. With this plan we're looking at about $350,000 over the course of the next year or so and this is going to be a planned Capital replacement expense every 10 to 15 years. Mr. Alonzo asked about Phase 2; what is the breakdown? Mr. Pusateri stated for every two classrooms it would be one condenser and two cassettes. That would be another four condensing units and so the budget is about $27,000 for every two classrooms. Phase 1 plan is to locate three 48,000 BTU condensers on the roof and the rest would be on the ground. Phase 2 with the first floor classrooms would be on the ground outside the building and we would try to place as many in the courtyard and back of the building to make them the least visible. We're limited to approximately 93 feet of supply and return lines of each unit, so we're limited in location. Mr. Alonzo reported this was brought to the attention of the Capital Planning Committee and through individual responses from the members no one thought it that it rose to the level of being reconsidered as it addressed the initial funding. Alternate funding would have to be raised in some other fashion, so we did not meet to discuss this. Dave Passios, 56 Whiting Street, noted that with the original plan, the current electrical system in the building would not be able to support the upgrade. He wanted to make sure this scenario would be supported by the current electrical infrastructure. When asked, Mr. Pusateri stated we do not know, but we have plenty of space in the breaker panels to accommodate this installation. Mr. Passios also recommended that these type of projects be passed by the Green Communities Committee to see if there any eligibility for grant funding. Mr. Jeffreys supported the plan but was uncomfortable that an electrical or mechanical engineer was not consulted. Mr. Pusateri was not sure an engineer was needed based on his experience. Evan Watters, 245 Sunny Hill Road, Finance Committee Chair, expressed concerns about the proposal as well, especially about not having an engineer consulted to see if the scenario would work in the building. What happens if we open the school in August and we can't get the temperatures to go down? Is there a contingency plan? Mr. Pusateri stated the building was well insulated and the 24,000 BTUs is big enough to keep the rooms comfortable. Dr. Burnham stated a couple of years we installed min-splits in the core areas of ===PAGE 4=== Mr. Jeffreys encouraged the school committee to take the additional time to enlist a consultant to confirm the building can handle the additional load and that you're not going to spend $238,000 to have items that you're not going to be able to utilize. The Finance Committee will meet on Thursday and discuss as well. INTERVIEWS/APPOINTMENTS/REAPPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS Ratification of Town Manager's Appointment of Administrative Assistant in Planning Department, Anne Aubrey Ms. Lemieux stated I'm asking the board to ratify an appointment tonight for the Planning Department Administrative Assistant position. Marjorie Boggio is retiring, so we thank her for many years of service. Her last day is June 1st !. The person that was I'm recommending tonight is Anne Aubrey. This position was posted internally and after the required time was posted externally after not receiving any internal candidates. We received 17 applications; three accepted interviews and Miss Aubrey stood out. She's going to be a great fit. I was able to meet her, she's extremely personable. I can tell that she'll have a great interface with the public and people coming into that office and she's excited for the opportunity as well. Mr. Alonzo thanked Ms. Boggio for all her service to the town. The other members echoed Mr. Alonzo's words. Motion: C. Nuzzolo 2'': M. Jeffreys To ratify the Town Manager's appointment is Anne Aubrey as Planning Board Administrative Assistant Vote: Mr. Nuzzolo-aye, Ms. Emkey-aye, Mr. Franco-aye, Mr. Alonzo-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye Ms. Lemieux informed the board that DPW worker/Heavy Equipment Operator Matt Lubao will be going to work for the Lunenburg Water District. TOWN MANAGER REPORT Announcement on Existing Vacancies The following is a list of current vacancies on the following committees: • Finance Committee (2 vacancies) • Green Communities Committee (1 Associate vacancy) • Open Space Committee (1 Member at Large vacancy) • Personnel Committee (1 vacancy) • Zoning Board of Appeals (1 Associate vacancy) Interested persons can find Volunteer Applications on the Town Website and completed forms can be sent to the Select Board's Office. Anyone that has any questions on volunteer opportunities can contact the Select Board's Office at (978) 582-4130 × 144. Current Employment Opportunities with the Town The following is a list of current employment opportunities with the Town: • Administrative Assistant for Conservation (10 hours/week) • Assistant Town Accountant (32 hours/week) • Facilities Superintendent (40 hours/week) • Finance Director (40 hours/week-contractual) • Police Officer (40 hours/week) ===PAGE 5=== over 100 ppm. This came as no surprise as it aligns with the limited soil contamination that was identified in the environmental siteassessment report. Notification to MassDEP is outside their scope of work, so I will be working with the consultant I have worked with since 2019, Joe McLoughlin of the BETA Group on the notification to DEP. This will not stop the work that is being conducted through the EPA and the hope is that due to the limited proximity of where these field meterreadings occurred, the soilremoval that is part of the EPA'sscope will be removed as part of this project. Open Meeting Law/Public Records/Conflict of Interest Training: I havecoordinated a tentative date of Thursday, June 22nd for Town Counselto do a training on Open Meeting Law, Public Records Law, and ConflictofInterest. There will bea training during the day forall staff and an evening training for all boards/committees/commissions. More details to follow on location. Welcome to LunenburgSign from North Central Chamberof Commerce The North Central Chamber of Commercehas offered usa Welcometo Lunenburgsign sponsored by the Chamberand would take care of the construction and installation. We will need to identify theroad it would be placed that would be in a gateway location on town owned land (cannot be located too close to a state highway property). The sign itself will be made of a composite material for durability and longevity. I will work with the DW Director on an appropriate gateway location that is on town property for the sign. OLD BUSINESS Review and Approve the Town Manager Evaluation POLICY AND PURPOSE The purpose of this evaluation instrument is to formally appraise the Town Manager's performance on an annual basis. The document allows the Select Board to assess the Town Manager's performance in management practices and in the accomplishment of goals. Through the evaluation procedure, Board members will recognize strengths, offer positive feedback, and suggest any areas that require corrective action. Individual performance evaluation forms prepared by members of the Select Board are considered work product/personnel documents, and shall not be publicly released. The only document to be released will be this overview document, compiling the ratings and comments, prepared by the Chair. PROCEDURE 1. The Town Manager will be reviewed annually on the achievement of the agreed upon goals established the previous year and performance standards. The performance standards will be measured using a rating scale of "consistently exceeds expectations, "often exceeds expectations", "meets expectations", "needs improvement" and "unsatisfactory". In addition to annual goal(s) ten categories of performance standards and core responsibilities will be used to evaluate the Town Manager: 2. The Town Manager will submit a narrative self-evaluation including a summary of the Town Manager's performance against goals and objectives for the year. 3. Board members will complete their evaluations, meet and discuss their conclusions with the Town Manager and give their input to the Chairman by a date set by the Chairman. 4. The Chairman will compile ratings from individual reviews and develop a composite overview document. 5. Copies of the individual reviews will be given to the Town Manager and placed in the Town Manager's personnel file. 6. The Chairman will provide the other Board members and the Town Manager with the composite evaluation overview document at a scheduled Select Board meeting. Publicly discuss the evaluation at a subsequent meeting(s). ===PAGE 6=== RATING SCALE The following scale will be used to rate the Town Manager's performance in all categories. 4 Consistently Exceeds Expectations: Performance consistently exceeds expectations. The overall quality of work is excellent, results far exceed the position requirements and annual goals were met. 3 Often Exceeds Expectations: Performance often exceeds expectations. Demonstrates the ability to take on progressive responsibility showing high success and most annual goals were met. 2 Meets Expectations: Performance consistently meets expectations and the overall quality of work is good. The most critical goals were met. Needs Improvement: Performance has not met expectations and improvement is needed. One or more critical goals were not met. 0 Unsatisfactory: Performance is inadequate and employee demonstrates an inability or unwillingness to meet job standards and performance expectations of the position. Immediate and sustained improvement is required. N/O Not observed: This rating is used when the reviewer has not directly observed the actions of the Town Manager. It will not be counted in the compilation of scores. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND CORE RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Individual Characteristics/Professionalism • Is dedicated to the highest ideals of honor and integrity in all public and personal relationships in order to merit the respect and confidence of the elected officials, other officials and employees, and of the public. Demonstrates accountability for actions; conducts him/herself fairly and honestly. • Treats others in a fair, consistent, impartial, and professional manner. Is effective in dealing with people without arousing antagonism and demonstrates an understanding of difficult situations. • Maintains an open and approachable manner, presents a positive outlook and sets an example for subordinates. RATING - 4 The Town Manager was challenged by a difficult year, in large part due to blistering and frequently unfair public attacks. Heather was objective, personable, honest, collaborative, fair, reliable, level-headed and calm. She managed a large volume of emails and Freedom of Information Act Requests with integrity and an even temperament. 2. Problem Solving/Decision-Making/Planning: • Anticipates and analyzes problems to develop effective approaches for solving them. Willing to try new ideas proposed by the Board members and/or staff. (Moved from Criteria #3 Professional Skills and Knowledge, as it speaks to problem solving) • Anticipates future needs, organizes work operations, and establishes timetables for work units or projects. Is aware of technological advances and changing standards; identifies and understands trends. Effectively allocates resources and predicts the impact of service delivery decisions. (Moved from Criteria #7 Community and Public Relations) Knows when to take action and what type of action is appropriate. Effectively allocates resources to provide service to the community. Anticipates stakeholder needs and attitudes, and the impact of policies and procedures, and responds appropriately. ===PAGE 7=== • Demonstrates skill in listening, speaking and writing, persuading without diminishing the views of others. • Has a full working knowledge of the administrative and management systems and procedures. • Understands and implements long-range and strategic planning techniques; identifies trends that will affect the community; demonstrates an understanding and ability to analyze and facilitate policy choices that will benefit the community in the long run. RATING -3.75 Heather has an impressive set of knowledge and knows the role of Town Manager inside and out. She is a member of multiple professional organizations, consistently improves her knowledge base and collaborates with neighboring Town leaders and the Town's Senator and Representatives. Her ability to strategically network paired with her desire to self-improve allows her to be resourceful and stay attuned with new ideas, policies, and laws that affect the Town. She provides informed opinions and is a great communicator, both in person and in writing. 4. Organizational Leadership and Personnel Management: Builds cooperation and consensus among and within diverse groups, helping them identify common goals and act effectively to achieve them; recognizes interdependent relationships and multiple causes of community issues; and anticipates the consequences of policy decisions. • Encourages the development and high-level performance of staff and employees throughout the organization. Effectively selects and hires employees for position vacancies. • Professionally manages the compensation and benefits plan. • Develops and executes sound personnel procedures and practices. Seeks to foster high morale and cohesiveness among employees. • Effectively plans, organizes and delegates work. Monitors results and evaluates performance of those supervised, and provides feedback in a timely manner. RATING - 2.25 Heather has sustained all previous improvements and meets the expectations of her position. She has been successful at identifying personnel needs, creating new roles (supported by existing workloads), and incorporating new positions into the government. While there's hope and confidence that the Town will see positive results in the future due to Heather's organizational planning, a majority of the Board has identified this as an area that would benefit from more attention and development. Heather relies heavily upon her department heads to work proficiently and is perceived at times of having a "hands off" managerial style. In the future, it would be beneficial for Heather or her designee to provide regular professional development for all staff that among other things, trains personnel on effective communication techniques as several communications from key staff notably missed the mark. One member would like for Heather to revisit the minute-taking positions/hours and instead develop an internship program with Fitchburg State University and Lunenburg High School. 5. Community and Public Relations: • Understands the basic principles of service delivery in functional areas (e.g. public safety, community and economic development, human and social services, administration, public works). • Provides responsive, equitable service to town residents and instills the value of good customer service in staff. Communicates effectively with the public. Maintains respectful, polite, and civil speech and demeanor in dealings with all. ===PAGE 8=== The second half of the rating year was challenging due to the tax crisis, and while most members believed that she was a "good face of the Town," a minority opinion was that information was not clearly or effectively communicated to the public in a timely manner. 6. Fiscal Management: • Prepares and administers the budget; shows knowledge of budgeting principles and practices, revenue sources, projection techniques, and financial control systems; presents information in an intelligent and accessible format. • Makes the best possible use of available funds, conscious of the need to operate the local government efficiently and effectively. Determines the cost effectiveness of programs, and compares alternative strategies. • As Chief Procurement Officer, effectively manages Town purchasing of supplies and services, disposition of town property, and construction projects • Establishes and manages sound fiscal policies including Five Year Financial Forecast, financial policies, and Capital Plan. RATING - 4 Fiscal management continues to be Heather's strength and the Town continues to be in an exceptionally healthy financial position, as confirmed by a clean and glowing annual audit provided by Powers and Sullivan. Heather's conservative budgeting practices meet the needs of the community, reserves money for future needs and allows for increased funding for capital projects that have been deferred or overlooked. Heather diligently follows our established fiscal policies and keeps excellent tabs on all aspects of our financial situation that impacts the Town's debt and bond rating, assuring us with competitive access to capital when/if needed. 7. Relations with Members of the Board: • Maintains effective communication with the Board. Maintains mutual trust and treats all Board members equally. • Offers professional advice to the Board on items requiring board action, with appropriate recommendations and supporting information based on thorough study and analysis. • Responds well to requests, advice, and constructive criticism. RATING - 3.5 Heather always makes time for questions and concerns and is fair in disseminating information to the entire Board and being willing to meet with any member to discuss items of particular interest or concern. She is respectful and engaged and follows up and reaches out, when needed. She is also receptive to arguments counter to her positions and advice. It is noted that a member expressed concern that some information related to the tax crisis was not shared in a timely manner. 8. Reporting • Provides regular information and reports to the Board concerning matters of importance to the local government, using the Town Charter as a guide. • Reports produced by the Manager are accurate, comprehensive, concise and written to their intended audience. • Produces and handles reports in a way to convey the message that affairs of the organization are open to public scrutiny. RATING - 3.75 Heather's weekly Town Manager reports, as well as her communications between meetings is timely and thorough and there is no doubt that she has her finger on the pulse of the Town of Lunenburg. Communications are ===PAGE 9=== Best Achievement: Financial Management, Project Management and Tax Crisis Management Heather was able to manage capital projects effectively, with specific progress on the demolition of the old Primary School and progress toward the Town taking possession of 925 Mass Ave (old gas station). Heather excelled at budgeting and financial management and provided critical support that enabled the Select Board to present and Town Meeting to pass Senior Tax Relief. She also handled the pressure and scrutiny of managing the tax crisis effectively - this was all on display in a smooth-as-silk 3-hour Town Meeting! Subject Which Would Benefit Most from Further Attention: Personnel Management - The board is uniform in its assessment that while Heather is a strong leader and has made notable progress in this area and is able to meet the expectations of her role, there's a need for a more focused lens on the management of her direct reports and fostering a supportive environment across all departments, in which personnel are mentored, trained and more directly supervised. There's a need for a multi- year plan that details facility deficiencies and a desire for a more collaborative hiring process that invites elected officials onto hiring committees. General Comments: Heather is an excellent Town Manager and is a true pleasure to work with! The Board and the Town are fortunate to have such a capable leader at the helm and Heather's dedication to her job and staff is self-evident. She demands the best of herself and appropriately manages deadlines while maintaining a genuine, professional and approachable demeanor. We hope to work with Heather for many more years to come! Ms. Lemieux stated obviously the public lens on this is not the most comfortable position to be put in, but I appreciate the constructive criticism and commentary as well that's positive. I thoroughly enjoy the one-on-one meetings with the board members. That's one piece of the process that I wish I had more time for. I try to communicate as much as possible. I thank you for your comments. We as humans are a work in progress, so I know my strengths and weaknesses and appreciate and recognize them as well. Mr. Alonzo noted not everybody who works in a professional field gets evaluations or has to give evaluations. It's a special thing when you have to hear it on public TV, recorded on YouTube forever: We all need to appreciate the kind of position that puts anybody in. The Town Manager does an incredible job in listening to that. Mr. Franco stated your composite is an excellent distillation of what all the members said. This has been an extremely challenging year for many people including residents. Many people don't engage with the Town Manager until something is going wrong and that's the unfortunate lens through which they may view her. They don't see everything that's going right on a day-to-day basis and keeping the town moving in a positive way. Any aspect of which if it weren't operating smoothly would be highly noticeable, but it goes unnoticed because it is going smoothly. Mr. Jeffreys stated this year has been challenging being in this role and being a member of this board. The relationship between the Chair and Town Manager has to be a close one and I appreciate Heather's openness. We've developed a healthy working relationship and most people don't know the amount of time that she and I spend together. These meetings for me are about 20% of the time that I give to the town and the other 80% is outside of these meetings. Heather and I spend a significant amount of time talking during her commutes in and ===PAGE 10=== CURRENT BUSINESS Reorganization of the Select Board Ms. Emkey asked to postpone nominations until the next meeting as she is so new to the board. Mr. Alonzo having been in that position himself, understood the request. Mr. Franco stated he appreciated Ms. Emkey's position and concern however he wanted her to realize that making a motion or seconding a motion would bring discussion thus making you more comfortable making a vote. Mr. Nuzzolo added it's common for newly elected boards or bodies in general for their first business to be electing leadership. Since this is our policy I would not be in favor of straying away from that. You're always welcome to either not make nominations or to abstain from votes. Mr. Jeffieys stated he heard Ms. Emkey's concern, but he was not comfortable deviating from policy either. Further discussion ensued about voting in officers. Motion: L. Franco 2"d: C. Nuzzolo To nominate Michael-Ray Jeffreys as Select Board Chair Discussion: Mr. Franco clarified his nomination of Mr. Jeffieys is in no way a negative reflection of anyone else. Mr. Jeffreys has led well and done enough to earn a second year out of the position. Mr. Jeffreys stated it has been a challenging year and believed it was important to hear feedback not only from the public but fellow members. We have made good progress and if elected I will meet with each board member. Mr. Nuzzolo stated Mr. Jeffreys was the first person he met when he moved to Lunenburg. He strongly encouraged me to get involved and I submitted a talent bank form for the Finance Committee. His professionalism and cool, calm and collected nature were my first impressions of the Select Board and the leadership. I think we've really benefited from these qualities and that's why I'm supporting Mr. Jeffreys for a second year as Chair. Mr. Nuzzolo-aye, Ms. Emkey-present, Mr. Alonzo- no, Mr. Franco-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye Motion: M. Jeffreys 2nd: C. Nuzzolo To nominate Lou Franco for Vice Chair Discussion: Mr. Franco stated he would accept the Vice Chair as long as Mr. Alonzo does not have an interest in being Vice Chair. Mr. Alonzo thanked Mr. Franco but noted that's not how nominations work. I think you would make a fine Vice Chair. Motion: R. Emkey 2"d; L. Franco To nominate Tom Alonzo for Vice Chair Mr. Alonzo thanked Ms. Emkey but refused the nomination. Ms. Emkey withdrew her nomination and Mr. Franco withdrew the second. Mr. Nuzzolo-aye, Ms. Emkey-aye, Mr. Alonzo-aye, Mr. Franco-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye Mr. Jeffreys explained the board clerk's duties. Motion: T. Alonzo To nominate Caesar Nuzzolo as Clerk Mr. Nuzzolo-aye, Ms. Emkey-aye, Mr. Alonzo- aye, Mr. Franco-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye 2'd: L. Franco ===PAGE 11=== individual coverage - $2,000; Opt-out incentive payments will be paid at the end of the fiscal year. The other one is called the Pillar RX program. There's only three employees out of town and school that are be affected. The insurance company would work with them to make sure that they get enrolled in this program. Motion: C. Nuzzolo 2"d: T. Alonzo To accept the Public Employee Committee amendments as presented Mr. Nuzzolo-aye, Ms. Emkey-aye, Mr. Alonzo- aye, Mr. Franco-aye, Mr. Jeffreys-aye Per Appointment Policy - Identify boards for in-person interviews Mr. Jeffreys referred the board to the list of the upcoming annual appointments/reappointments in June. All new applicants are interviewed. It was decided to request Sam Welch, Chris St. Germaine, Helen Balcom Dr: Robin Chandler and Steve Dubois to present for an interview for appointment. The board signed an accounts payable warrant in the amount of $322,016.08, a payroll warrant in the amount of $954, 616.74 and a payroll deductions warrant in the amount of $209,605.15. Committee Reports Mr. Alonzo reported Finance Committee meets this Thursday. Mr. Jeffreys reported the Municipal Building Committee met and realized that the ARPA funding request that they prepared earlier this year somehow was not forwarded to the board and so they did resubmit. UPCOMING MEETING/EVENTS SCHEDULE This board meets again on June 6, June 13 and June 20. PUBLIC COMMENT M: ME. Alone dauered Town angres proside a aly aly of shandants alted by marine on the decisions by the Board of Assessors. Motion: T. Alonzo To adjourn the meeting 2': C. Nuzzolo Vote: All in Favor The meeting adjourned at 9:17 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Elaine M. Peterson Elaine M. Peterson Executive Assistant to the Town Manager