Date of Meeting: Monday, June 29, 2009
Location: Town Hall, 221 Main Street
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:55 PM
Members Present: Chairman James Stanton; Roger Deal; Ken Sydow
Others Present: Nancy Colbert, Town Administrator; Lori Esposito, Administrative Assistant;
others as listed on attached Sign-in sheet.
Financial Warrants signed in approval.
Business Marketing Committee:
Herb Cronin developed a mission statement based on Nancy’s draft which she presented last week. Many points are similar; some changes/additions included.
Meeting Minutes:
Ken Sydow motioned to approve draft minutes of June 22, 2008 as submitted; motion seconded and voted All in Favor.
Hearing Continuation: Application of Route 140 Whole Sale Auto Sales LLC for a Class II license at 65 Shrewsbury Street.
· Present: Ron Ernenwein and Ralph Cochran.
· Certified mail return receipts received with list of abutters.
· Motion to approve Class II license for six cars, to be held in escrow until proof that delivery of notice as sent to 81 Shrewsbury Street LLC. Motion seconded; voted All in Favor.
Treasurer/Collector Search:
Ten letters of interest have been received and one interview was conducted this week with the balance to be scheduled. Dan Haynes will sit in on the interviews.
Cash Reconciliation/Audit:
Might be costly; the most recent audit was done in March 2009. Dan Hayes is getting a cost estimate for an audit and will report to the Board of Selectmen.
Payroll Policy:
· Nancy Colbert Puff spoke with Dan Haynes concerning the method used for processing our payroll: hourly recorded time sheets versus dividing budgeted salaries by annual number of pay periods in the year. Dan commented that Boylston is the only town with which he works that uses this process. Dan noted that certain employee payrolls are divided by pay periods (e.g., Town Clerk, Conservation/Board of Health Administrative Assistant).
· The only salary line item in the budget that includes an allowance for overtime is the Administrative Assistant to the Board of Selectmen. Other salary lines reflect the actual straight-time pay of employees.
· The Town Administrator will seek advice from other municipalities’ officials regarding their practices, as well as look into whether we should more clearly define “exempt” from “non-exempt” employees.
Investment Policy:
· The Town Administrator submitted a final version of the investment policy that the Board had reviewed in draft form earlier in June. Town Counsel submitted edits to the policy, which have been incorporated, and the Town Administrator requested that the Board of Selectmen vote to adopt the investment policy.
· The Town Administrator attended an informational session conducted by the Attorney General’s office of “Investments and the Small Claims Act,” at which they discussed last year’s UBS sale of auction rate securities, as well as Merrill Lynch’s sale of collateralized debt obligations to municipalities. The meeting provided general guidance regarding the careful review of similar products that might be offered in the future.
FY2010 Budget – Conference Committee Recommendation:
Boylston’s local aid, according to the budget released by the Conference Committee, is slightly better than the Senate’s version of the budget and reflects an overall 15% decrease from FY’09. It restored some funding of the Quinn Bill ($6,162) and lowers estimated charges by approximately $5,400.
Fire Station/Town House Site for Cell Tower Use:
The draft Request for Proposals has been referred to Town Counsel for review. A letter will be drafted to send to abutters within 800 feet of the proposed tower.
Business Marketing Committee: Volunteer members present: Herb Cronin, Ron Wagner and Ed DeCastro.
· Nancy Colbert Puff briefly explained her expectations of the Committee.
· A consulting team for the Route 140 corridor study has been hired. Participation from the Committee will be needed to direct them; the Committee’s input is necessary.
· The Town Administrator envisions the Committee’s role in Phase I to involve a multi-board (Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Board of Selectmen, etc.) kick-off meeting to be sure everyone is in agreement.
· Ron Wagner questioned a time line.
· Nancy said recommendations should be completed by this fall in time for the next Town Meeting.
· Jim Stanton would like this study to be the “study to end all studies.” Specific concrete steps to be taken and an action plan for parcels along Route 140 to be developed. We need to be sure milestones are followed and plans are implemented.
· Ken Sydow was on the Business Development Committee, putting all “building blocks” in place (zoning, TIFs, etc.) He is excited to see growth potential even beyond Route 140 and including the Hillside property. Mr. Wagner has plenty of knowledge regarding the Hillside property to assist with that. Ken also feels it is very important that all plans are run through Nancy, to take advantage of her background/expertise.
· Ken noted that if the Routes 70/140 corner is developed, we must be sure to replace the football field.
· Herb Cronin noted that the Committee added ideas to the Mission Statement of things they would like to accomplish. For example, Town-owned property to be sold, such as the Turflinks site, above and beyond the Route 140 Corridor. Using what we have to build towards the plan.
· Ken agrees with Herb that they would work those things through Nancy. Turflinks is a prime example.
· Jim Stanton stated that Claire O’Neill (MOBD) would be a good resource and very willing to assist.
· Ed DeCastro said we need to talk about how to sell the Town to encourage growth. What do we have in Boylston that’s unique and compelling with which to approach businesses. We need to start with the selling side; no buyers, no use.
· Ken mentioned Boylston’s excellent highway access from Route 140; our tax incentives and expedited permitting.
· Nancy said our consultants are analyzing a 15-mile marketing radius around Boylston. They might reveal who our target market should be and who we should approach.
· Herb said the best source is to look at existing companies…why are they here and why are they expanding (e.g., Butler-Dearden, Phillips Precision).
· Jim stated that residents, boards and committees now realize that non-industrial, commercial development is essential for our survival. The community is receptive to making things happen.
· Ed said the lack of sewerage might be a problem, especially with the biotech industry.
· Ron said we need to get a list of positives for Boylston and then sell them; let people know where Boylston is.
· Jim said we need to be ahead of the curve. Even though the economy is slow we can start now and have a head start in educating businesses.
· Roger agrees with Ed that we first need a plan of action. We must write down our strengths and weaknesses in order to be prepared. We should establish a plan based on needs and what we can offer/provide. Selling is a methodical plan and process: qualify/disqualify businesses we can accommodate. We need a “game plan.”
· Ed asked the role of the consultants – what are we looking for from them. They are often there to justify whatever it is you are looking for.
· Jim said that Route 140 has always had “piece-meal” studies. There has never been a comprehensive, total build-out plan for Route 140, including surrounding residential areas. We are asking for this study; in addition, what is the timing needed to achieve the benchmarks to meet this long-term comprehensive plan. We’re looking for measurability.
· Ken said Ed’s cynicism is probably well-founded; he’s seen many studies that have not gone anywhere.
· Nancy stated that any good consulting process doesn’t tell you what you want to hear but is a back-and-forth process of communication between both sides during the process. It is the Committee’s job to be sure the consultant is not just telling us what we want to hear; they need to know what we need from them.
· Ken stated we need a devil’s advocate,- a trouble-shooter on the Committee to be sure we’re getting what we need.
· Roger motioned to appoint the following to the Business Marketing Committee:
o Ron Wagner
o Ed DeCastro
o Herb Cronin
Motion seconded; voted All in Favor.
· Herb Cronin has a list of action items: the Committee will meet with Nancy to come up with an action plan. They will communicate the status on a monthly basis to the Board of Selectmen through Nancy.
Veterans’ Agent:
This appointment has been deferred. The Board would like to speak with Mr. Perrone. He will be invited to the July 13 meeting for a brief discussion.
FY’10 Committee/Board Appointments:
Motion made, seconded and voted All in Favor to make the following appointments:
· Board of Registrars: Phyllis Gaucher
· Capital Planning Committee: Roger Deal, Town Administrator, Town Treasurer
· Memorial Day Committee: Joseph Larkin
· Highway Superintendent: Don Parker
· Building Inspector: Roger would like to defer this appointment until the issue of full versus part-time is decided. Jim said the hours can be adjusted later, if necessary. Motion was made to appoint Mark Bertonassi as Building Inspector; motion seconded and voted All in Favor.
· Alternate Building Inspectors: Lawrence Brandt and Tom Dillon.
· Plumbing/Gas Inspector: Eric Johnson
· Alternate Plumbing/Gas Inspector: Richard LaPan, Jr.
· Wiring Inspector: James Morrill
· Alternate Wiring Inspector: Tom O’Connor
· Assistant Treasurer/Collector: Joseph Daigneault
· Town Counsel: Stephen Madaus
· Town Accountant: Dan Haynes
· Open Space Committee: appointments deferred. Question raised as to whether we still need this committee. Nancy will look into it.
Compass Pointe:
· A discussion was held regarding the status of the water line and the developer paving the road.
· The Board would like to leave it up to Nancy to decide if anyone needs to be scheduled on the agenda regarding Compass Pointe.
Upon a motion made by Ken Sydow and seconded by Roger Deal, and voted All in Favor, the meeting was adjourned at 8:55 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lori Esposito
Administrative Assistant
| 
