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Board of Selectmen Minutes 09/07/2010
Date of Meeting:        Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Location:               Town Hall, 221 Main Street
Time:                   6:30 PM – 8:25 PM
Members Present:        Chairman James Stanton; Roger Deal; Ken Sydow
Others Present: Nancy Colbert Puff, Town Administrator; Lori Esposito, Administrative Assistant; others as listed on the attached sign-in sheet


Meeting Minutes:  Motion was made to approve the minutes for the Selectmen’s meetings of June 28, July 30, July 12 and July 13, Regular Sessions and June 28, August 9, 2010 Executive Sessions.   Motion was seconded and voted all in favor.  The minutes of August 9 will be edited to reflect Counsel’s comments, and approved at a future meeting.

Sign Request:   A request was made by Habitat for Humanity to place a sign at Routes 70 and 140 to advertise a spaghetti supper on September 24 to be held at the Congregational Church.    Motion was made, seconded and voted all in favor to approve to grant the request.

MDAR Annoucement:  The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources announced, through a letter dated July 15, 2010, that they are considering purchasing Lot 1002 on Assessors’ Map 038 – West Side of Ball Street – (on the Boylston/Northborough line) for the purpose of including it in the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) Program as an Agricultural Preservation Restriction

Report of the Town Administrator to the Board of Selectmen:
  • Sewall Street Paving:  Compass Pointe has requested return of ten percent of their original performance security, in accordance with the terms of their permit.  The Town Administrator requested the Board vote to release a check in the amount of $9,750.  Motion was made by Roger Deal and seconded by Ken Sydow and voted all in favor to release the funds.  The Highway Superintendent and Graves Engineering both approved the roadwork.
  • Library Renovation Phase I:  The Town Administrator presented an architectural contract, which has been approved by Town Counsel, to the Board for signature.  The architect estimated approximately $40,000 for the entire Phase I; however, all three bids came in over $70,000.
  • Business Marketing Committee Breakfast of Sep 10:  We have received confirmed reservations for 45 people; up to 58 attendees might be possible.
  • Flagg House RFP:    Proposals for leasing this property will be due at 1:00 PM on October 13, 2010.
  • Town Hall Heating Upgrade for the Gym, Lobby and Locker Rooms:  Specifications and plans for this project have been put out to bid; bids are due at noon on September 28, 2010.
  • Tax Title Auction:  Paul Zekos has tentatively scheduled the auction for Thursday, October 14, 2010.  The Poe Avenue and Nicholas Avenue lots have tested as buildable.  Mr. Zekos requested the Building Inspector’s opinion and he agreed they are buildable.  Ken Sydow asked if we should have the opinion of the Building Inspector reviewed by Town Counsel?  Mr. Sydow inquired about the School Street site being buildable.  The Town Administrator said no, it did not perk.
  • Asian Long-Horned Beetle Infestation:  Additional beetles were identified in the School Street area.  The statistics for Boylston to date are:
        Total detected infested trees:          63
        Infested tree removals:                 16
        Pesticide treatments:                   6,373
        Trees surveyed for the beetle:        23,356
  • Building Department Clerical Help:  Thirty-three resumes were received.  Following several interviews with interested candidates, we have selected Ms. Nina Gardner of Holden to fill this position.  Her previous work experience has been with the Town of Westborough School Department and Police Dispatch office.  She will begin on September 13, 2010 and will work eight hours a week (Monday through Thursday, 9:00 – 11:00 AM).
  • Vacation:  The Town Administrator requested the Board’s approval to take vacation time from Monday, October 4, 2010 through Friday, October 8.  Board approved.
  • Habitat for Humanity:  Howard Drobner contacted the Town Administrator regarding picking the names of two families to work with on a new home.   He requested a member of the Board of Selectmen be present on September 15, 2010 at the Town House.  Jim Stanton will attend on September 15 at 6:30 PM.
7:00 PM:  Report of the Chief of Police to the Board of Selectmen:
  • Statistics for the month of August were presented.
  • July 16:  attended ticket hearing
  • July 28:  a new sewer was installed
  • August 15week:  the Chief took vacation
  • August 26:  Patrol Sergeant Michael Donahue made traffic stop on Paul Tivnan Drive.  He parked behind a Ford Explorer; the vehicle rolled backward and dented the push bar on the patrol car.  There was insufficient damage to make an insurance claim.
  • September 1:  School is back in session; no issues.
  • A total of 84 cars were the subject of break-ins in 55 locations over a period of six days.  These were mainly unlocked vehicles.  One car was stolen. The perpetrators made a methodical move throughout the Town and never hit during inclement weather.  The Police Department interviewed many people but the issue has not been resolved.  Numerous house breaks occurred in surrounding communities during the same time frame as the vehicle break-ins.   One break-in occurred a week ago; individuals have been charged.
  • Effective the end of September the No Texting Law will go into effect.  A copy of the law is on the Town web site and has been sent to our Cable TV station.  The Chief briefly reviewed the specifics of the law and the fines as outlined.
October 24:  The DARE Halloween party will be held at the Town House.
The Police Officers Union fundraiser is underway.  Solicitation will be by mail only; no phone calls.
October 31:  The Chief requested that trick or treat hours be restricted to 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM.  These are the normal hours for most communities.  Motion was made, seconded and voted all in favor to adopt these hours.
Ken Sydow asked the Chief to look at Warren Street and Maple Avenue.  He has received complaints from residents regarding the speed of traffic in that area.  The Chief will go there and make his presence known.  A brief discussion was held regarding past experience with this intersection; the Chief has never written a ticket.  He will continue to enforce the speed limit.
Ken Sydow also suggested the Chief should look into the possibility of placing a STOP sign on Mile Hill Road and Green Street.
Jim Stanton inquired about an opportunity for the Town to assist the courts with GPS devices on people for tracking purposes – often for pretrial releases.   The Chief said he was not sure but would look into it.


7:30 PM:  Report of the Highway Superintendent to the Board of Selectmen:
  • The Superintendent presented an insurance claim from August from a person claiming damage to a ladder being ripped off the top of his truck by a tree.  Don Parker inspected the trees and there is only one tree in the area large enough to overhang.  He inspected the tree and it has a cut branch that was two inches in diameter at the base.  He didn’t cut it; he feels it is not large enough to damage the vehicle or its ladder.
  • School Street signage added.
  • Patching;  used ten tons of asphalt
  • Cleaning/rebuilding barns
  • One of the highway trucks needs a new fuel tank at an estimated cost of $1,100.
  • Don will investigate the “bump” on Central Street.  He thinks it is a large boulder.  He needs a road opening permit and a police detail; however, he has no money in his budget for a police detail.  Jim Stanton suggested he work with the Police Chief and let him make the decision as to whether a detail is needed.
  • Red Knights Motorcycle Group members visited the memorial in front of the Fire Department.  They shared photos of members at memorials at the Boylston and Worcester sites.
  • Roger Deal said he and Ron Wagner discussed the Hillside driveway.  Mr. Wagner would help finance removal of the curve in the driveway.  Roger asked Don to call Ron to clarify what he is proposing.  Jim Stanton said he would have to see what he is talking about before discussing it further.  Don Parker said he will talk to Mr. Wagner.
Parks and Recreation:   Alan Cosimini and Penny Rickel, Chairman, were present.
  • P&R budget was reduced from $15K in 2008 to $5K presently.  
  • They are having problems watering the new soccer fields, are about $2000 short.  They do not want them to fall into disrepair.  They were denied an abatement by the Water District and would like to receive funds from the Town to pay for water.  Alan said the football field cost alone for water is $2,000 a year, which is paid by youth football league.
  • Lawn care apps will be reduced to two from four, effective in 2011.  Also cannot maintain the fields.
  • Roger asked if they had a statement with balances and expenditure of revolving funds available.  Penny said “yes, it’s public.”  She is not sure of the present balance but it will be zero after the next water bill is paid.  Jim Stanton said soccer fees average $26,000/year.  Penny said that Parks and Recreation does not get any of that money; it all goes to Boylston Youth Soccer.  Jim Stanton said he had previous conversations with Rudy Lambrecht (previous P&R Chair) and he never made it clear to the Board where the revolving funds are allocated.  Penny will get an itemized copy.
  • Parks and Recreation charges a field use fee “per hour.”  Penny said Town of Boylston teams are not charged for field use; only outside teams and users are charged.
  • Jim Stanton said the Town has also provided revenue for the gym and will be fixing the heating system.  The Town never sees any of the money back.  He has had previous conversations regarding this.
  • Mr. Stanton explained funding from the town budget is only a subsidy.  When cuts were made, part of the decision was based on what was spent in previous years.  Several departments were cut heavily for the same reasons.
  • Roger asked if there is any way of knowing balances of the Boylston Youth Soccer accounts, since they are using fields that Parks and Recreation is maintaining with irrigation.
  • Roger asked why Parks and Recreation should take over maintenance of fields that Boylston Youth Soccer charges for?   Penny responded that Boylston residents use the fields.  Roger said there should be some direct accountability for fees collected.  Do they know how much they are?  Alan said no but he could clarify that with a phone call.
  • Nancy Puff said a bigger discussion involved long-term rate setting and policies.  A discussion was held about responsibility and who is liable for fees and field maintenance.
  • Roger said it is incumbent upon the Board to understand and explain to taxpayers the structure and how it is being handled.
  • Ken Sydow would like to get together and look at the numbers.  Parks and Recreation is a wonderful organization that should be supported, but the Board of Selectmen needs to understand their budget and process.
  • Ken said the Board has also been told in the past by P&R that the gym is not owned by the Town; that Parks and Recreation owns and runs the gym.   No P&R contributions are received to heat the gym, although the double doors are left open in winter and the bathrooms are defaced.  The Board was also told by an individual that the Board of Selectmen is not privy to any numbers of the revolving account:  “we don’t have that information.”
  • Regarding fees, Alan said they might need to set them each year, depending on varying costs of fertilizer, water, etc.
  • Money from the Town is used for things Parks and Recreation cannot collect money for (tennis courts, playgrounds, etc.)  Sports organizations should cover their costs plus contribute to a capital improvement plan.
  • Ken Sydow said it would make sense to determine the costs to run and maintain everything and then set fees.  Some of the surrounding towns have higher fees, but without budget information how does P&R know what to charge.  Post all information as public (costs, accounts, etc.) so residents understand the need for fees.
  • Jim Stanton said Parks and Recreation should get together with the Town Administrator to go over numbers.  The Town Administrator said Parks and Recreation is typically a fee-based program;  we should identify the costs and go from there.
Motion made to adjourn; motion seconded; voted All in Favor.

Meeting adjourned at 8:25 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lori Esposito, Administrative Assistant