HANSON PLANNING BOARD
Minutes for the Meeting of
October 16, 2002
I. CALL TO ORDER - 7:32 p.m.
Members Present: Gerard LeBlanc, Vice Chairman
Gordon Coyle, Clerk
Joan DiLillo, Member (Arrived 7:36 p.m.)
David Nagle, Member
Members Absent: Philip Lindquist, Chairman
Others Present: Town Planner Noreen O’Toole
Administrative Assistant Barbara Ferguson
II. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES
Acceptance of Minutes of Meeting of October 2, 2002
Motion to accept the minutes of October 2, 2002: David Nagle
Second: Gordon Coyle
Vote: 3-0 (Joan DiLillo not present)
III. TOWN PLANNER’S REPORT
Master Plan Committee
Town Planner Noreen O’Toole told the Board that a meeting of the Master Plan Committee has been scheduled for October 30, 2002 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. Ms. O’Toole said that the office had received a packet on the Land Use component from consultant Carol Thomas of Thomas Planning Services. The packet has been distributed to committee members for review prior to the meeting, she said.
Hanson Trails Committee
The Board noted that voters at the October Special Town Meeting created an Open Space Committee that could ultimately cause the Hanson Trails Committee to become defunct. The committee would be comprised of five members, she said, with three members at large and one each from the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board. Ms. O’Toole said that it should be a seven-member committee and include representation from the Conservation Commission. Vice Chairman Gerard LeBlanc said that the Trails Committee should continue as a subcommittee of the Planning Board, working to meet its goals of open space and trails. Ms. O’Toole said that Chairman Philip Lindquist had expressed interest in representing the Planning Board on the Open Space
Committee.
Motion to have Chairman Philip Lindquist serve as the Planning Board member on the new Open Space Committee: Gordon Coyle
Second: David Nagle
Vote - 4-0
Zoning Bylaw Committee
Ms. O’Toole said that the Zoning Bylaw Committee would not be meeting until after the holidays. Input on potential bylaw amendments will be soon be sought from other boards and committees in preparation for the May Town Meeting, she said.
Old Colony Planning Council Joint Transportation Committee
Ms. O’Toole told the Board that she would be attending a ceremony in Brockton at noon on October 17 commemorating the opening of a new BAT station. The next Old Colony Planning Council Joint Transportation Committee meeting will be held at noon on October 24 at the Brockton Chamber of Commerce, she said. She reported that she will also be attending a Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting at 9:30 a.m. on October 23 at OCPC with other state and regional transportation officials.
IV. APPOINTMENTS
7:45 p.m., Thomas Sexton,
Mainstream Engineering
Presentation of Engineering Services
The Board met with Thomas Sexton, president of Mainstream Engineering of Kingston, to discuss the engineering services offered to municipalities by his company which was established in 2001. Mr. Sexton told the Board that he has 18 years of experience in the field of municipal engineering and peer review. His clients have included boards and commissions in Attleboro, Barnstable, Bellingham Bourne, Duxbury, Kingston, Hanover, Hingham, Marion, Marshfield, Medway, Nantucket, Rehoboth, and Scituate. His associates include a civil engineer and a project engineer and a CAD/GIS specialist who have worked with the Hanson Water Department. Mr. Sexton said he does not work with developers to avoid conflict of interest.
8:00 p.m. Colonial Heights
The Board met with developer Roy Vinton and residents of Colonial Heights to discuss work remaining to be done on the subdivision and how it will be accomplished.
Town Planner Noreen O’Toole noted that the last inspection by the Board’s review engineer, Merrill Associates of Hanover, was done on March 31, 2000. No additional inspections were scheduled, she said, because very little work has been done since that date. The Completion Cost Estimate that ensued from the inspection by Merrill Associates was $221,827.
Some items listed on the estimate have been addressed since that time, she said. Those items could total as much as $15,000. The estimate also includes a 30 percent contingency of $51,191. The figure also includes the cost of 500 feet of roadway on Valley Forge Road although those lots have not been released by the Planning Board and no bond has been established for this section of the subdivision.
The reason the estimate is so high, she said, is that it would cost the town more to complete the subdivision than it would the developer due to state bid laws that govern municipalities. There have been mini-inspections, Ms. O’Toole said. Most were related to drainage problems which have been addressed. The roadway and sidewalks are the major outstanding issue, she said. There is approximately $170,000 remaining in the bond for the subdivision.
She noted that the town has taken over subdivisions in the past. The most recent takeover, she said, was Washington West Meadows. In that instance, she said, a priority list was established with most of the items completed. After four years, that roadway should be ready for acceptance at the next town meeting, she said.
She said whenever possible the Board likes to work with the contractor because that is the cheapest way to get the job done. The meeting was scheduled to get input from residents prior to any consideration by the Board of taking over responsibility for completion of the roadway and drainage systems of the subdivision, she said, upon the recommendation of Town Counsel.
Mr. Vinton said that since the last meeting on May 15, 2002 the deal discussed for having a subcontractor take over completion of the project had fallen through. Mr. Vinton said that he now has tentative bank financing for completion of the subdivision and a contractor lined up to do the work. He said he will need a letter of credit before he can place an order for granite. He estimated the cost of completion at $140,000. Whether the work can be completed before the end of the current calendar year, he said, is questionable. He said he would be looking for bond releases as the work progresses.
The many residents in attendance expressed concern with the length of time that has passed with no resolution to the issue of who is going to be responsible for finishing the subdivision and what may have to be eliminated if the town takes over the bond. A few residents were critical of the Planning Board for not moving things along more quickly. Others were more sympathetic with the complexity of the problem.
One of the major issues in the eyes of many residents is a continuing water problem on Valley Forge Road and whether that problem will be exacerbated by the First Congregational Church’s plans for expansion to the rear of its High Street property. Church representative Robert Sears assured the residents and the Board that the church is committed to working with them to eliminate the problem. He said he would bring their concerns back to the church to ensure that mitigating measures are put in place to protect the residents.
At the conclusion of the discussion Ms. O’Toole reviewed for the residents the procedure for calling and spending subdivision security funds outlined in a May 1, 2002 letter from Kopelman and Paige, Town Counsel and then the Board decided to give Mr. Vinton 30 days notice that it will implement the procedure if no proof of a signed contract and financing in place is provided on or before November 20, 2002.
Motion to put Mr. Vinton on notice that, unless we receive proof of signed contracts and proof of finances in place by November 20, 2002, we intend to take ove the project: Gerard LeBlanc
Second: Joan DiLillo
Vote: 4-0
V. ZONING HEARING
Application of James Wirzburger for a special permit to allow a 5 ft. x 5 ft. sign to advertise a new restaurant “The Bistro at Cataldi’s, 1486 Main Street, Map 044, Lot 0007E, Hanson Assessors Map.
COMMENT: No Comment
VI. ADJOURNMENT - 9:05 p.m.
Motion to adjourn: Joan DiLillo
Second: David Nagle
Vote: 4-0
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