HANSON PLANNING BOARD
Minutes the Meeting of
February 12, 2003
I. CALL TO ORDER - 7:33 p.m.
Members Present: Philip Lindquist, Chairman
Gerard LeBlanc, Vice Chairman
Gordon Coyle, Clerk (Arrived 7:35 p.m.)
Joan DiLillo, Member
Members Absent: David Nagle, Member
Others Present: Town Planner Noreen O’Toole
Administrative Assistant Barbara Ferguson
II. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES
Acceptance of Minutes of Meeting of January 8, 2003
Motion to Accept the Minutes of the Meeting of January 8, 2003: Gerard LeBlanc
Second: Joan DiLillo
Vote: 3-0
Acceptance of Minutes of Executive Session of January 8, 2003
Motion to Accept the Minutes of the Executive Session of January 8, 2003: Gerard LeBlanc
Second: Joan DiLillo
Vote: 4-0
Acceptance of Minutes of Public Hearing of December 11, 2002
Vice Chairman Gerard LeBlanc questioned the use of the words “in lieu of” in the fourth paragraph of page 4 when referring to the issue of the town agreeing to plow snow in a private development and it was agreed that “in exchange for” would be a better choice of words.
Motion to Accept the Minutes of the December 11, 2002 Public Hearing as corrected: Gerard LeBlanc
Second: Joan DiLillo
Vote: 3-0-1 (Gordon Coyle abstaining)
III. TOWN PLANNER’S REPORT
Master Plan Committee
Town Planner Noreen O’Toole turned the floor over to Administrative Assistant Barbara Ferguson, who had talked to Carol Thomas of Thomas Planning Services earlier in the day. Mrs. Ferguson said she was told that a draft of the Open Space element would be sent within a week and that the draft of the Municipal Services element of the Master Plan should be ready in about one month. The delay on the Open Space element, she said, was the time needed to input several pages of information received from Philip Clemons and information contained in an article on Hanson in a recent Department of Environmental Management publication.
Hanson Trails Committee
Ms. O’Toole said that no meetings of the Hanson Trails Committee have been scheduled.
Zoning Bylaw Committee
Ms. O’Toole said that no meetings of the Hanson Trails Committee have been scheduled. Chairman Philip Lindquist said that he would like to see an Open Space Preservation Bylaw put before voters at town meeting.
Old Colony Planning Council Joint Transportation Committee
Ms. O’Toole said the next meeting of the Old Colony Planning Council Joint Transportation Committee will be held on February 27, 2003.
Other Matters
Ms. O’Toole advised that an application had been made to the state for a grant of up to $30,000 in conjunction with Executive Order 418. Whether the town has been successful should be known within the month.
Ms. O’Toole said that a local developer had advised the office that Massachusetts Electric was unwilling to install lights in his subdivision without confirmation that the town would be continuing payment once the roadway has been accepted. She said that she would be calling Massachusetts Electric to discuss the situation.
Ms. O’Toole said that all information relative to street acceptance for Holmes Terrace has been supplied to Executive Secretary E. Winn Davis including an estimate of $4,000 to $5,000 for an engineer to set the bounds and provide an asbuilt plan. Whether the town or the current street owner will be responsible for the cost has not been determined.
IV. APPOINTMENTS
7:30 p.m., Adequate Access
Fallon Point Road
The Board met with Kevin Johnson of 86 Pine Grove Avenue to discuss his interest in subdividing a new lot off of his existing lot. The frontage for the lot would have to be on Fallon Point Road which is a 20-foot wide right of way. Following a review of an unsigned Form A/ANR plan from the 1980’s, the Board advised Mr. Johnson he did not have adequate access for a second lot.
8:00 p.m., Roy Vinton
Colonial Heights
Completion Cost Estimate from Merrill Associates, Inc.
Roy Vinton, developer of the Colonial Heights subdivision, met with the Board to give a progress report. A February 12, 2003 letter read by Chairman Philip Lindquist indicated the key item required to secure proposed actual dates relative to road completion is dependent upon granite curb delivery. Mr. Vinton said the representative from Fletcher Granite had been reluctant to meet on site until mid-February. He said that he would be speaking to the representative again on Friday in the hope of setting a meeting date for the following week. He said he had met on site with a representative of T.L. Edwards relative to paving work and was awaiting a quote.
Board member Joan DiLillo told Mr. Vinton that the Board needed some factual paperwork. Chairman Philip Lindquist stressed the need for an itemized written schedule. Board member Gerard LeBlanc said the schedule should indicate a May 2003 completion date. Mr. Vinton said he had not received final approval for the funding until January 16, 2003. The project is funded for up to $133,000 on a draw basis, he said, with a portion of the money to be released as each phase of the project is completed. He promised the Board he would return with more specific information at the next meeting. The members warned Mr. Vinton they were on the verge of taking over his bond. At the conclusion of the session, the Board noted the completion cost estimate
received from its review engineer, Merrill Associates, was $204,061 including Valley Forge Road for which a bond has yet to be established. The bond currently held by the town was $176,658.00 as of the end of November.
V. NEW BUSINESS
Request for Letter of Endorsement
Plans for new Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Chairman Philip Lindquist advised the Board that he had received an oral request from a member of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Building Committee for a letter of endorsement on the plans for construction of a new high school. Although impressed with the recent presentation by the committee’s engineering firm, Board members did not favor sending a letter of endorsement noting that comments on the project had already been sent to the Board of Appeals. A letter is to be sent to the Building Committee advising that there will be no letter of endorsement.
Memo from Selectmen’s Office
Public Records Seminar
Members noted a January 29, 2003 memo from the Selectmen’s office advising of two public records seminars being offered on Thursday, February 27, 2003 by the Secretary of State’s office. Administrative Assistant Barbara Ferguson will be attending the 2 p.m. session being offered at Hanson Town Hall. The morning session will be held at the Halifax Town Hall.
Acceptance of M.G.L., Chapter 44, Section 53G
Employment of Outside Consultants
Town Planner Noreen O’Toole told Board members that she had spoken to Kopelman and Paige, town counsel, and been advised that the Board could pay engineering bills from an escrow account without first obtaining authorization from the developer based on the wording in the Planning Board Rules and Regulations Governing The Issuance of Special Permits. To strengthen the Board’s position, it was recommended by counsel, Ms. O’Toole said, that the rules and regulations be amended to reference M.G.L., Chapter 44, Section 53G, employment of outside consultants; administrative appeal; special account.
Motion to amend the Town of Hanson Planning Board Rules and Regulations Governing The Issuance of Special Permits Section V.K. Filing Fees to include reference to M.G.L., Chapter 44, Section 53G at the end of the first sentence: Joan DiLillo
Second: Gordon Coyle
Vote: 4-0
VI. OLD BUSINESS
Town Planner’s Evaluation
Board members noted a recent evaluation of the job performance of Town Planner Noreen O’Toole indicating a score of 170 out of a possible 180 and agreed the evaluation score warranted a recommended salary increase of 3.5 percent. Chairman Philip Lindquist and Joan DiLillo each gave Ms. O’Toole a perfect score of 36. The other totals were 35 from Gerard LeBlanc, 33 from Gordon Coyle, and 30 from David Nagle.
Motion to send a memo to the Finance Committee recommended a 3.5 percent salary increase for Fiscal Year 2004: Gerard LeBlanc
Second: Joan DiLillo
Vote: 4-0
Memo from Selectmen’s Office
Closing of Warrant for Annual Town Meeting
The Board noted a February 10, 2003 memorandum from the Selectmen’s office indicating that the warrant for the annual town meeting would be closing on Friday, February 14, 2003 at 10 a.m.
Review of Draft Decisions
Arbor House and Hanson Gardens
Board members took home for review the draft decisions for Arbor House and Hanson Gardens. The drafts will be discussed at the next meeting. The filing deadline for both decisions is March 11, 2003.
VII. ZONING HEARINGS
Application of Midaco Corporation to overturn the Building Inspector’s determination that Lot 6-14, Map 96 Thayer Drive does not comply with frontage requirements to allow the construction of a single-family home.
COMMENT: The Board agrees with Building Inspector that the lot does not comply with frontage requirements.
Application of K and A Design Corporation, dba Ashleigh’s Coffee Cafe for Site Plan Approval to operate a coffee cafe at 1625 Main Street, Map 045, Lot 0001.
COMMENT: Insufficient information provided for the Board to comment.
Application of B.V. Hanson Corp, Michael Vazza, Treasurer, for a special permit to allow the conversion of a Nail/Hair Salon into a one-bedroom apartment, 1080 Main Street, Map 043, Lot 0003.
COMMENT: No Comment.
Application of Ahmed Ragab, dba Adam Dry Cleaning for Site Plan Approval to operate a dry cleaning business (drop off and pick up only) at 1375 Main Street, Unit 3, Map 44, Lot 12.
COMMENT: The Board would like to know if the owner of the property will be doing any site improvements.
VIII. ADJOURNMENT - 10 p.m.
Motion to adjourn: Joan DiLillo
Second: Gordon Coyle
Vote: 5-0
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