Selectmen's Meeting - March 7, 1995
Selectmen Attending: Judith Murdoch, Acting Chair; Peter Jones
and Catherine Kuchinski, Clerk. Also attending: Joseph Nugent,
Executive Secretary to Board of Selectmen.
I. Opening: Acting Chair Judith Murdoch called meeting to order
at 7:25pm here at the Town Hall for the purpose of signing the
warrant and bills and the $500,000 BANS for the financing for the
ladder truck. Treasurer/Collector McCormack informed the Board
that the financing is at 5.25% with no interest due until 1997.
II. School Committee Position on Ballot: Janet vanSteensel has
informed the Town that she is resigning her elected seat on the
Whitman-Hanson Regional School Board effective May 12, 1995. The
Board wishes to note that the resignation is accepted with
regret. Motion 3/7/95.1: move to place a the School Committee
position on the ballot for the May 13, 1995 election. Motion made
by Kuchinski with second by Jones. Motion carried 3-0.
III. Presentation of Town Flag to Governor Weld: Nugent informed
the Board that Representative Marini has scheduled a presentation
for Wednesday at 4PM at the Statehouse. Board members working in
Boston to attempt to attend. Nugent to contact Joe Frisoli.
At 7:35pm, the Board recessed until they could travel to the
Water Department for the monthly meeting with the Board.
IV. Water Department Meeting: At 7:50PM Present were Water
Commissioners Bickford, Morway, Andrews, Dahlberg with secretary
Carol Servizzio; Selectmen Murdoch, Jones, Kuchinski and Flynn
with Joe Nugent.
Bickford updated the Board on Water Department's approach to
ask Reagan to act as mediator; hired a professional appraiser
with 30 years experience with water situations; contacted both
Murrays and the Clarks with letters introducing people, etc.
Nugent brought a copy of the Clark's short order of Notice for
March 13, 1995 served on the Town today by Clark's new attorney
Christian Haufler. Pat Costello will be notified in the morning
of the latest legal action by the Clarks. Murdoch also asked
that in the next round of presentations that the Water
Commissioners clarify the need for 20 acres - 10 from the Clarks
and the 10 acres of Town owned land.
Main Discussion this evening is on the list of charges
forwarded by the Town Accountant and Nugent to the Water
Department for reimbursement payment to the Town. It was noted
by the Water Department that some of these charges have never
been reimbursed by the Water Department. In some instances,
after budgets have been approved then Water Department has been
hit with a bill previously unknown and not projected in the
budget. This type of bookkeeping or cost accounting between
entities is not good communication. It also may force an
Enterprise System wherein the 2700 rate payers (out of approx.
4300 homes in Town) will not be the only ones paying for the fire
protection services of the Water Department. Water Department
would then have to charge the Town for fire suppression, hydrant
and water tank costs and maintenance. Water Department has begun
to study figures for system development of surrounding towns.
True quantified figures for this project hard to come by. Water
Commissioners will be discussing several matters with the Fire
Chief and will add this to the list.
The sheet of costs presented by Nugent tonight will be
further discussed at the next joint meeting of the Boards. A
decision will be reached at that time on which costs will be
reimbursed by the Water Department to the Town. It was agreed
that no precedent for future years would be established by that
decision. The work on costing out fire suppression will be done
by the Water Department but realistically would not be available
for several months if not a year. This was the understanding of
both Boards.
V. Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 9:15pm. The next meeting
(Saturday, March 18) will be at the Town Hall for the general
meeting on Water issues.
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