HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
October 16, 2006
6:30 PM Memorial Hall
Present: Chairman David J. White, James M. Jumonville, Kenneth OBrien, Joseph G. Sullivan, Kimberly N. Ferguson
Others Present: Brian J. Bullock, Town Manager, Jacquie Kelly, Assistant Town Manager, Elizabeth Helder, Recording Secretary
Chairman White opened the meeting at 6:30 PM. The Board participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Selectmen Licenses and Permits
Motion by Sel. Ferguson, seconded by Sel. Jumonville, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE TO JODI NENNIGER ON BEHALF OF THE DR. L.E. MAYO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA FOR A COFFEE AND BAKE TABLE ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2006 FROM 9:30AM 3:30PM PENDING RECOMMENDED APPROVAL OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH.
Motion by Sel. Jumonville, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE TO JODI NENNIGER ON BEHALF OF THE DR. L.E. MAYO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA FOR THE ANNUAL FALL CRAFT FAIR/ ADMISSION CHARGED ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2006 FROM 9:30AM 3:30PM PENDING RECOMMENDED APPROVAL OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH.
Motion by Sel. Jumonville, seconded by Sel. Sullivan, it was VOTED 4-0-1 WITH 1 ABSTENTION TO APPROVE A COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE TO BARBARA ANGER ON BEHALF OF THE FRIENDS OF HOLDEN COUNCIL ON AGING FOR A BAKE TABLE AND LUNCH ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2006 FROM 9:00 AM 3:00 PM PENDING RECOMMENDED APPROVAL OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH. (Abstained: Sel. Ferguson.)
Request for WRSDC Downsizing
Sel. Jumonville said that WRSDC s Downsizing Ad Hoc Committee was seeking input from district Boards of Selectmen whether the 20-member WRSDC committee should be downsized.
Sel. Sullivan commented that volunteers are scarce and there is no competition in an election. A reduced committee size would make every vote count. He expressed the opinion that town representation should be based on a weighted vote system. Sel. Ferguson reminded the Board that she had served on the WRSDC. She spoke in favor of downsizing the committee. Sel. OBrien stated that he did not want to involve himself in an autonomous committee decision.
Motion by Sel. Jumonville, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was VOTED 4-1 WITH 1 OPPOSED THAT THE HOLDEN BOS RECOMMENDS TO THE WRSDC AD HOC DOWNSIZING COMMITTEE THAT DOWNSIZING THE 20-MEMBER WACHUSTT REGIONAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE SHOULD BE VIGOROUSLY PURSUED. (Opposed: Sel. OBrien.)
Town Managers Miscellaneous
1. The Manager informed the Board that the warrant for the upcoming election on Tuesday, November 7, 2006 was available for signature.
Citizens Address
Chairman White announced that the Board had entered into Executive Session prior to the meeting to discuss the potential development of Rice School with the developer. The Chairman announced that the Board would hold a public meeting to share this information with the public within the next 10 days. A poster board of the proposed development will be on display in a public place prior to the meeting. Information on the meeting and the display will be advertised on HCTV. All information discussed in Executive Session is to remain private and is not subject for discussion until the Executive Session minutes have been released.
Mrs. Louise Hugo, Highland Street, inquired if the Rice School meeting would be a meeting or a public hearing. The Chair said that since the proposed development was in its preliminary stage, it would be a meeting and not a public hearing.
Guide to Open Meeting Law
The Board reviewed A Guide to Open Meetings as published by the League of Women Voters.
Discussion of Meeting with Recreation Commission
Chairman White announced that the Chairman, Sel. Sullivan, and the Manager attended a recent meeting with the Recreation Committee. He reported that the Committee is seeking a proposal to expand the grassy area and provide shade at the pool. Chairman White encouraged residents to email the Selectmen through the town web site to provide feedback on the recreation facilities. Sel. Ferguson suggested that the Board send a note of encouragement and thanks to the Recreation Committee. Resident vs. non-resident passes will continue to be an ongoing discussion with the Committee.
Selectmen Subcommittees
Sel. OBrien: EDC: has not met.
WRSD Collective Bargaining:
Sel. Jumonville: Trash/Recycle: next meeting is October 24th at 4PM in Memorial Hall.
Phased Growth Bylaw:
Open Space/Recreation:
Memorial Day Committee: next meeting is November 2nd at 7PM in the Starbard Building.
Sel. Sullivan: Holden Hospital/UMASS: There are no further developments to report.
Sel. Ferguson: Holden Tomorrow: held a Visioning Meeting on October 3rd. Over 100 people attended. The Committee will continue to hold Visioning Meetings later in the year and the beginning of 2007. Next Meeting is October 17th.
Affordable Housing Committee: next meeting is in November.
Selectmen Miscellaneous
Sel. Ferguson: 1. Asked for an update on Lovell Road. The Manager said that no easement exists and that the town will have to seek an easement at the next Town Meeting. The town continues to keep the property owner involved.
2. The RFP for legal services is in the solicitation process.
3. Asked about the relocation of the ambulance and its staff. The Manager said that the new Fire Chief was looking to reconfigure an in-house solution.
4. Asked that a discussion of ex-officio status when serving on a committee be scheduled for the agenda in November or December.
Sel. Jumonville: 1. Sel. Jumonville presented a plan to raise money to fund the Memorial Day Parade Committee. The Committee would like to hire a marching band. The total cost is $7000 and the band requires a $1000 binder deposit. The Board discussed whether the town should fund the deposit. The Board also discussed the committees fundraising efforts and what would happen if the committee were unable to raise the total amount. Several Board members, while supportive of the parade concept, were hesitant to fund the parade expenses with tax dollars. The Manager said that while funding the deposit would not be a problem, he would have difficulty funding the $7000 from the current budget. The Parade Committee does not have a line item in the current budget. The Manager asked if the Board would like to see a dollar amount for the Parade Committee
in the next fiscal budget. Sel. Ferguson said that she was supportive of attaching a dollar amount to the Parade Committee, she felt that $7000 was a big chunk of change. It was agreed that Sel. Jumonville would work with the Town Manager to fiscally manage the budget and or potential deposit for the Parade Committee.
2. Requested that a Hats Off Award be presented to the DPW crew who fixed the water main break on Winthrop Ave.
Sel. OBrien: 1. Sel. OBrien said that he had found a discrepancy in the engineering study about traffic conditions at the Doyle and Shrewsbury Street intersection a fatal accident occurred in 2005 and was not recorded in the traffic study. He said that while the town followed all 13 recommendations made by the study, he said he would still like to pursue a traffic light or other options at the intersection. He also suggested tightening the turn radius on Shrewsbury Street. The Manager responded that he was unaware of the discrep- ancy in the study and said that Sel. OBrien should have contacted the Manager prior to the meeting before raising the issue in public. The Manager said that he was aware of ongoing issues with the intersection and was in the process of generating a new engineering study. He said that he would return to the
Board when he had further information. Sel. Sullivan and Sel. Ferguson sug- gested that further discussion of the subject be scheduled as an agenda item.
2. Requested a Hats Off Award be presented to Capt. MacKay for his recognition by the South Wachusett Emergency Planning Committee.
3. Requested that the Board consider selling 8 condo units managed by the Holden Housing Authority. The Manager responded that the town did not own the units and that this would need to be discussed by the Housing Authority.
Sel. Sullivan: 1. Thanked the Manager for addressing the political sign bylaw in residential zones.
2. Announced that David Oriol was recognized at the White Mass at St. Pauls Cathedral on October 16th.
3. Announced that the Wachusett Food Pantry is in need of volunteers every Friday morning for food sorting and every third Friday and Saturday for food distribution.
Sel. White: 1. Requested that the Board consider a discussion to set the standards for fuel efficiency for town vehicles.
2. Inquired about a study group for the Fire Department. The Manager said that a group consisting of administration, on-call staff and Ed Oberg was in the process of being formed.
3. Announced that he would serve on the Public Safety Building Committee. Sel. Sullivan said that he felt that since Sel. Jumonville was the most vocal opponent of the previous building project, he should be the one to serve on the committee. Sel. White served on the previous committee. Sel. OBrien said he felt left out of the process because he was not asked to serve. He said he did not serve on a significant committee and was disappointed by the Chairs self-appointment.
Budget Goals
Sel. Jumonville left the meeting at 9:05 PM.
Motion by Sel. Sullivan, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was VOTED 4-0 TO DEVELOP THE FY2008 BUDGET WITH AN UNDERLYING EFFORT TO COME IN UNDER PROP 2 ½ ON THE SELECTMENS FY2008 BUDGET GOALS.
Motion by Sel. Sullivan, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was VOTED 4-0 TO FINISH THE RICE SCHOOL PROJECT ON THE SELECTMENS FY2008 BUDGET GOALS.
Motion by Sel. Sullivan, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was VOTED 4-0 TO SOLVE THE BUILDING SPACE NEED FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING ON THE SELECTMENS FY2008 BUDGET GOALS.
Motion by Sel. Ferguson, seconded by Sel. Sullivan, it was VOTED 4-0 TO PLACE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SHORT AND LONG-RANGE STAFFING PLAN AT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ON THE SELECTMENS FY2008 BUDGET GOALS.
Motion by Sel. Sullivan, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was VOTED 4-0 TO STRUCTURE BUDGET MECHANISMS TO MANAGE THE USE OF ON-TIME REVENUE ON THE SELECTMENS FY2008 BUDGET GOALS.
Motion by Sel. Ferguson, seconded by Sel. Sullivan, it was VOTED 4-0 TO PLACE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADEQUATE FUNDING OF ITS NEEDS ON THE SELECTMENS FY2008 BUDGET GOALS.
Motion by Sel. Ferguson, seconded by Sel. OBrien, it was VOTED 4-0 TO PLACE THE ACCELERATION OF THE ROAD RESURFACING PROGRAM ON THE SELECTMENS FY2008 BUDGET GOALS.
A motion by Sel. OBrien to increase the Senior Tax Abatement from $500 to $1000 failed for lack of a second.
Sel. OBrien said he was disappointed that a grant writing position was not included in the budget goals. The Manager responded that the towns social and demographic qualifications would not benefit from a full-time grant writer. Perhaps the goal should be to increase the grant writing applications or prospects.
Sel. Jumonville returned to the meeting at 9:20 PM.
Acceptance of Previous Minutes
Motion by Sel. Sullivan, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE MEETING MINUTES OF OCTOBER 2, 2006.
Adjournment
Motion by Sel. Sullivan, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN THE OCTOBER 16, 2006 MEETING AT 9:25 PM.
Approved: November 6, 2006 as amended
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