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07/09/2012
HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
JULY 9, 2012


6:30PM                                                                          Senior Center

Present:        Chairman Anthony Renzoni, Robert Lavigne, James Jumonville,
Kenneth Lipka, Mark Ferguson

Others Present: Nancy Galkowski, Town Manager
                        Stephen Madaus, Town Counsel
Elizabeth Helder, Recording Secretary

Chairman Renzoni opened the meeting at 6:30PM. The Board participated in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Selectmen Appointments, Licenses and Permits

Motion  by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A ROAD RACE PERMIT TO GORDON WARREN ON BEHALF OF CENTRAL MASS STRIDERS FOR SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2012 AT 6:30PM – 8:30PM.

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Lipka, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE TO JEN STANOVICH ON BEHALF OF HOLDEN AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR HOLDEN DAYS AT THE BUBAR FIELD AND BANDSTAND FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012 SET UP AT NOON AND SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012 8AM – 3PM.

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Lipka, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE TO JEN STANOVICH ON BEHALF OF HOLDEN AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR HOLDEN DAYS FOOD COURT AT THE DAMON HOUSE SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012 8AM – 3PM.

Motion by Sel. Ferguson, seconded by Sel. Lavigne, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE PROPOSED LIST OF REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC ELECTION OFFICERS AS WELL AS THE NAMES OF UNENROLLED VOTERS TO A TERM OF APPOINTMENT FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2012 TO AUGUST 31, 2013 AS SUBMITTED BY THE TOWN CLERK.

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Lipka, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE TO JEN STANOVICH ON BEHALF OF HOLDEN AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOR LIVE MUSIC AT THE DAMON HOUSE LOT FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012 SET UP AT NOON TO SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012 FROM 8AM – 3PM.

Town Manager Miscellaneous

  • Ms. Galkowski announced the Summer Concert schedule.  Concerts will be held at the Bandstand on Sunday July 8, 15, 22, and 29 and August 5, 12, and 19 starting at 6PM.  
  • The Manager said that in conjunction with the Central Mass Regional Planning Commission the town is participating in a project to identify and prioritize development areas and transportation improvement areas within the region.  The Planning Board will host a meeting on July 31, 2012 at 7PM at the Senior Center to seek input from the various Boards and Commissions on housing, transportation, open space, infrastructure, and economic development.  The Selectmen are encouraged to attend.
  • The Manager announced that on June 26, 2012, the voters of Paxton rejected an override which would have approved the WRSD assessment for FY2013.  The District needs 4 of the 5 communities to approve the assessment.  As a consequence, the District is on a 1/12th budget until a final assessment is approved by 4 communities.  The School Committee has 30 days to provide a revised assessment.  The Town of Rutland Town Meeting had approved an assessment which is $415,332 lower than the requested assessment of &79,284,670.  Dr. Pandiscio has recommended that the School Committee vote to reduce the budget to the Rutland number.  Three-fourths of the SC must vote to approve his recommendation or all the Towns will have to hold Special Town Meetings to approve the new assessment.  Should the SC pass the new assessment, Holden’s assessment would decrease by $179,038.  The excess appropriation would flow to free cash next year and be available for appropriation in FY2015.
  • The Manager said that the DPW continues to flush the water system during the month of July.  The only remaining section is the Chaffins area, which will begin on July 16th.  Code Red alerts will be sent out prior to the flushing and notices will be posted on the electronic sign.  Sel. Ferguson asked why the flushing procedure was taking place during the high demand summer months.  The Manager said she would follow up with the DPW Director.
  • The Manager informed the Board that the DPW will host 3 composting events on July 21, August 18 and September 15 from 8AM-2:30PM at the former landfill on Harris Street.  More information can be found at www.holdenma.gov.
  • The Board reviewed a status report of the Mountview Middle School Building Committee Feasibility Study.  The Committee will host a joint meeting with the Selectmen, Finance Committee, and WRSD Committee to discuss the current condition and available options for the building on Tuesday, July 17th at 6PM at the Mountview Middle School.  Tours of the building will begin at 5PM.  The meeting is open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend.  Sel. Ferguson said that in light of the recession he felt that options 5 & 6 in the Feasibility Study (building new on current or an existing site) were “pipedreams” and he said he would like the Board to vote to strike the options from the study.  Chairman Renzoni said that the Board should not make decisions regarding the options on the Feasibility Study until after the joint meeting.  He said the item would be scheduled on the Board’s agenda for discussion after the joint meeting had been held and he moved the discussion along.  Sel. Ferguson wanted to know if he was being denied the right to speak in a microphone that he had paid for.  Chairman Renzoni interrupted Town Manager Miscellaneous at 6:45PM to proceed with Agenda Item Three – WRSD School Committee Vacancy Interviews.
WRSD School Committee Vacancy – Candidate Interviews

The Selectmen Interviewed Mr. Ken Mills for the WRSD School Committee Vacancy.  Mr. Mills currently works as a chemistry professor at Holy Cross with a child entering Davis Hill in the fall.

Sel. Lavigne asked about reducing the budget.  Mr. Mills said it is important to support the request of the Superintendent so that the schools can work and the teachers can teach.  He said that long term needs will require evaluating the foundational support of the budget with a specific need to look into budgets and priorities in the future.  He said he supported continued advocacy with State Reps.  He said he does not want to pit school and town budgets against each other even if that involves advocating for an override.  Sel. Ferguson appreciates the need to advocate for children but he wants a candidate who will work with the Town Finance Committee.  Mr. Mills said you have to do both: work for the children and the Towns.  There are times where you have to say no and ask hard questions.  Mr. Mills said he will run for the position when the term expires.

The Board interviewed Ms. Christina Smith, a teacher for over 18 years at Algonquin Regional High School.  Ms. Smith said her twins were in the third grade at Davis Hill.  She currently serves as the Social Studies Department Chair at ARHS.

Sel. Ferguson asked Ms. Smith if she has it in her to say no.  Ms. Smith said that no’s and yes’s were necessary to the job.  An override is always a gamble.  The budget needs to be well researched and transparent.  It would depend on the circumstances whether she would cut from the Town budget in order to supply/support the school budget.  The fiduciary relationship between the town and the school exist in the same realm: conversations between needs and wants need to occur and not at the expense to Town safety or the learning of the children.  She said the current situation is tenuous with an uncertified budget.  She said she would weigh heavily on the recommendation of the Superintendent as the best course of action.  Her children receive a first rate education on very little money.  It is the job of the SC to support the teachers.  Sel. Ferguson said that he felt it is unfair that only the School Committee can open discussion on the Regional Agreement.  Ms. Smith said she would require more information before making a decision.  She added that she would run for the position when the term expires.

Chairman Renzoni interrupted the interview process to proceed with Citizens’ Address at 7:05PM.

Citizens’ Address

Ms. Margaret Watson, Doyle Road, addressed the Board as a member of the School Committee.  Ms. Watson said that a 2/3rds vote or 14 SC members were required to change the budget.

Mr. Jake Hagopian, Woodhaven Road, said he lives on a fixed income.  He said he is paying a $23 fee to use $8 worth of water a month.  

Ms. Sheila Morrow, 175 Main Street spoke about water/sewer rates.  She said the Selectmen listen to comments but don’t really hear the public.

The Chairman encouraged residents to speak about water/sewer rates during the Water/Sewer Public Hearing where they will be able to engage in dialogue with the Board.

Mr. Ken O’Brien, Salisbury Street, said he was surprised that the Town was considering litigation against the City of Worcester regarding water/sewer transport rates.  He said the Town should take the professional advice of the Town’s engineer and not pursue the litigation.  Every time he has pursued some type of litigation he has lost – even when he won.  The Tax payers will bear the burden of the lawsuit.  Town needs to contain its legal expenses and this is not a good way to do that.  He called attention to the legal pursuit of the Town regarding mutual aid reimbursement with the light department.  The Chairman cautioned the Board not to address issues that come from executive session.

Mr. Kurt Niermeyer, addressed the Board regarding health issues regarding mold on school buses.  His wife, a school bus driver in the District, suffers from toxic mold poisoning.  He said the school committee is not qualified to inspect school buses.  He disagreed with the results from mold testing of the school buses, which received a “pass” from the environmental firm hired to conduct the testing.

The Chairman reopened the School Committee Interview agenda item at 7:17PM.


WRSD School Committee Vacancy – Candidate Interviews (reopened)

The Chairman said he was proud of the Town for taking the lead and approving the 2013 school budget.  He said the Board had been presented with two qualified candidates.  Sel. Jumonville said that he was inclined to support Ms. Smith because she works within a regional school district and has an understanding of what that means on a day to day basis.  Sel. Lavigne said both candidates know what it means to be a teacher and a parent.  Sel. Ferguson said he was supporting Mr. Mills simply for the fact that he filed his paperwork first.  Sel. Lipka agreed that both candidates are highly qualified, but felt that having a Representative who works within a Regional school system might have a potential bias.  Sel. Lavigne commented that both candidates have that conflict: Mr. Mills’ wife also works in a Regional school district.  Chairman Renzoni said he was leaning towards Mr. Mills because he thought he had a better understanding of the financial needs of the District.  

Motion by Sel. Ferguson, seconded by Sel. Lipka, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO SUPPORT MR. KENNETH MILLS TO FILL THE HOLDEN SCHOOL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVE VACANCY.

The entire Board encouraged both candidates to run for a position on the school committee at the next town election.

Public Hearing Increase to Solid Waste Fees

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Jumonville, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED AT 7:25 TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON AN INCREASE TO SOLID WASTE FEES.

Ms. Sheila Morrow, 175 Main Street, spoke against raising the water/sewer increases and fees.

The Chairman reminded Ms. Morrow that the public hearing was for trash/recycle and not water/sewer.  Ms. Morrow returned to her seat.  No one else came forward to address the Board.

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Jumonville, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED AT 7:26PM TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON AN INCREASE TO SOLID WASTE FEES.

The Manager explained that in FY2013, the town’s contract with Casella for the collection of trash and recycling expires.  She said that after extensive negotiations, a new 5-year contract was reached with Casella.  The new contract will include a 3% increase annual, but does not have a fuel surcharge or inflation factor.  Additionally, the credit for recycling was changed to require even greater recycling prior to the company receiving a bonus.  As disposal costs have increased 7% over the over a two year period and the Wheelabrator tip fee will continue to increase, these costs have contributed toward in an increase in the Town’s expenses.  While the Town had taken numerous steps to decrease the cost of administering the solid waste program by consolidating the billing process at the HMLD, elimination of a part-time head count, and increased recycling efforts through grant funding, costs continue to rise.  The FY2013 budget includes an increase in the solid waste fee structure to accommodate the increased costs of operating the program.  Over the past two years, costs have been subsidized through the fund balance by approximately $20,000 annually.  The goal is to keep the fund balance around 5-10% ($60,000 to $115,000).  In FY2013, half of the fund ($30,000) will be used as a revenue source.

The Manager said that her recommended increase in the fee structure is $0.50 per month for both the Plan A (65-gallon) and Plan B (35-gallon) totes.  Plan A’s current fee is $17.00/month and Plan B’s current fee is $11.75/month.  An increase of $0.50 would bring Plan A to $17.50/month and Plan B to $12.25/month effective August 1, 2012.

As requested by the Board, the Manager reviewed various scenarios for other rate choices over the next five years.  These included: 1. Do nothing; 2. $0.50 increase in FY2013 and a $0.50 increase in FY2015; 3. A $1.00 increase in FY2013; and 4. a $0.25 increase in FY2013, FY2014, FY2015, FY2016, & FY2017.

The Chairman suggested tabling the discussion until later in the meeting for discussion purposes.

A motion by Sel. Ferguson and seconded by Sel. Jumonville to support no increase in the Solid Waste Fund was withdrawn by the motion makers.  

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Lipka, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO TABLE DISCUSSION OF THE SOLID WASTE FEE INCREASE TO LATER ON THE AGENDA.

Water/Sewer Discussion

DPW Director John Woodsmall discussed an increase to the sewer commodity rate.  He explained that there are constant costs that occur when water is turned on: wages, insurances, transport fee to Worcester, treatment costs, electricity, etc - the basics that support the use of water.    

Motion by Sel. Ferguson, seconded by Sel. Lavigne, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON WATER/SEWER RATES AT 7:39PM.

Sheila Morrow, 175 Main Street, said she does not want to pay for the uniforms of the employees.  Everything is being passed on the residents.  Rates keep going up and service goes down.  Her water bill has increased three fold.  The city of Worcester doesn’t have these fees.  Why does Holden?  People are on fixed incomes.  

Mr. Jake Hagopian, Woodhaven Road, said he calls it creative taxation.  He asked how much money was sitting in the water fund.  Why is the Town sitting on taxpayer’s money?  The Chairman explained that the Town needs to create a stabilization fund.  Mr. Hagopian said wants to return to the “pay what you use system.”

Mr. Gene Sturchack, Mason Road, Chairman of the W/S Advisory Board, said that the proposed increase has been well researched.  It responds to both the users and the maintenance and supply of the system.  

Mr. Alan Berg, Highland Street, said he was a senior citizen living on a fixed income, but came to speak in support of the increase.  The FY13 budget has been available since February 2012.  The proposed increase was factored into this budget, which was passed at the Town Meeting in May.  The FY2013 budget was contingent upon the increase.  The DOR will not certify the tax rate without the increase and the Town will not be able to operate without the DOR certification.  The increase is an obligation to use water.  All the residents opposed to the increase had many opportunities to speak against the increase during budget negotiations and at Town Meeting.

Mr.  Ken O’Brien, Salisbury Street spoke in favor of the increase to the water/sewer account.  It took a hard vote to realign the account that had been failing for 10 years and the failure to make the proposed increase will create havoc with the Town budget.  You can’t have services and not pay for them.  Mr. O’Brien said as a former Selectman, he questioned every line item in the FY13 budget, and supports the proposed increase.  Most of the costs are fixed and are not in the Town’s control and the increases are necessary.  The Selectmen have an obligation to support the viability of the account.

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Ferguson, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AT 7:52PM.

The Chairman explained that there is a shortfall of $200,000 Water/Sewer Enterprise Fund.  Real Estate taxes do not support the fund.  If you have water you pay for water.  If you have sewer you pay for sewer.  Only people who use trash pay for trash.  Any resident is free to move on to any other service if they do not want to pay for it.

The Manager said there was no need to vote on a water rate since there is no proposed increase to that fund.  Only an increase to the sewer fund should be considered.

Sel. Lavigne asked if the town needs to be aggressive in FY13.  What happens if we don’t approve increase?  Can’t the Town just borrow from the Stabilization Fund?

Ms. Galkowski said the DOR will not approve the tax rate because the fund won’t balance.  The DOR will not consider money that has not been certified towards the tax rate.  The Board would have to go back before Town Meeting and make $200,000 in cuts to the budget to balance the budget.  This is the first year of the scheduled increases to the W/S rates.  Right now the Town does not have the money to balance the budget and it will not until FY 2014.  Costs are only going up, not down.  The average user will see a $5/month or $65/year increase in their sewer bill.

The Chairman said the Board has two options if they do not approve the increase: 1. go back before Special Town Meeting or sit here with an unbalanced account and have the DOR come in and raise the taxes.  

Sel. Lipka said he served on the W/S Advisory Board prior to serving as a Selectman and came before the Board and made the proposal to restructure the W/S Account.  While he’s not happy with making rate increases, it is part of his job.  It is his responsibility to act responsibly and he intends to support the increase.

Sel. Jumonville said that people are tired of getting nickel and dimed.  

Chairman Renzoni said that Mr. Berg made some good points: this has been a very public process and was thoroughly vetted during the budget negotiations and did not come as a surprise to him nor should it to any of the Board.  Perhaps next year the Town will have the certified money to insure that a rate increase is not necessary.  15 years ago, the Town had over 1M in reserves and used that money to offset rate increases until the previous administration ran the fund into a deficit and now the Town is paying for it.  

Sel. Ferguson handed out a sewer bill and some calculations from a Worcester resident.  He suggested that Holden was not business user friendly because it charges a higher rate to those customers.  He suggested that the administration “do their job” and make cuts to the budget to support these increases, and “rein it in.”  The inflow and infiltration needs to be addressed.  He said the Board will never get a rate increase from him.

Chairman Renzoni reminded Sel. Ferguson that he (Sel. Ferguson) put forward and supported a budget at Town Meeting that included this increase the sewer account.  Chairman Renzoni said he and the other Selectmen need to step up and support it.  You cannot predict the future.

A motion was made by Sel. Lipka and seconded by Sel. Lavigne to discuss the support of the sewer commodity rate increase as presented by the administration.

Sel. Lipka said people pay a set amount to receive phone service each month whether they make one phone call or one hundred phone calls.  The same principle should be applied to their sewer service.

Sel. Lavigne said it was unfortunate that the budget was passed at Town Meeting without having this discussion in front of the camera first, because he believes that the taxpayers did not know what they were voting for.  He said that when the Stabilization Fund reaches $500,000, he expects the Town to start using it to stabilize rates.  He concurred with Sel. Ferguson that a 13% increase to the sewer rate every year for the next several years is unacceptable.

Chairman Renzoni said that there are problems that need to be fixed with the sewer system; and they will be addressed, but the issue on the table is a revenue problem that needs to be fixed now.  The Town made agreements with others over the past 100 years that have put it in the position it is in now.

Motion by Sel. Lipka, seconded by Sel. Lavigne, it was VOTED 3-2 WITH 2 OPPOSED TO SUPPORT THE SEWER COMMODITY RATE INCREASES AS PRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATION.  (OPPOSED: FERGUSON, JUMONVILLE.)

Sewer Transport Rate Discussion

The Manager thanked DPW Director Woodsmall and DPW Water Superintendent Elbag for their research on the subject.  She asked the Board for permission to discuss the issue with Town Counsel and discuss her findings during an executive session at a future date.  She said that she did not feel that any discussion regarding a potential litigation should be discussed in open session.

Sel. Ferguson said that he would like to table discussion so that he can read the information prepared by Director Woodsmall and conduct his own research.

The Board directed the Manager to discuss the issue with Town Counsel.

Sel. Ferguson said he would like to hear any comments from former Town Manager Brian Bullock.

Discussed on the Solid Waste increase reopened at 8:40PM

Public Hearing Increase to Solid Waste Fees (reopened)

Sel. Ferguson said that he was very happy with the solid waste program run by the Town.  He said the Town receives a good value; however he proposed increasing the fund by $0.10.  The Manager said the minimum increase would be $0.25 and it would be necessary to have this increase every year through FY2017.

The Board discussed a motion by Sel. Lavigne and seconded by Sel. Lipka to support a recommendation for a rate increase to the solid waste fund of $0.25 for FY13.

Sel. Lavigne said that he felt there were still ways to make this program operate more efficiently.  He said that he felt that the sticker program was a waste of money and that there were better ways to monitor who is using the system without a sticker.

Dennis Lipka, Growth Management Director, addressed the Board.  He said that the cost to produce the stickers was approximately $1200.  Include the mailing costs and the total cost of the sticker program was $4200.  The Manager added that many efforts have been made to reduce costs to the solid waste budget.

The Chairman said that trash pickup in the private market was more than double what the town charges.

Solid Waste Public Hearing Discussion (reopened)

Sel. Ferguson asked if Sel. Lavigne would consider amending the motion to $0.20 to receive Sel. Ferguson’s endorsement.  

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Lipka, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO SUPPORT A $0.25 INCREASE IN THE SOLID WASTE FUND FOR FY2013.

The Chairman reopened Town Manager’s Miscellaneous at 8:51PM.

Town Manager Miscellaneous

  • The Manager reported that the Regional Health Alliance is in the process of conducting a community health assessment.  Part of the assessment is to hold community dialogues and conduct online surveys throughout the region in order for community members to review and discuss a preliminary health profile of the region and provide feedback on community health related strengths, needs, and the vision of the future.  The goals of the sessions are to engage the community, present relevant data on prominent health issues, elicit feedback, and other quantitative data that will be interpreted in the community health assessment report.  The data will then be used to help inform the Community Health Strategic Plan the group will develop as a Health District in the early fall of 2012.  The Alliance will have a booth at Holden Days, provide information to local media, and utilize the Town website to ensure inclusion through the process.  A link to the online survey will be available within the next several weeks.  Sel. Ferguson said he did not like the assessment, calling it intrusive.  He said the Town should not tell its residents if they shouldn’t smoke, or if they are fat, and that he did not want Town staff to stick their noses where they don’t belong.  Ms. Galkowski reminded Sel. Ferguson that the Alliance is only taking a survey and is not telling people what to do.
  • The Manager informed the Board that Town department heads and other key personnel attended two days of Emergency Table Top Training and Exercises.  The program took place on June 6th and 7th at the Public Safety Facility and allowed participants an opportunity to practice for emergency situations.
  • The Manager reported that the Town received a Communication Center Development Grant from the State 911 Department in the amount of $236,518.  The grant money will be used to form a Regional Emergency Communications Center (RECC) with the Town of Princeton.  The Manager added that she is currently reviewing and negotiating the provisions of an Inter-Municipal Agreement with Princeton.
  • The Board reviewed the Revenue and Expenditure Report for the period ending May 2012 as prepared by Town Accountant, Lori Rose.
8. Selectmen Miscellaneous

Sel. Lavigne: 1. Discussed information brought forward to him by Kelly Niermeyer regarding mold that exists on school buses.  This mold has made her sick and she has expressed concern regarding actions taken by the bus company, McCarthy Bus Co.  Apparently, the bus company used bus employees and 16-year old children to clean the mold from the vehicles.  Sel. Lavigne said that while the buses have been deemed safe, they still contain mold and this is unacceptable to him.  He asked the Manager to draft a letter to the Superintendent and the School Committee to investigate what actions have been taken to remediate the situation.  He asked that Chairman Leith report back to the Board.  Sel. Jumonville said that issue involves all five towns in the District and suggested that the Chairman of each Town in the District sign the letter.  The Board agreed that their concern was for Holden.  Sel. Ferguson suggested that the Health Agent in Town conduct spot checks on the buses’.  

Sel. Miscellaneous

Ms. Niermeyer addressed the Board and said that several recommendations by the remediation company have not been taken.

9. Town Manager Evaluation

Sel. Lavigne reported that he met with the Town Manager to discuss the evaluation.

Sel. Ferguson left the meeting at 9:11PM.

Sel. Lavigne reviewed the results of the Town Manager’s Evaluation.  The Manager scored very highly in all areas of her evaluation.

The Chairman said it was necessary for the Board to move into executive session to discuss the Town Manager’s contract negotiations.

10. Executive Session

Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Jumonville, it was VOTED 4-0 TO MOVE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AT 9:14PM IN ACCORDANCE WITH MGL C. 30A, SECTION 21, (A) (2): TO CONDUCT STRATEGY SESSION IN PREPARATION FOR NEGOTIATIONS WITH NONUNION PERSONNEL OR TO CONDUCT COLLECTIVE BARGAINING SESSIONS OR CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH NONUNION PERSONNEL – TOWN MANAGER’S CONTRACT AND RECONVENE TO COMPLETE THE PUBLISHED AGENDA.  ROLL CALL: JUMONVILLE: YES; RENZONI: YES; LAVIGNE: YES; LIPKA: YES.

The Board returned to regular session at 10:04PM.

Sel. Ferguson left the meeting at 10:03PM.

13. Selectmen Subcommittees

Sel. Renzoni: Water/Sewer:
Master Plan:  Met in June and are working with the Open Space Committee.
Sel. Jumonville: Skate Park: Nothing to report.
Memorial Day Parade:  Nothing to report.
Sel. Lipka: Municipal Electric Advisory: not met.
Affordable Housing: Not met.
Sel. Ferguson: Mountview School Building Committee: Will meet July 10th at 6PM.
Open Space:
Sel. Lavigne: PSBC:
EDC: Have met twice.  Reviewing the commercial zones along Main Street and how to support and maintain businesses in Town.  The Committee will be at the Business Expo in November in Worcester and will host a round table discussion in Holden later in 2012.  Next meeting: August 7th at 8AM in the Starbard Building.  Sel. Lavigne is serving as the Chairman.

14. Sel. Miscellaneous

Sel. Lavigne:  1. Attended the Oriol groundbreaking ceremony.
2. The Board needs to set the Manager’s goals for FY13.  Board members should turn them into the Town Manager’s office and be prepared to discuss them at the August 13th meeting.
3. The Gale Free Library opened the “Bookseller” a new, used-book store at the Library to great success.
4. Commended the Recreation Department for handling a difficult situation involving an autistic child at the Holden Pool.  Director Denise Morano handled the situation professionally and smoothly, reuniting the child with the parents.

1. Sel. Jumonville: Announced the Holden Bandstand Summer Music Schedule.

15. Acceptance of Previous Minutes

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Jumonville, it was VOTED 3-0-1 WITH 1 ABSTAINED TO APPROVE THE MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 12, 2012. (Abstained: Renzoni.)

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Lipka, it was VOTED 3-0 TO APPROVE THE MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 4, 2012.

16. Follow Up to Citizens’ Address

The Chairman clarified that the Town’s General Fund cannot pay for services (water/sewer/trash).

The Chairman encouraged residents to attend Board meetings and speak at citizens’ address.

17. Public Hearings at the Selectmen’s August Meeting

The Board agreed to meet on August 13, 2012.

The Chairman directed the Manager to set public hearing notices for a Chapter 61 Forest Land – Notice of Intent to Sell and Convert to Residential Land – Lot 3 Chapin Road, and for the Application to Modify a Liquor License for Flip Flops Restaurant for the August 13th meeting.

Additionally, the Board will meet jointly with the Holden Housing Authority regarding the appointment of a new member to the Authority.

18. Adjournment

Motion by Sel. Lavigne, seconded by Sel. Jumonville, it was VOTED 4-0 TO ADJOURN THE JULY 9, 2012 MEETING AT 10:19PM.


APPROVED: August 13, 2012