Minutes of Meeting – December 12, 2012; meeting called to order at 7:00pm. Present: Ken Fowler;
Ed Lane; Channing Gibson; Dave Roche; John McNinch.
Citizen’s Open Forum: None.
MOTION by DR, seconded by EL to accept the Minutes of November 28, December 3 and Executive Minutes of November 28 as presented. 5/0 vote.
Rep. Smitty Pignatelli appeared before the Board to update them on the Route 7 & 20/Holmes Road intersection situation. He explained that a new type of light for MA will be installed. It consists of four arrows of green, flashing yellow and red. It may take a few months to put into place, but it should help significantly. He also mentioned that illumination in that area should also be looked at. Rep. Pignatelli then updated the Board on the solar project. He explained that he recently met with the utility companies and that things are moving forward, with a spring start-up anticipated. With regard to the FY14 budget status, he stated that state revenues are up from last year, but not where we wanted to be. However, he is very optimistic that CY13 will be good. As for State Aid, he
said that the Town should expect it to be level funded or at most, reduced by 5%.
The Board briefly discussed the annual license renewals. MOTION by DR, seconded by CG to approve all 2013 annual license renewals as presented. 5/0 vote, with JM abstaining on all licenses pertaining to TUCON.
MOTION by JM, seconded by CG to approve a Change of D/B/A on the A/A package store license currently held by Nejaime’s Wine and Liquor to Spirited. 5/0 vote.
After a brief discussion regarding the two Community Center bids that were recently received, MOTION by EL, seconded by DR to award the bid to J&M Geary in the amount of $33,500 and to authorize the TM to sign a contract for same. 5/0 vote.
BID (Business Improvement District): KF stated that while originally he thought that this was a good idea, upon further review, he has some concerns. The TM briefly went through the process involved in creating a BID. He explained that it is the business owners, not the Town, that must initiate this process. DR stated that he sees this as something to do in lieu of the Community Preservation funds, and that the Town would lose the state match. Therefore, he is against this idea. JM stated that he would like to see 3% of revenues go directly into a marketing account rather than fixing up the cemetery or purchasing open space property utilizing Community Preservation funds. He feels that a BID is a great idea. EL stated that the business community needs to propose this and present a plan to the
Board before we consider this. CG concurred. KF suggested that the Town hold an informational presentation with someone from the state coming out to explain BIDs.
CG then briefed the Board on an offer from CGI Communications to produce three or four 60 second videos promoting the Town, at no cost. DR and KF both stated that they would like to review the idea further before making any decision.
FY14 Budget: The TM gave a brief overview of proposed revenues anticipated for the upcoming budget. It was agreed to meet with the School Committee on 1/7/13 to discuss the revenue forecasts for FY14.
MOTION by JM, seconded by CG to appoint Kopelman & Paige as Town Counsel for Lenox, effective January 1, 2013. 5/0 vote. MOTION by DR, seconded by JM to ratify the appointment of Charles Browne as Town Accountant, effective January 2, 2013. 5/0 vote. As part of this appointment, it was agreed that he must become state certified as a Town Accountant.
Consent Agenda: MOTION by JM, seconded by CG to approve four, one-day W&M licenses to Ventfort Hall as follows: 12/31, 4-6pm, 1/12, 3-5pm, 2/16, 7:30-10:30pm, 3/9, 7:30-10:30pm, a one-day W&M license to Betty Vargas for 1/1, 5-11pm at St. Ann’s Family Center and a one-day W&M license to Larry Lane at the Arcadian Shop for 12/14, 5-8pm. 5/0 vote.
BOS Reports: CG reminded everyone that Community Preservation applications are due by the end of December. He also reminded everyone that the sandwich board signs that were approved throughout the year all expire at the end of December and must be re-applied for. DR mentioned that he noticed that the state is offering a revolving loan for sewer and water work at 0% interest. EL stated that another round of DPW Superintendent interviews are scheduled for 12/14. CG stated that he would like people to understand that the Town is hiring a new superintendent, as well as keeping Jeff Vincent on as capital budgets manager. However, Jeff will be paid out of capital budgets that are typically utilized to pay engineering firms for clerk of the works services. Worst case scenario is we break even, spending the
same amount of money. However, we anticipate saving money as Jeff will likely do a better job overseeing our capital projects. This new arrangement will be evaluated annually to make sure the town is obtaining a good value. KF stated that the recent caroling festival was another success, and that he hopes to bring the car show back again this year.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30pm.
Minutes Taken By: ______________________ Minutes Accepted By: ______________________
Mary Ellen Deming Clerk
Director of Administrative Services Board of Selectmen
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