Minutes of Meeting – December 30, 2015; meeting called to order at 7:00pm. Present: Ed Lane; Channing Gibson; Dave Roche; Warren Archey; Ken Fowler.
The Chairman hoped that everyone enjoyed a merry Christmas, and wished everyone a very happy New Year.
MOTION by CG, seconded by DR to accept the Minutes of December 16 as presented. 5/0 vote.
Citizen’s Open Forum: None.
Consent Agenda: MOTION by CG, seconded by DR to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: Change of Manager at the Lenox Club; Waive permit fee of $100 for donated new roof to a family in need. 5/0 vote.
Town Manager Report: At the December 16 meeting, the TM had presented the Board with the following amendments to the Personnel Policy : 1) grant credit for prior years of service when calculating vacation leave and 2) change the accrual period for leave from annual to monthly. MOTION by CG, seconded by DR to approve the amendments to the Personnel Policy as presented. 5/0 vote.
The TM presented the Board with a Gift Acceptance Policy/Procedure document. He suggested that the Board review it, and act upon it at their January 13, 2016 meeting.
The TM explained that with the Town Beach Improvement Project being unsuccessful in receiving a $170,000 PARC grant from the state to fund the $313,000 for the project, he would like to discuss the possibility of placing the entire Town Beach project before the voters at the ATM, with the $169,290 shortfall coming from the Community Preservation funds. A grant application to the CPC would be required by the December 31 deadline. EL stated that he thought that this project was a good candidate for CPC funding, and suggested that the engineering work could begin soon. MOTION by CG, seconded by DR to authorize the TM to submit an application to the CPC Committee seeking $169,290 for building and accessibility improvements at the Town Beach. 5/0 vote.
Librarian Amy Lefave gave a monthly update on library activities, including a report on the recently held pajama night, a schedule of story times and a new Lego club being set up.
Tennessee Pipeline: CG stated that the Town continues to keep an eye on things, and is working on putting together a plan to protect Lenox. Tennessee Gas dismissed the concerns listed in our letter, stating that since the route is no longer going through Lenox, they were unfounded. He stated that the Town will continue to monitor this issue.
Rest of River: The ROR municipal meeting was held on Thursday, 12/17. WA stated that one issue of concern is that a landfill will be located somewhere in the county, with many trucks transporting PCBs back and forth and impacting our roadways.
Solar Project: No public report.
BOS Reports: DR stated that with the number of proposed projects in the wings, he is often being asked how many hotels/motels can Lenox support. He suggested hiring a firm to produce an economic development study, to be paid for by the developer on any project coming before the Town. After a brief discussion, it was agreed to talk with our planner and place this item on the 1/13 agenda. KF reminded everyone that real estate and personal property tax bills have gone out and are due on 2/1. CG stated that the CPC will be meeting on January 4, and will review the Town’s beach application. He suggested that perhaps the various town committees, i.e., Kennedy Park, Land Management, ConCom, etc. should be brought into the loop as far as the utilization of CPC funds is concerned. EL stated that last week
17 towns and 16 school districts came together and signed a Community Compact, agreeing to acknowledge the fact that we need to work together and collaborate.
By roll call, CG, EL, DR, KF and WA voted to go into Executive Session at 7:55pm to discuss strategy with respect to potential litigation, as well as for collective bargaining with police, fire and public works.
Minutes Taken By: ______________________ Minutes Accepted By: ______________________
Mary Ellen Deming Clerk
Director of Administrative Services Board of Selectmen
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