MONSON BOARD OF SELECTMEN
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2007
The regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen convened at 7:00 p.m. in the conference room at 110 Main Street. In attendance were Edward S. Harrison, Kathleen C. Norbut and Richard E. Guertin. Also present were the Town Administrator and the media.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
There was a moment of silence in remembrance of those who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Pole Petition #8320 – One J.O. Pole on Ely Road:
Mr. Guertin read pole petition #8320 into the record. There was no one in the audience to speak in favor of or against the petition and both the Highway and Water/Sewer Departments had expressed no objection to the pole location.
Mr. Guertin made a motion to accept pole petition #8320 as presented. Ms. Norbut seconded and it was so VOTED.
Acceptance of Meeting Minutes:
Mr. Guertin made a motion to accept the meeting minutes of August 28, 2007 – open and executive sessions. Ms. Norbut seconded and it was so VOTED.
Appoint – Special Police Officer:
Police Chief Stephen Kozloski and Bradley Hann approached the Board of Selectmen. Chief Kozloski explained Mr. Hann has completed the training program and is now recommending he be appointed as a Special Police Office for the Town of Monson. Mr. Hann spoke of his training and background.
Ms. Norbut made a motion to appoint Bradley Hann as a Special Police Officer effective immediately through June 30, 2008. Mr. Guertin seconded and it was so VOTED.
Liquor License Transfer – from DeMaio Discount Package Store, Inc. to JHHM, LLC:
Attorney Brad Shimel and Surjit Kaur approached the Board of Selectmen. Ms. Neggers stated the abutters had been notified and the green cards submitted as proof, also a request for the CORI report has been submitted. Mr. Shimel said Ms. Kaur purchased a package store in Amherst approximately one year ago, also requiring a CORI report to be done and therefore he didn’t foresee any problems with this CORI report. Attorney Shimel explained JNS Amherst LLC is going to purchase the real estate. JHHM LLC, which applied for the application for the liquor license will operate the Package Store. Mrs. Kaur is strictly going to be the JHHM and will be the sole operator of the package store as an ongoing business. Mrs. Kaur husband, who owns JNS Amherst LLC, will own the real estate while she owns the business. Mrs. Kaur will
lease the property from him. Attorney Shimel added this is not an uncommon arrangement for package stores or even bars. The Pledge of the license is DeMaio Discount Package Store, Inc. so the corporation will remain open. Ms. Neggers noted the license therefore remains the responsibility of DeMaio Discount Package Store, Inc. until this application has been approved in Boston.
Mrs. Kaur said she has hired a manager for the Amherst store and will be managing this store herself. Mr. Guertin explained if the manager changes in the future she would need to notify the Board of Selectmen.
Ms. Norbut made a motion to approve the liquor license transfer from DeMaio Discount Package Store, Inc. to JHHM LLC as presented in documents this evening contingent upon the receipt of a clean CORI report. Mr. Guertin seconded and it was so VOTED.
Lee Williams – Seeking Permission to Hold the Monson Memorial Classic Road Race:
Lee Williams approached the Board of Selectmen and explained this will be the 12th Annual Monson Classic Road Race, held in memory of Kelly Waldron and Kathy Waldron-Perry. Everything is the same as in the past. The race is scheduled for Sunday, November 11, 2007 with a starting time of 12:00 noon at Memorial Hall. The race will consist of a certified half- marathon with a pre-entry fee of $25.00 and a post-entry fee of $30.00; a certified 5-K with a pre-entry fee of $15.00 and a post-entry fee of $20.00; and a 2-mile fun walk with an entry fee of $5.00 or $13.00 with a shirt. Ms. Williams explained it is always better to pre-register, which can be done on the web site at www.monsonmemorialclassic.com . There will also be live entertainment, refreshments and massage therapy. Ms. Williams said she would speak with the Police Chief regarding Police coverage once she has received the approval to hold the race from the Board of Selectmen.
Ms. Norbut made a motion to approve the Monson Memorial Classic Road Race for Sunday, November 11, 2007 starting at noon, contingent upon the ability to provide adequate Police protection. Mr. Guertin seconded and it was so VOTED.
Review Agenda for September 12, 2007 Regional Meeting re: Potential Casino Development:
Mr. Harrison reiterated for the listening audience the discussion which took place at the last Board of Selectmen’s meeting, stating that currently there are two strong sites for casinos in Massachusetts; one in Middleborough and one in Palmer. A casino in Palmer would have a dramatic impact on traffic and housing, among other issues, for the surrounding communities and the Board of Selectmen have suggested putting together a regional committee to argue for our interest and to protect the interest of surrounding towns and not to have all the benefits go to the Town of Palmer should this become legalized. Mr. Harrison added he is still very interested in receiving feedback from the community on how they feel about a casino being built in the Town of Palmer.
The Monson Board of Selectmen will host a meeting tomorrow night in the Sylvia DeSantis Room at the Monson Free Library and have invited Select Boards and Town Administrators from the surrounding towns to attend. They are hoping to be able “to get a seat at the table” at the legislative level allowing them to have some input into the discussion of a casino being built in the neighboring Town of Palmer. Ms. Neggers said the Towns of Ware, Belchertown, Sturbridge, Brimfield, Ludlow, Warren and Hampden have responded to the invitation by stating they will have a representative present for the meeting tomorrow night. Palmer will also be represented.
Mr. Harrison added something else they may want to talk about at this meeting is the formation of a Regional Committee, which will be open to other towns as well and not just restricted to the adjoining towns of Palmer, as there may be other towns a little further out that may be negatively impacted as well, but felt the meeting should be kept short and to the point.
Mr. Guertin added he is interested in hearing the views from the Town of Palmer and to see if they are sympathetic to Monson’s issues. He suggested setting an allocated time for each town to speak. Both Mr. Guertin and Ms. Norbut felt the Monson Chair, Mr. Harrison, should run the meeting.
Ms. Norbut said she feels it would be very helpful for the host community to come and listen as well, as the regional interest is different from their interest. Ms. Norbut also said she didn’t want to see Monson’s taxpayers fund this, and Ms. Neggers agreed Monson doesn’t have the means at the local level.
Mr. Harrison said he hopes to come out of the meeting tomorrow night with a mission statement, agreement for parties involved to establish this committee, and a venue for the communication amongst the towns so everyone is aware of what is going on. Mr. Guertin added there should also be a supporting structure such as who is in charge as well.
Ms. Norbut showed the Board a draft of the letter she wrote to Governor Patrick following the Board voting to send a letter expressing their concern at the last Selectmen’s meeting. Mr. Harrison read the letter into the record. Mr. Guertin said he didn’t feel comfortable with the last sentence and said he would prefer to ask the Governor to postpone making a decision until the full impact to the surrounding communities have been discussed. Mr. Harrison agreed.
Mr. Guertin made a motion to accept and send the letter to the Governor as amended. Ms. Norbut seconded and it was so VOTED.
Resident, Tom Warden, who was in the audience, thanked the Board of Selectmen for being pro-active and leading the whole region, and feels actions speak louder than words.
Appointments to the Cultural Council:
Ms. Neggers said she received a letter from Valerie Bogacz-Beaudoin requesting the appointment of Carole Bressette and Hope Bodwell to the Cultural Council bringing the number of members up to five, including herself, Denise Morgan and Mary Swierad. Two terms will be expiring next year. The deadline for submitting applications will be October 10, 2007. Applications may be picked up in the Selectmen’s Office or downloaded from the Massachusetts Cultural Council website.
Mr. Guertin made a motion to appoint Carole Bressette and Hope Bodwell to the Cultural Council immediately through June 30, 2010. Ms. Norbut seconded and it was so VOTED.
In Other Business to Come Before the Board of Selectmen:
Ms. Neggers said the Monson Free Library will host a presentation by Sean P. Murphy of the Boston Globe entitled “The Commonwealth’s Big Gamble: Will Casinos Become a Reality in Massachusetts?” on Thursday, September 20, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting is open to the public.
Ms. Norbut said on September 19th, also at the Library, there will be a community introduction to the Monson Medical Reserve Corp. for anyone interested in becoming a volunteer to assist in any type of an emergency. The Medical Reserve Corp. is looking for volunteers in the Town of Monson with medical and non-medical backgrounds. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. and run to 7:45 p.m. and is open to anyone wishing to help out in any way.
Correspondence was read and completed.
At 8:20 p.m., Mr. Guertin made a motion to adjourn from open session to go into executive session for the purpose of discussion of litigation, not to return to open session. Ms. Norbut seconded and it was so VOTED.
_______________________
Richard E. Guertin, Clerk
| 
