BOARD OF SELECTMEN
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011
The regular meeting of the Board of Selectmen convened at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at 29 Thompson Street. In attendance were Dr. Richard M. Smith, and John F. Goodrich II. Edward A. Maia was not in attendance. Also present were Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers and the media.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Acceptance of Meeting Minutes:
Mr. Goodrich made a motion to table the acceptance of the meeting minutes for August 2, 2011 – open session as he was not present for that meeting; Dr. Smith seconded and it was so VOTED.
Mr. Goodrich made a motion to accept the minutes for the Emergency Meeting commencing on June 2, 2011; Dr. Smith seconded and it was so VOTED.
Public Hearing on the Application to Transfer the All Alcoholic Beverages Package Store License for 145 Palmer Road to CHMP, LLC Surjit Kajur, Manager from JHHM LLC d/b/a DeMaio Discount Package Store:
This was tabled due to a recent violation.
Tornado Recovery Status
a. Post-Tornado – Planning for Long-Term Recovery
b. Report on Tornado Losses – Current Estimated Town Losses/Expenses
c. Any Other Updates
Ms. Neggers said there hasn’t been a lot of new news, which is a good sign that things are calming down a little bit and gave the following up-dates:
- The majority of the debris has been cleaned up.
- The Highway Department is commencing on repairs to other infrastructures.
- Ms. Mahar has been meeting with FEMA, NCRS, and the Federal Highway and has things in pretty good order for filing for reimbursement. The deadline for submitting the PW list, identifying all of our public works projects, is August 30th. Ms. Neggers noted we are in good shape to do this.
The Cemetery Department has been working on fence repair and with the Historic Commission on repairing the historic tombstones. Quotes have been solicited on these repairs.
The Parks and Recreation Department continue to work on their fences, restoring their facilities and struggling to pull together a Master Plan as a vast number of their facilities were severely damaged.
Mr. Goodrich explained on August 3, 2011, a meeting was held with the representative from MIIA, MIIA’s structural engineer, the code specialist (as the building codes for 110 Main Street are complex), Monson’s former Building Inspector Chip Lapointe, interim Building Inspector Paul Tacy, Fire Chief George Robichaud, finance Director Deborah Mahar and Ms. Neggers. Mr. Goodrich said the first thing that needs to be done is to classify the damage to the building, whether it’s going to be classified as a repair or an alteration. The insurance company is moving forward with the mechanical, electrical and plumbing analysis in the building at 110 Main Street to determine what kind of damage was done during the tornado and added and this will all play into the cost analysis.
The historic status of the building is unknown, and the code implications are unknown because we are working with so many new codes, one being the stretch code and wondering if we need to follow this since it is a municipal building. Also the state has adopted a new code for the first time this year regarding repairs and alterations. Mr. Goodrich said we are still moving forward. There is another meeting scheduled for the beginning of September. It was noted they have assurances the mechanical, electrical and plumbing reviews will be completed prior to the meeting.
Ms. Neggers said the Police Department has completed the move into the temporary trailers, and they are settling in.
Work was authorized last week to commence on the repairs to the roofs on the Highway salt shed, Water/Sewer Department building and the gazebo.
Scaffolding has been set up at Memorial Hall and the repair work is in progress.
Adams Supermarket is hoping to re-open at the end of August or the beginning of September.
The Quaboag Valley Chamber of Commerce will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony for the re-opening of some of the businesses on Main Street that were closed from Tornado damage.
The Secretary of Environmental Affairs was in Town last week and announced with the assistance of the Department of Energy Resources, $9 million in grants and financing will be available to residents to assist in their rebuilding to the Stretch Code and beyond. There is an 800 telephone number and as long as building permits are open, residents may retro-actively access this program.
- There will be an “Ask the Expert Day” on August 20th sponsored by Mass. Preservation.
- The Center for Ecological Training will have contractor training on August 30th at the Library. This is an extensive program.
- August 15th is the “Outdoor Movie Night” at Quarry Hill.
The Social Counselor at the School is still available, and information and contact information can be found on the town’s website.
Next week, the Behavioral Health Network will be running a series of free activity based programs funded by the United Way for school aged children and their families. Information on this can also be found on the town’s website.
Ms. Neggers said Ms. Bodwell has applied for and received funding from the United Way to temporarily increase the hours for the Outreach Coordinator at the Senior Center.
Ms. Neggers explained the next stage of the tornado recovery is to get the bills processed, as well as getting the roads restored, and added the town will now be moving into more of a long term recovery phase. The bigger issues such as the Town Office Building, the downtown area, trees in the downtown area, some of the neighborhoods being rebuilt, etc. will require a participatory involvement with the town’s people to determine what we want our community to be, what we want it to look like, and see where we can come together and reach some consensus. Ms. Neggers said we have reached out to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission who has funding available through their Local Technical Assistance Program. Ms. Neggers added she has been told there is funding for two meetings; the
first meeting would be a visioning session with the first part being devoted to presentations on Green Energy, energy codes, historic housing advice, etc., the second portion of this session would be an envisioning session on the downtown infrastructure with community planners and professional planners present to facilitate the discussion. The second portion would involve everyone expressing their ideas on what areas should be worried about, what areas to discuss, and what can be included. The second meeting would involve the community planners and professional planners returning with specific recommendations based on what the people said at the first session, along with drawings and designs for people to look at.
Mr. Goodrich added the rebuilding process of homes and infrastructure is going to take time, especially if it’s going to be done correctly, and making it better than it was.
Ms. Neggers added long term experts say self-determination, creativity and participatory discussions are the key elements. Ms. Neggers said what the community is facing is not easy, but in defining community, it’s the people who make up the community, not the structures or built environment. Ms. Neggers said from the moment the tornado struck Monson, our built environment was seriously damaged but our community has never stood stronger; it’s a remarkable place to live and a remarkable community to be a part of and Monson is coping as a community. Ms. Neggers noted communities who work together have a tendency to succeed and Monson has that, and added natural disasters happen all over our country all the time and learning from other peoples experiences is beneficial to us.
- Ms. Neggers said the town is working with FEMA in training people who will work with residents who need bigger assistance than FEMA provides in order to tap into regional resources such as United Way, Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc.; these people are currently completing training on how to proceed, and are getting mobilized.
- There is a strong volunteer group of people in town who are providing immediate needs in town in terms of clean-up with hands-on direct assistance to residents. The volunteers are continuing to assist residents and are also looking for more volunteers to help out. Ms. Neggers noted the contact telephone number is on the town’s web site.
- Ms. Neggers said the Hampden County Regional Employment Board has been able to obtain the $3 million grant to hire temporary workers. These are people who have been out of work and unemployed for fifteen weeks or longer or who became unemployed as a result of the tornado. The town is requesting help for the following temporary positions: two workers for Parks and Recreation to assist with the clean-up and two workers for the Highway Department; these are full-time positions; a floating clerical position for the Town Offices to assist with making copies, taking meeting notes, etc.; and one worker for part-time custodial work to assist with the clean-up we still have with relocating furniture, packing things up and moving them as well as searching for items.
Discussion of Governance Review Committee per Article 28 of Annual Town Meeting:
Dr. Smith explained the Governance Review Committee was from the past Annual Town Meeting where a warrant article was voted on and passed to see if the town will vote to express its support for the Board of Selectmen begin a process, including the appointment of a committee, to review, analyze and possibly recommend changes in local government structure with the intention of creating a streamlined management structure suited to the town and its needs.
Mr. Goodrich felt the search for committee members should be posted on the town’s web site and possibly advertise in the Palmer Journal. Dr. Smith felt a press release would work and stated anyone interested should submit letters to the Selectmen’s Office.
Ms. Neggers said she would get the word out on this.
In Other Business to Come Before the Board of Selectmen:
- A brief discussion was held regarding the meeting schedule. It was agreed to go back to the standard meeting schedule of twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, unless an emergency comes up or a huge agenda develops.
- Karen O’Toole who was in the audience, approached the Board of Selectmen and said she attended a meeting a few weeks ago that Leslie Duthie sponsored with the DCR. It was mentioned at that meeting something was done in Worcester with the trees damaged by the Asian Long Horned Beetles and how they turned the wood into income for the city. Ms. O’Toole wondered if Monson had considered doing this since so many residents have brush, debris and wood they don’t know how to get rid.
Ms. Neggers said she is not familiar with this program and noted this issue was brought up last week as well. Ms. Neggers said she is aware residential brush and debris, especially after the tornado, is a significant issue with residents as Monson doesn’t have a brush dump or the capacity to have one. Ms. Neggers said she would look into the program done in Worcester.
- Ms. Neggers reminded everyone a Town Meeting will be held on August 22nd at Granite Valley Middle School.
Correspondence was read and completed.
At 7:35 p.m., Mr. Goodrich made a motion to adjourn from open session. Dr. Smith seconded and it was so VOTED.
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Edward A. Maia, Clerk
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