BOARD OF SELECTMEN
TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2012
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, John F. Goodrich II and Edward A. Maia. 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 accept the meeting minutes of February 28, 2012 – open session. Mr. Maia seconded and it was so VOTED.
Monson Athletic Booster Club – Information:
Marianne Dubois and Sara Szado of the Monson Athletic Booster Association approached the Board of Selectmen. Ms. Szado explained the Monson Athletic Boosters have been providing assistance and funding to the athletes of Monson since 1983, as deemed necessary. The annual scholarships and awards they distribute total over $12,000.00 per year. This is a non-profit organization which relies on financial support from the community.
Ms. Szado announced the Boosters will hold a comedy show at Granite Valley Middle School on Saturday, March 24th, featuring three premiere Boston area comedians. The comedy show is considered a PG 13 show. Complimentary tickets are available for supporters of the Monson Athletic Boosters, and you can visit them on Facebook at Monson Athletic Booster Association for more information. No tickets will be sold at the door; they are handed out as donations for sponsorships through the marketing company. To receive tickets or to obtain a sponsorship form you may call (413)324-8167 or email them at monsonathleticboosterassoc@comcast.net .
Ms. Szado announced the spring fundraiser will be held on Sunday morning, May 13th, at 8:00 a.m. with trash pick-up at the Brimfield Flea Market, J and J Promotions site.
Ms. Dubois stated recently the Booster Association put up two electronic scoreboards at two of the towns athletic fields, purchased electronics for the swim team, and hurdles. Ms. Dubois said the Boosters try to fund basically whatever athletic needs the schools fall short of.
Mr. Maia noted the Boosters are keeping the athletics going.
The Board of Selectmen thanked Ms. Duboia and Ms. Szado for coming in.
Joan Simmons – Boy Scout Troop #168 and Town-wide Cleanup Project:
Ms. Simmons approached the Board of Selectmen and explained this is the second year Boy Scout Troop #168 will be in charge of the Town-wide cleanup.
The cleanup event has been scheduled for Saturday, May 5th. This is the same day as Bulky Day and they have been in touch with Phyllis Klick of the Board of Health.
Ms. Simmons said they would like permission to hang their banner on the gazebo at Dave Grieve Park, as they have done in the past.
Mr. Goodrich made a motion to approve the Town-wide Cleanup on May 5, 2012, and to allow them to hang their banner on the gazebo. Mr. Maia seconded and it was so VOTED.
Ms. Simmons said anyone interested may call Karen at 267-9545 to adopt a road ahead of time.
Mr. Goodrich suggested placing this information on the town’s web site.
Appointment of FT Police Officer:
Police Chief Steve Kozloski and Officer David Rondeau approached the Board of Selectmen. Chief Kozloski said the full-time position became available with the resignation of Police Officer Scott Lawrence back at the beginning of February.
Chief Kozloski explained Officer Rondeau has been employed full time by the United States Air Force in the security forces squadron since 1992, and he has attended the full time Police Academy through the Air Force. Officer Rondeau has also been employed as a part-time Police Office in Monson since 2008.
Chief Kozloski said the language in the current I.B.P.O. labor contract permits management to hire new employees at a rate of 6 months for each year of service in law enforcement in an outside agency up to a 5-year step, and noted Officer Rondeau qualifies for this.
Mr. Goodrich made a motion to appoint David Rondeau to the position of full-time Police Officer at the maximum 5-year step after qualifying with19 years of proper service, effective when available through June 30, 2012. Mr. Maia seconded and it was so VOTED.
Annual Town Meeting – Schedule of Warrant and Budget Development and Meeting Schedule Discussion:
Ms. Neggers noted the Annual Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 14th. The warrants will have to be closed on April 24th in order to be posted no later than May 4th. A Special Town Meeting will need to be held within the Annual Town Meeting and it will have to be posted by April 27th with a closing date of April 10th or no later than April 17th for the warrants.
Mr. Maia suggested meeting weekly through the budget process starting on April 3rd. The Board agreed to meet on March 27th, April 3rd, April10th, April 17th and April 24th.
Mr. Goodrich said he would bring up changing the Town elections at the next Bylaw Committee meeting.
Ms. Neggers said she and Ms. Mahar are working on the budget and part of the real challenge is the transfer to the GIC and projecting accurately what the health care costs are going to be, and noted it will be less than this year. State Aid will be $80,000 less then the current fiscal year, and she and Ms. Mahar will be meeting next week with the Superintendent to go over Net School Spending. Ms. Neggers felt after next week she would have more information on the budget to bring forward. Ms. Neggers noted she is meeting with Town Council tomorrow regarding any legal implications in creating a Maintenance Department.
Ms. Neggers explained she met last week with the Police Chief, Fire Chief and various State Officials regarding Monson Developmental Center. It is the State’s intent the facility will be shuttering in 3 to 5 months. There are serious concerns with the buildings, roads, cemetery, etc. on how to police it and protect it. Also the bridge on Hospital Road has been closed for a number of years. The bridge is town owned and detours through the MDC. The Pine Ridge Building on State Avenue will be maintained as a group home. Ms. Neggers added the State owns the MDC property, but what ultimately happens to the property would have to go to our Town Meeting for a zoning change.
Ms. Neggers said the developers of the proposed 3-megawatt solar power facility on property located on Upper Palmer Road are in the process of applying for special permits and have a hearing scheduled with the Planning Board in April; they will also need to meet with the Board of Selectmen to discuss the payment in lieu of tax arrangement for that facility.
Disaster Recovery Status
a. Tornado Anniversary Committee Update
b. Any Update on Town Office Building Status
c. Visioning Meeting – March 14th at 6:30 – Announcement
- Ms. Neggers said the stone wall around the outside of Hillside Cemetery has been approved for repair using CPC funds, and now needs to go out to bid. The windows and doors project at Memorial Hall, again using CPC funds, also needs to go out to bid.
It was agreed to ask Building Inspector Paul Tacy to help with the Memorial Hall windows and doors specs, and to ask the Cemetery Commissioners to handle the stone wall specs following the recent passing of the Superintendent. Ms. Neggers noted the Cemetery Commissioners have essentially already done the bid specs on the stone wall at Hillside Cemetery.
- Ms. Neggers noted several updates as follows; the Visioning process is on-going and the town is working with the PVPC on this. The Green Community Grant for the School Department for their Energy Management System is about $150,000 and this hasn’t gone out to bid yet. The Senior Center has ordered their car to replace the vehicle destroyed in the tornado; the administration of the IT at the Police Station is being transitioned to an outside company and she has been working with the Chief on that; Ms. Mahar is working on the October snowstorm FEMA reimbursement; there is a $12,000 savings this year on insurance through the Loss Awards Program; and she will be scheduling the training on sexual harassment for all the employees and all the Supervisors, one through MIIA and the other through the EAP; the Police Chief and a consultant
are handling the regional dispatch center; and there is no lease for the Senior Center.
Dr. Smith said that’s an awful lot of things to get done.
Mr. Goodrich suggested hiring someone in the Selectmen’s office, higher up than Gaylin but below Gretchen, to assist as Ms. Bodwell did with the tornado recovery, at $30,000 to $35,000 a year, to help Ms. Neggers and the Financial Department, even if it’s just a one year position, and asked Ms. Neggers to figure out what the criteria would be and how that position would be labeled and if it would be a union position. Ms. Neggers said she would probably be more inclined at looking at something temporary, and said on a permanent basis she felt they should look harder and closer at the structure of developing a Human Resources Department as this is where they are overwhelmed, especially with the GIC transfer.
Ms. Mahar approached the Board of Selectmen and said the School staff is helping in her office as well as in the Treasurer’s Office and noted they have been very supportive, since a large portion of the GIC transfer is with the School Department. Ms. Mahar noted there will be 124 different rates for the different scenarios. There are 231 people in the GIC between current employees and retirees.
Edward Harrison approached the Board of Selectmen and said the casino issue can not be forgotten with Mohegan Sun vying for Palmer and MGM in Brimfield, Monson is an abutting neighbor to both casino proposals, therefore both casinos would need a Memorandum of Understanding. Mr. Harrison said Monson would have to come up with solid estimates for the impacts on the different departments; impacts on the Highway, Police, Fire and Water/Sewer Departments and noted the Town of Palmer came up with the figures of between $47 to $150 million as a host community.
Ms. Neggers noted Town Counsel has been doing research as requested on some of the issues, but it is the Local Casino Committee who identifies the local impacts.
- Tornado Anniversary Committee members Karen King, Steve Kosloski and George Robichaud approached the Board of Selectmen with an update on their plans, following the last Selectmen’s meeting when it was announced graduation was scheduled for June 1st as well.
Ms. King said the Tornado Anniversary Committee attended the School Committee meeting and both the School and the Student Council felt very strongly about keeping graduation on June 1st at 7:00 p.m. in the field at Granite Valley Middle School. They will move graduation to the High School if it rains.
Ms. King said the Tornado Anniversary Committee is now hoping to be able to use Memorial Hall for the remembrance ceremony.
Chief Robichaud thought maybe the inside of Memorial Hall could be used for a portion of the event for about an hour to an hour and a half, and noted the Remembrance shouldn’t interfere with the graduation at all as it will start at 4:30 p.m. and be over by the time graduation begins.
Chief Kozloski said the committee would like permission to close that portion of Main Street for an hour so if there were too many spectators they could go onto Main Street or use Dave Grieve Park.
Mr. Goodrich noted the intended use of Memorial Hall is for events such as this.
Mr. Maia said he felt Green Street to Lincoln Street might be an easier detour route.
Mr. Goodrich made a motion to allow the Tornado Anniversary Committee use of Memorial Hall for the Remembrance Ceremony on June 1st and to close that portion of Main Street. Mr. Maia seconded and it was so VOTED.
- Ms. Neggers said she received today, and forwarded to the Board, the Settlement Loss offer on the Town Office Building from the insurance company. The insurance company agreed to $6,902,440.78 to demolish and rebuild the Town Office Building on that site. Ms. Neggers extended thanks and appreciation to Fontaine Brothers Inc. for their assistance and meeting with the contractor from the insurance company and reaching a collaborative settlement figure. If the Town Office Building were repaired, all the costs would be covered but you would be mixing the new with the old and outdated. The third option would be to take the money and keep the Town Offices in the Hillside Building in which case the Town would lose roughly $3 million.
Mr. Goodrich said it would be about a 50% reimbursement for building a new facility, possibly a little more. For a municipal building in Massachusetts, Mr. Goodrich has gotten the figure of $375 per square foot. Mr. Goodrich felt when a new facility is built it should be upgraded and made more modern with computer systems, proper scanner for doing banking and electronic documents, etc. and do it 100% right.
Ms. Neggers said she gave the Board a copy of the proposal from Reinhardt Associates who will do a square footage analysis and cost estimate which will also take into account the demolition, site work, new construction costs and analysis and meet with the users of the building to establish their space needs estimates, for $4,800.00. This could be completed in three to four weeks.
Mr. Maia made a motion to employ the services of Reinhardt Associates to do the space analysis to come up with a figure to build a new Town Office Building, and to pay for it out of the Gifts to the Town Account. Mr. Goodrich seconded and it was so VOTED.
Correspondence was read and completed.
In Other Business to Come Before the Board of Selectmen:
- Mr. Goodrich said Girls State usually selects three girls, and this year they can only send two as they are $300 short.
Ms. Neggers explained this is an educational program done yearly where the chosen High School students go to a college for three days to set up a mock government and participate on various branches.
Mr. Goodrich made a motion to appropriate $300 from the Gifts to the Town Account to allow the third candidate for Girls State to be sent this year. Mr. Maia seconded and it was so VOTED.
- Ms. Neggers reminded the listening audience the 3rd Visioning session will be held in the gymnasium here in the Hillside Building tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m., and noted over 275 people took the on-line survey saying what they would like to see in the downtown area.
- Ms. Neggers said the Replanting Monson Tree Committee sent a letter to the Board of Selectmen providing more detail on their request to use some of the funds for administrative purposes, and feel $750.00 would be sufficient.
Mr. Goodrich made a motion to release $750 to the Replanting Monson Tree Committee. Mr. Maia seconded and it was so VOTED.
At 8:45 p.m., Mr. Goodrich made a motion to adjourn from open session to go into executive session to conduct contract negotiations with non-union personnel – MGL c.30A, Sec. 21 (2), not to return to open session. Mr. Maia seconded and it was so VOTED.
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Edward A. Maia, Clerk
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