BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MAY 28, 2013
The regular meeting for the Board of Selectmen convened at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at 29 Thompson Street. In attendance were Edward A. Maia, Dr. Richard M. Smith and Edward S. Harrison. Also present were Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers and the media.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Acceptance of Meeting Minutes:
Dr. Smith made a motion to accept the meeting minutes of May 14, 2013 – open session. Mr. Harrison seconded and it was unanimously VOTED.
Monson Summerfest, Inc. – Various Requests Regarding 2013 Summerfest:
Steve Slozak approached the Board of Selectmen and noted this will be the 34thSummerfest. Mr. Slozak said the Summerfest Committee is requesting once again to have Main Street closed, as it was last year, from Memorial Hall to the top of Academy Hill by the Library parking lot, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mr. Slozak said he has spoken briefly with Police Chief Kozloski and will be meeting with him on Saturday to discuss the Summerfest further.
Mr. Slozak went over the Summerfest schedule, noting Cushman Field will be used for the vintage baseball game, because this year they are working on having a car show in Veteran’s field, with muscle cars from local towns.
The Summerfest Committee is once again requesting a one-day liquor license for the beer garden, located at the gazebo, which will close at 5:30 p.m.
The shuttle bus will run with possible drop-offs at Washington Street by the entrance to the Town Office Building parking lot, if the Town Office parking lot is unavailable. Ms. Neggers stated the building should be down by then with a fence around the site.
Mr. Slozak stated the fireworks will be held on Saturday, June 22nd at Quarry Hill Elementary School, with a rain date of Saturday, June 29th.
Dr. Smith noted Memorial Hall might not be available for the Old Post Road band this year, due to issues and repairs. Ms. Neggers added the Summerfest Committee might have to hire monitors for a fee if Memorial Hall is used, and advised Mr. Slozak to speak with Fire Chief McDonald and Building Inspector Paul Tacy. Mr. Slozak said he would speak with them.
Mr. Slozak noted next year, the Summerfest Committee is thinking of having a helicopter display in Veteran’s field, and possibly another block dance at Quarry Hill Elementary School with a second beer garden, for the night of the fireworks. Ms. Neggers suggested the Summerfest Committee speak with the School Committee regarding the block dance. It was noted there was a lot of controversy following the last block dance and beer garden, by parents regarding the way it was set up, and on the principal of it.
Mr. Harrison made a motion to appropriate $2,500 from the Gifts to the Town account to the Summerfest Committee to help defray costs and other expenses. Dr. Smith seconded and it was unanimously VOTED.
Dr. Smith made a motion to approve the one-day liquor license to be held on July 4, 2013 at Dave Grieve Park, pending receipt of the certificate of insurance. Mr. Harrison seconded and it was unanimously VOTED.
Mr. Harrison made a motion to approve the street closing from Academy Hill at the Library to Memorial Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dr. Smith seconded and it was unanimously VOTED.
Mr. Slozak said the only other thing he is looking for is a letter regarding the boundaries for the night of the fireworks, as well as the day of the Summerfest. Ms. Neggers said she has this letter in her computer and she would get it to him.
Replanting Monson Tree Committee – Update on Planting Schedule for Flynt Park:
Leslie Duthie and Valerie Beaudoin of the Replanting Monson Tree Committee approached the Board of Selectmen, regarding the tree planting scheduled for this weekend at Flynt Park. Ms. Duthie noted they have done a number of plantings around town and this will be their 3rd distribution of trees. The Tree Committee has held one public event, as well as one private event where residents came to pick up trees they ordered.
This weekend, on Saturday June 1st, the Replanting Monson Tree Committee is planning a planting celebration for the town on the work the town has done in recovering after the tornado. Ms. Duthie said they have discussed their planting with Parks and Recreation Commission and have received okays from them. This planting will take place above the fields, and between the Keep Homestead Museum and the little league field, where flowering trees, shade trees and shrubs will be planted.
Ms. Duthie noted they are looking for volunteers of all ages and abilities, to plant trees, pass out tee-shirts to the volunteers, hand out water, etc. Ms. Duthie said volunteers should arrive at 8:30 a.m., or come whenever it’s convenient for them, and stay as long as they want; they’re hoping to be done by 3:00 p.m.
Ms. Beaudoin said Northern Tree is donating 150 saplings; Rocky Mountain is donating soil; Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary is donating wood chips; Woodbine Country Store is donating coffee; Chmura’s Bakery is donating Danish; other donations have come in from Big Y, Rocky’s Hardware, Lowes and Home Depot.
Ms. Beaudoin said they are also looking for support from the community in maintaining the trees after they are planted as well, watering them throughout the year so they will continue to grow.
Tree planting training will be provided for the volunteers on how to plant, how deep to planted; equipment will be provided for digging the holes for the larger trees and lessons will be provided on how to get the soil back into the holes, as well as how to build a little mote around the plants to hold in the water, and how to mulch them.
Ms. Beaudoin said they have planted 524 trees and over 350 saplings along with numerous bushes around town so far.
The Board of Selectmen thanked Ms. Duthie and Ms. Beaudoin for coming in, for all of their hard work, and the great job they are doing.
Memorial Hall – Status and Update:
Mr. Harrison attended the on-site meeting mentioned at the last Selectmen’s meeting, with the Building Inspector, Fire Chief, Town Planner, Mr. Tuttle, etc. Mr. Harrison said it was pretty grim, and noted there are a lot of problems with fire hazards.
Ms. Neggers said there were issues with fire protection; with no alarm system, egress issues, the right hardware on the doors, the automatic handicapped doors weren’t working, and noted ten to twelve of these items on the list have since been corrected.
Mr. Harrison said he feels there is a justifiable need to place restrictions on the Hall until some more of these things are addressed.
Ms. Neggers noted accommodations were made, allowing the Monson Arts Council to have their play. Immediate repairs were made to the handicapped doors, exit lights; fire extinguishers were inspected and tagged, etc., and they also hired monitors per Fire Chief McDonald.
Ms. Neggers explained the Fire Chief and Building Inspector provided lists of repairs that had to be made prior to any use, and these were addressed. They also provided lists of additional requirements placed on the sponsor of the event, where two physical monitors had to be hired to be there, and there were certain areas of the building that people couldn’t use at all such as the basement and the balcony.
Ms. Neggers said the architect, Larry Tuttle, suggested pursuing a more comprehensive safety survey.
Mr. Harrison said in his conversation with Mr. Tuttle, for somewhere in the vicinity of $3,000 or so, a study needs to be done that identifies all of the hazards and puts a price tag on each of them, and prioritize them in terms of urgency of need to be completed.
Mr. Maia said he felt it was silly to be spending $171,000 on windows and doors when we have a building that isn’t safe enough to use.
Ms. Neggers said a survey of Life Safety Compliance could be done, inclusive of the construction estimate, for $3,850 by Architectural Insights, if done in the context of windows and doors, it could be paid out of the $171,000 that has already been allocated, but it couldn’t be started until July 1st.
It was noted, currently for any events in Memorial Hall with over fifty people, fire personnel must be hired as monitors and a fire truck must be on stand-by.
Mr. Maia questioned after the Life Safety survey is completed, could we then go back to the CPA and say we need help getting things done to bring Memorial Hall up to standards? Ms. Neggers replied she believed Memorial Hall would be eligible under Protection of Historical Buildings, but she would have to check to make sure.
Ms. Neggers read a portion of an email she received today from Mr. Tuttle who said Dennis Swierad from the Historic Commission, called today and confirmed that the survey work is part of the allocated funds, but stated there is no funding for contract documents or the execution of the findings of the survey.
Town Planner – Pending Projects and Work Plan:
Town Planner Dan Laroche approached the Board of Selectmen. Mr. Laroche went over the attached list, explaining projects he feels are important for the next year.
Mr. Laroche said he would like to do a little more focused work with the Planning Board and continue working on zoning changes. Also, he feels there’s a lot of work with the MDC and the Re-use Committee as the state moves forward with putting this bid out to a developer, and said he wants to make sure the town is represented during that process.
Mr. Harrison noted the MDC re-use project will also require a zoning change in order to accommodate any future use the town is going to approve of, as right now it’s reserved land with really no zoning on the parcel. Ms. Neggers added the only control the town has over what happens with the MDC, is with it having to go to town meeting for approval of the zone change.
Mr. Harrison invited Mr. Laroche and the rest of the Board of Selectmen to attend a meeting tomorrow night here regarding an update on where things stand with the casino approval process, and the role the Regional Planning agencies are going to play in developing the Memorandum of Understandings with the surrounding communities, etc.
Mr. Laroche state he would like to have a little more interface with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and what they do; the TIP process and transportation projects, up-dating the Regional Hazard Mitigation plan, etc.
Mr. Laroche explained he will be working a lot on the zoning maps in the Assessor’s office and amending the zoning bylaws with the PVPC and the Planning Board.
Mr. Maia asked Mr. Laroche what he envisions as the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s role in moving forward. Mr. Laroche responded after having worked at the PVPC seventeen years ago, they are a large organization working with 43 communities, and felt in order to get the biggest bang for your buck; you really need to be engaged with them. Mr. Laroche felt maybe he could bring some of the liaison ship to them and be active, attending some of their committee meetings, and find out what’s going on, as he feels you get more from them as an organization with participation, rather than waiting for them to come to you. Mr. Laroche explained the PVPC writes grants and they are able to get money, as well as having connections to state agencies that we don’t have direct contact with. Mr.
Laroche added he would like to get more involved with the Brownsfield Committee and assessment work, as this is paid for completely with EPA money, but felt again, if you aren’t involved directly with that committee, you’re not going to see that funding, and feels these are the types of things we need to take advantage of.
Dr. Smith noted the items he felt he would prioritize are the MDC re-use, business development, zoning, Hillside building re-use, downtown revitalization - especially the Brownsfield evaluation and redevelopment. Mr. Laroche said he would like to become active on the Hillside re-use now, prior to it becoming vacant.
Mr. Maia said he felt it would be good for Mr. Laroche to plan on a quarterly basis, attending a Selectmen’s meeting to give an up-date on the different items on his list, or whatever it is that has been accomplished. Mr. Laroche agreed to do this.
Correspondence was read and completed.
At 8:10 p.m., Dr. Smith made a motion to adjourn from open session to go into executive session to discuss collective bargaining pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 30A §21 (2) and non-union bargaining pursuant to M/G.L. Chapter 30A §(2), not to return to open session. Mr. Harrison seconded and it was unanimously voted.
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Edward S. Harrison, Clerk
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