MONTEREY SELECT BOARD
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF JULY 11, 2005
The regular weekly meeting of the Monterey Select Board was opened at 8:30 a.m. with members Michèle Miller (Chair), Michael Storch, and Jonathan Sylbert all present.
In attendance for the meeting: Laurily Epstein of the Monterey News, Liz Goodman, Bill Shein
· Town Accountant Barbara Gauthier met with the Board to review various financial items for the beginning of the new fiscal year, including a discussion of the employment terms for the newly hired Town Office Secretary, as follows:
o To be paid the salary of $28,000 per annum, plus $4500 for Board of Appeals work and $4500 for Board of Health work
o Conservation Commission hours to be paid separately only when the work occurs outside of normal office hours
o One-half hour for lunch
o Shared health insurance benefits to be worked out with Town of Egremont by Town Accountant
· The Board met with Building Commissioner Don Torrico to review building items
· Ray Tryon met with the Board to propose various changes to the Town’s bylaws, including:
o Dog leash laws
o False alarms
o Automatic dialing devices and alarms
o 911 street numbers
o Non-Criminal Disposition
· The Board met with Director of Operations Maynard Forbes to review Highway Department items, as follows:
o Select Board road inspection: Scheduled for Monday, July 18, from 9:30 – 11 a.m.
o Gould Road: Forbes updated the Board on the paving schedule
· Liz Goodman and Bill Shein met with the Board to contribute ideas regarding the proposed “Community Conversation,” as follows:
o Expanding the core group of planners
o Prioritize a list of specific goals
o Establish “neighborhood meetings”
o Strategies for encouraging participation by residents west of Stephen’s Pond and the Lake Buel area
Additional ideas were contributed by Dean Amidon, Janet Cathcart and Maggie Leonard. The Board asked Goodman and Shein to prepare a one-page prioritized summary of their ideas and provided them with a copy of the Community Development Plan, which includes the Open Space Plan.
SELECT BOARD MINUTES - 2 - JULY 11, 2005
· Maggie Leonard, chair of the Planning Board, met with the Board to present the Planning Board’s suggestions for changing the Town Bylaws. Leonard recommended Rick Mielke for appointment to the Planning Board as its seventh member. The Board took the recommendation under advisement and asked that the Planning Board recommend additional suitable candidates.
· Janet Cathcart, coordinator of Lakefest, met with the Board regarding Lakefest items, as follows:
o Letters to two homeowners regarding fireworks
o Mowing of two parking lots
o Contract to be signed
· Dean Amidon of the Board of Appeals questioned the Board regarding the right of various Town boards to consult with Town Counsel. Miller responded by outlining the appropriate format for contact -- as a board rather than by individual petition. Sylbert advised that a Special Town Meeting is required to appropriate funds to pay for legal representation by an attorney other than Town Counsel. The Board scheduled a meeting with members of the Board of Appeals and the Board of Health on Monday, July 11, at 8:30 a.m. to discuss the lawsuit that has been brought against these Boards. The Board will ask Town Counsel Jerry Scully to attend the meeting.
· Dick Tryon met with the Board to review several issues regarding the Memorial Day parade, including:
o Lack of color guard
o Veteran participation
o Display of flag
In other matters, Tryon addressed the Board on the following issues:
o Weight signs at the Wellman Road bridge
o Fairview Road
o Town Highway Department crew lunch and coffee breaks
o Police patrol in the center of Town on Saturdays and Sundays
o Possibility of state legislation to protect against eminent domain
· At 11 a.m. sealed bids were opened for one course of paving on a 3800-ft. section of Gould Road. Present for the bid opening were David Reynolds of Lane Construction Corp. of Pittsfield and Steve Garrity of LB Corp. of Lee. Two bids were received, as follows:
o L B Corporation of Lee ……………………………….. $ 50,620 ($50.62 per ton)
o Palmer Paving Corp. of Palmer, MA ……………….… $ 70,400 ($70.40 per ton)
On the recommendation of Operations Director Maynard Forbes, it was moved by Miller, seconded by Storch, and unanimously voted that the bid of LB Corporation of Lee be accepted in the amount of $50,620 ($50.62 per ton).
SELECT BOARD MINUTES - 3 - JULY 11, 2005
· Laurily Epstein, chair of the Agricultural Commission, advised the Board that the first meeting of the newly formed Agricultural Commision will be held on July 21, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
· The Board met with Town Secretary Melissa Noe to review Town Office items, as follows:
o Procurement
o Issuance of alcoholic beverage licenses
o Access to Town offices and files
o Town Hall telephone system
· The Board discussed Town employee and personnel policy; the Board decided to conduct individual meetings with employees on an annual basis.
· Phyllis Bogdanoff met with the Board regarding elderly transportation; the Board provided her with appropriate contact information.
· Highway and Treasury Warrants were signed.
· The clerk was given instructions regarding correspondence.
· The Minutes of June 27, 2005, were approved as written.
· It was unanimously voted that the meeting be adjourned (12:35 p.m.).
Judith Kales, Clerk
Monterey Select Board
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