MONTEREY SELECT BOARD
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF MAY 15, 2006
The regular weekly meeting of the Monterey Select Board was opened at 8:30 a.m. with members Michael Storch (Chair), Jonathan Sylbert, and Wayne Burkhart all present.
In attendance for the meeting: Town Secretary Melissa Noe; Laurily Epstein of the Monterey News
· The Board met with Director of Operations Maynard Forbes to review Highway Department items, as follows:
o Budget Process: Forbes stated his dissatisfaction with the budget process leading up to the Annual Town Meeting, pointing out that the requests he submitted for the Highway Department were ignored and he was excluded from the process; the Board scheduled a meeting with the Finance Committee on Monday, May 22, at 8:30 a.m. to discuss the issue
o Bally Gally: Purchase of certain furniture in anticipation of tenancy; qualification for low-income housing certification
· Linda Thorpe presented a letter stating that she was no longer willing to work as a temporary employee selling dump stickers on Saturdays. The Board discussed the need for a trained temporary employee.
· The Board met with Chief Gareth Backhaus to review Police Department items, as follows:
o Town Secretary Office locks: Sylbert asked for a written policy regarding the use of the office and a job description for the temporary employee accessing the office
o Report on recent highway fatality: Backhaus attributed the accident to excessive speed and alcohol
· Leroy Thorpe, chair of the Parks Commission, met with the Board to discuss the installation of a light behind Town Hall.
· At 10 a.m. Luci Leonard and Octavio Hernandez of the Community Health Programs of Great Barrington met with the Board to explain the services offered by CHP. Hernandez explained the Healthy Communities Access Project (HCAP), a federally funded project to improve accessibility to health care for uninsured and underinsured individuals living in Western Massachusetts. Services include free health screenings, individual assessments, health education and provider referrals, and public insurance benefits and enrollment services. Leonard and Hernandez answered various questions regarding the scope of the program’s services, including access by
SELECT BOARD MINUTES - 2 - MAY 15, 2006
all residents after the new state law on health-care reform takes effect on July 1, 2006. The CHP representatives asked the Town for an available space to provide these services; the Board responded that it would make the Town Hall Meeting Room available. The Board also suggested a booth at the barbecue following the Memorial Day Parade and informational posters at the Town’s Transfer Station.
· Debra B. Mielke of the Finance Committee met with the Board to discuss the Conflict of Interest law and how it applies to Town officials; Mielke suggested that an informational sheet in this regard be distributed annually to newly elected officials; the Board directed a letter of inquiry to the Town Clerk in this regard. In another matter, Mielke addressed the question of liability insurance and Workmen’s Compensation for contract employees.
· At 11 a.m. the Board met with Fredrick Mastrogiovanni Jr. of Berkshire Graphics Inc. of Pittsfield to discuss the June 17 expiration of the contract on the Town Hall Canon copy machine. Mastrogiovanni outlined the various options available to the Town, including the purchase of the old machine or the purchase or lease of an upgraded copier with fax capability; Mastrogiovanni also urged the Board to take action before lease fees rise dramatically on July 1. The Board debated the pros and cons of purchase or lease; Storch asked Mastrogiovanni to provide a quote on the purchase of an upgraded machine. The Board will take the matter under advisement.
· Fire Chief Ray Tryon met with the Board to discuss details of the Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 29. In another matter, Tryon advised the Board about the activities of the newly formed Fire Mutual Aid Towns of Southern Berkshire County, which comprises the fire departments of eleven South County towns. The next meeting is Wednesday, May 24, at 7 p.m. at the Great Barrington Fire Station. On June 7, a water-shuttle training program will be held, partly in Great Barrington and partly in Monterey.
· The Board met with Town Accountant Barbara Gauthier to discuss the Town Hall Renovation Account; Gauthier reported that the account balance is currently $15,610.
· Joe Baker of the Wilson McLaughlin House Committee advised the Board about details of the community center project, specifically the availability of solar-heating grants from the Center for Ecological Technology (CET).
· On the recommendation of the Education Committee, the Board voted unanimously to appoint Thomas Sawyer to the Education Committee for a one-year term ending June 30, 2007.
SELECT BOARD MINUTES - 3 - MAY 15, 2006
· Highway and Treasury Warrants were signed.
· The clerk was given instructions regarding correspondence.
· The Minutes of May 8, 2006, were approved as written.
· It was unanimously voted that the meeting be adjourned (12:25 p.m.).
Judith Kales, Clerk
Monterey Select Board
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