Monterey Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 10/23/06
Meeting Opened at: 8:30am
Select Board Members Present: Wayne Burkhart, Jonathan Sylbert arrived at 9:00am and left at 12:27pm
Also in attendance for the meeting: Maggie Leonard for the Monterey News
The board met with the Director of Highways, Maynard Forbes and reviewed the following items:
1. A few branches were down from the weekend storm; no major damage was done.
2. Gate was opened last Monday (approx. 18inches) and will be opened another foot today on Lake Garfield. The boards behind the store were removed.
3. Fairview Rd. should begin in 2 weeks and shouldn’t take more than 1 weeks time.
4. Concrete was poured on one side of the bridge project on River Rd.
5. W. Burkhart commended the highway crew on the paving job on Gould Rd and how much of a difference it makes in traveling that road.
The board met with Building Inspector, Donald Torrico and reviewed the following items:
1. Permits and CO’s that have been issued were reviewed.
2. There is a project in town where the stairs were built too small and not to code that D. Torrico is working with the owners and builder on.
3. A project that came before the Building Inspector was reviewed. While investigating the owner’s request it was determined that the owner did not inform D. Torrico that she had previously applied with the ZBA and was denied a variance from that board.
4. D. Torrico asked if the board could follow up on the Building Department software and the holdup with the information needed from the Assessor’s office.
5. D. Torrico has been getting a lot of Mortgage Company and insurance company questions about zoning questions.
The board met with Police Chief, Gareth Backhaus to review the following items:
1. Disabled MV at Town Hall.
2. Complaint on Beartown Mtn Rd and dirt bikes riding on the road.
3. False alarm on Brett Rd., Cronk Rd.
4. Chestnut Hill Rd complaint; annoying phone calls
5. Equipment vandalized on Beartown Mtn Rd.
6. Missing person on Benedict Pond Rd; person was found.
7. MV stop; revoked license and car was towed.
8. Flat tire assistance at general store.
9. Abandoned 911 call off of West Rd.
10. Complaint at Transfer Station of someone who refused to pay the dump sticker fee.
11. There is increases pedestrian and animal traffic on Tyringham Rd and radar will be enforced as there have been several complaints about speeding cars.
12. A complaint about speeding cars at Sandisfield Rd and Rt 23 was relayed to the Chief.
The board met with Inter-Departmental Secretary, Melissa Noe to review the following items:
1. M. Noe asked permission to take part in the Berkshire Community Action Council and collecting items for their annual Thanksgiving baskets they provide to lower income families in Berkshire County. The board approved using the Town Hall as a collection site and more specific information will be sent to the Monterey News to announce the food drive. We also briefly spoke about sponsoring some lower income families in Monterey for the Christmas holiday season through the Watson Fund, more information will be requested from the Berkshire Community Action Council to put this into place.
2. M. Noe let the board know that the representative from Valley Communications will be coming back tomorrow to look at the phone lines in the server room and to review our current phone bills.
3. DSL kit has arrived from Verizon and the email was received that says we are up and running. Practical Solutions came to install it on Friday but an additional phone jack was needed so they will be in later this week to change everything over.
Miscellaneous Select Board Items Reviewed:
1. Mail was reviewed.
2. Minutes from the 10.16.06 day and evening meetings were approved as written.
3. Election paperwork left by the Town Clerk was signed and left in her mailbox.
4. M. Leonard appeared as the Chairperson of the Monterey Planning Board about a plan submitted to the Planning Board and opinions received from Town Counsel. The Planning Board also reviewed the project with Berkshire Regional Planning. The Planning Board will meet tonight to discuss the professional information/opinions received and to vote whether or not they want to receive another legal opinion.
5. D. Mielke appeared before the board as a representative of Corashire Realty about Kinne’s Grove and conversations she had with William Brockman and as it stands right now if anything is to fall through with the current pending sale, the town will be contacted. D. Mielke questioned what the procedures would be for the Town to try to acquire this property. A special meeting would need to be held and the Town would need to know where the financing would be coming from. Smitty Pignatelli has been contacted to see if the State would be able to help Monterey. W. Burkhart suggested that an ad-hoc committee might need to be formed to
assist with this process. J. Sylbert suggested using one of the evening Select Board meetings to discuss the options a town has when purchasing property.
6. D. Mielke appeared as a representative of the school committee to review conversations she had with Valerie Spriggs about emergency evacuation plans and an upcoming meeting with town road superintendents and police departments about school closures due to inclement weather. J. Sylbert mentioned to D. Mielke about the DSL and how it might be useful to have a connection at the Monterey School.
7. R. Mielke came in to support the idea of selling the Monterey School and moving it to the Edith Wilson grounds where the Community Center is proposed.
8. June Rochadeau appeared before the board to ask for advice regarding a piece of land she owns on Lake Garfield that she was told was buildable when she first purchased it. Abutting neighbors installed a driveway and stairs on her property and an attorney was hired and a land swap was performed which she did not benefit from at all, it was to keep neighborly peace and they were told they wouldn’t lose their grand fathered rights. She appeared before the ZBA and was denied a variance. She is asking the board if there are any exceptions to the rules or if she is able to apply for a hardship and what she can do to rectify the situation. The
board questioned why there were 2 surveys performed that led to the wrong one being filed. The board asked why it was rejected by the ZBA and Ms. Rochadeau provided copies of the paperwork. B. Gauthier came in to answer questions regarding variances and reapplying timeframes as a member of the ZBA.
11am Jenna Ford and Tom Webb of Berkshire Mediation Services came in for an interview; the Town is investigating a way to deal with conflicts between employees and elected and appointed officials in a more professional manner. Ms. Ford reviewed the services that Berkshire Mediation Services offers and how they recommend potential solutions based on your individual situation(s). The town will need to look at the finances and how many people should initially be involved in this process.
The meeting adjourned at: 12:49pm
Melissa Noe
Inter-Departmental Secretary
Town of Monterey
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