Monterey Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 6/4/07
Meeting Opened at: 8:30am
Select Board Members Present: Jonathan Sylbert, Chairperson, Wayne Burkhart and Scott Jenssen
The board met with the Director of Highways, Maynard Forbes and reviewed the following items:
1. The state of Fairview Rd was discussed with regards to the recent rains and how the recent work done held up.
2. Paving Bid for Sandisfield Rd was discussed. Bid opening will be on Monday, July 9 at 11am during the Select Board meeting.
3. M. Forbes is going to Pittsfield today to meet with FEMA regarding the recent floods from the rain a few months ago.
4. A resident complaint about Sylvan Rd was discussed. M. Forbes stated that it is a town maintained road until it goes around the corner.
5. The drain on the corner of little Hupi is blown out, part of it was filled in last week and it will be finished once the highway department gets more blacktop.
6. Town resident Michael Storch stated that the brush at the corner of Fairview Rd and Rt 23 (east side) is obstructing visibility and asked if the highway department could trim that back.
7. J. Sylbert asked if the highway crew could cut the vines off of the 2 willow trees on the flats to prevent the trees from dying. The Tree Warden has been asked several times with no response.
8. The stonewall on Main Rd in from of P. Mielke’s property was discussed. M. Forbes stated it is his understanding that even though it is on town property, the owners put it up (it wasn’t constructed by the town). The town will haul the rocks away if it falls but any other maintenance of it is the homeowner’s responsibility. Further discussions will need to be held with the homeowner. J. Sylbert mentioned that whatever is done, the town will need to be consistent with what they have done in the past for other walls.
9. M. Forbes (via phone) asked the board to make a decision about whether or not they will place a porta potty at the transfer station for the attendant or continue to have him use the Highway Department’s bathroom as he’s been doing. B. Gauthier was asked to provide the Board with the cost of the Parks Commission porta potty as a reference (Parks Dept pays $1100/yr for the beach and Greene Park for the summer season). M. Forbes will be asked to find out the costs for a seasonal porta potty and a yearly porta potty)
The board met with Building Inspector, Donald Torrico and reviewed the following items:
1. D. Torrico provided the board with a copy of the recent correspondence from the owners of 34 Art School Rd.
The board met with Police Chief, Gareth Backhaus to review the following items:
1. Alarm on Hupi Rd. triggered by an exterminator.
2. The department is working on a wallet larceny on West Rd.
3. Alarm on Wellman Rd.
4. The department is working on a reported credit card larceny.
5. 911 call on Gould Rd.
6. G. Backhaus asked the Select Board how they want to handle the hiring and advertising for a new full-time officer.
7. The Select Board will send a follow up letter to Officer Whalley regarding the town items that need to be returned.
10 – 10:53am Jina Ford of Berkshire Mediation Services
The revised mediation report was reviewed and the changes were discussed and possible misinterpretations. Jina will also contact Town Counsel at the Board’s request regarding the legal process for handling problems with elected officials.
10:54 – 11:33am Petition to change Wilson McLaughlin Will
Present: Jerry Scully and Jeremiah Pollard, Town Counsel, Cynthia Weber, Joe Baker and Susan Sellew of the Wilson McLaughlin House Committee
The Wilson McLaughlin House Committee was seeking some guidance regarding the curtalage issues. The reasons the Committee is seeking a hardship ruling regarding the farmhouse was also discussed.
The board met with Inter-Departmental Secretary, Melissa Noe to review the following items:
1. M. Noe went over the information to be left for contacting town officials and board/departments while she is on vacation and she reviewed the timeframe she will be gone for.
Miscellaneous Select Board Items Reviewed:
1. Resident Josh Allentuck came in to discuss the upcoming season and pedestrian traffic. Mr. Allentuck has a problem with the blind corner on Tyringham Rd and the amount of people that don’t follow the posted speed limit. The Police Department is looking at putting the speed trailer there. Mr. Allentuck suggested putting a dormant cruiser parked strategically to slow people down. S. Jenssen asked how much it would cost to add the photo feature to the speed trailer to take pictures of license plates that are speeding.
2. Resident Brian Puntin came in to ask the board about the progress of a public boat ramp. The Select Board informed Mr. Puntin that as of today there hasn’t been any forward progress.
3. The second homeowner’s meeting will be moved to 10:30-11:30 on Saturday, July 7th from the original time of 9:30-10:30 due to a scheduling conflict (Lake Garfield Association has the firehouse booked for 9:30 – 10:30). A new meeting notice will be given to the clerk’s office.
4. L. Thorpe asked the board to post something regarding resident requests of where boat owners will be able to get their boats in and out once the beach ramp is removed. L. Thorpe stated that he is getting a ton of calls and this does not fall under the Parks Commission’s duties.
5. Resident Richard Tryon came in to thank the Select Board and Police Department for having people on the weekends to help with the congestion in the center of town.
6. Laurily Epstein of the Agricultural Commission came in to give the board copies of what they are proposing for the Special Town Meeting Warrant regarding an article that was passed at the 2006 meeting but not approved by the Attorney General’s office because the town clerk stated that it wasn’t stated in the wording that there were copies on file at the town hall for people to review. The Town Clerk incorrectly told the Agricultural Commission that the Select Board would be holding a special town meeting at the end of June when the Board had not even publicly discussed this possibility.
7. Laurily Epstein came in on behalf of several residents requesting to resurrect “I Love Monterey Day” to be held on Saturday, September 1st. She is requesting that the Select Board release the $500 in the budget for “I Love Monterey Day” to pay the bills. A motion was made by W. Burkhart and seconded by J. Sylbert to approve this request.
8. D. Mielke, former Finance Committee member returned all of the Finance Committee items she had.
9. The Board discussed the following pending and new items with Town Counsel:
a. Does the Police Department need to advertise the open position or can the Town hire anyone that is available. Legally he doesn’t have to but politically it is suggested.
b. Correspondence sent in May regarding the trees in Rawson Brook.
c. Town Counsel was asked to contact former Officer Whalley to request the town items be returned.
d. The Amidon property and public boat access research was inquired about. Town Counsel is going to research this and get back to the Select Board.
e. The five town meeting with regards to the school district budget was brought up and Town Counsel suggested that they go into Executive Session. J. Sylbert made a motion to go into Executive Session at 11:48am to discuss litigation, which was seconded by S. Jenssen and unanimously approved. The board returned to a public session at 12:02pm.
10. The Board discussed the April written request to the Town Clerk to provide electronic copies of the Town Bylaws and Town Zoning Bylaws to put on the website and to have access to; W. Burkhart is going to follow up with the Town Clerk.
The meeting adjourned at: 12:20pm
Submitted by:
Melissa Noe, Inter-Departmental Secretary
Select Board Members
Minutes Book
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