Monterey Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 6/25/07
Meeting Opened at: 8:40am
Select Board Members Present: Jonathan Sylbert, Chairperson, Wayne Burkhart and Scott Jenssen
Also in attendance: M. Storch
The board met with the Director of Highways, Maynard Forbes and reviewed the following items:
1. River Rd. bridge project is finished and the road is open again.
2. The board asked M. Forbes to find a weighted cone/sign to put near Hebert’s driveway on Tyringham Rd to slow traffic down coming around the corner to the stop sign.
3. Sandisfield Rd is all ready to reclaim and repave.
4. All the culverts that were plugged up have been cleared.
5. M. Storch asked if the Highway Department could drop off a small push mower at the berm so he could mow between the trees. M. Forbes agreed if M. Storch was going to do the mowing, as the Highway Department doesn’t have time to do this.
6. The transfer station attendant asked when he was going to get his porta potty. No definitive answer was given.
7. A local resident complained about the transfer station attendant asking her to make out her check to “cash” for bulky waste, the resident refused and made the check out to “Town of Monterey” but she wanted the town to be aware. The town accountant was also asked if deposits were being made and through whom as the attendant hasn’t dropped off deposits to the Inter-Departmental Secretary in over a year. B. Gauthier stated that the last deposit was in May and she didn’t get anything for March or April. She confirmed that he has been making the deposits through the treasurer directly. The board is going
to ask M. Forbes to compare the bulky waste invoices vs the cash received for dumping to see if there is the same amount as in the past or more/less and if there are any discrepancies.
8. W. Burkhart asked about the future of the Solid Waste Committee. He is agreeable to letting it dissolve. M. Forbes thought the committee would be good for educational purposes; informing the public about recycling, etc. The board agreed to make it a three member committee down from 5 members.
9. Within 2 years the transfer station will need to be upgraded to meet current standards such as covering the facility.
10. A suggestion was made to move the “swap shack” to a location further from where the trash is dumped to keep the traffic moving.
The board met with Police Chief, Gareth Backhaus to review the following items:
1. Disturbance at Lake Buel boat ramp.
2. False alarm at Steven’s Lake, 2 False alarms on Wellman Rd.
3. Loose dog at 19 Point Rd.
4. Walk in complaint of a stolen car; car was found in Waterbury, CT.
5. Noise complaint on Main Rd. – nothing found.
6. Noise complaint/disturbance behind Post Office. – nothing found.
7. Officer Whalley returned the items belonging to the Town to town counsel; G. Backhaus picked them up and inventoried them last week.
8. Officer Nourse submitted a letter to the board stating that he is retiring and his last day will be July 28th. He was hired in 1993.
9. G. Backhaus has been receiving a lot of calls about the boat launch. He has been informing people that need to get their boats in or out to use the one next to the beach either very early in the morning (prior to 7:30am) or late in the evening (just before dusk).
The board met with Inter-Departmental Secretary, Melissa Noe to review the following items:
1. M. Noe placed the help wanted ad for a full time officer written by the Police Department in the Berkshire Eagle for 2 Sundays (6/24/07 and 7/1/07).
2. The board discussed M. Noe’s request for an Executive Session with the Town Clerk’s Office to discuss disciplinary action.
The board met with Town Accountant, Barbara Gauthier to review the following items:
1. B. Gauthier asked the Board to sign the contract for the new accounting software.
2. April trial balance and revenue reports were given to the Board.
3. Town warrants were signed.
The board met with Building Commissioner, Donald Torrico to review the following items:
1. D. Torrico had a call from a representative from National Grid; they want to place a building (18x24) to house a generator and an antenna on the tower to be used for communications. The wireless communication bylaw was reviewed. The board questioned access to the area. Because it is in an overlay district, D. Torrico stated that they would need to apply for a Special Permit through the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The board made the following appointments/reappointments for the terms listed:
Agricultural Commission |
2 years |
Laurily Epstein, Chair |
2008 |
Agricultural Commission |
2 years |
Brian Puntin |
2008 |
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Alternate Delegate |
1 year |
Janet Cathcart |
2008 |
Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) Advisory Board Representative |
1 year |
Wayne Burkhart |
2008 |
Civil Defense Coordinator |
3 years |
Peter Brown |
2008 |
Conservation Commssion |
3 years |
Tim Lovett |
2007 |
Council on Aging |
3 years |
Cynthia Weber |
2008 |
Cultural Council (max: three terms) |
2 years |
Joel Schick (10/6/03) |
2008 |
Cultural Council (max: three terms) |
2 years |
Dianna Downing (10/6/03) |
2008 |
Cultural Council (max: three terms) |
2 years |
Maureen Banner (9/26/05) |
2008 |
Director of Operations for Highways Buildings and Town Property |
1 year |
Maynard Forbes (6/18/01) |
2008 |
Election Clerk |
1 year |
Linda Thorpe ( R) |
2008 |
Election Clerk, Deputy |
1 year |
John Bodnar ( R) |
2008 |
Election Inspector |
1 year |
Ruth Champigny (D) |
2008 |
Election Inspector |
1 year |
Virginia Funk (D) |
2008 |
Election Inspector |
1 year |
Jane Thorn ( R) |
2008 |
Election Inspector |
1 year |
Barbara Tryon ( R) |
2008 |
Election Inspector, Deputy |
1 year |
Estella Bodnar (I) |
2008 |
Election Warden |
1 year |
Raymond Tryon (D) |
2008 |
Election Warden, Deputy |
1 year |
Joel Schick (D) |
2008 |
Employee Compensation Advisory Committee |
1 year |
Gareth Backhaus |
2008 |
Employee Compensation Advisory Committee |
1 year |
Maynard Forbes |
2008 |
Employee Compensation Advisory Committee |
1 year |
Dan Moriarity |
2008 |
Employee Compensation Advisory Committee |
1 year |
Janet Cathcart |
2008 |
Employee Compensation Advisory Committee |
1 year |
Scott Jenssen |
2008 |
Fence Viewer |
3 years |
Peter Brown |
2010 |
Field Driver |
3 years |
Kenneth Heath Sr |
2010 |
Historical Commission |
3 years |
Cynthia Weber |
2010 |
"I Love Monterey Day" Committee |
3 years |
Scott Jenssen |
2010 |
Inter-Departmental Secretary |
1 year |
Melissa Noe |
2008 |
Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) |
3 years |
Gareth Backhaus |
2010 |
Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) |
3 years |
Maynard Forbes |
2010 |
Materials Recycling Facilty (MRF) Advisory Board Representative |
1 year |
Rudolph Gero |
2008 |
Network Administrator |
1 year |
Practical Solutions |
2008 |
911 Coordinator |
3 years |
Maynard Forbes |
2010 |
Police Department |
1 year |
Gareth Backhaus, Police Chief |
2008 |
Police Department |
1 year |
Walter Nourse, Officer |
2008 |
Police Department |
1 year |
Rudolph Gero |
2008 |
Police Department |
1 year |
Reena Bucknell |
2008 |
Police Department |
1 year |
Joseph Dondey, Officer |
2008 |
Records Liason Officer for Select Board |
1 year |
Melissa Noe |
2008 |
Regional Hazard Mitigation Team |
2 years |
Gareth Backhaus |
2009 |
Regional Hazard Mitigation Team |
2 years |
Maynard Forbes |
2009 |
Registrars of Voters |
3 years |
Joan Brown ( R) |
2010 |
Sanitary Inspector |
2 years |
Peter Kolodziej |
2009 |
Solid Waste Committee |
3 years |
Wayne Burkhart |
2010 |
Solid Waste Committee |
3 years |
Rudolph Gero |
2010 |
Southern Berkshire Regional School District Committee Representative |
2 years |
Deborah Mielke |
2009 |
Southern Berkshire Solid Waste Mgmt District |
1 year |
Wayne Burkhart |
2008 |
Town Accountant |
3 years |
Barbara Gauthier |
2010 |
Town Counsel |
1 year |
Jeramiah Pollard, Esq |
2008 |
Town Report Committee |
3 years |
Kathleen Wasiuk |
2010 |
Town Report Committee |
3 years |
Michele Miller |
2010 |
Transfer Station Manager |
3 years |
Maynard Forbes |
2010 |
Transportation Advisory Committee (Berkshire MPO) |
1 year |
Wayne Burkhart |
2008 |
Veteran's Agent |
1 year |
Albert Adams |
2008 |
Veterans Memorial Committee |
2 years |
Raymond Tryon |
2009 |
Veterans Memorial Committee |
2 years |
Dean Amidon |
2009 |
Veterans Memorial Committee |
2 years |
Arnold Hayes |
2009 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Joe Baker |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Jim Edelman |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Nora Hayes |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Georgiana O'Connell |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Shirley Olds, Chair |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Lewis Scheffey |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Susan Sellew |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Gerry Shapiro |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Evelyn Vallianos |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin House Committee |
1 year |
Cynthia Weber |
2008 |
Wilson McLaughlin Scholarship Committee Representative |
1 year |
Jonathan Sylbert |
2008 |
Miscellaneous Select Board Items Reviewed:
1. The minutes from 6.4.07, 6.11.07 and 6.18.07 were approved as written.
2. M. Storch made the Board aware that there is a move afoot in town to create a boat ramp on their own.
3. M. Storch brought S. Jenssen up to date with the archives and records liaisons and status of going through the records and disposing of what’s allowed according to the records retention schedule.
4. R. Palmer came in to ask the status of a public boat ramp; the board let Mr. Palmer know that Town Counsel is researching this item. The board suggested appointing a committee to research where the best spot would be overall to create a public boat ramp. They should find properties without homes on them, consider the terrain, and space for parking. Once a short list is created contact the owners with the Town’s intentions as well as the state for assistance with creating a public boat ramp. Public Boat Ramp Committee (1 year): A notice will be sent to the Monterey News that the Select Board is forming a committee to explore
public boat access on Lake Garfield, any interested candidates should contact the board by July 15th.
5. Berkshire Mediation Services final report was reviewed and a motion was made by S. Jenssen to accept it as it is and release it as a public document with a note from the Board that the report outlines procedures for mediation and was not meant to be specific to any ongoing conflicts within the Town. This motion was seconded by W. Burkhart and unanimously approved.
6. Last Thursday’s 5-town meeting with regards to the school assessment was discussed.
The meeting adjourned at: 12:04pm
Submitted by:
Melissa Noe, Inter-Departmental Secretary
Select Board Members
Minutes Book
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