Monterey Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 5/17/10
Meeting Opened at: 4:00pm
Select Board Members Present: Jonathan Sylbert, Chairperson, Wayne Burkhart, and Scott Jenssen
Also in attendance for parts of the meeting: Sue Protheroe for the Monterey News, Linda Thorpe (Town Clerk) and Brian Domina of BRPC
The board met with Police Chief, Gareth Backhaus to review the following items:
1. Last year there was a bike race that came through town and they are requesting to do so again on June 6th. A sample letter was provided to the Board that Mass Highway is requiring from each town. The Board signed the letter and Chief Backhaus stated that there weren’t any issues with the race last year.
2. Loose boat that was drifting through Lake Garfield, the caretaker took care of it.
3. Mt Hunger Rd: complaint of noises outside at 1am, nothing was found.
4. Assisted Gt. Barrington with a MVA.
5. Someone turned in a lost cell phone; owner was located.
6. Loose cows.
7. Zebra mussel training done by the Environmental Police. Information on enforcement was provided to the local departments. Chief Backhaus is going to start enforcing the items at both of the lakes.
The board met with Inter-Departmental Secretary, Melissa Noe to review the following items:
1. Weekly report was reviewed.
2. Time off request approved.
Miscellaneous Select Board Items Reviewed:
1. The minutes from 5.10.10 were approved as corrected.
2. Warrants were signed.
3. Linda Thorpe came in to inform the Board that she confirmed with Town Counsel that the Constable can be appointed for a three year term and then she’ll put it on the ballot in 3 years instead of doing a 2 year seat in May. A motion was made to appoint Raymond Tryon as the Constable for a 3 year term. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
4. Linda Thorpe also stated that she is working on changing the town elections to a different day than the same as town meeting. She’s been speaking with Mark Makuc, Moderator on the matter and they both feel that holding the elections on the Tuesday following the Saturday town meeting would be appropriate. The Board agreed.
5. Swap shack at the Transfer Station: W. Burkhart and Rudy Gero (Solid Waste Committee members) have not met yet. The attendant was asked by Jon to throw away items in there that haven’t been taken after a few weeks and he seemed agreeable to that.
6. Brian Domina of Berkshire Regional Planning Commission came in to speak with the Board about the Natural Hazard Mitigation Planning effort that has been ongoing since 2008. It involves 19 communities in Berkshire County. Brian was looking for natural hazards that Monterey is facing and their locations. These are competitive grants. In 2011 this will be presented to FEMA/MEMA and approvals will be granted in 2012.
7. Mail was reviewed which included:
a. A request from Dennis Downing for the Select Board to render a determination regarding whether or not the Wilson McLaughlin House property is a town park. Dennis does not feel it should be designated a park which would then require a bylaw change in order for the dog park to be installed there. Town Counsel has advised the Board that, “what we call it is not important, it’s what occurs on the property that matters. In this respect, the standard description of an area for dogs to “do their thing” is a “dog park”, so it’s somewhat incongruous to characterize it as something else.” The Board requested that M. Noe email Dennis with their response.
b. A request from a majority of the School Committee members that the Monterey Select Board consider closing the Monterey School concurrent with the retirement of Susan Anderson. The Committee made this request/decision based on low enrollment for the past several years, the retirement of Susan Anderson and the building’s condition.
8. Wayne Burkhart gave an update on the RT 23 repaving project based on his conversations with Berkshire Planning. Our project has now been rated.
9. W. Burkhart stated that on Wed. evening the long term capital committee made a site visit to the Monterey School and New Marlborough School. Wayne reported that there was a lot of negative talk about the building which he tried to defend. A site visit will be made to the Egremont School next week.
10. At 5pm the Board adjourned to make a site visit to the WMH property regarding the proposed new driveway.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at: 5:00pm
Submitted by:
Melissa Noe, Inter-Departmental Secretary
Approved by:
Monterey Select Board
Select Board Members
Minutes Book
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