Monterey Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 4/29/13
Meeting Opened at: 9am
Select Board Members Present: Scott Jenssen, Chairperson, Muriel Lazzarini and Wayne Burkhart
Also in attendance for parts of the meeting: Susan Gallant for the Monterey News, Julio Rodriguez, Howard Leavy, Maynard Forbes, Larry Klein, Mickey Jervas, Monica Webb, Richard Tryon, Michael Storch and Chief Backhaus
The board met with Director of Operations, Maynard Forbes’ to review the following:
1. Weekly reports for the weeks ending April 13th, April 20th and April 27th were reviewed.
2. Chapter 90 request received from the State to fix New Marlboro Rd from Wellman Rd. The Board signed the necessary paperwork and this project will be in front of the Conservation Commission for approval in two weeks.
3. The Highway Crew plans to work on the holes at Roadside tomorrow while it is closed.
4. Painting of the town hall should start in May.
Miscellaneous Select Board Items Reviewed:
1. Julio Rodriguez and Howard Leavy came in to start discussions on creating a pet exercise center in Monterey. They were recommending using the shaded area just past the pavilion on Fox Hill Rd which is owned by the Town. The Board felt the proposed location was great but did offer a list of things to further research, cost, maintenance, hours, enforcement, neighbors, etc. They are beginning the research now to have it in place for next year.
2. At 9:15am the Board read the legal notice (posted in the required places) for the bid opening for a 2013 AWD Motor Grader. Bids were received from the following:
a. Schmidt Equipment: $262,990 less trade of $20,000 = $242,990, $18k less if we elect for the G model
b. Milton CAT: $271,991 less trade of $20,000 = $251,991
c. Tyler Equipment: $286,313 less trade of $28,000 = $258,313 (Volvo 972)
d. Maynard will review the proposals and by the 20th with his recommendation after it has been approved at town meeting.
3. Larry Klein updated the Board on the Gould Farm Banner to be hung across Main Rd. The state required engineer sign off has been submitted to the Building Inspector as required and the only thing left is for a CSL Contractor to apply for the building permit through the online building software.
4. The Board reviewed proposed designs from Quissenberry with regards to the proposed new Monterey School. M. Noe was asked to make 40 color copies to have available on a table at town meeting.
5. Monica Webb and Larry Klein of WiredWest came in to update the Board on WiredWest’s status/progress. The MBI and WiredWest are talking about a partnership. There may be financial requirements necessary from the towns that are participating in the program but that is still too early to discuss.
6. Richard Tryon came in to complain about the amount of salt used on our roads and he had heard that there were some low salt areas in town on account of the wetlands and he wanted to know how that was carried out if at all. The Board was not aware of any low salt areas and would check with the Highway Department. He stated that in Switzerland they don’t use any products on the road and people just drive slower and he wants to know what we are going to do to stop damaging the environment and have people drive according to the conditions on the roads. Scott stated he is in favor of using less salt and making sure people drive slower. He is going to follow up with DEP on any policies and/or regulations they might have limiting the salt put down in sensitive areas.
7. Mickey Jervas came in to participate in the exit interview discussions. M. Noe submitted some thoughts after speaking with the other employees on the pros and cons of exit interviews and suggested that the questions proposed would be more beneficial if they were given anonymously to the current employees, Scott concurred. Several privacy concerns were also discussed and expressed by Scott. Wayne and Scott felt that more research was necessary before implementation and wished to take a few more weeks to review all the suggestions and comments made on the matter and also agreed that it may be necessary to request an opinion of town counsel. Appointing a Personnel Manager who would not be subject to the open meeting laws (as they do not meet the definition of a public body) was an option
discussed to perform the exit interviews and manage the files.
8. The minutes from 4.22.13 were approved as written.
9. The Board signed the letters to all the Memorial Day participants requesting their presence again this year.
10. Michael Storch inquired about how the informational meeting went on Friday. The Select Board stated that there were only about 8 concerns brought up and none of the concerns were about salaries.
11. The Board discussed the applicants interested in filling the Finance Committee vacancy. Michael stated he supports the Board choosing Don Clawson as he understands town finances. Muriel supported appointed Ian as he was a new face to government and wanted to encourage residents joining town boards and committees. A motion was made to appoint Donald Clawson to fill Michael Storch’s seat on the Finance Committee until the next election. The motion was seconded and approved 2 to 1. A letter thanking Ian for his interest in filling the vacancy will be mailed tomorrow.
12. The Board asked M. Noe to confirm with the Fire Chief that he would be at town meeting to answer any questions that may arise regarding the Fire Department’s budget and requests.
13. Chief Backhaus came in to inform the Board that Sergeant Johnson will be out for about 6 weeks after an accident sustained while using the transfer station off duty. Chief Backhaus will speak to the Highway Department about trying to fix the problem so that no one else gets hurt.
14. Muriel informed the Board that the Assessor’s office is working with several departments in town and Cartographics Mapping which will allow access to several useful maps.
15. The Town Reports have been delivered and will be available at town meeting.
16. Muriel has reviewed the Field Training Guide that Sergeant Johnson put together and uses to train part time officers looking to work in Monterey. She was very impressed with the manual.
17. The Board would like to meet with the Accountant, Treasurer and Finance Committee regarding the audit results that were emailed to each Board member by Steve Pullen.
18. The Board asked M. Noe to confirm with Kenn Basler that he would be cooking again for the Memorial Day festivities.
19. Mail was reviewed which included:
a. Notification from MEMA announcing the availability of Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funding.
20. Warrants were signed.
21. Inter-Departmental Secretary’s weekly report reviewed.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at: 11:36am
Submitted by:
Melissa Noe, Inter-Departmental Secretary
Approved by:
Monterey Select Board
Select Board Members
Minutes Book
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