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Select Board
Minutes of the meeting of 1/25/17
Meeting Opened at: 9am
Select Board Members Present: Kenn Basler, Chairperson, Steve Weisz and Carol Edelman
Also in attendance: Willie Morales, Betsy Andrus, Shawn Tryon, Winston Wilson
Town Administrator items:
- Pre-budget meetings will begin this Friday.
- Transfer station credit card training will be set up next week.
- Willie has received several calls from residents confused if FiberConnect is the official town company installing fiber in Monterey. Willie has tried his best to answer that a company has not been selected as Monterey’s provider as of yet.
- Community Center: they received responses to their bid requests which were all too expensive. Willie will be rejecting them. The Community Center is going to do the work themselves and the materials will be properly procured.
- Community Center operations: A discussion will need to be had with regards to the new line item to be created for the operations of the center. The Friends of Wilson McLaughlin House will pay the utilities for the first year.
- DOT: DOT and Willie have clarified how communications will be disseminated going forward after a misunderstanding (all Board members, Willie and Shawn should be included on any communications).
- Willie reported on the MMA conference attended by himself, the Town Accountant, Town Treasurer and Administrative Assistant.
Director of Operations items:
- Signs have been ordered for the transfer station.
At 10am a joint pole hearing was held for 161 Beartown Mtn Rd. Steve of National Grid, the Tree Warden and Shawn were all present. Shawn asked that the pole be moved back at least 2 feet – he and Steve will take a ride up there. The Board will sign the petitions once Shawn and Steve have come to an agreed new location.
Miscellaneous Items Reviewed:
- Warrants were signed.
- Minutes from 1/18/17 were approved.
- Mail was reviewed which included:
- Notification of Chapter 91 filing for 24 Lakeside Terrace
- Letter from Bettina Schwartz and Mark Firth regarding their concerns of increased traffic and larger vehicles along the access road to Hume Camp (Cronk and Chestnut Hill Rds). The Board was surprised by this letter as other residents of the neighborhood have felt the traffic was getting better. Steve suggested that with Hume’s proposal for 2 new buildings we should consider a traffic study. The police will be asked to monitor.
- The Board asked M. Noe to follow up with the Director of Operations with regards to the safety chain to be installed near the front doors.
- Curtis Rd Bridge: An update will be in the February Select Board Corner which has a temporary solution that will allow us to deal with the road once the bridge is posted and full trucks are not allowed over it.
- There is a meeting this Friday morning at 9am at Southern Berkshire to speak with the Business Manager and School Committee Representative with regards to finances and how it relates to the formula/calculations for Monterey.
- Carol has agreed to attend the meeting at the school with the teacher’s union.
- Shared services meeting in Sheffield: Steve attended and reported that it was well represented (New Marlborough, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Egremont, Monterey and Tyringham). Discussions were held about general services/equipment/positions that could be shared. There was a lot of interest in sharing a Conservation Commission agent/consultant. The next meeting will be on February 21st at 10am in Sheffield.
- There is a broadband committee meeting tonight at 6pm here at the town hall.
- Lake Garfield Working Group: The Chair of that committee has not yet set/posted their next meeting.
- February 22: Carol is unable to attend the meeting at 9am and requested it be changed to 1pm, Kenn also had a conflict and 1pm worked for everyone.
- Betsy Andrus of the Southern Berkshire Chamber came in to discuss anything the Chamber can do to emphasize commerce in Monterey and to install a self-help visitor’s booth in each of the member towns. She is requesting permission and a flat location to put it (the transfer station was suggested in addition to one other location). The Board unanimously agreed with a final location to be determined when the booth is ready.
- Sign box in front of town hall: Carol inquired if some general information should be placed on it. Steve would like to see this replaced with something more fitting aesthetically.
- Special town meeting: The Finance Committee should be sending a letter of support and the Moderator and Clerk are available for the proposed March 2nd date at 7pm. None of the articles on the warrant will affect/increase the tax rate. M. Noe will have the warrant ready to sign at next week’s meeting.
- Steve will attend the upcoming marijuana workshop put on by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.
- Records/storage room: The 3 contractors that were going to bid on the new office space have backed out; we have one more coming this week. Kenn suggested that at least once a week the Board come in to begin going through the records to be moved/repackaged to make room for the new office. The Board will begin this on Monday at 10am.
- Administrative Assistant’s weekly report was reviewed.
- Police Chief’s weekly report was reviewed.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at: 11:05am
Submitted by:
Melissa Noe, Administrative Assistant
Approved by:
Monterey Select Board
Select Board Members
Minutes Book
Town Clerk
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