Board of Selectmen's Meeting Minutes
February 6, 2002
Mr. Merritt opened the meeting and introduced the Board members and Jim Boudreau, Town Administrator.
Mr. Mariano requested to add to the agenda an Item of Interest.
MOTION: Mr. Mariano moved the Board approve the agenda as amended. Second by Mr. Gaynor.
Unanimously Voted.
At 7:30, Mr. Merritt introduced Gertrude Daneau, Chair of the Cemetery Committee and Frank Nagle to discuss Cemetery Rates. Ms. Daneau stated that in comparison with other towns Norwell is way out of line.
The present fees are as follows:
INTERMENT
Full-size burial Mon-Fri $275
Sat 375
Cremation burial Mon-Fri 100
Sat 125
Infant burial Mon-Sat 125
REMOVAL OF VAULT Mon-Fri 600
LOT PURCHASE $450 + $10 registration fee
The requested new fee schedule is as follows:
INTERMENT
Full-size burial Mon-Fri $450
Sat 550
Cremation burial Mon-Fri 125
Sat 150
Infant burial Mon-Fri 125
Sat 150
REMOVAL OF VAULT Mon-Fri 600
LOT PURCHASE $500 + $10 registration fee
NORWELL CEMETERY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED FEE SCHEDULE
INTERMENT
Full size burial Mon-Fri $450
Sat $550
Cremation burial Mon-Fri $125
Sat $150.
Infant burial Mon-Fri $125
Sat $150
REMOVAL OF VAULT Mon-Fri $600
LOT PURCHASE $500 + $10 registration fee
FOUNDATIONS
Each square foot of area $37.50
Veteran's marker No charge
FEE SCHEDULE HISTORY
Price of Lot Price of Interment
1986 $150 1986 $200
1987 150 1987 200
1988 150 1988 200
1989 300 1989 200
1990 300 1990 225
1991 300 1991 275
1992 450 1992 275
1993 450 1993 275
1994 450 1994 275
1995 450 1995 275
1996 450 1996 275
1997 450 1997 275
1998 450 1998 275
1999 450 1999 275
2000 450 2000 275
2001 450 2001 275
CEMETERY CHARGES IN AREA TOWNS
Town Grave Purchase Grave Opening
Cemetery M-F S-S
Norwell
Washington St. $450 single $275/$375
Church Hill $650 single
First Parish $600 single $385/$485/$735
Hanover
Center $500 single $500/$750
Scituate
Union $450 single $350/450
St. Mary $550 single $450/
Mt. Hope $450/
Cohasset
Woodside $450 single $500/
Beechwood $450 single $500/
Rockland
Holy Family $550 single $500/
Hull $250 (1 burial per gr.) $475/650
Hingham
Center $1000 single $600/$700
High St. $3000 2 graves $625/
St. Paul $650 single $500/$800
Hersey St. $1500 single $700/
Liberty St. $750 single $400/
Plymouth $650/
Below please find an estimate of what the cost is per burial:
2 employee's, 4 hours each employee, at $16.38 per hour 2 x 4 x $16.38= $131.04
**4 hours for a backhoe at $65.00 per hour 4 x $65.00= $260.00
*4 hours for a 1 ton dump at $50.00 per hour 4 x $50.00= $200.00
2 yards of loam at $12.00 per yard 2 x $12.00= $ 24.00
$ 1 0. 00 for grass seed $10.00
$625.04
The Town of Norwell owns equipment used right now.
**Prices used are current snow removal quotes utilized by the Highway Department for plowing purposes. Prices may vary through independent contractors.
If contracting out becomes an option, prevailing wage rates must be paid, and this would be substantially more than a Town employee would.
MOTION: Mr. Mariano moved the Board approve the Norwell Cemetery Committee recommended fee schedule and set the fees as follows;
INTERMENT Full size burial Mon-Fri $450
Sat $550
Cremation burial Mon-Fri $125
Sat $150.
Infant burial Mon-Fri $125
Sat $150
REMOVAL OF VAULT Mon-Fri $600
LOT PURCHASE $500 + $10 registration fee
FOUNDATIONS
Each square foot of area $37.50
Veteran's marker No charge
Second by Mr. Gaynor.
Unanimously Voted.
MOTION: At 7:45, Mr. Merritt moved the board adjourn to Public Hearing for Mass Electric for One Joint Pole at 74R Main St. Second by Mr. Gaynor.
Unanimously Voted.
At 8:00, Mr. Merritt introduced Representative Nyman for a Legislative Update. Mr. Morrissey was unable to attend tonight
Mr. Nyman stated that included in a packet for the Board is;
1. Local Aid Norwell has received over the past 6 years broken down into categories.
2. A report of the Mass. Tax payers foundation outlining the current fiscal crisis in the Commonwealth and what their expectations are as to what will happen in the future months.
3. School Building Assistance Program, the actual list of projects in the Commonwealth that are on that list and the different categories.
4. A summary of a Bill just filed given municipalities the local option to take advantage of an early retirement.
Mr. Nyman said he wished he had better news from himself and Senator Morrissey. On Beacon Hill, we are being told the State is in the middle of a Fiscal crisis, in reference to the first six months of the fiscal year are down drastically. The January numbers just came in and those revenues are down. Starting Fiscal Year
As a Legislature, there will be tough decisions to make. To cut spending or enhance revenues.
A resolution was filed in the Senate and hopefully will come to the House so the figures can be released early. To keep the local aid figures released to the Towns at an early date and to have those figures stick.
The issue of School reimbursement issue, the Legislature appropriated 50 million dollars for the school building assistance program. The Department of Education will release 20 million of that. Tomorrow, February 7, 2002 there will be a meeting with the Commissioner of Education to discuss releasing more funds.
House Ways and Means should release the Budget in May.
Mr. Boudreau stated;
· As of right now the Governor is not planning on proposing Chapter 90 money for this year.
· Mass Highway and the State are required as part of funding for the Big Dig to spend 400 million dollars on non Big Dig projects.
Next on the agenda under Old Business the Master Plan Process.
Concerns and issues, is this the time to go forward with articles at Town Meeting, who should sponsor articles, who should recommend the articles, is the process finished, should the Selectmen be pushing the process along, is it or is it not moving fast enough, are the right people doing the right things, do we have enough information etc. etc.
What role should the Selectmen play in this process? Are we where we want to be? Is the interest still strong? What
Mr. Gaynor started by saying the survey results identified the issues from the residents. The top four are the water supply, taxes, rural nature of the town and traffic.
· He feels the Selectmen should have a lot more impact on the process.
· By having the Water Commissioners update us.
Mr. Merritt stated that we have a process, a Master Plan Committee appointed by the Planning Board. One of the problems he sees with the Master Plan is it has identified issues that the town has been working on for 25-30 years.
· The drinking water is protected by aqua-fur protection districts.
· We have a very vigilant water dept. and commissioners who understand the dynamics of protecting drinking water.
Mr. Merritt feels very strongly that if there is going to be a forum for discussions on the Master Plan as far as completing the process is not the Board of SelectmenHe continued saying he feels very strongly that the forum is the Master Plan Study Committees meetings or if its not getting done there, then the Planning Board should take initiative as the appointing authority and should rain the process in.
The forum belongs that the Master Plan Committee should communicate back to the appropriate Board.
Mr. Gaynor stated that when issues come up that have to do with the running of the town, for example the issue with Ozone. These are issues that are very important to the town. It is our responsibility to give the people the most accurate information available for them to use. If we have these issues identified valid or not then we should be helping to give them the most accurate information we can by inviting them in to talk about what the issues are. Which is the full extent of what he thinks the meeting should be. There is no down side about having a public discussion about it.
Mr. Merritt stated that there is a process that the Town appropriated 100,000 dollars and set it up in a specific way to go.
Mr. Mariano said he certainly would like to hear from the Planning Board, Master Plan Steering Committee that they would in fact want the participation of the Board of Selectmen to participate more fully in the process.
Mr. Merritt stated that it is a fundamental issue is that the Master Plan Process has a life and a function and a mechanism to it. We should see it through before….
Mr. Gaynor said we could help it by raising awareness about it and discussing these issues.
Mr. Mariano stated that the Master Plan Chairman was in last week to give us an overall picture of what is happening.
Mr. Gaynor said that the biggest issue he identified was raising public awareness on the issues and increasing participation.
Mr. Boudreau stated there is a series of community meetings coming up, to discuss survey results. Along with the community meetings as part of the Selectmen
Mr. Gaynor reviewed the 4 top issues adding if the respective Boards come in to a meeting to raise the interest of the committees and the people that either follow the articles and the issues on T.V. or if there is press coverage. And it would be good forum to discuss it because part of what we are suppose to be doing, I believe is to give the people complete and accurate information so it would do that and give us a chance to help lend any expertise or experience we have to the process.
Mr. Merritt respectively added that we have lend our expertise to the process. We all participated in the precinct meetings and the surveys.
Mr. Gaynor added you can
Mr. Merritt stated that it is not the Selectmen
Mr. Gaynor disagreed.
Mr. Merritt continued that he does not think it
Mr. Mariano said that we continue to be a part of the process. He is not sure how we can participate any further and if the Master Plan Study Committee and the Planning Board can articulate to us exactly what they are looking for us to do then we can see if we can help.
The town through a survey has provided us with feedback. He feels it is our responsibility to find out how we are doing and give those issues a look over.
Mr. Boudreau said a mailer will go to all town residents with the results of the survey. The precinct meetings where the people will discuss what they received.
Mr. Merritt stated that it is far more appropriate for the Master Plan Committee to make a presentation to the Selectmen then it is for committees that should be talking to the Master Plan Study Committee to make direct presentations to us.
Mr. Gaynor went on saying the meetings that haven
Mr. Merritt agreed fully that the issues that are priority should be explored and envisions the process as the Master Plan Committee would do all the exploring and come to the Board of Selectmen and make a presentation with the number one priority, saying they have had a dialogue with the Board concerned, here's what they are doing, now what do you the Board of Selectmen think.
Mr. Gaynor stated they see the benefit of the Board of Selectmen
New Business
1. Close the Warrant
The Planning Board requested to keep the Warrant open for another week.
2. Perambulation of Town Boundaries with Scituate and neighboring Towns
An Urban Forest Planning and Education Grant has been approved in the amount of $7,150.00. for the Jacobs Pond Forestry Project.
Middle and Vinal School Tours and a Dedication Ceremony
· Tours will be at 1PM to 4PM on Saturday, March 2, 2002.
· A formal dedication on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 at 9AM at the Middle School and 10AM at the Vinal.
Town of Norwell has completed the requirements for A No Place For Hate community.
MOTION: Mr. Mariano moved the Board adjourn. Second by Mr. Gaynor.
Unanimously Voted.
___________________________________________
James M. Boudreau, Town Administrator
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