These minutes are not verbatim – they are the secretary’s interpretation of what took place at the meeting. – Open Meeting Law – Section III.
Board Members: Marc Garrett, Paul McAlduff, Larry Rosenblum, Tim Grandy, and Bill Wennerberg
Planning Board Alternate: Ken Buechs
Staff Members: Valerie Massard
Recording Secretary: Eileen Hawthorne
Administrative Notes:
MEPA Comment – proposed NSTAR power line
Marc Garrett requested a change to the draft MEPA comment letter* that was in the Board’s packets. The phrase “of all work proposed” was added to the sentence in the first bullet. The amended sentence reads as follows: We ask that the local residents in the immediate vicinity of the proposed lines be notified of all work proposed.
Form A Plans:
A4383* – Augustino Diodato, Carver/Summer Sts., Map 103, Lots 3-1 (24,312 sf) and 3-3 (20,954 sf) – Lot line adjustment to create lots 3-1A (25,515 sf) and 3-3A (21,141 sf).
Larry Rosenblum moved for the Board to approve the Administrative Notes; the vote was unanimous (5-0).
Presentation – Manomet Village Steering Committee (MVSC)
Simes House, 29 Manomet Point Road
Randy Parker, MVSC Chair and The Simes House Foundation, Inc. Chair, presented an update on the committees’ progress since last Town Meeting. A number of hearings have been held and the community is enthusiastic about preserving the structure as a community service building and the land becoming a village green. The Foundation has obtained non-profit, charitable corporation status and the Articles of Organization, architectural drawings and the proposed language for Article 17 at Fall Town Meeting were submitted to the Board*. Article 17 would transfer the ownership of the property from the Town to the Foundation. A website and a Facebook page have been created for the Foundation. Mr. Parker introduced other members of the Foundation: Tina Manter, Veronica Cooper, Barry Wood, Christine
Bostek, James Pierson, and William Shain.
Barry Wood presented a photograph of a similar structure located in Worcester.
Larry Rosenblum, Paul McAlduff, Ken Buechs and Marc Garrett expressed their support for the project.
Tim Grandy moved for the Planning Board to support Article 17 at Fall Town Meeting; the vote was unanimous (5-0).
Other Business:
B475 - Watercourse Place – Lot Release* - Map 91, Lots 12-23A, 12-24A and 12-25A
Paul McAlduff moved for the Board to endorse the lot release for B475 - Watercourse Place as presented; the vote was unanimous (5-0)
B437 – Pinehills LLC – Lot Release* – Map 78D, Lots, S-107 through and including S-115, 16-333A, 16-410A and 16-417 through and including 16-483, S-134, S-135, S-136, S-137, S-142, 16-491 through and including 16-502, 16-504 through and including 16-509, 16-538 through and including 16-623, S-166 through and including S-169, and 16-625 through and including 16-659
Paul McAlduff moved for the Board to endorse the lot release for B437 – Pinehills LLC as presented; the vote was (4-0-1) with Bill Wennerberg in abstention.
Valerie Massard announced that 1820 Court House tours would be conducted on Saturday, October 23, 2010 beginning at 1:00 p.m. Anyone interested in participating should contact Laura Schaefer at 508-747-1620, ext 146. Ms. Massard also informed the Board that a balloon test for a proposed wind turbine at 143 Hedges Pond Road will be held on Saturday, October 30, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. There are several more wind turbine projects that have been filed with the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Appointments
Plymouth Center Steering Committee (PCSC)
No letters of interest were submitted by the October 13, 2010 deadline. A letter of interest from Michael Brophy was received by the Office of Planning and Development this afternoon.
Mr. Garrett read the letter of interest into the record:
Gentlemen:
I wish to be considered for the vacant seat on the Plymouth Center Steering Committee.
As a resident of downtown’s Precinct 3 and a former town meeting representative, my
life as a resident revolves around this important area of town. I have in the past attended
a few PCSC meetings and am interested in its vision and function in implementing the
master plan for the downtown and waterfront.
I am currently employed locally as the Corporate Facilities Manager for L. Knife and
Son, Inc. in Kingston where I have worked for the past 19 years. I have BS in Industrial
Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, with an extensive project management
and planning background. In my position at L. Knife I oversee all planning and
construction of L. Knife’s 10 facilities in 6 states and growing.
Sincerely,
Michael Brophy
Steve Mattern, a member of the PCSC, explained that Mr. Brophy was informed of the vacancy on Saturday and was unable to attend this evening’s meeting.
The Board waived the requirement to re-advertise and invited Mr. Brophy to attend a future Planning Board meeting to address the Board.
Mr. Rosenblum suggested that anyone interested in serving on the PCSC should submit a letter of interest to the Planning Board.
Larry Rosenblum moved to continue the appointment consideration until November 22, 2010 without re-advertising.
Bill Wennerberg, Paul McAlduff and Ken Buechs agreed that it was not necessary to re-advertise, but were willing to appoint Mr. Brophy as he was the only citizen that submitted a letter of interest.
Larry Rosenblum amended his motion to continue the appointment consideration until the next meeting on November 1, 2010; the vote was unanimous (5-0).
Marc Garrett informed the Board that the discussion of the draft site design guidelines will begin on November 22, 2010.
Community Preservation Committee (CPC)
Marc Garrett stated that the enabling legislation for the Community Preservation Act requires that a sitting member of the Planning Board be appointed to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). Malcolm MacGregor has resigned his position as the Planning Board’s designee to the CPC and the vacancy needs to be filled.
Paul McAlduff volunteered to fill the Planning Board vacancy on the CPC.
Tim Grandy moved for the Planning Board to appoint Mr. McAlduff as the Planning Board member on the CPC; the vote was unanimous (5-0).
The Board took a five minute break.
Presentation
1820 Courthouse Update
Marc Garrett stated that there would be an informal update on the progress of the 1820 Courthouse Consortium in regards to the 1820 Courthouse and corridor. The petitioner, CPC has not requested action from the Planning Board therefore, no votes will be taken. This is a progress report from the Consortium and not a presentation of Article 12 proposed for Fall Town Meeting.
Dean Rizzo, Chair of the 1820 Courthouse Consortium and member of the Plymouth Redevelopment Authority, presented the 1820 Courthouse & Corridor Master Plan Overview* and an update on the efforts of the Consortium to preserve the courthouse. April 2009 Town Meeting appropriated $1.4 million from CPC funds for the acquisition and stabilization of the 1820 Courthouse and the Commissioners Building. The buildings were purchased from the County for $840,000; $92,000 was spent for the removal of the oil tanks and asbestos; the roof and cupola repairs are underway at a cost of $156,000 with an additional $10,000 that was spent earlier for immediate repair of roof leaks; a bid has gone out for the stabilization of the exterior façade with an estimated cost of $50,000; a bid for installation of fire alarm and
security systems in both buildings is estimated at $80,000; $15,000 has been identified for the design of a fire suppression system; with the uncommitted balance in the fund at $172,000. Out of the uncommitted balance, the Consortium would like to use $75,000 for a historic structures report. The historic structures report would provide technical information that could be utilized to apply for grants to be used for the reconstruction of the structures. This is a multi-phase project which includes the stabilization and protection of the buildings; occupancy of the buildings on an interim basis and preservation and adaptive reuses as part of a larger redevelopment effort with a private development partner.
Tim Grandy asked if the grants include restrictions on the property and whether the installation of the fire and security systems in both buildings would include tie-ins for future sprinkler systems.
Mr. Rizzo explained that every grant is different and there may be some restrictions on what the money can be used for. He agreed that providing tie-ins for a future sprinkler system would be appropriate.
Larry Rosenblum presented a sketch of the courthouse area showing the extent of public property. Mr. Rosenblum noted that the 1820 Courthouse is approximately 10% of the Town owned land in the vicinity of the Courthouse available for redevelopment. Mr. Rosenblum distributed an information sheet that answers some of the frequently asked questions by the community. One question addressed revenue opportunities and the answer indicates that 85% of the building would need to be occupied to break even without taken into consideration any upgrades to the building. Another question and answer addresses what would happen if the plan for a mixed use development does not go forward: the Courthouse cannot be made self-sustaining if there are no public or private development subsidies.
Mr. Rizzo noted that the updated 1820 Courthouse Master Plan can be found on the Town’s website.
Kevin Doyle expressed his concern that the funding for the historic structure report should have been part of the original article. He asked if there were any Plymouth firms represented in the bids that have been received and whether any pro-bono work is being done.
Mr. Rizzo replied that there has been a lot of pro-bono work to date. He also noted that the original article did have language regarding reports that would be necessary, but did not specifically mention the historic structure report. He also noted that no Plymouth firms submitted a bid, but several of the firms that did submit bids have employees from Plymouth.
Mr. Doyle asked for clarification on what happens if the Courthouse burns down without the fire suppression system.
Mr. Rosenblum stated that a fire suppression system will not prevent the building from burning down. It will only delay the growth of the fire until the Fire Department arrives – a deluge system would be needed to prevent the building from burning down.
Mr. Rizzo stated that liability insurance is in place that would protect the Town in the event the building burned down.
Marc Garrett noted that this is an incredibly complex project with varied expectations on what should happen with the buildings. The project is a significant undertaking and the outcome needs to benefit the community. Mr. Garrett asked the Consortium to weigh all the issues and if a multi-strategy will not work, identify and communicate the reasons why to the community. He noted that the Consortium does not have control of the entire corridor. He asked that the Consortium keep the dialogue and the inertia moving forward.
Mr. Rizzo agreed that the dialogue needs to be ongoing and will continue to inform the community of the Consortium’s and the PRA’s progress.
Paul McAlduff moved to adjourn at 8:35 p.m.; the vote was unanimous (5-0).
*On file with the Office of Planning and Development in project case files.
Respectfully Submitted,
Eileen M. Hawthorne Approved: November 1, 2010
Administrative Assistant
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