Town of Princeton, Mass.
BOARD OF SELECTMEN -- June 3, 2013
6:00 PM Open Meeting The meeting was called to order in the Town Hall Annex. Present were Chairman Stan Moss, Edith Morgan, Neil Sulmasy and Town Administrator John Lebeaux.
Stan announced that the selectmen express sorrow about the unexpected death of Gaile Rollins—town employee for 26 years first as director of the Council on Aging and then, in addition, the Princeton Center Building director.
Parks & Rec Director Sue Shanahan came in, and John L. suggested that the selectmen appoint her as acting director of Council on Aging and the senior center, since the position cannot remain vacant as it involves daily management responsibilities. Before offering the interim post to Sue, John had conferred with Stan; Beverly Linde from the COA; Jon Fudeman on the Princeton Management Committee. John also noted that Gaile’s husband Bruce Rollins had extended thanks to all who had reached out with their support. The board voted all in favor to appoint Sue as acting director until the process of hiring a permanent staff person is completed, as per procedure. Stan reminded Sue to get sworn in by town clerk so she could start right away.
Sue then reported on the status of playground vendors and prices, and described a nonprofit procurement group that the town signed up with, which provides an extra discount. Other departments may benefit from purchasing this way in the future. She has received a quote from Game Time, which was the only vendor to include installation with their package, along with a custom design.
6:15 PM Warrants and Minutes
Board reviewed and signed FY13 Vendor and Payroll Warrant # 24
Board reviewed and voted all in favor to approve meeting minutes of May 20, May 14, May 1, April 29, April 22 [Exec. Session—approve & release] & Nov. 5, 2012 [Exec. Session—release]
6:25 PM New Business
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The board voted all in favor to approve an “intermittent position” [several hours per month] for the Police Department and hire information technology specialist David Monty, who is a Westminster firefighter and does IT as a sideline in some other towns.
Board voted all in favor to approve the special state election to be held on June 25 to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry. Board members signed the warrant for the election.
The board considered the sale of two cemetery lots for $900 [in addition to two they recently purchased] to Jed & Susan Stolberg. They are in Woodlawn Cemetery 1986 Extension, Lot 19, spaces A&B. The board voted to approve the sale and signed the deed.
6:35 PM The board discussed the CodeRED program offered by Emergency Communications Network, LLC. It is an enhanced reverse-911 system, in which public safety or other departments can contact residents about various emergency situations. Residents can register online and choose whatever version of communication they prefer: land phone, cell phone, text, email. PMLD offered to pay 1/3 of the cost, which is typically a few thousand dollars per year. The board voted all in favor to allow John to sign a contract with CodeRED for a fee of $3,699 [max.] of which PMLD will provide one-third.
6:55 PM Annual appointments needed selectmen approval for boards, committees, officials and staff who have terms expiring June 30, 2013. The board voted all in favor to approve the list as presented with some clarifications.
7:00 PM Old Business
Princeton had previously joined the Central Mass. Regional Stormwater Coalition, in the fall of 2012, under the assumption that a grant would cover costs. John explained that the grant didn’t get fully funded and the coalition wanted a payment of $2,830 from each member community—regardless of size. Princeton is too small to be subject to EPA mandates and would not benefit in any new or useful way from membership in the coalition. The board voted all in favor to withdraw from the CMRS Coalition.
7:06 PM John announced that Chapter 90 [highway] funding had been cut in the governor’s budget, which could translate to a 50 percent decrease in Princeton’s anticipated highway funding. The selectmen voted all in favor to send a letter to the governor’s office asking that the full $300 million be released to cities and towns.
Stan referred to the Rural 11 project planners coming to the Planning Board meeting on June 5 and said he could not attend. He explained his ‘take’ on the program as starting out with an agricultural theme, but now it seems more slanted towards “Smart Growth” and public transportation. Stan also suggested that the BOS set a date in July for its annual “Planning & Goal-Setting Meeting.” John L. will contribute to the June 17 BOS agenda and Marie will craft the July 1 agenda with BOS members.
Public Comment/Questions
Thelia “Terri” Thompson asked about the Connors’ dog barking and neighbors’ complaints and what was the outcome of the dog hearings last year with the BOS. John explained that board went to an appeal hearing in district court in late 2012, and the case was dismissed because of a procedural flaw—mainly, that the previous BOS had never closed the original hearing. Stan said he had talked to several neighbors and there were no more complaints about dog barking recently along that stretch of Worcester Road. John pointed out that state animal control laws had changed and any future nuisance animal hearing process will be substantially different.
Terri then asked about the status of the fire chief hiring process. Stan explained that the search is on hold until the entire issue is addressed at the BOS Planning & Goals meeting. The board agreed that the current model is working, but Stan noted that a full-time EMT is the ultimate goal, and that the town is just finishing with the settlement/unemployment payments from the former chief. Neil added that there is much more information now available and hiring a new chief needs to be addressed as part of a planning process.
7:25 PM Adjourned Selectmen voted all in favor to adjourn
Respectfully submitted, Marie Auger, administrative assistant
Referenced Documents; cemetery deed. special state election warrant; CodeRED program materials; annual appointments list.
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