Town of Princeton, Mass. – June 27, 2016 – 5 PM
BOARD OF SELECTMEN – Regular Mtg. Minutes
In the following actions, all BOS votes were preceded by a motion from Jon F. and second by Edith M. unless noted otherwise.
5:00 PM Stan opened meeting and Trish Settles and Andrew Lowe from CMRPC were in to go over a Hazard Mitigation Plan and grant from FEMA. The plan is important as a “best practices” and to open door for any funding from FEMA or MEMA. Group discussed the Emergency Management plan in town and the team of public safety staff involved in it, headed by Deputy Fire Chief Andy Dufresne. Major concerns locally are ice & snow storms, hurricanes, wildfires and issues around lack of water and fire ponds. Various other elements of the plan were outlined, the town already has an Emergency Notification System (CodeRED) in place and fire control and prevention procedures. A priority is to get the fire pond on Worcester Road functioning. Stan explained that new regulations
for haz-mat testing of pond sediments has increased the costs so much that moving forward is financially impossible. Trish noted that a sufficient cost-benefit analysis could help get funding for that issue. Stan asked about specialized equipment that other communities could share, and Trish reported that CMRPC has a list the town could use. The group reviewed a FEMA flood map and discussed Princeton’s minimal flood risk.
5:35 PM Lynne Grettum and Andy Brown in for Cemetery Commission to present updated local regulations dealing with placements of plantings and items around individual lots. A one-foot setback from a monument is a standard guideline. Andy noted that his group requests a 4-lot maximum purchase, with requests for additional lots to have to be by approval of the Cemetery Commission. There are eight cemeteries in town but only a few have available spaces. Woodlawn has 72 left but the town is selling 20-30 lots per year, Andy said. The concept of saving space with dedicated areas for cremains was discussed, such as in the front corner of North Cemetery. Andy noted that markers for veterans are provided free by the VA and selectmen agreed that installation should be free as
well.
Selectmen voted all in favor to accept changes in the cemetery regulations as written with edits regarding the 4-lot limit and the VA markers. They also commented on how thoughtfully the new regulations were put together and expressed their gratitude to the commission.
5:55 PM Nina outlined salary for Chris Foley doing cemetery work—is recommended to be increased from $12.52 - $14/hr due to increased responsibilities. Selectmen voted all in favor to approve the hourly increase effective July 1 and transfer from Boylston Trust Acct. to cover difference for 20 hr./wk. but in future will be corrected in Cemetery Budget. It appears that the Board never took action on a Fire Dept., EMT stipend for Phil Connors. Selectmen voted all in favor to pay Phil Connors a stipend of $2,000, to be taken out of the Fire Department Expenses, for the purpose of compensating a full time Building/Highway employee for his certification and availability as an EMT to respond to Fire Department emergencies.
6:03 PM Advisory Committee members George Handy, John Shipman, Dave Cruise and Wayne Adams were in to vote to approve end-of Fy’16 transfers. Reserve Fund transfers only require vote of the Adv. Bd., while Departmental Transfers require the approval of both the Selectmen and Advisory Committee. With motions from George H., 2nd from Dave C., the four voted all in favor to approve the list of transfers.
Some members questioned the deficit in the Building Dept. Revolving Fund, totaling around $18,000. Nina pointed out a similar situation a year ago. There is very little construction activity in town, so fees do not cover salary costs. They discussed options regarding staff/inspector hours and the possibility of supplementing the revolving account with the operating budget. Nina explained that Bldg. Dept. staff, and other staff, spend substantial time cross-tasking. Linda A. routinely processes tax mailings and receivables for the treasurer-collector, as well as assists with data entry of weekly warrants for the accountant for instance.
6:30 PM Selectmen voted all in favor to continue paying ~$70 for the email URL: @princeton-ma.us. They also updated the Advisory Board on the MBI grant, noting that Marty D. has submitted a “Readiness Application Form” to MBI for pre-approval on the anticipated $910,000 reimbursement.
6:35 PM Selectmen voted all in favor to award to lowest bidders for asbestos abatement and new flooring at TP School. They approved Allstate at $34,250 for asbestos pending reference checks with a fallback to Encore $36,450 if reference check failed. They approved Capital Carpet & Flooring at $30,707 and authorized the T.A. to sign the contracts. The board agreed to notify by email to Jim Hillis and Jim O’Coin about the results and to thank them for their advice through the process.
6:40 PM Selectmen considered a list from Town Clerk of staff and board/committee members who are due for re-appointment. They voted all in favor to re-appoint the individuals as listed, except for Bob Mason, for a term through June 30, 2017 to stagger the terms.
Selectmen voted all in favor to appoint Emily C. Babbitt de Nicasio to Parks & Rec Commission and to appoint Phil Gransewicz to the Open Space Committee though June 30, 2017 and to an alternate seat on Parks & Rec through June 30, 2017. They also voted to release executive session minutes (already approved minutes) from 2015, except those dealing with the WRSD lease agreement.
It was announced that The Landmark would be distributed free to all households for the July 14 issue, so all departments should be notified in case they have announcements for residents. The Board agreed to ask George Handy to participate in the election of the next municipal representative for the WRSD. This position is a requirement of the school system for negotiating within the collective bargaining system. The group then discussed setting the July 11 BOS meeting for 4 or 4:30 PM, to be determined, due to a meeting conflict by the Town Administrator.
Selectmen voted all in favor to accept the recommendation of the Insurance Advisory Committee regarding health insurance for employees. They discussed options for the town’s insurance, earthquakes and terrorism, what would be covered for extra premium of up to approximately $2,000.
7: PM Selectmen voted all in favor to accept minutes from June 13 and 20. Nina noted that the town has spent several million as of the end of FY’16 and may need a short-term anticipation note to cover any shortfall through the grant (reimbursement) process. Selectmen discussed the $94,000 reduction in the town’s share of the WRSD budget, whether to lower taxes or put it in free cash. No conclusions made as Nina indicated that she needed to speak with Town Counsel for guidance on the law. Selectmen voted all in favor to authorize the T.A. to start negotiating the contract with Fire Chief John Bennett.
7:12 PM All in favor to adjourn.
Respectfully submitted, Marie Auger, Admin. Assistant
BOS Referenced Documents: Materials from CMRPC; new cemetery guidelines/regulations; list of end-of Fy’16 transfers; list of staff and board/committee members who are due for re-appointment; recommendation of the Insurance Advisory.
Marie Auger
Administrative Assistant
Planning Department
978-464-2100
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