MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
August 23 2005
Present at the meeting that was held at the Stow Town Building were Chairman Edward R. Perry Jr. and Selectmen John Clayton, Stephen Dungan, and Janet Wheeler.
Also present were Town Administrator William Wrigley and Administrative Assistant Susan Flint Hosier. Carole Makary was absent.
Chairman Perry called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., noting that the meeting was being video recorded for broadcast on Stow TV (Channel 9).
Town Administrator’s Report
Mr. Wrigley reported on his discussions with Town Counsels and the Dept. of Revenue regarding questions on the C.61B process and the Town’s right of first refusal on the Cushing property, described in detail in his Aug. 19 activities report. Regarding a key issue of the Special Town Meeting date of Nov. 7 falling after the 120-day option period, he said the Town could seek either a contingency agreement or a time extension from Ms. Cushing or reschedule the STM to occur within the 120 days. The best option is to appropriate the funding within the 120 days and then to exercise the right of first refusal.
Mr. Wrigley also informed the Board of an Invitation to Bid issued by the Community Preservation Committee for an environmental study of the Cushing property and the resolution of the town center’s water loss due to defective pipes in the well.
One-day Liquor License for Mass 4-H
The Board approved a one-day liquor license for the Massachusetts 4-H’s 50th anniversary fundraiser, to be held on September 17 at the Collings Foundation. The license, requested for beer, wine, and liquor, was issued to 4H as a non-profit educational foundation. Mr. Clayton moved, Ms. Wheeler seconded, and all voted in favor.
Assabet River Rail Trail – Don Rising
Don Rising, Stow’s representative to the Assabet River Rail Trail project, and Michelle Shoemaker, counsel for landowner Annette Albright, visited the Board to obtain signatures for the deed acceptance of the Albright’s 7,100-foot Track Road easement for the rail trail. Chairman Perry read the following motion to formally accept the easement, a final step following the Board’s approval of the Offer to Purchase and Purchase and Sale Agreement:
“I move to accept this grant of easement to the Town of Stow from Annette Albright for a portion of the Assabet River Rail Trail, as approved at Annual Town Meeting 2004 by Article 44.” Mr. Clayton so moved, Mr. Dungan seconded, and all voted in favor.
Board members then signed the Grant of Easement and Mr. Rising delivered the $130,000 check to Ms. Shoemaker. The easement was purchased with funds from TEA-21, a federal transportation grant. The closing was expected to occur on Aug. 25.
Mr. Rising and the Board briefly discussed purchase of a second easement from the Albrights for another section of Track Road, which would bring the rail trail to the Sudbury town line. This easement for a 2,200-foot section would cost $220,000. The Albrights are offering the Town a four-year option, for $1, to purchase the easement, which the Board will consider at its next meeting.
When the federal TEA-21 grant expires on Aug. 30, there is, as yet, no federal funding earmarked for future rail-trail purchases. If no successor grant is provided, the purchase would require Town funds.
Regarding construction of the rail trail, the Town will pay 25 percent of the design costs (feasibility study) with federal funding available for the construction. Should the Town choose to do the construction itself, it is with the understanding that the trail must meet ADA regulations.
Call Firefighter/EMT Appointments
At the request of Fire Chief Dave Soar, the Board voted to appoint three new firefighter/EMTs: Richard Connelly, Rebecca Hegarty, and William Usinowicz joined the Stow Fire/Rescue Department on a motion from Mr. Dungan, seconded by Ms. Wheeler, and with all in favor.
Lower Village Survey
Don McPherson, chairman of the Lower Village Study Committee, was unable to attend the meeting to discuss his request a survey of town boundaries in the Lower Village. His visit will be rescheduled.
The Board’s main question was the cost of the survey; the other was the source of funds. Mr. Wrigley advised that, if necessary, funding could be obtained through an article for Special Town Meeting, sponsored by the Lower Village or Master Plan committees.
Open Space Committee Appointments
The Board appointed two new members to the Open Space Committee. In addition to the visits, Open Space chairman Bob Wilber sent a written endorsement of the two applicants.
Eve Donahue of West Acton Road, a 14-year resident, said she became involved with open space as an abutter to Flagg Hill and a member of the Stow Conservation Trust. Citing evidence of moose on Flagg Hill, she said the preservation of open space is important for both people and wildlife.
Chris Rodstrom of Assabet Street, a four-year resident, has worked in conservation for eight years with the Trustees of Reservations and has seen the importance of good and careful planning. He uses and enjoys the Town Forest often.
Mr. Dungan moved to appoint Ms. Donahue and Mr. Rodstrom to the Open Space Committee for indefinite terms, Ms. Wheeler seconded, and all voted in favor.
School Building Committee Presentation
Steve Dungan, as former chairman of the School Building Committee, presented an update on the committee’s status and plans.
Increased enrollment is the primary driver for a new elementary school. The projection is 722 students for the year 2018, an increase of 11 students a year. Other driving factors are new information on learning styles, Federal requirements on smaller class size, and ADA (disability access) regulations.
A cost comparison of an add/renovate project for Pompo and Center and a new Pre-K-to-5 school on a new site are $40.1M and $30.1M, respectively, excluding the cost of land.
Benchmark data was shown using Lancaster’s recently built Mary Rowlandson School.
The cost of waiting for begin construction is estimated to be $750,000 for each year of delay.
The total debt impact, without state aid, is $2.5M per year, an increase of $1,115 per year in property taxes for the average home. The net debt impact is $1,011 for FY 2009, falling to below $900 by FY 2014. With state aid, the cost is $736 in FY2010, dropping to less than $300 by FY 2012.
The SBC’s recommendation is to build a new PreK-5 on a new site. The advantages are a lower cost than a Center add/reno and a new PreK-2; room for future expansion; lower operating cost of one building; less disruption during construction, and possible cost mitigation by using Pompo and Center for other purposes.
Regarding land, no bids were received in response to the SBC’s recent Invitation for Bids. The SBC will explore negotiating with landowners.
At fall Town Meeting, the SBC will ask voters to approve its recommendation, with articles to buy land and do detailed architectural plans.
The following points were made during discussion with attendees:
· Any future use of Pompo must be for municipal purposes.
· An add/reno to both Center and Pompo is viable.
· SBC changed source for enrollment projections because previous numbers did not account for Stow’s rapid growth.
· Increased taxes will driver older people from Stow.
· The estimated costs should include land costs.
· The work could be done as smaller projects, according to state building codes as opposed to SBA codes.
· Look at what Stow can do within what we can afford.
· Look at regional PreK-5.
· Look at land the town already owns, including conservation land.
· Any plan will need the support of the townspeople, who should be polled. Mr. Dungan said the SBC is planning public forums for this.
Mr. Perry asked that the next update describe the options for Center and Pompo add/reno.
Charter Review Committee Update
Liz Painter, chairman of the Charter Review Committee, briefly updated the Board on the remaining work for Annual Town Meeting 2005 Article 40, Submission of Budget and Budget Message, on which voters took no action. The committee proposes an article for Special Town Meeting to delete a one-paragraph section on public meeting on the budget from the Town Charter and move it to the Town Bylaws. The Bylaw Review Committee supports the change.
Ms. Painter advised the Board that, due to scheduling requirements for charter revisions, the article could go to a November or January STM but could not wait until the spring.
Special Town Meeting Dates
Mr. Wrigley said the Board had two options for a STM debt exclusion question for the elementary school project. The design and construction and the land acquisition could be presented as one borrowing item or the land and design could be combined and presented now, with construction costs to follow.
However, a larger issue facing the School Building Committee was discussed:
· There is no definite site for a school building.
· Without a site, design cannot be done.
· Without a design, construction costs cannot be determined.
· Whether the Cushing site is suitable will probably not be known within the 120-day right of first refusal period.
It was agreed that the Board would only vote the dates of the meeting and the warrant closing at this time. Mr. Clayton moved to hold the Special Town Meeting on Oct. 24, with the election on Oct. 25, and the warrant closing on Sep, 13. Mr. Dungan seconded and all voted in favor.
Approve Past Minutes
August 9: Mr. Clayton moved, Ms. Wheeler seconded, and all voted to accept the minutes, as amended.
There was no discussion on attaching an addendum to the July 26 meeting minutes.
Action Items
There was no discussion of action items.
Executive Session
There was no executive session.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m., on a motion from Mr. Clayton, seconded by Mr. Dungan, and with all voting in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Flint Hosier
Administrative Assistant
Board of Selectmen
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