MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
OPEN SESSION
April 11, 2006
Present at the meeting that was held at the Stow Town Building were Chairman Edward Perry and Selectmen John Clayton, Stephen Dungan, and Janet Wheeler.
Selectman Carole Makary did not attend.
Also present were Town Administrator William Wrigley, Town Counsel Jon Witten, and Administrative Assistant Susan McLaughlin.
Chairman Perry called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Town Administrator’s Report
Mr. Wrigley updated the Board on legal matters. In the MCAD case with former dispatcher John Egan, a mediation session between Town and Union counsel is scheduled April 14. If no settlement is reached, the case will go to a public hearing at MCAD.
In the Littlefield v. Town of Stow case regarding the Hyde cell tower, the superior court granted the Town’s request for a summary judgment. Unless appealed, the case is over. This leaves the Smith case as the only remaining cell-tower litigation.
The Cushing/Landwest suit was to be discussed during the Executive Session later in the meeting.
Annual Town Meeting Warrant
Ms. McLaughlin reported that the warrant had been sent to print over the weekend and posted on the website.
NRSD Audit Advisory Committee Vacancy
Mr. Perry read the Audit Advisory vacancy posting for the benefit of Channel 9 viewers and encouraged interested people to apply.
One Day Liquor License
The Board granted a one-day beer and wine license to William Brady of W.A.B. Corp. for a gathering of the International Design Society of America at the Collings Foundation on May 20. Mr. Clayton moved to approve the one-day license, Mr. Dungan seconded, and all voted in favor.
Perambulation of the Town Boundaries
Mr. Perry asked Board members for volunteers to perambulate the town boundaries in the south and southwest areas of Stow. Per statute, two selectmen or their representatives are required. Mr. Dungan and Mr. Perry agreed to do the work on April 15, starting at 9 a.m. from the Town Building. The meeting will be posted.
Renewal of Modular Classroom Borrowing
Treasurer-Collector Pam Landry joined the Board at 7:15 p.m. to request approval to renew borrowing of $115,000 for the modular classrooms. Of the $260,000 borrowed, Ms. Landry said half will be repaid this year and the remaining half next year.
Mr. Dungan moved to sign for the renewal of borrowing of $115,000 for the modular classrooms, Mr. Clayton seconded, and all voted in favor.
Request for Proposals for Municipal Land Bank
Mr. Dungan updated the Board on the issuance of an RFP for municipal land, as approved at the last selectmen’s meeting. He revised an earlier version of the document with improved evaluation criteria and submission requirements, as advised by Town Counsel, as well as stating the date and time of the bid opening. It was agreed that letters would be sent by the Board to selected landowners, informing them of the RFP. Notice will be duly posted in the Central Register and by legal notices, as well as on the Town website.
Deerfield Lane and Heath Hen Land Parcels
Kathy Sferra, chair of the Conservation Commission, members David Cobb and Ingeborg Hegemann, and administrator Pat Perry joined the Board to discuss transferring three Town-owned parcels to the custody and management of the Conservation Commission.
Two parcels are located off West Acton Road, one of 4.8 acres and one of 18 acres, with both assessed as unbuildable. The parcels were taken from a developer for back taxes. They are located in the Heath Hen area and identified in the Open Space Plan as valuable for habitat and for linking other open space.
The third parcel is part of the Deerfield Lane subdivision off Great Road and was required to be kept as open space as part of an early Planned Conservation Development. The 13.5 acre parcel forms a key link in the open space network and has access with parking via the sub-division. None of the parcels is presently on the tax roll.
To assign the land to the Conservation Commission’s care requires two votes: by the Board of Selectmen and by Town Meeting.
Mr. Dungan moved to transfer care and custody of the two Heath Hen parcels taken from LSN [developer] to the Conservation Commission, Ms. Wheeler seconded, and all voted in favor.
Mr. Dungan moved to transfer care and custody of the Deerfield Lane parcel to the Conservation Commission, Mr. Clayton seconded, and all voted in favor.
Executive Session
At approximately 7:50 p.m., the Board entered Executive Session, per MGL
Mr. Dungan moved to enter executive session, with the intention of returning to Open Session at the close; Mr. Clayton seconded. Mr. Clayton, Mr. Dungan, Mr. Perry and Ms. Wheeler voted in favor.
At 8:10 p.m., the Board ended the Executive Session and resumed Open Session.
Assabet River and EPA Wastewater Permits
Julia Blatt, director of the Organization for the Assabet River (OAR), and resident Allan Fierce joined the Board to discuss the status of recent litigation regarding wastewater permits issued to several bordering towns by the EPA.
Ms. Blatt said that OAR had settled with both Westborough and Marlborough and was now ending its challenges to the current set of EPA permits. The benefit of the litigation is that the discharge of phosphates will be one-seventh of what it has been. The loss is that the level is still not enough to clean up the river.
Ms. Blatt said OAR and others have another opportunity to make progress when the current permits expire in five years. In the meantime, she suggested that Stow become active in issues affecting the river. Stow has the greatest frontage and is a key stakeholder in the river’s health.
Mr. Fierce recommended that the selectmen create a special committee to oversee the Assabet River issues. Mr. Perry and Ms. Sferra proposed that the selectmen and Conservation Commission meet on how to move forward and OAR will visit the commission to discuss the issues.
Other Topics
Mr. Perry said that minutes and goals would be held for a future meeting.
At 8:32 p.m., Mr. Dungan moved to adjourn, Ms. Wheeler seconded, and all voted in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan McLaughlin
Administrative Assistant
Board of Selectmen
Approved as written, April 25, 2006
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