MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
April 24, 2007
Present at the meeting that was held at the Town Building were Chairman Stephen Dungan and Selectmen Jason Robart and Thomas Ruggiero.
Also present were Town Administrator William Wrigley and Administrative Assistant Susan McLaughlin.
Chairman Dungan called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Public Input
None.
Town Administrator’s Report
Mr. Wrigley noted that one of his topics, an emergency notification system, would be covered later in the meeting.
His second topic was debt schedules he prepared for the Board’s review: the current existing annual debt schedule, as well as those resulting from passage of each Annual Town Meeting debt exclusion proposal. The projections also include the impact on the median FY 2008 residential tax bill.
Meeting Minutes
None.
Stow Conservation Trust Bike Ride Permit
The Board approved the annual SCT Ride for the Woods permit for Sunday, May 20. Mr. Robart moved to approve the permit, Mr. Ruggiero seconded, and all voted in favor. Ms. McLaughlin will send the letter of permission to SCT coordinator Kendra McDowell.
Selectmen’s Position on Major Annual Town Meeting Articles
Chairman Dungan said he would like the Board to state its position on warrant articles 36 through 40, 47, and 48.
Selectmen Janet Wheeler and Carole Makary arrived shortly after the meeting began.
Public Hearing and Street Acceptance of Cranberry Circle
At 7:10 p.m., Chairman Dungan began the public hearing for Cranberry Circle and announced the purpose as a requirement under MGL C82, s21. He read the legal notice and the list of abutters. No abutters were in attendance.
It was noted that the Planning Board recommended accepting the road (April 20, 2007 memo to the Board of Selectmen), as did the Superintendent of Streets (April 13, 2007 memo to the Board).
Mr. Robart moved to accept Cranberry Circle as a public way, Mr. Ruggiero seconded. During discussion, it was noted that the Planning Board memo recommended that the acceptance be contingent upon meeting Condition 9.5 of the subdivision approval, Receipt of a Sidewalk Donation, being met prior to Town Meeting.
Mr. Robart amended his motion to accept Cranberry Circle contingent upon the Planning Board’s condition being met; Mr. Ruggiero seconded; and all voted in favor.
Snow Property Update
Chairman Dungan reported his follow-up activities:
· Met with Planning Board chairman Ernie Dodd – Could build a maximum of three to four detached homes; plus road, cul-de-sac, open space, and necessary wells.
· Met with Zoning Board of Appeals chairman Ed Tarnuzzer – Would be a “tight fit” for a 40B; would mean public water and sewer, eight to ten units; construction in a buffer zone (Bose well).
· Re-read Avery report – only 320-foot frontage means problems with bylaws.
· Assessors – agree with Avery $760k value to site. So faced with $760k value vs $1.5M asking price.
Public Hearing and Street Acceptance of Blueberry Court and Woodland Way (Stations 19+50 to 28+00)
At 7:20 p.m., Chairman Dungan began this public hearing, noting the requirement under MGL C82, s21, and read the legal notice and the list of abutters. No abutters were in attendance.
It was noted that the Planning Board recommended accepting the roads (April 20, 2007 memo to the Board of Selectmen) with no conditions, as did the Superintendent of Streets (April 13, 2007 memo to the Board).
Mr. Robart moved to accept Blueberry Court and the specified portion of Woodland Way as public ways; Mr. Ruggiero seconded; and all voted in favor.
Snow Property Update, continued
Ms. Wheeler noted that the land could be worth more to the town than the appraised value. Another point was that an asking price around 20 percent over the appraised price would be better than one this high.
Public Hearing and Street Acceptance of Trefry Lane
At 7:30 p.m., Chairman Dungan began this public hearing, noting the requirement under MGL C82, s21, and read the legal notice and the list of abutters. Marilyn and James Driscoll and Suzanne and Larry Zimmerman were in attendance.
It was noted that the Planning Board recommended accepting the road (April 20, 2007 memo to the Board of Selectmen), contingent upon receiving the original mylar of the As-Built Plan and Profile before Town Meeting. The Superintendent of Streets recommended acceptance (April 13, 2007 memo to the Board).
Mr. Driscoll, an abutter, stated that he and several other Trefry Lane residents have raised open issues that need to be addressed. For example, a drainage pit is not draining as it should and is collecting water instead. He noted that residents are eager to have the Town accept the road but that the outstanding problems must be fixed.
In response, the Board worded its motion to cover all outstanding issues of compliance with the Planning Board decision, specifically:
Mr. Robart moved to accept Trefry Lane, contingent upon final sign-off by the Planning Board before Annual Town Meeting in May; Ms. Makary seconded, and all voted in favor.
Public Hearing and Street Acceptance of Fairway Drive
At 7:40 p.m., Chairman Dungan began the public hearing for Fairway Drive, noting the hearing as a requirement under MGL C82, s21. He read the legal notice and the list of abutters. Abutter Dennis Murphy was in attendance.
It was noted that the Planning Board recommended accepting the road, but with three major contingencies: as-built deficiencies corrected; receipt of sidewalk donation; and receipt of the deed and conservation restriction for the open space parcel (April 20, 2007 memo to the Board of Selectmen). The Superintendent of Streets did not recommend acceptance (April 13, 2007 memo to the Board). Ms. McLaughlin stated that the Superintendent’s recommendation was based on an earlier position not to accept by the Planning Board.
Ms. Makary moved to accept Fairway Drive based on the Planning Board’s contingencies being met prior to May 7, 2007 and confirmation of the Highway Department’s okay of the acceptance; Mr. Robart seconded, and all voted in favor.
Becky Stockhouse, a representative of the developer, stated that the Planning Board now had the check for the sidewalk contribution, will have the mylar and open space deed shortly, and the as-built issues are fixed.
Recreation Master Plan
Before any discussion began, Selectman Ruggiero read a statement pertaining to the Conflict of Interest law. He said that on April 19, he spoke with David Wilson of the State Ethics Commission regarding the Conflict of Interest Law, Chapter 268A, regarding his work for the Stow Recreation Commission as a basketball official and his decision making as a selectman on the Recreation Commission’s proposal for new fields in the Town of Stow. Mr. Wilson informed Mr. Ruggiero that he did not have a conflict of interest in this regard, having no potential for financial gain
from the decision. Mr. Ruggiero could discuss and vote on the proposal and should make this public disclosure before tonight’s discussion.
Tim Allaire, Eric Bachtell, and Jim Henry, members of the Recreation Director’s working group on the Recreation plan, and a Gale Associates representative presented an overview of the Recreation Master Plan to the Board.
Mr. Allaire reviewed an April 24 report from Recreation Director Laura Greenough to the Selectmen and other committees, containing a summary of key findings of the Recreation Master Plan, as well as a clarification of information in the plan. The need for additional playing fields, potential locations, and funding sources were presented.
A handout to supplement to the plan described two scenarios regarding cost:
· Scenario A broke the project into two phases: development of Snow now and later development of Pine Bluffs. This scenario would achieve all of the desired recreational needs.
· Scenario B, development at Pine Bluffs, would only partially meet recreational needs and additional sites would be required.
Mr. Bachtell and the Gale representative presented further details of recreational needs and proposed solutions.
An extended discussion followed the presentation. Selectmen Ruggiero asked for justification of the number of new fields being recommended. A group of Lake Boon residents disagreed with the proposed use of Pine Bluffs for fields, citing environmental and other area issues. One resident received support from the audience after stating that a “Master Plan” should reconcile the inherent conflict between conservation and recreation needs, and should be based on the Town’s Open Space and Recreation Plan, as opposed to Gale’s more limited recreational fields plan.
Following the discussion, Mr. Robart asked Community Preservation chairman Bob Wilber what the CPC’s position was. Mr. Wilber said the CPC voted earlier to contribute $600k of CPA funds to the project and the committee will now look at the Gale plan to see if it meets the town’s needs.
Public Emergency Notification System
Mr. Wrigley began the presentation by explaining the purpose of his working group, the Public Safety Study Committee, and its recommendation to obtain a telephone-based emergency notification system for the town. Police Chief Trefry, Fire Chief Soar, and resident representative Bob Braceland from the study group were in attendance.
Chief Trefry presented the background of the project – a Taylor Road incident two years ago that flooded dispatchers with calls for information and showed the need for a way to notify residents of a major incident. In September 2005, an initial meeting of the Police, Fire, and Highway departments and the Board of Health was held to begin the search for a solution.
Chief Soar described the recommended system: its capabilities and plan for use. SwiftReach Networks has a telephone-based notification service, by which messages can be simultaneously broadcast from the Town’s dispatchers either town-wide or to a predefined subgroup of residents. Resident participation is voluntary and the Town’s public safety groups would manage the process and information.
Mr. Wrigley said the Annual Town Meeting warrant article for the service covers the start-up cost and first year’s projected usage charges.
Not having voted the Board’s positions on major Town Meeting articles, it was agreed that the Board would meet on Tuesday, May 1, to do so.
At 9:35 p.m., Ms. Makary moved to adjourn, Ms. Wheeler seconded, and all voted in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan McLaughlin
Administrative Assistant, Board of Selectmen
Approved as amended, May 1, 2007
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