MINUTES
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
September 23, 2008
Present at the meeting that was held at the Town Building were Chairman Thomas Ruggiero and Selectmen Stephen Dungan and Ellen Sturgis.
Selectmen Kathleen Farrell and Jason Robart were absent.
Also present were Town Administrator William Wrigley and Administrative Assistant Susan McLaughlin.
Chairman Ruggiero called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.
Public Input
None.
Chairman’s Comments
Mr. Ruggiero announced the following meetings of interest: joint board working session sponsored by Community Preservation on the Lundy property on 9/29; joint board working session sponsored by the Land Use Task Force on the Chapter 61 land process on 10/9; and the Land Use Task Force status report to the Selectmen on 10/28.
Town Administrator’s Report
Mr. Wrigley reported on the following topics:
· He received notice this afternoon that the court found in favor of all the defendants in the Kunelius matter. An appeal is possible.
· He approved the MART contract in principle and, after speaking with the Executive Director, he feels that they will have a contract to execute soon.
· He approved the contract to purchase the new fire truck, voted at Town Meeting. It is a well-defined contract and the fire chief will inspect and approve it as it’s built to ensure it meets the specifications. Mr. Wrigley commended Fire Chief Mike McLaughlin for his due diligence on the purchase.
· He and Chief McLaughlin attended a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the State Fire Academy. A moving experience, it was well attended.
· In response to the growing need for parking for the Town Building and Town Hall, he wants to expand the current parking eastward. The Superintendent of Streets and Building Commissioner are drawing up plans, after which Mr. Wrigley will work with Mass Department of Environmental Protection and the Stow Conservation Commission to address the location of the town center well head and certain property restraints, respectively. He said this is the most cost effective and efficient way to increase parking space.
Meeting Minutes
September 9, 2008: Mr. Dungan moved to approve the minutes, as amended; Ms. Sturgis seconded; and all voted in favor.
Permit for 2nd Annual Stow Gobbler Race
Alex and Nick Papanastassiou, seniors at Nashoba Regional High School, visited the Board to request a permit for this year’s Stow 5K Gobbler Race on Thanksgiving Day. Proceeds from the race are divided equally between the Stow Community Chest and Habitat for Humanity. Last year, the race had 350 runners and the brothers hope to build on last year’s success.
All the Board members thanked Alex and Nick for starting a Thanksgiving Day race in Stow.
Mr. Dungan moved to approve a permit for the Stow 5K Gobbler Race; Ms. Sturgis seconded; and all voted in favor.
Appointment to the Recreation Commission
Ellen Piccioli visited the Board to request appointment to the Recreation Commission, accompanied by Commission members Mike Busch and Jim Henry. She said that her interest stems from her and her children’s involvement in Town recreation programs, as well as being inspired by the collaborative effort among boards on the Snow property recreation project
Ms. Sturgis moved to appoint Ellen Piccioli to the Recreation Commission; Mr. Dungan seconded; and all voted in favor.
Assabet River Rail Trail (ARRT) Project Update
ARRT members Don Rising, Ross Perry and Ralph Fuller visited the Board to report on several aspects of the project.
· Albright Property Easement: The committee has received the survey plan and Town Counsel is waiting for the property description in order to proceed with the purchase process.
· Lundy Property Study: The final report should be available for the 9/29 joint boards meeting. The current version has been distributed and is available on CD. The ARRT Committee recommends that the Town pursue a Right-of-First Refusal on the property.
· Funding Issues: The Metropolitan Planning Organization has removed the $4.0M funding for ARRT construction from its Transportation Improvement Project (TIP) plan. If the state will not fund the construction, the federal government will not fund the design. Stow has made significant investments in the project over the years and it is important to have the state and federal funding.
The deadline for comments on the MPO TIP is 10/21 and the next MPO meeting is 10/3. Mr. Rising requested letters from the Selectmen and other Town boards requesting restoration of the TIP funding. It was agreed that the Selectmen’s Office would arrange this.
Reappointments to the Cultural Council
The Board reappointed three members of the Cultural Council to three-year terms, ending in December 2010.
Ms. Sturgis moved to reappoint Bob Glorioso, Donnalisa Johnson, and Dorothy Sonnichsen to the Cultural Council; Mr. Dungan seconded; and all voted in favor.
Dogs at the Delaney Project
Mr. Wrigley opened the discussion by reading a public notice recently posted at the Delaney Project by the Mass Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (Mass F&W) regarding dogs. The notice states that a “moratorium” on dog walking will occur on November 1 unless each dog’s waste is removed from the project and dogs are kept leashed. Local authorities will determine compliance during a two-month trial period. Questions should be directed to the Stow Board of Health or the Mass F&W.
After the notice posting and an article in The Stow Independent, the Board of Selectmen received several emails from residents to protest the new rules.
The Board discussed the situation and potential next steps. Concerns were raised about the Stow Board of Health being the contact when this is a state owned property and state responsibility.
Following discussion, Mr. Wrigley offered to speak with officials at Mass F&W to seek a resolution in two to three weeks. The Board agreed to let Mr. Wrigley proceed and report back.
Liaison Reports
Master Plan Committee: Mr. Dungan said the committee will next meet on October 2 to design a town-wide survey of the draft plan, with input from the Land Use Task Force and the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust.
Elementary School Building Committee: Ms. Sturgis reported that the Mass School Building Authority approved Stow’s next step – to hire an Owner’s Project Manager; a Request for Services can be advertised. And she hopes to have a fundraising representative attend the next Board meeting.
Public Safety Committee: Mr. Ruggiero said that Mr. Wrigley had reconvened his working group on public safety to look at the new ISO (Insurance Services Office) rating for Stow.
At 8:18 p.m., Mr. Dungan moved to adjourn; Ms. Sturgis seconded; and all voted in favor.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan McLaughlin
Administrative Assistant, Board of Selectmen
Approved as amended, October 14, 2008
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