BOARD OF SELECTMEN

MINUTES

NOVEMBER 19, 2007

Present:          Hal White, Chairman

Steven Halterman

Ted Goodwin

Arnold Wilson

William Emrich

James Malloy, Town Administrator

The Chairman called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. following the Pledge of Allegiance.

Approval of Minutes

MOTION:       To accept the minutes of November 5, 2007 as amended, by A.Wilson.

2nd:     T. Goodwin

Vote:  Four in favor; S. Halterman abstained.

MOTION:       To accept the executive session minutes of November 5, 2007 as amended, to remain confidential, by A.Wilson.

2nd:     W. Emrich

MOTION:       To accept the executive session minutes of August 20, 2007 as submitted, to remain confidential, by W. Emrich.

2nd:     S. Halterman

Vote:  All in favor.

MOTION:       To accept the executive session minutes of October 1, 2007, to remain confidential, by S. Halterman.

2nd:     W. Emrich

Vote:  Four in favor; H. White abstained.

Department Head Monthly Reports

Police Chief Thomas Ford reviewed his reports with the Board.  He said that he and several Sergeants and officers attended the funeral for retired Sgt. Robert Landreville on September 18th.  Detective Saloio, Officer Desplaines and Officer Lombardi represented the Sturbridge Police Dept. in sponsoring the R.A.D. program held at the Sturbridge Host Hotel.  Boat patrols were conducted on various town lakes earlier in the month of September.  During the month of October Sgt. Blanchard distributed alcohol compliance notifications to some local businesses.  Chief Ford, Sgts. Blanchard and Cloutier, Detective Saloio and Officers Menzone and DaDalt attended Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) training at the Public Safety Complex.

Chief Ford said that the background investigation of the top police officer candidate is being conducted, and the appointment will be made in the near future.

Chief Ford said that the Police Department received a $40,000 CEDAP equipment grant toward the purchase of Video Detective, a program which enhances videos such as those from convenience stores.  He said that they have applied for the Byrne Grant for $80,000 for a Fingerprint Indexing System, technology for developing a data base of local criminals.

Chief Ford said that the Police Department received the Silver Award from AAA for their traffic safety initiatives and enforcement.

A.Wilson asked whether the Sturbridge Police Dept. would be sharing their new technology with neighboring towns.  Chief Ford said that they have not had any requests from other towns for use of the technology, but they would allow other towns to use it.

A.Wilson noted that there are vehicles parked on Church Street that may be unregistered.  Chief Ford said that he would look into it.  A.Wilson reported that all of the new parking signs have been removed from Burgess School Road and dumped in the ditch.  Chief Ford said that he would look into it and respond back to the Board.

W. Emrich thanked Chief Ford for the work done on the traffic report for Route 20.  Chief Ford noted that Sgt. Blanchard had done a lot of the work on that report.

Fire Chief Leonard Senecal read his report to the Board.  He said that Mary Lou Volpe graduated from the Fire Academy and is doing very well.  He informed the Board that the state arrived early in October to inspect the Fire Department for their paramedic license, and the department passed the inspection.  He announced that the Sturbridge Fire Department will officially be a paramedic unit at midnight on November 21st.  He said that all of the necessary equipment was ordered and has arrived.  He thanked the members of the Fire Department for their help with all of the work in making the paramedic unit possible.

Chief Senecal said that Lt. Ron Woolhouse (who is retired) came in and reviewed the inspection process with Captain John Marinelli, and he will be available for a few more days to finish off the inspections.  He said that Capt. Marinelli has made good progress with commercial and business inspections for the Town.

Chief Senecal informed the Board that last month’s drills included the use of rescue jacks, which will be used to rescue people who are trapped inside cars.  There was a class on common emergencies that the Fire Department typically deals with, and a dive team drill on the 13th.

S. Halterman asked whether there are plans to appoint another lieutenant.  Chief Senecal said that he is working on it, and there will be a lieutenant on each company.

A.Wilson noted that there is a huge increase in emergency transfers to Worcester over last year.  Chief Senecal said that Harrington Hospital does not have a bone doctor, so all bone injuries are taken to Worcester.

A.Wilson asked whether there was enough money in the budget for training for the new recruits.  Chief Senecal said that it would be necessary to add some money for training in the new budget.

A.Wilson asked about the status of Fire Dept. equipment.  Chief Senecal said that there is an issue with the ladder truck, but it is not a big problem.

H. White suggested that Chief Senecal meet with J. Malloy and the local press so that the townspeople will be informed about the new paramedic service.  Chief Senecal agreed to do a press release.

H. White asked about the Fire Department training schedule for November.  Chief Senecal said that there was a drafting drill at Tantasqua High School on November 7th.  H. White suggested that he include training information in the monthly report.

H. White asked whether Chief Senecal was doing anything special to integrate the new employees to the Fire Department.  Chief Senecal said that he would evaluate the new employees on their performance on ambulance calls, and it will take some time to accomplish that.  He has a list of what they need to do, and he noted that there is a probationary period.

Harold Nichols, Building Inspector, read his report to the Board.  He noted that in the month of October there was a slight increase in building permits for new houses in Sturbridge.  Regarding liquor license inspections, he said that they put a lot of effort into motivating people to get their paperwork back to his office and to the Fire Chief in a timely manner.  He said that there are only about five inspections that need to be done before they are all completed.

H. Nichols said that the state building code amendments will go into effect on January 1, 2008.  He noted that the energy code will get the Town up to speed regarding energy conservation.

A.Wilson asked whether Robert Cassim, a used car dealer in town, was in compliance with current laws.  H. Nichols said that he would look into it.

Greg Morse, DPW Director, read his report to the Board.  He said that line striping has been completed, and stop lines and cross walks at various locations.  They cleaned and scraped various road locations and set grade stakes at catch basins for the upcoming snow plowing season.  They received the sand and salt for the winter.

G. Morse said that the sewer on Westwood Drive is coming along well, and the lawns will be reseeded.

G. Morse reviewed Shane Moody’s report from Veolia Water North America.  He said that there was a decrease on the water treatment side due to the weather.  He noted that the plant has been running very well, and there are no monetary issues at this time.  He said that there have been a total of 26 emergency calls since July 1, 2007 which he intends to discuss with S. Moody.

A.Wilson asked whether the Tantasqua pump station is being maintained.  G. Morse said that there is an issue with a leak, so they monitored the hydrant over the weekend and located the source of the leak.  He noted that there is also some leaky detection equipment.

G. Morse said that they received several calls regarding unaccounted for water, which is becoming a concern.  He will talk to J. Malloy about it.  J. Malloy said that the fire system at Tantasqua High School was designed to take water from the pool, but it has been replumbed so that it comes off of the water line before it will come from the pool.  He said that the fire flow is not metered.  He noted that the leak could add significantly to the unaccounted water, and he will set up a meeting with the Superintendent to rectify it.

Snow Removal

MOTION:       To award a snow plowing bid to Timothy Pupka at the rate of $55 per hour for a one ton pickup, by W. Emrich.

2nd:     T. Goodwin

Vote:  All in favor.

Water/Sewer Abatement

J. Malloy submitted to the Board an abatement application for a misreading in which a residential property was overcharged by $61,310.86 for one quarter’s water and sewer use.

MOTION:       To approve the abatement application for Account #0904-B in the amount of $61,310.86, by W. Emrich.

2nd:     T. Goodwin

Vote:  All in favor.

Miscellaneous

J. Malloy was present at the Planning Board meeting last week to discuss the Route 15 Study Committee, and he also presented some information on the 10-year unemployment rate in Sturbridge, which he submitted to the Board.

J. Malloy and David Barnicle, Chairman of the Conservation Commission interviewed Conservation Agent candidates and conducted the necessary background checks.

MOTION:       To confirm the Town Administrator’s appointment of Erin Jacque as the Conservation Agent, with a starting salary of $40,000 per year with a December 11, 2007 starting date, by A.Wilson.

2nd:     W. Emrich

Vote:  All in favor.

Whistling Swan Liquor License Transfer

J. Malloy read the legal ad into the record.

MOTION:       To open the public hearing, by S. Halterman.

2nd:     T. Goodwin

Vote:  All in favor.

Attorney Robert George and Nicholas Grammatas appeared before the Board.

MOTION:       To approve the Transfer of License to NGA Food Service, Inc. d/b/a the Whistling Swan, and naming Nicholas Grammatas as the Manager as per the application, by S. Halterman.

2nd:     W. Emrich

Vote:  All in favor.

MOTION:       To close the public hearing, by A. Wilson.

2nd:     W. Emrich

Vote:  All in favor.

Old Sturbridge Village Lodges Flow/Cost

J. Malloy submitted to the Board a copy of 310CMR 15.203 (Title 5), which indicates the various flows for different uses.  He also submitted Sections 5.56; 5.59; 3.02 and 3.04 of the Town’s Sewer Bylaws which discuss the process and cost for the expansion of existing non-residential facilities.  Based upon the proposal by Mr. McCabe for the OSV Lodges redevelopment, the additional flow requested would be 7,075 gallons per day (GPD) which equates to 35 Equalized Residential Units (ERUs) at $7,500 per ERU or $265,313 as a “Sewer Privilege Fee” under the bylaw.

PLAC Concerns

J. Malloy submitted to the Board a response to the concerns raised by the Public Lands Advisory Committee (PLAC) at the October work session with the Selectmen and responses to notes taken during the discussion by Steve Halterman.  J. Malloy had offered to meet with the PLAC at their next meeting to discuss these responses further.

J. Malloy said that the buildings at Camp Robinson Crusoe had not been removed as of last Tuesday.  He contacted the engineer and contractor, and was told that the buildings would be knocked down this week.  He noted that all of the debris has been removed from the buildings.  Edward Goodwin noted that deer hunting season starts on Monday, November 26th, and suggested that the contractor be made aware of it.  J. Malloy said that he would make sure that they are told.

Miscellaneous

J. Malloy said that the Town has been involved in litigation with Woodstock Properties for the property around Long Pond.  He said that there was a warrant article for $250,000 at the 2004 Town Meeting; a substitute motion was made to appropriate $90,000.  He said that an additional $184,615 is needed, and the Town has 30 days to make the payment.  He noted that it would be on next year’s recap sheet as an additional cost to the Town.  He said that with interest it would come to $274,615.

J. Malloy said that he had spoken with the Town Moderator, the Town Clerk and the Finance Committee Chairman regarding a date for the Special Town Meeting, and January 28, 2008 is the date that all three would be available.

J. Malloy said that he received a service award from ICMA for having completed 20 years of local government management.

Wastewater Treatment Facility Cost Anaylsis

J. Malloy submitted to the Board several spreadsheets on the estimated wastewater treatment facility debt costs; the impact on the rate and average single family home (at 200 GPD); and a financial value analysis of the additional costs and potential revenues derived in the incremental increases from 1.3 million gallons per day (MGD) facility and a 1.4 MGD and 1.5 MGD.  Last year J. Malloy had provided a debt analysis using three different scenarios:  (1) A “low” scenario which assumed a combination of USDA RD grant/loan and MADEP SRF funding; (2) A “median” scenario which assumed MADEP SRF funding; and (3) A “high” scenario which assumed simply issuing bonds at 5% (which may be closer to 4%, but this was meant to be a conservative cost estimate).  The high estimates also included increased Sewer Rate Relief Grants equal to 6.8% of overall debt service which are subject to annual appropriation by the legislature, so they are not guaranteed.  All of the estimates are based on a Membrane Bio-Reactor (MBR) plant and not the Bio-Mag plant.  The debt service analyses are based on 30-year debt issuance as provided in MGL Ch. 44, §8.

J. Malloy indicated a that the summary spreadsheet contained information relative to the additional cost on the annual debt service vs. the value of the incremental 100,000 GPD of plant capacity at the estimated sewer rates.  The analysis showed:

A)     In going from a 1.3 MGD plant to a 1.4 MGD plant, the additional debt service costs would range from a low of $40,533 to a high of $63,333 and the additional potential revenues generated from the additional 100,000 GPD would range from $353,751 to $451,337.

B)     In going from a 1.3 MGD plant to a 1.5 MGD plant, the additional debt service costs would range from a low of $126,400 to a high of $197,500 and the additional potential revenues generated from the additional 100,000 GPD would range from $747,512 to $960,250.

J. Malloy said that he had discussed it with Greg Morse, DPW Director, and they both continue to recommend that the Board authorize moving forward with a 1.5 MGD plant to USEPA and MADEP.  He said that given the position that he has taken on the plant size, if the Board goes forward with a 1.1 MGD plant, the Board will need to make the case at Town Meeting, because he did not think he would be able to provide support.  He said that he would give the Board any information that it needs.  J. Malloy said that whatever number the Board goes with, the EPA and DEP will likely respond with a lower amount.

H. White suggested that the Board review the numbers and be prepared to vote that evening.

S. Halterman submitted new information for the Board’s consideration indicating existing and reserved flows, and additional reserve numbers based on a 10% buffer (divide total flow by 0.9), and an additional scenarios worksheet, also based on a 10% buffer.  He said that a 20% buffer is not an EPA requirement.  He said that if 80% is reached for 90 consecutive days, it is a state rule that the DEP must be assured that the permit will not be violated.  He said that if a 10% increase is not enough, he recommended 15%.

J. Malloy said that this would move off the point of conducting a CWMP, and suggested that the Board revisit the basis of flow calculations in the CWMP, such as the factors of lot size, housing density, soil types, water table, etc.  He advised against building a WWTF smaller than what may be needed in the future.  He noted that the Board had agreed upon a number at an earlier meeting, and said that he was under the impression that he was only doing a value analysis for the Board.

H. White asked if the Board saw a need to revisit the process.  A.Wilson noted that the Board had agreed that the gravity flows to Southbridge will remain the same.  He suggested that the Board determine whether to go with a 10% buffer or a 20% buffer.  G. Morse said that there is a problem with aging pipes in the ground and the potential for I & I in the future.  S. Halterman said that going from 1.1 MGD to 1.2 MGD is $1,600,000.  A.Wilson suggested staying with a 20% buffer.  S. Halterman said that maintenance is necessary, and he did not want to add i&i (info and infiltration) onto the treatment plant.  He recommended voting for a 10% buffer.  W. Emrich disagreed, and said that since the Board had just received the concept of a 10% buffer this evening, he was not comfortable voting on it at this time.  G. Morse said that 10% was too small of a buffer, and that it would not provide a sufficient buffer.

A.Wilson suggested instructing Tighe & Bond that 1.4 MGD seems like the right number.  He said that in looking at the dollar figure, the impact of that on an average family who pays $89 per quarter would be that their bill will double.  He said that he was prepared to offer a motion on a 1.4 MGD wastewater treatment plant.

Tom Creamer, 359 Leadmine Road asked whether it would be possible that the Board of Selectmen or another Board may determine to disengage from a contract with Southbridge.  H. White said that it is possible.  T. Creamer said that it would be a good idea to have additional plant capacity.  He noted that the Board has been discussing it over the last three years, and the subject has come up at 61 meetings.  He said that the political landscape will change, and it is incumbent upon everyone to recognize their responsibilities to the future residents of Sturbridge.  He noted that the Town’s needs have increased over the past few years.  He suggested letting the voters decide on it, and commented that it would be difficult to sell less than 1.4 MGD to the public.  He recommended that the Board base its decision on principles.

Mary Blanchard said that she did not understand why the Board is not listening to the paid professionals.  T. Goodwin said that pumping water up and sending it down a river is a good way to drain an aquifer.  He said that the Town will eventually have water shortages.

MOTION:       That the Board direct the Town Administrator and Tighe & Bond to start preparing a design plan for a 1.4 MGD wastewater treatment plant for the Town of Sturbridge, by A.Wilson.

There was no second to the motion.

G. Morse suggested that the Board find out how many communities have used a 10% buffer, and how happy they are with it.  He expressed concern that 10% would not be enough.

S. Halterman said that he was looking for a 1.12 MGD treatment plant, a 15% buffer and 15% increase for commercial/industrial and 63,000 gpd.  W. Emrich suggested that the Board take the information given and think about it in order to make a sound decision.  A.Wilson commented that the reserve is too low.  H. White said that the voters at Town Meeting could choose another number.  He said that he would be more comfortable with rounding to the nearest 100,000 GPD, i.e. 1.2 MGD.

It was the consensus of the Board to discuss the matter again in two weeks.  J. Malloy said that the Board should vote on December 3rd, otherwise Tighe & Bond will not be able to complete the CWMP in time.

Old Business

A.Wilson recommended the book “Gambling in America – Costs and Benefits” as an excellent resource, full of facts and figures.

A.Wilson asked about the sinking manhole on Rt. 20 and Arnold Road.  J. Malloy said that it is on the DPW’s list of things to be repaired.

H. White reminded the Board about the MMA Annual Meeting and Trade Show in January in Boston.

New Business

S. Halterman said that he had looked at the situation at Quacumquasit and set up a meeting with DEP regarding grants.

T. Goodwin suggested the formation of a Lake Assessment Evaluation Committee.  He said that the statement of the purpose and goals will be to inventory the current state of the lakes, current water quality and condition, water shed description, recreational uses, public access, active lake management, etc.; to identify potentially synergistic interest in town planning, recreation, public land trails; to provide a draft mission statement and vision for Sturbridge lakes; to define the communications protocols between town boards, employees and lake associations; and to report back to the Board of Selectmen in three to four months.

H. White said that he would not vote for it in principle because he would like to have it in writing to review it first.  W. Emrich agreed.

MOTION:       To create a Lake Assessment Evaluation Committee, consisting of two members of the Conservation Commission, a member of the Board of Selectmen, and a member or representative of each of the lake associations, by T. Goodwin.

2nd:     A.Wilson

Vote:  Three in favor; H. White and W. Emrich opposed.

Ask the Selectmen

S. Halterman received a call from a resident who thought that the discussion on the wastewater treatment plant was good, and that a 1.1 MGD plant is reasonable.

H. White said that Ann Marie Argitis had wanted to comment on the paramedic level service but she left during the discussion on the wastewater treatment plant.  Mary Blanchard said that she indicated that she was delighted about the paramedic service, and on behalf of the townspeople, she expressed thanks to the Board of Selectmen, Chief Senecal, Jim Malloy and everyone else who made it happen.

MOTION:       To adjourn, by S. Halterman.

2nd:     T. Goodwin

Vote:  All in favor.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Judy Knowles

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BOS Clerk                             Date