BOARD OF SELECTMEN

WORK SESSION

AUGUST 10, 2009

Present:          Mary Blanchard, Chairman

Scott Garieri

Ted Goodwin

Tom Creamer

Hal White

Michael Racicot, Town Administrator

Jean Bubon, Town Planner

Steve Tieri, Cable Advisory Committee

Gary Galonek

Mary Berry

Fred Hebert

Sean Finicane

Cable Advisory Committee – Discussion re. Cable Negotiations

M. Racicot discussed the Committee and the process of a renewal.  S. Tieri and J. Bubon discussed what has taken place so far.  There was discussion about the needed equipment and the setup of the room.  There were questions about the current provider and whether the Town should be looking for other potential cable companies, to find the best deal for the Town.  Many questions were discussed about equipment and possible upgrades.  It was determined that the Committee needs to set another meeting.

T. Creamer expressed his concern with what seemed to be a foregone conclusion that the Town would continue service with Charter Communications void of any “market shopping” with other providers.  He stated his belief that the Town had an obligation to conduct due diligence with all available providers so that the residents could be sure of receiving the best possible service at the best possible price.  He noted the years of dissatisfaction expressed by residents and public officials in regard to service with Charter Communications.

T. Creamer requested the following information (which met with Board consensus):

1.                  A listing of all telecommunications providers/competitors that we have reached out soliciting Requests for Proposals.

2.                  Recent (within the last six months) signed letters of confirmation or declination of the interest, or lack thereof by competitors in providing service or proposals to the Town of Sturbridge.

3.                  A detailed accounting for the initial $50,000 provided to the Town by Charter Communications, which was “. . . payable in full following the Effective Date of (the) Renewal License . . . “ as found in Article 6, Section 6.2 of the current provider contract.

4.                  An accounting of all funds received by the Town of Sturbridge (and expenditure thereof) from Charter Communications as found in Article 7, Section 7.2c, which reads as follows:

·        “Licensee shall annually pay an Additional License Fee on TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS ($10,000).  The cumulative total of Additional License Fee payments shall not exceed $100,000 over the term of this License.”

Route 15 Sewer Discussion

There was a long discussion about the development of the Route 15 area, and the needs balanced against the Wastewater Treatment Plant passage and DEP limits on the permit.  Property owners were present to address their needs and difficulties with the state regulations.  Tighe & Bond’s current review and upcoming report were mentioned, including the negotiations with the DEP and EPA officials.

Perhaps the options are for solutions:  Town-owned on-site system, private system or add to existing plant.  It was noted that this has been a long, arduous process.

T. Creamer referenced the professional works of Dr. John Mullen of the University of Massachusetts, citing his studies indicating the need for municipal infrastructure in order to draw desired development.  He further referenced Dr. Mullen’s position papers which clearly identify municipal infrastructure as a greater incentive for desired development than is tax rates.  The Board expressed its desire to move forward to make something happen in the area.  It appears that a ground discharge “community” system be sited in the neighborhood.  One option was to allow business owners to come up with a plan for the Selectmen to review with their engineers.  The question was raised as to whether state or federal funding was available for some improvements.  The Board asked the property owners to gather information and provide the Board with options for addressing the needs in the area.  It was agreed that those present would meet again at the September 14th work session.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m.

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BOS Clerk                                         Date