BOARD OF SELECTMEN

MINUTES

SEPTEMBER 21, 2009

Present:          Mary Blanchard, Chairman

Scott Garieri

Hal White

Thomas Creamer

Michael Racicot, Town Administrator

T. Goodwin was not in attendance.

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

Department Head Monthly Reports

Police Chief Thomas Ford reviewed his report with the Board.  He said that the Hog Rally was handled well, with no incidents.  He said that the annual cookout for the seniors was held at the parking lot of the Public Safety Complex, with the assistance of the Fire Department, and the event was well received.  National Night Out was held at Heritage Green, and was well attended, with positive interaction between residents and the police.

Chief Ford noted that there was no commercial motor vehicle enforcement done in August, as there were scheduling conflicts.  He said that he is working on getting the maximum amount of patrols out on duty.

T. Creamer said that a group of residents on Breakneck Road have raised concerns about increased traffic and speeding during the days when the landfill is open.  He indicated his concern that heavier truck and vehicle traffic, combined with speeding and the lack of a sidewalk buffer is creating an unsafe situation for residents.  Chief Ford said that the Police Dept. would conduct a review and perhaps begin an educational program handing out flyers requesting people to slow down, followed by increased enforcement of the speed limit on Breakneck Road.  He noted that there is no posted speed limit on that road, but the speed is actually 40 mph.

S. Garieri asked about the status of the junk car ordinance.  Chief Ford said that it was brought to his attention by Craig Moran, but he had not completed enough analysis on it to see what the impact would be on the community, and what the cost would be for the Town.  Craig Moran, owner of the Sturbridge Service Center, said that §22B provides for a civil penalty for abandonment of motor vehicles: $250 for the first offense, $500 for each offense thereafter.  He said that a vehicle cannot be disposed of without the title; and the ordinance would give the Town the power to get rid of such vehicles without the title.  He said that owners of abandoned vehicles would have 30-90 days to answer a letter, and if they don’t respond, the vehicles could be destroyed.  He noted that it was adopted by the Town of Southbridge.  M. Blanchard asked Chief Ford to provide the Board with further information.

Fire Chief Leonard Senecal reviewed his report with the Board.  T. Creamer said that he would like to see a mortality rate comparison as well as a cost comparison between pre and post paramedic service.

Chief Senecal said that the Finance Committee had approved the money for the new fire trucks, and he thanked the Committee for the work they had put into it.

M. Blanchard commended the Fire Department for the fine work they did at the fire at Penney’s Appliance on Charlton Road.

Erik Wight, Building Inspector, reviewed his report with the Board.  He requested an increase in his hours, but discovered that his position had not been budgeted to go full time during the current fiscal year.  He noted that electrical and plumbing may be consolidated under his department, and said that he will then need more than 21 hours/week to do the job.  T. Creamer expressed concern about the lack of a trigger in terms of returning the Building Inspector position to full time hours again.  He encouraged the Board look at it carefully to determine what the trigger will be, and to look at it proactively instead of reactively in order to ensure that the Board is not too slow to respond to the need when it arises.  S. Garieri said that it would require an additional $20,000.  M. Blanchard suggested that E. Wight get his facts together.

E. Wight said that the Soper property has been fenced in, and there has been some interest in the Blackington Building.  He noted that the house next to it is a problem.

Greg Morse, DPW Director, reviewed his report with the Board.  He said that the water main job is about 51% completed, and should be finished by November 1, 2009.  He said that the landfill capping has been completed by Ciesla Construction.  He noted that quotes are going out for roofing.  He said that DPW had a meeting to set up intermunicipal water, and a new pipeline will be installed.

T. Creamer expressed concern about the completion of the McGilpin Road project and asked for clarification as to the delay in finishing the project.  G. Morse said that it is not strictly a town issue, and details have not been worked out yet.  He said that he will meet with Verizon and Mass. Electric to discuss it.

Shane Moody reviewed his report with the Board.  He noted that the water ban will last until October 1, 2009.  He said that certain requirements must be met in order to run Well #1, including the addition of a certain amount of chlorine in the water, which may be noticeable.  He said that a meeting has been scheduled with DEP to discuss options before making any decisions.

T. Creamer asked about the status of flushing fire hydrants.  S. Moody said that hydrants are tested and flushed every year.

Burgess School Building Committee

Charles Blanchard, Angela Cheng-Cimini, Carl Franceschi of Drummey Rosane Anderson Inc. and Eric Moore of Lamoureux Pagano Associates Architects appeared before the Board.  A. Cheng-Cimini said that they have been working on the project since 2002, and recognized the amount of work that Eric Moore has contributed toward it.  She noted that the School Building Authority will review the project on Sept. 30th and hopefully will grant approval.  They will report back to the Board in early October.

C. Franceschi provided schematic design presentation on the Burgess Elementary School project.  He gave a brief history of the project, discussed the feasibility and design process, reviewed program improvements, building needs, site improvements, floor plans and options.  He said that the total cost of the project would be approximately $47 million; $38 ½ million in construction cost, and the rest to cover fees, contingencies and furnishings.  He noted that it will be a green school, environmentally friendly and energy efficient.  He said that there are limitations on what the MSBA will reimburse.

A.Cheng-Cimini said that every inch of the building will be used, and there is no fluff in the project whatsoever.  C. Blanchard said that they had reviewed other proposals before deciding upon this one, and there was a lot of input on it.  H. White asked about the enrollment figures.  C. Franceschi said that the state requires that the project provide what is needed looking forward for 10 years, and the state will not pay for anything more than what is needed.  C. Blanchard read the enrollment information.

Sturbridge Auto Body – Change of Ownership on Class 2 License

MOTION:       To approve the transfer of the Class 2 Used Car Dealer license for Sturbridge Auto Body from Jeffrey Krushefsky to Mark Manthorne, by S. Garieri.

2nd:     T. Creamer

Vote:  All in favor.

Town Administrator’s Update

MOTION:       To approve the appointment by the Town Administrator of Stephen J. Morris, Jeff Bonja, Brandon L. Goodwin and Douglas W. Quigley as members of the Trail Committee, by S. Garieri.

2nd:     H. White

Vote:  All in favor.

Because of the deadline for publication in the MMA Beacon, M. Racicot had placed an advertisement for the vacant Town Administrator position.  If he had waited until after the new Search Committee was appointed, he would have missed the publication deadline and lost an entire month of advertising.  M. Blanchard said that she understood M. Racicot’s point in going ahead with the advertisement, and noted that he had consulted Barbara Barry on what the change in the ad should be.  T. Creamer said that policy decisions rest with the Board of Selectmen, and expressed concern about setting a precedent for decisions being made by the Town Administrator and not the Board of Selectmen.  He said that he would prefer having the Board weigh in on any advertisement for a town job posting.  S. Garieri said that he would have liked to have been consulted, as the one remaining member of the Search Committee.  It was the consensus of the Board to change the next meeting date to Thursday, September 24th at 6:30 p.m. at the Senior Center, in order to appoint the 5th member to the committee.

MOTION:       To approve the appointment by the Town Administrator of Tom Chamberland, Mike Moran, Calvin Montigny and Steve Dalberth to positions on the Trails Master Plan Steering Committee, by S. Garieri.

2nd:     H. White

Vote:  All in favor.

T. Creamer asked about the status of scheduling a meeting with Tom Cohan of Charter Communications, and the possibility of spending money from the cable account to upgrade the cable access equipment.  M. Racicot said that he would talk to Barbara Barry about it, and noted that it will cost approximately $3,000-$4,000 to purchase a production quality camera to boost audio quality for meetings recorded at the Senior Center.  T. Creamer indicated his concern that a considerable amount of money may have been invested on media equipment at Tantasqua, but the rest of the town doesn’t have access to their equipment.

MOTION:       To accept the resignation of Robert MacWilliams from the Council on Aging, by H. White.

2nd:     T. Creamer

Vote:  All in favor.

MOTION:       To accept the resignations of Reed Hillman, Barbara Barry, Kevin Smith and Tony Celuzza from the Town Administrator Search Committee, by T. Creamer.

2nd:     H. White

Vote:  All in favor.

Correspondence

M. Blanchard received a request from the Sturbridge Rotary Club to produce a proclamation for Rotary Friendship Day, to be sent to Stourbridge, England.

MOTION:       To write a proclamation for Rotary Friendship Day, by T. Creamer.

2nd:     H. White

Vote:  All in favor.

T. Creamer received an email from a resident of the Preserve regarding light poles.  He said that he would let the person know that the DPW Director has indicated that it is moving along and may go on the warrant for acceptance as a town road.

Old Business

T. Creamer thanked M. Racicot for the letter he had sent to an individual who had submitted an application for a vacancy.

T. Creamer expressed appreciation that the information concerning Lyme disease had been posted on the Town’s website.

New Business

T. Creamer asked whether any other members of the Board had received an invitation from the Sturbridge Worship Center regarding a performance by the African Children’s Choir on October 16th at 9 Mashapaug Road.

MOTION:       To convene in executive session under MGL Chapter 39, §23B, Paragraph #3:  To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation; not to reconvene in open session, by S. Garieri.

2nd:     T. Creamer

Roll call vote:  H. White in favor; T. Creamer in favor; S. Garieri in favor; M. Blanchard abstained.

Respectfully submitted,

Judy Knowles

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BOS Clerk                                         Date