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08/19/2014 BOS Meeting Minutes
 
   
                                           Minutes Accepted and filed with the Town Clerk on 9/2/14  by a vote of 5-0                                                                        
                                                7:00 p.m. – August 19, 2014            
                                        Sutton Town Hall, Selectmen’s Meeting Room
Members in Attendance:                           
              Chairman Kenneth Stuart, Vice Chair David Hall, Selectmen Mike Chizy, John Hebert and Paul Maynard     
                Town Administrator James Smith & Debbie Jacques, secretary   

5:30 pm there was a tour of the school project attended by Ken Stuart, John Hebert, Paul Maynard, TA Smith & various members of the School Committee, the School Building Committee and various Town employees.

Chairman Stuart calls the meeting to order at 7:00pm followed by the Pledge of Allegiance

Public Forum: no comments

Vice Chair Hall motions to accept as presented BOS minutes from August 5, 2014 Selectman Maynard seconds passes 5-0
Corrected motion from April 16, 2013 as follows: Selectman Hebert motions to accept the corrected motion to read as follows: Selectman Hebert motions to assign the first right of refusal under MGL 61A for property located on Waters Rd, Assessors Map 41, parcel 66; map 41, parcel 4 & map 41, parcel 5 to the Manchaug Pond Foundation, Selectman Stuart seconds passes 4-0: Selectman Chizy 2nds passes 3-0-2 (Selectmen Hall & Maynard abstain)  

Power point presentation -Transfer Station update: (Transfer Station Operator Dave Arsenault present) TA Smith begins by saying the sticker fee was raised $10.00 last year ($30. to $40.)  as the compactors are getting warn and may need replacing. In addition to the raised sticker fee, David Arsenault was hired as the new operator and has done a great job. The cost to use the facility for an average family of 4 is $235.00 a year (sticker fee & bags) opposed to Waste Mgmnt that charged $526.00 last fiscal year for a 64 gallon container.  The price of the bags has not changed since the pay as you throw began. The Transfer Station is run by an Enterprise Fund (MGL Ch44 sec 53F ½) Revenues must equal expenses. FY 2014 showed an $18,800.00 profit (this is due to the increase in sticker fees as well as the new operator educating the users on proper disposal and cutting down on illegal dumping. Over the past 3 years we have seen trash decrease and the recycling rate increase. The customer number has remained steady. Going forward, TA Smith would like to create a Transfer Station 5 year capital plan which would help focus on replacing the compactors or engines when needed.  Selectman Chizy uses the Transfer Station and sees Dave checking stickers on vehicles as well as helping the users unload their trash, he does a great job, and it is a real nice operation. Selectman Hebert thanks Dave for his services and says it is nice to have trust in the operator. Selectman Maynard was there recently and saw Dave educating a user on what the cost would be to unload their trash, great job, Vice Chairman Hall questions the bag revenue TA Smith replies the bag revenue is steady and in addition we have added a worker there on Saturdays for more oversight. Chairman Stuart sees the huge impact on the revenue; he commends Dave for his performance there.  Chairman Stuart questions if the revenue gets rolled back, TA Smith replies yes, it gets certified as free cash by DOR.  

Town Administrator Update:
  • Goddard Lodge: due to recent news paper articles in the Millbury Sutton Chronicle and the T&G, the town has received $150,000. From an anonymous donor to rehab Goddard Lodge. Individuals can donate towards this rehab as well. The $50,000. Approved at Town Meeting will be used for the design of this project.
  • Selectman Chizy says it is nice to have a benefactor come up with the donation; it is very generous and appreciated very much.
  • Selectman Hebert thanks TA Smith for including the Goddard Lodge in updates to the BOS as well as the master plan. There is a lot of history there. A lot of credit for the leg work goes out to Jen Hager, John also thanks the wonderful articles in the local papers and thank you to the donor, and this is big magnitude for the town. We should see about selling bricks to form a walkway to the water as a fundraiser.  John would like to see the winter building transformed into a changing area as well.
  • Vice Chair Hall is grateful for the significant donation. Jen Hager has done a great job researching and marketing this project.
  • Selectman Maynard says the news coverage on Marion’s Camp has been tremendous, thank you to the donor.
  • Chairman Stuart thanks the Millbury Sutton Chronicle and the T&G for the positive press on the Goddard Lodge and thank you to the benefactor for coming forward.  
  • Active Bids: the town has 2 bids out, the feasibility study for the new Police Station/Highway Facility which 40 firms have requested bid packets and a bid for the Highway Dept for 2 sander bodies.
  • Selectman Chizy is glad to see the Police Station project moving forward.  
  • Selectman Hebert says the current Police Station was built in 1983 the Police Dept. started in 1967. They are in need of a new facility with additional room.
  • Vice-Chair Hall toured the Police Station a few years ago, there was limited work space, at that time there was some renovations going on that was being done by the police officers. The ability to carry out their jobs in such a limited space is shocking, this is a critical project
  • Selectman Maynard is happy that the Police and Highway are on the radar for new facilities.
  • Chairman Stuart says it is apparent with the high number of inquiries for the Police Station feasibility study that the construction market is still very depressed, the time is now to move forward, it may be a good time to also move forward on Shaw Farm.  
  • Waters Farm Roof: completed by SW Debs, LLC for $31,850. Building Inspector John Couture has inspected the roof and signed off on it. The project came in under bid.   
Announcements/Correspondence: N/A
        
Round Table:
Selectman Chizy reminds all the needs of the Food Pantry.
Chairman Stuart informs the public that there was a tour of the school held earlier tonight (5:30) attended by the BOS, the School Committee, the School Building Committee and various town employees, Ken states that he was blown away compared to last year’s visit, it was absolutely fantastic, it is still a construction zone but the auditorium is world class. The Building Commissioner John Couture stated that the project is on schedule. We have weathered a major storm.
Selectman Maynard says he was lucky to have reviewed the plans prior to construction as the Sutton Fire Chief, to see the work in progress is phenomenal.  
        




Hearing no further comments Selectman Chizy motions to adjourn Selectman Hebert seconds passes 5-0  
Adjourned 7:35pm