Board of Selectmen Minutes

Board of Selectmen                 Present:  Curtis Plante

November 10, 2011                 David Lindsay

                                                Stanley Wysocki

                                                Don Lowe, Town Administrator

                                                Linda L. Day, Town Secretary

The Board of Selectmen met at the Town Hall at 7:00 p.m.

Advisory Committee members Randy Dinjian, Connie Benjamin and Terry Abdalian were present.

TAX CLASSIFICATION HEARING

Present:  Jeff Nichols and Susan Mason, Board of Assessors, and David Manzello, Principal Assessor

The Assessors reported that the residential percentage of taxes went from 92% to 93%, and the commercial and industrial went from 8% to 7%.  The decrease in commercial and industrial is a result of the property being vacated or the usage of the property being down.  

The evaluations have been certified by the state as of today but the full certification has not been received yet.  

Mr. Nichols stated that, unexpectedly, the new growth number is higher, which therefore resulted in a tax rate of $19.98, which is less than had been anticipated.

 

On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve a single tax rate in Bolton for the upcoming fiscal year.   (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)

POST SPECIAL TOWN MEETING DISCUSSION

Present:  Pamela Powell, Town Clerk

Mr. Anker, Town Moderator was unable to attend tonight’s discussion regarding Special Town Meeting held on Monday, November 7, 2011 and will meet with the Board of Selectmen at a later date for further discussion.

 

The Special Town Meeting was well attended with 582 registered voters present.    Overall, the meeting went very smoothly.

 

Article 1:  Unpaid Bill for Fiscal Year 2011 – Passed

Article 2:  Creation of a Five Member Conservation Commission – Defeated

Article 3:  Amendment to Section 2.5.9 Inclusionary Housing – Approved

Article 4:  Fire Chief Reporting Procedures – Defeated

Article 5:  Purchase of Smith Property for Affordable Housing and Town Green – Defeated

Article 6:  Authorize Town Election – Majority in Favor

Mr. Lindsay recommended that in the future the Board of Selectmen start with a presentation when they are the sponsor of an article.  

Many felt that the Florence Sawyer School was not the best facility for the town meeting.  If it is necessary to have future meetings at the Florence Sawyer School, improvements should be made with the lighting, sound and the line of site to the speakers at the microphones for those sitting on the stage.  

Ms. Powell commended the counters for the job well done.  A suggestion was made to use brighter voting slips so that they do not blend with the surroundings and it is easier to see them.  

Mr. Dinjian stated that he was disappointed that there was a call for the vote on Article 5: Purchase of Smith Property for Affordable Housing and Town Green so soon in the debate, and if the Moderator had not pointed it out, it would have given the people in line at the microphone the opportunity to speak.  Although he realizes it would not have changed the outcome of the vote, the main reason we were there was for Article 5 and he did not think an hour for the debate was excessive.

   

Ms. Powell confirmed that the election is being held on Monday, November 21 from noon to 8 p.m. at the Nashoba Regional High School auditorium and is just as important even though the article failed at the Special Town meeting.  If it were to pass at the election, the Partners for Planning would have the option to bring their proposal back to the Annual Town Meeting.  The Election will be advertised on the electronic board along Main Street.  

STORM DAMAGE

Present:  Emergency Manager Co-Directors Andy Bagdonas, Tom Moses, Police Chief Alfano, and Deputy Fire Chief John Mentzer

Mr. Bagdonas stated that the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) was set up in what is called a “soft open” which means the room is ready to go at any time.     The EOC officially opened at 7:00 p.m. on the evening of October 29 with representatives from all town departments present and assigned to their roles.  The DPW workers were out cleaning roads after the snow began to fall on Saturday evening and worked until 1 a.m. on Sunday, when it was deemed unsafe for them to continue.  

National Grid representatives visited the EOC on a daily basis and conference calls were held each day 1:00 p.m.  As information became available it was posted to the website and twitter accounts.  Regional MEMA representatives also visited the EOC to canvas the Town’s needs and provide resources.  

Mr. Lowe did not believe that the National Grid line trucks could have made it to Bolton any earlier because all three substations powering Bolton went down during the storm.  Mr. Lowe stated that it is important for people to know that things are happening even if people can’t see it.  

Mr. Lowe did express his frustration with the incorrect data that National Grid was posting to their website which led many residents to return home expecting electricity when there was none. National Grid’s performance did improve, and they are willing to do more tree trimming around town if the residents will allow it.  

There was a shelter at the Atlantic Union College in Lancaster which Bolton personnel helped to staff.   

By Monday, the EOC was no longer needed, and the DPW staff was working within their confines to clean up the damage.  

Mr. Moses stated that the “soft open” was the first on the list of improvements as a result of the last storm and on the list of improvements for the next time is a more efficient way to get information out to the public.  

There is an emergency number (211) available to all Massachusetts residents which serve as an informational line.  The Emergency Management Co-Directors are working on designating a non-emergency storm-related phone at the EOC to receive calls.

Mr. Bagdonas stated that Town Administrator Don Lowe did an incredible job managing the media and National Grid representatives.  

Ms. Abdalian encouraged seniors to contact Safelink regarding their wireless program to receive a cell phone free of charge for those who meet the certain economic standards.  

The Board will invite Mr. Spratt, Facilities Manager for the School District, to meet with them to discuss the status of activating one of the schools in Bolton as a shelter.  

Mr. Lowe commended all town personnel for the quality of work done during the storm.  Everyone put in an incredible amount of hours and he was very proud to see everyone working fantastically together as one team.  

Brush removal:  The Town has received a significant amount of calls from residents wanting to know how the town will deal with the brush removal.  The DPW has done some of the roads in town but there is more to be done on these roads because residents continue to bring brush out to the roadside.

Mr. Brown stated that it is important to clean up as much as possible before the next snow fall.

Mr. Brown stated that it would cost an estimated $265,340 to hire aerial and ground crews to help his department with the clean up.  Approximately $127,000 of that will be for the removal of hangers not taken care of by National Grid.

Mr. Wysocki suggested that we do whatever clean up we can do in the next three to four weeks and recommended the authorization of a deficit spending.  

Mr. Plante agreed, stating that it is the Town’s obligation to make the roadways safe and for us not to act on this would be neglect.  

Mr. Lindsay initially did not feel that we should deficit spend without approval from the residents and suggested that the town do the best they can within budget.  After additional discussion, he was comfortable with a moderate-sized special expenditure, but only one that was substantially less than what Mr. Brown had first proposed.

On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen voted to authorize $50,000 of deficit spending for hanger and roadside brush removal.  (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki –yes)

Mr. Brown will provide the Board of Selectmen with an update on the cleanup for their next meeting.  Deputy Fire Chief John Mentzer stated that he contacted the State and they do not anticipate opening the burning season up sooner than January 15, 2012.  

On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen voted to allow residents to bring brush to the town transfer station during the open hours of operation.  (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)

TOWN ADMINISTRATOR REPORT

Minuteman Capital Project:  It will cost the Town an extra $212,000 if they chose to go with the Model E versus Option B.  

Bolton Woods Way:  On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Lindsay, the Board of Selectmen voted to sign an additional document related to the consent executed at their meeting on September 22, 2011 to refinance a mortgage at 67 Bolton Woods Way.   Mr. O’Brien, member of the Housing Authority, approved the signing of the document.  (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)

Benefits situation:  On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Lindsay, the Board of Selectmen, pursuant to M.G.L., Chapter 41, Section 111F, voted to discontinue leave without loss of pay benefits to Michael Slepetz on the basis that he is no longer incapacitated from duty as a result of the injury he sustained on December 3, 2009.  (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)

Minutes:  On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Lindsay, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the regular and executive session minutes for September 22 and October 6, 2011.  (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)

APPOINTMENT OF FIRE CHIEF

Mr. Plante recused himself from this discussion, left the meeting room and turned the meeting over to Mr. Lindsay to chair.

Mr. Lindsay anticipated voting to appoint John Mentzer as Fire Chief and thanked Dave Farrell, who recently withdrew his application and Chip Durant for their interest in the position and service to the town.  Mr. Lindsay stated that, if chosen, each would have made a good chief, and he hoped they would remain with the department for many years to come.  Mr. Wysocki echoed Mr. Lindsay’s comments about Mr. Farrell and Mr. Durant, but stated that it was his preference to defer the vote until the next Board of Selectmen’s meeting to give him the opportunity to meet with Mr. Mentzer prior to any vote being taken.  

CONGRATULATIONS

Mr. Plante congratulated the Nashoba Regional High School varsity football, field hockey and soccer teams for making it to the playoffs.

On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen voted to adjourn at 9:00 p.m.  (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)

Respectfully submitted by Linda L. Day