Board of Selectmen Minutes

Board of Selectmen                              Present:        Kenneth F. Troup

April 29, 2010                                          Stanley Wysocki

                                                                Curtis Plante

                                                     Don Lowe, Town Administrator

                                                Linda L. Day, Town Secretary

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

ATM WARRANT REVIEW

The Board of Selectmen reviewed the Annual Town Meeting Warrant with Town Counsel Gary Brackett in preparation for the town meeting on May 3, 2010.

NASHAWAY ROAD/VAUGHN HILL ROAD

The Board of Selectmen reviewed the proposal from Comprehensive Environmental Incorporated (CEI) to do an engineering study of the flooding/drainage issues in the Nashaway Road and Vaughn Hill Road area.  Mr. Lowe read the scope of services proposed by CEI in their letter dated May 5, 2010.  The work will be completed within 30 to 60 days and the services will be performed for a lump sum of $11,500.

Mr. Brown has agreed to fund this project out of the 422 Road Maintenance account but will have to defer some road maintenance because of this.  

Mr. Plante suggested that a public meeting be held with the engineering firm for residents to attend.  

Mr. Bill Allen of 271 Vaughn Hill Road expressed concern with contaminants from roadway runoff draining onto his property and in the proximity of the well.  Mr. Allen suggested that the Board of Selectmen have a discussion about alternatives to using salt.  The Board stated that residents typically test their own wells for contaminants but they were willing to doing additional testing on existing wells if the residents could provide the Board with baseline sample results.

On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Plante, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the proposal with the understanding that a public meeting for residents will be added to the scope of work.   (Troup – yes, Wysocki – yes, Plante – yes)

PUBLIC SAFETY CENTER BUDGET

Susan Mason, Chairman of the Public Safety Center Committee

Ms. Mason informed the Board of Selectmen that the Committee expressed their sincere appreciation for the Board of Selectmen’s willingness to sponsor Article 18 for additional funds to offset unforeseen costs for the public safety building.  Ms. Mason stated that the Committee feels they have sufficient funds to bring the project in under budget and will therefore recommend that the article be passed over at town meeting.

REVIEW OF POLICE BUDGET FOR FY11

Chief Alfano met with the Board of Selectmen to address concerns and questions regarding the FY11 Police Department budget that he presented to the Board of Selectmen, Advisory Committee and Capital Planning Committee.  

 

Chief Alfano stated that the cruisers are the primary tool of a police officer and there are ramifications to not purchasing a cruiser. The ramifications included increased risk of officer safety, exposure for the town to liability for maintenance and mechanical related accidents, crime and accident statistics due to reduction in patrol coverage; cruiser repair costs; reduced in-town police coverage because of increased shuttling of cruisers to repair shops; and reduction in availability of serviceable cruisers for other town departments.

 

Chief Alfano provided the Board of Selectmen with a copy of the Fleet Management Policy and Procedures along with documentation that showed the cruiser longevity.

 

Mr. Lindsay suggested that Chief Alfano meet with the Capital Planning Committee to discuss the cruiser fleet and possibly come up with a schedule that would allow the purchase of the cruisers to be done at a slower pace to save some money.  

Chief’s budget also included $4,000 to enter into an agreement to lease a motorcycle.  Chief explained that the motorcycle is another tool that can be used for traffic enforcement which he takes very seriously based on complaints of the residents of Bolton.   

Mr. Plante stated that he did not have any questions but he did not think the town needed to purchase another cruiser this year and was not favorable to the purchase of the motorcycle.

FAMILY PARADE AND ACTIVITES

On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Plante, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the request of Dan Teague to hold a parade and family activities on July 3^rd, 2010.  There will not be any fireworks this year.   (Troup – yes, Wysocki – yes, Plante – yes)

EXECUTIVE SESSION

On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Plante, the Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 by roll call (Troup – yes, Wysocki – yes, Plante - yes) to enter into executive session under the authority of Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 39B, Section 23B (3) at 9:00 p.m. to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining.  The Board announced it would not reconvene to open session.