Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting date:
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Board of Selectmen Present: Curtis Plante
February 9, 2012 David Lindsay
Stanley Wysocki
Don Lowe, Town Administrator
Linda L. Day, Town Secretary
The Board of Selectmen met at the Town Hall at 6:30 p.m.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Lindsay, the Board of Selectmen voted
3-0 by roll call (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki - yes) to enter into executive session under the authority of Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 39B, Section 23B (3) at 6:30 p.m. to discuss collective bargaining. The Board announced it would reconvene to open session.
REGULAR SESSION
On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen voted
3-0 by roll call (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki - yes) to enter into regular session at 7:10 p.m.
CONSERVATION RESTRICTIONS
Present: Carol Gumbart, Conservation Commission Administrator
Arsenault, Burnham Road: On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the Conservation Restriction. The benefit is to preserve the wetlands, stream and habitat. There is no public access. (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)
James, Nourse Road: On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the Conservation Restriction. This restriction connects the property to an existing restriction and there is no public access at this time. (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR SOLAR ON TOWN PROPERTY
Present: Margaret Campbell and Ryan Prucnal, Energy Committee members
Ms. Campbell met with the Board of Selectmen to receive authorization to move forward with a request for proposal (RFP) to solicit a developer to install a solar system on town property.
Ms. Campbell gave a presentation regarding the installation of a solar system on town property. The benefits of the solar include an absence of carbon emissions, no up-front cost for the installation, reducing the cost of electricity to the town and receiving tax revenue for the installation on town land.
Mr. Lindsay expressed his concern with visual pollution and asked that it be considered as part of the request for proposal.
On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the Energy Committee’s request to distribute a request for proposal for potential use of town land for solar energy. (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)
PUBLIC WAYS SAFETY COMMITTEE
Present: Peter Ross and Mary Ciummo, Co-chairs of the Public Ways Safety Committee
The Board of Selectmen reviewed the latest version of the proposed article to adopt the Line of Sight Bylaw to be included on the warrant for the Annual Town Meeting on May 7, 2012.
Mr. Lowe stated that Town Counsel has confirmed that Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 258 protects the town from claims of negligence.
A public hearing will be held regarding the proposed article.
RENEWABLE ENERGY MASSACHSUETTS
Present: Brian Kopperl, representative of Renewal Energy Massachusetts (REM)
A special permit will be filed with the Planning Board next week for the construction of a solar energy facility to be located on 30 acres of a gravel pit owned by Davis Farms (Bolton Orchards) at 125 Still River Road. The facility will generate 7 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
Mr. Kopperl stated that solar systems are allowed in Massachusetts, and our Building Inspector Michael Sauvageau also confirmed this when they reviewed the proposed project with him. Mr. Kopperl also noted that the regulations allow for a commercial use in a residential area.
A meeting to discuss the proposed project with abutters has been scheduled for March 8th.
The facility would allow for a net metering power purchase agreement, and REM anticipated the Town of Bolton being one of the municipal customers. REM offered a 10% discount.
Given the approval by the Board of Selectmen for the Energy Committee to move forward with a request for proposal for solar energy Mr. Kopperl recommended that town proceed in that manner.
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR REPORT
Minuteman Assessment: Mr. Lowe reported that the Minuteman assessment for FY13 is $341,722, which is a 9% increase over FY12. An additional assessment of $11,400 to address a major building repair at Minuteman will be an article on the Annual Town Meeting warrant for May 7, 2012.
Minuteman Building Project: Mr. Lowe attended a meeting of town managers to discuss the renovations to Minuteman, which are estimated at $60-65 million, and the allocation of capital expenses. Superintendent Bouquillon informed everyone of the option outlined in Chapter 71 that would allow the School Committee to call a district-wide election where every town would vote on the same day, with a simple majority prevailing versus each member town voting at their town meeting.
On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen voted to appoint Mr. Lowe as Bolton’s representative to the Minuteman School Building Committee. (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)
Minuteman School Committee: The Town is looking for a resident to serve on the Minuteman School Committee and letters will be sent to the families in Bolton that currently send a student to Minuteman to see if there is any interest in serving on the Committee.
Bolton’s 275th Celebration: Mr. Lowe and Ms. Day will be meeting with Reverend Jones to sketch out the initial outline for the planning of Bolton’s 275th Celebration in 2013.
Non-Union salary schedule: Mr. Lowe requested approval from the Board of Selectmen to hire a consultant to review the non-union salary schedule for town employees. There was a limited review done approximately 5 years ago, and Mr. Lowe was not in complete agreement with some of the findings. He stated that it is a good management practice to have a review done every 5 to 10 years. Mr. Lowe proposed having a report back to the Board of Selectmen on October 1, 2012 with any actions to be taken implemented in the FY14 budget process. Mr. Lowe stated that funds were available in the FY12 budget to pay for the review.
On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Lindsay, the Board of Selectmen voted to authorize Town Administrator Don Lowe to bring in a consultant to review the non-union salary schedule for town employees. (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 session and executive session minutes of December 15, 2011.
Update on the Annual Town Meeting Warrant for May 7, 2012: The Advisory Committee is still considering their recommendations on the capital projects to be included on the warrant. The Planning Board is finalizing their articles for the warrant. The Selectmen will receive a copy of the draft warrant prior to the next Selectmen’s meeting on March 22, 2012.
SELECTMEN BUSINESS
Presidential Primary: On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen executed the warrant for the Presidential Primary. (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)
Re-codification of the Zoning Bylaws: On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Lindsay, the Board of Selectmen voted to refer the re-codification of the Zoning Bylaws to the Planning Board who, in turn, will vote to schedule the public hearing in accordance with the notice requirements and time periods established by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 40A, Section 5. (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)
Sign Request for 579 Main Street: The Board of Selectmen reviewed the re-design of the sign for 579 Main Street. The re-design meets the Board’s recommendation as discussed at their meeting on January 5, 2012. On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen approved the re-design. (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes)
Slater’s Liquor License: On a motion made by Lindsay and seconded by Wysocki, the Board of Selectmen executed the revised Form 43 of the liquor license application for Slater’s at 356 Main Street. (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki – yes) This revision was requested by Brad Doyle of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) as part of the review process for the liquor license application submitted by Bruce Slater, owner of Slater’s at 356 Main Street.
BatCo: A letter received from Ken Troup, Chairman of BatCo, regarding the status of the renovations of the Houghton Building was deferred to the next Board of Selectmen’s meeting.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
On a motion made by Wysocki and seconded by Lindsay, the Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 by roll call (Plante – yes, Lindsay – yes, Wysocki - yes) to enter into executive session under the authority of Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 39B, Section 23B (3) at 8:45 p.m. to discuss collective bargaining. The Board announced it would not reconvene to open session.
Respectfully submitted by Linda L. Day