Board of Selectmen Minutes
Meeting date:
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Board of Selectmen Present: Kenneth F. Troup
January 18, 2007 Panny Gerken
Curt Plante
Chairman Mr. Troup called the Board of Selectmen’s meeting to order at timeMinute0Hour197:00 p.m.
WARRANT
#07-15 $106,675.08
#07-15a $125,929.77
GLOBAL SIGNAL TOWER HEARING
Present: Brad Cohen of Global Signal
A public hearing was held to act upon the application of Global Signal to renew the existing special permit issued in December of 2001 pursuant to Section 2.5.7.5 of the Zoning Bylaw of the Town of placeCityBolton. The property is located at addressStreet41 Main Street. The Board of Selectmen received a letter dated dateYear2007Day9Month1January 9, 2007 from RGM Holding Corp. owners of the property authorizing Global Signal to renew their application with the Board of Selectmen. Mr. Cohen stated that the last two carriers added to the tower were Cingular and Nextel. There have not been any changes to the site or tower except for the addition of shelters for Nextel and Cingular that have both been approved by the Board of Selectmen. Omnipoint (T-mobile) is in the process of installing their equipment that was also approved by the Board of Selectmen in December of 2006. Mr. Cohen stated that this will cover the area along Route 117 and there is no need for any other towers in the area. Mr. Cohen confirmed that there is room on the tower for the town’s emergency equipment if needed. The tower is at 51% capacity to hold equipment and the typical 911 equipment will not register as additional capacity. Mr. Cohen will provide the combination for the padlock to all emergency personnel in case there is a need to gain access to the site. Mr. Krysa, Building Inspector stated that he has been in contact with Attorney Grossman of T-mobile regarding the process for arranging to add equipment to the tower. On a motion made by Plante and seconded by Gerken, the Board of Selectmen voted to close the hearing. (Troup – yes, Gerken – yes, Plante – yes)
A motion made by Plante and seconded by Gerken to approve the special permit was made and withdrawn. The draft special permit decision will be drafted for the Board’s review and approval at their meeting on dateYear2007Day1Month2Thursday, February 1, 2007. It was also noted that this decision must be recorded with the Registry of Deeds. Mr. Cohen thanked the Board and especially Mr. Tipton, Town Planner who was very helpful throughout the entire process.
REPRESENTATIVE WALRATH
Representative Walrath had her annual meeting with the Board of Selectmen to inform them of issues before the state legislature. The issues included:
Community Preservation Fund changes - Chapter 38, Chapter 289 & Chapter 393
Municipal Fund Transfers - Chapter 77
Meetings of Municipal Boards - Chapter 79
Establish Affordable Housing Trusts - Chapter 109
Wireless Communication Access - Chapter 143
Streamlining and Expedited Permitting - Chapter 205
Taxation of placeForest, placePlaceNameFarm & Recreation PlaceTypeLand - Chapter 394
Town Administrator Jodi Ross informed Representative Walrath of a letter the Board of Selectmen received regarding the recent bill filed at the placeStateMassachusetts legislature on behalf of Verizon that would effectively eliminate local control of cable franchising in placeStateMassachusetts. Representative Walrath stated this was a federal issue but would certainly follow up with Ms. Ross if she hears anything about this legislature.
TURNER PROPERTY
Mr. Krysa, Building Inspector, reported that the Board of Survey (Mark Giunta, Clyde Wheeler and John Stephenson) was appointed to inspect the property and make a recommendation as to the disposition of the property. In summary the Board of Survey determined that the remains were beyond repair, in danger of collapse and posed a public safety hazard. He stated that the property was attractive to young children and recommended that the building be razed and the cellar hole filled in as soon as possible. The Town also has the option to demolish the building and put a lien on the property to recover the costs. Mr. Krysa stated that he notified Mr. Ira Turner via certified mail to secure the property and had not received any response. Mr. Ira Turner admitted he had not been responsive and taken any action for a few reasons that included it being a financial hardship and a very difficult time for the family. Mr. Ira Turner, along with his parents Elizabeth and Paul Turner, who were also present at the meeting, asked for more time to search the property for salvageable items. The Board of Selectmen expressed their concern that the site was a public safety hazard and needed to be secured immediately to prevent unauthorized access. Mr. Krysa stated that he was not sure that Chapter 143 would allow the Board of Selectmen to grant an extension to the demolition of the property.
Ms. Martha Remington, representing the Bolton Historical Commission, referred to the demolition delay bylaw that protects historic properties and asked for more time to review the property since the Historical Commission had not been involved in any discussions prior to this evening. Ms. Remington requested information regarding the original complaint regarding this property.
The Board of Selectmen agreed to postpone the ruling to next meeting to allow time to contact Town Counsel to see if there were any liability issues and determine if the law allows the Selectmen to grant an extension to the demolition of the property. In the meantime Mr. Turner agreed to meet with the Fire Chief John Stephenson and Building Inspector Frank Krysa to discuss a means of securing the property that would be satisfactory to the Fire Chief and Building Inspector. Mr. Turner will report to the Board of Selectmen with a plan for securing the property along with a date by which they will remove the materials. The Historical Commission was asked to work to get the consultant onto the property as soon as possible.
BONAZZOLI PROPERTY
Present: Gigi Bonazzoli, Carol Gumbart
The Board of Selectmen reviewed a letter from Gigi Bonazzoli offering two parcels to the Town of placeCityBolton as gifts of land:
Sugar Road: This parcel is a 0.3 acre parcel located on addressStreetSugar Road bounded by Interstate 495 and town-owned conservation land, known as Atlantic Union and three residential lots at the end of addressStreetBurnham Road. On a motion made by Gerken and seconded by Plante the Board of Selectmen voted to accept this gift of land, under the auspices of the Conservation Commission. (Troup – yes, Gerken – yes, Plante – yes)
addressStreetSouth Bolton Road: This parcel is a 1 acre parcel on addressStreetSouth Bolton Road and is located between addressStreetSouth Bolton Road and Lively Road on the placeCityHudson town line. Mr. Bonazzoli referred to it as junk land alongside a railroad track. Ms. Gumbart expressed concern with continued dumping that is taking place on this property. The Selectmen were hesitant about accepting the land because of liability issues without knowing what had been dumped on the property. Ms. Gumbart stated there may be vernal pools and a stream flows to the south of the site. There was question about using the land as drainage and if a building could be placed on this lot. Mr. Bonazzoli agreed to walk the land with Mr. Plante and Ms. Gumbart on Monday, January 22 at timeHour10Minute010:00 a.m. and report back to the Board of Selectmen’s meeting on dateMonth2Day1Year2007February 1, 2007. Mr. Bonazzoli will pay the taxes that are due on the addressStreetSouth Bolton Road property.
CRISPEN, GREEN ROAD, CHAPTER 61a
Present: Whitney Crispen
On a motion made by Troup and seconded Plante, the Board of Selectmen voted not to exercise its right to purchase Lots 2 & 3 on addressStreetGreen Road owned by Ms. Whitney Crispen Hagins and Mr. Cullen R. Crispen. (Troup – yes, Gerken – yes, Plante – yes)
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR REPORT
Proposed Cell Tower RFP: Present Chris Slade, Bob Davis
On a motion made by Gerken and seconded by Plante, the Board of Selectmen voted to release the Request for Proposal (RFP) prepared by Town Administrator Jodi Ross. The RFP is to solicit bids to erect a wireless communications tower on town-owned land adjacent to the transfer station and generate revenue for the town. The RFP will be released next week and a committee will be formed to recommend to the Selectmen the most advantageous proposal to the town. A town meeting vote will be required to lease the land. Ms. Ross will provide Mr. Slade, who is completing the excavation and closure of Mr. Davis’ pit adjacent to the site of the tower, with more information to the exact location of the proposed tower.
Energy Committee: The Board of Selectmen voted to form an Energy Committee. A notice will be prepared to publish in the Bolton Common and on the town website.
Wastewater Treatment Plant: The Flatley Company has requested an agreement be drafted for them to review regarding permanent access to the town property and treatment plant in exchange for providing Flatley with use of the wastewater treatment plant at some time in the future. Mr. Troup will inform the wastewater treatment plant committee members of this and draft an agreement to review.
ATM warrant/budgets: The most recent draft will be forwarded to the Board of Selectmen for the next Board of Selectmen meeting.
Temporary signs: Ms. Ross proposed a process for regulating the placement of temporary signs in the town of placeCityBolton. All temporary signs must be approved by the Board of Selectmen. A spreadsheet will be kept of all approved signs including temporary ones and will be distributed to the Police Department on a regular basis. When a temporary sign is approved by the Board of Selectmen the applicant will be provided with a sticker to be placed on the sign to identify its approval. There will be a fee of $5.00 for any temporary sign request. A building permit application will not be required for a temporary sign.
Lloyds Woodworking Inc. gift to the Town – On a motion made by Gerken and seconded by Plante, the Board of Selectmen voted to accept the gift of a 1988 Chevrolet G30 van for use by the maintenance custodian with the understanding that the Selectmen do not want to spend a lot of money on the vehicle itself. It will cost the town approximately $500-$600 per year to insure. Ms. Ross will talk with Mr. Brown to see if this vehicle could be shared with other departments.
Census letter: Ms. Gerken stated that she wanted it to be made clear that the letter that accompanied the census form mailed to all residents came directly from the town clerk who reports solely to the town citizens and was not reviewed by the Board of Selectmen prior to its mailing.
FUTURE ELECTION LOCATIONS
Ms. Cussen stated that last year’s population was 4,929 and we will be over 5,000 this year which will require the election to be broken into two precincts. Voting for the two precincts can be in the same location. The next Federal Census is in 2010.
Ms. Cussen stated that the town hall is becoming too small for the number of voters but there were advantages to having it in the town hall. A suggestion was made to have the elections held at the school which created several other concerns such as parking, traffic, and having school in session on the day of the election. This is a topic that could be discussed at an upcoming Tri-Town Meeting. Ms. Cussen was not interested in having the Registrars look into various alternatives as she did not see it as a major crisis at this time. Ms. Ross suggested the Selectmen take this topic on as one of their annual goals for next year and form a committee to look at this.
Mr. Plante suggested that Ms. Cussen talk with Superintendent Wood regarding moving the election to the school and scheduling staff development days for the day of election which would also help to eliminate parking and traffic issues.
DISCLOSURE OF LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE MEMBER
On a motion made by Gerken and seconded by Troup, the Board of Selectmen accepted the disclosure statement document from John Rodenhiser, member of the Library Construction Committee. (Troup – yes, Gerken – yes, Plante – opposed) The disclosure will be filed with the Town Clerk.
COMMUNITIY PRESERVATION ACT
The supporters of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) would like to meet with the Board of Selectmen at their meeting on dateMonth2Day13Year2007Tuesday, February 13, 2007 with hopes of having a special town meeting on dateMonth4Day2Year2007April 2, 2007. A public meeting regarding the CPA will be held on dateYear2007Day15Month2Thursday, February 15, 2007 at Town Hall.
BUDGET DISCUSSIONS
Playground Repairs: Mr. Troup stated Ms. Mandell has funds and materials available for the playground repairs.
Security cameras: The security plan proposed in Mr. Brown’s budget is not part of the security plan discussed at the Tri-Town Meeting.
Fog Lines: Mr. Plante proposed a stripe down the center of the road versus fog lines on the edge of the road where it does get covered up by sand. Public Ways Safety Committee will be asked their opinion of a center line versus fog lines on the edge of the road.
APPOINTMENTS
On a motion made by Gerken and seconded by Plante, the Board of Selectmen voted to appoint Randy Dinjian of addressStreet310 Wattaquadock Hill Road to the Personnel Committee, term expiration dateYear2009Day30Month6June 30, 2009.
On a motion made by Troup and seconded by Plante, the Board of Selectmen voted to appoint Donna Madden to the Insurance Advisory Committee, term expiration dateYear2007Day30Month6June 30, 2007 and Panny Gerken as Liaison to the Insurance Advisory Committee.
Donna Madden was also appointed as the Town of placeCityBolton’s representative member to the Minuteman Nashoba Health Group to replace previously appointed representatives Jodi Ross and Linda Day.
Meeting adjourned.