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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOS MINUTES 2-20-13 Board of Selectmen Minutes February 20, 2013 +13OFF/CE Present: Olivier Kozlowski, Chair; George Dentino, Doug Annino 21 A 0 S9 William Ross, Town Manager 1 `.4 1 t Ll •Mrs. Walgreen thanked the Board of Selectmen for its support of the COA and seniors. She said the seniors appreciate having the COA as a place to meet, have a meal and participate in activities; it also gives staff the staff the opportunity to check in with the seniors. Mrs. Walgreen reported the doors to the multipurpose room have been replaced to make them handicapped accessible, which was done as a cooperative effort between COA and town staff. Mr. Dentino thanked Mrs. Walgreen for the work the COA does and said Mansfield's center has more programs than many surrounding towns. Mrs. Walgreen said Ms. Farrugia and the staff do a great job planning for the future; she said in 2013, the COA is looking at additional programs like wellness and exercise, as well as cultural programs. She said having the library next door is very helpful and said the COA has been talking about connecting with other town departments on other new programming. Mr. Dentino said the COA program should bring high school students in to sing. Mr. Annino said the COA does a fantastic job and he appreciates Ms. Farrugia's leadership. He said the COA offers a lot for residents and is a great resource for seniors to keep active. Mr. Annino suggested the COA think about its space needs and develop a wish list so while the town is planning for the future, it can include those needs. Mr. Kozlowksi thanked Mrs. Walgreen for visiting the board and said he would like to continue meeting with board and committee representatives regularly. Mr. Ross said he visits the COA about every other month, and the seniors always have good questions and feedback. He said he appreciates hearing the seniors' opinions and suggestions. Mrs. Walgreen said the seniors appreciate being included and listened to. Warrants Warrant No. 13034T- $373,320.16 Motion: To approve Town Warrant 13034T $373,320.16 (Dentino-Annino) All in favor. PASSES Electric Department Warrant No. 13034E - $263,828.73 Motion: To approve Electric Department Warrant 13034E $263,828.73 (Dentino-Annino) All in favor. PASSES School Department Warrant No. 13034S - $504,469.06 Motion: To approve School Department Warrant 13034S $504,469.06 (Dentino-Annino) All in favor. PASSES Town Payroll Warrant No. 13034PT- $382,381.86 Motion: To approve Town Payroll Warrant No. 13034PT- $382,381.86 (Dentino-Annino) All in favor. PASSES Town Deductions—Vendor—Warrant No. 13034TV - $119,207.14 Motion: To approve Town Deductions—Vendor—Warrant No. 13034TV - $119,207.14 (Dentino-Annino) All in favor. PASSES Licenses and Permits Water Installer License—Peter DeGirolamo & Sons, Inc. Motion: To approve the Water Installer license for Peter DeGirolamo & Sons, Inc. (Dentino-Annino) All in favor. PASSES Correspondence Letter from Southeastern Regional School District re: School Renovation/Addition Project The school will be installing a new roof, including solar collectors. Mr. Dentino asked how the expenses per town are figured; Mr. Ross said it is based on the number of students, which he said will be going up. He said Mr. Lopes does a wonderful job at Southeastern, along with Bill Flannery, the town's representative. Review and Approval of Banners for Parks & Recreation Events Mr. Annino suggested town banners like these should have standard art and typeface, and should include the town seal. The Great Duck Race, June 26, 2013 Summer Camp, July 1-August 23, 2013 Arts & Crafts Show, November 2, 2013 Motion: To approve the banners with the addition of the town seal, if possible (Annino-Dentino) All in favor. PASSES ikoaiiihUrwl'k e u,ikiiuq�Aa�:tihrwt John Shannon, Canoe River Aquifer Advisory Committee Mr. Shannon explained he moved to Mansfield in 1999 and has been attending the CRAAC meetings regularly. He helped the group set up its Facebook page and is a graduate student at URI in Environmental Sciences and Management. Wayne Southworth recommended he apply for the vacancy. Mr. Annino said he appreciates Mr. Shannon's involvement in this important committee and his assistance in their outreach attempts. Mr. Shannon said it is important people know about the aquifer and where their water comes from. Mr. Dentino thanked Mr. Shannon for being active on the committee. Mr. Kozlowski said it is not typical to have an applicant who has been so involved even before being appointed to the committee and thanked Mr. Shannon for his participation. He asked if CRAC has any issues coming up in 2013. Mr. Shannon said drinking water issues are well understood, but the wastewater issue should be carefully examined, especially on a regional scale. Motion: To appoint Mr. Shannon to the Canoe River Aquifer Advisory Committee (Annino-Dentino) All in favor. PASSES Mr. Dentino asked if the application for board and committee membership has always included the applicant's current employer. Mr. Ross said it has. Mr. Dentino suggested discussing that and asked whether that information is relevant. Mr. Kozlowski said he thinks it is useful information to determine someone's experience or possible conflicts. Mr. Annino said he thinks the board should discuss that issue. James Rathbun, Zoning Board of Appeals (alternate member to full member) Mr. Rathbun said he is currently an alternate ZBA member and attends about 90% of the meetings. He said he enjoys serving on the ZBA and with Mr. Vultaggio retiring, he would like to become a full member. Mr. Annino asked what Mr. Rathbun feels need improvement. Mr. Rathbun said it would sometimes be helpful for a member of the Planning Board to attend ZBA meetings to discuss the recommendations. Mr. Annino said he would like to see a better understanding between the two boards; both boards have important roles, with the ZBA making decisions on relief from the Zoning By-Law and the Planning Board being responsible for upholding the Zoning By-Law. Mr. Rathbun said he applied for the ZBA after having a difficult time with an application. Mr. Annino said the ZBA has to look at how granting relief will impact the whole town, not just individual homeowners. Mr. Rathbun said there has been a lot of redevelopment in downtown Mansfield lately, and some of the proposals seem to be too dense. He said he feels he has had good training during his time as an alternate member. Mr. Annino suggested all board members should be respectful and professional toward the residents who come before them. Mr. Rathbun said he understands the perspective of someone who comes before the board. Mr. Dentino said the ZBA and Planning Board are in a naturally adversarial position. Mr. Rathbun said he thinks the ZBA does what it thinks is right. Mr. Dentino asked about the percentage of approvals versus denials; Mr. Rathbun said he thinks granting relief can set a precedent. Mr. Dentino said there was a time when it seemed the ZBA granted relief to every application. Mr. Rathbun said the board spends a lot of time on each application to come to a good decision. He said the board tries to balance the needs of applicants with the neighbors'. Mr. Kozlowski asked what the ZBA wants the Board of Selectmen to know for 2013. Mr. Rathbun said he has been trying to learn as an alternate member, and said it will be a challenge to replace Mr. Vultaggio. He suggested looking at the application process, as well as consistently getting Planning Board recommendations. Mr. Kozlowski said he agrees the ZBA will have a hard time replacing Mr. Vultaggio's experience. He said it is a good idea to provide applicants with as much assistance during the process as possible. Motion: To appoint Mr. Rathbun a full member of the Zoning Board of Appeals (Annino-Dentino) All in favor. PASSES Mr. Ross said the reorganization of the departments on the first floor of Town Hall has resulted in"one-stop shopping" for residents seeking permits and said he thinks the system works well. Mr. Ross said he will be making a request to the Finance Committee for deficit spending for snow removal. Mr. Ross said he has had meetings about transitioning to a regional Veterans' Agent system after Mr. Hogan's retirement; he said Mr. Hogan has been very helpful and provided a lot of information. There will be a coffee for Mr. Hogan at Town Hall on February 27 at 2 pm. Mr. Ross said the Capital Improvements Committee met to finalize the capital budget, with the addition of$425,000 for the town-wide telephone system. He said he does not expect the system to cost that much. DPW has requested a new Bombardier sidewalk plow with a snowblower ($165,000) after the recent blizzard; the 1997 sidewalk plow broke down during the storm. Mr. Ross said he will be working with the Finance Committee on the capital plan prior to Annual Town Meeting. Mr. Ross said there has been discussion about combining the town and Senate primary elections; Town Clerk Marianne Staples has recommended not doing that. Mr. Ross noted changing the town election to the primary date would result in the election taking place before Annual Town Meeting. He said there is a special legislative act that allows the change, but Ms. Staples is concerned about doubling up on staff because it would be two elections. 1, 1c1‘. .,1.a�HV1 IW°. 4Yt4ii.: ;giMa C; aSilfsik8as`.� Mr. Annino asked how the snow equipment is holding up. Mr. Ross said there have been some issues with trucks and the sidewalk plow; he said the blizzard was two feet of heavy, wet snow that lasted almost 24 hours. He said the town's plows are all front plows, but he doesn't think the town could justify the cost of a motor grader for rare large storms, so more salt is used. Another load of salt has been ordered because another storm is expected. Mr. Dentino asked what funds are in reserve; Mr. Ross said the Finance Committee had about $150,000 in a reserve fund, some of which was used for the Town Hall boiler. He said there is about $110,000 left in that, some of which will be used for snow expenses. Mr. Ross said the blizzard was declared a state emergency, and the state is trying to get it declared a federal emergency. If that happens, there would be federal reimbursement. Mr. Dentino asked if the seasonal banners downtown should be taken in during the winter. Mr. Dentino said three Light Department employees have recently retired and said they should be recognized. Mr. Dentino said during storms, snow from the train station parking lot is trucked to the old wastewater treatment plant. He said he got Mr. Clemmey to volunteer the use of his property near the train station for free, and asked if the town should be going to the expense to haul the snow away when it could move it to a closer site. Mr. Ross said he was not aware Mr. Clemmey had volunteered his property for snow storage, but he would look into it. Mr. Dentino asked about scheduling Annual Town Meeting. Mr. Ross said the board has discussed May 7 and the schools have agreed to that date. Mr. Kozlowski recognized the death of Lt. Col. Michael Green and thanked the Patriot Guard for attending the funeral. Mr. Kozlowski said there are two unresolved issues with the Comcast Center Entertainment License, which should not have a substantive impact on the license, so a draft should be delivered to the Board of Selectmen soon. He said the new Police Chief should have the opportunity to review the license. Mr. Ross said the license should be drafted in the next few days. Mr. Kozlowski said he has drafted a guest column to the newspapers regarding the Conservation Commission issues, which he said he thinks represents the board's discussions. Mr. Dentino said the incumbents should be reappointed as long as they have done their jobs and acted professionally. .6R1;1111 Motion: To adjourn at 8:30 p.m. (Annino-Dentino) All in favor. PASSES 3//3/)`°13 Signature of Clerk Date of Approval /Jennifer Crotty Davis