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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin brd of selectmen 10/31/01 ~ Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 pçct.\\I'é.\1,.. Cr' 1\'" c~,·",v «:' Or r \ í.. ,I,p r',\ ,. .) ..' ¡." .. .\.\ 9· Q9 G \ W)'J - ß r,,\ \ . "'LO \ '\ l ~ 'to h .- -r1S j\.. rq,\"(, . ,.A¡þ,SS þ,,,¡\ 1\· ~ Present: Chairman Louis P. Amoruso; Clerk Michael W. McCue; and Selectmen David W. McCarter and Daniel Donovan. Town Manager John O. D'Agostino The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. · Warrant No. 19 in the amount of $823,995.50 Motion : To approve (Donovan-McCarter) 4-0 with Selectman McCarter abstaining from Municipal Building Committee payroll Passes r . Minutes of October 24, 2001 Board of Selectmen's meeting Motion : To approve as amended (McCue-Donovan) 4-0 Passes · Chairman Amoruso announced Board and Committee vacancies for which no applications have been received and encouraged people to get involved. Motion: To extend the deadline for applications for two weeks with the exception of the SRPEDD Representative position (Donovan-McCue) 4-0 Passes · Order for Conduit Location for AT&T Broadband - This was signed last week. The Town Clerk needs two additional originals. r Class I Auto Dealers Lance, Inc. Buick, Pontiac, GMC at 2 Chauncy Street Motion: To approve (McCarter-Donovan) 4-0 Passes Old Colony Motors, Inc. at 66 & 77 West Street Motion: To approve (McCue-McCarter) 4-0 Passes Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 1 - Mansfield Garage dba Mansfield Jeep Chrysler Plymouth at 91 Chauncy Street Motion: To approve (McCarter-Donovan) 4-0 Passes Class II Auto Dealers Webb Auto at One Mansfield Avenue Motion: To approve (Donovan-McCarter) 4-0 Passes Times Past Automobiles at 85 Copeland Drive Motion: To approve (McCue-Donovan) 4-0 Passes Common Victuallers Thomas Bissen dba Stefano's Pizza & Subs at 30 Chauncy Street Motion: To approve (Donovan-McCue) 4-0 Passes Magic, Inc. dba Village Pizza at 365 North Main Street Motion: To approve (McCue-Donovan) 4-0 Passes Mansfield Donuts dba Dunkin Donuts at 45 Chauncy Street Motion: To approve (Donovan-McCarter) 4-0 Passes ~ Town Manaaer and Staff . Memorandum from DPW Director Lee Azinheira re: Water Division position changes - The Town Manager noted staff's previous meeting with the Board wherein reorganization of two positions was approved. There are some minor changes in the position as the result of meeting with the Union. Motion: To amend the previous description from Water Treatment Foreman to Chief Operator (McCue-Donovan) 4-0 Passes Motion: To amend the previous description of Water Distribution Foreman to exclude the handling of grievances (McCarter-Donovan) 4-0 Passes . Letter to Kurt Gaffney requesting Mansfield host Drinking Water Day 2002 - needs Selectmen's approval Motion: To host the Drinking Water Day 2002, on May 9, 2002, with the expense to come from the Water Enterprise Account Selectman McCarter questioned why the Town should bear the expense rather than have those attending paying their own way: He suggested r-- there are greater priorities in our budget. Chairman Amoruso and the Town Manager noted it's good exposure for the Town and spotlights the Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 2 -- r accomplishments of our Water Department. Selectman McCue noted he sees it as an investment for projects we may want to do in the future. (Donovan-McCue) 3-1 with Selectman McCarter opposed Passes State and Local Government . Letter from Town Manager Chris McCabe requesting larger, more visible signs along School Street directing trucks into Cabot Industrial Park Issues of zoning within the Industrial Park may cause a problem with the Planning Board. A sign just prior to the overpass on School Street noting the entrance to the Industrial Park is the next right may be appropriate. Motion: To have Ptlm. Lance Lawson and DPW take a look at the situation and make a recommendation (Donovan-McCarter) 4-0 Passes Residents . Letter from Joe DelGrosso of 26 Webb Place asking why the "no parking" signs approved for South Main Street in the vicinity of Webb Place have not been put up. Mr. DelGrosso met with Lee Azinheira this morning and the issue has been r handled to Mr. DelGrosso's satisfaction. Lee wl1l also be recommending a crosswalk at the request of Mr. DelGrosso Wl1Iiam Gerber of 362 Central Street - wanted to reaffirm that the meeting is going out live this evening. He reported the technical difficulties of AT&T Broadband with I-net prevented the transmission from going out live last week and caused problems with Channel 9. He recommended that all those not satisfied with their cable service call Frank Foss at AT&T. Jay Barrows and Trish Bolea were present to discuss the Downtown Business Association's plans for the upcoming Holiday Parade and to seek the Selectmen's support and approval of the event. Mr. Barrows reported sending out a letter to area businesses and announced that to r-- date they've raised $5,400. Tweeter Center - $1,000; Cheng-Du - $1,000; Mansfield Bank - $800 to sponsor the Norton Band; Together We Can - $1,000; Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 3 -----. r Police Association - $1100. Other businesses in town have also contributed an amount totaling $1,100 to $1,200. Mr. Barrows said they would like to extend the parade this year and reviewed the route proposed. Ms. Bolea noted Pam Ryan has joined their committee and suggested starting at the School Complex, enabling them to park and assemble at the schools, then proceed down East Street, taking a right onto Hope Street to Route 106, then to North Main Street. In the past it has been difficult to stage the parade from the Train Station area and the proposed change in location will provide for better organization. They asked for approval to close the streets for the parade on Sunday, November 23rd, at 2:30 p.m. this year. They've met with the Police Department and Fire Department regarding the street closure. The Board asked for a formal application for a Parade. Motion: To approve the road closure conditional on the review and approval of the Police and Fire Departments. (McCue-Donovan) 4-0 Passes Mr. Barrows asked people attending the parade to remember the Food Pantry collection held in conjunction with the parade, as well as the mitten/scarf/hat tree sponsored by the West Side Benevolent Society, and the toy collection conducted by the motorcycle group under the leadership of Rich George. r The Town Manager: · Announced that tomorrow the Hockomock YMCA will be holding their groundbreaking for their new Foxboro facility. · Announced that on Monday, November 5th, there will be a planning meeting with various personnel, including the Post Office, to discuss the procedures for reporting and the handling of situations regarding hazardous materials. Chairman Amoruso noted there have been no confirmed incidents in the hundreds of samples that have been tested locally, and people need to be advised of that. Selectman Donovan noted the importance of knowing the layout and locations of materials within a building to institute the proper emergency procedures. · Reminded the Board that on November 8th from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. department heads will be meeting with Mansfield's senior population to allay their concerns and discuss what they can do to help us maintain a safe community in which to r live. Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 4 -.' r . Advised the Board of the need to accept or modify the Police Chief's recommendations regarding the crossing guard issue. He asked that the matter be an agenda item next week. Chairman Amoruso noted his concern is the suggestion that the savings realized by reducing the number of crossing guards be redistributed to the remaining crossing guards, noting it increases our base for next year. He stated, however, there should be some increase in the amount paid because of our difficulty in finding people to perform the duty. He also noted there may be a need for additional crossing guards when St. Mary's School opens. The increase from $9.17/hour to $12 is too great. . Advised the Board that Anna Palanza has advised him that "Italians never give up" and he expects she will again be presenting a warrant article at Special Town Meeting to put the sidewalk on both sides of Route 106. Selectman McCarter noted the confusion created when the Selectmen sponsor an article and then do not support it. It was pointed out that Selectmen sponsor an article to allow voters the opportunity to decide the issue. r Selectman McCue: · Asked if we've heard anything further from Norton as to what they plan to do as the result of the House redistricting. It was noted that we have no objection to those individuals representing us and they are doing an excellent job. It just causes chaos and confusion as to who to call regarding an issue. · Reported he, Chairman Amoruso, and the Town Manager enjoyed themselves at the Halloween Parade on Sunday. Selectman McCarter: · Asked what kind of use we get out of the Hutchason Field on Route 106. Mr. D'Agostino noted so far the predominant use has been soccer. Midget Football is not interested in using it because it doesn't have lights. He pointed out that before we build additional fields as requested, we should be fully utilizing the fields we already have. Park and Recreation has been asked to do a field analysis. Selectman McCarter noted tough times are not coming-they're already here-and perhaps some of the Free Cash should be returned to the taxpayers in the form of a rate reduction instead of moving forward with some expenditures under consideration. He suggested that unless it is a public safety issue or some serious event, he will be looking at expenditures very carefully. r"' Chairman Amoruso noted that with decreased funding from the State, we may have to cut back on existing programs. Mr. D'Agostino pointed out the need to Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 5 -- r balance being prudent with what we need to do to keep Mansfield an attractive community. He reported insurance coverage was left open with the Town Unions to go back and look at if reductions are needed. Chairman Amoruso: · Reminded the Selectmen that Town Manager evaluations are due r Selectman McCarter: · Stated the need to appoint a committee to work with department heads to review and negotiate the Tweeter Center entertainment license. He noted that when there's been a sub-committee, the meetings are posted and open to the public. When the Town Manager has negotiated the license, a public hearing has been held to get input. Motion: To have the Town Manager negotiate the license for the Board's review (Donovan-McCarter) Chairman Amoruso pointed out that the Town Manager has always been involved, but he will also be in the midst of budget meetings at the same time. He also suggested he would like to have Selectman Wills present for the vote and noted it is really the Board's responsibility. The motion was tabled until next meeting. Selectman McCue: · Asked if the Special Town Meeting on November 6th would proceed if enough people show up. It would have to if a quorum of voters were present. If no quorum was present at the appointed time, the meeting could then be postponed to a time certain-December ?-to hold the Special Town Meeting within the Special If there is a quorum on November 6th, a motion could still be made to postpone the meeting to December 5~ The question was raised as to the possibility of the opponents of the article showing up with 200 people. A contingency plan will be put into place in the event the Town Meeting is conducted. The likelihood of this happening is not great. r-- There are a total of 65 articles on the Special Town Meeting Warrant, 25 of which are street acceptances. Discussion ensued as to who would sponsor the by-law Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 6 ----:- { amendments recommended by the Ad Hoc Committee to Review Town Meeting Procedures. The consensus was the Board may want to sponsor the article to allow townspeople to vote on the issue. It does not necessarily mean they support the article they have sponsored. If it is sponsored by the Selectmen, they then have the ability to remove an article from the Warrant should they desire to do so. Motion: To have the Ad Hoc Committee sponsor their article (Donovan-McCue) 3-1 with Selectman McCarter opposed Passes The first 22 articles deal with financial issues. We have $1.8 million in Free Cash and will provide a breakdown as to where it came from. Articles 1 and 2 - are to appropriate money to pay unpaid prior year's bills. We incorrectly calculated overtime under the Fair Labor Act and need to appropriate the difference. Motion: To support Article 1 (McCarter-McCue) 4-0 Passes Motion: To support Article 2 (Donovan-^^cCue) 4-0 Passes Article 3 - Library staffing - the positions were originally proposed in the Annual r Budget and were cut with the understanding they would be reinstituted if there were Free Cash. The Town Manager noted he would not support funding the positions from Free Cash. He would only support new positions if the revenue flow would support them. Motion: To support Article 3 only if the funds are raised or appropriated (Donovan-no second) Article 4 - To add four additional Firefighters - This proposal was part of a five- year projection done. We did not hire them in the 2002 budget because we did not know if we'd have the money and we still don't know. The Chief has asked to go forward with this and he is putting together a report detailing the calls for service and the staffing levels. It was noted the five-year projections also included revenue projections that may not be met. Motion: To support Article 4 (Donovan-no second) Wait for a discussion with the Chief and a recommendation from the Finance Committee. Table for further discussion with a full Board. r" Article 5 - To fund Train Station details at a four-hour minimum call back when staffing falls below certain levels. Approximately $5,000. TobIe until we hove a dollar amount and have Chief in for discussion. Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 7 r Article 6 - Fund replacement call-check units for Police and Fire Dispatch for $5,000. Table Article 7 - to supplement funds for the Highway Division Operation budget ($20,000-$30,000) Table Article 8 - approximately $150,000-$160,000 if the Town has to do the cleanup of the Clemmey Tank property on their own. The current owner, Joseph Ditchman, has been notified and we are waiting for his response. Table until we have an exact figure. Article 9 - $147,451 to fund the Waste Management contract. The funds may have to come from Free Cash. Motion : To support (McCue-Donovan) 4-0 Passes Article 10 - $121,00 from the Water Capital Account available with no impact to the tax rate to fund improvements to Mahana Well #6 and Morrison Well #10 Motion: To support (Donovan-McCarter) 4-0 Passes r Article 11 - $35,000 for surveying of the landfill site and adjacent Town-owned property. The skateboard park article has been removed for the time being and has been replaced with this article. The intent is to find out exactly what we own and propose doing the skateboard park on the site at a future time. Table until there is a full Board and additional information. Article 12 - $450,00 for the 20'0 design plan of a Water Treatment Facility on Town land adjacent to the existing Highway Garage - this is an incremental approach to the project and will give us a cost for the Treatment Plant. If it is built at a future date, we will have 75% good quality drinking water without iron and manganese as opposed to the 45'0 we have now. Discussion ensued as to the mixing of water and the condition of the current pipes. We may end up with funding at 2'0 interest to build the plant. Table Article 13 - $45,000 to construct ten new parking spaces for seniors at the housing project at Park Street. Seniors are now having their cars towed from the abutting project where there is a right-of-way to use spaces. The Town Manager will check with the Planning Director regarding incorporating this into the Rails-to- Trail project. r Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 8 ~ Article 14 - to enter into a lease agreement with the Housing Authority for the use of the parking area adjacent to the 15 Park Street Elderly Complex. It was suggested these two articles meet the criteria established for the use of Free Cash. Motion: To support Articles 13 and 14 (Donovan-^^cCue) 4-0 Passes Article 15 - sidewalk for Pratt Street - Table Article 16 - Hartwell School repairs--wait for review of total potential cost of project. A memo will be provided regarding the cost of this project - Table Article 17 - Fisher-Richardson House. This is our 5010 match for a grant that is expected to be awarded soon. We would lose the grant without matching funds. We do not yet have the award letter in hand, but could appropriate the funds subject to the receipt of the grant. The building cannot currently be opened to the public. Motion: To support, subject to receipt of the grant (McCarter-McCue) 3-1 with Selectman Donovan opposed r Articles 18 and 19 - The Town Manager suggested supporting Article 18 with the withdrawal of Article 19. The total would be $205,000 from us versus $75,000. Chairman Amoruso said he would like to support Article 18, but until we get numbers from the State, he is reluctant to make the decision at this time. Motion: To support Article 18 (Donovan-no second) Wait for recommendation of the Park and Recreation Commission. This was recommended by the Town Manager as a Free Cash item. Chairman Amoruso suggested the Capital Improvements Committee should be reconvened to review some of these articles. Article 20 - training funds for Fire Department to train personnel in Confined Space Rescue. The Chocolate Factory will then give to the town the equipment needed to do confined space rescues. This would be $20,000-$25,000. Article 21- $150,000 that was postponed from the Annual Town Meeting for inflow and infiltration. The funds will be taken from the Wastewater Depreciation Trust Account Motion: To support (McCarter-Donovan) 4-0 Passes /"'" Article 22 - To put $6 million into Free Cash, if we have it available Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 9 r Article 23 - To authorize a deed restriction in perpetuity preserving the Fisher Richardson House and land as historic Motion : To support (McCue-McCarter) 4-0 Passes Article 24 - To allow any person in the employ of the town in the armed forces to receive pay not to exceed 34 days in a fiscal year for active duty Motion : To support (^^cCarter-Donovan) 4-0 Passes Motion: To adjourn at 10:41 p.m. (Donovan-McCue) 4-0 Passes r ':::f ¡()(}V tJ / Date of Approval r' Board of Selectmen Minutes of October 31, 2001 10