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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSELECTMENminutes12152010 Town of Mansfield Board of Selectmen Minutes of December 15, 2010 Present: Chairman Kevin Moran, Vice Chairman George Dentino, Selectman Jess Aptowitz, Selectman Olivier Kozlowski, William Ross, Town Manager Absent: Clerk Douglas Annino Board and Committee renewal Andy Gazzolo, Finance Committee reappointed for 3 years. Motion: To appoint Andy Gazzolo to a term ending January 1, 2014 (Aptowitz/Kozlowski) 4:0 passes Mansfield Green use review Residents need to get sticker to use the Green. And to date, only residents can get these stickers. The question is that non resident property owners would like to be able to use the Green but have not been able to as they are not residents. The Board of Selectmen would like to have the Town Clerks office modify the sticker some how to reflect that it is just for the Green, not train station parking. The Board of Selectmen did not take any action on this item. The town manager and the town clerk will continue to deal with the issue as it comes up. Downtown Mansfield Beautification Project Report given by Neal Rhein and Nancy Wall. Short- Term, Relatively Easy Projects These projects could most likely be accomplished with help from property owners, Keep Mansfield Beautiful, and the DPW. These are not in any order of priority yet. . Paint the picket fence outside Mansfield Travel . Remove unnecessary street sign behind Mansfield Travel . Trim arborvitaes in front of Verizon substation. Add more shrubs to block out chain link fence . Remove traffic sign in front of Middle Common · Move shrubs that block view of Rotary sign . Remove old phone apparatus in front of Sweet & Crafty Board of Selectmen Minutes of December 15, 2010 . Remove unnecessary poles and expand landscape beds at Farmer's Market lot · Add more trash barrels . Repair brick walkway near Middle Common · Repaint lampposts . Replace and/or repaint lids on South Common trash barrels · Replace flagpole on South Common (fund has been set up) . New potential Adopt-a-Spot locations: o Area in front of Old Sheppard's Flowers o Area in front of Monarch Realty Group o Small plot under the sign in front of Gourmet Pizza o Area between Casey O'Connor's and adjacent building Medium Term Projects These projects could most likely be accomplished with help of the Board of Selectmen, the Planning Board, the Downtown Business Association, property owners, Keep Mansfield Beautiful, the MBTA, and the DPW. Again, these projects have not been prioritized. · Pedestrian Transition from Train Station to Downtown. o Improve signage o Add garbage barrels at both ends of overpass o Address graffiti issue at Cavallaro property (including a Swastika) o Consider blocking entrance to Cavallaro property and directing pedestrians to use existing sidewalk o Add more lighting o Plant shrubs in front of MBTA chain link fence o Get MBT A to clean up litter · Add trees: Work with DPW and business owners to determine areas where it makes sense to plant trees. . Improve Signage. Conduct a comprehensive review of all parking, street, and business signage to remove unnecessary signs and improve clarity of information. Other sign objectives: o Direct train station passengers to downtown o More clearly mark bike path o Connect downtown to Fulton's Pond o Actually enforce sign bylaws . Remove Chain Link Fences: Pass bylaw restricting use of chain link fences in downtown; encourage property owners to remove fences voluntarily (free labor during Great American Cleanup of Mansfield). Existing fences located at: o Step n Style Hair Salon o Between True Value building and Colonial Insurance building o George's cleaners property Board of Selectmen Minutes of December 15, 2010 2 o Corner of Klemmey property next to Tony D's. o Overpass on North Main Street . Cleanup Empty Lots: o Explore what can be done with lot next to fire station. Suggestions include turning it into a playground, parking, or some other use. If not possible, plant shrubs or trees on town-owned portion o Explore temporary steps to improve appearance of former George's Cleaner' lot . Obscure Dumpsters. Pass bylaw requiring business owners to put fencing around dumpsters or otherwise hide them from plain view . Limit Donation bins. Review bylaws on placement of collection bins for used clothing and other goods · Limit Newspaper and Free Publication Stands. Review bylaws on placement of newspaper and free publication stands . Enhance Appearance of Mansfield Train Station. o Work with MBTA to obtain new trash barrels with uniform style o Paint benches o Reduce number of free publication bins o Create guidelines for placement of posters and flyers on depot building o Improve signage for parking and how to get to downtown o Add more bike racks and/or find better locations . Beautify the North Common. o Prune trees o Repair sidewalks o Install unused lampposts left over from downtown renovation · Improve Access to Bike Path o Better signage and road markings o Cleanup up area behind Jimmy's Pub; mark road, add lighting . Encourage Property Owners to Enhance Appearance of their Properties o Explore possible bylaw that requires property owners to maintain certain standards (e.g. the former Betty & Bill's Toy Store property) o Encourage owners to landscape their properties o Require owners to remove litter o Pass bylaw that requires restaurants to install outdoor cigarette butt receptacles Long- Term Projects. These projects would require state cooperation or significant amounts of money. · Enhance Traffic Patterns. Pending results of traffic study, reconfigure downtown traffic patterns to create a pedestrian friendly environment with ample parking Board of Selectmen Minutes of December 15, 2010 3 · Redesign North Common. Explore total reconfiguration of sidewalks and layout. Paint or replace flagpole · Redesign Middle Common. Create a town square that encourages people to relax in downtown Mansfield . Determine use for Fales Fuel property Next Steps . Contact Board of Selectmen, Planning Board, Downtown Business Association about creating a joint working committee . Prioritize project list · Develop and execute plan Overview of budget process Mr. Ross stated his philosophy of budgeting. He analysises what services are provided to the towns people at what cost. He does not feel that across the board cuts are effective or customer friendly. One change this year will be a broken down cost of health and retirement benefits of each department and enterprise account. This will enable the board to see what each dept. actually costs to maintain. Mr. Ross is required to release a budget statement by January 3, 2010 to the Board of Selectmen. However, the governor does not release his budget until a couple of weeks later. So, obviously the town manager budget will flucuate from January to town meeting in May. On an other note our change to self insurance (for healthcare) is working well and exposures have been minimal. Selectman Dentino read a memo from Mr. Ross regarding the shift in healthcare budgeting. Selectman Dentino is glad that enterprise accounts are now going to be charged an actual usage charge vs. a pre determined one. The board asked John Stanbrook, Town Accountant for a brief overview of how the town budget is developed. Mr. Stan brook provided the board with a handout on how the budget is developed from the top down. Q&C None Board of Selectmen Minutes of December 15, 2010 4 Weekly Business Warrant No. 11024T in the amount of $1,510,468.55 Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/Dentino) 4:0 passes Warrant No. 11024E in the amount of $27,884.01 Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/ Dentino) 4:0 passes Warrant No. 11023S in the amount of $314,096.51 Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/ Dentino) 4:0 passes Warrant No. 11024PT in the amount of $305,032.71 Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/Kozlowski) 3:0:1 passes (Dentino abstain) Warrant No. 11024TV in the amount of $94,323.66 Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/Kozlowski) 4:0 passes Warrant No. 11024PS in the amount of $400.73 Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/Kozlowski) 4:0 passes . Entertainment license for SSACC Trading Bee (auto show at Comcast in May) Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/Kozlowski) 4:0 passes . Class II license application for Mansfield Motors Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/Kozlowski) 4:0 passes . Class II license application for The Tire Man Auto Sales Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/ Dentino) 4:0 passes . Bond Anticipation Notes. Waste Water and Sewer Interceptor Motion: To approve (Aptowitz/ Dentino) 4:0 passes Correspondence . Letter from MA State Lottery Commission. Wines and More has applied for Keno. . Ssaac Trading Bee (Antique auto show at Comcast every May) has donated annual $1,000 to the Mansfield High School Scholarship fund. Board of Selectmen Minutes of December 15. 2010 5 · Letter of resignation from Dr. Raymond Martin. Motion: To accept resignation with regrets and send letter of thanks (Aptowitz/Kozlowski) 4:0 passes Town Managers Report . The situation with trucks turning around on County St. has been identified and it was discovered that certain GPS systems are giving misguided information. · Thank you for the beautiful house warming gift (plant) that the board gave Mr. Ross last week. BOS Updates · Selectman Kozlowski: The town website has been updated and he would like to see additional information on the web such as the warrants. If we just scan the cover sheet and warrant sheets (40-50pgs) to a PDF, it can easily be placed on the website. · Selectman Aptowitz: Cost and savings plans were discussed by both Selectmen Kozlowski and Aptowitz. Best wishes for recovery to Selectman Annino and Dr. Torman on recent surgeries. December 20th is the next Comcast Center license meeting. Our counterparts in Norton have been invited. After further research it appears that we are going to have to replace the S. Common flagpole instead of anticipated repairs. . Selectman Annino: not present . Selectman Dentino: Update requested on time card program for Highway Garage work. And on status of fleet maintenance via outsourcing. Mr. Ross will consult with Mr. Azinheira for updates. . Chairman Moran: Request for residents to get involved in understanding budget process. It's important to know where your money is going and why. Boord of Selectmen Minutes of December 15, 2010 6 Adjournment Motion: Adjourn at 8:45pm (Aptowitz) 4:0 passes tfl~'u Ao~e:,w:Jk' " Signature of Clerk f~ 3; 2tJII Date of Approval Boord of Selectmen Minutes of December 15. 2010 7