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HomeMy WebLinkAboutmin brd of selectmen 01042006 Present: {'. Town of Mansfield ' Board of Selectmen C' !7 0 ft'; f n: ') n Minutes of January 4, 2006 ' '-'.-- I, i' -:..:~,; I t." i., ;,] Vice Chairman Bernard Dolan (acting as Chairman), Cletlt{8l.Yijk~~J*~lf.S Selectman Louis Amoruso and Selectman Michael McCue Town Manager John D' Agostino r The Board of Selectmen's meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Matthew McCue of Troop 51 thanked the Selectmen for allowing him to meet with them. He went on to describe his project - a Great Duck Race fountain, which would be a large duck statue located at the retention basin behind the Police Station. There will be a thank you plaque to all the businesses that have sponsored the Great Duck Race over the years. Mr. McCarter noted that the projects keep getting more complex. Mr. McCue said that he is sure that this project will be a success and thanked Matthew for the work that he is doing for the Town. Mr. Amoruso asked who will be responsible for the electrical pump. Matthew replied that he has not yet spoken to DPW, but he will be doing so. Mr. Amoruso noted that this is an ambitious project. Matthew added that he will be setting up a separate account for donations to this project. r Mr. D'Agostino said that he is excited about this project and added that DPW will do whatever is necessary to complete this project. Matthew noted that he is going to meet with the Conservation Commission, the Electric Department and DPW. Ms. Lorilee Fish, Parks & Recreation Director, said that the Recreation Commission is thrilled about this project and they will be committing some funding for this project. Motion: To approve Mr. McCue's Eagle Scout project (Amoruso - McCue) 4-0 Passes Matthew introduced his fellow Scouts and family to the Board. Norwood Board of Selectmen Helen Abdallah Donohue, Chairwoman of the Norwood Board of Selectmen, introduced fellow Selectmen Gerry Kelleher and Tom McQuaid. Ms. Abdallah Donohue also introduced Norwood Fire Chief Michael Howard and Captain Mark Boyland. Mr. Kelleher said that the Town of Mansfield really stepped up as good neighbors when the Town of Norwood had a great need for equipment and the Norwood officials wanted to come and thank Mansfield for their assistance. Mr. McQuaid extended his thanks to the Town of Mansfield and noted that Mansfield is a great community. r- Board of Selectmen Minutes of January 4, 2006 r r r- Captain Boyland thanked the Board, the Fire Department and the town as a whole for their service. From an operational standpoint, Norwood couldn't have done without a ladder truck for more than two weeks, let alone 11 months. Chief Howard noted his appreciation to the Mansfield Board of Selectmen and presented a plaque to the Board as thanks for the use of the ladder truck. Mr. D'Agostino and Mr. Dolan accepted the plaque on behalf of the Town of Mansfield. Ms. Donohue noted that the Norwood Board of Selectmen proclaimed January 4th as Mansfield Fire Department Day and presented Mr. Dolan a proclamation from the Norwood Board of Selectmen. Mr. McCarter asked if Norwood purchased a new ladder and Chief Howard replied that Norwood completely redid their old ladder truck and that should last another 10 years. Lee Azinheira, DPW Director and Mark Cook, Highway Operations Manager were in attendance. Mr. Azinheira said that DPW periodically comes before the Board to discuss the winter operations manual. He noted that Mr. D'Agostino asked DPW to put together a new packet that would provide information to the public. Winter Operations Manual: Mr. Azinheira said that his department used the method of noting the changes to the manual in bold and updated it to reflect procedures and equipment that are being used today. Mr. Azinheira noted that the town relies on the National Weather Service and we depend on the Police Department during the off-hours to report conditions. Under "Salt and Sand Details," a 1 to 5 salt/sand mixture was used, but Mr. Cook experimented with a new mixture of 1 to 3 mixture instead. DPW tries to use as little salt as possible in the 'no salt' areas, but many of those areas are scenic roads and are tree-covered, and we receive phone calls from the Police, asking for something to be put down. Mr. Cook said that the town has spent about $70,000 on just salt so far. Mr. Azinheira said that under the section "snow plowing", there is an added section relative to the speed of the snowplow - 30 mph is the maximum speed. Mr. McCarter asked about GPS tracking. Mr. Azinheira replied that we do utilize tracking on the contractors and as time goes on, we are hoping to do it for our vehicles as well. Mr. Cook added that the phones are not connected for phone service - all that can be used is the direct connect. Under the section entitled 'sidewalk clearing', Mr. Azinheira noted that the sidewalks near the schools are done first. Under 'snow removal', the snow removed will be placed in the back of the Plymouth Street Recreational facility. Mr. McCarter asked if there are limitations in place for the number of hours that a driver can plow. Mr. Azinheira said that there are no limitations, but drivers are allowed to take a break. Mr. McCarter said that MassHighway makes their drivers take a mandatory 4 hour break after 16 hours of plowing. Mr. Azinheira noted that the break room at the water treatment facility may also be used. Mr. Cook said that the contractors can leave after 16 hours, but we can force mandatory overtime in an emergency. Board of Selectmen Minutes of January 4, 2006 2 Winter Maintenance Procedures: This information is designed for the public. Mr. Amoruso r- asked about how the town-wide parking ban declared by the Police Chiefis going and Mr. Cook said that it is going well. Mr. Azinheira said that the December 1 parking ban is consistent with other communities and added that these procedures are modeled from another community's website. He further added that notices were distributed to residents who own basketball hoops to ask them to remove it and Mr. Cook added that we will go around and remove them if the resident does not. Mr. Azinheira said that we cannot be around town to clear hydrants in a big storm and asked residents to clear hydrants near them. He added that this information will appear on the website. Mailboxes: Mr. Azinheira said that since 1996, the DPW has been following the procedure that if the plow left the road and the mailbox was far enough away from the curb, the town would replace the mailbox with a standard issue mailbox. The Postmaster said in August that the mailboxes should be 6-8 inches from the curb. Mr. Azinheira said that he does not recommend changing the policy and added that DPW spends a lot of time investigating these incidents and he understands that it is frustrating for the residents. He said that DPW has checked with a number of communities and they replace about the same number of mailboxes. Mr. McCarter noted that we do investigate all of the mailbox claims and replace when necessary. Mr. Azinheira noted that we have to get the snow off the road and that people cannot get mail if they do not have a mailbox. He added that the problem has been compounded with the fact that we have received more snow in the past few years. r Motion: To approve the Winter Operations Manual and the Town of Mansfield Winter Maintenance Informational Packet as written (Amoruso - McCue) 4-0 Passes Mr. Dolan asked if people are fined for shoveling snow into the street and Mr. Cook replied that we try to work with the individuals. Rosemarie Bryant, 14 Shiloh Drive, and Kevin Kemp, 15 Sawmill Court, came before the Board to be interviewed for an open position on the Recreation Commission. Mr. Dolan asked each candidate why they want to be on the Recreation Commission. . Ms. Bryant replied that she has worked with the Commission on the skate park and has been involved with other groups, including the Women of Today. . Mr. Kemp replied that he has been in Mansfield for 4 years and has been involved with Mansfield Youth Basketball and Mansfield Youth Soccer. He is looking to get more involved with the community. He noted that Mansfield's recreational facilities may be more taxed should the school expansion take place and he would like to be involved. Mr. McCue said that it is important for people to regularly attend Town Meeting and noted that it is on the application. Mr. McCue noted that Mr. Kemp has indicated that he has grant writing experience, not recreation grants per se, but grants in general. r- Board of Selectmen Minutes of January 4, 2006 3 Mr. Amoruso asked if the candidates have attended Commission meetings. r · Ms. Bryant said that she has attended meetings . Mr. Kemp said that the Commission does a good job of working for those who do not have a group, like the skate park. Mr. McCarter asked if each candidate has any ideas for 'dream projects.' . Ms. Bryant said that her dream projects are the skate park and the community center. . Mr. Kemp said that his big project is more all-purpose synthetic fields. Mr. McCarter asked each candidate about the role of the Commission. Mr. McCarter asked if Mr. Kemp is an officer ofMYS. Mr. Kemp replied that he is not but his wife is. Mr. Kemp said that if the Board thinks that another position on another committee is appropriate, he would be willing to look into that. Motion: To appoint Rose Marie Bryant (McCarter) Motion: To appoint Kevin Kemp (McCue) The Board indicated that there could be a tie and will wait until the next meeting when the Chairman is present. r- Tom Stevens, 449 Mill Street, was present for his interview for the Finance Committee. Mr. Dolan noted that this is to fill an unexpired term ending January 1,2007. Mr. Dolan asked Mr. Stevens to tell the Board a little bit about himself. Mr. Stevens stated has lived in Mansfield for 9 years and got involved with the Industrial Development Commission (IDC) two years ago. He was involved with the TIF Committee and reviewed Medline, Samsonite and Spherics. Mr. McCarter asked Mr. Stevens ifhe would continue to serve on the IDC and Mr. Stevens replied that he would. Mr. McCarter said that Mr. Stevens is well qualified. Mr. Stevens said that he spoke with Mr. Gazzolo and Mr. Lazzara to talk about the learning curve. Mr. McCue said that this is a no-brainer and thanked Mr. Stevens for applying. Mr. Amoruso asked if Mr. Stevens is satisfied with the budgeting process. Mr. Stevens said that he is open- minded and is objective about the process. He doesn't have any shortcomings with the budget process as oftoday. Motion: To appoint Thomas Stevens to an unexpired term on the Finance Committee, term ending January 1,2007 (McCue) 4-0 Passes r- Board of Selectmen Minutes of January 4, 2006 4 r- . Warrant No. 28 in the amount of $658,325.09 Motion: To approve (McCue - Amoruso) 4-0 Passes (Mr. McCarter abstained from payroll check #350085) . Regular Session Minutes of December 28,2005 Selectmen's Meeting Motion: To approve (Amoruso - McCue) 4-0 Passes Drainlaver's License Renewals (all documentation is in order the Town Engineer is recommending approval): . Brunelle Contracting Co., 52 Gilbert Street, Mansfield Motion: To approve (Amoruso - McCue) 4-0 Passes . Cat Alley Farm Construction, 158 Gilbert Street, Mansfield Motion: To approve (Amoruso - McCue) 4-0 Passes . Two checks in the amount of $8,225.00 each from Bay Brook Village for deposit into the Local Housing Partnership Fund r- Motion: To accept both checks for deposit into the Local Housing Partnership Fund (McCue - Amoruso) 4-0 Passes . Check in the amount of $35,000 from the Deutsche Bank Championship Mr. D'Agostino said this money is not to be confused with the money that is to be allocated for the community center architectural account. Board members discussed the allocation of this money. Motion: To accept gift, with a recommendation from Bea Kearney on how to handle the money and to assign to a specific account (McCarter - Amoruso) 4-0 Passes Mr. McCarter said that we should send a letter of thanks. . Reappointment of Andrew Morrison for a three-year term on the Cable Access Board of Directors, term ending the first Thursday of April, 2008. Mr. Morrison had indicated in attached letter that he only wanted to be reappointed for one year, from April 2005 to April 2006; Town Clerk said that the term is three years and cannot be changed; all terms on the Cable Access Board of Directors expire the first Thursday in April. Mr. Amoruso noted that we have the option of appointing him to a three-year term and he can resign; and that Board has the option to appoint a 7th member for a one-year term. His suggestion that we should inform him of these options and see what he wants to do. r- Board of Selectmen Minutes of January 4, 2006 5 r- . Letter from Police Chief Arthur O'Neill regarding a liquor violation at the Catman Cafe. Mr. McCarter said that we should send a letter, written by Town Counsel and signed by the Chairman Motion: To send a letter to the liquor license holder (Amoruso - McCarter) 4-0 Passes . FY05 Annual Report from Self Help Inc. (In the Town of Mansfield, Self Help provided services totaling $445,521 to 767 households during program year 2005.) . Memo from David Driscoll, Commissioner of Education, to Superintendents and Mayors/Board of Selectmen regarding compliance with spending requirements for FY05 and FY06. Mr. McCarter said that we exceeded our net school spending and asked that a copy to Finance Committee and School Committee. Motion: To send a copy of the letter to the Finance Committee, Superintendent & School Committee (McCarter - Amoruso) 4-0 Passes . Decision from the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission regarding Touma Inc and corresponding letter from Town Counsel. Mr. McCarter asked that this be included in our correspondence for the next meeting for the r- Board's consideration. . Mansfield Transit Area Development Workshop announcement - the workshop will take place on Monday, January 30th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm in Room 3AB. . Letter from Comcast regarding pricing changes that will go into effect for certain Comcast services beginning in February 2006. . Letter from Time Out Productions requesting permission to conduct the bike portion of the triathlon through a portion of Mansfield on Sunday, August 20th. Motion: To support (Amoruso - McCue) 4-0 Passes . Memo from Treasurer/Collector Richard Boucher regarding a water pollution abatement trust loan. Motion: That the Town shall issue a bond or bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $190,643 (the "Bonds") pursuant to Chapters 29C and 44 of the General Laws and votes of the Town passed April 24, 2001 (Article 11) and October 29,2002 (Article 12) to replace the prepaid portion of the Town's $537,001 Water Pollution Abatement Trust (the "Trust") for the water pollution control facility project identified in such vote (the "Project"); r Board of Selectmen Minutes of January 4,2006 6 Further Moved: that each Bond shall be issued as a single registered security, and sold to the r- Massachusetts Water Pollution Abatement Trust (the "Trust") at a price determined pursuant to the Loan Agreement; Further Moved: that the Treasurer is authorized to determine the date, the form, the maximum interest rate and the principal maturities of each Bond, and to execute a Loan Agreement (or Agreements) with the Trust with respect to the sale of the Bonds, such date, form and maturities and the specific interest rate or rates ofthe Bonds to be approved by a majority of the Board of Selectmen and the Treasurer and evidenced by their execution of the Bonds; Further Moved: that all action taken to date by the Town and its officers and agents to carry out the Project and its financing, including the execution of any loan commitment or agreement by the Treasurer, are hereby ratified, approved and confirmed; and Moved: that the Treasurer and the other appropriate Town officials are each hereby authorized to take any and all actions necessary and convenient to carry out the provisions of this vote, including execution and delivery of the Loan Agreement(s) and the Project Regulatory Agreement(s) relating to the Project. (McCarter - Amoruso) 4-0 Passes r Mr. D'Agostino reported the following: . Pursuant to the charter, the town budget was issued for FY07. Mr. D'Agostino highlighted some figures that he listed in his budget message. Mr. D'Agostino said that the budget process will commence with staff and the Finance Committee. He noted that there were increases in such areas as health insurance, etc. and noted that the assessments increased for charter school reimbursement and MBT A assessment. He noted that we are going to work cooperatively with the Finance Committee to pare this down to a balanced budget in preparation for Town Meeting. He is going to impress upon the Administration that additional local aid is needed, as the figures for local aid today are at FYOl1evels. . Calpine has filed for bankruptcy and the Town of Mansfield has gone out and replaced the contract. We have enough money to cover the variance with Calpine and Dominion, our new provider. There is a dispute between Calpine and the Town over the market replacement dollar amount. Mr. McCarter asked how this will impact the ratepayer and Mr. D'Agostino said that there will be no difference to the ratepayer. r- Board of Selectmen Minutes of January 4, 2006 7 r r r- Mr. McCarter: · Asked if the parking along Old Colony Way is being used for resident commuter parking. Mr. D'Agostino said that he has noted that the parking at the old Cuneo building is being used and some of the spots along Old Colony Way are being used. Mr. D'Agostino said that some of the construction vehicles are taking up some of those parking spots and he will work to have the trucks park elsewhere. Mr. McCue: . He would like to have a discussion on recommendation of the disposition of Fales property and the Homestead property. . He would also like to set some goals/objectives ofthe Board at a future meeting. Motion: To adjourn at 9:40pm (Amoruso) 4-0 Passes ~~ 27~~ ??;1(/t?~u- /..~ /~ 2t't'0" Date of Approval Signature of Clerk Board of Selectmen Minutes of January 4,2006 8