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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOS MINUTES 11-16-2016Minutes of Board of Selectmen Meeting November 16, 2016 7:00 p.m. Present: Jess Aptowitz, Chairman; Frank DelVecchio, Vice -Chairman; Michael Trowbridge, Clerk; George Dentino and Steve Schoonveld. Also present was William Ross, Town Manager I . Meeting Called To Order At 7:00 p.m. Chairman Aptowitz called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The Chairman reminded everyone that the meeting is being broadcast live and taped for future broadcast on Mansfield Cable Access. He asked if there were any members of the audience recording, to which there was no response. 2. Presentation And Discussion With The MBTA Regarding Update On Ramps And Safety Measures At The Mansfield Train Station Present before the Board from the MBTA are Mahendra Patel, Project Manager, MBTA, Joseph Calagione, AECOM Project Manager, Jorge Briones, future project manager for the Mansfield Station Project, Ron Morgan, and Mr. Ryan Coholan, Chief Railroad Officer, MBIA. Mr. Patel, who is retiring at the end of the month, gave an update on the history of project which was to replace the ramps on the outboard and inbound side of the station, and later revisions now include repair to the mini -highs which are in a state of bad repair. The MBTA has extended the schedule to include this scope of work. Final design is complete and project is out for solicitation of bid which are expected back by mid-December. Mr. Patel welcomed the Board members to a meeting on the Monday after Thanksgiving at 11:00 at the Station Depot Building. He said that this addresses the main concerns on the station. This station is one of the busiest stations on the system, and not having a barrier free accessibility, we have had this on the drawing board for several years, we have finally come the point to get it done. There had been several issues with the funding of the project. We got that funding to make the project viable. Chairman Aptowitz asked the MBTA representatives, if the bidding goes as planned, and a contractor is selected, what would be a shovel ready date. Mr. Patel response was "could be early Spring, with an overall schedule of 18 months." Mr. Calagione said that the project will be done in stages to keep access to the trains. This would be a year of heavy construction, follow by six months of finish work such as the parking lot. Chairman Aptowitz asked if the construction would have an impact on traffic in the area. Mr. Calagione answered that the only issue should be that they will be taking part of the parking lot during construction at certain times and there would be a reduction in parking at those times. Mr. Calagione stated that this project also involves coordination with Amtrak because some of the work is on the right of way where they are working on the mini -high and the platform. They have already given MBTA a contract price for this support. They will be supervising and supporting the project. Mr. Coholan, Chief Railroad officer, MBTA addressed safety concerns. He stated that Mansfield is the second busiest station on the entire network and the MBTA is aware of the importance in the amount of pedestrian traffic at the Mansfield Station. In light of several incidents at the Mansfield Station the MBTA has looked at safety improvements that are not subject to tampering or Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page I of 13 vandalism. Options on the table are possibly widening the "safe zone" or the yellow strips on the platform to make it evident that commuters/visitors are not to step over. MBTA crews are updating the no trespassing signs and looking into the possibility of adding closed-circuit cameras to monitor the platform. Also, on the inter -track fence that separates the tracks, there is consideration of additional fencing or no trespassing wire above the existing fence, to make it less appealing for people to step out in front of a train to get from one side to the other. This week the MBTA announced a partnership with Good Sarmatians that will reach the entire MBTA system where there will be a replacement and upgrade of all the signage so that folks understand that there are other options available for them. Mr. DelVecchio asked what safety enhancement the project will actually provide. Ron Morgan, Project Manager during the development phase of the project, answered that the MBTA is making the station accessible. Mini -high platforms are in a bad state of disrepair right now and they will be replaced. Slippage and accumulation of snows will be helped immeasurable by the new canopies that will be going over the mini -highs and the accessible walkways. Mr. Schoonveld stated that none of the items that Ryan mentioned are the safety project. Mr. Coholan stated that they are more of maintenance role rather than a new construction or rehabilitation role. Mr. Schoonveld asked, if the platform edges go all the way down the platform as part of the project. And if then, would they extend the lines further so that there is more of a warning for those high-speed trains. Mr. Calagione stated that would have to be something that they would discuss as the project moves forward. Right now they are designed at standard width. If the T decides that's the way they want it to be, it would have to be part of this project because it was designed to be at the same height. Mr. Schoonveld then asked, are the mini -highs getting longer, shorter, same width? Mr. Calagione said, they are pretty much the same width. Mr. Schoonveld wanted to know if there are any stations that suffer some of the same issues that Mansfield does. He asked, are there others that have 120+mph Acela coming by? Are there other places that have had the safety issues, the numerous accidents where they have looked at other options? Is there a model where you can say this is how we improved safety in the face of these very fast trains coming by? Mr. Coholan answered, not on our network, no. Mr. Schoonveld asked if they had any thoughts about the warning system being more robust? Mr. Schoonveld's thoughts were that maybe the warning system should say "warning high speed Amtrak coming" instead of just warning train approaching. He wanted to know if there is any way to reprogram the current electronic signage differentiate between a fast train and a regular train? Mr. Coholan replied, no, there is no differentiation between the fast and slower trains, but that they could look into extending that warning system. He told the Board that Amtrak is responsible for the warning system because it has to meet the Federal guideline for warning systems. He also said that he would be willing to go back to see what the MBTA could do to do better. Mr. Schoonveld said, that safety is especially important given there is a brand-new condominium being built across the street with hundreds of occupants, with kids. He cannot imagine a worse tragedy than losing a child to an Acela train. We want to do anything we can do to prevent that in this area that we expect to develop quite substantially. Mr. Coholan suggested that if the town does have any new developments MBTA could offer education for those residents. Mr. Coholan said that he would want to look at some options that may have been explored in other parts of the country too. He added that he would like to go back to MBTA safety and MBTA police and look at educational resources that could be made available to the town, and Mansfield Public Safety agencies, to start some public outreach. Mr. Schoonveld stated that education is not enough and that we need some infrastructure. He said, I'm asking you to ask your colleagues and others around the country to see what kind of infrastructure can we do so this new developed area doesn't become a tragedy. Mr. Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 2 of 13 Schoonveld wanted to know if the parking spaces that are going to be affected by the project are the MBTA spaces or the resident spaces. It was stated that they would be the MTBA spaces. Mr. Dentino said he likes to stay updated about all the things that were on the drawing board with the tracks from Taunton to Attleboro. He asked, "where are we in regards to another track?" He thought they were going to hang another track at the Rt. 106 overpass to take another run. There was talk about this for a number of years. Mr. Coholan told the Board that that section of track from Mansfield to Framingham, purchased by MassDot, is being made safe for freight traffic that uses that corridor. Mr. Coholan said he was not familiar with any main -line tracks in the area Mr. Dentino mentioned. Mr. Ross offered that part of the Southcoast Rail study said that an option would be to install a third mainline through Mansfield, but that has been dropped. The latest idea is to go from Stoughton down through Easton. Jorge Briones told the Board that the other alternative is the Middleboro/Lakeville line where it will split from Myricks junction to Fall River. There are no plans for the Southcoast Rail to go further west. Mr. Trowbridge thanked the MBTA for coming and said, obviously our concerns are being heard. The MBTA is sometimes seen as difficult to get answers from, and said that he looks at them as our partners. He sees the station as an asset to Mansfield and wants it to operate the best that it can. Mr. Trowbridge asked that the MBTA receive a copy of Professor Dulasky's report. Mr. Briones left his business card. He said that the things they are asking for are not going to cost much, and anything that can be done to improve safety is appreciated. Chairman Aptowitz's questioned the mini-highs, especially on the Southbound side, where there is plywood with holes in it. He feels it is not safe. It needs to be repaired right away. Ron Morgan told the Board that that is going to be one of the first items they are going to work on. Ryan stated that to accommodate the construction of the new mini-high levels almost immediately the temporary high-levels would be installed and utilized. Mr. DelVecchio stated that someone is going to put their foot through or trip on this plywood, and that he wanted someone to go out soon to do the repairs. MBTA said they would definitely take a look into it. Chairman Aptowitz said that it seems as though that area was constructed for much smaller usage. The usage in 25 years has probably increased several fold. It seems like the station area isn't big enough to handle the main trains. He wanted to know if any thought had been given to looking at other land the MBTA owns that could be used to widen platforms and sidewalk areas. It seems that all this work is going to be done and it's still too tight. Ile feels that people are going to be too close to the track when the Acela comes through. Mr. Trowbridge asked if we could do something in partnership with the schools on education. Mr. Coholan said yes that they have a whole team trained, and offered to have a training program about grade crossing and rights of trespassing on railroad property. Ron Morgan stated that MBTA did an extensive safety program when the Old Colony lines were built in Plymouth and that they could certainly do it here in Mansfield too. Mr. Schoonveld asked if Salem the most popular station outside of downtown. The answer was yes. Chairman Aptowitz stated that the agreement with the MBTA from 1980 needs to be redone because it was 36 years old. Mr. Ross stated that he has expressed concerns about that and that the draft agreement Mansfield was sent months ago had a number of concerns and he has not heard back. Ron Morgan said he would check on that agreement. Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 3 of 13 Mr. Ross went on to say that concerning safety we need to keep in mind that Mansfield has the longest tangent section, possibly in the entire Northeast Corridor, which leads to higher speeds. This is an area where the trains are used to running very fast speeds and Mansfield sits in the middle of it, so some safety precautions are necessary. He added, that he contacted Mr. Morgan and immediately he put this meeting together and we have had a good relationship working on these issues together. Mr. Ross said, I appreciate that Ron has been a great help. Mansfield resident Sharon Friedman, of 29 Pleasant Street Mansfield addressed the MBIA representatives with a question regarding the fencing at the train station. She was wondering if there is any consideration to extending the fence down the track so that people don't just walk down past the platform and scoot around the fence to get to the parking lot. Mr. Coholan stated that they will take a look at that. Chairman Aptowitz thanked the MBTA representatives for coming in and said that the Board looks forward to a good working relationship with them. 3. Consideration Of Possible Change Of Manager Violation For GC Friday's, Inc. dba TGI Friday's And Consideration Of Change Of Manager Application From Eric Shute To Sam Suarez Present before the Board are Sam Suarez, proposed new manager and Paul Tornabene, Director of Operations for Gold Coast Providence Region. Mr. Apotwitz started by saying that the Board is aware the restaurant had a manager of record that left the operation. He asked how long ago that was and Mr. Tornabene said it was 45-60 days ago and that the restaurant did not notify the Town in the proper time limit. Tracey Whalen was asked to speak about the history of any other violations involving TGI Fridays. Ms. Whalen stated that TGI Friday's has come before board, however it had been under the previous owner's management. She said that the current ownership does not have any violations. Ms. Whalen stated that there is a new Board at GC Fridays, and therefore a new reporting structure since the previous violation. However, Ms. Whalen told the Board that when GC Fridays came before the Board in 2015 to transfer the ownership they were notified of the regulations which state that the Board must be given notice within three days of any change in management of the license. Mr. Tornabene stated that he is responsible for nine restaurants. Chairman Aptowitz offered that it is most often the chain restaurants that come before the Board with these types of violations. He stated that the Board takes Alcohol licenses very seriously and that this cannot happen. He asked that when Mr. Tornabene leaves tonight that he talk to his superiors about making sure that the terms of the license are followed. Mr. Trowbridge said that since this is a new corporation he tends to want to be a little more lenient. Mr. DelVecchio agreed with Mr. Trowbridge. Mr. Dentino had nothing to add. Mr. Sehoonveld said since it is new ownership since the last violation, he agrees with his colleagues. Chairman Aptowitz explained the reprimand process and warned the managers to please make sine they keep the Board informed of any future changes. With concern to approval of the manager, Chairman Aptowitz opened questions up to the Board. Mr. Schoonveld said that he wanted to make sure this is the only license Mr. Suarez will be managing. Mr. Suarez said, yes. Mr. Dentino had no comments. Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 4 of 13 Mr. DelVecchio had nothing to add. Motion: Make a motion to approve the change of manager. (Mr. Trowbridge/DelVecchio) Discussion: Chairman Aptowitz asked if Mr. Suarez has another manager that covers the restaurant in his absence that understands the alcohol license. Mr. Suarez said, yes. Mr. Tornabene explained that all of the restaurant managers are ServSafe and TIPS certified. Mr. Schoonveld asked are there different education requirements from state to state and how do you train your managers? Mr. Tornabene explained that the hourly employees are trained in TIPS, proper service, and ID's and for their management team they get them ServSafe certificate and the restaurant also shortens the length of time on the certification. The cooks certify as well. Motion: To approve the change of manager. (Mr. Trowbridge/DelVecchio) Passes: 5:0 4. Discussion And Consideration Of Parking Limitations For North Main Street, Oakland Street And Mansfield Avenue Mr. Ross stated that as part of the reconstruction of North Main and Oakland Streets, a revised parking plan was put together for that area which included putting in diagonal spaces on Mansfield Avenue and along Oakland, N. Main, & Pratt reverting to two hour parking for businesses in that area. The construction also included adding a parking lot in the area that was formerly a right of way for North Main Street. In doing that 10 mores resident spaces on Mansfield Avenue for the train were created. On North Oakland, on Main, on Pratt and Crocker there are now total of 60 two-hour spaces. 25 two-hour parking spaces for businesses in that area were gained. We have improved the situation for current business and future businesses. By moving the parking we have given people an easy and safer situation to park. Mr. Ross continued, that the Town is recommending a motion to establish and reestablish Mansfield Avenue as commuter rail parking for residents only, to establish two-hour parking on Crocker, Main, North Oakland, and Pratt Streets, and two-hour parking within the new parking lot in that area. And finally, no through trucks on Pratt Street, except for deliveries. Mr. Schoonveld asked where the signs would be. Mr. Ross' response was that we will have to put a sign on Rt. 106 for no trucks. IIe emphasized when the project began that the Town promised that there would be parking for businesses in that area and has delivered on that. Mr. Schoonveld asked if there will there be overnight parking in the two-hour parking spaces? Mr. Ross said there will not be any overnight parking. We will ask police to enforce that after five o'clock. The new construction is approved with adequate parking according to the planning board. Mr. Dentino said that he parked in front of the new construction area at the train station to see how the traffic was moving. He noted that the traffic was heavy coming down Oakland. Ile tried to get across the street and no one would let anyone in. He noticed that when people are trying to go right to Attleboro on Rt. 106 they can't get through that one lane because the traffic is choking the intersection. Mr. Ross stated that we have put striping in the middle of that intersection to keep people from blocking the intersection, and we have discussed adding a sign that says, do not block intersection. Mr. DelVecchio no comments. Mr. Trowbridge said that uptown has permits for business' employee parking, asking if that can be extended. Mr. Ross said, yes noting the Town should encourage them to park in the parking lot and not on the street. Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 5 of 13 Motion: To approve the plan as presented, including the no trucking signs. (Trowbridge/Schoonveld) Passes: 5:0 5. Discussion Regarding Creation Of RFP For Town Counsel Services Chairman Aptowitz stated that it was brought up a couple of months ago that the Board would potentially reach out for legal services. He asked for discussion to see if that was still the sentiment of the Board. He started with Mr. Schoonvel who said, there is currently on a one-year agreement in place with current Town Counsel. Mr. DelVecchio said that he agrees with Mr. Schoonveld and that earlier in the session we were in the position of renewing the contract with a short timeframe for consideration so he is glad the Board is looking at this ahead of time. Mr. Ross said that he is looking for one major piece of advice from the Board. The current agreement has a flat fee for several services, paying $4500 per month for the retainer. That was a unique arrangement that Duesche Williams proposed when they responded to the last RFP. Chairman Aptowitz interjected, at the time of that RFP the sitting board felt that was a good way of controlling expenses. Mr. Ross then continued with a question, if we develop the RFP with that as a basis we are probably limiting the number of firms that will respond, so it is something that the Board wants to continue, or should it be an option and flat -rate for the rest of it? He feels that is a key issue when working on the RFP. Mr. Trowbridge said that it doesn't hurt to put it in as both, as a flat -rate with the additional services at their hourly rate. Chairman Aptowitz told the Board that he reached out to neighboring towns and they do not have the type of arrangement that Mansfield has with current Town Counsel and everything is done at an hourly rate. Mr. Schoonveld said that he likes the retainer approach for a couple of reasons. He said he has used it a couple of times in the last decade, even as a consultant and insurance officer. He likes it because it doesn't put a dollar to every last activity. He said he agrees with Selectman Trowbridge that we should try to get both bids. Chairman Aptowitz pointed out that with Town Counsel services it has been the practice that boards and committees that have issues that needed Town Counsel would notjust be calling Town Counsel because it could get out of control. The process is that they would have to call the Chair or the Town Manager. The exception would be if there is a conflict with the Chair. Mr. Schoonveld said that he does like the retainer aspect of the agreement. Mr. DelVecchio agreed to get both proposals. Mr. Ross stated that another side of the flat fee is the Town doesn't hesitate it has a question to ask whereas before it always got a bill. As to Boards and Commission, with exception to School Committee, there is a Supreme Court decision that says that a board and commission has to use Town Counsel unless given permission otherwise. There is a system to contact Mr. Ross to see if it should go to Town Counsel. Mr. Ross will work on a draft RFP and will get back to the Board mid-December. Chairman Aptowitz said we are not discussing the merits of current Town Counsel. The item on the agenda is simple the creation of the RFP to see what's out there. Mr. Trowbridge said that the Board has a fiduciary responsibility to check just like all our other contracts. Mr. DelVecchio asked Mr. Ross if he is aware of any neighboring communities that have gone out for RFP for Town Counsel as a possible model? Mr. Ross said that the last one that he is aware of was Foxboro about three years ago. Mr. Trowbridge asked when it will be in the Beacon. Mr. Ross said once it is approved, but we have until July I". Chairman Aptowitz confirmed that they all agree that the draft will be ready in two to three weeks. 6. Discussion Of Board Procedures For The Development Of Meeting Agendas, Editing Of The Minutes And The Posting Of Public Information Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 6 of 13 Mr. Schoonveld stated that when others have been in to present to us that we would like to have the information at least by the Friday beforehand so that we have a chance to prepare for it. Out of respect and regard for those presenting he thinks the Board should have a little more to time to prepare. He proposes that at the end of each meeting the Board talk about what will be on the next agenda. If we can get the larger handouts, not the one -pagers, more than 48 hours in advance. He asked that the Board receive such presentations by close of business on Friday and perhaps if the Board cannot received by close of business on Friday that the Board does not discuss it on the next Wednesday. He added that 48 hours is not sufficient to review such presentations. He also stated that the Board should consider whether posting of Board packet for public consumption a good idea as well. Mr. Trowbridge responded that the Board had talked about dealing with the approximately ten pages of Selectman's policies in December. In the policy it currently states that any information has to be received by Friday at Town Hall, the packets have to go out 48 hours in advance of the meeting. Once of things that Mr. Trowbridge will be proposing is that the packets go out to the Selectman on Friday with the material that is available at that time. Chairman Aptowitz asked that if there is something that we have ahead of time that it gets out to the Board ahead of the packets even. Mr. DelVecchio stated that information ahead of time is a good thing. Ile looked at what other boards do. He found that unless something is an emergency, the Board would not act on something we are seeing for the first time and a policy on that would help. Mr. Dentino had nothing to add. Chairman Aptowitz asked when the policies are going to be on the agenda to which Ms. Whalen noted it is slated for second week of December. Chairman Aptowitz asked for Mr. Trowbridge to get the 10 pages of policies out tomorrow. Mr. Schoonveld asked if it is possible to see what is coming up on future dates so he can plan or ask for things he might need to review. Mr. DelVecchio will not be at the meeting on December 14"' so Tracey suggested adding it to the December 6°i agenda. 7. Continued Discussion On Update Of Public Safety/DPW Complex Costs Mr. Ross announced that the Groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Saturday at 10 am. Invitees include: state reps, residents, Chamber of Commerce, and media. Location of the ceremony will be in the area of the new building with just shovels and hardhats. It will likely be 15-20 minutes. There will be a pre -construction meeting tomorrow with the contractor. Mr. Ross will send out John Stanbrook's update on costs. Mr. Mr. Ross let the Board know there will be some water main relocation done. There are two water mains that are being relocated. One is the raw water from the wells to the treatment plant, the other is the output from the treatment plant back to the street. 8. Resident Questions and Comments Sharon Friedman, 29 Pleasant Street, read a statement into the record which reflected her feelings regarding leadership as a public comment. Following Ms. Friedman's comments Mr. Trowbridge stated the following, You mention "Mansfield is the same town it was last week and the week before. I agree and that being said, I have expectations that as a community and Town, we will continue to be a caring, safe community to live and work. Elections don't define who we are, the people that live here define that. I see Board Of Selectmen's Mecting November 16, 2016 Page 7 of 13 nothing from the election that indicates anything but that. I continue to have high expectations of each other as well as respect for the diverse populations that have chosen Mansfield as a their Town to live in. Mr. DelVecchio thanked Ms. Friedman for making her statement and said, he is pleased Ms. Friedman talked to Sgt. Bain. He knows that our Police Chief is fiercely and adamantly opposed to anything remotely like a hate crime and is not afraid to identify something as such and will pursue it as such. I found it comforting. We don't have that everywhere in our country and its an asset to our town. We have been working very hard to grow that sense of community and in doing that it will help us through these times. Mr. Dentino stated that he feels there is a lot of turmoil and uncertainly globe -wide. There have been a number of policemen shot in the last year, and a number of children that have been shot and we should be looking out for everybody. He then said, right now we are in a place where is has been difficult to even just appoint a committee of people to work for the President. He said, we all have to pay attention to what is happening and it is going to need time. Mr. Schoonveld thanked Ms. Friedman for coming in and allowing the Board to hear her comments. He said he sensed she has a lot of pride in her community and was glad she had a positive conversation with Sgt. Bain, which reflects our entire police department. A lot of us take pride in our community, with many different flavors and different individuals, and that's what makes it a great place to live. Ms. Friedman added that when she read her statement to her daughter she was tremendously relieved that safety front and center for a lot of people. Chairman Aptowitz told Ms. Friedman that it takes a lot of "chutzpah" or fearlessness to come before the board and he wanted to assure her that if anything happened, any person or persons would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. He told Ms. Friedman that he has reached out to our public safety leaders, and by the charter the Board is the public safety policy makers, so he felt it was his place to reach out to them. He has received full assurance from Sgt. Bain and Chief Sellon that bad things will not be tolerated. It was not tolerated before the election, or after the election. We all take it very seriously. We are all family and we want a safe community for everybody. We are not going to stand for any person doing something that they shouldn't do, and our public service people will protect our citizens. Chairman Aptowitz asked Ms. Friedman to read the Attorney General's hotline again. It is 800-994-3228. Chairman Aptowitz asked if anyone feels that there has been an issue to please reach out to our police department and they will do an investigation and get to the bottom of it. 9. Review and Approve Consent Agenda All items on the Consent Agenda may be adopted with a single motion. Any member of the Board of Selectmen may request that an item be withdrawn from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration in which case that item will be voted on separately fi•om the remainder of the Consent Agenda. All licenses have been routed through Town Hall Departments and any conditions have been noted below. a. Approval Of Board Of Selectmen Minutes For: • Meeting Of October 26, 2016 • Meeting Of November 9, 2016 Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 8 of 13 b. Vote To Approve Warrants: • Town Vendor Warrant No. 17020T in the amount of $115,977.63 • Electric Department Vendor Warrant No. 17020E in the amount of $1,958,850.31 c. 2017 Alcohol License Renewal • Consideration Of Wine And Malt Retail Package License For Kanku, Inc. dba The Store Subject To Town Department's/Public Safety Recommendations • Consideration Of All Alcohol Retail Package License For Adhya Corporation dba West Mansfield Variety, Subject To Town Department's/Public Safety Recommendations • Consideration Of All Alcohol Retail Package License For Route 106 Wines And Spirits, Subject To Town Department's/Public Safety Recommendations d. 2017 Common Victualler License Renewal • Consideration Of Common Victualler And Entertainment Licenses For K.D. Enterprises dba Stefano's Pizza And Sub Shop Motion: To approve the Consent Agenda as presented (Trowbridge/Mr. Schoonveld ) PASSES 5-0 10. Consideration and Approval of Town and School Payroll Warrants • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 1702OPT in the amount of $558,890.76 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 1702OPT in the amount of $558,890.76 (Trowbridge/DelVecchio ) PASSES 5:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 17020TV in the amount of $206,952.32 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 17020TV in the amount of $206,952.32 (Trowbridge/DelVecchio ) PASSES 5:0 • School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 1702OPS in the amount of $1,590,960.82 Motion: To approve School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 1702OPS in the amount of $1,590,960.82 (Trowbridge/DelVecchio ) PASSES 4:0:1 Trowbridge Abstains • School Deductions Vendor Payroll 17020SV in the amount of $545,376.33 Motion: To approve School Deductions Vendor Payroll 17020SV in the amount of $545,376.33 (Trowbridge/DelVecchio) PASSES 5:0 11. Correspondence • Letter From Xfmity Cable Informing Of Changes To Local Cable Coverage. 12. Town Manager's Report Mr. Ross stated that a couple of members of the Board have asked about the crosswalk that previously existed on Dean Street at West Street. He did research and looked at aerials and there was a crosswalk there that the Town will be reinstating in the spring given the upcoming winter season. Residents can be assured it will be replaced. Mr. Ross continued that two weeks from tonight 11/30 at 7:40 pm the Planning board will hold a hearing on a special permit application from Mansfield Parking LLC, owned by Turner Brothers, for a special permit to expand the parking facility at the train station by 194 additional parking spaces at 75 Chauncy Street (former Ditchman lot) location. They have the right to file for special permit. It is the planning board's decision as to whether or not to grant it. There are a number of issues with drainage and circulation. There are a number of issues that need to be addressed before the special permit can be considered. Mr. Ross then stated that they will have to apply to Board of Selectman for an expansion of their commercial parking license. Mr. Ross wanted the Board to be aware of this because in the past it Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 9 of 13 has been the position of the Board of Selectman not to expand the non-resident parking in that area and his understanding that it is an agreed upon number of spaces with the residents in that area. Mr. Ross was contacted by Mr. William Clemmey who has become aware of this application and is considering filing one themselves to expand their parking operation. Mr. Schoonveld clarified with Mr. Ross that the application is expanding by an additional 194 spaces. Mr. Ross stated that the issuance of special permits is something that is discretionary with the planning board and the same with the Board of Selectman which has the same discretion with regards to licensing for parking and the Board has the right to make a decision that it feels is in the best interest of the community. Mr. Ross recommended seeking the advice of Town Counsel. Assuming they get through the Special Permit process, they will then have to apply to our office to expand their private parking lot license. Mr. DelVecchio asked, does the award of the permit preclude us from saying no? Mr. Ross said his opinion is no, but if it comes to that he will ask Town Counsel. Mr. Trowbridge added that a Special Permit request must show that it is an asset to the town. Chairman Aptowitz asked if the parking is for anyone or just Mansfield residents. Mr. Ross said that it would be for anybody. Mr. Ross told the Board that the Downtown Advisory Committee had it's first meeting on Monday. He thought it went very well. All but two members were there. They had focused discussion about moving forward on various things. Good thought on taking the work that had been done, making a long range plan, and moving it forward. They are meeting again on December 13°i in Meeting Room 3AB. Chairman Aptowitz asked that Mr. Ross let them know that anything requiring funding should get done right away because the Town has budget coming up. Mr. Ross replied that there are two sources of funds that they have identified that do not require appropriation. The downtown gift fund for banners and Community Development Block Grants Funds that the town has available from previous projects that can be used to help match some other fiords, and those don't require Town Meeting action. We just need to determine if we want to use them for those issues. Concerning when the Electric Board would meet, Mr. DelVecchio and Mr. Ross have talked and they are looking at December 12"i because Mayhew Seavey with PLM will we have the second phase of the Cost of Service Study ready before that. There was some interested in meeting on same night as BOS meeting nights, but it seems that with the intensity it is important to concentrate on Electric business. If that is acceptable the office will get it scheduled. The Board agreed it was acceptable. Mr. Mr. Ross stated the final draft of the Regional Dispatch agreement has been through the four Town Managers and the eight chiefs and to the Board. It has been reviewed by Easton and Mansfield Town Counsel. Most of Counsel's edits have been incorporated, some have not because after discussion Counsel realized they were not necessary. There has been a lot of work done on this by the Town Managers. The Committee that the Board of Selectmen put together reported back their plans for the Regional Dispatch Center. Those plans have been developed, this agreement was assigned to the Town Managers, review with the chiefs who developed policies for the operation center, another group worked on the radio study, another group worked on funding for staffing. The next meeting of the Committee is December 5`h. Before that Mr. Ross would like to have a joint meeting with four Boards Selectman and the others. Chairman Aptowitz asked that Mr. Ross let them know when the date was selected. We are looking at one of the schools in Easton because they have excellent facilities and audio video facilities. Mr. Ross asked that the Board take a look at the draft and ask questions or send an email. He expects that his colleagues will be distributing the agreement in Norton, Foxboro, and Easton as well. Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 10 or 13 Mr. Ross announced that Town Hall will close for Thanksgiving 4:00 pm on Wednesday, as well as closed all day Thursday & Friday. We will provide normal service and public safety services. Tomorrow I am going to Amherst for the Municipal Managers Association Fall meeting. I am staying overnight. I am accessible by mobile phone. I will not be here on Thursday, and will be back on Friday. 13. BOS Questions and Comments Mr. Trowbridge commented that at the end of last week's meeting Mr. Schoonveld mentioned that he lost his dad. He wanted Selectman Schoonveld to know that the Board is thinking about him and his family this weekend, and to offer the Board's condolences. He then announced that the Town has a new Superintendent of Schools as of tonight. Teresa Murphy has been chosen and he feels that they couldn't have found a better person. Mr. Dentino agreed noting Teresa will be terrific. Mr. Dentino then asked Mr. Ross about a mention at the last meeting with regards to Sean Burke, Town Planner, working on some zoning. Mr. Ross responded that Mr. Burke has worked on a proposed recreational marijuana zone that will be sent to Town Counsel and the Attorney General so that if the Boards wanted to, it could be available for Town Meeting in the Spring. Mr. Ross continued that there seems to be some misunderstanding on this as there is still one resident that says that the Town zoned so the medical marijuana distribution facility could come to Mansfield. When in fact, if there had not been a specific zone for medical marijuana facility, and the same is true for recreational marijuana, they could locate in any commercial zone in the community. By bringing the medical marijuana to Town Meeting the Town effectively limited the locations, and believes that the same thing is true with recreational marijuana. That is why Mr. Ross asked Sean Burke to work on that, and not only have Town Counsel look at it but also get a yes or no from the AG. If we take it to Town Meeting and Town Meeting agrees and then the AG doesn't like it, we have to wait for the next Town Meeting. He added that this has been done before with zoning. Mr. Trowbridge added that we should try to be proactive about the zoning for this where it will have the least impact. Mr. Dentino said that when he spoke following Ms. Friedman's comments he failed to mention public safety. He felt the Town has have the best public safety, police and firemen, around. He said officials and residents have to pay attention to what is going on world-wide. We have to help ourselves with what's may be coming in the future. It is not going to be a quick fix. Hopefully it doesn't reach Mansfield or the U.S. He wanted to apologize if he said things that people didn't like. Mr. Schoonveld asked what is on the Agenda for the next Selectman's meeting. Chairman Aptowitz asked Nancy to send tentative agenda for November 30t" to the Board tomorrow. Chairman Aptowitz commented that the Veterans celebration on the Veterans Day was a nice event. He was honored to speak at the Elks Open House on Sunday which honored Vietnam vets. There are lots of stories about the difficult times Vietnam vets have faced over the years. He wanted to give credit to the Elks and Geri Rumsis, the Field of Honor folks, Charlie Mulkahey, and everyone involved. The event was well done. There were disabled vets from the Brockton VA that arrived via motorcoach, had lunch, and then a celebration. It was a nicely attended event. It was a lot of work and these dedicated people deserved to be recognized. Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page I I of 13 Mr. Schoonveld added that he had lunch with three veterans and had conversations with them that made him very grateful to have attended. He suggested to others that if they have children of age they should consider attending this event with their children next year. He felt it would make them feel very grateful for the rest of the year. Chairman Aptowitz has received calls that there are dogs being allowed to run loose on East Street fields at Jordan/Jackson. He reminded that dogs are supposed to be leashed. Mr. Mr. Ross will reach out to school committee about signs. Solar Farm on Branch Street has done landscaping, and it's not what residents were expecting. They expected a higher fence and more shielding. Chairman Aptowitz asked if there is more to be done, because the site is still visible from the street. Mr. Ross told the Board that the Town has not made a final inspection there. Chairman Aptowitz asked if we address that before the final inspection. Mr. Ross said, sure. Concerning Theresa Murphy being appointed to Superintendent; I think she is a huge asset to this town and will be an even bigger asset in her new role. Congratulations to her, well deserved. The Chairman asked that discussions with departments heads be scheduled with the Board, and not just a 10 minutes meeting, about what are they doing, where are they going, what are their needs. Mr. Schoonveld added that he thinks the Finance Committee should come in first, and then have the other committees come in with their plans as well. Chairman Aptowitz replied that they should have one-year and five-year plans. Mr. DelVecchio said that he understands that this year's budget document will include that information and Mr. Ross agreed. Mr. Ross pointed out that in the goals that he and the Board agreed upon there will be meetings and discussions in January with the Departments about the budget, which will include trend data that will be available at that time. Chairman Aptowitz then told the Board that the MMA conference is coming. He said for the last couple years he has wanted to go on the Saturday session. I -Ie wondered if others would consider going and that they could possible to stay over. He stated that the Board must have representation there to vote at the Selectman's Meeting. The conference is Friday, January 20t1i and 21st. Those that want to go should see Nancy to get registered. Mr. Ross stated that he stayed overnight last year, paying for it himself. He felt that if they are going they should make a decision soon as rooms get booked up. Mr. Apotwitz finished with, on behalf of the town, our deepest condolences to Mr. Schoonveld, his mom, and his sisters on the loss of their father. Mr. Ross stated that Teresa Murphy will be an excellent Superintendent. She is tremendous to work with. She is cooperative, she represents the School Department well, and she also understands the entire organization. Mr. Ross thinks that is important with the direction the Town is going. He is glad the Town will be able to continue the collaboration that has been built. He said he doesn't think the School Committee could have made a better choice. 14. Items Not Anticipated 48 Hours in Advance of Meeting None 15. Adjourn MOTION: To adjourn at 9:06PM (Schoonveld /DelVecchio) PASSES 5-0 94nature Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 12 of 13 1 L24� Date Minutes prepared by: Nancy Griffin Documents used in this meeting: Map Of Downtown Parking Statement By Resident Sharon Friedman Board Of Selectmen's Meeting November 16, 2016 Page 13 of 13