Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutBOS 04/11/2018Minutes of Board of Selectmen Meeting April 11, 2018 Present: Mr. Michael Trowbridge, Chairman; Mr. Jess Aptowitz, Vice -Chairman; Mr. Frank DelVecchio, Clerk, and Mr: Steve Schoonveld. Mr. Neil Rhein was not present. RECEIVED R� OFFiC� 1. Call To Order Board of Selectmen Meeting -Pledge of Allegiance To`�jt_� Chairman Trowbridge called the meeting to order at 6:3013M. He reminded e y ell�iat O e%Ming was being broadcast live and taped for future broadcast on Mansfield Cable. He asked ere were a ynembers of the audience recording, to which Chairman Trowbridge acknowledged that Ms. Dom -M IAtt lic dfrpT Mansfield News would be.''3t' Public Hearing In Accordance With The Provisions Of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 82 Section 22, By The Board of Selectmen Of Their Intent To Lay Out The Following Streets As A Public Way on April 11, 2017 At 6:30pm In The Selectmen's Meeting Room, 3A/B, Town Hall, Six Park Row: Change in Layout of Willow Street. Mr. DelVecchio read the legal notice for the record. Motion: To open the public hearing. (Aptowitz/Schoonveld) Passes 4:0 Mr. Shaun Burke, Town Planner came forward and stated that this hearing was to change the layout of Willow Street. The change in layout is a result of the approval and construction of the Willowdale Estates. He noted that the developer donated the land to the Town and alternated the sharp curve up towards Spring Street. This has created a softer curve in the road and created a sage corner with better site vision. The developer constructed and completed all the work. Chairman confirmed that it made the corner safer. There were no questions from the other Selectmen. Ms.'Nancy Wall of 78 West Street asked if there are sidewalks included in that area. Mr. Burke stated there was one on the westerly side of the street that runs from Lorraine almost up to Spring Street. He noted the developer stopped where the Town asked him to because at some point the intersection of School Street and Spring Street will be reconstructed and at that time the Town will extend the sidewalk further down. Motion: To close the public hearing. (Aptowitz/DelVecchio) Passes 4:0 Motion: To approve the change in layout of Willow Street. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 3. Public Hearing In Accordance With The Provisions Of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 82 Section 22, By The Board of Selectmen Of Their Intent To Lay Out The Following Streets As A Public Way on April 11, 2017 At 6:40pm In The Selectmen's Meeting Room, 3A/B, Town Hall, Six Park Row: Forest Heights Drive Mr. DelVecchio read the legal notice for the record. Motion: To open the public hearing. (Aptowitz/Schoonveld) Passes 4:0 Mr. Burke, Town Planner with Mr. Perry DiMascio came forward and noted the Planning Board is holding a cash deposit of $40,834.81 and all the hard items are completed. Mr. Burke stated that the punch list of items to finish, include clean up, landscape, trees and lawns. He stated it has been a late spring and Town Meeting is early so it.wili be difficult to get the tree lawn growing, but it could be done. Mr. Burke recommended the Board vote to accept the street contingent on punch list completion by Town Meeting. There were no questions from the Board or the public. Motion: To close the public hearing. (Aptowitz/DelVecchio) Passes 4:0 Motion: To approve Forest Heights Drive subject to the completion of punch list and final inspection from Planning Department and Road Inspector within a week of Town Meeting. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 3:0:1 Trowbridge Abstained Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen April 11, 2018 Page 1 4. Consideration to Appoint Ms. Janice Wivagg to the Keep Mansfield Beautiful Committee Chairman Trowbridge asked Ms. Wivagg to come forward and explain a little bit about herself. Ms. Wivagg stated she has lived in Mansfield three years and became interested in the Committee with the annual clean up and stated she took it upon herself to maintain the area throughout the year. She stated that she worked with scout groups'' and 4H groups when her children were growing up and believes that kids need to develop cleanliness and have concerns for the environment. She believed that the two could blend together; she also stated that she was interested and has always volunteered and this felt like a good fit. Mr. Schoonveld thanked her for volunteering and stated that she makes a great point with starting with kids early to have pride in their community. He commented that he does the cleanup every year with his children. Mr. Aptowitz had no questions and thanked her for her contributions. Mr. DelVecchio asked if she has attended a meeting of the Committee. She answered she was there at their meeting last night. Chairman Trowbridge thanked her for going back to clean up the areas throughout the year after the big clean up. ` Motion: To appoint Janice Wivagg to the Keep Mansfield Beautiful Committee to an unexpired term to expire on December 31, 2019. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 5. Presentation by Northeastern University Students Regarding Reimagining Commercial Street Dr. Daniel Dulaski professor at Northeastern University and also a resident of Mansfield was present and introduced his students. He stated for the past nine years he has done Capstone projects with the students where they work on real world projects and that this was the fifth project for Mansfield. He noted that back in 2014 the students worked on a project at the train station which led to a $2.4 million Mass Works grant. He stated the students have worked on this project for fourteen weeks and this Commercial Street project is away to improve, the street and reduce the safety concerns with keeping in mind how they could change the look and feel of Mansfield and provide the citizens of Mansfield with what they are looking for. Mr. Henry Sacco the Project Manager introduced the team which included three Project Engineers, Ms. Laura Blumenfeld, Mr. Michael Fusco, and Ms. Samantha Lathrop. He stated the Capstone project was Reimagining Commercial Street and they have met with Town Planner Shaun Burke, Officer David Kinahan to better understand what the roadway needs. The group studied a one and half mile stretch from Chauncy Street to School Street with four intersections. Mr. Sacco stated that one of the challenges that there are many destinations along Commercial Street, but majority of the residences are on the other side of the road is a barrier for pedestrians and cyclist. Mr. Sacco noted the road currently feels like a highway so by changing the way the road looks it can look less like a highway. The stretch of road has four lanes in Mansfield but in Norton and Foxboro it only a two lane road, has lower speed limits and has sidewalks. The intersections of Chauncy and School Street have an above average crash rate when looking at the State and Regional averages. Ms. Blumenfeld continued the presentation and stated that if someone wanted to walk from the train station to Cabot Business Park it would take twenty-nine minutes and noted that it is dangerous to cross Route 140. She stated the intersection is one hundred and twenty feet wide and it takes a minute to cross and cars travel in excess of fifty miles per hour. Ms. Blumenfeld continued that the wideness of the road does provide an opportunity to create attractions on the west side of the road by reducing the width of the roadway. Mr. Fusco then stated that the project vision was to reduce the travel roadway to eleven foot wide lanes with a four foot buffer in the middle, instead of twelve feet wide lanes as well as a twelve foot buffer. The total roadway is two hundred and fifty feet across. Ms. Blumenfeld then suggested that on the western side of the road they would have a thirty-five median and adds landscape and trees and a linear park and then a sixteen foot shared use path and then have space on the western side of the road to have attractions such as food trucks, farmers markets and open spaces for activities. Ms. Lathrop then described how turbo roundabouts could reduce the conflict points from thirty-two points to ten points of conflict could be added to slow traffic down and improve safety and accommodate large trucks. Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen April 11, 2018 Page 2 Mr. Amil Atluri came forward and stated that Mansfield residents would like this because of all the greenery, but was not sure if the businesses in Town would be in favor and then he commented that the turbo roundabout seems robotic. Ms. Sharon Freedman of 29 Pleasant Street and a member of the Planning Board came forward and stated the roundabout would mitigate some of the difficulties and bring up our traffic from an F to a C over the course of ten years then back down to a D and she wondered if there were any other configurations that the students came up with that would bring the F up to a B and then after then years it would go down to a C. Mr. Fusco answered that they had looked at several configurations and this one was the best option and stated that right now the road has the worst rating of F so going to a C would be very good. Chairman Trowbridge asked if a cost analysis was completed. Mr. Saco answered they had and noted they tried to use as much of the existing pavement as possible. Ms. Blumenfeld answered between $3.5 to 4.5 million and because of how unsafe the intersection of School and Chauncy are those areas could qualify for grants. Chairman Trowbridge noted that SRPEDD just completed a study and asked if this information has been shared with SRPEDD. Mr. Sacco answered that they used the report from SRPEDD in their research of the area, SRPEDD was also looking at four eleven foot lanes but they also had a bike path and sidewalk on either side of the roadway. Dr. Dulaski added that SRPEDD has not received this presentation, but it will be sent to them. He then stated that cyclist will not want to bike on a five foot bike path right next to thirty five miles per hour traffic and stated this technology and approach was used in the 1990's and is not what people are looking for today. Mr. Schoonveld stated that he did not envision this area as an opportunity, but everyone agrees they don't envision this area being like Route 1 in Saugus or Dedham. He stated the Town is currently trying to expand its commercial tax base and asked why they picked the west side and not the east side. He also asked if there would be commercial opportunities here, noting the whole Cabot Park only gives the Town about seven or eight million dollars. Mr. Saco stated that safer intersections with the roundabouts easily allows people to get to the west side to and attractions while also giving the opportunity for people using the commuter rail the ability to get to the Industrial Park safely. Ms. Blumenfeld stated that food trucks, arts in the park and farmers markets could generate money and stated there could be other commercial opportunities depending on what residents want. Dr. Dulaski noted that there are opportunities for mixed used commercial space, but the students went back to the John Mullen report from years ago discovered that residents want open space and a place to gather in the community. Mr. Schoonveld asked if the tracks just past School Street affect the alignment. Ms. Lathrop answered there is enough space to shift the alignment slightly and add five feet to the west side. Mr. DelVecchio asked where he would park if he wanted to get to the food truck because he lives over on the other side of Town. Ms. Blumenfeld answered that residents could take a bike but there are parking opportunities at the commercial plazas to accommodate the parking if they were friendly enough. Mr. DelVecchio stated that he is encouraged and hopes this information is shared with SRPEDD. Mr. Aptowitz stated that he has been on the Board ten years and noted how well the students and thanked them for their hard work and good luck in their future careers. 6. Discussion and Consideration of Procurement of Specialty Equipment for Mill Street Sewer Pump Station Upgrade Mr. Lee Azinheira and Mr. Chris Rositer were present. Mr. Azinheira stated that the Mill Street Station was being upgraded after twenty five years. Tonight he was asking the Board for permission to buy a specific name brand item because of the experience using the brand and because it is readily available to purchase off the shelf. Chairman Trowbridge asked if the total cost was $43,000 and Mr. Azinheira answered for these additional items and the $450,000 for the whole upgrade was approved by CIP and is coming from the Enterprise Fund and the project was bid subject to Town Meeting. There were no additional questions from the Board. Motion: To approve the procurement of specialty equipment for Mill Street Sewer Pump Station Upgrade. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen April 11, 2018 Page 3 7. Consideration of Local Action Units Application for Willowdale Estates Condominium Affordable Development Chairman Trowbridge stated this was postponed and a memo was received from the Planning Department to ensure that this was done according to past practice. There were no questions from the Board. Motion: To approve the local action units application for Willowdale Estates Condominium affordable development. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 8. Consideration of Local Action Units Application for Cabot Pond Apartments Affordable Development Motion: To approve the local action units application for Cabot Pond Apartments affordable development. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 9. Open, Close and Sign the Warrant for the Special Town Meeting on May 15, 2018 Mr. Dumas explained that he still has to meet with the TIF Committee in regards to a TIF for Rolf C. Hagan a Mansfield business that has to make a decision on expanding and whether or not to leave Mansfield. The business currently operates in a 302,000 square foot facility in a leased building and they have 100 full time positions and will be expanding to create another thirty positions and this is their second facility in Mansfield. Mr. Dumas stated they are looking for relief on their personal property tax side. The next step is to have the company meet with the TIF Committee and hear their full proposal. Chairman Trowbridge noted this was time sensitive and Mr. Dumas stated the company prefers to stay in Mansfield. Mr. Aptowitz stated that he believed Mr. Dentino was the Selectmen representative on the TIF Committee. Ms; Champagne confirmed and Mr. Aptowitz stated the Board should vote tonight to appoint someone. Mr. DelVecchio asked Mr. Dumas to explain a TIF and that this is not a decrease in the taxes they have paid now, but a decrease in the amount of the new project. Mr. Dumas answered that this was for the personal property tax portion only and not in their real estate tax or the new improvements. Mr. Schoonveld asked if this a special town meeting within the town meeting on the same night and Mr. Dumas confirmed it was. Mr. Schoonveld commented that he was not a fan of personal property taxes and noted that currently it is a significant amount but he believes this to be a "win win. Chairman Trowbridge noted they have been a great community partner. Mr. Dumas stated they donated to the animal shelter and the increase growth in new business and this would add a second shift to the facility. Motion: To open the Special Town Meeting Warrant. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 Motion: To close the Special Town Meeting Warrant. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 Motion: To approve and sign the Special Town Meeting Warrant for May 15, 2018. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes`'"' 4:0 Motion: To appoint Mr. Aptowitz to the TIF Committee. (Aptowitz/DelVecchio) Passes 4:0 10. Approval of DPW /Public Safety Complex Letter Chairman Trowbridge stated that the letter was sent to everyone and that the Board was asked to write a joint letter with the Finance Committee. Mr. Aptowitz stated he had concerns with his issue that has not been addressed and stated he was not in favor. Mr. Schoonveld agreed with Selectmen Aptowitz and went back to the original handout and wants some of these numbers are tied directly and he stated he would also like to see a reconciliation of how much of the contingency has been used. Mr. Schoonveld stated that went to debt exclusion dollars that were up to $250 range and they came back down to the $180 range and would like to see this information added in. He then asked if there really is cost savings. Mr. DelVecchio stated his one concern was that Mike Ahern is noted in the letter but not explained who he is and that it was short and got the point across. Chairman Trowbridge stated that it would be postponed until the next meeting on April 25th. Mr. Dumas asked if he could make some edits and get it resent out to the Board for consideration. 11. Consideration to Reappoint Mr. Jeff Healey to the Cable Access Board of Directors Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen April 11, 2018 Page 4 Motion: To reappoint Jeff Healy to serve on the Cable Access Board of Directors for a three year term to expire on April 1, 2021. (DelVecchio/Schoonveld) Passes 4:0 12. Consideration and Approval of the Town Election Warrant Motion: To approve and sign the Town Election Warrant for May 8, 2018. (DelVecchio/Schoonveld) Passes 4:0 13. Discussion of Recreational Marijuana Sales and Updates There Was no new information. Chairman Trowbridge 14. Resident Questions and Comments There were no resident questions or comments. 15. 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 from the remainder of the Consent Agenda. All licenses have been routed through Town Hall Departments and any conditions have been noted below. a) Vote To Approve Warrants: • Town Vendor Warrant No. 18040T in the amount of $113,529.11 • Electric Vendor Warrant No. 18040E in the amount of $88,691.95 • School Vendor Warrant No. 180405 in the amount of $589,324.67 • Town Vendor Warrant No. 18041T in the amount of $1,131,672.01 • Electric Vendor Warrant No. 18041E in the amount of $241,184.96 b) Permits and License: • Consideration of Hackney License for Paul Thibeault • Consideration of Hackney License for Robert Pelletier • Consideration of Hackney License for Osama Ghaly • Consideration of Water Installers License for P. Beatty Excavation, Inc. • Consideration of the South Shore Antique Auto Swap Meet to begin vendor setup on May 18, 2018. c) Proclamations Motion: To approve the consent agenda. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 16. Consideration and Approval of Town Payroll Warrants: • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 18040PT in the amount of $341,522.94 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 18040PT in the amount of $341,522.94. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 18040TV in the amount of $104,255.32 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 18040TV in the amount of $104,255.32. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 18040PS in the amount of $1,637,683.89 Motion: To approve School Payroll/School Medicaid Payroll 18040PS in the amount of $1,637,683.89. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • School Deductions Vendor Payroll 18040SV in the amount of $535,615.92 Motion: To approve School Deductions Vendor Payroll 18040SV in the amount of $535,615.92. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 18041PT in the amount of $342,915.98 Motion: To approve Town Payroll/Town Medicaid Payroll 18041PT in the amount of $342,915.98. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 • Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 18041TV in the amount of $103,605.92 Motion: To approve Town Deductions Vendor Payroll 18041TV in the amount of $103,605.92. (DelVecchio/Aptowitz) Passes 4:0 Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen April 11, 2018 Page S 17. Correspondence • Letter from the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission Letter from Verizon for Programming Change Mr. DelVecchio read a summary of the above correspondence items. 18. Town Manager's Report Mr. Dumas stated that there was an article in the Sun Chronicle about the Mansfield Electric Department that it is in the top for power reliability. He then stated April 10th met with CIP and will be discussed at tomorrow night's joint meeting with the Finance and School Committee. Mr. Dumas stated that on Tuesday, May 151 he will be attending the 2018 Economic Development Summit in Worcester. He stated that the snow and ice deficit was $337,804.35 as of today. He then stated that on Monday, April 9 he was at Mass Dot District 5 with Mr. Azinheira and Mr. Alves for a meeting to discuss the Route 106 project they are doing survey work now and that will be completed by the end of April. He added Mass Dot would like the Town to get their surveying done as well and time the projects simultaneously which provides cost savings on the design phase and one mobilization cost for the contractor. Mr. Dumas then stated that on April 4`h he met with Mr. Joe Sollecito, Ms. Sacha Zlatkova and Mr. Mike Ahern met to discuss Internet speeds over a town fiber and currently the Town has slower speeds than what majority of people have in their homes. Chairman Trowbridge discussed the balance budget. 19. Selectmen's Questions and Comments Mr. Schoonveld asked about the parking licensees near the train station and stated now is opportunity to have a discussion with them. Mr. Dumas answered it was on his list of items. Mr. Schoonveld then asked if the Town can better update residents on chip sealing. Mr. Dumas stated that those expectations are going to be communicated differently this year and explained what they can expect. Mr. Schoonveld noted that there is no real status update from SMHG, but noted that the group is having a good year and the check back to the Town would then be higher. Mr. Schoonveld asked Mr. Dumas if he could find any emails or information about the calculation when Easton and East Bridgewater left SMHG. Mr. Schoonveld started to talk about CIP and Chairman Trowbridge asked Mr. Schoonveld to keep his comments until tomorrow night. Mr. Aptowitz noted he will be at the Tri -Town Chamber event and unable to attend the meeting on Thursday. Chairman Trowbridge suggested Mr. Aptowitz send his questions to Mr. Dumas. Mr. Aptowitz asked about the receivables for the outstanding details, and maybe someone other than Mr. Stanbrook could review this information and provide it. Mr. Aptowitz then asked if there was an update on the Chocolate Factory. Chairman Trowbridge noted they pulled a permit and Mr. Dumas had asked to kept up to date, but has not heard anything. Mr. DelVecchio noted the presentation from Northeastern was fantastic and Mr. Dumas is a great communicator and is looking forward to the joint meeting tomorrow night. Chairman Trowbridge agreed that Northeastern University did a great job and the problem is that it is a state highway. 20. Any items not anticipated by the Chairman 48 hours prior to this meeting There were no items. 21. Adjourn Motion: To adjourn the April 11, 2018 Board of Selectmen meeting at 8:1313M. (Aptowitz/DelVecchio) Passes 4:0 Signature Date Minutes prepared by Carrie Champagne Meeting Minutes Board of Selectmen April 11, 2018 Page 6