Selectmen’s Meeting Minutes — February
7, 2008—7:00
p.m. — Memorial
Hall
The meeting was called to order by Chairman, Joe Judd. Other members
present: Bob Manners and John Payne.
Acceptance of Minutes - a motion was made by John to accept the minutes
of January 24, 2008. Bob seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Town Clerk, Beverly Neeley RE: Election Report - reported that 745 ballots
were cast at the most recent Presidential primary. Several people tried
the new "auto mark" machine for disabled citizens and it worked
well. Joe thanked Beverly for a job well done.
Noteworthy News:
- Special Town Meeting, February 21, 2008 at 7:30
p.m., Memorial Hall
- Public Hearing with Comcast to discuss community
needs; 2/27/08; 7:00 p.m., Buckland Shelburne Community Center
- Broadband
Forum for Western Mass, March 1, 2008, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Clarion
Hotel, Northampton, MA
- Public Officials Training - March 10, 2008, 6:00
p.m., Memorial Hall
Department Liaison Reports:
Town Office - John reported that there are a few financial matters that
need to be addressed and he will be working with the Treasurer and
the Fiscal Officer to resolve.
Highway Department - Bob reported that the $9,000 winter salt and sand
budget is almost gone. The crew is trying to stay ahead of the potholes
and is performing a great deal of maintenance on the vehicle fleet.
OLD BUSINESS:
Draft Guidelines for Recording of Meeting Minutes
and Fulfilling Requests for Public Records - on hold until after public officials training.
Apex
Orchard Lease Renewal - Bob met with Tim Smith to continue discussions
relative to the orchard lease renewal. A lease amount of $100 per acre
annually was agreed upon. Tim also indicated his willingness to entertain
discussion in the future when the highway department is ready to build
a pole barn on the property. After no further discussion, Bob made a
motion to send the lease to Donna MacNicol for review. John seconded
the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Arms Library RE: Letter of Response - Before finalizing the letter for signatures, John wanted to review
the letter's content with the full Board present and make some suggested
changes. Several changes were suggested and agreed upon by the Board.
Terry Mosher will incorporate changes and Board will sign the letter
early next week.
Arms Library Roof - Joe had
a lengthy discussion with Paul Holtz from the Massachusetts Historic
Commission with regards to the repair of the Arms Library roof. Mr. Holtz
is willing to take a look at all of the information the town has so far
and help us determine what steps need to be taken next.
Senior Center Lease - Joe has scheduled a meeting with
the Senior Center Director and representatives from member towns to discuss
the lease on February 12, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. at the Senior Center.
Police Department
Relocation - Joe admitted that he feels too "stretched" and
while he is very interested in seeing a new police station be built in
Shelburne, he does not believe it is the right time. He reported that
he will move forward with the proposed land swap at Buckland-Shelburne
elementary because the land is of importance to the school. Joe will
be meeting with a surveyor next week to locate boundaries. Recognizing
that the town hall is bursting at the seams and not wanting to give up
completely on finding a new location for the police department, Joe wanted
to discuss the possibility of placing a non-binding referendum on the
ballot in June to see whether or not Shelburne residents would like the
Board of Selectmen to enter into dialogue with Buckland about the possibilities
of sharing a "joint" police complex. Bob
indicated that he would have to speak with the Ethics Commission to see
whether or not he could participate in any dialogue relative to the police
department. John asked for clarification on the term "joint police
complex". Joe stated that he envisions holding a public forum before
town meeting to explore any and all options. He wants to make sure that
the Town of Buckland is still interested and that Shelburne residents
are willing to explore. If the concept were looked upon favorably, the
Conway Street building would serve two separate departments under one
roof while maintaining a satellite office on Bridge Street. John asked
if Joe considered this proposal to be a short-term solution. Joe was
uncertain but suggested that it should be discussed amongst both boards.
John indicated that typically one would start with a look at the police
department's needs, and out of that analysis determine what type of space
and equipment is needed. John wondered if Joe was suggesting that Shelburne
use Buckland's space as a stop gap; alleviating space issues, while providing
the town more time to look at all options. John agreed that the Board
needs feedback from the town as well as an opportunity to look at the
big picture. Joe will schedule a meeting with Buckland Selectmen in the
near future to discuss further.
NEW BUSINESS:
Transfer Station Attendant Position - Bob reported that two candidates
were interviewed last week and he has discussed the results of those
interviews with Pete Hillman at length. Based on those discussions,
Bob recommended that Jim Stacy be hired for the position. Although
Joe agreed with the recommendation, he wanted to make it clear that
the transfer station was the priority and the hours of operation were
important. In the event the Highway Superintendent needed a spare driver
on a day that the transfer station was open, he would have to seek
another individual. Bob stated that Pete understood and is willing
to utilize other spare drivers should the need arise. Bob made a motion
to hire Jim Stacy as the town's part-time transfer station operator
at a rate of $15.11 per hour. John seconded the motion. Motion carried
unanimously.
Maintenance Agreement for Town Elevators - in an effort
to save money on the costs of the maintenance agreements for the town's
three elevators, Terry Mosher brought forth a proposal that would save
the town approximately $8,278 over the next five years. Rather than
have the elevators examined twelve times a year, the service provider,
Bay State Elevator is proposing a five year contract with six examinations
annually. Following a brief discussion, a motion was made by John to
approve the five-year proposal. Bob seconded the motion. Motion carried
unanimously.
Franklin Land Trust RE: George Randall APR Application
(21 acres) - the application is being reviewed by the Conservation Commission
this evening. The Board of Selectmen will wait to hear what their thoughts
are before taking any action.
F.C. Solid Waste Management District - the
solid waste district is in the process of putting together a new bid
document for hauling and disposal services. If Shelburne wants to be
included in the bid process with no obligation to participate, they must
indicate their interest by signing a memorandum. A motion was made by
John to participate in the bidding process. Bob seconded the motion.
Motion carried unanimously.
CORRESPONDENCE: none
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Jim Wall indicated that he has been following the "mo's" of
each board member for the last thirteen months. He is concerned that
John Payne also serves as a member of the Planning Board and on occasion
when there is a conflict in scheduling; John attends the Planning Board
meeting rather than the Selectmen's meeting. Mr. Wall does not think
that the Board of Selectmen should allow a member to attend another meeting.
He believes that the Selectmen should establish a workload schedule,
assign tasks and make it public.
Adjournment: Bob made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:20 p.m. John
seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Mosher
Executive Secretary
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