Selectmen Meeting Minutes — June 26,
2008—7:00
p.m. — Memorial
Hall
Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairman, Joseph Judd.
Other members present: John Payne and Robert Manners.
Acceptance of Meeting Minutes:
A motion was made by Bob to accept the minutes of June 13th and June
24th as presented. John seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Noteworthy News:
Bridge Street Traffic Concerns - Joe stated that he is working with the
Police to address several traffic-related concerns on Bridge Street.
Those concerns are as follows:
J-hooks or u-turns by motorists who prefer parking on the opposite side
of the road. Strategies for reducing occurrence include:
- Painting of double
solid lines down center of roadway. Current lines are worn and not
visible.
- Visible, unobtrusive signage that would inform the public
of the law prohibiting the action, as well as informing of pedestrian
in crosswalk law.
- Observe/React - Officers will be making time during
patrols to monitor Bridge Street for pedestrian safety, motorist safety
and convenience.
- Devise efficient program for monitoring two hour parking
by-law.
- Water and Bridge Street Intersection: when a car is parked in
handicap area at intersection, it creates a hazard for persons exiting
Water Street. The view is obstructed.
- Speed Limit of 25 - needs to be
enforced. Would like to gather some data i.e. volume of traffic, speed
of vehicles, peak times, etc.
John suggested that if the Police Department is going to be more rigorous
in these areas of enforcement that the Town should do a good job educating
people and providing good clear notice of the changes.
Department Liaison Report:
Town Office - John Payne reported that he attended the F.R.C.O.G.
Quarterly Finance Committee meeting. He highlighted a few of the budgetary
adjustments that were presented and voted upon. John also reported that
the Cable Advisory Committee met last week to plan for the next round
of discussions with Comcast. Collector Maureen Pike is on vacation this
week; Terry Mosher will be on vacation next week.
Highway Department - Bob reported that work continues on Patten Road and Zerah Fiske Road.
The crew has also been busy with thunderstorm-related tree cleanup. The
New Holland Tractor repair will cost an estimated $3,000. Bob stated
that although the problem was caused by a small $20 valve; in order to
replace the valve, the tractor must be taken apart.
Police Department - Joe reported that the Police Site Review Committee
has met twice and will meet again next Thursday. Joe wanted to make it
known that last week, the Committee met at a member's residence because
the demand for meeting space on a Thursday evening is so high. The Committee
has since been offered space at the Arms Library for future meetings.
OLD BUSINESS:
Senior Center Lease - Joe is hopeful that the next scheduled
meeting with all participating parties will be held on July 15, 2008
at 4:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall. He will contact the Mason's to see if
a representative can attend.
Highway Garage Roof Replacement - reference
checks were provided by the low bidder; Doug's Carpentry & Roofing.
The Highway Superintendent contacted those individuals and was more than
satisfied by their comments relative to quality of workmanship, timeliness,
etc. Acting on a recommendation of the Highway Superintendent, a motion
was made by Bob to award Doug's Carpentry & Roofing for the highway
garage roof replacement project in the amount of $30,000. John seconded
the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Tree Removal - Bob requested
that an additional $2,000 be approved for the removal of the large hemlock
trees that are situated behind the highway garage. Bob stated that the
removal of these trees would add to the overall longevity of the new
roof. He is hoping that once cut, the logs can be sold to offset the
cost of their removal. John suggested advertising the sale of the logs
prior to their being cut with the hopes that the town would receive some
competitive bids. Bob made a motion to authorize the removal of the hemlock
trees for an estimated cost of $2,000. John seconded the motion. Motion
carried unanimously. Both projects will be paid for out of the Highway
Maintenance account but must be approved at a special town meeting later
in the year.
F.R.C.O.G. RE: Highway Gravel Bid - Bob reported that the
Highway Superintendent is satisfied with the low bidder, Bob Hamilton
of Colrain, MA for the purchase of 500 cubic yards of 1 1/2" Screened
(Processed) Bank Run Gravel Delivered for $13.70 per cubic yard. With
that said, Bob made a motion to authorize the F.R.C.O.G. to award the
bid on behalf of the Town. John seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Future
Bid Awards - continuing discussion from the last meeting, Joe wanted
to clarify the role of the Board of Selectmen relative to bid awards.
Joe reiterated that the Board of Selectmen is the awarding authority
for the Town of Shelburne therefore, he would like to see all bid recommendations
be brought forth by department heads for the Board's approval prior to
any award. All members were in agreement with the suggested policy, department
heads will be reminded of said policy.
Highway Department RE: Purchase
of Gasoline - as of June 15th, the Highway Department no longer has the
ability to charge gasoline at a neighboring gas station. The station
has been sold to the Irving Corporation and until a commercial account
can be established with them, the Highway Superintendent has been purchasing
gasoline for his highway vehicle and associated equipment using his own
personal charge card. John Payne has agreed to work with the Treasurer
to find a suitable credit card for both the Police Department and the
Highway Department to use. Joe will check with the Senior Center to see
if they would be interested in participating as well. The police department
currently uses a Mobil card. Once an account has been established for
the various town departments, the Board of Selectmen will discuss creating
a policy that will address the use of said cards.
NEW BUSINESS:
Highway Department RE: Diesel Fuel Bids - after reviewing the results
of the Lower Pioneer Educational Collaborative bid and comparing those
results to those recently received by the F.R.C.O.G. and a neighboring
town, a recommendation was made by Pete Hillman to award F.L. Roberts
of Springfield, MA (the low bidder) for a fixed margin and overhead
price of $0.539 per gallon. The Town will authorize a representative
of the collaborative to watch the daily market and "lock in" on
the actual fuel cost when the market price drops. Bob made a motion
to award F.L. Roberts of Springfield, MA for the purchase of diesel
fuel. Motion seconded by John. Before acting on the motion, the Board
discussed the increasing costs of fuel and whether or not a policy
should be developed regarding snow removal. The Board agreed that Shelburne
has always been aggressive in their approach and residents expect a
quick response. Bob agreed to speak with the Highway Department to
see if any cost savings measures could be implemented when performing
snow removal without jeopardizing the public's safety. Motion carried
unanimously.
Brook Road Slope Stabilization Bid Awards - six bids were
received for the project. Gengel & Sons the apparent low bidder
($25,393.50) was disqualified for not having submitted the proper Mass
Highway prequalification as required in the bid package. James Toth,
the Engineer for the project contacted both Mass Highway and the Attorney
General's Office for guidance. He was advised that the omission of
the prequalification is not considered to be a "minor" informality
and if the Town were to award the low bidder, it would open the Town
to a bid claim from Taylor Davis (the second lowest bidder). The Board
briefly discussed whether or not to re-bid the project however, Bob
explained that the projected must be completed by September 30th in
order for the town to be reimbursed by the funding agency. Bob did
not feel it would allow enough time to advertise locally let alone
in the Central Register. With that said, a motion was made by Bob to
award Taylor Davis the project in the amount of $34,922. John seconded
the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Chapter 90 Project
Requests - the Highway Superintendent recently discovered that he had
failed to budget for and submit a Chapter 90 Project request for the
final payment of $30,763 on the leased loader. In order to compensate
for this oversight, he is recommending that two previous Chapter 90 requests
for work being performed on Patten Road and Zerah Fiske Road be scaled
back to makeup the difference. Pete is proposing to limit the scope of
work to be performed on both roads to a 2" base coat. The final
1" topcoat would be applied in the spring of 2009, allowing the
both roads to settle. These measures would equate to a $32,000 savings
and allow for the loader payment. Bob made a motion to authorize proposed
revisions to previously submitted Chapter 90 Requests for work on Patten
Road and Zerah Fiske Road; reducing the project costs by $32,000 and
further, to authorize the final payment on the loader in the amount of
$30,763. John seconded the motion but indicated that he is bothered by
such a large oversight. A lengthy discussion ensued relative to budgetary
checks and balances. It was agreed that discussions relative to this
oversight would be had with the financial department to see what changes
could be implemented to prevent future problems. Motion carried unanimously.
Julie
Sweet RE: Request to Access Glacial Potholes - Ms. Sweet is a student
at Greenfield Community College and is taking a course in Valley Geology.
She has requested permission to access the glacial potholes for photo
documentation and data gathering. Her project is due July 9th and anticipates
the need for two visits in order to complete her work. Providing Ms.
Sweet signs the town's insurance waiver and is able to coordinate her
need for access with the police department, John made a motion to grant
permission for access. Bob seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Bridge
Street Sidewalks - the Town has been notified of a fall that occurred
as a result of the uneven sidewalk in front of Café Martin. Joe
has requested that the Highway Superintendent work with the Tree Warden
to address this problem as soon as possible. In the interim, the Board
suggested placing a sandwich board sign in the area to warn pedestrians.
Police
Accident Policy Renewal - after reviewing several policy options, Joe
recommended that the Town increase the medical expense segments of the
policy from $25,000 per occurrence to $75,000. This policy change would
result in an overall $3,000 increase in policy cost but Terry Mosher
reported that the Town has just over $3,000 in previous year dividends
that can be applied to the cost. John made a motion to increase the medical
expense segments of the policy from $25,000 to $75,000. Joe seconded
the motion. Motion carried: 2 yes; Bob abstained.
Annual Appointments - annual appointments were made in accordance with the attached list.
Selectmen Manners abstained on all votes regarding police department
representatives.
Selectboard Representation to Various Committees - members of the Board
agreed to maintain their existing roles as follows:
F.C. Building Inspection Program - John Payne
F.R.C.O.G. - John Payne
F.C. Solid Waste Management District - Joe Judd
Franklin County Transit Authority - Bob Manners
Franklin County Planning Board - Charles Washer
Veterans Service Center 0 Bob Manners
MMAC - Joe Judd
Downtown Village Partnership- Joe Judd
Local Emergency Planning Committee - Terry Dun
Reorganization of the Board
-
Chairman, Bob Manners - John made a motion to appoint. Joe seconded.
Motion carried.
Vice-Chairman, John Payne - Joe made a motion to appoint. Bob seconded.
Motion carried.
Clerk, Joe Judd - Bob made a motion to appoint. John seconded. Motion
carried.
Department Liaison Roles - liaison roles will remain the same.
Town Office - John Payne
Highway - Bob Manners
Police - Joe Judd
CORRESPONDENCE:
Office of the Attorney General - the Town Clerk has received correspondence
from the Assistant Attorney General, Kelli E. Gunagan relative to the
February 21, 2008 Special Town Meeting. The letter indicates disapproval
of Article 13 relative to proposed zoning changes.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Open Space Committee RE: Right of First Refusal - the Open Space Committee
has been working on developing criteria for the evaluation of parcels
which may become before the Town under the process of Right of First
refusal. The Committee is now reviewing the criteria and process with
other key Town Boards and would like an opportunity to meet with the
Board of Selectmen for the purpose of reviewing the draft proposal.
The Board will invite members of the Open Space Committee to come in
on July 24th at 7:30 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT: none
ADJOURNMENT:
A motion was made by Bob to adjourn the meeting at 9:23 p.m. John seconded
the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Mosher
Executive Secretary |
