Shutesbury Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes March 18, 2008 Members present: Chairman Rebecca Torres, Debra Pichanick and Ralph Armstrong. Also Present: Town Administrator David C. Dann and Leslie Bracebridge, recording. Meeting opened at 7:04 P.M. Appointments Police Chief Harding: * Sargent Robinson has decided not to continue as a Sargent. Though continuing his employment as an officer, he has still offered to do a number of the tasks that he had assumed as Sargent. Becky offered Select Board support if Chief Harding wanted to review the Police Department structure at any time. * No one responded to the fulltime police officer employment ad in the newspaper. With part time officers, the department has adequate staffing covering the same number of hours as before. The police union would like to see one of the part time positions turned into a fulltime position. * Lisa Olszewski will assume the duties of Union Steward representing full and part-time officers in the Town of Shutesbury. * Chief Harding spoke with a supervisor from the Leverett, Cooleyville and Prescott Roads (LCP) reconstruction company, C&A. Once the company takes on the project, they assume liability for the length of the project. C&A is considering a “shoe coat” over the worst (pothole) areas near O-32. (The town would end up paying the cost of the “shoe coat” if it brought the project 10% over the estimated cost.) C&A is doing some preliminary work this week and will be putting out signs and hay bales. * Leverett’s fulltime officer Tim Batchelder will be working details for the LCP project and Chief Harding may ask for one more detail officer as the beginning of this project coincides with the next round of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program to which some of Shutesbury’s officers are assigned. State police can also work the details. In Chief Harding’s presence, Selectmen unanimously voted to sign the four-town police mutual aid agreement. In the presence of Police Chief Harding and Walter Tibbetts, Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director (FC&EMD) Selectmen discussed the up-coming 18 plus month closure of East Leverett Road in Amherst, a main route to and from Amherst for many Shutesbury and Leverett residents. The route is also used by many commuters from Route 202 and by ambulances making emergency calls from the North Amherst station to some Leverett and many Shutesbury residences. Alternate routes such as Teawaddle Hill Road in Leverett and January Hills Road in Shutesbury are not built to handle the volume of traffic that would normally use East Leverett Road and the alternate routes would add several minutes to ambulance response times. Pelham resident Fred Vanderbet, also present did not feel that Pelham’s alternate routes could easily absorb extra traffic either. Selectmen agreed to first communicate directly with the Amherst Public Works Commissioner about the concerns and if that does not resolve the problem, then to write a letter to the Amherst Town Manager with a copy to the MassHighway Field Supervisor pushing for: One lane to remain open during construction or for a temporary bridge, and also for a shorter construction period. Copies will also be sent to the Leverett, Pelham and Amherst Select Boards. FC&EMD Tibbetts reported another firefighter resignation which drops the force to 6. One firefighter is out with a broken leg putting the Fire Department technically at 5. FC&EMD Tibbetts is working on recruiting strategies. Chief Tibbetts welcomes the opportunity to talk with anyone who might be interested in signing up to be a volunteer firefighter. Verizon Right-of-Way Manager Albert Bessette petitioned the Board of Selectmen for the right to place 5 utility poles on the western end of Leverett Road in Shutesbury. He has walked the distance with Tree Warden Houston. Some tree canopy will have to be pushed back; otherwise Mr. Bessette described the project as “a pretty routine pole request.” Installation of the poles (which should only take a couple of days) would be within two months. Reminded that travelers will already be dealing with two road construction projects, Mr. Bessett stated that Verizon works with the local Department of Public Works. General Laws allow pole placement an exemption from Conservation Commission review. Poles will be well beyond the existing guard rails. Stakes with a white and yellow band have been placed where the poles will be installed. Passing the hearing tonight does not prevent the poles being moved closer or farther from the road. Abutter Steve Puffer claimed that his family has had access off Leverett Road to a clay pit since 1928 (when clay was taken for the Puffers’ Pond dam.) That access is being blocked by proposed pole #T41/E81. Mr. Bessette explained that poles can be moved closer or further from the road after a hearing, but cannot be shifted lengthwise. Mr Bessette therefore recommended tabling the hearing until Mr. Puffer’s concern could be resolved. Town Administrator David Dann will walk the site with Mr. Puffer before the continuation scheduled for April 1. Mr. Bessette stated that safety is a number one concern of Verizon and police details will be available during pole installation. 1. Community Preservation Act (CPA) Study Committee Co-Chairs Paul Lyons and Amanda Alix and members: George Arvanitis, Rita Farrell, Susan Mosher, and Joanne Sunshower met with the Select Board in the presence of Finance Committee Chairman Eric Stocker and members Elaine Puleo, Patrick Callahan, Al Springer and Lori Tuominen. First, Becky announced the All Boards meeting on April 12 at 10 AM at the Fire Station. Co-Chair Paul Lyons announced his understanding that the committee’s charge was to study the feasibility of bringing forward the CPA to the town (meeting) and make a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen. Once the recommendation is made, some committee members see their charge as done. Some committee members are aware that there is a lot of work to be done before town meeting and into November and those members would like to continue working. Paul suggested a reconstituted CPA committee to bring all topics considered in their deliberations to town meeting. Co-Chair Amanda Alix reported that the CPA Study Committee voted in the majority to recommend to the Select Board to ask voters to approve the Community Preservation Act with a 1.5% surcharge and a $100,000 exemption. In their deliberations, the CPA Committee considered: * Different surcharge amounts with and without exemptions. * Because a number of communities have joined the CPA, it is likely there will not be a 100% state match in the future. * Concerns of the CPA vote with a 2½ override vote at the same town meeting. Finance Committee member Al Springer suggests that the combination could raise taxes by 6% in two years. Susie Mosher states it’s a 2-pronged plan: the override will cover bills already rolling in and the CPA is a revenue generating strategy that looks to future bills. Having the CPA vote the year after a 2½ override wasn’t considered by the committee to be any better timing. * Across the board, the towns that have already approved the CPA say it is a good means for free money from the state. * The longer Shutesbury waits, the more communities are involved, and the more the state match goes down. The communities that got in early benefited more. * The CPA was set up to allow communities local control over the funds in three main areas: historical preservation, affordable housing, and open space and recreation. * At least 10% of the funds have to be earmarked for each of the three categories and 70% can be used for something else. * Susie Mosher listed town projects that would have qualified for CPA funds should they have been available, and future projects such as the dam repairs. * The state has been dumping expenses onto the town. Just having the dam in town guarantees there will always be a use available for CPA funds. * The Commonwealth Capital Plan now ranks towns for grant funding and towns that have accepted the CPA get higher ranking scores than those that do not. * George has worked up numbers on potentially eligible projects: The numbers assume it passes at the recommended 1.5% with $100,000 exemption. George’s chart assumes a conservative 50% state match. * Towns that go to a full 3% surcharge get additional state funds in a second distribution round. * A CPA committee accepts funding proposals and accepts projects and then approved by town meeting. * If you pay $3,000 right now, a 1% surcharge is $30, and 1.5% surcharge is $45. * The three different funds can be banked together and records are kept to for the separate uses. Software has been developed to address the bookkeeping concerns raised at the previous vote. The accountant is not concerned with the additional administration responsibilities. * Towns can alter the surcharge up and down on an annual basis; and after 5 years a town can choose to opt out. * It’s highly unlikely that the CPA will end because it is so popular. * The committee is open to considering low-income elderly exemptions. * The two-step adoption process includes approval at annual town meeting, and a second ballot vote proposed for the November election. Just by putting it on the warrant, it still has to go through the ballot vote. Summary from the study committee: There’s a real benefit for the CPA because money comes from the state. It serves as a long-term financing source. A lot of towns have taken advantage of it. The committee feels Shutesbury cannot hold back and recommends going to town meeting. The committee will have a lot of sessions to get the public involved and then vote in November, 2008. Selectmen unanimously voted to support the CPA going on the May 3, 2008 Annual Town Meeting warrant, and they will vote on details at a later meeting. Becky invited CPA Committee members to discuss details with the Selectmen at the April 1 meeting. CPA funds can be designated for expenses of the CPA committee. Selectmen will determine if the funds have to be expended within a set period of time without loosing the match. School Committee Chairman Daniel Hayes and member Michael DeChiara met with Finance Committee Chairman Eric Stocker and members Elaine Puleo, Patrick Callahan, Al Springer and Lori Tuominen. and the Selectmen to discuss a letter supporting a 2½ override. * Becky: The override has become a pressing issue going into the next budget year if we are to continue our current spending habits. * Dan Hayes: The cost of level services (fuel and staff) at the school is more than 3%. It was hard to go to 3% from 4% never mind to 1%. Going to 3% meant cutting things out of the budget. To get down to 1% the school would be looking at staffing and the quality of education in larger classes. Cutting maintenance and refurbishing saves in the short run but is not a savings in the long run. The school doesn’t have that many options. The smallest class size is 19 kids; too big to combine any grades. The School Committee has not met as a committee so is not prepared to tell what would be cut to get to 1%; ideas include cutting programs, staffing. Certain things are required. It would be difficult. It would substantially impact programs. It’s all on the table. * Michael: It would be cutting to the bone when we’re at the bone already.” Cuts to the 3 % are functionally operational but someday will have to catch up. The concept is that we’re all trying to do this together. We’ll try to get grants for programs cut. We’re not counting on the town for everything. Becky: In the end, the school has autonomy over the school budget. It doesn’t have to be a certain face. It’s a dollar amount that has to be a negative impact. It’s important that the Finance Committee, Selectmen and School Committee work together to support the override. The 3 groups discussed the process of town meeting, the override election, what happens between the town meeting vote and the override election and what happens if either vote fails. Analogies were made between town spending and household spending, using savings for daily operations. Ralph will coordinate a group of representatives from the Finance Committee and the School Committee to write a letter concerning the override need to be sent out with the town wide newsletter. Topics 1. See above for CPA Study Committee recommendations. 2. A Town Hall fence was not discussed. 3. See above for East Leverett Road bridge closing. Select Board Action Items 1. Selectmen unanimously voted accept the January 22, January 29 and February 5 Select Board meeting minutes as written. 2. Selectmen signed vendor warrants totaling $103,009.93and payroll warrants totaling $76,621.99. 3. No contract was signed for a fence at Town Hall as was on the agenda. 4. Selectmen postponed signing the audit letter. 5. See above for Select Board vote to sign the 4-town police mutual aide agreement. New Topics * Selectmen unanimously voted to sign a lump sum settlement in the amount of $15,000 in workers’ compensation in the claim #2720638212. This will release the town from any further liability. * Becky found school information in the 1995 town audit that Town Treasurer Gabriele Voelker has sent on to the school building auditors. The information helps to substantiate Shutesbury’s claim of payments made. * Selectmen unanimously voted to sign a Personnel Action Form for the retirement of Susan Young from the Fire Department. * Selectmen unanimously signed a Personnel Action Form for Donald Robinson for his resignation as Sargent (only) from the Police Department. * Selectmen unanimously voted to sign a Personnel Action Form for HenaSusha Schiffman as Recycling Coordinator and the resignation of Blaire Robey as Recycling Coordinator. Blaire will remain a member of the Recycling Committee. * Selectmen unanimously voted to sign a new three-year professional services contract for Town Administrator David Dann using whatever is settled on the non-contracted salary schedule. * Selectmen reviewed a Memorandum of Agreement to be signed with C & A Construction for use of an area of Lot O-32 approximately 75’ X 75’ for storage of pipes and other road construction materials and a trailer during the LCP reconstruction. C & A will enclose the area with a chain link fence. Their use of Lot O-32 in this manner has been discussed with the Conservation Commission. The Memorandum was amended to specifically word that C & A will provide the asphalt and pave the Library Access parking lot. Selectmen unanimously agreed to sign the agreement as amended. Becky will sign it after it is amended. * Deborah suggested applying for a grant for endangered species . Walk-Ins Steve Puffer: * Spotlight on at highway garage. Get solar-powered lights. * Trucks are parked idling with the headlights on. * Heat highway department with wood from the roadsides. A motion was made, seconded and unanimously voted to adjourn at 10:20 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Leslie Bracebridge Administrative Secretary 080318 Select Board 1