Select Board Regular Meeting High School Meeting Room A Bliss Road, Longmeadow Monday, May 18, 2015, 7:00 p.m.

Transcription

1 Select Board Regular Meeting High School Meeting Room A Bliss Road, Longmeadow Monday, May 18, 2015, 7:00 p.m. Present: Richard Foster, Chair, Mark Gold, Paul Santaniello, Marie Angelides, Alex Grant Also Present: Stephen Crane, Richard Liasse, Jim Russell, Rebecca Dugan The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Richard Foster. Announcements: 1. A prescription drug drop off box has been installed in the lobby of the police department. The Police Department lobby is open 24 hours, no sharps or liquids should be disposed of into the box. Resident Comments: Patrick Carnahan, 311 Farmington Rd. Mr. Carnahan stated that there were signs placed on trees for a hearing on the removal of the trees. Mr. Carnahan noted he had hired an arborist to evaluate the trees in his neighborhood and that the trees were in good shape. Mr. Carnahan stated he had created a petition to request the town to consider all other alternative methods before removing the trees. Mr. Carnahan inquired if there would be a public hearing posted regarding the trees. Mr. Carnahan felt that the trees should not be removed for the placement of sidewalks. Curt Freedman, 24 Ridge Rd. Mr. Freedman noted Article 23 that was passed in the Annual Town Meeting and felt the town was discriminating against residents. Mr. Friedman inquired if the Select Board would support an irrigation water policy for residents. Jim Russell, 108 Bel Air Drive. Mr. Russell stated that the Select Board would be interviewing two candidates for the Parks and Recreation. Mr. Russell felt the candidates had added a dimension to the Parks and Recreation, their attendance was excellence, and interaction with other board members was great. Mr. Horowitz was an engineer and has offered his expertise to the DPW, and volunteered with the sports teams. Mr. Jones served on the CPC, and was a great volunteer for the town. Mr. Russell requested the Select Board to appoint the two candidates to the Parks and Recreation Board. Richard Liasse, 608 Frank Smith Road. Mr. Liasse noted there was a discussion on naming rights that occurred a year ago and requested the Select Board to make consideration for the new quint truck and placing a remembrance on the truck for Chief Madison for his work for the town. Michelle Van Schouwen, 573 Wolf Swamp Road. Ms. Van Schouwen noted Kinder Morgan had installed a number of safety markers at intersections and on residents properties. Ms. Van Schouwen felt the markers destroyed the aesthetics of the neighborhood and were unnecessary. Ms. Van Schouwen noted that Kinder Morgan had not sent safety notices regarding the pipeline. Ms. Van Schouwen felt the company s interest for installing the markers was more for the company s interest in building a metering station within the town.

2 Board/Committee Interviews: Parks and Recreation: David Horowitz, James Jones. Mr. Foster noted the Select Board had interviewed both candidates previously and Mr. Santaniello thanked both candidates for reapplying. Mr. Horowitz noted his goals for Parks and Rec was to increase efficiency within the town, through planning and other methods. Mr. Jones noted the town would be changing within the next few years and there was a need for the Parks and Rec to work with the town to have better communication and planning. Mr. Gold inquired about the possibility of a dog park within the town. Mr. Jones stated the dog park had been discussed but there was nothing set in stone. Mr. Horowitz noted it was discussed frequently and it would be a good resource for the town but would be difficult with the lack of space available within the town. Mr. Grant inquired about the athletic fields. Mr. Jones noted the conditions of the fields were discussed at every meeting and was a major concern for the board. Mr. Horowitz stated the issue was the need for resources, planning, better field management, and working with the DPW. Mr. Horowitz stated the DPW had limited resources to meet all the needs of all the fields. Audit Committee: Ernest Welker, Peter Landon. Mr. Foster noted the applicants were well known. Mr. Gold inquired how the new auditor would impact the work of the committee. Mr. Walker noted it would depend on a time for readjustment but the work was well-defined. Mr. Grant inquired about issues on how the school department handled money. Mr. Welker noted it was one of the areas where it would be difficult and expensive to control and there were policies put into place but the issue was of enforcing the policies. Mr. Santaniello inquired about what should be addressed in the next few years. Mr. Welker noted working with the auditor and having a comprehensive annual financial report that would allow for a better grasp on trends. Board of Assessors: Lawrence Rubin. Mr. Santaniello inquired about the issue of quorum. Mr. Rubin stated that quorum was no longer an issue and that major issues for the Board of Assessors were hitting the maximum 2.5% tax rate. Board of Health: Dr. Robert Baevsky. Dr. Baevsky noted he was an incumbent for the Board of Health and there were many responsibilities of the Board of Health with many focuses and the board educated themselves as needed. Cable Advisory: Don Holland, Dave Bartlett, Paul Gorman. The Select Board expressed concerns between connections between the LCTV and the Cable Advisory Committee. Mr. Holland noted there were many people who were tech savvy people on the committee and allowed the committee to work in terms of dealing with Comcast. It was stated that the Cable Advisory protected the town, mainly the elderly and households that could only afford basic cable.

3 Capital Planning Committee: Peter Vanassche, Ira Smolowitz. Mr. Vanassche stated he was an incumbent and looking for a three year term. Mr. Smolowitz stated he was an incumbent. Mr. Santaniello inquired about the challenges from the past year and what would need to be improved and what was overcome. Mr. Smolowitz noted a challenge was the budgeting and having estimates would help with the process as well as implementing a categorical system that would categorize priorities. Mr. Grant inquired about long term issues and the value of having a long term view. Mr. Vanassche noted the Town Manager included a five year plan within the budgeting process. Mr. Gold inquired about the coordination of capital spending and the recommendations from other boards/committees. Mr. Smolowitz noted some proposals could not be quantified and others could be quantified. Community Preservation Committee: Arlene Miller. Ms. Miller noted she had been on the committee since it started. Mr. Gold inquired if there would be a possibility of lumping articles together and streamline the warrant articles. Ms. Miller noted it may not be legal to streamline the articles. Mr. Gold inquired about the process of funding private organizations. Ms. Miller stated several considerations that were taken into consideration regarding funding for private organizations. Mr. Santaniello announced Ms. Miller as Citizen of the Year and inquired if it was more challenging for the town to not overspend funding. Ms. Miller noted funds were to be used for the benefit of the community. Conservation Commission: Steven Gazillo. Mr. Gazillo stated he was an incumbent. Mr. Santaniello inquired about the invasive species issue and what the work would entail. Mr. Gazillo noted it was an attempt to control and must be constant and consistent and that without the existing controls the invasive species issue would be out of control. Mr. Grant inquired about making paths more accessible to the residents. Mr. Gazillo noted the issue had come up in discussion but there were many questions that needed to be answered. Mr. Gazillo stated that vandalism was an issue that needed to be addressed if the paths were to be more open and accessible. Council on Aging: John Bowen, Fran Miffitt, Marybeth Bergeron. Mr. Bowen stated he was an incumbent, Ms. Miffitt stated she was looking to fill a vacant position, and Ms. Bergeron stated she was an incumbent. Mr. Santaniello inquired about the short and long term goals. Mr. Bowen noted the short term goals was to work with and help the new COA director and the long term goals were to implement the PVPC report. Ms. Miffitt stated she would like to volunteer with the town and to help the senior residents. Ms. Miffitt stated she had been in the nursing field for 44 years and had a lot of education in management. Ms. Bergeron noted the COA director was in strong support of the PVPC report and a new senior center. Ms. Bergeron felt there were three categories of senior residents within the town and there was a need to improve the outreach programs and assistant programs. Cultural Council Jean Maziarz. Ms. Maziarz stated he was an incumbent on the council. Mr. Santaniello inquired if there would be any Cultural Council events planned. Ms. Maziarz noted the Cultural Council

4 had never before produced an event and wanted to create awareness within the town about the council and to feature and highlight local artists. Historic Commission: Steven Weiss, Margaret Cohn. Mr. Weiss noted there were three different historic commissions within the town. Mr. Weiss noted the historic commission did not have a budget, and its purpose was to educate the town, provide consultation, and take inventory and other responsibilities. Recycling Commission: Arlene Miller, Virginia Reiter. Ms. Miller stated she was an incumbent and was looking for a reappointment. Ms. Reiter stated she was hoping to be a new member. Ms. Miller noted the town required residents to separate recyclables. Ms. Miller felt the new hauler would bring new opportunities to the town. Mr. Foster noted June 1, 2015 would have more applicant interviews. Town Manager Reports: Mr. Crane noted Kinder Morgan was invited to speak to the Select Board and the company had recently installed pipeline markers to indicate the location of the pipeline for safety reasons. There were reports from residents regarding pipeline markers and the lack of information regarding the pipeline markers. Kinder Morgan Pipeline Presentation Matt Farr, Don Perkins, Ron Bassett, Jim Hartman. Mr. Perkins noted Tennessee Gas pipeline was still the operator however Kinder Morgan was the owner of Tennessee Gas. Mr. Perkins apologized for the lack of communications regarding the markers. Tennessee Gas Pipeline had operated safely for 60 years and has maintained safe operations. There was a three year program that was implemented to update the color of the markers and to place new markers as required by Federal Law and enforced by the United States Department of Transportation. The markers provided information on the operator, the placement of the pipeline, what the product was, the emergency contact and would help with third party damage. Mr. Perkins noted the federal requirements required markers be placed within line of sight and to add more markers in areas of higher population numbers. Presentation with Karen Gentile: Ms. Gentile stated she was a representative from the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration and her office covered Maine to Virginia and extended out to West Virginia and Ohio. The goal was to have reliable transportation, meet minimal federal requirements, and safety. Ms. Gentile noted there were inspectors who ensured operators were in compliance that included the placement of markers. Ms. Gentile requested the public to respect the markers and to allow maintenance of the markers. Approval of Minutes: The approvals of minutes were deferred to the next meeting.

5 New Business: Mr. Santaniello made a motion to approve the annual election ballet for Tuesday, June 9, 2015 based on the recommendation made by Town Clerk. The motion was seconded by Mr. Gold and carried 5-0. Quarterly Investment Report: Mr. Pasterczyk noted the town was in full compliance with the investment policy, all investments were fully insured and secured, the town had a green rating, and increased the stabilization fund. The merging of banks did not meet compliance with the policy due to the banks not being fully secured and insured over $250,000. BAN: Mr. Pasterczyk noted a $4.3 million BAN was now due and the town was looking to renew a portion of the ban. Mr. Gold made a motion to award the May 18, 2015 six month bond anticipation note, $3,184,900 at the rate of 0.50% to Eastern Bank. The motion was seconded by Mr. Santaniello and carried 5-0. Select Board Comments: Ms. Angelides apologized for being unable to attend Town Meeting due to illness. Town Manager Reports: 1. The quint truck could arrive at the end of the week and to place a marking on it for Chief Madison s effort in getting the truck was a very nice thought. 2. The kick off meeting with the facility taskforce and the meeting went over a mission statement with a foundation that created structure to the taskforce. 3. The designers of the DPW project attended Town Meeting to explain why the new DPW facility was needed and why the present location was not suitable. Mr. Gold felt there was a need to recognize that there was more than 80 years of service between the three retiring department heads. Mr. Gold thanked them for their service and wished them well. Mr. Crane noted each department may have a farewell party and there would be a save-the-date evening function for all three retiring department heads on Thursday, July 30, 2015 at Twin Hills and more information would be sent out later this week. Mr. Gold felt more notification for events hosted by town departments/boards should have more publication. Storm Water Utility: Mr. Crane noted the storm water utility was an effective tool and would benefit the town and the issue should be placed on the next agenda. Complete Streets: Ms. Angelides noted there was a policy to be considered and would like the Select Board s input and to have Select Board members spend time to study the policy and to give their opinions.

6 Select Board Comments (Continued): Mr. Grant was concerned about residents entertaining the idea that children could not safely cross at the intersection at Converse and Longmeadow. Mr. Grant felt the Select Board should have taken part in the discussion. Ms. Angelides felt the chair of the Select Board was a difficult position and felt Mr. Foster was doing a very good job and felt Mr. Grant should not have publicly attacked Mr. Foster in his position as chair of the Select Board. Mr. Santaniello made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 11:03 p.m. The motion was seconded by Ms. Angelides and carried 5-0. Respectfully Submitted, Rebecca Dugan