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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-03-02 Select Board Minutes NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES MARCH 2, 2026 Call To Order: Chair Janice Phillips called the open meeting to order at 7:01 PM in the Select Board Meeting Room located at 120 Main Street North Andover. Select Board in Attendance: Chair Janice Phillips, Rosemary Connelly Smedile, Clerk Brian Roache, Laura Bates, and David Kres were present Non-Board Members in Attendance: Town Manager Melissa Murphy-Rodrigues, Assistant Town Manager Laurie Burzlaff and Assistant Town Manager Andrew Shapiro PUBLIC COMMENT John Watters of 2125 Turnpike Street expressed his concern with the lack of information and public outreach regarding Fire station 3. Audrey Elliot of 61 Fox Hill Road expressed her frustration with the lack of communication and response from the Town regarding a current fire and police situation. NEW BUSINESS Request of North Andover Housing Authority for a letter of support for the Housing Authority to convert federal public housing portfolio from public housing to a project-based voucher program Maggie Cleary, Director of the Housing Authority, was present. Ms. Cleary stated they are looking to reposition their federal public housing portfolio, which consists of McCabe Court 45 units and Morkeski Meadows 60 units, from the public housing program to a project-based voucher program. Ms. Cleary stated it would ensure the property remains permanently affordable, and residents will continue to benefit from the same rights and protections they had under the public housing program. Ms. Cleary discussed the benefits for HUD and the Housing Authority. Ms. Cleary stated in the long-term goal, they could use funds to achieve more local affordable housing goals and enhance the quality of living for the current residents. Ms. Cleary discussed the flexibility it would give the current residents. Ms. Cleary stated during this conversion, no resident would be displaced involuntarily. Ms. Cleary discussed how they are currently funded and how they would be funded if they were to convert to a project-based housing voucher program. Ms. Cleary discussed the requirement of some organizational restructuring. Ms. Cleary stated in the fall of 2024, they engaged a consultant recap advisor and Klein Hornig LLP as their attorneys to guide the conversion. Ms. Cleary stated they have held multiple meetings with residents at McCabe Court and Morkeski Meadows. Ms. Cleary discussed further steps they have taken to move the process forward. Ms. Smedile asked what the facilities are they looking at. Ms. Cleary stated McCabe Court and Morkeski Meadows. Ms. Phillips asked if they see any downside. Ms. Cleary stated emergency funding. Ms. Cleary stated this is why they conducted the needs assessment ahead of time. Ms. Cleary stated the housing choice voucher program will potentially have funding cut however, HUD has stated this does not apply to housing authorities that are repositioning their program. Ms. Phillips asked if historically there has been a mechanism for the amount of funding they receive to increase over time. Ms. Cleary stated it is based on the fair market rents, and the tenants rent will continue to be based on 30% of their monthly income. Ms. Cleary stated any rent increases for the contract rent would be gradual and based on the HUD approved fair market rent schedule. Mr. Roache asked if there were any potential downsides for residents and are there any costs to making the conversion. Ms. Cleary stated the costs for the conversion are legal and consultant fees. Ms. Cleary stated the downside would be if they ran into an emergency situation because they could not apply for public housing emergency funds. Mr. Roache asked if there are any other operating handcuffs on them as an entity by switching to this. Ms. Cleary stated no. Ms. Cleary discussed what they have seen other housing authorities do under this program. Ms. Cleary discussed a potential downside for some residents. Ms. Bates asked if the $292 was NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES MARCH 2, 2026 coming from federal funds. Ms. Cleary stated it is an operating subsidy from the federal government. Ms. Bates asked if the $1,330 was federal money. Ms. Cleary stated yes, it is just in the form of a housing assistant payment. Ms. Cleary discussed how restricted the housing authority currently is. Ms. Bates asked if they would still need to report. Ms. Cleary stated yes. MOTION:Ms. Bates motioned to provide a letter of support to the North Andover Housing Authority for the conversion of their federal public housing portfolio to a project-based voucher program. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Opioid Settlement Funding Recommendations Andrew Shapiro, Assistant Town Manager, and Jess Fefferman, the Town's consultant are present. Ms. Fefferman provided her background. Ms. Fefferman discussed the background of the opioid settlement funding. Ms. Fefferman discussed the recommendations that align with community input and approved opioid settlement uses. Ms. Fefferman discussed the five key areas and the FY27 recommendations for each area. Ms. Bates asked how they will bring the breathe program into the middle school. Ms. Fefferman stated this is just in terms of the feedback they have received. Mr. Shapiro stated they do have a set amount that the schools are utilizing for the breathe program. Ms. O'Leary stated it is something that they are looking at to see if the program would be the right fit for the middle school. Ms. Fefferman stated there are other state programs that are for the middle school and the high school curriculum that can be used in different ways. Mr. Roache asked in regard to the substance abuse coordinator, is that something that can be shared with other surrounding communities that may also be part of the settlement. Ms. Fefferman stated it potentially could but discussed challenges. Ms. Fefferman discussed what is needed in order to make this happen. Ms. Fefferman stated the funding for FY26 was already determined prior to the community needs assessment. Ms. Fefferman stated they will need the Board's approval for the structure that was shared and approval for the estimated guides for how the money would be spent in FY27. Ms. Fefferman discussed the categories and FY27 estimated guide amounts for each category. Mr. Shapiro stated they are not looking for strict approval from the Board tonight. Mr. Shapiro stated this was to lay out the foundation for the program. Mr. Shapiro stated they will be setting up a website for the public to look at this as well. Request of the North Andover Youth Baseball to use Water, Main, Waverly and Dana Streets for the opening day parade on May 2, 2026 from 8:15AM to 10:OOAM MOTION:Mr. Roache motioned to approve the request of North Andover Youth Baseball to use Water, Main, Waverly and Dana Street for the opening day parade on May 2, 2026 from 8:15AM to 10:00AM. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Vote to adopt the FY2027 Town Manager Recommended Budget Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the Finance Committee has had their initial meeting. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the warrant is due on March 9th. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they will then begin the public participation of Town Meeting where they hear the articles and presentations. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the Kittredge School and Fire station 3 will be their own articles due to the debt. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated this is a difficult budget season. Mr. Roache asked what the process would be for Fire station 3 being built if it were to pass as part of the CIP. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they would still have to go through a full permitting process. Mr. Roache asked if they had an anticipated schedule. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the design is not finalized, but they are working towards bid documents. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated there is quite a process that would have to happen before this would be able to be built. Ms. Burzlaff stated the architects are working on the final designs. Ms. Burzlaff discussed the bid process if it were to get approved NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES MARCH 2, 2026 at Town Meeting. Mr. Roache asked if they would normally do bid documents prior to having entitlements in hand. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they typically do their design funds one year and then the actual construction fund the following year. Mr. Roache asked if this was a reallocation of the initial fire station 2 funding to fund the design for station 3. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues discussed three rules she had given the Fire Chief. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated the Fire Chief has a presentation that he is getting ready to give. Ms. Phillips asked if the Fire Chief will come to the Board. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes. Ms. Bates asked who was on the committee. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated it is facilities, Laurie Burzlaff, the Fire Chief, members of the Fire Department, and the Building Commissioner prior to his retirement. Ms. Burzlaff stated the website is working where projects such as the middle school, Kittredge and Fire station 3 are. Ms. Burzlaff stated there are preliminary plans and FAQs that they will continue to add questions to as they receive them from the public. Ms. Burzlaff stated they did have a TRC meeting with the department heads, the designer and the OPM. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they do not typically create external building committees for municipal buildings that are not really used by the public. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated they met with the firefighters to talk about what their needs were. Ms. Bates asked if there was a committee for Fire station 1 when that was done. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated no. Ms. Bates asked if the $7 million was coming out of the capital. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated yes. Ms. Bates asked about the $800,000 in cuts on the Town side. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated it is both cuts and rejections. Ms. Bates asked if they do not get an override in FY28, are they going to continue to see cuts on the Town side. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues stated it will be difficult to continue to sustain their current operations if fixed costs continue to rise faster than proposition 2%. Mr. Roache asked about the slides from the school proposal. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues briefly discussed what the Superintendent is proposing. MOTION:Mr. Kres motioned to adopt the FY2027 Town Manager Recommended Budget and transmit to the Finance Committee for review. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Request of the Festival Committee to host the following events: 1. Sheep shearing at the Town Common on Sunday, May 17, 2026 from 10:OOAM-4:OOPM with closure of Mass Ave from 7:OOAM to 6:OOPM 2.Annual reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Town Common on Saturday July 4, 2026 from 11:OOAM to 12:30PM 3. Santa Parade on Saturday, November 28, 2026 starting at noon, using Main, Elm and Water Streets 4. Tree lighting on the Town Common on Sunday, November 29, 2026 from 3:30PM- 5:30PM 5. Menorah lighting on the Town Common from Wednesday, December 2, 2026 through Monday, December 14, 2026 with a community celebration on Sunday, December 13, 2026 Mr. Kres recused himself. MOTION:Mr. Roache motioned to approve all event requests of the Festival Committee as presented. Ms. Bates seconded. Motion approved 4-1 recused. Mr. Kres returned. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES MARCH 2, 2026 Recommendation from the Poet Laureate Committee to appoint Christa Lamb as Poet Laureate through June 30, 2026 Karen Kline and Mark Bohrer from the Poet Laureate Committee were present. Ms. Kline provided background about Christa Lamb. Mr. Bohrer asked about the term expiration date. Ms. Phillips stated they will have to come back. Mr. Bohrer mentioned the Anne Bradstreet poetry awards contest. MOTION:Ms. Bates motioned to appoint Christa Lamb as the Poet Laureate through June 30, 2026. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. LICENSING MOTION:Ms. Bates motioned to open a meeting of the North Andover Licensing Commission. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 5-0. Application from Oak and Iron Brewing, Inc. for a special one-day wine and malt license at the Town Common on Sunday, May 17, 2026 from 11:OOAM to 4:OOPM Mr. Kres recused himself. Jim Cass, owner of Oak and Iron Brewing, Inc., was present. Mr. Cass discussed his experience at last year's Sheep Shearing. Mr. Cass discussed the approximate location of where they will set up the beer garden. Mr. Cass discussed the key features and operations. Mr. Cass stated they will have about 1,000 square feet of space. Mr. Cass stated the alcohol perimeter fence is about 4 feet high, and they have an occupancy of about 100 high tops throughout. Mr. Cass discussed the beer serving process. Mr. Cass discussed the beer supply chain. Mr. Cass stated the food trucks are stationed adjacent to the beer garden and food can be brought in. Mr. Cass stated Marble Ridge Winery will be joining the beer garden. Mr. Cass discussed the security plan. Mr. Roache asked Mr. Cass to describe the ID process a little more between them and Marble Ridge. Mr. Cass stated they will both be checking IDs separately. Ms. Bates asked if Brigg will be coming for his one-day license. Mr. Cass stated yes. MOTION:Ms. Bates motioned to approve the application from Oak and Iron Brewing, Inc. for a special one- day wine and malt license at the Town Common on Sunday, May 17, 2026 from 11:OOAM to 4:OOPM. Mr. Roache seconded. Motion approved 4-1 recused. MOTION:Mr. Roache motioned to close the meeting of the North Andover Licensing Commission. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 4-1 recused. Mr. Kres returned. CONSENT ITEMS A. Accept donations in the amount of$550.00 to the Festival Committee for Sheep Shearing B. Accept grant in the amount of$820,000 from Commonwealth of Massachusetts for improvements to the intersection of Route 125 and Great Pond Road C. Accept donation to the library in the amount of$47.95 from Sarah Dunlap MOTION:Mr. Roache motioned to accept all consent items. Mr. Kres seconded. Motion approved 5-0. NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES MARCH 2, 2026 APPROVAL OF OPEN SESSION MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 9, 2026 MOTION:Mr. Kres motioned to approve the Open Session minutes of February 9, 2026 as presented. Ms. Smedile seconded. Motion approved 5-0. SELECT BOARD UPDATES Mr. Kres mentioned Women's History month events at the Historical Society. Ms. Phillips mentioned adding more members to the Farmer's Market Committee. Ms. Phillips thanked the DPW for their efforts during the snowstorm. Ms. Phillips mentioned the drama festival. Mr. Roache congratulated Mr. Oberlander's mock trial team. Ms. Bates mentioned that the MSBA has accepted the Kittredge project. TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned DPW, Fire, Police, and 911 for their efforts during the snowstorm. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned kicking off Master Plan Monday and Warrant Wednesday. Ms. Murphy- Rodrigues mentioned warrant article of the day will be coming up. Ms. Murphy-Rodrigues mentioned the new assistant Town Clerk, William McCarthy. ADJOURNMENT MOTION:Mr. Roache made a MOTION, seconded by Mr. Kres to adjourn the Select Board meeting at 8:29PM. Motion approved 5-0. Respectfully submitted, Nicole Civitarese Executive Assistant Brian Roache, Clerk of the Board Documents used at meeting Memorandums Presentations NORTH ANDOVER SELECT BOARD MINUTES MARCH 2, 2026 License application Donations Minutes from 2/9/26