Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-09-08 Board of Selectmen Minutes BOARD OF SELECTMEN MINUTES SEPTEMBER 8, 2008 CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Rosemary Connelly Smedile called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM at Town Hall Meeting Room. PLEDGE OF ALLIGIANCE ATTENDANCE: The following were present: Rosemary Connelly Smedile, Chairman; Mark J.T. Caggiano Clerk; Richard A. Nardella, Licensing Chairman; Daniel P. Lanen; Tracy M. Watson; Mark Rees, Town Manager; Ray Santilli, Assistant Town Manager. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Richard Nardella made a MOTION, seconded by Mark Caggiano, to move into Executive Session to discuss Collective Bargaining and Pending Litigation. The Board of Selectmen was individually polled and each voted to move into Executive Session. Vote approved 5-0. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Richard Nardella, to approve the minutes of July 14, 2008, Executive Session Minutes as written. Vote approved 4-0-1. Daniel Lanen abstained Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Richard Nardella, to approve the minutes of August 11, 2008, Executive Session as written, August 11, 2008, Open Minutes as written, and August 29, 2008, Open Minutes as written. Vote approved 5-0. COMMUNICATIONS,ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND PUBLIC COMMENT: Certificates of Recognition: North Andover Boys Under 14, Red Fury, State Soccer Champions The Board congratulated the North Andover Red Fury Soccer Team for an undefeated season and becoming the Boys under 14 Division 1 Champions in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions for the 2008 spring season. Certificates of Accomplishment were presented to the coaches and team members. Open House at Steven's Estate—September 14, 2008, 2:00 p.m. —6:00 p.m. The Stevens Estate invites Town residents and neighbors to an Open House on Sunday, September 14, 2008 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. September 11, 2001 Observance and Patriots Day Breakfast, 8:00 a.m. at Senior Center The Board, the Public and Town Employees are invited to participate in the September 11, 2001 Observation and Patriots Breakfast at the Senior Center starting at 8:00 a.m. Friends of the North Andover Senior Center"A Matter of Taste" The Friends of the North Andover Senior Center will be conducting their 4th annual "A Matter of Taste" event at the Stevens Estate from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on September 10, 2008. Special Guest is Pat Whitley, Host of WRKO Radio "Restaurant Show" Appointments Government Review Committee The appointments subcommittee recommended that Harold Dushame of 14 Saltonstall Street be appointed to fill the final slot on the Government Review Committee, Ronald Bertheim of Methuen appointed a North Andover Constable, and Jian Helen Yang appointed to the Youth Service Board of Directors. Board of Selectmen Minutes September 8, 2008 2 Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Tracy Watson, to appoint Harold Dushame to the government Review Committee, Ronald Bertheim as a Constable, and Jian Helen Yang to Youth Services Board of Directors. Vote approved 5-0. Poetry Initiatives Update: Karen Kline Karen Kline gave the Board an update of poetry initiatives in North Andover and the Merrimack Valley. Events will be held throughout the months of September and October. Beginning September 26, 27. and 28, 2008, North Andover will be part of the trails and sails walks and open to the public. Visitors are invited to the Stevens-Coolidge Place, Museum of Printing, the Rolling Ridge Conference Center and Smolak Farms. You can view all the events of the weekend at www.trailsandsails.org. The next event "Mass Poetry Festival" is scheduled for Saturday, October 11 at the Lowell National Park Visitor Center from 9:00 a.m. —4:30 p.m. You can view all the events of the day at www.masspoetry.orq. The last event "The Robert Frost Festival will be held on October 25, 2008 at the Lawrence Public Library. You can view information at www.frostfoundation.org Voter Reminder Town Clerk Joyce Bradshaw reminds residents that the State Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at the North Andover High School; polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CONSENT ITEMS: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Fundraiser Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Daniel Lanen, to approve the Fund Raising Walk to be held at the Drummond Park on Saturday, May 16, 2009. Vote approved 5-0. Fitness For You Fundraiser Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Tracy Watson, to approve the Fundraiser"Spin-A-Thon" on October 4 and 5, 2008 at 530 Turnpike Street. Vote approved 5-0. Approval to Fill Vacancies The Board is requested to approve the filling of current vacancies within the Town: The shared clerical position between the Town Clerks and Assessors Office, a Firefighter EMT position, an Information Technology Analyst and a Communications Dispatcher. Richard Nardella made a MOTION, seconded by Tracy Watson, to approve the filling of the current vacancies within the Town. Vote approved 5-0. Acceptance of Donations: Summer Band Concerts and Children's Shows Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Tracy Watson, to accept the following donations: Friends of the Senior Center$375.00; and Rotary Club of North Andover$500.00; Vote approved 5-0. Application for Sewer Relief Fund Disbursement The Board is requested to sign off on an application for funding from the Commonwealth's Sewer Rate Relief Fund. In prior years the Town has received approximately $40,000 from this funding source and which is placed into the Sewer Enterprise Fund. Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Tracy Watson, to sign the Sewer Relief Fund Application for TY2009 Distribution. Vote approved 5-0. LICENSING: Richard Nardella made a MOTION, seconded by Tracy Watson, to move into Licensing. Vote approved 5-0. Board of Selectmen Minutes September 8, 2008 3 Merrimack College requests One-Day Wine & Malt Beverage License for two events on September 27, 2008 and September 28, 2008. Selectman Caggiano said that he was very disappointed to learn that Merrimack College sent a letter to the Superintendent saying they decided to discontinue giving the $50,000 yearly donation to the Town. Selectman Caggiano said the Town was promised this money and budgeted for teachers' salaries and he would vote against giving the college anything until the issue was resolved. Selectmen Lanen said that the college does not pay taxes and they receive a lot of services from the Town. He agreed with Selectman Caggiano and said he would vote against granting any one-day licenses to the college also. Selectmen Watson, Smedile and Nardella said that Merrimack College owes the Town an explanation and the Town Manager should setup a meeting with the new college president to discuss the issue. Chairman Smedile did not want to punish alumni and students over a disagreement with administrators even though she was frustrated to see the donation vanish. Chairman Smedile suggested approving the requests for license and then setup a meeting to talk with college officials. Rosemary Smedile made a MOTION, seconded by Tracy Watson, to approve the one-day wine &malt license for Homecoming Family Weekend on Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Vote approved 3-2. Mark Caggiano and Daniel Lanen opposed. Rosemary Smedile made a MOTION, seconded by Tracy Watson, to approve the one-day wine &malt license for Homecoming Golden Graduate Society Dinner on Sunday, September 28, 2008 between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Vote approved 3-2. Mark Caggiano and Daniel Lanen opposed. Rosemary Smedile made a MOTION, seconded by Mark Caggiano, to move out of licensing. Vote approved 5-0. PUBLIC HEARINGS: Daniel Lanen made a MOTION, seconded by Tracy Watson, to open the Public Hearing. Vote approved 5-0. National Grid Pole Petition — Plan No. 3823723— Holt Road Steve Soucy representative of National Grid requested that the Board approve changes to the existing plan. Instead of underground conduit wire to overhead wires extending to an additional pole. Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Richard Nardella, to TABLE this item until all departments and abutters were notified of the changes and to continue the Public Hearing at their next meeting. Vote approved 5-0. Chapter 43 Expedited Permitting Regulations (Continued from August 11, 2008 Meeting) On August 11, 2008, the Board voted to continue the hearing of Chapter 43 Expedited Permitting Regulations. Community Development Director Curt Bellavance presented a revised Rules and Regulations based on comments made at the August 11, meeting. The Land Use Boards are also reviewing changes they may need to adopt for their particular board or commission. The Board made suggested edits to the revised document and the Land Use Boards would also review and make recommendations. The revised Rules & Regulations will be presented to the next scheduled Selectmen's meeting. OLD BUSINESS: Old Center Project Update Assistant Town Manager Raymond Santilli and Public Works Director Bruce Thibodeau provide information on the various components of the Old Center Project. The road way improvements and Board of Selectmen Minutes September 8, 2008 4 common drainage improvements will be completed by late September, early October and two of the three utilities, Comcast and Nation Grid are working on putting their wires underground working through next spring. The third utility, Verizon has not been as forthcoming with their plans, which may necessitate some communications at a higher level. Selectman Smedile suggested sending a letter to Verizon from the Board of Selectmen and to also speak with State Transportation Secretary Senator Steven Baddour and ask for his help in moving this along. Comprehensive Waste Water Plan Update Last spring several meetings were held with the Board of Selectmen and the Public on the development of the Comprehensive Waste Water Plan. Director of Public Works Bruce Thibodeau presented an outline of what decisions need to be addressed to complete the planning process. The following are decision points that the Selectmen can anticipate as the process goes forward: ➢ Is the priority ranking appropriate? ➢ How will the sewer extensions be funded going forward? ➢ Should there be a higher percentage on betterment paid by the property owner rather than on the sewer rates? Should we consider different betterment percentages per priority? ➢ What is a reasonable timetable for scheduling each priority for sewer extensions? Audit Committee The Town Manager and Selectman Richard Nardella reconciled two versions of the charge for this committee and are recommending adoption of the unified version. The Audit Committee shall consist of three members, one member of the Board of Selectmen who shall serve as chair, one member of the School Committee and a resident of North Andover appointed by majority vote of the Board of Selectmen. A list of description of duties, responsibilities and operating procedures were agreed upon. Richard Nardella made a MOTION, seconded by Mark Caggiano, to adopt the Audit Committee Guidelines as presented consisting of three members, one member of the Board of Selectmen who shall serve as chair, one member of the School Committee and a resident of North Andover appointed by majority vote of the Board of Selectmen. Vote approved 5-0. NEW BUSINESS: Preparation of May 2009 Annual Town Meeting: Non-monetary Articles The Town Meeting calendar has been adjusted to require earlier submission of non-monetary articles. Since the deadline is September 29th for submission of"notice of interest"for possible non-financial articles, the Board is requested to bring forward their ideas for these types of articles so that staff can begin the process of preparing them. Lease Award for 170 Sutton Street/briefing on expansion proposal Pursuant to state law, the Town issued a request for proposal for Town owned building located at 170- 172 Sutton Street. The current tenant, the North Andover Thrift Shop, was the only responder and it is recommended that the Board approve a new lease with this organization. The Thrift Shop is currently exploring the possibility of placing a pre-fabricated building/addition on the site and has met with the Technical Review Committee to discuss the feasibility of such a structure. Should this project move forward, the Board might be requested to release funds received as part of the insurance settlement when their former location in the Old Center burned down. Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Richard Nardella, to approve the new lease with the North Andover Thrift Shop. Vote approved 5-0. Disclosure of Financial Interest, Town Manager The Town Manager disclosed that the Greater Lawrence Educational Collaborative (GLEC) employs his wife Elizabeth B. Rees as an occupational therapist part-time serving special needs students. GLEC provides special education services under contract to nine Merrimack Valley communities including North Andover. Mrs. Rees spends part of her work time serving North Andover students. Board of Selectmen Minutes September 8, 2008 5 Under the Town Charter, the Town Manager is responsible for recommending the budget of the North Andover Public Schools as part of his recommended budget for the entire town and which is eventually approved by Town Meeting. Part of the school budget includes an allocation to pay GLEC for their services. A portion of his wife's salary could come from that budget allocation. Under state law Town Meeting can only allocate a lump sum amount to the school department. How that money is allocated to different expense categories within the school budget is under the purview of the School Committee. The Town Manager asked the Board to make a determination if a financial interest is significant enough to effect my recommendations. Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Richard Nardella, and determined that the interest is not so substantial as to be deemed likely to affect the integrity of the services, which the municipality may expect from the employee Mark H. Rees. Vote approved 5-0. TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT: The Transfer of ownership of 1475 Osgood Street from Merrimack Valley Federal Credit Union to the Town of North Andover was completed on September 2, 2008. The Town is in the process of finalizing the contract amendment with the architect to begin the process of renovating it into a police station, The Town Manager reminded the Board of the planning retreat to be held on Saturday, September 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the Stevens Estate. The Town received a letter from Emergency Management a recommendation to FEMA that the approve $160,000 grant to address flooding problems along the Shawsheen River by raising certain houses above flood stage and homeowners would pay 25% of the cost. The Town Manager signed a contract this week for$20,000 for the purpose of replacing water mains on various streets around town. ADJOURNMENT: Mark Caggiano made a MOTION, seconded by Richard Nardella, to adjourn the meeting at 10:15 PM. Vote approved 5-0. Adele J. Johnson Administrative Secretary Mark Caggiano, Clerk of the Board