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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-08-11 Board of Selectmen Minutes OWN 0e T? Town of Reading s� Meeting Minutes RLCc.IYED r TOWN CLERK O'639 /NCOFIPOPCC RE/ONO. M.;SS. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: i3 -P f b A 90 02 Board of Selectmen Date: 2015-08-11 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Selectmen Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Purpose: General Business Session: General Session Attendees: Members - Present: Chairman Daniel Ensminger, Secretary Kevin Sexton and John Arena Members - Not Present: Vice Chairman John Halsey and Barry Berman Others Present: Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Paula Schena, Maureen Buzby, Zachery Camenker, Dan Devar, Christine Hansen Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Secretary Kevin Sexton Topics of Discussion: Reports and Comments Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments - Kevin Sexton noted that he attended the topping off ceremony at the Library. The ceremony was to put the highest beam on the top. Library staff got to sign the beam. A pine tree and American flag were placed on the beam and will remain there until it is time to do the roofing. The Firearm Safety Committee has met and they have whittled down four to five drafts. They voted to put forward the final draft and that will come before the Selectmen in the near future. John Arena asked what the vote was and Kevin Sexton noted 5-1-0. John Arena noted he met with the Town Manager and John Doherty to talk about ways to work together with the schools. Daniel Ensminger noted he attended a meeting with the Chairman of the Conservation Commission, Chairman of CPDC and staff re: acceptance of private roads. There are a lot of legal issues to follow up on and they hope to bring four or five private roads to Town Meeting this fall. Some are utility easements. He also noted that the new pedestrian light on Salem Street is fully functional with flashing lights. Town Manager's Report - The Town Manager noted that the state installed a Burbank Ice Arena sing that actually points to the ice rink instead of Camp Curtis. The Library Building Committee met and there are red flags that are bringing down the contingency. They hit a lot of ledge and can't blast but overall the project is in good shape and has gone from A+ to A-. He attended the Police Academy graduation today at the Performing Arts Center. Reading had one who graduated in this class. This class set the record for physical fitness. Page 1 1 Board of Selectmen Minutes - August 11, 2015 - page 2 Discussion/Action Items Presentation on Nicotine, E-Cigarettes and Vaping Products - Maureen Buzby noted she is the Tobacco Enforcement Coordinator for several communities including Reading. She congratulated Reading on adopting new regulations. The newer products have the same prohibitions. The pharmacies in Reading have a ban on selling tobacco and the age to purchase cigarettes in Reading was increased to 21 years. She noted that E-cigarettes are loaded with nicotine and not regulated by the state. The Boston Globe reports the use of E- cigs in Middle School has tripled from 2013 - 2014. She noted that E-cigs are as common as laptops and chewing tobacco has remained the same. John Arena asked if any town has tried to ban E-cigs and Maureen Buzby noted no because they are legal so if you ban them then there would be lawsuits. Maureen Buzby passed around samples of little cigars, chewing tobacco, E-cigs and Ehooka. John Arena asked if she educates parents and she noted she does as much as she can. Daniel Ensminger asked if there is any smell to vaping and she noted yes, it is scented. Daniel Ensminger asked if vaping falls into the category of indoor smoking and Ms. Buzby noted you can't vape where smoking is prohibited because it produces second hand vapor. There are not regulations on vaping products and they are produced overseas and do not have child proof caps. Daniel Ensminger asked if anyone looked at the health risk of marijuana regarding nicotine, etc. and Ms. Buzby noted no because there have not been enough studies yet. Ms. Buzby noted the most common reasons kids vape is because a friend does, it's cool and it's flavored. She also noted that 65% of the kids said they would not vape if it was not flavored. She highly recommends to the Board that they watch Kurt Schilling's speech on chewing tobacco. A Reading store owner noted that there is a lot of misinformation on both sides. He noted that liquid nicotine is a billion dollar industry. It is a safer alternative to smoking and he advised his customers to use E-cigs to step down on nicotine. Christine Hansen noted that E-cigs are not regulated by the FDA and there are adverse reports regarding health impacts. The Board thanked Ms. Buzby for her presentation. Inter-Municipal Agreement with Wakefield for Post Program for Special Education Students - The Town Manager noted that the School Committee voted on the agreement, but Town Counsel made changes and it will have to go back to the School Committee and then come to the Board of Selectmen on September 1, 2015. This is for after graduation care of some special education students. Preview Subsequent Town Meeting Warrant - The Town Manager noted that Town Moderator Alan Foulds will ask to set up a 375th Celebration Committee. There will be an update on Birch Meadow and the RMLD and Schools will do reports. Article 3 is Capital. Article 4 is to approve payment of prior year's bills. Article 5 is to amend the FY16 budget regarding free cash. Article 6 is Zoning Bylaw changes regarding the purpose. Article 7 is the Telecommunications Bylaw which is very long and CPDC has approved it. Article 8 is the Aquifer Protection Bylaw but has not been approved yet. Daniel Ensminger noted that the Sign Bylaws have been nullified by the state. We can't regulate the purpose but we can regulate the size and location. Page 1 2 Board of Selectmen Minutes - August 11, 2015 - page 3 John Arena asked what the Telecommunication Bylaw was for and the Town Manager noted it is for cell towers. The Town Manager noted that Article 9 is for removal of committee members for absence. Article 10 addresses the residency requirement for committee members. The Charter is silent on it so it is up to the Board of Selectmen if they want. Daniel Ensminger noted that the Selectmen might want to have safeguards so non-residents are not the majority on a committee. The Town Manager noted that Article 11 is the Bylaw change on Animal Control. Article 12 is the Bylaw change on the Firearms section. Article 13 is road acceptances. Town Manager Evaluation Process - Daniel Ensminger distributed a draft evaluation form and asked everyone to look it over and send comments to him and Bob. He noted that page 1 has the Goals as - not met, met, and exceeded. The subgoals are in the July 18th packet and has Bob's comments on the goals. John Arena asked about the rationale for having three grades on top and four grades on the others. Daniel Ensminger noted that is to measure it better. Kevin Sexton noted that progress is yes or no and performance is more detailed. Daniel Ensminger asked for comments by the end of the day on Thursday. Approval of Minutes A motion by Sexton seconded by Arena to approve the minutes of July 21, 2015 as amended was approved by a vote of 3-0-0. A motion by Arena seconded by Sexton to adiourn the meeting at 8:22 p.m. was approved by a vote of 3-0-0. Respectfully submitted, Secretary Page 1 3