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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-02-26 Board of Selectmen Minutes Board of Selectmen Meeting February 26,2008 For ease of archiving, the order that items appear in these Minutes reflects the order in which the items appeared on the agenda for that meeting, and are not necessarily the order in which any item was taken up by the Board. The meeting convened at 7:04 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Chairman James Bonazoli, Vice Chairman Stephen Goldy, Secretary Ben Tafoya, Selectmen Camille Anthony and Richard Schubert, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director Bob LeLacheur, DPW Director Ted McIntire, Town Accountant Gail LaPointe, Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Peter Tassi, Paula Schena and the following list of interested parties: Pallau and Chai Bhat, Steve Vittorioso, Board of Assessors members Robert Nordstrand, Frank Golden and Ralph Colorusso; Stephen Crook, Attorney Brad Latham, Bill Rianhard, Arthur Sordillo, George Hines. Reports and Comments Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments — Selectman Camille Anthony noted that the Selectmen received a map with the snow plow route, and she would like to meet with staff and Walkable Communities to review. Selectman Ben Tafoya indicated that he would like some feedback on how much manpower is needed to accomplish the whole route. Selectman Ben Tafoya noted that he received an e-mail regarding the 40B development in Wakefield, and the Selectmen in Wakefield haven't heard anything. The Town Manager noted that proposed development has been quiet for awhile. Selectman Tafoya asked about the budget process, and the Assistant Town Manager noted that the Finance Committee had their overview session and reviewed the Police and Dispatch Budgets. The Fire Department and Library Budgets will be reviewed this Thursday. Chairman James Bonazoli reminded residents that the World Cafe is this Wednesday at the Hawkes Field House at 6:30 p.m. Vice Chairman Stephen Goldy congratulated the boys' and girls' High School hockey teams and basketball teams. Public Comment — Pallau and Chai Bhat of 15 Tennyson Circle were present. Mr. Bhat noted that there is a lot of noise from the vent on the rooftop of the YMCA, and the noise is constant. He sent a letter to the YMCA and they haven't responded. The Town Manager noted that the Health Administrator was out there yesterday during the daytime and there is no violation. He will go out at night and check the levels. The YMCA is looking at making changes as a good neighbor. Mr. Bhat also noted that the problem is the elevation because the bedrooms on the second floor are the same level as the vent. Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 26, 2008—Page 2 Town Manager's Report The Town Manager gave the following report: • Grant for LED's, park recycling. • Grant/Earmark funding for Ipswich River Greenway. • Curb/Sidewalk//Pedestrian Improvements construction projects — Prescott at Washington, Birch Meadow Drive—Arthur B. Lord Drive to the gate to Birch Meadow School. • Improvement of Ash Street—Green to Washington. • Including the storm last Friday/Saturday and replenishing salt, we are at an estimated $825,000 cost to date on Snow and Ice. The budget is $400,000. • Gas main construction Downtown. • Public information session re: Downtown project. • Liquor License Enforcement—Letter from Police Chief Jim Cormier. • RCTV request for ability to pledge assets for tenant fit-up in new location; re-negotiation of RCTV Agreement. • RMLD challenge to Elementary Schools—"Change a Light—Change the World" Program. • World Cafe on February 27th. • Library Open House— Saturday, March 1 st. • Earth Day—April 12th. • Town Meeting—April 28th. • Friends and Family Day—June 21 st. The Assistant Town Manager noted that 10% - 15% of Town Meeting is interested in following the budget. Discussion/Action Items Board of Assessors re: Appraiser Position — Assessors Frank Golden, Ralph Colorusso and Bob Nordstrand were present. The Town Manager noted that Appraiser Dave Billard is leaving tomorrow to go to work for the Town of Andover. Salary is an issue and there is a Pay and Class Study being done. The Board of Assessors noted that Dave Billard was an in-house Appraiser and that is very valuable. They noted that candidates who are interested in Reading aren't happy with the pay. They feel that the position is classified in the wrong grade, and noted that they will probably be coming back to the Board of Selectmen to consider a higher salary when they find a candidate. Presentation—Veterans—This will be rescheduled for March 11, 2008. Town Accountant Quarterly Meeting; Reappoint Town Accountant — Town Accountant Gail LaPointe brought the Board up to date on the projects she has been working on. She noted that the audit is finished and the Town is doing okay. A motion by Tafoya seconded by Goldy to appoint Gail LaPointe as Town Accountant for a term expiring March 31, 2009 or until such time as her successor is appointed was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 26, 2008 —Page 3 HearingRequest to Open Retail Sales Prior to 6:00 a.m. — Dunkin' Donuts and West Street Mobil, 4 West Street — The Secretary read the hearing notice. Attorney Brad Latham, Bill Rianhard from Dunkin' Donuts and Arthur Sordillo from West Street Mobil were present. The Town Manager noted that the Board received three e-mails in favor of the early opening. The Board of Selectmen did not approve the request last July due to issues with bill payments and selling cigarettes to minors. There are no issues now with the Health Division, the Police Department or the Building/Inspections Division. Attorney Brad Latham noted that the request is to open before 6:00 a.m. It is a public service for gas and coffee. The applicants are seeking the waiver for week days, not weekends. They feel that this will not increase traffic. Vice Chairman Stephen Goldy noted that the Police Chief made a comment on the drive-through being close to residents. They need to be cognizant of the volume of the speaker at the drive- through. The Town Planner had concerns regarding traffic but he thinks that this will alleviate this problem. The Town Manager noted that the additional space in the building is not being used, and the Selectmen should specify a waiver for just these two uses. He also noted that the hours on the sign regarding turning needs to be changed. He noted that the abutters in Woburn were not notified but the city was notified. A motion by Tafova seconded by Goldy to close the hearing on an application to permit retail sales prior to 6:00 a.m. at the Dunkin' Donuts and West Street Mobil at 4 West Street was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Tafova seconded by Goldy that the Board of Selectmen finds that permitting retail sales prior to 6:00 a.m. for the Mobil Gasoline Station and convenience store, and for the Dunkin' Donuts including the drive-through, is in the interest of public convenience, and the Board of Selectmen does hereby grant a waiver of Section 5.10 of the General Bylaws to allow Dunkin' Donuts and West Street Mobil at 4 West Street to conduct retail sales prior to 6:00 a.m. subiect to the following conditions: • Retail sales shall not take place earlier than 5:00 a.m., Monday through Friday (except for holidays). • All conditions of Site Plan approval, all other bylaws, licenses and requirements of Town agencies, and the requirements of Section 3.9 of the Board of Selectmen Policies shall be met. Where there is a conflict among these bylaws, permits, approvals and licenses, the most restrictive shall be met. • This approval shall expire on December 31, 2008 unless renewed by the Board of Selectmen. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Parking Regulations — Birch Meadow Drive and Oakland Road—The Secretary read the hearing notice. Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 26, 2008 —Page 4 The Town Manager noted that the regulations went into effect during the High School construction process. He suggests keeping restrictions on Birch Meadow from Oakland Road to Arthur B. Lord Drive and on Oakland Road from opposite Park View to Longfellow Road from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on school days. He will eliminate the parking restriction that was in place for the school buses. Selectman Camille Anthony asked if there is enough parking onsite for students and school employees, and the Town Manager indicated that there was. Chairman James Bonazoli asked if the YMCA received the notice of the hearing, and the Town Manager noted that it was advertised in the newspaper but the notice was just sent to the School Department. George Hines noted that the regulations made sense during construction but it is the widest non- highway in the community and it is not necessary. He recommends removing the restriction all together. The Town Manager noted that the Police concerns are not to have all day parking in that area. Vice Chairman Stephen Goldy asked how bad it is without the regulations, and the Town Manager noted that this is mainly preventative. A motion by Tafoya seconded by Goldy to close the hearing on parking regulations for Birch Meadow Drive and Oakland Road was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Tafoya seconded by Anthony to amend the Town of Reading Traffic Rules and Regulations adopted by the Board of Selectmen on March 28, 1995 by adding to Article 5, Section 5.4.41, the following regulation (s): `PARKING PROHIBITED DURING CERTAIN HOURS ON CERTAIN STREET 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., Monday through Friday (School Days Only) Street Birch Meadow Drive—Both sides of Birch Meadow from Oakland Road to Arthur B. Lord Drive Oakland Road - North side of Oakland Road from opposite Park View to Longfellow Road and to rescind any other parking restrictions in place. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Discussion — Water Storage Tanks — The Town Manager noted that the MWRA made two proposals: To loop the system, and to provide additional water storage in Reading of six million gallons. He also noted that we asked them to provide redundancy. He noted that the map shows all locations that are higher than 180 feet. He indicated that the use of the clover leaf is a good idea but height is a concern. Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 26, 2008 —Page 5 Selectman Richard Schubert noted that nobody wants one tank and nobody should have two. He is against putting tanks there, especially two tanks. DPW Director Ted McIntire noted that the MWRA was going to have to provide redundancy in their system even if the Town of Reading didn't join. Selectman Richard Schubert noted that this is a multi-community system, and one community should not have to bear the weight of two towers. He also noted that Bear Hill in Stoneham has a tank on it already. He wants the MWRA to tell us why they can't use other sites. He suggests Sites #8 and 49 instead of#2 and #9. The Town Manager noted that the Town should encourage the MWRA to do pipe improvements. Vice Chairman Stephen Goldy noted that we asked for redundancy but had we known we'd have two big water tanks at our borders edge, Town Meeting would not have approved. He suggests asking them to explore Lynnfield. He asked how much storage we already have, and Ted McIntire indicated that we have 1.7 million gallons in the storage tanks. Vice Chairman Goldy suggested finding out if that 1.7 million is included in their calculations. Water Treatment Plant Supervisor Peter Tassi indicated that the MWRA is asking for what their system needs. George Hines noted that there was no discussion about a potential for two huge storage facilities in Reading. He also noted that Town Meeting never would have approved. He noted that Stoneham should be considering storage. He feels that our response should be no way we're going to allow either and if we settle for one, then we need to get something for it. Selectman Ben Tafoya indicated that we need to push back hard before MWRA takes steps. There is a need for more discussion as to why other sites won't work. Chairman James Bonazoli recommended inviting the State Representatives to be here when MWRA comes back. He also noted that he will speak with Stoneham. Review Revised Draft of Recycling and Rubbish Regulations - The Town Manager noted that when the Selectmen amended the Rubbish Rules and Regulations, there were concerns that it was not written clearly so he made some changes to the order. The consensus of the Board was that they liked the revised set up and chart. Selectman Camille Anthony requested that the household hazardous waste be added to the chart and kept together, or to have the household hazardous waste in a table by itself. The Town Manager indicated that he will reorganize the chart, better define batteries, and then schedule a hearing. Process of Consideration of Changes to Liquor Licenses for Restaurants — The Town Manager indicated that he did an outline for getting public input and collected additional data. The Town is allotted 24 All Alcoholic Liquor Licenses and there are eight available, and there are three Beer and Wine Licenses available. The survey shows that the majority of other communities Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 26, 2008 —Page 6 allow All Alcoholic Liquor Licenses to restaurants with under 100 seats. He will schedule a hearing on March 11, 2008. Discussion — Comcast Cable TV License Renewal — The Town Manager noted that the renewal cannot be discussed in Executive Session. He has put together a group with representatives from the Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Committee, the School Department, RCTV, the Technology staff and Board of Selectmen. The Town Manager reviewed the terms that will be negotiated. He has met with Comcast and has scheduled three meetings. He is trying to do this in an informal process. Approval of Minutes A motion by Tafoya seconded by Goldy to approve the Minutes of December 18, 2007 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Tafoya seconded by Goldy to approve the Minutes of January 8, 2008 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Tafoya seconded by Goldy to approve the Minutes of January 19, 2008 was approved by a vote of 4-0-1,with Goldy abstaining. A motion by Tafoya seconded by Goldy to approve the Minutes of January 22, 2008, as amended,was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Tafoya seconded by Goldy to approve the Minutes of January 26, 2008 was approved by a vote of 4-0-1,with Goldy abstaining. A motion by Tafoya seconded by Anthony to approve the Minutes of February 12, 2008 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Anthony seconded by Goldy to approve the Executive Session Minutes of February 12, 2008, as written,was approved on a roll call vote with all five members voting in the affirmative. A motion by Goldy seconded by Schubert to adjourn the meeting of February 26, 2008 at 10:10 p.m. was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Respectfully submitted, Secretary