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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-06-13 Board of Selectmen Minutes k Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Board of Selectmen loll 6G� _q P 4� 31; � Date: 2017-06-13 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Selectmen Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Purpose: General Business Version: Attendees: Members - Present: Chair John Arena, Barry Berman, John Halsey, Dan Ensminger, Andrew Friedmann Members - Not Present: Others Present: Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Elder Services Director Jane Burns, Police Chief Mark Segall, Fire Chief Greg Burns, Town Engineer Ryan Percival, Bill Brown, Michelle Sanphy, Nancy Docktor, Sally Hoyt Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Topics of Discussion: The meeting was called to order by Chairman John Arena at 7:00 PM. Selectmen Liaison Reports Mr. Friedmann noted the Housing Authority is offering assistance to anyone displaced from the fire. He attended the Human Relations Advisory Committee meeting. Mr. Berman noted he attended one of the RCN listening sessions and it had a good turnout and engagement. He also attended the fundraiser at Meador Brook for the fire victims and thanked Jodi Roche and Danielle Curren for putting that together. Mr. Ensminger also attended one of the RCN listening sessions, the one aimed at youth and education. There is an online survey for residents to fill out with their feedback. Mr. Halsey has been working with some town staff to go through the policy revisions. He noted they will probably need a couple more meetings to go through it all. Mr. Arena attended the School Committee meeting which was also a ceremony for retiring teachers and teachers hitting milestones in their careers. He attended the RCN listening session aimed towards the local government. He also noted he would like to ask the, board to officially appoint him as the Board appointee to the Human Relations Advisory Committee. Mr. Halsey made a motion to appoint Mr. Arena to the Human Relations Advisory Committee as the Board of Selectmen's appointee. The motion was seconded by Mr. Ensminger and approved with a 5-0-0 vote. Public Comment Bill Brown made a comment that the Cemetery Committee does work on the cemeteries not just DPW. Michelle Sanphy asked the Selectmen to keep the override discussion on their agendas so the public can follow along. Page 1 June 1r, 2017 Board of Selectmen -Page 2 Town Manager's Report Mr. LeLacheur talked about the recent fire the town endured and the response the town had. He thanked Elder Services with assisting. The Senior center was collecting donations and approaching $50,000. As of right now they are planning on dividing all donations equally between all residents in the building. Mr. Arena wanted to commend all public safety for their work at the fire and all of the other towns and cities that also helped us out as well. Mr. Berman wanted to point out the towns bond rating is still a triple A and that is something to be proud of. Square Liquors Parking Request The Police Chief Mark Segalla explained the owner of Square Liquors at 13 High Street has requested the two parking spots directly in front of his business be changed to 15 minute parking. There was never a problem until a fitness studio opened behind them. The police asked Square liquors to try and work it out with the owner but there was no resolution made. The Chief noted there is no 15 minute parking anywhere else in town and it would be very hard to enforce. It may be easier to enforce 30 minutes. Mr. Berman noted 30 minutes seems reasonable and should keep out the gym goers because their classes are over 30 minutes long. Mr. Ensminger made a motion to make the two parking spots on 13 High Street in front of Square liquors 30 minute parking spots. The motion was seconded by Mr. Berman and approved with a 5-0-0 vote. Hearing - Driveway Curb cut at 69 Hanscom Ave Mr. Ensminger read the hearing notice. Engineering denied the request because it does not follow their policies. The request was then brought to PTTTF where a compromise was reached. Because it is a slow road, PTTTF said the applicant could widen their driveway to 20 feet. The owner noted because of the shape of the driveway it makes it difficult to get out. Mr. Ensminger made a motion to close the hearing for 69 Hanscom Ave, seconded by Mr. Berman and approved with a 5-0-0 vote. Mr. Ensminger made a motion to approve the driveway curb cut for 69 Hanscom Avenue as proposed. The motion was seconded by Mr. Berman and approved with a 5-0-0 vote. Public Safety Training Police Chief Segalla and Fire Chief Burns were present to update the group. Our Public safety departments have been doing joint training sessions on how to respond to a dangerous person/rapidly changing situation. They have met 23 times in the past 16 months. There have been trainings with the supervisors and then all the officers. The trainings have greatly benefited both the departments and helps them work together when responding to any call. The goal is to continue this every year with changing goals, venues and situations. Both the Fire and Police Chief gave a huge thank you to all the officers and firefighters who set up this training. Chief Segalla noted it was amazing to watch the supervisors set up and run this training and watch the officers who had to respond. Mr. Halsey noted the coordination between the two departments is exceptional. They debriefed at the end of every situation with brutal honesty. Mr. LeLacheur gave a big thank you to George Danis for letting them use the property for these trainings. The State bomb squad even mentioned how well the two departments worked together when they came to help with the bomb scare a couple weeks prior. He commended both Chiefs. Mr. Halsey noted it is so important to fund and staff these departments adequately. Page 1 2 June 13'h, 2017 Board of Selectmen -Page 3 Senior Tax Relief Update Town Assessor Victor Santaniello explained the way the senior tax relief will work. It will be based on a number of factors including if you received your tax circuit breaker and if you own your home in Reading for more than 10 years. It will also depend on how many people apply and what the Town and Board of Selectmen vote to shift to the other tax payers. The application that has been created is currently being reviewed by Town Counsel. The time frame of when people will be able to apply will be during August. Jane Burns, Elder Services Director, noted she will start advertising around the senior center and in their notices and papers. Council on Aging - Needs Assessment by UMass Boston Gerontology Center for Social and Demographic Research The goal for this assessment was to generate information on the older population in Reading and the needs of senior residents. They used demographic data, focus groups, informant interviews and comparisons with peers to collect information. The results conclude Reading needs to plan for substantial growth in the senior population in the next 10 years. More than one third of the homeowners are seniors. The Pleasant Street Center is very widely used and there are some high priority recommendations for the center. One recommendation is to improve accessibility; like the need for a bathroom on the first floor. There is also a huge need for just more space in general. Mr. Arena asked if there is any way to expand the current building and Jane Burns replied they are really at their limits in that building. Some other recommendations included expanding opportunities for property tax work off program, strengthening the mental and behavioral health programs, additional outreach to family caregivers, and expanding intergenerational programs. Elder Services Update Elder Services Director Jane Burns noted they just completed their master plan. The department has nurse advocacy which takes care of hospital visits and rehab, medicine management and health planning. The memory cafe was started for residents with memory loss and their caregivers. In Reading, 15.2% of residents over 65 are living with dementia. The Pleasant Street Center had over 15,000 visits this year and they average 68 people daily. Planning for the future for elder services includes looking at space constraints, increase staffing and more transportation. Mr. Halsey noted it sounds like we have outgrown the space at the Senior Center and it is only going to get worse. Budget Timeline Town Manager Bob LeLacheur briefly talked about a draft timeline for next year's budget meetings. They are looking to move the schedule up about a month in order to get more information out to the public earlier about an override vote. Vanessa Alvarado asked if we could take last years' numbers and add the cuts from this year to get a general number needed at this time to get the conversation started. A punch list is needed from the schools of top priorities. Mr. Berman showed a draft override survey he created to put out to residents to gather their thoughts about the last override and figure out why it failed. Keno The Town Manager consulted with Town Counsel about the question of Keno in Reading. It was noted the board could take a vote to remove the prohibition of Keno at an open meeting. The board would then need to create a policy to put in place. The board will take and vote on applications on an individual basis. The board discussed not putting this into effect until August first after they have time to create a policy. Page 1 3 June 131, 2017 Board of Selectmen -Page 4 Mr. Ensminger moved that the Board of Selectmen consider all future KENO applications submitted on or after August 1st, 2017 pursuant to M.G.L. c.10, §27A on an individual basis, rather than object to all such applications generally, and further authorize [the Town Manager/Town Counsel] to notify in writing the Lottery Commission of this vote. The motion was seconded by Mr. Halsey and passed with a 5-0-0 vote. At 10:50 Mr. Ensminger made a motion to go into Executive Session to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining and that the Chair declare that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the body, and to adjourn, not returning to Open Session. The motion was seconded by Mr. Berman and the motion passed with the following roll call vote: Mr. Friedmann - Yes Mr. Berman - Yes Mr. Ensminger - Yes Mr. Halsey - Yes Mr. Arena - Yes Page 14