HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-05-20 Select Board Minutes O�p Or Nfq�i
Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes
Board - committee - commission - Council:
Select Board
Date: 2020-05-20 Time: 7:00 PM
Building: Location:
Address: Session:
Purpose: General Business Version: Final
Attendees: Members - Present:
Mark Dockser, Anne Landry, Karen Herrick, Carlo Bacci, Vanessa Alvarado
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Superintendent of Schools John Doherty,
Economic Development Director Erin Schaeffer, Eleanor Shankoff, Executive
Assistant Caitlin Saunders
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By:
Topics of Discussion:
This meeting was held remotely on Zoom.
Chair Dockser called the meeting to order at 7PM.
First was a Board of Health update from member Eleanor Shonkoff. She noted the Board of
Health has extended closures until further notice for Town buildings. They are opening a few
tracks and fields. They are now discussing election safety for the future elections.
Town Manager Bob LeLacheur noted there is still no time frame for reopening Town Hall but
staff is putting together a plan for when that does happen, The mask distribution event
went well today.
Karen Herrick noted she attended a Climate Advisory Committee meeting recently about the
multi-town gas leaks audit initiative with National Grid representatives.
Anne Landry noted FINCOM approved a revised budget after much deliberation. They
restored a few things using free cash.
Bob LeLacheur informed the board of the car parade for the RMHS Class of 2020 Seniors.
Superintendent of Schools John Doherty and Chief Financial Officer Gail Dowd presented to
the board the School Nutrition Director Inter-Municipal Agreement with Wakefield. They
noted this is an existing contract they are choosing to extend. It has already been approved
by Wakefield's Town Council and School Committee and our School Committee has also
approved it.
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Carlo Bacci moved to approve the Nutrition Director Inter-Municipal Agreement
with Wakefield as presented. The motion was seconded by Karen Herrick and
approved with the following roll call vote:
Alvarado - yes; Herrick - yes; Bacci - yes; Landry - yes; Dockser - yes.
Next up the Board got an explanation from Meadow Brook regarding their plans going
forward due to the fire they had recently. They are submitting a routine change of manager
as well as a change of officers and a temporary change of service for their liquor license.
They are proposing a tent out back so when the Governor allows outdoor dining, they can
serve food and liquor out there. They are also proposing a trailer with restrooms. The board
didn't seem to have any major issues with this plan as long as they are following all other
guidelines in place for outdoor dining. Meadow Brook will be back for a formal hearing for all
these changes in the next couple weeks.
Economic Development Director Erin Schaeffer gave the board an update. The major thing
she has been working on is the 'Back to Business' document on how to reopen and prepare
for when the Governor starts allowing openings. This document can be found on our website
under the red COVIDI9 Banner on the front page,
Sharon Angstrom, Town Accountant, gave the board her quarterly update on the Town's
financials. Everything looks good for this time of the year and nothing is concerning to her.
She then gave the board an overview of the changes she is proposing to the Select Board
Policy section on Financials. She is taking out the fundraising section completely at Town
Counsels request. She changed all mention of"Board of Selectmen" to Select Board, Town
Counsel has reviewed this draft and she will bring it back to the board for a formal hearing
in the next few weeks. The board seemed fine with the changes that were minor and mostly
adjusted to be more current.
Town Manager Bob LeLacheur went over his Town Manager goals. He explained 8 of 12 of
them are complete and 3 of them are on hold for various reasons.
The board then discussed doing another Select Board retreat. They noted the last one was
very helpful and thought they should absolutely do another especially now there are new
members. While all agreeing another retreat is a great idea, the timing is not best due to
social distancing restrictions. The board plans to schedule another retreat when possible.
The board then discussed communications and the three questions Chair Dockser asked
them to think about before the meeting. They talked about how to share information to the
most people effectively. They spoke about how to close the gap with residents when they
email the board. Some requests require staff answers and some can be answered by the
board; they discussed a more effective way to make sure each email gets addressed. They
wanted to make sure they agree on what they think the true communication issues are and
how to share information with one voice.
The board decided to defer approving minutes until the next meeting.
Carlo Bacci moved to adjourn at 10:41 PM. The motion was seconded by Vanessa
Alvarado and approved with the following roll call vote:
Alvarado - yes; Herrick - yes; Bacci - yes; Landry - yes; Dockser - yes.
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