Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-11-09 Select Board MinutesTown of Reading RECEIVED `s Meeting Minutes T O kv 1 CLERK �a P,F,'., G. I'AA. aJ�•�Mox� Rl. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: 21i2i NOW 30 AM 11:47 Select Board Date: 2021-11-09 Time: 7:00 PM Building: Reading Town Hall Location: Select Board Meeting Room Address: 16 Lowell Street Session: Open Session Purpose: General Business Version: Final Attendees: Members - Present: Carlo Bacci, Chris Haley, Anne Landry, Mark Dockser, Karen Herrick Members - Not Present: Others Present: Town Manager Bob LeLacher, Executive Assistant Caitlin Nocella, Town Counsel Ivria Fried, David Zeek, Coleen O'Brien, Carl McFadden, Bob Weiden, Brian Pecci, Robert Kennedy, Bill Brown, Robert Coulter, Greg Phipps Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Topics of Discussion: This meeting was held in a hybrid format. Karen Herrick called the meeting to order. The Chair noted ZBA has a need to meet right now and needs some of its new members for a quorum. She asked the board if they would be willing to take the ZBA volunteer appointments out of order and do them first so they can go be sworn in after and attend a meeting. Karen Herrick moved to take the volunteer appointments for the Zoning Board of Appeals out of order. The motion was seconded by Mark Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Mark Dockser moved to make the following appointments: • Cy Caouette to finish out a full membership on the ZBA with a term ending June 30, 2022 • Ryan Bourque to a full membership on the ZBA with a term ending lune 30, 2024 • Patrick Houghton to an associate membership on the ZBA with a term ending June 30, 2022 • Andrew Grasberger to an associate membership on the ZBA with a term ending lune 30, 2022 Mark Dockser quickly explained the VASC meeting and their reasoning behind picking the above candidates. They had many qualified candidates and two previous members come forward and agree to help out new members get acquainted with the committee. The motion was seconded by Carlo Bacci and approved with a 5-0 vote. Page I 1 Liaison Reports Chris Haley noted PARC is still looking for a new date for their community meeting. They will also ask the Select Board to extend their sunset date by another month or two; they just need a few more meetings to finish up and they will bring a proposal to the board early next year. He also noted the HRAC meet and greet last week was great, he met a lot of people he normally wouldn't. Mark Dockser asked the board about meeting dates for Dementia Friendly Training. The board selected November 30". He noted that the Council on Aging and Recreation Committee made their appointments for ReCalc. Currently we have 2 applicants for the 4 vacant resident spots. He also mentioned he and Karen Herrick attended an event for public officials put on by a town group called CATO, the Coalition of Us, about the history of slavery in Reading. Anne Landry noted the first Town Manager Screening Committee meeting will be on November 17". The Finance Committee set the structure for the recently created ad-hoc to determine how to spend ARPA funds. Carlo Bacci noted he and Mark Dockser had a VASC meeting and has recommendations for later this evening. CPDC discussed the Woburn Street project which has been delayed and the Chute Street project has gotten some updates after lots of input. Karen Herrick also attended the HRAC Volunteer meet and greet and thanked Bob LeLacheur for his assistance and support of this even. She also noted $150k as the amount the delegation led by Brad Jones has earmarked for Reading relative to Meadowbrook (KH) lot that the Town is planning to purchase. Veteran's day is this Thursday and she thanked Kevin Bohmiller for putting together the event. Town Manager Report Town Manager Bob LeLacheur noted that the Cyber Awareness training grant we received last year is doing great. Employees get short training videos every couple weeks to review. He thanked Harrows and Elder Services, they gave away 250 bags of food today at the Pleasant Street Center. The Animal Control/ Parking Enforcement Officer position is going to be posted tomorrow. He asked the board to start thinking about parking stickers for next year, last year they did not sell any but if they would like to start selling them again we need to get that in place. He thanked Alan Foulds and town staff for all their work on the past two town meetings. Lastly, he noted we have a new Health Director starting next week. Public Comment Bill Brown reminded the board about the Veterans Ceremony on Thursday. Consent Agenda First item was a scoreboard donation for Hunt Field. Bob Weiden from Reading Little League explained the donation. Second item was about waiving cemetery marker fees for veterans. Carl McFadden explained their reasoning behind this noting it he felt that it was the least we can do to waive the $100 fee for veterans. Chris Haley agreed it was the least they could do. Next item was the approval of a Class I License. Brian Pecci and Robert Kennedy, officers of the new owners, were present and explained their company is buying the current Honda dealership in town on Walkers Brook Drive. The day to day business will stay the same so this is request is to put the current Class I license into the new owners' name. Lastly were the volunteer appointments. Mark Dockser noted he and Carlo Bacci interviewed about a dozen candidates for many volunteer positions. They are happy to report and recommend a spot for everyone who applied. Mark Dockser moved to approve the consent agenda as presented. The motion was seconded by Anne Landry and approved with a 5-0 vote. CML Complaints Town Counsel Ivria Fried noted the board needs to discuss whether or not to allow Mr. Tuvell to review/edit the minutes from the mediation or allow an addendum. Most board members were not comfortable with allowing an addendum or edits as they do not allow that normally. Anne Landry noted that if she were a Board of one, she may have voted in favor of an addendum in the spirit of mediation, but since she will not be at the mediation she will not vote in favor of any conditions that make any Board members who will be there uncomfortable and so will vote with the majority of the board. Karen Herrick noted she wants to resolve this so she would be fine with an addendum. January 8`h, 2022 is the proposed date for the mediation. Town Manager Bob LeLacheur noted he is not sure if staff will be available for minutes that day. The board discussed possibly hiring someone to do the minutes if staff is not available. Town Counsel will review to confirm this is possible if needed. The board also discussed and decided to add Mr. Tuvell's newest complaint into the mediation as well. Mark Dockser moved that the Board seek to mediate Complaint 10 filed on October 27, 2021, on the same terms and conditions as Complaints 5 through 9. The motion was seconded by Anne Landry and approved with a 5-0 vote. Mark Dockser moved that the Board proceed with mediation under the terms of Executive Session and NOT allow Mr. Tuvell to add an addendum to the minutes. The motion was seconded by Anne Landry and approved with a 5-0 vote. Purchase and Sale Agreement for Meadow Brook Mark Dockser gave the board an update noting they are still working on the agreement with no restrictions for lot 5 and it should be ready soon. He did want to mention to the board and discuss if they want an inspection of the land done. As of right now the agreement does not allow for one so they would need to negotiate more if they board felt they wanted it. The board discussed if they wanted an inspection or not as well as potentially getting an appraisal and do some testing. Town Manager Bob LeLacheur suggested asking for permission to just have staff walk the property. The board felt that was a good idea and agreed to let Mark, as the liaison, and Town Counsel ask Bancroft for permission to do so. Timing on the agreements requires that the Board sign an agreement at its November 23r1 meeting and it will be added to the agenda. WILD Presentation General Manager Colleen O'Brien, RMLD Board of Commissioners Chair Robert Coulter, Greg Phipps, and Commissioner Marlena Bita were present to answer questions and give the board an update. Commissioner Dave Talbot was also present remotely. Robert Coulter ran through a presentation that can be found in the Select Board packet on the town's website. He discussed rates and their 2030 plan for electrification in the town. Page 13 EV Charging Station Licenses The board looked at licenses to put in an EV Charging station for two locations in town; one at 580 Main Street and one at Lincoln Street. The board saw these licenses at a previous meeting but they were still negotiating some terms, i.e. how long the licenses would be for and potential early termination fees. Colleen O'Brien noted they did change the term of the license from 30 years to 15 years. Chris Haley and Carlo Bacci felt losing parking spots in front of Christopher's isn't a good idea due to the parking issue in that area already. Members Dockser and Herrick felt that having EV spots in the downtown will bring people in to the downtown as more of a destination for shopping. Mark Dockser moved to approve the EV Supply Equipment License Agreement for 580 Main Street as presented. The motion was seconded by Karen Herrick and approved with a 5-0 vote. Mark Dockser moved to approve the EV Supply Equipment License Agreement for Lincoln Street as presented. The motion was seconded by Anne Landry and approved with a 5-0 vote. Sustainability Director David Zeek gave the board a presentation about his thoughts on the town having a sustainability director. The presentation can be found in the Select Board packet on the town website. The board then discussed where this person would potentially sit and under which department makes the most sense. Some members felt this position is best suited under WILD but Mr. Zeek feels the town needs a person of their own that should report directly to the Town Manager. Mr. Zeek is recommending this person to help the town acquire more grant money and would like to see a place holder in the upcoming budget for next town meeting. Some members felt they need more information and more of a sense of what this person would exactly be doing and under which department before they put anything in the budget. They asked Mr. Zeek to return with more information about how other communities are leveraging this type of position to obtain and utilize additional funds. Sense of the board was that this is an interesting idea. Future Agendas The board discussed future agenda items. Minutes Mark Dockser moved to approve the meeting minutes of October 12, 2021 as amended. The motion was seconded by Carlo Bacci and approved with a 5-0 vote. Mark Dockser moved to approve the meeting minutes of October 26, 2021 as amended. The motion was seconded by Carlo Bacci and approved with a 5-0 vote. Mark Dockser moved to adjourn at 10:45 PM. The motion was seconded by Anne Landry and approved with a 5-0 vote. Documents Used: 2021-11-09 Select Board Packet 2021-11-09 Select Board Agenda Hunt field Scoreboard Presentation Email of Supportfrom Kevin Bohmiller—Veterans Fee Class I License Application for Honda Class I License Police Report 1021-11-02 VASC Packet VASC Recommendations Page 1 4 EV Supply Equipment License Agreement -580 Main Street EV Supply Equipment License Agreement — Lincoln St RMLD Presentation Sustainability Director presentation RMLD Survey on Home Heating and Cooling 2011-10-12 Draft Minutes 2021-10-26 Draft Minutes Page 1 5