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Board - Committee - commission - Council: 2022 AUG 31 PM 2: 32
Select Board
Date: 2022-07-19 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:
Mark Dockser, Carlo Bacci, Chris Haley, Jackie McCarthy, Karen Herrick
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Town Manager Fidel Maltez, CaitlinNocella, William Sillivan, Tom Gardiner,
Dan Baptiste, Town Engineer Ryan Percival, Conservation Administrator
Chuck Tirone, Keith Bergman, Ivria Fried, Bill Brown,
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Caitlin Nocella
Topics of Discussion:
This meeting was held in person and remote via Zoom
Mark Dockser called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
Liaison Reports
Bacci mentioned that the contractor who did Veteran's Way is now MIA with the project not fully
complete. Staff is aware and it is being looked into.
Haley noted RAAC will be shutting down requests for ARPA funds in August. They amount in requests
already far exceeds the amount of funds left.
Herrick noted the Killam School Building Committee met for the first time and elected a Chair and Vice
Chair. She also gave a shoutout to the group painting Mattera Cabin, Next Step Ministries.
McCarthy explained that FINCOM recently approved a request from DPW for more funds due to the high
gas prices. The Health department also received a grant.
Dockser noted that RECALC met last week and they will be doing focus groups next week.
Town Manaiter's Report
Maltez noted that the remote meeting policy was extended until March of 2023. Early voting and mail in
voting passed permanently. The State budget passed and the green communities legislation passed thru
the senate.
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71 Middlesex Ave Driveway Reouest
Town Engineer Ryan Percival and the homeowners were present. The request is to abandon their
current driveway and relocate it to the other side while asking for a waiver from the 50 FT setback
requirement. They are trying to save their neighbors tree which would put their driveway 46 FT from the
intersection. Engineering department and the neighbor have no objections.
Haley moved to approve the driveway request for 71 Middlesex Ave as presented. The motion was
seconded by Herrick and approved with a 5-0 vote.
ARPA Reauest — Trails Committee
The trails committee requested $11,600 in ARPA funds for time sensitive items.
RAAC noted they approved this request with a 7-0 vote.
Haley moved to approve $11,600 in ARPAfunds to the trails committee as requested. The motion was
seconded by McCarthy and approved with a 5-0 vote.
ARPA Request—Town Forest Committee
The town forest committee also had a time sensitive request for $100,000. This request is to get rid of
the dead trees in the town forest.
Haley moved to approve $100,000 in ARPA funds to the town forest committee as requested. The
motion was seconded by Herrick and approved with a 5-0 vote.
Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Town Counsel Ivria Fried was present for this. This was an instructional motion from Town Meeting. The
town currently has a special act dealing with affordable housing but it has been noted that the act may
not be serving the town as it needs now. Counsel has presented a few options for the board including a
draft bylaw to adopt the trust fund and a special act repealing the existing current act and transferring
the funds to the new trust fund.
Keith Bergman runs the affordable housing trust fund in Concord and explained what Concord is doing
to the board.
The board discussed the right structure moving forward and a committee with at least 5 voting
members. Counsel was going to come back with some language regarding the committee.
Board/Committees Presentations to the Board Discussion
The board discussed having all the town boards and committees take turns coming to visit them each
meeting to give updates.
Select Board Policies —VASC Process Discussion
The board noted after this last VASC process it was clear the board needed to revisit their policies
regarding the candidate interviews aspect.
The board agreed to let Haley take a first pass at drafting new language that would make sure every
candidate, incumbent or not, would get interviewed every year.
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Bacci asked about the removal process and if we can make it any easier. Counsel noted they would look
into that more.
Future Agendas
The board discussed future agenda topics.
Minutes
The board edited their previous meeting minutes.
Haley moved to approve the meeting minutes of June 14`h, 2022 as amended. The motion was
seconded by Bacci and approved with a 5-0 vote.
Haley moved to approve the meeting minutes of June 281h, 2022 as amended. The motion was
seconded by McCarthy and approved with a 5-0 vote.
RFP Reponses Review
The town put out a request for proposals on a temporary lease space for a senior center. The town
received one response from the old Walgreens building not far from the current Pleasant Street center.
Members noted that it was an interesting proposal and something that should be considered.
The board decided they needed to enter Executive Session to discuss further details.
Haley moved to go into Executive Session at 9:13 PM, including staff members Fidel Maltez, Caitlin
Nocella and Town Counsel Ivria Fried, under Executive Session Purpose 6 to discuss the lease or value
of 17 Hamden Street in relation to the submitted Proposal for Lease of Space for Town Senior Center,
as the Chair declares that an open meeting could have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position
of the body; and under Purpose 7, to comply with Section 22 of the Open Meeting Law, by reviewing
and approving for release the minutes for the December 29, 2021, February 15, 2022, May 3, 2022 and
June 28, 2022 executive session meetings; and that the board will NOT reconvene in open session. The
motion was seconded by Herrick and approved with a unanimous roil call vote.
Documents Used:
2022-07-19 Select Board Packet
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