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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-06-18 Select Board Minutesor Town of Reading = V ' Meeting Minutes I _ is deo f -RK. Board - Committee - Commission - Council: iu[S J%Pi [3 rh I: 22 Select Board Date: 2024-06-18 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, Karen Herrick, Mark Dockser, Chris Haley, Melissa Murphy Members - Not Present: Others Present: Town Manager Matt Kraunelis, Executive Assistant Caitlin Nocella, Casey Moulten, Marianne Downing, David Monahan, Jeff Peters, Genady Pilyaysky, Tony D'Arezzo, Carolyn Whiting, Maria Salvatelle, Reginal Nichols, Linda Snow Dockser, Philmore Phillip, Conservation Administrator Chuck Tirone, Edward Kantorosinski, Police Lt. Jones, Fire Chief Burns, Building Commissioner Bret Bennett Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Caitlin Nocella Topics of Discussion: Bacci called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and went over the agenda. Public Comment Casey Moulten noted she was the one who initiated the public records request for McCarthy's texts and emails regarding the Town Manager search. As shown in the texts, she believes Herrick lied about not being in contact with McCarthy about the Town Manager candidates. She noted she is disappointed with this entire situation. Herrick joined the meeting at 7:05 PM. Marianne Downing read an email she sent the board regarding MBTA communities. She feels the planning department needs to consider other options and minimize the impact as much as possible. David Monahan noted he would like to be on the Bill Russell Committee if formed tonight. Jeff Peters advocated for the formation of the Bill Russell Committee. Genady Pilyaysky spoke about the candidates interested in the Climate Advisory Committee. He noted two of the three candidates have been showing up to meetings frequently already and been attending events. Tony D'Arezzo noted he saw there were many applications for ZBA and if it comes down to him or Mark Wetzel, please put Wetzel on the board as his knowledge is immeasurable. Page I I Carolyn Whiting noted she supports the Bill Russell Committee. Maria Salvatelle noted she also supports the Bill Russell Committee. Reginald Nichols expressed his support for the Bill Russell Committee. Linda Snow Dockser noted she is speaking tonight in favor of the Jaime Maughn pathway dedication that is on the agenda this evening. Philmore Phillip thanked the constituents who showed up in support of the Bill Russell committee. Liaison Reports Murphy attended the MBTA Communities meeting last week and the Board of Health who is gearing up for a tobacco vote. Dockser noted ReCalc is in final preparations for recommendations to the Select Board. Herrick attended luneteenth and noted it was a great event. The Killam School Building Committee met last night and they have a full summer schedule ahead of them. The sustainability working group is meeting again next week. VASC met to finish up interviews and have recommendations for this meeting. She also attended the MBTA Communities meeting and thanked CPDC members. Haley attended the MBTA Communities meeting and glad there was a good attendance. He believes Andrew MacNichol will do his best with the feedback received. He attended the luneteenth annual celebration followed by the fireworks that evening. Bacci attended the Recreation meeting and they were discussing putting pickleball in the parking lot at the ice rink. The CPA had their second meeting. He also attended the MBTA communities meeting. Town Manager Report Matt attended Friends and family day which was fantastic. He attended a Ribbon Cutting for the new parking lot earlier. Albert did a great job organizing Juneteeth. The Zip trip is on Friday. Porchfest is on Saturday. The library will be open the next couple days as a cooling center. Jamie Maughn Path Dedication Chuck Tirone, Conservation Administrator showed the board where this path would be. Jamie Maughn's son, Matt, spoke a few words on his father's behalf and thanked the town for doing this. Haley moved to support naming the central spine path at Birch Meadow in honor of Jamie Maughan as presented. The motion was seconded by Herrick and approved with a 5-0 vote. Bagel World Early Opening Request Haley read the hearing notice opening the public hearing to discuss Bagel World's request to open at 5:00 AM. Edward Kantorosinski, one of the owners of Bagel World was present to explain their request. He noted they always have a line of people waiting for them to open at 6:00 am; their other locations open at 5:00 am so they would like this location to open at 5:00 am here in Reading too. It was noted that the noise from the drive-thru window has caused past disturbances for the neighbors, so they agreed to just open the inside of the store and not the drive-thru window at 5:00 am. They are re -doing the drive-thru in July to get two lanes in there to help get traffic off the street. Deliveries will not be taking place any earlier than normal. Page I 2 Haley moved to close the hearing regarding the early opening request for Bagel World. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Haley moved to approve a license to operate a retail business between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m. pursuant to Section 7.7 of the Reading General Bylaws and further pursuant to Section 3.9 of the Select Board Policies to Bagel World, 323 Main Street. This license is for approval to open for business not earlier than 5:00 a.m. In granting this license the board finds: 1. In accordance with Section 7.7.4.1 of the General Bylaws that the operation of the establishment will not cause unreasonable disruption or disturbance to, or otherwise adversely affect, the customary character of any adjacent or nearby residential neighborhood; and 2. In accordance with Section 7.7.4.2 of the General Bylaws that the operation of the establishment is reasonably necessary to serve the public health, safety and welfare, serves a public need and provides a public convenience which outweighs any increase in the impacts on the adjacent or nearby residential. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Traffic and Safety Amendment Haley read the hearing notice to open the hearing to discuss Safety Amendment 2024-4. Lt. Jones was present to explain the request and answer any questions. The purpose of Safety Amendment 2024-4 is to improve traffic and pedestrian safety at the intersection of Wentworth Road at Lewis Street. The amendment is asking for an official placement of an isolated stop sign hearing northbound on Wentworth Road at the intersection with Lewis Street. Lt. Jones noted this came out of PTTTF request and the board had no issues. Haley moved to close the hearing regarding safety amendment 2024-4. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Haley moved to approve Amendment 2024-4 to the Traffic and Parking Regulations as presented. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Surplus Chief Burns is asking the Select Board to surplus the ladder truck that is being replaced soon. The new truck should be arriving within the month but having this declared surplus now will make the transition easier when the new truck arrives. It will still be in use until the new truck arrives. Haley moved to declare Fire Apparatus— Ladder Truck 1 as surplus property. The motion was seconded by Herrick and approved with a 5-0 vote. Building Fee Discussion Building Commissioner Bret Bennett came before the board to share with them their new proposed permit fee schedule. He noted these fees have not been updated in years and so they are aligning them with other towns and fixing some of the structures of the fees. The new fee schedule will be set to take place starting July 1, 2024. The board does not need to vote on this. Discuss and Vote on Bill Russell Committee Page 13 Members of CATO (The Coalition of us) gave the board a presentation on the Ad -Hoc Commemoration Establishment Committee (ACE). Members Linda Snow Dockser, Tara Gregory and Phil Philmore provided their thoughts on how to best honor and commemorate the late Bill Russell. The presentation can be found in the Select Board packet on the town website. Bacci asked the board who was in favor of establishing this committee. The board voted 5-0 to approve. Charter Review Update Haley noted the Charter Committee met last week and they set up a public forum for August 29. The biggest discussion has revolved around RMLD and if they should be in the Charter. Legal Counsel is working on an opinion about that. The big change overall is changing everything to gender neutral terms. VASC Recommendations and Appointments Herrick and Murphy completed multiple days of interviews of new candidates for various boards and committees. They provided their recommendations to the full Select Board noting they agree on all appointments except for Board of Health and CPDC; they did not have a consensus on. Haley noted he cannot vote on anything for the Housing Authority and Herrick would abstain from voting on the Audit Committee because her husband is the incumbent. Bacci noted he would like to have more discussion about RCN Board of Directors and ZBA as well. Haley moved to appoint all members as presented except for Board of Health, CPDC, Audit Committee, Housing Authority, RCN Board of Directors and ZBA. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Haley moved to appoint Stephen Herrick to a full member on the Audit Committee with a term expiring June 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 4-0-1 vote with Herrick abstaining. The board then had a discussion on the Board of Health applicants. While both Herrick and Murphy agreed on the same two candidates, they did not agree on which candidate would be the full member vs. the associate. It was noted that Salvatore Bramante's background is in Management/ Operations of restaurants and Sophie Hansen's background is in social work currently serving as the Director of Government Relations and External Affairs working in policy. Murphy, Haley and Bacci think having someone well versed in restaurants and inspections would be great to have as the full-time member while Herrick and Docker feel Sophie's background in social work and policy aligns better for the full- time member. Haley moved to appoint Salvatore Bramante to a full position on the Board of Health with a term expiring lune 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Murphy and approved with a 3-2 vote with Dockser and Herrick against. Haley moved to appoint Sophie Hansen as an associate member on the Board of Health with a term expiring June 30, 2026. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. The board then moved on to discuss CPDC. There are two incumbents seeking reappointment and two new applicants. Murphy would like to see some new blood on the committee and would like to see the two new applicants be appointed while Herrick believes the incumbents should be reappointed. Haley moved to appoint John Arena to a member of the CPDC with a term expiring lune 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Murphy and approved with a 3-2 vote with Dockser and Herrick against. Page 1 4 Haley moved to appoint Tony D'Arezzo to a member of the CPDC with a term expiring June 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Murphy and voted down with a 2-3 vote with Haley, Bacci and Murphy against. Haley moved to appoint Guy Manganiello to a member of the CPDC with a term expiring June 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Murphy and approved with a 3-2 vote with Herrick and Dockser against. Haley moved to appoint Mark Wetzel to a member of the CPDC with a term expiring lune 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Murphy and voted down with a 2-3 vote with Haley, Murphy and Bacci against. The board then moved on to discuss Housing Authority. Haley will be abstaining from this vote due to his working relationship with the Housing Authority. Bacci moved to appoint Timothy Kelley to a full member on the Housing Authority with a term expiring lune 30, 2029. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 4-0-1 with Haley abstaining. Bacci moved to appoint Diana Carter to a full member on the Housing Authority with a term expiring June 30, 2028. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 4-0-1 with Haley abstaining. Next discussion was the RCN Board of Directors. Bacci wanted to see someone new on the board so he is looking to appoint the new applicant. The rest of the board felt appointing the incumbent was the right way to go. Haley moved to appoint Stephen Crook to a full member on the RCN Board of Directors with a term expiring lune 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved by with a 4-1 vote with Bacci against. Lastly, the board discussed ZBA. Herrick and Murphy agreed on their recommendations, but Bacci wanted to discuss how they figured out who got the full position vs. the associate positions. In the end the board ended up voting the recommended appointments from VASO: Haley moved to appoint Chris Cridler to a full member on the Zoning Board of Appeals with a term expiring lune 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Herrick and approved with a 5-0 vote. Haley moved to appoint Patrick Houghton to a full member on the Zoning Board of Appeals with a term expiring June 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Haley moved to appoint Tara Gregory to an associate member on the Zoning Board of Appeals with a term expiring June 30, 2025. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Haley moved to appoint Frank Capone to an associate member on the Zoning Board of Appeals with a term expiring lune 30, 2025. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Vote on Temporary Members to the PBC for ReCalc Project Haley moved to nominate Dockser and a member of the Council on Aging to serve as Temporary Members of the Permanent Building Committee for the RECAL project, and to refer those named to the PBC Appointment Committee. The motion was seconded by Herrick and approved with a 5-0 vote. Extend ReCalc Sunset Date Haley moved to extend the sunset date for the Reading Center for Active Living Committee (ReCalc) to August 31, 2024. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. Page 1 5 Appoint SB Member to School Committee Athletics Facilities Naming Advisory Committee Haley moved to appoint Herrick to the School Committee Athletics Facility Naming Advisory Committee. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a 5-0 vote. MA Clean Energy Agreement Herrick explained why she asked for this on the agenda. It is unclear if the board has the ability to sign this agreement. Town Counsel has a difference of opinion from Herrick. Herrick feels there is nothing prohibiting the board from signing this agreement. Haley moved to execute MA Clean Energy Technology Center Renewable Energy Trust Fund Membership agreement. The motion was seconded by Herrick. Haley noted he is not voting on this due to the memo the board received from Town Counsel on this. Bacci agreed with Haley. The board tabled this item without taking a vote. Discuss Open Meeting Law Complaint This is on the agenda just to make the response public. Bacci read a statement from Herrick's response to the CML Complaint noting that she did not speak with anyone about the Town Manager candidates. He then noted after hearing public comments tonight, that seems to be contradictory. Dockser noted this CML complaint has been answered and sent in. It is out of the board's hands now. If the complainant wants to file an appeal, they can do that. We cannot keep making accusations based off someone's allegation. Murphy noted she is worried that if the handout and information they received at public comment tonight goes to the Attorney General's office with the letter Herrick sent in response to the OM complaint, the board could be in some serious trouble. Discuss Future Agendas The board discussed adding a special meeting to discuss the newest open meeting law complaint that came in. They have to respond by a certain date and their next regularly scheduled meeting is after the date. The board agreed to Thursday, June 27 at 9:30 AM via Zoom. Dockser moved to adjourn the meeting at 10:55 PM. The motion was seconded by Murphy and approved with a 5-0 vote. Page 1 6