HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-01-21 Select Board Minutes+ o,
Town of Reading
Meeting Minutes
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Board - Committee - Commission - Council: -- I, 5-2
Select Board
Date: 2025-01-21 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, Chris Haley, Mark Dockser, Melissa Murphy
Members - Not Present:
Others Present:
Town Manager Matt Kraunelis, Executive Assistant Caitlin Nocella, Pat
Crowley, Jim Riley, Lucas Prato, Assistant DPW Director Mike Kessmen,
Deputy Chief Amendola
Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Caitlin Nocella
Topics of Discussion:
Bacci called the meeting to order at 7pm.
Public Comment
Pat Crowley, Jim Riley and Lucas Prato spoke about their dissatisfaction with the MBTXs plans
for a turnback track in town. They are putting together alternative plans for the MBTA.
Liaison Reports
The board gave their liaison reports and expressed gratitude towards town staff for a
successful Martin Luther King Jr Day celebration.
During liaison reports, member Dockser announced he will not be seeking re-election this
year but plans to stay very involved. The board members thanked him for his long-time
service to the town and wished him well.
Town Manager Report
Kraunelis also echoed the boards comments about the MLK Day celebration. He noted he
toured the Dance School that is up for sale next to the Town Hall but noted some serious
issues with the building that would not be recommended for the Town to purchase. He also
mentioned the Town received a $19,000 State grant for firefighter safety equipment.
Trash Cart Rollout and DPW Updates
Assistant DPW Director Mike Kessmen gave the board a presentation on the trash cart rollout
program and where everything stands today.
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The program involves six main components: purchase of carts, distribution locally, overflow
bags, smaller carts & second barrels, disposal of old barrels, and storage of extra carts. Three
vendors are involved in the program: Wastequip for cart purchase, Container Pros for
assembly and distribution, and WasteZero for overflow bags.
The rollout is scheduled to begin on April 8' and should take about 2-3 weeks. Residents can
now use OpenGov to request a smaller size or second cart, smaller carts will be given priority
to seniors and disabled residents. The program also includes plans for the disposal of old
barrels. Residents will have three options if they want to dispose of their old barrels including
a curbside pickup option and a designated drop off location.
For more details and information, the presentation can be found in the Select Board packet
on the Town website.
Downtown Parkina and Kiosk Update
Deputy Chief Amendola gave the board a presentation on the current status of downtown
parking. She went through and showed the board the number and type of parking violations
from 2016 to present. In 2022 was when they started seeing a problem and she noted the
increase in violations from 2022 to 2023 was astronomical. She also noted the Upper
Municipal lot (CVS lot), and Brande Court see about the same amount of violations.
She went through some changes to the downtown which could explain the increase in the
parking problems the town is seeing. A lot more housing and commercial buildings have
popped up and the board changed the parking limits in the Upper Municipal Lot and Brande
Court in 2019 from a 2 -hour limit to a 4 -hour limit which could be contributing to people
parking there for far longer.
The board discussed updates on the parking kiosk system and related issues. Amendola
mentioned that all the kiosks are now working properly. They have plans to improve signage
and provide better instructions. The board also discussed concerns about employees
overstaying the time limits, potential solutions like elderly/senior parking permits, enforcing
double parking citations, and the possibility of reselling the kiosks if they decide to remove
them. Overall, the board seems open to giving the kiosk system another try with some
adjustments to address previous issues. They will put this on their next agenda for further
discussion and potential vote.
Future of the Pleasant Street Center Building
Town Manager Matt Kraunelis presented the board with potential future uses of the Pleasant
Street center, including leasing it out, selling it, or repurposing it for various town uses such as
extra storage and meeting space. Some ideas for leasing the building could be, a coffee
shop, grocery store, restaurant, art and culture center, or preschool. Some other examples
included the possibility of turning it into a performance venue, similar to what was done with
old firehouses in Natick and Newburyport. The discussion also touched on the commercial
appraisal process, with Herrick expressing caution about misrepresenting the building's
value. Some board members mentioned the need forthe building to generate revenue if
they are going to be running a new, larger senior center elsewhere.
MBTATurnaround Track Update
The board discussed preparations for an upcoming public meeting with the MBTA on
February 4th regarding the proposed turn -around track. Kraunelis provided an update that
the Conservation Commission hearing has been continued to February 12th, and a separate
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public engagement meeting will be scheduled as well. The Board plans to allow time on the
February 4th agenda for the MBTA presentation but set parameters to prevent it from
becoming an open forum given the amount of interest in this.
Future Agendas
The board discussed future agenda items.
Minutes
The board edited previous meeting minutes.
Haley moved to approve the meeting minutes from December 3'd- 2024, as written. The
motion was seconded by Herrick and approved with a unanimous roll call vote.
Haley moved to approve the meeting minutes from December 4th, 2024, as amended.
The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a unanimous roll call vote.
Executive Session
At 9:32 PM, Haley moved to enter executive session under Purpose 2 to conduct a
strategy session in preparation for negotiations with the Town Manager, to invite Town
Counsel to attend the executive session, and to return to open session. The motion was
seconded by Dockser and approved with a unanimous roll call vote.
Open Session - Discuss Town Manager Contract
The board returned to open session.
Haley moved to enter into an employment agreement with the Town of Reading and
Matt Kraunelis for services as Town Manager through June 30, 2026, as reflected in the
contract presented today. The motion was seconded by Dockser and approved with a
unanimous roll call vote.
Chair Bacci noted that after two executive sessions and a public feedback process, the board
offered Town Manager Matt Kraunelis another one-year contract to which Kraunelis accepted.
They hope he can continue to make improvements based on their feedback.
Herrick moved to adjourn the meeting at 10:17pm. Haley seconded the motion, and it
was approved with a unanimous roll call vote.
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