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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-03-24 Select Board Minutes04."111 Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Select Board Date: 2026-03-24 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: Chris Haley, Melissa Murphy, Karen Rose -Gillis, Carlo Baccl, Karen Gately Herrick Members - Not Present: Others Present: Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman, Human Resources Director Sean Donahue, Community Services Director Jenna Wood, Senior Planner Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Docktor, Tony D'Arezzo, Angela Binda, John Sasso, Emily Sisson, Marilyn Shapleigh, Ed Ross, Fire Chief Rick Nelson (Remote), Conservation Administrator Chuck Tirone (Remote), Computer Technician Tim Johnson (Remote), Town Counsel Ivria Fried (Remote), RCN Studios (Remote), Ron Powell (Remote) Minutes Respectfully Submitted By: Madeleine Baptiste Topics of Discussion: This meeting was held in the Town Hall Select Board Meeting Room and remotely via Zoom. Chris Haley called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and provided a brief overview of the evening's agenda. Mr. Haley issued a statement apologizing to fellow Board Members, specifically Ms. Gately Herrick and a resident, regarding the possible leak of information discussion from their March 10" meeting and said he also realized that he did not open the floor for public comment on an item at that same meeting. Public Comment (For any items not included on the agenda) Nancy Docktor of Pearl Street expressed her displeasure at some Select Board member's comments towards residents. Angela Binda of Orchard Park Drive discussed suggestions of other funding sources related to Article 14 of the Town Meeting Warrant and supported unified sports being categorized as a community priority. Tony D'Arezzo of John Street encouraged the Board to refrain from speaking about individuals when speaking on the police presence discussion later this evening. Discuss and Vote on A000intment of Jayne Wellman as Town Manager The Board thanked Ms. Wellman for her time and answers at her interview the previous evening. The Board agreed that the interview went very well and supported Ms. Wellman. Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman thanked the Board for their questions and expressed her belief that the Public benefitted from the interview and her gratitude for the opportunity. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to appoint Jayne Wellman to the position of Town Manager subject to successful contract negotiations. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 6-0. Page I r Roll Call Vote: Karen Rose -Gillis — Yes, Karen Gately Herrick — Yes, Melissa Murphy — Yes, Carlo Bacci — Yes, Chris Haley — Yes Karen Rose -Gillis moved to enter into executive session under General Law Chapter 30A Section 21(a)(2), for the purposes of conducting a strategy sessions in preparation for contract negotiations with Jayne Wellman for the position of Town Manager, a nonunion position, and under Section 21(a)(7) to comply with Section 22 of the Open Meeting Law for the purpose of reviewing and approving for release the minutes of the February 24 and March 3, 2026 executive session minutes, and to invite Town Counsel into the meeting and to adjourn from executive session and to return to open session to continue on with the meeting. The motion was seconded by Carlo Bacci and approved by a vote of 5-0. Roll Call Vote: Karen Rose -Gillis — Yes, Karen Gately Herrick — Yes, Melissa Murphy — Yes, Carlo Bacci — Yes, Chris Haley — Yes Mr. Haley called the meeting back to order at 8:16 PM. Town Manager Report Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman noted the launch of four new, short budget videos on the Town's website and social media to aid residents in understanding the budget and she is looking forward to feedback. Ms. Wellman shared that she was the moderator of the recent MMA panel titled "Numbers to Narratives". She thanked the Board for the interview and expressed her gratitude to be able to move forward in this role. She also corrected a comment she made at her interview and noted that she mistakenly said Arlington's override failed but their vote is this upcoming weekend. Ms. Wellman noted the Board that the Reading Fire Department received a $1,000 gift for the purpose of purchasing smoke detectors for elders in need and thanked Carl McFadden for the gift. Lastly, she stated that the Town Clerk's Office sent out an informational letter to registered voters regarding the charter and it is for informational purposes and reminded that the local election will be conducted on April 7r'. Community Spottiaht Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman congratulated Professors Market and Frank Pellegrini on 10 years of business in Reading. She also recognized audience member Joe Maselli, a member of the family who owns Dandilyons toe Cream, and noted the business is celebrating 25 years this year and thanked Mr. Maselli for attending. Lastly, she expressed well wishes to retirees Lieutenant Dave Robideux and Firefighter Thomas McCarthy of the Reading Fire Department. Lt. Robideux served in Reading for 31 years and Firefighter McCarthy served the Town for 22 years. Ms. Wellman thanked them for their service and work in Reading. Joe Maselli of North Reading thanked Reading for all their support to Dandilyons. Discuss and Vote on Police Presence at Select Board Meetings Karen Gately Herrick began the discussion by thanking staff for gathering information regarding the cost of police presence at meetings. She expressed that she feels safe at meetings and that the Board could discontinue this service. Melissa Murphy stated that the reason for the police presence was due to an incident that occurred following a meeting on December W, 2025. Some Board members expressed that they would like to continue having police presence at their meetings as they feel it is necessary and other members feel it is unnecessary expense. After further discussion surrounding the incident following the December W, 2025, meeting, Ms. Wellman informed the Board that the resident involved in the situation spoke with her and Former Town Manager Matt Kraunelis and apologized. The Board decided to revisit the topic at another meeting following the April Election and the Board's reorganization and will let the new Chair decide how best to proceed. Karen Rose -Gillis moved that the Board continue to have police presence at Select Board meetings until after reorganization, where a decision will be made be made by the new Chair. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 4-1, with Karen Gately Herrick opposed. Director of Uperations Katie Gabriello and Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman presented the results of their feedback collected from their roadshow to several Boards, Committees, and Commissions and Public Survey regarding what they feel the best use for the Pleasant Street Center (PSC) would be in the future. Ms. Gabriello noted that they received a strong consensus from the feedback that the Town should retain ownership and people expressed concerns with the cost of retaining the building, including concerns about a quote of $400,000 for a new heating system. She noted that they had over 700 survey respondents. In the public survey specifically, majority of responses were in favor of the town retaining ownership or to retain and lease to a third party, and they value prioritizing non-profit use. Ms. Gabriello noted that the Town has solicited a Preliminary Feasibility Assessment, prepared by Strategy 5 Consulting LLC, with potential adaptive reuse of the PSC. Next steps would be to continue discussion and a possible vote in the future from the Board and Town Staff would continue to evaluate procurement options and structure to be harmonious with the Town's wishes. If the lease or disposition of the PSC needs to go before Town Meeting, Town Staff are aiming for November Subsequent Town Meeting. The Board expressed concerns with the weatherization of the building and costs that come with repairs to the building. They want to keep costs low if the Town retains the building. Ms. Wellman said the intention is that revenue from the PSC would cover costs of the building. John Sasso of Richards Road encouraged the Board to seek the commercial value of the building. Presentation by ReCAL Operations Subcommittee Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman began the discussion with the presentation given by the members of the ReCAL Operations Committee including Community Services Director Jenna Wood, Interim Director of Elder and Human Services Kerry Valle, Member John Sasso, and Member Emily Sisson. The group provided drafts of several operating policies and their operational plan presentation. The presentation included information regarding their mission statement, operating hours at ReCAL, an overview of the facility with descriptions and purpose outlined, and renderings of the space. Ms. Wood reviewed the drafts of the Membership Package, Room Rental Package, and Fitness Equipment Package with the Board, and these can all be found in this evening's packet. She noted that there is dedicated space dedicated to the 60+ but the building has been designed to be equitable for all ages. Ms. Wellman noted the breakdown of projected budget for FY28, including departmental and facilities expenses projected at $1.299 million. The projected revenue is estimated, conservatively, to be $211,600. Ms. Wellman thanked everyone involved for their time and effort in putting this together. The Board thanked the group for all their work and the thought that went into the process. Ms. Wellman reviewed the floor plan documents with the Board and explained that the building will serve as an emergency shelter to accommodate the community and includes showers, and floor drains as part of that qualification of an emergency shelter. Marilyn Shapleigh of John Carver Road expressed concems with the space and availability for Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone (SHINE) operations. Board Members asked for information about the SHINE program. Ms. Valle explained that it is a program in which trained volunteers assist those who are 60+ in finding suitable insurance options within their needs and budgets. Ron Powell of South Street thanked the subcommittee for their presentation and expressed questions regarding the kitchen not currently allowing food prep and the location for SHINE operations space on the floorplans. Ms. Wellman said the kitchen restriction is only temporary while they learn to navigate the opening of the building. Discuss Valet Parkin Regulations Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman reviewed the draft regulations for valet parking from Town Counsel Ivria Fried. She noted that this is the beginning of conversations on these regulations, and the Police Department is not in favor of valet parking regulations due to concerns about enforcement. Board Members expressed thoughts that the initial regulations were well executed. Some Board Members are opposed to the idea as they don't know how utilized it would be by businesses and expressed concerns on how it may cause traffic in certain areas. They also expressed their thoughts that enforcement of parking regulations should not be a burden on the Police Department but should be the responsibility of the business owners utilizing the valet parking. Ms. Wellman asked the Board if there was an appetite for one or two members of the Board to create a subcommittee in collaboration with the Police Department on this matter, to then bring it back to the Board with a full recommendation from this working group. The Board agreed amenable to doing this and agreed that Karen Rose -Gillis and Carlo Bacci could participate from the Board. Vote to Reappoint Town Accountant Karen Rose -Gillis moved to appoint Sharon Angstrom as Town Accountant for a term of July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5-0. Discuss 2025-2026 Select Board Accomplishments Chris Haley reviewed the list of Select Board accomplishments that he put together, and it can be found in this evening's packet. The list highlighted milestone accomplishments of the Board related to events such as celebrated businesses in Town for anniversaries, approved several large contracts, celebrated numerous new businesses in Town, approval of several proclamations, appointed Ms. Wellman as the next Town Manager, and several other items. Mr. Haley thanked his fellow Board Members for their commitment and contributions to the Board. Liaison Reports Karen Rose -Gillis attended various events and meetings including the Finance Committee meeting, the MMA "Numbers to Narratives" webinar, the Select Board Candidate Forum, and the Climate Advisory Committee's presentation done by Black Earth at the Reading Public Library. She also participated in the Board's interview of Ms. Wellman. Lastly, she noted the following important dates; compost center will be open on April V, curbside leaf collection will begin in April, hazardous waste collection day will be May 2ntl, and the electronics collection will be May 9'". Karen Gately Herrick noted the Reading Compost group updated that the schools plan to roll out composting soon. She attended various events and meetings including the Finance Committee meeting, Trails Committee meeting, the Ad Hoc Commemoration Establishment Committee's showing of the Bill Russell documentary at the Reading Public Library, and the Coffee with a Cop event. Melissa Murphy attended meetings of the Finance Committee and the School Committee. She noted that the Reading Memorial High School (RMHS) Drama Club advanced to the Massachusetts Theater Guild State Finals and appointed Phil Littlehale to serve as School Director of Finance, and the School Committee voted on finalists for the position of Superintendent. Lastly, she attended the legislative breakfast with our state delegation and participated in the interview of Ms. Wellman for the position of Town Manager. Carlo Bacci thanked the Democratic Town Committee for hosting the candidate forums for School Committee and Select Board. He attended the legislative breakfast with the state delegation and attended the Coffee with a Cop event. Lastly, he recognized and thanked Peter Coumounduros for his time leading Friends for Reading Recreation. Chris Haley participated in the interview of Ms. Wellman for the position of Town Manager. He also attended the School Committee's interview of Wendy Crocker Roberge, one of the finalists for the position of Superintendent of Schools. Future Agendas Future agendas will include a Select Board Reorganization and discussing the 2026 Select Board Retreat agenda. Discuss and Vote on Prior Meeting Minutes The Board had no edits to the three sets of draft minutes for approval this evening. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to approve the meeting minutes of November 1, 2026, as presented, February 20, 2026, as presented, and March V, 2026, as presented. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 6-0. Carlo Bacci moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 6-0. The meeting adjourned at 10:37 PM.