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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-03-10 Select Board Minutes�N rR Town of Reading Meeting Minutes Board - Committee - Commission - Council: Select Board Date: 2026-03-10 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 Bacci, Karen Gately Herrick Members - Not Present: Others Present: Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman, Fire Chief Rick Nelson, Marilyn Shapleigh, Arthur Perriera, Carl McFadden, Ed Ross, Angela Binda, Tony D'Arezzo, Kevin Lucy, Town Counsel Ivrla Fried (Remote), Town Clerk Laura Gemme (Remote), RCN Studios (Remote), Taylor Gregory (Remote), Steve Lomano (Remote), Charlotte Gullotti (Remote), Rich Holly (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. Public Comment (For any items not included on the aaendal Marilyn Shapleigh of John Carver Road spoke in support of reconsideration of a proposal, brought before the Permanent Building Committee (PBC), regarding an automated retractable divider at ReCAL. She also mentioned that PBC commissioned an independent review of ReCAL designs for ADA compliance. Arthur Peniera, a student at Coolidge Middle School, and Jake, a student at Reading Memorial High School, expressed the importance of unified sports and the positive impact they have had in their lives. Carl McFadden of Wakefield Street expressed concerns with comments made by Board Members regarding Burbank Ice Arena. Town Manaaer Report Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman stated that she received notification from Congressman Seth Moulton's office that the Town is the recipient of a $250,000 earmark for the lower downtown enhancement project on High Street. Ms. Wellman noted that Reading is a partner in a regional transit service and the Town is excited to work with the other communities to provide transit service. She informed the Board that Community Development Director Andrew MacNichol is looking to meet with Board Members to brief them on the next steps of the Eastern Gateway Project. She thanked the Board for their support on Mattera Cabin and noted that the PBC approved $15,000 of their annual budget to fund the study that would determine what needs to be done to bring the building up to code. Ms. Wellman congratulated the Town Clerk's Office on finalizing their large mailing of the Town Charter for the ballot question and noted that many Town departments assisted in this process. Lastly, she encouraged members of the Gage 1 1 public to complete the Pleasant Street Center survey and shared that results will be incorporated into the presentation for the Select Board. Community Soot igh[ Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman congratulated Jake Chavez and his family on the grand opening of Virginia's Caf6 and Market. She noted that it was great to see a big turnout and support in the community for this new business. Secondly, she highlighted the Reading Fire Department for their rollout of new defibrillator monitor technology. Fire Chief Rick Nelson spoke to the history of medical services in Reading and highlighted how exciting the new technology is for the department and spoke to its features and accuracy. He thanked his team, the Board, Town Meeting Members and residents for their support in this project. Active Living (ReCAL) Parking Lots Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman noted that she was looking for the Board to approve this First Amendment to the Lease Agreement and for their approval to allow her to sign the Master License Agreement for Burbank Ice Arena. Ms. Wellman pointed out the importance of how rent is calculated and that the contingency reserve has been raised to $500,000 due to inflation costs. She also noted that the Burbank Ice Arena's Board is ready to sign this current agreement, so if there are any changes, the agreement will need to be brought to them before it is signed. Ms. Wellman reviewed the agreement with the Board. This agreement is intertwined with Article 14 of the Annual Town Meeting Warrant regarding the unified sports stabilization funds to receive funds from Burbank's rent profits. Ms. Wellman said there is a master license agreement due to the ReCAL parking and that Town will have parking spaces in the rear of the Burbank Ice Arena and Burbank has the right to use the ReCAL lot for overflow. Carlo Bacci suggested amending the $500,000 contingency reserve. Board Members sought clarification regarding why the lease agreement only discusses having one stabilization fund and Article 14 of the Annual Town Meeting Warrant reads as two stabilization funds. Carl McFadden, Select Board Liaison on the Reading Ice Arena Authority, noted that their current contingency fund is roughly $417,000 and it was suggested by previous Town Manager Kraunelis to up it to $500,000 as opposed to gradually overtime. Mr. McFadden stated he does not think the Burbank Board would be opposed to making a tiered or lower starting contingency fund if that number was amended by the Select Board. Ms. Wellman shared the original lease with the Board during the meeting and Mr. Bacci wanted to add another ten years to the term as an option and suggested changing the percentages to no less than 50% and no more than 100% of Burbank funds to contribute to the Unified Sports Stabilization funds. Ms. Wellman noted that they cannot add another term extension without Town Meeting approval, per state law. The Board discussed what they wished to change the contingency reserve amount to, and they agreed upon keeping the CPI stipulation and making the contingency reserve $415,000. Board Members also clarified that they wish to further amend the stabilization fund wording in this lease amendment to say two funds and change the percentages to be up to 100% and no less than 50% of rental payments shall be dedicated to the stabilization funds for unified sports/adaptive sports programming. Tony D'Arezzo of John Street expressed concern with terms in the lease amendment. Kevin Lucy of Pearl Street spoke in support of unified sports in Reading and the partnership with Burbank Ice Arena. Angela Binds of Orchard Park Drive spoke in support of unified sports and discussed possible funding sources for this program. The Board had questions regarding the percentages, not understanding how it is split between the two funds based on differences in language in the lease agreement and Town Meeting warrant article, and wanted to ask Town Counsel Ivria Fried for clarification before taking a vote. Board Members expressed wanting the language in the amendment and Warrant Article 14 to match. The consensus of the Board is to keep up to 50% and no less than 25% to be dedicated to each fund individually. Chris Haley moved to table this agenda item. The motion was seconded by Carlo Bacci and approved by a vote of 5-0. Later when Town Counsel Ivria Fried arrived at the meeting via Zoom, the Board sought clarification on the language regarding the warrant article and lease agreement amendment for Burbank Ice Arena. Jayne Wellman noted to Ms. Fried that the Board had an earlier discussion on the rent portion of the lease agreement, further noting that in the lease agreement it states only a singular stabilization fund with dedicated percentages of up to 50% with no less than 25% and the warrant article lists two stabilization funds which each say up to 50% and no less than 25%. Ms. Wellman also noted the Board's desire to reduce the contingency reserve from $500,000 to $415,000 and maintain the CPI language. Ms. Fried explained that lowering the contingency reserve to $415,000 is a Board policy decision and can be presented to Burbank. She also noted that regarding the stabilization fund in the lease agreement, it only requires the Town to put forth one stabilization fund. Ms. Fried continued to note that whether Town Meeting approves Article 14 or not, the Town is still in harmony with the lease agreement language because this is contingent on Town Meeting approval. Lastly, Ms. Fried stated that if the Board wishes to change the percentages to no less than 50% and up to 100% between the two funds, it is a Board policy decision to put these numbers in the agreement. Ms. Fried said that the language in the lease agreement is the total amount that will then be split between the funds and the Board should clarify in the language that it is to go amongst various funds. Carlo Bacci moved to change the percentages to a minimum of 500/6 and up to 100%. The motion was seconded by Chris Haley and approved by a vote of 3.2, with Karen Rose - Gillis and Karen Gately Herrick opposed. The Board voted 5.0 for amending the $600,000 to $415,000 and keep CPI language. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to approve the First Amendment to the Lease Agreement, and which Lease Agreement is entitled Lease Agreement - Operation and Management of the Nelson S. Burbank Ice Arena, as amended today. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5-0. Chris Haley read a statement, written by Peter Nelson of the Burbank family and Burbank Wealth Management, regarding Mr. Burbank's request that a portion of ice arena profits be allocated to adaptive sports and unified programs (See Appendix). Karen Rose -Gillis moved to authorize the Acting Town Manager to execute a Master License Agreement between the Town of Reading and the Reading Ice Arena Authority, Inc., related to parking at the Burbank Ice Arena and other Town owned land off Range Road, as presented today. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 6.0. Vote to Close Warrant for Annual Town Election and Town Meeting The Board reviewed the 18 warrant articles for the upcoming 2026 Annual Town Meeting. Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman noted the stipulations for Article 11, the PARC Grant, surrounding the grant funding. She stated that the parcel would be dedicated solely to recreational purposes if the Town accepts this funding. Community Development Director Andrew MacNichol noted that once they put the land in perpetuity, an act of legislation would need to be done to reverse the acceptance of the grant, it the Board wished to ever use it for non -recreational purpose, and he does not believe this is a viable option. She noted for Article 13 the representative for the article has been changed to read as Ad Hoc Community Preservation Act Study Committee, as opposed to initially including the Select Board. For Article 14, Ms. Wellman briefly discussed the language of the stabilization funds, and the portion of Burbank Ice Arena funds contribute to the stabilization funds. The Board needed further clarification on the language of Article 14 and noted they wished to wait on the vote until Town Counsel Ivria Fried could provide clarity. Chris Haley moved to table the Vote to Close the Warrant for Annual Town Election and Town Meeting. The motion was seconded by Carlo Bacci and approved by a vote of 5-0. Later in the meeting, upon Town Counsel Ivria Fried's arrival via Zoom, the Board requested clarification on the language of Article 14. Ms. Fried stated that the current warrant language is broad enough that the Board would not need to amend it, but it is their decision. Chris Haley suggested changing the warrant language to reflect amendments made within the Burbank lease amendment. Ms. Fried noted that at Town Meeting, Town Meeting Members will vote to dedicate a specific percentage towards the stabilization funds. Ms. Fried also noted that if there is a chance that Town Meeting Members would only want one stabilization fund, the warrant article currently allows a maximum of 50 % to go to that one fund, so the Board would need to change it if they wanted that to be 100% towards one fund. The Board agreed to amend, in Article 14, the 50% to 100% for both funds to have flexibility. Melissa Murphy moved to amend Article 14 of the Annual Town Meeting Warrant to allow at least 26 of funds and no more than 100%. The motion was seconded by Karen Rose - Gillis and approved by a vote of 5-0. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to close the Annual Town Meeting Warrant consisting of 18 articles to take place on April 27th, 2026, as amended. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 5-0. Discuss 2026 Select Board Retreat Date Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman presented a memo to the Board and stated that in looking to start future planning, she would like to hold the Board retreat closely following April Town Meeting to start discussions surrounding FY27 and an override. She noted that she is looking to get the Board's appetite on a May 2026 Retreat Date, The Board discussed this topic, and some Board Members agree that this would be a good time to do the retreat and support this timeline. Other Board Members feel that it may be better to wait and schedule a date after the upcoming election. The discussion concluded with Ms. Wellman putting a placeholder for a retreat on May 2"d, 2026. Angela Binda of Orchard Park Drive expressed that she would like to see discussion about an override at a regular Select Board meeting as opposed to at the retreat. Discuss and Vote on Letter Regarding Legislative Audit Melissa Murphy noted an error in the presented letter regarding the percentages, and it would need to be corrected if approved by the Board. The letter would be to support the State Auditor, Diana OiZoglio, to audit State Legislature. This was Question 1 on the November 2024 Ballot. Board Members agreed to support this letter. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to approve the letter before the Board to the State Legislature in support of implementing the audit of the Massachusetts Legislature, as approved by a majority of the voters of the Commonwealth on Question 1 of the November 2024 ballot, as amended. The motion was seconded by Chris Haley and approved by a vote of 5-0. Discuss and Vote on Volunteer Board and Committee Appointments Melissa Murphy and Karen Rose -Gillis thanked everyone who volunteered and noted that they both agreed on all recommendations presented to the Board tonight. They encouraged those who did not receive an appointment to still attend meetings. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to appoint volunteers to the various boards and committees for the specific terms, as outlined in the VASC Recommendations: Appoint Marc Ortins to the Climate Advisory Committee, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2027. (Partial Term) Appoint Courtney Anderson as an associate member to the Climate Advisory Committee, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2027. (Partial Term) Appoint Michael Moschella to the Commission on Disabilities, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2029. Appoint John Halsey to the Commission on Disabilities, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2029. Appoint Jeanne Cappuccio to the Commission on Disabilities, tens date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2028. Appoint Maura Drummey to the Commission on Disabilities, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2028. Appoint Michele Clapper to the Commission on Disabilities, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2027. Appoint Michelle Greenwalt as an associate member to the Commission on Disabilities, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2028. Appoint Nicole Hunt as an associate member to the Commission on Disabilities, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2028. Appoint Joe Benassi as an associate member to the Commission on Disabilities, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2027. Appoint Ron Powell to the Council on Aging, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2027. (Partial Term) Appoint Kate Harrington to the Council on Aging, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2028. (Partial Term) Appoint John O'Neill to the Council on Aging as an associate member, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2026. (Partial Term) Appoint Alicia Williams to the Recreation Committee as an associate member, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2026. (Partial Term) Appoint Nancy Ziemlak to the Recreation Committee as an associate member, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2026. (Partial Term) Appoint Kenneth Grizzell to the Town Forest Committee as an associate member, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2026. (Partial Term) Appoint Catherine Svirsky to the Town Forest Committee as an associate member, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2026. (Partial Term) Appoint Kenneth Grizzell to the Trails Committee as an associate member, term date effective immediately, and expiring June 30, 2026. (Partial Term) The motion was seconded by Chris Haley and approved by a vote of 5-0. Ms. Rose -Gillis and Ms. Murphy thanked Executive Assistant Jackie LaVerde for organizing this process. Chris Haley recused himself from discussion and voting on this agenda item. Acting Town Manager Jayne Wellman noted two contracts coming up whose values exceed $500,000. The first is a downtown improvements project to make improvements to High Street. The estimated value of the contract is $4,037,410 and was approved at Town Meeting in November 2025. Ms. Wellman noted that the sources of funding include the following: Smart Growth Stabilization Fund ($234,726.18), Sustainability Account ($400,000.00), West Street TIP Project ($313,944.35), Downtown Watermain Improvements ($451,329.47), Federal Earmark ($250,000.00) and funds can be contributed from the Enterprise fund as well. The Board expressed that businesses be notified of this project with ample notification so they can plan accordingly. Ms. Wellman noted that Economic Development Senior Planner Kevin McCarthy is actively working with businesses on this. The Second contract is for the ReCAL Construction Projects with an estimated contract value of $19,357,000.00 and the document is currently being reviewed by legal counsel. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to authorize the Acting Town Manager to execute Downtown Phase II Improvements Project and Reading Center for Active Living (ReCAL) Construction Projects. The motion was seconded by Carlo Baccl and approved by a vote of 4-0. Discuss and Vote to Amend the Aetina Town Manaaer's Contract The Board discussed amending Ms. Wellman's contract to allow her to sign contracts above $500,000. Some Board Members did not agree with this as it is different than what the Town Charter allows regarding Acting Town Manager duties, while other Board Members were ok with striking this limitation from her contract and that they do not wish to see delays in the progress of projects. Town Counsel Ivria Fried noted that this requires four fifths vote. There was discussion regarding a possible leak of Executive Session topics due to an email from a resident that the Board received prior to this meeting, where the resident expressed their thoughts surrounding the Acting Town Manager's ability to sign contracts over $600,000. Ms. Fried shared the amendment on the screen via Zoom. Carlo Bacci moved to approve the amendment to the Acting Town Manager's Contract as shown on the screen. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 4-1, with Karen Gately Herrick opposed. Roll Call Vote: Karen Rose -Gillis — Yes. Karen Gately Herrick — No, Melissa Murphy — Yes, Carlo Bacot — Yes, Chris Haley — Yes Town Manager Search Process: Discussion and Potential Votes Regarding the Town Manager � d��TE3iTJit FF1C7dia�T.iFP/�iR•'l� � � . � � : i � : u = . � u Jayne Wellman recused herself from this discussion. Chris Haley noted that in speaking with Jayne Wellman, as authorized by the Board at their last meeting, she expressed interest in the full-time Town Manager Position. He also noted that he discussed with Ms. Fried the possibility of conducting a process including a public session for an interview and giving residents the ability to send questions in advance for the Board to potentially ask during said interview. The Board discussed at length the options of conducting a public interview for Ms. Wellman and conducting an external search. Some Board Members feel that they would like to interview and appoint Ms. Wellman to the position due to her experience, involved knowledge of Reading, and her involvement in projects, and feel she is competent and ready for this role. Other Members feel that they would like to do an external search as it has been done in the past and to let the public feel like the Board explored all options for this position. Tony D' Arez o of John Street spoke in favor of the Board conducting an external search. Angela Binds of Orchard Park Drive asked if she could speak on the previous item and stated that Mr. Haley did not ask for Public Comment on that item. She also expressed that due to the wording of an earlier agenda item this evening, she did not think there was a leak of information. Karen Rose -Gillis asked about the process, specifically regarding whether the Board votes to interview Ms. Wellman could they still, after that interview, have the option to conduct a search. Town Counsel Ivria Fried noted that the Board would still have that option and would need to make a decision on what kind of search process they wish to do fairly quickly. Karen Rose -Gillis moved to schedule an interview with Jayne Wellman for the position of Town Manager at a time convenient for at least a majority of the Select Board and Ms. Wellman. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 4-1, with Karen Gately Herrick opposed. Ms. Fried noted that next step would include for Mr. Haley to reach out to Ms. Wellman and the Board to schedule a date for the interview. She noted that if the Board wishes to, they can solicit input from members of the public for potential questions to ask in the interview. Liaison Reports Carlo Bacci attended the Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony at the Old South Church, where seven new Eagle Scouts were honored. He attended several meetings including Community Preservation Act Study Committee (CPA), the joint Recreation Committee and Council on Aging (COA), and Community Planning and Development Commission (CPDC). He also noted that he attended the grand opening of Virginia's Cafe and Market. Melissa Murphy attended the joint Recreation Committee and COA meeting and thanked Town Staff for their presentation. She highlighted the Reading Fire Department for implementing their new defibrillator technology. Ms. Murphy congratulated Director of Equity and Social Justice Albert Pleas for his recognition at the Black Excellence on the Hill Event. She also attended the grand opening of Virginia's Cafe and Market. Lastly, she participated in the Volunteer Appointment Subcommittee (VASC) interviews. Karen Gately Herrick attended several meetings including Finance Committee, Permanent Building Committee, and joint Recreation Committee and COA. She held Office Hours at the Pleasant Street Center and was able to meet with Senator Lewis while there. She attended both the grand opening of Virginia's Cafe and Market and the Black Excellence on the Hill Event. Lastly, she noted that she attended her first Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) Energy and Environmental Policy Committee Meeting. Karen Rose Gillis participated in the VASC interview process. She attended various meetings including Finance Committee, joint Recreation Committee and COA, Town Forest Committee, Board of Assessors, and Climate Advisory Committee. The Town Forest Committee's Arbor Day Event is scheduled for April 25, from 9:00 — 3:00 and the Climate Advisory Committee's Composting Workshop is scheduled for March 19 at the Reading Public Library. She attended both the Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony and the grand opening of Virginia's Cafe and Market. She also participated in a community lunch at the St. Agnes Parish Center. Lastly, she noted the Reading Food Pantry's current needs and shared that the public can sponsor the Pantry's garden bed's at Matters Cabin. Chris Haley also attended the Eagle Scout Court of Honor Ceremony and the grand opening of Virginia's Cafe and Market. He also, along with fellow Board Members, attended the joint Recreation Committee and COA meeting. Future Agendas Future Agendas will include a presentations on the future of the PSC and one from the ReCAL Operations Subcommittee. Carlo Bacci moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Melissa Murphy and approved by a vote of 3-2, with Chris Haley and Karen Rose -Gillis opposed. The meeting adjourned at 11:18 pm.