HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-06-16 Board of Selectmen HandoutTOWN MANAGER'S REPORT
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
• Collins Field re-dedication - June 18 at Parker Middle School — 5:30 PM — weather
permitting .
• Follow-up on Mosquito spraying program.
• Follow-up on YMCA learn to swim program
• What is the . Board's intent with respect to the BCC chairs and vice-chairs training — in
September? What assistance do you need from staff?
• Community. Services Director and Town Planner Carol Kowalski is leaving the Town
of Reading's employ to take a job as Town Planner in her home town of Arlington.
• The Town has received a notice from the Architectural Access Board that the new
cross walk .at Birch Meadow Drive and the fire access lane at Birch Meadow School
is not HC compliant. A ramp on the southerly (field) side of the crosswalk will cost
about $2800. How do you want to proceed? Install the ramp or remove the
crosswalk.
• Glen Road was paved yesterday following the installation of a new sewer line.
• Tennis Court painting next week — weather permitting.
Dates and Events:
IR IN
RFFD09FIyer Dine macgrillfundflyerO
• June 20 - Friends and Family Day I dwal.dm 9.doc
• September 13 — Fall Faire I
'Note - of the March charges, 33.3 nours or�44y0.oU were cnargeo 10 WaLUI
related to the Revay well issue
Hours
$
Month
Monthly
Monthly
Available
Monthly
Monthly
Available
Hours
Hours
Remainder
1
$
Remainder
Allocated
Used
of Year
Allocated
Used
of Year
July
51.8
44.6
577.40
$7,000
$6,049
$77,951
August
51.8
56.8
520.6
$7,000
$7,668
$70,283
Septembei
51.8
50.7
469.9
$7,000
$6,861
$63,422
October
51.8
38 * 5
431.4
$7,000
$5,226
$58,196
November
51.8
70.5
360.9
$7,000
$9,954
$48,242
December
51.8
433
317.6
$7,000
$5,985
$42,257
January
51.8
56.5
261.1
$7,000
$7,676
$34,581
February
51.8
42.8
218.3
$7,000
$5,778
$28,803
March
51.8
76.2
142.1
$7,000
$12,762
$16,041
April
51.8
33.9
108.2
$7,000
$4,018
$12,023
May
51.8
47
61.2
$7,000
$6,397
$5,626
June
51.8
$7,000
Total
622.0
560.8
$84,000
$78,374
'Note - of the March charges, 33.3 nours or�44y0.oU were cnargeo 10 WaLUI
related to the Revay well issue
Schena, Paula
From:
Hechenbleikner, Peter
Sent:
Monday, June 15, 2009 8:34 AM
To:
Jeff Perkins
Cc:
Schena, Paula
Subject:
RE: Board of Appeals
Thanks Jeff, and congratulations on your new position.
Pete
- - - -- Original Message---- -
From: Jeff Perkins [mailto:jeffperkl999@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 8:26 AM
To: Town Manager
Subject: Board of Appeals
Peter,
I received your letter notifying me of the interview for the Board of Appeals opening
tomorrow evening. I will try to make it for the appointed time, however, I work for a
State Senator and we have formal session tomorrow making my work hours very unpredictable
tomorrow. I believe that I will be out in time to make the meeting but in the event that
I am not able to I will give you my new updated information that may be relayed to the
Board of Selectmen.
Resume update: I am no longer in the private practice of law, I am now the Chief of Staff
for State Senator Brian A. Joyce (Milton). I have served as an associate member of the
Board of Appeals since September and in that time I have voted on several cases and
learned a great deal about how the Board approaches cases and balancing the concerns and
interests of the property owner, neighbors and the Town of Reading.
I will try to let you know if it looks like I will be unable to attend tomorrow.
Thank you,
Jeff Perkins
Barabra Meade
11 Ash Hill Road
Reading MA 01867
June 13, 2009
Reading Board of Selectmen
Town Hall
Reading MA 01867
Dear Selectmen:
RE: Board of Health Vacancy
I wish to inform you that I am interested in being reappointed to the Board of Health. I
have been the chairperson to the Board of Health for the past two years and have been a
member of this board for over 7 years.
As a BOH member, I have been responsible for the formulation and enforcement of
rules , public health policy and regulations and which affect public health. My interest
in this position is to continue to be in public service to all individuals of this town. I also
plan to comply with the new Code of Conduct (adopted 6/9/09) that is expected of all
Boards /committees or commissions.
Thank you for your consideration.
ppBarbara Meade
Am
APPOINTMENTS TO BECOME EFFECTIVE JULY 19 2009
Conservation Commission
Term: 3 years
Appointing Authority: Board of Selectmen -
3 Vacancies
Candidates:
Justin Griffin
B.AWHA Sullivan - Already an Associate
*Indicates incumbents seeking reappointment
�i
Orig.
Term
Present Member(s) and Term(s)
Date
Exp.
Mark Wetzel, Chairman
163 ' County Road
(05)
2010
William Hecht, V. Chair
73 Martin Road
(03)
2011
Tina Ohlson
200 Forest Street
(08)
2011
*Douglas N. Greene
31 Cape Cod Avenue
(00)
2009
*Barbara Stewart
52 County Road
(06)
2009
*Brian J. Tucker
9 Longwood Road
(09)
2009
Annika Scanlon
3 Copeland Av I enue
(06)
2010
Candidates:
Justin Griffin
B.AWHA Sullivan - Already an Associate
*Indicates incumbents seeking reappointment
�i
209 JUN 15 Aft 10: 44
VON
Page I of I
Schena, Paula
From: Hechenbleikner, Peter
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 3:58 PM
To: Schena, Paula
Subject: FW: Tonight's Appts.
C Board of Selectmen
From: Kathryn M. Greenfield [mailto:kgreenfield@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 3:55 PM
To: Hechenbleikner, Peter
Cc: Angela F. Binda
Subject: Tonight's Appts.
Hi, Peter.
Both Angela Binda and I are being reappointed tonight to the. Historical
Commission.
I will be coming back to Reading from Concord at 7:00 p.m., and feel I should be
back in plenty of time.
If I am running late, and you want to put us off until I show up, that is fine and if
they end up having to carry on without me, that's fine, too. (If I end-up detained
beyond my control, please give the BOS my apologies).
See you later.
Kathy Greenfield
WILM-06
6/16/2009
86 Gleason Road
Reading, MA 01867
June 12, 2009
Board of Selectmen
Town Hall
16 Lowell Street
Reading, MA 01867
Dear Members of the Board:
I am seeking reappointment to the Land Bank Committee, but I am not available for an
interview on June 16.
I have served on the Land Bank Committee for more than 20 years and have served as
Chairman for approximately six years. When information has been requested by other Town
boards and committees, I have researched the Land Bank Committee's records and provided
the data available. I would like to be able to continue to serve the Town as a member of the
Land Bank Committee and request your consideration for re-appointment.
Sincerely,
//SIGNED//
Edward G. Smethurst
2[09 ,SUN 16 AM 10: 57
June 16, 2009
Board of Selectmen
Town of Reading
Reading, MA 01867
Dear Selectpersons:
I am petitioning you to be reappointed to the Trails Committee. I have served as the vice -
chairperson for the past year and I am looking forward to serving on the committee for
the next three years.
I have served on many committees including the personnel policy committee, sick bank
and union negotiations. I also was a town meeting member.
This past year has been a busy and exciting one for the Trails Committee. We are
expecting the upcoming year to be even more so. With projects in the planning stage and
the Adopt -A Trail program up and running, we will get more people out of the house
and into nature. We have a lot on our plate and I would like to finish what I have helped
to get started.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
HIm2asS. Tils!
ardine r
182 Franklin St.
Reading, MA 01867
I-IF
Janet M. Latham
JW9 JUN 16 AN 11* 37 6 Pine Ridge Road
Reading, MA 01867
June 16, 2009
Board of Selectmen
Town Hall
Reading, Massachusetts
Dear Selectmen:
I object to the stop sign that has already been placed directly in front of my
home and without advance notice.
There is no need for a stop sign at that location. I have lived at 6 Pine Ridge
Road for approximately 35 years and have never seen other than one minor
accident at that location. That accident was not caused by the lack of a stop
sign, but by someone cutting the corner.
While there is a problem with the speed of traffic on Oak Street, that situation
is not altered or made safer by placing a stop sign on Pine Ridge Road.. Vehicles
entering Oak Street already slow and look before entering Oak Street. A stop
sign does nothing to slow the traffic on Oak Street or make the junction safer.
Placing an unnecessary sign accomplishes nothing and simply is further
urbanization of our neighborhood. Please remove it.
Thank you. 4
Very truly yours,
DRAFT
Policy establishing an
ad hoc Municipal Building Committee
ad hoc Municipal Building Committee
"Municipal" Buildings shall include Town and School Department buildings.
There is hereby created an ad hoc Municipal Building Committee, which shall exist until December 31,
201 -0 or until such earlier date the ad hoc Committee may have completed its work. The ad hoc committee and
its member's terms may be extended by the Board of Selectmen for up to an additional 12 months.
The ad hoc Municipal Building Committee shall consist of seven (7) residents of Reading for terms
expiring December 31, 2010. In selecting the membership, an attempt will be made to fill the membership as
follows:
o 1 Member appointed by the School Committee
o 1 Member appointed by the Board of Library Trustees
o 1 Member of the Board of Selectmen appointed by the Board of Selectmen
o 4 Residents at Large that do not fulfill any other requirements of the other categories. The
Board of Selectmen will attempt to include in those members some members who have
experience and expertise in building design and construction. It is the intent of the Board of
Selectmen that staff members should serve as a resource to the ad hoc committee, but not serve
as members of the committee.
The ad hoc Committee shall perform the following activities related to developing conceptual plans
and programs for Municipal Building projects over the next 10 years:
1. Review and understand the scope of the charge to the ad hoc committee, and develop a suggested
work plan and schedule;
2. Reach out to Town Departments and Boards /Committees /Commissions that may have building
space needs within the next 10 years (2020) for their information and ideas;
3. Understand the resources available to potentially address Municipal Building needs, including
Town owned property on Oakland Road which is currently under the care, custody, and control of
the Board of Selectmen;
4. Prepare a preliminary report on the scope of foreseeable Municipal Building needs through the
2020;
5. Submit the preliminary to the Board of Selectmen for their review and comment;
6. Based on Board of Selectmen review, advance priority projects forward to a point where Town
Meeting authorization for funds to design and build the individual or collective facilities may be
sought;
7. Report to the Board of Selectmen and get feedback at key milestones in this process, including
prior to the development of the final report.
In conducting its work, the Municipal Building Committee shall place a priority on the issue of need,
scope, and siting of garage and related space for the DPW Cemetery Division.
Staff and Town Counsel will be assigned to work with the ad hoc Municipal Building Committee
through the Town Manager and Superintendent of Schools as appropriate. The ad hoc Municipal Building
Committee will be considered to be part of the Town Managers Office for administrative purposes.
Adopted 6- -09
TO: Board of Selectmen
Date: Monday, June 15, 2009
Re: Amendments to the Reading Home Rule Charter
Chairman Goldy asked that this matter be placed on the agenda of the Board of Selectmen for
discussion purposes.
The Board of Selectmen established an ad hoc Charter Review Committee in 2005 to take a
comprehensive look at the Reading Home Rule Charter, and to recommend amendments.
Those amendments were packaged, placed before Town Meeting in November 2005, and
w
following To : n Meeting approval were placed on the ballot in April 2006 and approved. This
was the sole Comprehensive amendment of the charter since its adoption in 1986.
During the 2005 review there were several changes that were proposed by the ad hoc Charter
Review Committee, nittee, but which upon the advice of Town Counsel were not moved forward
because they,could mot be proposed outside of the establishment of a full Charter Commission
process. These changes included establishment of a minimum number of write in votes to be
elected to Town Meeting (10 votes proposed) and the minimum number of write in votes to be
elected to Town Moderator or one of the elected BCC (50 votes proposed).
More recently it has been suggested that the number of members of Town Meeting should be
changed because of the lack of people running for available seats. It has also been suggested
that perhaps %2 of the member of Town Meeting should be elected every other year with 4 year
terms, thereby saving money and making the process more efficient.
The following is the section of the Charter related to Charter amendments.
Section 8-1: Charter Changes
This Charter may be replaced, revised or amended in accordance with the procedures made available
by Article LXXXIX of the amendments to the Constitution of the Commonwealth and the provisions of General
Laws, C. 43B. In general terms, this means that any provision of this Charter, except as to the composition,
mode of election or appointment, or terms of office of the legislative body, the Board of Selectmen or Town
Mana er can be changed by a two-thirds vote of the Town Meeting approved by the voters at the next Town
Election. (Emphasis added)
If the Board of Selectmen wants to consider moving forward with a Charter Commission to address
some of the elections/composition issues or to more fully open the Charter for broader review, I will
have Town Counsel put together a memo on the method for considering that process.
• Page 1
TO: Board of Selectmen
Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Re: Cell phone Sites
There is strong interest on the part of the cell industry in locating additional sites in Reading. Unlike
most of the historical cell company installations, where the individual cell companies come in to get
approval for each site, there are companies now that want to build a multiple user location.
In Reading we have 3 companies located on the Auburn Street water tower. That water tower is
maxed out in terms of the number of cell installations we can accommodate. There are also cell sites
at Addison Wesley, the Honda dealership, and at Summit Towers/Terrace. There has been interest
or threat of purchasing property in a residential location and installing a cell site there — I know of 2
such situations — one on Longfellow and more recently one on Beacon Street.
We have had a number of inquiries about placing multiple user cell installations as:
♦ Flag poles at school locations
♦ Extensions of lighting installations at the RIVIHS stadium
♦ Installation in the hose tower at fire station(s)
Currently there is not process in place to enable us to give broad direction to cell companies in any or
all of these situations. In discussing the issue with the Superintendent of Schools, because some of
the potential locations are on school sites, we would suggest consideration be given to having a
community hearing to gain input into what of the options available are acceptable to the community.
This matter is best done after September 1 so that the entire community can be available to provide
input. Like Death and Taxes, there are some certainties about cell tower siting:
♦ It is certain that there is a demand for more cell sites
♦ It is certain that Reading residents heavily utilize cell phones and other wireless devices
♦ It is certain that revenue to the Town is available from this source.
♦ It is certain that if these facilities are not located on Town property, they will be located in other
locations -far less desirable to the community.
• Page 1