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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-03-27 Board of Selectmen HandoutTOWN MANAGER'S REPORT Tuesday, March 27, 2007 • Memorial Day speakers (see letter in packet) • Route 128/193 hearing March 21 AWP Forum- Senior Center March 22 - 7:00 PM. • Adopt-an-Island reception March 27 at 7 PM • Rabies Clinic March 31 - last date for licensing dogs without a fine will be April 2 • MMA Regional Update meetings - closest is April 5 in Danvers Article 25 Public Hearing on downtown parking is scheduled for Senior Center Great Room on Monday April 9 @ 7:30 PM . The zoning workshop was held on March 26. • On April 10 there will be a Healthy Garden Workshop sponsored by DEP as a grant to the Town. Everyone interested in improving the environmental quality of their lawn and garden should attend, including and especially landscapers. • Cultural Council reception April 12 • There will be a public Hearing in the Selectmen's Meeting Room at Town Hall on April.23 at 3 PM on Reading's application to purchase all of its water from the MWRA. • The FY 2006 Audit has been submitted to the Board of Selectmen and the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee will be meeting shortly to .review the audit and Management Letter. • The Town has received a $6,000 + grant for dispatcher training. Andrew Scribner, Police Business Manager, was responsible for securing this grant • The Town has received a grant in the amount of $50,000 for developing the "Smart Growth" planning and zoning for downtown Reading. The initial application was filed on the Town's behalf by former Town Planner Chris Reilly. • The Town has received a $1000 "Peer to Peer" grant to work with the Economic Development Committee. • The Town has received a grant in the amount of up to $6100 for bike racks in a variety of locations, including Town Hall, Library, Police Station, RMLD • Depot area parking - Please be courteous to property owners - don't block driveways. The Police will enforce. • The annual Coolidge Middle School Spelling Bee has been cancelled because of scheduling difficulties. Hopefully it will be back next year. ion April 3, 2007 - Local Elect April 10, 2007 Selectmen's Office Hour Stephen.Goldy 6:30 Highlights Engineering 7:30 Scout Certificate Hearing Tree removal appeal Review Pavement Management Plan (5) Review Town Meeting warrant Sight Triangle bylaw Review Action Status report April 23;200'7 =Annual Town Meeting Y Page 1 of 1 Hechenbleikner, Peter From: Cormier, Jim Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 6:12 PM To: 'andreagarb@comcast-net' Cc: Hechenbleikner, Peter Subject: RE: Andrea, Thank you for your suggestion. As I have mentioned before, we did explore and examine all the current traffic posts. As 1 have mentioned in the past, there are a number of criteria that go into these decisions. Some of the uniqueness of the inersection you refer to is that this route is the only route, especially in the winter months when the field is covered w/ snow, to get to Birch Meadow and Coolidge for the neighborhood to the south of it. The sidewalks are cleared by the DPW, and it would most likely be a suggested routes to school for the Birch Meadow School. There is a great deal of foot traffic, as well as motor vehicle traffic due to its proximity to the Schools, remember Birch Meadow Dr. directly feeds John Carver Rd. I do appreciate your input, and we will continue to explore options. Chief James W. Cormier Reading Police Department 15 Union St. Reading, MA 01867 Phone 781-944-1212 Fax 781-944-2893 From: andreagarb@comcast.net [mailto:andreagarb@comcast.net] Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 4:28 PM To: Cormier, Jim Cc: Reading - Selectmen Subject: Chief Cormier, I would like to suggest that the guard at Hartshorn and John Carver be transferred to Walnut St. The Hartshorn and John Carver intersection does not appear to meet as many of the decision criteria presented at the recent BOS meeting as does the intersection at Walnut and Old Farm Rd. The Hartshorn and John Carver intersection has a posted 25 mph speed limit, a 4-way stop, very little traffic and no site obstructions. Walnut St has a much higher volume of traffic, a 35 mph speed limit, site obstructions in all 4 directions, more children, only 2 stop signs and a history of accidents including a child being struck by a car. I have attached pictures I took today approximately 15 minutes after school was released. On behalf of the neighborhood, I ask that you consider this suggestion and hope that you find it to be a suitable solution. Thank you, Andrea Garbarino 3/27/2007 P Page 1 of 1 Hechenbleikner, Peter From: Roberta McRae [ramcrae@comcast.net] Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 6:20 PM To: John Doherty; Town Manager; Schettini, Pat Cc: Perry, Paula Subject: The Cooldige Spelling Bee Hello Gentlemen, Regrettably, the annual Coolidge Community Spelling Bee has been indefinitely postponed and will not take place this Saturday, March 31. We had great difficulty rallying student teams due to conflicting commitments (MICCA Band and National History Day competitions, for example), and this event wouldn't be the same without their participation. We have kept all of the Bee information safely filed for our next adventure... and you will all remain on our list! Many thanks for your good-hearted commitment to this and all other events which benefit Reading's growing thinkers - Warmly, Roberta McRae 3/27/2007 THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS AR 27 AN 11: 31 WATER RESOURCES COMMISSION 100 CAMBRIDGE STREET, BOSTON MA 02114 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Relating to the Interbasin Transfer application by the Town of Reading, requesting an increase in the amount of interbasin transfer from the MWRA Waterworks System The Massachusetts Water Resources Commission hereby gives notice pursuant to MGL c. 21 8B-8D, and 313 CMR 4.00, Interbasin Transfer Act and Regulations, that it will conduct public hearings in West Boylston, for the donor basin and in Reading, for the receiving basin, to receive public comment on the proposed permanent interbasin transfer. Reading is applying to become a full member of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) Waterworks System and is proposing to increase the Town's approved Interbasin Transfer volume so that it is fully supplied by the MWRA. The Town of Reading has land area in the Ipswich River basin, the Mystic River subbasin of the Boston Harbor basin and the North Coastal basin. The MWRA Waterworks System's sources are located in the Chicopee River basin and the Nashua River basin. The Water Resources Commission is required to consider the impact of the transfer on such issues as fisheries, recreation and the aquatic ecosystem of the donor basin. To this end, the Commission has scheduled two (2) public hearings to receive comments on this proposed interbasin transfer of water: 1. Monday afternoon, April 2P, at 3:00 PM in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street (Route 129), Reading MA 01867 (the receiving area). 2. Thursday afternoon, April 26"' at 4:00 TM in the Cafeteria of the Department of Conservation and Recreation Administration Building, 180 Beaman- Street, in West Boylston, MA 01583, in the donor basin. Copies of the application are available for review at the Reading Public Library and by contacting: Michele Drury Office of Water Resources Department of Conservation and Recreation 251 Causeway Street, Boston, MA 02114 Telephone: 617-626-1366; fax 617-626-1455; email: michele.drurvOstate.ma.us Persons desiring to present testimony at the hearinas on Reading's application are encouraged to provide . a written summary at or before the hearings. Written testimony, addressed to the Water Resources .Commission, Attention: Michele Drury, will be. accepted until 5:00 PM, April 30, 2007. It is expected that a staff recommendation to approve or deny the application will be presented to the Water Resources Commission at its May 10`11, 2007 meeting. Copies of the staff recommendation will be available at the meeting, or by calling Michele Drury. Following the May 10`'' meeting, the Commission has scheduled another public hearine to receive comments on the staff recommendation to be held on Thursday, May 24`h, 2007 at 3:00 PM in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street (Route 129), Reading MA 01867. Written comments on the staff recommendation, addressed to the Water Resources Commission, Attention: Michele Drury, will be accepted until 5 PM, May 31'% 2007. Opp IVIASSfIOUSING Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency One Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108 TEE: 617.854.1000 FAX: 617.854.1091 Too: 617.854.1025 www.masshousing.com March 22, 2007 Mr. Peter I. Hechenbleikner Town Manager Town of Reading 16 Lowell Street Reading, MA 01867-2685 Dear Mr. Hechenbleikner: N N W W Enclosed please find a Priority Development Fund: Planning Assistance for Housing Production Award Letter as well as two (2) copies of the Technical Assistance Program Contract. Please have the contracts executed by a Chief Elected Official where indicated and return them to me so that I may have them signed by Tom Gleason. I will return a fully executed contract to you. Please feel free to contact me at 617-854-1886 if you have any questions. Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Sincerely, Laurie Rizzelli Executive Assistant 0 Deval L Patrick, Governor Michael I Dirrane, Chairman Thomas R. Gleason, Executive Director Timothy P. Murray, Lt. Governor Robert M. Ruzzo, Deputy Director . 01.10 /Mr,ssNousrNs March 21, 2007 Mr. Peter I. Hechenbleikner Town Manager 16 Lowell Street Reading, MA 01867-2685 Dear Mr. Hechenbleikner: We have received and reviewed your application to the Priority Development Fund: Planning Assistance for Housing Production. We are pleased to provide the Town of Reading with planning assistance in the amount of $50,000 to enable the Town of Reading to develop a new smart growth zoning district under the provision of M.G.L.Chapter OR for the Downtown/Depot area; including the MBTA commuter rail station. We are pleased to see that this project is consistent with, the Principles. of Sustainable Development. Your application has been approved subject to the fulfillment of the following scope of services and conditions listed below: Detailed Tasks: ) Cost I PDF Award Task 1. Prepare 40R District Application ) $40,615 a. Define Scope ) $2,000 b. Identify District ► $2,600 c. Stakeholder Meetings J $3,840 d. Technical Studies ( $9,775 e. Design Guidelines ) $6,500 f Zoning By-Law I $5,000 ) g. By-law Review ) $2,700 h. Manage sub-consultants t $1,000 i. Coordinate Town Departments $2,000 ) j. Facilitate Consensus ) $3,000 ) k. Prepare Application ) $2,200 ) Task 2.- Public Review and Input ) $ 5,005 a. Meetings with Town Officials $2,310 ) b..Stakeholder Meetings $1,665 c. Public Hearing $1,030 t Task 3.- Revision and Submission of Draft ) ) $ 1,850 a. Revision $1,650 ) b. Submit draft to DHCD ) $ 200 ) DHCD 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 300 Boston, Massachusetts 02114 www.mass.aov/dhcd 617.573.1106 MassHousing One Beacon Street Boston, MA 02108 www.masshousine.com 617.854.1000 Page 2 Reading PDF Award Detailed Tasks: I Cost PDF Award Task 4.- Post-Review Revisions I 850 a. Revision I $ 850 Task 5.- Local Approval Process I I $1,680 a. Public Meetings I $ 560 b. Selectmen Review I $ 640 c. Public Hearing I $ 480 d. Town Meeting I $ 00 Total PDF Award I $50,000 A qualified consultant to develop the Downtown/Depot smart growth overlay zoning district must be selected following the procedures established under M.G.L. Chapter 30B. DHCD must approve the consultant prior to contract execution between the Town and the consultant. This assistance is dependent upon an executed contract between the Town of Reading and MassHousing. The Department of Housing and Community Development will review and approve the payments associated with the scope of services. We are looking forward to working with the Town of Reading in the development of the Downtown/Depot smart growth district. Please contact Miryam Bobadilla at 617-573-1356 for further assistance. Sincerely, Tina Brooks Undersecretary Department of Housing and Community Development Thomas R. Gleason. Executive Director MassHousing cc: Senator Richard R. Tisei Representative Bradley H. Jones, Jr. Representative Patrick M. Natale Robert Ruzzo, MassHousing (b Hechenbleikner, Peter Page 1 of 1 ? From: cnj4@aol.com Sent: Friday, March 23, 2007 11:30 AM To: Bob.Frey@state.ma.us; jcorey@cityofwoburn.com; Schubert, Rick; Anthony, Camille; jebarnes@mit.edu; bruen-n-bruen@comcast.net; rep.paulcasey@hou.state.ma.us; dac@cummings.com; jcosgrove@mbta.com; rnrchambercom@aol.com; Ian.Durrant@state.ma.us; rep. mikefesta@hou.state. ma.us; rflorino@ci.stoneham.ma.us; jgallagher@mapc.org; rgrover@ci.stoneham.ma.us; joshua.grzegorzewski@fhwa.dot.gov; ehamblin@aol.com; rhavern@senate.state.ma.us; rep.bradleyjones@hou.state.ma.us; katsoufis.9395info@comcast.net; anthonykennedy@comcast.net; akinsman@aaasne.com; cleiner@massport.com; rmayo@mass-trucking.org; tmclaughlin@cityofwoburn.com; woburnbusiness@earthlink.net; paulderman@verizon.net; andy.motter@dot.gov; rep.patricknatale@hou.state.ma.us; dragucci@ci.stoneham.ma.us; maureen@northsuburbanchamber.com; sueandmikes@comcast.net; rstinson@wakefield.ma.us; dansullivan@assetleasing.com; etarallo@cityofwoburn.com; rtisei@senate.state.ma.us; billwhome@verizon.net Cc: jblaustein@mapc.org; Melissa. Callan @state.ma.us; michael.a.chong@fhwa.dot.gov; dcooke@vhb.com; adisarcina@hshassoc.com; mdraisen@mapc.org; Adriel.Edwards@state.ma.us; tharwood@cityofwoburn.com; Town Manager; Michael. Lind strom@state.ma.us; Justin.Martel@state.ma.us; amckinnon@hshassoc.com; thomaslmclaughlin@comcast.net; john.mcvann@fhwa.dot.gov; pmedeiros@sigcom.com; Kenneth.Miller@state.ma.us; Carmen, O'Rourke@state.ma.us; jpurdy@louisberger.com; kpyke@hshassoc.com; wschwartz@thecollaborative.com; kstein@hshassoc.com; Tafoya, Ben; Frederick.Vanmagness@state.ma.us Subject: THE "PROCESS:" SUMMARY OF INTERCHANGE FEASIBILITY STUDY Here is a quick summary of the I93/I95 interchange project for those of you who could not attend the third and final public meeting during Wednesday night: * From the summer of 2002, Mass Highway proposed a flyover design; 70 homes in Reading would have been taken. * At the Spring of 2007 (5 years later), Mass Highway is proposing yet another flyover design: this time, allegedly, no homes will be taken. * Essential difference between the two designs: new one uses 40 MPH ramp speed limits, the previous one, 50 MPH (i.e., can use tighter ramp turns and remain within right-of-way with lower MPH). * It took 5 vears after a major community blow out, 44 Task Force meetings (so far) and over S 1 M of study funding to seize the Nobel prize winning idea of reducing the ramp speed limit. Jeff Dr. Jeffrey H. Everson Principal Investigator, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Member: PRESERVE, I93/95 Task Force, 781-944-3632 (home); 781-684-4247 (work); cni4(a..aol.com AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com 3/26/2007 D Follow up to I-93/1-95 Public Meeting Page 1 of 1 LL 5 Hechenblelkner, Peter C ~-V'61" From:. Frey, Bob (EOT) [Bob. Frey@state.ma.us] Sent: Friday, March 23, 2007 4:09 PM To: Corey, John; Schubert, Rick; Anthony, Camille; Barnes, Jonathan; Bruen, Darlene; Casey, Paul; Clarke, Dennis; Cosgrove, Joe; DiBlasi, Joe; Durrant, Ian; Everson, Jeff; Festa, Mike; Florino, Ron; Gallagher, Jim; Grover, Robert; Grzegorzewski, Josh; Hamblin, Eileen; Havern, Robert; Jones, Bradley; Katsoufis, George; Kennedy, Anthony; Kinsman, Art; Leiner, Craig; Mayo, Rich; McLaughlin, Tom; Meaney, Paul; Medeiros, Paul; Motter, Andy; Natale, Patrick; Ragucci, David; Rogers, Maureen A.; Smith, Suzanne; Stinson, Richard; Sullivan, Dan; Tarallo, Ed; Tisei, Richard; Webster, Bill Cc: /o=EOT/ou=First Administrative Group/cn=Recipients/cn=Callan, Melissa (HOU)1; Blaustein, Joan; Chong, Michael; Cooke, Don; Crupi, Andrea (SEN); DiSarcina, Tony; Draisen, Mark (MAPC); Edwards, Adriel (EOT); Frey, Bob (EOT); Harwood, Tracey (Mayor McLaughlin); Town Manager; Martel, Justin (HOU); McKinnon, Anne; McLaughlin, Thomas; McVann, John; Medeiros, Paul (work); Miller, Kenneth (EOT); O'Rourke, Carmen (HOU); Purdy, Jim; Pyke, Keri; Schwartz, Bill; Stein, Kathy; Tafoya, Ben; VanMagness, Frederick (HOU) Subject: Follow up to 1-93/1-95 Public Meeting Hello Task Force Members, I just wanted to thank everyone for a great public meeting on Wednesday night. It was nice to see many task force members so involved in the event and helping out with the open house and presentation/Q&A. Kudos to the consultant team as well - I think many people appreciate the open house format for the individual discussion opportunities. For most of the part, I think the public came away with a good understanding of our recommendations, and they were generally satisfied with our responses to their concerns. Of course, we saw that noise mitigation/barriers remains a significant issue, but as we've been saying, will be covered in greater detail in the environmental phase with continued opportunities for public input. For those of you who were not able to attend the meeting, we spoke about how the consultant team will complete the final report while working with the Task Force in the coming weeks, and also work on the ENF - the first part of the environmental phase. The Task Force will meet again in May. Secretary Cohen spoke with me this morning and thought it all went quite well. As he said at the meeting, hopefully we can make this a model for how we do our planning studies... Thanks, Bob Bob Frey Manager of Statewide Planning Office of Transportation Planning Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation (617) 973-7449 bob.frey@eot.state.ma.us 3/26/2007 ~0~~ orRF9dfy Town of Reading 16 Dowell Street Reading, MA 01867-2683 9e i'NCORe0 Fax: (781) 942-5441 We6site: v ww.ci.reading.ma.us March 23, 2007 Ben Tafoya, Chairman Board of Selectmen 16 Lowell Street Reading, MA 01867 Dear Mr. Tafoya, ks tit.-o 7 T- M'1' '~ev PUBLIC WORKS (781) 942-9077 On Tuesday March 20, 2007 Chief Cormier and I met with Selectmen Camille Anthony and Steve Goldy to discuss the application of Stop signs within the Town. As a result of the meeting it was agreed that traffic studies will be conducted on various streets throughout the Town during April and May. The data will assist the Town in determining the primary traffic issue that should be addressed and enable the Town to develop the appropriate plan of action. The following is a list of street we plan to obtain traffic counts however, weather conditions could result in a reduced list; 1. Ash Street 2. Charles Street 3. Franklin Street (between Main and Haverhill)-finish the last few days 4. Forest Street 5. Grove Street 6. Harrison Street 7. High Street 8. Louannis Drive 9. Van Norden (between Lindsay and Harold) 10. Middlesex Avenue 11. Prescott at Sunnyside 12. Summer Avenue 13. South Street 14. Walnut Street 15.453 West Street-finish the count 16. Woburn Street Sincerely, George J. Zambouras, P.E. Town Engineer Cc: Jim Cormier, Chief Police Peter Hechenbleikner, Town Manager 0\ Documents and Settings\phechenbleikner.TOWN\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLKIAB\Traffic studies.doc i3 .W ~a o T~ ~'~M SVO March 20, 2007 Commonwealth of Massachusetts DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Deval L. Patrick, Governor ♦ Timothy P. Murray, Lt. Governor ♦ Tina Brooks, Undersecretary Peter Hechenbleikner Town Administrator Town of Reading Town Hall, 16 Lowell Street Reading MA 01867-2601 RE: Peer-to-Peer Technical Assistance Program Grant Award Dear Mr. Hechenbleikner: c- 90 X21 8 w tV O~ x.• o, On behalf of Governor Deval Patrick and Lt. Governor Tim Murray, let me congratulate the Town of Reading on receiving a grant for Peer-to-Peer technical assistance. Under this program Mr. Adam Baaeke, Deputy Director of the City of Lowell Division of Planning & Development, will serve as a Peer technical assistance consultant and assist the Town to organize its new Economic Development Committee, including goal setting, development of a workplan and scheduling and sequencing of committee work. The award of $1,000 will cover up to 30 hours of assistance from your Peer consultant at $30 per hour plus mileage and/or photocopying and incidental expenses up to $100. Please submit to DHCD the Peer consultant's final report and an evaluation of the work product at the conclusion of the project. I look forward to working together with you to address your community's needs. Sincerely, Tina Brooks Undersecretary 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 300 www.mass.gov/dhcd Boston, Massachusetts 02114 ' ' 617.573.1100 C. ~N W r/~4LL:lc O~~%lc/Ll~.:.1C/Z~Q.I,L!/c.'1 J(,CLLc d aiLdc, aJ w`ow f 20"' MIDDLESEX DISTRICT BRADLEY H. JONES, JR. READING • NORTH READING STATE REPRESENTATIVE LYNNFIELD • MIDDLETON TEL. (617) 722-2100 MINORITY LEADER Rep.BradleyJones@hou.state,ma.us www,bradjonesonline.com h►1 March 20, 2007 m N 0% Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, Senate Co-Chair Rep. Jay R. Kaufman, House Co-Chair Joint Committee on Public Service Joint Committee on Public Service The State House, Room 413F The State House, Room 156 Boston, MA 02133 Boston, MA 02133, Dear Co-Chairs Downing and Kaufman: I am writing to testify favorably on certain matters pending before your committee which would allow municipalities to join the Group Insurance Commission ("GIC"). Specifically, these proposal's are contained in Sections 4, 6, 7, and 8 of the Governor's s-called "Municipal Partnership. Act" (Rouse Bill 3749) and in House Bill 2601, filed by Representative Kaprieiian. As a former local official, I recognize the enormous strain that municipal employee health care costs place on city and town budgets. These costs only grow larger with time, and they chip away at resources that are needed for other important purposes. I would like to do everything possible to help local officials find creative ways to ease the burden of these health expenses. The easiest and most efficient way to solve this problem is to spread cost and risk by allowing municipal membership in the GIC. This idea has been supported by officials in several of the towns I represent. It also was a focus of support in the legislative agenda that I joined house and Senate Republican members in filing earlier this year. Related provisions in House Bills 3749 and 2601 therefore have my enthusiastic support, and I hope they will be enacted by both houses. Thank you for your consideration of these comments. H. Jones, Jr. Leader 9 TOWN OF READING Voted: The Traffic Rules and Regulations adopted by the Board of Selectmen on March 28, 1995, for the Town of Reading, are hereby amended by adding to Article 5, Section 5.3 the following regulation (s). "PARKING PROHIBITED ON CERTAIN STREETS NO. PARKING ANY TIME" STREET LOCATION Arthur B. Lord Drive-Between signs at entrance/exit of Birch Meadow School traffic circle Summer Avenue-westerly side from Oak Street southbound up to first "cut out" Summer Avenue-westerly side from the fire lane driveway northbound up to first "cut out" DATE OF PASSAGE SELECTMEN'S SIGNATURES TOWN CLERK OF READING TOWN CORPORATE SEAL 1 \ \ a \l7~ fE j t ` t ITS, • y~ A \ f ~ r 1 1 T U Allr 7 a, .y * If ! k - r 1 4 ~ 5 t N L i vE t "Alb l 1 Sun 1 8 15 22 29 Mon Tue Wed 2 3 4 Local Election No Meetings 9 1 11 Board of Economic Selectmen Development Committee 1 17 18 Patriot's Day HOLIDAY 23 24 25 Annual Town Board of Economic Meeting Selectmen Development Committee 30 Annual Town Meeting Thu 5 CPA Committee 12 Cultural Council Reception - "D 7:30 19 Fri 6 13 20 26 27 Annual Town Meeting Sat 7 Dedication of Sledge woods 14 21 28 a OF 5EZ' -go olfL 00 ~ 4 3 -