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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-01-24 Board of Selectmen Minutes Board.of Selectmen Meeting January 24,2006 For ease of archiving, the order that items appear in these Minutes reflects the order in which the items appeared on the agenda for that meeting, and are not necessarily the order in which any item was taken up by the Board. The meeting convened at 7:00 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Chairman Camille Anthony, Vice Chairman Richard Schubert, Secretary Joseph Duffy, Selectmen James Bonazoli and Ben Tafoya, Town Engineer Joe Delaney, Fire Chief Greg Burns, Assistant Town Manager Bob LeLacheur, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, Paula Schena and the following list of interested parties: Bill Brown, Fire Captain Peter Marchetti, Fire Lt. Richard Puopolo, Fire Fighters Ryan Buckley, Joseph Lapolla, Daniel Pouliot and Michael Holmes, Geoff Howie and John Diaz from GPI. Reports and Comments Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments - Selectman Ben Tafoya noted that he attended the CPDC Meeting last night. The Selectmen's comments regarding Stop & Shop were made and reviewed. Chairman Camille Anthony asked about the lights at the Danis' property. The Town Manager noted that they are decorative fixtures that are very bright and the developer is correcting. Chairman Anthony noted that she attended the Substance Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee Meeting last week. The Committee feels that they were side stepped but made a motion to support the new endeavor of initiatives against drug abuse. Town Manager's Report The Town Manager gave the following report: • Fires —We have met with several of the businesses displaced by the two fires last week, and have offered to meet with all of them and also with the property owners about their plans to rebuild. • We have received a check,from Northrop Grumman in the amount of $547,341 in settlement of the unsatisfactory installation of the remote meter reading system for our water meters. We have bid and awarded the installation of a replacement system which will include the replacement of the water meter and remote reader. This replacement is a multi-year process. • The Conservation Commission recommends a modification to the Motiva permit for 24 hour operation to change the date to a more reasonable time to perform. You have a motion in your packets. A motion by Schubert seconded by Bonazoli to amend the Motiva Enterprises permit to operate 24 hours a day by changing from May 1, 2006 to July 31, 2006 for the deadline for removal of sediments in Walkers Brook, upon the advice of the Conservation Commission,was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Board of Selectmen Meeting—January 24, 2006—Page 2 0 Due to the storm, Monday's trash collection.will be delayed until Tuesday. The trash hauler hopes to catch up on Tuesday so that the rest of the week is on schedule. ® Here is some information from our' Veteran's Agent on the OIF/OEF Operation �. Iragi/Enduring Freedom bonuses. The State Treasurer's Office, Veterans' Bonus Division, will administer this new bonus to Veterans of the Global War on Terrorism. You are eligible if you meet the following criteria: o Six months domicile in Massachusetts immediately prior to entry into the Armed Forces .Service beginning September 11, 2001 and discharge under honorable conditions. o Service members who served active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan receive$1,000. o Service members with six months or more active service, Stateside or outside the continental limits of the United States receive $500. • The 350th Celebration Committee has awarded the Library full funding to begin a Historical Preservation project, to catalog and preserve local history materials. This will allow us to provide broader and remote access to the collection, and make a digital archive at the same time. • I have sent the following message to all correspondents re: the Verizon contract: "Thanks for your e-mail supporting a Cable TV franchise with Verizon. The Town supports competition in Cable TV service, and has been working hard to reach an agreement with Verizon. However, it is in the best interest of the community to,have the right agreement -one that protects the interest of the community and its residents. We hope that we will be able to achieve that goal, and have set January 25th as the date by which we expect to accomplish this. You might want to consider writing to Verizon also and ask them to do their best to reach an agreement that is appropriate for this community." a We have a meeting with DEP scheduled this week to review the issues related to the potential purchase of MWRA water as our exclusive source. We will report to the Board of Selectmen on the results of that meeting. Chairman Camille Anthony and Selectman James Bonazoli will be attending representing the Board. Personnel and Appointments Badge Pinning Fire Captain Peter Marchetti Fire Fighters Ryan Buckley, Joseph Lanolla and Daniel Pouliot — Fire Chief Greg Burns introduced the Fire Fighters. He noted that Peter Marchetti has been promoted to Captain. Chief Burns introduced the new Fire Fighters, and their family members pinned on their badges. 20 Year Service Awards — Lt. Richard Puopolo Captain Peter Marchetti, Fire Fighter Michael Holmes. Fire Chief Greg Burns introduced the Fire Fighters, and presented the 20 Years of Service Awards to them. Discussion/Action Items Approve the Conservation Restrictions — 248 Main Street — Carter and Coleman — The Town Manager noted that the State has approved the conservation restrictions and now the Selectmen need to approve it. Board of Selectmen Meeting—January 24,2006—Page 3 A motion by Schubert seconded by Tafova to approve the conservation restriction for the Carter and Coleman property at 248 Main Street as approved by the Reading Conservation Commission on November 16,2005 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Approve Traffic Control Agreement—Downtown Improvements Program— Town Engineer Joe Delaney was present to review the Downtown Improvements Program. He noted that several stop signs will be installed in State regulatory areas. Lowell Street will be made one way southbound from Salem Street. There will be two new Right Turn Only lanes. Selectman James Bonazoli asked if we are adding parking or losing parking. Joe Delaney.noted that we will lose in some places and add in others. Chairman Camille Anthony noted that at Chapin and Main northbound, the parking here to corner is 15 feet behind the one hour parking. Joe Delaney noted that bids for the Downtown project will be advertised on April 1, 2006. The funding is in place. Once we get to 1005 design, it's out of our control and the State takes over. Chairman Camille Anthony asked what they will do first, and Joe Delaney noted that the entire pavement will be removed down to the gravel on Main Street. This will be a two construction season project. We will have to work with store owners regarding access when we get to that point. Vice Chairman Richard Schubert asked what authority the Town has if things don't go too good. Joe Delaney indicated that we have none but noted that we worked closely with the contractor of the Route 129 project. A motion by Schubert seconded by Bonazoli to approve the amendments to the draft agreement between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Highway Department and the Town of Reading for the Federal Aid Agreement No. 43472 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Review West Street Plans—The Town Manager noted that we have been working on West Street improvements for a long time. Joe Delaney noted that the reconstruction will be from the Woburn City line to Longwood Road. We are proposing five foot cement sidewalks and will do curbs. Geoff Howie and John Diaz from GPI were present. Mr. Howie noted that we are headed to the 25% design. He also noted that the 25 year design didn't work out so we need a dedicated right turn lane onto Woburn Street which will require land takings on a couple of properties. He noted that Alternate 1 has three lanes with four foot shoulders. Alternate 2 is similar with a right turn lane with substandard shoulders — we would need a waiver from Mass Highway to do this. Alternate 3 works within the layout without a dedicated right turn lane. Joe Delaney noted that Mass Highway likes four foot shoulders for bike access. He suggests going to Mass Highway with Option 3, fall back on Option 2 and forget Option 1. Board of Selectmen Meeting—January 24, 2006—Page 4 Vice Chairman Richard Schubert noted that this is a historic district, and it is important to maintain the balance of a historic district. He also noted that land takings should not be considered, and he hopes Mass Highway will consider a waiver. The Town Manager noted that the signals should be decorative and maybe do some brick work. Vice Chairman Richard Schubert asked about traffic calming measures, and Mr. Diaz noted that Mass Highway doesn't encourage traffic calming on arterial routes. Joe Delaney noted that they will be meeting with the West Street Historic District Commission. Selectman Ben Tafoya noted that at the MMA Meeting, it was noted that Mass Highway is trying to make the design process more friendly for the Towns. The Town.Manager suggested discarding Option 1 because of land takings. He noted that Option 3 will not work with the level of service. The consensus of the Board is to go with Option 3. Mr. Diaz noted that the new crosswalk will be located at King to Winslow instead of the original one which is midway. He also noted that there will be a Crossing Guard, and the Town can consider such things as flashing beacons; lights in the pavement,fluorescent green signs, etc. Mr. Howie noted that they are proposing a signal conduit at Willow at West as a traffic calming effort. Amending Policy on Nurse Advocacy Task Force_Selectman James Bonazoli noted that Elder Services Administrator Dawn Folopoulos has indicated that there is difficulty in getting a quorum and would like to lower the number of members. A motion by Bonazoli seconded by Schubert to approve the amendment to the policy on the Nurse Advocacy Task Force by reducing the number of members to five was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Town Manager Evaluation — Selectman James Bonazoli noted that there were six goals. The overall performance was 1.833 with 1 being the best on a scale of 1-5. He would like to hear Department Head input. He also noted that for Goal #1, he rated a 2. He feels that Peter has made improvements but is too dependent on the residential tax base. He would like to see more grant writing. Goal #1- Enhance and Maintain the financial strength of the community in order to have the resources to accomplish its priority services. Selectman Ben Tafoya noted that there needs to be an Economic Development Committee. He also noted that Archstone and Johnson Woods are residential. He noted that the Town Manager filled a number of key positions, and he rated this category 2.25. Board of Selectmen Meeting;—January 24, 2006—Page 5 Selectman Joseph Duffy noted that Peter's self evaluation was very good, and he would like to see a less informal evaluation. He rated him 1.50 on all goals. Vice Chairman Richard Schubert noted that the role of Town Manager in Reading is challenging and the Town Manager sets high standards. He is pursuing developments and Downtown improvements. He rated this category 1. Chairman Camille Anthony noted that the Town Manager is actively involved in the water supply. He restructured the Finance Department which was a winning situation. She also noted that we need to establish an Economic Development Committee. Goal #2 Develop and maintain infrastructure in a manner that reflects the community investment and financial support for its construction and development. Selectman Ben Tafoya noted that a DPW study would help with better communication regarding the status of projects. He feels that the sidewalk program should be part of the Capital Improvements Plan, and the Board does not get much analysis of the CIP. He rated this category 2.25. Selectman James Bonazoli noted that he was very impressed with the 10 year capital plan and noted that through leadership,the school has adopted one. He rated this category 1.50. Vice Chairman Richards Schubert noted that the struggle is with funding. The lack of focus on the CIP is because there is no money. He rated this 1. Chairman Camille Anthony noted that the CIP has not been a priority. She suggests a Financial Forum. She feels that we need to make the DPW study a priority. She would like to hear from Department Heads on capital needs. Goal #3 — Maintain and further enhance open communications and relationships within Town government and between Town government and its residents. Selectman Ben Tafoya noted that communication in Town Government is very good and referred to the joint meeting with CPDC. He also noted the implementation of Reverse 911. He feels that we need to do a better job of seeking input from the community—perhaps a survey. Selectman James Bonazoli noted that this is crucial to the success of all goals. He also noted that Peter did a great job with Reverse 911. He finds the highlights very helpful but feels that communication within the department level needs to be improved; i.e., permitting, work flow documentation. He noted that the website is okay but could be better. He would like to see more efforts put on technology and workflow management. Vice Chairman Richard Schubert noted that the Town Manager is working with smaller staff and is using technology when possible. E-mail is a good tool, and we need tools to make sure things don't get•lost. Board of Selectmen Meeting—January 24, 2006—Page 6 Chairman Camille Anthony noted that the Board is getting more calls from citizens who are not getting information they need from Town Hall. There needs to be a process and someone needs to own it. Also,there is always the question of who responds to the e-mails. She would also like a detour fact sheet. Goal #4 — Support public health and safety as priority local services, with assistance from Federal, State and regional resources. Selectman Ben Tafoya asked where we are with Homeland Security. He noted that the knowledge exists with staff. He also noted that setting up the Veteran's District was a job well done. Selectman James Bonazoli noted that the Town Manager has always done a great job in this area. Vice Chairman Richard Schubert noted that the community has high expectations and -the departments do a good job. Chairman Camille Anthony noted that the community responds well to emergencies. She had concerns regarding terrorism but found out that we are already doing things but she doesn't know what we are doing. The Town Manager noted that we need to communicate to the public how we would communicate to them. He suggests an Executive Session brief on Homeland Security. Goal #5 — Continuously evaluate and improve the services the Town provides and how the services are delivered. Selectman Ben Tafoya noted that the Town's website needs a lot of work. He also noted that the GIS is fantastic. Selectman James Bonazoli noted that technology is not the only answer. He noted that training in customer service and satisfaction would be helpful. He's getting a lot of calls from residents. Vice Chairman Richard Schubert noted that local government has the fewest resources to reap rewards of technology. He also noted that inspections and permitting need improvements. Water is very important. He also made noticeable mention of the GIS person, the Verizon contract, and the expanded coverage of Boards, Committees and Commissions meetings. Chairman Camille Anthony noted that the presentation at Town Meeting has improved. GIS is great and she would like to see customer service technology. The Town Manager noted that the website is not customer friendly but there is some good information on it. He also noted that we are doing billing on line. He noted that there is staff limitations with only two technology people. He feels that the employees do a great job with customer service. He feels that the community is changing and becoming much more demanding so the expectations will never be met. He noted that there is an increased level of activity in the community. Board of Selectmen Meeting—January 24, 2006—Page 7 Goal#6—Utilize strategic planning on all levels to provide a framework for decision making. Selectman Ben Tafoya made note of the master plan;the mixed use bylaw, team building with management staff, and also noted that a lot of time has been spent on the water issue. Selectman James Bonazoli noted the master plan and is pleased with increased communication. He would like to see departments come up with their own plans of what they envision. Vice Chairman Richard Schubert noted the Addison-Wesley project and the use of the Master Plan as a tool. Chairman Camille Anthony noted that the Master Plan is incredible and the true test will be implementation. Chairman Camille Anthony noted that in the Town Manager's self evaluation, there was a comment that employees feel efforts are not appreciated by the Board. The Town Manager noted that the Board of Selectmen need to be more involved in the team building process. He also noted that the Department Heads appreciate and respect the Board of Selectmen. Selectman James Bonazoli noted that a Board of Selectmen goal and objective could be more efficiency and not add more meetings and work. Vice Chairman Richard Schubert noted that on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the highest, the Town Manager has an average score of 1.59. Approval of Minutes A motion by Schubert seconded by Bonazoli to approve the Minutes of December 6, 2005, as amended,was approved by a vote of$-0-0. A motion by Schubert seconded by Bonazoli to approve the Minutes of December 7, 2005 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Schubert seconded by Bonazoli to approve the Minutes of December 13, 2005 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Schubert seconded by Tafoya to approve the Minutes of December 19, 2005 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Schubert seconded by Bonazoli to approve the Minutes of December 20, 2005, as amended,was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Schubert seconded by Tafoya to approve the Minutes of January 3, 2006 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Board of Selectmen Meeting—January 24, 2006—Page 8 A motion by Tafova seconded by Bonazoli to adiourn the meeting of January 24, 2006 at 11:02 p.m.was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. ` Respectfully submitted, ��ecr`efary l