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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-02-01 Board of Selectmen Minutes Board of Selectmen Meeting February 1, 2005 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 7:30 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Chairman Richard Schubert, Vice Chairman Camille Anthony, Secretary Gail Wood, Selectmen Joseph Duffy and George Hines, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, Paula Schena and the following list of interested parties: Diana Lavancher, Domenic LaCava, Bruce Cerullo, Bob LeLacheur, Ben Nichols, George Perry, Ted Smethurst, Bill Brown, Diane Weggel; Paul Feely, Donat Roy, Frank Touserkani, William Pike, Lori Presho, Theresa Petrillo, Heidi Bonnabeau,Mary Avery, Tony D'Arezzo, Richard Balboni, John O'Connor, Kate Thibeauit, Bill Brooks,Rich Rostoft, Joan Neary, Attorney Mark Favaloro, Bob Frazier, Richard Askin. Reports and Comments Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments - Selectman George Hines noted that he observed the lighting at Jordan's on Friday night and met with the neighborhood on Saturday. He feels that some of the concerns could be addressed. Selectman Joseph Duffy noted that he received a phone call from a South Street resident regarding Addison-Wesley, and wanted to know if the Selectmen would be making a decision tonight. He indicated that the Selectmen would just be listening tonight. Selectman Gail Wood noted that she was impressed with the pictures of people in Iraq standing in line and risking their lives to vote. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony noted that she received a phone calf from a concerned citizen regarding the one hour parking in front of Aroma Cafe -- she was told that one hour is a problem. The Town Manager noted that staff has looked at the parking Downtown and a hearing will be scheduled in March. Vice Chairman Anthony also indicated that there was an interesting article in the Northwest Weekly from other communities who have comments about budgets and cost of health care. Chairman Richard Schubert noted that there will be a ZBA Workshop on February 15, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. at the Senior Center regarding the zoning at the Addison-Wesley location. Public Comment — Diana Lavancher of 3 Smith Avenue noted that she was not at the Selectmen's meeting on Saturday, January 29th, regarding the lighting at Jordan's/Home Depot. She spoke with Elliot Tatelman regarding the lights and he indicated that he would do what he can but he put most of the responsibility on the developer. Elliot suggested to her that if the Town is going to hold the developer responsible, they should do it now while the development is Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 1,2005—Page 2 still going on. She also noted that she would like to see some of the $100,000 for mitigation used for landscaping around abutters' homes. Chairman Schubert noted that the $100,000 is earmarked for Walkers Brook traffic issues. Town Manager's Report The Town Manager gave the following report: ♦ The Town Manager noted that he spoke with John Hanley at Jordan's and he admitted that the lights are not in accordance with their own protocol. ® Nomination papers are now available for Town Officers. 50 signatures for Officers and 10 in their precinct for Town Meeting Members are required. Nomination papers are due back in the Town Clerk's Office by 5:00 p.m. on February 15th. ♦ The Governor has applied for a State of Emergency declaration for the January blizzard. If. designated, we are prepared to submit all of the required paperwork to get the maximum possible reimbursement. The Board of Selectmen is meeting this Saturday morning to review the final draft of the budget. We received very good news on the State Aid numbers included in the Governor's budget. We still have some reductions to make but will have a balanced budget for the Board of Selectmen, and will maintain the Board of Selectmen top priority. ® Regarding the entry of Verizon into the fiber optic business in Reading and potentially into the Cable TV business, Vice Chairman Camille Anthony, Town Counsel Joan Langsam, T- TAC Member Dominick LaCava and I met with Verizon last week. I would like to suggest that I establish a working group consisting of two members of the Board of Selectmen, two members of T-TAC, a member of RCTV, a School Committee member, Town Counsel and myself to develop a proposed negotiating strategy for a Cable TV franchise with Verizon. That strategy would be to come back to,the Board of Selectmen for approval. We will also determine whether or not we need outside assistance in developing this strategy. ♦ These are the following openings in Town Government: • Board of Registrars for a Democrat • Two Conservation Commission members • Human Relations Advisory Committee • Cemetery Board • Water, Sewer, and Storm Water Management Advisory Committee • Finance Committee ® Patrol Officer Peter O'Brien's last day on the job is Wednesday. Peter is retiring after a lifetime career with the Town. o Chief Greg Burns, Human Resources Administrator Carol Roberts and I have interviewed 11 candidates for three Firefighter positions. These are all replacement positions. ♦ Following up on Saturday's meeting re: Jordan's, I contacted their operations person Monday and he promised that the issue of leaving all lights on all night would be corrected immediately. ♦ The RCTV Annual Report is being distributed to the Board of Selectmen this evening. Discussion/Action Items Verizon Cable TV — The Town Manager noted that Verizon has wired most of the Town with fiber optic for e-mail and they need a franchise to offer Cable TV. They are asking that the Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 1, 2005—Page 3 Town send a letter to the MADTE (Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy)requesting proposals and waiving the waiting period. Domenic LaC.ava from the Technology and Telecommunications Advisory Committee was present. He.noted that this will be a competitive and robust network. He also noted that the waiver has been applied for many times by other communities and it was granted. He noted that the voice and data services will come first and the Cable TV will take months. Selectman Gail Wood asked how the responsibilities-regarding the I-Loop, etc. would be split between Comcast and RCTV. The Town Manager noted that would have to be worked out. On motion by Wood seconded by Hines, the Board of Selectmen voted to initiate the process for solicitation of proposals for a Cable TV provider for the Town of Reading; and to seek a MADTE waiver from the provisions requiring certain notice and advertising requirements. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0.. The Town Manager noted that he would like to establish a committee to work on this. Selectman Joe Duffy and Vice Chairman Camille Anthony volunteered to serve on this committee. Interim Presentation — Hospital Development Committee — Hospital Development Advisory. Committee Members Bruce Cerullo and Bob LeLacheur were present. The Town Manager noted that the Committee has had four meetings, have come to a conclusion, and would like to brief the Board of Selectmen on it. Bruce Cerullo noted that the money was left to the Town by three families and it is in a Trust Fund in the amount of $4 million. The intent of the wills is to build a hospital to defray the medical cost of the needy in Reading. He also noted that it would cost $56 million - $155 million to build a hospital. It would cost $2 million - $3 million to convince the,State that we need a hospital. Mr. Cerullo noted that the Department of Public Health has indicated that the need for a hospital is not there. The Committee feels that it does not make sense to pursue building a hospital and they will look at other options. Bob LeLacheur noted that $4 million is not a windfall but is helping a lot of people now. Selectman George Hines indicated that he is the Selectmen representative on the Committee and the Committee is doing its due diligence. The Town Manager noted that if the outcome is to go to court for a cy pres, then the court will want to make sure everything has been done. Establish a Committee to Review the Tax Classification — The Town Manager noted that he suggested setting up a committee to look at the tax classification during the last tax classification hearing. He also noted that the report from the last committee in 1993 was in the Selectmen's packet. Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 1, 2005 —Page 4 Selectman George Hines noted that he would rather have an explanation from staff as to what has changed to justify going through this process. Chairman Richard Schubert indicated that he thought there might be some value to revisit this again. He noted that several things have changed including population, shift in the taxation; i.e., money not coming back from the government. Selectman Gail Wood noted that it is not unreasonable to do a study every 10-12 years because it is hard to explain to residents why we don't shift the tax rate. She also suggested changing the membership of the committee from the Tax Payer's Association to a resident or non-member of a committee. Selectman George Hines noted that if the tax burden is shifted, the biggest burden will fall on small businesses. Selectman Joe Duffy concurred with Selectman Hines. Selectman George Hines noted that the Selectmen have a lot on the table right now, and they have other committees that they will be needing volunteers for. The consensus of the Board was to have staff do a summary and bring it back to the Board of Selectmen. Land Bank Committee Policy—Land Bank Committee Members Ben Nichols, George Perry and Ted Smethurst were present. The Town Manager noted that when the Charter Review Committee was meeting, they discussed establishing a committee to deal with land matters. The discussion revolved around having the Planning Commission take on the duties or keep the Land Bank Committee. He also noted that the Town Meeting Minutes of March 21, 1966 established the committee as having three members. Page 12 of the Charter mentions the Land Bank Cominittee but nothing is said about how many members or what their function is. The Town Manager noted that Ben Nichols has a newspaper article from 1966 regarding the Land Bank Committee, and he suggests that Ben do a summary and then send it to the Board of Selectmen. George Perry noted that the committee cannot expand on their duties unless the Town acquires new land. Selectman Gail Wood noted that there is no policy on what they do or why. Selectman George Hines suggested refining the section in the Selectmen's Policies. The Town Manager noted that he will get the 1966 news article from Ben Nichols and then work with the Land Bank Committee in drafting a new policy. Selectman Gail Wood suggested looking at whether the number of members should be increased. Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 1 2005—Page 5 Presentation of Proposed Redevelopment—Pearson—Attorney Mark Favaloro representing W/S Associates, Bob Frazier and Richard Askin were present. Chairman Richard Schubert noted that the Selectmen will not be making a decision tonight. This is a very preliminary presentation to inform the Board of what they are thinking of developing. There Will be zoning workshops on this project. Selectman George Hines noted that he met with the Town Manager, CPDC members and the proposed developer. The Town Manager noted that the development can be built with CPDC approval. The presentation tonight would need zoning changes that would have to go to Town Meeting. Attorney Favaloro noted that the developer is holding a workshop on February 8th at Addison- Wesley. Bob Frazier, Vice President of Development for W/S Associates, noted that they are a shopping center developer and are redeveloping the Redstone Plaza. He also noted that they had a neighborhood meeting and a lot of residents are unhappy with the existing traffic. He noted that they could cul-de-sac the road to keep traffic off of local streets. Proximity to abutters is also an issue. Richard Askin noted that this will be a Lifestyle Center that is a state of the art development that will fit into the landscape. The majority of the storefronts point to the interior of the site and parking will be in the interior of the site. They want the footprint of the building to infringe on the 1.00 foot setback. They would give up the use of the 95 foot height. There will be 400,000 square feet of retail. To control light pollution, the light fixtures will be shielded. Attorney Favaloro noted that what they are asking for is to abandon Jacob Way as a public way and to be able to extend into the buffer zone. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony noted that she has been to many shopping malls, and the Wrentham Mall is incredible and the traffic on Route 1 in Kittery is horrendous. She doesn't believe that they will be able to retain the traffic. Bob Frazier noted that the Board of Selectmen approved a traffic reconfiguration for a 600,000 square foot office. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony asked how many parking spaces there would be, and Richard Askin noted that there would be 4 per 100 square feet. Selectman Gail Wood noted that making South Street a cul-de-sac may not be possible. She also noted that there is a 100 foot setback because it is a residential area, and there were issues of lighting and snow was being pushed into people's yards. Service times will need to be addressed. Screening should be a mix so it's not all deciduous trees, and you will have screening in the Winter. Board of Selectmen Meeting—February 1, 2005 —Page 6 Selectman George Hines asked about moving the circulation road to the Route 128 side. Richard Askin noted that would be difficult because the landscape is all different heights but he could drop the level of the roadway. Selectman George Hines asked if they could lower the back of buildings so they won't be so visible to the community. Richard Askin noted that there are a lot of flat roofs. It is pedestrian oriented and they want the back of the buildings to be as low as possible. Selectman Joseph Duffy indicated that he feels the developer has a conflict of interest with Redstone. He asked if they would be willing to buy the realtor's building, and Bob Frazier responded that they would not. Chairman Richard Schubert noted that it is important to have peer review. He asked if they have considered condos or offices, and Bob Frazier indicated that they are retail developers. He doesn't think condos mix well with retail. Chairman Richard Schubert asked about reserved area "A," and Bob Frazier indicated that they were committed to preserving it. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony noted that police details are not on the Town -- it is their responsibility. The Board of Selectmen thanked the developer for his presentation. Approval of Minutes A motion by Anthony seconded by Wood to approve the Minutes of December 4, 2004 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Wood seconded by Hines to approve the Minutes of December 14, 2004 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Anthony seconded by Hines to approve the Minutes of January 4, 2005 was approved by a vote of 4-0-1,with Wood abstaining. A motion by Anthony seconded by Hines to approve the,Minutes of January 15, 2005 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Anthony seconded by Wood to adjourn the meeting of February 1, 2005 at 10:30 p.m. was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Respqctfully submitted, Secretary