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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-03-29 Board of Selectmen Minutes Board of Selectmen Meeting March 29, 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 special gathering began at 7:00 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading,Massachusetts in recognition of Selectmen George Hines and Gail Wood's last meeting on the Board of Selectmen. The formal meeting convened at 7:30 p.m. Present were Chairman Richard Schubert, Vice Chairman Camille Anthony, Secretary Gail Wood, Selectmen Joseph Duffy and George Hines, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner and the following list of interested parties: Mark Wetzel, Tom Ryan, John Carpenter, Paul Feely, Edward Wright, Charles McDonald Jr., Gordon Rogerson, Gene Nigro, Phil Rushworth, Domenic LaCava, James Bonazoli, Edward LeBon, Attorney Andrew Upton,Marcel Dubois, a Reading Advocate reporter. Chairman Richard Schubert presented plaques to Selectmen George Hines and Gail Wood. Other mementos were also presented. The Board members commended both outgoing Selectmen on their commendable records of service as Selectmen and dedicated service to the i community. Selectman George Hines read the following. remarks: I want to thank the Board for this opportunity on the occasion of my last meeting in a 15 year succession of meetings to thank some folks who helped and supported me before and during my tenure as a Selectman and for the opportunity to make a few observations. First and foremost, I have to use this public forum to thank my family, and especially my wife, who put up with all the time I spent away from family and homestead obligations, all the rushed or missed meals, all the late nights, the working Saturdays, and the absence from family and school events. Thank you. The next priority thank you has to be to the voters of Reading who gave me this opportunity and kept returning me to the job. Despite the litany of things I thanked my wife for putting up with, I truly loved this job and want the people who gave it to me to know how much I appreciated the opportunity. I'also have to thank the Board members I served with over the years for maintaining a standard of civility and cooperation that should be an example for all the Boards, Commissions and Committees to follow. I will admit that there were times perhaps when my own demeanor came close to crossing the line but it was only out of frustration in trying to do the right thing for the Town. Board of Selectmen Meeting—March 29 2005—Page 2 I want to thank my parents for providing me with a great foundation of values that I could bring to public service, and I want to thank some of our great contemporary leaders like John and Robert Kennedy and M. L. King for giving me the inspiration to participate in the public arena and, hopefully, make a positive.difference. I guess the final thanks would be to Peter, his management team, Paula and all the Town employees present and past for doing a wonderful job in support of the policies and initiatives the Board established - they truly made us look as if we knew what we were doing most of the time. As part of making this my last forum, I want to say to the voters that during my tenure on the Board I had the opportunity to serve with a number of other Selectmen who I think number around 10 or 12 different individuals. During my. 15 years, I can honestly report that I never detected a single sign of motivation from any of the other Selectmen that they were involved for any reason other than to do the best possible job and achieve the best possible outcome for the Town of Reading. I can honestly say that, even though there wasn't a single one of whom I agreed with on every single issue, and hope you will be reassured by this observation as issues or events directly effect you despite what has become in this country a steadily increasing skepticism about the motivations of public officials. None of us should be so naive as to think this does not occur but this witness can assure you that in Reading, you have consistently put your municipal leadership in good hands. In. order to effectively perform as Chief Elected Officials, Selectmen can't be single-issue or - single-sector motivated. We are entrusted with providing leadership for the entire community I and we have to do so as a team. As one of five Selectmen, we cannot individually control the direction of policy. So while some of us may have had leading interests or even constituencies, I have never seen a Selectman make an issue an overriding motivation that drove them to vote or behave in a way that was in any way unethical or detrimental to the community. My hope is that the future will see that spirit of motivation continue as the voters select future citizens to fill these seats, and as they select fellow citizens to fill other elected positions. I am pleased that the Town has been able to accomplish so much in 15 years and to have been able to be a part of so many positive things. The positive and admirable character of this community is so evident to most observers but never was so evident as it is during such events as the 350`h Celebration or the Imagination Station project that stand out to me as such great milestone events. As great as those moments were, I'm sure we can all come up with many more events great and small that can be offered as evidence of the great character of this community. I am also confident that if ever we are faced with some of the truly devastating tragedies created by nature or man that have befallen other places, the spirit and character of our people will come together to prevail and heal. I hope everyone, elected official, appointed volunteer, interested participant or concerned spectator will ponder on the spirit and strength I have talked about and let that be their guiding principle in their voting, their participation, or even just their daily living in this great community. I won't leave this position telling you that there haven't been events or outcomes that I have been disappointed in, and although the successes and positives I have seen, been an integral part of or Board of Selectmen Meeting—March 29, 2005—Page 3 observed far outweigh the negatives, it is always enormously sad to witness the tearing down of an individual, an institution or a building toward .no good end and those occasions can leave lasting impressions. As we go forward as a community, we should be on guard to prevent such incidents from occurring. The opportunities you citizens of Reading have given me to participate in the leadership of our great Town and to be witness to so many things that have enriched my life, and I hope I have repaid that generosity by making a positive contribution. It has been so rewarding to witness the many improvements the community has made but also to see the growth and achievements or our citizens. I have seen the Town's effort to improve, result in a strengthening Downtown and the commerce that makes it so vital, an improved Depot area, preservation and respect for our past, finally fruition of the 30 plus year effort to develop our former landfill as a tax producing asset, constant addition of sidewalks and the beginnings of a road improvement program, development and protection of our capital assets including investment in building maintenance and manpower studies to understand our public safety staffing needs. I have seen young people including my own sons come up through our great schools and youth programs to achieve so much intellectually, athletically and artistically and become parents, productive members of the work force, and even sworn in as Public Safety Officers. I swell with pride as I think of these things we have achieved, and humbly express my gratitude once again for being allowed to play whatever small part I may .have played in these achievements. All of this may sound like I am riding off into the sunset, but I am too committed and have been too involved to quit cold turkey. I will be .remaining in Town Meeting if the voters of my precinct are willing. I am offering the Board to continue as their representative to the positions on the Hospital Development Committee and the Ice Arena Board of Directors if that is their pleasure, and while I am closing this chapter of my involvement, no one should be surprised if I surface in some other not as involved capacity. Thank you for your indulgence tonight, God bless you and God bless America! Selectman Gail Wood expressed her appreciation to the community for their support in allowing her to serve as Selectman. Reports and Comments Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments — Vice Chairman Camille Anthony reminded residents that"Your Community Connection" will be out in their mailboxes this week. Chairman Richard Schubert reminded residents that the Election takes place next Tuesday on April 5th, and there are a number of ballot questions on Charter amendments. Public Comment—There was no public comment. Town Manager's Report The Town Manager gave the following report: Board of Selectmen Meeting—March 29, 2005—Page 4 * For the first time in Reading's history, we have topped $1 million in snow and ice control costs for a single year. We will get some FEMA reimbursement for some of the costs of the January blizzard, and also hope to get some State funding. + The Wood End Working Group has had three meetings and is meeting again on April lst. The discussions and cooperative attitude are excellent. * Election-April 5 at Addison-Wesley. 7:00 a.m. 'til 8:oo p.m. Plenty of parking. + The proposed Charter amendments will be on the ballot, and there has been a mailing in advance of the Election. + Town Meeting—April 25, 28, May 2, 5. + April I" - morning—Fifth Grade Town Meeting at RMHS Auditorium. * Compost Center re-opens April I st—full schedule on Town web site and RCTV. * Rabies clinic April 2nd—cats and dogs—DPW Garage—2:00 to 4:00 p.m. - $10. + Coolidge Middle School Spelling Bee—April 2"d, 2:00 p.m. * YCC—mailed this week-Thanks to Calereso's and Harrows' for sponsoring. + Smoking enforcement—no violations.for second time in a row. + Volunteers needed to participate in the update o f Reading's Open Space and Recreation Master Plan—Kickoff meeting April 6th at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall. * Route 128/193 Task Force is meeting on Wednesday afternoon — 4:30 at Parker Middle School. There is a lot of email correspondence in your packets tonight on this matter. * Representative Brad Jones called today and indicated that the T has withdrawn the bid for the sale of the former Mishawum Station site until the 128493 Task Force and consultants can determine the site's viability for some of the solution to the 128493 issues. * I have asked Town Counsel to hire an outside researcher to determine what heirs there may be to the donors of Memorial Park,so that we can determine whether we need a petition of cy pres or whether we can get heirs to sign off on the Memorial Park uses. + We have taken and awarded bids for the reconstruction of Summer Avenue from Woburn to Main, including drainage, curb and sidewalk. We will keep the community informed once we have a construction schedule. * The School Committee has approved the lighting of the RMHS "varsity" field, if the funds can be raised privately. Personnel &Appointments Conservation Commission — Mark Wetzel was interviewed for.a position on the Conservation Commission. He was questioned about his willingness to Chair the Commission (he would be at some point); whether or not he could make the time commitment (he travels some but can arrange his schedule around the Conservation Commission); potential conflict of interest (Dufrane Henry, his employer does very little work in Reading but if there were any issues, he would recuse himself. On motion by Anthony seconded by Hines, the Board placed the following name into nomination for a position on the Conservation Commission for a term expiring June 30, 2007: Mark Wetzel. Mr.Wetzel received five votes and was appointed to the Commission. Town Accountant — Town Accountant Richard Foley appeared before the Board. He has announced his retirement effective September 30, 2005. The Board thanked him for his years of service. His appointment, effective April 1, 2005, would continue until his retirement. Board of Selectmen Meeting—March 29, 2005—Page 5 On motion by Wood seconded by Hines, the Board appointed Richard P. Foley as Town Accountant for a term expiring September 30, 2005 due to his retirement on that date. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Discussion/Action Items Hearing—Macaroni Grill Liquor License—Selectman Joseph Duffy read the hearing notice. Present were Eddie LeBon who will be the Manager of the Macaroni Grill, and Andrew Upton Esq., Attorney for the applicant. The Town Manager noted that this will be a 252 seat restaurant in Phase II of the Walkers Brook Crossing development. The Town has a total of 15 restaurant liquor licenses to give out and this will be number eight. The applicant is Brinker Massachusetts Corporation. Brinker owns the Chili's and Macaroni Grill chains. They own the Chili's Grill&Bar in Phase I of Walkers Brook Crossing. Selectman George Hines asked if this was a problem being so close to another facility that they owned. It was noted that they offer two different products and they like to locate near each other. The Town Manager asked if the applicant was familiar with the Town's Liquor Policy. The manager has not read it yet but the Attorney indicated that they will fully comply with it. The projected opening for the facility is July 171H Selectman Gail Wood asked if the window glass is clear-- i.e., would there be visibility into and out of the restaurant. The glass will be tinted but visibility into and out is available. Chairman Richard Schubert asked about the note in the plan denoting Kiosk. The Town Manager noted that was for the overall site plan and not relevant to this particular use. The Town Manager asked if there was going to be outdoor dining, and it was noted that,there would not. Chairman Richard Schubert asked about the hours of operation. They will be operating 11:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, and 11:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Selectman George Hines asked about the Brinker's policy on training on liquor serving. The applicant noted that Brinker goes above and beyond what is required with regard to training and with regard to health issues. Selectman George Hines asked if the organization would participate in the community. The manager noted that they would work with the Town on a variety of issues. Some donations would be within the ability of the store to provide, or others might need corporate approval. Selectman Gail Wood suggested that they might want to become a sponsor for RCTV. Board of Selectmen Meeting—March 29 2005—Page 6 There was no public.comment. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthony, the Board of Selectmen voted to close the hearing on an application for an All Alcoholic Restaurant Liquor License by Brinker - Massachusetts Corporation d/b/a Romano's Macaroni Grill at 48 Walkers Brook Drive by a vote of 5-0-0. On motion by Hines seconded by Wood, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the application for an All Alcoholic Restaurant Liquor License for Brinker Massachusetts Corporation d/b/a Romano's Macaroni Grill at 48 Walkers Brook Crossing subject to the following condition: Applicant shall comply with all bylaws, rules and regulations of the Town of Reading and of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Selectman Gail Wood suggested that the Board of Selectmen in the future should consider what, if any, regulations it wanted to have on outdoor dining. Hearing—Street Acceptances—Selectman Joseph Duffy read the notice of the hearing. The Town Manager reviewed the six streets that were scheduled for acceptance. These are on two Warrant Articles at Town Meeting — four of them are reaffirmations of previous acceptances, and two are new acceptances. There were no questions from the public. On motion by Hines seconded by Wood, the Board of Selectmen voted to close the hearing on the acceptance of Melendy Drive, Foster Circle, Forest Street (parcel at Anson Lane only),Lynn Village Way,Parsons Lane and Varney Circle by a vote of 5-0-0 On motion by Duffy seconded by Wood, the Board of Selectmen approved the following streets laid out as public ways, and recommends to Town Meeting under Articles 18 and 19 of the 2005 Annual Town Meeting Warrant, the acceptance of Melendy Drive, Foster Circle, Forest Street (parcel at Anson Lane only), Lynn'Village Way, Parsons Lane and Varney Circle by a vote of 5-0-0. Follow Up — RCTV - The Town Manager introduced Marcel Dubois, President of the RCTV .Board. He introduced the members of his Board who were present. The Town Manager noted that the purpose of this meeting was an update for the Board of Selectmen. In accordance with the agreement signed by the Town Manager, RCTV is on a six month "probationary period" which expires on May 1St. Much progress has been made in meeting the requirements of the October 14th agreement. Specifically, the Town Manager noted that the payment from Comcast on behalf of RCTV has been received by the Town and is being distributed to RCTV at a rate of 1/12 per month. The $50,000 capital grant from Comcast has been received by the Town, and the Town will distribute these funds to RCTV once the capital plan has been developed. ` Board of Selectmen Meeting_March 29, 2005 —Page 7 The RCTV Board has changed the bylaws relative to size of the Board and having a member appointed by the Board of Selectmen, and a member appointed by the School Committee. RCTV has submitted their budget and their financial statement. Chairman Richard Schubert asked if the assets that were acquired using Comcast funds had been separately accounted for. Phil Rushworth noted that all funds are accounted for separately. The Town Manager noted that all assets have been acquired using Comcast funds. Chairman Richard Schubert noted that the bylaws have been changed. He wondered what the process would be if there are any further bylaw changes relative to notification of the Board of Selectmen. Marcel Dubois noted that there isn't a policy in place in writing at this time but the RCTV will certainly make available to the Board of Selectmen any changes in policies or bylaws. John Carpenter noted that there are some differences between the most recent "straw document" that was developed by the ad hoc committee and the October 4th agreement. The Town Manager noted that the Board of Selectmen accepted the straw agreement from the ad hoc committee, and then further negotiated with the RCTV Board to come up with the October 14"' agreement. The October 14th agreement has been approved by the Board of Selectmen. John Carpenter noted that he was pleased with the Way the RCTV Board has accepted his and Gail Wood's input, He feels that the atmosphere of the RCTV Board has changed for the better. Domenic LaCava from the Technology and Telecommunications Advisory Committee felt that it was great for the community that this process has taken place. He feels that the last element of the agreement that the RCTV Board has to do is develop goals by which they can be measured. If this is done by May I't, then he feels that the agreement can be signed. John Carpenter talked about the chart that was developed as part of the straw document. The sense was that such a chart may be helpful to the RCTV Board in doing a performance evaluation of the Executive Director. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony felt that we may need to change the language in the October 14th agreement slightly to allow the agreement to be reopened if there is an additional Cable TV provider in the community since Verizon is now applying for a franchise.I Selectman Gail Wood noted that one additional board member of RCTV is needed, and asked the community to come forward and volunteer. Town Manager's Evaluation—Chairman Richard Schubert and Vice Chairman Camille Anthony went through the Town Manager's Evaluation. The following are the highlights: In Section 1, General Management/Communication Skills - The Board should have some discussion about the Monthly Reports and the role they can play in helping to keep the Board of Selectmen current on plans and activities of staff. The Fire Chief's Weekly Notes might be a reasonable model for this. Board of Selectmen Meeting—March 29, 2005 —Page 8 Section 2, Personnel Management Skills — It was noted that a" challenge this year will be attracting new employeesto fill some very key positions particularly in the Finance area. Also, the next evaluation will be a goals-based evaluation based on goals agreed to by the Board of Selectmen. It was noted that the expectations of the Board of Selectmen may change from time to time, and this can be reflected in the goals. Section 3, Financial Management Skills — There was discussion about the need for a. greater focus on the Capital Improvements Program, and the possibility of having a Capital Improvements Advisory Committee. It was also noted that the water line replacement project in Birch Meadow was a disappointment. The Town Manager accepted responsibility noting that it was not so much a work load issue as a matter of holding the consultants responsible in a more timely manner. The Town is trying to get reimbursement from the consultant on the increase costs due to their failure to perform. Section 4, Planning Skills—We are all highly rated. Section 5, Interorganizational Corporation Skills—We are all highly rated. Section 6,Leadership and Mentoring Skills—A lot of progress has been made here. Section 7, Community Outreach Skills — We need to focus on some of the follow up on long standing issues. Section 8,Priority Goals for 2004—This is the first time the Board of Selectmen has been able to rate the Town Manager on the goals that they have es'tablished. *The Town Manager will now disperse those goals to the Department Heads and ask them to develop their goals based on the Goal Statements. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony asked for an update on how Building Maintenance is going. There was discussion about the building maintenance, the division's need for the capital plan, and the Town Manager noted that they have developed a great beginning on the capital plan and is looking forward to working with them on expanding it to a 10 year plan. The Town Manager thanked the Board of Selectmen for doing the evaluations, and for the comments, he noted that he is proud to lead such a very effective management team, and is very proud of the excellent elected leadership in the community. Chairman Richard Schubert reviewed a statistical analysis of the evaluations. He noted that the summary of the Selectmen's ratings yielded a 4.71 average out of a possible 5. The Board gave 202.4 points out of a possible 215 points. Approval of Minutes On motion by Anthony seconded by Wood, the Board voted to approve the Minutes of March 14,2005, as amended, by a vote of 4-0-1, with Hines abstaininLy. Board of Selectmen Meeting—March 29, 2005 —Page 9 On motion by Anthony seconded by Hines, the Board voted to approve the Minutes of March 15,2005, as amended,by a vote of 5-0-0. The Board noted the release of the Executive Session Minutes which has been delegated to the Town Manager. On ioint motion by Wood and Hines seconded by Anthony and Duffy, the Board of Selectmen voted to adiourn their meeting of March 29,2005 at 10:25 p.m. by a vote of 5-0-0. Respectfully submitted, Wtefary