HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-06-22 Board of Selectmen Minutes Board of Selectmen Meeting
June 22,2004
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 George Hines (arrived at 8:45 p.m.), Vice
Chairman Richard Schubert, Secretary Gail Wood, Selectmen Camille Anthony and
Joseph Duffy, Fire Chief Greg Burns, Police Chief Bob Silva, Town Manager Peter
Hechenbleikner, Paula Schena and the following list of interested parties: Phil Boisvert, Preston
Lucas, Michael DiPietro, Karyn Storti, Corey Porter, John Jarema, David Singer, Robert
Cusolito, Jonathan Barnes, Benjamin Ream, John Sasso, Rebecca Longley, Robert Prince,
Ronald Mikol, Alan Ulrich.
Reports and Comments
Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments — Selectman Camille Anthony noted that the
Sumner issue of Your Community Connection"will be in the mail on July 1, 2004. Also, as a
follow up to the Selectmen's Forum, the new elementary school will be ready for school
opening, if not earlier.
Vice Chairman Richard Schubert noted that the 5t' meeting of the I-95/1-93 Task Force is
tomorrow at the Senior Center from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to
review the final contract for the consultant and to discuss data collection issues.
Public Comment—There was no public comment.
Town Manager's Report
The Town Manager gave the following report:
0 The RMLD tour on Saturday, June 190', was very interesting. One of the things that is
impressive is the planning and thought that goes into the development, operation and
management of the system.
o Reminder: September 22, 2004 — Board/Committee/Commission training at Coolidge
Middle School,jointly with Stoneham—7:00 p.m. `til 8:30 p.m.
o We had a briefing by an official of the Secret Service this morning on the Democratic
National Convention. Plans for traffic management are still in a state of flux but all of the
preparations are required to make this a safe venue.
♦ We had scheduled a Town Counsel performance review session but had to cancel it. We will
re-schedule.
♦ The Charter Review Committee held a public hearing on June 9th and it was televised. It
was an excellent meeting; unfortunately, there were no calls or questions. They will be
making a presentation to the Board of Selectmen next week.
Board of Selectmen Meeting—June 22, 2004—Page 2
+ A film crew from the U.K. was in Reading earlier in the month to film a program they are
doing on"Twin Towns." In Reading,they shot footage of an interview with the Police Chief
and did a"ride along."
+ Tuesday, June 15th, the Board of Selectmen held one of its quarterly"Selectmen's Forums."
This was a live call-in program and there were several calls and questions.
+ We have secured two federal grants totaling about$21,000 to install an emergency generator
at the Senior Center so we can use this site as an emergency shelter. We will need to
supplement this funding with an additional $15,000 of Town funds which I will request from
the FINCOM as a reserve fund transfer.
+ The Coolidge Middle School has won the 21't Century School of Distinction Award for
Overall Excellence. This is a national competitive award and the staff, faculty, students and
families in the Coolidge district are to be congratulated, as is the entire community for
fostering an atmosphere where such recognition can be attained.
+ The hearing with the Water Resources Commission (WRC) on the proposed inter-basin
transfer for Reading is scheduled for tomorrow. The request from Reading will allow us to
purchase water from the MWRA. The proposed conditions from WRC staff contain some
unacceptable provisions, and I have written a letter to be entered into the record at the
hearing. I have also asked for a 30-day extension on closing the hearing. The Board of
Selectmen will need to take up this issue within the next month, because there are some
regulatory changes that would need to be made with respect to water conservation
restrictions. The consensus of the Board is to meet on July 20, 2004 regarding this issue.
Personnel and Appointments
Badge Pinning — Cgptain Phil Boisvert — Fire Chief Greg Bums reviewed Phil Boisvert's
accomplishments while serving on the Fire Department. Phil Boisvert introduced his family, and
his daughter pinned on his badge. The Board congratulated Captain Boisvert on his
accomplishments.
Ad Hoe Memorial Park Committee—The Board interviewed Preston Lucas for one position on
the Ad Hoe Memorial Park Committee.
Wood moved and Anthony seconded to place the following name into nomination for one
position on the Ad Hoc Memorial Park Committee with a term expiring December 31,
2004: Preston Lucas. Mr.Lucas received four votes and was appointed.
Recreation Committee — The Board interviewed Michael DiPietro for one position on the
Recreation Committee.
Duffy moved and Anthony seconded to place the following names into nomination for one
position on the Recreation Committee with a term expiring June 30, 2007: Michael
DiPietro and Stephen F. Meehan. Mr. DiPietro received one vote and Mr. Meehan
received three votes and Mr. Meehan was appointed.
Anthony moved and Wood seconded to place the following name into nomination for one
Associate position on the Recreation Committee with a term expiring June 30, 2005:
Michael DiPietro. Mr.DiPietro received four votes and was appointed.
Board of Selectmen Meeting,—June 22, 2004—Page 3
Advisory Council Against the Misuse and Abuse of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs — The
Board interviewed Karyn Storti and Corey Porter for positions on the Advisory Council.
Anthony moved and Hines seconded to place the following names into nomination for three
positions on the Advisory Council Against the Misuse and Abuse of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Other Drugs with a term expiring June 30, 2007: Karen Storti, Matt Edson and Corey W.
Porter. Each candidate received five votes and were appointed.
Board of Appeals — The Board interviewed John Jarema for one position on the Board of
Appeals.
Hines moved and Anthony seconded to place the following name into nomination for one
position on the Board of Appeals with a term expiring June 30; 2007: John A. Jarema.
Mr.Jarema received five votes and was appointed.
Board of'Health — The Board interviewed David Singer for reappointment to the Board of
Health.
Wood moved and Hines seconded to place the following name into nomination for one
position on the Board of Health with a term expiring June 30, 2007: David Singer. Mr.
Singer received five votes and was appointed.
Board of Registrars—The Board interviewed Robert Cusolito for reappointment to the Board of
Registrars.
Duffy moved and Wood seconded-to.place the following name into nomination for one
position on the Board of Registrars with a term expiring June 30; 2007: Robert Cusolito.
Mr. Cusolito received five votes and was appointed.
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Community Planning and Development Commission—The Board interviewed Jonathan Barnes,
Benjamin.Ream and John Sasso for positions on the CPDC.
Hines moved and Wood seconded to place the following names into nomination for two
positigr& on the Community Planning and Development Commission with a term expiring
June 30, 2007: Richard D. Howard, Jonathan E. Barnes, Benjamin Ream and John Sasso.
Mr.Howard and Mr. Barnes received five votes each and were appointed.
Hines moved and Anthony seconded to place the following names into nomination for one
position on the Community Planning and Development Commission with a term expiring
June:30, 2005: Benjamin Ream and John Sasso. Mr. Ream received one vote and Mr.
Sasso received four votes.and Mr. Sasso was appointed.
Conservation Commission- The Board interviewed Rebecca Longley for reappointment to the
Conservation Commission.
Board of Selectmen Meeting—June 22,2004—Page 4
Anthony moved and Hines seconded to place the following name into nomination for one
position on the Conservation Commission with a term expiring June 30, 2007: Rebecca
Longley. Ms.Longley received five votes and was appointed.
Constables—The Board interviewed Robert Prince, Ronald Mikol, Corey Porter and Alan Ulrich
for positions as Constables.
Hines moved and Anthony seconded to place the following names into nomination for two
positions as Constable with a term expiring June 30, 2007: Robert H. Prince, Ronald J,
Mikol, Corey W Porter, John Scrima and Alan W. Ulrich. Mr. Prince received five votes,
Mr. Porter received two votes, and Mr. Ulrich received three votes. Mr. Prince and Mr.
Ulrich were appointed.
Hines moved and Anthony seconded to place the following names into nomination for one
position as a Constable with a term expiring June 30, 2005: Ronald J. Mikol, Corey W.
Porter and John Scrima. Mr.Porter received five votes and was appointed.
Discussion/Action Items
Review of Traffic Issues — Democratic National Convention - The Town Manager noted that
public safety officials are planning for the DNC.
Police Chief Bob Silva noted that I-93 will be closed at certain points. Trains will run normally
to Oak Grove. Cars will not be allowed in the Fleet Center area in Boston. The Reading Police
Department will have motorcycles and bicycles Patrolmen available. His main concern is after
4:00 p.m.when traffic will be backing up in Reading.. The Reading Police Department will try to
implement the reverse 911 to notify the community of changes.
The Town Manager noted that no road work will be done that week unless it is an emergency
and he is considering changing office hours for that week.
Extend Master Plan Committee Until July 1, 2005 — The Town Manager noted that the Master
Plan Committee will be reporting to the Selectmen in July, and he recommends extending their
term.
A motion by Anthony seconded by Duffy to extend the term of the Master Plan Committee
to July L 2005 was approved by a vote of 4-0-0 (Hines was not present).
Approval of Minutes
A motion by Anthony seconded by Wood to -approve the minutes of June 8, 2004, as
amended,was approved by a vote of 4-0-0 (Hines was not present).
A motion by Wood seconded by Anthony to approve the minutes of June 15, 2004 was
approved by a vote of 4-0-0(Hines was not present).
Board of Selectmen Meeting—June 22, 2004—Page S
A motion by Wood seconded by Anthony to approve the Executive Session minutes of May
18, 2004 was approved on a roll call vote with all Anthony, Duffy, Schubert and Wood
voting in the affirmative(Hine was not present
A motion by Hines seconded by Wood to adjourn the meeting of June 22, 2004 at 10:10
p.m.was approved by a vote of 5-0-0.
Resp ctfully submitted,
"Act
Secretary
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