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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-02-01 Board of Selectmen PacketNEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media contact: January 18, 2005 Jack Hoey 617-743-4760 john.p.hoey@verizon.com Verizon's New High-Fiber `Diet' for 19 Eastern Massachusetts Communities: Blazing-Fast Data, Crystal Clear Voice and Video Capability Yerizon Building Its Industry-Leading Fiber-to-the-Premises Network; Company's Transformational Technology to Benefit Residential and Business Customers, Boost Economic Development BOSTON - Verizon is bringing to 19 communities in Middlesex and Essex Counties one of the most significant advancements in telecommunications technology in the past 100 years. The company today announced it is building a fiber-optic network that will deliver faster data speeds, crystal clear voice and also has the capability to offer a full suite of video services to residence and business customers in Andover, Bedford, Belmont, Boxford, Burlington, Holliston, Hopkinton, Lexington, Lincoln; Lynnfield, North Reading, Natick, Newton, Reading, Sherborn, Topsfield, West Newbury, Winchester and Woburn. Verizon's all-fiber system is capable of carrying a competitive choice to the existing cable television providers. The company will seek a franchise agreement from the local authority before offering a cable-TV-type service in a selected community. Reading Town Manger Peter I. Hechenbleikner welcomed Verizon's FTTP efforts. "We're excited that Verizon has selected Reading for early implementation of its all-fiber network," he said. "This investment will improve existing services and offer additional services to Reading businesses and residents. "In the current climate of fast-paced changes, it is important that this community have the latest available technology infrastructure so that we stay competitively strong. We look forward to working with Verizon to expand the uses of this technology to benefit the entire town." Donna Cupelo, Verizon region president for Massachusetts and Rhode Island, said, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime transformation of the communications network in these communities." Known as fiber-to-the-premises, or FTTP, the fiber-optic network uses hair-thin strands of fiber and optical electronics to directly link homes and businesses to Verizon's network. The new network replaces the traditional copper-wire connections and will unleash a range of advanced communication services. "We are building the communications network of the future to provide customers unmatched network reliability, incredible speed and exciting new options for voice, data and video connections," said Cupelo. "Our FTTP project will help stimulate economic development and enhance our region as a great place to live and do business." yaz~ Although the use of fiber optics is common for long-distance and inter-city communications throughout the telecommunications industry, Verizon is one of the first major telecom companies to begin using it to directly connect homes and businesses to the network on a widespread scale. Verizon began building its FTTP network last year in parts of California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. The company today also announced plans to construct its FTTP network in parts of Rhode Island. To help build the network across the country, Verizon will hire between 3,000 and 5,000 new employees by the end of this year, including hundreds in Massachusetts. Fiber offers tremendous advantages to network operators, in addition to new and superior services for customers. For example, fiber offers reliable service in stretches of wet weather that can affect copper-based networks. "Verizon's fully fiber-optic network is technically superior to other communication platforms because it offers faster data speeds than those currently available, as well as voice and video capability," said Cheryl Mongell, Verizon market area president for New England. "Our fiber engineering creates a network that requires less day-to-day maintenance and allows faster repairs." Customer reaction to Verizon's new fiber-based Internet access service called FiOS (FYE'-ose) has been very positive, with broadband subscribers more than doubling in the company's inaugural FiOS market of Keller, Texas, just outside Dallas/Fort Worth. Verizon will notify customers when FiOS is available locally. qA3 - "FiOS has been an extraordinary hit with our first customers. People are literally lining up to get what they know is a fantastic service at an excellent price," said Mongell. "The need for speed and ability to take advantage of bandwidth-intensive applications remain a top priority for all computer users." There are three tiers of Verizon ROS Internet Sei vice for consumers: • 5 Mbps (megabits per second) downstream and 2 Mbps upstream. Suited for Internet surfing and basic computer functions. $34.95 a month as part of a calling package, or $39.95 a month stand-alone. • 15 Mbps downstream and 2 Mbps upstream. Appealing to families that have multiple computers and various needs such as media downloads and the ability to access or share large files. $44.95 a month as part of a calling package, or $49.95 a month stand-alone. • 30 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream. Designed for communications- intensive power users with significant bandwidth needs such as telecommuters or work-at-home households and avid online gamers. $199.95 a month. The FTTP initiative represents a natural extension of the more than 10 million miles of fiber-optic cable Verizon already has in place and extends the high capacity, speed and quality of fiber directly to the customer's doorstep. When customers want more capacity, higher speeds or future video services, Verizon will be able to provide them instantly through the use of FTTP technology. Verizon's digital subscriber line (DSL) service will remain the company's most widely available form of high-speed Internet access for the foreseeable future while the company ramps up FTTP deployment. The company offers DSL on a widespread basis in Massachusetts. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. With a diverse work force of approximately 208,000, Verizon has four `r business units: Domestic Telecom serves customers based in 29 states with wireline telecommunications services, including broadband, nationwide long-distance and other services. Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 42.1 million voice and data customers across the United States. Information Services operates directory publishing businesses and provides electronic commerce services. International includes wireline and wireless operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. q~ A'.50, * FIBER TO THE PREMISES For Verizon, Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) means a new network, new products, new systems, new processes and a new customer experience. In other words, FTTP is a competitive strategy that allows us to transform our business. For more than 10 years, we've been putting fiber in our network and moving it closer and closer to our customers' homes and businesses. FTTP is the next logical extension of this effort. As customers' "geed for speed" continues to grow, more and more applications will require greater bandwidth. FTTP is the right platform to deliver the next generation of communications services. THE MOS ADVANTAGE Our new suite of fiber-optic services over FT"I'P will be called Verizon FiOS` (FYE-ose). FTTP is an advanced fiber-optic technology that can be used to connect a home or business directly to Verizon's network. Fiber-optic systems use hair-thin strands of glass fiber and laser-generated pulses of light to transmit voice, data and video signals at speeds and capacities far exceeding today's systems. This new network will have greater reliability and lower maintenance costs. By deploying fiber to homes and businesses in our territory, Verizon is reinventing its wireline business. Q has publicly committed to leading our Q.ir~1?i..apie~ggar~ssi: By deployma FTTP, Verizon as pub Y g industry's transformation. Our deployment schedule is aggressive: • In 2004, we are deploying the new technology in more than 100 central offices across nine states. • We will pass about 1 million homes in 2004 and in 2005 we expect to pass 3 million homes. • In 2004, we are dedicating over $800 million in capital dollars to deploy FTTP. • We will install the new technology in two ways: directly connecting existing homes and businesses to the company's network as they order services that use the new technology (Overlay), and installing fiber-optic lines, instead of copper facilities, to new residential and business developments as they are being built (Greenfield). We began building our fiber network in parts of California, Florida and Texas. • In California, we will pass 100,000 homes and businesses with fiber technology in the Huntington Beach area and other parts of Southern California. • In Florida, we will pass 100,000 homes and businesses with fiber technology in the Tampa area and other parts of Hillsborough County. • In Texas, the first market for our FiOS service, we will pass 100,000 homes and businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including Keller. Additional locations will be announced as we get closer to launching fiber services in new markets. 3!s:ea :;:Jl'+~ra •.'';:t .tti In contrast to other broadband providers, Verizon's approach to FTTP recognizes that r ::.....::......:...:......:........:::........a.:.:..p............... broadband is truly interactive technology, with upstream capabilities playing just as key a role in consumers' online activities as downstream speeds. The FTTP network is capable of transmitting up to 622 megabits of data per second (622Mbps) and receiving 155 Mbps (shared by the customers on each fiber) with a separate path on the same fiber for video, allowing us to "leap frog" the transmission speeds offered by our competitors. Our FiOS service consists of three consumer broadband speeds - 5 Mbps downstream and 2 Mbps upstream (5 Mbps/2 Mbps), 15 Mbps/2 Mops and 30 Mbps/5 Mbps. z n will offer superior broadband speeds at 1'} f?vFrali#;cYipeare;a:.:: Egad: 51r#:::>G#omer ;With FiOS, Veno . very competitive prices along with existing wireline and wireless, local and long distance telephony services and eventually new video services - a new "Grand Slam" suite of products and services for Verizon customers. We began offering our FiOS consumer services in Keller, Texas, and are moving into other markets this year. Pricing for FiOS will be: • 5 Mbps/2 Mbps for $34.95 a month as part of a calling package, or $39.95 a month stand-alone. • 15 Mbps/2 Mbps for $44.95 a month as part of a calling package, or $49.95 a month stand-alone. • 30 Mbps/5 Mbps at pricing to be announced later. A new set of operations support systems will transform the customer experience. These e`I>l'~'~i~~"~aana~l~~:~~isiaa~~~~:.;;:•`;:riea~~c~~ new Web-based systems will allow our customers to choose how they receive services from us and control their services and features. This smart network will allow us to monitor service all the way to the desktop and discover system troubles before the customer is even aware there is a problem. The star feature of our fiber service will be a new "personal touch" experience where a specially trained Verizon technician will stay with the customer until the service is up and running in the customer's premises. 1€ 5 ie is t ' it €#t C) i >T31'0 N Jt7r,- z While the deployment of FTTP is a significant, multi-year program, DSL will continue to be an important part of our broadband strategy and the predominant Internet access product for our customers. In 2004, we will add 1.5 million new DSL customers and continue to update facilities to increase the availability of DSL. As we deploy FTTP, we will offer existing DSL customers and new broadband customers the opportunity to take advantage of the superior speed and product choices available through FTTP. October 2004 d q --a a 6 The New York Times Oct. 11, 2004 Phone Line Alchemy: Copper Into Fiber By Ken Belson KELLER, Tex. - Rick Montey and his two-worker crew want to present a new image of the local phone company: prompt, friendly and hands-on helpful. At the home of T. J. Smith here in this Fort Worth suburb, Mr. Montey helped choose an inconspicuous spot to bore a small hole through the side of the house for the fiber optic line that would enable Mr. Smith's son to download big computer files quickly for his graphic-design work and let his granddaughter pull video clips off the Internet. Three hours later, only after the Smiths knew how to use the new system, Mr. Montey and his crew pulled away in their Verizon Communications truck. The family paid nothing for the installation, beyond the $34.95 monthly fee for the high-speed fiber optic service - which they can drop at any time. The new offering is part of a multibillion-dollar bet by Verizon and the other Bell companies. They are gambling that by going door to door to replace century-old copper wire technology with high-speed fiber optic lines, they can hang onto their most valuable asset: a direct line into the home of each customer. Verizon and the other regional Bell companies are losing customers by the millions as people drop then old phone lines in favor of cellphones, e-mail and ever cheaper phone services from cable companies. To battle back, the phone companies are trying to outdo their archrivals, the cable companies, by installing a network of fiber optic lines to reach tens of millions of American homes - lines able to carry not only phone calls but television programming and Internet connections at six times the speed of cable company lines. In the process, the Bells hope to become a counterweight to cable companies that often operate as monopolies in their specific regions. "Without fiber, their customer base will evaporate," said Michael Render, president of Render, Vanderslice & Associates, a market research firm in Tulsa, Okla., that tracks fiber optic networks. "The world is changing too rapidly. Building fiber networks is a must-do." Though the service is available now only in this small town and a few other cities nationally, Verizon expects to make its fiber connections available to a million homes in parts of nine states by the end of the year. 4a~~ For all the billions of dollars Verizon and the other Bells plan to spend, success is far from assured and failure could be catastrophically expensive. Cable providers, with lines into 73 million homes, are a formidable opponent, particularly with their new Internet phone services. And it is not certain either that the Bells will be able to offer fiber-based services compelling enough to get customers to sign up, or whether future technologies will render all that expensive fiber obsolete. Still, if the Bells need any reminder of why they need to act now, they have only to look at AT&T. The old Ma Bell spun off the regional Bell companies more than 20 years ago to pursue a seemingly unfettered communications future, but it has fallen on such hard times that this summer AT&T decided to retreat almost entirely from the residential phone market. Despite the urgency, it will take years, if not decades, to wire every home with fiber. The Bells are starting first in suburbs and new communities, where access is easier. In cities like New York, the Bells are likely to bring fiber only to the basements of multi-story buildings, not all the way to each individual apartment, and then use existing copper lines to bridge the gap. As the telephone companies embark on this most ambitious rewiring of America since the old Bell System strung copper lines from telephone poles early last century, they know that today's competitive market will not let them approach their job as the regulated monopolists of yore. They have to keep appointments, rather than expecting consumers to wait home all day for the phone truck to chive up. They no longer mail customers Internet-access gear and expect them to figure out how to install it, as the Bells have often done in recent years with their high-speed D.S.L. service. And in this hotly competitive era, they are not charging an installation fee - even though the job, in equipment and labor, can easily cost $1,000 or more a home. "I've never thought of myself as a salesman," said Mr. Montey, a 25-year Verizon veteran, "It's the biggest challenge in my career." Within weeks of AT&T's decision to back away from the household market, Verizon, the biggest Bell company, began offering its fist residential fiber service to customers here in Keller, a town of 30,000 people 15 miles north of Fort Worth. From April to August, Verizon contractors dug up Keller's neatly laid streets and buried fiber optic cables that connect to the Verizon central switching station in town. Customers like Jim and Margaret Archer are the types of Keller residents that give Verizon hope. The Archers struggled for years to send e-mail and search the Web with their pokey Internet connection through a dial-up modem and a regular phone line. Their house was too far fiom Verizon's central switching office to get a faster digital subscriber line. A So when Verizon began burying fiber cable in their neighborhood, the Archers jumped to order the service. "Now we've got the good stuff," said Mrs. Archer, 61, a part-time paralegal. Next year, they hope to dump their satellite dish when Verizon begins selling TV programming via the fiber network to compete with the local cable TV provider. Fiber, which carries digital information as pulses of light rather than electric current, is not new. For years, phone carriers have been laying fiber between their municipal switching stations, on long-distance routes and across oceans. But only now are the regional Bell companies, having lost 16.3 percent of their local-line customers in just the last four years, laying fiber to residences. Nationwide, only 146,500 homes have been connected to fiber, said Mr. Render, the market researcher. That number is up fiom 64,700 homes in September 2003, Mr. Render said. The numbers should continue growing. Verizon plans to spend $3 billion to offer fiber service to three million homes nationally by the end of 2005. SBC, dominant in the Southwest and the Midwest, and BellSouth. big in the Southeast, have also been installing fiber to homes in newly built neighborhoods in their regions. In older areas, they are taking fiber to switching stations or to the curb, and relying on old copper lines to reach the house, a strategy that may reduce connection speeds. To build a nationwide fiber network comparable to the cable industry's, the Bells would have to spend at least $100 billion, or $1,000 a home, exper ts say. But so far, the companies have committed themselves to spending only about $10 billion, before determining whether further outlays make sense. And even that amount has raised alarm bells on Wall Street, where investors remain wary of costly projects. Still, the experience of running fiber cable past every home in Keller and selling services to consumers has given Verizon a taste of what may follow. Early indications are that customers like the price: as little as $34.95 for one of the fastest Internet lines, a price comparable to what cable companies charge for considerably slower connections. Getting the service to consumers is another matter. In Texas and other states with flat expanses, workers typically bury the fiber using boring machines that often lay the lines near the older copper cables. In places where the terrain is hilly or rocky, lines are strung from poles, a faster, cheaper process, although one that leaves the fiber line susceptible to storms. After a customer puts in an order, Verizon sends a crew to connect the main fiber line to the side of the customer's home. Then another installation crew, like the one led by Mr. Montey, connects the fiber to equipment inside and outside the house. This is a new kind of work for Mr. Montey. For decades, phone companies have operated as stodgy utilities, with little need to improve customer service. With fiber, they have to turn themselves into retailers. Phone workers, accustomed to splicing lines and hanging 3 from phone poles, are now spending hours teaching customers about their broadband connections, even becoming PC advisers because so many home computers are riddled with viruses. The company said it was too early to say how many homes in Keller had subscribed to the service, although it said it had received up to 80 orders a day. Verizon is now laying fiber in Dallas County, Tex.; Huntington Beach, Calif.; Tampa, Fla.; and in parts of six other states. The company has not announced the additional six states, but said most are in the Northeast. Analysts have said the list includes New York and New Jersey. Because it has been swallowing the installation costs, Verizon is eager to use the fiber to start selling television programming, which analysts say will be comparable in price to many basic cable packages. To do so, Verizon and the other phone companies are having to negotiate contracts with networks, buy the equivalent of cable TV franchises from municipalities and sell advertising to fill their air time. Despite its high installation costs, fiber could be a money-saver in the long run, since glass fibers require less electricity and maintenance than copper cables. By 2008, Verizon's fiber network could save the company about $1 billion annually in operating costs, according to analysts. ( SBC, which is running fiber cable only to newly built homes and neighborhood switching stops in older areas, will get only 70 percent of the savings that Verizon's network is expected to achieve, but it will spend only half as much time and money on the project, according to Ernie Carey, the chief of SBC's $6 billion fiber installation project. The continued reliance on copper for the final link to the homes of consumers makes sense to some experts, who say improvements in software compression and Internet connection technology make to-the-home fiber unnecessary. They point to companies in Japan and South Korea that are already selling high-speed Internet connections and video over copper networks. No matter how much fiber they bury, the Bells cannot be complacent because the cable companies will continue to market their own services. "The cable guys are not going to wait three or four years" for the Bell companies to catch up, said Jeffiey Halpern, an industry analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. "The Bells need a revolutionary change, not an evolutionary change." 4 oF~Fgbf~c 'T'own of Reading 16 Lowell Street , `moo s ~wq Reading, MA 01867-2685 E39 INCOV?0 FAX: (617) 942-9070 MEMORANDUM TO: Tax Classification Task Fence FROM: Peter 1. Hechenbleikner DATE: September 1, 1993 RE: Review of Issues - Tax Classification TOWN MANAGER (617) 942-9043 During the Prop 2 1/2 Override discussion, it was suggested that a detailed review of the issue of tax classification should be made prior to the Selectmen's hearing on this issue in late Oc- tober. With the blessings of the Board of Selectmen, I am hereby estab- lishing a Task. Force to do this review. In determining the people to be on the Task Force, I have tried to think of all,. who might have interest or concern in °-this- issue. The following are appointed as the members of the Task Force: 1. Board of Selectmen member - Bill Burditt 2. Chamber of Commerce member - 3. Member of the Tax Payers Association - Steven Cool 4. Board of Assessors member - Bob Nordstrand 5. Finance Committee member - Dick Coco 6. Finance Director - Beth Klepeis 7. CPDC member - Bill Goodrich 8. Middlesex Board of Realtors member -.David Arley The charge to the committee will be: - to review the issue of tax classification;' - to thoroughly understand the short and long range impacts of tax classification; - to understand what other communities of.comparable size and economic make up are doing with regard to tax class- ification; and - to make a report to the Board of Assessors which will then be presented with the Assessor's report to the Board of Selectmen. The Task Force work needs to be done no later than October 15 in order to be considered as part of the required hearing process that the Board of Selectmen will have on the issue of tax clas- sification. David Billard, the Appraiser, will provide staff support to the Task Force. o q0 Reading 1993 Tax Classification October 7, 1.993 Page 2 of xx Task Force Report TNDEX Section 1 Conclusions of the Task Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx Section 2 Task Force formation and meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . xx Section 3 Task Force membar.s xx Section 4 Previous cons idarations of tax class.if.icati.on in Reading xx Section 5 Tax classification in other communities . . . . . . . . . xx Section 6 Effects of tax classi.f.i.cati.on on other communities . . . . xx Section 7 Possible effects of tax classification on Reading . . . . . xx' Section 8 Determining the property tax rata . . . . . . . . . . . . . XX Section 9 Short range impart of tax classification on Reading . . . . xx Section 10 Tong range impact of tax r.lassif.ic.ation on Reading ; xx Appendix A Statements and submissions of individual Task Force members Appendix B Charge to the Task Force Appendix C Records of the Task Forr.e Appendix D Benefits received for property tax paid Appendix E Background - Reading Appendix F Background - Other cities and towns Appendix G Bibliography 14 Reading 1993 Tax Classification October 7, 1.993 Page 3 of xx Task Force Report SECTION 1 Conclusions of the Task Force It is the majority view of the Tax Classification Task Force that the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Reading should not adopt; classification in setting property tax rates, and shor.tld retain a single tax rate for both residential and CIP (commercial)lproperty, io Reasons underlying this conclusi..on have been outlined by individual Task Force members in this report in individual. statements (sae Appendix A), but generally include. issues of practicality and fairness, One Task Force member., Mr, ('ono, recommended that th? Board o.f. Selectmen adopt classification, as explained in hi.s st.at.emenl- (sae Appendix A), It is the view of the Task Force that the greatest possible benefit to Reading in the foreseeable future will result from selling certain Town-owned properties. Their sale would both provide substantial revenue to the Town in the near term and would provide growth in Reading's tax base, increasing its available tax levy under Proposition 2 1/2, and thus providing greater tax revenues without necessarily incr.easi.ng tax payments for existing residential and commercial property owners. SECTION 2 Task Force formation and meetings The Tax Classification Task Force was formed by Reading Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner in early September, 1993, p,irsi.tant to the wisher, of the Board of Selectmen. (See Appendix A, "Charge to the Task Force", The Task Force conducted meetings which were open to the public on Sept. 2, Sept, 9, Sept, 27 and October. 7, 1993r Gvvk ddWLLV (c?' lqv Jd qv~ ~ / 3 1 q 0 3- Reading 1,993 Tax Classification October 7, 1.993 page x of xx Task Force Report SECTT.ON 3 Task Force members Task Force Chairman: Stevan Conl Task Force Secretary: El.i zabfth Kl epFi s Members: Bill Burditt Member, Reading Board of Selectmen Richard Coco Chairman, Reading Finance Committee Steven Cool Chairman, Reading Taxpayers Association William Goodrich Member, Reading Community Planning and Development Commission David Hurley Member, Middlesex Board of Realtors Elizabeth Klepeis Finance Director., Town of Reading Robert Nor.dstrand Chairman, Reading Board of Assessors Mollie Ziegler Secretary, Reading Board of Assessors (Representing Mr. Nordstrand at first and second Task Force meetings) Brad Latham Member, Reading Chamber of Commerce Vincent Gatto Member, Reading Chamber of.Commerce Michael Linnane Vice President, Reading Chamber of Commerce Administrative support: David Bil.lard Assessor, Town of Reading L4 c 14 % t Reading 1,993 Tax 01. assification October. 7, 1993 Page x of xx Task Force Report SF,C'TTON 4 Previous considerations of tax- classification in Reading The Board of Selectmen conducts a p1.ihlic hearing and considers the issue of tax classification annually in Oc.tohor or November before setting the real. estate tax rate for the cixrrent fiscal. year, The Town of Reading has never adopted the tax classi.fi.c.ation option and has always applied a single tax rate to both residential and commercial property. Minutes of the xxxxxxxxxx, 1992 Board of Selectmen reporting on their deliberation are included in Appendix X, L[C 5 " Reading 1993 Tax Classificatio-n October T, 1993 Page x of xx Task'Force Report SECTTON a Tax classification in other, communities Tax classification has been adopted by approximately 30% of the cities and towns throughout Massachusetts, The.shifts noted by the Task Force ranged from a low of 5% in Chelmsford to highs of 50% im Wakefield and 70% in Loxington. Lexington is an exceptional. case, a 'o*n= aFr~. See Append Aices X and G for information and data regarding the values of residential and commercial properties, tax rates for each type and other information for the cities and towns of Massachusetts, SECTION 6 Effects of.'tax classification on other communities The Task Force foi.tnd no objective study of the effect on property values, business activity, tax revenues and siceh in commi.ini.ti es which have adopted tax classification. Information and reports seem to be largely anecdotal and subjective, and are apt to be biased by the views and interests of persons and organizations expressing opinions. The Task Force cannot identify significant di.ract cacise-and•-effect cases in the experience of other cities and towns which have adopted tax classification in recent years. Tt appears that the general. ennomie cl.i.mate, availability of real estate and office space and other factors woial.d seriously complicate such a study. ~c~ Reading 1993 Tax Classification October 7, 1993 Page x of xx Task For.cP Report RCTTON 7 Possible effects of tax classification on Reading The total amount of property tax collected by Reading (the tax levy) is limited by Proposition 2 1/2, and is unaffected by whether or not Reading adopts tax classification, Adopting tax classification only affects the share of the total tax paid by residential, and commercial-taxpayers, Just over 90% of property value in Reading is residential - less than 10% is commercial: Value of residential properties: $1,240,608,666 = 90.18 % Value of commercial properties: 135,029,934 = 9.82 % Total property value: $1,375,638,600 Total Town of Reading tax levy to be paid by residential and commercial property owners: $ 20,689,604 Thus, under tax classification, Pact $1 property tar saving for a residential property owner would cost the owner of a commerr.ial property of the same value aproximately $9,20 in additional property tax. Further, since the approximate average val,Ye of a residential property in Reading is $160,000 and that of a rommPrrial property is $630,000, each $1 saving for the owner of an average-va.l»e residential property would cost the owner of an average-value commercial property approximately $36. Under tax classification, the greatest possible tax rate reduction for Reading residential property would be 82 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value, which would cost an addi.ti.onal. $7.52 per thousand for commerical property, By adopting the maximum allowable shift of taxes from residential to commercial property under tax classification, example savings and costs would be as follows: A residential property Property tax Property tnx Effect at current under tax under tax rate ($15:04) classification classification (Maximum shift) (Max. shift) valued at $160,000: $2,406 . , $ 2,275 $ 131 less A commercial. property valued at $160,000: 2,406 3,610 1,204 more A commercial property valued at $630,000: 9,475 14,213 4,738 more e (Continued, ) Reading 1993 Tax Classification pc;toher. 7, 1993 Page 2 of xx Task Forco. Report An important. practi.cal consideration regarding tax r.lassi.ficati.on is the damaging effect which it could hava on the Towns efforts to sell certain Town-owned properties to developers, including: - xxxxxxxxxx (the former landfill) - Bear Hill - xxxxxxxxxx Another consideration is the effect which a higher commercial tax rate would have on the willingness of current property owners to improve and/or expand current developments and structures. Lf c9 ' Reading 1993 Tax Classification October 7, 1993 Page x of xx Task Force Report SFOPMN 8 Determining the property tax rate The tax rate per thousand dollars of assefised value is computed by dividing the total tax levy for a class of property by the total value of that class: $20,689,604 - $15.04 per ",,1000 of assess property value 1.,375,638,600 at Reading's r.7.ir.rent single rate Under tax classification, the property tax rates would be as follows for various shift factors from the minimum {0%, the present state) to the maximum (150%, the maximum allowed): Share of property tax ........paid by........ .........Rate.......... Shift Residential Commercial Residential Commercial 100 % 90.18 % 9,82 % "15.04 $15.04 110 89,20 10180 14.88 1.6.54 1.20' 88,22' 1.1.78 14.71. 18.05 130 87.24 12,76 14.55 19.55 140 86,26 13.74 14.39 21.06 150 85.28 14.72 .1.4.22 22,56 For example, to compute the propor.ty tax rate for, a 150% shift under tax classification: Commercial share,: 14.72% = 9,82% x 150% (approx.) Residential share: 100% - .1.4.72% = 85,28% Commercial rate calculation! 14.72% x $20,689,604 = $ 3,045,510 to be paid by commercial properties 3,045, 510 = $22.55 per. $1000 (approx.) 1.35,029, 934 Residential rate calculation: 85,28% x $20,.689,604 = $17,644,094 to be paid by residential properties 17,644,094 = $14.22 per. ,$1.000 (approx.) 1,240,608,666 . . --q C, Reading 1.993 Tax Classification October 7, 1991 Page x of xx Task Force Report SE,CTTON 9 Short range impact of tax classification on Reading It is the opinion of the Task Force that in the short term - the next 2 to 3 years - that adoption of tax classification and separate tax rates could have the following effects: Complicate and dOl.ay the sale of Town owned property. - Inhibit investment by current commercial property owners in rebuilding, expanding and improving current properties and premises. - Cause businesses which are unproflt.ab.le or only borderline profitable to decide to close in Reading. - Increase turnover in business property usage and occupancy. - Benefit residential property owners only slightly. - Increase the number of appeal.,,.; by commercial rage taxpayers for abatements, which would regiii.re the Town to expend funds to address those appeals. SECTION 10 Long range impact of tax classification on Reading It is the opinion of the Task Force that the effect of.,tax classification on Reading beyond 2 to 3 years would be substantially the same as the short-term effect unless a significant change in the composition of residential and commercial property occurs (e.g., due to development. of presently idle property), Should Reading.decide to adopt tax classification in the future it should be noted that a state law allowing t:he. exemption from tax classification of businesses smaller than a certain employment level may be available (see Appendix X). This would shelter small businesses from the effects of a tax rate shift and rrnuld act.jxally, ef.'1r-them, since they mi.gh~ tynxad~t the,. resienti. 1- i cl`urder tax cl.ass~ F op% s ubsidi zed~by commercial taxpavers. Y-kg,e c .`;--Glf p . , . pre.. el . b~ Reading 1993 Tax Classification Ortoher 7, 1991 Page A-1 of xx Task Force Report Appendix A Statements and submissions of individual Task Force members Each Task force member and participant was requested to submit any or all of the following for inclusion in this report,, - A statement of his or her personal observations and/or position on the issue of tax classification; - A statement of the observations and/or position of the group or organization which he or she represented; - Any other information which he/she felt would benefit this report. Each person was asked to state expA c:itly if his or her position differed from that of the group or organization which he or she represented. Such submissions appear either in this appendix or., appropriately identified elsewhere'in this report. Submissions in this section appear in alphabetical order by member or participant's name, Reading 1993 Tax Classification October 7, 1993 Page B-1 of xx Task Force Report Appendix R Charge to the Task For.r.e The following memo.randiam and accompanying information and materials were prepared and presented to Task Force members; by Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner at the first meeting of the Task Force on September. 9, 1993, Reading 1993 Tax Classification October 7, 199:3 Page C--1 of xx Task Force Report Appendix C Records of the Task Force The Task Force held four open meetings at Town Hall; September 2, 9 and 27 and October. 7, 1993, The agenda and minutes of each meeting follows. The original. of this report and papers and records of the Task Force will. be filed with the Reading Town Clerk upon conclusion of the work of the Task Force. ~G~3. Reading 1993 Tax Classification October 7, 1993 Page D-1 of xx Task Force Report Appendix D Benefits received for property tax paid The Task Force studied and considered differences in significant direct benefits (town services and resources) received by residential and commercial. property owners in return for property taxes paid, The Task Force found two significant differences, both benefitting residential property owners; - Commercial property taxpayers receive no direct benefit from the portion of property taxes paid which support schools, - Commerci.ai property taxpayers do not receive trash collection. When examining town services such as fire, police, publid works and such the Task Force found mainly negligible differpnces in favor of residential or commercial properties, 14 C/ J(4 a Reading 1993 Tax Classification October 7, 1993 Page F-l of xx Task, Force Report Appendix F Background - Other cities and towns Information from the State of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Massachusetts Municipal Association and other groups. ~GIL Reading 1993 Tax Classification October 7, 1993 Task Force Report Appendix G Bibliography Page G-1 of xx The following are documents and sources of information relating to tax classification. Unless otherwise noted, a copy of parr document has either been included in this report or filad,with the Reading Town Clerk.(see Appendix C). pct . Annual Town Meeting March 21, 1966 d On motion of C..Dewey Smith it was voted to place Article 2 on the table. ARTICLE 3. On motion of Philip R. White it was voted that the Moderator be and hereby is instructed to appoint a Committee of five citizens to be known as the Town Government Action Committee and that said Committee be and hereby is instructed to prepare appropriate Articles to be inserted in a warrantor warrants for a Town Meeting or Town Meetings to bring before such Town Meeting or Town Meetings for consideration and action the several recommendations contained in the report made by the Town Government Study Committee. ARTICLE 3. On motion of Robert S. Cummings it was voted that a, committee, to be comprised of the Town AccountaiLt, the Collector of Taxes and three persons appointed by the Moderator, be appointed to study and report to Town Meeting as soon as possible upon the possible utilization of data processing and like equipment by all the various departments and boards of town government. ARTICLE 3. On motion of C. Dewey Smith it was voted that a com- mittee of three citizens be appointed by the Moderator to be known as L the Land Bank Committee for the Town of Reading for the purpose of in- vestigating land now owned or subsequently acquired by the Town and to advise and report to the Board of Selectmen probable values and use and disposition of such properties. ARTICLE 3. On motion of Donald C. Dolben it was voted that it being the consensus of the Town Meeting to confirm the recommendation of the Reading Municipal Light Department Formula Study Committee, the Reading Municipal Light; Board be hereby requested to follow the new formula of 50% of net profits as the payment to the Town in lieu of taxes, beginning with the 1967 payment. ARTICLE 3. On motion of Herbert F. Gent, Jr., it was voted that the following persons be chosen to serve as Measurers of Lu9nber for the ensuing year: Harold B. Currell Maurice H. Donegan and that the following persons be chosen to serve as Measurers of Wood and Bark for the ensuing year: Harold B. Cur.&ell Maurice H. Donegan ARTICLE 3. Robert M. Graham moved that the Assessors be hereby instructed to revalue all personal property, where allowed by law, within the Town, said revaluation to be completed before June 30, 1966. This motion was lost. On motion of C. Dewey Smith it was voted to place Article 3 on the table. ARTICLE 4. On motion of C. Dewey Smith it was voted that the sum of One Hundred Forty Thousand Nine Hundred Seventy-nine and 40/100 Dollars ($140,979.40) be raised and appropriated for General Govern- ment as follows, each item being considered as a separate appropriation: Selectmen's Clerical $ 31450.00 Selectmen;s Expense 2,500.00 LAI~* Town Accountant's Salary 7,532.00 Board of Selectmen Meeting December 4, 2004 The meeting convened at 1:00 p.m. at the Senior Center, 49 Pleasant 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, and the following list of interested parties: Paul Pirain, Joanne Senders, Beverly Daly, Paul Feely, Grossi Family, Kemzeally Family, Robert Brown, George Koutsoufis, Terry and Andy Bramhall, Mark and Tora Giardina, Joan Kingston, Virginia and Charles Adams, Peter and Ingrid Liebermann, Steve McLaughlin, Asha Kamat, Susanne Martin, Bonita Rup, Jim Quigley, Joyce Kirk, Ken and Gail Toomajian, Lisa and Geoffrey Howie. The meeting was open for residents to present comments and concerns that they had about traffic in the "John Street' neighborhood. Notices of the meeting were sent to all property owners in the area bounded by Salem Street, Main Street, the railroad track and the Wakefield Town Line. The following is a summary of the comments which were made: ♦ A question was raised regarding the adequacy of the 300-foot notification requirements for meetings. The concern was that with large projects, people do not know what is going on and that the notification requirements should be expanded. Also that boards and coma-nittees need to protect the public interest. v A new access road through to either Ash Street or Goodall Sanford.Road should be investigated. o Truck traffic has been observed turning around in John Street and/or Lakeview Avenue. ® A general concern was expressed about cut through traffic and speeding in the neighborhood. 0 Traffic from Jordan's causes backups onto 128. ® There used to be a stop sign at the bottom of the 128 ramp that is now a yield. o Car carriers at 128 Ford are unloading on Walkers Brook Drive forcing traffic to the left. ♦ There is inadequate signage at the lane drop at General Way. ♦ It was noted that the corner of Washington Street and Village Street is dangerous. ♦ Saturday and Sunday traffic is the worst. Residents have observed trucks cutting down Green Street, Village Street and John Street. sa~• Board of Selectmen Meeting, - December 4. 2004 - PaLle 2 ♦ The timing of the light at Washington Street and Main Street does not allow enough green time for Washington Street westbound. ♦ There was a complaint about trucks using Washington Street at night. ♦ The speed limit should be lowered on Washington Street. ♦ Traffic cuts through the neighborhood on Elliot Street and Village Street when Washington Street backs up. ♦ The Town should use our traffic consultant to evaluate neighborhood issues and solutions. ♦ Do not enter signs on Elliot Street and Village Street was suggested. ♦ Saturday cut through traffic from Salem to Walkers Brook Drive is a problem. ♦ . A right turn only coining out of General Way was suggested. ♦ The traffic lights at the Home Depot provide too much green for the development and not enough for Walkers Brook Drive. ♦ The Town should work towards a Washington Street bypass. ♦ The Town needs to look at the broader picture rather than using a band-aid approach. ♦ Another resident complained about lack of notification. ♦ There is a lack of sidewalks in the neighborhood. ♦ The Town needs to develop a master plan of the area. ♦ Concerns were expressed about children's safety in the neighborhood. ♦ A shuttle system should be provided from this area to the Downtown and Depot. ♦ The Town should consider removing the Do Not Enter signs on Salem Street. ♦ Pedestrian traffic needs to be taken into consideration. ♦ Development is causing us to lose sight of the Town's character. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv. the Board of Selectmen voted to adjourn their meetinty of December 4. 2004 at 2:40 p.m. by a vote of 5-0-0.. Respectfully submitted, Secretary S°-y, Board of Selectmen Meeting December 14, 2004 The meeting convened at 7:35 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 Engineer Joe Delaney, Human Resources Administrator Carol Roberts, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleilmer, Paula Schena and the following list of interested parties: Attorney Mark Gallant, Attorney Mark Favaloro, Bill Brown, Tony D'Arezzo, Frank Driscoll, Ann. Hartstein, Preston Lucas, Elaine Stone, Frank Postma, Robin Shea, Martha Reedy, Rick Camusu, Arnold Rubin, John Diaz, Allan Fuller, Doug Neary. Reuorts and Comments Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments - Selectman George Hines handed out notes from the traffic meeting the Selectmen had on December 4, 2004. He noted that short-terin solutions include having the Police Department prepare an enforcement plan, evaluate needs for crosswalks, request local companies to direct their trucks to main routes, pursue land acquisition options to improve roadway access, move lane reduction sign, check cycling of Jordan I s/Home Depot traffic signal, find an alternate to 128 Sales unloading cars into traffic and sign the curve on Washington Street. Long-term solutions include initiate a crosswalk program, create a policy for public notification that is greater than 300 feet, and conduct a traffic study of Elliot/Green/ Village/John Street. Selectman George Hines also announced that he will not be running for re-election after 15 years of service on the Board. Selectman Joseph Duffy noted that Jim Blomley from the RMLD is retiring. He also noted that the Light Department is trying to combine the Accountant and Business Manager positions. He noted that the Eastern East Neighborhood Alliance are concerned about children being bussed to Killam. Chairman Richard Schubert noted that he attended the, school redistricting meeting last week and it was very educational. The School Committee will be making a final decision by the end of January. Selectman Gail Wood noted that the School Committee is continuing to lobby for sidewalks on Franklin Street but there are other areas in Town who also need them. She also announced that she will not be running for re-election. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony noted that she will be attending a meeting of the Audit Committee tomorrow night. Public Comment - Bill Brown thanked George Hines and Gail Wood for their time served in Town Government. Board of Selectmen Meeting - December 14. 2004 - Page 2 The Town Manaeer's Report The Town Manager gave the following report: Nomination papers are now available for Town Officers. 50 signature for officers and 10 in precinct for Town Meeting Members. Nominations papers are due back in the Town Clerk's Office by 5:00 p.m. on February 15th. o RCTV is experiencing technical difficulties with the local channels. The malfunctioning equipment is Comcast's, and RCTV is working with Comcast to get the problems resolved. All chamiels are working now thanks to Comcast's response. o The bond issue and sale of BANS is going to be on December 20th at 11:00 a.m. We will receive $6,180,131 in State payments on Barrows and Wood End on January 5, 2005. We are, therefore, selling $6,480,000 in long tenn debt and will borrow $8,686,000 in BANS. The $6,480,000 includes $1,000,000 in debt on the Water Treatment Plant. The remainder is school debt. The BANS are a combination of school debt and water main projects. The Selectmen can meet anytime between, December 21st and January 4th to approve the sale and sign the papers. o The Water Resources Commission has approved the Interbasin Transfer at its meeting on December 9, 2004 by a vote of 7-2. This is the first step in the approval process of purchasing MWRA water. Kerry Mackin, Executive Director of the Ipswich River Watershed Association, continued to vehemently oppose approval by the WRC. o Castine Field flooding - see update. o Maplewood Village regulatory agreements are ready for signature by the Chairman. Town Counsel has extensively reviewed them. The Town Manager noted that Arnold Rubin, the owner of Atlantic Mart, is present and is requesting the Board to approve a revised floor plan for this liquor license. Selectman Joseph Duffy recused himself because his son is the Manager of Atlantic. Chairman Richard Schubert noted that he had received phone calls regarding what is on the floor is not what was presented. He asked if there is surveillance covering all of the areas. Anlold Rubin indicated that there is, and he also has a computerized system to control age and time of sale. Chairman Richard Schubert noted that the original plan had seven auxiliary locations and the new plan has 17. Arnold Rubin noted that he took some away because people were tripping into them. A motion by Wood seconded by Hines to approve Atlantic's license to operate a liauor store under the plan presented on December 14. 2004 until Januarv ll. 2005 was approved by a vote of 3-1-0. with Schubert opposed. Selectman Joseph Duffy rejoined the meeting. Discussion/Action Items Intersection at Walkers Brook Drive and General Way - The Town Manager noted that he met with the applicant and staff and there was a community input meeting on traffic. 5~~ Board of Selectmen Meeting - December 14. 2004 - Page 3 Attorney Mark Favaloro noted that the plan had been modified slightly. It is designed to prevent a left hand turn going out, and there will be a left turn signal coming in. The design is to make people take a right turn onto Walkers Brook Drive and keep traffic on Route 128 and Route 28. Town Engineer Joe Delaney noted that he recommended a right turn, two lanes. The left turn signal will only happen when there is cueing. John Diaz noted that eliminating the left turn addresses the issue of traffic going into the neighborhood. Selectman George Hines asked if this is doubled with an exit at Goodall Sanford, and Attorney Favaloro indicated that it is. Attorney Favaloro noted that this is the same plan as the Northshore Shopping Center with signs. Vice Chainnan Camille Anthony asked where the westbound cut down from two to one lane is. Selectman George Hines noted that there will have to be signage and enforcement. Chairman Richard Schubert suggested a physical obstacle; i.e., stamped asphalt or concrete and Selectman Gail Wood agreed. The Town Manager noted that the four lane cross section is to shift the roadway. General Way was a two lane exit and should be a one lane exit. Selectman George Hines asked if the island will be raised, and the Town Manager indicated that it would. Allan Fuller, owner of Boston Stove, 25 Walkers Brook Drive, noted that Danis will be impeding on his property but he hasn't spoken to him about this issue. A Washington Street resident noted that this is a concession by the applicant and a much better plan than before. Doug Neary of 155 Village Street noted that if cars back up, he won't be able to get out of his driveway. His property is 70 feet from the stop line. Selectman George Hines indicated that the light will be green most of the time. John Diaz noted that the green arrow will happen only after a significant line up. The majority of the cars will turn on a green ball. The Town Manager suggested that the Board approve the overall design now and to come back when it is fully designed. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony asked Mr. Danis if he was willing to do something; i.e., special lighting to indicate that people are going from a business district to a residential district. Mr. Danis indicated that he is willing to put a physical barrier in the pavement but that's it. He noted that the landfill development has affected the neighborhood more than his development will. He also noted that he has been working with the Town on a skateboard park and has also held up his project. 5,x"3 Board of Selectmen Meeting - December 14. 2004 - Page 4 A motion by Hines seconded by Wood to approve the concept plans for improvement to the intersection of General Wav and Walkers Brook Drive as submitted in the Conceptual Improvement Plan "A". Walkers Brook Drive/General Avenue Intersection revised December 14.2004" subiect to the following conditions: ♦ The plan shall be modified to provide for a four lane cross section on Walkers Brook Drive east of General Wav so configured that the southernmost lane is an extension of the northbound exit lane from General Wav: ♦ General Wav_ shall be marked to indicate that the northbound lane is a single lane: ♦ Final plans shall be submitted to the Town Engineer for final approval prior to construction. The developer will pav the cost of review of the signal design by the peer review consultant: ♦ Construction on the intersection and signal shall be completed within six months of the issuance of all permits reouired for development of the premises. plus the expiration of all applicable anneal periods and/or favorable resolution of all apbeals. or at the time of occupancv of the first 50.000 souare feet of space. whichever date is first: o The applicant and tenants on the site shall direct all truck traffic entering the site to use the Goodall Sanford Road access if coming from Main Street or the west. and the General Wav access from Walkers Brook Drive if coming from the east including the Route 128: ♦ The applicant shall use best efforts to develop. at his cost. a full service access roadway to New Crossing Road when either of the abutting properties to the east is developed: ♦ The applicant shall fullv cooperate with the Town and other parties to develop reasonable alternate access connecting Walkers Brook Drive with Main Street provided that such alternate access does not adverselv impact applicants use of the premises. Such cooperation may include donation of land. development of plans. and all other things necessarv to develop such access: ♦ The designated island area shall be raised: ♦ The applicant shall ensure that issues relating to the abutting property Boston Stove) are addressed: ♦ Final plans and analvsis shall be brought back to the Board of Selectmen for final approval; was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Final Report - Memorial Park Committee - Preston Lucas, Chairman of the Memorial Park Study Committee, was present to submit the final report. He noted that the Committee recommends that the Selectmen clarify the intent of the grantors of the Deed by viltue of a' cy pres agreement with the following conditions: o Allow community events that would be acceptable, to be scheduled by the Recreation Committee or the Recreation Administrator under the general direction of the Park Commissioners; ♦ Allow practice tunes for league teams as determined by the Recreation Committee or the Recreation Administrator, under the general direction of the Park Commissioners; 6 kq 10 Board of Selectmen Meeting - December 14. 2004 - Paae 5 o Allow opened unassigned space in Memorial Park to be determined by the Recreation Committee or the Recreation Administrator for use at the community at large. This space may contain a "life" course or, whatever, to be determined proper by the Recreation Committee or the Recreation Administrator, under the general direction of the Park Commissioners; and o Not allow scheduled league games between intra-town or out-of-town teams that would require the fencing or lining of the field. Preston Lucas noted that most of the comments they received on the surveys were about parking and improvements to the playground and tennis court area. The Town Manager noted that the Board received correspondence from David Chase who indicates that he has no problem with the children playing at Memorial Park. Selectman George Hines noted that this was one of the best reports he had read. He also noted that at the public hearing, there were people who spoke in favor of the park and the need for open space and parks in Reading. Selectman Gail Wood noted that there were also comments regarding overuse of the park. Elaine Stone of 65 Harrison Street noted that the main concern was overuse. She requested that a designated size of open space be available to the abutters and people who use it for picnics, etc. A motion by Wood seconded by Hines to accept the final report of the Ad Hoc. Memorial Park Use Review Committee was annroved by a vote of 5-0-0. Human/Elder Services Studv Presentation - Consultant Arne- Hartstein and Htunan Resources Administrator Carol Roberts were present. The Town Manager noted that Ann Hartstein met with staff and the community. If the Board approves the blueprint, then he will start the hiring process. Arai Hartstein noted that she interviewed 20 individuals including members of the Board of Selectmen, Council on Aging, Town Departments, providers and Town staff. She then reviewed the services that the Town of Reading has available. The Town Manager noted that the Council on Aging did a survey in the past 18 months, and the results did not find a large demand for services not being met. Ms. Hartstein noted that her recommendations include regular meetings with providers and administrators, community wide planning, use resources more effectively, identify potential crisis and identify unmet needs. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony asked if we have case managers. Ms. Hartstein indicated that we do with different providers. The Town Manager noted that the role of Town Govermnent is to coordinate case management, not to do case management ourselves. He also noted that Mystic Valley has a legal responsibility to provide services and the VNA also gets government money. V~ 0 Board of Selectmen Meeting - December 14. 2004 - Page 6 Ms. Hartstein noted that unmet needs include lack of coordination of transportation, employment services, coordinating potential volunteers and information and referral. She suggests convening quarterly meetings with the Elder Services staff, Police, Fire and the Health Division. She also noted that protocols should be set up with Police and Fire regarding assistance that is available. For staffing recommendations, she suggested that the job description for the Elder Services Administrator needs to be clarified. Hire an Administrator with Elder Services background and strategic planning ability. Define the Social Worker position as crisis intervention to handle elders or younger; i.e., "triage social worker" to match those in need to a provider. House at least one full time staff person at the Senior Center to do scheduling and coordination. Coordinate with other locations for activities and have volunteer greeters to make the programs more welcoming. Evaluate the nutrition site supervision and home delivered meals for efficiency and effectiveness; i.e., pre-packaged food. Market the Senior Center perhaps tinder a different name. The Town Manager noted that some people think the meals are for poor people but they are not. The real benefit is socialization, and there needs to be more activity at the Senior Center. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony asked if there is any need for the Town to fund case management organizations, and Ms. Hartstein noted that it is not necessary for the Town to do that unless there is an unmet need. Chairman Richard Schubert asked about the financial impact of the study, and the Town Manager noted that no additional staff will be needed. Selectman Joseph Duffy noted that he goes to the Retired Men's Club of Wakefield, and he suggested naming the Senior Center as a club for men and women. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony asked if there is duplication of services among providers, and Ms. Hartstein noted that there is some overlap but no duplication. She indicated that is why the Town needs to get providers together so we can triage. Selectman George Hines noted that President Bush's budget is cutting Hrunan Services. Ms. Hartstein noted that there is a need to focus on efficiency and if we put the right people in the same room, they can solve problems. Selectman George Hines noted that it is Community Parish Nursing's goal to age in place. Did others indicate unmet needs? Ms. Hartstein noted that all of the goals are to age in place and what is different is how they get there. Carol Roberts noted that she has met with staff regarding the report and they are all open to change. Vice Chairman Richard Schubert noted that it was the consensus of the Selectmen that the report is a reasonable approach and directed the Town Manager to move forward. Board of Selectmen Meeting - December 14. 2004 - Page 7 Hearinp, - 24 Hour Ooeration - Motiva Enterurises d/b/a Reading Shell Station, Walkers Brook, Drive - The Secretary read the hearing notice. The Town Manager noted that the Town's Bylaws prohibit retail business between midnight and 6:00 a.m. unless granted by the Board of Selectmen. He also noted that there were no complaints last year, there is an issue of environmental clean up, they have conservation approval to demolish and build a new station, and the contamination is being cleaned up but not totally yet. Attorney Mark Gallant, Frail, Postma, Robin Shea, Martha Reedy and Rick Camusu were present. Attorney Gallant noted that the permit has been renewed every year. He has notified all abutters by mail and the station serves a public service. Frank Postma noted that the enviromnental testing was done in October and they are waiting for results from DEP. The groundwater is low in oxygen and there is one well left to clean up. He is optimistic that he won't see the Selectmen next year. Selectman George Hines noted that the applicant is consistent with performance regarding the 24 hour permit. He asked if it was feasible for 128 Sales to unload their trailers behind the station, and Attorney Gallant noted that the abutter owns the property. The Manager of the station noted that they rent to 128 Ford for employee parking. Selectman George Hines noted that the ditch is horrendous with trash, and suggested that they tall, to the abutter about cleaning it up. The Town Manager noted that he would have the Board of Health take a look at it. A motion by Hines seconded by Wood to close the hearing for the 24 hour operation at 87 Walkers Brook Drive was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv to approve an application for 24 hour sales by Motiva Enterorises. LLC d/b/a Reading Shell Station at 87 Walkers Brook Drive, uvon a finding that. in accordance with Section 5.10.1 of the General Bvlaws, the Board, determines that: ♦ It is in the interest of the public health. safety and welfare to permit such operation: and ♦ There is no detrimental effect of such operation on the Town or the immediately abutting neighbors; ♦ Subiect to the following conditions: 1. This approval expires at midnight. December 31, 2005; 2. All signs shall conform with the Zonin¢ By-Laws of the Town of Reading-; 3. The menu of food to be covered by the Common Victualler's License shall be, limited to those items specified in the license application: 4. The gasoline service station shall, in fact. be open 24 hours a dav, seven davs a week; 5. The operator will ensure that there is a supply of gasoline available at the station during all hours that the station is open-. 6 ki - Board of Selectmen Meeting - December 14. 2004 - Page 8 6. The operator will provide gas cans for motorists who run out of gasoline on the road; 7. The operator will prepare and post a list of local towing and repair shops that are open 24 hours a day for those who need it: 8. Restroom facilities shall be open 24 hours a dav. seven davs a week. was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. License Renewals - The Town Manager noted that the Board of Selectmen delegated to him the authority to issue licenses. He will be issuing licenses to businesses for 2005. He will not issue a license to anyone who owes taxes. Sale of Bonds - The Town Manager noted that the Town will be selling bonds on December 20, 2004, and it will be put on the January 4, 2005 Agenda for the Selectmen to sign. He also noted that we will be bonding for less. Approval of Minutes A motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv to approve the Minutes of November 16. 2004 was, approved by a vote of 4-0-1. with Wood abstaining A motion by Hines seconded by Duffv to approve the Minutes of November 23. 2004 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv to approve the Minutes of November 30. 2004 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Hines seconded bv Wood to approve the Minutes of December 2. 2004 was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. A motion by Anthonv seconded by Wood to approve the Executive Session Minutes of November 9. 2004 was approved on a roll call vote with all five members voting in the affirmative. A motion by Anthonv seconded by Duffv to adjourn the meeting of December 14. 2004 at 11:20 p.m. was approved by a vote of 5-0-0. Respectfully submitted, S ecretaiy "fF to y Board of Selectmen Meeting January 4, 2005 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, Selectmen Joseph Duffy and George Hines, Superintendent of Schools Pat Schettini, Recreation Administrator Johi Feudo, Finance Director Beth Klepeis, Public Works Director Ted McIntire, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleilcner, and the following list of interested parties: Bill Brown, Elaine Webb, Amelia Golub, Allison DaSilva, Paul Feely, Kathleen Golini, Ben Tafoyo, Pete Dahl, Patrick Fennelly, Jack Downing, John Dannemiller, Mince and Carolyn Fallica, Mary Ellen Stolecki, Mike DiPietro, Chris Campbell, Bernie Wimie, Nancy Lima-Swain. Reports and Comments Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments - Selectman George Hines indicated that the Hospital Development Committee is meeting tomorrow night. He is also getting calls about road work and why particular streets are not on the program. He indicated that all streets are on the program but some are not within the first ten years of the program. The program is reviewed periodically and people need to be patient. Selectman Joe Duffy had no report. Vice Chainnan Camille Anthony asked for an update on rights of entry. She also asked for an update on West Street trucking enforcement. Chairman Richard Schubert asked the cormnurnity to remember the victims of the Tsunami disaster, and instead of making contributions to worthwhile charities, to assist with aiding the victims. Public Comment - There was no public comment. Town Manager's Report The Town Manager gave the following report: ® Nomination papers are now available for Town Officers. Fifty' 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 Washington, D.C. Police Department has requested the assistance of the N.E.M.L.E.C. Regional Response Team (tactical team) for the Presidential Inauguration. Our mission is to assist with crowd control and additional security measures related to the Presidential Inauguration. The N.E.M.L.E.C. Regional Response Team will leave on January 18, 2005 and return January 21, 2005. The Washington, D.C. Police Department will pay all expenses including overtime, transportation, hotel accommodations and meals. A memorandum of understanding is in place that addresses all legal and administrative matters. P Board of Selectmen Meeting - Janudiv 4. 2005 - Pare 2 Patrol Officers Kyle, Edson, Lee and Fitzgerald are the Reading Police Officers assigned to the N.E.M.L.E.C.R.R.T. Chief Silva is the Assistant Control Officer for the N.E.M.L.E.C. Unit. If available and requested, all of the Reading Police Officers named above would travel to Washington. We will, of course, avoid iuzderstaffing and any additional overtime use in Reading. o Esther Surette d'Entremont celebrated her 100"i biththday in Reading with her family. She was born on January 1, 1905 in Lower West Pubnico, Nova Scotia. She had four brothers one older and the rest younger. She left Nova Scotia in March of 1928 and lived in East Boston with a cousin until 1930 when she moved to Reading. She married John Surette (also from Nova Scotia, they lalew each other before she came here) on October 27, 1935. They moved to Libby Avenue in 1941 and she has lived there ever since. She has five children Gerald (Riclnnond, VA), James (Naples, ME), Bertha Rousseau (Chelsmford, MA), Beatrice Boucher (Georgetown, MA) and Helen Lefavour (Reading, MA). She is grandmother to 12 grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. She enjoys sewing, quilting, lalitting and cooking. ® The final Flu Clinic of the year was today. The restrictions for the flu shots were reduced to age 50 in this latest clinic per direction of the State Department of Public Health. ® The Board of Selectmen will be meeting on the budget on Saturday, January 15th at 9:00 a.m. at Town Hall. ® Three members of the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager will be attending the MMA Meeting in Boston on this Friday and Saturday. o The Board of Selectmen will be seeking public input on the possibility of having Beer and Wine Package Store licenses available in the community. The input session will be on January 11, 2005 at 8:30 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room at Town Hall. ® I have indicated interest on the part of the Town in participating in a regional application for funding under FEMA of a "pre-disaster mitigation" grant prograin. There will be an "in-kind" match equivalent to $3000. Personnel & Aunointments Cultural Council - The Board of Selectmen interviewed Amelia Louise Golini for a position on the Cultural Council as an Associate. Ms. Golini indicated that she is a senior in High School and would be interested in serving until the end of this tern, and depending upon where she goes to college might be interested in continuing. Allison DaSilva, Chairman of the Cultural Council, indicated that they were trying to recruit juniors and seniors so we could have some ongoing involvement from the youth on the Council. On motion by Anthonv seconded by Duffv. the Board voted to apuoint Amelia Louise Golini to a vosition as an Associate on the Cultural Council for a term. exnirini? June 30. 2005. Ms. Golini received four votes and was appointed. Discussion/Action Items Apr)roval of Bonds - Finance Director Beth Klepeis was present and reviewed the sale of bonds and Bond Anticipation Notes. 60700 Board of Selectmen Meeting - Januarv 4. 2005 - Page 3 On motion by Anthony -seconded by Hines. the Board of Selectmen approved the following motion: That all action taken by the Town Treasurer in advertising for public sale of the $8.686.000 Bond Anticipation Notes of the Town, authorized pursuant to Chapter 44. Sections 7 and 16 of the Massachusetts General Laws, as amended and supplemented by votes of the Town, be and herebv is ratified, confirmed approved and adopted: That the Note shall be dated' as of January 7. 2005 and maturing on January 5. 2006: That the Note shall be issued by means of a book entrv svstem: That U.S. Bank National Association in Boston. Massachusetts shall act as Transfer Agent and Paving Agent: That the Note shall bear interest pavable at maturity and is herebv sold and awarded as follows: Purchaser Note No. Amount Interest Rate Premium Eastern Bank R-1 $8,868,000 3.25% $84,909.03 And that the Town Treasurer is hereby authorized to prepare and deliver a Material Events Disclosure Certificate and the Note to the aforesaid purchaser or purchasers or order against pavment in full of the agreed purchase price. The motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-0. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv. the Board of Selectmen approved the following motion: That all action taken by the Town Treasurer in advertising for public sale of the $6,480.000 General Obligation Bonds of the Town authorized under Chapter 44, Sections 7. 8 and 16 of the Massachusetts General Laws and by votes of the Town, and in that connection preparing and distributing a Preliminary Official Statement and Notice of Sale and a final Official Statement, be and hereby is ratified, confirmed, approved and adopted: That the bonds shall be dated as of Januarv 1, 2005, pavable on April 15, 2006 and each vear thereafter until Februarv 1, 2024 in varving amounts. that thev shall be in the denomination of $5,000 or anv authorized multiple thereof: that bonds maturing on and before April 15. 2015. either in whole or in part. are not subiect to redemption prior to maturity: those bonds maturing on and after April 15, 2016 are subiect to redemption at the option of the Town; That the bonds shall be issued by means of a book entrv svstem. and that interest shall be paid on April 15 and October 15 beginning October 15, 2005 in amounts varving from 4% to 4.5% per annum: 5c, 3 • Board of Selectmen Meeting - Januarv 4. 2005 - PaLye 4 That the bid of Fidelitv Capital Markets to purchase the bonds at a price of $6.530.335.19 and interest accrued to date of deliverv. resulting in a net interest cost of $2.436.512.45 and a true interest rate of 3.897562% being the best bid received. it herebv is accepted and the Town Treasurer is authorized to deliver the bonds to the said purchaser or order against pavment: that the Town Treasurer is authorized to deliver a Continuing Disclosure Certificate and prepare and deliver other documents as is necessarv to effectuate the bond sale. The motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-0. Hearing - Parking Regulations - No narking on one side on Sunset Rock Lane and Roma Lane - Vice Chairman Camille Anthony read the hearing notice. The Town Manager presented the current situation in terns of parking for the Wood End School. Superintendent of Schools Pat Schettini reviewed the status of parking on site School Committee Member Elaine Webb spoke in favor of the paricing restrictions and particularly in favor of the parking restrictions oil the west side of Roma Lane. The following discussion took place: Linda Fallica of 52 Sunset Rock Lane noted that she agreed with the proposals - the parking should be on the sidewalk side. Karen Johnson on Roma Lane spoke and preferred no parking on one side of street with parking on the opposite side of the street on Roma Lane. John Dannemiller of 54 Roma Lane spoke in favor of the restrictions. The Town Manager will put together the working group on Sunset Rock Lane working towards improvements to access and parking for the site for the Fall of 2005. On motion by Anthonv seconded by Hines. the Board of Selectmen voted to close the hearing on the parkine regulations on Sunset Rock Lane and Roma Lane by a vote of 4-0-0. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv. the Board of Selectmen voted to amend the Town of Reading Traffic Rules and Regulations by adding: West side of Sunset Rock Lane and west side of Roma Lane No parking. standing. stopping 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-0. It was noted that this restriction will be around because of potential playground and other rental use of the school. S0 N~ Board of Selectmen Meetinc - Januarv 4. 2005 - Paae 5 Hearing - Policv on Park Improvements - Vice Chairman Camille Anthony read the hearing notice. The Town Manager presented the proposed regulations as they have been modified by the Recreation Committee. Pat Femlelly spoke and felt that people who want to do improvements in the park should go to the Recreation Committee first. Selectman George Hines disagreed. He felt that the Recreation Committee looks at things frorm a different angle. The Board of Selectmen has the responsibility. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony felt that the Recreation Cormrmittee should give advice to the Board of Selectmen regarding effects on programming, finances, etc. She asked that the Recreation Committee do some long term plamzing for parks, looking five to ten years down the line. Chairman Richard Schubert noted that we have to take advantage of the expertise of the Recreation Conunittee but not make the process cumbersome. Recreation Committee Member Bernie Wimie noted that we are all trying to act in the interest of the Town. This becomes a more complex issue because the Town is approached by people who want to provide private fiinding. He feels that the policy as proposed will lead to fntstration, and feels that the Recreation Committee is capable of handling park improvements under the direction of the Town Manager. It was agreed under this or any process that the Town Manager is the gate keeper of the proposals. On motion 'bv Anthonv seconded by Hines, the Board of Selectmen voted to close the hearine on the Policv on nark improvements by a vote of 4-0-0. The Board of Selectmen deleted one word in the Recreation Cornrnittee's recoinrnended changes to the policy. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the Policv on park improvements, as amended. by a vote of 4-0-0. The Board of Selectmen took the Use of Memorial Park and Sunday Hours for Field Use out of order. Discussion on Use of Memorial Park for Summer 2005 - The Board reviewed the current proposal. The consensus was that the Spring of 2005 process worked well. There was no use on December of 2005 but the Board is willing to provide for use. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv. the Board voted to approve the following use of Memorial Park for team practices: s0s6 Board of Selectmen Meeting - Januarv 4, 2005 - Page 6 Spring - No more than four teams per time slot: no more than 66 kinds per time slot: no more than two time slots per evening, separated by not less than 30 minutes: Summer - No more than four teams per time slot: no more than 66 kinds per time slot. no more than two time slots per evening. separated by not less than 30 minutes. Selectman George Hines noted that his motion did not include bringing this back to the Board of Selectmen every year. He would view this as a permanent approval unless reviewed again by the Board at a fiiture date. The 'motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-0. Discussion on Sundav Hours for Field Use - The Town Manager indicated that we did not have any problems last year with allowing the Recreation Committee to give permits for Sunday morning use for youth sport practices. The Recreation Committee would like to continue this for one more Stunmer, and perhaps for two more Slimmers depending on construction of the various school sites. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv. the Board of Selectmen voted to continue for FY 2005 the temporarv policv of permitting Sundav morning vouth sport practices for the Spring season. with no activity beginning at the field prior to 9:00 a.m., subject to approval of permits by the Recreation Committee. The motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-0. Hearing - DPW Policies - Vice Chairman Camille Anthony read the hearing notice. The Town Manager and Public Works Director Ted McIntire reviewed the policies. There were some typographical errors that were corrected. On motion by Anthonv seconded by Hines, the Board of Selectmen voted to close the hearing on the DPW Policies by a vote of 4-0-0. On motion by Anthonv seconded by Hines, the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the revised DPW Policies as presented this evening by a vote of 4-0-0. Hearing - Policv on Grant Anblications - Vice Chairman Camille Anthony read the hearing notice. The Town Manager presented the background on the proposed policy. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv, the Board of Selectmen voted to close the hearing on the policv on grant applications by a vote of 4-0-0. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv. the Board of Selectmen voted to approve the policv on grant applications as presented in the document dated 11-04-05 by a vote of 4-0-0. 50~. Board of Selectmen Meeting - Januarv 4. 2005 - Page 7 The Board suggested that we pass this grant application policy along to the School Department. On motion by Hines seconded by Anthonv, the Board of Selectmen voted to adjourn their meeting of Januarv 4, 2005 at 10:20 p.m. by a vote of 4-0-0. Respectfiilly submitted, Secretary 5007 Board of Selectmen Meeting January 15, 2005 The meeting convened at 9:10 a.m. in the Town Hall Conference Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Vice Chairman Camille Anthony, Secretary Gail Wood, Selectmen Joseph Duffy and George Hines, Fire Chief Greg Burns, DPW Director Ted McIntire, Town Accountant Richard Foley, Finance Director Beth Klepeis, Library Acting Director Elizabeth Dickinson, Town Manager Peter Hechenbleil er, Department Heads or Acting Department Heads and Lt. Michael Cloonan. Also present were Bill Brown, Thomas Ryan and Ralph Colorusso fiom Board of Assessors, Paul Feely from Chronicle, Ms. Russell from Advocate and Elaine Webb. The Assessors also had a quoium and called the meeting to order. The Town Manager reviewed the revenue forecasts. The Board of Assessors has requested a $100,000 increase in the COLA reserve. They noted that the levy is going up each year; if the Board of Selectmen decided to classify properties, we would see more abatement requests. The Town Manager noted that the impact on abatements requests have been a part of the consideration of classification. He suggested that if the COLA reserve needed to be increased, it should be increased incrementally over some period of years. Selectman George Hines felt that it should be phased in, and that the Board of Assessors should be less aggressive in their re-assessment. Ralph Color usso noted that the Assessors are required to adjust annually. They will also be required to assess exempt properties in the future. Tom Ryan noted that they have 350 sales per year, and we need to keep assessments up. Selectman George Hines felt that the re-assessment has some arbitrary aspects to it. Tom Ryan noted that if there were no overrides or exclusions, the tax levy would have gone up 3%, including new growth. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony suggested separate discussion with the Assessors. Selectman George Hines noted that he thinks re-classification is unlikely. The Board discussed charges for services and particularly fines. The Board felt that part of traffic enforcement should be more fines and less warnings. They suggested increasing the fine revenue by 10%. Sd . Board of Selectmen Meetina - Januarv 15. 2005 - Page 2 Elaine Webb felt that a slight' increase in tickets and fines would have a positive effect in enforcement. Lt. Michael Cloonan stated that he would discuss this with the Chief. The Town Manager reviewed State Aid and noted that when the Governor's budget comes out the week of January 24t", we would have some better figures. Vice Chainnan Camille Anthony suggested that we set up a process regarding earnings distribution from the RMLD. The Town Manager reviewed the expense budget, and focused on a review from a two page chart that outlined the highlights of the FY 2006 draft budget. The Board asked the Town Manager to review whether or not any firnds were available from the revolving fund. There was discussion about the Assessors' request for an additional staff position as well as more money for appraisals. The Town Manager will meet with the Board of Assessors to discuss these two matters. The Library Acting Director Elizabeth Dickinson indicated that the cost of reinstating hours for Wednesday evening should be approximately $25,000 for the year. The Library is now open 53 hours per week. The Town Manager talked about the issue of stone water management and the fact that there was no revenue included if this goes to an enterprise system. Bill Brown noted that he feels that storm water management would be a tax, not a fee and would probably be illegal. Selectman George Hines suggested that we look to see if there are areas where usages can be reduced and budgets can be scaled back. Also, we need to continue to look for creative approaches to what we do. Vice Chairinan Camille Anthony suggested that we develop a budget showing what a 2% increase would be. The Town Manager asked the Board to look at the items on the chart and prioritize them. The Board agreed to the following: Special items that we cannot avoid - things like conditional costs of sand and salt. 2. Modification staff to implement the Finance Director/Assistant Town Manager position. Town Manager's salary. 5-A'20e Board of Selectmen Meeting - Januarv 15. 2005 - Pase 3 Vice Chairman Camille Anthony asked about revenue generation, and what items we might look at there. She also feels that the upkeep of properties owned by the Town is essential, and asked about the possibility of community service being done by High School students. Vice Chairman Camille Anthony asked for the update of the Mission and Goal Statement. The Town Manager indicated that the Department Heads have done their work, and he needed to follow up with that. Selectman Gail Wood indicated that re-instituting curbside leaf collection is a low priority for her - she would rather see the money put into more hours at the Compost Center if we are going to spend that kind of honey. The Board agreed to meet on February 5t" to look at a revised budget based on all items that would be changed by then. On motion by Hines seconded by Wood. the Board voted to adjourn their meeting of Januarv 15. 2005 at 11:00 a.m. by a vote of 4-0-0. On motion by Rvan seconded by Colorusso, the Board of Assessors voted to adjourn their meeting of Januarv 15. 2005 at 11:00 by a vote of 2-0-0. Respectfully submitted, Secretary 5d#3 L / C sa GARY S. BRACKETT ELAINE M. LUCAS JOAN E. LANGSAM M. YVONNE GONZALEZ* JAMES T. MASTERALEXIS STEVEN C.FLETCHER** ELLEN CALLAHAN DOUCETTE DONNA GORSHEL COHEN HEATHER C. WHITE *Also Admitted in CT **Also Admitted in ME and CO Patrick J. Wood, Esq. Attorney at Law 11 Summer Street Chelmsford, MA. 01824 BRACKETT & LUCAS COUNSELORS AT LAW 19 CEDAR STREET WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 01609 508-799-9739 Fax 508-799-9799 WINCHESTER OFFICE 165 WASHINGTON STREET WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 01890 781-729-1500 Fax 781-729-5444 E-Mail:JeLangsam@BrackettLucas.com Please respond to the Winchester office January 25, 2005 Re: Sumner Chenev Condominium 1375 Main Street. Readinl?. MA. Dear Attorney Wood: On December 9, 2004 I wrote you concerning the above captioned condominium and your client's obligation to forward to the Town of Reading the sum of $17,976 which represents the excess amount of realized profit allowed your client under his Comprehensive Permit. To date neither I nor the Town of Reading has received a response to my letter nor have the required funds been forwarded. Accordingly, I am once again requesting that such fiends be immediately remitted to the Town of Reading. If they are not received within ten (10) days of this letter the Town of Reading will be forced to pursue all legal redress it may have to collect the funds due. Please contact me upon receipt of this correspondence and advise me when the Town can expect payment of the $17,976. cc: Peter 1. Hechenbleikner. Town Manager Chris Reilly. Town Planner Very truly yours, 8 v ,.'Joan E. Langsam -ra "Im L ( c r~~63 ;.LEADING PUBLIC SCHOOLS ADMINISTRATION OFFICES Patrick A. Sch~ ttini, Jr. Superintem lent 82 Oakland Road, Post Office Box 180 Reading, Massachusetts 01867-0280 Telephone 781-944-5800 Fax 781-942-9149 J ►ennis A. Ri, Itards A- •oclate Superbitendent January 25, 2005 Ted McIntyre DPW 16 Lowell Street Reading, MA 01867 Dear Ted, I wanted to take this oppol ' unity to pass along my sincere thanks to you and your staff for your assistance and cooperatiOD, during the blizzard clean-up. The hard work of the Department of Public Works has enabled i . s to open our schools in a timely manner. On behalf of the administra, - rs, teachers, parents and students, thanks for a job well done! Jr. :hools c: P. Hechenbleikner g~. The Reading Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age or disability. 1VIl" Action Alert #1: January 26, 2005 _P~ Gov.'s Budget and Local Aid Numbers Reflect Earlier Announcements Includes MMA-Backed Schedule to End Lottery Diversion Beginning in Fiscal 2006; Overall Increases in Ch. 70 and PILOT Appropriations; Other Accounts Level-Funded Gov. Mitt Romney released his proposed fiscal 2006 budget on Wednesday, Jan. 26, a plan that reflects the details he described to local officials at the MMA's Annual Meeting nearly three weeks ago. House One provides an overall increase in local aid compared to the budget the Governor signed for the current fiscal year. However, the budget plan would still leave key local aid accounts approximately $150 million below fiscal 2002 levels. This means that cities and towns will still struggle with a higher reliance on. local property taxes, will not be able to restore core education, public safety and local services that have been cut or diminished during the fiscal crisis, and will face on-going fiscal woes due to rising fixed costs and lower reserves. A direct link to the Governor's House One budget submission. and the local aid numbers for each community can be found on the MMA's website at www.mma.org. Gov. Romney's budget would increase overall Chapter 70 education aid by $77 million, simply ensuring that the state would meet its Foundation Budget requirements, but leaving most school districts level-funded for the second consecutive year, and still far below their fiscal 2002 and 2003 amounts. The budget would increase non-Chapter 70 local aid (Lottery and PILOT) by either $102.6 million or $27.6 million, depending on how it is calculated. Comparing the main budget act of fiscal 2005 to the Governor's proposed fiscal 2006 budget, the increase in non-Chapter 70 aid would be $102.6 million because the $75 million additional Lottery distribution that the MMA won last September is not included. If you compare all local aid received in fiscal 2005; including the $75 million, the actual net increase would be $27.6 million. In a major MMA victory, the Governor had said his budget would accelerate the five-year schedule to phase-out the state's diversion of Lottery proceeds away from cities and towns and begin the plan in fiscal 2006, . and House One reflects that promise. The state currently diverts nearly $200 million of Lottery proceeds to the state budget, funds that are intended to go to cities and towns to support local services. The Administration proposes a total $761.4 million Lottery distribution in House One, an increase of $25 million over the total Lottery distribution received in fiscal 2005, or $100 million over the main. fiscal 2005 budget act enacted in July 2004. House One contains 3 Lottery categories in, Section 3 which.appear to combine base Lottery aid, the first year of a phase-out of the current Lottery diversion, and an additional amount to ensure that the mid-fiscal-year-2005 $75 million is accounted for in the overall total. House One would boost the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes account from $12.5 to $15.1 million, and proposes a five-year schedule to fully fund the PILOT program. In a significant municipal win, the Administration has accepted the MMA's call to stop any further cuts to the Additional Assistance account, which would be level-funded at $380 million. Gov. Romney's $4.65 billion in proposed Chevy Sheet local aid for fiscal 2006 is an increase of slightly more than $100 million over the final fiscal 2005 level of $4.54 billion, but still falls far short of the $4.80 billion that went to cities and towns in fiscal 2002. His budget proposes a further cut in state income taxes, lowering the rate from.5.3% to, 5.0% as of January 1, 2006. The MMA, along with a coalition of many organizations, continues to oppose this state tax cut as unaffordable. The budget season has offiicially started, and the MMA will be working closely with you and.your colleagues across the state to lead the charge on local aid and win the key municipal.priorities that are necessary to achieve real fiscal recovery for all cities and towns. Massachusetts Municipal Association, Sixty Temple Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02111; (617) 426-7272 Page 1 of 1 Hechenbleikner, Peter' L t 1; From: Domenic J. LaCava [dlacava@vxmg.com] Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 2:27 PM To: 'Doug Cowell'; 'John Greichen'; 'Jim Keigley'; 'Tom Mottl' Cc: Hechenbleikner, Peter; Connors, Bill Subject: Good Articles Gentlemen, I saw these articles today in the Boston Business Journal and the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. The entrance of Verizon into the Comcast space is going to be a very interesting one. There is no question, in my opinion, that the Boston Business Journal article shows the competitive nature of these big companies. And as you see in the second article, Comcast is not sitting still. Enjoy the reading Dom VX Management Group Management Consultants Domenic J. LaCava 781-944-2128 dlacavana.vxma.com www.vxma.com Sl A I a. 1/24/2005 Boston Business Journal From the January 24, 2005 print edition Cable collision course As Verizon rolls out TV service, it faces formidable competitors: Comcast and local approvals Alexander Soule Journal Staff Verizon Communications Inc. is ready to wage war for Comcast Corp.'s 1.55 million cable customers, but it faces a distinctly Massachusetts challenge: town-by-town approval for the privilege of building out its high-speed fiber network. As it rolls out television service to 19 Massachusetts towns, Verizon faces a gauntlet of municipal committees from which it must win franchise approval and an adversary in Comcast that has deployed aggressive tactics to defend its franchises. Comcast has already fought competing cable television services in Braintree and Concord. Last fall, it skirmished with Verizon in Texas over Verizon's request to deliver broadcasting there over fiber-optic cables spooled directly into homes. "They have been fighting us tooth and nail in the Dallas area," said Jack, Hoey, a Verizon spokesman in Boston. "We haven't got to that point here yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if it happened here, because their impulse would be to protect their monopoly." Verizon also said this week it will add Rhode Island to its roster of a dozen states where it plans to sell television service. Verizon faces essentially a one-stop regulatory shop in Rhode Island, where cable-franchising authority lies exclusively with state regulators. In contrast, should Verizon decide to push fiber to residences in every Comcast town in Massachusetts, it ultimately faces 100 such approval processes and a deep-pocketed competitor in Comcast that has shown it is willing to put up a fight. New technologies and cheap equipment prices are enabling Verizon's fiber buildout, and the new economics are also allowing small organizations to plan cable networks. But the attractive cost model becomes frayed if established cable TV companies succeed on the local level in thwarting competitors, say several who have tussled with Comcast in the past. Comcast this week, was required to furnish the Mass. Department of Telecommunications and Energy with answers about its business practices against Braintree Electric Light Department, which has accused Comcast of attempting to push it out of the cable business. It is not the first time Comcast has faced such criticism Concord Municipal Light Plant says the Philadelphia giant pulled out all the stops last year to quash its bid to win voter authorization for cable television service it may offer. Comcast has issued a written general denial of BELD's allegations, but would not grant repeated requests for an interview with New England chief Kevin Casey to discuss specifics of the DTE's investigation and Verizon's imminent entry into the television market. A spokeswoman returned a call at deadline this week to say that Comcast is confident no competitor can match its product mix of on-demand, high-definition and digital video recording offerings. Dominant Mass. share Comcast dominates Massachusetts, with approximately a 76 percent market share, statistics from DTE show. It gained 44,600 Massachusetts cable subscribers in 2003 for 1.55 million total, recouping losses between 2001 and 2002 as AT&T Broadband was absorbed into Comcast. Currently, 10 organizations offer cable television service in Massachusetts, including Norwood Light Department, which signed up 2,300 customers in 2003, its first offering cable TV. As a telephone company, Verizon is accustomed to pressing the pressure-points of state regulators and the Federal Communications Commission, said Thomas Steele, general counsel for RCN Corp. in Massachusetts, which offers cable TV service in parts of Boston and in 15 other towns. Comcast, in contrast, is used to maneuvering with town officials. The difference was never more evident than in the transition of AT&T Broadband into Comcast, Steele said. "When AT&T was here, we had a luxury because they were primarily a telephone company (and) did not do much with the cable business," Steele said. "We knew Comcast, coming in, was a classic cable company a street-fighting company. We knew we were in for a different type of battle." » Continued Page: 1 2 3 Boston Business Journal Continued from previous Pape BELD says it got caught in Comcast's crosshairs in 2004, but Steele said that Comcast had rehearsed similar tactics in previous years against RCN. BELD general manager William Bottiggi says Comcast chopped its discount introductory price in Braintree nearly 40 percent below its normal rate and 20 percent below BELD's price, and extended its discounts for 16 months. It sent salespeople door-to-door targeting BELD customers, Bottiggi said. Fliers followed. And the DTE is asking Comcast about its marketing relationship with Circuit City Stores Inc. and Best Buy Inc., which both cross-market Comcast subscriptions in their Braintree outlets. Why would Comcast go to such lengths against a competitor with fewer than 5,000 subscribers, especially with Verizon on the horizon? "There is a lot of interest in cable TV that is what is behind all this," Bottiggi speculated. "If the little guys start getting into the game, I don't think Comcast is going to want to have to face a thousand municipal light plants around the country." Answering inquiries This week, DTE required Comcast to answer questions about its business practices in Braintree, examining whether it could reap a profit at the discounts it offered; how many customers it has picked up during the promotion period; and its relationship with Best Buy and Circuit City. Concord Municipal Light Plant also was the subject of a Comcast campaign when it began examining whether to offer cable TV a few years ago. Concord bylaws require two favorable votes over consecutive years to approve a new cable TV entrant, and in 2003 Concord Light Plant won the initial vote it needed from voters as a first step to building a cable television network at its discretion. "Our view was, let's get the second vote, let's get it on the books and that's one less hurdle we need to clear," said Daniel Sack, general manager of Concord Light Plant. "Comcast paid very little attention on the first vote, but they brought out the artillery on the second vote." Comcast hired a Concord resident and attorney to speak out at town meetings. Sack claims that Comcast operators called residents with a push-poll designed to raise doubts in voters' minds. It arranged for flyers to be mailed to residents' homes, and arranged for full-page ads in the local newspaper. And in a lightning eight-week job in January, 2004, Sack added, Comcast also re-engineered its cable network to offer high-speed Internet access to residents for the first time. None of it worked the town voted overwhelmingly a few months later to approve Concord Light Plant's request. The utility is now talking with a variety of vendors on how to deliver services to residents using fiber, wireless, or perhaps over its own electric utility lines. » Continued Page: 11213 Boston Business Journal < (Continued from previous oaae Although RCN's Steele pokes holes in some of the complaints raised by BELD and Concord Light Plant for one, Comcast has been slow to bring high-speed Internet to town systems it acquired from Cablevision, he surmised, because Cablevision was not as technically advanced as former AT&T Broadband properties he believes the towns have some legitimate concerns. Steele said RCN also has complained about Comcast's tactics to DTE, the Massachusetts Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice, without avail. "We made our point about predatory pricing, but it is difficult for regulators to be opposed to something that lowers prices," Steele said. "But at what point does it, in fact, become anti-consumer? With the huge base that Comcast has, you take your losses and you cause us to lose our customers to the point where we can't offer a service anymore. It's like obscenity you know it when you see it. But the charge of antitrust is real hard to campaign on." 'Difficult' reputation Others are wary of competing with Comcast. A consulting firm called the Merton Group LLC is moving its headquarters from Pennsylvania to Plymouth, N.H., in order to help New England towns plan and build fiber-optic networks. The company uses loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that aim to encourage broadband deployment in towns with fewer than 20,000 residents. ~~q Merton Group Partner Terrence McGarry says under the USDA program, his company would pay monthly costs of $10 per subscriber, a cost low enough to permit towns to meet or beat average cable rates of approximately $45. But McGarry flatly says his company's general rule is to avoid building networks in Comcast territory, due to the company's reputation for erecting time-consuming roadblocks. "We've seen evidence of this type of behavior by Comcast in New Hampshire, too," McGarryy said, using the words "difficult" and "obstreperous" to describe Comcast, and offered contrast with its Baby Bell competitor. "Our approach with Verizon is to be as positive as possible. We are saying, 'Let one little guy survive off on the corner, and that shows everyone how nice you are."' But Verizon, too, has thrown its weight around. Recently in Pennsylvania, it attempted to restrict the rights of Philadelphia and several other municipalities to install citywide wireless networks. And New York-based Fibertech Networks LLC accused Verizon of hamstringing its efforts to build a business-class network in western Massachusetts. After lengthy delays led Fibertech to fear it would lose customer commitments, the firm strung up its own cables over a weekend without Verizon permission. Verizon successfully persuaded the DTE to sanction Fibertech, saying its actions amounted to telephone "vigilantism." The current franchise and rights-of-way approval system "was designed for a monopoly world," Verizon spokesman Hoey said, and does not fit the fast-paced changes in the television and networking markets. As it prepares to offer cable television service in Massachusetts, Verizon, too, is prepared to spin on a dime depending on its reception in each town it approaches, he added. In Massachusetts, the Department of Telecommunications and Energy regulates rates and service levels, and it oversees the award and renewal of franchises by town authorities. The buck stops with DTE in 2003, it overruled 11 towns' bids to deny the transfer of cable franchises from AT&T Broadband to Comcast. But the system still requires cable franchise applicants to work through each town's bureaucracy. "We are optimistic we will be awarded these franchises, but the process is what it is," Hoey said. "If we did get bogged down in a community, we would move on to a community that is more receptive." Alexander Soule can be reached at asoule@bizjournals.com. Previous Page: 112 13 gl~s % Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal From the January 24, 2005 print edition Comcast ups cable modem speed Robert Mullins In the race between cable TV and phone companies for customers, cable's Comcast Corp. is pulling farther ahead of phone company rivals by offering faster speeds for its cable modem broadband Internet access. Comcast, which serves San Jose and much of the Bay Area, announced Jan. 18 its faster speeds will be offered at no extra charge. Subscribers in the Bay Area market should see the increase in speed by the end of the first quarter, said Andrew Johnson, Comcast's spokesman in Pleasanton. "Three megabits is already faster than the standard DSL speed so the advantage of cable over DSL is just going to be widening," Mr. Johnson said. Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), based in Philadelphia, increased the speed of its two tiers of service, each with different prices: • Current service of 3 megabits per second (Mops) downstream and 256 kilobits per second (kbps) upstream will be increased to 4Mbps and 3841cbps, respectively. • Current service of 4Mbps down and 384kbps up will be increased to 6Mbps and 768kbps, respectively. The speed is clocked based on the amount of data than can be sent over the network per second. Downstream means from the Internet to the computer, upstream means from the computer to the Net. SBC Communications Inc. (NYSE: SBC), of San Antonio, which serves the Bay Area, also offers two broadband packages. DSL "Express" advertises speeds of 384kbps to1.5Mbps downstream, depending on the distance between the customer and a phone company central office, and 128kbps upstream. Its "Pro" package offers 1.5Mbps to 3Mbps downstream and 384kbps upstream. Cable and phone companies are competing to sell all-inclusive packages of phone, video and Internet services. ROBERT MULLINS covers small business, telecommunications, education, retail and media for The Business Journal. Reach him at (408) 299-1829. Ll C~o Hechenbleikner, Peter From: Murphy, Tom Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 8:55 AM To: Hechenbleikner,-Peter Subject: West St. Pete, There were not any repeat offenders out of the ten written warnings that were issued for the no trucking provision on West St. Tom Murphy qg 0 L ~ C g ~S Hechenblelkner, Peter From: t.jones@philips.com Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 3:45 PM To: Reading - Selectmen Subject: Plowing and Cleanup... Nice job.... I don't know where it all went but the dpw did a good job.... Tell the guys to get some rest, it looks like something may be brewing for next week. I Thanks. 1