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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-05-12 Board of Selectmen Minutes Minutes of the Board of selectmen Meeting May 12, 1992 The meeting convened at 7:31 p.m. Present were Chairman Eugene Nigro, Vice Chairman Dan Ensminger, Secretary Sally Hoyt, Selectman Bill Burditt; Selectman George Hines arrived at 7:45. Also present were the Town Manager and the following list of in- terested parties: Bill Brown, Mary J. Andreola, Annette Flanagan, Pasqual Martone, Paul Selvitelli, Domonic Rotondi, Richard Grif- fin, Maria L. Schellenbach, Judith A. Martone, Miriam Gilbert, Anne Mark, Trish Brigham, Philip J. Parisi, Nancy L. Eaton, Evelyn Dawe, James E. Day,, Tony Borsini, John W. Shaw, Jr. , Paul Al Martins, Joseph Santo, Nancy Shipes, Virginia Zitzow, Arthur O'Brien, Donald F. Hall. On motion by Ensminger seconded by Hoyt the Minutes of April 28, 1992 were approved as amended by vote of 4-0-0. Liaison Reports Dan Ensminger indicated that he had attended a Saturday meeting with eight of the 60 MWRA communitys. They are looking for the following: a) help in funding legal assistance from MWRA Advisory Board; b) attendance at a May 19th meeting of the Legislative Caucus at the State House. Ensminger also attended the Elks Din- ner at which five Reading Teens of the Month were honored. Finally, he attended the Solid Waste Advisory Committee meeting last night. Sally Hoyt reported on Recreation activities, Health activities, plans to attend the Volunteer Reception at the Senior Center on May 13, noted that bids are being taken Friday at noon for the Senior Center, attended the interior design working group meeting for the Senior Center, attended the Mystic Valley Elder Services Legislative Breakfast, and reported on the Early Retirement Bill H4999 for Municipal Workers and Teachers. Bill Burditt had no report. George Hines indicated that he had had communication with CPDC and the Community Development Director regarding the Dunkin Donuts proposal. The hearing was continued because of inadequate plans. Gene Nigro indicated that he had attended the Volunteer Recogni- tion dinner. He also attended the Trust Fund Commission meeting regarding scholarships. Part of that meeting involved discussion as to why people don't come forward for medical help through the Reading Response process. Public Comment The Town Manager reported that the Local Aid Resolution has passed the House and is going to the Senate. It involves Local Aid amounts consistent with what the Town of Reading has an- ticipated as part of its budget. He also reminded the Board that the pre-Town Meeting session on the budget held by the Finance Committee was scheduled for Thursday; there is a Town Meeting in- formational session scheduled for Saturday morning from 10:00 Selectmens Minutes - 5/12/92 - page 2 a.m. to noon; that with regard to the budget revenues for this year, the excise tax revenues look like they will be in balance; Perot for President people will be collecting signatures in the Town Hall parking lot; the Board decided on the meeting schedule of June 2 , June 16 and June 30; Douglass McDonald, Executive Director of the MWRA, will attend the Selectmens Meeting on the 16th; the Town of Reading will be the lead agency for a grant ap- plication to expand the NOBLE program to school systems; and the Town Manager attended the RESCO litigation group meeting. Fur- ther, the Elm Park legislation has been adopted; the insurance budget looks like it will be able to be reduced significantly; and Jim O'Leary has offered his resignation from the RMLD Board and a process will be established to make that appointment. George Hines commented that he is very concerned about the inci- dent of a gun being taken to the High School. He feels this is a very serious issue and the Selectmen directed the Town Manager to send a letter to the School Committee indicating that they should have a policy on this issue and that the Town stands ready to as- sist with issues like this in any way. He is also concerned about an incident that took place in Canton regarding a vicious attack on two elderly women. He suggested that residents should keep in touch with neighbors and all be on guard and look out for each other. Sally Hoyt indicated that the pedestrian signal in the Square is too short. Bill Brown commented that he thinks Bill Burditt's comments on the Town election are appropriate and the election should be scheduled in November with terms of office to start in January. Dan Ensminger reminded the Board of Selectmen that he needs the Town Manager's evaluations. Bill Burditt will work with Dan Ensminger as a sub-committee to evaluate changes in the election schedule. The Town Manager reviewed with the Board of Selectmen Tony Fletcher's recommendations with regard to water meters. Marie Schellenbach, Pat Martone, Joseph Santo, Jim Day, Terry Borsini, and Dick Griffin spoke. They felt that residents ought to be able to have a second water meter inside the house for water use only and that most other communities have one. George asked to have Tony Fletcher in with a proposed policy. Among issues to be dealt with is the issue of theft of service and how to deal with it. He noted that we have our own water supply and that may be different from other communities. Bill Burditt supports a second meter in the house, and Gene Nigro indicated that if we can have a separate meter in the house for hardship purposes, why can't we have it generally. The Board directed the Town Manager to come back with a policy for inside water meter installation and be prepared for discussion on what is the problem with such a system and why do neighboring communities not have such a problem. Residents asked for a copy of the report ahead of time. Specifi- cally, we'll have information from other towns, the Plumbing In- spector will be available, and the Water Treatment Plant operators will also be available. Part of the presentation will be the plusses and minuses of each option and a recommendation. Selectmens Minutes - 5/12/92 - page 3 Public Hearings The Secretary read the notice of the hearing on Rubbish Collec- tion Rules and Regulations. Ron Wood asked why we can't stop using RESCO. Bill Brown asked about the possibility of eliminat- ing recycling. Anne Mark indicated that the Solid Waste Advisory Committee hoped eventually to go to a volume-based system for en- vironmental and economic benefits and hopes that dialog will con- tinue. Gene Nigro indicated that he had concerns about changing the habits of residents in terms of rubbish disposal , and expressed concern about some of the practical difficulties. Virginia Zitzow indicated that the flat fee will cost ap- proximately $3.00 per bag for people in her circumstances, and she felt that this was very inequitable. We should use the cen- sus to establish a sliding scale. She pointed out that all utilities are based on usage. Dan Ensminger indicated that parents are already paying the biggest fees in Town now and a per bag fee would be a practical hardship for them. Bob Brown felt the Town should help the transition and favors a per bag fee be- cause in the long run it is fairer and gives an incentive to reduce. Bill Burditt indicated that he for example would have less bags but not less weight through the use of a garbage com- pactor. On motion by Hines seconded by Burditt the hearing was closed at 9:35 p.m. All five members voted in favor. On motion by Hines seconded by Ensminger the Board adopted the Rules and Regulations in draft form of 5/12/92 by vote of 5-0-0. Discussion,Action Items The Board discussed the various issues with the Community Plan- ning and Development Commission. Nancy Shipes added to the economic development issues the issues of water supply, zoning, and the ice rink. With regard to curbs and sidewalks, the Town Manager will develop a policy on where concrete in sidewalks will be used and where blacktop will be used. This will help CPDC in some of their decision making process. Gene Nigro indicated that CPDC through its site plan review work has significantly improved the appearance of the community during the last five years. Regarding economic development, the Board supported Bill 1995 and directed that a letter be sent to the Legislative Delegation. Also a letter should be sent to the Legislative Delegation sup- porting tax increment financing. The CPDC is also going to be proposing changes in the PUD for Subsequent Town Meeting dealing with biotech and medical radiation issues. Dan Ensminger asked if the affordable housing components need to be reviewed to be- come more flexible. The Town Manager asked whether or not we should evaluate the issue of retail use of the landfill site be- cause that is where the current market is. CPDC indicated that the approval process for the PUD. they proposed to streamline Jonathan Edwards indicated that revisions to Main Street zoning would be part of the Main Street program. Selectmens Minutes - 5/12/92 - page 4 With regard to the scenic roads, Ms. Shipes reviewed Section 5 of the regulations. She indicated that CPDC has had informational meetings. They are concerned about public safety, change of quality, change of character of the road, and Master Plan issues. She pointed out that CPDC could either approve, disapprove, or approve with conditions the proposed project. It was indicated that the sketch type of preliminary plans that are in existence would be satisfactory for a hearing before CPDC. CPDC will also want traffic accident data. Bill Weimar spoke with regard to the proposed project. The Board of Selectmen will need to determine what the application will consist of and this will be done at a future meeting. With regard to the water supply the North Suburban Aquifer Protection program was presented. This will be the subject of future discussion. With regard to the Zoning Bylaw changes, CPDC's priorities in- clude residential zoning to clean up some of the problems and to close loopholes in lot shape and width issues. With regard to the ice rink, CPDC discussed the public hearing process and what the site plan will and will not deal with. The following were deemed to be outside the scope of the site plan process: alternate locations for the facility; the financial feasibility of -the facility; issues with regard to access to the site; the title of the access road; the structure of the non- profit corporation; zoning interpretation. Specifically, it will be requested that the wetlands delineations be done through Con- servation Commission approval in advance of the site plan. Some of the site plan issues will include hours of operation and ac- cessory uses. With regard to the ice rink negotiation process, the Board agreed that the negotiation process would be in Executive Session, but there would be a public hearing before the negotiation process began. This will be a session to determine scope which will be set up for the 16th of June. The Board will then set up an Ex- ecutive Session to discuss strategy. The discussion of Chapter 90 improvements and West Side Traffic improvements will be held for a future meeting. On motion by Hines seconded by Ensminger the Board voted to go into Executive Session for purposes of approval of minutes, labor negotiations update, and litigation, not to come back into open session. All five members voted in the affirmative and the Board adjourned to Executive Session at 11:30 p.m. Res ctfully submitted, ecre4ky TOWN OF READING RUBBISH COLLECTION RULES AND REGULATIONS The Town of Reading will provide for the collection of household rubbish from single family detached and two- and three-family attached residences in the Town in accordance with the attached regulations: 1. Definitions 1.1 Rubbish will be considered to mean all household refuse, cold ashes, paper, garbage and other waste materials. 1.2 Bulk items are defined as any item not considered as rubbish and of such size or weight that one person cannot readily handle the item and the item is over SO pounds and/or falls into the following categories: 1.2.a Auto parts such as generators, starters, air cleaners, auto seats, wheel rims, small pieces of body metal etc. These items will be picked up in accordance with Article 5 of these regulations except that if in the opinion of the Department of Public Works the quantity of these parts at any one household is unusually great they will not be collected. 1.2.b Couches, chairs, television sets, swing sets (dismantled) with concrete footings removed, bicycles and other similar items are considered bulk items which may be picked up in accordance with Article 5 of these regulations. 1.2.c Auto parts such as large pieces of body metal, or engine blocks; building materials such as wood greater than six feet in length and greater than 60 pounds; and appliances including refrigerators, stoves, air conditioners, washers, dryers, and freezers will not be collected. 1.2.d Earth, stones, tree trunks or large tree limbs, tires and batteries will not be collected. 2. Hazardous Materials All hazardous materials as herein defined shall not be collected: gasoline, explosives, compressed gasses, explosive chemicals, corrosive chemicals, all hazardous wastes as defined by DEP and EPA, and other materials as the Director of Public Works may deem hazardous. 1 3. Collection Schedule 3.1 Items will be collected once each week in accordance with a schedule to be published periodically. 3.2 No collection will be made from stores, business houses, rooming or boarding. houses, manufacturing plants, professional buildings, or other commercial enterprises. 3.3 Items will be collected when set at the edge of the traveled way in approved containers by 6:30 a.m. on regular collection days. Rubbish shall be placed at the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled collection day. Workers are prohibited from entering onto or trespassing on any private property during their collection. If rubbish is not placed at the edge of the traveled way by 6:30 a.m. on regular collection days, and the contractor has already driven by the residence, the rubbish will not be picked up that week and the homeowner will be responsible for removing the rubbish from the edge of the roadway no later than the end of that day. 3.4 No collection will be made on the following legal holidays: New Years Day, Martin Luther King's birthday, Washington's Birthday, Patriots Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Collections will be one day late during the balance of the week in which the holiday falls. (i.e. if a holiday falls on a weekday, the fifth day of collection will be Saturday. As an example, if a holiday falls on Monday, Monday's collection will be made on Tuesday; Tuesday's on Wednesday etc. ) 4. Approved Containers Rubbish except for bulk waste must be placed in an approved container as defined in Sections 4.1 through 4.5 as follows: 4. 1 Approved containers are "wet strength" two-ply 50 pound kraft paper sacks of 30 gallon capacity; 1.5 mil thickness plastic bags of 30 gallon capacity; or 30 gallon capacity barrels with handles. Residents using barrels are cautioned that sub-zero temperatures and icing will result in the barrel having to be banged on the steel hopper of the truck which will probably result in split or dented barrels. 4.2 Residents using other types of barrels or other unapproved containers should recognize that these containers will be treated as a bulk item and disposed of as such. 4.3 The Town discourages the use of any cardboard barrels or cardboard boxes since once they become wet they lose much of their strength. The Town of Reading and the contractor will not be responsible for any damage to cardboard barrels. Residents who use cardboard barrels are doing so knowing that the above damage will probably occur. 2 4.4 If a container falls apart during collection, any rubbish left need not be picked up by the contractor. 4.5 Unlimited approved containers will be picked up each week. Any container that cannot be handled by one person and weighs over 80 pounds will not be collected. 5. Bulk Waste Collection Bulk waste is considered any item as defined in Section 1.2 of these regulations, and must be placed at curbside on the same day and in the same location as scheduled rubbish collection, in accordance with Sections 5.1 and 5.2. of these regulations 5.1 Approved bulk waste will be picked up provided a sticker available from the Department of Public Works at a cost of $10. 00 is affixed to each and every such item to be collected. Items that do not have a sticker will not be picked up, and it will be the owner's responsibility for removing the bulk waste from the edge of the roadway no later than the end of the day of the regular pickup. 5.2 No appliances including refrigerators, stoves, washers, air conditioners, dryers, freezers, dishwashers, trash compactors, or other similar appliances will be picked up by the Town under any circumstances. It is suggested that residents arrange for removal of such items when a new appliance is delivered, or contact Town Hall for names of carting companies who will remove such materials at a cast to the resident. 5.3 One week each year in the Spring, on a date to be announced and publicized by the Director of Public Works, the Town will provide for a bulk waste pick-up program at no additional cost to the homeowner who has his rubbish picked up by the Town. Bulk waste will be picked up in addition to the regular rubbish collection that week, and materials to be picked up will be in accordance with these rules and regulations. 6. Yard Waste 6. 1 Leaves and grass clippings will not be picked up curbside during any time of the year, except that for three weeks during the fall, - on a schedule to be announced, the Town will provide for a separate collection of leaves and/or grass clippings at curbside. In order to be picked up curbside in accordance with this schedule, leaves will need to be placed in wet strength two-ply 50 lb. kraft paper bags of 30 gallon capacity. 6.2 The Town will operate a compost center from April 1 through December 1 at least two days per weekend at times and schedule to be announced. Leaves and grass clippings may be taken to the compost center by residents in any container, and the container or bag must be removed unless the bag is a biodegradable kraft 3 paper bag. Wood, brush cuttings and branches are not accepted at the compost center, and may be disposed of in accordance with Section. 6.3 of these regulations. 6.3 Any wood, brush cuttings, or branches tied securely in bundles under three feet in length and 18 inches in diameter and - under 80 pounds in weight will be collected curbside during regular rubbish collection. 7. Recycling 7.1 The Town of Reading will supply to each household subject to these regulations a plastic bin for recyclable materials. Every household is required to place in that bin all recycled materials as follows: 7'.1.a All glass, unbroken, and excluding ceramics, light bulbs, and plate glass. All glass must have metal rings and caps removed. 7.1.b Aluminum cans. 7.1.c Tin cans with labels removed. 7. 1.d Newspapers bagged in a brown paper bag or tied in bundles. 7.2 The recycling bin must be placed at curbside along with other rubbish on the normal recycling collection day which will occur every other week on the regular rubbish collection day and will be collected by the contractor. If material placed in the bin is not recyclable it will be left in the bin and the resident will need to remove the unrecyclable material and place the bin at curbside for the next collection. 7.3 Replacement bins are available in the office of the . Department of Public Works at cost. 8. Rubbish Fee 8.1 There 'is established effective July 1, 1992, to expire June 30, 1993 unless reauthorized by the Board of Selectmen, a Rubbish fee for all single family detached and two-, and three f=amily attached residences that are subject to these rules and regulations. The fee is established at $110 per dwelling unit per year, billed and payable with the Water and Sewer bill (where such a bill is rendered) and the fee is subject to a 10% prompt payment discount if paid within 30 days. The property owner is responsible for the payment of the Rubbish fee. 8.2 When payment of the Water, Sewer, and Rubbish bills is less than the total amount billed, the payment will be credited in the following order: Interest and Arrears, Water, Sewer, Rubbish. If the Rubbish fee is not paid in full when it is due, a notice will be sent to the property owner. If the property owner does not =--s respond within a reasonable time, a final notice will be sent and 4 } rubbish collection services to the property will be terminated. A property owner whose rubbish collection services have been terminated will be required to pay the remaining fiscal year's bill in full prior to reinstatement of service, after which the property will then be placed on a quarterly billing cycle. 8.3 Fifty percent of the Rubbish fee will automatically be waived for any-household that receives any one of the following property tax exemptions or deferrals as established by the Board of Assessors: G.L. Chapter 59, Section 5: Clause 17D; Clause 18; Clause 41C; and Clause 41A. 8.4 Property owners .who do not wish to use Town Rubbish collection services must provide proof to the Department of Public Works that they have an alternative rubbish collection contract with a hauler licensed by the Town of Reading. 8.5 Appeals on Rubbish fees will be handled in the same manner as appeals on water and sewer bills, being initiated with the Director of Public Works, subject to appeal to the Town Manager, and ultimately subject to appeal to the Board of Selectmen. 9. Enforcement These rules and regulations are enforceable by the Department of Public Works. Enforcement may consist of refusal to collect rubbish, bulk waste, or other materials that are not disposed of in accordance with these rules and regulations. These rules and regulations are also enforceable in accordance with Section 1.5 of the General Bylaws providing for a fine of up to $300 for each offense. rev. 8-6-91 5-12-92 5