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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-12-15 Board of Selectmen Minutes Board of Selectmen Meeting December 15, 2009 For ease of archiving, the order that items appear in these Minutes reflects the order in which the items appeared on the agenda for that meeting, and are not necessarily the order in which any item was taken up by the Board. The meeting convened at 7:00 p.m. in the Selectmen's Meeting Room, 16 Lowell Street, Reading, Massachusetts. Present were Chairman Ben Tafoya, Secretary Camille Anthony, Selectmen Stephen Goldy and Richard Schubert (arrived at 7:45 p.m.), Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner, Assistant Town Manager/Finance Director Bob LeLacheur, Board of Assessor Members Ralph Colorusso and Bob Nordstrand, Office Manager Paula Schena and the following list of interested parties: Margaret Pratt, Fred McGrane. Reports and Comments Selectmen's Liaison Reports and Comments — Selectman Camille Anthony noted that she met with the Trust.Fund Commissioners and they made decisions on investments. They also increased the limit for medical rides for Reading Response due to the increase in need. She also noted that if the community is looking to make donations to the Mattera Cabin, the Town is looking to raise $15,000. The checks should be made payable to the Town of Reading and sent to Town Hall. Selectman Stephen Goldy noted that the Weeblos Park 728 was present tonight, and they are working on the citizenship badge. Chairman Ben Tafoya noted that there is an error on the Selectmen's schedule and the MMA Annual Trade Show is January 22nd and 23rd so the budget meeting will be on January 16th. He also noted that the Town Clerk did a great job on the Election. Selectman Camille Anthony noted that someone was disturbed regarding the lack of handicap parking, and not all the doors at the Field House were open. Public Comment — Margaret Pratt of Salem Street indicated that she is opposed to a pay raise for the Town Manager or anyone else who works for the Town. She is also against the Town wasting money on non-essential projects to beautify the Town. One of the Weeblos scouts noted that when he plays soccer, there is a lot of dog poop on the fields, particularly Stergis Park, and asked if the Selectmen could do something about that. Selectman Camille Anthony noted that this is a problem the Selectmen are trying to solve. One of the scouts suggested malting a separate park for dogs only. Chairman Ben Tafoya noted that the Town sent postcards to all dog owners a couple of months ago. A scout noted that he heard that Washington Park is being remodeled except for the baseball field. Chairman Ben Tafoya noted that all of the playing surfaces are being redone, and recommended that the scout go to the Town's website and see the drawings. Board of Selectmen Meeting-December 15, 2009—Page2 Town Manager's Report The Town Manager gave the following report: • Local Elections 2010 o Nomination papers available December 18th o Nomination papers filed by February 16th—5:00 p.m. o Withdraw nomination papers by March 2nd o Register to vote by March 17th o Election April 6th o Annual Town Meeting starts April 26th • Town Census — Early January — PLEASE USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LICENSE YOUR DOG in the least cost timeliest manner available. • Federal Census—April 1, 2010 • Flu Clinic— o Seasonal flu clinics are completed. o H1N1 Flu Clinics — HS is done, Coolidge MS - Tuesday, December 15th. Parker MS - Monday, December 21st. Once additional doses come in, the Town Health Department will hold an additional school clinic for students in Grades 6-12.in mid to late January for any student who would like the vaccine but have not turned in their pennission slip. • Compost Center is open Saturday, January 9, 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for Christmas tree disposal—Curbside pick-up of Christmas Trees is the week of January 11, 2010. • Snow and Ice Removal — Resident obligations — Keep it on your own property — Don't block sidewalks. • Tax bills for 3rd and 4d' Quarter will be out in December. The rate is $13.75 per$1000 of Assessed Value. • Fall Street Faire applications for Chairmanships is available on the website. • Next Board of Selectmen - Office Hours at 6:30 p.m. on January 5, 2010—Ben Tafoya • Toys for Tots—Collection boxes in a number of locations including Town Hall. Personnel and Appointments Board of Assessors — Assessors Ralph Colorusso and Bob Nordstrand joined the Board of Selectmen. Chairman Ben Tafoya noted that this meeting was to potentially fill the vacancy on the Board of Assessors. Fred A. McGrane was present and was interviewed by the Selectmen and Board of Assessors. Anthony moved and Goldy seconded to place the following name into nomination for one position on the Board of Assessors with a term expiring April 6, 2010: Fred A. McGrane. Mr. McGrane received five votes and was appointed. Discussion ensued among the Selectmen and Board.of Assessors regarding regionalization of the Appraiser position. With the Selectmen showing interest in regionalization and the Assessors showing none, it was decided by both Boards to at least have discussion with neighboring communities. A joint meeting will be scheduled for some time in January. Board of Selectmen Meeting—December 15, 2009—Page 3 Discussion/Action Items Continued Hearing — O'Yes Restaurant Liquor License — The applicant was present. The Town Manager noted that the issue was that the applicant had used his American name on the application instead of his given name. The Police have reviewed and indicate there is no problem with his given name. Their liquor policy is attached and the employees will attain server training within three months of hiring. A motion by Anthony seconded by Schubert to close the hearing on an application for an All Alcohol Restaurant Liquor License for Kok, Inc. d/b/a O'Yes at 26 Walkers Brook Drive was approved by a vote of 4-0-0. A motion by Goldy seconded by Anthony to approve the application for an All Alcohol Restaurant Liquor License for Kok, Inc. d/b/a O'Yes at 26 Walkers Brook Drive with a term expiring December 31, 2010 subject to the following conditions: • All Bylaws, Rules and Regulations of the Town of ,Reading and Commonwealth of Massachusetts shall be followed, and also subject to a satisfactory inspection of the establishment by the Town Manager prior to the opening of the restaurant. The motion was approved by a vote of 4-0-0. Approval of Cedar Glen Agreement — The Town Manager noted that we have not received anything on the Cedar Glen Agreement. Town Manager's Evaluation — Selectman Stephen Goldy noted that the Town Manager's evaluation was based on six goals: Development, personnel, finance, operations, services, and policies and procedures. The overall average was 4.35 with the Town Manager excelling in all the areas except services. The Board was very happy with the Downtown project, Fall Street Faire, sign bylaw, Smart Growth, the hiring of the new Town Clerk, Director of Public Works and Town Planner/Community Services Director. It was also noted that the Town's bond rating is excellent, and a huge amount of work was done on policies over the past year. Regarding services, the perception by residents is that the Town is tough to deal with and this issue is being addressed. The Town Manager noted that the draft 2010 Goals and Action Plan are attached, and that suggestions would be helpful, especially in the services section. Selectman Camille Anthony noted that she needed the goals before reviewing the budget, and the Town Manager noted that there are 43 goals for next year, and we don't necessarily need money to accomplish them. Approval of Minutes A motion by Anthony seconded by Schubert to approve the Minutes of December 1, 2009 was approved by a vote of 3-0-1, with Goldy abstaining. Board of Selectmen Meeting—December 15 2009—Page 4 A motion by Goldy seconded by Anthony to adjourn the meeting of December 15, 2009 at 9.07 p.m.was approved by a vote of 4-0-0. Respectfully submitted, `Secretary