Board of Selectmen, August 3, 2015
HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
AUGUST 3, 2015
6:32pm Senior Center
Present: Chairman Jeremy Kurtz, Anthony Renzoni, Kenneth O’Brien, Tim Ethier
Present via phone conference: Robert Lavigne
Others Present: Jacquelyn Kelly, Town Manager
Peter Lukes, Assistant Town Manager
Stephen Madaus, Town Counsel
Liz Fotos, Recording Secretary
Chairman Kurtz called the meeting to order at 6:32PM. The Board stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Chairman Kurtz announced that Sel. Lavigne was participating remotely on the phone. He stated that in order to have Sel. Lavigne participate all votes will be done in roll call fashion.
- Appointments, Licenses, Permits
Chairman Kurtz stated that prior to the regular meeting; the Board had met with Simon Gregory. He was reappointed for a two year term to the Cultural Council by a vote of 3-0-2 (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; Lavigne: not present; O’Brien: not present).
Chairman Kurtz also stated that the Board had met with Ronald Spakauskas and James Deignan. They were both reappointed to their positions with the ZBA for a three year term each with a vote of 4-0-1. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: not present).
Chairman Kurtz stated that Robert Ricker was also up for reappointment to the ZBA however he was unable to attend the meeting.
Motion by Sel. Ethier, seconded by Sel. O’Brien, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO REAPOINT ROBERT RICKER TO THE ZBA FOR A THREE YEAR TERM. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE FAITH KESKULA ON BEHALF OF ‘TRY A LITTLE WHOPPIE’ FOR A COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE FOR HOLDEN DAYS ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2015. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE JEN STANOVICH ON BEHALF OF WACHUSETT AREA CHAMBER FOR A COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE FOR HOLDEN DAYS FOOD COURT DAMON HOUSE AND SENIOR CENTER FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 2015 WITH THE CONDITION OF ALL PROPANE TANKS MUST BE SECURED AND WILL BE INSPECTED. (Renzoni: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes; Ethier: yes).
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE JEN STANOVICH ON BEHALF OF WACHUSETT AREA CHAMBER FOR A PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE- DAMON HOUSE, BUBAR FIELD AND BANDSTAND ON SATURDAY AUGUST 22, 2015. (Renzoni: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes; Ethier: yes).
A Motion was made by Sel. Ethier and seconded by Sel. Renzoni for a common victual license for Bradford Carlson; the motion was opened up for discussion.
Sel. O’Brien stated that while he was reading through the documentation, the fire department was specific about the staff being trained in crowd control. He stated that he would like to make an amendment to have the license be subject to the training of the employees in crowd control regulations. He suggested giving them a conditional approval as long as the training is completed.
Sel. Renzoni stated that he would support that if Sel. Ethier would amend the motion.
Sel. Ethier agreed to that amendment. He stated that this was the final step for B. Carlson to be the official operators of the Blue Plate and that they had worked very hard and he supports this establishment.
Motion by Sel. Ethier, seconded by Sel. Renzoni, it was, UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE BRADFORD E. CARLSON ON BEHALF OF BLUE PLATE LOUNGE, LLC, D/B/A BLUE PLATE LOUNGE FOR AN ANNUAL COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE EXPIRING DECEMBER 31, 2015 CONTINGENT UPON THE STAFF BEING TRAINED IN CROWD CONTROL AND THE OCCUPANCY NOT EXCEEDING 100 PERSONS. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier it was, UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE MARTIN HOLMAN ON BEHALF OF NEXT LEVEL CHURCH /HOLDEN ROAD RACE FOR A PARADE PERMIT ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2015. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
Sel. O’Brien stated that this race was primarily to raise funds for the Holden food pantry so it was a good race to support.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE LIST OF PROPOSED ELECTION OFFICERS AS SUBMITTED BY THE REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEES ALONG WITH THE NAMES OF UNENROLLED VOTERS SUBMITTED TO THE TOWN CLERKS OFFICE FOR A TERM FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 TO AUGUST 31, 2015. (Renzoni: yes; Kurtz: yes; Ethier: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
Ms. Kelly asked the Board to grant her permission to approve any license that come up between now (August 3, 2015) and the next Board of Selectmen meeting.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was UNANIMOSLY VOTED TO GIVE THE TOWN MANAGER PERMISSION TO GRANT ANY STANDARD LICENSES FROM AUGUST 3, 2015 UNTIL THE NEXT BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING. (Renzoni: yes; Kurtz: yes; Ethier: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
- WRSD Update with Holden Representatives of the WRSD Committee
Chairman Kurtz stated that the WRSD Representatives were present in order to update the Board on school district matters.
Ken Mills, Stacey Jackson, Christina Smith, and Linda Milia were all present.
K. Mills told the Board that there was a budget that was approved by three out of five of the towns, but that in order for it to pass; it needed to be approved by four out of five. He stated that before sending the budget back to Rutland and Paxton, they had reduced it. He stated the reduced budget reflected savings in health insurance in addition to increased revenue. He stated that they felt there was a major reduction of the 9C cuts and that some of that money was used to pre-purchase supplies for the fiscal year so they transferred it to next year. He stated that the numbers were different mainly with regards to transportation. He stated that as different towns get to the target aid from the state, they see different amounts of money to their contributions.
S. Jackson stated that L. Milia and herself had met with the State Representative and Senator and they were able to speak to them about the formula. She stated that what they were looking at is an issue of target share and the local contribution. She stated that there are little MLC increases and that is what helps Holden afford it. S. Jackson stated that unfortunately Rutland and Paxton were not in the same position. She stated their MLC increases are what is causing them issues. S. Jackson stated that they did look at other towns and 65% have MLC issues and it is an issue impacting much of Central MA more than other parts of the state because Central MA has been under target share. S. Jackson said that the state is increasing them very quickly and that is the reason so many communities are hurting financially and unable to afford school budgets.
Sel. Renzoni stated that this was a discussion that was started with the Board in June. He told the representatives that the Superintendent was at the last meting and told the Board what the impact was going to be. Sel. Renzoni stated that with the initial forecast, guidance counselors, teachers, and new hires would all be impacted. He asked what Holden’s options would be and if there was any way that Holden could fund things. Sel. Renzoni stated that Holden pays its fair share and the concern is that Holden was going to see about 50% of the cuts in the budget. He stated the Board needed to fight for Holden and if other towns could not pass their budget, they should see their fair amounts of cuts.
Sel. Renzoni stated that no one was talking about getting rid of the Regional School System but that the Board wanted to look at all the options available and see how tax dollars could be put to the best use. He stated that Holden is marketable because of the affordability of houses and our great education and people were not going to continue to move here if we can’t say that any longer. Sel. Renzoni stated that the problem is not going to go away and he wanted to explore and see what our options would be.
S. Jackson stated that right now we are working with the 1/12th Budget. She stated that Rutland had their vote tonight (August 3, 2015) and there will not be an answer to that until at lease September. She stated that if as of December the region does not have a budget, the commissioner would come in but that he cannot create a budget or force an override. S. Jackson stated that the Holden Representation was at a point where they have said they are done cutting. She stated that they understand and empathize with the other towns, but that they don’t want to cut any more.
S. Jackson stated that Holden is not paying more than other towns per se; so even though Holden has more money to spend on education, we’re not actually doing that because we are a larger portion. She stated because we are a larger portion, we will see more cuts. S. Jackson stated that the former superintendent stated that Holden could not just pay more; and that they needed to act like a district. She stated that Holden could do things such as a capital purchase for technology, or things of that nature; however they were not allowed to fund teacher’s salaries or any ongoing expenses.
L. Milia stated that she has been impressed with the schools and that the problems right now were structural issues. She stated this is why they met with state representatives; it is going to be an ongoing issue and that there have been lots of changes since the original formula was put in place.
K. Mills stated that the formula needed to change but that the commonwealth needed to put money in as well. He stated that in the past things such as capital purchases for text books or technology had been done and they could support that. He reiterated that they could not hire a teacher with those funds as they are district employees, not Holden or Rutland employees. He stated that the regional agreement is up and changes could be made to that as well however it needs to be a four out of five vote to make any changes.
C. Smith stated that she felt similar to the others and that we cannot continue to cut anymore. She stated that the foundation is cracked but that it can’t be fixed without money so Holden is in a tough position. She stated that she is hopeful that Rutland is making the decision to put the override in, but if they don’t Holden will need to discuss options from there. C. Smith stated that the best thing that people can do is to be understanding as it’s the children that are suffering.
Chairman Kurtz asked the WRSD Holden Representatives to stand by as it was 7:00PM and he needed to open the floor for Citizens Address.
- Citizens Address
Margaret Watson, 94 Doyle Road was present and addressed the Board. She stated that she wanted to comment on the school budget; she said the commissioner has taken over two districts in the past and that money is taken from the state subsidy and the Towns never see the money and are expected to function. She stated that it was not as if they need to create money, it is taken out of the town’s state subsidy.
Ms. Watson stated that she was present at the meeting to represent the Holden Garden Club. She stated that the Garden Club is pleased to announce that they are offering a grant for up to $1000 for grades K-8 for botanical, horticultural, or environmental purposes and applications are now available. Ms. Watson stated that the funding has been made possible from the Garden Clubs plant sale and that the grant will continue annually contingent upon the sales success. Ms. Watson stated that the Garden Club would return to a Board meeting to let them know about the school projects as they progressed. Ms. Watson also encouraged other private people or organizations to donate to causes and to enhance the student’s education by using their area of expertise. She stated that she had reviewed the reports from the District and that resources were not adequate and education is suffering. She stated that many text books are outdated especially in science and history and that students need to be learning from up to date information. She encouraged anyone that could donate to do so.
Chairman Kurtz asked if there were any additional citizens that wished to speak; no members of the public stood. Chairman Kurtz closed citizen’s address and invited the Holden Representatives of the WRSD Committee back up to the podium.
WRSD Update with Holden Representatives of the WRSD Committee Cont.
Sel. Ethier stated that he appreciated the school board digging in and saying that enough is enough with the cuts. He stated that S. Jackson brought up target share; he asked if that was the states effort to get certain lower assessed towns, like Rutland, up in a gradual way. He asked if the Representatives had specific numbers about the allocation of the aid.
S. Jackson stated that for FY 16, Rutland’s target share is 43.46% and the state sets the foundation budget. She stated that is just MLC not operations or transportation; but their actual share is 44.84%.
Sel. Ethier stated that they pay $5,000 per student.
S. Jackson replied that their MLC is $6.8 Million so they are paying $4,175 per student. Holden’s target share is 58.88% and their actual share is just over 60%. She stated that our numbers were higher than their numbers because it is based on wealth. Holden is paying $5,591 per student. Princeton is the highest with their target at 82.5% and the actual at 87%. They should only pay 82% so they are currently above the cap and the states is bringing them down very slowly.
Sel. Ethier stated that Rutland can say that they pay far less per student than anyone else.
S. Jackson replied that it is because of the wealth based formula which is based on property value and state income taxes.
Sel. Ethier stated that Rutland chose to put the extra amount in the override vote; he asked if they could have done it as a debt exclusion. He stated that he thought it would be easier to pass that way.
Sel. O’Brien stated that they had tried it that way and it failed by three votes.
S. Jackson stated that if they did it as debt exclusion, they would be unable to use it for education the first year and that they could not assume that 100% of it would go towards education.
Sel. Ethier stated that Rutland paid half as much per student for education as Princeton.
K. Mills stated that those numbers were MLC; that Sel. Ethier was right that it is more but that it is not quire twice and the numbers don’t included transportation. He stated that they only have three years left on their debt and it is better for Holden for them to pass the budget on the override rather than the debt exclusion.
Sel. O’Brien thanked the committee for the great information. He stated that years ago Holden was on the short end of funding and that we wanted income introduced into the formula. He stated at that time the State set up a 5 year correction period where towns that were adversely affected could come up to speed. He stated that to his recollection; Rutland was ahead of the curve.
Sel. O’Brien asked statewide, regionally where the district stands. K. Mills replied low.
L. Milia stated that according to the data we are 11th or 12th from the bottom in the entire state.
Sel. O’Brien asked where we stood in comparison to regional school districts. C. Smith replied that we were second to last.
Sel. O’Brien asked the committee about their policy for maximum class sizes and if they are regularly being exceeded. He stated he is asking some of these questions to help educate the Town. He asked the committee to give an overview so that people could know this information
C. Smith replied that they generally are unable to maintain the class size policy. She stated that they have some data that we would need over 40 teachers to meet the class size policy in addition to needing more space.
Chairman Kurtz interrupted WRSD Update in order to call the 7:15 Public Hearing.
- Public Hearing on River Street Ch 61A, Agricultural Land, Riley, LLC
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING ON RIVER STREET CH. 61A, AGRICULTURAL LAND, RILEY, LLC. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
Chairman Kurtz read the public hearing notice into record.
Sel. Renzoni asked if the Board could invite Ag Com up to brief the Board on where they were in 61A.
Sel. Ethier left the meeting at 7:20PM.
Sel. Ethier returned to the meeting at 7:21PM.
Jim Dunn, Ag Com, was present at the meeting. He said that the Ag Com had taken the action to coordinate the reviews of the 61A conversion that was proposed to the Town. He described the location of the parcels of land and provided the Board with a map in order to show them the orientation of the land.
Mr. Dunn stated that Ag Com received notice of the 61A conversions and had sent out notices according to the Policy The results were as follows: Planning Board: no interest; Con Com: no response; ZBA: no response; Ag Com: no interest; Historic commission: no interest; Rec Dept: no interest. Mr. Dunn stated that there was no response from the abutters.
The results of the conservation agencies were as follows: DCR: no interest; White Oak: Could not pursue; Mass Audubon: no response.
Mr. Dunn stated that the Ag Com recommended for the town to not exercise or assign its first right of refusal on this property.
Mr. Dunn stated that last time a 61A property came up; there was an issue because the process of having Ag Com spear head these parcels was not yet formalized. He stated that now that it had been formalized some Boards and Commissions still did not respond so be believes there is an issue. He stated that while he thinks the process has improved there is still a ways to go.
Sel. O’Brien asked Mr. Dunn about White Oak and if they were interested.
Mr. Dunn replied that their words were that it did not fit into the criteria of what they look for and they are currently involved in other projects. He stated that Ag Com was going to take on a long term project of prioritizing the remaining 61A in Town.
Sel. O’Brien stated that last year, Ag Com had asked for funds and he thinks the Board should move forward with this.
Chairman Kurtz asked Sel. O’Brien to hold that comment and that it would be discussed down the line.
Chairman Kurtz asked the public if they had any question or comments; no members of the public stood.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: Lavigne: yes).
A Motion was made by Sel. Renzoni, it was seconded by Sel. O’Brien; it was opened up for conversation prior to the vote.
Sel. Ethier stated that he was not sure if this was the type of lots that the Town wanted to preserve but that as a Town, we needed to do something to preserve some of our land. He stated that into these lots homes were built and that the financials of having a child was taking a toll on the Town. He stated that at some point the Board was going to need to discuss community preservation.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. O’Brien, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED PURSUANT TO MGL CH. 61A, SECTION 14, NOT TO EXERCISE OR ASSIGN ITS FIRST REFUSAL OPTION TO PRUCHASE THE PROPERTY LOCATED ON RIVER STERET, HOLDEN, SAID PROEPRTY BEING SHOWN AS LOTS 4,5,6, AND 7 ON A PLAN RECORDED AT THE WORCESTER DISTRICT REGISTRY OF DEEDS IN PLAN BOOK 827, PLAN 23, OWNED BY RILEY LLC, BY DEED RECORDED AT SAID REGISTRY OF DEEDS IN BOOK 35937, PAGE 134. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
- Agricultural Commission- Open Space Acquisition Fund
Denise Cummings, Chairman of the Agricultural Commission was present at the meeting. She told the Board that the Agricultural Commission wanted to establish a fund that could be used to purchase desirable open space properties when they come up. She stated that with the Town in an advantageous financial place, they (Ag Com) felt it was a time that money could be allocated into a fund thus creating and building an account that could be used when favorable parcels came up. She stated that the Ag Com will be working on classifying the lands. Ms. Cummings stated that the open space has been dwindling and she asked for the Selectmen’s consideration in getting this approved at Town Meeting.
Chairman Kurtz asked Sel. Ethier to work with the Ag Com and the Town Manager on this recommendation and to return to the Selectmen with a proposal.
WRSD Update with Holden Representatives of the WRSD Committee Cont.
Sel. O’Brien continued by asking the committee representatives to give an overview of the class sizes and about exceeding maximum class sizes.
K. Mills replied that they could address grades K-8 however it is hard to determine the numbers for the high school classes. He stated that we are 2/3 over class size in the district but that it was a complicated problem as in addition to about 40 teachers that were needed space was an issue as well. He stated that the committee is discussing it and the questions that were being addressed were how to get class sizes where they need to be in addition to having full day kindergarten for Holden.
C. Smith stated that the kids were being limited because we did not have the staff that was needed. She stated that some AP courses had been taken out of the high school curriculum and that was one of the worst things. She stated that class size was an ongoing issue that needed to be addressed.
K. Mills stated that while class size was important, a bigger issue was supplies and instructional supplies. He stated that we spent half of what others spent. C. Smith agreed and stated that Wachusett was spending in 2014 what others spent in 2006.
Sel. O’Brien stated that he had just seen a survey of the top districts of Central MA and we were ranked 6th behind Shrewsbury, Algonquin, Northboro.
S. Jackson replied that she felt this was one of the problems that we faced. The district, teachers, administration, etc were doing an amazing job with so little in resources. She stated that kids were getting into great schools, our graduation rates were great, testing was good; but we lacked resources. She stated that we are doing a great job with very little.
Sel. O’Brien thanked the committee representatives for holding the line and digging their feet in. He stated that there was real concern for the education and he wanted to encourage the towns to support one another.
Sel. Lavigne thanked the representatives for coming to the meeting as well. He stated that he didn’t have any other questions and that the information that they provided was what he was expecting to hear. He stated that while he kept hearing that Holden used to be in Rutland’s shoes, he did not agree with that. Sel. Lavigne stated that Holden still found a way to make it work so that this conversation was not happening every year. He stated that it was nothing short of a miracle looking at the accomplishments of the district compared to what they had to work with.
Chairman Kurtz thanked the representatives for coming out and stated that he wanted to make sure that they continued to work together.
- Vote on IMA-Stormwater Coalition
Ms. Kelly stated that the Town is one of 28 members of the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition (CMRSWC). The Coalition was created in 2012 as a result of a $310,000 Community Innovation Challenge (CIC) grant award. Two more CIC grants were received in FY 2013 ($115,000) and in FY 2014 ($80,000). In FY 2015, no further CIC funding was available and each of the member towns contributed $4,000 to continue with the work of the CMRSWC. The Coalition Steering Committee has requested that each town contribute $4,000 to continue due to the benefits that the towns receive from participation.
In each of the past years the Town has entered into a one-year IMA with the Town of Spencer which acts as a coordinator facilitator for the Coalition. This year, the steering committee is requesting that a five year IMA be executed. The reasoning for this is to reduce the paperwork burden on Spencer as well as to achieve a level of stability with the Coalition. Any member town may leave the Coalition at any time. Ms. Kelly recommended that the Town renew its IMA for a period of five years.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ether, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO AUTHORIZE THE TOWN MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE AGREEMENT ENTILTED “TOWN OF SPENCER AND TOWN OF HOLDEN INTER-MUNICIPAL AGREEMENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE CENTRAL MA REGIOANL STORMWATER COALITION” AS PRESENTED, SAID AGREEMENT HAVING A TERM OF FIVE YEARS FROM JULY 1, 2015 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2020. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
- Vote on Grant of Easement- January Lane
Ms. Kelly told the Board that they were recommending that the Selectmen accept the easement. She stated that it was voted on at Town Meeting.
Mr. Madaus stated that the vote of acceptance at Town Meeting was good but that the developer was requesting the Board to vote on it as well and that as counsel he did not have any objections to the Board doing so.
Sel. Renzoni asked what the difference was between accepting it at Town Meeting and the Board voting on it.
Mr. Madaus replied that at Town Meeting the vote laid it out and the developer filed plans. The Town Meeting accepted it but the developer was asking for some sort of act of corporate acceptance because there were other easements (utilities) involved. He stated this will go on record and the developer will record all of it at the registry.
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. O’Brien, THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE VOTE UNDER ARTICLE 22 AT THE 2015 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING AND PURSUANT TO GL CH. 40, SECTION 14 AND ANY OTHER ENABLING AUTHORITY AVAILABLE TO IT, HEREBY UNANIMOUSLY ACCEPTS ON BEHALF OF THE TOWN OF HOLDEN A DEED OF EASMENTS, INCLUDING EASEMENTS FOR PUBLIC STREET PURPOSES IN ROADWAYS KNOWN AS JANUARY LANE, APPURTENANT UTITY EASEMETNS AND DRAINAGE EASEMETNS, ALL AS PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED IN SAID DED RECIVED FROM WINTER RIDGE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, AS GRANTOR. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
- Town Manager Update
a) Selectmen’s Meeting Schedule: Enclosed in the packet for your approval is a proposed calendar of Selectmen’s Meetings from September through December 2015.
Motion by Sel. Ethier, seconded by Sel. O’Brien, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ACCEPT THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN PROPOSED MEETING SCHEDULE AS PRESENTED. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
b) Holden Days: Holden Days will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2015. The Selectmen will have a table set up in the usual location. The 275th Committee will provide an awning this year and has requested to put up a banner at the table along with information handouts. The pool facility should be open on August 22nd because life guards will still be available prior to the start of the academic year.
Sel. Kurtz asked the Board to send their availability for the 22nd so he was able to put together a schedule.
c) HMLD Monthly Report: Jim Robinson, HMLD General Manager, has prepared the enclosed Monthly Report for the period ending June 2015. Also enclosed is a pie chart showing the 2015 Energy Mix for the Department, as requested by the Selectmen.
d) DPW Monthly Reports: Enclosed in the packet are the DPW Monthly reports prepared by John Woodsmall, DPW Director. The reports show activities for the DPW including the Water-Sewer Division. The Town Manager noted that the design for the parking lot improvements for the Town Hall/ Starbard Building/ Library campus is complete. The project will be bid with quotes due by the end of August. It is expected that the repaving will be completed by the end of the fall season, after we install a new water main to the Town Hall, and the Church’s underground project is completed.
Sel. O’Brien reviewed meeting minutes from the June 15, 2015 meeting and he stated that it was his understanding that the Shrewsbury Street paving should have already been completed. He asked the Town Manager for a clearer timeline on that project.
Ms. Kelly replied that the paving was going to begin during the last week of July. This project is a priority for the Town. She stated that they have replaced 3,700 ft of water main at a cost of over $625,000. Ms. Kelly stated that there was some patch work done in the spring and that since that time the department has been replacing drainage where needed. Ms. Kelly stated that the Shrewsbury Street project was a complete reconstruction. She stated that starting next week (Week of August 10th) a contractor will be reclaiming the street and after that they will need to regrade the street. Then a base coat of paving will happen, and then we will have to raise the structures to meet with the final course of paving. Ms. Kelly stated additionally, 6,000ft of berm needed to be replaced as well as the sidewalks. She stated this project was over a million dollars in costs and it is the biggest project of the year and is a priority. The project is pretty much on schedule and she apologized if she had given the impression that the project would be completed in July.
Sel. O’Brien thanked Ms. Kelly for the update and laying out the scope of the work. He stated that it was easy for the residents to lose sight of the scope of the work and asked if it was possible to reach out to residents being impacted by the project and communicate about the project.
Ms. Kelly replied that the Town would do a Code Red to everyone on the street before the work started and that a note would be added to the Town website.
Sel. O’Brien asked if the sidewalks could be made a priority with back to school and the walkers.
Ms. Kelly replied that they are aware of the school schedule and they will make every effort to make sure that the sidewalks are passable.
Sel. Ethier stated that replacing the water lines was a positive thing that was being done for the residents and he asked how many homes were being replaced.
Ms. Kelly replied about 50-60.
e) White Oak Grant: The White Oak Land Conservation Society has applied to the Executive Office of Environment and Energy for a grant to acquire Lot 5 of the Holbrook property (see attached map). The property consists of approximately 23.9 acres of land with frontage on Salisbury Street in Holden.
A portion of the Holbrook property was previous acquired by White Oak and formed an open space corridor between Cook’s Woods in Worcester, to land in Holden off Fisher Road and out to Camp Kinneywood. However, there is no public access in Holden.
The preservation of Lot 5 will provide public access to this greenway corridor from Holden via frontage on Salisbury Street and will preserve an additional 23.9 acres to the expansive greenway connection potentially totaling 695 acres. The Town Manager and Conservation Commission have sent letters of support for this exciting project.
f) YTD Revenue and Expenditure Reports: Ms. Kelly attached the year-to-date revenue and expenditure reports for the month ending May 2015, prepared by Lori Rose, Town Accountant.
Sel. O’Brien stated that the water/sewer looked to be in surplus and that was good news.
g) Community Garden Committee Flyer: The Community Garden Committee will be staffing a table at Holden Days to promote public gardens, and to disseminate information. A flyer is enclosed and the Committee will be circulating a survey asking for community input.
h) Moutview Update: The Mountview Middle School is progressing at a rapid pace, on schedule, and on-budget. The Building Committee continues to meet each month, recently doing a walk –through of the building along with the architect and OPM.
We are confident that students, teachers, and staff will move from the existing building into the new school next April 2016. We will coordinate the move with spring vacation. After the move-in, the project will move to demolition and field construction.
She stated that it was a hard working committee and that they were very satisfied.
i) FY 2016 State Budget: Governor Baker signed a 38.1 Billion FY 2016 State budget that provides municipal and school aid program increase. Most of these increase we are already aware of, as the District included estimated increase to our education in the School Committee’s reviewed FY 2016 budget proposal.
However, the Governor also filed a year-end FY 2015 Budget proposals to appropriate an additional $25 Million to assist cities and towns with snow and ice deficits (in FY 2015), to be distributed through the Chapter 90 Distribution formula. Legislative approval is required. Should it be approved, Holden is likely to receive $76,637.
j) MMA Legislative Breakfast: One of the Fall Legislative Breakfast Update meetings will be held in Holden this year. We will be hosting the breakfast on October 2, 2015 at the Senior Center.
k) Fire Department Technical Rescue Trailer: The Holden Fire Department has received one of three Technical Rescue Trailers available without our Northern Worcester County District. Funded through a grant from Homeland Security, the Trailer is equipped with over $60,000 worth of equipment and will be garaged here in Holden. This is of great benefit to Holden in the even we have an incident like the Silo rescue a few years ago. Congratulations to the Fire Department for obtaining this valuable resource at no cost to the Town.
Ms. Kelly also stated that the save the date flyers would be going out with the utility bills in addition to having the information available online.
- Discussion of Wachusett School District FY 2016 Budget
Chairman Kurtz stated that in order to help this conversation he would do a round robin to let everyone speak.
Sel. Lavigne stated that he did not know what the outcome would be for the Rutland vote; however he felt as though it would be a longer term discussion. He stated that the report that we have is outdated and the results of it could be the same or could be dramatically changed; however when people ask him the pro’s and con’s of staying in the district he wanted to be able to answer the question. Sel. Lavigne stated that he owed it to ourselves to see what was available. He said that there is strong management and strong financials and we should see what options there were.
Sel. Renzoni stated that Holden is being backed into a corner because of other Towns and that he felt it was important to see what the options were as well. Sel. Renzoni stated that no one was saying de-regionalization but the report is old and the Town needed an updated look to see what the options would be.
Sel. Ethier stated that he was on the committee in 2000 and that it was a 2/3 vote to remain in the region. Sel. Ether stated that the issue at the time was the building of the new high school and a number of people didn’t want to do that. He stated that you could say to look at the options but to look at de-regionalization wouldn’t make sense financially based on the amount of money invested in the District. Sel. Ethier stated he didn’t think it made sense to study breaking apart from the region because it won’t happen. He stated that we have more in common with the other Towns than we do against them. Sel. Ethier stated that Rutland has a few projects that were coming due and eventually things will settle down. He stated that they could look to see how to better work together but that it didn’t make sense to create a committee to study breaking apart from the region because that would be financially impossible to do.
Sel. O’Brien agreed with Sel. Ethier and stated that he is opposed to any discussion that involved breaking up the district. He stated that he appreciated the school committee members being present at the meeting. Sel. O’Brien stated that discussions about pulling out of the district are short sighted. He stated that the system worked best when people are engaged and that it didn’t make sense to go down this path. Sel. O’Brien encouraged the Towns to find resources but he opposed anything that studied breaking up the district.
Chairman Kurtz stated that he believed a study needed to be done. He stated that the Board needed to watch out for the town and its residents which was different from the school committee that has to look out for all the students across the region. The Chairman stated that there would be a lot of costs surrounding de-regionalization and that while it wouldn’t have to be off the table for discussion the costs would need to be examined. Chairman Kurtz stated that the Board would also need to look at the overwhelming budget challenges and at OPEB. He stated that Mr. Mills spoke about providing technology as one option; he stated that he was in a school recently that had a computer that was 14 years old. Chairman Kurtz stated that the kids come home from school and work on updated technology but the computers at the facilities were dated. He stated that the Town itself had options and that they needed to look at it all.
Sel. Lavigne agreed with Chairman Kurtz. He stated that they needed to collect data because they just didn’t have the information right now. He stated that it was important to work with 2015 information; not 1990 information. He stated that no decisions were being made but he wants to give residents as much information as possible.
Sel. Renzoni agreed with Sel. Lavigne and said that the breaking up of the region would be the most drastic possibility but that it shouldn’t be off the table to discuss. He stated that the people of Holden support schools and that other Towns don’t do the same. He stated these were all questions that they needed the answers to and that right now information and ‘intel’ should be gathered.
Sel. Ethier stated that the main goal of the 2000 committee was to see if Holden was going to remain in the district; not to see any other options. He stated that looking at other options and working with our State Representatives and Senators could make sense. Sel. Ethier stated that if it was something to improve the schools he could support that.
Sel. O’Brien replied that we were fortunate to have Representative Ferguson and that if they really wanted to invest they should work with her to see how the most impact could be made. Sel. O’Brien stated that in 2004/2005 the shoe was on the other foot and Rutland had the funds and they were not talking about pulling out of the region. Sel. O’Brien stated that one thing that Holden needed to be careful of was going down the path of putting our kids in front of other kids in the district. He stated that being a part of a regional school has lots of benefit and he didn’t feel as though they should be talking about doing more for the kids of Holden over other towns. Sel. O’Brien stated that the Board should work with Rep. Ferguson and see what could be done. He stated that one of the big factors is health care cost; if they wanted to make a big impact on that they can explore how they can change the formula that determines that cost. Sel. O’Brien stated that the path that this conversation was going down was very divisive.
Sel. Lavigne stated that he understood where Sel. O’Brien was coming from, however his job was to worry about Holden and the kids in Holden, not the other Towns. He stated that he was not saying to destroy the district and that what he wanted was to gather data/ information and see what if any options Holden had. Sel. Lavigne stated that the Board owed it to the children of Holden to at least gather the data.
Chairman Kurtz stated that now was the right time to go down the road and see what the options would be. He stated that the regional agreement was up this year and that it would be another five year agreement. He stated if there were options they could put them into the agreement and it may benefit Holden now and someone else down the line. Chairman Kurtz stated that now is the right time to look.
Sel. Ethier asked if there was a target number of people to be on the committee.
Sel. Renzoni replied that he would leave it to the discretion of the Chair but though that it should not have more than two Selectmen on it.
Sel. O’Brien stated that he was not going to support this or be any part of it.
Sel. Lavigne stated that it is not a vote on the district; it is just a vote to gather information. He stated that he felt it was in the best interest of the town to look.
Motion was made by Sel. Renzoni, it was seconded by Sel. Lavigne, it was VOTED BY A VOTE OF 4-1 TO HAVE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN ESTABLISH A COMMITTTEE MADE UP OF SELECTMEN, SCHOOL COMMITTEE DELEGATES, FIN COM MEMBERS AND CITIZENS TO STUDY THE OPTIONS THAT THE TOWN HAS SURROUNDING THE REGIONAL SCHOOL AND THE BUDGET. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; Lavigne: yes; O’Brien: no).
Chairman Kurtz stated that he would work with Sel. Lavigne on drafting the committee and would provide more information at the next meeting.
- Selectmen Subcommittees
Sel. O’Brien: no updates
Chairman Kurtz: EDC has not met
Sel. Ethier: Ag Com has not met. Sel. Ethier stated he was also the liaison for the Rec. Department and he wanted to applaud Ms. Kelly and Denise Morano for how they handled a situation that arose at the pool regarding an ADA care-giver.
Sel. O’Brien agreed and stated that how Holden was being portrayed was not correct and the Town handled it correctly.
Sel. Renzoni: Water Sewer Advisory: He stated that he only sees them if needed. He stated that coming up on budget season, they may ask for input. Sel. Renzoni stated that when they fixed the rate structure there was a huge influx and now that everything has leveled out it looks good.
Community Garden: Sel. Renzoni stated the Community Garden Committee would be at Holden Days and they have a lot of information they would be handing out in addition to doing some things with the kids.
Veterans Advisory Committee: Sel. Renzoni stated that he is hoping to meet next week and that they want to do something in observance of Veterans Day.
Chairman Kurtz asked Sel. Renzoni to invite the Memorial Day Parade Committee to the next Veterans Advisory Committee so there could be a clean hand-off of documentation and information.
Sel. Lavigne stated that the Winter Festival had not yet met but they would soon.
- Selectmen Minutes
Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. O’Brien, it was VOTED TO APPROVE THE APRIL 27, 2015 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES AS CORRECTED BY A VOTE OF 4-0-1. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: abstain; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
Motion by Sel. O’Brien, seconded by Sel. Renzoni, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE JUNE 15, 2015 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
- Selectmen Misc.
Chairman Kurtz stated that no one had emailed him any requests. He stated that one thing he wanted to review was the recreation rates and how they were configured. Chairman Kurtz asked Sel. Renzoni to work with the Town Manager to review some of this data and come back to the Selectmen in the next few months to discuss this item.
Sel. O’Brien stated that the Board needed to invite the little leaguers in to be recognized.
Sel. O’Brien also stated that the Planning Board had a series of recommendations from the CMRPC and he wanted to follow up on their input and see what DPW foresees as well.
Sel. Lavigne: nothing.
Sel. Ethier thanked Ms. Watson and the garden club for their scholarship.
Chairman Kurtz apologized to Ms. Watson for not having the follow up to Citizens Address.
Sel. Renzoni asked if the Board could look at the never signed Code of Conduct and Protected Classes.
Chairman Kurtz stated that he would send it back out to the Board to be signed.
Motion by Sel. Ethier, seconded by Sel. O’Brien, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN THE AUGUST 3, 2015 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING AT 9:08PM. (Renzoni: yes; Ethier: yes; Kurtz: yes; O’Brien: yes; Lavigne: yes).
APPROVED: __September 8, 2015_____________