Board of Selectmen, June 19, 2017

Meeting date: 
Monday, June 19, 2017

HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN

MEETING MINUTES

June 19, 2017

 

6:30PM                                                                                               Senior Center

 

Present: Chairman Robert Lavigne, Geri Herlihy, Tim Ethier, Jeremy Kurtz, Anthony Renzoni

 

Others Present:            Peter Lukes, Town Manager

                                    Stephen Madaus, Town Counsel

                                    Liz Fotos, Town Recorder

 

Chairman Lavigne called the meeting to order at 7:06PM.  The Board stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance lead by Girl Scout Troop 11634.

 

  1. Appointments, Licenses, Permit

 

Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE A WINE AND BEER LICENSE FOR RYAN MACKAY ON BEHALF OF LILAC HEDGE FARM, LLC FOR JULY 22 AND JULY 23 FOR A TWO DAY FARM FESTIVAL INCLUDING FARMER’S MARKET, DEMOS, PETTING ZONN, AND DINNER ON SATURYDA FROM 10AM TO 7PM AND SUNDAY FROM 10AM TO 5PM.

 

Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPORVE THE PUBLIC ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE FOR RYAN MACKAY ON BEHALF OF LILAC HEDGE FARM, LLC FOR JULY 22 AND JULY 23 FOR A TWO DAY FARM FESTIVAL INCLUDING FARMER’S MARKET, DEMOS, PETTING ZONN, AND DINNER ON SATURYDA FROM 10AM TO 7PM AND SUNDAY FROM 10AM TO 5PM.

 

Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Renzoni, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO GRANT THE TOWN MANAGER AUTHORITY TO APPROVE ANY APPLICATION BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT MEETING.

 

  1. Eagle Scout and Girl Scout Recognitions

 

Chairman Lavigne welcomed Everett Noonan to the meeting; he asked him to walk the Board through his Eagle Scout Project.

 

Everett Noonan stated that he worked on a project that was given to him by the Holden Garden Committee and was located at the old Rec. Site.  He stated it was originally overgrown and covered in poison ivy and they started the work and used stone and then planted the herbs and halfway through the Garden Committee asked for an irrigation system that they added in because many of the herbs required constant watering. 

 

Sel. Renzoni asked how many people contributed to the work.

 

E. Noonan replied that his family and troop all helped. He stated that on day one he had a lot of help and as the project progressed there was less and less.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that E. Noonan was the 100 Eagle Scout for that Troop. He presented him with the Certificate of Recognition from the Town.

 

Sel. Renzoni presented E. Noonan with a Certificate on behalf of Rep. Kim Ferguson, on behalf of the House of Representatives.

 

Chairman Lavigne invited Girl Scout Troop 11634 up.  He stated that the Troop had earned the Bronze Award and the Board wanted to recognize the Troop as well.

 

The Troop stated that they received the Bronze Award for collecting backpacks with school supplies and delivering them to the food pantry to be handed out to kids that needed them.  They stated that they collected a lot of items at their schools and filled up 54 backpacks for donations.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked what they put in the bags.

 

The Troop replied that they went on the school websites and went grade by grade and put supplies for each grade and labeled the bag for the grades.

 

Chairman Lavigne presented the Troop with a Certificate of Recognition from the Town.

 

Sel. Renzoni presented the Troop with a Certificate from Representative Kim Ferguson in addition to one from Senator Chandler for their work achieving the Bronze Award.

 

  1. Town Manager Update

 

Chipping and Composting: The Brush Chipping and Composting Schedule for this summer is as followings: Saturday, June 24, July 15, August 19, and September 16

 

Hours of Operation are from 8AM to 2:30PM, weather permitting.  Loose leaves and grass clippings may be brought to the former landfill site at 560 River Street. Brush should be brought to the Adams Road DPW Facility due to the Asian Longhorned Beetle Quarantine area.

 

WRSD Budget: The District has notified member towns that it will be on a 1/12th budget basis as we begin FY 18.  A correspondence from Superintendent Darryll McCall, outlines our 1/12th budget based on FY 17 numbers.

 

Also enclosed is a copy of a new proposed assessment that was voted by the Wachusett Regional School Committee on June 12, 2017.  Under the new proposed assessment, Holden’s share of the school budget would be $26, 188, 811, or approximately $300,000 less than the amount voted at Town Meeting.

 

Sel. Ethier asked if it was close to what Paxton would vote.

 

Mr. Lukes replied that that they did not know.

 

Sel. Ethier congratulated Holden for passing the budget at Town Meeting.  He stated the Education Options Committee will have $300,000 because the Town approved budget is $300,000 more than what they are discussing.  He stated that he is hopeful this budget will pass as it is difficult to start the school year on a 1/12th budget.  He stated that there has to be a better way to do the budget going forward and he suggested having Representative Ferguson come to a meeting to see if there was a better way to move forward and pass a budget without hassle.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that there is a different process that the Town adheres to and if the budget passes before October than that excess just wont be taxed so there will not be an extra. 

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that the budget passed up to a certain dollar amount so if it comes in under Holden is in the clear.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he would still contend that the Town set a number that should be used.  He stated that the Board would deal with that at some point.

 

Water Utility Resilience Program: Holden was chosen as a priority town through a MassDEP program that will map our water distribution system.  Mass DEP has contracted with a private contractor to develop GIS mapping of water infrastructure, and at no cost to the Town, this mapping will aid Holden and MassDEP in evaluating, priorities, and assisting utilities with critical infrastructure resilience planning, adaption, and disaster recovery.  I’d like to thank our Town Engineer Isabel McCauley for her work on this.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked if there was any ongoing cost to this program.

 

Mr. Lukes replied there was not once everything was mapped.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked if there was a budget number associated with this service.

 

Mr. Lukes replied he was not sure.

 

MVP Grant: I would like to extend kudos to Pam Harding, our Director of Planning and Development who worked with the Mass Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to secure a $16,000 MVP grant.  The Grant will impact current and future planning effort with regards to infrastructure.  Of particular concern is the replacement of culverts and storm sewer infrastructure that no longer meet the needs of precipitation events.  This grant also certifies Holden as an MVP Community which provides more opportunities to apply for future grants with the Commonwealth.

 

  1. Discussion on July 3, 2017

 

Mr. Lukes stated that several Town Administrations and Managers in the area have been discussing closing Town Offices on July 3, 2017.  He stated that the Board usually closes town for Christmas Eve and it will fall on a weekend this year and he wanted to bring the idea of closing the Town Offices with the exception of non-essential personnel for July 3, 2017.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that they do this for Christmas Eve and the day after Thanksgiving and he thinks it is a small token to the employees to show the Town’s thanks for their hard work and that very few residents will be using the Town offices on this day.

 

Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE CLOSING TOWN OFFICES WITH THE EXCEPTION OF NON ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL ON JULY 3, 2017.

 

  1. Selectmen Subcommittee

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he had attended what was supposed to be the last meeting of the Ed Options Committee and that he believes they have one final report they were putting the finishing touches on.  He stated that they asked for a meeting in September in order to present their final report to the Board.  He stated that perhaps it would be a good meeting to invite Representative Ferguson and Senator Chandler to.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he attended a meeting of the Con Com when Eagle Lake was before them.  He stated that they heard from White Oak Conservation that owns the dam and a number people formed an association to save Eagle Lake. He stated that they were here and that they had been working hard so he was happy to hear more about it.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked the time frame on receive the Final Report from the Educations Options Committee.

 

Sel. Ethier stated he anticipated another week or so.

 

Sel. Kurtz stated he had no updates

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that Water/Sewer and Fin Com did meeting but he was unable to attend either.  He stated he believed they reorganized.

 

Sel. Herlihy stated that she did not attend the last Garden Committee meeting but that she believed they were still working on soil testing.

 

Sel. Herlihy stated that they did a walk through of the new DPW Building site and that was interesting.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked to follow up on that. He stated that they walked through to see where the project was at where it was going.  He stated that the structure was sound but a lot needed to be done and he had some questions about the project.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that he had asked Mr. Nason to give an update to the Board in order to get himself up to speed with the project. 

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that with regards to Subcommittees if there was something a Selectmen wished to be appointed to, to let him know so he can allocate individuals where needed.

 

  1. Citizens Address

 

Chairman Lavigne called for Citizens Address; no members of the public stepped forward.

 

  1. Police Chief David Armstrong- 911 Update

 

Chief Armstrong stated that this has been a three year project and as of May, West Boylston has been up and running and has been fantastic business partner thus far.  He stated that nearly all the money has been extended at this point and he thanked Lori Rose, Town Accountant for managing the funds and helping to close them out when the project is complete.  He stated that there was one more step, an 80FT tower to enhance mobility will be finished soon. He stated that Mr. Lukes had signed all the purchase orders and that this project was just about coming to an end.  He stated that they were working on a grant to look at the Town’s resources and towers.  He stated that now that the other Towns were on board, they want to make sure that Holden was not getting behind and they would be looking at that over the next year.

 

Chief Armstrong stated that they had applied for a support grant of $245,000to support dispatch operations and that he worked with both Mr. Lukes and Ms. Rose to do so.  He stated that what made this project so special was the operational people in his building.  He stated that there was an immense amount of transition and that once they finished the training he would like to come back in and recognize all those who worked behind the scenes to make it happen. He stated that one of the things they see is that when there is an incident they have lots of resources and support so this change has been a win/ win for all towns involved.

 

Sel. Ethier asked if there was a time that all the Towns have come together for an incident.

 

Chief Armstrong stated that at the Mason Road fire there was a large presence in addition to a large fire in Princeton.  He stated that they had their first regional meeting and he wanted to make sure that they continued to work together and solve any issues that may come up.  He stated there will be monthly meetings with the district to help communication as well and ensure that everyone remains and active part of the district.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked what assurances they had that the community partners stay involved; he asked if they could dissolve.

 

Chief Armstrong replied that they sign a contract and that if they wanted to leave they would need to go through the process of moving their 911.  he stated that right now there is one more slot left to be filled.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked if there was any community targeted to take the remaining opening.

 

Chief Armstrong replied they had put some feelers out.

 

Sel. Ethier asked what was next.

 

Chief Armstrong replied that they were updating the system with regards to global positioning.  He stated that when the 911 calls come in, the location goes up on a screen so responding officers can look at see what is on site.  He stated that it was not live time, but close to it and they had added the next layer and were training with Next Gen and looking at a grant surrounding it.  He stated they were also looking at a grant to have the calls go right through Town rather than having the cell phones routed through Framingham.

 

Chairman Lavigne thanked Chief Armstrong for his work.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that he wanted to mention that there was a resident in Town that was unable to do some manual work on his home. He stated that generally the residents son assisted but he was deployed and was unable to get home to help and the Chief had organized assisting on Thursday at 1:00pm.  He stated that anyone interested in helping could reach out to Chief Armstrong or himself and that they could use any help that was offered.

 

Mr. Lukes congratulated the Chief on a job well done.  He thanked him for all the hard work he does.

 

  1. Selectmen’s Handbook Update- Alcohol License Change

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that they had spoken about this about a month ago and that it was housekeeping to clean up the language of the Selectmen’s Handbook. He suggested supporting this change.

 

Sel. Ethier asked if this was legal and proper to do.

 

Mr. Madaus replied that he had looked at it and it was.

 

Sel. Kurtz asked if ‘Farmer’s Market’ needed to be added at the top of the Handbook.

 

Mr. Lukes replied it did not because it was under ‘One Day Special Permit’.

 

Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO AMEND THE SELECTMENS’ HANDBOOK PAGE 12, SECTION ENTITLED “LIQUOR” BY ADDING THE FOLLOWING SECTION, ALLOWING FOR SPECIAL LICENSE FOR THE SALE OF WINE PRODUCED BY FARMER-WINERIES FOR OFF-PREMISES CONSUMPTION AT INDOOR OR OUTDOOR AGRICULTURAL EVENTS, ACCORDING TO THE MASSACHUSETTS GENEARL LAWS, CHAPER 138, SECTION 15F.

 

  1. Selectmen Miscellaneous

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he had attended the Employee Appreciation at Trout Brook and it was great to see the Town’s employees having a nice lunch together and honoring those that hit milestones. 

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he wanted to ask the Chairman to schedule a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and IIF to deal with the future of the IIF.  He stated he was hopeful that they could schedule that in the not so distant future.

 

Mr. Lukes replied the information they received was from bond counsel not Town Counsel.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that they could discuss it in more depth when it was an agenda item.

 

Sel. Kurtz stated that the pool would officially be open on Friday at 1:00PM.

 

Sel. Herlihy congratulated the Holden members of the St. John’s Baseball team.

 

Sel. Ethier sated that both Wachusett Baseball and Softball had won stat championships.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that he had served as an appointee to the IIF Study Group. He stated that there was some overlap and he had spoken to the Group Leader in order to meet again after the 1st of July. He stated that they had requested some documents and while this piece of information they received from bond counsel was helpful they needed more information to move forward.

 

Chairman Lavigne thanked Dan Newman for 7 years of service as a Scout Master.

 

  1. Follow-Up Citizens Address

N/A

 

Chairman Lavigne called a 5 minute recess at 7:21PM.

Chairman Lavigne called the meeting back to order at 7:27PM.

 

  1. Eagle Lake Dam Discussion

 

Chairman Lavigne welcomed the Friends of Eagle Lake to the meeting.

 

Brian Vitalis, Village Way was present at the meeting.  He stated that they were at the meeting to discuss Eagle Lake.  He showed the Board some pictures of Eagle Lake and stated that they were asking the Town to help save the lake.  He stated that there was a complicated ownership situation with the primary owners being a non profit organization (White Oak) and they had issued an NOI to have the lake permanently drawn down.  He stated that the Friends of Eagle Lake would like to explore other options and to drum up support in Town to save this Town resource.

 

Mr. Vitalis showed the Board images of the Dam and Eagle Lake.  He stated that the Town owned the lake itself and MA Audubon had a wildlife sanctuary to the west of the lake as well as a portion that was give to the Lindquist family and was co owned by White Oak.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that as it was explained to him; the Town bought the lake and denied the dam. He stated that White Oak took the dam as it was defined at the time which was the man made part as well as the concrete and mechanical structure and up stream.  He stated the Mill owners took down stream, the concrete spillway and half the property located down stream. 

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that there was a third owner as well which was 1655 Main Street, Sundin.  He stated that there was a bypass pipe that runs under the building and then discharges.  He stated that in 1993, all three owners were defined.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked what was proposed by White Oak and how they intended to draw down the lake.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that all the easily removable components of the dam, the slide gates and pans that hold back water were all found to be in good condition.  He stated that the other parts of the embankment and spillway that were in poor condition needed action. He stated that the Office of Dam Safety required action but that the rating was not unsafe and that there was not a mandated or permanent drawdown issued.  He stated that the decision of the draw down was made by White Oak reportedly because of lack of funds and ability to continue to maintain the dam.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked who made the decision to do this.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that it was the decision of White Oak and other share holders of the dam.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked what the cost was and what they got for the cost.

 

Mr. Vitalis replied that right now DCR is saying that they need to conduct a Phase 2 Study to fine tune the estimate however the estimated cost was $95,000.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked what that would get them.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that it would restore the conditions from poor to satisfactory or good. He stated that there were new regulations from he Office of Dam Safety that spoke about capacity and flow so there was unknown costs as well.  He stated that they had found several things in the report that could be challenged so he did not think that they needed to jump to drawing down the lake permanently. 

 

Sel. Renzoni asked what the cost of the Phase 2 report was.

 

Mr. Vitalis replied it was $30,000-$50,000.

 

Sel. Ethier stated the Phase 2 report would give them a more accurate estimate of what it would cost to remedy the dam.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that the Friends of Eagle Lake were cooperating with White Oak and the Town and were looking into funding for the Phase 2 study.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked who was requesting the draw down.

 

Mr. Vitalis replied White Oak.

 

Scott Morrison, White Oak was present.  He stated that White Oak was requesting to lower the lake by 4.5FT at a rate of 6” / week in order to allow natural vegetation to grow.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that White Oak was a terrific organization and he had great respect for it.  He stated that White Oak came into the situation with ownership of the dam and now the state said they had to do something about it.  He stated it was a lot of money and responsibility for White Oak and for them to come up with that money would be difficult.  He stated for White Oak to draw it down would be the easiest option.

 

S. Morrison stated that their ultimate goal was to de-vest themselves from ownership of the dam.  He stated that this has been an ongoing issue over the years with dam inspections.  He stated that Mill Pond Realty Trust has provided some funding, however Sundin has denied ownership and has not contributed at all.  He stated that because it was classified as a High Hazard Dam, the costs were even higher to maintain and the inspections were $30,000-$50,000 as well which was impossible for a non-profit to maintain.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked if the decision to draw the Dam down was solely financial.

 

S. Morrison replied that it was financial and that with the report indicating it is a High Hazard Dam, and stated it was structurally deficient, it was a liability and was scary to own.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked if the Friends of Eagle Lake were a formal entity and if White Oak was looking to get rid of it was that a possibility.

 

Mr. Vitalis replied they were informal.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked if they could pass it along.

 

Mr. Vitalis replied that they had less of a budget than White Oak.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that to ask a non profit to spend that kind of money was ludicrous.  He stated that a high hazard dam was saying that it was in poor but not unsafe conditions.  He stated that he understands White Oak’s concern though, if the dam failed, it could bankrupt the organization.  He stated he did not think that they should ask Eagle Lake to take it over though.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked what the proposal was; he stated it sounded as though it would cost $50,000 every other year.

 

S. Morrison stated that the Phase 1 Report was $3,500 every other year. 

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that they had done a lot of work on a volunteer basis but that they needed another solution.  He stated that their near term goal was to prevent an immediate draw down.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked what the Phase 2 report accomplished.

 

Mr. Vitalis replied it would give a detailed estimate about what the cost and maintenance for the dam was.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked if this study outlined the $95,000-$700,000 that it could possible cost for repairs.

 

Mr. Vitalis replied that the estimate was to repair the dam to the new regulations established.

 

Mr. Vitalis showed the Board a topographic map from a 1993 survey.  He stated that when the dam was restored, the Town paid for a portion, and it was partially funded by an EPA Grant.  He showed the difference between the current area of Eagle Lake and what it would look like in the event of the draw down. He stated that the fate of Stump Pond was unknown at this time.  He stated that although it still looked like a lake, the profile would be much different because of the depth of water(only inches deep).

 

Chairman Lavigne asked where the impact assessment was completed from.

 

Mr. Vitalis replied that it was completed by tracking the lines of elevation.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked where the data came from to complete it.

 

Mr. Vitalis replied the 1993 study.  He stated that there would also be 24 years of additional sediment to calculate for so the bottom would be raised further.   He showed the Board the cross section of the lake and the depth profile as well.  He stated the physical effect would end up being almost no lake at all.  He showed the Board the connection to the reservoir and the landscape downstream as well.

 

 Sel. Renzoni left the meeting at 7:51PM.

 

Mr. Vitalis showed the path that the water would take as well.

 

Sel. Renzoni returned to the meeting at 7:52PM.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that one of the objectives of the dam removals is for ecological restoration which comes with the premise that if you remove the dam you could get a free flowing stream.  He stated that Eagle Lake was part of the man made system and the fact that the inlet stream are dry, if you remove the dam and reduce the amount of retained water in the area, Eagle Lake will act like the inlet stream.  He stated that during the summer, the inlet stream does not hold wildlife.  He stated that Eagle Lake now is responsible for the wildlife diversity and is a reason to have the park and Audubon as a feature and recreation for the Town.  He stated that if they take out the lake, it will dry and there will be no wildlife in the area.

 

Sel. Renzoni thanked them for coming out.  He stated that he had read the report but asked what it was the group was requesting.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that in the near term, it was to have the Town as well as Con Com take an interest.  He stated that DCR has not said that the dam was unsafe, nor did they request an immediate draw down.  He stated that there is time for them to proceed with the Phase 2 Study and the group was asking for support to argue to not draw down the dam immediately.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that funding wise, they were asking the Town to look for state and federal funding as well.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that as far as stopping the drawdown, they have a relationship with White Oak and they have been talking about it.  He asked if they had worked on this or if they were moving forward.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that there is still an open NOI with Con Com.  He stated they had not revisited the timing of the draw down and it was still on record as being ‘permanent and immediate.’ 

 

Sel. Ethier stated that Con Com was meeting on June 28, 2017.  He asked if the group had been working on grants or funding.

 

Valerie Sampson, Village Way was present at the meeting.  She stated that she had been speaking with Bill Hinkly, Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and there is a two part grant system.  She stated that the deadline is July 1, 2017 so she was proposing working with White Oak and their engineers to apply for this grant. She stated that last year, 24 grants were funded so there was a pretty good chance of receiving funding for the Phase 2 Report and they wont know the extent of what needed to be done until that was complete.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked what the time line for the approval process was.

 

Ms. Sampson replied that she believed they announced in the fall.  She stated it was a two part grant, the funding of the Report and then the repairs that were advised on. She stated that they were hopeful that the Town would want to look at ownership of the dam as the current owners no longer wanted ownership.

 

Sel. Ethier suggested that if there was an effort to get grant money, possibly the Town could help.  He asked if White Oak would slow down.

 

Mr. Morrison replied that nothing they were proposing couldn’t be reversed.  He stated that the flash boards could be put back in and if someone wanted ownership or to work to repair they could.  He stated that they were not doing anything that couldn’t be reversed.

 

Sel. Ethier asked if they would leave things as they were.

 

Mr. Morrison replied that they were being required to do repairs and they had been fined.

He stated that they received a $5,000 fine from DCR so they needed to move forward.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked what the time frame was before they received another fine.

 

Mr. Morrison replied that DCR issued a letter 16 months ago that required the owners of the dam to do x, y, and z.  He stated that they did not receive the letter.  He stated that he had made repeated phone calls to DCR to work with them and he had yet to receive a phone call back.  He stated that in that time they received the fine and they (White Oak) had responded but there was still no response from DCR.  He stated that they were between a rock and a hard place. 

Sel. Herlihy asked if Rep. Ferguson had been contacted.

 

Mr. Morrison replied that he was hoping to speak with her tomorrow (6.20.17) and that they were hopeful that her office could get DCR off their back.

 

Cara Valerie, Village Way was present at the meeting.  She stated that she had spoken to Ms. Ferguson about a month ago and that she indicated that she could not help as it was a non-profit.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that the State Representative could not do anything for a non-profit but could possibly help with the contact and the fines that were coming down.

 

Mr. Morrison replied if she was able to put a call into DCR it would be helpful.

 

Mr. Lukes left the meeting at 8:06PM.

 

Dan Marinone, Eagle Lake was present at the meeting.  He stated that he had received a letter regarding the NOI and that they had spoken to S. Morrison, White Oak, and had walked the dam together to see what type of work needed to be done.  He showed the Board before and after pictures of the work that had been done.  He stated that this could be a great Eagle Scout Project to get involved as well and he had also reached out to the corrections facility as this would be great location for the community service.  He stated they had actively been working on doing some of the projects and that he does appreciate the situation White Oak is in.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that he would be putting this back on the agenda for the July meeting.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that Con Com was meeting June 28.

 

Mark Lipsoy, Village Way was present at the meeting.  He stated that the reason there was a continuance at Con Com was because they were unprepared at the meeting.  He asked if there was any way the Town could take the dam, even with imminent domain.  He stated that he understood that there was a liability issue but he stated that if the Town took the land it could be preserved for the Town.  He asked if the Town could buy the land from White Oak.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that would need to be done through Town Meeting.

 

Mr. Lipsoy stated that the dam would not cost $700,000 to fix.  He stated that it was not in bad shape.  He stated that he was not a structural engineer but it was not that bad and that there were just a few cracks.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that they were unable to make any decisions.  He stated that he would ask the Town Manager to do some work and see what it would be to have the Town take over the lake and then to see if there was an appetite to do so.

 

Sel. Ethier asked if they could give the Town Manager some guidance and some revenue. He stated he thought they owed it to the people in Town to have the discussion.

 

Sel. Renzoni asked to limit the discussion to 5-7 minutes.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he felt this was important and if it took longer than 5-7 minutes than so be it.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that this has thus far been a very long agenda item and that he was asking the Town Manager for additional information.

 

Sel. Herlihy stated that she felt as though the Phase 2 Study needed to be done.  She asked if they were able to obtain grant money would they be open to doing the study.

 

Mr. Morrison stated they would and that it needed to be done.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he was at the meeting the other night.  He stated that Eagle Lake has a beach, playground, and other features and that the Town Rec. Dept. had been neglecting it.  He stated it was not advertised and a lot of people don’t even know about it.  He stated that it is a major recreational area in Town and that this will dramatically change it and the Town needed to take some responsibility for it. 

 

Sel. Ethier stated that the Town Rec. Account has about $789,000 in its account and while it is a revolving fund, he did not believe that the account ever fell below the $300,000 to $400,000 range. He stated that he felt it would certainly be in the Towns capacity to pay for the $30,000 Phase 2 Study if that is what it cost as the lake was a Town commodity. 

 

Sel. Ethier stated he felt that the Town should take ownership of the dam.  He stated that Sundin was present at the meeting earlier and he (Ethier) was hopeful that they were there to speak about the dam.  He stated that White Oak wanted to do what was right but it was not their responsibility and the Town should take responsibility for it. 

 

Sel. Herlihy stated that if there was grant money that should be looked into.

 

P. Harding stated that the grant program that was referenced was not free money and needed to be paid back.

 

Ms. Sampson disagreed.  She stated there were two types.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that he did not feel as though it was not the Town’s role to use government funds for private property.  He stated if the Town wanted to take the land it would need to be considered and debated in the future.  He stated if they were going to discuss using government funds, they would need to go to Fin Com and ask for their opinion. He stated that this could have a huge impact on the Town and it would need to be passed by Fin Com and Rec Dept. and the Rec. Committee to get everyone’s opinion on the matter. 

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that the key to that working would be if White Oak was willing to wait for grant money to come through.  He stated that they still needed to get DCR off White Oak’s back until that could happen.  He asked if the Town Manager’s Office could assist in that department and try to get Rep. Ferguson’s assistance as well. He stated that once they were able to stop White Oak from getting fined, they could help make a plan about the lake getting drawn down.

 

Sel. Kurtz stated that in addition, the Town has resources for grant writing and things at its disposal, he asked if the experts could help White Oak/ Friends of Eagle Lake in applying for these grants to make sure the applications were full and completed.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated he did not think it was a great idea to use Town assets for private property.  He stated he felt the Town needed to be careful or other entities would see this and want the help of the Town as well.  He stated that right now it was a private problem between private owners and a group and that they could not get emotional about it. 

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he felt the Town had a responsibility as it was a huge recreational area in Town and that there was value to the property and the Town.  He stated that the Town does have a connection to the land and there was no reason they should not take initiative for the grant writing and money.  He stated that White Oak wanted to sign the dam over and the Town should step up and take it.  He stated that if they need a legal opinion and Town Manager’s opinion so be it but it was a Towns recreational area and the Town should show an interest in it both financial and otherwise.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that was what they were asking of the Town Manager, to get the legal opinion and to provide his opinion as well.

 

Mr. Vitalis stated that the lake itself was owned by the Town so Town property was directly impacted.  He stated that in 1993, the Town did step up to help with a public fund so the situation was similar.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that the Town has also been involved in the draw downs for maintenance in the past so the Town is already actively involved in this land.

 

Mr. Lukes stated that the Town was not involved in the maintenance and operation of the dam.

 

Sel. Ethier replied that the Town should be and that there was a big connection between the lake and the dam.

 

Jeff Zottoli, 404 Main Street asked about the effects of drawing down the lake downstream.

 

Chairman Lavigne replied that they didn’t have those answers but they would find them out.

 

Mr. Morrison asked for any assistance from the Town with regards to DCR.

 

Chairman Lavigne called a two minute recess at 8:27PM.

 

Chairman Lavigne called the meeting back to order at 8:30PM.

 

  1. Lilac Farm

 

Ryan MacKay, Lilac Farm stated that their festival would be held on July 22 and July 23 and would have music, craft beet, farmers markets, a dinner and more.  He stated that they will focus on local wineries and produce and highlight the farms and other vendors.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked where you could buy tickets.

 

R. MacKay replied they could be purchased on their website, lilachedgefarm.com

 

  1. Dan Nason- Update on New DPW Building

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that he had asked Mr. Nason out in order to have an update and see where the project stood since the Town had approved accepting the land at Town Meeting.

 

Mr. Nason replied that this was not formal and there was technically no project as of yet.  He stated that they were working with engineers and they had recommended accepting the donation of land but had not met since then as there had been no closing on the property.  He stated that the closing was set for the end of the month but at this time there was no real update and he felt it was a little inappropriate at this time to ask for one.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that he had heard that there was a building design so he wanted to get up to speed with it.

 

Mr. Nason stated that it the plans were conceptual and he did not want to put a budget on what they were doing.  He stated that they needed to do their due diligence do come up with a design and go from their.  He stated that it was not historically accurate to say that a cap or ceiling was put on a project before the design phase.

 

Chairman Lavigne replied that he disagreed and he just wanted to get an idea of where they were.  He stated that if the Town was going to keep on investing $100,000 he wanted to see where they were from a planning perspective.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that he was sorry that Mr. Nason felt confrontational.  He stated that there was a conceptual number that they were working with and that when they were walking though the site there was a conceptual sketch that the designers were working on.   He stated that he felt that it seemed as though the plans were further along then just conceptual at this point.  He stated that they had spoken earlier and that the number that was given was higher than he (Renzoni) had anticipated.  He stated that this was conceptual, but on the walk though it looked like they wanted to use 60,000SQ FT of the building and he had asked about some of the floor and puddling and he was told that they could add drains and squeegee the water to the drain.  He stated hearing squeegee to the drain when talking about a number in the millions was not going to happen.  He stated he was sorry that Mr. Nason felt as though it was not time to be in front of the Board but that the Board did need to ask questions about it and wanted to let the Building Committee know where they stood as well.

 

Mr. Nason replied that he agreed with some of that but that as he probably remembers from the walk thought, there was redesign being done on the fly.  He stated that it was a bare bones needs assessment that they were doing and that he did not mind coming in for an update but there was no land as of yet.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that if the Committee designed it and made a proposal and came to the board with $100 million project, no Board member was going to approve it.  He stated that he felt that the Committee should be aware of the Boards threshold before they invest too much time in their design.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he believes that they appointed a Committee to do a project and they took on a lot of responsibility and that he feels as though they were jumping the gun to put a number on them.  He stated that he did not think it was appropriate for the Town, the Board, or Fin Com to tell a volunteer group to keep a project under a certain number.  He stated that they can decide to support the project or no but he does not think they should have to work within those confines and that he wanted to hear the rationale from the Committee when it came to the project they presented.  He asked if there was a target date for the proposal.

 

Mr. Nason asked counsel when they anticipated closing; he stated that would impact the time line.  He stated that the members of this Committee were fiscally responsible and that they understand the magnitude of the project.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that looking at the numbers per square footage that have been provided is where the total figure starts to get high.  He stated that he understands it is early but that the Committee would make a recommendation and then the Board would need to take a position and endorse the project.  He stated that with things such as the growing population and the study coming down the line it was important to have the Boards support.  He stated that the Board did not want to design the building but that they did want to tell the Committee where they were comfortable with.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that how other committees conducted business was irrelevant, the DPW Building was different than schools. He stated that the Committee was solely responsible for the project and while Fin Com could weigh in, it was ultimately the Committees responsibility to bring the project forward. 

Sel. Ethier stated that he thought that the Board had an obligation to a volunteer committee to listen to what they say.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that he thinks the Board also owes it to them to have a number in front of the project.  He stated that he would not want to see a $28 million number and to have not had a conversation up front.  He stated that for this project, he felt that anything north of $20 million would be excessive and that he wanted to have the conversation so there was no miscommunication.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he had one vote at Town Meeting and that up to Town Meeting, the Board could recommend approval or not but that there is the obligation to the Committee to listen to them and vote on their project.  He stated he did not think the group should have pressure put on them to come in with a certain number. He stated the Board could not recommend something but they should hear out their project as it was.

 

Mr. Nason stated that he understood the flavor of the Board as did the Committee however in the process, most of the Board has heard that the scope has changed.  He stated it was $7 million in capital equipment in a building twice as big as it originally was.  He sated there was also a number of different add ons such as Holden Access TV, meeting rooms, HMLD, and more so that all comes at their sacrifice.  He stated that if they were going to put a cap on something, they needed to add in all the entities.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that while the property may be used for other thing, they wanted to only speak about the DPW portion.  He stated that they understood the more that is built on, the larger the cost.

 

Mr. Lukes stated that the Committee was in a difficult position.  He stated that they needed to take into consideration some theoretical conceptual decision as to what the potential costs of the hazardous conditions could be.  He stated there were large contingencies on the Haz Mat and most of it will not come to mitigation once they are on the property and can do some testing.   He stated that he wanted to project to be presented as a holistic idea but that those will not be on the Committee to design.

 

Sel. Kurtz stated that he understood the number part of it and knew that the Committee had been in front of Fin Com and the Board.  He stated he thinks they have some rough numbers about what the Board is oaky with.  He stated that he thinks the next steps are to hear from the Building Committee and to hear from Mr. Lukes about the overall strategy of the land and then present it to the public with key information provided.  He stated that they had authorized to enter into this agreement and now there are financial costs to maintain the building so that understanding the path forward and how to get there was important. He stated that the discussion of numbers was putting Boards at odds before the presentations were ready and they were chasing the Committee away with a number.  He stated they should get an understanding of where they were with the project and what the progress would be before they spoke about numbers.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that is why Mr. Nason was asked to come to the meeting.  He stated that he asked for an update and the conversation got derailed quickly.

 

Sel. Kurtz suggested an update without numbers associated with it.

 

Sel. Renzoni again thanked Mr. Nason for coming to the meeting.  He stated that he disagreed with is fellow Board members and felt as though they do need to be concerned with the numbers.  He stated that the board was there to look at the long term health of the Town and that they (BOS) were the only people that could call for a Town Meeting.  He stated that the number they heard last year was a little high and that he understood they were at conceptual drawing but that a lot of work had already gone into them.  He stated that he thinks this conversation was in the scope of responsibility and that to control Town Meetings were in the Board’s authority.

 

Mr. Nason stated that they did talk at the walk though and there were lines on the floor but later in the evening those plans were changed and redesigned.  He stated he thought it would be advantageous to see the space.  He stated that if this falls though they were talking about a project in the millions to renovate their current location as it does not meet code.  He stated that the salt sheds, fueling, parking all cost money not to mention the housing of the towns items. He stated that he wanted to wait for this to close before they did much else.

 

Sel. Ethier disagreed with Sel. Renzoni about the numbers.  He stated that he does not think it is appropriate to bring up future projects and that every department in Holden has seen a new facility in front of DPW.  He stated that DPW has waited 25/30 years for a building and that he wanted to see a quality presentation with no number cap given.

 

Chairman Lavigne stated that he felt it was the Board’s job to consider things that would be coming down the pipe.  He stated they all agree that the DPW Building is a need but that numbers still needed to be considered.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that nothing was coming down the pipe.

 

Chairman Lavigne disagreed.

 

Mr. Lukes stated that there would be a serious concern with what debt was coming off the books and what debt was added.  He stated that it is an evolving process but that when the time comes they will have a solid idea of the financials and they will consider the financial impact of the project.

 

Mr. Nason replied that they were speaking about the backbone of the community.  He stated that DPW touches every person every day of their lives; showers, cooking, public water, sewer, roads, etc. DPW touches everything daily. He stated that if the Town lost the $6 Million + of equipment that was held at the current facility they would be in bas shape as well.  He stated DPW makes a Town.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that it was thankless work.  He stated that they wanted to continue to work together but that he wanted it to be a reasonable project that would pass Town Meeting the first time.

 

Mr. Nason invited any member of the community to the Committees meetings if they wanted to see what was going on.

 

Sel. Kurtz asked if the Town was on track to close and take ownership of the property.

 

Mr. Madaus stated that the title was mostly clear and that the closing was scheduled for June 30, 2017.  He stated it was all lining up to have it conveyed to the Town at no cost.

 

Sel. Kurtz asked if they took ownership, how quickly do they need to start moving forward on the remediation.

 

Mr. Lukes replied it was all part of the final project and if they did nothing to the property it would just be the annual monitoring costs.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated that the Board had not agreed on a number and that he did not speak for the Board but that he thinks the Board should agree on a number so that D. Nason and the Committee were not spinning their wheels.

 

Sel. Ethier stated that he agreed that they needed to debate the number but that the Committee should be able to present the number first.  He stated that the Board has an obligation to hear the Committee’s presentation and then they could go from there.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated he agreed that they should get that data but that he thinks the Committee should know where the Board stood as well.

 

Chairman Lavigne asked to stay off finances for now.

 

Sel. Kurtz stated that Sel. Renzoni was quoting numbers that he was not privy to.  He asked for that information.

 

Sel. Renzoni stated it was from the DPW Director answering four questions. He stated he would pass it along.

 

The Board thanked Mr. Nason for coming in with an update.

 

Motion by Sel. Renzoni, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOULSY VOTED TO ADJOURN THE JUNE 19, 2017 BOARD OF SELECMTNE MEETING AT 9:12PM.

 

 

APPROVED: _____September 5, 2017 (as amended)____________