Board of Selectmen, June 6, 2016
HOLDEN BOARD OF SELECTMEN
MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 6, 2016
6:30PM Memorial Hall
Present: Chairman Anthony Renzoni, Jeremy Kurtz, Geri Herlihy, Tim Ethier
Others Present: Jacquelyn Kelly, Town Manager
Peter Lukes, Assistant Town Manager(6:43PM)
Stephen Madaus, Town Counsel
Liz Fotos, Town Recorder
Chairman Renzoni called the meeting to order at 6:30PM. The Board stood to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Ms. Kelly welcomed Sel. Herlihy to the table.
- Appointments, Licenses, Permits
Motion by Sel. Ethier, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE AN APPLICATION BY ERIC JOHANSEN ON BEHALF OF THE HOLDEN 275TH CELEBRATION COMMITTEE & HOLDEN BOY SCOUTS TROOP 182 FOR A ONE-DAY COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE ON SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2016 FROM 11:00AM TO 4:00PM.
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Herlihy, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE AN APPLICATION BY DENISE MORANO, RECREATION DIRECTOR, ON BEHALF OF THE SNACK SHACK-HOLDEN POOL FOR A COMMON VICTUALER LICENSE FROM JUNE 22, 2016 TO AUGUST 26, 2016 FROM 10:00AM TO 6:00PM.
Sel. Ethier stated that the pool had opened this past Saturday without incident.
A Motion was made by Sel. Kurtz to give the Town Manager authorization to approve the permit for the Firemen’s Muster when everything was ready for approval; it was seconded by Sel. Herlihy.
Chairman Renzoni suggested that the motion by amended to include giving the Town Manager any permits that would pertain to the Firemen’s Muster. Sel. Kurtz adjusted his motion; Sel. Herlihy agreed with the amendment.
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Herlihy, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO AUTHORIZE THE TOWN MANAGER TO APPROVE ANY PERMITS PERTAINING TO THE FIRMEN’S MUSTER AND 275TH PICNIC.
- Summer Meeting Schedule
The Board sets the summer meeting schedule for July 18, 2016 and August 15, 2016 at the Senior Center.
- Town Manager’s Update
a) Summer Concerts and Reading Program: The Friends of the Gale Free Library are once again sponsoring family summer concerts at the Library. The concerts kick off with the Teddy Bear Picnic on Friday, June 24, 2016 from 11:30am to 12:15pm. The concerts are held on the Library’s lawn. A flyer was enclosed with the other concert dates.
b) Chipping and Composting: The Brush Chipping and Composting schedule for this summer is as follows:
Saturday June 25
Saturday July 16
Saturday August 20
Saturday September 17
Hours of Operation are 8am to 2:30pm, weather permitting. Loose leaves and grass clippings may be brought to the former landfill site at 560 River Street. Note that access to this site is only overt Harris Street due to a detour while the bridge is replaced. Brush should be brought to the Adams Road DPW Facility due to the Asian Longhorn Beetle quarantine area. This program is for residents only- no commercial loads will be accepted. Other restrictions apply and are printed in the notice which will be placed in the media and on town signs and website.
c) 275th Committee Firemen’s Muster/ Picnic: On Sunday, June 19, 2016, the 275th Committee will host a Firemen’s Muster and Family Picnic. The muster will take place on Main Street, in the Town center. The picnic will be held in front of the Town bandstand. Food and beverages will be available for sale, and there will be musical entertainment.
d) Revenue & Expenditure Reports: The Year-to-Date Revenue and Expenditure Reports for the period ending April 2016 ate attached for your review. These are prepared by Lori Rose, Town Accountant.
e) Town Meeting Proceedings: Enclosed is a copy of the Proceedings from the Annual Town Meeting for your information.
f) MIIA Member Participation Credits: The MIIA Property & Casualty Board of Directors approved an additional participation credit of $2.5 Million, brining the total distribution of additional credits since 2009 to $30 million. These credits are returned to members of the Property & Casualty Group each year. Participation credits recognize long-term loyalty and commitment by MIIA members. Holden’s share of this round of credits is $8,947 which will be applied against renewal invoices.
g) Wachusett Fund: The Wachusett Area Emergency Services Fund was created in 1993 as part of the Holden Hospital closure settlement. Eleven towns, including Holden, were parties to the settlement which established a trust fund with annual distribution to each town equal to the average rate of return on the pooled investments for the prior fiscal year, prorated by town population. A correspondence from Susan McLean, Corporate Director for UMass Memorial is enclosed which provides further information on the Wachusett Fund and Holden’s share of this year’s distribution of $41,149. The distributions are to be used by the member towns for emergency services, transportation, communications, facilities, equipment, training and education.
Chief Armstrong has request that the selectmen vote to approve the expenditure of $2,400 for a new defibrillator from the Wachusett Fund. This expenditure falls within the allowed uses of the Fund and we recommend that the Selectmen vote to approve it.
Peter Lukes entered the meeting at 6:43PM.
Chief Armstrong was present at the meeting he stated that the defibrillators were starting to come to the end of their useful life. He stated that they were a great tool and that they had gotten more expensive over time. He stated that years ago the Police Defibrillators were not interchangeable with that of the Fire Departments’ so they would have to start over once the Fire Department came on the scene. He stated these were compatible and much more efficient.
Sel. Ethier applauded the Wachusett Fund; he stated it was a hard fight to establish it once Holden Hospital closed however it was a great fund.
Chief Armstrong agreed. He also thanked the Memorial Day Parade Committee for their work with changing the parade route and working together with the officers.
Chairman Renzoni thanked Chief Armstrong for his support and help as well.
Sel. Kurtz asked about the $25,000 from the Wachusett Fund that was dedicated to Public Safety; he asked if those funds were earmarked for anything else.
Ms. Kelly replied that it was not.
Sel. Kurtz asked if it made sense to purchase two defibrillators as they were approaching the end of their life. He asked Chief Armstrong where he stood on that.
Chief Armstrong replied that there was always a need for the defibrillators and that the department could not have enough of them.
Sel. Kurtz asked how many they owned.
Chief Armstrong replied that they owned six; two in the building and the rest in the cruisers.
Motion by Sel. Ethier, seconded by Sel. Kurtz, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF THE EXPENDITURE FROM THE WACHUSETT FUND FROM $2,400 TO $4,800 FOR THE PURCHASE OF TWO NEW DEFIBRILLATORS.
h) HMLD Monthly Report: Enclosed is the monthly report for the Holden Municipal Light Department for the month of April 2016, prepared by Jim Robinson, General Manager.
I ) Park Avenue Cemetery Gates: Our DPW Building and Ground Division has completed a project to repair and restore the wrought iron gates to the Park Avenue Cemetery. If you walked by during the Memorial Day Parade, you may have noticed that the gates, hinges, and fastening were repaired, and then re-installed on the granite posts. Thank you to our skilled employees of the B& G Division for seeing that the gates are now in good order. And, thanks are due to all town employees who devoted many hours to preparing the Town’s cemeteries streets, and parks for Memorial Day.
j) Pool’s Open: The Municipal Pool opens on Saturday, June 4 and 5th from noon to 4:45Pm for weekend swim. The pool will be open on June Weekends only until June 22dn when it will open at 1pm for the season.
k) Employee Picnic, June 16, 2016: We will be having the annual Employee Recognition Picnic on Thursday, June 16, 2016 from Noon to 2PM at Trout Brook. The event will be catered so everyone can enjoy themselves, and the Selectmen will be awarding service pins. So all can attend we recommend that the Selectmen vote to close town business offices from noon to 2PM on that day. We will put up notices to the public to avoid an inconvenience. We thank you in advance for sponsoring this event.
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Herlihy, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE CLOSING OF THE TOWN OFFICES FROM NOON TO 2PM ON THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2016 IN ORDER TO CONDUCT THE ANNUAL EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PICNIC.
Sel. Kurtz asked if the Fire Department was still planning on doing the burning on Saturday, June 11, 2016 and if so what the hours would be.
Ms. Kelly replied that she believed that the plan to burn the Creamer House was still on but it was weather dependent. She stated that if neighbors had not yet been notified they would be prior to the burning. She would let the Board know about the hours of training.
- Holden Garden Club
Chairman Renzoni thanked the Garden Club for coming to the meeting.
Ms. Margaret Watson was present at the meeting on behalf of the Garden Club. She told the Board that following the plant sale of 2015, the Holden Garden Club established a Grants Committee in order to award up to $1,000 to Holden schools grades K-8 for gardening and horticultural purposes. She stated that the five schools that were eligible for the grant were: Davis Hill, Dawson, Mayo, Mountview, and the Holden Christian Academy. Ms. Watson stated that all five schools responded and three grants proposals were accepted.
Ms. Watson stated that Davis Hill Elementary was awarded a total of $500 for 5th grade students to attend a Nature Camp in Maine. She stated the money was in partial support of that activity.
Ms. Watson stated that Mayo Elementary School was awarded $400 for the purpose of planting a spring garden by the students on school grounds. The grant would be used to provide students with a learning experience in planting and growing in the garden and also make connections to science and math curriculum. Eighty second grade students participated but the gardens would be accessible by all the students.
Ms. Watson stated that Mountview Middle School was awarded $400 for the purpose of celebrating Earth Day in April by inviting Mass Audubon to the school for a full day of natural science programs for all the sixth grade classes. She stated that students learned about the natural world and then transitioned to learning how to emulate Nature’s best ideas to solve human problems.
Ms. Watson stated that the Garden Club would like to continue to provide Grants in the coming year and that applications had already been sent out to the schools’ principals. Ms. Watson stated that this does not require any action from the Board of Selectmen but the Garden Club wanted to share its experiences with the Board and the public. She stated that she was hopeful that other individuals and organizations would see what the Garden Club did and realize they were able to contribute to the enrichment of students at the schools as well.
Sel. Ethier asked about the source of the funds.
Ms. Watson replied that the Garden Club had over 100 members and the annual plant sale was how they raised their money. She stated that individuals contributed plants for the sale from their own personal gardens and local nurseries such as Sterling Greenery, donated some plants as well. Ms. Watson stated that this sale was the Club’s only source of revenue and that the Town responded very positive to it.
Chairman Renzoni asked if the Garden Club was taking new members and when they met.
Ms. Watson replied that the Garden Club met once a month during the year at the Senior Center. She stated they usually have a special event in July such as a trip to a member’s home to show a garden. She stated that this year, they were planning a trip to the Botanical Gardens at Smith College. Ms. Watson stated that they are also active in Tower Hill Botanical Garden and that a member is spear heading the lily show being held there.
Sel. Kurtz thanked the Garden Club for stepping up to help the schools He stated that he had seen some of the pictures of the raised garden bed at the Mayo School and that the kids were excited about it.
Sel. Herlihy stated that she has a second grader at Mayo and that she knows the teacher plans to incorporate the whole school into the science curriculum. She stated that her sixth grader also loved the presentations that the Mass Audubon put on for Earth Day. Sel. Herlihy thanked the Garden Club as well.
Ms. Watson stated that they hoped to continue the grant program and that she had been invited to visit the school grounds at Mayo to see the project.
- Citizens Address
None
- Vote to Approve Sale of Municipal Bonds
Ms. Kelly stated that the Town is recommending selling $17,090,000 in short term bonds. She stated that this would require a vote by the Board of Selectmen and she has given the Board the formal document which requires the Boards’ signatures in the event they approve it.
Ms. Kelly stated that in preparation for the sale of general obligations and short term bonds, and prior to the sale, Standard & Poor’s Rating Services, a municipal credit rating agency, affirmed the town’s long term rating of ‘AA+’ with a Stable outlook, to the bonds and an ‘SP-1+’ to the Notes, the highest short term rate attainable. A copy of the S & P Credit analysis is enclosed for your information. The rating agency cited the Town’s very strong economy, strong management, strong budgetary performance, very strong budgetary flexibility, very strong liquidity, strong debt and contingent liability position, and strong institutional framework as positive credit factors.
Ms. Kelly stated that the rating is the result of the hard work and vision of the Town’s financial professionals. She thanked Sharon Lowder, Treasurer/ Collector, Lori Rose, Town Accountant, Rosemary Scully, Principal Assessor and the Department Heads that all played a role in guiding the budgets and financial affairs of the Town.
Ms. Kelly stated that Sharon Lowder, Town Treasurer/ Collector received competitive bids from bond and note underwriters on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 for a $17,090,000, 20 – Year bond issued and a $7,000,000, Bond anticipation Note (BAN) issue, as follows:
Amount Purpose
$15,000,000 Mountview School Building Project (Permanent)
$2,090,000 Water-Sewer Infrastructure Improvement (Permanent)
$7,000,000 Mountview Building Project Completion (Short-term)
Janney Montgomery Scott LLC was the winning bidder on the Bonds with an average interest rate of 2.264%. Century Bank was the winning bidder on a $3,000,000 portion of the Notes with a net interest cost of 0.850% and Eastern Bank was the winning bidder on a $4,000,000 portion of the Notes with a net interest cost of 0.868%. The Town received a total of five bids on the Bonds and five bids on the Notes.
Ms. Kelly also acknowledged and thanked the Town’s Financial Advisor, Mary Carney, Senior Vice President of FirstSoutwest, a Division of Hilltop Securities, Inc., Boston, who managed and received the bids for the Bonds and Notes.
Ms. Kelly stated that she could not overstate the strength and good credit of the Town of Holden at this time. She said that the Board and the people can be assured that their tax dollars and resources are managed by a team of talented and dedicated professionals.
Ms. Kelly stated that with that said; she recommended that the Board takes a vote on the document.
Sel. Ethier asked if it was taken as one vote.
Ms. Kelly confirmed it was a series of Bonds but one vote.
Sel. Ethier asked if it made sense to group them together; if the Town found savings by doing that.
Ms Kelly stated that they were able to take advantage of a lower rate by doing that.
Sel. Ethier asked about the fixed portion of the water-sewer bill and if there was a way to calculate the cost per gallon in order to raise the same amount based on usage rather than having the fixed fee.
Ms. Kelly replied that was how the Town used to do it and it was not accurate nor did it sufficiently raise the amount of revenue needed to cover the Water-Sewer Enterprise Fund costs. She stated that by having the fixed fee, the Division was able to have a steady, predictable revenue stream. She stated when they billed based on usage only, there would be swings in revenue based on the weather and that the Fund was in the ‘red’ constantly. Since the new rate structure was introduced five years ago, the Water-Sewer Fund has been on solid ground.
Sel. Ethier stated that he agreed with that but that a citizen had asked the question and was insistent on an answer. He asked if there was a way to calculate it.
Ms. Kelly replied that she supposes that one could but asked why they would do that if the Town was not considering changing the fee structure. Sel. Ethier stated that he agreed with what Ms. Kelly was saying but was trying to explain it to the citizen.
Chairman Renzoni stated that one problem is that there is no industry standard as to how to calculate this number. He said that everyone does it differently and things such as equipment, personnel, projects, all fall into the calculations. He stated that some towns don’t put in all their expenses while others do. He said that the easy answer is to take the water sewer enterprise fund and divide it by the amount of gallons used/ year. He said that would include all expenses.
Sel. Herlihy asked if the debt service on the bond for water/ sewer capital projects would be paid from the Enterprise Fund. Ms. Kelly confirmed that it would.
Sel. Kurtz stated that this was a good time to be borrowing and he is in favor of this.
Chairman Renzoni stated that Ms. Kelly did a great job recognizing her professional team on their achievements but that Ms. Kelly deserved some recognition as well.
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE SALE OF THE MUNICIPAL BONDS AS PRESENTED. (See Attached Vote)
- Vote to Accept Deed of Easement
Ms. Kelly stated that she was going to defer to Town Counsel Stephen Madaus in order to discuss this matter.
Mr. Madaus stated that there were three ways that were laid out at the annual Town Meeting. He stated that the Town requires ‘interest’ in the ways in order to complete the aceptances. He said that he has reviewed the deeds that the developer presented.
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Ethier, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE VOTE UNDER ARTICLE 23 AT THE 2016 ANNUAL TOWN MEETING, THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN VOTE TO ACCEPT ON BEHLAF OF THE TOWN OF HOLDEN A DEED OF EASEMENTS, INCLUDING EASEMENTS FOR PUBLIC STREET PURPOSES IN ROADWAYS KNOWN AS PRESERVATION LANE, HAYFIELD LANE, AND WAGNER LANE.
AND APPURTENANT UTILITY EASEMENTS AND DRAINAGE EASEMENTS,
ALL AS PARTICULARLY DESCIBRED IN SAID DEED RECEIVED FROM CASA INVESTMENTS, INC. (A/K/A CASA BUILDERS & DEVELOPERS CORPORATION), AS GRANTOR.
- Discussion of Selectman Vacancy/ Special Election
Chairman Renzoni stated that the Board had previously discussed options regarding the matter. He stated that to hold a special election for the sole purpose of filling the Selectboard seat would cost about $10,000. He stated that the Board could also piggy back on the State Primary or General Election. The third option would be that the Board could choose not to take action until May of next year at the annual Town elections and have the Board remain a four person Board. He said that if they took no action a Citizen could petition with 200 signatures and force a special town election.
Ms. Kelly stated that at the suggestion of the Board she asked the Town Clerk to prepare a political calendar if a special election were called for September 8, 2016, and that it was included in the packet.
Sel. Kurtz stated that the Board had spoken last time about doing a special election for $10,000 and he does not think the Town should spend that money. He said that he believes that the Board owes it to the public to fill the slot and that piggy backing on the state elections makes the most sense.
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Herlihy, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO SET A SPECIAL TOWN ELECTION ON SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 TO COINCIDE WITH THE STATE ELECTIONS IN ORDER TO FILL THE VACANY ON THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN.
Sel. Kurtz stated that anyone in the public wishing to speak to a Board member to please reach out and he would be happy to answer any questions regarding the position.
- Selectmen Minutes
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Ethier, it was VOTED TO APPROVE THE APRIL 25, 2016 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES BY A VOTE OF 3-0-1. (Herlihy: abstain).
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Renzoni, it was VOTED TO APPROVE THE MAY 2, 2016 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES BY A VOTE OF 2-0-2(Ethier: abstain; Herlihy: abstain).
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Herlihy, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO APPROVE THE MAY 16, 2016 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING MINUTES.
- Selectmen Miscellaneous
Sel. Kurtz stated that this past week he had spoken with the Kids in the Kommunity and that they presented a thank you card to the Board of Selectmen. He said that they had also presented thank you cards and flowers to all the neighbors next to Mountview Middle School for putting up with all the construction and dust while the school was being built.
Sel. Kurtz said that he took his hat off to the Kids in the Kommunity; he said that they had depleted their bank account and if anyone wanted to donate to them to please reach out to him and he would be happy to help.
Sel. Kurtz stated that the Firemen’s Muster is coming up on Sunday, June 19th ; it will be held on Main Street and there will be lots of activities, food, music and more. He asked everyone to come out to support the event.
Sel. Herlihy stated that there was lots of excitement at Mayo School when the Garden Club assisted with the new garden.
Sel. Herlihy stated that in July, the Town is hosting the 9/10 and 10/11 State Baseball Championship games so there is a committee forming about that as well.
Sel. Ethier stated that he had attended the dedication for the library at Davis Hill to be renamed to honor Jan Dymek, a longtime educator in town. He stated that it was a nice ceremony and a great way to have people remembered.
Sel. Ethier stated that driving up Main Street he had noticed the weeds coming through the bricks. He asked if there was anything that could be done about it or if the Town could communicate with the State.
Chairman Renzoni thanked Davis Hill’s 3rd graders for having him to speak about local government. He stated that he, Sel. Kurtz and Sel. Herlihy were able to speak to the kids about local government and it really made his year.
Sel. Kurtz thanked Chairman Renzoni and the VA Advisory Committee for a great Memorial Day Parade. He asked Chairman Renzoni to pass his congratulations along.
Sel. Kurtz asked about the flooding in the Mountview Parking lot and asked if there was anything that could be done about it. Ms. Kelly stated she would follow up on it.
- Selectmen Subcommittees
Chairman Renzoni stated that there were a few Selectmen-committee representatives to designate and that they would need to reorganize the assignments. He asked Sel. Herlihy if there was anything she was interest in to let him know so they could split the list up in July.
Sel. Ethier stated that the Ag Com was very pleased with Town Meeting and that Mr. Dunn’s proposal was accepted to fund an Open Space Fund.
Sel. Ethier said that he wished to applaud the Rec Committee for getting the pool ready. He said that a lot of people rely on the Rec. Committee and that he appreciates what a great job they do.
Sel. Kurtz stated that the 275th Firemen’s Muster was coming up and he asked for everyone to support it.
Chairman Renzoni thanked the Town for supporting the Memorial Day Parade. He thanked the Department Heads, the Police, and the Fire Department for the roles they played in the event and thanked them for keeping the event safe. Chairman Renzoni also thanked the DPW for the work that was done in the cemeteries. Finally Sel. Renzoni thanked Robin Farrington of the Town Manager’s Office for all her work.
Sel. Ethier stated that he was impressed with the amount of people that came to the parade and that he was impressed with the Police Color Guard as well.
Chairman Renzoni thanked Sel. Kurtz for the work that he put into the parade as well. He said that both he, Sel. Kurtz and Sel. Herlihy put a Facebook post out in order to flag the cemetery and in no time they had enough volunteers to help.
Chairman Renzoni stated that Fin Com had asked for an after Town Meeting review of the budget season and the meeting was posted for Monday, June 13, 2016 at 7:00.
Chairman Renzoni stated that the next Board of Selectmen meeting was June 20, 2016.
Chairman Renzoni stated that the Board would be together but not posting a meeting on June 16, 2016 at Troutbrook for the annual Employee Appreciation Picnic.
Motion by Sel. Kurtz, seconded by Sel. Herlihy, it was UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO ADJOURN THE JUNE 6, 2016 BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING AT 7:42PM.
APPRVOED: ___June 20, 2016__________