April 27, 2010 Shutesbury Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes Members present: Chairwoman Elaine Puleo, Al Springer and April Stein. Also present: Town Administrator Rebecca Torres and Administrative Secretary Leslie Bracebridge. Meeting opened at 6:34 P.M. Appointments Police Chief Tom Harding was not at the meeting. Selectmen discussed the following related topics: * Purchase of the new Police SUV has been slowed by parts orders. The old SUV has not been driven. The plates need to be turned over in order to stop the insurance. * A new time-saving system to schedule work details has been implemented. * Elaine will meet with Chief Harding at 8 AM on Friday April 30. Highway Superintendent Tim Hunting: * Selectmen and Tim praised the early spring and limited mud season. * Discussion of a summer 4-day work week for the Highway Department: o Begun 2 years ago, from May 31st through the end of October, partially to address the long commute for one employee and the high price of gas; the summer 4-day week was continued in 2009 starting at the beginning of May and running to the end of October. Tim highlighted why the department crew like the system: * “It works really well” and “is a benefit for the department at no cost to the town.” * All Highway Department personnel have outside work that they conduct on their extra days off. * They get at least as much work done in town as it saves time bringing equipment back and forth to a site and putting signage out on projects that take more than an 8-hr. day, but less than a 10-hr. day. * Surrounding towns’ Highway Departments have summer 4-day work weeks. * May 1st to the end of October “is fine”. * The 10-hour work day starts at 6 AM and runs to 4:30 PM with ½ hour for lunch. * There has never been a noise complaint due to running equipment so early. The first hour of the work day is usually taken up with planning and set-up. * In answer to what would happen in a (Friday) emergency, Tim stated, “We’re always on-call.” o On Saturdays and Sundays during the regular year they are paid emergency over-time. o If they end up working on the summer Fridays they get paid straight time for the first 8 hours (in compensation for the extra 2 hours they are paid for each of the 4 summer holidays that other municipal employees whose holidays are based on 8 hours do not receive.) o Tim pointed out the reverse is that they lose 2 extra hours of vacation time for each single vacation day taken in the summer. Taking a full week evens out the 40 hours. o Tim offered that the Highway crew members will be flexible with their 5th day off around the oil contamination site work weeks as much as possible to avoid overtime related to the 4-day week benefit. It is anticipated that overtime will be needed anyway. (Even with the town Highway Department doing some site work, unique pieces of private equipment will still need to be hired to complete the task.) Selectmen unanimously voted to approve a four day, 10-hour work week for May 1 through October 31, 2010 with the 8 extra holiday hours in that period being compensated for in any needed overtime. Topics 1. See discussion and vote above concerning Highway Department 4-day work week review. 2. In the presence of Highway Superintendent Tim Hunting Becky reviewed results of the site-tests done on April 8 which were reviewed with Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials on April 16 for “next steps”: * DEP is handling the decontamination procedures such that the results will meet their standards. * Plans are moving ahead to dig and remove 1100 tons of contaminated soil and replace with clean soil. o Bio-piles were discussed by DEP but it is not certain they will be used to stockpile contaminated soil before it is removed. o At $50/ton, it will cost $55,000 just to remove the soil. o DEP hopes the $130,000 in federal Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) funds will cover this excavation part of the clean-up, as well as the second step responding to borings from Leverett Road and the Fire Station. o During excavation, some Fire Department vehicles will be stored temporarily at the Highway garage which is secure and Highway Department vehicles will be stored outside. * Tim is working with Fire Chief Tibbetts on the details of this arrangement. * If test results show high levels of contamination under Leverett Road it must be addressed to avoid contamination bleeding back into the clean excavated area. * The town received permission from Mass Highway to dig into Leverett Road, if necessary, with the condition that the road be restored back to its original condition at town expense. o Repairs to the road’s surface and underground drainage system could get very expensive. o Leverett Road would be one-lane traffic at that project point with traffic details needed. o Tim explained that repair seams in the pavement could allow moisture to seep underneath the seamlessly reconstructed road, which would not be good for the surface. o An alternate horizontal excavation reverse septic action system with charcoal filter barrels and a clay barrier might be substituted to avoid tearing up the road: * Such a remedy may or may not be feasible. * Barrel replacement runs between $500-$1,000 each. Estimates run from 12-68 barrels would be needed in the first month when it is anticipated that 90% of the contamination would be removed. o Nothing will be decided until test boring results for under Leverett Road are available. * Worst case scenario: If test results under the fire station floor come back “hot,” it may become necessary to pull up the concrete floor, pull out the contaminated soil, replace the contaminated soil with good soil and replace the concrete. Cost for this work may be in addition to the $130,000. o Becky and Al will present the overview at Town Meeting. * Timelines from DEP are not yet clear; other sites in the state also need DEP’s attention. * Licensed Site Professionals O’Reilly, Talbot and Okun, Inc (OTO) will do the next borings. * There will be a second phase of DEP work needed for under the Fire Station and under the roadway after the soil removal phase is complete. 3. Pole Mounted Solar Panel Discussion – 4 poles 48-60 feet across. * Waterline Industries rescheduled the Wednesday, April 28 meeting set to get the solar array project behind Town Hall underway to Friday, May 7, 2010. * Waterline will order supplies (after Becky’s review) in order to keep timelines moving. Becky will address how to keep Highway Superintendent Tim Hunting informed as this date change conflicts with his first Friday off. * Al and Becky have measured the space for the proposed 60 foot span of panels across the back of the parking lot. They recommend moving the recycling shed to beside the garage where the police cruisers are stored, adding some sort of fencing or stone barrier around the septic system to avoid having vehicles drive over the septic system. * There will be a 45 foot space between the west property line and the panels which should provide enough space for a driveway, so as not to block off future municipal use of the back lot. * The Tree Warden will arrange to have trees taken down that would otherwise shade the panels. * Selectmen approved all recommended changes to the area behind town hall. 4. Review of Motions for Warrant Articles. * Selectmen selected which articles they would read: April 1-4, Elaine 5-8, Al: 9-10, April11-14, Al15-17, Elaine 18-20 and Al 21 and 22. Select Board Action Items 1. Selectmen unanimously voted to accept the revised Election Officer job description. 2. Selectmen unanimously voted to approve the minutes of April 20, 2010 after adding approval of the Recycling Coordinator job description. 3. Selectmen signed vendor warrants totaling $83,728.71 and payroll warrants totaling $81,800.70. New Topics 1. Becky will attend a “Stretch Code” seminar at Holyoke Community College on Friday, April 30. 3. Becky and Elaine will both attend the Tuesday, May 4 at 10 AM a hearing on the final Report of the Regionalization Advisory Commission. 4. School Committee Chairman Michael DeChiara requested Selectmen prepare a presentation on the Shutesbury Education Study Committee for Annual Town Meeting. 5. Becky summarized the on-going management by the Dog Officer and the Police Chief of an aggressive pit bull dog. A motion was made, seconded and unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:50 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Leslie Bracebridge Administrative Secretary 100427 Selectboard 1