Shutesbury Board of Selectmen April 29, 2008 Meeting Minutes as amended May 13, 2008 Members present: Chairman Rebecca Torres and Ralph Armstrong. Debra Pichanick is on leave of absence for family reasons. Also Present: Town Administrator David C. Dann and Leslie Bracebridge, recording. Meeting opened at 7:04 P.M. Selectmen edited the final draft of the 2007 Select Board section of the fiscal year 2007 Annual Town Report. Appointments Police Chief Harding: * Leverett, Cooleyville and Prescott Roads (LCP) workers left early yesterday due to heavy rain but have worked late today making the LCP passable following the rain. Once the project gets up and over the top of the hill, drainage changes to country drainage which requires much less digging for drainpipes. * Officer Justin Wall and Chief Harding will receive training for the sex offender registry certification. * A tree downed electric lines in Wendell this afternoon leaving 650 people temporarily without power. * Neither the Police Department nor the Fire Department received any kind of permit requests for use of the Town Common on May Day. It is assumed that activity will take place on the common as it has in the past. * Discussion concerning the use of the Town Hall parking lot for approximately 40 vehicles for a June 14 wedding at the church included: o David will mark out the septic system so that people do not park on it. o The reception previously proposed for the Town Common will either be at the couple's home or at the Shutesbury Athletic Club because there would have been a problem serving alcohol on the Common. o Chief Harding has not heard any details for this wedding. Are cones needed on Cooleyville and Leverett Roads to slow traffic? Will parking attendants escort people across the road or just park cars? o If the reception is at the couple's West Pelham Road home, curbside parking for 40 cars would be a problem. Perhaps guests could park at the elementary school, as was requested and authorized for guests of the up-coming Leonard Road wedding. David said that the couple is hopeful that use of the Shutesbury Athletic Club for the reception will work out. o David offered to work with Chief Harding to address public safety. o Chief Harding does not feel it necessary for the couple to hire a police officer for the day. * Owner Mary Dihlmann has asked David if the rusted sign pole at the intersection of Leverett and Wendell Roads could be removed during the LCP reconstruction. The C & A Construction Company has indicated that they would be able to push the sign down if the Highway Department could haul it away. David will discuss its removal with the MassHighway engineer also. o Becky will take a photo of an old sign post near 449 West Pelham Road that needs to be removed. * Chief Harding expects to be at Town Meeting on Saturday. Lake Drive resident John Gorey: * John was the first person to submit a notice of intent to do work on Lake Wyola during the drawdown. Because the town owns the abutting lake bottom property both John and the Board of Selectmen will sign both a hold harmless agreement and the notice of intent. This will be the process for all lake front property owners abutting town-owned lake bottom property who want to do work on the Lake bottom during the dam repair draw-down. * John described what he wants to do on his 40 feet of lake frontage: o Replace an old leaning concrete wall with a new poured concrete cement wall. This part of his project is on his own private property. o John's Notice of Intent asks to remove up to 44.5 cubic yards of muck on the town-owned land under the Lake abutting his property. It was apparent to Ward Smith that John would not need to take out 100 cu. yd., just removal of some muck, leaves and debris, without getting involved with the bed of the lake. o How will the muck be removed? One option: Landscaper Sakolowski has a Bobcat machine and an approved place to deposit the muck. o Becky explained that if the town removes over 100 cu. yd. of muck, a 401 permit will be required. Getting a 401 permit would take so long as to delay the dam project. She reported that the previous Lake Wyola Advisory Committee (LWAC) meeting members had acknowledged that repairing the dam is a top priority over individual projects. Becky asked John if he agreed with that opinion of the LWAC in light of any expenses that he might incur or have incurred for his project and he said, "Yes." o David explained the plan that the amount of removal will be on a first come, first served basis. It is unclear if it the 100 cu yd limit is per project or cumulative. o John felt very comfortable signing the hold harmless agreement. o The Notice of Intent will be sent to DEP and the Conservation Commission will set the order of conditions. Selectmen unanimously voted to sign the Notice of Intent and unanimously voted to sign the hold harmless agreement for John Gorey to do the work that he has proposed on the town's property. * John commented that the Conservation Commission members are very concerned people and he understands they have to work with and for state government groups. (Resident William Wells was in attendance and raised some questions about his own family's lake property. He was referred to the Conservation Commission and to get started soon if he wants to do a project at the time of the drawdown. Resident John Aierstuck requested authorization to hold a teenage youth car wash at the Fire Department garage to raise funds for a summer Mexico support effort. He has talked with Fire Chief Tibbetts about use of bathrooms, water, and traffic flow so fire trucks will still be able to get in and out. Depending on weather conditions and popularity of the event, he has reserved both Saturdays May 17th and 24th from 9 AM to 5 PM. (Memorial Day weekend.) If one is held on the 17th and it goes really well, they will do a second on the 24th. Kids will arrive in shift throughout the day. Selectmen unanimously voted to support the Omega Youth Group fund-raiser carwash for the weekends of May 17 and May 24. John thanked the Selectmen and said he hopes it starts a trend. John also said that he and others make good use of the volley ball court on Friday nights. The Conservation Commission will walk all the Town Properties as discussed at the April 12 All Boards meeting on Thursday May 15, at 6 PM. Topics 1. See the discussion regarding use of parking area behind town hall for a June wedding with Chief Harding above. Select Board Action Items 1. Selectmen unanimously voted to approve meeting minutes for February 19 and 26, March 4, 18 and 31, April 1, 9, 10, 12, and 15 as written. 2. Selectmen signed vendor warrants totaling $106,122.49 and payroll warrants totaling $77,052.70. 3. Selectmen unanimously voted to sign a Fire Safety Grant with the Amherst Fire Department for $3,100 for the period of 4/11/08 to 3/11/2012 for fire safety education at the Elementary School. 3. Selectmen unanimously voted to appoint Roger Cartwright as Recycling Coordinator through June 30, 2008 at which time all one-year terms are up for renewal. 4. Selectmen unanimously voted to sign a contract with Fitzgerald Fence Company for a 42 inch high safety fence for the retaining walls flanking Town Hall. Selectmen prefer a white fence and asked David to ask the Historical Commission if they would as easily like a white fence as a black fence. The fence will be funded from the Building Committee budget line. 5. See Select Board vote above regarding the signing of a special event form associated with the fund raising carwash described above New Topics 1. Selectmen reviewed the proposed Police Chief contract. 2. Selectmen unanimously voted to accept the wording for the Proposition 2½ override ballot (with any changes that Town Counsel MacNicol might suggest) for an override election to occur on June 10 from 7 AM to 8 PM if the budget article calling for an override passes at the Annual Town Meeting. 3. Ralph and Becky will alternate reading motions for the Annual Town Meeting Warrant. They will both be ready to make Select Board statements of support for the proposed zoning bylaws recognizing all the research and compromises that went into their formulation. A motion was made, seconded and unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:40 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Leslie Bracebridge Administrative Secretary 080429 amended Selectboard 2