Shutesbury Board of Selectmen
January 8, 2008 Meeting Minutes

Members present: Chairman Rebecca Torres and Debra Pichanick.
Absent: Ralph Armstrong.
Also Present: Town Administrator David C. Dann and Leslie Bracebridge,
recording.
Meeting opened at 7:00 P.M.

Appointments  
Police Chief Harding:
* All officers and school personnel in need of CPR recertification are
  going to First Responders CPR training on Thursday.
* A suspect of the 7 fall in-town break and enters (B & E’s) is in
  custody.  It is a multi-jurisdictional process including Pelham,
  Amherst and Northampton.  A warrant will be issued for a suspect in
  a separate incident in the theft of personal checks.  These combined
  measures may resolve all the recent residential B & E’s in
  Shutesbury.
      
Town Treasurer Gabriele Voelker:
1. Consistent with Articles 20 and 21 of the May 5, 2007 Annual Town
  Meeting, Selectmen signed Capital Improvement Plan borrowing in the
  amount of $78,000 for a new backhoe and $150,000 for Highway
  Department Facility and Grounds renovations for a total amount of
  $228,000.  Payments will start in January, 2009.
2. Treasurer Voelker summarized the history of the Massachusetts
  School Building Authority audit of the Elementary School renovations
  (1994 completion date), all “word of mouth” because she was
  not Town Treasurer at the time.  She has interviewed previous
  officials including former Town Accountant David Kielson and former
  Town Administrator David Ames in an effort to piece together what
  may have occurred:
1. Original receipts went via Union 28 to the Boston School Building
  Authority on an unknown date in the early 2000’s.
2. Gabriele has a copy of an unsigned, undated letter from the School
  Building Authority summarizing the audit results. The letter
  suggests that the School Building Authority had Shutesbury’s
  records and an audit was nearly complete.
3. The Massachusetts School Building Authority underwent a complete
  overhaul including a change of location.  Now the Authority can not
  find Shutesbury’s original receipts.  Gabriele will inquire as to
  the origins of the letter in hopes of finding the original audit.
4. The Authority recently hired the audit firm of Melanson & Heath to
  conduct back audits on 600 projects including Shutesbury’s 1994
  project.
5. Melanson and Heath identified $500,000 in non-reimbursable expenses
  including $140,000 for interest and legal fees.  Expenses involved
  in use of the South Deerfield school for a year are also not
  allowed.  Other expenses would be reimbursable if copies of the
  invoices or receipts could be located. Gabriele and Town Accountant
  Gail Weiss have located $145,000 worth of the copies needed, mostly
  from older Town Accountant and Clerk of the Works records.
6. The architect firm has refused to sign a letter stating how much
  was paid to them because the firm does not keep records dating back
  to 1994.  Treasurer Voelker has now requested a letter from the
  architect stating why they refuse to sign a statement of the amount
  paid to them by the Town of Shutesbury.  Could IRS records be
  located from that far back?
* Previous Town Accountant David Kielson may be asked to join Gabe at
  the hearing.
* A letter to Senator Rosenberg and Representative Kulik will be
  prepared with a copy to the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
* A chronology of the recollections of individuals involved will be
  created.
* Shutesbury will postpone going to a hearing until the Massachusetts
  School Building Authority answers the letter questioning the
  recently found letter that states that the audit is nearly complete.
* So many missing invoices, indicates that a box of invoices is
  missing somewhere at the Massachusetts School Building Authority in
  Boston.
* If the case is lost, State aid will be decreased by $50,000 for the
  next six years.

Recycling Committee member Gary Bernhard
* The present Recycling Coordinator’s circumstances have changed
  and she is not able to do all parts of her position; especially
  daytime functions.  She is willing to do what she can until a new
  Coordinator is found.  The daytime functions are not being done,
  such as working with the school and attending recycling conferences
  and training.
* No one on the Committee can serve those functions now, though Gary
  states that he might like to do it after he retires in a year.
* Gary distributed a sample newsletter announcement seeking a new
  Recycling Coordinator.
* If someone doesn’t come forward from the announcement, the
  Committee will again ask the Selectmen if the position can be split.

Topics
1.  Special Town Meeting warrant articles were not discussed.
2.  
3.  

Select Board Action Items
1.  Approval of the December 19, 2007 meeting minutes was postponed.
2.  Selectmen signed vendor warrants totaling $54,140.51 and payroll
    warrants totaling $78,373.98.
3.  Selectmen unanimously agreed to sign a year-to-year agreement with
    Leverett resident William Mitchell to mow the Rostas and Gang
    Conservation land in the southwest corner of Shutesbury.
4.  Selectmen signed the Class III Auto License application that was
    submitted when the license was released in December.
5.  Selectmen signed Capital Improvement Plan borrowing in the amount
    of $78,000 for a new backhoe and $150,000 for Highway Department
    Facility and Grounds renovations for a total amount of $228,000.
6.  Selectmen unanimously voted to sign the Warrant for the February
    5, 2008 Presidential Primary, a letter to the Republican Town
    Committee seeking in keeping with MGL Chapter 54§12
    recommendations for Republican election workers for the coming
    year and seeking in keeping with MGL Chapter 51§15 a
    recommendation for a member to the Board of Registrars, and a
    letter to the Democratic Town Committee seeking in keeping with
    MGL Chapter 54§12 recommendations for Democratic election workers.
    As Town Clerk, Leslie notified the Selectmen that due to the
    change in primary date and a number of individual election worker
    circumstances, she would be asking the Selectmen to appoint
    additional election workers for the February 5 Presidential
    Primary.  Selectmen unanimously voted to appoint Linda Avis Scott,
    Susan Woodcock and Irving Seidman as election workers for the Town
    of Shutesbury.
7.  Selectmen unanimously voted to sign Personnel Action Forms making
    Board of Health Secretary Catherine Hilton a town employee, and
    acknowledging the resignations of Fire Fighters Ellen Zion and
    Mattie Taylor.

A motion was made, seconded and unanimously voted to adjourn at 8:42 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,


Leslie Bracebridge
Administrative Secretary

080108 Select Board 1