Shutesbury Board of Selectmen with Planning Board
April 9, 2008 Meeting Minutes
Members present:  Chairman Rebecca “Becky” Torres and Ralph Armstrong. Absent:  Debra Pichanick
Also Present: Planning Board members:  Chairman Deacon Bonnar, Jeffrey “Jeff” Lacy, Linda Rotondi, Joanne Sunshower and James Aaron.  Town Administrator David C. Dann and Administrative Secretary Leslie Bracebridge, recording.  Guests:  Stephen Puffer, Al Springer and Hugh Harwell. 
Meeting opened at 7:05 P.M.
Subjects Discussed:  
1. Jeff summarized:  4/9/08, 5:25 PM email from Cinda Jones:
a. Cinda’s engineers ran numbers on conventional sub-division
b. Jeff feels the numbers are unattainable because they don’t own ends, has steep slopes and wetlands in the middle.  They got 33 units; they would get 41 units with the counter proposal.
c. Becky questioned:  Take out 100% rather than 50% - on #3 in both examples.  Jeff answered:  Too complicated samples.
2. Cap on OSD – Growth rates in late ‘80’s from 120 to 220 students in 10 years was very stressful.  The town can’t absorb 20 units/year.
3. Becky:  Tony argues for 25% slope; how does the Planning Board?
a. Answer:  Planning Board is less committed – 20% is the best option, but open to flexibility.
4. Encourage keeping 20% bonus for public access because it benefits all.  Creation of public access has a high social benefit.
5. Ralph:  praises compromise:  Use this as an opportunity; you don’t have to go in to win tomorrow.
6. Becky:  20 acres has to be in one place – 4 or 5 acre lots are not going to be as developable.  Jeff:  It really depends on how valuable land gets in Shutesbury – and septic technology.  There’s no assurance that an out-of-town developer will just come in and “lay them down.”  Uses Rutland example.
Joanne:  Out-of-town developers – (not Cinda) will come in.
Becky: Current sub-division regulations have certain parts that are not legal.
Jeff:  A great deal of it is solid.
Becky:  The thing that keeps the Eddy lot as unbuildable “is a stretch.”
Becky – wants to keep affordable housing bonus at 25%.
7. Drafting – Becky recommends keeping as much the same as possible at such a late date.
Becky prefers – prefers gas stations allowable, Deacon also, Jeff – No.
8. Town Administrator:  Drafting warrant – whole table of contents in the warrant.   
            Planning Board agrees.
      9.   Memo from Jesse Schwalbaum, Watershed Hydrologic Inc.
            Becky – Select Board will pay for Jesse (Schwalbaum) to be at the Board of   
            Health Public Hearing.  Memo will be put in Board of Health mailbox; Becky 
            has discussed this with Chairman Elliott.
     10.  Hugh Harwell requests Selectmen read his 2 emails sent to Selectmen, Planning 
           Board and Town Administrator.
Votes Taken:
Selectmen unanimously voted to invite Jesse Schwalbaum, Watershed Hydrogeologic, Inc. to the nitrate loading regulation revisions and to fund the visit from legal expenses.
Next meeting:  Thursday April 10, 2008 at 7 PM.
Meeting adjourned at 9:40 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,

Leslie Bracebridge
Administrative Secretary
080410 1 Selectboard 1