Shutesbury Board of Selectmen
February 3, 2009 Meeting Minutes

Members present: Chairman Rebecca “Becky” Torres, Ralph Armstrong and Al Springer.
Also Present: Town Administrator David C. Dann and Leslie Bracebridge, recording.

Meeting opened at 7:14 P.M.

Announcements:
Ralph Armstrong stated that he is not going to run for re-election.  
David Dann announced that he will be retiring on June 30, 2009.  The Personnel Board will be asked to initiate a Town Administrator search procedure.  

Appointments  
Resident Bruce Hartley met with the Board of Selectmen to discuss initiation of a Tax Work-off Plan for the elderly.  His personal circumstances are that he is a self-employed painter and is laid off in the winter.  He would like to work 100 hours each year toward his taxes.  
David:  
* Every town gets to set up its own plan.  He provided Amherst’s plan as a sample. 
* Eligibility is income based and has an age requirement.  
* The worker would have a W-2 form for federal but not state taxes.  
* The worker would be covered under the town’s workman’s compensation plan.  
Discussion points:
* While carpentry and painting skills are useful, the town would need to be watchful that the tasks done are needed tasks, if a plan is approved.  
* A number of workers is established and an amount is set aside in the overlay account for implementation of the program.   
* Town meeting would authorize acceptance of the program.  
* Selectmen will look into the statute to understand the administrative implications of the program.  
* How would pay for some volunteers affect others who volunteer their time for nothing?  The program is directed toward low-income elderly people who would apply for the few positions available.
The principle behind the program was seen as worthwhile enough that the Select Board asked David to review the program with the Town Treasurer and bring more information back to them.  
Select Board members will send their questions and concerns to David who will disseminate the questions back to the members of the Board of Selectmen.  Bruce offered to do anything he could to help gather information.  

Planning Board Chairman Deacon Bonnar met with the Select Board to request a special town meeting to add street names, correct a street name, fix the north bound of the town center district, the buffering around Randall Road, and the Town Farm Road buffering on the official zoning map.  Selectmen agreed to hold a special town meeting on March 24 assuming that the Planning Board can arrange for the new map to be ready for the timelines of the required public hearing.  Deacon will review the timeline with the Planning Board.
In Deacon’s presence, David presented an opportunity proposed by Planning Board member Jeff Lacy who could not be present at the meeting, concerning a free and non-binding design of lot O-32 for a Library.  
Discussion points:
* Open Space Committee member Susan Essig (who was present for a later discussion) encouraged the Select Board to go forward with the program.  
* Al:  Participation could save the Library Facility Needs Assessment Committee some expense. 
* Leslie asked if there would be an opportunity for wide community input and if there was a document describing the program.  A call was made to Jeff Lacy:  
o The program is sponsored by the Western Mass Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Western Mass Realtors Association, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and the actual work would be done by landscape engineering graduate students.  
o They would rely on the town to give guidance as to what elements would be designed.  
o It could be a productive tool to sort out what the town does and doesn’t want such as determining if there is a possibility of having a library there as well as public housing.  
* Susan Essig said that the Open Space Committee Survey posted on the town website gives comments for uses for Lot O-32: the highest expressed use was as conservation land. 
* Ralph: We will manage the process such that this is not a “done deal” for the use of the land.  
* Becky said the Select Board will give lots of suggestions for uses.

Open Space Committee members Susan Essig and Susan Steenstrup gave a progress update of the revisions of the Open Space Plan.  (Chairman Janice Stone could not be present.) Susan Essig reported:
* Praised Susan Steenstrup’s work as the sole author of the Environmental Inventory and Analysis section of the new draft Open Space Plan. 
* Liz Lacy and Joanne Sunshower are back as members of the Open Space Committee.
* Meetings are bi-weekly in order to have a draft ready for town meeting.
* Janice Stone has revamped the Open Space Committee page of the Website.
* Janice Stone is also writing a section on the planning process.
* Liz will be writing about recreational sites.
* Administrative Assessor Ken Holmberg will assess the accuracy of their figures.
* Susan Essig will write the narrative of land protection.
* The 2006 Parcel Map will be updated.
* The best way to deal with the recommendations section is to work on it together as a group.
* On March 3 the head of the North Quabbin Landscape Partnership (Jay Rasku) and Kristin DeBoer of the Kestrel Trust will meet with the Open Space Committee to share in what is going on outside of Shutesbury to determine if there are mutual priorities. Cowls Land Company’s Director of Conservation and Planning Sarah la Cour is also invited to that meeting to share the Cowls’ vision.  
* There is an amazing amount of protected land in Shutesbury.
Susan summarized:  There have been time lapses but the revised Open Space Plan will meet the state requirements for state funding opportunities and the plan will shed light on the characteristics of the town.

The process for adoption of the revised Open Space Plan:
* Meeting for public comment.
* Some confusion on Select Board endorsement and/or the Conservation Commission approval before it gets submitted to the state will be resolved.
* The Open Space Committee will provide an advance copy to each town committee.

Susan Steenstrup said that overlays may be made to see what areas were most important; Quabbin people would help with that.  Susan Essig added, without specific property owners mentioned. Overlays would give guidance to the Conservation Commission if a parcel came up for sale.

Susan Essig:  Expressed surprise at the density of population in the Atkins Reservoir area and the small buffer around the reservoir, without some sort of a zoning district in that area. 

The Open Space Committee selected Susan Essig to serve on the Community Preservation Committee.

Topics
1.  Selectmen reviewed and unanimously voted to accept use of a volunteers activities release form.
2.  Selectmen unanimously voted to appoint Donald Wakoluk from the Conservation Commission for 3 years, Leslie Bracebridge from the Historical Commission for 2 years, William “Bill” Wells from the Finance Committee for 3 years, Susan “Sue” Essig from the Open Space Committee for 1 year, Jennifer “Jen” Davies from the Recreation Committee for 1 year, Linda Rotondi from the Planning Board for 2 years, Rita Farrell to represent the subject of low-income housing for 3 years, Donald Fletcher from the community at large for 2 years, and Ralph Armstrong to represent the Select Board for 1 year to the Community Preservation Committee.
3.  Selectmen reviewed the charge for the 250th Celebration Committee and a list of residents who have volunteered to serve on the committee.  David will keep the list and canvass for more interest for Select Board appointment at the March 17 meeting.
4.  Selectmen unanimously voted to appoint Al Springer, Margaret Manson and Patrick Callahan as the town’s negotiation committee for the police union contract.  (David Dann and Chief Harding will serve as resources to the negotiation committee.)
5. Selectmen did not discuss the possibility of a special election for Moderator and Constable.

Select Board Action Items
1.  Selectmen unanimously voted to accept the January 6, 2009 Select Board meeting minutes as written and the January 13, 2009 meeting minutes with the addition of the phrase, “and/or wider collaboration” between the words “schools” and “as was discussed” in the beginning paragraph of item #3. 
Selectmen unanimously voted to sign payroll warrants totaling $84,078.04 and vendor warrants totaling $118,275.87.  Al Springer noted Buzzy Booth’s generosity with his work installing the water line from the Fire Station to the 50 Leverett Road address.  
Selectmen unanimously voted to sign a Personnel Action Forms for: Justin Wall for eligibility for a Quinn Bill salary increase of 20%.  The state will not pull back their payments for the Quinn Bill this year.  Next year they may pull back. If so, then a decision will have to be made if the town should assume the amount that the state contributes or reduce Officer Wall’s pay next year.  And for resignation of Officer Nicholas Chandler who has been offered a full time position in Amherst.
2. Chairman Torres signed a Department of Conservation and Recreation payment voucher/contract for Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT).  The Department of Revenue now requires this contract to be signed by the town for payments in lieu of taxes from the Department of Conservation and Recreation.  
3.  Selectmen unanimously voted to accept and sign the Library Director’s revised job description prepared by out-going Personnel Board Chairman Penelope Kim and in-coming Personnel Board Chairman Margaret Manson.  The new job description has more hours and much more detailed duties but did not change the grade of the position.
The Select Board unanimously voted to authorize the Library to use the town hall on March 4, 18 and April 29 for the visiting author program.
4.  Selectmen reviewed and unanimously voted to sign the2008 annual report to the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission
5.  Becky signed three letters of thanks for assistance during the ice storm to David Celino, Chief Fire Warden of the Department of Conservation and Recreation Bureau of Forest Fire Control and Forestry, Sergeant Maes of the Massachusetts National Guard Public Affairs Office and Rob Hanecak, District 10 Fire Warden of the Department of Conservation and Recreation Bureau of Forest Fire Control and Forestry.

New Topics 
1. Selectmen unanimously voted to authorize resident Leslie Luchonik, who was appointed as a 2010 US Census Bureau recruiter, to use the Town Hall as a test site on February 23 and March 9. 
2. Becky signed the signature page for the Federal FY 2009 CDGB application.
3. Selectmen unanimously voted to sign a Franklin County Retirement Determination of Service Eligibility for Position of Fire Chief form being distributed to all towns with call fire departments in Franklin County.
4. Al reported that if the town needs a new fire station we can borrow money for the soil contamination clean-up because a new fire station on that location would be collateral in the form of the new building.  Alan Weiss will be coming to a Select Board meeting in April to give the Board a handle on the options for the site clean-up.  Could something else be built there that coordinated with the use of the recreation field?  The next phase of the clean-up is allowed to take 2 years from June 2009.
5. On February 10 Selectmen will meet with the School Committee and the Finance Committee.  Becky would also like to schedule a meeting with the town’s financial team.
6. Selectmen unanimously voted to appoint Elaine Puleo as the town’s representative to the elementary school’s teacher contract negotiating team assuming that Elaine will accept the position.  Becky will call Elaine and request that she serve.  If Elaine declines, Becky will fill in at the first meeting and fill in the person who finally accepts the position.

Selectmen adjourned at 10:10 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,


Leslie Bracebridge
Administrative Secretary
090203 Select Board 1