Board of Selectmen’s Meeting
July 24, 2006
A meeting of the Board of
Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Charles Ampagoomian at 7:00 PM, Northbridge Town
Hall, 7 Main Street, Whitinsville, MA. Present:
Messrs. Audette, Davis, Montecalvo, and Marzec.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by those present.
Approval of Minutes.
July 10, 2006
A motion/Mr. Davis,
seconded/Mr. Marzec to approve the July
10, 2006 minutes as presented with the readings omitted. Vote
yes/Unanimous.
Chairman
Ampagoomian announced some changes to the agenda: 1) Under appointments, the
Board of Selectmen will vote to reappoint Mr. Bruce Frieswick to the Playground
and Recreation Committee. 2) Executive Session (#3 - Litigation: High School)
will be postponed to a later date due to the absence of Attorney Vena.
Citizens’ Comments/Input. Normand Armstrong, 558 Sutton Street, Northbridge. Mr.
Armstrong indicated that he was here to represent the 11 houses on Sutton
Street that still do not have
water and sewer hookups. Continuing, he
voiced his discontent with respect to the delay of the Sutton Street Sewer
project. Mr. Armstrong noted that ten
years ago, this project was a priority, however, he stated that he was upset
with how long the project has been delayed since money [$800,000] was
appropriated long ago. He also pointed
out that the residents on Sutton
Street were told the delay was
due to the lack of Chapter 90 funding.
Mr. Armstrong then asked that someone [Board of Selectmen, DPW Director,
or the Town Manager] provide him with a timetable and keep him abreast of any
future correspondence the Town has with the State regarding this project. Chairman Ampagoomian informed Mr. Armstrong
that his questions might be answered later in the meeting when the Sutton Street
Sewer Project is discussed.
Public
Hearing. 1) 7:05
p.m./ Trinity Auto Brokers [J. William Gifford]. Chairman Ampagoomian read the public hearing notice
aloud. A motion/Mr. Audette,
seconded/Mr. Montecalvo to open the Public Hearing. Vote yes/Unanimous. Mr. Gifford informed the Board of Selectmen
that he was just looking to transfer his Class II License from 277 Church Street, Whitinsville, to 194 Church Street, Whitinsville. There being no public comments, Selectman
Davis asked why there was an addendum made to his original application. Mr. Gifford responded that he didn’t have
enough time for a site plan review [which would be needed for him to display 7
or more cars on his lot] so he had no choice but to go with the 6-car limit as
no site plan would be needed. A
motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to close the Public Hearing. Vote yes/Unanimous. A motion/Mr. Montecalvo, seconded/Mr. Audette
to approve the Change of Location for Trinity Auto Brokers [J. William Gifford]
from 277 Church Street, Whitinsville, to 194 Church Street, Whitinsville. Vote yes/Unanimous. 2) 7:15 p.m./ Arcade Package Store
[David Wnukowski]. Chairman Ampagoomian read
the public hearing notice aloud. A
motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Audette to open the Public Hearing. Vote yes/Unanimous. Mr. Wnukowski stated that his reason for
moving the package store from its current location in the Plaza to the other
side of the Plaza was because his landlord needed the space so that the
Department of Social Services office could expand their facility. A motion/Mr.Montecalvo, seconded/Mr. Marzec
to close the Public Hearing. Vote
yes/Unanimous. There being no further
comments, A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Audette to approve Arcade Package
Store [David Wnukowski] for a Change of Location from 159 Church Street,
Whitinsville, to 185 Church Street, Whitinsville [Unit 16-6]. Vote yes/ Unanimous.
Annual
Appointments/By the Board of Selectmen.
Bruce Frieswick. A
motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to reappoint Mr. Bruce Frieswick to the
Playground and Recreation Committee for a three-year term. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Citizens’ Comments/Input.
Shelley Buma, 40 Heritage Drive,
Whitinsville. Ms.
Buma 1) questioned Chairman Ampagoomian with respect to the Citizens’ Comments
5 minute limit rule. She would like to
know when this policy was put in place and when the vote was taken on this new
policy [who made and seconded the motion].
Chairman Ampagoomian informed Ms. Buma this took place 5 weeks ago. She then requested copies of the minutes in
which someone made the motion and seconded.
2) made the Board of Selectmen aware of a proposal with respect to the
old 15-acre Church Street
extension landfill. She mentioned that
an application had already been filed with the DEP and submitted by SEEMASS
Corporation and the Northbridge Redevelopment Corporation of Springfield. Ms. Buma stated she was concerned about the dumping of incinerator
ash and suggested that the Board of Selectmen be aware of the Town Bylaw 9-401
[approved at the June
24, 1971 Town Meeting], which prohibits this type of
activity. She then requested that the
Board of Health and Board of Selectmen thoroughly review the proposal as
submitted and provide comments to the DEP.
Chairman Ampagoomian informed Ms. Buma that the proper boards would
handle that matter and make appropriate comments. Kristine MacNeil, 26 Kennedy Circle,
Northbridge,
asked what it would take to have an override question put on the November
ballot. Chairman Ampagoomian mentioned
that it would have to be approved tonight.
Town Manager Coughlin mentioned that only the Board of Selectmen would
have the authority to place a question on the ballot. Lisa Hazerjian, 73 June Street, Northbridge, asked
that if an auditor came in and stated the deficit was $1.4 million, wouldn’t
that be the deficit. Town Manager
Coughlin responded that the Financial Advisor came in and certified that the
deficit was presently $1.4 million. Mrs.
Hazerjian asked if the $900,000.00 in stabilization was still going towards
education. Chairman Ampagoomian said
yes, however, it’s up to the School Superintendent to exercise that. Mary Frances Powers, Chairman of the Finance
Committee and Mary Thompson, Member of the Finance Committee. Ms. Powers spoke briefly about how the wrong
message was being sent to the community by stating again and again that an
independent auditor verified the $1.4 million deficit. She suggested that the Board of Selectmen,
Town Manager, and Superintendent of Schools stop saying there was a $1.4
million deficit. Ms. Powers mentioned
that the working group will agree on what the revenues are and the two Senior
Administrators [Paul Soojian and Michael Coughlin] would be making
recommendations on the cuts. The Finance
Committee would not be making any decisions/recommendation on the cuts.
Armenian Apostolic Church/1) Request to hang a banner
over Church Street from August 7, 2006 to August 21, 2006 to advertise their
Annual Picnic to be held Sunday, August 20, 2006. A
motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Audette to approve the above request as
presented. Vote yes/Messrs. Davis,
Marzec, and Audette. Abstain/Messrs.
Montecalvo and Ampagoomian. 2) Request for one-day Wines and Malt
Liquor License for the Annual Picnic, August
20, 2006. A motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Audette to approve
the above one-day license request. Vote
yes/Messrs. Davis, Marzec, and Audette.
Abstain/Messrs. Montecalvo and Ampagoomian.
Special Town Meeting: Selectman Marzec had some concerns as he felt
that it might be premature in setting a date for the Special Town Meeting since
the working group committee has not had the opportunity to get together. Selectman Davis concurred. Town Manager Coughlin explained the reasons
for having the Special Town Meeting would be in order to shrink the $1.4
million deficit; some reductions would need to be made before the Fall Town
Meeting. A motion/Mr. Montecalvo to set the Special Town Meeting for 9/26/06, seconded/Mr. Audette. Prior to
taking a vote, Mr. Audette declared that he wanted to further discuss this
issue. Town Manager Coughlin reiterated
the fact that by having the Special Town Meeting (before the Fall Annual Town
Meeting), they could close out some dormant accounts to help minimize the
budget gap. A motion/Mr. Montecalvo,
seconded/Mr. Audette to set the date for a Special Town Meeting for Tuesday, September 26, 2006. Roll
Call Vote: Mr. Audette/No,
Mr.
Marzec/No, Mr. Davis/No, Mr. Ampagoomian/No, Mr. Montecalvo/Yes. Vote: 4-1 [No]. Motion doesn't carry.
Debt
Exclusion/Vote to place questions on State Election Ballot [November 7,
2006]. Selectman Davis suggested that the two questions be consolidated into
one. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr.
Marzec to place the following debt exclusion question on the State Election
Ballot for November 7, 2006: Shall the Town of Northbridge be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition Two and One-half, so-called,
the amounts required to pay for he bonds issued for replacement of the roofs
and associated work at the Northbridge Middle School and Northbridge Police
Station? Vote yes/Unanimous.
Safety Committee Minutes (July 19, 2006)/Vote to approve. Selectman Montecalvo gave the
Board of Selectmen a brief overview of the Safety Committee Meeting that took
place on July 19, 2006. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Montecalvo to accept the
recommendations of the Safety Committee as outlined in the minutes of July 19, 2006. Vote
yes/Unanimous.
Streetscape Update.
Present: Jennifer Dulmaine, Community Development and Gary Bechtholdt, Community
Planning and Development. Ms. Dulmaine presented her
quarterly report along with the updates on the Streetscape project to the Board
of Selectmen. She briefly discussed the
completion of the National Grid underground work and mentioned that the poles
will remain in place until Verizon completes their portion of the underground
wiring and necessary hookups. The
Memorial Square Lighting Improvements Project is underway and will include 15
ornamental lights, monument lighting, etc. around the Park and Town Hall. Ms. Dulmaine also mentioned that 3 sets of
banners have been ordered for the Town of Northbridge: [maroon and white] Village of Whitinsville – Historical District, Village of Whitinsville, and the Village of Rockdale. Mr. Bechtholdt, Director of Community
Planning and Development, noted that the banners were part of a grant program
from the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.
Selectman Montecalvo asked when the Streetscape Project would be
completed and Ms. Dulmaine responded that she was hopeful it would be done by
January 2007, but they have until June 30,
2007
to expend all funds.
Department Heads’
Quarterly Reports: Community Planning & Development, Fire, Police and DPW. The above Department’s presented their
quarterly reports for the period of April 2006 to June 2006. Reports are on file in the Town Manager’s
office. *Selectman
Davis requested that a report be submitted by the DPW
Director on the Operation Review by the Government Consulting Group dated
February 2006.
Pine
Knoll/Attorney Doug Resnick. Chairman Ampagoomian
suggested that since Attorney Resnick was not present for tonight’s meeting,
this topic would be tabled until the next Board of Selectmen’s meeting
scheduled for August 7, 2006.
South Grafton
Water District [Guerriere & Halnon]/Request for access to the Northbridge
Water System. Chairman Ampagoomian mentioned that since
there was no representation from Guerriere and Halnon and Pine Knoll [Attorney
Doug Resnick], a letter should go out to each of them making sure they are
present for the next Board of Selectmen's meeting scheduled for August 7, 2006.
Sutton Street Project. Mr. Richard Sasseville, Director of Public
Works, gave an overview of what transpired with the Sutton Street Sewer Project
and why it came to a halt. He mentioned
the Board of Selectmen approved the request of the reconstruction of Sutton
Street back on December 3, 1994. The project request was submitted to the Mass.
Highway Department and from there they received approval from the State. The company, Earth Tech, designed the
reconstruction of Sutton Street and the Town appropriated funds for the water
line and sewer main extensions. However,
the design stopped 5 to 6 years ago because of Mass. Highway’s rigid design
standards [pavement width, shoulders, bicycle lanes, sidewalk widths]. In addition, the impact of widening the
streets was going to affect local property owners from Cooper Road to Route 122
(Rockdale). The project was then put on
hold because of non-support from the community.
Mr. Sasseville mentioned that he would be meeting with Earth Tech to
modify the design within the new design criteria and this project would then be
back on track. Mr. Sasseville also
suggested having public meetings for the abutters to see what new changes are
going to be made and hopefully gain public approval.
Selectmen’s
Concerns. Selectman Davis 1) asked if the letter has been forwarded to Mr. Paul McKeon. Town
Manager Coughlin replied “yes”. 2) Any word from the Building, Planning and
Construction Committee on the Linwood Avenue basin, did we get the check? Town Manager responded that was the issue we
needed to discuss with Attorney Vena.
Town Manager’s
Report. None
Executive Session. A
motion/Mr. Audette, seconded/Mr. Marzec to go into Executive Session under
M.G.L. Chapter 39, S. 23B #3 (Litigation) and M.G.L. Chapter 39, S. 23B #6
(Land Acquisition) to reconvene in open session. Roll Call Vote: Mr. Audette/Yes, Mr. Marzec/Yes, Mr.
Montecalvo/Yes, Mr. Davis/Yes, Mr. Ampagoomian/Yes.
Open
Session Adjourned: 10:11 P.M.
Executive
Session Convened: 10:20 P.M.
Executive Session Adjourned: 10:44 P.M.
Return
to Open Session: 10:45 P.M.
Fire
Station Roof [Repair or Replace]. A motion/Mr.
Montecalvo, seconded/Mr. Davis to repair the Fire Station Roof. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Vote
to instruct the Building, Planning, and Construction Committee to conduct site
analysis pursuant to Article 8 at March 14, 2006 Special Town Meeting. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to
instruct the Building, Planning, and Construction Committee to conduct site
analysis pursuant to Article 8 at March 14, 2006 Special Town Meeting. Vote
yes/Unanimous.
A
motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Montecalvo to adjourn the meeting. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Open Session adjourned: 10:52 PM
Respectfully
submitted,
James
Marzec, Clerk
dg/
* At their meeting of August 7, 2006, the
BOS voted to amend the July 24, 2006 minutes as follows. Under Department Heads’ Quarterly Reports
insert the following, “Selectman Davis requested that a report be submitted by
the DPW Director on the Operation Review by the Government Consulting Group
dated February 2006”.