Board of Selectmen’s Meeting
A meeting of the Board of
Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Charles Ampagoomian at
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by those present.
Presentation by
Trustees of Soldiers' Memorials to Jonathan Van Etten,
The
American Legion, Trustees of Soldiers' Memorials, and the Board of Selectmen
formally welcomed home Mr. Jonathan Van Etten,
Announcement/Statement by the Town Manager and
Superintendent of Schools. Town Manager, Michael J.
Coughlin, Jr., and Superintendent of Schools, Paul Soojian, announced that the
full day kindergarten program would be restored. Mr. Coughlin presented his plan to close the
Town's current deficit [approx. 1.4 million] while preserving our children’s
future. He discussed the revised
revenues (closing out of old accounts, revised free cash, charging the enterprise
funds, additional ambulance revenue), budget reductions (school department,
municipal, article 9), and Blackstone Valley Tech monies (proper budget
assumptions, revise BVRVTHS budget & revenue). The Town Manager then recommended what the
next steps should be – responsible decision-making; 1) brief the Chairman of
the Finance Committee, 2) meet with the Financial Group, 3) pass the plan at
the Fall Annual Town meeting, and 4) passing the override for Fiscal Year '08. Superintendent Soojian thanked everyone
including the Town Manager, his staff, and the Selectmen for their time and
effort that has gone into restoring the full day kindergarten program. He mentioned that it was imperative that this
plan be passed at the
Approval of Minutes.
Selectman
A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec
to approve but not release the
Session Minutes as presented with the
readings omitted. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Public Hearings. Liquor
License Violations Hearings.
Present: Chief Walter Warchol and
Lieutenant Timothy Labrie. A
motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Audette to open the Public Hearing. Vote yes/Unanimous. Chairman Ampagoomian read the public hearing
procedures for liquor license violations aloud.
He then mentioned that the following six (6) establishments: China
Pacific Restaurant, The Grill, Jubes Family Restaurant, Sparetime Recreation,
Trading Post Market, and Village Variety sold alcohol to persons under the age
of 21. Next, Chief Warchol provided an
overview of how the investigation was conducted and what his recommendations were
with respect to the appropriate punishment each establishment would
receive. He stated that an investigation
into the Sale of Alcohol to Persons under the age of 21 took place on the
evening of
Citizens’ Comments/Input.
Sharron Ampagoomian, 41 Henry Street, Whitinsville,
spoke briefly about pedestrians trying to cross Church Street in the vicinity
of the Cable Studio but that people drive so fast in that area that no one
stops to let the pedestrians cross.
Selectman Audette mentioned that those individuals should be using the
crosswalks. Selectman Montecalvo
requested Mrs. Ampagoomian to put something in writing and that he would
present it at the next Safety Committee Meeting. Selectman Davis then asked Ms. Ampagoomian if
the main entrance door to Town Hall was corrected to her satisfaction. Ms. Ampagoomian responded that it was
not. Bill Audette, 78 East Street,
Whitinsville, mentioned that the VFW Hall on Hill Street was in
need of some repairs. He indicated that
there were individuals who were willing to donate their time and materials to
make such repairs. Mr. Audette explained
that there would be no cost to the Town until such time when Kenneth
Trajanowski [Veterans Services] is housed in the building, which could be as
early as this Fall. He further mentioned
that the Blackstone Valley Vietnam Veterans would accept these gifts/donations
on behalf of the Town and then attend a future meeting [after completion] and
schedule an open house. It was also
noted that a formal vote would be needed in the future to accept the
donations. Chairman Ampagoomian asked if
a vote to accept the gifts/donations needed to be made prior to any work being
done to a Town building. Selectman
Montecalvo responded yes. Mr. Audette
mentioned that the Blackstone Valley Vietnam Veterans lease the VFW Hall from
the Town [a Town building] and that the individuals/businessmen who were
planning to donate these gifts would only donate them to the Veterans, not the
Town. The Town Manager stated that he
would have to relay Mr. Audette’s information to Town Counsel and get their
opinion on this matter. In closing, Mr.
Audette remarked that the Veterans were responsible for the interior of the VFW
Hall and the Town was responsible for the exterior of the building.
Northbridge Firefighters/Request to hold a “boot
drive” at Memorial Square on Saturday, August 19, 2006, from 8:00 A.M. – 12
Noon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Rain date: August 26, 2006. Selectman Davis mentioned that back on May 8, 2006, the Board of Selectmen were supposed to discuss a
policy for handling future "boot drives". A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Audette to
approve the above request subject to the safety requirements of the Police,
Fire and Public Works Departments. Vote
yes/Unanimous.
Northbridge Redevelopment Corporation [NRC]. Present:
Kenneth Foley, President, Paul Mahoney, Eugene Bernat, and Alan
Benevides – Environmental Consultant from Woodward & Curran. The Town
Manager mentioned that per the Board’s request, the Northbridge Redevelopment
Corporation was here to discuss the old Quaker Street landfill [across from
Oosterman Gas]. Mr. Ken Foley, provided
some background information about the Corporation. He explained that they found the property
owner and negotiated a purchase and sales agreement. Mr. Foley further indicated that NRC planned
to either develop the property or sell it.
He pointed out that NRC entered into a consent order (after 9 months)
with the Massachusetts DEP memorializing the remedial plan. He also indicated that there were back taxes
owed on this property in the amount of $52,000.00 and would like to negotiate a
payment plan with the Town in order to pay them. Continuing, he noted that his Company had
already invested in excess of $200,000.00 in this property. Selectman Montecalvo interjected and asked if
Northbridge Redevelopment Corporation was concerned [because they had not yet
paid the back taxes] that someone might come along, pay the taxes, and then
that individual would own the land. Mr.
Foley said he was not aware that could happen and thanked Mr. Montecalvo for
his concern. Mr. Foley stated that NRC
had all the necessary permits from the DEP to cap the landfill and that he [and
his partners] have a good reason to abide by the DEP regulations—that his house
and his partners' houses were being used as collateral for a performance bond
in the amount of $835,000.00. Selectman
Davis asked: 1) how long they anticipated this project to take. Mr.
Foley responded that the project has to be completed by the end of 2008 per a
mandate by the Department of Environmental Protection. 2) what was the number of
trucks anticipated coming/going to/from the site. Mr. Foley estimated around 17 trucks per day
on average (give or take). 3)
if Northbridge Redevelopment Corporation had a topography map of what the site
will look like once it was completed.
Mr. Foley answered that the drawing Selectman Davis had was not an
accurate one. Mr. Benevides, Environmental
Consultant for Woodward & Curran, responded that the Conservation Commission
and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection have the master
plan, which shows the finished elevation to be around 40 feet at the highest
elevation on the site. Selectman Davis
mentioned that he did not want this site to be the highest point in Northbridge
and Mr. Foley assured the Board of Selectmen that it would not be the highest
but that it would be a hill. Mr. Foley
will provide the Selectmen with a copy of the plan and topography. 4) what fill would be put on
the land, such as ash. Mr. Foley
responded that the fill that would be used in capping the landfill was called
urban fill (materials not suitable for a soccer field, but less contaminated
than what was there now). The
Northbridge Redevelopment Corporation said that they would like to work with
the Town and the community on this site.
Selectman Audette asked 1) if NRC was associated with Pond View in Providence,
RI. Paul Mahoney and Kenneth Foley
responded that they had never heard of Pond View.
2) has the Northbridge Redevelopment Corporation read
the Town Bylaw 9-401. Selectman Audette
then proceeded to read the Town Bylaw to them.
South Grafton
Water District [Guerriere & Halnon]/Request for access to the Northbridge
Water System. Present: Normand J. Gamache, Jr. Mr. Gamache represents Brookmeadow Village
and advised that this project would connect the South Grafton Water District to
the two adjoining water districts. He
remarked that the interconnection of water districts was viewed as a benefit
because those involved would have access to alternative water supplies. He said that Brookmeadow Village proposed to
connect the South Grafton Water District main on the west side of Providence
Road to the Grafton Water District main on the east side of Providence
Road. He also explained that this
connection would take place within the limits of the Town of Grafton, but it
would provide the South Grafton Water District with an access to the
Northbridge Water System. Mr. Gamache
further noted that these alternative sources of water would only be utilized on
an emergency basis. Chairman Ampagoomian
suggested this item be placed under Decisions on the next meeting agenda.
Selectmen’s
Concerns. Selectman Audette suggested setting
consistent standards for liquor license violators. Chief Warchol felt that the Board of
Selectmen should review each case individually since every case was unique and
different. He also suggested that once
the evidence was provided [past and present] by the Northbridge Police
Department, the Board of Selectmen could then decide on a penalty for the
offender. Selectman Marzec/1) said he will email BOS with information [from Jen
Dulmaine] about the Streetscape Project; 2) brought forth a citizen's complaint regarding
Plummer’s Corner;
3)
commended the Town Manager for handling the heat wave we just experienced in a
quick manner;
4)
Northbridge/Uxbridge POP Warner Football Team – need a field to play on along
with more football players. Selectman Davis/1) Asked about the Weinberg
discussion. The Town Manager mentioned
that Atty. Weinberg had not contacted him yet.
2) Asked if the Building,
Planning and Construction Committee had been notified of the Board's vote with
respect to the site analysis. The Town
Manager responded that the memo had been sent.
3) have the applications for
the roofs been sent out yet. The Town
Manager responded no. 4) Kopelman & Paige –
Riley Report, Selectman Davis would like to receive a report from the
Treasurer’s Office addressing the delinquent taxes.
Open
Session Adjourned: 10:40 P.M.
Respectfully
submitted,
James
Marzec, Clerk
dg/