Board of Selectmen’s Meeting
January 8, 2007
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. Davis, Audette and Marzec. Also Present: Joseph Montecalvo, Interim Town Manager.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by those present.
Citizens Comments/Input. 1)
Staci Flanders, 390 Cooper Road, mentioned that she was invited to speak
tonight by Chairman Charles Ampagoomian because her neighbor, Dorothy Gnaidek’s
dog, bit her 7 year-old daughter. Ms.
Flanders presented the Board of Selectmen with the details of what transpired
with the dog bite. She then mentioned
the numerous phone calls she made to inform the right people of what happened
only to find out that the case had fallen through the cracks. She suggested that some type of protocol be
put in place to avoid any future incidences like the one she had to experience.
Chief Warchol spoke briefly and inform the Board of Selectmen that he met with
Dan Chauvin to discuss the case. Chief
Warchol said there are two areas of responsibilities for Dan Chauvin; 1) Animal
Control Officer reports to the Chief of Police; and 2) Inspector of Animals
falls under the authority of the Board of Health [animal bites and
quarantines]. Joseph Montecalvo,
Interim Town Manager, suggested that the Board of Health, Animal Control
Office,r and Police Department submit a report to the Town Manager’s Office for
the record. Mr. Montecalvo will review
the reports to come up with a procedure in order to avoid such a situation in
the future. 2) Robert Rolandelli, Manager,
Super Wal-Mart, came before the Board of Selectmen to introduce himself
to the Northbridge Community. Mr.
Rolandelli mentioned that the new Super Wal-Mart would be opening in mid-March
and is in the process of hiring over 300 new employees. Continuing, he offered Wal-Mart's services if
needed and noted that the store would be interested in making future donations
to help support the Northbridge Community. Sharron Ampagoomian, 41 Henry
Street, reminded the public that the Cable contract is coming up in 2008
and if anyone in Town has a cable complaint, they must report it to the Town
Manager’s Office.
Appointments/By the Board of Selectmen. Zoning Board of Appeals [Associate Member] –
John Mantoni. The Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals,
Thomas Hansson, was present to introduce Mr. Mantoni to the Board of
Selectmen. Mr. Mantoni told the Board a
little about himself and why he was interested in serving on the ZBA. Therefore, a motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr.
Marzec to appoint John Mantoni to the Zoning Board of Appeals as an Associate
Member. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Subordination of Lien for property located at
420-422 Church Street, Whitinsville.
Present: Ms. Jennifer Dulmaine,
Community Development. Ms. Dulmaine recommended
that the Board of Selectmen approve the subordination of lien. Thomas Hansson, 24 Michael Lane, Loan Officer
for this property, mentioned that there is a first and second loan but his
Company will only be working on the second loan [equity loan]. Ms. Dulmaine replied that because she is not
an attorney, she doesn’t know if they can proceed with the subordination of
lien. The Board of Selectman suggested
postponing this request pending further clarification needed until the next
Board of Selectmen’s meeting on January 22, 2007.
Community Development Block Grant/Northbridge
Housing Rehabilitation. Present: Ms. Jennifer Dulmaine. Ms. Dulmaine requested that the Board of Selectmen
approve the Housing Rehabilitation Program Guideline change. The change consists of changing the investor
owner contribution from 50% to 25% due to the percentage of investor owner properties
in the target area and the Town’s commitment to provide safe, decent and
affordable housing. There being no
further discussion, a motion/Mr. Audette, seconded/Mr. Davis to change the
investor owner contribution from 50% to 25%.
Vote yes/Unanimous.
Friendly Discount Liquors, Inc. [William E.
Giannopoulos]/Request Change of Manager. Present:
Beverly Noel, 72 Arthur Drive, Linwood.
Ms. Noel appeared before the Board of Selectmen on behalf of Mr.
Giannopoulos [on vacation]. A motion/Mr.
Davis, seconded/Mr. Audette to approve the change of Manager for Friendly
Discount Liquors, Inc. from Francis Snay to William Giannopoulos. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Budget Preparation. Joseph Montecalvo, Interim Town
Manager. Mr. Montecalvo spoke briefly about a visit from Deputy
Commissioner, Gerard Perry and Western Regional Manager, Thomas Guilfoyle from
the Department of Revenue, offering to conduct a budget workshop and provide
financial forecasting for the Town of Northbridge. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to
allow the Department of Revenue to conduct a budget workshop and financial
forecasting for the Town of Northbridge.
Vote yes/Unanimous.
Budget Presentations by
Police, Fire and Public Works Department.
Chief Walter Warchol, Police
Department, Chief Gary Nestor, Fire Department and Richard Sasseville, Director
of Department of Public Works, publicly presented their Fiscal Year 2008
budgets to the Board of Selectmen and citizens of Northbridge. Formal presentations will be presented at a
later date before the Finance Committee.
Plummer’s
Corner/Update. Joseph
Montecalvo, Interim Town Manager, spoke briefly about a meeting he attended at
Mass Highway in Worcester regarding Plummer’s Corner. He mentioned there was a lot of discussion
surrounding the design of the corner.
Attorney Henry Lane suggested waiting because of a Purchase and Sales
Agreement on the property. Richard
Sasseville, DPW Director, spoke about the Sutton Street Reconstruction project
and advised the Selectmen of the updates.
Mr. Sasseville will be hosting a public meeting with Earth Tech on
January 25th @ 7 P.M. All
residents that live on Sutton Street and the Eastern side of Cooper Road will
be invited to attend the Public Hearing.
Selectmen’s Concerns. Selectman
Davis 1) Status on Audit of the High School [SBAB], 2) suggested to
stop printing monthly reports, 3) requested an update on the Insurance
IBNR. Selectman Audette 1)
inquired about why the decorative lights at Memorial Square were not
working. Selectman Marzec 1)
looking into the rezoning of Rt. 122 [Commercial].
Town Manager’s Report.
Interim Town Manager, Joseph Montecalvo 1) Looking into Community Grants for Town Hall Windows. 2) Insurance Advisory Committee – mentioned that they
have asked all the unions and departments to name a representative to
participate; 3) S & P Bond Rating –
went down from A+ to A-; 4) Northbridge
Redevelopment Corporation (Church Street Landfill) – Mr. Montecalvo mentioned
he attended a meeting with the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Chairman of
the Zoning Board of Appeals, Chairman of the Planning Board, Chairman of the
Board of Health, Chairman of the Conservation Committee, and 3 members of the
Northbridge Redevelopment Corporation to discuss all the concerns surrounding the
Church Street Landfill project; 5)
Water Rate Hearing – Chairman Ampagoomian, DPW Director Richard Sasseville,
Fire Chief Gary Nestor and Mr. Montecalvo will be attending a meeting tomorrow
[January 9, 2007] in Boston; 6)
Blackstone Valley Youth Leadership Academy [25 youths looking for projects to
participate in – 9th & 10th graders].
Items for Future Agenda. 1)
Rep. George N. Peterson, Jr. 2/5/07 @ 7 P.M., 2) Adopt Citizens Rules & Regulations; 3) Establish Selectmen’s Office Hours; 4) Selectmen’s Email Address; 5) Wetlands behind Peterson’s Oil [Union Street].
Executive Session. A motion was made and seconded to go into
Executive Session under M.G.L. Chapter 39, S. 23B #3 Union Negotiations, not to
reconvene in open session. Roll Call
Vote: Mr. Davis/Yes, Mr. Marzec/Yes, Mr.
Audette/Yes, and Mr. Ampagoomian/Yes.
Meeting Adjourned: 9:09
P.M.
Respectfully
submitted,
James
Marzec, Clerk
dg/