Board of Selectmen’s Meeting

September 24, 2007

A meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman William Audette at 6:00 PM, Northbridge Town Hall, 7 Main Street, Whitinsville, MA. Present: Messrs. Davis, Montecalvo, Marzec and Ampagoomian. Also present: Theodore D. Kozak Town Manager.

Executive Session. A motion was made and seconded to go into Executive Session under M.G.L. Chapter 39, S. 23B#3 Negotiations and Litigation and to reconvene in open session. Roll Call Vote: Mr. Montecalvo/Yes, Mr. Davis/Yes, Mr. Marzec/Yes, and Mr. Ampagoomian/Yes.

Open Session Adjourned: 6:02 P.M.

Executive Session Convened: 6:03 P.M.

Executive Session Adjourned: 6:50 P.M.

Open Session Reconvened: 7:00 P.M.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited by those present.

Approval of Minutes.

August 20, 2007

A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Davis to approve the August 20, 2007 minutes as presented with the readings omitted. Vote yes/Unanimous.

September 5, 2007

A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to approve the September 5, 2007 minutes as presented with the readings omitted. Vote yes/Unanimous.

September 10, 2007

Chairman Audette pointed out that under the appointment for Peter Harper, the Selectmen’s names were left out by accident on who made and seconded the motion. Donna Gosselin, Administrative Assistant in the Town Managers Office, added that Selectman Davis made the motion and Selectman Ampagoomian seconded the motion. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to approve the September 10, 2007 minutes as amended with the readings omitted. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Public Hearing – Continued. 7:05 PM: Steve Tran d/b/a North Main Variety. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to reopen the public hearing in regards to Steve Tran d/b/a North Main Variety. Vote yes/Unanimous. Attorney Kevin Quinlan mentioned that Mr. Tran has received approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Health, and the Safety Committee. Chief Warchol had one concern with respect to parking on the street and Mr. Tran informed the Chief that there would be five parking spaces out front. That said, there being no further discussions, a motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to close the public hearing. Vote yes/Unanimous. 1) Application for Change of Location from 205 North Main Street, Whitinsville, to 206 North Main Street, Whitinsville; A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Montecalvo to approve the change of location from 205 North Main Street, Whitinsville, to 206 North Main Street, Whitinsville. Vote yes/Unanimous. 2) Application for Change of DBA from North Main Variety to 1Quikstop. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to approve the application for change of DBA from North Main Variety to 1Quikstop. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Appointments/By the Town Manager/Vote to affirm. Present: Deb Kristoff, Treasurer/Collector and Linda Houde. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to affirm the appointment of Linda Houde as a part-time Collection Clerk. Vote yes/Unanimous. Present: Richard Sasseville, DPW Director, Mark Kuras, Sewer Superintendent and Philip Pascarelli. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to affirm the appointment of Philip Pascarelli as the Assistant Plant Operator for the Sewer Division. Vote yes/Unanimous. Appointments/By the Board of Selectmen/Vote to approve. Present: Burnham Miller and Winifred Sears. Ms. Sears spoke briefly about herself and informed the Board that she is retired from New England Electric. She mentioned she is a resident of Northbridge for 37 years and has been driving individuals to their medical appointments for the Council on Aging. Mr. Miller mentioned that they need one more person for their Council on Aging Committee. A motion/Mr. Montecalvo, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to approve the appointment of Winifred Sears to the Council on Aging Committee. Vote yes/Unanimous. Mr. Miller spoke briefly about himself and then mentioned that he is interested in serving as the Northbridge Delegate for the Blackstone River and Canal Commission. A motion/Mr. Montecalvo, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to approve the appointment of Burnham Miller as the Northbridge Delegate for the Blackstone River and Canal Commission. Vote yes/Unanimous

Citizens’ Comments/Input. None

Fall Annual Town Meeting Warrant/Vote to sign. Town Manager Kozak mentioned that the Board of Selectmen had the final version of the warrant in their packets and that he met with Harold Gould, Town Moderator. The Town Moderator asked whether the Town meeting should be conducted at the High School Field House or the Middle School Auditorium. The Board of Selectmen agreed to hold the Fall Annual Town Meeting at the Middle School Auditorium. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Marzec to sign the Fall Annual Town Meeting Warrant. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Safety Committee Minutes [September 19, 2007]/Vote to accept recommendations. Director of Public Works, Richard Sasseville updated the Board of Selectmen on the business that was discussed at the Safety Committee Meeting. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to accept the recommendations of the Safety Committee as outlined in the minutes of September 19, 2007. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Fall Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles: 1) Board of Health – Chairman, Paul Mckeon was present to answer and discuss any questions the Board of Selectmen had relative to the Board of Health articles. 2) Petitioners of School Department Articles – Chairman of the School Committee, Kris Burns and Member of the School Committee, Karen Kittredge were present to answer and discuss Articles 15 & 16 with the Board of Selectmen. Chairman Audette would like Ms.Burns to tell the Selectmen where the $237,036.00 is going to come from. Ms. Burns said this amount is owed to the School Department to replace the School Choice funds that were inadvertently expended by the Town. Selectman Davis disagreed with Ms. Burns and mentioned the school received around $900,000.00 from the Town and $237,036.00 was included in that amount. *Mr. Davis asked Ms. Burns and Dr. Kittredge if the funds the petition sought for the generator were in the budget and if the School Committee was looking for reimbursement? Ms Burns responded but did not answer the question. Chairman Audette indicated that if the Town has to give this amount back to the school department, the Town side would need to make some major cuts. That said, Chairman Audette asked Ms. Burns if the School Committee could discuss this at their next meeting.

Sewer/Water Policies. Present: Director of Public Works, Richard Sasseville. Mr. Sasseville mentioned that prior to July 2005 the Highway Department received 100 to 120 abatement requests per year for irrigation systems. In July 2005, the policy changed and abatements for irrigation were eliminated. Residents can go to: http://www.northbridgemass.org/pdf/abatepolicyandformrev071205.pdf to review the current policy. He further stated, instead of granting individual abatements to those who applied, a new step was added to the rates that reduced the unit price per 100 cubic feet by 25% once usage exceeded 4,000 cubic feet per quarter. A review of billing information revealed that by adding this step to the sewer rates, approximately 3,300 sewer bills per year would be reduced. The estimated reduction in sewer revenue in FY 2006 resulting from the new step was about $125,000. This compares to $17,000 in individual abatements that were granted in FY 2005. Residents can go to: http://www.northbridgemass.org/pdf/sewer_rates_fy2008.pdf to review the current sewer rates. That said, this year they added a lower first step to the rates for the very low volume users. If they use 800 cubic feet or less, they now pay a fixed charge of $50.00 per quarter, which is a reduction of about 24% from the FY 2006 rates that they paid.

Wastewater Treatment Plant/Odor Complaints. Present: Director of Public Works, Richard Sasseville. Mr. Sasseville mentioned that he has received a number of calls concerning an odor coming from the sewer plant. Sewer Superintendent, Mark Kuras believes it might occur during the aeration cycle of the treatment process. There are large volumes of compressed air being pumped into the SBR tanks. That said, causing a “plume of odors” being released during the aeration cycle and possibly coming from the gravity thickeners. There are two tanks into which the sludge from the plant is pumped to allow it to settle before it is hauled off by the tanker trucks. He further stated the flows into the plant drop significantly during the summer, particularly during this very dry season. As a result, there is little or no inflow/infiltration to dilute the sewage. Because the sewage reaching the plant has a much higher concentration, (less ground and rainwater) it could have an especially strong odor. Mr. Sasseville informed the Board of Selectmen that the sewer plant has had a project in their capital plan for several years to modernize the sludge handling equipment. In addition to adding a second sludge pump, they have only one with no installed back up, and that this would replace the existing sludge handling equipment and might add a covered holding tank and provide a filtration system to capture and treat the sludge odors. This project is estimated at around $300K and has been passed over several times. Selectman Marzec asked Mr. Sasseville about a complaint he received from a resident regarding the condition of Quaker Street road. Mr. Sasseville agreed with Mr. Marzec on the condition of Quaker Street, however, the roads are prioritized based on the volume of use.

Town Manager’s Report – Town Manager Kozak 1) announced that the Board of Selectmen and he are invited to attend a special meeting for the Blackstone Valley Board of Selectman on Thursday, October 4, 2007 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Blackstone Valley Vocational Regional Technical High School. The major topic will be “The Future of Rail Service in the Blackstone Valley” and will be presented by CMRPC; 2) Traffic lights on Main Street & Hill Street. Chief Nestor looked into the street light concern on Hill Street due to the lights being shut off and feels that no additional hazard exists. He then further stated that the traffic signals in front of the Whitinsville Fire Station has been out of service for several months not. The internal switch that operates the time delay for the lights is defective and needs to be repaired or replaced. That said, because this is an old system, the parts needed for the necessary repairs are hard to find. He has received quotes from two different companies that specialize in traffic system repairs. 2A) Information was provided to the Board of Selectmen on the ABCC Regulation for Special Licenses for their review on moving forward with one-day liquor licenses; 2B) Brian’s Restaurant on-street parking – the safety committee has reviewed the parking and agrees that no one should be parking on the side of the road. Town Manager Kozak mentioned that he contacted Mass Highway to see what their recommendations are and they too noted that no one should be parking on the side of the road. The Board of Selectmen would like a “no parking” sign displayed near Brian’s Restaurant. 2C) Graffiti at Riverside Restaurant and the American Legion – Chief Warchol mentioned these are random acts and people tend to flee the scene. He then mentioned they have no leads. 2D) Village Planning Study – attended a planning board meeting to see what areas could be improved. 2E) Northbridge Redevelopment Corporation – the landfill area on Church Street. He received a complaint regarding the fill that was being brought in so he contacted DEP and they sent an inspector out to review what was being distributed there. 3) mentioned that he successfully negotiated the Police Department contract.

Selectmen’s Concerns. Selectman Montecalvo 1) suggested a priority listing of where monies would go should the Town receive any money. Selectman Davis 1) any word from the school on the Aldrich Building. Town Manager mentioned the school has turned the building over to the Town. 2) Cable Advisory Building – should the Cable Advisory Committee move into the Aldrich Building instead of paying rent monthly for their building. Selectman Davis suggested a walk through of each building. 3) Bylaw changes at the Town meeting last year, are we going to budget money to update? 4) School Committee appointment. 5) Thanked the Town Manager, Kopelman & Paige, Police Chief, and Police Officers for coming to an agreement on the Police Contract. Selectman Ampagoomian 1) 3 Fence Complaints – Mr. Glennon contacted the Building Inspector, and Mr. Ampagoomian would like Denis Latour, fence viewer, to visit Mr. Glennon’s property to view his neighbor’s fence. That said, he mentioned there are no bylaws governing fences. He feels that a bylaw should be established for the Spring Annual Town Meeting to avoid future issues. Selectman Marzec 1) more information on the Town website; 2) Business Development in Town - Current state vs tax rate [Brainstorm ideas]; 3) School Committee Joint Appointment. Chairman Audette 1) School Committee Joint Appointment; 2) Congratulated the Gaudette family on the dedication of the Gerry Gaudette pavilion; 3) St. Patrick’s Festival went off well. 4) Pile of dirt (Fire Station Site) – is there money for the testing of the soil? Town Manager Kozak mentioned he is looking into this and will get back to the Selectmen.

A motion/Mr. Montecalvo, seconded/Mr. Davis to adjourn the meeting. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Meeting adjourned: 9:45 PM

Respectfully submitted,

Joseph Montecalvo, Clerk

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* At their meeting of October 1, 2007, the Board of Selectmen voted to amend the September 24, 2007 minutes as follows: Under Fall Annual Town Meeting #2, “Selectman Davis asked Ms. Burns and Dr. Kittredge if the funds the petition sought for the generator were in the budget and if the School Committee was looking for reimbursement? Ms. Burns responded to the question but did not answer it”.