Board of Selectmen’s Meeting

April 14, 2008

A meeting of the Board of Selectmen was called to order by Chairman William Audette at 6:15 PM, Northbridge Town Hall, 7 Main Street, Whitinsville, MA. Present: Messrs. Davis, Montecalvo, Ampagoomian and Marzec. 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 & Litigation) and to reconvene in open session. Roll Call Vote: Mr. Audette/Yes, Mr. Montecalvo/Yes, Mr. Davis/Yes, Mr. Ampagoomian/Yes, and Mr. Marzec/Yes.

Open Session Adjourned: 6:16 P.M.

Executive Session Convened: 6:17 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.

February 11, 2008

A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to approve the February 11, 2008 minutes as presented with the readings omitted. Vote yes/Unanimous.

March 10, 2008

Selectman Davis requested the language contained in Lines 9 through 12 under the topic "Road Repairs" be placed at the end of the paragraph above entitled "Union Street Brook update". A motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Davis to approve the March 10, 2008 minutes as amended. Vote yes/Unanimous.

March 24, 2008

Selectman Ampagoomian requested the minutes be amended as follows: Under the heading entitled "Cable Studio Location", after Line 4, insert the following language: “Selectman Ampagoomian asked Town Manager Kozak for a hard copy of the letter from Joanne Alto of the Massachusetts School Building Authority allowing cable access to go into the High School”. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to approve the March 24, 2008 minutes as amended. Vote yes/Unanimous.

March 24, 2008 [Executive Session]

A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to approve and release the March 24, 2008 Executive Session minutes as presented with the readings omitted. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Appointments/By the Town Manager. 1) Edward Mansfield, Inspector of Animals/Vote to affirm. A motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Montecalvo to affirm the Town Manager's appointment of Edward Mansfield as the Inspector of Animals. Vote yes/Unanimous. 2) Jeremy Blood, Student Police Officer/Vote to affirm. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Davis to affirm the Town Manager's appointment of Jeremy Blood, Student Police Officer, effective May 5, 2008, contingent upon completion of the Police Academy and adhering to the employment conditions imposed by the Chief of Police. Vote yes/Unanimous. 3) Brian Patrinelli, Student Police Officer/Vote to affirm. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Davis to affirm the Town Manager's appointment of Brian Patinelli, Student Police Officer, effective May 5, 2008, contingent upon completion of the Police Academy and adhering to the employment conditions imposed by the Chief of Police. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Citizens’ Comments/Input. Michael Stevens, 89 Sean Drive, Whitinsville, spoke about the location of the cable studio. Being a new producer, he can see both sides of locating the studio at the High School versus the Aldrich School Building. Chairman Audette advised Mr. Stevens to contact the Town Manager for further information. Craig Mahoney, 31 Clover Hill Road, President - Northbridge Youth Soccer, brought up two concerns; 1) handicap access to the High School fields and 2) mowing of Town fields. He mentioned that he had requested permission for his committee to attend the next Selectmen's meeting on April 28, 2008 to discuss these issues further. Mr. Mahoney went on to say there were handicap access issues with parents who cannot access the High School fields. He also contacted the Parks and Recreation Commission [about the handicap access issues], who in turn, contacted the School Department to find out if the fields could be made handicap accessible. Mr. Mahoney noted that the School Department denied his request to make the fields handicap accessible. Continuing, he stated his concerns with respect to the fields not being handicap accessible. Chairman Audette mentioned that the Board of Selectmen was aware of their concerns and encouraged him to continue working with Parks and Recreation and the Highway Department. With that said, he welcomed Mr. Mahoney and his Board to the next Selectmen’s meeting to discuss their concerns further. Mr. Mahoney briefly mentioned the fields not being mowed but will discuss this topic in more detail at the next Board of Selectmen's meeting.

At this time Chairman Audette announced that Agenda Item I, Alternative's Project, would be taken up at this time.

Alternative's Project. Present: Dennis Rice, Executive Director and Lee Gaudette, President, Gaudette Insurance Company and Volunteer for Alternatives. Mr. Rice provided the Board of Selectmen with an update on the renovations taking place at Alternatives. He mentioned that the construction work is completed with the exception of the wind turbine. The apartments are all occupied; the theatre and art gallery are operating; and the offices have been moved to the three-story building.

Northbridge Parent Teacher Association/Request to hang a banner across Church Street from April 20th through April 27th for Teacher Appreciation week/Volunteer Appreciation Week. Present: Kathy Lyons. Ms. Lyons requested permission to hang a banner across Church Street to advertise Teacher Appreciation Week/Volunteer Appreciation Week. A motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Davis to approve the above banner request. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Safety Committee Minutes [March 19, 2008]/Vote to accept recommendations. Selectman Ampagoomian asked about turning the streetlight on near Gary’s Variety in the Rockdale section of Town. Selectman Montecalvo responded that someone from the Safety Committee would be reviewing that area shortly. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to accept the recommendations of the Safety Committee as outlined in the minutes of March 19, 2008. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Ash Street/Vote of intent to lay out Ash Street as a public way. A motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian that the Board vote their intent to lay out the extension and alteration of Ash Street as a public way and that the Selectmen send a memo to the Planning Board informing them of this action and to request a recommendation from them in return. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Regional Recycling Center Agreement [Bill Walsh, Blackstone]/Vote to approve subject to Town Meeting authorization. Present: Bill Walsh, Town of Blackstone and Marilyn Baker, Northbridge Recycling Committee. Mr. Walsh mentioned the grant money they received from the state for $20,000 would be used to update the facility including drainage and roadwork. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Montecalvo to authorize the Town Manager to sign the grant application for the Northbridge Recycling Center. Vote yes/Unanimous. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Marzec to approve the “Draft” Regional Recycling Center Agreement between the Towns of Northbridge and Blackstone subject to Town Counsel and Town Meeting approval. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Northbridge Fire Department/Request to hang a banner over Church Street from May 7, 2008 through May 17, 2008 to advertise their annual Spaghetti Supper to be held on Saturday, May 17, 2008. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to approve the Northbridge Fire Department's request to hang a banner over Church Street from May 7, 2008 through May 17, 2008 to advertise their annual Spaghetti Supper to be held on Saturday, May 17, 2008. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Cable License Renewal Contract/Vote to approve and sign. Town Manager Kozak recommended that the Board of Selectmen move forward and sign the Cable License Renewal Contract with Charter Communications. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to approve and sign the Cable License Renewal Contract. Selectman Montecalvo informed the Board of Selectmen that he would abstain from voting on the Cable License Renewal Contract. Vote yes/Messrs. Davis, Marzec and Audette. Abstain/Mr. Montecalvo. Vote no/Mr. Ampagoomian.

Town Manager’s Contract Extension. Chairman Audette stated that Town Counsel advised the Board of Selectmen to take a vote in open session with respect to the Town Manager’s Contract Extension. That said, a motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to reaffirm the vote taken on March 24, 2008, in Executive Session to extend the Town Manager’s Contract to June 30, 2011. Vote yes/Messrs. Montecalvo, Davis, Audette, and Marzec. Vote no/Mr. Ampagoomian. Selectman Ampagoomian asked if the residents should be made aware of Town Manager Kozak’s salary increase. Selectman Davis informed everyone that the Board of Selectmen approved a 4% increase retroactive to his anniversary date of February 26, 2008. Chairman Audette noted that the vote was unanimous to increase Town Manager Kozak's salary 4%.

Toll Booth Policy. Selectman Montecalvo stated he agrees with the current toll booth policy but felt there should be a limit as to how many toll booths were held in the course of a year. Selectman Davis will submit his recommended revisions to Town Manager Kozak. He also recommended other Board members do the same. That said, this matter would be placed under “decisions” on the next Selectmen's agenda.

Time Out Tavern/Sewer Permit Fees/Present: Attorney Gerald Shugrue and Edward Mitchell, former owner of the Time Out Tavern. Attorney Shugrue explained that when sewer was installed in the Plummer Avenue area, his client [Edward Mitchell] agreed with the Town’s contractor [MDR Construction] to allow them to store their construction trailer on their property throughout the construction period. As part of their lease agreement, the contractor agreed to install sewer to the tavern, however, MDR Construction never followed through with the sewer connection and now Mr. Mitchell is in litigation against the contractor. That said, Attorney Shugrue pointed out that at the time the sewer was to be installed, the connection fee was $7,700.00 and it is currently $9,240.00. As such, he requested that the Board of Selection allow Mr. Mitchell to pay the original price of $7,700.00. The Selectmen all agreed they would have no problem allowing Mr. Mitchell to pay the original connection fee of $7,700.00. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Marzec to move Item K to a vote. Vote yes/Unanimous. A motion/Mr. Davis, seconded/Mr. Montecalvo to set the sewer connection fee for the facility formally known as Time Out Tavern at $7,700.00. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Playground and Recreation Commission Policy Manual. Bridget Curley, Chairman, Playground and Recreation Committee and Bruce Frieswick, Member - Playground and Recreation Comm.

Ms. Curley advised that her committee met with the School Committee to review the Playground & Recreation's policy manual and both parties agreed the policy was fair. Selectman Davis provided Chairman Curley with his recommended to the policy manual. Chairman Curley indicated that she would bring the Selectmen's recommended changes back to her committee for final approval. Upon Playground & Recreation's approval of the changes, she will come back to the Board of Selectmen for their final vote of approval.

Notice of Intent to sell and convert land [Theodore Koopman] under the provisions of M.G.L. C.61A§14 – first refusal option/Present: Ross Smith, 76 Rockmeadow Road, Uxbridge, MA.

Mr. Smith explained to the Board of Selectmen that Mr. Koopman, owner of land valued, assessed and taxed on the basis of its agricultural use, intends to sell five lots, which will be converted to residential use. In order to comply with the provisions of M.G.L. c 61A § 14, which provides the Town with a first refusal option to acquire the land, Attorney Henry Lane, counsel for Mr. Koopman, forwarded a copy of the signed Purchase and Sale Agreement to the Town of Northbridge. Mr. Koopman would like the Board of Selectmen to provide him with written notice that the Town will not exercise its option to acquire the property under that provision. After a brief discussion, the Board of Selectmen agreed that other Town Boards and Committees would need some time to review and respond to the documents and thus would have to get back to Attorney Lane and Mr. Koopman in a reasonable amount of time.

Cable Studio Agreement. Town Manager Kozak reviewed and read aloud parts of the agreement and then highlighted specific areas such as Eligibility for Use, CORI, Modification of Existing Space, Staffing, Local Programmer Requirements, and Studio. The Board of Selectmen briefly discussed the scheduling and restrictiveness of the studio outlined in the agreement and mentioned that some changes would need to be made before moving forward.

Worcester Regional Alerting System / Memorandum of Agreement. Town Manager Kozak and the Board of Selectmen agreed to move forward on entering into an agreement with the Worcester Regional Alerting System. The Board of Selectmen agreed to place this agreement under Decisions on the next Selectmen's agenda.

Town Manager’s Report. 1) Senior Property Tax Work-Off Program – closing date was March 31^st. 30 people asked for applications but only eight individuals returned them. Town Manager Kozak mentioned the deadline for returning the applications has been extended. He further advised that the Town Manager’s Office would contact the individuals that didn't return applications to ask them why they didn't apply to the program. 2) Senator Moore Meeting - Attended a MORE meeting in Oxford in which Senator Moore discussed the budget process. 3) Retirees’ Health Insurance – a workshop will be held on April 22^nd in the Board of Selectmen's room. 4) Building, Planning and Construction Committee Update – The Building, Planning and Construction Committee hired a firm “Weston and Sampson” to get bid specifications for the High School fields. The Fire Station roof contract has been awarded to SOM Construction--who also handled the Police Station and Middle School Roof projects. 5) Mass. Municipal Association Legislative Meeting – attended a breakfast/meeting in which discussions were held on EPA, DEP, transportation, and libraries. 6) Economic Development – Brian Houlihan met with Joe Deliso of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Town Manager to discuss economic development opportunities in Northbridge. 7) Student Government Day – informed everyone that Student Government Day will be held on Wednesday, April 16^th at 8:30 AM and everyone is welcome to attend.

Selectmen’s Concerns. Selectman Ampagoomian/1) Publicly acknowledged Jeanne Gniadek from the Board of Health on conducting a very successful rabies clinic. He also commended the Fire Department for handling the noise all day [dogs barking, etc.]. Selectman Marzec/1) Issue with sewer regarding phosphate levels, of which the biggest phosphate producer is dishwashing detergent. He mentioned that they are now selling phosphate free soap. 2) Economic Development – mentioned that he and Selectman Ampagoomian are both on the Master Plan Committee and asked if residents in town would review the survey again to see if they could help. Selectman Davis/1) mentioned that he and Chairman Audette would be leaving the Board soon and asked how the approval of minutes is handled after they leave the Board. 2) Union Street Brook status—would like to move forward 3) School Department budget status. Selectman Montecalvo/1) Senior Property Tax Work-Off Program –suggested that when the program begins, individuals should be placed in offices with only one staff person in it to answer phones when the staff person is out of the office. Chairman Audette/1) the next Board of Selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for April 28^th, please bring in two goals and objectives for the Town Manager. 2) Announced that Liz Walker will be the guest speaker at Whitinsville Christian School on May 1^st.

A motion/Mr. Montecalvo, seconded/Mr. Marzec to adjourn the April 14, 2008 Board of Selectmen's meeting. Vote yes/Unanimous.

Meeting Adjourned: 9:15 P.M.

Respectfully submitted,

Joseph Montecalvo, Clerk

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