Board of Selectmen
March 23, 2009
A meeting of the Board of
Selectmen was called to order by Chairman Joseph Montecalvo at 7:00 PM, Northbridge Town Hall, 7 Main Street, Whitinsville,
MA. Present: Messrs. Ampagoomian, Nolan, Marzec and
Melia. Also Present: Theodore D. Kozak, Town Manager.
The Pledge of Allegiance was
recited by those present.
Presentation of Citation to the Worcester County
Sherriff’s Department. A slideshow
was provided for viewers in town to see the work that was done inside the Aldrich School building by the Worcester County
Sherriff’s Department Community Service Program. At the conclusion of the slideshow, Chairman
Montecalvo presented a citation to Sherriff Guy Glodis acknowledging the
exemplary work by his Community Service Program.
Approval of Minutes.
February 9, 2009 [Executive Session] - A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Marzec to
approve but not release the February 9, 2009 Executive Session minutes as
presented with the readings omitted.
Vote yes/Unanimous.
March 9, 2009 [Executive Session] - A motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Nolan to approve but
not release the March 9, 2009 Executive Session minutes as presented with the
readings omitted. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Appointments/By the Board
of Selectmen:
1) Animal Inspector
(Annual Reappointment): Edward Mansfield,
44 Violette Circle, Whitinsville, MA. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Melia to affirm
the reappointment of Edward Mansfield as the Animal Inspector. Vote yes/Unanimous. 2) Treasurer/Collector: Kimberly Yargeau, 12 Central Turnpike, Sutton. Ms. Yargeau introduced herself and
provided the Board of Selectmen with some information about her skills and
qualifications and noted that for the past 7 years she held the position of
Assistant Treasurer in the Town of Douglas. A motion/Mr. Nolan, seconded/Mr.
Ampagoomian to affirm the appointment of Kimberly Yargeau as the new
Treasurer/Collector for the Town of Northbridge. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Citizens’ Comments/Input. None.
Table 106 Inspection Fee
Schedule/Vote to approve. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian,
seconded/Mr. Nolan to adopt the Table 106 Inspection Fee Schedule recommended
by James Sheehan, Building Inspector.
Vote yes/Unanimous.
Junk Dealer’s License/Laura J. Caruso d/b/a Remember
When Antiques. Present: Laura J. Caruso. Ms. Caruso, 1697 Providence Road, stated that she has
lived in town for 19 years and is a collector of antiques. After having four
yard sales last year she decided to pursue a Junk Dealer’s License. Selectman Ampagoomian requested a copy of the
driveway agreement between her and her neighbor, Mr. Joseph Zayonc. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Melia
to approve and issue a Junk Dealer’s License to Laura J. Caruso d/b/a Remember When
Antiques at 1697 Providence Road,
Northbridge, upon receipt of the driveway agreement. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Spring Annual Town Meeting
Warrant (May 5, 2009)/Vote to sign warrant upon completion and final review by
Town Counsel. Town Manager Kozak
mentioned that the Finance Committee is submitting an additional warrant
article, which will set aside funds in a special account for contractual
obligations of the Fire Department at which time they settle the Union contract. He also noted that Article 23, which was
submitted by the Building, Planning and Construction Committee, is similar to
Article 14 [Police Station Roof], the only difference being that the BPCC
received an estimate of $20,000 over the original cost. With that said, Mr. Kozak asked the Board of
Selectmen to withdraw Article 14 and replace it with Article 23. A motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Melia to
withdraw Article 14 from the Spring Annual Town Meeting Warrant. Vote yes/Unanimous. Selectman Ampagoomian asked what the dollar
amounts for borrowing are under Articles 16 and 18. Town Manager Kozak
responded that the borrowings are estimated to be $80,000 to $100,000 for
Article 16 and around $90,000 to $95,000 for Article 18. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Nolan
to sign the May 5, 2009 Spring Annual Town Meeting Warrant upon completion and
final review by Town Counsel. Vote
yes/Unanimous.
Personnel Policy Manual/Vote on longevity clause. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Marzec to approve
the insertion of a longevity clause within the Personnel Policy Manual to be
effective July 1, 2009. Vote
yes/Unanimous.
Blackstone Valley Tourism Association/Request permission to use
the downtown sidewalks [Church
Street] to host a “Blackstone Valley
Red Sox Pride Day” on April 6th from 11 AM to 4 PM. Police Chief Walter Warchol mentioned that after speaking with Tom
Bellacqua from the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, he is comfortable
with allowing them to hold this function and that the sidewalks will not be
blocked. A motion/Mr. Melia,
seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to grant permission to the Blackstone Valley Tourism
Association to use the downtown sidewalks on Church Street to host a
“Blackstone Valley Red Sox Pride Day” on April 6th from 11 AM to 4
PM subject to the safety requirements of the Northbridge Police Department.
Vote yes/Unanimous.
Core-Mark International/Vote recommendation on special
permit. Selectman Ampagoomian strongly urged the Selectmen to support
Core-Mark International's request for a special permit to increase the amount
of loading dock space at their facility. Thomas Hansson, Chairman of the Zoning
Board of Appeals, mentioned that his board does not meet to discuss this issue
until April 9, 2009, however, the ZBA will need the Board of Selectmen’s
recommendation prior to that meeting. A
motion/Mr. Nolan, seconded/Mr. Marzec to move Item H. “Core-Mark International”
from Discussions to Decisions. Vote
yes/Unanimous. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian,
seconded/Mr. Nolan to recommend the ZBA issue a special permit to Core-Mark
International to increase the loading dock space at their facility. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Enterprise Fund
Budgets Proposal/Present: Richard Sasseville, DPW Director. Mr.
Sasseville presented a PowerPoint presentation on the FY2010 Water and Sewer
Enterprise Fund Budgets. He also provided a budget comparison for FY 08, FY 09
and FY10. Mr. Sasseville mentioned there
is a $20,000 difference and Town Manager Kozak is proposing that an
appropriation be made to appropriate $125,000 in reserves against the next
fiscal year budget.
Second Water Meters/Present: Richard Sasseville, DPW
Director. Mr. Sasseville explained that he conducted a survey of
Northbridge Sewer System customers to voice their interest in having a second
water meter installed to account for outdoor water usage. The purpose of the second meter would be to
deduct the outdoor water usage from their sewer bill thus reducing their
cost. A flyer was sent to 3,145 sewer
customers asking them to call a special survey line and leave their sewer
account number if they are interested in having a second meter installed. That said, 83 calls were received, which
represents about 2.64 percent of the total sewer customers of the Northbridge
Sewer System. Chairman Montecalvo
suggested placing this topic again under discussions at a future meeting.
Update on town projects/George Murray, Chairman of the
Building, Planning and Construction Committee.
Mr. Murray
provided an update on the list of projects his committee is currently handling:
1) High School Retention Basin. 2) High School Athletic Fields (Upper Fields) – currently
waiting for a price on expanding the road and handicapped parking. He stated that the fields won’t be ready this
spring, looking at late summer/early fall. 3) Fire Station and Municipal Building
– Heritage Design still working on the proposal. 4) Aldrich
School – moving along and
waiting to see about a lift for the building.
5) DPW Facility – EarthTech working on data collection.
Town Memorial/Present: Trustees of Soldiers’ Memorials
Members: Phil Cyr, Andy Williamson, and Harry
Berkowitz. Mr. Cyr stated that his committee received a request
for a memorial from the mother of Sergeant Scott J. Metcalf, an Army soldier who
died while serving in Iraq. Sgt. Metcalf joined the Army in July 1990 and
died October 29, 2008. He served his
country for 18 years--1 tour in Korea,
3 tours in Iraq. He received the army commendation medal three
times, army achievement medal seven times; the army good conduct medal six
times, the National Defense Service medal, Korean Defense medal, the Iraq
Campaign medal 3 times, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Overseas Ribbon
Combat Action Badge and Weapons Qualification on the M4 as an Expert. Mr. Cyr also mentioned that Sgt Metcalf’s mother
is a longtime resident of Northbridge and that Sgt. Metcalf graduated from Northbridge High School. The mother has requested some type of
memorial and the Trustees of Soldiers’ Memorials voted to create a memorial
square in honor of Sergeant Scott J. Metcalf for being the first Northbridge
resident killed in action in Iraq. Mr. Berkowitz suggested that the memorial
square be placed at Providence
Road and Beane’s Lane. Chairman Montecalvo asked if this was ever
done before and the Trustees’ replied yes at Country Club Drive. With that said, the Trustees requested the Board's
permission to move forward with this memorial.
A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Nolan to move agenda Item K-Town
Memorial to decisions. Vote
yes/Unanimous. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian,
seconded/Mr. Marzec to grant permission to the Trustees of Soldiers’ Memorials
to erect a memorial at the corner of Providence Road and Beane’s Lane in honor of
Sergeant Scott J. Metcalf. Vote yes/ Unanimous.
Town Manager’s Report. 1) Safety Committee Update – attended
the safety committee meeting on Wednesday morning with merchants and Committee
members to determine if one-way entrances should be implemented in the
municipal parking lots on Church
Street. 2)
Telephone Pole Replacement Update – contacted utility companies to determine
scheduling for removal of old telephone poles. 3) Whitinsville Water Company Hearing Process – spoke to Randy
Swigor, General Manager. He said the Whitinsville
Water Company is still working on the treatment plant and anticipates going
forward with filing rate changes later this Spring. 4) MMA
Home Energy Savings Seminar – MMA Representative Peter Wingate presented ideas
for homeowners to save costs on energy for their homes. 5) Town
Manager Evaluation Process – begin process for annual evaluation for Town
Manager. 6) Representative George Peterson will be coming to the next BOS
Meeting on April 13th to provide an update as to what the
legislators are working on. 7) Received a phone call regarding the
Linwood Post Office and there is still no update as to when they will begin
delivering mail.
Selectmen’s Concerns. Selectman Ampagoomian 1) Asked about the status of lawsuit on the Wastewater
Treatment Plant in the City of Worcester. Town Manager Kozak replied that nobody knows
anything yet. 2) Asked about the status of the Ross Rajotte
Bridge. Chief Warchol responded that it was being
repaired. 3) Asked if anyone knows how much stimulus money the schools are
receiving? Town Manager Kozak replied
about $220,000 to $235,000. Selectman Melia 1) FYI - For anyone who
has Verizon Wireless--an antenna was activated in Northbridge on Tuesday, March
17, 2009 and Verizon customers will now have better service. 2)
Asked the Town Manager and Fire Chief to look into removing the old fire box
alarm systems. He said several
communities are looking into eliminating them and it could be a cost savings. 3)
Custodial Service for the Police Department – need a part-time person to clean
the facility. Selectman Marzec 1) Requested
the names of individuals who have filled out a talent bank application for the
Green Committee. T own Manager Kozak replied that it is public record. Chairman Montecalvo welcomed Mr. Fortier
[Telegram and Gazette writer] back to Northbridge. Selectman Ampagoomian reminded town residents
of the moreover law with respect to emergency vehicles.
Executive Session. A motion/Mr. Melia,
seconded/Mr. Marzec to go into Executive Session under M.G.L. Chapter 39, S.
23B#3 Negotiations and M.G.L. Chapter 39, S. 23B#3 Public Safety --not to reconvene
in open session. Roll Call Vote: Mr. Marzec/ Yes; Mr. Melia/Yes; Mr.
Nolan/Yes; Mr. Ampagoomian/Yes; and Mr. Montecalvo/Yes.
Meeting Adjourned: 8:38 P.M.
Respectfully
submitted,
Daniel
Nolan, Clerk
/dg