Board of Selectmen
December 28, 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.
Approval of Minutes. December 14, 2009 [Executive Session]. A
motion was made and seconded to approve but not release the December 14, 2009
Executive Session minutes as presented with the readings omitted. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Appointments/By
the Board of Selectmen: Housing
Partnership Committee. A
motion/Mr. Melia, seconded/Mr Ampagoomian to appoint Thomas Melia as the
Selectmen’s Representative to the Housing Partnership Committee. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Citizens’
Comments/Input. None.
Safety Committee Minutes [December 15, 2009]/Vote to
accept the recommendations. Selectman Melia announced that the Cottage Street and
Hill Street Intersection parking issue has been taken care of at the last
Safety Committee Meeting. A motion/Mr.
Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Nolan to accept the recommendations of the Safety
Committee as outlined in the minutes of December 15, 2009. Vote yes/ Unanimous.
Olivia Drive Street Acceptance/Vote to
execute and sign the Order of Taking. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Marzec to
execute and sign the Order of Taking for Olivia Drive. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Special State
Election [January 19, 2009]/Vote to sign warrant. A motion/Mr.
Marzec, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to sign the warrant for the Special State
Election to be held on January 19, 2009.
Vote yes/Unanimous.
Hathaway Motor Co.,
Inc./Vote to renew Class II License. Selectman
Ampagoomian stated that at their last Board of Selectmen’s meeting he made an
error with the motion on a Class II license.
That said, he is withdrawing that motion. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Nolan
to withdraw the previous motion made at the 12/14/09 Selectmen’s meeting with
respect to deferring action on Hathaway Motor’s Class II License. Vote yes/Unanimous. A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr. Marzec
to renew the Class II License for Hathaway Motor Co., Inc. for 2010. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Laurieann’s Restaurant
& Bar Inc. /Vote to renew Liquor License. A motion/Mr. Marzec,
seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to renew the 2010 Liquor License for Laurieann’s
Restaurant & Bar, Inc. with the stipulation that the permitting process be
completed in 30 days otherwise a license revocation hearing will be held by the
Board of Selectmen on February 8, 2009 at 7:05 PM. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Laurieann’s Restaurant
& Bar Inc. /Application for Automatic Amusement Device License
[Jukebox]/Vote to approve. A motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr. Ampagoomian to
approve the application for an Automatic Amusement Device License for
Laurieann’s Restaurant & Bar, Inc. to install and maintain a coin/bill
operated juke box available during regular business hours. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Playground &
Recreation Policy Manual/Vote to approve.
A motion/Mr. Ampagoomian, seconded/Mr.
Melia to accept the Playground and Recreation Commission's Policy and
Procedures Manual as amended and presented at the last Board of Selectmen’s
meeting. Vote yes/Unanimous.
Sutton Street Sewer Issues/Present: Richard Sasseville, DPW Director. Mr.
Sasseville announced that a contractor has been scheduled to come to
Northbridge and conduct a TV camera inspection on the Sewer line that is in
question on Sutton Street. The inspection will be done on January 7,
2010 at 11 PM and all are invited to watch.
He will provide highlights of the video taken at the following Selectmen’s
meeting on January 11, 2010. DPW
Director Richard Sasseville provided a presentation on “Setting the Record
Straight”. He mentioned that some
erroneous information was published in the December 15, 2009 edition of the
Worcester Telegram & Gazette. The
article contained information on sewer rates in Shrewsbury and it showed a chart listing the rates
of surrounding communities including Northbridge. The chart depicted Northbridge as having the
highest rates, which was totally incorrect. Selectman Marzec asked how the
Telegram & Gazette received misinformation on the Northbridge Sewer Rates. Mr. Sasseville responded that each year copies
of the Northbridge Sewer Rates are provided to Tighe and Bond and somewhere
along the line when a consultant did the math someone at the company made a
math mistake. Mr. Sasseville mentioned
that the Northbridge Sewer System operates as an Enterprise Fund and all costs
for the system are paid from system revenues and no tax dollars support the
system. The rates are set by the Board
of Selectmen to meet costs. He provided in
detail the system revenue sources which include: User charges (Quarterly sewer
bills), connection fees (one time charge for connecting new or existing
building to the system), betterments for sewer extensions, interest on savings,
late fees and other miscellaneous charges.
He then provided in detail what it costs to run the system: Personnel
(required to operate and maintain the plant and collection system), operating
expenses (includes utilities, chemicals, professional services, repairs and
maintenance to equipment, collection system, vehicles and sludge hauling and
disposal), debt service on capital expenditures (treatment plant construction,
Edgemere area sewer extension, Whitinsville Sewer Interceptor replacement), and
Other costs (transfers to general fund for reimbursable expenses, insurance). Lastly, Mr. Sasseville provided the FY 2009
Customer Impact. The breakdown cost to a typical customer paying $580.00 a year
is: Personnel $87.00, Operating Expenses $237.80, Debt Service $197.20,
Treatment Plant $110.43, Edgemere Sewer $39.44, Whitinsville Interceptor $47.33
and Other Costs $58.00. Selectman Marzec
asked how long the bond for the Wastewater Treatment Plant and Mr. Sasseville thought
it was 20 years but would look into it and get back to him at a later
date.
Charter Review Process. Chairman
Montecalvo read aloud Section 7-8 Periodic Review, Charter and By-Laws. He pointed out that the committee shall
consist of nine members: The Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee and School
Committee shall each designate two persons, the planning board shall designate
one person, and three persons shall be appointed by the town moderator. He noted that the total number of designated committee
members actually adds up to ten and not nine as stated. Mr. Montecalvo explained that due to a clerical
error that was made when the bylaws were reviewed, Town Counsel recommends that
the committee be formed with ten members and when the bylaws are reviewed this
time around to correct the error having the town moderator appointing two
members. With that said, he asked for
two Selectmen to represent the Board of Selectmen on the Charter Review Committee. Selectman Marzec stated that he would like to
be a member of the Charter Review Committee.
Chairman Montecalvo then advised the Selectmen that he would like to be
the second Board of Selectmen designee on the Charter Review Committee.
Town Manager's Report. 1) Mass Highway Meeting – Attended
a meeting at the Worcester Office of Mass Highway with Selectman Ampagoomian,
Chairman Montecalvo and DPW Director Richard Sasseville to discuss the Sutton
Street Reconstruction project, the Plummer’s Corner Traffic Reconfiguration
project, the Douglas Road Bridge
& the Ross Rajotte Bridge.
2) Green Committee - Met with consultants
to assist the Town of Northbridge
in obtaining a Green Community status. He
discussed various steps that needed to be completed, which includes an energy
audit of all buildings and adoption of new building code regulations. 3) Causeway Repair - Whitinsville
Water Company will repair the fence and hold off on painting until the spring. 4) Senior
Tax Work-Off Program - The senior tax work-off program will begin in
January. This year we have 3 new
applicants to participate in the program.
5)
Swine Flu Clinic - The Board of
Health will be holding a Swine Flu Clinic on January 9, 2010 from 9 AM to 1 PM
at Northbridge High School. The Board of Health has
1500 doses and the cost is free. Please
feel free to call the Board of Health at 508-234-3272 with any questions. 6)
Building, Planning and Construction Committee Update - Provided an update
on the following projects: The high school field project is completed but a
request from someone on the School Committee asked the BPCC to look at the
possibility of putting in stairs at the field.
He mentioned that the BPCC is still in communication with Mr. Len
Jolles, regarding the possibility of using some of his land for a new Fire
Station facility. The DPW facility has
slowed down because of no additional funding for engineering. They are in
communication with the property owner next door regarding some land. The police station HVAC system has been
completed.
Selectmen’s Concerns. Selectman Nolan 1) He mentioned that a Bylaw Review Committee needs to
be formed for 2010. Selectman
Ampagoomian 1) He asked if there has been any communication on the FEMA
grant for the Fire Station? Town Manager
Kozak responded that he will look into this and report back to the Board. 2)
Senior Tax Work-Off Program – Asked what the possibility was for using
these folks for custodial purposes in the town buildings. Town Manager Kozak will also look into
this.
3) Inquired
about the Aldrich
School – who is doing the
work at the school? What is the cost? When are they moving in? etc. Town Manager Kozak will provide a report once
the work is almost completed.
4) Reported
that on December 22nd/23rd Amanda Lavallee returns from Iraq for
a two week furlough.
5) Captain
Shawn Brown is being deployed to Iraq. Selectman Melia 1) Spoke to a few business owners on Church Street who
had some concerns with snow removal; they were disappointed that the sidewalks weren't
being cleared and that some of the streetlights are out on Church Street. Selectman Melia asked Town Manager Kozak to
send a request to the Safety Committee in regards to turning back on the lights
in the business district. 2) Asked
if the cable company moved. Chairman
Montecalvo advised that the Northbridge Cable Studio is in the process of
moving to 835 Providence Road,
Whitinsville, MA.
Selectman
Marzec 1) Requested an update on the money spent by the BPCC projects such
as DPW and Fire Station studies. 2) He mentioned he would like to
discuss the composition of the Green Committee at a future BOS meeting and
having a Selectman appointed to it. He expressed
his interest in being appointed to the committee. 3) He advised the Selectmen
that the Boy Scouts expressed their gratitude for allowing them to plant a
centennial tree at the Aldrich
School. 4)
Referenced an article in the Beacon about “ex- landfills for solar power” and
thought the Town Manager could look into this article further because of the relationship
to our Church Street
landfill in Northbridge. 5) Salt and Sand – do we have an
adequate supply this year. DPW Director
Richard Sasseville replied that the Town has enough salt and sand. 6)
He mentioned the Toys for Tots program and encouraged people to give in the
future. For the record, Selectman Ampagoomian mentioned that the
former Linwood Garden Center
where the NCTV is now being housed has not been owned by a member of the
Ampagoomian family for over three years.
Executive Session. A motion/Mr. Marzec, seconded/Mr.
Nolan to go into Executive Session under M.G.L. Chapter 39, S. 23B#3
Negotiations and not to reconvene in open session. Roll Call Vote: Mr. Melia/Yes, Mr. Nolan/Yes, Mr.
Ampagoomian/Yes, Mr. Marzec/Yes and Mr. Montecalvo/Yes.
Open Session Adjourned: 8:10
P.M.
Respectfully
submitted,
Charles
Ampagoomian, Jr., Clerk
/dg