July 12, 2010
Present was Robert J. Garrity, James M. Tomaszewski, James C. Lehan, Jack Hathaway, Town Administrator and Marian Harrington, Executive Assistant.
Rob Garrity opened the meeting at 7 p.m. Rob announced that the meeting is recorded and on television. Jack Hathaway read the agenda contents.
ACCESS ROAD DISCUSSION
Present was: Remo Vito, DPW; Fire Chief Cole Bushnell; Police Chief Charles Stone; Bob Bullock; Leo Bedard, Chair – School Building Committee; and Shawn Dooley, Chair – School Committee.
Rob Garrity welcomed everyone, and explained the purpose of the meeting, which was to discuss if the access road is needed. The access road is proposed off of Rockwood Road between Bicentennial Park and the Norfolk Grange and comes out at the Freeman/Centennial School.
Leo Bedard said the School Building Committee attempted to budget for the access road. The MSBA said it is not part of the project, and they won’t pay for it. Leo said they tried to pay for it, and were still told that it wasn’t part of the project. They have no money budgeted.
Rob asked if public safety had a chance to look at it. Leo said the traffic study doesn’t tell them they have to do anything.
Chief Stone said this is not only a school thing, but involves everyone. Those school fields are used in good weather. Football season utilizes the fields late at night. Weekends are used. Traffic increases naturally. Chief Stone said his main concern is teachers, parents and kids public safety. He wants to better access to the facility. It is an attractive nuisance to the kids to see the trucks and equipment coming in and out. There is a concern of the narrowness of the road to withstand the vehicles. He is concerned about the access to the old school while new is being built. Chief Stone mentioned mitigation – school project is paying for police detail. At the end of the day, everyone gets through this project and is happy.
Leo said there will be privacy screens that should help control the kids looking at traffic. Site should be fenced off and locked at night to keep kids and people out. There is an allowance for police details. They will start at 6:30 a.m. with personal cars. There will be excavation on site, foundation – concrete trucks and steel. They do not have Planning Board permits yet, because they haven’t picked the General Contractor yet. Rob told Chief Stone he should be intimately working with the Planning Board. Chief Stone told Leo and the Board that our bylaw allows for 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nothing will start before then.
Butch Vito said the traffic study and past studies and circulation studies in 2003 and 2005 showed we need the access road. But said as the Chief says, it’s not totally a school thing. It is Boardman Street and that is a residential road. Butch said at the end of the day, the “access” road will become a town road. We spent $35,000 just to fix the stop on Rockwood Road because of the traffic. We will need to address the intersection. It shouldn’t be taken out of the plan of not ever happening.
Jim Lehan said he has been a part of this discussion a better part of 20 years. There are a lot of emotions around this road. People don’t want it in their neighborhood. Jim said that in 1975, town meeting voted that the school committee can take this property back whenever they want to use it. Jim said this traffic study does not show it. School Committee has the decision. Jim said the #1 concern is the safety of the kids – and teachers. If this dictates that we need a secondary access, we should do it. But he feels it doesn’t show that.
Shawn Dooley said they have not made a decision yet. They have discussed it. He does not believe it should be part of the School Building project. We should not pursue it.
Chief Bushnell said to be a public safety official, he should support his colleagues. He feels that an alternate method to access the school with the fire apparatus would be an advantage.
Rob said Bicentennial Park is 40’ wide. Rob asked if they can get their trucks down there with a 40’ turning radius. Rob said we don’t have funding to pay for the road. He asked Chief Bushnell if he wanted the road or an ambulance, because we can’t pay for both. You need to make a decision.
Jack said that Rob seems frustrated with the public safety officials. There are legitimate public safety concerns here and it is the job of the Chief’s to express them. That is all they are doing here. Jack said we are only trying to express our concerns during the construction process. KP was done without a sidewalk and it’s horrible. We need to look at everything now before it’s built. Jack said that Rob was asking if you want the road or an ambulance. Chief Bushnell said that is apples and oranges and he wasn’t going there.
Shawn said they are looking at everything. Affordable Housing’s three lots would help us with our housing quota and would help us afford it. He also said having a secondary access out of the school would be beneficial.
Jim T. said the access road is needed during construction, and there could be a long term need. He said chances of an accident with construction is probably greater than with the kids or on the ballfield. Jim is in favor of the access road. He said the ability for public safety to get to the site is important.
Bob Bullock said the size of the project isn’t realized. He explained how big this project is. He said there is no place to stockpile the materials. 50 trips out of the school, and 50 in. 1000 trips of tractor trailer trucks added to the amount of traffic. If the access road was utilized during construction, there is a lot of traffic. Bob said no one realizes how many trips will be made by these trucks. More than you are speculating.
Jim L. wants to echo what Bob and Jim said. He said that with the H. Olive Day they took the easy way out and that is why there is a mess at that school now with circulation.. He said he is very concerned with the safety of that project. We need to mitigate it and find an alternate access. We need to make sure this is safe.
Chief Bushnell said his job is to get his apparatus in, and worry about getting out later. He said we can’t let emotions get into this. The final decision will come with Leo and Shawn and their groups. Chief Bushnell said they stated their case. It is up to you to decide what to do.
Rob said he is frustrated that we keep talking. He said we need to stop wasting time. If it can’t be done, then let’s end this. He doesn’t have any funding. At some point, we need to say we’re done.
Jim said to bundle the feasibility is a mistake.
Beth Gilbert (member of SBC) said you can time the major deliveries so that it doesn’t interfere with the kids being dropped off. They wanted a lot of this done before the fall to avoid the sports. She doesn’t think the road is appropriate. She is afraid of train traffic backing up. Beth doesn’t feel this access road is critical to the project.
Linda Andrews (SC member) feels there is much more information that needs to be given. She doesn’t feel this should be the right place.
Shawn Dooley said that Ellen Horton gave the same concern that Chief Stone expressed. Teachers are very nervous about keeping kids focused and having to keep windows closed.
Adam Mitchell, 53 Boardman. Adam said he keeps his eye on the school and street. He said that he is worried about the street. Two water main breaks happened recently. He said that there will be so many risks. Fire suppression on the street – what if they lose water? He said the construction factor is a big concern. He is worried about the huge trucks up and down. He said that the access road will greatly make a difference.
Lynn Worley, Malcolm Street said they will be arriving to her back yard everytime they come in. She said all public officials work for the Selectmen. Lynn felt the water table at the school will cost the School Committee thousands of dollars.
MaryAnn Mitchell said we wasted our money on the study - $25,000.
David Mores, 61 Boardman, wants to encourage the Selectmen to see if there is any way to do an alternate access. The current is a disaster.
David Capone, 82 Boardman said the current traffic on Boardman is horrible. We need something, and Boardman can’t handle the traffic.
Richard Morris, 7 Malcolm said he took issue with the trucks going into the road. It is a watershed area.
Leo said excavation will start sometime after October, and may not do anything until the spring.
Adam Mitchell said the turn on Boardman will put trucks in their yard. And it’s not 40’. Dave Capone said the Big Dig wasn’t 40’. Lynn Worley complained about the water.
Rob said to Shawn that it’s a short amount of time. Leo said no way we can add it back in. Leo said the road will need to be maintained for emergency vehicles.
Jim L. wants people to know how the Board feels and not have it linger forever. Jim feels we shouldn’t pursue lots on that road. We should just pursue a public safety/emergency access only. This is just his opinion to do an emergency/construction access only.
Jim Tomaszewski agrees. He is worried about the construction process, and an access road for that.
Kathy Fox, 61 Boardman is also worried about traffic on their street, and buses on the loop. She is worried about it being safe.
Rob said there is a plan. There is a solution so kids aren’t dropped off while construction vehicles are there, too. We have six weeks to figure out what to do. $110,000 is too low.
Kevin Roche, 25 Campbell, also with the Grange. His concern is that this is very close to the Grange, and what if something happens to the building.
John Olivieri feels people should have a pictorial view of what we’re talking about.
MaryAnn Mitchell said we have money for the access road, but not for every day roads. Why don’t we fix the roads we have already.
Shawn said we will address every option.
Jim L. explained the budget and the override to the residents.
John Weddleton asked Leo about soil testing. Leo said they did it, but he doesn’t have the figures. John said this is going to be a nasty situation. He said hundreds of trucks up and down Boardman at the same time all day. Oil spills, etc.
Rob said the access road is the School Committee’s decision. The funding is us.
It was decided to form an Ad Hoc Committee to research the need for the access road. It will consist of Jim Tomaszewski, Chief Stone, Shawn Dooley, Bob Bullock, Butch Vito, John Weddleton, from the public, and Lynn Worley from Malcolm and Adam Mitchell from Boardman. We will ask a Planning Board member to attend.
At 8:50 p.m., the Board of Selectmen took a short five minute recess.
At 9 p.m., Paul Kelly and Charles Eisenburg were present to discuss 40R’s.
Charles Eisenberg of Housing Partners, Inc. spoke. He said that Chapter 40R and 40S were founded by a Boston foundation. 40R was written by the Commonwealth Housing Task Force.
Mr. Eisenberg provided handouts, and reviewed a power point as well.
He explained the basics of Chapter 40R. It provides that 20T of the units be affordable at 80T median income.
To be a smart growth location, there are three criterion. Norfolk fit all 3. 40R has to have a minimum allowable density.
Mr. Eisenberg said you put in an application to become a 40R district, and you need a bylaw. These funds come from Mass Housing proceeds; not a line item. They will meet with you to see if everything fits. Most wait until they hear from DHCD before taking the zoning to town meeting. The zoning bylaw you pass delineates who is the local Approving Authority. It is usually the Planning Board. Our ZBA has held a long standing interest.
Time frame: apply for grant, turn it around in 20-30 days. Once the grant is in place, do an RFP. You can probably get the application into the state a couple months after that. You don’t want an application to be into the state, get approved and then get shot down at town meeting. This could be ready for spring town meeting.
He recommends you start the process now. If you take the money, you have to tell them what it’s for.
Jim Lehan moved to submit an application for a 40R planning grant. Jim Tomaszewski seconded, and it was so voted.
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR REPORT
Action Items
Jim Lehan moved to approve the Dunkin Donuts 6th Annual DARE to Run 5K and Kids 1K Fun Run on Sunday, September 19th at 10 a.m. contingent upon approval by Chief Stone. Jim Tomaszewski abstained from discussion and voting. Rob Garrity seconded, and it was so voted with Jim Tomaszewski abstaining.
Jim Lehan moved to approve the contract award per the SERSG bids for DPW Supplies for sodium hypochlorite – 55 gallon drums to NBC Distributors of Fairhaven, MA at $70.95 per drum. Jim Tomaszewski seconded, and it was so voted.
Rob Garrity moved to approve the contract award per the SERSG bids for paper supplies to W.B. Mason Co., Inc., for one year, through June 30, 2011. Jim Lehan seconded, and it was so voted.
Jim Lehan moved to appoint Claire Jackson to the School Building Committee, replacing Don LeClerc. Jim Tomaszewski seconded, and it was so voted.
Jim Lehan moved to appoint Robin Wessman and Madeleine Bolger to the Cultural Council, terms to expire June 30, 2013. Jim Tomaszewski seconded, and it was so voted.
New Business
Jack Hathaway reviewed the Cherry Sheet that came out the end of last week. We will still need $77,800 for KP and $53,000 for snow and ice.
Discussed the KP budget. Jim L. suggests they go back to a zero based budget and start over. They are adding to the problem and will never fix it unless they go back to zero and start over.
Jack announced that there is a vacancy on the King Philip School Committee as Maureen Howard stepped down. The Board of Selectmen thanked Maureen for her over 20 years on the KP School Committee.
The Board will get a message out to get people to apply for this position.
Jack informed the Board that Norfolk Fine Wine & Spirits was caught serving to minors by the ABCC and the ABCC is holding a hearing in Boston for an alleged violation.
Jim L. asked about the next steps on town counsel. He feels we need a change. The Board all contacted references associated with all candidates. Jim L. said his firm was Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane. He said they got five stars in availability and accessibility. Jim T. had Kopelman & Page. He called six people, and called towns our size. Very good answers. Rob did Brackett & Lucas. He said they don’t have land use experience. Cheapest and basic service firm. Jack did Jay Talerman’s firm. He got positive feedback, and said everyone liked Lisa.
The Board agreed to invite in Kopelman & Page and Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane and to focus on transitional considerations – what can we anticipate, timelines. Are fees negotiable? Send fee proposals. We will have them back in on July 26th. Jim L. & Jack will call George Hall tomorrow.
Rob said he received an email from the Moderator regarding conflict of interest and Special Municipal Employee status for the Technology Committee.
Jim Tomaszewski moved to give special municipal employee status to the Moderator’s Technology Committee. Jim Lehan seconded, and it was so voted.
At 9:48 p.m., being no further business, Jim Tomaszewski moved to adjourn the meeting. Jim Lehan seconded, and it was so voted.
This is a true and accurate report of the Selectmen’s Meeting of July 12, 2010.
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James C. Lehan, Clerk
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