Brief Update on Boards and Committees
Posted on: November 4, 2020 - 7:39am
The Selectboard held one of their regularly scheduled Board and Committee Chair "Breakfasts" last week. The meeting was completely virtual and no breakfast was provided. Along with the Selectboard and Town Administrator, eleven people attended representing thirteen committees. Given that the meeting was held at 9 am on a work/school day, we were very happy with the participation.The following is a very brief summary of what was discussed.
Beth Hunter from the Cultural Council mentioned that their work is just getting started. They are waiting for the State to finalize the amount of money that Princeton will get for the Council. The application cutoff date for FY21 has been extended to December 14, 2020, due to the delay in a finalized state budget. Unfortunately, many of the programs that were funded last year were not held because of COVID. Beth suspects they may get applications for virtual events this year.
Wendy Pape from the Council on Aging told us that much of what they do ground to a halt when they were no longer able to meet in person. They were able to move some of their exercise programs to either a virtual format or outdoors. The weather may soon put an end to the outdoor exercise classes. Wendy mentioned that they handed out 70 meals last week to seniors who registered ahead of time and then drove up to be handed a meal to go. They are planning on another such meal on November 20. The Council is anxious for us to find and hire a new Director. Nickole can only give the Council ten hours a week.
Rick Rys updated us all on the happenings at PMLD. The big news is that they have hired Sean Mckeon to be the new General Manager. Sean begins on Nov 16. One of the issues that PMLD is struggling with right now is the internet connection that allows MWEC and the PMLD GM to remotely monitor the turbines. This connection worked well with Ayacht but there are still technical issues to resolve with Spectrum. Rick also mentioned that the Commission is looking at constructing a storage facility for their transformers. It isn't good to store them outside as they are now.
Rick Gardner from the Open Space Committee reported that that the Open Space Plan was recently approved by the State and this makes us eligible for PARC and Land grants. He commended the Selectboard on their work with the temporary sidewalk on Worcester Road. This is one of the recommendations in the Open Space Plan and he was happy to see progress. Rick mentioned that his committee is working on a trail vision. He told us that the Princeton Hikes have been at capacity (two groups of ten) since they started up again in July. The Senior Hikes haven't been as well subscribed but he liked the suggestion of promoting them on Nextdoor.
Jake Roczniak and Jon Fudeman were both in attendance for the Advisory Committee. They mentioned that the committee recently voted to approve the new Financial Policy Guidelines document (that the Selectboard needs to review and approve). Jake mentioned that many members of the Committee have been working with other boards and committees in a liaison role. The AC is preparing for this new budget season. Richy Bisk mentioned that he is impressed how well the Selectboard and AC are working together. Jon also sees quite a difference from his time on the Selectboard. Much credit goes to both boards and the TA. Jake and Jon are new appointees to the AC.
Amy Holwell, a recent appointee to the Holiday Decorating Committee, mentioned that the Committee members are working on getting sworn in and will be announcing the date and time of their first meeting soon. Amy is likely to be the new Chair. Amy mentioned possible fundraising but will be discussing other options with Sherry since fundraising isn't allowed. She also brought up the possible replacement of a pine on the Common. This has been discussed before with the Historical Commission. Amy can discuss this with Sherry and perhaps Matt Lindberg from the Historical Commission. The Committee is hoping to do something nice this year.
Paul Constantino called in to update us on happenings at the Cemetery Commission. They are happy to have a new member (Amy Holwell). Paul says that the Commission is happy so far with Einstein for the cemetery maintenance. He explained the roles of the Cemetery Superintendent and the Commission. There is a lot of work to be done.
Bill Holder gave an update from the Roads Advisory Committee. Several big projects were recently completed. The bridge near the highway barn was just opened back up. He also reported that the 140 project in E Princeton is 99% complete. Some big projects for next year are Leominster Road (a full reclamation) and two culverts on Forslund/Coal Kiln Rd. The year after that, Coal Kiln will be repaved. Bill highlighted the importance of continued funding by the state (Chapter 90) and the Town. The money from the Town allows us to fund engineering work for projects that then enables us to apply for grants. Historically, we have been able to leverage the Town funds in the 5:1 to 7:1 range.
Claire Golding gave an update on the Environmental Action Committee. Their primary area of focus right now is completing the Green Communities application. The last piece is the Energy Reduction Plan which should be complete at the end of this month. She also mentioned that the Municipal Vulnerability Planning (MVP) process is moving forward. The group of over 20 people are participating in a set of workshops which will contribute to the plan.
Claire also updated us on the Waste & Recycling Committee. They are working on a plan to bring a single hauler option to residents who are interested. You are still welcome to use the hauler you use now. This softer approach to a single hauler has been successful in other towns. Claire mentioned that there are a lot of little details to work out.
John Mirick from the Planning Board said that after a pretty slow summer, things are ramping up. They have several site plan reviews for business changes or expansion. They are also working on a housing needs survey to gauge the type of housing the town will need over the next ten years or so. The Board will be bringing some bylaw clarifications to Town Meeting. One is about preexisting conditions. They are also considering adding a municipal use exception to the bylaw passed in May of 2019 which expanded setback requirements for buildings over 10,000 square feet.
Wendy Pape from the Council on Aging told us that much of what they do ground to a halt when they were no longer able to meet in person. They were able to move some of their exercise programs to either a virtual format or outdoors. The weather may soon put an end to the outdoor exercise classes. Wendy mentioned that they handed out 70 meals last week to seniors who registered ahead of time and then drove up to be handed a meal to go. They are planning on another such meal on November 20. The Council is anxious for us to find and hire a new Director. Nickole can only give the Council ten hours a week.
Rick Rys updated us all on the happenings at PMLD. The big news is that they have hired Sean Mckeon to be the new General Manager. Sean begins on Nov 16. One of the issues that PMLD is struggling with right now is the internet connection that allows MWEC and the PMLD GM to remotely monitor the turbines. This connection worked well with Ayacht but there are still technical issues to resolve with Spectrum. Rick also mentioned that the Commission is looking at constructing a storage facility for their transformers. It isn't good to store them outside as they are now.
Rick Gardner from the Open Space Committee reported that that the Open Space Plan was recently approved by the State and this makes us eligible for PARC and Land grants. He commended the Selectboard on their work with the temporary sidewalk on Worcester Road. This is one of the recommendations in the Open Space Plan and he was happy to see progress. Rick mentioned that his committee is working on a trail vision. He told us that the Princeton Hikes have been at capacity (two groups of ten) since they started up again in July. The Senior Hikes haven't been as well subscribed but he liked the suggestion of promoting them on Nextdoor.
Jake Roczniak and Jon Fudeman were both in attendance for the Advisory Committee. They mentioned that the committee recently voted to approve the new Financial Policy Guidelines document (that the Selectboard needs to review and approve). Jake mentioned that many members of the Committee have been working with other boards and committees in a liaison role. The AC is preparing for this new budget season. Richy Bisk mentioned that he is impressed how well the Selectboard and AC are working together. Jon also sees quite a difference from his time on the Selectboard. Much credit goes to both boards and the TA. Jake and Jon are new appointees to the AC.
Amy Holwell, a recent appointee to the Holiday Decorating Committee, mentioned that the Committee members are working on getting sworn in and will be announcing the date and time of their first meeting soon. Amy is likely to be the new Chair. Amy mentioned possible fundraising but will be discussing other options with Sherry since fundraising isn't allowed. She also brought up the possible replacement of a pine on the Common. This has been discussed before with the Historical Commission. Amy can discuss this with Sherry and perhaps Matt Lindberg from the Historical Commission. The Committee is hoping to do something nice this year.
Paul Constantino called in to update us on happenings at the Cemetery Commission. They are happy to have a new member (Amy Holwell). Paul says that the Commission is happy so far with Einstein for the cemetery maintenance. He explained the roles of the Cemetery Superintendent and the Commission. There is a lot of work to be done.
Bill Holder gave an update from the Roads Advisory Committee. Several big projects were recently completed. The bridge near the highway barn was just opened back up. He also reported that the 140 project in E Princeton is 99% complete. Some big projects for next year are Leominster Road (a full reclamation) and two culverts on Forslund/Coal Kiln Rd. The year after that, Coal Kiln will be repaved. Bill highlighted the importance of continued funding by the state (Chapter 90) and the Town. The money from the Town allows us to fund engineering work for projects that then enables us to apply for grants. Historically, we have been able to leverage the Town funds in the 5:1 to 7:1 range.
Claire Golding gave an update on the Environmental Action Committee. Their primary area of focus right now is completing the Green Communities application. The last piece is the Energy Reduction Plan which should be complete at the end of this month. She also mentioned that the Municipal Vulnerability Planning (MVP) process is moving forward. The group of over 20 people are participating in a set of workshops which will contribute to the plan.
Claire also updated us on the Waste & Recycling Committee. They are working on a plan to bring a single hauler option to residents who are interested. You are still welcome to use the hauler you use now. This softer approach to a single hauler has been successful in other towns. Claire mentioned that there are a lot of little details to work out.
John Mirick from the Planning Board said that after a pretty slow summer, things are ramping up. They have several site plan reviews for business changes or expansion. They are also working on a housing needs survey to gauge the type of housing the town will need over the next ten years or so. The Board will be bringing some bylaw clarifications to Town Meeting. One is about preexisting conditions. They are also considering adding a municipal use exception to the bylaw passed in May of 2019 which expanded setback requirements for buildings over 10,000 square feet.