Selectboard
Selectboard Meeting Minutes
July 26, 2023
Town Hall Annex & Virtual Via GoToMeeting
Attending: Karen Cruise (KC), Robert Cumming (RC), Phil Gott (PG), Town Administrator Sherry Patch (SP)
Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 3:00 PM.
Meeting Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission Reps
The board met with representatives for Central Mass Regional Planning Commission to discuss the various planning services available to the town. Representatives provided updates on current grant projects as well as opportunities for future projects including MVP, Green Communities, EcoTourism and Efficiency and Regionalization grants.
Discussion regarding planning and assistance opportunities and Implementation. PG emphasized that Princeton already gets a large number of eco tourists, mostly hikers, into the Town and it ends up a negative revenue flow due to the costs of rescues etc.. Any acceptable plan for Ecotourism in Princeton must focus on making sure that the ecotourism is a net revenue generator for the Town.
New Police Officer Badge Pinning and Swearing in Ceremony
KC moved to appoint Nicholas Nuttal to the position of part-time Police Officer. PG 2nd. Voted 3-0. Chief Patriarca introduced Office Nuttal and made brief comments. Town Clerk Alissa Horsung administered the oath of office to Officer Nuttal followed by the official badge pinning by Officer Nuttal’s grandfather Carl Myatt.
Solar Farm Discussion
The board met with Richard Chase, chair of the Princeton Solar Farm Working Group to discuss next steps with regard to possible development of a solar farm on the old landfill site. All agreed to formalize the group to an appointed committee. Richard will develop a charge for the committee, which will consist of 7 appointed members. The role of the committee will be to assist with drafting the Request for Proposals (RFP), interviewing potential consultants and making a recommendation to the board for a contract award. SP will share RFP templates from other communities for review by the committee. RC expressed interest in being the Selectboard liaison to the committee.
Approval of Minutes
KC moved to approve the minutes of 6/28/2023 as amended. RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
Approval of Treasury Report
KC moved to approve the Payroll and Accounts Payable and light Department Warrants as follows:
FY 2024 Payroll $118,194.59
FY 2023 AP # 28 $229,535.97
FY 2024 AP # 1 $1,641,277.76
FY 2024 A/P #2 $132, 977.92
FY 2024 Light Dept. $104,721.39
Total: $2,226,707.63
RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
Public Comment
Holly Burgess recommended that the board solicit bids from consultants other than Tighe & Bond as other firms may approach the project differently and have different viewpoints when addressing issues.
New Business
Approval FY 24 Agreements for Service
KC moved to approve the agreement with Tighe & Bond for PFAS Sampling & Support Services and to authorize the TA to execute the contract documents. RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
KC moved to approve the agreement with Tighe & Bond for Well Monitoring and MCP Reporting Services and to authorize the TA to execute the contract documents. RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
KC moved to approve the agreement with Roselli, Clark & Associates for Auditing Services and to authorize the TA to execute the contract documents. RC 2nd.
Voted 3-0.
KC moved to approve the Keegan Werlin LLP Proposal for Legal Services Ervin vs. Town of Princeton. RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
Discussion FY 24 Selectboard Goals
Discussed process for setting selectboard goals and areas of focus for FY 24. KC stated that that the board should think about things that we are doing well and what we can be doing better as well as short term (FY 24) goals and longer-term goals (FY 24-27).
Approval of Disclosure of Financial Interest
Move to approve the Disclosure of a Financial interest in a Municipal Contract-Helen Townsend. Motion was 2nd and passed unanimously.
Approval of Cemetery Lots Sales and Transfers
KC moved to approve the transfer of a cemetery lot from Charles Ball , 74 Redemption Rock Trail to his daughter Jeanie Connolly, 54 Houghton Rd. RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
KC moved to approve a new cemetery lot for sale to Wendy Greene Hurdman 22 Delwood Rd. Chester NJ. RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
KC moved to approve a new cemetery lot sale to Christine Nichols, 73 Briarwood Circle, Worcester. RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
Review of Public Safety Building Plans by 3rd Party or Parties
PG received a quote from a consultant that is interested in providing services to review the plans. KC expressed concern that this person’s background is in real estate and that he is from out of state and that he may not be familiar with the requirements of a public safety building in MA. PG stated that we can rely on the architects and chiefs’
requirements. PG stated we need to know if the design is what we are looking for and no more. PG stated that the residents need this assurance. KC stated that we are hoping to get views from other chiefs in similar size towns. PG stated that John Bennett recommended the Sterling Chief. PG would like someone more independent. RC stated that we need someone from Massachusetts with experience as the codes and requirements are different in other states. RC asked what we are looking to get out of the review. PG stated an operational point of view. KC stated that she is hoping to work it out with chiefs as funds have not been allocated for the review. KC is hoping chiefs from another town would review the plans as a professional courtesy. RC will take a trip to the Town of Ashby that has recently built a new Public Safety Building.
Discussion of Draft Public Safety Building Committee Charge
KC reviewed draft committee charge. The board discussed membership to include 2 former committee members, one Conservation Commission or related representative, 1 EAC representative and one Selectboard representative. RC stated that he wouldn’t want to close it off to others who may want to be involved. The board discussed adding two at large members. PG noted that meetings will be posted and open to the public if they want to attend. KC made a motion to approve the committee charge with the addition of 2 members-at-large. The motion was 2nd and passed unanimously.
Grant Opportunities and Status of Existing Grants
SP advise the board of the opportunity to participate in MassDOT’s Rural Streets Materials Grant. This grant will provide free speed feedback signs to help reduce the incidence of lane departure and fatal and serious injury crashes. KC moved to authorize the TA to execute the Memorandum of Agreement for participation in the Rural Streets Materials Grant. The motion was 2nd and passed unanimously.
Town Administrator Reports
SP updated the board that the Thomas Prince Security Improvement Project (installation of locks) is scheduled to begin on July 31st. Replacement of the Hydropneumatic tank at the school is scheduled to begin on August 14th with an anticipated completion date of August 23rd. SP advised the board the Chief Bennett has reported that the motherboard on the LUCAS device burned out and is not serviceable any longer. RC advised that 2.0 devices are still available for purchase and that refurbished devices may be available. KC moved to allocate up to $20,000 to purchase a LUCAS device for the Fire/EMS Department. The motion was 2nd and passed unanimously.
Selectboard Reports
RC will distribute various policies ahead of time for board review and consideration.
PG reported on his meeting with Chiefs Patriarca, Bennett and SP to discuss establishing department metrics. PG noted challenges in software capability to sort data. Discussed need for administrative support for the Fire Department. Also discussed was the lack of IT support for the departments and dispatch issues. PG noted that there is a need for a single professional vendor to provide 20th century services. PG stated that he would like guidance from the board on what types of
metrics they would like to see from the departments and how often. Budget information for each department was discussed with chiefs that includes approved budget and expenses to date was discussed and will be provided. KC stated that she is interested in what types of crimes. RC stated that he would like to know what the increases are and for the ambulance how often we have enough personnel, staffing, how often mutual aid is responding, what the response times are. RC would also like hands on Police and Fire department incident reports. KC requested that the board submit budget postmortem feedback to SP. KC discussed draft Town News announcement regarding Union Negotiations. KC noted that the draft has been approved by Labor Counsel and the Union. KC made a motion to approve the town news announcement. The motion was 2nd and passed unanimously.
KC move to authorize the TA to explore an Intermunicipal Agreement for Accounting Services with the Town of Hardwick. RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
Adjournment
KC moved to adjourn the meeting. RC 2nd. Voted 3-0.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Sherry Patch
Town Administrator