06/04/2019 Letter re: Seeking Input on Goals for Year
Dear Residents,
The Selectboard has begun its annual goal setting exercise. If you would like to provide input into our goals for the year, we encourage you to email selectmen@town.princeton.ma.us, call or speak with one or more of us, or speak up during the public participation part of an upcoming Selectboard meeting. It is important for us not to set too many goals for the year given our limited resources. If your suggestion doesn’t make it into our final goal list, please understand. We will consider all input. Our plan this year is to discuss our goals with the Advisory Committee and get their input into them before finalizing the goals.
Here is a brief look at what we are considering for this year’s goals (in no particular order):
FY20 GoalsStaffing- Hire a new Town Administrator (includes on-boarding)
- Determining needs of DPW and hiring director/supervisor
- Adopt a budget calendar in conjunction with AC, including frequent touchpoints (tighter budget cycle, improved process, collaborative)
- 5-year financial plan (incorporating 5-year CIP)
- Improved communication of finances (working with AC, website, budget doc)
- see finances #3 above
- continue letters to residents
- regular meetings with board/committee chairs and SB
- regular citizen input / SB listening sessions
- website: sb page, projects, finances, news
- Bagg Hall stabilization (including temporary office space)
- police/fire stabilization
- new public safety
- launching buildings maintenance committee (recruitment, sb liaison)
Other
There are numerous projects that the SB will continue to monitor and move forward:
- Improving response time for medical emergencies (at least ensure we are measuring accurately)
- Sale of Mechanics Hall
- Sale of unused town property
- increase focus on long-term strategic thinking
- continue developing/documenting board/committee charges
- recruit another student to SB for 19/20 school year
Our goals for last year can be found on the Selectboard page of the website: http://www.town.princeton.ma.us/Pages/PrincetonMA_BOS/FY19_Selectboard-G.... Here is a brief summary of our status:
Town-wide Broadband Initiative: Charter’s residential fiber-to-the-home has been successfully rolled out across Town. Residents can now access Internet, TV (including DVR service), and Phone from Charter. The roll-out of Charter services to commercial customers has begun.
East Princeton Village Improvement Project: This project is underway and the Selectboard has been communicating status updates.
Building Stabilization Projects: The work on stabilizing the Police and Fire Station 1 will begin shortly. All designs have been completed and the project is out to bid. An architect has also been selected for Bagg Hall stabilization and they have begun the process of evaluation and design. Construction could begin this winter. Annex stabilization will not be done as we’ve determined the building is not conducive to rehabilitation as a reasonable cost.
Communications Plan: The Selectboard adopted a new communication plan (see our webpage) and has been sending out regular communications via Town News and Nextdoor. This increased focus on communication has been very well received.
New Public Safety Building: Facilities Steering Committee Phase II was formed, did quite a bit of work on validated cost estimates and investigating alternative approaches, and brought a request to Town Meeting to engage an architect to do more detailed design documents. This article passed.
Medical Response: The Selectboard & Town Administrator, in collaboration with the Fire Chief and Police Chief, met and prepare a plan including budget and timeline (as needed) for the purpose of establishing a more rapid response for medical calls within the town. An article at Town Meeting requested additional EMT funding so that weekend day’s would be covered by someone in the Station. This article passed.
Sale of Mechanics Hall: The Selectboard established a committee to research and recommend any restrictions to be placed on the sale of the property. The committee submitted their proposal to the Selectboard who deliberated on and approved the final terms and conditions of the sale. The RFP has been issued and proposals are due on June 17 at 1pm. The Selectboard awaits responses.
Sell Unused Property: The Selectboard and Town Administrator formed a committee of employees and committee representatives which has begun a methodical process of disposal of unused town property. One property has been sold. The committee is investigating subdividing another for increased revenue potential.
Increase Selectboard focus on long-term strategic thinking: The Selectboard & Town Administrator worked together over the year to ensure that the appropriate group/person was focused on issues. This work is an evolving process and will be continued.
Teamwork: The intent of this goal was to take steps to improve the working relationship between the Selectboard and the Advisory Committee. Though some things were tried, we need to continue to focus on this area.
Begin Clarifying Roles & Responsibilities: Better Definition for Council on Aging and Council on Aging Director: The Selectboard and Town Administrator, working with the Council on Aging and the Council on Aging Director, developed a formal Council on Aging committee charge that defines the roles and responsibilities of the Council. The Selectboard also created a formal charge for the Road Advisory Committee after receiving input from that committee. Just recently, the Selectboard wrote a charge for the new Buildings Maintenance Committee so that it would be clear what the Selectboard is looking for from that committee. The Selectboard and Town Administrator see this as a model to be applied to other town committees and will be continuing that process.
Long-Term Financial Planning: The Selectboard and Town Administrator took the first step toward this by working with the Collins Center on a 5-year Capital Improvement Plan. This is the beginning of a multi-year process to improve our financial planning and will be continued.
Add a Student to Selectboard as a Deliberating, but Non-Voting, Member: The Selectboard interviewed several very interesting and engaging high school students and selected Kimberly Union. Kim has been meeting with the Selectboard as often as schedules permit and has provided a valuable viewpoint. The Selectboard is encouraged by the success of this initiative and will continue it this year.
Town Use of Sonoma Space at Post Office Place: The new Princeton Senior and Community Center is open and has been very well received in Town. The COA Director and a member of the Selectboard have been working to formulate a policy for the non-COA use of the space.
Bagg Hall Renovation/Addition: The Selectboard recognizes that this is still an important need that should be addressed as soon as the board feels comfortable bringing it to the forefront. The Selectboard believes that a new Public Safety building must currently take priority. The Selectboard supports the Friends of Bagg Hall in their fundraising efforts. These efforts will help the community understand what kind of financial support is available to assist the Town in meeting future building needs.