There we go. All right. I'm going to call to order the Andover Board of Selectman meeting for Monday, April 14th. It's 7 o'clock. our first order of business is the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. the first item number two is public speak and we'll start with Linda Fish. All set. Diane Grer. go. And we're going to do this part two. Okay. thank you. first I'd like to say welcome to Carol Lee. good to see you here and welcome to the board of selection. we we look forward to great things coming from you, Carol. Thank you for joining. a couple of things. first, at the last board selectman's meeting, I asked for an update on the Andover's finest. I don't see that happening anywhere, but if you could put that on a an agenda item maybe for next next week so we know what's happening with that that item. the other update I would like to hear about is the Bernap the Bernap clock. where is it? What's happening? Is it is it happening? again an update as to what what's happening with the clock. that would be good. the the the third and final thing that I want to talk about a little bit is re regarding the community center director. At the last board of board of finance meeting it was the budget meeting. I requested that the extra $4,000 for the software package for the director be added and I was informed that that was the wrong meeting to ask for that sort of thing. it should be to the board of
selectment and I know a couple months ago the board of selectment had addressed that item and you were going to review it again in a couple of months and I think it's been a couple of months and I I think it's important that the director gets the kind of support and resources required so she can do her job properly more efficiently so I I ask if you can please re revisit that and see about allocating those funds. recently I had the opportunity to visit the the center and couldn't help but notice how how busy the director is looking at the director's report in your packet this month you can see why she's busy busy busy. I was impressed with all the items that she has to handle, you know, juggling everything from, you know, the transportation, the drivers, the scheduling, the the book, bus repairs, grant writing, meetings, programs. there's just a plethora of
things that she has to do. And I think that if she had the software that that that would help make her time u more efficient. the one thing I did notice and was most impressed with was the number of residents that just drop by to to see her to they have some issue or concern that they want to talk about. And no matter what she's doing, she seems to stop doing that and address the the residents. And I think that is a a wonderful thing. That's the sort of customer service that I think that Andover residents want and expect. And I was delighted to see that. Of course, that takes up a lot of her time, you know, when you're middle of grant writing or something and you have to stop and and talk to people, but I think that's probably her number one job is to cater to the residents. And I think that's a wonderful thing. But again, if she could get I think some support from the board of selectmen and some funding over there for the software that she needs, that would be
wonderful. So, thank you very much for your time. Thank you. iPhone 10, can you identify yourself? on a second. I wanted to show my face. Hi everybody. wanted to say hi. Thank you for all you're doing. Want to welcome Carol. very excited about your role at this time. Other than that, I don't really have anything perhaps later. Okay. Kathy and Mike Palazi. Thank you, Jeff. yes, I just have a a quick thing. the senior advisory committee met today and would like the board of selectmen to add to the agenda this evening to dissolve this committee. The purpose of this committee was was to inform the senior director of any
suggestions or complaints to help her organize and build a senior center with events, social, and various programs. She's done this in an ongoing project whereby she will continue to add new programs to the calendars and she has incorporated almost all the programs and events that took place precoid that I had put on the agendas in the past. Therefore, the committee feels the purpose of the senior advisory committee has fulfilled its purpose and use to the town of Andover. And at this time I would like to thank the committee the advisory senior advisory committee Robert Dowy municipal agent Louise
Goodwin senior Tim Haw assistant direct senior director Joe King senior George Knox senior Carol Lee selectman and myself Kathy Palazzi senior thank you okay Eileen Kimberly Persan. Excuse me, Jess. Did you mean Elaine? No, there's an Eileene. I'll I'll be right I'll be I'll be right to you. I know that you're somebody on the other all said at this time. Thank you. It's Bill Bill. Sorry. Elaine Bukart. hi. Yeah. I want I wanted to welcome Carol on board to the board of selectmen. and and I agree with Kathy Palazi about the their their commission no longer needed. and actually the Commission on Aging, we do that. So it's not the ball's not going to be dropped. Commission on Aging will go ahead and pick up that ball. because it it is what we do. we advise.
that's it. Thanks. Joanne Eber. I just wanted to congratulate Carol on being seated on the board of selectmen and wish her a lot of luck in her new role. I think it's great that your board is now going to have, you know, a full board as it's been lacking a member for so long. So, I wish you all well. And I thought also I want to comment on the agenda packet tonight. I or not the agenda but the the meeting packet tonight was really full and you know contained a lot of the items that you'll be discussing. So I thought that was great. Thank you Louise Goodwin. Yeah I'd like to agree with Kathy as well Kathy Palazi regarding the 4000. that would really help Tess and the center out quite a bit and allow her to do the some of the more financial important things like grant writing and
things like that. Thank you, Bob Hamburger. Nothing at this time. Thank you. Okay. 8602082345. Is that attorney O'Brien? Yes, that's me. Okay, you're good then. Yeah, I'm good. All right, Jay from public works, did you want to say anything in public speak? Jay, I'm good at this time. Thank you. Okay. Did I miss anyone? Yes, I couldn't unmute it. That's okay. I want to thank you for letting me speak. my name is Eileene Dowy and I live in Manchester and I had separately held the positions of both full-time administrator and full-time program director at Elderly Housing Management for over 21 years. recently I volunteered at the Andover Community and Senior Center. while I admire the dedication and hard work the Andover director is trying to accomplish, I've noticed the structural setup and quite frankly, I believe she's being set up for failure. I noticed she does not have the software or the necessities to let her work independently without having to stop what she's doing or take the time to explain to a volunteer what she needs picked up at the town hall. the town
hall building next door. from my own experience, I found myself working beyond my hours and taking cash home just to meet the demands of the roles. Operating a community center requires strategic planning, the right tools, and focused time for engagement. I believe without sufficient hours allotted for this position, it's nearly impossible to maintain the efficiency and the quality that Andover community deserves. I hope you can re-examine the resources allocated to this position and ensure its success moving forward. Thank you for letting me speak. Okay. Did I miss anyone else? Okay, if everyone can mute themselves, that would be great. Elaine, if you could think everybody else is good. 6122. Yes. What's the code? Eric, if you can help her out, can
you mute her? oh. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Carol, welcome. I see you over there. you happy that you can join us. Thank you. All right, we'll sit there and and we'll get started. So, we have item number three, additions and changes to the agenda. Anybody have any changes? Yes, I have two that I'd like to suggest. If you're ready. Yeah. I'd like to suggest 8F update to AS Gym D stratification fans and 9 I contract review of senior center director position. And when I say contract review, I'd like to set a date to have an a review with with the director Tess as we have discussed three months ago in our last meeting that we voted to extend her probationary period. I think
it is time now that we have a review with her in person either by special meeting or in person in the town hall. and I'll make that her choice, but we need to set that date. And I would like that to be within I'd like that to be within this week or next week. is this a contract review or an employee review? This would be well we extended her probationary period and and based on the discussion in the public in discussion in public speak today I think we should have a discussion with her. no I I understand what you want and I understand we're asking for a date but you said contract review. I'm asking well because we extended her we extended her probationary period and we could do a review on that. if you would like to have a special meeting with her, that would be fine as well, but I would like to incorporate her contract as part of it because we extended her probationary period. Okay. okay. Well, anybody else before we get to those? I would like to ask a question of the board members. I know we have an executive session on item 15. Does anyone understand why we're having it from a board of selectment perspective? Anybody know why? I mean, I I we don't normally put on our agenda executive session with board of finance or something that's not detailed as to exactly what it's related to, even if it needs to go into executive session. And
before Joanne, I ask you, I see you raising your hand. I'll get to you. I'm asking the board of selecting members. Does anyone know why? I have no idea. Well, I mean to to expon expand on that, Jeeoff, based on discussions that have happened, I don't unless it's a personnel discussion or a contract discussion, that would be private. I I I don't see any reason why we can't do this in open session. Okay. All right. if and no one has a problem, I'm going to let Joy and Eert speak as to why and then I tend to agree with Mr. Murray as usual. Joanne, you can unmute yourself. Hi, I'm coming. Sorry, I had to get I'm trying to hold my I wasn't ready because we're way down on the agenda, so I was preparing for later. But, let me excuse me. what we did was we sent multiple emails to all of you with plenty of time addressing exactly what we wanted to talk to you about because I believe in being very, you know, prepared, let you know what we want to talk to you about. so sorry that you didn't have time to read it. No, no, no. I read I read all the emails. I read nothing and and and Joan, nothing in the emails addressed specifically what it was. because it was more will you be available. So what I'm asking is what is it regarding and does it does it rise to
the level of having to go to executive session. It's up to all of you. Everybody knows what is it about? So I'm going to tell you I'm fine either way because I'm putting my face out there with this information. So, there are a couple things that were personnel salary related that we had questions about that we thought might be better served in private and we wanted to give you guys time to know that we wanted to do that and kind of fit into your time schedule. It would have been more convenient for us before budget season, but you didn't have a meeting until this evening. so that's one of them. you know, there's some particular things that we feel we weren't notified about. So, I mean, that's about as far as I want to go. I'm fine with doing it in public if you all think that's appropriate. I'll, you know, many board members are here as well. So, you know, we'll wait till So, are the items
that we're going to discuss already in the budget that's going to referendum? again, there's there's a whole bunch of things we want to bring to your attention, but we're going to do it very short and sweet. I'm not going to get long- winded. but yeah, there's there's a couple things that we would like to ask you about. One particular that involves union and this and that. So, I think it's more appropriate to go into executive for that one. The other ones, I'm fine to bring it all out in the public. Whatever you want. I would rather it all be in the public. I dislike having those financial discussions in executive session. I promise because I Yeah, you're okay. You're okay, Joan.
Anybody else have any other issues with doing in open session? You're muted, Jeff. Jeff, you're muted. You're muted, Jeff. Well, this is a personal matter. I would like to see it out in public and let the public hear what we're going to discuss. Perfect. Anyone else and Jeeoff, not to inter just remember one is a personnel matter with a discrepancy. I'll tell you what, we'll keep the executive session and we're going to keep it really short, but we'll keep it there and but I would like to add All right. So, so Jeeoff, why don't we why don't we go into executive session and if we feel that this should be an executive session discussion, then let's keep it in executive session. If it's not, we'll go out of executive session. We'll just keep the public meeting going. You want to go into executive session right now? Can we move Do you want to move it up and then if it's if it's something we feel it's just stay in executive session, we leave it in executive session. maybe at the end you want Why don't Well, here why don't why don't we do this? Why don't all the members don't Why don't Why don't we move up the board of finance discussion earlier into the agenda? We add an item for board of finance discussion. We'll keep the executive session at the end for a personnel matter. But I like to sit there and say that on the agenda it should be, you know, executive session, union contract or union discussions. There has to be something that allows us to go into executive session, not just a discussion with the board of finance. So, so, so Jeff had 8F and 9 I. I'll sit
there and recommend that we have, six 6A, Board of Finance discussion in public. Anybody else have any other items? Okay. So we had an an addition for 8A board of finance discussion 8F AES distratification fan discussion and 9 I contract review community center director establish review date. So we'll say establish review director. Anybody have any issues with those items? My apologies, Jeff. I'll never out. Can you just tell us when we got moved to? Was it 6 I or 6 A? 6 A. 6 A 6. All right. I got to go get prepared. I thought I had time. That's fine. Okay. so I'll make a motion that we add all of those items to our agenda for tonight. Second. Carol seconded. All those in
favor? I I Okay. we're going to move on to item four, board and commission presentations. Eric, there are none, correct? There are none that I know of. Okay. u, appointments. Item five. I don't know of any appointments. Sorry about that. item six, resignations. We did have one resignation from an alternate on the planning and zoning commission. so we will be looking for adding one person back to the PCC. Okay. do you know the name? Susan England. Yes. Susan England. There you go. Thank you, Scott. all right. Item 6A, a board of finance discussion items. Joanne, as the vice chairman, sorry we we got you so quickly, but go ahead. What are the issues that you want to address with us? I really don't mind. I yeah, I just had a little bit of preparing to do. So, but I I can think about it quickly. So, I had this I'll wait I'm going to give them all quickly to you. The one that I think you want to go in executive about I'll
do last. we had sent emails to all of you and then we have our other board members present. There's something in your policy handbook called the fee employees receive a fee for an insurance waiver and it's quite high. So, you know, the taxpayers might might as well know. You know, we've been trying to talk about this policy. I believe this year it's up to $6,653 of the taxpayers's money if people don't take insurance. I want it known that I believe in insurance. I think it's a great benefit. you know, that's that's item one. So, we're trying to get the town to update their employee handbook policy to a more, you know, we did a lot of research. There's no nothing of this sort in any of our surrounding towns except for Hein, which offers about 1,200, you know, give or take. So, we're all about thinking we could save the taxpayer some money if maybe we offered something smaller. so that's item one. we just thought we were going to throw all these. So, that's number one. Then we have item two. which is you know as I've publicly talked about too we were trying to do away with the now that we do have and everybody spoke so highly of her now that we have a senior centered director community center director I made motions at
different places to do away with the stipend the additional stipen that's paid out to the tune of it's costing the town $7,400 this year between retirement payments and everything for an employee in the town hall to take on an additional role. it's been filled great, you know, by the person who did it. volunteering to take on that service. So that was another item we were going to bring up tonight to you. I've sent emails about that. Now that we have a couple employees in the senior center, possibly you would think about moving those duties of the municipal agent for the elderly into that role. that's item two. item three also had to do with kind of the senior center director's situation in general, but never never speaking about an employee in public. So, you stop, you know, as far as you want to go. it's about the f, you know, as you know, we're not HR. We don't pretend to be HR. We're just the financial oversight for the town. So,
what we had wanted to do was just question, and I'm going to turn it over to Liz in a moment because she's the one that did a lot of the the digging on this, and then it'll come back to me as far as she found the backup of, you know, what we had voted on last year, what we had agreed on, and then something totally different happened. So, we were going to ask you privately to explain it to us, but I'm fine with addressing it publicly. So Liz, if you may. well, the question is, are we going to address this openly or do you want to do it in in executive session? I guess she gave a good synopsis. So I would I would say we'll give you we'll give you five minutes in executive session related to a point of order. It's Tess. I don't think it's related to you, Tess. Yeah, excuse me. It's related to her. Yes. Is it related her position? How can that not be related? I I I guess I can go on to the board of finance members. Are all these things in the budget that you guys have passed? What are we talking What are we talking about them today for? Why are they in front of us today? Why are you bringing it to Why are you bringing it to We reprocess it was a process question, right? And process question. We process question. Okay. was go ahead you finish
and then I want to direct it since I had Right. So yeah, it is it's not about tests at all. It's about the process and what happened and the board of finances role in in in our oversight of salary determinations, I guess I would say. And I want to answer Jeff's question as far as, you know, we did vote on this last year. We had clear guidelines, clear salary, clear that it was going to be full-time. And then and I think the most important piece, I was going to write a couple things down, but hey, I'm doing it off the top of my head. We we kind of want to know why we weren't notified. I think that's our biggest piece. Didn't Didn't we take Listen, I'm just going to sit there and say, and Eric, correct me if I'm wrong for my understanding. We took the the financial dollars that were available
for that position. We identified that it would be beneficial to have the senior center director as a part-time role and then we added additional hours for for another member to sit there and fill out to try to get additional coverage. Isn't that the accurate way that this occurred? Yeah, that is correct. Okay. So, the board of finance is asking us why we made a a managerial decision to sit there and try to fill the role of the or to do a better job of manning the community center. No, I think what we were wondering and sorry it's very clear like we it was put upon us and we debated as a board for a long time you know based on community outreach things that the community said whether it would be a full-time person or a part-time person you know then we had to because it's our role to set the salary. So again, nothing with the managerial part. There was just never any notice given to us why there was a change. I mean, maybe
you couldn't find I think I've been told that there wasn't an appropriate full-time person or you couldn't hire someone at the level of the 50,000 that we had a lot. I would sit there and say that and and and Joanne, I'm just telling you, you come to most of our meetings. We had all of these discussions in in public. It's not as if this board has done anything that we haven't been as transparent as possible. So, you were on the meetings when we had those discussions as to what we were anticipating doing with the position and the role. It sort of went from you and I don't this is fine. I mean, just bringing it up. It seems like you don't think it's a big We just wanted to know how it went from it went from you all deciding and then it got put in our basket to take care of, you know, through our town manager. I know that Liz watched the recordings and she's the one that had I
remembered it from my mind because I'm pretty good at remembering that stuff, but she went back and watched the meetings. We just So that's again, this is a done deal and we're moving on from this. This was one of the throwins of how this happened because a couple board members were interested in seeing how we could have made a decision which implicated a financial decision and then everything changed after that meeting. If we aren't the final say so and then whatever we say can get changed at any point, I would need to know that. Again, this isn't my hill to die on because I feel like we've already hired one and, you know, I will sit back and and wish for the best for the community, but it just was one of the things we lumped in as a board of selectmen/board of finance matter to discuss. Liz, do you do you find any I I I would I would ask you know, I would sit there and tell the board of finance and I would ask you you guys have control over the dollars that that you allocate for what goes on within the town. That's your job. Your job is to determine the allocation of funding for all of the various organizations, not just the town budget, but the board of education budget as well. You guys sit there and determine,
okay, here's the amount of money that you have to you have to spend. And we had a a line item or a budget item within the community center that you did approve. And we allocated those dollars in a in a in a slightly different way than than we had initially presented them to you. But we didn't overspend those dollars, did we, Eric? No, we did not. We did not. So, I'm satisfied. No, that's a good answer. I'm again, this isn't my hill. There's a bigger hill. So, so with benefits for the two people that we have employed there, we did not expend that line item. We we don't see that align item with benefits. So benefits are in a different area. No, but I'm sorry. When we when we're spending money on I understand. I understand. Your question would be did we overspend our benefit lineup? Did we spend a total expenditure for that position at the senior center which includes benefits? It Yeah, it was $50,000. I would be happy to answer that. When we started this, we budgeted under the assumption like we normally do
for a full-time employee that we are likely to end up hiring somebody that's an N plus one. So, somebody that we're paying the health care on two people for a full-time, which is a usual assumption, meet me. It's a difference between a person that only covers themsel and a person that's covered that happens to have a whole family that we have to provide insurance. So we split the difference and assume we're going to pay about N plus1 which if we're talking in round numbers is about $20,000 expenditure for the town. So, first of all, I asked both of our top two candidates and neither of them was willing to work full-time for the compensation that we were offering. So unless we were going to reach down to our third or fourth candidate, which none of the people on the the panel that picked the next senior center director, remember I was one of five people on the panel. it was not an ERIC decision. It was a communal decision. we were going to have to do it was going to have to end up being a part-time position. So I took the remaining money and so we hired Tess well under the cap for which we were allowed to do. Tess was willing to forego insurance and take fee in lie
of and this gave us a benefits pool of about $15,000 to expend plus the difference between her actual salary and what was put in by the board of finance. So with those two we were well under the total expenses that we allocated. So yeah, that's what we did. And and the fact listen Eric Eric, I'll sit there. We were we, you know, I know Carol, I know you weren't a part of the board then. We all talked about this. There's there's not there's no there's no way that we as a board did not have these discussions before the hiring was made for Tus. But I don't remember the hiring for Kim. That was that was Yes. No, that that was I don't remember discussing that. No, I never heard we never heard of that. There's never I never did, Jeff. We never discussed that. Okay. So, again, I'm not trying to listen. We just want to know. First of all, first of all, all this stuff was all this stuff was was in public and and
I'll almost guarantee that if we went back, Jeff, that we talked about Kim and and hiring an assistant. I Jeff, I do not remember. If you can find that video and those records, then I'll be happy to to admit my my mistake. But Okay. I never remember ever ever adding a assistant. Can I can I make one point? Sure. Go ahead. so I was brand new on the board. I think it was my first meeting in October when we learned that the part-time assistant was going to be was going to be hired. And I have no problem with any any of them. They're lovely people. It's that that wasn't the point. I went back because I was kind of curious how this all happened. And I found the the meeting that the board of finance had on April 17th who talked about really debated on on what salary to come in at. At first it was the 60 and then it was 45 and then it was 50. And what they talked about was coming to a fair a fair rate for a new hire. And when we found this when this was found out and you do the math, the new person came in at a at an hourly rate significantly higher than other longstanding employees. So that that's when the question was well wait a minute shouldn't the board of finance have been part of the discussion because isn't that our role that that's where the question becomes. So it wasn't like the salary that was set was based on part time. I'm gonna
sit there and and and say that okay that that is a fair question and should it have been addressed at the board of finance level that this happens? Sure. But today to come to this meeting when it's already in the budget or whatever you've done is in the budget that's being voted on. What's the point? I mean you could have done this with us after you could clarification. You could you could have done this. Listen, you could have done this with us for all transparency either before you passed the budget and called us and communicated to us or after the budget fails potentially because then you have another shot of doing your your your review, right? But Jeff, I want to say with all due respect, yeah, in my time following the budget and since I've been
very involved in the last five or six years, gotten myself out there, gotten invol gotten elected. Great. You have never once emailed me back. I'm sorry. I don't want to do this, but you are trying to put me in a place. I'm just asking you why we're doing because you don't respond. I do communicate. I do call And I did call Eric on Friday about the big error that I found in the spreadsheet. I'm trying to be really respectful of all of you guys, but I am the best communicator out there. So, yes, we would have loved to do this
ahead of time. Okay. Sent my email like two weeks ago and I've gotten like Jeff Murray got back to me on one and an Jeff Murray said he was gonna he was going to be available for executive session. That's what he did respond to. Yes, he did. Yeah. And I'm not trying to be a problem. We really want to I'm just asking why. I mean, that's my question. But you're trying to put me in my place and I'm not having it for all the work that I do. Well, that's great. I'm I'm okay. Joanne, you guys have passed a budget. You have passed a budget. You have passed a budget. No, Jeff, we haven't passed a budget yet. We've sent it to We voted to send it to referendum. Finance has passed a budget, Jeff. No, it's sent to referendum. It has not been passed. Pass a budget. Have the board of finance voted for a budget to go to referendum? They wanted to go to public meeting. That's voting on a budget.
That's what they do. We want to be respectful. We We just wanted some answers. We wanted to show up at your meeting. We didn't want to inconvenience you. We wanted to ask a few questions. Okay. Can I just say something? In fairness to the board of finance, the way that the charter changed and how we had to expedite the budget process to have everything set to vote on May 6 was it really h everything had to move along quickly. So there probably wasn't there may not have been a lot of time for the interaction between the boards
because the new charter says that the board of finance and the board of selectmen meet jointly in order to do this budget review because when we were doing the charter review that was put forward to reduce the amount of hours that Eric had to come to two sets of meetings and be talking about the same stuff. So, that charter was rewritten to expedite the process to reduce the amount of hours that Eric had to put in. And I understand where the board of finance is coming from. They put $50,000 in for a salary. And if we're paying 45 and then another 6700 in benefits, that's and I'm not saying benefits because that's added to salary. benefits are in a different line. And I do hear where they're coming from because the assistant for the community center director was not in the budget. Eric made the statement during our budget meeting last week that that money is coming from the medical benefit line. So there right now it's almost $5,000 that has been spent and we have an additional 10 pay periods. I'm not saying anything. I'm just putting everything out there to be fair
to everybody all the way around. I hear what they're saying and they they're correct with that and adding and so if we're pl pay paying MS and whatever on this insurance stipend or whatever we would like to call that that is salary. Are we over budget on any of those items? 45. We had $50,000. $45,000 on that. I get I get what you're saying, Carol. I'm asking because because listen, when I first got on the board, I wanted all of the benefits and everything to be included in the individual library for the department. I agree 100% with you on that, Jeeoff. 100%. We need to do that. We need to move forward to that. We we should but you know that's that's how the town has done it. That's how the the benefits have been posted. It isn't it was just changed. It was changed now. Yeah. When I was on the board of finance each the benefits were with each department. Every single department. I went through and looked at all the budgets and it was divided per department. So towns people I I would sit there I would sit there I would sit there and I would go back to the Bob Burbank days when I was sitting there in the outside of that and there was always a huge benefit number. So
it's been that way since I've been on this board that there's been a huge huge benefit number that the board of finance gets to sit there and evaluate and it's very difficult for the board of finance. I give I'm not sitting there saying that this is not difficult but the decisions that that the board the board and remember it's not Eric it is the we all sat there and had those discussions as a board to sit there and determine how we were going to deal with the senior center director and as how we were going to sit there and and put additional hours in for for a part-time to try to cover weekends and other things along balance. Well, I'm just saying it's out there for it's it's that's how I remember it. I'm just I'm only one of the five members on this board and and I was on the committee that sat there and did the interviews for all of the senior center applicants. So, there were four four on the interview panel for that. I thought it was you, Eric, a rec commission member, and the It was Ann Marie Dagel, and the woman from Coventry. Coventry. So, there were only four on that panel. Okay. Right. I was
thinking my Okay. and and it doesn't even that even that doesn't matter. I mean, I understand where the board of finance members are coming from that they put $50,000 in and how did that $50,000 get allocated differently? It was allocated differently because we requested $60,000 and the board of finance cut us to $50,000. Okay. And the voters gave us the voters gave us Yeah. The voters the voters gave us the 50,000. They agreed with the board of finance. So, do we have the right to start reallocating and changing things around because our viewers voted? Wow. Because Jeff, we have a budget. We have a budget that we pass and we need to hear do that budget. We just don't ignore what the voters approve and just do what we want. We did not sit there and listen, if that's how you're going to try to run this town, I'm just flat out telling you, you are going to make it incredibly difficult to operate within the parameters. We didn't
overspend the line item. The town is not our problem. The town has not sat there and and not done a good job of of evaluating the budget. Like, we sit there and work within all of those means. So Jeff, when you sit there and say, you know, the town and the board of finance, we we as a board of selectmen put in a request for $60,000 that that we gave the parameters. We said we wanted this to happen. The board of finance sat there last year and said, "No, you only get $50,000." So now you have to sit there and work within the parameters of $50,000 to make it work the best it possibly can for the town. And so that was our choice. That's true. That is 100% part of the decisions. That is 100% true. But and then if we want to spend more money, and this is to Joanne and Liz's point, if we wanted to spend more money out of fund balance or or whatever or or from any fund, would it should have went to board of finance to be approved. It should not have just been they just shouldn't have just said, "Oh, we're just going to do it and
ignore the board of finance." And that's where I that's where I see Joanne and Liz's point. Okay, you can sit there and see their point, but I'm asking you I'm gonna ask we can't we can't put a budget board of finance is doing any line item. The board of finance is No, the board of finance is doing their job. They pass a budget. We pass a budget and then just ignore what that budget is and not go back to the board of finance and get approval for changes. I'm sorry, but that's improper. It's fine. That's that's great. Eric, have we been over budget on any line item that we did not go back to the board of finance if required and ask for the approval on a transfer? It's possible there's some we haven't. I mean, I'm not saying we haven't ever done it. All right. Are we over budget on anything? Not significantly. If I may just for one minute, Jeff, we we just wanted to ask the process. Like I don't think we came at it as an upset board. We noticed a few things. We wanted to call them to question. You know, we've went round and round in our meetings on some things and and so I appreciate the support that some of the board members are understanding if we're supposed to look at these things and as you know, so thank you. I mean, wherever that stands because I do have one that is union related and you know, I don't want to keep you guys all night. But the other thing too, has there been any like I know I sent you all an email about the mistake that I think I found with the
employee benefits because of the way they were put in the spreadsheet by employees or whoever put them in with the employee benefits and the insurance. how I think we may be able to save the town like 30,000 there give or take. No one's Okay. So, but but let's let's go backwards. Let's go backwards that like we passed you you've moved a budget forward, right? So, even if we're over budget on those separate items, this is last year's budget. Last year, well, the the hiring of the community center person happened in last year's budget. you know, as far as the changes. and then we've brought it up in a few meetings. So, moving forward, there's a dollar amount in the budget that the board of finance has, as you have said, you know, we've dissected, we've talked about it. So, there's a line item there, but, you know, enough members had a concern, you know, Liz doing the most research on this, that we wanted to bring it to your attention with the other items that we were going to talk about. Okay. You know, and Jeeoff, this is not this is not the community center. This could be public works. This could be the school. This could be any town board or any town department. If if we if we expend over what is budgeted, they should go back to board of finance and ask for additional funds and take I agree 100% with you. But that's what we should be doing instead of just ignoring. We have been I mean I actually
Eric just admitted that we're not doing that. And at the end of every fiscal year, we have had we have had requests that have gone to the board of finance since I've been since I've been first selectman. Every end of fiscal year, we've sent there and said, "Hey, we need to move some money around and we have to get board of finance approval on those items." The charter had changed with the with the transfers. We don't see as many transfers as when I you know, this is my fourth year, so I'm getting pretty knowledgeable. it. We had the charter change which says if it's a transfer within the department it doesn't come to
board of finance. So they probably move a lot of that money around which is which makes it easier. I get that we haven't had a lot of the big big things come our way. Okay. But in the past we have. You're right Jeff. I just sit there and I I know within the departments if money's moved around you know it's like public works. I mean correct. We we understand. does anyone else have any other issues that they have to deal with? I have to take a quick I have to put myself on. So, there's definitely more that we want to bring to your attention. We're going to try to go quickly since Jeff went away. I mean, we did want, you know, I don't know how the board in general feels about that waiver. So, I'm going to talk about it. It's costing the town a lot of money for people to not take insurance. It's a huge amount. I mean, I get you roll the dice with people taking insurance or not. You know, my kids stayed on our insurance till they were all 26. Good for them. You know, who doesn't? So, it's pretty much, you know, a no-brainer to I would rather, in my opinion, if I'm if I'm a seeking to the board, I would rather take a chance on someone needing insurance or not. So, it's either a zero or they need family insurance because they've got a big family. It's just the way life works. That's all. That's my two cents on that. Okay. I apologize for that. understood. Does anyone I mean, listen, my you know, I I was not able to
attend the town meeting, the town budget meeting. I would sit there and say there's maybe some confusion as to we we'll we'll have to do a better job communicating to the board of finance as to what our role is. I would like to sit there and say to the board of finance from what I heard about that town meeting, the board of finance has the responsibility to all of the the the the you have two roles really. You can't do anything about RAM, but you have the ability to sit there and tell the school how much money they can send. The board of education, you have the the authority to tell the board of select men how much money it has to sit there and and allocate to the town and and how much we can spend. Those are your two roles as far as I'm concerned. and and I heard at the town meeting that that's not what is considered to be your role that you don't sit there and and tell this the the board of education this is your your dollars to spend. So I'm just saying to you in public that I would have said that to you at the town meeting that that's your job and I wish you were there within I wish you were there. Understood. I get it. But our chairperson I understand our meeting directing what we could and could not do. I understand. I understand. And we we have to have those clarifying for everybody in public. I know, Jeff, but we want to talk about the board of
education. I mean, no. I'm talking about the board of finance. I'm just talking about the board of I mean, but you want if you want to go off on a tangent and talk about the board of educ Yes. The board of the board of finance can absolutely go back to the board of education and recommend that they reduce their budget. Correct. 100% in their proving because I know Jeeoff when you were on the board and and and you were on the board that's what your board did. You and Adrian did it 100%. We can recommend to the board of fine board of education that they reduce. So so from my standpoint I just think there's clarity like I respect the fact that Liz and and and Joanne that you guys are interested in in in exactly what you're allocating, how it gets spent. I have no problem with that. I do think you have to realize that any board of selectment,
regardless of I'm on it or not, has to have some some ability to sit there and and allocate resources to make the town as efficient as it possibly can be. That's a reality. If you don't sit there and believe that, then then we may as well, you know, listen, you want to go off on a tangent. I that's what I wanted to do with the last charter which was combine the board of finance and the board of selectmen in a seven member board so that we could sit there and have direction and finances all in one spot. Yeah, but that didn't happen. So, let's just drop let's just drop that discussion right now. That's my tangent. I let it go. You let me let me have it for a second. I know. But I wasn't going off on a tangent about board education. I was just stating fact to be honest. I was I'm with you. I'm with you. That's what we're That's what I'm trying to get to the board of finances role. And you know what? I I really understand Joannne's position because being from the corporate being from the being in the corporate world I mean back in the day probably 15 20 years ago you used to
get a stipend for not taking the insurance and that's and I don't know of any company right now that offers any kind of bonus or stipend for not taking insurance. So I'm just saying I'm just saying we should look at that. I'm just saying they have a point. have no problem looking at but it's that but this year but this year that horse has left the barn. Let's correct. We should discuss it. It's left the barn and you know what we're going to have to do, Jack. Just so you understand. No, we're looking forward for you. I know. And I'm giving I'm giving everybody the understanding. We've made some decisions to sit there and do that. Then we're going to sit there and we're going to re-evaluate how these dollars end up at the board of finance because let's sit there and say we removed that statement, right? We remove that cycle. That means the wages have to go up. That's all part of what the contract negotiation was to sit there and hire an appropriate person for any position. That's what we were attempting to do. If they sat there and saved us money because the one thing that you're not realizing is if the person just sat there and said, "I'm going to take the coverage, they will cost the town more money." I I do HR. I get it. Go ahead.
That's great. There we go. That's Yeah, but but Jeff Je to be honest that that stipen was offered at the point when we went from a full full medical to to a high deductible plan. It was offered at that time. Yes, it was. It was when Eric revised the personnel policies. It was revised when we went to high deductible and it was finance only. It was on board. So, so the issue ends up being that the people that are offered that have the ability to take health insurance and it would cost the taxpayers more money. You can disagree or agree, whatever. That's the reality of no one ever takes insurance that doesn't need it. And I I know that for a fact. I mean, you may need it. You may manipulate it a little bit here and there, but basically, I'm in favor of a waiver, but maybe $1,000 a year. Okay. Well, this is something that we'll we'll discuss for our next budget because again this whole budget issue is in place. It's already out there. We have to deal with it. Understood. I have one more very important thing to I understand that could be changed. People could be grandfathered in or you can make an arrangement with the people that have it
already. It's for the future of the town is what I'm thinking of. I would never phase out benefits like the state does with their retirement program too. If you retire by this date, you'll keep it. Otherwise, it's being phased out. It really you're going to phase out benefits for everybody that's non-union. No. No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying if something is going to be phased out as far as the additional benefits for not taking the insurance because the person who takes it also has to pay 14% of their cost which from what I understand is about 14,000 for single and 22 if you have two and 28 8 if it's a family. So, okay. But they're only getting half of a single. All right. So, so next year when this board sits there and puts its budget presentation together with Eric and we want to sit there and get that done, we'll sit there and do that for next year. But I think the board of finance is just trying to
prepare us that that would like is what they would like to see us do. And we're going to be starting this process in five months again. Okay. Okay. Joanne or Liz, go ahead. What else do you have? I think I think I'm prepared for the next one. So this one involves a union salary where we saw on the spreadsheet that someone was I have now you're in territory that should be an executive. Right. That's why I say this last you've already violated Tess. You're out of order. Please please please Tess do not speak right now. This is a board of finance and a board of selectment discussion. Well, you've already violated my rights. You've already No, we didn't violate your rights. You can speak in executive. No,
you can speak. You can speak Murray. Jeff Murray, you can she can speak with Jeff Jeff Tessa. I would appreciate Thank you. If you'd mute Thank you. Appreciate it. I I We'll sit there and go through it. so, the board of finance members, we will we will do an executive session at the end of this, five minute executive session at the end of this to sit there and hear out what you you have related to an union issue. Thank you. Okay, that's appropriate. Okay, thank you. Okay, thank you. item seven, the town administrator's report. Okay, I'm about to share my screen. hopefully I get the right document up. Okay, I apologize for not getting this to you in advance. I'm going to walk through this. The most important thing that's happened in in the last week or two is we did have a full-blown OSHA inspection by Con OSHA of all of the town buildings. That's chewed up a lot of of my time. Eric, could you zoom in on that a little bit for me, please? Sure. Give me a second. Sorry, that's too far. Go up to go up to layout or home and just do fit to page or No, you can't do it. That's fine. Good. Can you see it, Scott? Yeah. Okay. Okay. So, at the bottom of my administrator's report, I want to to talk a little bit about my approach for dealing for this and what I think we're going to have to do in terms of work to correct the deficiencies noted. and I will separately send you all of my notes on the OSHA
inspection. so the Bunker Hill Bridge project. So, we had some issues with in the very early stages of this construction because frankly Frontier dropped the ball on installing the poles. so I'm working hard to keep this project on track. I was very appreciative that both Steve Weir through the legislative office as well as Pura applied a little bit of pressure to Frontier and finally got them to do their job. so I'm working hard on that project to make sure we keep the construction on track. you know that we pay the contractors and get reimbursed. So, I just wanted to talk lay out kind of what my priorities are and what I'm working on right now. regarding the field and the work on the pickle balls and other things, I've got a response to department of labor. I need to prevail. They've asked me for more information. we are obligated to get a determination from them ahead of time whether it's a prevailing wage job or not. I'm in the middle of doing that. after that we got to finalize all the RFPs. We got to send them to Department of Community and Economic Development for review and approval. And then we need prove compliance with the small business, woman-owned business, and minorityowned business contractors, the percentages, thresholds that we're required to do. So that is ongoing. That's a lot of paperwork. That's a lot of time. fourth thing I re-engaged, Millennium Builders. Millennium Builders is the company that is chosen to work
with towns through what's called the EZIQC. This is a pre bid package that comes through the Capital Regional Council of Governments. They contract with Gordian. come up with a taskbased cost for everything a town is likely to do. so we're going to quote back out the senior transportation garage and try to get that package back out on back to construction. I've asked them for a series of changes versus what was originally quoted. The primary one is to increase the structural loading of the second floor considerably because the town doesn't have a lot of storage and our goal has got to be for the second floor to provide as much dry cold storage as we possibly can. So, and I asked him per a comment by Jeff Maguire to change the location of the entrance of the building so it can be entered straight in as opposed to side loading which was the original one. and I've asked them to value engineer that and come back to me with a a plan for how we can do that better. later on I'm going to have a request to you for a resubmitt for federal congressional funding. As many of you know, last year we went through the process of asking for a federal grant to do the generator that would cover the fire department, the town hall, and the community center. that was accepted by I did that through Senator Murphy's office. that was sent to the Senate Appropriations Commission. it was a highly ranked program product project and it was approved by the Senate Appropriations Commission. However, this year there were zero federal appropriations because they never passed the budget and their continuing resolution
contained no funding for any of those. So that's going to be a bunch of work. We are going to have to resubmit that because we'll need new cost estimates and we need to subtract out the work we've done up to this point for the community center. But that's on track. I'm working on that. I'm going to ask you for a motion later on to because this request for congressional funding, they are never going to fund it at 100%. And the money that we allocated for the community center final fit out will have to be the town's contribution. The problem comes in is that if you want to push the development of the community center now, we would have to spend that
money from that fund and that wouldn't be available for match. So, there's going to have to be a discussion of how we want to proceed on that. in in the background, the bids for lawnmowing services, I I just haven't worked on that. I have a list of all the areas we want to mow, but I haven't really gone out. I have a list of some of the area local contractors. you know, because Andover Landscaping is no longer doing mowing, so it's appropriate to send that back out to bid. I realize it's late to be doing that, but frankly, mowing is just not one of my top priorities right now. Anybody have questions on that in terms of what I've outlined for priorities? That's I have I have some questions, but I can wait till you get to the end here. Okay. Okay. So, wait, wait, wait. You had item seven there. Installation of the the fans. These strap fans in it, Jim. Yeah, we can discuss it. We could discuss that now and wipe off my motion to add that agenda item. Sure. So, those are being installed even as we speak by Lenco. they're on. They're kind of loud. we made a decision today to install them back over the shields, which was not what we were planning on doing, but you know, they're plastic, you know, fans, and one of the fan blades actually came broken, so we had to quick order one today for a replacement. They're sending a replacement that we should have tomorrow or the next day. and I don't think they would sustain a hit from a ball if you kicked a ball in
there and whacked it. So, I made a decision to reinstall them P above the existing guards that are there so they don't take direct hits. we will install them with enough chain. So, if it turns out the airflow isn't proper because they're too close to the ceiling, because there's only about a foot and a half to the ceiling from the top of the fan, then we will adjust and we'll drop them down and take the risk of them getting damaged. if anybody wants to look at it or has anything to say about that, you know, I'm open to other suggestions regarding that, but to me, that seems like the safest install. It's a safe spot for them. So, Eric, they didn't come guarded. No. Okay. Because I thought we I thought we could get guards for those. There doesn't appear to be I don't see anywhere on the bottom where you could put a guard. Okay. so, okay. Yeah. So, that's kind of where where that is. we've waited to put up the last of the acoustic panels because as soon as Lenco is done installing in the gymnasium, we're going to drive over one of the lifts and use the lift to install the last upper panels of the acoustic panel. So, with a little luck, we'll have all the acoustic panels up in the town hall by the end of the week. That's that's my goal anyway. so as far as my office goes and the building still looks fantastic, by the way, I really appreciate the all the work that Willie and Susan have done keeping the facilities in good shape.
as far as my office goes, Carol, welcome to the board of selectmen and looking forward to dealing with you in your new role. the last month you made a motion to authorize test to submit the grant for the senior transportation vehicle. and but I guess for whatever reason you decided you wanted that with my signature. So it has been submitted with my signature per the boss motion. you also made a decision to modify the grand list to increase by 5% the depreciation schedule at each year. That has been recalculated. That is in your packet. so that was a little bit of a a late effort. and but fortunately we got it before the meeting and we were able to go to meeting with what should be the correct grand list. community center update. The kitchen is largely finished. The plumber was back in this week securing the sinks and getting ready for inspections. I have not made any progress on getting a working hood in there. I just don't have time to
carve out for that right now. I'd like to get back to that sometime this spring. so we haven't I haven't really made any progress on setting up the community room as a permanent meeting space. That's still on my list. I just haven't been able to to make any real success on that. there's still a question in my mind about how you want to proceed with the town clerk's office, whether you actually want to make an appointment of the person there that's acting as the assistant comm clerk to the town clerk or you want to wait and push that to election. That's a board of selectman decision. I'm just letting you know. [Music] so the board of finance or a member of the board of finance did ask well myself to go back and review the calculations for employee indirect costs. we're going to get to that, but they've already pushed it to referendum, so it's not going to change per referendum right now. I'm trying to wait until the treasurer is back which should be fairly shortly and then sit down with them and go over that and get an appropriate answer back to the board of finance one way or the other.
there was the the notes from the blight enforcement officer did not make the packet. Kate sent those out separately today. so you should have that. we did get through approvals for zoning board of appeals, planning and zoning commission and wetlands for the project at Veterans Field. So we are working on that. nothing really to say about animal control. There's a separate project in there for public works. Jay did want to have a little bit of a discussion on road work you know and whether we proceed with a contract with Jay or not. So as far as Bunker Hill Bridge that is working again we had some major issues from Frontier. I was very happy that both Steve Weir and Pura applied a lot of pressure and Frontier was in work this weekend working to relocate their lines. So, that at least worked. we're
trying to get keep the project on track because I really don't want to go into a second construction cons, you know, both for cost. even though the town's not actually paying the cost, we're still all paying it through taxes somewhere. and two, I don't want the inconvenience to residents. The second thing I want to talk about, which we also need to be aware of, is that the Longhill Bridge is getting pretty close to being at the 70% design stage. They're looking at having the 70% design stage meeting sometime in mid May. The company that is actually designing the bridge is Michael Baker. and just to remind you what happens is when you sign up for the design managed by state, you initially have what was close gentle and miller and is now BBH because they one bought the other. you have a company that gets you through the preliminary design and does all the leg work for the project. It then goes to an actual bridge designer. That's Michael Baker. then it comes back, we do a preliminary 70% design. we're going to have some questions regarding a dry fire hydrant. That will be dealt with through the fire department. they actually use Mark Williams usually to make those decisions. And then the thing that's new and that's changed is that the DOT really wants to move up construction on that project to the summer of 2026. So basically next year next summer. which in absence of anything else that's good but that means we're in construction at the same time we're spending out money for the Culver project at Bola and I really don't want to have two projects going both of which require the town to outlay a lot of money and then wait to get
reimbursement because I I struggle to see where we'd have enough excess money to do that without capping the town's reserve, which is the unexpended fund balance. So, I am asking them not to move up that construction date. but they're under a lot of pressure, you know, to expedite these grants because they're concerned they're going to start losing federal money because the federal government's cutting money from all the all the departments. So, I will keep go back go back to that one. Yep. Who was our our Bazaar Road Culver. Correct. Who's funding that? The state or the federal government? The 50% of it. So, at this point, it's still being funded 50% by the state and 50% by the town, but it's the same scheme and that we have to pay the contractor and then we have to request reimbursement for, you know, 50%. And what that means to me is instead of having three million in construction the actual no we we we we don't want to have two my the reason why I was asking the question is I wanted to understand the culvert funding and then
the next question I'm asking you can bzola road wait till 2027 well we can look at that too the the problem comes in is we've already asked for one extension so I will have to reach out to the project manager and frankly I only learned about this today, so it's really only been a concern for me for like the last 3 hours. I certainly can reach out to our pro program administrator for the state local bridge program and ask if we could push that one if they're really going to be at Longill Bridge ready for construction in 2026. But what I would say is, you know,
so far on Bunker Hill, they missed their starting deadline, you know, by 18 months on that one. I struggle to see how, you know, we're going to get into September and have already done all the things we need to do to actually be going to construction next season because I mean, understood. we'll get us an answer at the next meeting, but you're only going to be able to to handle financially one program at a time. Yeah, concur. Concur. Okay. So, in the packet, there are multiple quotes for cabinetry and replacement of countertops. As I understand, there was no decision made at the last meeting. is there anything you need from me in terms of making that decision? I just I wasn't at the meeting. There wasn't really anything that specific in the minutes, so I don't know what it is that's pre prevented a decision being made. basically that decision that decision was made about the the $20,000 or the the the quote on the fire department. as far as I understand from people who were there, you pushed that off to the next meeting and didn't make a decision. If I'm wrong in that, I'm happy to tell the the fire department to go ahead and execute that. Well, it won't be the first time that I thought we did something and then we didn't. But I actually think we did that last meeting. Scott and Jeff, we did talk about it. I know we talked about it and I actually saw I actually saw the
cabinets. They need to be replaced. They're in poor condition. If we have to make a motion tonight to make it happen, let's make it happen because they're they they need to be replaced. Okay. And I thought we did that at the last meeting because the budget was we had talked about $20,000 and we had a number. So, if it has to be motioned, let's I'll make a motion that we authorize the replacement of the cabinets and countertops at the fire department with a budget not to exceed $20,000. I'll second that. From the building maintenance fund, correct, Eric? Yep. Okay. From the building. I'll second that. I'll second that. Seconded by Jeff Murray. All those in favor? Hi. Hi. Hi, Carol. Was that a yes? Yeah, it was a yes. Okay. Okay. Five nothing. And just for the note taker or the person doing the minutes, they need to if it's a if it's a five zero vote, there's no need to put people's names against votes. But when it's it's a a non majority unanimous unanimous vote they need to put the names of the people in our minutes. Okay. So go ahead. Okay. So as that takes care of that. The second thing is expenditures related to the OSHA violations. So there are violations we can contract con we can deal with by just moving stuff. we got some violations relative to hoarding and you know too much stuff and too small an area. But there are some things
that we are going to need to pay money to correct. the first is apparently there's a state law saying that all public buildings have to have asbestous inspections and an an a asbestous testing and operation maintenance plan. I have quotes out from two vendors. One is Mystic Air, which is what the town has used a bunch of times and has always been the low bid. I have not gotten the second one back from Environment Air, which in talking with the town planner, he said has been a low bidder on a number of other town plans. So, I'm going to go through them all and then let's talk about funding this and how you want me to proceed. question before you get going on all this is when what is the timeline that OSHA provides the town to fix all these? so generally speaking, 30 days from the time we get our official notification back, unless we argue that
we can't do it in a certain time frame because of X, either contractor issues or parts, you know, or things like that. But what we're trying to do is get as much of this stuff in process. So when we sit down with OSHA, which will be in about a week and a half from now after we've gotten the official letter and requested a meeting, is to be able to show as much progress towards correcting these as possible because that's our best opportunity to negotiate the fines downward. So my goal to them is to present a complete plan for addressing all the violations that we know about in the town buildings. Okay, let's go. And
the and just to just to just to clarify, these are findings. They are not the these are violations, not findings. Correct. All of them. I don't know what the difference between a finding and a violation is. They they do have findings. They say, you know, you should correct this. This is an issue. And then they have violations which is actually something that needs to be actually corrected. So these are things that he identified to us as violations. Okay, that's all I need to know. So the asbestous was the first one. The mystic air quote is 2900 to do the sampling testing operations and maintenance plan for the three buildings. because it's a lot less, you know, invasive than a pre-demo clearance. the second is the installation of an eyewash station because we have the small eyewash stations there but they don't have a significant they don't have enough of a
flow rate and a volume to meet OSHA regulations. So, we did order the Mega Pack which is basically just a pressurized system that sits in place that's not too expensive. But the permanent solution is to install an eyewash station, you know, in the public works facility. The issue with that is OSHA regate that the eyewash has to have tempered water. So, it can't be hot, too hot, can't be too cold. And and we're going to have to ensure that that water is portable. So, I ordered a water test for that facility because to my knowledge, we've never tested or considered the water in there portable. and that will inform what we use for filtration system in there. But the basic quote for an eyewash station complete is around six grand installed. so it's a big chunk. Yeah. It's because of the chemicals and the the the hazards that we have in there. Correct. Correct. Now I am hoping they do not make a determination that the transfer station also needs an eyewash station. the last I left looking at the stuff when I walked
through with him, he didn't feel like with the equipment that we had there and and what we deal with it was appropriate, which is good because having an eyewash station in a building, you don't have water and you also don't heat is problematic. so I'm hoping that doesn't become an issue if public works is the only place we're required to do that. Yeah, and I agree with you. We don't take hazardous materials up there anyway, so it shouldn't be a big deal. It should be Yeah, we don't try to, but unfortunately, you know, we get stuff stuffed in the blue building sometimes, you know, because you can't monitor every bit of the transfer station at once. So, but it does not appear that we're going to get a any sort of issue drawn with that. so electric upgrades to the town hall. he did call out two emergency lights that were either nonfunctional or extremely weak. when I went back through and tested all of them with the electrician, there actually six in the building that really don't work. So, we need to replace all the emergency lights. And there are three rooms in the town hall where we're over overloading existing circuits. and they're not placed where we need equipment. And you know, I'll give you an example. We have one office where there's a power strip that services like six pieces of equipment. The power strip is plugged
into an extension cord. The extension cord is run over to the closest wall and plugged in. So, you're not allowed to chain you know, power strips and you're not allowed to have things that draw lots of current runoff power strips. So, we're going to need to do electrical upgrades in the town hall and we're going to need to do electrical upgrades in the library. the stairwell in the library does not have emergency lighting. and the inspector basically said the light from the emergency lighting in the basement does not illuminate the stairwell. Therefore, the stairwell needs it. So, we're going to need to put that in. And then the area upstairs by the front desk and by the head librarian's desk has way too electrical outlets for what it is. So, they're going to need electrical upgrades there. The ones in public works were not violations. They're just things he pointed out and said we would be smart to address. you know, there are there were a few junction boxes where we need knockouts put back in. And then there are multiple pieces of equipment where we keep plugged in to keep the
batteries of the equipment charged where we're currently using extension cords. so the proposal for public works is to add two overhead device boxes with drop- down cords at the locations where we use the devices. the problem is collectively this is somewhere around $25,000 in total work. you know and my question for you is how do you as a board want to proceed with this? There isn't enough money in the building maintenance fund to do it. my suggestion is that we fund this out of the building maintenance fund because I don't think, for instance, the library has enough money in their operating budget to absorb theirs. Public works could probably absorb their electrical upgrades in their building maintenance fund, but there's no way the town you know, maintenance budget can absorb the electrical work needed there. So, my suggestion is to take it from the building maintenance fund and get this stuff rolling. but it's
expensive enough. You know, I want your blessing or figuring out where to go from here. So, we're doing things that the town needs done. Well, one one thing I would question would be the emergency lights. I mean, usually those are cheap lead acid batteries that do go bad. they need to be replaced every four or five years. They probably haven't been replaced in probably 10 to 20. it's much much cheaper just to replace the batteries than to replace the lights. So I would definitely look into that. because I do that I do that on a daily basis. the fixtures themselves don't need to be replaced. That that's a huge cost savings if we can do that. Well, the the problem is most of those fixtures are not LED and Lenco said exactly the opposite
that given the age of most of those fixtures, it's cheaper and easier to just swap out a fixture than it is to, you know, figure out which ones because we have three or four different types in the building and figure out each battery. I mean, you just go and look, you open up the cabinet, you see what size B, you see this the the part number of the battery, you order the batteries off Amazon. It's they're easy. Piece of cake. It's not it's not a big deal. I just that $6,000 number has a little bit of heartburn with me. and no. Yeah, that most of that is not emergency light. Most of that is snaking in a total of like 11 additional duplex outlets into the town hall where they're needed and figuring out how to feed them. That's the It's just a lot It's just a lot easier to put a couple to replace a battery than it is to re mount
a light on the wall and and and rewire something. It's it's a lot more labor intensive to do that than it is just to replace a battery usually. So, just my two cents. Well, as a group, do we have any problem? I mean, we have the only issue I have is is are we doing this in advance to minimize the OSHA report? And if we're doing it, is $25,238 too excessive to take out of the building maintenance fund. I mean all of these things are with the exception of the air quote the mystic air asbestous inspection everything else is needs to either get done either you need to replace the batteries or you need to sit there and run wire to create new outlets. Yeah. Because the problem is, Jeeoff, when you replace I mean we've got gone through this scenario before. You go to replace the fixtures and four or five years later the batteries are bad bad on the
new fixtures and you're replacing the fixtures again. So it's it's it's just a cycle. So you're you're not wrong, Jeff, but knowing how our town is, those haven't been replaced in 20 years. Yeah. And the problem is we're going to replace them. They probably won't get replaced again unless we have place unless we put a maintenance plan in place and actually test them on a yearly basis. Okay. go ahead, Eric. No, I mean, you know, you're not wrong. I mean, I would tend to standardize on the same as kind of the newer ones that have been put in the the town hall, which are at least LED and will last a little longer. my suspicion is that two to three years from now we're going to have generator backup in the building with an automatic transfer switch and we're not technically even going to need emergency lighting for the building. if we had had, you know, an automatic transfer switch in there that actually worked right now, we would not have got dinged for this in the first place. but I think, you know, any way we cut it, we're we're obligated to do this. Listen, it's a it's no matter what, you're doing things that are beneficial to the entire community, right? They need to be whether it's the whether it's the library, the town hall, or the public works building. Can I just ask, did we get the OSHA report back, the violation report back yet, Eric? we have what he told you. We have not got this is just what he verbally went over with you. So we don't really have
any official what so what the way you do this is either myself or Jay walks with him whenever he's doing an inspection and everything he points out as a violation you take a picture of if you can correct it immediately you correct it immediately right on the spot. if not, you take a picture for reference and we write it down and we walk on to the next thing. So, I have an itemized list that I took of everything that he indicated was a violation. Now, in our case, there were a number of things related to clutter where he said basically, well, I've already cited you once for clutter. You know, you need to address it. I'm not going to call this out as a violation, but this needs to be corrected. so there were a lot of things of that nature. So, in other words, there were multiple issues of the same thing he could have cited us for, but he was pretty clear about what he was going to cite us for, what he was not going to sit us for, and there were some things where he had questions of where he had to go back and review the regs because he wasn't positive it was a violation or not. in some cases with the power strips, you know, he basically took down the serial numbers and the equipment models for everything that was on the power strip,
and said when they do load calculations, they'll tell the whether this is an actual violation or not, but it still should be corrected, if that makes sense. So Carol's real issue is do we wait for the violation report to come and then correct based off the violation report or are we proactive and do these items because you were told and took pictures. That's for the board to decide. I would sit there and say it's $25,000. They're all positive things for the community. We have it in the building maintenance fund. Let's just do it and be proactive. If everybody wants to wait for the report, we can wait for the report and just tell her to keep getting quotes on it these items.
I don't have a problem being pro proactive with it. I was just asking to make sure that we did fix everything so that we don't get fined by OSHA. I know we're going to get a fine, but I'm just saying, you know, we'd want to get it fixed right away. So, I know we're getting fined, but I'm just saying we don't get fined if they come back and see it a second time. And is any of this is any of this work after we have multiple quotes per purchasing policy? there's nothing in there over seven grand. But I'm just wondering when you say electrical upgrades and it's OSHA it might even it says library different buildings it might all get looked into ne that's my questions you have electrical upgrades electrical upgrades electrical upgrades three times on that list and that totals over 500 13,000 14,000 Yep. So, you're going to do multiple POS
to Linko? Yeah. I mean, I would do I have three separate quotes from Linko. Okay. I mean, that's how we would do it. If you tell me you want to proceed a different way, if you want to send this, that's just I'm just asking. I just want to make sure we're following our purchasing policy. That's all. So, if they're all broken up separately as separate different jobs, they fall under the purchasing protocol or the purchasing I mean together as far as I know this, you know, there's nothing here that's high enough that it's got to go out to RFP. you know, and the second thing I would say is that if ever anything is an emergency to do, you know, dealing with OSHA, this is as close to an emergency as I could come up with. We need to have a vote, Jeff. Well, I'll I'll vote yes on this, but I want to make sure in the future that we actually have some kind of PM on I mean, I don't I know we got a transfer switch, but that's not going to address the library or public works, and we need to make sure that we make sure that these lights are functional so we don't get this does not happen again. So, Eric, as far as that, the maintenance plan on those, if we can address that at a future meeting, that
would be beneficial. I'll sit there and I'll make a motion that we we approve an expenditure to correct the OSHA violations from the building maintenance fund not to exceed $26,000. I'll second that. All right. Further discussion. All those in favor? Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Five. Nothing. Correct. We're good. All right. Yes. All right. Eric, what else you got there? Okay. So, that's it for my report. Ex. Yeah, that's it for my report. Okay. that was item seven. Item eight. item 8A, the community center signage discussion. I have spoken to Lane Bukart at our last our town meeting, not the not the budget one, but the one before that. I have to get with her. It's this is totally still on me. So, we're going to move past it unless somebody else would like to do it. 8B, a discussion of blight and level of involvement. We actually had some information in the packet and then we
got another set of documents. from Wayne. Wayne, does anyone have any specific questions on any of the properties? No, I'm glad to see that he's keeping it updated, though. I I do have a question, Eric. A lot of the the issues appear to be people or residents not taking out permits. Yeah, we always have that issue. Okay. when these are addressed, does the assessor's office sit there and go back and deal with the updates that are potentially being made by the residents and adjust the assessed value? Yeah, they're supposed to Lynn gives them a list of all the per permits pulled every month so the assessor can go back and review the properties. Okay. Can we get a a report at a future meeting that shows us whether the assessor has made an adjustment to a property after a permit has pul been pulled or not? So that we understand there's some escalation in the assessed values for people that are doing improvements to their houses. My properties suggestion would be to ask ask the assessor to come on one of your meetings and explain and walk you through how he does that. you can do we can do that and you can invite them to another meeting, but I still would like some I mean because if you look at the assessor's report that's in our packet later and it sits there and says these are the functions that we we do. I would just like to know that and and maybe it's in a report that we're already seeing and I'm not understanding how to read it. It could be in that
report where he says the certificate of correction or whatever. I would just like it highlighted for us so we understand what we're looking at and he can come on to a future meeting and tell us how we're looking at it. I'd appreciate that. He could give us some examples. Yeah. Okay. Okay. And I just have a quick question on 243 Long Hill. apparently, I mean, judging by the documentation I was given today from Kate, it just said abandoned house, holes in roof. Well, the roof's gone. The roof's been gone for eight months now. And Yep. And there's been no action on it. There's debris everywhere
up there. We don't seem to be getting any traction on that. Is there any way we can kind of check on that? See what's going on? Yes. Can I just Sorry. Go ahead. Page 88 says the assessor's office monthly activity and it shows 22 building permits were processed. And then we could go and look at the permit link that was processed. And that gives us also the number of permits that were reported by the building department for the month of March 2. So it says right there on page 88 that they processed 22 building permits. Correct. And that's the B building permits. What I was after is are we raising any money from those building? Do the assessments go up is what Jeff's asking, right? So, if they're processing it, yes, certain things would increase the value. Then let's find out. I' I'd like to see it myself. I'd like to see an assessment before and after. Right. Okay. Just a question because when I read the what we're looking at now from the blight enforcement officer, I mean a lot of these are, you know, they just failed to pull the permits. Project completed without permit approvals resolved, permit secured, and work inspected. And my question is, did the assessed value go up on that property based upon that work? And it's just a question, and we'll get with the
assessor later to understand that. yeah, I mean, I've had a bunch of conversations with John about that process. and he tries to inspect all of those properties that pull permits from an assessor standpoint because it gives him another look at a house, you know, and it gets him access to all the other things that they've done that they haven't pulled permits for. So, I think he's actually pretty proactive in doing that, but I think he can explain his process a lot better than I can as to what exactly he does. But he does do inspections on a regular basis, you know, on behalf of the town. Okay. And I'm good with that. I just want to know how that translates into revenue. Sure. Understood. Okay. anyone else have anything else related to the blight the blight document? Okay. we're going to move on to item 8 C, the fire department kitchen remodel. We've actually already voted on that, so we're going to skip that. Yeah. 8D, Veterans Field Renovation Update. Eric or Scott, which one? Eric Eric went over it a little bit. One thing that we I have I would like to talk to the board about is that, you know, now we're at the point we have to do RFPs and none of us are skilled at writing RFPs. So, we're going to need Eric's expertise in that. Just letting everyone know that. And ask Eric if he's going to have time to do that. Yeah, I I I know I've got to carve out a bunch of time short of us having to deal with the ocean inspection. I think I would have gotten
at least the first thing I needed to do, which was get back to the Department of Labor on the open question about whether this is a prevailing wage job or not. my intention is to put some time into it, you know, at the end of this week, in the beginning of the next week. part of what I don't have, Scott, from the commission is I have the stuff for the paving. you know, but I don't have a full list of everything, you know, all the requirements for the playground. So there's a bunch of things information that I don't have that if we're going to put those RFPs together and as as my understanding the commission's never made a decision whether you want to take the playground portion and put a dollar value on it and then ask in the RFP for the most we can get for that or if you want to lay out all the pieces that you want and ask for the lowest possible bid. So you you as a commission are going to have to decide how you want to go with that because I don't I don't feel like that's a Eric decision. That's a a field. We can have a meeting. We can have a meeting you, me and maybe Christine and Mike like on Friday, the meetings that we used to have and we can discuss what you actually do need. I'm happy to get back to the Friday meeting, morning meeting schedule for that because we got the paving all done almost and then we can continue on. Yep. All right. So, maybe this this Friday.
Yeah, I think I can do this Friday. Check with me tomorrow morning. All right. I know I have at least one other meeting on Friday, but I'm sure I can carve out 10. Okay. So, does anyone on the board have any other questions related to the field renovations and the the project? And we did put in the packet all of the latest you know the latest you know complete plan set in the packet. So, it's all there for you to review. Okay. item 8E updated grand list for motor vehicles. that is also in your packet if you give me two seconds. The final number for the grand list was $316,639,600 which is a decrease of about 3 million. So, it's now a decrease of about 0.9%. Prior to making that change, it was at just over 2% or right at 2%. So, it's definitely helped. but it's still there. It's still negative. Well, it is negative. And we did select the 90% threshold.
But correct, just so everybody understands, the grand list went down. But what that means to the resident is a homeowner is potentially going to pick up greater amount of the tax burden than the motor vehicle owner. And especially since the state capped the motor vehicle tax, this will be the first year I believe that we're going to have a motor vehicle mill rate that is less than the property mill rate. we are just under the cap with the current budget. So unless somehow our budget goes up, which doesn't seem like it's going to be able to, that's we're not going to need to bifurcate the mil rate. So we're going to have the same mil rate for the for the vehicles as we will for the for the properties, the real property. Okay. But correct. And the reality is we're still going to the the homeowners are still going to pick up more because the car values have decreased. Correct. Okay. All right. anybody have any other questions related to that issue? Okay. we had eight after the AES u dstratification fan discussion. Are we okay with that Jeff from our previous discussion? Yes, we are. Okay. let's move on to nine new business. 9A traffic around the lake. Eric, that was Ann asked that that be added to the agenda. So I would let her take that one away. And you're still on mute. We can't hear you. Not sure why it doesn't look like you're muted. All right. And while you figured that out, let's move to 9B, approval for congressional designated funding requests. Go ahead, Eric. So, what I'm going to need is approval
by the, board of finance to resubmit for a congressional appropriation to, essentially do two things. One is finish off the downstairs of the community center. And the second is to to install and do the interconnect and the automatic transfer switches in the fire department, the town hall, and the community center and hook it up to the 2,000galon propane supply that we already have. Okay. So, this is not this is actually an approval for a application for this. Correct. Correct. But remember, I don't have the approval to submit any grant. And this is kind of like a grant just to the federal government that requires a non that
requires the town to match. And they're going to fund this somewhere between 65 and 75 or 60 and 75% of the cost of the project. the max they can fund it is 75 but they may cut that down. it depends on the budget year but reality is you just need to apply for it. Well yes but I can't apply for it. Remember you have given me authorization to apply for any grant that does not require a town match. this. But almost every grant that's out there right now requires a town match. So what we would do and because we're still a town meeting, we would sit there and get the grant and then go to the town meeting and say, "Are you willing to do this?" And if they sit there and say no, then we would sit there and reject the grant. Right. But anybody on the board have a problem with that? But the board of selectmen when I first became town administrator authorized me to submit grants on behalf of the town without your permission if they do not require a town match and that I needed your permission if they do require a town match. Okay. So, I I will sit there and make a motion that we authorize Eric to apply for congressional designated funding requests for the community center. I'll second that, too. Yeah. Any any further questions from the board members on this? Eric, does that have to be done in the form of a resolution for the board of selectmen? they haven't. They didn't ask for it before. I'm only doing this because the board has not authorized me to submit
it. It's not, as far as I know, it's not a requirement on the federal funding end. you know, it's only a requirement. It's only a town requirement because that's what the board of selectman's resolution allowed me to do. Right. Okay. Anyone else? And Ann, have you been able to fix your issue or do we have you on video? No. and it might help if you can go and get on your phone and and come in and you can keep your screen open and so we can see you, but then get on the phone as a secondary user. That would help. She she could try she could try logging out again and getting back in. Yeah, she could. But before you go in, let's vote on this. One second. See you wave. You're gonna wave in. All
right. so we have a vote in front of us related to allowing Eric to apply for congressional designation funding for the community center. All those in favor? I Ann says yes. Jeff Murray, yes. Yes, you're you're not on video so we can't see your hand. So, yes, we having I'm having camera problems, too. Yep. I have nothing. So, Ann, if you want to log off and then log back on and see if your your microphone works, that would be step one. And then, also dial in or come in through your phone as well, just so we have two ways to communicate with you. All right. 9C updated speed signage in Andover, Eric. okay. So this is one to all of you collectively as the local traffic authority and that is the department of transportation has decided that because so many fatalities occur on town rural roads that they want to change out all the speed limit signs on all the rural roads in towns in Connecticut. so but before they do that, you as the local traffic authority have to allow them to remove town speed signs and replace them with the appropriate state purchased speed sign that's more retroreflective. I think it's a no-brainer. It's not something that costs the town. we annually spend money replacing speed signs. So, if we can get the state to do it without us putting any time or effort into it, as far as I'm concerned, that's a win-win. I don't see any reason why we wouldn't,
but I'm just your designate. so that's a question for the local traffic authority. Is public works okay with it? Yep. The only thing to keep in mind is that there's a pretty long lead time when they come up with these directives. I mean, it's been about four years since they did the directive that they were going to add additional curvage cur road curvage signs in appropriate places and they've just notified the town even though we approved it four years ago that they're going to do that this summer. So, it's not like it's going to happen tomorrow, but nothing will happen if you don't say es. Would it be worth it to review all the speeds on the local roads, too? Because I mean, some of them seem like they're high for the area, some areas, and some of them seem like they're extremely low. Do we have anything that's that differs from on a town road is over 25 miles an hour? Yes, we have two locations. One is
portions of Long Hill are 30 maybe I think maybe even 35 miles I think 30 and then there is a section of East Street which has a higher speed limit has a 35 mph speed limit do you have problem with those speed limits or do you want to my question because I mean honestly ly I don't think anybody does 25 miles an hour on most of these roads and I guess we can keep posting them at 25 and do speed enforcement but I mean some of them we could probably reasonably do 20 30 35 miles an hour on some of these roads and not have a problem. I'm not saying make them 45 or 50 but I mean it's seems some of these 25 is just a little crazy. So just just just throwing it out there. Not saying I'm for it either way, but does this give us a chance to review our policy on our town roads and maybe revise our speed limits? Eric, did you hear that the state is going to revise the speed limits or Oh, we're the
traffic authority. We can make them whatever we want. Well, yes and no. You can make them whatever you want, but you have to notify the state, number one, and number two, you have to hire a traffic engineer, and you have to do a traffic study on a particular road to justify a higher or lower speed limit. And then you can act as your authority as a local traffic authority to change that if you so desire. So, I thought that was only on state roads we had to have a traffic author speed study. On our own roads, we have to have a speed study. Correct. All right. Well, I'll withdraw I'll withdraw my question then. Engineer to I I was I was always under the impression that we are the traffic authority and we could set the speed limits on our own roads. I I guess the appropriate stuff. I mean stop signs and everything. We're always able to authorize that. So I don't understand why we would have to have a traffic engineer authorize the speed limits when we can put stop signs and you know whatever other signs anywhere we want. So correct. Stop signs are under your jurisdiction. Speed limits only if if you've done the appropriate. When that authority was given to the LA local traffic authority, which is not that long ago because you
used to even on local roads have to request the state you know the office of the state traffic authority to investigate an individual road and decide what the speed limit is which is what happened with East Street several years ago. The adjoining town I think he or Bolton not sure which. Ain Habin requested a reduction in the speed. They did a study determined a reduction in the speed was appropriate and then Andover became the outlier because it would have been 35 everywhere but Andover except Andover was 45 and then it would have gone right back down. So there would have been a 6 mile stretch of 45 mph speed limit and then it would have gone down on either side. in that case the state traffic authority asked you as the local traffic authority whether you were okay with the reduction to 35. So it was similar quarterwide and if I remember correctly you said yes and the state made the change. So but now the state a few years back gave you the authority to do it but only after you've done your homework and done a traffic study because They're in their minds they're thinking about bigger towns and towns that have engineers on staff that can do that kind of thing. We just don't have that. Okay. So, okay. Let's just make a let's just make a motion and get the new Let's just make a motion. Get the new signs. Jeff Jeff sat there and said we're not paying the engineer. I'm tapping out right now. I'm tapping out. Yes. Okay. So, I I will make another motion that we make a motion that we we allow the state of Connecticut to
replace all local speed limit sign. Second. Further discussion. All those in favor? Hi. Hi. Hi. And are you back with us volumewise? No, not yet. Yes. Thank you. Okay, we're good. Right. I guess I don't need the phone. No. so we're moving on to a 9D Bunker Hill Bridge update. We've already gotten that. do you want to go back to Anns? Do you want to go back to Ann's? Oh, I am sorry. You're right. and 9A traffic around the lake. Can you hear me now? Yes. Good. well, along with all this traffic discussion, we still have cars driving fast, especially in areas like around the lake that have very narrow roads. I've had a resident talk to me about the speed there and one woman, I believe it was a woman, has a dog walking business and she told me that walks is scared to even walk on the road because of the traffic that goes so
fast and asked if there was some way we could do something. And I got to thinking about it and a speed hump, not necessarily a bump, but the speed hump, which is not quite so severe, but still it would slow people down. I've seen them in various other towns. when I lived in West Hartford, we had one going around Wood Pond, and you really had to slow down. So, they do the job. And I'm thinking you can either build it with a black top and have it made permanently or you can also buy a speed hump that is removable if some work needs to be done on the road or something like that. I think they're outrageously expensive and I would highly recommend maybe two speed humps on Lake Road or what the other roads around the lake that are very narrow and we need to slow people down. That's my comment. Eric, Eric, I know we've looked at these in the past. I know we've looked at traffic circles. I know we've looked at different things around the lake. can you just at our next meeting give us an update as to if it potentially can be done and the the problems associated with those types of barriers? I know there's a plowing issue. I know there's other issues. So just it's a it's a it's a valuable thing to look at. I understand what the people around the lake are talking about because it is true that there are certain people that there's two things an from walking the lake as often as I do. it's speed and then there's the issue of people not understanding
that we have a double line and that they can move across the double line when there's no traffic coming in the opposite direction. There's a there's a group of residents that can't understand that that it's a double line. Yes. But when there's people walking on the other side of the road, they can go across the double line when there's no one coming in the opposite direction. So Eric, if you can give us just an update on our next meeting, that would be appreciated. I mean, you come across the mail truck, you go around it. You come across the garbage truck, you go around it on the double yellow line. There's no And I know plowing you've got to watch out for bumps, but I know other towns do it, so I'm sure it would work. Yeah. So, Eric, if you can sit there and just give us an update as to Yeah. positives, negatives, costs, where it potentially might work, you know, that would be helpful. Sure. Great. Thank you. Yeah. so now we were on to so 8 9d we've covered 9E location for bike lockers. Yeah. So I'm going to share my screen again. I'd like to make this decision or this discussion fairly quickly since we obviously still have a lot of stuff on our agenda. So, when you as a board authorized me to purchase the bike blockers from a grant last year, but you never authorized me to install them because you wanted to see where we were proposed putting them. So, the first picture you should see right now should be bike locker one.jpeg. Is that what you're looking at? Yes. Okay. So the the goal is to
place them alongside the sidewalk that the emergency exit sidewalk from the community center. And the first two would be installed alongside the sidewalk starting right at where the rail goes. And then there would be a five-ft gap between them. And then there would be two more installed for a total of four of them along that. so I can let me stop this share and I'll show you basically what I just gave you a super quick handdrawn sketch. I got distracted with other things. This is far from an engineered driveway, but this basically shows the scheme that I'm proposing, which is put them in adjacent to the sidewalk. And on the side of the
community room, there is an access plug and I've discussed it with Lenco and they can run an electrical conduit under the slab tie into the existing electrical connection so we can power and put the chargers in both of or in the lockers. So that is kind of what I'm proposing for this project. I just want to put it on Jay's list. It's not like we're going to do it right away, but I wanted to see whether you wanted more information before you authorized this or whether I provided you enough information here. Does anybody have a problem with the location? Have we have we looked at other locations? So, the only other real viable location, you know, in my head is put it on that raised area just past where the first where the the single handicapped parking spot is. so right adjacent to the community center. you know, because I we I contemplated putting it down in the lower lot in the the area there. and that is still a possibility, but a that's still a fairly wet location. And then that starts to
impede the use of that if we're looking at recreation and setting that back up in the future for volleyball, you know, or for horseshoes or anything like that there. So, I was trying to keep that lower section clear. And I thought the upper area kept it out of the way of everything we're likely to do. Does this have to be decided tonight? Nope. I'd like to get to I'd like to go and see for myself what we're worth talking about to be honest with you before I vote on anything. Sure. Are these Can we Can we get together, Eric, or the rest of us if whoever wants to get involved and take a look? Yeah, I'm I'm happy to walk it with you or Yeah, I just That way we make all we make an informed dec I just want to make an informed
decision. That's all. Yep. Not a problem. What's the size of them, Eric? they're roughly 30 in wide by 5t long. And how tall? well, as tall as a bike, right? Yeah. So, they're not that. They're probably 45 inches tall, something like that. Yeah. Okay. So, okay. let's get together and we'll put this on the next agenda to sit there and once everybody's comfortable with where they're going. Anybody else have any questions or concerns with that? No, but I'd like to go on the walk with you. Yeah, if if even you can combine it with your Friday meeting if you want because I know Scott would be available. I'm sure Ann is probably available and
if Jeff's wants to come and Carol. Sure. Friday, Friday will work. Friday or Mondays work best for me. Okay. Okay. You do you have those already? Do can you see one did or what? Public works to assemble at least one of them. I don't know whether Jay's managed to do that or not. As long as we know the dimensions, we're okay with I'm okay with the footprint. As long as we know what the footprint is, we can figure it out. Yeah, I can give you an exact footprint. I can stake out where I'm talking about putting it ahead of time if you want me to do that. You just tell me what you want to see. Okay. Okay. All right. 9F the ocean. We've had discussions on 9G the senior transportation garage. We had discussions or Eric gave us information related to that. And as far as the senior transportation garage, the request that I had made of Eric is
because of the g the geography or the land that we're going in the profile is my request was to sit there and try to put garage doors in the upper parking lot so that we had storage in the second floor because there's really to me it would be a waste to sit there and put something there and not add some storage for the REC commission or for any of the other organizations that might need storage. So that was the thought related to that. Whether it can happen for the money that we have available or we need to put additional funding into it is a different story and a different question. You put a dorm around it wouldn't be no it would be no problem. Yeah. So where are we with that? Oh, you already we talked about that. I asked them for a redesign with a front-facing dormer long enough to accommodate, you know, a six foot wide door for loading there. I mean, I don't think you're ever going to have a floor designed so you can drive a vehicle in it, but you could certainly offload from a vehicle into there. Yeah. No, even a double door would be fine. Yeah.
Yep. Even if you had a separate garage door for each organization so they could lock up their own stuff and you don't even have to have interior walls. You just have chain like fence in the inside be anyway. And it would all be non heated space. Yeah. Correct. Okay. All right. 98 a department of public work discussion a road work and b J total contract. Yep. So we're getting pretty close to road work discussion. I think the first thing we wanted to talk about is just make sure that the board of selectman was on board and whether you had any further questions as a board regarding what the town's doing for road work. So I will let Jay take this discussion away. Good evening everybody. Can everybody see me? Yeah. Yep. All right. At least from the nose up. Yeah. Okay. My on my screen it's a little shy. So anyway, so couple weeks ago we got together with our chip seal contractor go over some roads and with a couple people from the board of selectman and some from the finance and Eric and myself. so first of all, I'd like to talk about that. and what does the board of selectmen have? They have any additional questions about our chip seal program. you know, in the are we going to continue? I know there's a lot of concern about how things are done and and how we can have either a better program, other alternatives and looking for any guidance from you guys. or you know Jay Jay was on the bus with you guys and I think I think
you're how you thought how you spoke about the the double chip and how the damage occurred to some of the roads that were double chipped was pretty much spoton. I agreed with you 100%. So I think going forward we should just do single chip from now on instead of trying to double chip especially if we're using that vendor again. I'd be curious to see what they've offered to try to repair the the damage that happened over the winter and what they're going to what they're proposing to rectify that. But, you know, I said the other roads that they single chipped, they seem to be fine with me and I think you kind of agreed with that. So, I mean, those were those are my thoughts. But the damage from the and what Jay what JK what Jay and I
didn't really realize this when we were doing the walkthrough. But Jay Jay basically pointed out that the when they when they did the single chip the stone actually the tire tracks wore in through the we had four tire tracks going through the the roadway and they it kind of heaved up in the middle and then they went and added another layer on there. But the oil didn't get through though that stone that had piled up in between the the tire tracks. And what had happened over the winters when the plows came over, they just pulled all that up. And so we had Yeah, we had missing sections of pavement. So we met with the contractor and and basically pointed that out. So I I mean I could let Jay speak to that, but I don't know what they've what they've offered to try to help fix that and and try to help them up. So really the The only thing that can
really be done to those those areas, you know, they'll add a little bit more emulsion and they'll put a little bit more stone down and and roll it in and try to seal things up. as far as trying to mitigate the rut, the ruting that occurred, there's not a lot that can be done until next time we do work on the road. some of that some of those areas will continue to wear over time. you know as we plow more often it might you know come up again and you know as I stated between the the two different vendors we've used in the past with the doubles chip seal process with our previous vendor they honed the road in between applications where you know they put the first application down and a couple days later when before the second day second application goes down, they hone
the road. And basically, they have a big mat of wire brushes and it moves the stone back and forth in the road and puts things in place and levels it out and then they put the next layer of emulsion down and next layer of stone, roll it in. So, it's it's a you know little bit difference of application between the two different companies. you know, we all know what chip seal it is. It's not a perfect system. Nobody really likes it, but done correctly, it works. and sometimes things happen. as we've all seen. so, that being said, you know, with the with the funding that we have and the condition of the roads and with the
shimming and chipping that we've been doing, I think we should, you know, keep going as best as we can. but at the same time I also think we've reached a point and this is going to get into more discussion for next year and the year after. You know I think the town should start thinking about alternatives. you know, as the roads get a little bit better or if we do, you know, a little bit more reclamation, you know, there's areas where we can do different types of of road processes, you know, and those will benefit can benefit, but with that they also cost more. So, we have to do those things in the right places. Well, is isn't that something, Jay, where you bring the options to us and you sit there and say, "Hey, listen. Here are the options. This is what you can do." And then we sit there and try to determine if it's too much money or not. And then we sit there and say, "Okay, this is all the board of finance has approved for road work. If we do X, Y, and Z, that's all we're going to get." So this year, right now, what I have planned before July 1, which we talked about last year, is the remainder of Long Hill between Gilead and Woodbridge. Skinner Hill, Gilead Road, Cone Road, and I have two bids.
one for $146,600. This is the chip seal now from Comr and All State for 166428. So we used COMR last year. Comr's again the low bidder this year. and is All State doing the double chip seal with the the better application process and have a single chip seal. All State I have doing well, actually I have both companies doing some double. I got to take the double out. It's going to be some adjustment. and just long the section of Long Hill I was going to do a double chip seal on, but we're not if we're using one company I won't do that. and but anyway, all state that section of Longill is a double. and same with CMR right now. I just got to back out the difference in cost. I mean, Jay, what's the advantage of the double versus the single? I mean, longevity wise, what's the difference? Well, when you get a Well, yes. Long longevity of the of the road. If you recall, Hendy Road from was it Stanley a little bit before Stanley? is that right? Stanley's over there. yes. Okay. So from there to Long Hill, that section of the road was busted up pretty bad throughout the whole roadway, not just in sections. and I double chipped that whole, you know, basically that hill going up right to Hendy and
right to the stop sign at Long Hill in Hendi. So that that se that half, you know, it was all alligator cracked. It was it was way beyond just doing some crack seal and and chip because it was so bust it was busted up so long so much. so double chip seal has has a place. and that's what I was hoping for for Pine Ridge and Shadlow. years ago we did, you remember the double chip on Old Farms that off of Hendy, right? Yes. So, that road that road was really busted up bad. We had to do some corrections, a little shimming around the catch basins, but basically that road I've had no more complaints on that road since. I mean, it is a little rough cuz the road was rough, but I don't have the nothing's come through yet. you know, it's held up pretty well. so in the right place, right application, it does work. and it and it it'll get you some life out of a road. till the till the meantime you can do something else with it. Yeah. My only my only thing with goose and comr is if there's any way we could spread that stone out before they do
that double chip, it would be night and day difference. Yeah, we can't. Well, with comr, they don't they don't have they don't have the ability to do that. So, if we're going to do a double chip on a road, I would chip it once this year and chip it again the next year after it's had time to work in. And the other thing that Comr does is you know, they do one lane at a time, so they're overlapping in the middle. so you get some of that overlap residual effect that you saw in some of the single chip areas that they did, which isn't that bad. It rolls in. I mean, over the heat of the summer, that stuff will pretty much go away. it's just you know was it just better to spend the extra $18,000 on a whole day and have them double chip stuff if they wash the stone? Yes. Can't be just be careful. Yes. We had an issue with the stone and you're you're going to have issues with stone. It's not going to be perfect every year. That year it was bad. We all know it was bad. And again, our sweeper broke down and we didn't sweep right away and it just perfect storm. but like I said, both are good both are both are good companies. I you know it just I have difference opinions one way or the other. and it just I like the product that you know comes down the way all states done it in the
past. Their their machine does a full full road width and if there's if the road is a little bit too wide they put that seam on the edge of the road rather than in the middle of the road. so it's you know, there's a there's a there's a slight difference, but they all do that. They all accomplish the same thing. Just a quick question, like per mile, if we had Comr come back and do a single chip this year and and a single chip next year versus All State doing a double chip this year, how much price difference is it to have them do it in subsequent years versus all It's It's about It's about the same. Okay. It's, you know, it's you know, it's 575 a square yard for a double chip and
it's 250 a square yard for a single. So, it's it's about the same cost. So, it' actually help us if in the spring if we found some road issues that we would have to fix before they went chipped again, it would actually benefit us because we would actually see if there's any damage to the roadway. Yeah, it's possible. I mean, I, you know, you single chip a road. it's perfect example, Jeff, is Riverside. So some years ago, Riverside was single chipped and it went, correct me if I'm wrong, Eric. five, six years. Yeah. Been about four, four, five years. Five years since we single chipped it. Okay. We just single chipped it again last year. Riverside was toast when it was, you know, when it
was chipped the the first time. So that that's a perfect example of chipping it one year and then let it go for a while. Maybe you chip it next year, maybe you don't. You know, you you evaluate the road. So it's not it's not the end all that we don't double chip. It's just sometimes I'm just thinking I'm just thinking if we decide we're going to double chip a road, have them single chip it this year, and then just go back and then just put another layer on next year. Yeah. Yep. Yep. in those sections. Yeah, in those sections that you're thinking about. I mean, I I I really like I really like the way Comr did the single chip. I mean, that the finish was good. Everything looked decent. And I wasn't really worried about that seam in the center of the road. I was just worried about the double chip. That's where really see it. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
And to be honest, I don't think the work did for us last year was as good as some of the years they've done it in the past. you know, I don't think it was terrible, but you know, but one of the things I wanted to talk to the board of selectment about is every year we do chip seal. Jay and I take a lot of flack from a lot of people and residents complain, you know, and I'm okay with taking that that that feedback and so is Jay, but I just want to make sure you guys are fully on board with the concept of chip sealing, you know, because if if you guys aren't, you know, on board with it, I'd rather just not do it, then take all the the flack for it. Even though from a road maintenance standpoint, I think it's something we should be doing. As a cyclist, I don't like chip seal. but, you know, given what we budget and what we can do, that's one of the least expensive, highest bang for the buck tools in our arsenal. as a cyclist too, Eric. I mean, all our adjoining towns chip seal. So, we we hit them everywhere. It's just it's the nature of the beast. And I think we have to chip seal, but I think if we just do our due diligence and try to get make sure that the stone is washed as good as possible and we don't have another issue
like we did at Long Hill that a couple years ago, I mean, you're going to have some dust, but I think we should probably try to, you know, just make sure that the pro the stone is actually, you know, as clean as it can be going down. That's all. Well, I I think we do that, Jeff. I just I just wish, you know, I wish I could say there was a better way to do do this. I just think, you know, it's sometimes things are going to happen and you know, it just as Eric said that it would be nice that you know, everybody understands and that nobody likes this process and but it does work for us and we can keep our roads together and keep them keep them safe and so people can travel around till we can do something better. I mean, honestly, I don't think the dust was that bad the last year. I think it was fine, but it was just it was minimal. Yeah, it was minimal. Yeah, but when we did Yeah, the long it was it was washed a little bit better and and we swept it right away. Yep. And I think that if we just do that, I think we'll be fine. So,
we're not going to get away from chip sealing anytime soon because we don't have the money. So the question is Jay, is there a way to evaluate the stone before they start working on our roads? Yep. It gets tested every year. they go out and pull samples and and but you know when you when you're when you pull up to a pile a mountainous pile of stone at a at a facility and they pull a sample from wherever or even if you pick it up yourself it's clean today but they keep adding stone to it because it keeps getting used. Yeah. So I can't I you know you can't be there every time. So the stone, you know, you you go and take a sample the month before or a couple weeks before or they bring you a sample. It's like, oh, yep, it passes all the state inspect because they there's criteria that they have to use. So So and it changes. So Eric, to your point, the board for the last god, since you did Lake Road or since you did Lakeside, 10 years ago, no, six years ago, six years ago, we've been supporting of that. The only time that you really got push back is when we had problematic materials. So, I would sit there and I would look at you and Jay and go, "As long as we don't have dust on the stone or we don't have problematic materials, you're not going to get any significant push back from the board or you shouldn't get any significant push back from the board because I hope everybody on the board
realizes the cost of reclaiming the road and Jay, what is the cost per mile or Eric? Cost per mile of reclaim cost about $70,000 for Shim and Chip." So chip is around call it $30,000 a mile. and then to do a reclamation were in the neighborhood of $470,000 a mile. So did you just tell us $30,000 a mile versus just chip seal al just chip seal alone is about $30,000 a mile versus 400,000 470,000 per reclamation. But but road but roads like Skinner Hill are going to be significantly higherly higher. But over the past over the past few years now four years, right, we've been doing chimman chips. So we're we asphalt the bad areas like what you see out on Skinner right now and Gilead and Cone. so the shim and chip asphalt and then the chip seal over it is right around $70,000 a mile. Okay, it's a good option. So that's, you know, Okay. Yeah. So, so Eric, I sit there and I I don't necessarily think you're going to get push back from the board. You're still always going to get Listen, there is not a road that's going to get chip sealed that the residents aren't going to complain because it's bumpy. It's the reality. And if we had more money, we would do it differently, right? Sure. Okay. So, yeah, you're gonna have to take a little bit of abuse
just like we have to take a little bit of abuse. And if we had more money, we'd do it differently. Understood. We just wanted to make sure you guys were still on board with that. and us pursuing that. Yeah. So, just just a quick recap, Longill Road, Skinner, Gilead Cone, and I've got Crack Seal Company coming in. They'll be starting probably before the end of this month. We'll start on the chip seal roads and then I got to I want to try to move into the lake area and do the main roads on that for crack seal. So you guys are aware depending on how the money plays out with that. we got some guardrail flex beam replacement going to be happening on long long hill. Try to get the remainder of that done to before June the end of June. So cone, you're chip ceiling, correct? Yeah, cone was cone was probably one of the last roads that we actually sat there and paved and we're already chip sealing it. Well, yeah, cone was in re is in really bad shape. We shimmed it. Same thing with Skinner. You can't you
can't the road's falling apart. I have to have to patch it. Have to put some patch on it to hold it together. Okay. All right. Anybody have any other questions for Jay related to road work? Okay. there's there's H a 9HB the J tall contract. What are we doing with this, Eric? So, what I would like permission from the board is to re-up Jay's contract for the next two years with everything the same except for a 3% pay raise this year and the following year. And Jay will agree to that, but I'm bringing it back to the board because that's a board decision, not an Eric decision. and to see what your questions and concerns are about that. Are those dollars in the budget? They're in the budget for this coming year. there's, you know, we're a year away from having a budget for the followon year. No. So, you said this year. So, you're really talking next year, right? His contract is up essentially July one. So it will be for the next fiscal year which we have budgeted that amount and then an agreement that we extend that for one more year. Okay. Does anybody on the board have any issues with with that option? I haven't seen the contract. Has everybody on the board seen it? I know I'm new. I so I am happy to if you're okay with that parameter prior to me signing I will send it around to all the board of selectmen so that you can review the contract but we as a town kind of need to make a decision right now whether we're going to retain Jay for two more years or whether we're not you know Jay's
agreed to essentially resend his retirement with the state of Connecticut if we'll agree to a two-year extension of his contract. So that's the contract expires in July. Correct. Is current actually do it next month and then we could all get a chance to review that. I if that's what the board wants, but you can execute. You can build the contract with those parameters. What what Carol's asking is not wrong. She just wants to review the contracts. There problem. Is there any problem with doing that? I mean, I don't have a problem with doing that if that's Jay. Does it impact your timing? it just shortens time that I have to look for another job. No, I don't think we're I don't think we're sitting there saying we want to move on from you, Jay. That's not what
the question is. What the question was is if we're okay with Eric setting those parameters on the length of the contract and the increases, and we say, "Sure, go ahead and do that. Is it okay that we approve the contract, the full contract next month?" Okay. Yeah, I think it'd be good doing our due diligence and looking at it. Perfect. And is has Dennis and his Dennis reviewed it just to give us okay? he hasn't reviewed an updated version. He has reviewed the previous versions. Okay. So why don't we send a contract? Why don't we send a copy to Dennis and then to the board and then we'll we'll put it on a motion to approve next next next meeting. Okay. Fair enough. Okay. there was a nine I the item that Jeff Murray requested regarding establish a review date for the community center director and
actually establish a contract review date for the community center director. Correct. And based on the public comment today, I think it's good that we would have a meeting with the community center director. let her express what needs she has going forward. and and just review her contract and and and how she has fulfilled it to this to this point. I think it would be good at the that the board members attended that. Either we do a special meeting in the coming weeks or we do it in person at the town hall. It's it's it's up to you guys what you want to do. But I think we should probably do this and and before we move forward in the future, could we do this in person? So maybe we can do a walk through or just meet at the community center and go over the needs. So we're there to physically see. I mean, from what I've heard tonight, we need we we we all need to have a
meeting. We all need to sit here and talk about what the needs are going forward and and and just review what what we feel as a a board we're looking I mean, we can put the We can make a motion to to have a meeting. It's just Do we want to make a Have a meeting. Let's go. What date? Pick it. You put it out there. Pick it. Anybody else? What? Was it people think it's good good time, date, time, place? could we maybe do next Wednesday so if we have any questions we can forward them over to the community center director so she's prepared to answer any those questions. So maybe if we did it in person next Wednesday if that works for everyone. And it's not for me to say, but I'm going to make a suggestion that you go to one of the Friday lunchons and interact with the seniors that go to the lunchons and then schedule either before or after a meeting with the community center director. I'm fine with Friday afternoons or Friday afternoon. But the thing is is that they just had the lunch in this past Friday. So the next one is at the end of the month. So and and I hear what you're saying, Eric, just to see how the people are receiving. But isn't this to kind of go over like the needs for the community center and that? And there's a lot of commotion that goes on on Friday with the lunch.
Well, what I would say is it's also beneficial for board of selectment members to see what programs are actually occurring, right? But the senior lunch we I think we've all been to senior I know Jeff has been to both have been to multiple. Scott has been to multiple and I have been to multiple too. I'm just saying to go there just have a meeting. We can forward any questions. So this way the senior center director would be prepared to answer any questions and show any documentation that's requested. I'm I I be willing to do it this Friday. We can go over the bike boxes this Friday. Scott can have a meet his meeting with you over the the pickle ball courts this Friday and then we could just can do everything this Friday. So on on Friday, would you say like in the morning? We would do an early morning meeting. Whatever time's convenient for everyone. First of all, Tess, are you available if we did it Friday morning? correct me if I'm wrong, but Friday is a holiday. The town is closed.
Oh, that's right. It's Good Friday. Good Friday. Really? Is the road crew Is the road crew off on Good Friday? I thought that was a holiday that was given up. no. Let me look. I'll tell you. I'd have to look at holiday list. We have it off. That was it. We gave up. Oh, yeah. Look at that. Good Friday is a holiday. How about How about Monday? Monday during the day, sure, would be fine. Okay. Morning, afternoon, lunchtime, whatever is fine with me. Jeff Maguire, Monday morning is fine. I I would choose afternoons. What date is that? That is the 21st. 21st. Day after Easter. Day after Easter. Okay. Listen, this, you know, Eric, get with Tess or schedule a time. That's fine. On Monday, if Jeff Murray make motion to sit there and schedule it for Monday and get a time for the the meeting, it works for Eric and for Tess. Scott, you said afternoon. Would 10 o'clock in the morning be okay with you? Scott has pickle ball. That's his problem. Scott, do you have pickle ball on Friday morning? I mean on Monday. Scott plays pickle ball all the time. Do you see? What time? What time are you saying? 10 o'clock. 9 o'clock. 10 o'clock. Monday morning. Yeah. So, Monday is tougher for me. I could make it. I do have a 9:30 legislative meeting and a noon meeting on Monday. I could beg out of the Crag Legislative Committee if I had to. or I could do it after 1:30 in the afternoon. So, those are my commitments. transportation committee I really should be at. the legislative committee, if I had to blow that off in the morning, I could. All right. 1:30. Let's go. 1:30.
Okay. Does that work with Tess? Does that work with Tess? Tess. Does that work with you? I would have to be at work on my computer and my calendar to verify. You have the food pantry on your calendar. I know you have another calendar test. I'm just looking at this. That doesn't work for me. That's at 5:00 p.m. or food pantry is 5:00 p.m. That doesn't work for Scott, though, he said. So, does 10 o'clock in the morning work for you, Scott? Yeah, much better than Okay. So, why don't we just at 10 o'clock in the morning works for everybody, right? Except for Eric. But Eric, do we Eric, what's I'm sorry.
And what was that? We're We're leaving for Pennsylvania on Monday to Thursday. So, I could do I could do maybe 8:00 in the morning and then leave at 9, but I can't be late do anything later in the day. How about 7? We'll do it nice and early. I'll bring donuts. 8 8 o'clock works fine. I'll be at 8 o'clock. I don't care. Or we could even do this Thursday. That works for everyone. I can do Thursday, too. Yeah. Otherwise, if we did this Thursday, then it would Ann would be able to be there. Everybody would be able to be there Thursday morning. Yep. Yeah. What time, Scott? What What time is good for everyone? Earlier the better. Earlier the better. Yep. Well, I didn't until 8:30. 8:30. So, if we said 9:00, Scott, are you in pickle ball then? No. No. Okay. All right. I I do just have to ask what's one what's the purpose and two what's what's the rush it's it's the it's the time that we we we extended your probationary period and we're it's at the end of that and we want and and based on tonight we want to hear what you have to say for needs to grow the community center. Okay. I got to say I was at the community center today. I spent some time with Tess and I was very impressed. This is this is an open meeting. This is this this is just an open discussion between the board of selectment and the community center director. It is that right now or just what's coming on Thursday? This is on Thursday.
Thursday at 9. Right. Thursday 9:00 a.m. Okay. Okay. So, I'm assuming based on your replies that this will be noticed as a public meeting or are you planning on doing this in executive session? And we do have a commission on aging meeting that morning. So, I would just have to verify the time. I believe that's Thursday. It may be on Monday, but let me just make sure. So, we would notice it as a public meeting and then if Tess wanted it to be executive session, then that would be what we would do. But it would definitely be a public meeting. It it has to be you're a board of selection. You're meeting as a group, right? So, anybody could show okay. So, do we need we need somebody to make a motion for Thursday at 9:00 a.m. for this special meeting and then the notes will go out in town hall. Correct. it'll have to get posted. Yep. Put on the website. yeah, tomorrow's Tuesday, so we're good. I would like to make a motion to have a community center contract discussion meeting between community center director Tess Grouse and the board of
selectman on Thursday at 9:00 a.m. We got to put the date though. Thursday. Sorry. Thursday is the 17th 18. April 17th at 9:00 a.m. in the community center. I'll second. No, I I just got to say I think Eric should sit there and do the evaluation and then we should review the evaluation and then we should sit there and have a meeting with the with the director and review what can be done better and how we all can work together and help her to do it better. So that's just my This is what we're trying to do, Jeff. And this is this is avoiding what's happened this is avoiding what happened today with the board of finance. If we have some direct
discussions and we act inter and we interact one-on-one, I think it will it will [Music] help create a lot of this help avoid a lot of this problems we've been having with other boards. Any further discussion? opposed. No. anyone else out there? So 4 to one, we'll have a meeting on Thursday. Okay, let's move on. So we have approval of the minute, the meeting minutes A, B, C, D, E. I believe that they were all in our packet. The only issue that I really have is on the first special meeting or the regular meeting that you know there was just notification that a vote failed and they were not identified who voted and it was really it was two two. So I don't think we really need to go into it but that is something that I've noticed from the previous minutes that I've read that they don't sit there and identify who voted in which direction. But I'll make a motion that we approve all of the meeting minutes for the 210 special meeting, the 210 regular meeting, the 225 special meeting, 310 regular meeting, and 326 special me. I'll second that, Jeff. Go ahead. Go ahead. Be before we get to discussion, the one thing I wanted to tell you is
that when we record meetings, Zoom pretty much only records in the person who's speaking mode. So, the person taking the minutes has a very hard time understanding who voted what based on the recording. Because if you just raise your hand and you don't physically say anything and it's not heard loudly, everybody else on the screen can see you raised your hand, but you can't necessarily. So, okay. And so, so in the future, what I'll do is I will sit there and announce the vote. That would be awesome. To assist. All right. That's fine. Then the question is on the appointment of a new there was one on the 310 meeting which Marina said she didn't she couldn't hear the recording and she didn't know what and it's it's fine understood and and I will I will do a better job of announcing who voted for what so that the individual doing the minutes has an easier time of doing it. Awesome. All right. so Scott, did you second that? Yes. Okay. So, further discussion on the minutes? Anybody have any changes they want to make? Are they going to correct the February 10th regular meeting minutes where the vote for Carol, it said that it was unanimous, but it was two to two. Carol's on our board now. I'm good with it. I know. But if you're going to correct minutes, make them right. We We There's There's too many to correct. So, I'm ready to approve it. Anybody else? Okay. All those in favor? I I I I Okay, Scott. I know. I'll get to it. Carol of Saint. So, it is 401 Jeff Magcguire, Scott Person, Jeff Murray, and Anne Cre voted in favor and
Carol Lee abstain. Okay. So, that's how we'll do it in the future. Eric, that's okay. Perfect. All right. so in our details we have the treasures report. Any questions related to the treasures report? So we're threearters of the way through the budget year. If you want I'm prepared to go through all the budget to actuals. I've got a bunch of notes but it's also 10 o'clock and you have an executive session. So my question for you is, do you want to go through this or do you want to not go through this? Do you have any specific line items that are problematic that we need to look at? besides the lunchon item. Yes. So the tax collector salary for the tax collector is not over yet but definitely will be over by the end of the year. as you guys remembered when we made a contract with the tax collector. We put different hourly rates in based on how many of the CCM you know tests and percentage of the way through the program that she passed. So basically she's been going through faster than we anticipated last year. So her hourly weight rate which matches the union contract but is more than we expected at this point. not something we can't accommodate
overall. We can probably even accommodate that within the tax collector's budget, but that one is that's the only other one. I mean, in terms of things that are actually overbudgeted now by department, the only kind of department line item that is fully overbudget is the advertising budget and that was because we had so many public notices for the board of selectmen vacancy. so that one is over overall on the budget. I'm happy to answer any questions that you've got about specifics on the budget. How much over are we on the tax collector salary line, please? we're not over now. How much will we be over? I think we're going to be over somewhere around $3,000 total. And did you take that into account for next year's budget so that we're not short next year? We did. We update based on where she is now in the schedule, assuming that she passes each of the two tests that will be available to her next year. The problem is, you know, I don't know exactly when. It's somewhat hard to predict because her salary is going to change throughout the year based on the testing schedule.
Okay. All right. Because she just has a couple more tests to go through, right, before she's certified. Okay. Well, but there's actually a waiting period before she can actually be certified. So, she'll complete all the requirements, but then there's an experience requirement that she will still have to meet. So, we won't be at the full salary level for another year and a half, two years, something like that. Okay. Thank you. Yep. And there's really nothing left in her budget. I mean, because that software piece is going to go. The largest component of the tax collector's budget is that remains is the software. Yeah. I I don't actually know when that one hits. so there's a good chance it will. Yeah. Okay. And then my working assumption is that whatever fines we do get from from OSHA violations, we're probably going to expend out of the contingency. But
overall, we look pretty good on the budget. there are definitely more things that we look like we're going to be over overall. and on the revenue side, we're looking pretty good. we're still short about a million dollars in ECS funding. but we've done a great job with tax collection thanks to Kate, frankly. and so overall I think revenues were going to come in over because we also had more revenues from the supplemental grand list that we were than we normally get. So I think the revenues are going to be good. I think we're going to we're going to bring this budget in well under overall. obviously there are some things that will be over, but overall I think we're in good shape. Planning and zoning. Yeah. Legal fees. Yep. So, it looks it looks like we will potentially have a settlement in place prior to the end of the year, in which case we will be recouping all our legal fees. That that's basically our fight, not fight, our lawsuit with the owner of the gravel pit on Route Six. that's been chewing up an awful lot of legal fees, but that should all be recoverable. not guaranteeing it's recoverable in this year, but if it's not recoverable by July 1, we should be able to get that back at some point in the next fiscal
year. But that appears to be the only line that's actually over budget right now. no. There there's a couple lines that's over budget but recoverable. The other one that is over budget is the little line for the advertising the advertising fee. Understood. Anyone else have any other questions related to the treasures reports. Any questions related to the collections? So we have one one large transaction coming due actually now. Right. This is our big month. Our last big month. Yes. Correct. This is our last big month in the budget. There are in collections for the tax collectors. Correct. Okay. All right. There is one tax refund for $66 to trap Jun. I'll make a I'll make a motion that we approve a $66 tax refund for the month of April. I'll second that, Jeff. All right. Further discussion on the tax refund. All those in favor? I I I Ann, are you locked? Ann is asleep. She's having computer problems. She's having computer problem. All right. so we're going to sit there and say that that vote was 41 and that Ann was the one who abstained. Oh, there you are. She came back for a second and then she disappeared. Then she disappeared. Okay. so let's move on to Carol's in her place. so now we're moving on to department reports. anyone have any questions related to any of the departmental reports that were provided? The burning permit. I wonder you think Scott could put in the location of the burning and when he does his report, Eric, is that a problem or is that a lot to ask?
I don't know that it's a lot to ask. I just don't know whether people want to publicize the fact that Well, because I saw around town a couple of different places people were burning and I was just wondering if they were they had permits. Okay. Is that something we could kind of link with permit link or or or another thing on site? So, one thing online so we could verify like a resident sees somebody burning. Do they have a permit to burn? I don't know. If you look on page 90, he does have listed the two the names of the two people for this month that Right. But it doesn't have an address. I I know it doesn't have an address, but it has person's name. An address would be helpful even more than a name. Okay. I mean, I've used per I've used permanent link a ton of times to look up to see if somebody's had something open or not. Well, those those So, that was the first quarter. Okay. Yeah. So, Eric, let's sit there. Let's sit there and see what we might be able to do in the future to improve visibility on it because obviously a burning permit is different from a lot of other things. yeah, but it's still a permit and it should, you know, it it may fall under permit link. It may be a we may be able to put it in there. Yeah, I I agree. I like it. I like the idea. But that that's also going to increase the cost. I mean, right now we've had a lot of people complain about what we're
charging them right now. If we add it into permit link, you know, we're going to whack them another 15 bucks for every application. and I don't know whether permit link's going to be too excited about writing an algorithm for something where we get three or four permits per year. Per year. I think they're gonna Why don't Why don't you ask permit link if they actually have it from any other municipality or any other town? Sure. to see if I'm I'm sure it's been asked. So, okay. anybody else have any other questions on any other reports? The building department, public works. Okay. let's see. Let's go away from that and go item 14 is correspondence. We got some information regarding the 250th national celebration and some of the information related to the Roshinbo Trail and some of the other things, right? and you have to collect a per a autographed copy of something, right? Yeah. Put on your wall. Put on my wall. That's exactly what I'm looking to do. we should sit down. It would look good with your It would look good with your deer, Jeff. My dear? Yes. My My friends corrugated deer and a rug alligator and Yes. Yes. and I'm standing at a at a dresser because I have no where else to do this. So, yes, I'm excited. since I just saw that, I think we should look at that. I do think that, you know, the one thing that Andover does have is has a significant amount of history related to the revolutionary war that we should probably try to take advantage of and bring some positive news to the town. So, I will sit there and look at that.
Anyone else can sit there and look at that. Maybe that is something that we attempt to do. But I did notice that one of the organizations was looking to get paid some kind of fee for participation. So, I did not have if you want to go to their party. Yes. I I'm ready to go to Philadelphia to to be down there in the the constitutional hall and celebrate that, you know, Ro Shambo came through our town. I like our wall in the town hall that that depicts the the march through the town of Andover. in talking about that, has anyone ever found the the pictures that were on the wall of our old first select menu that were they ever recovered? Anybody? No. Nobody knows where they are. We're not. No. Okay. All righty. I will look at that and I'll report back to you guys next meeting. item 15, executive session with the board of finance regarding a union issue. but No. Yeah. Do you want to move public
speak up? Public speak. Yeah, we're going to do public speak. So let's that's Dennis. So Diane Graner number one. Oh, there I am. You can hear me? it's a late night. I'm I'll keep it short. basically I just want to say I'm always delighted when the board of selectman does stuff that delights me and there are two things that made me very happy this evening and one was the fact that Jay Tuttle is going to stay with us for another two years. I think that's a a wonderful thing. I'm happy to see that he's going to give up his retirement for us. I think that Jay Tuttle is definitely a jewel in the crown of Andover and like I say, I'm delighted to see that he's going to stay with us. That's a that's a good thing for the town. the other thing is I'm glad that the board of selectman is
going to have a meeting with the director of the community senior center. I think that's a a great thing for you to all have that conversation as to what what she does, what she needs, and I I think that you'll be impressed with all that she does. So, two two things that I'm delighted with from the meeting. thank you very much everybody for your time. I know it's a late night, so good night. Thank you, Liz Latch. I'm I'm fine. Thank you. Okay, Kimberly Pan, I'm all set. Thank you, Joanne Eert. Yep. Real quick, just I know we're going to meet in a minute, but this is in regards to something that Eric had said earlier. I know that I had pointed out a possible accounting and clerical error in the budget spreadsheet for next year which could result in significant savings for the town, you know, without hurting anybody since it's an overage and I know that Eric kind of directed that it needs to remain because we had already presented it to the town meeting. I had asked the town attorney or asked for clarification if you know when he was present in the meeting I didn't go on my own that he had said if there's a scrivener's error which I did have to look up even though I had a feeling of what it was you know it's a clerical error that someone put in by mistake and as long
as the rest of the board of finance agrees which you know that would have to be you know I can't say they're all going to agree with But I would think they'd agree that an overage should go back to the taxpayers. So just a just a comment on that. I think that if it does turn out to be a clerical error that put in the wrong amount in a bunch of cells that that can indeed go back you know it can be reduced but that can be I just wanted to say that. Thank you. Luis Goodwin. Yes. I actually have a a question about the open burn permit guidelines. I went online and it doesn't answer my question. If you're having a regular cookout or if you if you're kind of burning up some
branches and stuff like that in an outdoor fireplace, do you need a permit a permit for that? The answer is if you're if you have a regular fire pit and you're burning small quantities of wood in a recreational manner, that does not require a burn pit permit. If you're doing it with the purpose of getting rid of brush in your yard, that does require a burn permit. You're not allowed to burn greenwood because it smokes too much and you're not allowed to burn leaves. there's some fairly strict regulations about what size stuff you can burn. Okay, good to know that. Thank you. Bob Hamburg or I'm all set for now. Thank you. All right, test. I'm all set for now. Thank you. All right. Did I miss anyone? All right. I'll make a motion that we go into executive session and invite the town attorney and Eric Anderson into the meeting and you have to formally invite the board of finance also. Oh, I'm sorry. And the board of finance members that are on the phone call or on the the meeting. Somebody second that. Let's go.
Second. Second. so who seconded that? Yeah, I'm not Scott second that. Okay, Scott second that. All those in favor? I I 5 nothing. Okay, Eric, if you could stop the Okay, we're coming out of executive session at 10:53 p.m. no decisions are were need to be made. We're not going to vote on anything. I make a motion to adjurnn. Seconded. Seconded by Jeff Murray. All those in favor? I I. Five to nothing. Everyone voted in favor. Thank you very much. Have a good night. Good night, everyone. Good night.