TOWN OF KINGSTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN OPEN SESSION MINUTES Chairman R. Lindsay Wilson II called to order the meeting of the Board of Selectmen at 6:00 p.m. in Room 200 at the Town House, 26 Evergreen Street, Kingston. Also present: Selectmen Elaine A. Fiore, Vice Chairman, Sandra D. MacFarlane, Susan T. Munford, and Kathleen R. LaNatra; and Town Administrator Robert H. Fennessy, Jr. Announcements. Mr. Wilson announced This meeting is being recorded by PACTV. Anyone intending to make an audio or video recording of this meeting should notify the Chair at this time. The Kingston Reporter notified the Chair. Financial Assistance Applications for benevolent/charitable trust funds (donated funds generally for the benefit of needy Kingston widows, maidens and children ) are reviewed quarterly. Financial Assistance Applications are available in the Selectmen s office and on the town s website. Annual Town Meeting continues on Thursday, June 15 at 7:00 pm at Kingston Intermediate School. Mr. Wilson will be attending the meeting of the Plymouth County Advisory Board that evening and will be unable to attend town meeting. Open Forum. Susan Sherman distributed to the Board copies of the Master Plan Committee s meeting minutes that are posted on the Town s website. Ms. Sherman said that she takes issue with the form and content of the minutes and hopes that the Selectmen do too. Dorothy Harlow, Pebble Lane, questioned the employment status of the town s Finance Director and the purpose of Item #1 on tonight s agenda the request to fill the position of Town Accountant/Financial Director or Town Accountant. Mr. Wilson explained that the request is not to hire an additional position but to replace Ms. Mehta, who has taken a position in another town and is no longer on administrative leave. Next, Ms. Harlow stated that she finds the absence of posted Master Plan Committee meeting minutes for most of the last three years, as well as the quality of the few minutes that have been recorded, to be appalling. Ms. MacFarlane agreed that the form of the posted minutes is unacceptable. Mr. Wilson is under the understanding from town meeting that there are more minutes yet to be posted. Mr. Fennessy said that he met with the Town Clerk today, and the Town Clerk is making a list of all boards and committees that are not current with their minutes. Mr. Wilson asked Mr. Fennessy to provide a status update two meetings from tonight. Municipal Aggregation: next steps Mark Cappadonna, Colonial Power, and Thomas Bott, Acting Energy Manager. Mr. Bott explained the steps that he and Colonial Power have taken since the February 2016 special town meeting when municipal aggregation was authorized. June 28, 2017 is the date that the Town will go to the marketplace to decide if it is going to buy electricity at a better rate. Mr. Cappadonna added that the Town, having passed all the state and regulatory hurdles, is now in control. He summarized the concept of municipal aggregation and how it will work, stating that everyone on basic service will automatically be enrolled but can opt out. Forms will be sent in the end of July/beginning of August for customers to make the decision. Mr. Bott discussed how he has been tracking rates, explained how on July 28 th there will be a three-hour window in which Mr. Fennessy can make a purchase, and recommended that the Town move forward based on the resident opt-out option
even though he does not expect this to be a huge money saver. Mr. Cappadonna reviewed current rates and his opinion that rates will rise over the next two years. Discussion followed regarding rates, the compensation to be received by Colonial Power (which is included in the rate paid), the opt-out options, and scheduling a meeting at the Senior Center in August to provide further information to the public. Motion by Ms. Fiore, second by Ms. MacFarlane and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To authorize Mr. Fennessy to set a length of contract and a price per kilowatt hour and to determine whether or not to opt in on June 28, 2017. Board/committee interviews/possible appointments. Jessica Kramer introduced herself, expressed her interest in volunteering to be a member of the Capital Planning Committee, and reviewed her financial background and skillset. Ms. Fiore commented favorably on Ms. Kramer s skillset. Motion by Ms. LaNatra, second by Ms. Munford and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To appoint Jessica Kramer to the Capital Planning Committee to fill a vacancy with a term expiring June 30, 2019. William McCall introduced himself, expressed his interest in volunteering to be a member of the Board of Trustees of the Affordable Housing Trust, and reviewed his background. Ms. LaNatra added that Mr. McCall has been to a few of the meetings of the trustees. Motion by Ms. Munford, second by Ms. LaNatra and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To appoint William McCall to the Kingston Affordable Housing Trust Board of Trustees to fill a vacancy with a term expiring November 1, 2017. Recommendation for hire to temporary Archivist position Sia Stewart, Library Director. Ms. Stewart stated that the Library s permanent archivist will be taking a one-year leave of absence as of the end of June, and she has been working with the town s Human Resources Manager to find a temporary replacement. Ms. Stewart introduced her recommended hire, Sharon Pietryka, and reviewed Ms. Pietryka s experience and background, the background check performed, and the favorable comments from Ms. Pieria s professional references. Motion by Ms. MacFarlane, second by Ms. Munford and 5-0- 0 vote VOTE: To approve the hiring Sharon Pietryka to the temporary position of Archivist, Wage & Personnel Grade S-3, on a temporary basis for 12 months, 35 hours per week at a pay rate of $23.36, subject to the following conditions: 1. Provision of the necessary identification forms to satisfy the requirements to the U.S. Immigration Reform Act; 2. Satisfactory CORI check; 3. Satisfactory letter from your primary care physician that you can perform the functions of the position; and 4. Successful completion of a six-month probationary period. 2
Event request from Brian Noyes for time trial cycling event Thursday evenings through August 31, 2017 on Pembroke, Grove and Lake Streets. Bryan Noyes was present and requested permission to hold a time trial cycling event on Thursday nights through August 31 st. Mr. Noyes said he also is the director of the Duxbury Beach Triathlon, this is the second year of the event, last year it was on Tuesdays with small turnout, this year there will be no fee, and he has is awaiting permission from Silver Lake for use of the school s parking lot. Mr. Noyes reviewed the course, which is on portions of Pembroke, Grove and Lake Streets. Motion by Ms. Munford, second by Ms. LaNatra and a 5-0-0 vote - VOTE: To approve the request of Brian Noyes (the applicant) for time trial cycling events on Thursday evenings from 6:15 PM to 7:15 PM beginning June 15, 2017, through August 31, 2017, as presented in the applicant s letter dated June 2, 2017, subject to the following conditions: 1. The applicant shall modify the Silver Lake Time Trials waiver and release form to add after "Town of Kingston" the following: "and their respective employees, agents, officers and representatives", 2. The applicant require each participant to sign the Silver Lake Time Trials waiver and release form as modified, 3. Verification from the applicant that the applicant has secured permission from the Silver Lake Regional School District to utilize the school grounds for staging and parking, 4. The Kingston Police Department reserves the right to implement a comprehensive traffic management plan at any time if deemed warranted by the Chief of Police, and 5. The Kingston Board of Selectmen reserves the right to rescind its approval at any time if it is determined that there is a significant public safety concern or the impact on the community is greater than anticipated. Request to sign the Regulatory Agreement for the two affordable units in Bearses Way/Request for comments for MassHighway s replacement of Smith s Lane bridge over Route 3 Thomas Bott, Town Planner. Tom Bott was present and reviewed the development history of Bearse s Way under the Town s inclusionary housing by-law, which resulted in 17 market rate units and 2 affordable units. The Regulatory Agreement presented tonight for the two affordable units follows a standard format from DHCD and is the final document as modified by town counsel. Mr. Bott reviewed the results of the recent lottery for the Tall Timbers affordable units. Motion by Ms. Munford, second by Ms. MacFarlane and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To approve, and authorize the Chair to sign, the Local Initiative Program Regulatory Agreement and Declaration of Restrictive Covenants for Ownership Project for Bearse s Way, as presented. Next, Mr. Bott discussed the projected replacement of the Smith s Lane bridge over Route 3 by MassHighway in 2021 at an estimated cost of over $11 million. Mr. Bott reported that at this point plans are at less than 25 percent, the bridge is not yet designed, and this is the Town s opportunity to provide comments. Mr. Bott said thinking ahead 50 years, it would be nice to have a four lane bridge with pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, crosswalks and signalization. The consensus was for the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen to send a joint letter with comments. Mr. Wilson encouraged anyone in the public to reach out to Mr. Bott with any comments. 3
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: May 24, 30 and 31, 2017 open sessions. Motion by Ms. Munford, second by Ms. Fiore and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To accept the minutes of the May 24, 30 and 31, 2017, open sessions as submitted. Request to lift the hiring freeze to the fill the position of Town Accountant/Financial Director or Town Accountant. Mr. Fennessy opened the discussion, noting that that every town by law must have a town accountant. The Finance Director position, which is a Wage & Personnel position and is not contractual, has duties in addition to those of town accountant. Mr. Fennessy stated that Ms. Mehta has taken a position in Natick, and he suggested to the Board that one approach to filling the position is to advertise the dual position, and if the Board is not comfortable with the applications received, fill the position of town accountant only. Discussion followed. Ms. MacFarlane, Ms. Fiore and Mr. Wilson favor first seeking a Town Accountant/Financial Director; Ms. Munford favors seeking a Town Accountant only. Mr. Fennessy added that the two positions are only one salary grade apart. He also noted that now may be a more opportune time to fill the position since it is the end of the fiscal year. Discussion followed regarding posting locations. Motion by Ms. Fiore, second by Ms. LaNatra and a 4-0-1 (Ms. Munford opposed) vote VOTE: To lift the hiring freeze to fill the position of Town Accountant/Financial Director. Annual appointments and reappointments/review of board and committee vacancy list. Ms. Munford read aloud the list of current board and committee vacancies. Motion by Ms. Munford, second by Ms. Fiore and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To reappoint Frances E. Botelho-Hoeg to the Wage & Personnel Board for a term expiring June 30, 2020. Motion by Ms. Munford, second by Ms. LaNatra and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To reappoint I move Peter A. Dansereau to the Rent Control Board for a term expiring June 30, 2022. Motion by Ms. Munford, second by Ms. LaNatra and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To reappoint Jared Waitkus as an Associate Member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for a term expiring June 30, 2018. Annual Town Meeting review. Mr. Wilson announced this Thursday, beginning at 7 pm at Kingston Intermediate School, will be the final night of town meeting. Financial Assistance Application for one resident transfer station sticker. Motion by Ms. Munford, second by Ms. MacFarlane and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To approve the Financial Assistance Application in the amount of $190.00 for one FY2018 residential transfer station sticker; to approve the transfer of the sum of $190.00 from the Arthur F. Wadsworth Fund to the Solid Waste transfer station sticker sales account; and to refer 4
the applicant to the South Shore Community Action Council for financial counseling and to Housing Solutions for housing assistance. Mr. Wilson reiterated that the funds are trust funds set up for these purposes; they are not taxpayer funds. Accept donation of protective perimeter netting from Kingston Youth Sports Organization to the Kingston Recreation Department for the B5 field. Motion by Ms. LaNatra, second by Ms. Munford and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To accept with gratitude the donation of a 20 x100 Protective Perimeter Netting, cost $7,900, for the Kingston Recreation B5 field from Kingston Youth Sports Organization to the Town of Kingston. Kingston Cub Scout Pack 49 funding requests for two summer camperships. MacFarlane, second by Ms. Munford, and a 5-0-0 vote - Motion by Ms. VOTE: To approve the request from Kingston Cub Scout Pack 49 for funding in the total amount of $550.00 from the William H. Willis Charity Fund for two camperships for the summer camp program, the disbursement to be payable to Kingston Cub Scout Pack 49. Town Administrator s Report. Mr. Fennessy distributed to the Board his written report, which he will review at the next meeting. Next Regular Meeting: June 27, 2017. Adjourn. Motion by Ms. Munford, second by Ms. Fiore and a 5-0-0 vote VOTE: To adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 7:08 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Laurie A. Zivkovich Assistant to the Town Administrator/Board of Selectmen Approved: June 27, 2017 Documents used at the meeting: 1. Agenda 2. Suggested motions 3. Email from Tom Bott re: Municipal Aggregation Meeting with Bd of Selectmen 4. Volunteer applications from Jessica Kramer and William McCall 5. Sharon Pietryka resume 6. Brian Noyes event application packet 5
7. Draft meeting minutes May 24, 30 and 31, 2017 8. Email from Tom Bott re: Bearse s Way Regulatory Red Line; Regulatory Agreement; Email from Robert Fennessy re: Comments for Smith s Lane Bridge replacement 9. Email from Lynn Cook re: W&P, Rent Control Board and ZBA reappointments; board and committee vacancy list 10. Financial Assistance Application (redacted) 11. Letter from Andrew C. Scanlon, Pack 49 Committee Chair 12. Town Administrator s report dated 6