Town of Otis
Select Board Meeting Minutes
June 11, 2019
Call to Order: Meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm in the Town Hall conference room. A quorum was present and the meeting was recorded.
Present: Select Board members Gary Thomas, Bill Hiller and Larry Southard, Town Administrator Becky Stone, Terry Gould, Michael Ernst, Mike Kulig, Peter Kolodziej, Derek Poirer, Jessica Poirer, Sonia Morrison, Patricia Richard, Kyle Pettibone, Rich Phair, Chris Bouchard, Bill O’Brien, Donna Terrill, Waly Terrill, Dan Hamill, David Hamill, Linda Hamill, Charles Whiting, Miguel Santiago, Marty Mayberry, Joseph Daley, Bryan Arnold, Marion Middleton, Stephanie McNair, and Nancy Crandall.
Review Meeting Minutes: The May 29, 2019 Select Board meeting minutes were approved as written.
Board of Health: 10 Kibbe Point Road: Peter Kolodziej explained to the Board that a new well would need to be drilled at 10 Kibbe Point Road. The most recent drilled well collapsed and the pump is stuck. Rather than decommissioning the 2 older wells drilled, he and Mike Kulig from Berkshire Engineering proposed that the plumbing be disconnected, in the event that it is ever necessary to reconnect to one of those wells, and drill a new well. Chip Crandall from Meyer Well Drilling Corp. will be drilling the 3rd well. The well site and setbacks were discussed. The variance they are requesting is not any closer than what already exists. Abutters have been notified and since the new well site will have more distance from septic tanks, fields, and property lines, the Selectmen had no further questions and the site was approved.
Fire Department: Rich Phair would like to raise the entertainment fee for the Knox Trail Inn. It is currently $100 per year, which was supposed to be temporary, while they got started in business. He would like to go back to at least the $25 per event, which is what other establishments have to pay. There was discussion on whether it should be a flat monthly, annual or per event fee. Larry and Bill agreed it should be raised to $25 per event to be paid monthly as of July 1st. Rich then discussed that the department will need a 12×12 room/facility to store their uniforms/turn out gear, because, they are in non-compliance at this time with NFPA and OSHA. Currently, their turn out gear is hanging in the apparatus room exposed to diesel fumes, which increases their exposure to contaminants and risk for cancer. In addition, they are prohibited from hanging gear in their meeting room, because they would be exposed to contaminants there, as well. Rich proposes that adding an extra storage room is less expensive than another option, which would be to install an estimated $30,000 exhaust system. There was discussion on how to pay for the new space, which should cost around $2,000. The Board unanimously agreed that they could build the storage room. Lastly, Rich inquired about the internet connectivity timeline for the department.
Police Department: Dan Hamill would like to purchase AEDs for the department. They are around $2,800 each and there is not enough in his budget at this time. There was discussion about the different departments where money could be pulled from, since it is the end of the year, and there will be some free cash available along with the possibility to use some reserve funds. The Board unanimously approved Dan purchasing the AEDs.
Town Administrator’s Contract for FY20: The Chair mentioned that the document is 9 pages long and has minor changes and corrections since last year’s contract, so he preferred to not read the whole document to those in attendance this evening, since most of the terms are similar to last year’s contract. He recommended that they plug in the $70,000 salary that Becky is now looking for. Michael questioned the increase from the original salary agreement at the budget meeting. Bill would also like to stay with the salary that was agreed upon in the budget meeting. Larry and Gary endorsed the $70,000 salary in the discussion. There was also discussion about comp time. Terry requested that the Town Administrator not take vacation or comp time during budget season which is inconvenient, but Becky would not agree to that. Gary and Larry voted for Becky’s salary to be raised to $70,000 and Bill voted for it to stay at $67,600, which was previously Becky’s request and agreed upon (the current salary with a 4% raise).
Appointments/Reappointments:
The Board unanimously appointed Dan Hamill as Police Chief, after having been the Interim Chief for the last year. They will offer him a contract for the new fiscal year. It will continue to be a part time position. All other Police Officers and Constables were duly reappointed, except for one who has not worked for the town for over a year. Derek Poirer’s appointment as the Highway Superintendent was discussed. There was discussion about his job description and professional requirements as a Supervisor. He agreed to work on getting his CDL and abstain from operating heavy vehicles weighing over 26,001 lbs. or more until he gets his CDL. The Board would like Derek to meet with them again in 6 months for the status of his attempt to obtain a CDL, but also get updates at All Boards meetings. Derek was temporarily reappointed as the Highway Superintendent. All other appointments and reappointments were accepted as presented. The Board also agreed that all job descriptions for the town be reviewed.
Poll Workers List for FY20: The Select Board unanimously approved the Poll Workers list for FY20.
Other:
Rec Center: Patricia gave the Board an update on the Swim Instructor position. Rec will keep their ad open to see if they get any applicants, because at this time they do not have a swim instructor for July. They hope to have one in August.
Historical Commission: Sonia asked the Board if the Historical Commission could hang plaques in the Town Hall for those who make donations. The Select Board unanimously approved hanging plaques.
Adjournment: At 8:54 pm the Select Board unanimously adjourned the Select Board meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy Crandall
Selectmen’s Secretary, Town of Otis
List of Documents
- Town Administrator’s Contract for FY20.
- A copy of the Poll Worker list for FY2020.
- Copies of Appointment/Reappointment forms.