Town of Otis
Selectboard/ Board of Health
Meeting Minutes
Town Hall Conference Room
1 North Main Road, Otis, MA 01253
Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at 6:30 PM
This meeting will be held in person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend. A remote option is offered via zoom with the link provided below.
Please note that while an option for remote participation is being provided as a courtesy, the meeting will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast, unless otherwise required by law. Anyone with interest in any specific item should plan in person attendance.
Topic: Select Board
Time: Apr 23, 2024 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88557180845?pwd=bGFjMThweERFWmJscVVaT09vUW1PUT09
Meeting ID: 885 5718 0845
Passcode: 468589
Attendance: Larry Southard, Terry Gould- Acting Chair, Gary Thomas, Kris McDonough, Kyle Shoemaker, Sue Brofman, Diane Dyer and Brandi Page. On Zoom: Scott Bergeron.
Call to Order: 6:30 PM
Approval of Minutes: The minutes from April 9th were approved as written.
Appointments: Kris was present and recommending to the Board the appointment of Kyle Shoemaker to our open full time police officer position. The Board had reviewed Kris’s recommendation and Kyle’s resume and application. Kyle introduced himself to the Board. Kyle is certified, has passed the Bridge Academy and brings years of experience. The Board unanimously voted to appoint Kyle to the open position. Second was an application by Chris Chaffee as an alternate to the Conservation Commission. The Board was good with that and the appointment was unanimous. Last were the two open summer positions for the transfer station. Eric Kreis had recommended hiring Tom Hawley and Kim Philips that had worked for us last summer. The Board thought they both did a good job last summer and unanimously appointed them for the 2024 season.
Paving Project Award: Brand read aloud the paving bid results from April 16th. The Board unanimously voted to award the work to Williams Paving as the lowest responsive bidder for the amount of $588,028.65.
70 South Main Street: Mr. Wighton form 70 South Main Street was present to discuss the water issues on his property. Runoff comes down the hill behind him and not able to adequately flow past. He has invested in sump pump upgrades and some temp fixes but was looking for who to contact to better reslove the issue. With this being a state owned road the Board recommended contacting Tim Deming at the State Garage to see what solution Mass DOT might have for better addressing the runoff.
Tobacco Appeal: Larry Southard recused himself from the Board and took a seat in the audience. The Board had received a written request to appeal the fine assessed as a result of a violation for a tobacco sale to a minor. Larry, as the owner of Papa’s, explained the training and effort his staff have implemented for tobacco sales.Fines during covid had increased from $100 for a first offense to $1,000. He felt this was excessive and does not remember being made aware of the increase. He also updated the Board on measures he was taking with sales of tobacco, lottery and alcohol going forward to ensure compliance. The Board felt we should resend the fine information back out to businesses as an extra measure. Terry felt the $1,000 was high and that the Town had given grace to other businesses before. Terry and Gary voted to reduce the fine to $250.00. Larry agreed that any future violations were assessed at the mandated amount and he was aware of that.
Recent and Upcoming Events: None.
Review & Approval of Warrants: Payroll and vendor warrants are on the table for signature.
Not Anticipated by the Board: Brandi Had a sewer abatement that was ready for the Board to sign. This is for the Chaffee connection on North Main Road at the new shop. They were included in the FY24 commitment in anticipation of the connection and we are abating the amount between July 01, 2023 and March 11, 2024 when the tie in happened. The Board signed the abatement. Terry updated the Board about the latest with the RAAC committee. Diane Dyer asked the Board about the trailers/containers different properties have and if there are any restrictions on those. She feels we should tax them.
Adjournment: 7:23 PM