Town of Otis
Select Board Meeting Minutes
January 26, 2016
Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room.
Present: Select Board Chair Roberta Sarnacki, Selectman Don Hawley, Selectman Bill Hiller, Chris Morris, Terry Gould, Walter Engels, Jim Crandall, Jim Kauffman, Jim Higgins, Larry Gould, Tom Ragusa, Mary Adams
The meeting was called to order by Roberta Sarnacki who announced the meeting was being recorded.
Approval of Minutes: The January 12, 2016 Select Board meeting minutes were unanimously approved as written.
Board of Health: Don wanted to mention that the plan that was approved with conditions for 28 Ridge Road in November has been halted and disapproved and need to be brought back in with a new design before any work can begin.
BRPC Alternate: Jim Kauffman has volunteered to be the alternate BRPC representative, but needs to be appointed by the Select Board. BRPC said this was the procedure to follow for a non-Select Board member to be the alternate. Jim was unanimously approved and Roberta signed his form for BRPC.
Complete Streets: Chris noted that we currently do not have any updates. This may be able to help Otis out with road painting, curbing, etc. but seems to be more generally applicable to a larger community.
Other:
Budgets: Walter asked about how the Assessors were asked to present their budget for next year. Chris said he asked for a two-budget approach: submit one budget as they always have, and submit a second budget with expenses for a vendor and no salaries.
Transfer Station: The new rigid plastic container will be coming in tomorrow. A 12 x 80 area needs to be cut out for the container. DEP has already authorized this project. The Board unanimously approved the tree cutting to clear this area.
Highway Road Plowing: A resident stated that the Highway Dept. was doing too good of a job clearing our roads. He noted that at the intersection of Route 8 and Route 23 there were high salt levels. He noted that at several intersections around Otis Reservoir he noticed a lot of salt on the road. He was worried that using straight salt instead of a salt/sand mixture would ruin the water quality for nearby wells and for the lake. He felt grit should be added to the salt to cut down on the salt use. Chris said he would check with the Highway Super and see what their policy was.
Historical Commission: On January 20th, the Historical Commission met with DCR and the historical garage at Tolland and Kibbe Roads will be restored and saved. There is no lead paint in the building and only one corner is in bad shape. It will be used for parts and other storage.
Annual Town Report Printers: Lisa presented the quotes we had received from various printers and included the expenses for each one based upon 725 copies of a 100 page stapled report. The Board requested we go with the Select Print Solutions quote.
Pole Hearing: Lisa let everyone know that we would have a Verizon Pole Hearing for Becket Road scheduled for the next Select Board meeting.
Vensys Agreements: Chris noted the Board needs a vote and if approved, signatures. One agreement was for a 10 year maintenance service contract and the other was a purchase agreement, including equipment and delivery to site. Sitework itself was not included in the above agreements and still needs to be worked out. These agreements are less maintenance for us and are below budget from the previous vendor’s proposal. The Board unanimously approved both agreements and they were signed.
Highway & Fire Dept.: Chris and Don met with everyone and a miscommunication was definitely at the root of the problem. The Fire Chief will call if Highway assistance is needed on a call. There was discussion as to whether town equipment should be used to move private vehicles. Bill and Roberta both agreed that town equipment should only be used to move private vehicles if a life is involved, otherwise do not use due to liability and equipment cost. Chris will let the Highway Super know about this and will formally ask him to respond as soon as the Fire Chief calls him.
At 7:49 pm the Select Board meeting was unanimously adjourned.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lisa D’Orazio
Selectmen’s Secretary
Town of Otis
List of Documents
A copy of Jim Kauffman’s appointment application and signed BRPC form will be filed with these meeting minutes.
A copy of the handwritten printer quote information will be filed with these meeting minutes.