Town of Otis
Selectboard/ Board of Health
Meeting Minutes
Town Hall Conference Room
1 North Main Road, Otis, MA 01253
Tuesday, June 25, 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: Jun 25, 2024 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81744852256?pwd=9NcmkT5BgKhPSwa7X6l6y4iX6GMIZf.1
Meeting ID: 817 4485 2256
Passcode: 802131
Attendance: Larry Southard- Acting Chair, Terry Gould, Brandi Page, Phil Magovern, B.J. O’Brien, Scott Bergeron, Becky Cushing Gop, Colleen Granahan, Chris Bouchard, Cameron Pease, Diane Dyer, Celeste Watman and Sue Ebitz. On Zoom: Steve Hutchinson and Diane Provenz.
Call to Order: 6:30 PM
Approval of Minutes: The minutes from June 11th were approved as written.
Public Hearing to Discontinue Maintenance of Miner Road: Larry stated this item would need to be continued until our next meeting. We had not heard back from Town Counsel yet.
Yearly Appointments: Larry and Gary (by phone) re-appointed Terry to the Zoning Board for a 5 year term. The Board appointed B.J. O’Brien as Emergency Management Director for a one year term. Lastly, the Board approved Lyn’s list of election workers and appointed them to serve for the year.
EMS Consultant: During the discussion at our last meeting the Board expressed a desire to have a sort of blueprint of what it would look like for the Town to bring EMS services under the Town, possibly under the Fire Department. Brandi reached out to Jeff Blanchard, the consultant who Otis & Becket were considering for an EMS Feasibility Study for a shared model. He was interested in facilitating and put together a proposal for the Board to review. The idea is to put together a group of stakeholders to meet and work through the benefits and challenges we would face if we switched this over. The timeline for these meetings would start in the fall. The Board reviewed the proposal and felt this would be beneficial. Terry made a motion to accept the proposal, Larry seconded and they voted to proceed. Brandi will follow up with Jeff to accept the proposal.
FRRSD Regional Agreement Amendments status: Brandi updated the Board on the happenings at the last School Committee meeting. Terry spoke about the most recent RAAC meeting. Terry stated she doesn’t understand the hesitancy to bring on a consultant. Brandi felt it was the timeline expectations by the Sandisfield members that was making them reluctant to have a consultant at this point. The concern is that without the facilitation of a neutral party with experience in school laws and finance there may be a situation where it is hard to gain support and ultimate approval of the resulting draft and possible change to the assessment method. Sue spoke about the need for the terms for withdrawal. It has been mentioned that morale is suffering among the employees at the school. Chris Bouchard asked why we hadn’t brought the issue before our legislators. After some discussion the Board voted to recommend in writing their desire for a consultant to be considered for the process and to look into reaching out to our state representatives. Phil agreed and felt like we are in uncharted territory with some of the assessment methods that have been suggested. Brandi will draft the letter and get it to the School Committee tomorrow.
Space Needs/ Annex: No new information to discuss at this meeting.
Recent and Upcoming Events: None
Review & Approval of Warrants: Payroll and vendor warrants are on the table for signature.
Not Anticipated by the Board: B.J. O’Brien wanted to mention the skate park structures are starting to deteriorate. Brandi asked if the Board was intending to meet July 9th. She will be away. As of right now there isn’t much of an agenda. Terry made a motion that the Board skip the meeting on the 9th and have their next meeting on July 23rd. Motion seconded and passed.
Adjournment: 7:16 PM