Town of Otis
Selectboard/ Board of Health
Meeting Minutes
Town Hall Conference Room
1 North Main Road, Otis, MA 01253
Tuesday, Sep 24, 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.
Time: Sep 24, 2024 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82536884275?pwd=JGkffUkxob6VSDitxdCvnP1BJ5jQOs.1
Meeting ID: 825 3688 4275
Passcode: 607455
Attendance: Gary Thomas-Chair, Larry Southard, Terry Gould, Brandi Page, Diane Dyer, Scott Bergeron, Wally Terrill, Karen Flaherty, Steve Klaubert, Ellen Ryon, Betsy Gallup, Maria Wellington, Jennifer Catolane, Dana Pustinger, Tom Ragusa, James Crandall Sr., James Crandall Jr., Mimi Crandall, Tim Wighton, and Stacey Schultze. On Zoom: None
Call to Order: 6:30 PM
Approval of Minutes: The minutes from Sep 10th were approved as written.
Pole Petition # 1A6GT0H: Gary opened the public hearing. Mr. Klaubert was present on behalf of the petition. He stated the location and plan for 5 new poles on Werden Road. Mr. Terrill, from 127 Werden Road, had a couple questions. The poles will be the same height as the existing ones on that road. There were no concerns or objections to the new poles. Gary made a motion to approve the petition. Terry seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Rear Court: Jen Catolane and Dana Pustinger were accompanied by pickle ball enthusiasts and were asking the Board to consider repurposing the skate park area for a multipurpose court to include pickle ball. They currently have pickle ball happening at the school and it is very well attended. Jim Crandall was opposed to removing the skate park equipment. He looked up the cost of replacing some of the laminate that is aging and it wasn’t that expensive. He feels the Board should consider adding a court for pickle ball and keeping the skate park. This gives us the opportunity to expand our facility in the rear of Town Hall and offer more. The laminate material “skate lite” will be looked into. Brandi will look into the cost of surfacing an area for pickle ball. The Board will pick up the discussion again when we have more information.
Appointment: The Rec Commission was pleased to have an applicant for the committee. Michael Cohen is new to town and is looking forward to getting involved in the community. Gary made a motion to appoint Michael Cohen for a term ending June 30, 2027. Larry seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Brandi will follow up with Michael and draft his appointment letter.
Town Clerk’s Calendar: The Board reviewed the dates and was good with Lyn’s calendar for 2025.
Town Center Speed Limit: Tim Wighton from 70 S Main Road presented a letter and information on reducing the speed limit through the center of town. He had a previous discussion with Pat Tierney at DOT in Lenox on the steps for how this can happen. Mr. Wighton spent time documenting speeds and traffic patterns along the center of town. He recommends reducing it to 25 mph from the Rte. 23 intersection by St. Paul’s to the intersection of Beach Plain Road to the south. The Board, if they were in favor, would place the language for adopting MGL Ch. 90 Sec. 17C on the warrant for our next town meeting and the voters would decide if it moves forward. Scott confirmed what he sees for speeds on the road and talked with the Board about wanting to have speed machines that we can pull data from. He has been working on getting the mph signs repaired/ replaced. Stacey Schultze was in support of seeing the speed limit in that area reduced and wondered if we can gather any data from the speed machine Becket has on the Otis line. Scott has been looking into replacing the batteries on our speed trailer.
Commonwealth’s Acquisition of Property: Pursuant to 301 CMR 51.08(2) we read aloud for the record the following notice “The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acting through its Department of Conservation has under consideration the fee acquisition of approximately 32 acres of land in the Town of Otis. The property is currently undeveloped forest land. The proposed use for the property will be conservation and recreation as part of DCR’s Otis State Forest”. There was a brief discussion on the location of the property. Tom Ragusa felt this was a good thing for the Knox Trail. Brandi will certify the public announcement.
Knox Trail Update: Tom Ragusa updated the Board on a new mile marker map that had been discovered. He talked about his plans to have an existing marker/ boulder carved. He also talked about doing more exploration and mapping from Cold Spring to the Monterey line. The Board was in favor of using money from the Knox Trail account for Tom’s planned work.
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 asked if the Board wanted a minimum on the items being listed from Harmony Hall. The Board decided they did not.
Adjournment: 7:50 PM