Town of Otis
Select Board Meeting Minutes
July 25, 2017
Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm in the Town Hall conference room, is being recorded, and we have a quorum.
Present: Select Board Chairman Bill Hiller, Selectman Don Hawley, Selectman Gary Thomas, Chris Morris, Lyn O’Brien, Michael Ernst, Jim Crandall, Russ Loring, Sonia Morrison
Approval of Minutes: The July 11, 2017 Select Board meeting minutes were not provided and were tabled until then next Select Board meeting.
Board of Health: Nothing to report.
Dog Kennels for Animal Control Officer: Tonia was unable to make tonight’s meeting so this will be tabled until the next Select Board meeting. Bill and Jim looked at the trailer at the East Otis Fire House and want Tonia to see it and let them know if this could work as her shelter if slightly modified.
Voting Machines: The Secretary of State requires an official vote from the Board of Selectmen so Lyn drafted a letter to the Elections Division in Boston and asked the Board to formally approve the purchase of the Imagecast voting machine through LHS Associates, which will replace the Accuvote voting machine. The Select Board unanimously voted to discontinue the Accuvote machine and replace it with the Imagecast machine and all three Select Board members signed the letter Lyn drafted.
Poll Worker List for FY2018: Lyn’s list of proposed Poll Workers was read aloud at the meeting and the Select Board unanimously voted to accept the list as presented. Lyn also had a list of appointees from June 2017 that have yet to be sworn in. She has mailed out letters to everyone on the list and expects that list to be cut in half by the next Select Board meeting.
Bldg Use SubCommittee Appointment: Terry Cook has asked to be appointed to this subcommittee as a Planning Board representative. The Select Board unanimously approved her appointment.
BRPC Alternate: This would be to back up Hal Kobrin the few times he cannot make the meetings. Gary said he would consider this and let us know later on. Tabled until the August 8th meeting.
USGS Groundwater Monitoring Well: This affects a small lot off Cold Spring Road and USGS believes they will need to trespass on town property in order to maintain this well. This monitoring well has been in existence for over 20 years. They are asking for a letter of permission from the town to access their well via town property. The Select Board unanimously approved this request.
Eversource Shared Tractor/Mower Program: Chris reported that we got the revised numbers so that the lease payments and the reimbursements from Eversource match up. We are good to go and the machine has been ordered. This was only an update as nothing needed to be signed.
East Otis Firehouse Paving Bids: There were quite a few bids submitted and Jim and Derek vetted the lowest bidder for Excavation and Paving. For Excavation, TriTown was the lowest bidder but there were questions with the submitted bid. After contacting them and revising the numbers submitted, TriTown was still the lowest bidder for Excavation at $34,895.00. The lowest bidder for Paving was Lane Construction at $25,572.50. These are the two awarded bids for this project and we would like to begin in the fall after the broadband hut has been built at the East Otis Fire House and before the paving season ends. Otherwise, the project will have to be done in the spring. $50,000 was approved for this project at the Annual Town Meeting, so we were able to encumber the difference from Maintenance’s FY 2017 funding.
Maintenance Worker Merit: Jim has two new hires from February of this year who have been doing a great job stepping into their positions. Because they were not included in the town COLA increases, Jim would like to raise their pay by $.20 per hour. This increase would amount to less than $1000 increase per year from the payroll salary account and Jim says the FY 2018 budget can accommodate the increase. The Select Board unanimously approved the pay increase for both new hires.
Other:
Broadband: Technology is ready to start information sessions an hour before the Select Board meetings beginning in August. Lisa drafted a notice for this and the notice was approved as written. This will be posted around town and on the old and new websites.
DOR Letter to Collector for Sewer Commitments: Chris presented the formal letter of appropriations for FY2018. This letter has to be signed and issued to the Tax Collector each year so the town can collect sewer fees. The figure was unanimously approved and the letter was signed.
Alarm Systems: The Rescue Squad and Fire Dept. brought up a question about permitting of home alarm systems at last night’s All Boards meeting. Lisa was able to obtain a copy of the General Bylaws stating the rules for alarm permits. The Select Board would like to make a few modifications to the wording of this bylaw and start enforcing it again.
Medicine and Sharps Disposal: The Rescue Squad is sponsoring a medicine and sharps disposal clinic in mid-August and would like to have a robocall put out for this event.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:29 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lisa D’Orazio
Selectmen’s Secretary
Town of Otis
List of Documents
- A copy of Lyn’s letter to the Elections Division will be filed with these meeting minutes.
- A copy of Lyn’s Poll Worker List will be filed with these meeting minutes.
- A copy of Lyn’s letter to the Select Board of those not yet sworn in will be filed with these meeting minutes.
- A copy of Terry Cook’s appointment application will be filed with these meeting minutes.
- A copy of BRPC’s request for an alternate member will be filed with these meeting minutes.
- A copy of the email and attachments from USGS regarding the monitoring well will be filed with these meeting minutes.
- A copy of the Sewer Commitment letter will be filed with these meeting minutes.