Selectboard Meeting Minutes
Otis Town Hall
Conference Room
Tuesday, August 08, 2023, 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: Aug 8, 2023 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Attendance: Larry Southard- Chair, Terry Gould, Gary Thomas, Brandi Page, Eila Bell, Dana Pustinger, Mark Couch, Jim Fink, Derek Poirier, BJ O’Brien, Kendra Rybacki, Celeste Watman, Diane Dyer, Elsie Devoti, Alan Plass, Kathy Couch & Rick Phair. On Zoom-Mary Kay Pinkham, John’s Ipad and Denise’s Ipad.
Call to Order: 6:30 PM
Approval of Minutes: Minutes from July 25th were tabled until our next meeting. Larry Southard noticed a part missing.
Emergency Radio Equipment: Brandi gave a quick update. Larry Gould was unable to log in. The cell tower on East Otis Road is built and will be transferring to the new owners. Larry had sent Jeremia the draft agreement for approval. He met with Berkshire Sherriff’s office to see about equipment. We will have more information soon.
Highway Laborer/Equipment Operator Openings: The ad has been posted. We interviewed Eric Twining from Becket. He starts Sep 05th. There is still another opening to be filled. Brandi will keep the Board and Derek posted if any other applications come in.
Emergency Management Director: We still have a vacancy for Emergency Management. Brandi said with fall coming she’d like to get someone in place. Ice storms are one of our more vulnerable events when we typically need to open the shelter. Gary said he may be interested. Brandi is going to pull together more information and we will post the vacancy.
Surplus: The Historic Commission is now in charge of the museum items. Celeste was present on behalf of the Commission. They have some items they would like permission to declare as surplus and any proceeds from selling will go in their donation account. The Board voted to approve the commission selling items they deem to have no historic value. Brandi stated the records project in the basement is nearing completion. We will have old file cabinets to dispose of afterwards. Most are not in decent shape and have been drilled out. We have no idea where the keys ended up.
Kathy Couch: Kathy and Mark Couch along with Jim Fink and Alan Plass voiced their complaints about the size of the material used on the shoulder of Reservoir Road after the recent paving. There was discussion about using the large stone instead of replacing the material with like material. They also voiced concern that the width of the road had been reduced. Derek explained why he chose the larger stone and that they still have more compacting to do. Denise Hardie felt the large rocks ending up in the road are a safety concern as well as pedestrians and bicycles if they have to move to the shoulder when cars are coming. After more discussion it was decided that Larry Southard would take a ride with Derek and they would take a look at the road and material and discuss what could be done.
Eila Bell: Eila had some information she wanted to present to the Board. The COA is open on Mondays and Wednesdays and they are very busy. Eila is officially requesting the Board consider hiring a director. Terry clarified that we are just starting our new budget for this fiscal year and this is something they could consider for next year. The Board will review the job descriptions that Eila has gathered.
Recent and Upcoming Events: Dana said they had a good turnout for the obstacle challenge. They had 40 kids and the ice cream truck came.
Review & Approval of Warrants: Payroll and vendor warrants are on the table for signature.
Not Anticipated: Derek brought up some trees at 98 Kibbe that the owner is concerned about. Derek felt they are town trees. Derek had a tree company take a look and they reported that the trees appear to be healthy. They gave him a price if the Town did decide to take them down. Brandi felt we had done due diligence and that the trees are not compromised but she will also inquire with our insurance company. We discussed Trick or Treat being Saturday. Dana is going to find out more about recommended times and let us know. Diane Dyer had questions about the space being created for the Police Department. Gary clarified that the building being designed for the Erbe lot will not just be for the police and that the ultimate decision goes before the voters. It will not move forward without their approval. Rick Phair updated that the new fire truck is being delivered to PA next Friday. They are testing air packs and the compressor is hanging in there. ORS has started looking into having an audit done. They had 44 calls in July and only missed 2.
Adjournment: 7:49 PM