WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=buel8dcjNYE

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: buel8dcjNYE):
- 00:00:17: Meeting Called to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
- 00:00:52: Minutes Approval and Executive Session Motion
- 00:02:47: Complete Streets Policy Discussion with Town Planner
- 00:06:13: Concerns About Costs and Language in Policy
- 00:09:27: Amendments and Board Flexibility in the Policy
- 00:11:01: DPW Director's Role and Policy Implementation Details
- 00:14:45: Past Community Experiences and Grant Possibilities
- 00:15:49: Future Interpretations and Safety on the Roadways
- 00:17:25: Bike Path Plans and East Coast Greenway Connection
- 00:19:16: Collaborative Language Revision and Roadway Improvements
- 00:21:24: Policy Language Revision Task and Moving Forward
- 00:22:01: West Island Beach Permits Intermunicipal Agreement
- 00:23:55: Golf Course Tracking, Beach Pass Ideas, Shellfishing
- 00:25:36: Annual Channel Meeting, Budget, Warrant Articles Discussion
- 00:28:46: Warrant Articles - Annual Report, Prior Year Bill
- 00:30:47: Capital Budget & Free Cash, MS4, and YES Program
- 00:32:58: Fire Department, Police and School Department Requests
- 00:35:24: Transferring Health Insurance Funds to Reserve
- 00:37:07: EMS Engine Funding and Repair Maintenance Fund
- 00:40:55: Rescinding Funds and Collective Bargaining Agreements
- 00:43:19: Community Preservation Fund Articles, Slokum Street
- 00:45:07: Special Legislation for Retired Police Officers
- 00:49:45: Special Ed Reserve Fund Article Discussion
- 00:51:10: Community Preservation Fund (CPF) Articles
- 00:53:29: Roof Repair for Town Hall & Parting Ways Buildings
- 00:55:29: Support for Historical Commission and Preservation Efforts
- 00:57:53: Operating Budgets, Golf Course Earnings, Beautification Donation
- 01:00:08: Moving Elections to the Third Week
- 01:01:33: Town Meeting Clarification and Planning Board Articles
- 01:04:19: Solar Planning: Concerns with Zoning and Tree Cutting
- 01:08:44: Flood Planning Article and Citizens Petition
- 01:10:34: Budget Finalization and School Funding Efforts
- 01:14:36: Town Administrator's Report, HVAC Replacement
- 01:15:10: Selectmen Announcements, Happy Anniversary
- 01:15:42: River Cleanup Plans and Rubber Race, Memorial Day
- 01:22:54: Adjournment


Part: 1

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Welcome everyone. This is a meeting of the Kushnet Board of Selectmen. Today is May 20th, 2026. Is there a motion to call the meeting to order? >> So moved to second. >> All those in favor. This meeting is audio being audio and video recorded. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance.

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I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Gentlemen, the we do have one set of minutes on to approve for 513 2026.

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Any amendments, questions, comments, concerns? Uh yes, under number two uh where it says select mini shade is concerned that they have been talking about will college budget for a fair

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fair part of this meeting which the school won't budge on and then it says but wants the town people to vote for funding but yeah I don't I don't think I said that. I think I said more along the lines of we can't afford the assessment

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now and won't be able to afford the new school the assessment when the new school is fully staffed and operational. >> Okay. Is there a motion to approve the minutes with that amendment? >> So moved. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I

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you want to just write that as a note inside that section back to Margaret? >> I did that and then she can correct the minutes. >> Yep. >> All right. Very good. All right, gentlemen. We have a executive session. Reason for convening executive session mass general laws chapter 38 subsection

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21A purpose 2 to conduct strategy sessions and preparations for negotiations with non-union personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with non-un personnel police department administrative assistant. Is there a motion to go into executive session? >> So move second.

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>> All those in favor? >> I. Roll call vote. Mr. Engley. >> Yes. >> Mr. Rosendes? Yes. >> And I am a yes. We are now in executive session. >> All right, we are back into open session. Is there a motion to reconvene open session? So move to second. All those in favor

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>> I we are now reconvened. Right gentlemen we have uh Victoria Alaro from town planner with Mr. Mark Franuis the chairman of the planning board. They asked for a discussion on complete streets. They given us a little excerpt

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of what this means. Um I'll just turn it over to you Victoria if you want to >> Yeah absolutely >> open up and let us know what this means. >> Yeah absolutely. So, um, for the record, Victoria Albaro Town Planner. Um, so, thank you for having the planning board

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here to discuss a proposed complete streets policy, um, that was recommended for adoption by the board and by the bike and pedestrian safety committee. Um, we know this is a busy time of year for you guys. So, thank you. Um, so before I sort of get into the policy, I

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wanted to explain um, what a complete street is and the idea behind it. So, a complete street are roadways that safely and comfortably accommodate all roadway users regardless of their age, ability, or mode of transportation.

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Complete streets can include, but is not limited to features such as ADA compliant sidewalks and curb ramps, missing sidewalk connections, bicycle lanes, that sort of thing. So on the flyer that I handed out, there's three examples of projects that were permitted

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with construction funding from the complete streets funding program. There's two examples there from Matapoise, um a bike path and an ADA curb ramp. And then the example from Fair Haven is on Alden Road and they um painted a bike lane.

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Um, so in 2024, the town submitted a letter of intent to participate in the complete streets funding program and work on adopting a policy. After submitting the letter of intent, the town became eligible for $38,000 in technical assistance to create a

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complete streets prioritization plan um, which identifies roadway safety improvement projects. Recently, the program has been updated and they added um $150,000 in design funding and increased the construction funding to a million dollars that is

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available. Um so, by the town adopting a complete streets policy and creating a prioritization plan, it'll add points to our grant application should we want to pursue um any construction funding projects. Um,

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additionally, having both items in place will show the town's effort and evidence of prior planning and public participation should we want to apply for other funding sources unrelated to the complete streets program. So, um, getting to the policy. So, the proposed

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policy that was submitted um, it is before you demonstrates the town's commitment to creating safe and comfortable roadways for all users, which is the purpose of a complete street. Um so there just wanted to point out that there is a clause in the policy

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that mentions um complete streets features will be considered to the extent practicable which includes costs or roadway constraints. So of course if something isn't feasible we don't want to add an additional financial burden on

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our residents or anything like that or if there's roadway constraints and we don't want to do takings. you know, we don't need to incorporate those types of features. Are there any questions so far? >> So, Victoria, on the I I I'm overall I'm

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concerned about anything that impacts or increases the cost to town projects for the simple fact that we're going through, as you know, a budget process right now where we're literally streamlining every budget that we have.

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So, we don't have a lot of dollars available anymore with the cost of everything is. When I look at this, my first thought is it's going to cost us a ton of money more when we redo a road. And and and I hope that that's not

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the case. But it does say the town recognizes that all projects, whether they consist of new construction, maintenance, or reconstruction are potential opportunities to apply complete street design principles. The town will to the maximum extent practical design, construct, maintain

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and operate all streets to provide for a comprehensive and integrated street network of facilities for people of all ages and abilities. Then it goes down further. Says complete streets design recommendations shall be incorporated into all publicly and privately funded projects where appropriate. And I know

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that's loose terminology, but it still shall be is is the words I'm looking for. Down below it says for new subdivisions shall comply with comprehs principles in addition to the extent practical stateowned roadways will comply with the complete streets resolution of maintenance of roadways.

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So the word shall means you you really can't differ off the words may means it's up in the air. We can kind of have flexibility of doing what we want. I don't know if we can strike some of the wording of shalls to you know may consider and not put this language so

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stringent because I I would love to go for the funding grant funding opportunities um but I don't want to be hamstronged by every time that we do and we've been doing a lot of repaving of roadways every time I want to do a the

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town wants to do and the board and the DBW director proposes using chapter 90 funds and does have comments about the chapter the 90 funds in here as well. We're going to be bound to some state criteria because they give you a website you need to go on and go well before you just mill and pave that road, Mr. Town

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of Aushin, you better go to that complete streets guideline and and do everything that says shall comply and be do everything that's practical. And those costs could be tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to do in a roadway. That's where I kind of

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look at this and go, we don't have that kind of money. >> Yeah. No, understood. Um, and I can I can address that. So, the the policy is a local policy while while the template and other, you know, has been provided by the state or, you

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know, what they want to see in the policy has been provided by the state, it's a local policy that's has no state oversight, right? So if it's really up to the town to decide are these, you know, complete streets features, you know, such as sidewalks or things like

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that, going to be practical practicable for us, for the town, for our budget, for the roadway layout, that sort of thing. So I don't it's definitely not up to the state. They're not watching for that or anything like that. >> Okay. There's just there's a lot of strong language in this policy. I can

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just one long game >> if it's amendable and I think this would get to what you're looking at but also give the flexibility to the board instead of using the term shall strike to strive >> and I think that would adjust your concerns that you have taking out the

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shall strive leaves it open and I think that would make it what you're kind of looking for too with the middle right >> can can this be amended or does this exact language have to be in there >> no I think it can be amended. I'm sure

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the I'm sure it would be preferred to have the word shall and to, you know, kind of leave the to the extent practical. I think that leaves it pretty open-ended for the town to sort of determine what what's the best fit for a project. Um, but I can certainly, you

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know, make these amendments and then submit it to the state and if they have questions, we can kind of go from there. >> Okay. So, on page two of three, still under Oh, no. We're under exemptions. It says exemptions to complete streets policies and exclusion of transportation

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infrastructure projects may be granted by the appropriate authority in consultation with police chief, fire chief, town planner with input from bicycle and pedestrian safety committee. Great. Where documentation and data data

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indicate that. So I I think and I know it says granted by the appropriate authority in consultation with but there's no mention of DPW director of board of selectman and we are road commissioners

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where the ultimate say what happens to a road in this town. So I know it does mention appropriate authority but I think there should be some mention about DBW director. >> Mhm. Um, and obviously we always include when when we do things with roads and

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anything pertaining to public safety, we always look to our police chief, his staff and fire chief and his staff to give the board recommendations when we're looking at different things. Even when it comes to speed limit signs, we kind of >> get their input, right? >> Yeah.

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>> Um because it's kind of a shared responsibility that we all have. But I mean, public safety, if I'm doing something with a roadway, I got to talk to my fire chief about ambulances and fire trucks.

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Let's make sure I think that's a B. >> So, it's heading >> Brian, can you swap that thing out of there? >> So, I mean, there are some exemptions in here. Um, it just there's some strong language and under implementation. Again it goes the town of Aushian shall make

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complete streets policies and practice a routine part of everyday operations. Every transportation project and program will be treated as an opportunity to improve streets and the transportation network for all users. The implementation of the complete streets policy will be the responsibility of all

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towns. The town of McCushnet shall work in coordination with all other agencies and jurisdictions to achieve the goals of complete streets policies. That's why I'm saying this policy is kind of it's hardline policy and I feel like I don't feel like the

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town should have to be working with outside agencies to say this is what we're doing with our road and letting them say no this is what you're going to do with that road if you're going to touch that road and add that extra cost. So, I mean, if this and I know there's

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exemptions and I would want to and I and I can and it's funny you put this up now because I think it was two meetings ago. I think um Chairman Mona was still here and I talked about redoing cuz we're going to have to do Hanland Street over because we got the new bridge installed by the

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state, right? So, that's a project that's coming up. It's too narrow for us to do complete streets. I'll give that as an example. I'm not going to be handstrong to that. That's already a $600 700,000 project. However, I talked about the decrepit sidewalks from Wing Lane here to Gamblin Street. We have

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sidewalks on both sides of that road. It's a complete and utter disaster and that needs to be repaired. I think the road is wide enough for us to accommodate complete streets features in this area from say Talon Hall to Hamlin Street where the sidewalks already

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stopped, but that's a complete streets project, right? So, that's where I would say, great, we got some money to mill and and um overlay the street, but we have to redo sidewalks. Let's apply for grants to get complete street money.

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Right. Um top of Peekom Road, there's only a sidewalk on one side of the street, right? That needs to be redone. That part of the road needs to be um milled and and repaved. Again, the road's wide enough for bicycle paths and things of the nature, even though the

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the road does narrow after you get by Northwest Street to get into the city of New Befford, but we can accommodate a complete street segment of that road as well to get more funding to make it safer, that roadway. So, there are things in town and areas of town where

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we do have accommodations for complete streets to go after that money, but I just don't want to be handcuffed to this policy every time I touch a street. please. M. >> Yeah. >> No, no, she's she's doing a great job. >> Okay. She is.

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>> Oh, thank you. Um, so if it helps in my previous community, we also participated in this program. Um, and the select board there passed a very similar policy with similar language. Um, and they weren't tied to anything, right? So, it

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we just want to make sure that we are considering these these complete streets features, right? How can we improve the roadway? Um, can we improve the roadway? Is it practical? That sort of thing. So, it definitely I don't think we're really tied down. I think it's, like I said, I

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think it's up to the town's discretion, the appropriate, you know, authority um, to really decide for that specific project what's appropriate and what's not. Um, if that addresses your question, >> I just think that if if it's some wording that needs to be changed, I

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think we should try to do that so we don't lose out on possibility of grants. Mr. Totally, if I may, please I I was just going to say pretty much the exact same thing. I don't think any of us are against this. I think what Mr. Gasper is trying to say is in the future when none

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of us are sitting here >> and everybody's in a different seat. They may interpret this different >> and it could jeopardize the future of a cushioning by enforcing something because they interpreted it differently or maybe a future town council interpreted something differently. So

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you know and I had actually made notes about the same thing about shell means that every time we go into this it's going to happen from a legal standpoint. So even saying may or what Mr. Lamonte said like strive to always put best

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practices forward, it gives us a little bit of a legal out and makes it so any future board members aren't really going to misinterpret it. But I think the policy, you know, has a lot of merit to it. Anytime you can make the roadway safer, you know, I think we've done a

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pretty good job at at hitting the roads that needed to be paved, but we had a lot of narrow roads. So, anywhere where we can, like Chairman Gasper said, Main Street, I mean, that's a cushion's corridor right there. So, perfect example of what this would be good for.

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>> And we're and we're trying to reopen dialogue with Mass DOT for South Main Street here. Um, so I mean if we're going to have bike lanes, which we should over here, I think it would fit into this part over here because people

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could just go park and get on their bikes. And hopefully at some point we're going to have a a way to get a bike path out to Fabin's bike path, right? That's that's I I'm as chairman of the NASA plan committee that's that's a a huge goal of mine for

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the future and I would hope that it shared by the rest of the community is try to get us access to that bike path because once you get on that bike path it's endless right you can go I mean somebody didn't somebody talk about all the way to Florida or something >> wasn't it something somebody talking

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about a bike >> path I think one of the >> it's the east it's the east coast greenway it runs from LA to um for uh the Keys in Florida. >> Oh, wow. >> So that young lady right there

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Massachusetts. >> What about Florida? >> She she Can you Can you just say what you just said over again? Cuz I knew I heard it somewhere. The East Coast Greenway is an initiative to build um a 3,000 milei bike path between um Cal, I

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believe is how you spell say it, uh Maine and Key West, Florida. A good chunk of that is completed. The South Coast bike way is an alternative path that includes um Cape Cod through our area, our region here, and then connects

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back through Rhode Island. Um, the main route would go through Boston and uh, Connecticut and Rhode Island. >> Thank you for that. I knew I heard it somewhere. So, it's something that the master plan committee supported, right? And, and it's I think it's something

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that the community would enjoy overwhelmingly if we could get that going. Um, and I know Victoria cheerleaded that on and she's got connections at Surad. So, Serpad's very interested in it as well. So I I I I'm

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for it. Let's just say let's try to do something with the policy and and adopt some language. I Mr. Lamontine, if you would be so kind to try to put together what you would be believe would be some some more favorable language working with Miss Victoria Alaro and then we

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could get it back on a selection meeting for adoption. I I think the sooner we can get that done, the sooner we can start going after grant money um because we're going to need it. and I do have my eye on this road and we do have some good news I can share with the residents

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in the near future about more money coming in for roadways and things and the like. So good >> um we you know the board of selectmen um both both past and present have done a phenomenal job with repaving roads in this town and figuring out creative ways

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to do things with our DPW directors and I think that'll continue. Um, we owe it to our people to try to give them the best roads that we can to drive on. And I know there's a lot of roads in town. We got a lot of catch-up work to do. Um, but the past board members that I've been with and current board members that

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I'm currently with um, are all very supportive of that. They understand the nature of the roads. They drive on them just like everybody else does. And, you know, I drive around this town quite a bit and I see some roads that are in really rough shape that we really need to get after. But um you know we got water infrastructure underground that's

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125 years old. I hate to pave a brand new road and then have a water old NY's one that's been sitting we have had an article out standing for I don't even know 5 years 7 years um to pave that road with sidewalks. The problem is the pipe's so damn old. I won't allow people

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to spend money on a roadway and knowing that you got 125 year old pipe in that ground. That's why Slokum Street was done the way it was done to get that pipe fixed cuz that pipe was 120 years old. >> So there's a lot of money to be spent and you know we're trying to be as

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creative as we can be. I think if we get a you know a little bit more favorable policy that everybody can live with it it opens up the door for more money to come into the town and we can get better roads and safer roads um for everybody in place in the town. So kudos to all of you.

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>> Great. Thank you. >> Great. We'll work on changing the the language and uh represent. >> Victoria, if you can work with Mr. Lontine with that. >> Absolutely. >> Um you can both do some draft copies and share it when you're ready. Victoria, if

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you want to do something that you think would work and then have when Miss Lamontine does the same thing with the document, then you can both just sit in a room and go over your notes. You try to come up with one good copy to put back in front of us. I'll throw it on an agenda or whatever we need to just to adopt. >> Okay.

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>> All right. try to expedite that. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> All right. So, next on the agenda, um, West Island Beach permits. Mr. Hinkley, I think you have some information for the board.

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>> Yes, sir. Um, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh last meeting I had mentioned that there was still some ongoing discussions and requests from Fair Haven in regards to length of use for the golf course and um some back and forth. Um, what I was

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able to do was speak with the the A&B BPDW and just to make sure we didn't go too crazy and overboard, I said essentially we could start use of the golf course end of week week if we

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approve this. And I put a like a deadline of October 15th that they were agreeable to. Um, I would still like to keep detailed records of this at the golf course. Um, whether they have to do

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a simply simple tally mark of actual Faven residents because they are checking res residency down there. Um, just to make sure, but I would not want it to exceed the dollar value that we're saving from Fair Haven. So, it should be a dollar for dollar. So, if it runs out

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before October 15th, so be it. Um, but I would ask for a motion to approve the West Island Beach permits intermunicipal agreement. >> So moved, second. >> All those in favor? >> I

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>> I um and if I could, can I also uh make a motion to instruct Mr. Lamontaine to pay for the beach permits, which we will get refunded as soon as people come collect their permits. It's just a temporary pay for all the permits so we can handle the actual handout of

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the permits. >> So moved. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> And I'm going to I'm going to add a motion to that because it seems like in the past there's been a little with the golf course. So I would make a motion to have

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Mr. law montaining instruct the golf course staff that they absolutely need to keep track of all the residents names and how much is being collected so that we know the strike point of that 15k >> it's not a random guess

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>> I'll second that >> all those in favor >> I sound good >> and I will send an email tomorrow >> and real quick while we're on the topic of beach passes. I in the future I would like to explore something with the

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shellfish warden maybe get some shellfish permits and involved in that. So we'll talk about it in the future but on a future agenda we could do that. I think that's a great idea. >> Mr. Chairman, knowing that uh Mr. Rosenes is a former Fair Haven resident

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and avid outdoorsman be more than happy to pass this torch right over to him next year. >> Fair enough. There you go. See that you asked and you shall receive more responsibilities. >> Thank you, Mr. Hingley. >> So, we'll put that on a future agenda um

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to have that conversation and strike it up with favor. And >> I think that was a great idea. >> Yeah, I've I've talked to a bunch of residents about it and they they share Mr. Rosen's concern. So, um you know, we'll see what we can do. >> Even if you get a dozen, couple dozen on them, we'll see how it goes, you know.

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Yeah, we'll look at the dollar for dollar, but >> at least it'll not There's men and women that like the beach, but you know, outdoors men want to beach for shell fishing. >> Yeah. Right. >> Thanks. >> Got a salt water pool. What would you

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need to go to salt waterfall? >> That's right. >> Which part of the beach is the same. >> All right. >> All set with that. >> Next, we um we do have annual channel meeting. We have operating budget and

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warrant articles. I've asked Mr. Kelly and Mr. Lontaine to come in tonight and we can go over warrant articles. Um because we remember last time we made a motion to have

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all the motions prepared for the moderator a week in advance, not the Friday before town meeting advance. So, with that said, I'd like to get warrant articles approved tonight. Most of the motions are already done from the previous year

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because a lot of these are just housekeeping articles. The any ones that'll change, obviously, Mr. Kelly will work on new motions for that. But most of them are already done. We just changed the date if the if the dates inside the motion. So, we should be pretty good. But budgets, we are not

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quite there yet with solving the budget um deficit that we've had. We we have made a lot of progress in the last two weeks. Mr. Lamontine, Mr. Kelly, myself. Um we're making good progress in trying to drive down budgets. Um and also

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keeping in mind to try to accommodate a better outcome for our Kushnet public schools in the school committee as far as their budget deficit goes. So, we're trying to close a couple gaps there um to accommodate

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this cushion school department. Um meanwhile, keeping ourselves functionable as departments. It's not an easy task, but um I can tell you this, I've had great success with the fire chief who's here tonight with us sitting

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down with his budget police chief Gary Copper. And I think a few days ago, we had Mr. Manard in um the DPW director. We went over water, sewer, seamass, um, and DBW budgets, and we made some

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significant progress with those as well. We're going to we'll share that information once we dial everybody's budgets in, and we know exactly where we're at um, with continued work with Mr. Kelly. But Mr. Kelly, I don't know if you want to come to the podium. I'm going to

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You can stand at that podium and we're going to go through the articles. Um, >> how about I sit there? >> You want me You can sit down if you if you if you want. Um, if you want, Mr. Kelly, I can probably, as long as my voice don't break out on

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me, I can probably blow through the warrant pretty quickly. Um, and if you want to go in your new notebook that you gave to us, would you prefer I knock approve article numbers because they probably change from the new draft from

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the other draft from the other draft and the other draft? >> The other draft and the other draft. >> There's a lot of drafts. So, >> let me let me start and go through uh and I'm going to read the titles

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rather than the article numbers. Okay, I was that's what I was I was just going to blow right through this, but if you think you can do it faster than me, knock yourself out. >> All right, the annual report

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and step number is right 2025. Uh that's a annual just approving that report. We have discovered a prior year bill. >> Oh boy. $6.79.

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>> I'll pay that. >> So, uh, and, uh, >> can I can I interrupt you for a minute? >> Yep. >> Mr. Rosendi just said he would pay that. Can Can we >> No, >> we don't have a fund for him to put it

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in. >> Can I have a statement? >> But I have some money. >> Yeah, that's funny. Uh, >> all right. So, one prior year bill, no big deal. >> I'll take it. >> The uh PEG access well the consent

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agenda is the PEG access cable fund. You see the numbers you see every year. That is the numbers we have to list to expand. Uh they don't expend it every year as you know.

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State and federal grants authorization, chapter 90 authorization, fair share amendment authorization, authorization for borrowing generally cemetery board, recreation commission, and authorized library to do

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book sales for discarded books. That's all the consent agenda. Hopefully this year, like other years, it'll be one vote. the fiscal year 2027 revolving fund articles. There are no

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new revolving funds. The annual numbers are the same as in past years. capital budget and free cash articles. When when the

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uh Jamie V went through and went through all of the free cash, it is not 330. It is 340,388 and a nickel. So, we're able to pay that past year

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bill out of the 10,000 plus we found. So, Mr. Rosendez, you don't have to pony up. >> 340, 388, you said? >> Yeah. And a nickel. >> Okay. And uh uh as in years past to

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safeguard us with MS4, I added the money we did found into that article. So the MS4 consultant services article be would be 30,13126. Say it again.

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>> Uh 30,13126. The uh yes program is $25,000. It's down from 30,000, but I believe it is sufficient looking at what we've done in the past. uh capital budget.

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You have before you a capital budget total from free cash 285,250. Uh you've seen these issues before. We've discussed them. So for the Mr. Kelly, if if you don't mind,

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I I would like to go through these so people at home know what. >> Right. So gentlemen, your first one is for the fire department's p purchase of new turnout gear in the amount of $65,000. Um after having conversations with the

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fire chief, the turnout gear, one of the sets of turnout gear is out of certification. Um which could be a huge liability for the town. God forbid if our fire um personnel had to go into a building with the second gear on because the first

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gear was contaminated or something of the like when from a previous um scene they had to go into and god forbid something bad were to happen, we would be held liable. And I told him that's not acceptable. We will do something about that. And um the fire chief said,

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"We're actually working on some contract language in the fire department's um contract to make sure that this is taken care of and it will no longer happen. Um it will be kind of like a a soft mandate for the town to fund turnout gear um

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through free cash in the future. Is that correct, Chief?" >> That is correct. >> So absolutely necessary. The police department is replacing a 911 recording system. It says not to exceed 13,250.

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Um, Mr. Kelly, I had a conversation with the police chief on this. It says replace Glock firearms holsters and provide training. I ask that you add ammunitions to that. >> I did. >> Okay, that's fine. I know. I'm only looking at my notes, just making sure he

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could talk. Um, not to exceed $35,000. They're going from 45 caliber down to 9 mm. Um and the police also looking for seven new um defibrillators and associated equipment not to exceed

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$12,000. It's free cash article um to purchase and equip one police cruiser. It would be an unmarked vehicle um for the detectives to use and not to exceed $65,000. And then we have an article for to repair the boilers in both buildings for

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in under the maintenance for $95,000 for the Ausha school department and that total equals a 285 250 Mr. Kelly reference. Thank you, Mr. Kelly. You can continue. All right. Uh the next article

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uh we have two articles from June 24 and June 25 that appropriated monies for uh the health insurance issues. Uh those

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articles were not totally used. the amount for between the two articles of 39,283 and 94. I'm requesting that uh those th that money be transferred into the health

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insurance stabilization fund. That way you can build up your health insurance reserve. The Commonwealth advises that you have two quarters of payment in that reserve

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and we're not close to that yet, but we've been building it up year to year. This will continue that. Uh right now you're in a hybrid self- insurance situation with health insurance where uh

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we're self-insured but we buy the services such as uh stoploss insurance uh and other various forms as a group with other communities. This just

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continues. So you can control your health insurance costs and you actually have this board has control versus if you were with Maya or the GIC, they'd be telling you what to

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do. Uh the next article is funding the current engine 2 ban of 200,000 uh transfer from available funds EM

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reserved receipt account or file for accept and expend grants or matching funds provided by grants. That's all standard language. So that 200 that that $200,000 on that band I

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wrote right here should be that's be that's being taken from EMS reserve receipt account, right? We're not borrowing all that stuff. >> Okay. Because it didn't it doesn't mention EMS reserve receipt account, but I'm sure I would in the motion. >> It does in the new version. >> Okay. I just made notes. >> Yeah, I I know

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>> you just gave me a new version. I ain't that I ain't that good. >> But uh but it we took borrowing out. We also took transfer uh raise and appropriate out and uh the other issue

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is uh yes it can come out of the EMS reserved receipts account. However, it also gives the ability for the chief to if he can find other sources of money such as grants, he can do it without

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coming back to town meeting for authorization. >> Got it. Good job. >> Uh the next article is to establish and fund an EM s uh

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repair and maintenance fund from the EMS reserved receipts account for $25,000. It would require a vote by the board of selectment to expend. This is uh so that

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minimal repairs etc. the chief needs he can come to the board rather than going to town meeting. >> So this this this says it's going to be formed in the budget and we've had a conversation with the fire chief. This is going to be a standalone article not

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a budgetary article where it's for establishing a reserve line in the budget like we've done with water. >> You took that wording. >> Okay. I'm just making sure that we're all on the same page. Mr. >> I listen to you, >> Mr. Lamontine. >> Well, I if we could just um change it a

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little bit, Jamie. So, be 25,000 for the purpose of establishing a repair reserve fund special article for the use. We can just make that change >> to where >> uh for the purpose of establishing a

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repair reserve fund special article for the use in the repair >> cuz what are you doing correct the language in the new draft this lane? >> Yeah. >> Yes. >> Okay. We >> because we it was the talk of making the special article. >> That's just an open-ended article. It's

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not a budgetary reserve um line item in the budget. We've talked about doing it both ways. I think the best way is just keeping the article out there. We can we can we need >> um with the authorization of the board of selectment, right? >> Okay. Very good. So, obviously very

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supportive of that. >> Just a point of clarification on that, Mr. Gasper. Um it's for vehicle, facility, and equipment maintenance above and beyond the budget. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Not just strictly for vehicles. It's for

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anything. >> Yeah. So I don't know >> just making sure that we'll look at the new language. I'll give you a copy of the new >> It does say that in >> Okay. So as long as we were pretty definitive on that language as well.

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>> It's just the title. Perfect. Good. >> Right. The next article is transferring remaining funds from a past article for fire. you resend the past uh article and

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you transfer the remaining funds and I I'll let the chief talk on that one. >> The next two actually two >> yeah I checked the amounts. So all these articles that Mr. Kelly's talking about um

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I'll call it article 15 the recending I checked those amounts that those are accurate amounts. This is an accurate amount in this one, the $3,26.15. And the chief's there to tell us he's got a deficit in that line item and he's going to use some of his old article money to offset that.

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>> So there's there's two articles. It's the one that we're talking about now and the very next one, I believe. Um it totals just around $30,000 when you combine the two. >> Yep. and the both of those projects that we got the prior authorization for have concluded. There's no longer a need for

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funding in those articles. So, I'm just looking to resend them and help to offset the deficit in this year's uh current budget. >> Okay. Very good, Mr. Kelly. So, I didn't look at your new copy, but I'm looking at my old copy in that article what I'm

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going to call article 18. That article that you're referring to is non-existent. That's $665,000. That was originally an $80,000 article and the remaining in that article is $26,966.

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It's not the remaining of a $665,000 article. >> That sounds like the ambulance borrowing article. >> That wasn't all the ambulance borrowing article. >> Huh? >> I said the the article 22 was the whole capital article. Yeah,

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>> because because the original article was the capital group, the total amount of the article was $665,000. >> It doesn't show up on on the list of articles. It does does show up on the list for $80,000 for that for that compressor. >> Correct.

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>> But remember how we put it as one grid. >> Okay. I'm just making sure that this verbiage is right. So it was captured as one giant one. Correct. Uh the next three articles are placeholders if

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collective bargaining agreements for ask me the firefighters and the steel workers are settled prior to town meeting. >> Okay. So you bump this around a little bit. That's we're missing community preservation fund articles

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>> that comes up. >> Okay. Your copy is obviously different than us. So, okay. So, yep. The next three you'll just all contractual. See if we can get to it. >> The next article you and I have to talk

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about in this version it concerns the borrowing for Sloum Street. whether you I put a placeholder there whether you want to include it in this uh town meeting or in the fall we can discuss

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that but page 24 okay I didn't realize you were adding more of those rescending articles but and then I have a cleanup article placeholder uh I'm not advising we do that at this

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time I think it should be in the fall >> correct Um there's no there's no harm of leaving these articles the way they are >> for the fall. >> Yeah. So I just I'll take I'll entertain a motion to get rid of these two cleanup

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articles. Get rid we don't need to deal with this on town meeting. We can deal with this in the fall. We got enough things going on. >> So move second. >> All those in favor. The next article is uh requiring

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well at excuse me authorizing the board of selectment to file with the general court a petition for special legislation to allow appointment of retired police officers who have not reached 70 years

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of age to serve as special police officers. >> So >> this is a special act. I've had a number of conversations with retired police officers, not only in the town of Aushna, but other surrounding communities. I've done some research in other communities to try to offset the

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increased cost of details um for communities. Um there's a multitude of communities that are extending that age by appointing retired police officers in this age group 65 to 70 as special police officers. It's at the privilege

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of the a police chief in the board of a selectment have to appoint every year. So there's a lot of safeguards in place that if we had somebody that was let's just say 65 years old, we appoint them this year as a special police officer for the upcoming year. Everything hunky

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dory and things um and things are working out with their health and and the things of the like. Every year we would have to reappoint that individual for those next subsequent four years. if if we or the police chief and and inside this article, this was this came straight from town council too. Um they

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still have to meet all the certifications of the police department including post firearms training. All the all the training is on the individual the retiree not born by the town. So there's a lot of pluses inside of this. I've actually I think it was

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the town of Newton is actually going further than that and did trying to extend the age to 75. I'm not there. I think that's you know a little bit getting a little bit crazy. I get it. Detail rates have gone up precipitously. Um and most people that are only going

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to take the town detail rate at 65 bucks a retiree. So I think it's great that we have this um as an article and I think in the end it will save the taxpayers of a cushion a lot of money um because most

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of the officers time and a half rate is above that 65. So and if we have to bring in like I've seen before they're not taking the town details and we're bringing in flaggers flaggers are more than the town detail rate. >> Yep. >> You know some of those rates are at 110. Yep. So, I think this is, you know,

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something great pay for retired police officers. Um, and second of all, great for the taxpayers of Kushner because those are the folks that are really going to take the rate at 65 bucks an hour. And I'd much rather have a retired police officer doing a detail than a flagger cuz I've watched some of the

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flaggers out there. I'm not saying all flaggers are like this, but I I've I've been very disappointed in some town projects watching flaggers do the job. >> Agreed. Right. So, I I think this is good for the community. >> Agreed. Most of the flaggers I've seen, from what I've been told, the company

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charges prevailing wage and then just pays a base rate to the flagers. So, you know, if you're out in the hot sun for eight hours, making 25 bucks an hour, you're going to stare at your phone, maybe look up and wave a flag every once in a while. >> Go sit in the shade. >> Sit in the shade. >> Got some of those.

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>> I watched one at the top of Hamlin Street when they were doing the bridge. >> That's the one I got. sitting there underneath a tree across the street looking at his phone. That's the one I got. >> Not only that, police officers or first responders, if a construction worker gets hurt, they can, you know, jump in

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as as a detail. So, >> I mean, there's a lot of lot of lot of communities doing this. I I I don't agree with 70 to 75 or 65 to 70 I think is and it's great. again they have to keep maintain all the certifications the

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training all has to be put in place into the annual appointment so I would actually I got to talk to the police chief I think we need to talk to the police chief but I'll I'll open up the dialogue with the police chief because I know that we allow retired police officers

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and even some of our retired police chiefs are doing details I think that that should be an annual appointment by the board as well >> not just let it by >> agreed. >> So, um we can we can figure that out too. >> Yeah.

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>> But I think it should be at the discretion when it comes to retirees, the discretion of a the police chief and b the board of selected. Great. >> Um see, you know, we are the appointing authority. So, but that's that's that article in a nutshell.

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>> Thank you, Mr. Kelly. Next article is the article annual article for funding the special ed reserve fund from the school. We'll update the figures uh at the we're

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having a meeting next Tuesday with the uh uh uh school business manager and we'll make sure that we have the updated figures uh for town meeting as far as we don't

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list them but if someone asks we'll be able to say how much is in the fund etc. We we have to do this article every year >> otherwise it comes back in the fall and you have to do it in the fall for stuff they've done in

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>> I know I don't just know why we if this is something that we are but I guess it's a stabilization account but we do the same already established we should just be able to say you know a motion to put it into this special edization

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>> we asked town council Do we have can we accept the statute once like we do for other statutes? And he said it's better safe than sorry to do it this way. >> That's fine. >> Okay.

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>> All right. Uh the community preservation fund articles the appropriations as you know are what we have to appropriate annually

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176,000 that was the last uh determination I think next year you probably have to review that

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however the money that you spend is different from the appropriation. Any money that you don't spend from the appropriation goes into the

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undesated balance for the CPC fund. Uh the first amount is 13,000 uh for administration. We don't spend that much close to that much year to year, but you appropriate

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it and then it reverts. The beautifification committee for town building has asked for 5,000 out of undesated balance to take care of expenses uh like the Christmas decorations etc.

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Uh we're finding that you know mulch everything's going up and uh your two buildings here are historic buildings. >> Correct.

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uh the 250 National Anniversary Parade uh cost I in we included 10,000 from undesated balance. So one in 250 year expenditure

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but uh and anything that you don't expend will revert. Uh, I've included to repair the roofs on town hall and parting ways buil buildings 47,500

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from undesated balance. Mr. Kelly. >> Yep. >> For the people at home so the board to know that I asked Mr. Kelly and Mr. allow Montaine to put an article because we have the roof above our heads on this end of town hall's buildings that is

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decrepit. Um, as you can see by some of the stains on our panels, it's been leaking for a number of years. I asked our maintenance guy to get up there with a roofing guy and he said it's in pretty rough shape. Um, and we absolutely need to move. So, I said, "Well, then we're going to do it now and we'll get the

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article." And then we have a leaky roof near the chimney on the potting ways building as well. So, we've incorporated an amount of money that we could hopefully use to patch up that roof and stop our leaks. So, I know it says town administrator on that column, but you

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can put more selected if you would like, town administrator, whatever you want. Um, that was a request by me to fix these buildings. The next item is ne the next three are

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uh Pauline Texera has submitted them to the CPC to repair and replace and paint exterior of Lime Plane Museum 17,594 to repair replace and paint hallway to

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second floor ceiling and walls long plane. museum 4,200 and to replace a ceiling in the apartment and paint four rooms of the Lime

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Plane Museum. The apartment is a terminology for that area 28,000. The total is 125,294. So gentlemen, as you know, we do have a number of historical buildings in this

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community and the historical commission under Pauline Tex Texer's guidance has done an incredible job um maintaining and caring about our historical properties. In the moral

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years that pass by, I become historical. Um I find the importance of maintaining our buildings um very important because if we don't maintain these buildings we won't have them as historical buildings much longer. So I think in the in the

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the present and in the future the board of selectman need to do a a better job working with historical to find out exactly what we need to do with our historical buildings to keep them um at least in good enough shape to be able

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to function for what their purposes are and not let them fall apart. And it's too late. And you got to remember we we do have um Pauline Texar has done an incredible job over the years along with many other um individuals on the historical commission. We do have a

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number of our properties on the historical register list. So it's a huge accomplishment for the town. So I just wanted to throw it out there and show my support for the historical commission um and everything that they do for the community because you know without them we we probably would have lost a lot of

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buildings over the last two decades. So, just my way of saying thank you to those folks on the historical commission. >> Agreed. I'll agree with that as well. And if I could add one more thing, uh, Mr. Chairman. >> Sure. >> Just in case anybody does, I know Mr. Kelly just referenced it or questioned

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the word apartment. It's basically the back room where they do any of the cooking for any festival or event that they have because a long time ago school houses had a place for the teacher to live. Um, so nobody is

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currently living in the apartment museum. Just >> I didn't know if we were fixing it up with Mr. Kelly living space. >> Sure. >> You sure about that? Yeah, I could still

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go home. >> He doesn't have the references. >> All right. >> The next three articles of the uh general operating budget and the two enterprise account budgets. Those we'll

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deal with when we deal with the budget. >> Correct. We can't look at those right now. I I got hole on both of those because the numbers are just last year's numbers. We Mr. Kelly needs to plug in new numbers. The uh golf course retained earnings article

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is uh one from the golf committee. Uh it's $100,000 for the purpose of various capital repairs and it comes out of golf course retained earnings. It's almost an annual article

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since I've been here. uh sometimes >> and it must be approved by the board of selectment. >> Mhm. >> The next

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uh section is bylaw and zoning articles. This uh next article is to vote to adopt a general bylaw establishing a beautifification donation account

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to be for donated funds for town beautifification projects subject to the approval of both the beautifification committee and the board of selectment. This article was uh drafted and reviewed

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by town council. >> Gentlemen, any questions, comments, or concerns about this new article and this new account? >> There was just some language which has been corrected just the reference to the board that I requested it remain well be changed from the select board to the

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accush board of selectment just to keep everything >> okay >> across. It's been changed. >> Anything? My main concern was making sure everything was legal on the up and up and town council reviewed it. So, >> okay. Are we good? Thank you. Uh,

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the next two articles were a request from the town clerk at your prior meeting. And I understand that Selectman Hinckley uh and town council

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reviewed them, drafted them. I did change something. I inserted in the first article after the town of Aushna general bylaws the actual site article one section

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2.2. before it might be redundant but I think it makes it clearer. >> Great. >> And I took uh to say printing cost the read out and I I

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underlined the changes. >> What's Mr. Chim? There was a there was a legal change made today. not a legal change, but there was uh the whole purpose of this was to work with the schools.

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>> After four years, moving it to the third week wouldn't have done anything because Patriots Day is a shifting holiday and that's where they base their school vacation. So by 2030, it would have reverted to an opposite week of the school vacation week.

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So the only way to ma maintain it on a school vacation week is to have hold it on the first Tuesday in April following the Patriots Day holiday. Patriots Day holiday is always the first day of school vacation. So this would be the

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Tuesday immediately following that. >> When does that land the elections though? I know you talked about 2030, but >> it will either be the >> we used to do the first Monday in a in April. That sucks. We just moved it from the fourth to the 3. This will bounce between the

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3rd and the fourth. So it either makes it a week earlier than it currently is or makes it the same. I think by the time you get to 24, >> why does it say the first Tuesday in April? >> Following the Massachusetts Patriots Day holiday. So the first Tuesday in April

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that follows the holiday. So Patriots Day is a Monday. the next Tuesday. >> You sure about all that? >> Yes. >> You promising me that this is always going to be on the third or fourth week of April

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>> when you get fluctuating five week uh you know instead of having four? >> Yeah, that's fine. As long as we're not doing this in the back going back to the first. >> This is this is the only way you could do it where you won't be back here changing it again in four years and reverting back to what it was.

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>> Ah, cuz I asked that question at that meeting. They said that's always the week of school vacation. >> That that was the intent, but after um Miss Leonte and Nancy went through multiple years in a calendar, >> it was there was more weeks where it

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popped off that week and moved to the fourth week instead. Um >> Okay. >> So, this was the easiest way to get it where it'll always align with that vacation week. >> Third or fourth week in April. >> Yep. And you won't see it until 2031, I believe, where it won't be the third

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week. >> She'd still be around. >> Okay, boss. I doubt it. All right, that's uh the election. The next one concerns town meeting. I

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did the same thing. I put the site in after account of the Kushner general bylaws and I took the color out and put italics and underlined in and you worked on this one Mr. Hickley also.

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>> Yeah, this one just clarifies Mr. Chairman if I may just clarifies um originally the way it was written by rights the town would have to vote for when town meeting is. This gives the board of selectman the ability to

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legally set town meeting date. >> Yep. >> Okay, boss. >> The next two are planning board articles. >> So, I uh I know that there's been concern from

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board members. I haven't talked to town council, but I would suggest that when we send the warrant to town council, we have the board's questions forwarded to town council. And if there's an issue

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with this uh article as drafted, then we can pass over at a town meeting. Or if you don't want to include it, then uh we you can take it up in the fall.

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>> I Mr. Chair. >> Yes, sir. >> I raised a concern. I sent sent it to uh Adam and I spoke with um Chairman Francois and Victoria about it. Um I and I expressed my concern

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about it. Um, the bylaw doesn't have this language in it and it I don't know if it's legal. You know what I mean? >> I don't know if it's putting the cart before the horse with it not being in the bylaw. So, >> correct. I mentioned that when I first

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heard it along with the beautifification thing and I said I don't think the bylaw allows it for them to provide a waiver for tree cutting. So, if the bylaw doesn't provide it, that does absolutely nothing. And

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whatever whatever solar company that they did a handshake deal on, I would have to tell them that they need to bring that solar company back in and tell them that that the bylaw doesn't allow for it and you need to downsize the size of your solar field and not

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slaughter as many trees. That's how I look at it because I think that's a dangerous precedence with solar companies coming in wiping out acreage of forestry and then they want to be greedy just to get in an extra couple hundred panels. I'm going to slaughter

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another hundred trees or 200 trees to get an extra 100 panels in to squeeze an extra $5 out of my solar arrays. I don't think that's the business the town should be in. I think they're doing enough damage to our land. Um, I think

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the planning board needs to restrict the size of these things and say enough is enough. >> I I mean, I know their hands are tied by the state pretty much, but I I just this the way this is read, I don't know. I I'd like town council's opinion on it.

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That's where I'm at with that. I agree with your sentiment, though. I I don't I just don't like it. And I don't think the player board's hands are tied at all. you have a bylaw in place and if it doesn't allow for that kind of a situation downsize your solar race. >> Mr. Chair, I've watched a lot of your meetings. A bylaw is a bylaw and you

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can't wait a bylaw. >> Correct. >> Correct. >> Would you want to put this over till the fall? I >> I would I would prefer to get answers before we sit and play games on town meeting and somebody does something else. Um we don't have the answers. They

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didn't provide us with answers. So yeah, I would wait for the fall town meeting. The worst case scenario is they're going to have to amend the solar bylaw. Put that article first and let's see if the residents of this town want to amend the solar bylaw to be more favorable to

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solar companies that are plowing down forestry acreages or forestry for their own damn betterment. Okay. After all the destruction that's already happened. And then this will be a follow-up article. If that amendment passes to allow this, then they can vote this through. But other than that,

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>> so in the fall, you can if the planning board wants to put those two articles in, they can put it in that order. >> That's how I would see it being done. What am I going to accept something for? And then in the fall, they have to we have to amend the bylaw. And what

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happens when the people say, "Yeah, no, we're not amending that bylaw to let you do that. We've had enough of solar companies." And we've heard from a lot of people in this community. I think a lot of people in the community have had enough of solar companies and they're by right use getting clobbered by these

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people. So we'll just take it off. >> Is there a motion to strike what we'll call establishing revolving land fund off the warrant? >> So move. I'll second. >> All those in favor? I.

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Next article is the flood planning article from the planning board. Again, it just looks like there's an update to a flood plane. Um, and it's talking about recreational vehicles adding something that may have not been

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in place for the flood planes. >> Mr. Chair, >> yes, sir. I spoke to Victoria about this as well and she said it's just language the state requires in it and it's just updating. It's common language I guess that the state is looking to have every

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municipality put in. >> Mr. England, any questions, comments, concerns? >> That was actually going to be my only question as to why we needed to update this. But if this does just update what the state bylaw is

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looking to add, if it's just language, I'm okay with it. I would say that if town council could confirm that this is a necessary addition to our bylaw, that wouldn't hurt. But >> right,

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>> if it's legal language that needs to be in our bylaw required by the state, so be it. Mr. Line, can you make that note so that when we send everything over for a review of the motions, you can ask an opinion to town council if this is

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something that the town necessarily has to do. >> Thank you. >> Two articles of the citizens petition. >> No action can be taken on that, gentlemen. petition was to be included. >> The petition was legally certified by

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the >> So, Mr. Kelly, >> y >> you've gotten some couple of things taken off. We we technically didn't go through um and vote every article. So, I'm assuming that once we know the

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numerical order of articles, we'll do that when we finalize budgets next week. We will be finalizing budgets Wednesday night. Yep. >> Unfortunately, gentlemen, I am going to have to ask you two gentlemen, and I

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know it's tough with families, and I apologize for it, but it's not my fault that we're in this situation where we're trying to scramble, but we already know, Mr. Angley, you do from that joint meeting. What we're trying to do is get as much money as we can to alleviate

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some of the pain on the Acca public schools. That's really the goal of myself, Mr. La Monte to Mr. Kelly now would doing the best to drive budgets down but keep budgets where our department heads are can live with it >> correct

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>> and can maintain services. Um we've done a pretty good job of that. We're continuing to do it. I'll be with Mr. Kelly again Tuesday and Wednesday, whatever hours I have to spend with him and Mr. Bob Montaine. We will finalize everything and try to get everything as

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best we can in a budget form with hopefully good news for the board and I do apologize for having three consecutive meetings on a Wednesday night but sometimes as you know we got to do what we got to do. >> That's what we're here for, Mr. Chairman. >> Agreed.

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>> So, thank you guys for your hard work on this. Appreciate it. >> And Mr. chairman. Um just some preliminary views at I know the budget's been back bouncing around a little bit, but you know, we've been asked to take a

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brunt from each department, specifically the schools, you know, so it wasn't all on the school's back. And I I got to commend you for being able to maintain services with reduced budgets as well and also keeping as many as

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possible level funded. So the fact that we can operate, you know, different departments with less money than they operated with last year while maintaining services is huge and I appreciate you for Thank you working on that along with

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>> Mr. Monte and Mr. Kelly. >> Nice to hear once in a while. So, thank you for that. >> It's tough and you know, no matter which way it goes, not everybody's going to be happy, but we got to do our best to make it work. >> Yep. That's what we always do, right? We're cushioning it. We figure things

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out. We make it happen as best to the best of our ability. Um, and I know I have Mr. McGlin here from the FinCom. So, I I do want to recognize Mr. McGlin from the FINCOM to come in and listen to what the board's comments are over the warrant. Um and thank you Mr. McGlenn

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and all our finance committee members for what they do and their dedication to the towns and the taxpayers of this community. Um again a thankless job but um we all continue to do it. So for that I thank you and all members of the financing

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members >> your guidance. >> So we um you know we're a cushion. We we we can get over anything and solve anything as long as we all stick together. That's the way I look at it. and and just being a cushion, we've always done that. We will always stand together and do what it takes to make

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things happen. >> Um I'm proud of the community. I've always proud been I'm a lifelong resident of this town and I love the town. I love the people of this town and that's why I continue to do what I do for this town is it's my passion, you know, it's what we do. Dedication to the

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community. So um with that said I don't we done with budgets warrants right now and okay and Mr. Long, do you have anything under a uh

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town administrator's report? You >> only thing we open bids today for the council on aging HVAC replacements system which we'll need to take up. I'll discuss with you May 27th if we could award that bid.

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>> Okay. >> To get moving on that project. >> Yeah, absolutely. >> Um if that's okay with the board. uh wanted to speak with you about that before you set the agenda. >> Yes, sir. >> Before it gets super super hot. I think that's a a good call. Get ahead of it.

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>> And that's all I have, Mr. Chairman. >> Okay. So, uh gentlemen, Mr. Hingley, I'll go to you. Select announcements. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um happy early 17 year anniversary to my wife. Um I love you.

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>> A congrats. So sweet. >> Little early. my wife. I never heard you say that to me before and you just did it on camera. That's weird. >> No, sorry. >> Oh, that was your wife. That's right. >> Never mind. >> Um, congratulations. >> Thank you.

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>> Um, >> Mr. Rosendis, >> thank you, Mr. Chair. I spoke with uh Marcus Hendris from the Faven Aush Land Preservation Trust yesterday. There's going to be a river cleanup on July 11th from 8:00 a.m. to 100 p.m. Um, and it's

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not cleaning trash, it's getting in the river and moving debris. Bring loppers, bring hand snips. We're going to go in the river, clean it. Plan is to get the herring all the way up river. So, it's going from Hamlin down towards uh Main

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Street and then Hamlin up towards Welen Lane. That's the two areas that'll be cleaned this >> right now. Um I guess and also the plan is we talked about was eventually having a rubber race a cushion rubber race. Bring that back. >> That'd be awesome

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>> like Matt Poison does. >> So I'm kind of cool. >> I'm in. >> I know we talked about it. >> We did master plan, right? It was so I I commend you taking that fruition right now. So >> yeah, it's awesome. We did have that conversation in the master plan

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committee and um we talked about that. >> That's awesome. So, there's a lot of good discussions going on in the community. I know a lot of people don't know of it, but we'll try to do a better job. If you watch our master plan committee meetings, we've had some great dialogue there about future plans. The

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bicycle committee was here. We talked about complete streets, things of the like um trails and town owned land and things opening up that >> um for recreational activities for the town's people, right? Just a balance of how you do that with people coming in

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because you can't just restrict it to town residents. So, you know, it's a slippery slope. We'll have to balance that out. But we did talk about the cleaning out the rivers and all the debris like Mr. Rosendi's talking about. So, um kudos to you, Mr. Rosenis for getting that going with whoever that is

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from Faven. I appreciate that and I appreciate everybody's effort that they're doing to um to strive to make a Kushna a better place. Right. >> Absolutely. >> So um that's that. Uh I will just say quickly this is this weekend is Memorial

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Day weekend. Um be safe, be conscientious of how you're driving on the roads. um try to on Memorial Day spend some time to um you know honor the fallen. Um to

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all the families that have sacrificed family members um and armed forces, our hearts go out to you. Um just again be safe. I'm always concerned with holidays. Um I know some people like to have parties. I don't know what the weather's going to be like this weekend,

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but um if you do have parties, just be conscientious of what you're doing, especially if you're going to get behind the wheel. Um and if you're going to drive on the roads, just watch what you're doing. We have a lot a lot a lot of people. Um nowadays on bicycles, we do have a lot of individuals on ebikes.

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Um and one more reminder cuz I seen something that I didn't want to see. We did have a bad accident on Sloum Street involving a motorcycle um and and a motor vehicle. This is motorcycle season, ladies and gentlemen. So, please do a good job of just being

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patient when you come to a stop sign or an intersection. Be cognizant of your surroundings because they're not easy to see. Sometimes they're moving fast, they're smaller than a motor vehicle, you cut out, it could be life or death situation. So, just be cognizant about

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the season that we're in. Um, and enjoy the weekend. That's pretty much it for me. I do want to say I got some notifications today about the town of Lakeville. They did three different Proposition 2 and a half overrides.

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Um, one was like for $2.5 million, unanimously voted down. The next one went down to like 2 million bucks, unanimously voted down. The last one was please give us a million bucks unanimously turned down. Templeton Mass

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had an override I think a couple days ago um for an override unanimously turned down. Um we have a revote for Old Colony June 20th. I just want to remind everybody about that revote. Um it's it's coming

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one more time. I don't believe it'll happen a third time, but um I think the people across the Commonwealth are sending governments across the Commonwealth a loud and clear message they can't afford anymore. So, I don't know where we'll end up in the future,

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but you know, I think everybody needs to be cognizant of what's happening across the Commonwealth. Um we are a very high tax state and I, you know, I commend the people that have said we've had enough. We're not giving you any more money. Um it's just that the ask are just too

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much. Um and people just can't afford it anymore. So it is what it is. We'll see how that vote turns out on June 20th. But just a reminder, the old colony revote will take place June 20th. Um it is a Saturday in a cushion being voted. All all five member towns are on

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Saturday and it starts at 10:00 a.m. It ends at 6:00 p.m. So uh make sure you get out and vote. And if you have to, you need to go to town clerk and cast your vote there. um do whatever you need to do, but make sure you get your vote in. Um and that's pretty much it. >> Mr. Chairman, I if I could um jump in

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one more time, you mentioned a Memorial Day reminded me that um this Saturday was Memorial Day ceremony at Pope Park, I believe. I don't recall the time. >> Margaret, you know,

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>> I got something on the front door, isn't Yeah, I got an email to remind my daughter to show up uh to participate cuz she's in the chorus. Um and it just reminded me, but I believe >> according to this the kids are arriving at 9:15, so I say it probably be a small

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ceremony at 9:30. Um I will verify and I will post a social just to make sure. >> Jamie Lyn, you you're saying yeah to what? 9:30. >> Yes, 9:30. >> Is it is it a parade or is it just a ceremony at Veterans Memorial? It's a ceremony. >> It's just a ceremony.

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>> Mr. Fish said, "Um, Veterans Day, we have parades. Memorial Day, we >> just do a ceremony. >> Just do a ceremony." >> I don't know if I'm going to be available Saturday morning for that. Um, I know they talked about if it rains,

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they'll be at the VFW in a cushion. >> Yes. >> For ceremonies at the VFW. So, if it is raining, ladies and gentlemen, on Saturday morning, the ceremony won't be taken at P Park at our Veterans Memorial Park. It'll be moved over to the VFW

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um Roosevelt Street. >> Yes, >> I think >> the VFW and the Christian Roosevelt >> in between Roosevelt and Hope. Either way, you can get there. Hope you >> No, no. Hope Le >> Roosevelt. Roosevelt

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>> Post Office Street and whatever the >> correct one. >> So with no further business, we will be meeting again May 27th. >> Yep. >> Motion to adjourn. >> So moved.

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>> Sec. All those in favor? >> I I Heat. Heat.