Good evening everyone. Welcome to the select board meeting. Today's Tuesday, October 21st, 2025. This meeting hearing of the air select board will be held in person at the location provided on this notice. Members of the public are welcome to attend this in-person meeting. Please note that while an
option for remote attendance andor participation via Zoom is being provided as courtesy to the public, the meeting hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with a particular interest in
a specific item on this agenda should make plans for in-person versus virtual attendance accordingly. This meeting will be live on Zoom and channel 8. The public may access the proceedings by joining Zoom meeting ID 9 number 978-772-8220 or by calling 9292056099.
For additional information about remote participation, please contact Carly Anteneellis, assistant town manager at atmirair.mma. us or 9787728220 extension 100 prior to the meeting. And if I could ask everyone to stand for the
pledge of allegiance. 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.
>> All right. Do I have any changes to the agenda? >> I have none. >> I'll make a motion that the board approve the agenda as presented. >> Seconded. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> And the chair says I. The agenda is approved. Any announcements tonight? Yes, we do. We have town meeting next
week, Monday, October 27th, 700 p.m. Air Shirley Regional High School. And we hope that everyone will attend. All right. Anything else? We got like
three minutes before we can start the public hearing. meeting will be good. >> Um, so if it's okay with you, why don't we do the Sandy Pond School update? >> Okay. >> And then we'll go back to the public
hearing. >> Okay. >> All right. Well, thank you for for inviting me tonight. This is a I think a a good opportunity, a good time for us because we have some things to report. We uh we
have just finished um a year of a number of new activities. Um and uh I've outlined some of those in this report and I'm not going to read the whole report because u I think partly it's it's boring and some of it you probably already know. Um, the point I would just
make is that the schoolhouse, this is Ayer's oldest public building. Um, it is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Uh, and it's about to go on the National Registry of an organization called the uh the Country School Association of America. It's going to be
recognized as when it goes on that list, it recognized as a as a significant a schoolhouse with significant historic and architectural uh properties. Wow. >> So, it's our little schoolhouse. Um, it's been here now for going on almost
160 years. Um, it was originally constructed by the town of Grten in 1868. Uh, and it became part of the Ayer school system in 1871 when Ayer was founded. It was one of two Grten schools that were acquired by Ayer at that time
and it's the only one still standing. And in 1908 after the schoolhouse had closed in 1906. Um and it closed because of transportation issues. Um what happened in 1906? It's a
forgotten part of our history now, but in 1906 there was a street car line that was opened up that ran from Lel to Fitsburg. The L and Fitsburg street car line went right through downtown Ayer. Although if you wanted to go through a through ride from say Lel to Fitsburg,
you would have to get off the train in downtown Ayer, cross the railroad tracks and get on another trolley headed toward his Fitchburg. Um, but it was only in existence for a little over 20 years. Um, in 1906 when it opened, however, it
created the opportunity for students at Sandy Pond School, which is several miles from downtown, to get to downtown without having to walk all the way. Um, and that became the reason that the schoolhouse was closed. Um, and it
enabled the students from Sandy Pond to now attend the newer schools downtown that were organized by grades, which Sandy Pond School was not as a it was your classic neighborhood school. Um, that it's still here today is largely a consequence of the fact that we had some
very far far-minded citizens here in 1908 who decided they wanted to preserve the building because they wanted to use it. They were all families that had either attended the school or had children had attended the school or they had some connection in the neighborhood. They persuaded the board of selectman to
sell the school to them for $1. Um, which the uh which the deed uh authorized them to do uh on the condition that they maintain the schoolhouse um thereafter. And they have done that. Sandy Pond School Association is now 117 years old. I think we're one
of the older uh organizations in town. Um and we have managed to maintain the school during this time. However, umund 100 plus years is a long time even for a sturdy little school building and things
changed for the schoolhouse by the really into the 2010s. By 2014, it was very clear we had some serious problems in the building. Um and those uh and and and our association set out basically to try to fix those things. Um we've done a
number of things. We had this vision um that we said within the next uh 5 years Sandy Pond Schoolhouse will be professionally restored, structurally sound, and sustainably funded. It'll be open to the public on a regular basis. It will be available to local school classes and students for historic
instruction and entertainment and enrichment and recognized as a valued historical and cultural resource. Um, at the time we set that plan out, we thought we could finish it in 5 years. It took 10. Um, we had we had some interruptions. Uh, CO set us back for
about two years. Um, and then we had an unexpected u uh discovery that we had a a title issue, a technical t issue on the on the ownership of the building. Um, and that took a year and $10,000 um and a lot of effort uh to resolve
that. And one of the things that helped put us over the brink was the wonderful letter from the board of selectman to the land court which testified to the fact that the in in the opinion of the town the property properly belonged to the school and the land court accepted that and the other evidence was
presented and lo and behold the title problem went away. However, it cost us um it cost us at the time um a $50,000 grant that we had received from the Mass Historic Society, but we lost it. had to give it up because of because of that title problem. So we proceeded with the
other uh proceeds that we had which have enabled us to get to where we are now. And where we are now basically is we have a building that this building is not going to fall down on you. This is going to be around when it was built in 1868. I'm sure nobody was thinking about
what it would be like in 150 years. The shape this building would be the all the buildings that have been on that site since before and there were four. This is the fourth of school building on this site. The others had all lasted 20 or 30 years and they had, you know, rotted or burned down. They're all wood. They were
all smaller. And so, no one, I think, was thinking 150 years. But lo and behold, because of this fortuitous change, um, and the ownership taking being taken over by this group of local volunteers, the Sandy Pond School Association, who had a vested interest
in maintaining it so that they could use it. Um, the building has been preserved. Um, and and it was used. It really was a very important little structure in the community for a long time. It was a place where things happened. The Little Red Schoolhouse, uh, there were concerts there. There were there were lectures
there. Um, there were book groups that met there, there was at least one art auction, there were dinner dances. It was from the period when the association took it over in 1908 and particularly from about 1910 on uh, on into the 50s and very early 60s, there was always
something going on at the schoolhouse. by 2014 which is when we got wrote this vision. However, things had had changed. One thing was that most of the all of the members the original members of the association were gone. Um there were many fewer people who were familiar with
the school and the building had inevitably suffered the ravages of time. Um in 2014 we had a ceiling that was in the process of coming down. Um we had uh a wall of the south wall in the building that was in the process of very slowly
um coming down. Um just needed a lot of work. Um so that's when the board went to work and we and and we were able to proceed with a lot of help from the town um and the community generally. Um the main thing that we needed initially was
a plan and we came up with that. We uh we brought in uh a really good team from an outfit called at that time Spencer Sullivan invoked it's now called Spencer Preservation Associates who went over the building with a fine tooth comb architecturally, engineering wise,
historically wise came up with a list of things that needed to be fixed and they broke them into two categories. One was a category they called emergencies and the second category was not emergencies. Um, we were able to do almost all of those things. Um, not
quite all of them, partly because we lost that that grant from the Mass Historic Society. Um, but the result now is you got a building where the foundation has been fixed, the masonry has been fixed, there's a new ceiling, uh, which is architecturally consistent
with what the original ceiling would have been. It has, most important, a new roof. Um, it's a wood roof because that was what the national standards called for and that's what the building would have originally had. All of the windows, the very large fine multi-pane windows
were taken out hand and and hand restored by first taking all the glazing out, repairing the frames, reglazing the frames, and then painting uh and and and and putting them back in the window in the appropriate window. Um, so the
building's not going to fall down now. It could last another 150 years, which means it's an opportunity now to sort of think about what we would like the building to be um in in in the future. We have started to do uh some of
our some of the goals that we set out to do. Um uh we this year had more open houses. We had six this year. We really want to have even more than that in the future, but that's what we're able to manage at this time. Um, we had our
first, and this is really important, we had our first uh, elementary school student visit day on May 2nd. We had 57 fourth graders. Very lively, very excited kids going through the school. And by the way, the number one most
popular exhibit in the schoolhouse is the remnants of the outhouse. We had we had to break them up into groups of four and give each of them three minutes. >> Only to a kid an outhouse would be a fun game.
>> If you stop to think about it, it's probably not something they're really familiar with. >> So, we're able to do that. Um, and we uh and we have now had the first of several meetings of community groups. We've had a book group meeting that came in here
uh two weeks ago. Um starting to make more use of making it making the building available for those kind of uses. Um we have a very important recent project um that really adds a lot of uh information to the to the history of schoolhouse. It's basically the stories
of the 27 teachers who taught at Sandy Pond School between 1868 and 1906. Um, it was done by an extremely energetic and competent high school senior, Vanessa Abbott, uh, who did this
project as a Girl Scout uh, gold project, but has been able we've been able to turn that into two sets of slideshows. One that we are able to present in the in the schoolhouse uh, when people come and visit it. It's a shortened version and we've been able to take the second
longer and fuller one and convert it into a video which now runs about 9 minutes. It's it's 53 slides um with music um and it is wonderfully done. She did just a terrific job. She visited she researched the lives of these 27 people
and for all but a handful of them they got their birth dates, their birth locations, the places they had lived and where they were buried and she visited many of the cemeteries. >> Wow. and she went to the various towns where they had lived. They came from all over. Uh a large number of them came
from the immediate area, but they came some came from some distance away, Vermont. Um there's one from my hometown, Foxboro. Um and uh and it's just a terrific job. Um and we've recently added that. It's now available on the website. Um we actually have three online videos on the website now,
which gives people access to the building when they can't physically uh be there. Um so, um we did that. We had the student the student uh visit which was really something we'd wanted to do from the beginning. That was one of our major objectives and one of our goals now is to turn that into an annual
event. we would like to do that and there's some challenges that mainly financial um but all in all it's the we've made a lot of progress and I should I should add that this progress is only possible because of the support
we received from the community and from the town because uh it cost $1,200 to build Sandy Pond Schoolhouse in 1868. the restoration work that we did on it since 2014 cost over $300,000. >> Wow.
>> And and that required um uh we kicked off with a with a small $5,000 grant from the from the board from the then select board to help us fund the putting the building on the national register. We had to hire a consultant for that and it took actually two years to actually
get the paperwork together and approved uh at the federal level. Um but that grant got us started. We had some money to put towards that. We didn't have the whole sum. And then we got the the additional monies were for what's called a conditions report and then two phases of the construction work which was
interrupted because of CO and a couple of other things. So we are where we are. Um we have a building now that's not going to fall down that can be used for for the for cons more purposes already than it's already being used for. I think we can,
I hope, ultimately become uh something closer to what it was from say 1910 to 1950 or so where things were going on there. Um it could be a an important part of the community. Um but um that raises the question of where we might go
from here. And the last page of my report, that's the part I actually want to focus on because this is what what we see as the possibilities. Um where might we go from here? Good question and a challenging one. As Yogi Barrow once said, "It's tough to make predictions, especially about the
future." >> And so with Yogi's advice in mind, here's a list of not predictions, but possibilities. Um, possibility number one, making the building accessible year round. That's one of the things we didn't get accomplished, partly because of the loss
of the Mass Grant. Um, in order to do that, we essentially have to put some kind of heat in the building. The building was heated originally. It was used year round originally. The original source of heat is a wood stove, which by the way was a modern thing at the time compared to a fireplace which would have
been in the preceding buildings. Um, and that stove that stove actually is of some historic interest. Um, and it could actually be made to work, but having a working wood stove in a historic building strikes me as an accident
waiting to happen. So, so we're not planning to do that. We have begun to look at at the options and the most likely option appears to be putting in a mini split heat pump system. Uh that would probably be one or two of those. The estimated cost is maybe $30 to
$40,000. We have not gone out and gotten quotes uh and have not moved ahead on trying to fund that, but it seems the most likely way to go in order to be able to use the building year round. Um it's surprisingly comfortable despiteing the fact that it's completely
uninsulated. um doesn't meet any of the modern standard, you know, energy standards. Um but it it actually is relatively warm even in cold weather and it doesn't get as hot as it might in in in hot weather partly because there's great cross ventilation.
Um so we think it's a property that if made accessible year round, it could be used for more activities during the during the the cooling season. We could have holiday events there, for example, which we really can't now. Um, another possibility that we hope actually is on
its way to become a reality is having annual elementary school visits to the schoolhouse. Um, this is a program that we have wanted to get underway from the beginning when we started in 2014 and we had the first go at it this year. Um, we've got good cooperation from the
school district. Um, the school faculty and and and administration was entirely in favor of this project and they and they and they helped out. I'm going to get rid of this. And and they helped us even with the transportation. The transportation is
the main problem. And it's a little unclear how much that actually is going to cost. But things have changed since I was in elementary school when the school districts owned their own buses and and the the bus drivers were employees of the school district. Now we have a contract with an outside service. and
and and a field trip to the schoolhouse, even though it's a short field trip, requires the payment of the bus company's transportation fee. As we discovered this spring, it those can be very steep. Um so what we would like to see if we can't ultimately make that an
annual program where each uh um third grade class would come to the school for a session, a field trip of a day, maybe a 4-hour session where they'd have an opportunity to actually sit in the classroom, get some instruction that would be similar to what they would have experienced uh when it was a single room
schoolhouse and and spend time there. Um and there are other school districts in the area that have such programs. One is in Needm, another one is down in North Attboro. Um it's something we would really like to be able to do. Um and we need to work out basically the funding for the transportation is the big issue
there. Um we would like generally to have the building be seen as a place that people could have community events. We want to make them aware that this building is available for those purposes. I mean it has some limitations. I mean, number one, it's it's it's not we can't use it
in in cold weather now. And it has a limited capacity. It can accommodate, I would say, 35 people comfortably. We've had 40 in there on one occasion, and that was a little crowded. I wound up having to stand up. So,
so it's about a 35 seat uh capacity facility with a certain flexibility in the floor space and a really interesting one where you could do a variety of things. You could have a variety of musical programs. Um you could have lectures. Um we're going to be trying to
find ways to uh get some of those rolling. Those don't necessarily need so much money as they need effort. Um and and mostly on our part. Um the building has a collection. Um it's really, you know, it is a schoolhouse.
Um and and and that's what it stands for and stands as. But we actually have a collection of things now that have been accumulated over the 17 years of the of the building's ownership by the association. Um some of which have some
historic value. We have for example a square grand piano that was built in 1910. Went into the building in 1910. It's currently dimly playable. Um, but it could be restored. There are there are people
that do restore such things and there's some in the area and we and with that in place, you might be able to replicate the oldfashioned dinner dance that that the schoolhouse that was schoolhouse became famous for in its in its heyday. Um, so that's one of the thing we could
restore. We have a what turns out to be a fairly valuable violin. Uh, I was unaware that it was valuable. It's valuable. Um and uh it actually belongs to a family came from a family that is wellknown in conquered and a number of whose uh artifacts are in the conquered
museum that too could be restored. We haven't looked into the prices on either of these. We have books. We have a collection of almost 40 old textbooks. These are 19th century textbooks, most of them. They're not in very good condition. You couldn't in their current
condition. you could not really put them out so people could play with them because they're just too fragile. Um, however, a number of them could be digitized um and uh and could be uh and then could be made available in in some kind of a you know a screen display and
and others could be exhibited without being accessible. There's documents and in a variety of other things uh and and we are beginning to look into that. There's the uh Northeast Document Conservation Center up in Andover is
willing to look at the books for free if we take the books to them. If they if we if they have to come to us, they want to charge about $8,000 to look at them. So, we're going to take them to the books to them. Uh it would then cost there would be money involved in the any kind of
preservation restoration work, but that's another possibility. And ultimately, there could be a nice collection of materials. we've already got uh the the better more relevant sets of photographs already up on the on the walls and they're a nice display. And and finally, the most ambitious kind of
longer term this I think this is a longer term project is you got the ingredients here. You've got a parcel of land that's not really large. It's about a third of an acre. Um and you've got but but it's open and it's and it and it's available. You've got a historic structure that is a lively place. We
think going to be increasingly lively. you now have a pocket forest um and you have space that could be used and I would require this require people who know more than I do about the legalities of it all but I think it isn't it is possible to envision imagine an arrangement in which the space
becomes open space um and that can be used be accessible to the town residents all the time um and the building would be open when the building is open the pocket forest can be visited anytime time. Other things might be put up. I don't know. Maybe
there'd be a play area for children. I don't know. That's a possibility. Um the big the big expense involved would be the creation of a parking lot. Right now we that's one of the properties issues is it doesn't really have good parking. If we have a big event with people spin
up on the on the street or down at the at the church down the down the road. Um that could be partly solved. DPW has done a quick and take on the on the property and they have advised us that in theory one could get up to 26 parking
spaces on the site. Um that's probably more than we would need or want. Um and we haven't even begun to think about the cost of how that might happen, but I think long term that could make this piece of property more valuable to the community. It'd be usable by almost everybody.
And that's sort of, you know, the the take where we are now is we've we've made progress. Um there are more things that can be done and uh and we're going to kind of try to work our way towards it. >> You guys have done some wonderful things
to that place. You really have. It's a And if anyone hasn't visited, it's a delightful little building. So you should go visit it. So you guys have any questions? >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Well, thank you very much. I always say it's it's it's a really fun thing to be
in that building when people come through it. I've never seen anybody leave who wasn't smiling. Really? >> Thank you. Keep us posted. >> All right. I will. >> Thank you. >> All right. Public hearing time. >> Sorry, we can't start early.
>> All right. >> So, you want to read the notice? >> Yes. Air notice of public hearing for the air select board. The Air Select Board will conduct an in-person and remote public hearing on Tuesday, October 21st, 2025 at 6:05 p.m. regarding an application for change of
stock interest of Paige Moore Cafe Incorporated doing business as Billiard's Cafe and existing general law chapter 138 section 12 general on premise all alcoholic beverage lency
located at 39 Main Street Air Mass 01432 for Zoom call and information please contact atmair.mma us or 978-7728 8220 extension 100.
Name of applicant C. Jonathan Moore. Paige Moore Cafe Incorporated. Doing business as Billyard's Cafe, 39 Main Street, Suite 204 Air, Massachusetts, 01432. Date of public hearing, Tuesday, October 21st, 2025.
Time of public hearing, 6:05 p.m. Location of public hearing, Air Town Hall, 1 Main Street, Air Mass, 01432. and remote participation meeting held on Zoom. Zoom ID number 978-7728220. >> All right.
Want to come up? >> Sure. A good history lesson there. >> It was interesting though, wasn't it? >> Yeah. >> It's a nice little building though. All right. If you could just say your name for the record, please. >> I see. Jonathan Moore. >> Thank you. All right. So, what are we
doing here for this? So where the the original ownership in liquor license was transferred um from my father when he passed to his estate. So now the estates been dealt with the ownership of Paige
Moore and Billyards is being transferred to me along with the liquor license that runs with the Billyards Cafe. >> Okay. All right. Sounds pretty straightforward. >> Yeah. And excuse me, Madam Chair. Uh all departments reviewed the application.
There's no issues. So we're recommending uh approval. >> Okay. Anybody have any questions? >> No. Okay. >> Comments? >> Nobody seems to seems pretty straightforward. >> Yeah. >> All right then.
Um then I will make a motion to accept this application uh for change of stock interest in PageMore Cafe Incorporated. >> Second. >> All those in favor? >> I >> I chair says I. Congratulations. >> Thank you. Have a great night everyone.
>> Thank you. >> You too. Thank you for your patience. >> No problem. >> All right. So now that we have people online, anybody here for public input? Close. >> Make a motion to sorry >> close the public hearing. Uh
>> second. >> All those in favor? >> I I >> chair says I. Public hearing is closed. Okay. Anybody here for public input? All right then. All right. So now we have uh Dan
Vanawwick's not here tonight. We have Kimberly in his place. Come on down. >> Hello. Good evening. >> Good evening. >> I have two quick items. Uh the first is the extension of a contract, a cleaning
and inspection of sewer and storm drains. Um Truax has the contract and their it's their one-year contract is due to expire. when we signed the contract or or created the the contract, it had a two-year additional extensions
and so we're asking for the one-year extension. >> Sounds straightforward. Anybody have any questions? >> No questions. >> Make a motion that the board vote um approve amendment number one for extending the cleaning and inspection of sewers and
storm drains for one additional year for signature by the board. I by the chair seconded. >> All those in favor? >> I >> I. The chair says I. >> Great. Thank you. The second is a change order for the Grove Pond water treatment
plant PAS system improvement project. Um this change order includes some changes to the pump station interior piping. Um additional work and materials that were needed to address unsuitable materials found while excavating for the tank
foundation. and a change in manufacturer for the new facility generator from Generrack to CAT. Um it is worth noting that um the project is funded through the US Army grant and there is still
money available in the contingency fund and also the change order extends the um final payment by 154 days. >> Any questions? >> No. No, I have not. I'll make a motion that the board approve change order
number two for the Grove Pond water treatment um facilities PAS system improvements project in the amount of $147,000 $147,28344 and to extend the final completion date
by 154 calendar days for signature by the chair. >> Seconded. >> All those in favor? >> I chair says I. All right. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Thank you.
>> All right. Next up. >> Thank you. Have a nice night. >> All right. Next up, Robert. >> Madam Chair, members of the select board, uh, good evening. Um, in the interest of time and I know of eight items, I'll get right to the items, but at the conclusion of my report, if
there's any questions from the board on any administrative or personnel matters, be happy to answer any questions that the board has. You have in your packet the warrants that were reviewed and approved since the board last met on October 7th. Uh, the first item is have
one appointment. I'm respectfully recommending that the select board vote to appoint Mr. Bradford N. Chandler of heir to the capital planning committee for a three-year term to expire on June 30th, 2028. I just note this will begin
the new staggering of terms process for this committee. Uh select member Livingston had pointed out that all of them had been appointed at the same time. So now the best way will start with the staggering system. There are still two vacancies um that we're
looking to fill. said, "Well, that didn't make sense to me." You said that all the capital had been appointed at the same time. >> Yeah. No, the terms were all I'm sorry, not all the terms were expiring at the same. >> Okay. Thank you. >> So, this will we'll start the staggering
system. So, just um a side point. Um Mr. Bradford uh extends his ap Mr. Chandler, excuse me, extend extends his apologies to the board as he was planning to appear before you tonight, but he had a previous work um commitment. I did speak
with him on the phone um yesterday. He's very excited and and enthusiastic as you can see from his resume. He has a financial background. So, he's interested in in the capital and learning more about the capital budget
process and so forth. So, um I would recommend uh him for appointment by the board to expire. The term would expire June 30th of 2028. >> All right. First of all, I just want to say thank you to him for
>> for applying. All right. Any questions, comments? >> His resume looks good. >> Yep. >> Uh I'll make a motion to appoint Mr. Bradford N. Chandler of heir to the capital planning committee for a three-year term to expire on June 30th, 2028.
>> Seconded. >> All those in favor? >> I >> I chair says I. Congratulations to Mr. Chandler. >> Two more businesses. >> Yes, there are there are two more >> two more on capital planning. Um the next item is uh there we're
recommending that the select board vote to accept a gift in the amount of $100 uh to the Air Council on Aging and Senior Center um for the building project. Uh this gift uh comes from uh the Brooks family. Specifically, as the
board has in the packet, Linda Brooks and members of her family, the board will recall, reached out to the board and myself and the DPW director some time ago about some conditions at the Woodlon Cemetery with some of the roads and pathways. I I do want to thank the
DPW director, Dan Van Shawwick, and his team at DPW for making those um needed improvements. And the gift is an expression of that gratitude. So as the board is aware, any uh gift of this nature requires a vote of the board.
>> Question. >> No. >> Make a motion that the board approve the donation to the air council on aging/ senior center um as presented. >> Seconded.
>> All those in favor? I >> I chair says I. We want to thank Miss Linda Brooks and her family um for their donation. It's greatly appreciated. >> Yep. Very much so.
The next item uh to the board is I'm uh respectfully um requesting that in accordance with the town's funding plan for the senior center building project uh that the select board uh vote to authorize $1 million from the town's
urban development action grant UDAG for the senior center building project subject to the approval of the project by town meeting and the debt exclusion ballot with said UDAG funds to replenished with free cash at future
town meetings. And so, as was discussed starting in in January, um the town's funding plan for this project, one of our goals is to minimize the impact um to the taxpayer. And what was proposed
subject to town meeting was a consideration of of $2 million from capital stabilization and a million from UDAG which is under the select board which requires a vote of the of the select board. It's designed the intent
of both of these um is designed to reduce that impact. And as you'll see on the the four the fourth bullet um in the packet um if the the town would save an estimated $661,195 in interest costs over the 25 year life
of the borrow if we didn't use this million. Um that would be one of the cost impacts in terms of year one of the borrow. Uh the the savings is estimated at 66,478 and that should say the principal and
interest costs. I I know it says interest cost, but the principal and interest costs estimated savings in year one. And by using the $1 million in UDAG funds, the estimated savings on the average residential tax bill, the
average residential tax bill being 550,000 would be $16.50. So if we had to uh borrow the million dollar, the impact uh would be the $1650. So that is sort of the return on um the
investment. There's currently a balance of three, just over 3.1 million in the UDAG. A million of that is set aside for the IDFA loan program and a portion for the Office of Community and Economic Development. Therefore, there's a
balance of just over 2.1 million that's available. And then the fifth bullet as far as the replenishment, as the board knows, the U all of the UDAG commitments are subject to replenishment through the town's uh free cash. And I want to thank
the finance manager for her work on this. A couple of scenarios. I would say that the most conservative scenario would be $100,000 at each annual town meeting from free cash. It would take 10 years to replenish it. We did put together a
second scenario uh which accelerates that about 250 250,000 each year it would be paid off in uh four years and it could be any combination depending on the the free cash and then I put in the
packet the history of the town's free cash uh last year was over the last 10 years last year's was the highest at 3.2 2 million and you can see the 10-year free cash average is just over 1 uh7 million. We are waiting from the
department of revenue to certify um and once we know what the number is for FY uh 26, we will inform the board with the FINOM. So, I appreciate the board's consideration on uh this recommendation.
>> Okay. Hold on, Paulie. Anybody do you either one of you have any questions before I go to Pauline? >> No. >> Okay. Pauline, >> thank you, Madam Chair. Just a couple of
thoughts. Um, we do not know yet what the actual precash will be for this current fiscal year. So, I appreciate that we can apply it to the senior center, but I I guess I'm a
little styied by some of the things. And Mr. Mr. Pompe, I'm sorry. Just what you just said. We And I I can't articulate what I'm thinking because I just heard what you said and now I'm trying to process it.
But I think I think we need to be more open with the taxpayers. This is all taxpayer money and we're being told that it's not going to impact our taxes, which of course it will. So maybe I I'm
sorry I'm not as eloquent as I usually am, but maybe I'll just send you something, but I want you to all think about this before the 27th because we really need to look at this carefully and and UDAG is a
replenishment and that's just tax money that from the future that is being used to replenish UDAG and I don't think the regular voters understand that. So, I'll just stop because I think that's enough,
right? I'm so sorry. >> So, I think I I think I understand what you're trying to say. Um, and I think but I think we've also have been upfront as far as you know making sure that everyone knows that as far as the senior
center what that impact is to their wallet also what got voted on at like Springtown meeting and how that affects their wallet. So everything um affects the wallet. So I I but I think we we have been um unfortunately there
probably are some people that don't understand that. Um we're an open town meeting. We're one of the few and still left in democracy and I don't think people understand that that means that they can show up and vote speak. Um
we're not a representative. Um and I think it's pretty well known as far as the UDAG that we do replenish it because we have done it over the years. And I think that the plan that we have right now, um, we can do a 10-year replenishment, but we can also when we
have a good year, um, do it a little bit higher. Um, and I think also at Falltown meeting, everything will come out because everybody will get to ask a question and they're going to be able to decide for themselves. So, I just I do
think we are being upfront. Yes. >> Just one more comment. I don't I'm not suggesting the board of selectment is not being upfront, but the the comments I'm hearing from people I know in town and residents,
there are other elected officials telling other appointed officials they need to vote for things and that's wrong. Everybody should be able to make their own decisions and I'm not so certain that even business community
understands the impact to their tax rate because that has not been presented. I've asked it I don't know a couple of meetings ago. I understand the residential tax impact but that's a one-year impact. What changes in the
following year is the value of the property and the tax rate. So to say that somebody's average, let me rephrase that. To say that the average impact on anybody's tax rate is $143
is disingenuous. Somebody might be $225. I might be $180 $89. I don't even know how to calculate what the impact is to me and that has not been presented and I think that's unfair to the tax the residential and
commercial taxpayers. Well, as you know we have including years ago we've always said there's an average and that's the best way we can present things. What I am going to say is this is to anybody that's listening
is that show up at open town meeting. You have a constitutional right to vote for who you want. Vote for how you want and don't let anyone tell you what you have to do. Okay? So that is up on the
individual who shows up at town meeting and votes however way they want to after they've heard the information. The important thing is to show up and hear the information. And then they go into a ballot. They go into a ballot >> where no one is standing next to them
unless they requested somebody to stand next to them and they get to vote for how they want. So that there's no one can tell you you have to vote in a certain way. >> But just to to just to kind of go a
little bit further, that's sometimes just how people say things. but it doesn't mean that they have to do it. Um, as far as the businesses, unfortunately, the businesses don't get to vote unless they're here in town, and that's the way it is all the time. But I
feel very confident that the information that needs to get put out is out there, is continuing to be put out, will be put out at Falltown meeting, and that people will get to ask their questions. And I want to remind everybody you have the right to ask a
question. Okay. So I want everyone to feel comfortable with the fact that you can come into town meeting, raise your hand, ask your question. Will there maybe be an Well, hold on.
Will there maybe be an argument? Yes, sometimes there is. And you know what? Embrace it because that's how things work. And that's how sometimes a better question, the question gets answered better because there's always somebody who's going to
be missing an answer uh with their when when they answer a question. So that helps with the conversation. And I really really encourage everyone to show up for town meeting and vote.
Vote for how you feel, but vote. and show up at the ballot on November 4th and vote. Do not let these opportunities pass you by. So, I encourage that and I encourage everyone to continue to get
the information out and to find the information and to ask their questions because that's how this works. And when you really embrace it, it's a wonderful thing. So, I think we're in very good shape. Madam Chair, I totally agree with all
you said and I thank you for what you have said. I just wish there were like 7,500 other people listening in tonight, which there are not, but I thank you for your position and I hope the same.
>> Thank you. Anything else? >> No. >> No. >> Okay. >> I agree with everything you've said. Um, you know, we've had multiple uh public meetings with the COA. I've asked plenty of questions of them. They've answered. We put the information
out there. Um, and you know, they had a um a public forum last week that I heard, you know, 15 people showed up. So, the information is trying to be put out there. at this point, you know,
people have to be willing to listen and as Madame Chair spoke very well, they have to now show up and and put in the work. You know, being a citizen of a democracy is work and you you do have to
give up your time and some effort to participate. So, that's all I'm going to say. >> Nope. >> All right. >> With that, to the original question um about the U deck. I think we have a good
uh replenishment. I I hope to, you know, whenever possible, we try to put a little bit more because just >> that just it annoys me. A 10-year replenishment just I find annoying. >> So, but the good thing is we don't have
to commit to >> That's right. That's right. So, you know, if we if we're in good shape, we'll put a little bit more. Otherwise, we know that at least $100,000 will get repaid. It's always subject to town meeting. Um, so, you know, town meeting can always say no that year. Um, so, but
>> yeah. >> All right. Are we ready? >> I think so. >> Okay. Then I'd like to make a motion that the select board approve authorize $1 million from the town's urban development action grant for the senior center building project subject to the
approval of the project by town meeting and the debt exclusion ballot with said DAG funds to be replenished with free cash at future town meetings. >> A second. >> All those in favor? >> I. And the chair says I. All right. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. That's That's one piece of the battle. >> That might have been the easy part of the battle. So, >> all right, back to you, Robert. >> All right, Madam Chair, number five. So, just briefly on the fall special uh town
meeting um update. Uh the warrant was uh officially uh posted uh last Friday, October 10th, after the board had approved it um at your meeting prior to that. It's been posted to all of the physical locations um in town as well as
the town's um website. Uh it has been sent to print and I know that the printed copies came today. So that means it's in the mail and it should be landing um pro probably it should be landing tomorrow to all of the households in advance of town meeting. We're also started as we do every year
the articles of the day uh which we'll be featuring in this case it's 10 articles so two a day which provides some additional um information uh to voters. Uh we have all of the signs up through the town clerk's office for both
the town meeting um and the special uh election. So I think you said it best, Madam Chair. The most important thing is um for people um to come and to participate. Um the only other thing I just want to add on on for the town
meeting um and it it comes up to some of the points that were made previously with respect to article 10 which is the senior center project in in the the plan for that evening is um there'll be a very detailed uh presentation. Um I
spoke with the moderator about this. It will follow a similar format that the board is probably aware of. I know selectment of viruses that we did for capital and fincom. The first part will be about the actual will be about the project um and the process of that
project that'll be done by the chair of the building committee and and the building committee that piece. And then the second part of the presentation will be the um town's proposed funding plan, the financial analysis, um the tax
impact um which will be uh the f finance manager and myself. And I do want to stress that we will go through the UDAG piece for town meeting. We'll go through the capital uh stabilization piece, the borrow piece. Um, so our goal is it's an
efficient presentation, but I I believe it's designed uh to provide a a strong framework um for all of uh for an informed decision from the voters. Um so again, I want to stress if there are any
questions um about the project, there is a specific website about the project aspects. We have all of the information um on the town's um website from the finance committee which met on uh September 10th in which there was almost
a 2-hour presentation in which we specifically spelt out not only how the average impact was calculated but also the total impact to the residents um with their upcoming um bill. We'll go through that in a more briefer version
at town meeting. We will also um per the board and talking with Barbara have the impact an estimated um business impact as that question has come up. So in the meantime just a call out to anybody that's listening or voters if you have any questions or need any information
please let my office know specifically about the funding pieces and the director of the senior center specifically about the building or you can contact my office if there's questions on the building. So, I think we're in good shape uh for Monday the 27th.
Um just in the interest of time, uh number six, just briefly, the FY27 um budget update. We have just started uh that process as the board is aware. I appreciate the board approving the budget calendar which is on the website
which has been sent to the FINOM that has all of the major dates. I just wanted to highlight um a couple of the key dates which are in the um in the packet that all of the capital requests are due to capital planning by October
31st is the deadline after we receive all of them. Uh selectman Tavvaris and the committee will be looking to schedule the first meeting um in November to start that process. The budget directive will be issued on December 1st and um with all initial
budgets due by December 29th and I will be coming back to the board to talk about um sort of some thoughts and plans we have on that directive as far as um preparing budgets. The tax classification public hearing will take
on take place on Tuesday, November 18th as part of the select board meeting. uh the assessor and the board of assessors will be here and also um that evening the public hearing for the transfer station rates will take place on November 18th as part of the select
board meeting. So uh a big um big night on the 18th. Um we are uh I don't want to get into um all of the details just yet as we're in the beginning of the process, but speaking and looking at the FY27
omnibus budget, um there are some initial uh trends uh of concern that we're starting to monitor. Many of them are not unique to air and I think everybody is experiencing. Um, one of
the areas is concern as to what the health insurance increase is going to be for FY27. We've we do not have a confirmed number yet. Um, but not just air, but many are hearing um potentially a 20% increase on
July 1 of 2026. But we need to a get all of the information, b um our health insurance account. We do have some reserves u to look at that. the other one that would just I mean the issue of inflation and these tariffs and the
federal grants um and the status of federal grants and I'm not in any way trying to make a political statement but it's just a a reality in talking with the schools there's concern about some of these federal grants either being frozen or not released and um also just
this issue with the shutdown of the it's just a volatile time. The good news is thanks to everybody's efforts in air um that we are in a strong fiscal position. We have excellent um reserves and we're always proactive on this. So I will be
back uh with some more information as we get more information about the budget uh directive and as we look uh to FY27. Um in the packet uh per the select board's uh discussion at your last meeting as uh
selectman Livingston had brought up is a draft letter um to mass development which is an invitation in request uh for mass development to return to the Devon's jurisdictional framework committee as an active um stakeholder.
Uh this would be subject to approval by the board and signature by the board. Um it stresses in the interest of time stresses the major reasons and importance for mass development uh to be back at the table. Um talks about some
of the new changes uh in the sense that the framework committee will be meeting quarterly. AIR is pretty much covering all of the administrative support. So I think uh Selectman Livingston said it best at the last framework committee meeting. We just need mass development back at the table. They don't have to I
don't want to say they it's going to sound flipped. they don't have to do anything, but we need them back at the table. So, I don't know if there's any edits or questions from members of the board, but we'd be ultimately looking for your approval and signature, and we'll get that letter off.
>> So, as the letter stated, they formally pulled out >> in 23, but they were starting to pull away prior to that. I mean, I I didn't get a chance to check the meeting minutes as to when they stopped kind of attending. Um, so it was, you know, but
I do think a some of it had to do with they happened to be doing a lot of the administrative work at the time and uh that's one of that's one of the reasons that we're pretty confident as to why they pulled away. Um, but as the letter states, it's
never been really said. You know, like like we're not asking for a lot. you know, if they can only show up at 15 minutes for a meeting, you know, we'll take the 15 minutes. So, >> there's just a couple of typo things.
>> Okay, we can >> I got a couple >> spell surely wrong again. >> Yeah, she seen um >> Oh, she fixed it. >> My sincere apologies. >> Everyone does it. >> No offense. >> In the second paragraph, Yeah. where it
says um effort with the assistance of professional consultants whereby a study and join report. Should it be joint report? >> Got it. Yep. >> You did spell Shirley wrong. >> And then um I'm curious. >> And don't call me Shirley. >> Oh, I did.
>> Oh, that's like a thing with you right now. >> Oh, yeah. >> No offense to Shirley. They're good neighbors, but yes, >> that's the second time. Yes. Um and then just the withdrew participating if it doesn't sound correct. Okay. It
should be withdrew participation or >> ceased participating. >> Got it. Where it says >> uh and for reasons that remain unclear withdrew from participating in the DGR
earlier. Okay. >> And then um there was There was a little a >> and then there was another one. >> I feel bad. He had me look this over. I looked it over for content, not for >> Yeah.
>> for any admin stuff. I'm like, "Wow, I feel bad." >> Ready eyes. Oh. Um, in bullet point number two under recent developments >> where it says um
>> date of 2033 necessitate that all key stakeholders actively participate in collaborative and collaborate should be in collaborate not collaborative. >> Got it. >> Yeah. >> And I think that's it.
So, um, >> if you saw what I was like in English class in high school, I was dumb. >> Would you guys be amendable if we make the changes tomorrow and then use the stamps just so we can get it out quicker? Does that work for >> No issue.
>> Okay, great. Do we need to do another vote on the because we already voted. >> Yeah, if the board's fine, we'll make those edits. Apologies on the the name >> from my whole life. >> Similar with Pomperand, but yeah. >> Oh, yeah. I'm sure you get the same. And
then um the last item, Madame Chair, of as the board is aware, the special election for the debt exclusion ballot for the senior center project will take place on uh Tuesday, November 4th, 2025 with polls open from 12:00 p.m. noon to
8:00 p.m. at town hall. And in accordance with the Secretary of State's guidance, there should be no public meetings in a polling place during the election. This would normally be your first meeting uh for November. Your
second meeting is November 18th. So obviously board will not be able to meet on November 4th. So the question is uh how would the board like to proceed? >> Is there time available on Wednesday the 5th? Is the room available? I think the
somebody is in at 6. >> Uh the CPC is at 7, but they're just on Zoom. So, this room would be available at 6 on the on the 5th. >> Okay. Are you available on the 5th? >> And it's available Monday to the 3.
>> Or do you want to do Monday the 3rd? >> No. >> Oh, then Wednesday. Sounds good. >> Okay. So, Wednesday at 6. >> Perfect. >> November 5th at 6. You don't see anything else on your calendar? >> That's what I'm just checking. What's the date? The 6th.
>> November 5th. >> At what time? >> At 6. No, I think we're good. Sorry. Yeah. >> Was it Guy Fox day? Does anyone celebrate? >> Yes. So, November 5th at 6. >> Okay. Madame Chair, members of the board, that
concludes my report unless there's any questions from the board. Thank you. All right. All right. Nobody had submitted anything for new business. Select board member questions. Anything? >> I have none. >> Nope. I have nothing. So, with that, we'll move to meeting minutes from
October 7th. >> I didn't I didn't see anything jump out at me. >> No. >> So, I didn't see anything. >> We make a motion that the board approve the meeting minutes from October 7th, 2025 as presented. >> Seconded. All those in favor? >> I.
>> And the chair says I. Meeting minutes are approved. And as a final reminder, I'd like everybody that possibly show up on October 27th, 700 p.m. at the Air Shirley Regional High School for the Falltown meeting and listen to the presentation and vote. And then show up
on November 4th. The polls will be open from 12 to 8:00 PM and vote for the that's for the debt ex exclusion on the uh senior center. Um show up and vote. All right. And if there's nothing else,
>> make a motion to adjurnn. Seconded. >> All those in favor? >> I I chair says I we are ajourned. Good night everyone.