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Yeah, I'll get a copy for you. I asked you to get you a copy. >> Been open at 6:00. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the stands. One

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nation under God with liberty justice for all. >> Nice job on the mark. >> That's a way to go again. >> Thank you though. I appreciate your noticing. >> Okay. uh number one examine of the uh

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previous meetings March 23rd, 2026 and March 30th, 2026. >> Um motion to move with board meetings March 23rd, 26 and March 30th, 26. >> Second. >> Any discussion? >> All in favor? Hi.

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>> Hi. >> Hi. >> Hi. >> Action item. >> Jackie, I'm sorry. I should have sent them. Do you want me to send them to you now? >> No, no, we're good. >> You'll look at them when you get back. >> Yep, I got them. >> Okay. Appoint Theodore Kosno as Pioneer

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Valley Planning Commission alternate for the term of July 1, 2026 to June 30th, 2027. Uh so moved >> second. >> Any discussion? >> No. All

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>> in favor? I >> I >> I >> Okay. >> Appoint Robert Holmes as interim highway laborer for the term of July 1, 2026 through June 30th, 2027.

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>> You doing that again, Joanne? >> Yes. I already asked, right? He wants him to be on. >> Okay. We haven't ever met him, have we? >> I've seen met him. >> Yeah, he us department before. >> He's okay.

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>> Yeah, I know. Um Bobby, he's worked for the town for a while. >> Okay. >> He was an employee for many years. >> Yeah. >> Is that right? >> Yeah, that's right. >> Okay. >> I was like, who? >> All right.

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>> Okay. So, the deal with the deal with Bobby was I believe it was coming winter. It was coming winter uh in the fall and we just have to resign a contract with him. He did have an existing contract but no end date on it, but

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>> you can turn it up if you need to. >> Sarah Hunter was saying that there was an issue with the way that it was worded. So, just so that we can end up having a fresh upto-date contract with them. It's good to have because let's say someone gets the flu during the middle of the winter. At least I have

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someone that has knowledge of the roads. He knows what needs to be done and he also can drive a class A. He could drive a regular truck. You know, it's just good to have someone with the knowledge and experience that is needed on the critical times where we could call them

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in at a a notice like that. >> Okay. Thank you. Motion made. Second. >> I second it. All in favor? >> I I >> appoint Nathan Sperry as state inspector

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of animals for the term of July 1, 2026 through June 30th, 2027. >> I'll second for discussion. Um, was Nate Sperry doing it previously or is this a new appointment? >> He was. So, he has all his everything. Okay. Uh, >> the paperwork for his position is

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attached and the form from the state. It's all there. Yeah. >> Okay. Second. >> I second it. >> Any discussion? >> No. >> All in favor? >> I

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>> I >> Okay. Cemetery repair. Thank you for your time this evening. My concern began well over a year ago, but it peaked a little bit last year when I understood from the se uh from

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the from the historical society that somebody was coming to town to look at the graves of longlost relatives and that the graves were in very poor shape and there was a scramble to get the graves fixed up and make them

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presentable to the family when they arrived here. And uh this apparently was taken care of because that family had raised the issue or was coming to town. Um I thought the job was going to be

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completed that the cement that was poured in the stones were set and we're going to have turf put down and grass planted over the top of it and and the whole area look presentable. Obviously

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this hasn't occurred and it's been over a year. Um there's a number of stones in that cemetery that are broken that should have been repaired many years ago and have been left uh the further deteriorate. Um, I happen to live next to the North Blandford

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Cemetery and uh, ever since we had the storms about six or seven years ago and some work was done on the front lawn of the cemetery, um, it has been eroding and a couple years ago I began planting and and putting things in order so that

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we didn't have more erosion on that area. And we've gotten to the point now that the plants are starting to grow, but there has not been any maintenance done on the bank in the front. And in fact, this past winter, several um trees were cut down on the property for

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apparently no reason at all because the trees were healthy as far as I could tell. I'm sure there was a report from our town uh tree warden, we'd have some indication of what was wrong with those trees that warranted them being taken down, but they were taken down. But the

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trunks were left lay in the yard of the of the cemetery and nothing has been done to remove those trees. Um the question had been raised about the value of the trees and the main trunk of the fig tree um I believe is worth um having

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it taken to a mill and turned into boards either sold as it is or sold as an incomeroucing piece of property to the town. Um, I'm kind of curious to why those trees were taken down because they seemed very healthy last year.

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>> This is North Bford. >> North Blford Cemetery. Yes. Um, I'm sorry. I apologize for the lateness of it, but about 5:00 today, I sent you all um pictures of the North Cemetery

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and the conditions of it. And there are several stones that have been cracked and pushed over or uh been cracked and broken off and just set in the ground and have been that way for many years, not just this past winter, but uh several years of of serious neglect of

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the just fundamental affair of the cemetery. Um I guess, you know, I watched this slowly deteriorate from year to year and nothing being done. And I last spring I decided, well, let's see

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what's being done. And I went to the um the town website and looked up the minutes of the of the uh cemetery commission and I discovered that in the past three years there's only been three meetings of the cemetery commission and

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the latest one was in February of somewhere here I have a date but it was one each year and uh the last one was about two lines long and nothing about plans for the cemeteries or what was going to be done or discussions about

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budget or any talk about recruitment of people to work on the cemeteries. Um there was no planning at all or no information about the future or the past conditions of the cemetery which for me raises questions about why um the

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cemetery commission isn't doing their job as uh as outlined. Um so that's the situation at the present time. Um, this is bsentennial year and everybody's showing their attention to town property

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and uh the at least these two cemeteries I'm aware of their conditions and we have several other cemeteries in town which I can't speak for because I haven't expected looked at them and and looked at the condition they're in. But

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I'm asking for the board to take some action and pull the cemetery commission together and get a plan for the taking care of these properties. When I inquired in I believe it was March about what was going to be done about the North Lanford Cemetery, I was told that

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in May everything was going to be cleaned up and straightened up and um nothing has happened in May that I know about. maybe a grass mowing, but the trees are still laying there and they're laying along Blair Road, which uh some of them are partway out into the highway

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itself. So, that's a potential hazard there. So, it just seems to go inch by inch that the cemeteries are not being maintained, that no one has a plan for their what's to be done month by month and uh sticking to the plan and reporting back to the community as on

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the condition of the cemeteries. So, that's my issue tonight. Um, and I hope that the board will take some action and uh take a look at the cemeteries. As I said, I emailed you pictures of the Northford Cemetery and its conditions. So, you have those pictures to fall back

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on your and you can go obviously go out to the cemeteries and look at them. But I think a lot of the work and my re is not rocket science. the restoration of stones. You can go on YouTube and there's very good um programs to explain

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how to go about doing it. You can pull together volunteers to step up and participate. You can probably take care of two or three stones on a on a Saturday if you have the people involved and you teach them how to do it once or twice. uh that a lot can be done to make these cemeteries look presentable and that we

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can be uh proud of what we're presenting to the public in terms of the the condition of the cemeteries. >> TJ, do you want to see any of that? >> Oh, I'm just waiting. Are are you finished? >> Yeah, I'm finished. >> Okay. All the trees that were taken down were dead.

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all all the trees that have been taken down and there's four more dead ash in the cemetery they have to taken down before they fall on stones. As for the resurrection or maintenance of the cemeteries, we do what we can with what

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we have. Most of the stones that are broken were broken because they were not maintained many years ago when when I took over the cemetery 26 27 years ago. Those stones

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someone had planned put concrete around the base of a lot of those uh limestone and sandstone stones. Those stones were not made to be put in like that. Those stones were placed so that the earth as the earth moved them, they would tilt

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and then after they got to a certain point, you dig on both sides, move the stone up and repack them. Well, whoever did the cemeteries were back when thought it would be smart to just put concrete around them. What happens is is

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the earth moves them, but it snaps the stone at the base of the concrete underground and then you lose the base. You lose the structure of the stone. A lot of those big stones have no foundations.

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All right. We we had three foundations done in North Lampard Cemetery to the cost of $7,000 a piece. And those were Tiffany and Tiffany covered the expense. All right.

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These stones were set on flat rocks and some of them are 100 years old and they move. They fall down. We do not have the equipment to pick up some of those stones. They weigh a ton or more. As far

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as the ones that are down, we were told by professionals when they're down on the ground, don't try and lift them. They'll break apart. And that's what happened when we tried to do it. I did three stones over on uh the cemetery

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across from the historical society. We thought we had it great. We used epoxy uh glue to put them all together. We cleaned them all up. the first winter they fell back apart because once they're broken, you're working with

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limestone, sandstone, and some slate. Those those rocks are all soft rocks. The limestone ones, if you take a good look at them, they're done in layers. I I don't know how they make them, but they're if you look at the edge of them,

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they're all in layers. So, it's like putting lenolium down on a on a floor. So, we've tried that. I've had people come up, professionals, to help us find find a way to understand how to do this.

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Most of the stones that are broken are broken because someone put a concrete face around them only like 6 in down, 7 in down. And as the earth moves them, they break. A lot of them, they have

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tins in them. They were steel tins. 100 years later, the steel is rotted and all that's holding them is the glue that they made to hold the stones there. We've investigated, we've had Atlas uh out of Connecticut come up and look at

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the stones and all the major monuments have to have foundations put under it. And at the tune between three to $5,000 per monument, we can't afford to do it. If we can get in touch with the families

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and have them sponsor to fix their stones, we could. We've had a couple of families come forward and fix the stones, but it's an ongoing uh process and we still have more trees to take

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down in Blair Road and we also have more on Hill Cemetery that have to come down. They're ash, they're dying or dead. We have a lot of uh cherry trees that are along the edge that have to be cleared

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out. I mean, it's it's easy to look at and say, "Oh, this is a shame." But we've been trying to get professionals to help us do this, but they come up and they give you a perspective. And this is

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where we're at. And now I'm no longer cemetery commissioner. I'm too old. Peter's been doing a lot of work with stones. He's already reset. I don't know how many stones up in Hill Cemetery. He's did he redid all Warfield Cemetery

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and he's he's good at it. He he made a a piece of equipment that can lift some of the lighter stones. But the heavier stones, you're going to need someone to come in with some kind of uh equipment that will lift them anywhere from a ton

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to a ton and a half. >> What about the trees that are down, TJ? Is there a plan? >> They Well, uh, Liberty Tree was supposed to take the uh the trees out. Uh, some were left for firewood cuz people had

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mentioned they would like to take them for firewood. I noticed some uh that were parked in the driveway on Blair Road have been connected to firewood. I don't know who did it, but the offer is there. If they want it, they can go and get it. That big one, we don't have the

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equipment to move it. We're going to have to get a crane to lift it out of there. >> So, should we get a hold of Liberty to get rid of that big one? >> They couldn't lift it. >> They couldn't lift it. >> No, they don't have the equipment. I was thinking that, you know, >> smaller pieces.

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>> Pardon? Can it be cut sectioned? Cut up? >> Yeah, if you got a big enough saw. That thing is what about three feet in diameter. >> The question is since I see no rod on that tree, is there a value in the trunk in the length and cut it into boards?

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>> I would think so. >> So to find somebody who would do that, >> would take it with them and maybe the town would make a few thousand dollars on it. >> That's a possibility. I'll talk to solitary commissioners about it.

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>> I think you know I hear what you're saying about what has been done in the past. >> Yeah. >> And yet I from looking at what happens and what can be done in other cemeteries. I see a lot of really knowledgeable

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things taking place that improve the appearance of the old stone. >> Yeah. And it a stone that has fallen over and has been left there for a couple of years. Yeah. >> I see no respect in that toward the family or toward the person who is

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buried there. And I see that happening with several stones, small stones that two people could lift and put in place with a proper affixity glue or whatever you they're using. A lot of it is just preventative

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maintenance that needs to be done and it's not taking place. And you made the comment that there aren't funds available to do this. >> No, there's funds. It's finding the people to do it. Okay. >> Remember these cemetery commissioners like myself are volunteers.

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We do what we can when we can and that. But to do what you're talking about, you need professionals doing it 5 days a week to clean up with what has to be done. And I'm not I'm not going to do it. I don't

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think any uh person working for free is going to spend that much time doing that much work to find people that can do this work. Okay? They're they're out there. They're expensive and they're

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busy. Pine Hill Cemetery in Westville, the gentleman that runs that cemetery, he's been up here several times to help us find people to do the work. And when we contact them, we're way down the list.

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>> What concerns me is, and this has to do with my general observation in town, is that if you ask people, if you come to them and say, "We're doing this. We need your help on this date for this amount of time. Will you come up? We're f I'm

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finding out and other people are finding out that people will step up and participate. >> Yeah. >> And work with you. I think in a town where we have more than 250 men, let alone how many able-bodied women, >> we might be able to come up with some

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people. If the cemetery commission had meetings, had a plan to recruit volunteers who would pay attention and learn how to do this work. The town cannot afford to do this in spite of people leaving money to the cemeteries and so forth. We need volunteers to get

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involved and get invested in the community. And the cemetery committee commission has the responsibility, I believe, to get out and knock on doors and say, I call on 50 people in this town and none of them will volunteer. I don't believe that's going to be the

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case. And I think the cemetery commission has to have meetings on a regular basis, has to have a plan that they publish and let the community know the situation as it exists and how how cemeteries have deteriorated. This

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having oneline memo of a meeting held the year over a year ago in February is not a way to communicate to the community, let alone getting out there and talking to people who might roll up their sleeves and become interested in maintaining our cemeteries. People

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presume that because they pay their taxes that everything is hunky dory in town is taken care of and they don't need to do anymore. In this town, like many other towns, there's not enough tax money to pay for everything that needs to be done. And we need to start getting

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that across to the community so the community steps up and participates and answers someone's request for help. And we need accurate recordkeeping of the budget, what is being spent for, and what the plans are for the fiscal year

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in in the cemetery commission as well as everything else in Yeah. I'm just concerned because it's been so long that there's no plan known to the community for the cemeteries and one by one we see more stones falling over these things

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the walls not being restored and the stones being put back in walls when they fall over during the winter and just one by one these pieces the front lawn doesn't get raped and cleaned up the weeds don't get pulled it just goes on

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and on and on little by little we end end up with a trash heap in different parts of the town. I think it's time that leadership take its role and recruit volunteers to take over these things. I find it when you have a committee of three people that are

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trying to do everything themselves, you're not going to get things done. You take three people and you ask people to help, you're more likely to get things done. >> You're absolutely right. Now, the other point that you're not addressing is the

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liability. >> We have signature forms that they published a year ago. Anybody different liability? I will just we're talking liability on injury. >> If they touch the stone and it crumbles, we are now financially responsible for

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replacing that stone. If that stone fell on its own, that is the family's responsibility. The families own the stones, George, not the cemetery. >> I think there's a way to resolve this. I think

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>> Massachusetts is, but when you're when you're asking lay people to handle stones weighing anywhere between 800 and a ton and a half. This is not You've got to have PE

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professional people doing that. And we have contacted I have contacted in 26 years 28 of them I have been involved with that cemetery and I can tell you this 20 years I was all by myself. I couldn't

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get anyone to volunteer to be on that. I don't mind criticism but if you're going to criticize be constructive. All I this this sounds to me like you're complaining because things are not getting done and you're correct. You are

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correct. But volunteers, you know, they they volunteered. But if they get injured on in that cemetery, there's liability. If the leadership and the commission sets parameters for tasks

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that need to be done and they say this stone that you and I could pick up and put in its place and glue in place is a project they could do without great deal of risk and stone that has been done. >> I can point out several stones that have been in the same position for five years

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or more. >> Right? What I'm saying is if you're organized, if you plan carefully, if you look at what other se cemetery commissions have done to resurrect their cemeteries, there are ways of doing this. You don't have to reinvent the wheel.

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>> That's right. And all the other cemeteries have paid people to do this. >> I beg your pardon. You cannot say that all other cemeteries have paid people. All the cemeteries that I have dealt with have at least one paid person that

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is in charge and that's what they do. Okay, then we have a problem here and we need to create a paid position. If all the other towns and all the other villages have paid people and none of them have commissions like ours, then we need to look at that in terms of the

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organization of our community. And we need to say yes, we need to hire somebody who's knowledgeable about cemetery maintenance and we need to build a budget who will pay for that. Maybe we increase the fees for the cemeteries. Maybe we go out other ways.

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But we need to be creative and look at what is working for other communities rather than watch our cemeteries inch by inch going downhill in terms of their maintenance. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead, Jackie.

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No, I I you know, I'm just listening and uh um I think what we've got my take is this is George, you're presenting something that is is obviously the commission which is a commission of one

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really is where right and you're asking the board to look at it collectively to say can we have a plan for basically fixing these things in the future. future. Um, and we'd have to

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look at, you know, we would have to look at what's in the trusts and how that could be done and what could be a longer term plan with the commission, right? Because they know more than we do about what is needed for the future. As far as volunteerism is concerned, I think

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everybody can agree that, you know, we've got major challenges in the town for many positions of volunteerism. um where there's volunteers, many boards are lacking. You know, there's a number of boards, commissions that are lacking

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in in getting the support that's needed to move forward. So, I hear you. I mean, as someone who's sitting here, right, and and I think the board hears you as to what the challenges are. I don't think they're unknown challenges. It doesn't sound like that to me from the

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feedback that TJ is giving with the experience that he's had. It's a matter of, you know, do we make this a priority item for the town um and uh you know to execute to see what if anything can be done over let's say the the next three

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years because it's not going to get done overnight. So I I hear you. I think it's something that we could certainly talk about as a as a board um and try to put more of a strategic plan going forward with the commission and try to get the

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commission the support they need. Well, that's all I can >> I think we need to sit down with the cemetery commissioners that are on >> the board now and have a discussion with them. >> Yep. I agree. That's what I meant that that's what I was trying to articulate,

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but same thing. Yep. Yep. >> I agree. >> Yep. >> Um >> moving forward. >> Yep. >> Down administrator. Thank you. You're welcome. >> Thank you, George. >> Thank you, George. So, just a few things to update

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everybody on. Um, the RFP for treasurer collector services has uh been released and all required confirming steps have been completed. Uh, I posted the notice in the town hall. Um, it's it will run in the newspaper. Um, Turley

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Publications Country Journal. It's posted on Combis and it's on the Massachusetts goods and services bulletins. Um, everything was reviewed by legal. We're good to go. Proposals are due by June 29th at 4 PM. Jackie, we have talked

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about this. Um, we need to have a better schedule put together when our contracts are coming due so that they're not so last minute and we're waiting for responses from legal. >> Yeah, correct me if I'm wrong. Correct

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me if I'm wrong, but I'm looking up what some of the responsibilities of, you know, I'm just trying to educate myself on different things, but aren't all contracts supposed to be housed all contracts, not just your contracts or things that we touch. We sign all

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contracts, the board does, right? Um, aren't they supposed to be housed at the in the town clerk's office? >> The town the town clerk is the the keeper of all records. Yes. >> Okay. I don't really think that that's been the case because in from my

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experience when I've asked for contracts they're not necessarily there. >> So we need to get that process button down and perhaps bring the town clerk in and discuss how we're going to make that happen. >> Agreed.

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Um okay so uh the fire department brush truck. So, I have spoken with Adam a few times over the last couple of weeks and he let me know that the brush truck is coming shortly. >> Okay. >> Uh, so I got him in touch with Sarah

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because we have to do a borrowing for the brush truck. It's It was voted on at a prior town meeting. Y >> all good to go. >> Because another borrowing is coming due in around August, I want to say, but

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don't quote me on that. um she wants to do for the fire truck an internal borrowing and then when she has to do the borrowing in August do the borrowing that's coming due in August and the truck borrowing so that

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it saves us on administrative costs legal costs borrowing costs and then she would pay back the internal borrowing from the borrowing that she's doing in August and we would be made whole. So I have put them in touch. I, you know,

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apart from dragging Adam and putting him in front of her, um, you know, and Sarah did reply to the email, so it's, you know, it's in Adam's Well, it's in Adam's. Okay. >> Uh, >> so is this Yeah. Can I just ask a

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question? Is this something that's got to be done before fiscal year end? >> No. >> Okay. As long as he doesn't take possession of it prior to July 1st, it wouldn't be a prior year bill. And I

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>> Okay. >> He is not slated to take possession of it prior to July 1st. >> Okay. Thank you. >> No problem. Um fiscal year end closeout. Kelly uh well distributed to department heads the

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closeout instructions. Um, and I just wanted to highlight it and say how important it is that the department has uh reviewed the instructions carefully and look at the deadlines for things because we don't want to end up in a position like we were in last year and

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the deadline was missed for uh reclassifications for things and it looked like a negative on our on our um balance sheet with the state. But so we just want to make sure that that that gets taken care of. And then at previous meetings we had

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discussed vehicle use policy. This doesn't have anything to do with drug testing or anything like that. It's just general vehicle use policy. And I had mentioned that we have one. >> Yes. Uh we do I supplied uh each of you individually a copy of the vehicle use

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policy which with it there's also a vehicle use agreement that the individual is supposed to sign stating that they've read and agree with the policy and they submit it back uh to the department head whoever is responsible

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for it um with a copy of their license and it is kept on file. From what I can see, it we one of these hasn't been filled out since 2019. >> Yeah. >> So, it's not a question of not having one. It's a question of it's not being used.

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>> So, my >> Yeah, just ask a question because when we talked about this last time, I thought this had already, you know, honestly because it looked like it was well done. >> It looked like it was um something that may have been approved in the past. Is

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it by the board or No, >> it was. Yeah. And this was actually drawn up by legal. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, I'm not clear as to why we're not executing on it and just moving forward. >> That's what I'm asking. I think it's

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just a matter of us us um pushing to the boards that have people driving the vehicles and making sure that every employee signs it. So this is as simple as what employees sign what employees

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drive town vehicles today right wherever they are >> and sending something to the department heads and saying please have this done over the next week. Yeah, I think so. I think water and highway pretty much. >> COA.

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>> COA. That's what I was gonna say. >> You got COA, right? >> I know that Margaret has had some people that she's signed up for the the new vehicle to drive. >> Yeah. And she does. >> She's done Corey check. She's done everything, but it's not there. I can ask her about it. >> Yeah, she'll I'm sure she'll they'll probably have

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>> How many drivers does she have on >> How many What >> how many drivers does she have on the COA vehicle? >> I would say at least five. >> Yeah. Okay. Is that something you know what is the next step then? So is it possible

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that you know Christina or Joanne you guys put a list together of the folks that we know that drive vehicles and um then the board someone from the board can distribute a note to the department heads and say please have these signed and return back to Joanne

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by X date. >> That's fine. I mean I yeah however you want to uh >> I think it's just those three boards I don't think no one from library >> no one from board of health >> right >> from

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>> what about cemetery >> hey the transfer station must be >> we don't have any vehicles >> just mowers >> just mowers does transfer station have any vehicles I don't think so I think that we >> I don't think so >> how do they get the somebody come pick up the recycling

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>> yeah Yes. Oh, >> yeah. Um >> I mean for Yeah, >> I think it's just those three. >> Oh, please. Duh. >> No, this doesn't apply to police or fire. >> Fire chief. I fire chief. Not fire

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volunteers. It doesn't apply to police chief or fire. >> So, do we need >> fire >> or fire chief? >> Yeah. >> Doesn't Okay. >> So, then do we need fire volunteers and police officers to be signing? It looks like it's the provisions of this policy

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shall apply to all general government employees and town board representatives excluding the police chief and the fire chief. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> So then that's five departments. >> All right. >> I'll take care of COA.

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>> Thank you. >> Okay. And Ray, you're on. You can take care of your guys, right? >> I think then just send it send it to Steve. He's the acting superintendent. He can get that signed. >> Okay, that's easy,

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>> right? >> Um, I really think that's kind of it. I you know we can touch on the surplus uh property if you guys wanted to talk about that a little bit the inventory that I did and the policy. Um

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if you want to adopt it uh we can and then do it pending legal review and we can have legal review it. They're currently still reviewing the um use of townowned property policy. >> Okay. >> Um so that we can get that done too. So,

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I just wasn't sure if you wanted to include this policy in their review of the other policy as well. >> And which one is that? >> The surplus. >> This is the uh disposition of surplus town owned property.

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>> Oh, okay. >> I'm not sure I know what that is. I might have forgotten. >> There was an email. Um, >> it's the stuff on the stage. >> Yeah. >> Oh, the stuff on the stage. All right, that answers it right there.

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>> You sent the email on 5:30 that um >> Yep. Yeah, I know what it is now. >> Have them um review it and then we can put it on the agenda to approve. >> Yep. Yep. The only thing I would say that I asked, I already sent a note out

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to Dick and to Greg um from conservation and planning to go in there and tag anything that may have to go back into the meeting into that room once the library moves out. Like it could be walls, it could be tables, it could be

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chairs. Um because, you know, we don't want to have to end up buying stuff when the library moves back out. They moved all of the uh let's say they moved all the file cabinets they need into the water department. I think they're done there, but I'm just talking about the

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general furniture. >> Should Do you want me to send something out to um the planning, conservation, zoning? >> Yeah, I did, but maybe a second email would be good. >> And just add them ask them to tag

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everything. Yeah. Tag what they what they think they're going to need because I'd hate to move them back in and we go, "Whoop, we don't have any tables." >> Planning, zoning, um, cultural council,

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>> uh, conservation, >> cultural council already has a filing cabinet tagged up there. >> Okay. And that's all they need. They don't need any. >> Well, they were the only ones who followed the instructions and tag that they wanted to keep up there. So, >> well, none of the furniture is tagged.

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All of the No, >> because anything that was on the stage was supposed to be for disposal, >> right? >> There's a lot of good chairs up there that >> Okay. >> should be moved back into rooms eventually. So, yeah, I'm not so sure they should leave, but >> Yeah. Well, that's that's what I'm

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saying. Conservation and planning should determine what chairs they want, get them tagged, as well as the tables. >> Okay, I'll do that. >> Yep. And that was really it for me. Okay. Thank you.

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>> Okay. Right. Up and out. >> Hello. How's everybody doing? >> Hi Ray. Good Ray. So, I ended up uh

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I ended up noting about the all the contracts that the highway department or the contracts that I have on file >> since I organized all the cabinets in the in my office. I can end up making copies. Do you want me to bring them

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down to the town clerk or just wait until we end up having a plan of how she wants to collect that until we Absolutely. >> Yeah, let's wait until we have a meeting with her and talk about it because it does it absolutely would be helpful to have everything there. But let's give

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her the heads up first >> and then I'll let you know. >> Let me know about that and then I'll make copies of everything and organize it from the years up until now just so we have it. Um,

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uh, one thing I do want to end up letting the select board know and Christina is to keep your eye out for our 10-year contract that's coming out for chapter 90. We're going to end up having a contract sent out that the town

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has to sign for the next 10 years for our chapter 90 renewals. Um, for district one, they were saying winter of 27. We should be seeing something coming across our desks or even sooner if they

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do. Um, if we don't get that contract signed, it is a 10-year tender every 10 years. They do it. Basically, if we don't get it signed, then we are forfeiting reimbursement status with the state. So, I had a meeting with Dave

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Stokes about that. Just let me know that just to let the select board and you guys know at the town hall about that. >> Okay. Right. >> Um, another thing. So, I finally after talking with

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>> quick recap. I spoke with Christina last week about this uh Gil Engineering. I spoke with Mark Deiler on how the construction phase from a a fair share

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funding is put together by the governor right now that we can end up taking advantage of for the Beach Hill Bridge project that was put together a couple years ago. So after speaking with Mark and figuring

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out what we need to do to go forth on this and have all of our eyes dotted and our tees crossed at our end, the the engineering and the finalized design is the only thing that we need to finish up at our end for them to submit the

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paperwork to Mass DOT for approval and for the permitting that needs to end up getting done. The total number for Gil Engineering to put this together would be $39,658. And then at that point, we have a

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complete construction phase of that whole project paid for by the state 100%. I would definitely urge the select board to take advantage of this. I want to take

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advantage of this totally, but right now is not the best time being in June, you know. Um I don't know if there's some funding that we can end up pulling together. I know it's not the best time to ask, but um if we could end up having

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any type of funding to go towards this to start the process and have this contract signed with Gil Engineering to finish this up that we could actually get this project underway because like I was saying before, there's three other

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communities get that got chosen for bridge projects and we were one of the other the other two TR chosen out of the state. So, if we cannot come up with the funding,

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I'm hoping that we can there's there's a way we can end up doing it through using the chapter 90 for using um engineering, but if I would rather use it for the

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roads, but I know I don't want the time stamp to disappear on this. So, either way, it's going to be a win-win. So, I wanted to hear what the select board had to say about that. >> How much left? >> Yeah, go ahead.

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>> Go ahead, Carol. Right. >> He's got plenty in chapter 90. Yeah. >> Here's here's the ch here's the challenge. Right. Right. We just voted on budget and which means that to or in order to

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even get this approved, we would we either got to take it out of the budget that we already, you know, already planned and it would come out of frankly your budget or we'd have to go back to the town and

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ask for this money which is not in the budget. Um, you can't just arbitrarily take stuff out of stabilization or free cash or anything like that without a townbo vote. >> Okay. >> And and it is a, you know, look, it's a

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fantastic project. It's not that it's not. I'm just shocked that these guys have come in at the 11th hour when they know everybody's closing their books and would have been already budgeted. >> Yeah. Well, we were awarded three weeks ago on this. That's when I got the

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awarding letter from the state that they ended up picking our town and the two other communities out of the uh the list that have been with problem bridges in the area. >> So this area that that did come up um short notice. I do agree with you on it

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cuz once I started reading I was like, "Oh my god, what do I got to do?" So that's why I set up the meeting with Mark so I could get a clear understanding of what needs to happen, how this process is going to happen. Um, but I >> This is Mark. Mark from KP. Is that who

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you're referring to? >> No, not KP law. No. >> Okay. >> Marker for bridg state engineer bridges. >> Okay. Sorry. >> I have a contract here from Gil Engineering. I can bring it by

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Christina's office tomorrow and have her take a look at it. >> Contracts. Ray. We do not sign vendorisssued contracts, remember? >> No, I know. But to actually see the scope of work and have everything broken

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down, unless you want me to send this to uh KP Law, if uh the select board will give me permission, I have no problem faxing this over to them and go over this with them. I think that you're looking for the

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board to identify a funding source for you and it sounds to me like the only viable option is chapter 90 funding. >> Yeah. I mean, if it's there and don't we have to use it before July? >> No, we don't.

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>> No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We we don't have to it. It keeps rolling over. >> Okay. >> We're not going to lose it. So that's not that's um that's not going to happen. >> Right. And you right. So

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>> what I just want to make sure is that I'm making the select board aware of a decision that I want to end up making. I'm pulling the trigger on this because if we don't end up seizing this moment and getting the work done that's required by the state to end

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up getting this funding for this project. We're going to lose out, >> right? Well, what's the due date? What's the due date? >> As soon as possible, honestly. >> No, no. What's the act? Is it tomorrow? Is it

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>> No, no, no. I I have until July. So, >> okay. So, as it stands, we're saying we didn't budget for it. So, it either comes out of your budget >> or you have to take chapter 90 to get

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it. >> Okay. Well, I'll end up uh reaching out to Kelly and I will let her know that this number will be coming across her desk and I just wanted to make sure that you guys were aware.

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>> If it's you know I mean you guys you tell me but I would say if it's you know what do you think what do you collectively what do we think collectively of the project? Let's just talk about that first before we jump to >> do we agree with the project? Yeah,

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>> yeah, I definitely I agree with the project. I know it's been something that's been needed for a while. We've been plugging away. >> Um >> Okay. >> But I I mean I can't envision going back to the town for more money after we just close the the annual town meeting, >> right?

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>> Right. >> I need money sounds like the most. >> And TJ, you agree? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, do you agree then? Let's say go ahead and have legal look at the contract.

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>> Yes. >> Okay. So, >> so you have permission to go to legal and have them look at the contract, Ray. >> Okay. >> Um but you know, we're saying that you're going to have to go after chapter 90 money for this. >> Yeah. No, I have no problem doing the

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process for that. I already spoke with Dave Stokes about this and everything. So that's why >> I want to see what we ended up uh what we can do. So that'd be good. I'll end up contacting Mark about that and send him the information that I received from Gil. >> So

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>> since I'm not there and I can't see these guys. Are you guys I could see you but I can't see your body language. Are you guys good with that approach? TJ and Cara? >> Yeah. That sounds like >> Okay. All right. Cool. Then that's what we're gonna do. All right. Good. Right. >> Okay. Good. Uh next thing that I just

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got a notifier when bids will be uh submitted and accepted for 610. So that'll be Wednesday. So that's for asphalt, oil, fuel, and other materials. I'll have the contracts to still keep sending you those or

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>> No, I I got that situated. It we're all You don't need to keep sending me that. >> Continue. >> No, that's fine. I appreciate you doing that for the meantime because I thought when do and.gov did the switch over it was automatically going to get forwarded

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but I guess it stopped at my end and um that's what the disconnect was. So now I'm in connect with Laura and Ellen so it's good. Um so next thing I just have is

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the purchase agreement for the dirt roller. I need a signature also for so that they can start manufacturing this roller because we were awarded the grant for the the bow mag. So I don't know if you want me to do the

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same process. I'm going to have the contract. I can send that to legal. He can look it over. It's just showing all the details. um the specs, the warranty, the all the details are coming in with the

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purchase of this. And Chapter 90 through Grant Central has copies of the contract itself, too. But for them to produce this brand new roller, since we're not buying a used one, >> um it's got to get built. So that's

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Chris was talking to me about that and he said, you know, he can send send me the full contract updated, ready to go. So in the next day or two, I'll end up having that. I ended up seeing him at a conference on Thursday. So that was

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good. We caught up on that. So, do I have permission to also send that contract to KP Law >> for him to review >> so that we can get the ball rolling on this? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Um >> and then we should be seeing I already

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spoke with Kelly. I already got the account number that I need to utilize for the the water trailer. We should be seeing that delivered in Blandford in the next probably two weeks. I called them uh at the beginning of the month and they said they just need a little

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more time and then they're going to contact me >> before it ships up so that we are ready to offload it off the uh delivery trailer. So >> that's two things and then um I have one more grant that I want to end

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up writing and I'm just going to be looking for a signature. So, if I can just have Christina at the same time just sign that so that I can actually start submitting a a grant to Grant Central uh for another grant that we have. We have two culberts that I'm going to end

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up going after. We can put multiple in. Um >> is that a 100% grant? Yes. Meaning they pay 100%. Okay. >> Grant. So, >> that's what these are that they the state ended up putting out. So, if I when I finish getting the paperwork all

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situated with that, Christina will be coming to see you if the select board's all right with you being the signatory on it. >> They're going to they're be signing once they've read it and seen it themselves. So, they don't have to be present. As long as they read, read it and see it

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and approve it. I can sign on their behalf. I can't approve on their behalf. Okay. >> Okay. All right. So, I'll end up as soon as I write the

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application for permission to apply for the 100% grant, I'll end up uh contacting the three of you to come look individually at it. Do you want me to send an email out? >> I'm individually, Ray. But if we approve it, do we need to approve it at a meeting?

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>> A motion would need to be made at a meeting. >> So, we can't sign it till after next Monday, Ray. But if we see it before that and we can look at it at before the meeting and then motion to approve it then it can be >> if you can if you can scan it that's

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great preview. >> Yeah just a paper copy that the town requires that I fill out for the >> Y grant. >> So just scan that and then just send in an email so that everyone can review it at least at that point.

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>> Is that what you're saying? >> Yes. Does that work for you, TJ, or do you want to cop hard copy? >> I'll print you a hard copy. >> Okay. >> Okay. Is there anything else that the select board wants to bring up? Because at this

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point I that covers everything that I had to bring up this week. >> Yeah, I think in the just really quick, I think in in the uh uh what we approved uh June 1st was the uh tanks being painted. Is that correct?

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Yep. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, you know, it'd be good to get that soon, you know, come after July 1st when that money is available, get that moving before the fall. >> Yeah. No, most definitely. I actually had the contractor to reach out to me

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wondering when when we was going to be starting. I said, "Well, it's going to have to be after July 1st." So, >> Yep. Cool. >> All right. >> All right. Thank you, Ray. >> All right. Have a good day. >> Ray, >> are we all Go ahead. Um, Ray, are you signing out or are you wait There's a

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question from the um audience for you. >> Yeah, go ahead. They Yeah, >> for me, um, I've been leading several calls for Pat Turney about the >> Say that again. >> Put the sign up and I haven't been getting any call back. Is there someone

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else that I can call? Um, that is the only person that I have for specifically for any road signage on 23. Um, what I can do is let me reach out to

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him and see if I can get him to get back to me. I know I I'm pretty sure that they have been pretty busy. I guarantee that residents in town have noticed LLO Construction has been in town. Um, and they ended up doing a lot of drainage

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work on 23. And they've been doing a lot of work by the park right in front of the shop, uh, patching and paving a lot of the problem areas in town. So, >> okay, >> let me reach out to him. I know he's

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probably been pretty busy and I'll see if I can expedite that for you. >> Thank you. >> No problem. I like stupid. >> Anybody else? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. That's all I That's all I need. No.

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>> Do we have any? >> Go ahead. >> Teach comment. >> We have um Jackie for the EPSAC. I don't think EPAC I don't think we did that. Did you have anything Jackie to update us? >> Yeah. Really, really quick. >> Okay. >> Uh the EPSAC team themselves will get

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together one last time on the 17th. Um, and it'll be just kind of like the final wrap-up. Um, and then we will disband the team, the the committee itself. Uh, that uh well, you know, we said that we

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would be disbanding by the end of June. We'll be just a couple weeks early because there's a couple things that need to be wrapped up, but we don't necessarily have to have the committee to do that. >> Um, am I? >> Yep. Go ahead. >> I just wanted to make sure. Am I all set

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to leave? Is everybody's questions answered? >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> All right. Thank you. Have a great day. >> Y >> um thank you, Ray. Uh and um I sent out an email earlier and it was around the

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uh next up with intervenor with Eversource. Guys, I I don't know what to say. It it at the very last minute. Um, you know, the attorney the attorney contacted me last week and said that possibly this week and the last step in the intervenor

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process with the hearing would take place. And you know, we met um and they want the EFSB wants Jason there because they normally talk to um uh >> building the building inspectors in that

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case. And so bottom line, they said that they would send a note to me today telling me when they will have this hearing on Tuesday. I just got the email as we speak and it's going to be it's going to

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start at 9:00. They're, you know, what they do is they listen to various hearings throughout the day and ours will be probably the first one on. Um, and bottom line what I learned which I didn't really realize and you know uh

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this I did and I didn't I didn't quite understand their process but the DPU had already approved the Ever Source project substation project uh back before CO >> wow >> this was approved

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>> they you know I don't know why it took them so long to get to this point where they were going to go through the zoning process Um there was based on some of the feedback that uh from some of the questions that we gave Eversource you

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know they said that they had tried to work with the town you know blah blah blah around the town zoning um but didn't get that done so they were so they decided to go to the state. Um, so tomorrow's meeting is going to be more

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about just what our position is as Blandford, which we've been saying, you know, basically saying the same thing over and over. Uh, I'll type something up tonight probably, and send it out because I don't like to go to these hearings without actually having

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something to read. Um, because you don't have a heck of a lot of time and you want to make sure you get your points across. Um Jason and I will be the only people speaking. It will not be something where you know our residents or anything can speak. They could

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certainly attend. I welcome you know we all welcome welcome as many people that want to join because you know and it would be great if they would say they're from Bford on their when they sign in. So it demonstrates that the town is is

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watching what's going on. And um I also asked the the attorney, you know, was this really worth it. Um there was a there was quite a bit of work that needed to be done with the questions and answers and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, it wound up being not

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very many people um in the town giving me feedback to be able to to send uh more questions to them. So, you know, we got some we got everything answered that we wanted to get answered. Um, I think

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uh for this one since it was already pre-approved, it was basically what conditions are we putting out there and the EFSB will has accepted our feedback and we'll come up with the conditions. But, you know, that just says obviously

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this thing is going to move forward. Um, I can't I can't say any more than that with the exception of that we, you know, we'll give our opinion on it. Um, but it's not uh, you know, there's no way you're going to ever stop this thing because this train was out of the

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station around COVID time, which was just surprising to me >> that we weren't aware of it. >> What time is the 9 or 9:30, Jackie? >> Right now, it looks like it's nine o'clock. I'll send out the invite as I just got

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it so I just haven't been able to flip it yet. >> Um final wrap up on that is that when we go to do intervenor if the when and if the best application gets approved to move forward um or you know not even approved but

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just sent to the state and then we file an intervenor again. um that process is going to have to be completely different because it's that's not approved by the state immediately, right? So, we're just going to have to have a different type of approach for that. Um and we'll have

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to talk about that as a team as we go forward how we're going to do that. So, that's the that's the latest. You guys, if you could join tomorrow when I send this out, like I said, I just got it while I was sitting here. I'll send it to you if you want to join. That's great. and you can listen in to what's

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going on. >> Thank you, Jackie. >> Y >> is is the board meeting next Monday, >> I believe. >> You're not going to summer schedule. >> July. July. I thought till July. July. >> I'm sorry. July. >> Till July.

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>> July. Okay. If if possible, I'd like to give a report to the board on two subjects next week. One is the conditions which you asked for of Bsentennial Park and what's been done over there and what some of the problems may be as we face the future there. And

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the second is to talk about the candidates meeting and give you a report on that for future reference because I think it's the beginning. >> Do you need >> So if I could have those >> I wrote it down but is the the report on the candidates late meeting that's after the election

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>> report on Hill Park. >> Yeah. Yeah. got that and then the candidates meeting the >> it was held on the second >> it's going to be over >> to tell people how to do it >> sorry George got it got candidates meeting

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>> George know what >> okay >> you take it from there >> and you guys are good with that sure >> thank you >> thank you George >> um do we want to vote on the summer schedule real quick or no >> sure >> so it if we start in July do we want to

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start Um, let me just put my calendar. Um, >> should it not be on the agenda? >> Yeah, for I think >> you think we have to have it on the agenda. Okay. I mean, >> we'll vote next week. >> It'll be in the note. >> So, we should have it on the agenda for next week just so we can make a decision

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um before July starts. >> Okay. >> Okay. >> We'll take care of them. Thank you. >> Closing the meeting at 7:05. >> Thank you. Bye. >> Bye, Jackie. Thank you. Bye. >> Hey, you look tired. Never tell a woman she was working.

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>> Lord, >> thank you. I want >> you. You know what, TJ? Yes, you can. >> See you later. Bye, Jack. Bye, Jackie. Bye. So, I don't have to call

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right now.