tell me all right uh meeting is Sayed noting is open wonderful that was quick um being recorded a couple
times all right so first up we've got a couple do we have just two meeting minutes Joan is it three three they're all here I see the six I see the 30th and the 27
2 I don't I'll just look at a copy of your 27 if you don't mind I don't have I don't see it unless it's just paper CLI to the back room these that's right just sign one of the other ones please okay
no that's fine be trying toal all right so motion to approve the um meeting selectboard meeting minutes of December 30th and January 6 as well as the joint water department
selectboard meeting minutes of January 27th second any discussion all in favor hi I I pass see those do we have any audience participation public comment
no um Highway Department Ry is is listening but um he's given us an update that there's no okay really update on we did get um a letter from governor's
office about our contingent chapter 90 apportionment for fiscal year 2026 okay this is contingent upon the legislative approval but if it does go through for fiscal year 26 we would be getting
$469,950 okay um and just for comparative purposes last year we got 27,38 237 oh wow okay so it's an increase but again contingent that's not guaranteed until it's voted on okay and
once it chapter 90 chapter 90 thank you okay um these are all set that was really the Highway thing to okay discuss so Christina go ahead what else you got for us um so first would be the request for
the job reclassification approval uh you guys will find in front of you the presentation and request for the job reclassification from select board secretary to executive assistant to the select board and Town Administrator which one is that this one
I have a question yours is in your mine's in my email it's not a touch screen are you sure you can do all this stuff she already does it that's the problem is she's already doing it all sorry car that's okay send it no no
no it's fine there's a couple other things in there could we include that we have town councils we yeah I think this is um definitely overdue absolutely I love it okay motion to um
approve the job reclassification um from what did we say it was um Administrative Assistant to Executive executive assistant to select board and Town Administrator second
second any discussion I'll in favor all thank you so much thank you um I had a meeting last week with Bob Dean from the furog and that was good that was very informative um and Thursday I'll be attending um a
class that they're doing in Greenfield at the furog for the operational services division for State contracts so there's going to be two representatives from the state there um basically going over with municipalities how
to navigate combis in the OSD because it's not very user friendly um so I will be doing that on Thursday okay and then we have some old business so actually Dave as moderator could you
suggest uh how we proceed with the vote on Highway super probably the easiest way is for somebody to move one of those candidates and then open discussion for that rather than discuss without a motion on the floor okay um I would
motion to um appoint Ray and I'm not going to last name um to the position of Highway superintendent second okay so we're open for discussion um sorry hold
on um I know I've gotten a lot of um personal feedback people reaching out to me in the community um specifically talk about Rise um commitment to um the community to the highway department um and impressed with his work so was one
of the things that drove that for me yeah I think she needs does volunteer fire when he can and everything yeah who's really in there yeah and i' I've had a lot of feedback and a positive about right all right um all in favor hi hi
I all right um do you need us to sign sign something no not for that I just had one last thing Al it didn't have anything to do with that wasn't we were moving on yep uh the generator switch Yeah so I've sort of exhausted all of my
efforts with Elm um but I did reach out to Thomas carlone because we had a contract with him uh back in 2023 where he drew up the actual plans okay um and I was looking through
the contract and I think that he plays a larger role and then than we maybe initially thought and I I reached out to him today he says he's traveling this week but he will get in contact with me next week okay because I just want some historical information on you know what were the plans to move forward because
at this point we have a generator that's generator switch sorry that's sitting in the gymnasium and we would like to move forward with whatever the plans were because we've invested obviously money in getting this done so okay that sounds like a good
step you you haven't heard any replies from Electric no I mean I had heard several replies yeah um and they were they it was all dead ends basically oh we're going to have our estimating um yeah
group take a look we'll get back to you weeks would go by I'd reach out again there was some question on their end as to whether sorry will someone just open the door for p thank you as to whether the generator switch was
even workable with our current system um just back and forth back and forth so I I kind of felt like I was spinning my wheels with them so I just went back to the beginning like how did all of this start and um Thomas Carone with the uh engineer electrical engineer and
architect that put together the plan he do that work or just engineer I think he is just the engineer but can you reach out to northr for some I can I want to just see from him maybe I I have to believe that there was a plan in place
when they this was all put together um with the limited information that I did have I was under the impression that Elm was playing a large role in this project and I can't seem to be getting much from them so I figured go back to the beginning of who drew this all up and go
from there and I found his uh original contract here so we reached out Town one back in August September yes I think they I think they played their role well and then again in December when we got the switch I let them know hey by the
way the switch has been delivered you know where do we go from here and that I did not receive a reply to okay so I would I would look for another Rend yeah I just wasn't sure um obviously they don't need yeah I'm not sure what's going on
with it I'm not I don't I'm not an electrical person but I don't understand maybe I should be get electrocuted but so yes I did just want to update you on that any um do we get any feedback from our electrical inspector at all
because I know he was a part of the process have not heard okay at the time when this was going on it was different electrical inspector it was John oh yeah okay and he did initially give me some information about this but I mean he's
not really involved anymore so was that with Josh or Chris we know Chris signed the contract with Tom Carone so yeah feel like it was that long ago okay and then the contract that you guys see in front of you I need each of you
to sign all four copies okay so this is all right so this is the I think we did we did we already approve this in a motion or do we no it's for the union yes we've already approved that do we need another motion Dave no you approved
the yeah you all the changes to the contract so essentially okay we go all right is Jennifer here for no no she said she um she didn't have anything nope
okay all right then we have uh we're on ACM one so ACM two Nicole do you want to down would our building chair like to so so that's a contract from
scans scansa for OPM OPM so that contract has been embeded by Mark yeah okay gone through SC of legal department did not change anything and I agree to being the contract okay so the contract went from
uh an amount that was not fixed to a fixed cost not to exceed so okay I think we're in pretty good shape as Nicole would testify to as well within our initial budget for the first process okay they sharpened their pencil
and reduced the amount that they initially proposed by 20% Nice oh yes so we're looking at $272,200 we had up to $100,000 that was okay excellent question what's the
time for well the entire Grant process um has to be finished by next February um and octob I'm sorry October December is when we need to have the um plans drawn up by
the architect so they'll be on board with us through the February date so they can present at the town meeting for the special town and then at that point we do have essentially a retainer contingency that allows us to not have to go out to bid
again if we are happy with the work for the remainder of the project if it's on V yes y do that all right so I would make a motion to approve the contract between the town of blanford and scansa USA building
incorporation um in the amount not to exceed $72,800 second any discussion all in favor I and then just also there is you'll find a letter um in your packet there
from the library of Trustees on behalf of Miss davio and her hours um moving forward I'm have to look on I also have another letter from one of our patrons who heard about the um
that I am only 28 hours a week and she wrote a beautiful letter about why she believes that can we believe her pardon me can we believe her you can ask her she's across the street we can talk real loud okay uh so it says um from Michaela
Smith my husband and my two children and I live here lford we bought our old school health a little over 5 years ago in that time we all frequented the library at least two times a week I can personally attest the amazement with which I view our small But Mighty Library not only is the staff informed and some of the best plan for it has to offer but the programs that are held in
such a small place are incomparable Nicole runs a fun well organized and all-inclusive Library no one has ever forgotten and you can tell this by not only the programs but the books with which she fills the shelves she makes all in the community feel welcome by her demeanor but also in how she shows it by
conversation and listening when friends of ours hear about the library and all the activities my children get to be part of they are sted it's clear that pter library is far beyond what surrounding communities have to offer and much of this has to do with their leader Nicole I can hardly sum up in one letter the amount of vigor and life this
little Library Bree into our Beloved Community I can say without a doubt that without Nicole this Library would not be what it is today she deserves all the compensation and support we as a community can give her in her stuff I agree party um I don't have the letter in
front of me from the library is there another one okay there's copies everywhere not your Sor that's okay I cannot get back into that routine that's all right oh thank you okay so this is from the library
Board of Trustees and so basically um we're looking for 40 hours a week instead of what are you now currently 28 28 and so the increase in budget goes from sorry there's a lot of numbers in here I'm just trying to
narrow down I don't believe the budget increases in that letter in the finance committee information so what will ultimately happen is that this will just be part of the budget yeah um but it was just presented to the select board for support in the increase in hours I
definitely think it's needed um the so Finance you had you had asked um them to I'm not words are aren't coming to me today to present to us just to make sure the reason was is because you're really going it from the original
approval was for 28 hours you can't approve more hours okay right as a finance committee we can approve once You' approve the hours then we approve the money or you know put the money in the budget but we can't change the hours that someone come
with this this convert it to a fulltime position yes well I mean there's already yeah technically it's already anything over 20 is um you know there's available I
think 1,000 think okay what was that Jack I I think it 17,000 the bud that's all making an even 20 yeah I definitely think thank you it's
yeah I mean I'm off for it I would so I would make a motion to approve the um uh Memorial Library no that's the wrong one that's not in here the um increase of the position of Library director um from 28 paid hours to 40
paid hours second any discussion all in favor I thank you so much you're welcome this is right now go get work oh don't worry I will be no I I don't want you to lose that copy of the letter from your neighbor okay so take
that back thank you you're welcome all right um do we have other new business yeah got why is yours different than mine don't okay um so we have a warrant for payroll for payment in
here8 19 it says here this one's 258 so all right 19 sorry let me just hand them over to you when I sales oh there's the yeah that's from the storm That Rainy
had said was coming our way want take a look sorry uh so motion to approve um payroll warrant number 18 second any discussion all in favor I
I right I think that's it for us we have a lot of time before the CEST Cofe break there you go um all right so I guess we will adjourn at 6:21 and and we don't reconvene because
it's a different meeting yeah all right it takes 100kw to run that I think that's only 6 so to the use the existing standby to serve the existing Fire PS and
Maxim 242 modification service conductors will need to be installed from the uity of course I'm ped I can't wait for that service rated trans to the
ex the existing from the exis standby to to did that