Good evening. I'm Bernard Green, chair of the Brookline Select Board, and this is the regular meeting of the select board for October 21st, 2025. First order of business, I would like to move that the select board go into
executive session, excuse me, for the purpose of discussing strategy related to litigation matters identified in items two and three of our agenda and discussing strategy related to the purchase, exchange, lease or
value of real property identified in item four. Litigation matters and the real property matter must be discussed in executive session because an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the litigation
or negotiating position of the town and the chair so declares an executive session therefore to be necessary. All in favor please indicate by saying I. John Vancoyak >> I. >> Paul Warren. >> Hi. >> Michael Rubenstein. >> I chair votes I. Uh we will return. I I
I'm also here. Just also want to vote. I >> No problem. >> Okay. >> I >> Okay. Uh we will return to open session following our executive session scheduled for what time is it scheduled for? >> 6:15. >> 6:15. No promises, but that's when it's
scheduled. >> Optimistic, >> right? Doo doo doo doo doo. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Oh, heat. Heat. Heat. Oh, heat, heat. Heat.
Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. Yeah, Heat. Heat. Good evening. I'm Bernard Green, chair
of the Brookline Select Board, and this is the return of the Select Board from executive session for our regular meeting of October 21st, 2025. Let's start off with announcements and updates from the select board. And I'd like to start off with two
announcements. Um, first of all, um, we originally scheduled a vote tonight on theou between the police department and flock safety for access to license plate data collected by Chesnut Hill Realy with Flock automated uh, license plate
readers. Uh, Chief Pastor is not available for tonight's meeting, but will appear at an October 28th meeting when we will take this issue up. We expect to also have or we hope to also have representatives of Chestnut Hill Realy and Flock Safety and also the
co-chairs of the PCAC in attendance. That will be a public hearing in order to give the community an opportunity to address the many concerns we have heard since Brookline News reported this story.
Next, I want to commend two Brooklyn High School students. Seniors Arav Jatav and Jacob Paul for their ride for hope, a successful bicycle ride from Brooklyn to New York City this weekend.
The two seniors and their teacher Paul Epstein successfully complete completed the 250 mile ride into Time Square and raised $15,000 for Brookline's Boston House. Boston
House, as you may know, is a nonprofit program on Kent Street that provides free housing and meals for families whose children are undergo undergoing treatment at Children's Hospital. They were supported by Brooklyn's Hamilton restaurant and many
individuals. And I understand that Hamilton's owner, Greg Johnson, is planning an event, an event to celebrate the students accomplishment. So, uh, Mike, I I commend these two students for, uh, taking on a great adventure
that had great benefit for our community. So, any other updates, comment? Um, Paul? >> Yep. Uh, just a quick one. Um, I was actually reminded today by the former moderator, Sandy Gatsby, uh, that we
have a, uh, harvest fest coming up, >> which >> reminded me, too. He said, "How come I haven't seen this announced so much?" And so Sandy sent an email, which was great. Um, he doesn't often make announcements like that. He's usually telling us how to behave. Um, so Harvest
Fest 25 is at the Brookline Golf Course uh October 26th. Uh, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There'll be live music featuring the Petty Lararseny Band. And uh there'll be costume contests,
trick-or- treat trail, food trucks, bounce houses for uh John. Yeah. >> Uh the Hemlock Grill for David, uh kids activities, a farm stand and other things. So hopefully it'll be a beautiful uh weekend and it sounds like it'll be a great time. And I know that
there's also a Utterham Woods trail opening. Does someone have the details on that or should I quickly uh I think it's happening at the same time. >> Right. >> But uh people should look that up as well. The uh the uh Putterham Woods
walking trail is uh opening on Sunday 26. I have the email in front of me here. Um >> doesn't say time. >> It doesn't say a time, but it is happening. And there's been an investment there. It's a beautiful walking trail now in the Putterham Woods. So, a great time to get outside
and enjoy South Brooklyn by the golf course and woods. >> Okay. Any other John? >> Well, uh, Brooklyn shares, uh, a really, uh, impressive bit of heritage. Um and
uh it shares that heritage with Central Park in New York City, uh Jackson Park in Chicago, uh the park systems of uh Louisville, Rochester, Buffalo, and the connecting thread there is Frederick Law Homestead.
And one of Brooklyn's connecting threads to Frederick Law Olmstead was a wonderful woman by the name of Betsy Sher Gross um who was celebrated um um at the end of her life which she passed away in September um
but she was celebrated uh no less than on the front page of the Boston Globe uh which uh recognized her with an extensive obituary u and recognized her extens expensive achievements uh in uh in Brooklyn. Uh she spent the
last 10 years of her life in California, but she she is now um will be forever remembered um uh at uh Walnut Hills Cemetery um where there was the um committ of her uh remains to um her
cherished hometown of Brooklyn. And uh I just think it's worth one more mention of what an incredible role she played in elevating um Olmstead's importance uh and the recognition of Mstead's importance and uh we owe an awful lot to Betsy Sher
Gross uh who as I say passed away in September but was still being celebrated um and being remembered uh significantly uh this week uh over a month later. Thank you, John. >> Yeah.
>> Any other updates or comments? Okay. Uh Tiffany, let's open up public hearing. >> Now that the chair has opened up um public comment, thank you for joining us for public comment. This is an opportunity for us to hear your perspective on the issues in Brookline that matter to you. Each person speaking
tonight is limited to three minutes. You don't need to use the entire time, but you may if you like. Once 15 minutes has been met, there's an opportunity at the conclusion of the select board's business for additional comments. Members of the public sometimes raise questions during public comment. We may be able to provide a quick answer to a
question, but are more likely to work with staff to get a more thorough answer and respond over email. The on-screen timer will flash orange when you have 30 seconds remaining and red when your time is nearly up. Please conclude your remarks at that time. If you have more to say, you are welcome to send an email to board members expressing your
thoughts in greater detail. Any person wishing to speak must begin their comment by identifying themselves with their full name and either their Brookline precinct number or street address. The first individual who signed up in advance to speak is Martha Church. Is Martha in the room or online? If
online, can you please raise your hand using the raise the hand feature? Okay, I don't see Martha online or in the room. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak at public comment during this time? >> Okay, there are about 13 individuals in the room, 28 online, and no one is
indicating their desire to speak. >> Okay, thank you. We'll close the uh public uh not public hearing, but public comment. >> I just wanted to briefly add before you move to miscellaneous agenda that that was Tiffany Oliva's last public comment period with us. >> Oh, yes. >> I want to thank Tiff.
>> There is the one at the end of the meeting, Chaz. I know it's the last form. There's there I'm I'm I'm not going to jinx you, but I'm just saying uh I want to thank Tiffany so much for all the hard work she's done both here in front of in front of the the public and behind the scenes and the time that
she's spent with us. Um she's been just a fantastic assistant town administrator and we wish her all the best back in North Carolina. Uh really excited for her next journey. Um and if anyone thinks they can step into those shoes, they are awfully big shoes to fill, but I'm confident you can. Uh the position is open and you should apply for it. But
we are very very grateful for all the hard work that Tiffany has done and wish her and her family all the best. >> Thank you, Jess. >> Yeah, I think we >> I think we all will agree on that and those shoes will have tar on them on their heels. >> Go heels.
>> And we wish the only joke I could say. Um but uh you know we wish you all the best and and hope that your time in Brooklyn has been u an enjoyable but also a a a time that uh you learned a lot and and that you take uh with you to
our fellow citizens in uh North Carolina who are lucky to have you. >> Thank you. Thank you Bernardine. >> Okay, moving on to our miscellaneous uh calendar. I'd like to um move uh
approval of item 7A. Uh David, >> I just have a question regarding 7D. >> Okay. I was going to give you an opportunity to pull that out. >> All right. >> Um Okay. So, I'd like to move approval of item 7 A through 7N. Um unless there
are some items such as 7D that uh board members would like to pull out for further discussion. Um let's talk about 7D. What what is >> Yes, there's a question. So 7D is question of approving extra work order number one with uh jam construction in
the amount of $282,221 for work related to uh a contract at Amory Playground. In reading the memo, this appears to be about the uh boardwalk. It mentions that the CPA is providing the funds for the boardwalk.
However, the work order is titled extra work order. And so I'm just wondering, do the ex does the existing allocation of funds cover this? Is this coming out of perhaps a contingencies budget within that project? I just want to make sure we know where this money is coming from.
>> I do not have the answer to that question in front of me. Um I can talk to the project manager on that front. Um Paul is raising his hand though. So Paul, >> so uh if you would allow indulge me, um I raised the same question today. Uh and I had a lengthy conversation with Erin shoot. So, if I may provide information,
I don't represent what she said, but I'll uh communicate. I asked the exact same question. Um, it's being fully covered by the CPA. Um, it is ex it is extra because it's in order to make the they had to repair the Armory Woods uh
path and make it ADA compliant and it was more expensive than they had originally considered. And so, that's that's the reason why it was extended. Um I was satisfied with her answer when she told me um I too was concerned is where's the money coming from? It's coming from the CPA.
>> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So, uh with that, unless anyone has any other items they'd like to discuss further, um I move approval of items 7A through 7N. Uh all in favor,
please indicate by saying I. John Vanco. >> I. >> Paul Warren. >> Hi. >> David Pearlman. >> I. >> Michael Rubenstein. I >> chair votes eye. Thank you. >> Boards and commissions interviews. Uh we have one uh interview commission on diversity, equity, inclusion and
community relations and the applicant is Philip Stagman. Is he in the audience or >> I do not see Philip in the room or online. Um so I and perhaps it's a a question of timing since we got back from executive session late. So, I would
um if he'll allow me, I'll just circle back with him to schedule it perhaps for next week. >> Okay. So, the next item is a public hearing, an ascertainment hearing with um Comcast um select board public hearing on Comcast license renewal for the purpose
of allowing the public an opportunity to comment on town and public cable related needs and Comcast performance. So, let me start off by saying that uh let me I can find it.
Bear with me for a second. Okay. This is a public hearing on Comcast's cable license renewal. It is a part of the cable license renewal process to ascertain our community's cable related needs. Brookline's current
CA Comcast cable license expires on April 30th, 2026. Federal and state law require holding a hearing to allow the public, that's you guys, an opportunity to comment on both town government and public cable related
needs as well as Comcast performance. Notice of this hearing was posted twice in the Boston Herald as required and on the town's website. Copies of the legal advertisements are entered into the hearing record. This
hearing is designed to provide interested members of the public with an opportunity to submit input about what cable related needs are important to Brooklyn and how Comcast has performed under its existing license.
Before proceeding to the public hearing, I would like to thank Brookline's comm Brooklyn Brookline's community access provider, Brookline Interactive Group, and Comcast for their participation and assistance in the ongoing license renewal proceedings.
Tonight during this hearing, the board invites public comments on all Comcast cable related matters, including customer service, license administration, and important local studio needs, community programming,
public educational, and government or what is called PEG access and Comcast support for Brookline's local channels. Comments will be limited to three minutes to ensure everyone has a chance to speak. If members of the public or
other interested persons wish to provide additional comments for the record following this hearing, they can send their comments to Charlie Young, assistant town administrator for finance at uh the select board office or his
direct email is c young brooklinma.gov. Before proceeding to public comments, I want to welcome Comcast's representative, Angela Holm Barson, and ask her to give some introductory
comments on behalf of Comcast. Is Angela on Zoom? >> Yes, I've just promoted Angela. >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Angela. Please speak. >> Uh, good evening everyone. Thank you for having me. Um, as you as you mentioned,
we have been working on um, negotiating the existing license with the town of Brookline uh, for a couple of months now. Uh, working together with Charlie Young, Joe Kalan, um, and your outside consultant, Bill August. U, things have been going amicably. Uh, I look forward
to hearing your testimony each night regarding your cable related needs, and I will take those into account and bring them back with us as we continue to negotiate this license. and we look forward to our continued partnership with the town of Brooklyn. Thank you for having me.
>> Okay. So, um what I'd like to do is to open it up to public comment and then uh have give the select board an opportunity to respond to public comment or ask their own questions and uh after that we will hear from Brookline Interactive Group. So, could you open
>> Yes. >> public hearing? >> Now that the chair has opened the hearing, we did have several individuals who signed up in advance. So we'll start with those folks and then move through the additional raise hands and others if they wish to speak. So first up is James Jim Franco. Uh good evening. My name is Jim Franco,
town meeting member uh from precinct 2, an Amory Street uh resident here to speak on behalf of uh Brookline Interactive Group. big. Um, do you busy select board members ever get double booked?
How about a family or business obligation conflicting with an important meeting? The constituents ever call you and uh with a question about what you had said at a at what somebody had said at a public meeting or even at your own
select board meeting. Mhm. >> Um, it's nice to have big Brooklyn interactive group. Dare I say it's important to have big to record public events. Town meeting members and residents who want to keep up with town
affairs have a special or have a special item of interest also use big. Um, fortunately co, excuse me, fortunately Comcast and BIG record meetings, interviews, and forums. And doing so
provides opportunities for engaged volunteers and young people to learn about what goes into putting uh uh content of like this together. BIG is now a part of the fabric of our community. Uh, an important tool helping
keep our town democracy working. Uh thank you. Uh just a point of personal privilege. Uh John Vancoyak mentioned uh Betsy Sher Gross. One thing one other thing she did was she was very important in in the uh uh Friends of Falls Pond.
I'm on the board. She was just integral and I'd just like to acknowledge that. Thank you. >> Okay. Um the next paper speaker who signed up in advance was actually Felina Silver, but she is um not feeling well. So, she submitted comments in writing which will circulate to the board after the meeting ahead of the vote next week.
The next speaker is Susan Park. After Susan Park will be David Trevette. Good evening everyone. Great to see you all. Um, my name is Susan Park. I'm a town meeting member from precinct 17, a James Street resident. So, I'm delighted
to be here tonight in support of the Brooklyn Interactive Group. Big has played such an important role in providing live recordings for so many of us. For me personally, as a town meeting member in my third term, I feel like I
and so many other town meeting member colleagues and constituents have benefited so much from the programs that BIG has brought us over the last 10 years. the access in town meeting twice a year, uh, weekly select board meetings, weekly school committee
meetings, and all the other subcommittee meetings in between have invited our town to participate in all the different dialogues that happen weekly. BIG's live airing has filled so many gaps. Many busy folks like myself, uh, many of you
have their hands full raising a family. Attending the many meetings in the evening are so tough for many, but I and so many others have benefited with live views and many elderly uh seniors find it easier to view online and re-watch recordings as well. So, I personally
have been able to participate in our wonderful town through bigs access through the last 10 years. This access has helped uh civically educate me and has pointed me in the right direction and has helped me with civic decision making such as election forums and
public health information. After we lost the Brooklyn tab a few years ago, we lost a great resource of Brooklyn news and BIG's presence has been a steady stream of live unfiltered information. The benefits of BIG and what it provides our town is priceless.
from the youth employment documentary coverage of important Brooklyn businesses and organizations, space for members to learn and gather community classes, community uh productions such as age friendly cities, TV on TV, uh charter chat and educational programming
to offer international experiences like Asian flavors with Susan which I was um I loved producing. I was able to interview six different Asian restaurants with Big's partnership. I received much positive feedback from the public that um they can go and try these restaurants that they never heard
before, they didn't know about and it helps small businesses uh with visibility. So I I'd really like to publicly thank Jessica Smiser here for she's the executive director uh for bringing so much creativity and cool programming like Indian dance classes a
variety of popup classes for the community to enjoy and really to just so they can uh learn other things international things as well. My daughter and I also attended one of Big's excellent podcast class uh podcast classes in person some time ago. It was
educational and excellent teaching and we got to create a podcast right before the pandemic. We are so lucky to have big. I seriously cannot have any. >> Susan, that concludes your time. >> Being a town meeting member without big and I've >> Thank you. That concludes your time, Susan. The next speaker is David Tvette.
David, I've promoted you now. >> Thank you very much. Um, David Tet, town meeting member from precinct 2, uh, living on at 177 Babcock Street, not 179 that you all were talking about earlier in executive session. Uh, my wife and I
are Comcast customers and have been for the past 10 years. We do still watch live cable television, including sports events, coverage of other live events, and a variety of other shows. We have been and remain generally pleased with the cable TV service that we receive.
When there are occasional problems, we found the customer service generally helpful. Tonight though, I do want to emphasize the importance of local access. Long before I round ran for town meeting, I discovered the local access channels on our cable TV offerings and took advantage of that access to begin
watching select board meetings and eventually to watch multiple nights of town meeting sessions. This is how I learned about this weird thing called town meeting, which I had never experienced before moving to Brooklyn 14 years ago. What's a moderator? What's a
warrant article? Who's a petitioner? How does all this work? What is how is town meeting run? How are decisions made? Oh, you you mean there are two separate sets of bylaws, one general and one for zoning? How does it all work? It's quite
bewildering to a newcomer. In short, the local access channels enable me to become a better informed resident of Brooklyn, better positioned to become more actively involved in our town. And that brings me to the tremendous public service that Brooklyn interactive group
or big provides to this town. Sometimes I'll miss a select board discussion that I'm keenly interested in. The fact that I can go to the big website, s search for select board, find a recording of the meeting, and watch the discussion is enormous value. As a long-term member of
the Brooklyn Community Aging Network and current steering committee member, I'm grateful to Big for recording the annual candidates form that Brookline can and the League of Women Voters pres present and making that recording available so that all voters can have an opportunity to get to know the candidates better
prior to the election. The age friendly TV episodes, which I'm sure Matt will talk about after me, that Big produces, records, and makes available. They help introduce residents to town leaders and key decision makers. There are many other meetings and events that Big either broadcast live or records and
makes available later. My wife and I do not have direct connections with Brookline schools, but school committee meetings are quite important to many in Brooklyn, and Big makes those available. And of course, there are the regular TV on TV episodes with our state representative, Tommy Vlo. The list goes
on and on. The public service is enormous, and I haven't even mentioned the opportunities BIG provides for youth, employment, and education. I donate to BIG, and I've encouraged others to do the same. But private donations like mine are not enough to support all the services that BIG
provides. As the select board considers renewal of the pump gas contract, I urge the board to keep in mind the importance of keeping up the funding. >> That concludes your time. The next speaker is Matt Weiss. Matt, I'm promoting you now. >> Yes. Well, thank you, David, for
mentioning my program or the town's program. Uh, I'm uh the chair of the age friendly cities committee. I'm also the host on the age friendly cities TV. And for the last 10 years, more than last 10 years, we've been bringing the
town structure, uh, key events, key activities, and key people in town to the older adult population, which is like over 20% of the town, and are people that still watch a lot of TV, not
just streaming. And they they uh rely on having both TV and streaming through big. And big has been wonderful throughout the years. I was uh assigned my first role on the age friendly cities committee was in the area of
communications communications to the older adults in town and I've been working at that uh for the last for the last 15 years almost. But it's uh um it's been wonderful support from big, wonderful uh
reception from the town and I've had a lot of fun frankly but but but I I think it's really important. I also donate to them obviously, but I also uh consider their needs for both money and support
and access uh to the town being essential for older adults. Uh the we've did done for your information 55 episodes with top people. Um many of the people in this room have
been on and been excellent uh and and given information to people just when they need it. We had the financial people, the tax people just at the right time. We had the election people in charge, the town clerk, etc. just before elections, just in time. Uh before town
meetings, we've had the uh town moderator on just in time uh to give and inform the town as to what they need the information they needed to make decisions and to input to this group and to every other group in town. Uh I just
want to make first of all thank them frankly and thank Comcast for providing them uh because the vehicle is has really uh uh has been wonderful and I don't want to use four three full minutes because I'm getting on again maybe later. Thanks.
>> Thank you. That concludes the speakers who signed up in advance of the meeting. But if there are other individuals who wish to speak online, please raise your hand using the raise the hand feature at this time or if in the room, please make your presence known. Okay, I do have a couple of others. Um,
but I just wanted to see if there were any others before I call them up. One is we did have a student who wished to speak um during this public hearing, but they um again due to timing had to leave out. Uh, and I did say that he could share a recorded video. So, I'm going to
try to share that right now. My audio may not work. Um, let let me um Jessica, I'll take you and then I'll see if I can tinker with the audio real quick on this one. Jessica Spicer. >> Hi everybody. >> Hello. My name is Jessica Smiser. I'm
>> sorry Jessica, can you hold just one second? The main screen's not flipping, so I need to make sure that we've got you visible. Okay, I think we're set now. Thank you. >> Okay. Hello everybody. My name is Jessica Smiser. I'm executive director at Brookline Interactive, aka BIG,
Brookline's Community Media Center. Many thanks to the select board and our friends from Comcast, as well as all the wonderful people who have spoken on our behalf tonight. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about the cable related needs that are important to Brookline. BIG addresses many needs for the town of Brooklyn, including
broadcasting important meetings such as town meetings, select board, and school committee. This year, for the first time, we've been airing many other important meetings such as conservation and preservation meetings, housing advisory board, parks and recreation commission, zero mission advisory board, transportation board, town school
partnership, and a recent special committee called expenditures and review revenue study committee. That translates to televising anywhere between six and 12 local public meetings a week on our civic channel, which is Comcast channel 8. The need for firsthand information
that helps Brookline citizens with civic decision-making is more important than ever, and we are honored to meet that need. BIG also provides many benefits to the town of Brooklyn, including coverage of important Brookline events, businesses, and organizations that air on our
community channel, which is Comcast channel 6. We provide space for members to learn and gather, free community classes in editing and production, and support for community generated content. Unlike many community media outlets across the country, BIG is more popular
than ever. Our membership increased 300% this year. That is not a typo. BIG has gone up from a low of 32 members in 2024 to a high of 150 active members as of today. This past summer, we employed
over 30 teens in three different media making programs, our highest teen cohort ever. We are confident that we are the future of local media, training media makers and educating media consumers, cultivating an interest in their community and nurturing a desire to
learn highquality production techniques. We rely on the support of our cable franchise partners and the town to continue our work. Thank you for listening. >> Thank you. I'm gonna try to share this video from here.
share with sound skills through their mission and the people who bring it to life. Since I've been most involved with Brooklyn's youth big. My name is Ben Ma. I'm a junior at Brooklyn High School and I've been working at BIG through their youth
programs over the past four years and I've been involved for even longer than that. Over those years, I've learned invaluable skills through their mission and the people who bring it to life. Since I've been most involved with Brooklyn's youth bigs youth programs, that's where I'll focus on tonight. The
first time when I went to Big was in 2018 with a friend for the VR nights. Swoon recreational VR was still relatively new and I thought it was one of the coolest things ever. I was only in fourth grade and I didn't have much of a sense of how the world worked. But I be I remember being especially
surprised there was a place in Brooklyn that had something like that. Fast forward after co and I joined Brainwave, a team produced variety TV show. I stayed with the program through 9th and 10th grade and it was really last summer where I realized how much I was gaining not just in enjoyment but in real world
skills. Since then, I worked on a short documentary piece for the Puppet Showplace Theater in Brooklyn Village and helped produce a short film professionally alongside a lot of other teens this past summer. Through these fantastic opportunities, I gained many
valuable experiences from Big's youth program Ming. Um, I visited an actual professional studio not long ago and I was surprised to see many things I was already familiar with. When the people there kindly explained what equipment was, which which equipment was what and
what it did, I realized I knew a lot more than I thought. But most importantly, I developed a lot of social skills. I'm a pretty shy kid. And a few years ago, when I first started at Big, I wasn't confident in carrying a conversation with adults. And I was always afraid of messing up and saying
the wrong thing. Uh, but I can confidently say that I've grown since then. The staff have been incredible mentors and I've also met a lot of students that I've really enjoyed working with. I've been so happy to be a part of that community. This past summer, while I worked on the short
film, it was a truly amazing eye opening experience. Working on a set, constantly communicating and being responsible for an essential part of the production taught me so much. Recently, I found myself making decisions I used to be afraid of. I no doubt owe much of that
to Big. All in all, what I'm trying to say is that I cultivated a deep connection with BIG as I grown up with it. The people, the place, and its mission have all been real and beneficial to me. The youth programming they provide is invaluable to our community. On any given day, I'll walk
onto the third floor of 46 tavern and see people hanging out and creating things. I've talked a lot about my own personal experiences, but Pig's programs reach far beyond. In the past few weeks, I've been helping a staff member and intern teach a class at the Brooklyn Teen Center. Even my younger sister,
Alli, has learned a lot from Big's youth classes, and she's still in middle school. I feel incredibly lucky for the opportunities Big has provided for me in the Brooklyn community. It's an amazing resource where anyone can build skills, community, and confidence, and I think that's truly a wonderful thing. Thank
you. My name is Ben Ma. Okay. All right. Is there anyone else that wishes to speak during this hearing at this time? >> Okay. There are just over 10 individuals in the room, 26 online, and it looks
like no one else is indicating their desire to speak. >> Okay, we'll close the public hearing and uh I'll ask select board members to give any comments and I'd like to start myself. Um I remember the pandemic
when uh everything was closed down and the government however unlike certain other governments town government could not close down and it was only because of BIG allowing us to operate uh on Zoom
um that we were able to continue functioning and providing services to our residents both regular services as well as a number of emergency uh services that we were able to uh to um develop uh to help people through the
pandemic. Now that was then and this is now when BIG still remains an important uh function here in town as people have indicated uh in previous statements. But there will be emergencies in the future
and the fact that we have a big struct infrastructure um is going to be critically important. Those emergencies could be sort of routine snow emergencies when we can't meet in person but we'll have to meet
for uh various forms of town business. I mean those are just examples of the important role that big plays to ensure the town government can function under difficult circumstances. They also do a
lot of things that uh are not in the category of emergencies. I chair the Martin Luther King celebration committee and big plays a critical role in providing video uh video recordings of our main
events as well as other events that we hold throughout the year. Um these uh recordings are on the website of the committee and are available to the entire world and people all over the
country uh view them and benefit from uh from those programs. on Brookline Day and a number of other uh events around town, uh Big puts up a tent or or some type of structure and
and has interviews of uh government officials, town meeting members, committee chairs, et and and select board members. Uh these are uh usually students uh who interview us about
various topics that uh uh they're interested in and gives us an opportunity to uh to uh be interviewed and and have our views and just a little bit about ourselves uh available to the public. That's a small thing, but I
think it's a critically important uh thing that uh BIG does. So I mean there's so many things that uh BIG is is uh valuable or so many things that BIG does that are just absolutely critically important to functioning of town
government and and you know for myself I'd like to thank them for that and uh all the work that they've done. So Paul >> Yep. Uh thank you Bernard. I agree 100% about big. You'd think this was a a public hearing on BIG and not Comcast. Um,
>> well, it's it's a hearing to to let Comcast know, right, >> and the world know the role that big plays in in our community, >> which leads the reason I said that because which leads to my my question and my comment. Um we know how critical
uh big and other organizations like bigs are to local access especially for um seniors and other folks that um may be uh confined to their house or where they live. Um but we've seen because of cord
cutting uh continued decline in fees uh cable fees. And my question for for Comcast is um you know what is what do they uh project in the future? Is this going to continue? Are we going to continue to see a decline in cable fees?
Is there a move at all? Any advocacy? Do they see changes in legislation that would allow for the allocation of internet fees >> um over to global access because that's that's really what we're talking about. We're hearing everybody say how great big is how much we need it. But you
know, uh, Comcast because of the way it's currently structured is funding less and less. So that's my f that's my first then I have a followup. >> Yeah, I I think we want to really focus on big and its role and and the role it plays in the community as opposed to
sort of the basically the finances and and other things of Comcast. But they have >> But isn't this a license renewal public hearing for Comcast? >> It is. >> Okay. So I'm asking the Comcast representative about about this is that it's it's a
legitimate question. How of cable f cable fees are declining which is how big gets funded. Um internet is there are more and more cord cutters. I'm a cord cutter. I don't have a cable box in my house. Where do they see this going? And is there any change at the state
level? I don't know what has to change in order to allocate more funding to to local access. Is the big representative still on? I can I can respond briefly and just you know as the representative from Comcast on on the call on the hearing um your
concern is not unique. Uh this is true that due to cord cutting um these these fees and you know the way the fees work is it's a percentage of the gross annual revenue derived from cable subscribers only and it is cable subscribers only >> per federal law.
I I can't speak to what the future holds in terms of, you know, if somebody will change the federal law if there's action to do so. Um, but that is those are the parameters that we're operating within. So, um, I don't see that for changing in the near future in terms of where those
revenues are derived from. Again, we're in the parameters of federal law. Uh, but but we have seen the cord cutting. You're you're you're correct. and that is it has affected these these fee payments. Um and to that
end uh cable subscribers themselves. All I all I can say is is we're still going to continue operating the parameters of federal law. >> Okay. I see Charlie Young is um on the line. >> I was just going to so Charlie Young,
assistant town administrator for finance. I I was going to suggest that, you know, um this is a hearing just broadly about the license as Paul um you know sort of outlines. Um it's not it it would be great to talk about the positive sides, but if you want to talk
about Comcast performance, if you want to talk about um you know, if you want to ask those kinds of questions, that's totally fine. That's all I wanted to say. Bernard. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead. >> I did have a follow-up. Um, I was uh shopping in Whole Foods the other night and I was stopped by a senior member of
our community. He saw that uh Comcast was on our agenda and he wanted me to ask Comcast about um senior discount programs. You know, rates continue to go up. Um some folks certainly are um in our senior community are cost burdened
and this is their only access uh to town government or what's going on within their community and within the world. Um and honestly, I didn't go look. I'm I'm asking now, are there uh programs based on income or certain type of status uh
to help alleviate cost for subscribers? >> Yes, under under our existing license, we have a senior discount for cable subscribers. We also have multiple programs available. Although that's it's not pertinent to the to the purpose of this hearing, we do have other programs available for internet as well that
applies to seniors. Um I'm happy to communicate with you offline if you're interested in uh getting more information about that. I know I've worked with multiple um members of the town administration to that end. So >> great. So the so there are there's discount programs which is what you're
saying. So I'm point this person back towards Comcast to investigate those. Thank you so much. >> Yep. >> Any other uh Mike? Um uh I would I would just make two points. Um one certainly to echo um what Paul
said with regard to um the value of access um certainly in this time of uh democratic challenge broadly in our country. um the ability for um Brookline residents to become informed about the
workings of our local government um through uh BIG and also through the Comcast channels that BIG supports um is a critical piece in maintaining uh Brookline's capacity for democracy and engagement with all citizens. Um, I
would also add, um, certainly in the area of election coverage, um, Brookline's town elections don't necessarily, um, get big coverage in other through other sources. And, uh, Big's coverage of our local elections in
particular are, um, I think some of the most watched programming, um, that BIG provides. Um, so I would uh be shagrined to see that put in any sort of jeopardy. Okay,
we'll close or we'll end this item unless there's anything else that Charlie would like to say. No, just like to thank Angela and uh thank you the select board um and for everyone for um who came in to to
comment. We appreciate it. Okay. Next item 11, net zero goal. Question of directing the sustainability and natural resources division to construct the climate action and resilience plan or carp against a net zero goal of 2050 consistent with the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts's 2050 goal and as recommended by the zero emissions advisory board. So, who's going to speak on that? Um I guess I guess I will. Okay. >> And you have Alexandra Veio who's the
director of sustainability on >> Alexandra. So >> hi everyone. Good evening. Alexandra Veio, director of sustainability and natural resources. Um so uh this is a continuation of the discussion um that took place last week where um I gave a
presentation and update on the climate action and resiliency plan. Uh one of the uh topics that we covered was the question of what the plan's target should be, whether it be a net zero by 2040, 2050 um or some other year uh to
to direct that plan. And um as Michael noted in our conversation uh last week, this is something that ZAB took up uh during uh their recent public meeting um and uh has advised that the plan uh
align with the state plan um as well as utility plans for that target of 20150. Um so happy to answer any questions um that you all have about that. >> Okay. I was asked to um raise a question about the optics of this given the
context of the current uh political environment where our federal administration is uh you know u gung-ho in uh undermining uh climate advocacy and climate action. uh does this look
like we are sort of caving into that uh sentiment on the part of uh many people in our in federal government. I mean we're not going to apparently we're not going to meet our goals by 2050 anymore than we're going to meet
them by 2040. So, I mean, I is it does it make sense to continue symbolically saying that we're trying to meet 2040s so that the optics um don't look uh
bad. Chaz, you stand up. >> Well, I want to give Alexander a chance to and then I I can I have some thoughts on that, too. >> Uh thank you. Uh I would just say this was discussed as well at the at the ZAB meeting. um maybe not specific to uh in the context of the federal government
but just this question of um do we want to have you know a uh truly ambitious uh target um even if it isn't necessarily attainable um and you know what does what message are we sending with that I think what I would say is that uh either
way we are looking to move as aggressively as possible I think this question around 20 240 versus 2050 50 is really looking at it in the context of some of the other factors that will influence um our uh outside funding
streams. By that I mean grant funding um from the state and partnerships with the utility um as well as infrastructure upgrades uh that are decided by those outside of our control um that will allow us to meet those goals. So, uh, I
think that there the the importance of making sure that we're aligned with the the state and um making sure that we have identified resources to be able to fund the the work we're trying to do is is also really important. But I do hear
the the concern about making sure that we are still perceived as ambitious as possible. I think that the climate action plan does aim to do that regardless of that uh overall emissions target. >> Yeah, I think it's this is not a
question necessarily of are we over ambitious. I think it's indexing ourselves to the state which is important given the state's role that it plays in this process. Um and I also think that sure in the immediate term the federal government is hostile to
climate action but in the long term I mean even the Chinese government which has been historically quite unwilling to set itself targets on carbon emiss carbon cap emissions has set for the first time targets on carbon cap emissions. Like it or not climate change exists. Climate change is happening.
Climate change is man-made. Um and we I'll either do something about it or we will warm the planet by 3 to four degrees and our grandchildren won't will thank us for it uh appropriately. Um so I think the question is not necessarily
should we be um should should we you know view this as overoptimistic. It's possible that we'll miss this target, right? Uh other communities are not setting 2050 goals, but I think setting it as a goal for the Karp to achieve and then asking the teams working on the
carp, how can we, you know, what are the steps we need to get there? How do we balance that out? Um how do we ensure that um we keep that focus on when there are so many other things for us to balance and juggle when we think about this is a a worthwhile achievement. Um I
think climate defeatism in the face of current situ the current situation is not going to get us anywhere. Um like it or not, we have to be working towards the reality of a a work of a carbon a an environment that uses dramatically less
carbon than we use now or emiss dramatically less carbon than we use now. Um because like it or not, we're going to be there. Um, people can yell and scream all they want about climate change being a myth, but it's happening and the reality is eventually the market will correct for it. Um, and we just
have to be ready to make that happen. And so I think I don't think being realistically ambitious on this even if we fall short of the target is a bad idea. It's a strong idea and one that we need continue to uh to emphasize.
I also think it's important that we align with the state. So the state's goal is 2050 at this point and others have mentioned that. But the reason why that's critically important is we talk a lot about moving toward all electric and net zero within Brooklyn. We need to
remember that if we don't have the capacity with our electric grid system beyond Brooklyn, then the primary energy source is still going to be fossil fuel, even if we're completely using electric. So, we need to be mindful about what's occurring at a broader level, be in
alignment with that broader level. And broader in this context, I'm referring to the state. Ideally, it would be federal government as well. But the if we're not in alignment with the state and we're operating toward a goal of 2040 that doesn't match the spending the
increase in grid capacity that's taking place at other levels of government then we are definitely going to fail and we will not be spending our finite resources financial resources appropriately or in the most efficient manner. So, I think it's important for
transparency purposes that we have that broader alignment with other municipalities and with the state rather than sticking to 2040 for optics knowing full well that we wouldn't be achieving what we're truly setting out to accomplish.
Michael. Um >> the other thing that I would add uh to David's comments and comments from staff um is I believe that the CARP is and Alexandra please step in and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the
climate action resilience plan is a 10-year plan with a five-year check-in. So what we are doing in the construction of this carp um is to set our activities between now and 2035. Um and the
determination of what the appropriate activities within that 10-year time frame would be different if if we were aligning that with a 2040 goal versus a 2050 goal. And as many people have mentioned, given all of the other
external factors, funding the electric grid etc. um we are still um operating uh in the construction of the carp with uh constru uh defining our
actions over the next 10 years. >> Okay. Any other discussion over here? >> Yes. >> Sorry. Thank you. Um, thank you Alexandra and uh, thank you Michael as well and um, uh, for for the work you do with ZAB. Um,
I I I may have asked this question before, but I think it's a question worth asking again. Uh will part of this um carp be to put a number on uh how many u uh what percentage of Brooklyn's
uh motor vehicle and I'm not talking about the town's motor vehicles but um the registered cars or registered vehicles in Brooklyn. Will we put a number on what percentage uh we want to
be EVs by 2050? Um, and will we put a number on what percentage of uh, Brookline uh, individual properties we uh, hope to be participating in some kind of conversion to electric heating
uh, by 2050? Um, will will we be that concrete you know in in the target for 2050 and also targets along the way? Um, yes is the is the short answer. Um,
little context that I will just add is that as Michael mentioned, this is a 10-year plan. So, um, it's it's working us towards uh that net zero goal, whether it be a 2040 or 2050. Um, but it the goals themselves are looking at what
needs to be achieved in a 10-year period. Um, with the opportunity to adjust those in five years and, you know, possibly look further out. So um uh just to clarify, yes, we are looking at what is that percentage of EV adoption we need? What is that
percentage of home electrification, but particularly looking at it over the 10-year period of the plan? >> Thank you, D. Uh Paul. >> Yep. Uh Bern, I just want to let you know that I'm supportive of uh the 2050 goal for the reasons that Michael outlined and David as well and I think
Chaz had articulated. So, if you were counting. >> No, I'm not counting. It's nice to hear what you what your votes going to be, but we're not ready. >> I'm very supportive. >> David, >> just when we are talking about electrifi home electrification and encouraging a
higher percentage not just of our public fleet, but private vehicles being electric and hybrid. We also need to be aware of the costs, the financial costs associated with that for our residents because home electrification is not
always affordable and uh even electric vehicles, they tend to have higher insurance premiums. There's some additional upkeep with that. Uh they are great especially if the primary energy source again is also a renewable resource. But we want to make sure that
as we are pursuing this uh new goal of 2050 and it appears the votes are here for that that as we're uh targeting that goal that we also make sure that our residents have >> uh assistance uh and obviously it's not going to all come from the town. We're
going to need to convince our state legislative delegation to try to provide more incentives and more opportunities for uh residents of more limited economic means to help electrify their homes and their vehicles because I I
don't like the idea of creating certain benchmarks without paying attention to what the economic cost will be for residents and their ability to get to that point. Uh I think that both of these efforts need to be looked at. uh together.
>> Good. John, >> I just want to acknowledge um a an email that we got um and it's very short. I'm going to read it. Um and it says, "Dear select people, we want to bring to your attention the parking lot to the right
of Temple Kelith, Israel, uh behind the shops on Harvard Street. The entire right side of the lot are spaces that can only be used to charge EVs. They are mostly empty during the day. Any chance you could make them available to everyone during the day and restrict
them to EVs at night, the businesses and their customers in the area would be happier. Um, and um I don't I don't want to take advantage uh uh so I won't I won't say who that came from, but uh because I haven't yet asked her
permission, but I I made much the same point myself uh last week. And I think the way I would sum up the the message of this email um is Brookline people are watching. You know, they're not just watching to see if we are actually
setting achievable uh uh markers for um you know measuring how much progress we're making in electrification. But they're also watching to see if some of the uh some of the changes that have
been brought about in the name of electrification are actually um working out the way we hoped they would. Um and there's two ways to look at the deci the uh situation described in that email. One is let's do a better
job of raising up the number of EVs in Brooklyn so that those u many many EV recharging stations in the Fuller Street parking lot are used on a regular basis and not um empty on a regular basis. Um,
that's one way to look at it. And the other way to look at it is let's recognize that if we overreach and for example put in parking spaces that can only be used by EVs in excess of the number of people with EVs who use them,
it can do harm. Uh, it can do harm to businesses that don't have spaces for customers who would like to use them, but you know, they drive gasoline powered vehicles and and they can't use them. Um, so that's all I'm saying. And I think this person who sent this email
um I just want them to know it's appreciated. >> Thank you. Any other comments, questions? Okay. Um we do have have this on the calendar for a vote. So, I'd like to
move that the select board direct the sustainability and natural resources division to construct the climate action and resilience plan against the net zero goal of 2050 consistent with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's
2050 goal and as recommended by the zero emissions advisory board. All in favor, please indicate by saying I. John Vancoyak >> I. >> Paul Warren. >> Hi. >> David Pearman. >> I Michael Rubenstein. >> Hi. Chair votes eye. Next town and
schools mou question of approving a memorandum of understanding between the town and public schools of Brooklyn regarding financial policies and practices. This uh rose out of the um uh Clifton uh
>> PLA Allen >> Larson and Allen uh report uh of uh earlier this year. So do you want to >> Sure. Um, thank you very much. Um, this document came out of the product of
negotiations through um, staff on the town and school side uh, and was reviewed as well um, by members of this of the town and school partnership. The school committee um, voted on it and voted to approve it. Um and as you can see I think you know one of the benefit
the some of the benefits here are particularly related to the sharing of information and processes on the town and school side. You know setting for example the um the timeline for sharing our forecasts our five-year forecasts
out um in advance of these processes uh in advance of the budget process is very important. you know, putting that in writing. Um the schools, for example, committing to um the uh discussion of how the office of student services has
reconstituted itself in the aftermath of the CLA report uh and is now working effectively with um the office of administration and finance to ensure the the uh operations of the schools and the services that are provided are
appropriately handled. um you know the progress that's being made there. Being able to report out on that, being able to report out on the changes to their policies and procedures in advance of any uh in advance of the May election, I think is very critical. Um that was a an
item that was negotiated um uh I think really strenuously with an emphasis to the you know you know to to our focus in this or the town's focus in this is really about restoring confidence restoring community confidence in both our processes and the schools was an $
8.2 $2 million shortfall between what had been allotted to the schools for FY26, which we're currently in, and what this initial projection of the school's budget was. The and at the time there was even the worry that there was a $3 million hole in the current fiscal year
budget. Um I think the response was um you know, a mix of you know, sort of incredility and then panic really. Um a sense that how could we be here? What got us into this place? what do we do about this? And I think the select board
responded very efficiently in saying we don't want to be um pointing fingers at the schools at this time. What we want to be doing is helping the schools uh and authorizing us to um invest in the schools and spend that money on that CLA
report um and provide whatever support we could in that moment. And I think the schools have really responded appropriately. You can see um in the interim superintendent's work um that she's really committed to um u not just
writing the ship but putting long-term policies in place that restore that confidence and make people feel like the schools are providing that you know critical level of service necessary to our students and to the broader
community. Um, I am a broken record when I say this, but when it comes to these things, it's not a zero- sum game. Um, the town, the the other municipal departments rely on the health of the school department. It is a major draw for why people move to Brooklyn, why
they pay taxes in Brooklyn. Um, why they continue to live in Brooklyn and encourage others to come here. Um, we only thrive when the schools thrive. And so realizing that and building out thisou that provides
I hope um confidence to the community that the issues that arose in the spring are not going to be repeated um is really um what the aim of what the aim of this has been. So, I look forward to us working together, continuing to work together with the superintendent and her
team to effectuate this and make sure that those public-f facing discussions about what's going right in the school department now and what we continue to need to do to improve on where we're going um will be will be further votes
of confidence will be further measures of confidence that the public can, you know, come to expect. >> Okay. David, >> just a question I have. So, I noticed the sunset clause for September 2026. I wonder why we would have a sunset clause
to practices that seem quite prudent and one would hope would continue in perpetuity. >> It's my hope that this forms the basis of a broader reimagining of the town school partnership. That's where I hope this goes in the long run. You know, the town school partnership does is is
unique as a town body. It's the only place where you have regular lines of communication between the three most important bodies in town, which is town meeting through the advisory committee, the select board, and the um the school committee. And so my hope is that this
builds the as part of the building blocks of trust. And we say, well, you know, these are, you know, the good government portions of this that don't need to expire like the sharing of the forecasts, like the fin, you know, like the uh the Munist working group and so forth. that's not going to sunset. I
hope that's not going to sunset as a part of this. I hope that then forms the basis of us using the town school partnership more productively. And I will say behind the scenes that's already happening. I'm very grateful for example the chair of the school committee and the chair of the select board are now meeting you know in order
to ensure that the town school partnership meetings are productive um and are not just you know standing meetings to kind of talk vaguely about issues but actually move processes forward. So um I I am optimistic that we are turning a corner on that and that
TSP is going to be where the rubber meets the road for longer term improvements. Paul. >> Yep. Uh Jess, first thanks for getting this done. This is really important for the community to, as you said, um rebuild trust and faith in and how
finances are being managed, not just for the schools, but they see it also for the town, right? This is a this is a townwide issue, not just a schools issue. Um the one thing and and maybe it's in here through some of this wording but the the regular practice
that has been developed where um the schools have published printed and published their budget that is far in excess of the financial capabilities of the town and then this incredibly difficult process the community thinking
that that the school's budget's being cut. Um, I didn't see that addressed here that that level of collaboration. Um, maybe it's in the town school partnership, but to to really bring in line the school's budget with what the
capabilities of the town's funding is. Um, it seems to be missing here. >> So, that's in uh paragraph two. >> It is in two. >> And that's, you know, we didn't want to be >> because to your point, it's not just the schools, right? It's the town, too. Um we we we have especially in recent years
there have been this issue where the schools would publish their budget book in advance of the town's budget book and then there would be this kind of chip set down and then the town would say well we haven't even published the aotment yet u we haven't even published with the town what the revenue split is what's what is this um we've gotten much
better at at aligning on that front and we are better still aligned and a part of this process is to say at the town school partnership before we publish our budget books >> have these conversation. >> Yeah, this is where we are. Where are you? What do you need to do to get to where we are? You know, and so that
before we're not in this environment where everyone says, "Oh, it's a cut. It's a cut." Um because it's not a cut. It's >> figuring out how to make the budget. >> Okay. I'm I'm glad that it's in two and I know the the words aren't exactly there, but the practice will happen. And again, this isn't because the schools
are doing something wrong. This is what they believe. They It's just a tighter collaboration in the development of the entire Brooklyn town budget, right? And when I say town, I'm saying capital town, which includes the schools. Um it would save a lot of angst um insured
within within the community that's watching as the budget gets developed. So I appreciate it's in there. Thank you, Chess. >> By the way, I'd like to sort of go back to David's comment. Um yeah, items one, two, four, and five seem to me are those
items that we want to have a continued um we want to continue beyond 2026. I mean a few of the others, you know, do sunset 2026. So I think that that's a legitimate you know concern respect to
um I mean for example uh written contracts for purchases and services over 10,000 that was mentioned in CLA report that's not just something that you know for for next year it's it's really an ongoing >> um requirement that that that should be
expected of the school committee. >> Yeah. And I think that, you know, the conversation there I was which I I understood the school's position on is really, you know, we're, you know, we we take that to heart. We are doing that. We're doing this now. And, you know, I wanted it I wanted to be I think both sides really wanted to be clear. This
document is not intended to be punitive or blame or any of that. It's supposed to be confidence building and forward- facing. And so, we didn't want to say to the schools, oh, you know, here's everything in the CLA report that they said was a finding, even if it's something that you've totally resolved.
and now are able to to move on from um because you know in this we cite this procurement one for example these these issues are yes like at at the time of that report those issues were identified but once that was identified the school administration did the right thing and
moved to address those issues and it is no longer the case that there is someone who's not PO certified um and who you know they are working you know handin glove with the procurement team to make sure that there aren't those issues. So,
um these are not so much to say, well, you know, you haven't been doing it and now there's got to be a watchdog to make sure. It's we're acknowledging that this is the the standard and continuing practice of the schools. I mean there is a watchdog and that's town school
partnership and you know that that body has to make sure that you that with respect to procurement and we're asking them to continue to comply with the federal procurement requirements um ensure that that is not something that ends next year
>> right >> and then that their their procedures in place to ensure that >> y David >> right to uh further Bernard's uh point uh personnel, especially on the school side, has been changing quite a bit. And
there's an interim superintendent right now. There'll be somebody else again in a year or two in that position, and that person will probably bring in new deputy superintendent and other new people and then some of what's in this MOA might
not be at the forefront of what they're thinking about. And so I think it's important that to the extent that these are good practices and in some instances it's not just that it's a good practice. It's a federal requirement that everyone really be mindful of it regardless of
who the individual is because individuals change over time. That happens on the town side too. Of course, my perception is that I think the schools were a bit concerned about the tone that maybe this sets that it does uh some could interpret it as being
punitive, as being reactive to uh that CLA report and that what they're looking they want to see something that's more balanced. And I I credit that assessment that if we're going to move forward with having a list of sound practices and
federal requirements around procure procurement and practices we should uh be consistently engaged in that perhaps it could be worded in a neutral way that it applies to us too. Now, I think we're already doing it, of course, but these are practices that everyone should be following, whether it's school
department or a town department, and if it has more neutral wording in that manner, uh perhaps the school department will be more amendable to not having a sunset clause. >> Well, um >> I'm sorry. >> I I'm glad that you brought up the sun the sunset clause. Um struck me as well.
Is and I don't know where this at. Is that I know the school committee adopted it. >> Yeah. Um, is it possible to make an amendment to the sunset language that just says which items will sunset? So, the things that were clearly kind of
reactive to the CLA that they're working on, um, but leave those, as Bernard pointed out, there's three or four things here that just make good sense for the town to collaborate on. Um, maybe that's just the town school
partnership. I don't know, but that to memorialize it seems like a reasonably good idea. Maybe there was a lot of um I go ahead and >> I did have a question. Is it is >> I mean yes we can we can absolutely we can we can take it back. Um we can do that. Um I think it's just a question of
you know do you want to do we do we want to do that? Do we want to hold this and do that or do we want to kind of memorialize that in a long in a new sort of longer term agreement on what how the town school partnership works? I think those are the that's the question I have.
>> Just to that particular point, I would prefer the latter approach because I know it took a lot of effort to get the school department to sign off of this version. I wouldn't want to lose that momentum. So, I'm fine with this for now, but I'm hoping that we will
memorialize something that's broader and that is not solely school focused, but on all departments about these practices, what is federally required? what's in the federal code of regulation, state code of regulations, make sure that's all very clear and at the forefront of everyone's mind
regardless of who is occupying which position. And that's something that town school partnership can work on and perhaps have that agreement in place prior to the sunset. Um so first of all I would agree with David that the amount of work that has
gone into this um is something that we should uh take advantage of and and that we will have opportunities to forge additional agreements and so forth. Um, I guess the question that I have, um,
and I don't know if this is the purview of the town school partnership or some or some other body, but it looks like within the context of this document, what this document attempts to do is to
create certain policies that establishes practices for the schools and potentially in some cases the schools and the town. And so I I guess stepping one level up from this, has there been any discussion either within the context
of these negotiations or with school partnership about the process of creating policies um for whatever issue, for whatever subject matter or detailed matter. um
that that um would establish a process by which the schools and the town um can create these common policies of agreement um and get them ratified and memorialized as sort of an ongoing
practice of improving of incrementally improving our body of policies because as David Pearl as David points out people change. Um, and having these these policies memorialized and uh
accessible to people as they come on board um would ultimately build systems that the town and the schools could implement and maintain in order to establish best practices and maintain them over time.
>> Yes. And I think particularly when I look at this example of Munis in item three, right? You know, I have since I've come here, I have been saying again and again, we've got to we've got to do better at shared services. We've got to
do a better job at identifying efficiencies and running them through. There are things where it makes perfect sense to have parallel processes for the town, the schools doing different things. There are things where it doesn't make sense. and especially in a
tight budget environment. Uh sure it's nice to have everything you want but we can't afford everything we want. Um the contra the the response that I have gotten from the schools has been a
justifiable hesitation a sense of we don't we don't have trust that if we give up uh what they view as giving up their autonomy in some of these areas that we will get the level of service that we need and that we'll just be ignored um and that the town doesn't
really care about us. They just care about the bottom line. Um and so to build the trust necessary in these areas to say that that's not our intention at all. Our intention is to be good partners in this and to provide service
to both sides that needs that that is uniform. Um so that there isn't this sense of oh you have a town client and a schools client. You have a town of Brooklyn client that you serve regardless of what side of the budget you're you're you may sit on. um those
policies and procedures need to be built on shared trust. And so taking the the fiscal policies and the operational policies that are outlined in here and using those as building blocks to build that relationship and then be able to
continue to generate policies about our financial policies and procedures, our operational policies and procedures. That's where I hope this winds up going is that we can demonstrate the value of a productive interactive working relationship that results in long-term
documented policies and not just ad hoc ways of doing business. So >> I just wanted to ask a simple question. Um it's u now October. Are are we this month going to be getting a quarterly
report on the town's u spending and and revenues? >> So, we are going to finish the budgeting process. Um we're going to we're going to be finishing the forecast for December. That's what we're targeting. Um you know
we generally don't provide those sorts of quarterly reports um because you know when it comes to the actual revenues and expenditures it's often a question of there are lagging indicators that we need to basically shore up in order to
ensure that we're where we need to be. >> I'm hap with that said I'm happy to provide the data we have to the select board at any time. Um it's not a secret. Um, I just think in terms of the value to you about where we are and where we're going, um, the current process
that we have of providing you with that information about where we think we are at the forecast in December is going to be more helpful than presenting in November. >> Yeah. Um, you know, but we are asking the schools to do this, right? Mhm. >> You know, >> I think the the the big difference here
is that the school the the the big panic that we encountered was that there was a shortfall. We were we were seeing a shortfall in the current fiscal year budget >> that was not being reported out um or that was not discovered. And then when
it was discovered, thankfully the schools were able to cover it, but at the time was something that if they had been reporting it out on a quarterly basis, they would have caught. >> We have internal structures in place
that prevent us from from doing that. um you know and we are also still working on the you know the internal the the longer term budget processes that we are that we handle simultaneously. For example, right now
>> we are putting together the capital improvement plan for next year. Um and then we have the budget any budget adjustments that need to be made at town meeting which is itself an opportunity to report on where we are financially um and whether any midyear adjustments need
to be made. So I'm confident in this case that you know the spending our budget resources on the quarterly report um when we're already kind of doing that sort of updated town meeting
might not necessarily be the best use of our time. But that said, >> we have the data and we're happy to share it with you. I just don't necessarily think that it's um that level of quarterly reporting. You know, we're we're not we are not in the situation where the schools were last
year. >> Yeah. It's it's just a question that occurred to me because I saw, you know, that we're now making this part of this with the schools. Um but I'll leave it to the other sideboard members to think about, you know, whether we want to ask for that same kind flow of information.
Uh but I don't think that's not the purpose of this discussion. So >> I also, you know, I think the other aspect of this and it's something we'll discuss in expenditures and revenues for example is that there are elements of there are elements of the budget that are not necessar like we're
>> we're not encountering a a fiscal crunch in the sense of like oh there's a shortfall and we don't know how we're going to pay our bills. That's where we were initially with the schools this summer. If that were to happen we would be coming to you no matter what. Um, but that's not, you know, what what
does happen over the course of the year is that some accounts are higher coming higher than others, some accounts coming in lower than others, and we have to figure out how to balance those things out. Um, but often that doesn't happen until the end of the fiscal year. Um, and at that point, we report out on
where we are and what the changes will be in the following fiscal year. Just to John's point, I do think that as we look at a successor agreement that we probably do want to apply the same standards or what we expect of the
school department to ourselves, even if on the town side we haven't had these uh same difficulties, it does come across in terms of how one might perceive it as punitive if we're going to say that the school department has to adhere to
certain protocols, including some that are federal law and that on the town side we don't because we already do. It's great that we already do, but again, personnel changes over time. I think we want to hold everyone equally accountable >> and you know, for example, we can provide the quarterly reports that
Charlie provides to the AC. Um, so happy to do that. Um, >> okay. So, so it currently goes to the AC. So, they're they're out there. >> Yeah. I mean, I it's I want to look at what the schools provide versus what we provide to the AC, but you know, I think happy to have that, you know, that's
that's just kind of a quarterly update on where we are. Um, hope is useful to us. >> Well, I think it can >> it can be potentially useful if there's certain patterns that emerge. Yeah. So if projections in one area are consistently coming a bit low and
consistently high in another area, being made aware of that is helpful and we and we generally are. It's just I don't think we have that as a firm policy. It seems to be more a practice. Well, and to yeah would just add to that
um the state uh does quarterly reporting of revenues and expenditures and you know it's always interesting to hear you know the revenues are running ahead of revenues are running behind etc. um feels like something that might be useful to have. That's all.
>> We can certainly get you that. I mean revenues again it's a lagging indicator. We tend to but we are happy to get that information to you. >> Right. And and you know they tend to um look at it in terms of uh they they look back a year at the quarter the year before
>> and that's where they make the comparison. Not like did we do a quarter of all revenues in this quarter. You don't always do it, you know, it quarter by quarter, but you, you know, you can benchmark it to the previous year's quarter, >> right? >> Yeah.
>> Okay. Um, are we ready to vote? I think it it it's um >> we're just voting on the schools at this point, right? voting on schools MU, but I want to incorporate into uh that vote um this I guess aside letter that uh
we're talking about uh putting together to address some of the issues that um have ongoing beyond next year um relevance. >> So maybe to adopt it and also a vote to take to
town school partnership with with the goal of a long-term agreement, right? So I mean is that people thinking about >> I support that? Yes. >> But that but that wouldn't happen right away. >> No. No. Right. But it >> renewal we'd have a long >> Yeah. With the goal right with the goal
with the goal of a longer term, you know, which which really I think would >> mutually beneficial. >> Yes. That's right. Right. >> Okay. Um as uh or with that u a caveat, I move approval of the memorandum of understanding between the town and
public schools of Brooklyn regarding financial policies and practices uh with the expectation that that we will get a side letter with respect to longer term issues between us. Okay. All in favor? Um John Vancoyak.
>> I Paul Warren. >> Hi. >> David Pearlman. >> Hi. >> Michael Rubenstein. >> Hi. >> Chair votes I. MBTA transit signal priority question of approving anou anotherou of the MBTA. >> I'm sorry, Bernard, that was an older version of the agenda. That was from the
draft. We we moved that to next week. >> Okay. Sorry, I should have read this script right here. >> Um, it's like board article represent uh recommendations or whatever it's called actually, but
>> sounds like it something like that. um warrant articles discussions. So uh what I wanted to do there is to um as we take up warrant articles for the upcoming town meeting, I would like to recommend that we identify articles on
which we will make no recommendation and will not make a presentation to town meeting. You know, these would be articles that are not gerine to our role as the town's executive or articles that presented mainly to make a political statement or foreign policy statement
which we get a lot of that are outside the authority or expertise of the select board. But I'm recommending that all articles receive a hearing so that um you everyone has an opportunity to present you articles that we may not want to make a recommendation on but
they may want to articulate you know their views their position >> um and argue that to the public. So, you know, what I'm suggesting is that, you know, our options in in um voting on warrant articles are favorable action,
no action, and no recommendation. Now, you may recall that years ago, not many years ago, but a couple years ago, we actually did that. There was some controversy because um we also did not um have public hearings on on articles
or make presentations. And uh that was u uh some people in the community objected to that. Uh so for a couple years we um um you did this but without denying people
a hearing. So I'm just suggesting that we uh I guess agree that this is how we will proceed with one article. >> So Bernard, we would still have the public hearing. >> Yeah. So people could voice their concern or whatever and then
>> Sorry. Yeah. Go ahead. >> Okay. That's >> so I mean for example one article that I think want to make no recommendations and one of the select board members suggested this uh warrant article 19. I mean that's an important resolution to many people in the community and you
know I want to give them an opportunity and warrant article 19 is the one about using the 25th amendment to remove uh Trump from office. So, you know, that's really kind of outside of our um area of responsibility, authority, but I I don't
want to deny people who feel very strongly about this to have an opportunity to have a hearing. >> Um but, you know, we're not going to make a recommendation >> uh or make a presentation to town meeting. >> Yes. I guess the the only sort of
wrinkle that that I would add to that and um I'm broadly supportive of of what you're describing um is that if any one of us select boards is interested in making a motion to not make a recommendation that that motion be
somehow privileged over the choice of of recommending no action or or favorable action because that motion a motion for no action or favorable action sort of has built within it the
fact that we are going to make a recommendation. >> Well, we usually have a discussion, Michael, that kind of >> we narrow it down, right? We don't generally have to prioritize. I think I think we'll figure >> my my concern there is that there may be
articles that, for example, I consider to be silly. >> Yeah. and would make no recommendation. But other members of the select board may think this these are very important articles, right? >> And I want to give people an opportunity to make that argument >> complete. I completely agree. I the the
the the detail is only um when we get to the question of what are we voting on? um if you know if somebody for example if I think an article is silly and I don't think we should make a recommendation um and I make a motion to
uh vote uh to uh not make a recommendation on that warrant article um you know three people may disagree and because they want they actually want to make a recommendation and it would be voted down whereas if we did the opposite if we did it in the opposite
order Then >> I feel a little funny about you trying to engineer the way the votes go. It just feels funny to me. I don't know why. >> Okay. >> Um, you know, >> you can make a motion at any time about what you want. Um, I know the chair is usually pretty good about getting a sense of where things are at. But
Bernard, I actually have a quick question. We have quite a bit left on the agenda. Um, some public hearings. I know >> us aging adults like to stand up and stretch our legs. >> I just wanted to I'm not saying right this moment. just because there's a lot of people that are want to speak and
stuff when I'm asking you to look forward and decide when we may want to take a break, a five minute break. That's all. >> Why don't we do it now? I mean, >> okay. >> 9:00. >> Wait, someone's saying no. >> Yeah.
like well you haven't been sitting for five hours so >> she's been waiting for us to get to >> just on this discussion we're having now >> I do think that as the chief executive board of the town we ought to be opining
on everything even if it means no opinion that's fine but I don't think that we should ever pull ourselves out for making a statement if our statement is as a board we decided not to appine that's Okay. And we say that >> well that's no recommendation, >> right? >> Okay.
>> I just think we should note that not simply be completely silenced on one. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Agreed. >> Okay. There's objection to taking a break, so we'll just lumber forward. >> Well, there was an objection from >> the audience.
>> The audience. >> I'm deferring to the audience. Okay. Well, does the select board want to take a vote >> or take a break? >> I'm going to go use the restroom. So, you can do what you want. I'm gonna excuse myself. >> Okay. And I'll be right after you when you come when you come back.
>> Um Okay. Uh so that doesn't require a vote or anything, but just just an understanding that you know we do it that way. Yeah. Okay. >> Um next uh question. Okay. I guess this is just a notice that that we're
withdrawing article five um or article to dissolve the human resources board. uh do you want to talk >> just talk briefly and I want to thank everyone involved in this and everyone who's held held hearings and and done the work on this. I mean the short answer on this is the initial rounds of hearings have demonstrated that we're
not quite ready to be here yet. Um there are still obviously issues here that we need to resolve in the long term. Um so it is important for us to do that but we will take some additional time uh as has been suggested by the initial hearings
and work through that both with our uh partners in the unions um and with other boards and commissions and make sure we get to a uh a good outcome here before bringing it back to town meeting. So we would recommend that you not offer a
motion on this article. >> Okay. Do we we don't need to vote in that? >> No. needs to not act, >> right? >> Okay. Okay. Uh, next we're uh public hearing on warrant articles. Let's start off with warrant article 13 so that Carol Cara can leave and go home.
>> Right. Good evening. I'm Do I have this? Okay. I'm Carol Carroll. I I live at 1550 Beacon Street in Precinct 11. I'm here representing the petitioners for warrant article 13. I serve as a member of the
steering committee of Brooklyn CAN, chair of the communication committee and editor of the Brooklyn CAN newsletter. For those of you who are not familiar with the Brooklyn community aging network, it is a volunteer organization that advocates for seniors and provides
information to help older adults stay active in the community. With me here on here or on or via Zoom are the other petitioners of this warrant article. Ruth Seidman, co-chair of Brooklyn can Matt Weiss, chair of Brooklyn Age
Friendly Committee and host of the popular FAFC TV show on big. Also, I think Fran is here because she had another meeting is Fran Pearllor, a member of the Council on Aging Advisory Committee and a town
meeting member from precinct 8. Uh, warrant article 13 addresses the the unique opportunity offered by the town's acquisition of the Fiser Hill property. The warrant article supports the intent as decisions are made that the needs of
the council on aging the senior center in Brooklyn's older population be very carefully considered in the planning. Brooklyn residents aged 60 plus represent over 20% of the population. This is a segment
of the population that has grown significant significantly in recent years and is projected to continue to grow. However, funding for services for this population is less than 0.3%
of the town's budget. We want to ensure that senior use of Fiser Hill property receives more than 0.3% of consideration. The senior center for the 25 years has been providing an everinccreasing array
of services and opportunities for connections combating social isolation and now needs more space. Parking is limited at the current location. The property on Fiser Hill has the potential to provide space for senior programming
along with serving the needs of other sectors of the community. We are asking the town respectfully uh request that the select board, the planning department, and relevant committees explicitly include the needs of Brookline's older adults in their
deliberations on Fiser Hill. We're happy to answer any questions you may have. >> Any questions? Not as if we we ignore the senior community. me every >> well you must be exhausted after all
this chatting you've been going through >> Michael >> um so first of all I want to thank you and thanks for bringing this um article forward um I'm I'm curious as to your ex
I have a few questions so first I'm curious as to your uh experience thus far in terms of your own direct advocacy to the Fiser Hill Study Committee um and how you feel like the you know your reception of that how how that advocacy
has been received. Well, we we've appeared um some of us have appeared before different committees, but as a group, the four of us have appeared before the subcommittee of the advisory committee and it was a unanimous vote uh in support of our resolution. And at the
advisory committee, I think there was one abstension and otherwise two abstensions because Fran didn't vote because she's on the advisory committee. So, two abstensions and otherwise it was uh all in favor. I I'm sorry. I I had a
slightly different question. I was referring to direct advocacy of your concerns to the Fiser Hill study committee and whether uh they whether you had >> Well, there's I didn't finish. Ruth uh
who is here was at the meeting last night to represent us at that meeting. Um Matt has been at uh meetings with the diversity committee here in town and I can't remember what other ones Fran's been involved with but we have been
about >> Okay. Um the second question that I had um is I wonder if you had any given any thought um of of sort of this warrant article as compared to uh warrant
article I believe it was 21 uh last May um with regard to the thriving of children um which was >> with regard to >> with regard to the thriving of children which was another article similar in that it it looked at the needs of a
specific demographic. Um in their case they were advocating for public health. Um and um it it occurred to me that you know the needs of seniors with regard to public health as well as the needs for children with regards to considerations
at Fischer Hill sort of become this become this sort of complicated web of needs and considerations. So, I'm wondering whether um whether um you your the intention of your warrant article is
to any way cut through that that sort of complicated web of different interests. >> Well, I think the thing is, you know, we we are not asking for a um permanent building on the Fiser Hill site. We're
we're asking for being considered to share the space and to share it equitably among the others. So we're not taking space from anyone else or any other issue that >> Thank you very much. Can can I can I just add uh at last night's meeting we
had a discussion of a previous meetings discussion uh by CHAZ of a proposal for the use of uh the site based on um uh discussions uh that were had with town departments and the outcome included the
idea of a community center where senior activities would would play an important role in that. So I mean the committee has always you know considered uh the importance of you know senior interests and and issues and activities in you
know what we would uh you know propose for that site. >> Yep. I I actually have a question for Bernard. Thank you for bringing this by the way. Um but you're the chair of the new >> Yes. Um and I'm just curious about your perspective on this as the chair. Um,
and you're also, um, I know you do a lot of activities with the state, but um, is this helpful to to have this come before town meeting? And is there anything that's uh >> Well, I would I would just point out the uh email that we got from Emily Williams
and um you know, she mentions that merely advisory um and um you know is just making sure that uh needs of seniors are on everyone's on top of mind for everyone. um you know I don't think it's harmful
anything but I mean it's you concerns or you know issues facing seniors and needs of seniors have always been right >> top of mind you know for our committee and and >> bottom of budget
>> well okay I'd like to okay hold on that >> I didn't mean to >> and and you know for for all committees uh ever since about a year and a half or two years ago when This issue was brought up in the context of and I forgot what it was brought up in the
context of but you know you know everyone you know was sort of forced to think about the role of um you any proposals that they were coming up with >> for seniors. >> Okay. >> Um so >> so you're I guess your opinion is
important to me about that and um I will say that I think it's really important that advocacy come forward. I guess my only question to you is it might be maybe the way Michael was getting at it. Were you not feeling like you were engaged in the process of Newbury or this was just another way to make sure
that that seniors which are a substantial uh portion of our community, an important uh contributing portion are have an opportunity to be heard on this issue. >> Well, I I think it's there's a there's a history here of um people saying that
they support something, but then when push comes to shove, it doesn't happen. I I could refer to the uh 108 Center Street. Um I participated in hearings in that for more than a year and the
possibility was I mean it was in the memorandum early memorandum of agreement. The senior center was to have the rooms on the first floor for um for uh programs that would have helped to liate the problem that we have now.
However, somewhere along the line, that all got dropped. And now, if the senior center wants to use those rooms at 108, they were asked to be paid $84,000, which the senior center certainly does
not have to pay and the town doesn't have. So, my concern is that people say, "Oh, yes, yes, yes, we're supporting seniors, but when push comes to shove, they forget about us and go ahead and do something different." So, I want it out
there that we deserve to be highly considered for space at this new center and um not be forgotten or lost in the wash. >> Thank you. I'm support >> just for our historical I'm sorry, someone
>> Yes, I'm one of the uh >> one of the signers of this resolution. I just want to add slightly to what Carol said and what you were saying really Bernard uh in that 13 years ago approximately when the age friendly
cities committee was formed uh its intention was based on our acceptance by the world health organization and later on AP as a an age friendly city that uh Brooklyn was going to keep conscious
awareness of making uh Brookline, keeping it and making it age friendly. And part of that included in the design or ch any constructions, any plans, anything done in the town that they
would take into account the needs of older adults and recognizing that most of those needs were also for little children and also for teenagers and also for Gen X's or whatever. But uh and and it's and to be
fair, a lot of the things we've done over the years has helped everybody. They may be minor, they may be big, they've helped everybody. And our only concern is just to live by that. And that's that's at least my reason for signing it is to ensure that we remember
it was quite a while ago. that time has passed, but we still exist and we still have the same label and we still have to refresh it every year or so and tell them what we've done as a plan and the kinds of actions we've taken and we just want to make sure that this activity is
includes that the Fisher Hill activity includes our needs which happen to be somewhat severe right now. >> David, that's it. >> When historically, May I respond as a petitioner? This is Fran Pearllor. Um, >> okay.
>> Unless you want to ask me a question. >> Oh, you finished? Um, >> oh, I >> Yes, I am. Thank you. >> Okay, go ahead, T. >> So, um, >> oh, by the way, hold on. We haven't opened up the public hearing. Why don't
we open it up? >> Bill, the petitioners do have a total time of 10 minutes and so they still have time towards that if if you want. Up to you. Uh why don't we make this a public hearing? >> Okay. >> Comments will still be towards the
petitioner's time since she's a co-etitioner though. >> So I'm counting that against the 10 minutes still. >> Are you ready? >> Yes. Let me talk fast to answer. Michael and others. We as seniors appreciate the
support of Chair Green and Paul Warren and many others. But we wouldn't have put this resolution forward if we didn't think it needed to be put forward. that
I would say our reception at the uh Fiser Hill uh committee last night was lukewarm. And there are a lot of competing groups wanting parts of this or that. And we're
not asking for a lot. We're asking to be considered to be part of it. Um and we often get the response that well all the town is populated in committees and town meeting by seniors and that's not the
point. Most seniors have their point of view of what they advocate for and we want to advocate for all seniors. There's a 40year range between a 60 and a 100 year old. there's a tremendous
difference in interest and abilities and capabilities of being able to walk a block or being able to walk 10 blocks. And so we do feel that there are many people in
town government and commissions and staff that think about seniors, >> but we're sort of worried that there's so many people who are interested in Fiser Hill that, you know, our voice
needs to be heard and we're just asking for consideration. We're not asking for this or that. Just to be part of it. That's it. David. Okay. Wait. Uh, should we open up
the hearing? I don't mean >> Yes, if you'd like to. >> Okay. >> All right. >> Okay. The hearing is open. >> Okay. Now that the chair has opened the public hearing or did you want to take David first? >> Well, let's take David. Well, just a question.
>> Confused here, but >> a question I have for any of the petitioners or anyone at this table. When is the last time we had a townsponsored capital project where seniors were the focus? >> I believe the senior center was um refit
and built 25 years ago. Well, we've re we for example, we've allocated funds in the capital program for the refitting and the repainting and reortioning of the senior center I think last year. Um we continue to do that sort of work. I
know too that the senior center is funded not just by the operating budget but by generous support um from the senior center foundation as well as from state grants and earmarks. Um so which we actively um chase you know Emily and
um her team work to maximize the support we get from everywhere. So I do think it is obviously critical group that we you know a critical group of the town's population. Um but we do try and continue to support that population um
through both capital investments and elsewhere. And as you could see from the proposal that we presented at the Fischer Hill Committee, there is a major portion of that aspect of of a community center is to make sure that there is dedicated time and space for seniors to
use that. We know that the senior center is overburdened currently. We know that it's hard to park there. We know there are a number of issues that structurally the senior center can't resolve um that we are trying to solve creatively with thoughts like about how to use Fischer Hill.
>> The reason I ask that is of course we have debt exclusions for school projects for fire stations both new and renovated. Uh but it's been a while since seniors had something and here they're it's not that uh seniors are
asking to have a dedicated senior center at Fiser Hill uh but to have a significant component or be considered to use uh their exact terminology to have dedicated space. So it's heartening to see that as part of the current
proposal but of course we don't know if that's the current proposal that'll ultimately pass. Okay. Hey, any further discussion? And this is a public hearing. Any um comments from the public or >> Yes, there are no other individuals who
signed up in advance for this public hearing. Um if there are any individuals that wish to speak on war article 3 related to older adult consideration at the Fiser Hill property, please raise your hand using the raise the hand feature or make your presence in the room known. Okay. There are approximately five
individuals in the room, 26 online, and it looks like no one else is indicating their desire to speak. >> Okay, close the hearing and um we'll move on. Um we'll take a vote next week unless someone objects
or wants to do it earlier. Okay. Next, just for the just so there's no confusion, generally we uh have the public hearing and then we vote the next week. >> So, just so you know. Okay. >> Yeah. Carol knows. >> Okay. She >> better than most of us have.
>> She looked more shocked that we weren't taking. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Warren article 7 um amends section 5.06.4 of the zoning bylaw to create a Clark Road multifamily overlay district. Um,
and that is is Jeffrey Allen. >> Jeffrey Allen's online. Jeffrey, you've just been promoted. >> Good evening. Uh, let me just try to uh run through our presentation quickly and answer questions. Article 7 is the zoning change that I think the town
should enthus. It brings new housing to an area of town that needs it and it brings new housing that will be rental and will be implemented and and added to to the tax base without disruption. The pro
proposal would allow the adaptive reuse of the building at 2:00 Road which is formerly a classroom building for the MMO school. Adaptive reuse would entail maintaining the existing structure without destruction and adding some uh
10- foot high bedrooms on a portion of the roof set back about 12 ft from the edge of the roof. So, not to affect the neighborhood in any way. The M the Mmani's building uh reuse would contain 35 units, five of which would be ex uh
would be subject to the affordable requirements under the inclusionary zoning provision of our zoning bylaw. All of all of the units would be what we term reasonably priced in the Brookline screen on an enjoining lot. Uh there
would be four town houses, one of which would be subject to inclusionary zoning requires. All units would be rental units and given the location of public transportation, we are planning on limiting it uh parking to one car per unit. We will have the building will
have approximately uh will have one and twobedroom uh units. The onebedrooms would have approximately 850 ft and the two bedrooms 1,200 square ft square ft. When we originally started on this
project, we were alerting alerted by planning board staff of the town's desire for what they termed as workforce housing. The act adaptive reuse of this building is modeled on that premise. The design of the units are modeled on that
premise. It's important to note that since this was a Dober educational use, uh, until our purchase, the building has never paid any real estate taxes until our per purchase in April of of of this year. Since our purchase p purchase, the
building has been subject to real estate tax taxes, which will continue to grow as the conversion progresses and and the building begins uh uh creating revenue. We we're pleased to say we have support from the neighborhood as this really is
the least disruptive use the building could be put to and also is a lot less uh demanding on the neighborhood than the previous use which was the Merman schools and then the Brooklyn uh town of
Brooklyn be pro program. Uh of any potential use for this building uh this is the least impactful use. Um, we we we're working with the existing uh building and we're trying to remove as
much hot uh hardcape as possible and to incorporate as much green space in the proposal. Just this evening, we we finished another site plan which we've uh submitted to the building uh planning department showing uh uh where we we
think we can increase green space. One of the things we um are incorporating in the in the uh design and implementation of this program is a request from the neighborhood that they that we maintain a pathway open to the public that would
take them from Clark Road to Filbrick Road so they don't have to traverse on Route 9 to make that uh journey. And we've decided that we can do that. Uh we're working out details of that and some of that will involve an involvement with the town uh through town council's
office and probably the town administrator as to whether or not we can maintain a jungle gym that's on that walkway. But we're working on that. Um, we've been working with the advisory subcommittee, which is one of their main
concerns has been to tighten the zoning so that we actually do we're forced to do exactly what we say we're going to do like no destruction so forth and and we have no objection to any of that. Um it's important to note that although
this proposal won't require a special permit, it does go be go it does require site plan review which is a robust even though it's a site plan review, it's a complete design review >> by both the planning depart planning department and the planning board and
the public hearing and and we look forward to that on both parcels. Um, I, as I said, I think that this is an incredibly great opportunity for the town in creating much needed housing and we
wouldn't have got to this point. I I do want to mention without tremendous assistance from the planning department, from Carara, Paulie, and Maria, uh, without them, we we wouldn't be this close to reality, to making this a
reality. and and to put 39 units of of reasonably priced rental housing on the market. So, I'd be uh more than happy to answer any questions you might have uh and and and concerns.
>> Thank you. Any questions from the select board? Paul, >> thanks, Jeffrey. Um you uh had mentioned that you're you're considering or will agree to that pathway, the public pathway. Um, today that staircase is to
the north side, the north end of the uh of the school building and I think the jungle gym you're talking about is kind of it's on the Route 9 side. Is that correct? Are you are you thinking about switching it? >> No. Or am I wrong? >> The jungle gym is on the same side as the Seaway. >> It is on the same side. It's like right
above where they must have had the trash containers and stuff. Is that is that where it is? Okay. Okay. when at this juncture until we have some conversations with the town, uh we we we can't commit to keeping the jungle gym. >> Okay. >> But we are keeping the pathway.
>> Okay. I guess I didn't remember seeing a jungle gym, but I'll take your word for it. And then my my second question is >> referring it to as a jungle gym, but it's it's a little it's an upscale modern jung jungle gym. >> Okay. All right. Um and then my second
question is um related to the uh I just lost it. Give me all this you into um >> age creeps up on you. >> It it it it has already crept up on me. Um I lost it. I lost the question, Jeffrey.
It'll come back to me and I'll come back to you. >> Um any other questions? John, you had your hand. >> Well, um I mean on on the question of the uh the fact that there's actually
two lots here. Um and on one of them, as you pointed out, the plan is town houses. Um what is the significant what what is the importance of the townhouse portion of this development to the other uh portion
of the development? Well, first of all, right now they're one lot, John, but in the development we'll separate it into second lot. So, there'll be uh what's called an ANR and uh separation of a lot. The townhouse is because in order
to keep in in order to keep the rents as reasonable as possible, we needed more units than we could get into Two Road. So by uh putting the town houses on that separate lot, we we uh gain four units
and we also gain an additional affordable unit under the uh afford under the zoning bylaw. So of those four lots, three three will be market and one will be affordable uh under the bylaw, although there's an option for cash payment when it's four units. So in any
but the there'll be a affordable there'll be an affordable component under the bylaw. Thus, it it allows us to to to uh to keep the the building of uh rents in a more reasonable and and complete the goal of this workforce
housing. You know, I I I must say and I won't mention names. I was in town hall today conducting business and I spoke to a very helpful employee who told me she was new to Brooklyn and she had just started and we talked and she said that the only problem she loved Brooklyn, she
loved working here but that uh her only problem is she had an hour and a half commute from where she lives and I said well why don't you move to Brooklyn? She said, "I can't find an affordable rental." And so that's exactly the type
of people, teachers, uh, town employees that we hope will be able to rent units here and and be residents of Brooklyn. And as a follow-up question, um absent uh the the uh development of the the
townhouse portion, um what options might you have to still um offer affordable rents, uh but you know, uh with development only on the adaptive reuse of the school building. >> I think the absence of the townhouse
would jeopardize the concept of the entire project. Okay. Um, I have a question. I was interested in you saying that the developer is interested in maintaining the uh pathway from Clark Road to Phil
Brook. Um, I mean, does that mean, you know, shoveling snow when uh in the wintertime and and shoveling off ice when it's cold? I I assume you're you're willing to take on responsibility for
maintaining that pathway. period. >> Yes, we are. And and it's not we're Let me be I want to be clear, Bernard. It's not that we're interested in keep in in uh in in maintaining that pathway. >> You're willing. >> We're we're not we're committed to doing
it. I want to I want to I don't want people to think we're uh and if if it's our responsibility, we are committed uh to uh maintaining that pathway. There has to be a discussion with the town frankly that may change that if if if we
we we keep the jungle gym so to speak >> but that's I think a best discussion with town council's office. >> Yeah. Um and and that would also be maintained if you put town houses on the >> Absolutely. >> Absolutely.
>> Absolutely. It's a It's on our plan at the There will definitely be uh the connection between Clack Road and Philick Road. >> Okay. Paul, >> I remembered my second question, Jeffrey. >> Um so you mentioned that you've gotten a
lot of neighborhood input in support. I didn't see any demonstration of that other than your word. Um, how how can you demonstrate that is can you talk through what did you go through to get that? How many meetings did you have?
Um, I don't think we saw any support letters uh for the project. >> We're we're not I'm not a rallying letter. Uh, >> I know that, but there was none. >> I did. But the the comments from the neighborhood
uh uh have been very supportive. We had a neighborhood meeting. Uh there's one town meeting Dave uh t meeting one town meeting member David that live that is a director butter. He's been really our uh our connection and he's been dealing
directly with my client. Our cl my client uh that that is doing this development is is is a Brooklyn resident. He does adaptive reuses. He's never done anything in the town he lives in and he he's looking forward to doing this and he wants it to be rental
housing so it's not going to go away. So we've been having a lot of conversations with the neighborhood. We had a neighborhood meeting at the start of the project where we uh invited a buddas and town meeting members. We actually have another neighborhood meeting
scheduled tomorrow night which is we've been uh made a invitation list much larger. But I've been doing this a long time. Uh and the first neighborhood me meeting we had was uh as positive a
neighborhood meeting that I've ever been involved in. Uh and I think because the neighborhood understands that the the building isn't going to be torn down to be disruptive. the use is going to be much more benign than a school that has pickup drop off uh toddlers and so
forth. We're able to take out a lot of the hardcape and turn it green space because we we don't have kids uh to you know play areas and hard areas to play in. So I I think that that we've gotten support from the neighborhood and I
think the be best indication of of support from the neighborhood is we don't have opposition from the neighborhood. You might not have letters of support, but I don't think you have any letters from the neighborhood in opposition. >> Michael, um I'm wondering I noticed
there's a person from the planning department here in the audience, and I wonder if I can direct a question. Um uh if you if you wouldn't mind. Um I have a question about um the fact that what's before us is a zoning warrant
article. Um, and the petitioner has talked about a lot of aspects of their development plan or their intentions that are not necessarily captured in the warrant article. And I'm wondering um
what uh methods the town has for um for ensuring those those uh claims such as um that these will be rented out at work at whatever the definition of workforce
housing is. I'm not quite sure what what that is. Or for example, whether or not the town houses will be rented or sold. whether or not the uh affordable housing unit for the the inclusionary zoning for
the four town houses is on site or cash in loo. Um and I'm sure there are a number of other ones and I'm wondering how um how those might be memorialized or whether they can be memorialized in the context of this warrant article.
>> Those those are great questions. My name is Maria Morelli, senior planner in the regulatory division. And in regard to rental versus ownership, zoning cannot regulate ownership. So that piece cannot be in the zoning. But in regard to the
workforce housing, the adaptive reuse, which is the building on CRM1 or the T6, it's the large building that's already there. What is memorialized in the zoning is a cap of unit sizes. So the petitioner was able to provide floor
plans. So whatever was provided in the plans, the elevations, we memorialized in terms of stepbacks, not just setbacks, but stepbacks um to honor what the um the public the a butter's wish to see. Those unit sizes in that academic
building range from 780 square feet to,200 square feet. So that is really modest modestly sized and that's something that we normally don't see you know a a lot of um if we didn't do that these could become luxury
size units um they could be like 3,000 square feet. So you know it's it was important to cap the unit sizes >> in the academic building. Um it's also stated that the affordable housing has to be equitably distributed. Right now,
as of today, this is one site with two different um buildings, but they plan to subdivide. That looks different. So, if you subdivide, there's inclusionary zoning for each. If you don't subdivide, there
is the danger that all of the affordable units would be segregated in one building and not equitably distributed. So, we had to have an if um situation with the affordable units. So the affordable units would be not only equitably distributed but for the
academic building they would be located on site except for the four town homes. What we do have under section 408 which is our inclusionary zoning bylaw 4 to 10 units the owner has the option to uh pay
a a cash payment in lie of locating those units on site. It's not necessarily proven that it's economic to have one out of four units um located on site. That's not necessarily economic. So, we didn't want to impose that. And I'm not sure if you had any other
questions that I didn't answer. >> I just want to make sure I it was clear and I've said this to the advisory committee. We don't we don't oppose and and Maria's been working to do it to tighten up the zoning to make sure to give people the confidence that we're
going to do exactly what we say. But I want to underscore what Maria says. The best guarantee of workforce housing is the size of the units and she and Maria has written that into the zoning. >> Okay, Paul. >> So, uh, thanks Jeffrey. So, my
understanding is that and I'm still waiting to hear from land use. I know they they met today but they haven't decided yet and I think the I don't >> they met yesterday and they >> the planning board is also continuing right so um this the issue of by right
versus special permit uh I'm surprised we're spot zoning essentially what this is uh with hold let me yes it is it's a spot and we're zoning it um you know by right versus a special permit I appreciate that you're trying to put as
much into the commodities uh CRM one um and you know there's people that uh know more about this than me that will help and I assume that's probably land use um and maybe the planning board if they're satisfied that you've given
them enough that design review would be able to be able to make sure that you maintain the commitment that you're making. Um I I I think the best way to do that is through a special permit, but CRM2, you don't have the details on it.
Um right, there's still there's that whole plan is in flux other than it's this height. It's going to be four town houses. We're not limiting the square footage of the town houses >> 2500 2500 square feet each.
>> Yeah, but that's that's not workforce housing, right? 2500 square feet and Brookline rents for lots and lots of money. So all I'm saying is the the the second parcel here is seems to be um
it's not as far along in your thinking about what it is, how you're going to do it, what it's going to look like, all the stuff that would that would be by development. Uh you're much further along with CRM1. Is that was that accurate to say? I I think that's
accurate to say although we h have submitted a massing study of CRM CRM one of two to the to the to the uh planning department and we actually going to give them a new one tomorrow morning. Uh but it
CR both sites have to undergo site plan review. So there'll be full design review of both sites. So that the idea whether or not it's a special permit or not is is really not that critical because that it will go through design review because there's site plan review
on both and that includes building uh that includes landscaping that fenistration everything. I do want to touch on one thing you said because it's a magic word. It's a legal term spot zoning. This is not spot zoning although it is a spot and are we zoning? Yes. No.
But as your your analogy, but spot zoning does not exist if you are carrying forth a legitimate municipal purpose and and there's numerous case law that creating needed housing is a
legitimate municipal purpose. So this is not spot zoning. >> Okay. I'll I'll I'll take your legal opinion on that. Uh Jeffrey, I respect you. I I do I I I for one am much more comfortable but for with a special permit on this u versus just going with
by right the way we did on on Harvard street. Um it just it just makes more sense to me that way. But that's just my that's my thinking about I I want I want to hear from the planning board. I want to hear from land use um and you know and and advisory as a whole uh for me
personally before I can make a determination. But um it's going in the right direction. A special permit on CRM one, uh, CRM 2, I'm sorry, the town houses, uh, is not a death nail. A
special permit on CR on the on the main house is is is a problematic because of the time frame in there. This is an expensive project to carry it. Just alone, we're giving the town about 12 thou $13,000 a month in taxes on this to
to sit vacant. and we're carrying a huge mo mortgage on the property. So, uh on the big building, which is going to be built first, and let me make clear, I didn't mention this. We're not going to build the town houses until we're well along on the first on the big building
because we want to use that lot as a construction staging area to minimize impact on the neighborhood. >> Gotcha. Okay. Well, I appreciate your sensitivity to the neighborhood. Um and sounds like you've done a bit of engagement with them. So, thank you.
How did you arrive at the 33 units figure for CRM1? Uh >> 35, excuse me, the 35 units. Is that uh based on the structural integrity of the building of the adaptive reuse of minimizing the amount of interior
changes? Because my understanding from the plan is that you are adding some verticality essentially the equivalent of an additional story. Uh, is that what the existing structure can support? >> Well, we it could have supported more, but we we didn't want to put a full
floor up there. We wanted to build it in a way that it wouldn't impact the neighborhood so that by setting back those >> uh units uh those uh additions on the roof, it it has a 12oot setback so it doesn't impact the neighborhood. all that what what we're doing is it's a
it's a three story it's a fourstory building but the first story is the garage and so that doesn't really count from our architectural way it's it's going to stay the same so it's really a threestory building the second third and fourth floors in order to maximum the
number of smaller units we could put in there on the fourth floor the is going to have the the bedrooms are are the new pieces that are going on the roof The fourth floor will be duplex units. Uh mostly one bedrooms, some two
bedrooms up there with the bedrooms on the second floor. Uh on the roof, the new additions to the roof. So that's why the addition to the roof is 10 ft uh high. It's just one room of the units below it. Um what how do we get to 35? I
would say that's basically what architecturally given the size of units we wanted uh to to make work force that we could get. And then it sounds like in terms of verticality, you're looking to not exceed four stories plus that extra
10 feet. >> Right. Exactly. Which we're roughly projecting understanding height under the Brooklyn zoning bylaw takes many many graduate degrees from MIT. But our our engineer
right now it's looking like the building will be about 55 56 feet high with the additions. Right now, we think it's 43.9 and we're allowing 11 feet for the additions, although most likely they will come in closer to 10.
>> Quick question. >> Yeah. >> Do we not have an easement to that stairway pathway? >> The easement expired in 2018. >> Yeah, it's expired. >> Okay. That happened.
>> Yeah, that's what I want to know. I don't know if we can just >> But we're basically going to follow the same path that that easement had. >> Right. So, this is a public hearing. Why don't we open the public hearing and see
who wants to speak? >> Yes. Now that the chair has opened the public hearing, we did have a couple of speakers who signed up. Um, first is David Porter. Um, just a reminder, speakers will have three minutes. Hi. Can you hear me? >> Hi. Can you hear me?
>> Yes, that's better. >> No, because you're too tall. >> Um, my name is Dave Porter, town meeting member of Precinct 6. I own and reside at 21 Clark Road with my wife, Julie, and our two kids, seven and nine years old. Thank you, Julie, for me being here tonight. We live directly across the
street from two Clark Road. Uh our neighborhood is small uh and a little isolated between Clark Road, Sumar Road, and Route 9, which is uh which is impassible. I'm friends with many of my neighbors. I've met many more in the course of
this. We have a WhatsApp group for this. We discuss it on the sidewalk. Um I think I'm the only town member meeting that meeting member that lives in that triangle. Of course, I haven't managed to contact uh to connect with every neighbor, but I am speaking tonight on behalf of our small community.
Uh we are cautiously optimistic. We do think that this is probably the best case scenario for this building for us. Uh and we feel very safe in the hands of town staff. Uh I've seen Maria Melli most often. Um they have been working hard to shrink wrap the article to the
development plan. Uh this is my first rodeo. Uh so thank you Maria and everyone uh very infinitely much for keeping us safe. A lot of the discussion around this article uh has been concerning public spaces. I want to thank Shaun Lin Jones
especially for his leadership. Um I am speaking tonight to convey my neighborhood's specific needs in this regard. First, there's an access path between Clark and Philbrick uh at the north end of the parcel. It's been discussed. I see it used heavily every day, including today. Kids walking to
school at my monities, people exercising, families walking to religious services. Walking up Route 9. Route 9 is scary and dirty and unsafe. Um developer has spoken uh positively at public meetings about this access. Uh Mr. Allen has has committed to it tonight. Um Mr. Allen, Mr. Rossi, thank
you. Please keep it open for us. Select board, please act in your considerable power in this matter to ensure it. Second, public play space. Uh bigger kids uh have Cypress Park, but that's a really long way for little ones to go. Uh, I can confirm for select board
member Warren that there is a small jungle gym uh and play space on the north side adjacent to the access path. While the building was unoccupied, my kids spent a lot of time there. Others use it regularly. Several of them uh wrote to you today. Attorney Allen made it clear in public meeting last week uh
and I think again tonight that his client is unable to shoulder liability for a public jungle gym. That makes a lot of sense to me, but there are other ways. Um Mr. Allen, Mr. Rossi, please work with the town to convert that play space into public space. Select board, please act in your considerable power in
this matter to ensure it. Uh, regarding the two possible futures for the CRM2 section that I've heard, um, I haven't heard any great distress from my neighbors over the townous's plan. Um, although again, I have not spoken to everyone. Everyone I've talked to would be thrilled if it magically became a
park. uh whichever outcome uh what we need is a public 247 path between Clark and Philbrick and a neighborhood play space. >> Thank you. That concludes your time, David. You can submit the rest of your comments via email. Uh the next speaker is Shaun Lynn Jones. Sean, I promoted
you. Thank you very much. I'm Sean Lynn Jones. I'm a president of the Brooklyn uh Greenspace Alliance if my sweater didn't already tell you that and I'm a town meeting member from Precinct One and I live at 53 Mon Street. Um before I
talk about Article 7, I just want to thank Paul Warren for mentioning Putterham Woods and the soft reopening of the trails there this coming weekend at Harvest Fest. That's been a great project, a great transformation of the green space. Um, regarding article 7,
there's a lot to like in the proposal for the former school building. Um, I think Mr. Allen summed up almost all of it. I won't repeat what he said, but I'll just say it's also fairly close to transit, about a 5 to seven minute walk to Brookline Hills and this bus service on Route 9. This is indeed, I think, a
project with maybe a few more tweaks from the planning staff uh that helps Brookline to meet its goal of providing workforce housing. But Brooklyn has other goals. One of those goals is more parks, more open space, and we're in the final stages of an open space and recreation plan that explicitly calls
for adding small open spaces in the context of working with private developers. We also want a need for more trees and this is an area according to our urban forest plan that's a little bit below average with 33% tree canopy
and a goal set for this area of getting to 40%. And we've heard from the the neighbors that it would be great if there could be uh some kind of public amenity, uh a connection, a maintained path, and the preservation of what I'll call a play structure. Jungle gym may be
a little bit more of an ambitious description here, but it's a nice little play structure. There are a lot of ways that we could achieve these goals um for this um area. Uh it is already essentially a private park. If you walk by and look at the playground, you see
the trees, the benches, and the green space there. Um, if it were to become a public park, I think that could uh serve the needs of the neighborhood and the broader community and add to the tree canopy. Uh, there are ops also some options that we've talked about, heard
about tonight for a public footpath. Maybe something like the ones that Linda Olsen Pelky, who's also on this call, has written about in other parts of Brookline, like a little linear park, treeline park landscaping, including that uh play structure. But it might
take more time to work out these options. And for that parcel, which part we're calling CRM2, it's a very different kind of development plan with 2500 square foot time townouses, not small apartments. It's not going to be developed right away because it's going
to be a construction area. The details haven't been worked out. So, I would urge the select board to consider any and all of these options, but in particular to perhaps um you know slow down uh the reszoning of that particular area, what I'll call the playground
area, so there's time to work out something that works for the neighborhood uh and for the community. Thank you very much. >> Thank you, Sean. The next speaker is Linda Olsen Peek Pelky. >> Hello. Can you hear me? >> Yes, we can.
>> Great. Thank you. Hi. Um, my name is Linda Olsen Pelky. I am a town meeting member from precinct 17, a member of the advisory land use subcommittee and vice chair of the comprehensive plan steering committee. And I am here um speaking for
myself, not on behalf of our committee. I will tell you that the advisory subcommittee has had two very long very long meetings as you guys are very um well trained in on this matter and we
are feeling fairly confident that we have nailed down some of the details and we've asked for many many changes to the zoning to get um the envelope for the school building to truly reflect all of
these um promises and claims about the project. So, I'm we're feeling fairly decent about that. But the important thing to understand here is that this is a very unusual situation of having a
developer bring their own zoning to town meeting. I think it does set a bad precedent. Um I understand everyone's enthusiasm about the adaptive reuse. I too am enthusiastic about it. But when
it comes to the question of the byite development and the townhouse parcel and all of these various wants and needs of the community and maybe even ones that we aren't considering yet because the community has not been invited into this
process. So in typical times, we would have had an overlay committee to develop the zoning and to have time to work out these issues with town council and the neighbors and develop anou to go along with the zoning. And so I
have to join um Shawn in asking to not to to try to hold off on passing reszoning for that townhouse parcel in part because the claims that you're hearing about the site plan review are
uh not accurate. So the site plan review refers back to the design and development standards that are in the zoning that is allowing the site plan review. So what you see that's listed under that CMR2 that is it. That is what
is going to be reviewed. So in my view I think those standards need a great deal of work and they're inadequate. So, I don't think we're going to get that done by town meeting. And I am very
supportive of the resiliency and park open space goals for these two parcels. I think they're two large buildings. It is a residential neighborhood. There is a lack of green space in the area. >> Thank you, Linda. That concludes your time. >> Okay. Thank you.
>> Are there any other individuals who wish to speak on Warren article Thank you. Seven at this time. If so, please raise your hand using the raise the hand feature or make your presence known in the room.
Okay, there are three individuals in the room, 24 online, and it looks like no one else is indicating their desire to speak. >> Okay, we'll close the hearing and see if select board members have additional questions or comments. >> I have one I have one other question,
Bernard. Thank you. Um I thank you for the correction on the playscape. I actually have it on my phone. I took a picture of this morning. I don't know why I forgot it. Maybe because it was so unremarkable. Um Jeffrey, I I have uh attorney Allen a question about that playscape. Is that
on contained within the CRM2 uh part parcel that's on the the zoning map or is it is it behind it? It's C. It's in CRM1. >> It is in CRM1. Okay. All right. Thank you.
>> Can I see the picture? >> Yeah. >> Oh, >> clearly trespassing. >> I I was trespassing and I parked in the handicap spot. So, you know, I'm sorry, but I did do my due diligence. Okay.
>> Any other any other uh questions or discussion? >> No. >> No. >> Okay. Yeah, go ahead. >> If you insist, go ahead, Michael. >> I just wanted to agree with Paul that that I'm very interested to hear what
the what the planning board and what the land use subcommittee um do in their work. >> Okay, we'll we'll hear from them next time we take this up. Okay. Next warrant article is warrant article six. Uh amend
article four of the zoning bylaw to comply with chapter 4A section three uh with respect to an exemption for family child care homes and large family child care homes uh planning community development. Okay.
I see Maria Morelli is at the podium. >> Thank you. Uh Maria Morelli >> this born article to us. >> Thank thank you Mr. Chair. Uh, Maria Morelli, uh, senior regulatory planner. Um, I'm speaking on behalf of the Department of Planning and Community Development, which is the petitioner.
And the reason for this amendment is to make the zoning bylaw compliant with the legislaturator's recent uh, amendment to Mass General Law Chapter 4A section 3. This is the so-called Dover amendment. So, this is something that the town has
to do. Um, a family child care home is in part a private residence which on a regular basis receives temporary custody and care during part or all of the day. Um, children under seven years of age or children under 16 years of age if those
children have special needs. The number of children under the age of 16 is limited to six. For large family child care homes, the limit is 10 children. And to clarify, daycare center uses are principal uses use uh whereas family and
large family child care homes are accessory uses to the principal uses. The amendment affects only accessory uses and not dimensional requirements for accessory buildings and structures. Now there's another distinction. The
recent change to the Dover Amendment allows municipalities to reasonably regulate daycarees. Unlike daycare use, the recently amended statute states that family child care homes and large family child care homes may not be regulated at
all. So that what that means for this bylaw under the current zoning uh we have large family uh child care homes that are required to obtain a special permit that is accompanied by extensive site plan review materials and these
regulations are no longer allowed. Uh the the article also updates table 4.07 which is the use table. So those definitions for family and large family childare homes are consistent with the state definitions. And a few notes because that might concern you that
we're no longer regulating. Uh we want to point out that state regulations under 606 C CMR 7 regulate the requirements for licensing these programs and when local
departments like the building department or fire department need to get involved. So I have uh consulted with building fire and health departments, transportation division. Um, I've also consulted with our economic development uh division and there is something that
is that is still retained in the zoning which is that the building commissioner may condition any approval um upon the owner submitt of documentation of of the appropriate state licensing. And the last thing I want to point out in terms
of outreach, we did send outformational letters to all daycarees and family child care homes licensed by the state uh residing in Brooklyn so they're aware of changes to the statute and the impending change to the zoning. So, do
you have any questions? >> Thank you. Any questions, John? um are um daycare homes uh tax exempt >> child you know I'm not really familiar with any of the business um you know aspects of this
>> yeah they wouldn't be nonprofits so I would think that they'd be taxable >> but they're an educational use >> well and >> I don't think for-profit businesses are if they're if they're operated as a for-profit enterprise then they're taxable Yeah. I mean, for-profit
educational institutions would be taxable, for example. >> Even if they call themselves a school. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Um, Michael, >> um, thank you. Um, thank you for your presentation. Um, I have a question
about I guess it's about the definition of the large family child care or the family child care. Um, is it a requirement that those uh those businesses operate as accessory uses uh
in a residence that is occupied? >> Yes. >> Okay. So, so for example, the the case that that is coming to mind is that if somebody were to have a house and then they decided to build an accessory dwelling unit, um could they use that
accessory dwelling unit as a large uh family child care without necessarily renting it out as a residence. >> It it wouldn't be a protected use accessory dwelling unit. So, do you know
what I mean? Are you saying if it were already permitted as an accessory dwelling unit? >> Well, if if somebody created an accessory dwelling unit on on their property, right? >> Right. Um and that accessory dwelling unit was unoccupied.
>> Right. Could they put a large uh family child care into that accessory dwelling unit and use use the ADU um for the purpose of that business without actually having it serve as a residence? I
>> I'm guessing theoretically, but I honestly don't know in terms of the state licensing. There has to be a certain number of square feet per child. So, I'm I'm not I'm not really sure if there's anything about the size of that that would would preclude it, but in
terms of accessory to principal use, if it's in an accessory structure or it's within the home itself, I I believe either situation would be allowed. >> Well, thanks, Maria. So, I'm going to ask basic questions because I'm I admit
I'm confused. >> Okay. >> Um I think maybe I'll ask some scenarios the way Michael did. Um, so take my home. >> Yes, >> my home is uh is non-conforming. >> Yes, >> it's it's oversized for the lot,
>> so there's more square footage than what the zoning allows. >> Um, if I wanted to um become have this used, successor use, and I wanted to expand the property today, I could not expand the property because I'd be non-conforming. I'd have to go
for a special permit. They'd tell me, they'd say, "Go away." You're crazy. Um well, not sure if they would say that, but it wouldn't be so easy, right? Um but if I decided to go because I want to add a wing to the house. >> Yes. >> And go right up to the lot line
>> uh and not follow any of the setbacks. Um the Dover amendment by this accessory use would allow it. Is that correct? >> No. In this particular case, it's only the use. So it's not regulate and this is coming from town council. So we also checked with town council. This does not
affect we can still regulate dimensional requirements for buildings and structures. Um so it's the the act this would just so it's so because I'm in a single family district >> you'd still have to comply with zoning. >> I would have to comply with zoning but I
could have the use now because of the do amendment. >> Correct. >> Which is essentially running a business. >> Right. >> Which would be different than the zoning allows. >> Right. It's allowed. So it's we can't we can no longer require that special permit. It has it's not about dimensions. It's just use. That you
clarified it. Thank you so much. >> Okay. Any other questions? Let's open up the public hearing then. >> Now that the chair has opened up the public hearing, there are no individuals who signed up in advance for u warrant article six related to um childcare
zoning. Uh if anyone online wishes to speak on this warrant article, please raise your hand using the raise the hand feature at this time. Okay, there are 20 individuals in the online um and it looks like no one else is indicating their desire to speak. >> I did forget to mention that the
planning board did vote unanimously favorable action as did um the advisory committee's land use subcommittee. >> Okay. With no amendments, huh? >> With no amendments. >> Um I guess close the hearing. Um, I'd
like to ask if if it makes sense for us to vote this now. I mean, this is something that's required by state law. There's no controversy here, so far as I can tell, why don't we just get it off of our our calendar with me?
>> Okay. So, uh, all in favor of u favorable action on warrant article 6 as described by Maria Morelli, please indicate by saying I. John Vancoyak. Hi >> Paul Warren. >> Hi >> David Thurman. >> Hi >> Michael Michael Michael Rubenstein.
>> Hi >> and chair OSAI. >> Thank you very much. >> Very interesting. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Okay. U Warren article 8 were not uh is is deferred to allow the advisory committee and the petitioners to work on the language. So we'll jump to Warren
article 17 uh resolution regarding tree preservation practices. And this has been extensively um amended by the advisory committee uh which is in your packet. Um so who's
going to speak on that? Who do you have on Zoom? >> Uh Karen Gared. I've just promoted you. >> Okay. >> We also have um folks from the DPW online. >> Hi, good evening members of the select
board. My name is Karen Gity and I'm here on behalf of precinct 1 and my co-patitioner Louise King who is a town meeting member. Article 17 is a resolution to strengthen the town's tree preservation practices. And this reser
resolution rather is the product of a collaborative process between residents and the department of public works designed to strengthen transparency and ensure Brookline continues leading by example in environmental stewardship. Article 17 builds on Brookline's
existing leadership in urban forestry. It doesn't create a new bylaw or add costs. It simply formalizes transparent science-based procedures for public tree removals. It defines heritage trees, ensures arborist review and independent verification where appropriate, and
align town practice with article 841, the private property standard residents already follow. The language before you tonight was developed with DPW leadership and confirmed within scope by the moderator. Article 17 establishes a transparent
process for non-emergency public tree removals, including early communication and arborist review, public posting of rationale and mitigation, and independent expert input for heritage trees when warranted. It's about clarity, consistency, and trust, not new
regulation. It also defines a heritage tree which is any public tree greater than 32 in DBH. Essentially our landmark specimens. These trees represent age, scale, and neighborhood identity. And the focus is on safeguarding what's
truly irreplaceable. Warren article 17 is in alignment, as I said, with article 841. Brookline already leads in private tree preservation. Article 17 extends that same transparency and accountability to the town's own practices. Mitigation follows the same inferentry planning
rule ensuring cost neutrality and operation feasibility and it builds on the town's strengths proactive ma uh maintenance rather sound planning and fiscal prudence. It improves defensibility through clear documentation enhances climate
resilience and public confidence and it treats Brookline's trees as living capital assets. This version before you tonight reflects a true partnership with the commissioner of public works and her incredible team and incorporates constructive feedback from the advisory committee. Uh as I mentioned the
moderator has confirmed it's fully within scope of the original article and it stands as a model for cooperative resultsoriented policym. Tonight I respectfully ask the select board to support favorable action on article 17. The resolution preserves its original
goal enhancing transparency. arborist review and public trust while aligning seamlessly with existing town operations. Brookline leads best by example and article 17 helps us continue doing just that. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration.
>> Thank you. Any question from the board? So, so what we're voting or we won't vote tonight, I think. Uh but what is before us is the advisory committee's extensive amendment to the warrant article.
Aaron, >> good evening. Aaron Chude, uh, Commissioner of Public Works. The modifications that you see are actually modifications that, um, the petitioner, Miss Gity, uh, myself and my staff, um,
with our urban forest manager, Jack Schlifer, and parks and open space director, Millie Proudhan worked on together. So really all of those edits were a collaborative effort of really understanding the petitioner's goals and
um discussing our um incredible professional um capabilities that we have in house operational um towns operations, the processes we have and then how to align those. So the the
revisions and the red lines um that you see those were that was actually our collaboration. Um there were a few scriber um modifications that uh the advisory committee had and they voted in favor of the that amendment this
evening. >> Thank you for that clarification. >> Um David, >> I have a question regarding the arborous review section. So it uh essentially says that if a town arborist proposes
removing a uh heritage tree, there would be a process where there's a third party review unless uh the initial assessment conclusively finds that the tree is not viable. So what happens if it's not a town arborist who's proposing removal of
the heritage tree, but a developer or the MBTA as we had as a recent issue? uh how would this resolution doesn't address that scenario? >> So I guess there are some different this resolution does not apply to
um Mass General Law Chapter 87 which are the public street trees that are regulated under the tree planting committee. So the all of the removals uh that were proposed by the MBTA were
posted and had a public hearing. So those follow that process. um for trees that are on parks and open spaces
um that aren't under that jurisdiction. They would um Are you just talking about the heritage the for heritage trees? Frankly, we would never take down a heritage tree or propose to unless there
was something that was of structural concern. And often it has been past practice that we've brought in a third-party arborist in those cases to um provide an independent assessment and
make potential recommendations around um you options for additional tree care. And in the case of this particular tree at
Monmouth Park, um it was that assessment came later due to some changes in staff and timing. And so this is codifying that process to make sure that we are bringing in a third
party arborist if um you know there if it is If there are certain conditions where the um condition of that treaty could be could be um
misunderstood by the public and it requires sort of further discussion. >> Right. I think I understand that part. but to the uh scenario where it is a developer that is looking to remove a heritage tree from private property.
This resolution does not address that scenario. Correct. >> Correct. So the tree protection bylaw which is separate that applies to private property. This is specifically around public properties.
>> Paul. >> Yep. Uh thank you um to the petitioners for bringing this and Erin, thank you for your for being here frankly. Um I know you got a lot going on. Um so I just want to run a scenario uh that just will help me understand this better. So let's say there's a tree on town hall.
Um I don't know if there's a heritage tree there. I think there probably is a heritage tree on on outside of town hall. Um I'm not sure whose jurisdiction that is. I assume that's park uh park and wreck or building. I'm not sure. But um let's say that that something is
going on that warrants the treat needs to be taken down. Um first is it looks like there was going to be a public hearing. What is what's hap what's the public engagement at this point >> for that tree? >> Sure. So that's so there are a couple
different um tracks here. one is when we have a major capital project when we're looking at an entire site and doing a renovation. So that's sort of track one and what happens in
that scenario and I think we've really clarified the process and we've already um developed some internal written procedures is and I think let's use we can use Griggs Park as an example which is underway right now. So, one, we do um
a survey that includes um locating all the trees, a conditions assessment, and having um both the species and the diameter breast height labeled for all those trees. So there's a conditions assessment. It's discussed with the
neighborhood and then ultimately we create a map that shows, you know, you can see what's dead, what's in poor condition, what's in good condition, the relative sizes of that. Then we talk about the program and then anything that's going to be removed as part of
that renovation process and or and transplanted. Sometimes we have a few transplants and then the why. Any trees that are going to be removed are now posted. So, they actually get a a sign on them that says proposed for removal. And then the rationale could be that
it's dead. It could be that it's diseased, but it also could be um that it's invasive and for um accessibility improvements into the site. So, there could be some of that and then a QR code where they'll be able to go and see all
of this information on our website. I think part of the problem using Monmouth playground as an example is some people got involved in the community because they were interested in the new playground but they didn't realize that this one significant tree was being
discussed and so by pulling the information out one it's going to be easier but also by posting on the tree and then providing a QR code to that information that's enabling other people in the community that
really may be interested in the tree but not in the other you know maybe trusting their neighbors for the other components going on is a way to know. So that's track one and the other is your example with town hall which the parks and open space division is responsible for um the
sort of care of uh our tree canopy on town hall is if um one of our arborists and both would be looking at them determine that um so there let's go two other scenarios determine that a tree is
if it's an imminent hazard it's coming out and that's it like there is no additional process if it is structurally unsound in significant decline, but it is it is something that we're going to program for removal as part of a cluster of removals. We will post that tree with
a reason why it's coming out. So, you will now see that. So, there's not a design process going on, but this tree is coming out. If it's greater than 32 in and a heritage tree, my two arborists have already looked at it and said, "We are really concerned about this tree and
here's why." But it has still has about 50% of its canopy. And kind of your average person is going to think that's a great looking tree. It still has leaves on it. But we know it has some, you know, it may have disease. It may have pests. It may have other structural
issues that we think are concerned and we're concerned about the targets. Um the sidewalk. Um you know, in some cases it's a tot lot. We're going to have a third party do an assessment and um provide their written
recommendation and we'll pull those together um so that we can have that information available and that tree will be posted. If there's something that we can do we will um and we always do but if the risk is um too great then we'll
be scheduling that for removal. So the public engagement is the posting of the tree that's going to come down and then a QR code so you can get more information when the tree comes down. Um it says that we will mitigate that tree based on the exist the bylaw I assume
that we just passed. Um so so we're committing to replanting the number of trees equivalent to the DBH of that tree. Is that correct? So the bylaw you're you're replanting not
for dead or um poor condition or hazard trees. So if we're removing a hazard tree and even if we approve a hazard tree that's coming out on a private property that does not need to be mitigated inch for inch like a healthy
tree does. >> Okay? It's only for for a healthy tree. If you took the healthy tree down because you wanted to extend town hall and add a wing, uh it would it would cover that tree. You'd have to replant equivalent to that tree. >> Well, if I could just interject really
quick, too. Um you guys should have received a deck from me and also a couple other um explanatory pieces of of background info. I just sort of skipped through for time sake. It's getting late for everybody. I totally would have gone for that five minute break a couple
hours ago. Uh but to to um explain what happened in Monmouth Park to kind of highlight your town hall issue, what happened in Monmouth Park was because there was a gap in um the team.
The tree actually at Monmouth Park, the neighbors came together and hired a third party arborist. The town brought in a third party arborist, but it didn't come until later. And so the neighbors, we brought in our own thirdparty arborist who determined that that tree which is over a hundred years old could
be preserved for decades. Not like you know another two years, another 5 years, but potentially decades with the right care and attention. And so really this was born out of not necessarily um you know people needing to know why trees were coming down, but uh really it it
sprung from potentially preserving these really precious trees that take hundreds of years to grow. And then what came out of this when I worked directly with Erin's team, which is phenomenal, was that it it really opened the gates for a
way to invite more people into what's happening in the town of Brookline with the canopies, with the trees by posting on the trees, and getting them involved in the conversation that sometimes gets buried beneath what, like what Aaron said, some of these capital projects that don't interest the, you know, a
broader audience. when there's a posting on the tree. It is an opportunity for more people to enter into potential stewardship for these shared community resources. >> Okay. Uh thank you. Yeah, I did I did uh read your earlier explanation in the packet about how how you came to help
with the tree at Monmouth Park, my park. So, I appreciate it. Thank you. >> Well, Michael, >> um >> thank you. Um and thank you for bringing this uh Warren article forward. Um, I want to I want to look look again a
little bit at the uh section on mitigation. Um, because I heard something from the commissioner that that actually sounded inconsistent with the with the language as as written. So, I just wanted to understand um
to make to make sure that the language is consistent with with what she said. And what I heard you say tonight was that um trees that are determined to be um in the category that if they were
subject to the tree protection bylaw are I think they're called exempt trees. These are the trees that are dead or the trees that are diseased. Um that under the tree protection bylaw, they don't require mitigation. Um, however, here where it says mitigation, the only the
only thing that it says about uh public tree removals is that they have to be mitigated at a rate consistent with the tree preservation bylaw through inch for inch. But it makes no reference to this exemption and that being part of the part of the the I don't know if that's
embedded in the rate table or not. It's it it seems unclear and I'm just wondering whether it would be helpful to clarify the fact that exempt trees as defined above are not subject to mitigation directly.
>> I think that's an interesting suggestion. And I think the rate I think you clearly understand what the thinking was there in terms of the rate and the rate for a dead tree and
mitigating that is zero. Um however if there is you know an additional sort of clarifying phrase there that um makes it clear and then we can refer potentially back to that bylaw. Um,
I think that could be certainly a welcome, you know, suggestion or addition by the select board. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Any further discussion? This is a public hearing. Why don't we open the public hearings? >> Yes. Now that the chair has opened the public hearing, there were no
individuals who signed up in advance. Is there anyone online who wishes to speak on warrant article 17 related to tree preservation? And if so, please raise your hand using the raise the hand feature. Or if in the room, please make your presence known. >> Okay, there's one individual in the room, 18 online, and it looks like no
one's indicating their desire to speak. >> Okay, we'll close the hearing. Um, Michael, what what is it that you're suggesting um we we add or amend the um war article? So, so the the warrant article has has
uh two section five. So, I'll just refer to this as the mitigation section. Um, but it's what it says here is that public tree removal should be mitigated at a rate consistent with the tree preservation bylaw through inch for inch uh replanting. What I would say
is that p public tree removals that are not um that are not removals uh I'm crafting language on the fly but basically public tree
>> Well, why don't you tell us what you're trying to >> what I'm what I what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to make it clear that the mitigation requirement does not apply to trees that are exempted did in the same way that they're exempted through the
tree preservation bylaw. And here, because it says at a rate consistent, maybe if you just take out the words at a rate and just say mitigated consistent with the tree preservation bylaw, then that would sort of expand the scope to cover what I'm talking about.
>> Yeah, I um I I hear what you're saying and I just worry about that. So the rate consistent is as as Shu said or a tree that's diseased or dangerous or whatever the rate is zero. >> Okay.
>> Because Right. So I mean I and so I wonder if maybe I mean we can make the change. It's just once we make a change it's got to go back to everybody again. >> I wonder I well I I I wonder if maybe there could be just a clarifying in the explanation. Um right because then if
it's in the explanation it's just part of the once the the article is adopted at town meaning the explanation is part of the article >> right >> just a suggestion >> right um is it is there >> well what what we would ask you to do is to prepare that uh explanate explanatory
language >> okay okay let me let me why don't I why don't I speak with the commissioner and make sure that that I understand the rate and it may be that we don't need to do anything which would of course be >> we'll rely on you to make that
determination. Um okay, let's move on to our next article. Well, that's the end of our um public hearing. Warren, excuse me, Warren articles. >> I'm not sorry to interrupt. I'm not sure
if you closed the public hearing or not. I can't recall. >> Oh, okay. And then the public hearing is hereby closed. >> Thank you. >> If you need magic language, magic words. Um, >> okay. Warrant articles that we've uh
discussed previously. Um, and we are bringing them up for a vote, a possible vote. Warrant article 14, resolution regarding contact information for public officials. Um, is Miss Frolley going to make a presentation on this? Oh, wait. We don't
need it. >> We already had presentation. >> This is um we're up for a vote now. Um it has been amended though, correct? >> Yes. Hi, Melissa Gooff, deputy town administrator. Um in your packet, you should have uh had an email from Lisa
Porter describing the changes and I can also call them up if you don't have that um if you don't see that in your in the packet, but there should be an email from describing what the advisory committee had done. Has everyone found that?
>> Um, >> there's an email from Neil Wash, two emails from Neil Washinski. There's a memo from Ben Kaufman. Um, >> and there's no uh it's in the public packet. Um,
I don't I don't see a summary from Lisa. Okay, let me um if I can call that up, I will give you the language. So, hold on one minute. So, here's article 14. You can see the amendment that was initially um done at
the subcommittee level along with the full AC. So, that's uh this section here that I'm highlighting. Did you read that? I can't see it. >> So, uh, now therefore, um, clause is that the contact information and then
this is the ad that the advisory committee did to be defined as first and last name, phone number, email, the bold is what they've added. Um, and then the full AC added at a minimum uh, in regard regarding the definition of contact information.
Okay. Does anyone think this is a no recommendation article? This is really >> Tom Town Clark's area of responsibility. >> Um I'm not I'm not opposed to making a recommendation. I don't think it's
outside of our wheelhouse. It's about communication to the public about elected officials, right? Um, so I and it would reside on the town website. >> Okay. Why Why is this not why can't we
just put it on the website? I mean, >> well, I agree with >> Go to the website and find all the town meeting members names. >> I I I think that's what the resolution is now calling for is that all public officed officials be put on the website with their contact information.
>> I'm sorry, Mike. >> Right. I think I think there I think the reason that it's reasonable to make a recommendation and I actually agree with Paul in this case >> um is that the the website is under the purview of the executive branch of the
government and so you know it's a communication mechanism it's managed by it and so we're we're sort of we're we are taking a resolution that uh that implements ments a use case that's being
desired through executive the executive action of updating our website. So I I I just think it's it's in our purview. I mean I I agree I agree with you. We could just do it but to the qu to the
question of whether or not we support it, it's it's certainly within the review of the of the select board. >> Yeah. What other people think, Paul? So I I just in following up on what Michael said um in addition to its executive
branch's perview with the website I think it's also fundamental to us enabling community engagement not knowing how to cont who your elected official is >> or how to contact them is makes it pretty hard to to engage with it.
>> So so why why can't we just ask Tiffany to do that? >> I agree with you. Well, so why don't we so why don't we support it and then say go do it. Let's so let's support it and then go do it. >> Great idea. Let's go do it. >> We do that, Charles.
>> I mean, I'll talk to the clerk. I don't see why not. >> I mean, I actually think it's a bigger the the the bigger question is is is like how to get it on the website and what does prominently displayed mean, right? Because >> and who maintains it? Like just there's
a whole bunch of data maintenance stuff. >> Yeah. David, >> well, why wouldn't it be treated the same way as all other elected officials? I think that's the point. Include constables. >> It does. No. >> So, whoever is managing it now should
also manage constables. >> Well, you there's no place Well, there's no place to go like where would you go to find out, you know, >> currently? So, there's if you go on the town website, you go to government, you go down to town constables. Our client has five town councils who
elected to staggered terms. There they are, their email addresses, and there are their phone numbers. >> So, what why do we have a warrant on >> Oh, I have a little bit of background on this and I'm not sure I'm going to describe it as accurately. If if Ben
were here, he probably could talk a little bit more about this, but I think that there was hesitancy to provide full contact information around constables because of concerns about the contra conflict of interest law because they make income off their service. So, as a as you know, differentiating between
other elected officials. Um and then there are had also been concerns about websites that other constables had built for themselves that were not part of the town website that you know whether or not people were seeing that information as well. So um this was something that
you know Regina had raised with the clerk. They had gone back and forth and ultimately um she felt that this resolution would be a way to get the outcome that she desired in terms of the information she expected to see on the website. >> Okay. Anyone object to listening to
Regina? >> No. >> Regina. >> Yeah, it's been very Regina for all your time. Any member from precinct 16? Um, it's taken a lot of effort to to get it
even before you, let alone uh on the website. It it is on the website as of Friday afternoon, this Friday afternoon. And if there were no warrant article, it wouldn't be there. So you shouldn't be deceived into thinking it was always there. It only was there Friday
afternoon. And half the article also says that every public official contact information should be available upon request of any staff person at the clerk's office. And as of Monday, that's not true. So, it still needs to have the
kind of goodwill and the dent of of good government that putting your thumb on this scale to vote and say yes is a good idea to have the elected officials be available. The only thing that the amendment that that I think I was hearing uh the last
time in recently is not to put the address and I know Bernard said he does he's not crazy about having his address out there. Okay, I don't agree with you, but okay. >> Um, the point is that that it hasn't happened yet in full, and I need to go
forward with it because it wouldn't be happening at all without this warrant article. And I honestly believe that there could be another situation where a different branch of the government is also excluded. And that's not acceptable. You're elected. You're
answerable to the electorate. It's so important for them to be able to find us. I mean that even town meeting members are available to be found and they find me that's for sure. So I I think that to try and deter this as I
think I'm hearing from the chair is not good government in my view >> is very important. Remember, >> if there's one thing about Hang on, please. If there's one thing about constables in particular, um they absolutely provide a service that the
court requires in many cases to be provided, they can't find us. So, you're actually an obstruction not to have it on available upon request by anybody picking up the phone or going online or going in person at the clerk's office. Those are those are the means that
>> Thank you. meet all our different uh citizens who don't always have internet, don't always have this or that, but they should be able to just walk into the clerk's office and get it. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> So, what do you want to do?
>> I I would make a motion to to recommend favorable action. >> Uh on favor. Any other motions or any other thoughts? All in favor? John Vancoyak. >> I. >> Uh Paul Warren. >> Hi. >> David Burman.
>> Hi. >> Um Michael sign of course. >> Hi. >> And I'll vote I too. >> Okay. Moving on. Uh Warren article uh 14 19 resolution regarding the use of the
25th amendment to remove Donald Trump from office. At least we can get a no recommendation to this. >> Any rate, um, what what do people think? >> I I I agree with you. I don't think we
should be recommending and I and I appreciate your reasoning that that allowing it to be in front of town meeting is is a appropriate exercise of people's rights. Now, you know, somebody can, of course, introduce a motion at
town meeting to table it and not have the debate if they so choose, but that's really not in our perview. >> Yes. Okay. I'll take that as a motion for no recommendation. Um, we gave them a hearing. >> Um, we're not going to make a presentation ourselves, but they will
make a presentation at town meeting >> and, you know, explain the reason and justification for this. Uh so I think that we you know by you know our nonrecommendation doesn't precludes the petitioners from having um their say before the town
before town meeting as well as the select board here. So all in favor of no recommendation John Bencoyak >> I Warren >> I Bman >> I >> Michael Rubenstein >> I >> and chair votes eye. >> Okay.
Warrant article 18 resolution regarding the recordings of public meetings and that is by Heather Hamilton who was in the audience but is she online? >> Well, we already heard the presentation on this one. >> Sorry. >> Getting late 10:30 way past my bedtime.
Um any any discussion of this? >> Were we wait amendment? >> Yep. There are amendments and I can show you those as well that they're in the same email that will get pulled into your packet. So, um, hold on a second. >> Well, so you broke up. Could you repeat what you just said?
>> Sure. I I have emails that, uh, an email that also outlines the changes to article 18. >> Um, so you should see that on your screen now. >> So, just a couple of minor changes. >> Tiffany will be pulling it into your
packet. So um nothing substantial just um slight tweaks by the advisory committee here. >> So has advisory voted at this point or they still >> um this was the subcommittee language. So I don't believe that the full committee has voted on this yet.
>> Can we wait advisory? >> Sure if you want to. >> Yeah. Until advisory has their vote. >> We will vote at a future date. I mean the changes aren't that substantial. I mean I guess can't see them. So, are they on the screen? >> Yeah, they're they're in our packet. I mean, the most substantial change so far
as I can tell is that um change from four business days for things to be put on um or made available to as soon as practical, but no more than 10 days. But we we can wait and um we'll take this up
at a future meeting. I guess I I guess the only clarification that I would make is if it says 10 days, say 10 days after the end of the meeting. >> Let's wait the advisory votes. >> Yeah, you won't chase our tail. >> Give your idea to the the advisory
committee. Julia, I just checked the uh tracking sheet that I have for advisory and it looks like they did vote it um favorable action 2401 >> on the on the language that was prepared for the subcommittee or did they make
changes? >> I think it looks like it was the subcommittee uh language. I can clarify that with them. Um yeah, I can clarify that with Lisa if you're not ready to vote. And but it if we wanted to be are we meeting again before the uh
>> got one more meeting. >> We got one more meeting before and how many more articles do we have to vote on? >> Uh the ones you heard tonight. Um >> this is a public hearing on the lighting on next week. >> Maybe we should vote >> one more meeting before what? >> The combined reports. I think you
actually technically have two because you have November 4th as well, but that's just starting to push it to trying to get them in tomorrow. Yeah. >> Bernard, why don't we why don't I'm just making a suggestion. Why don't we adopt the subcommittee's language and then if AC voted something different then at the
next meeting if we could >> I thought okay we don't know what the AC adopted >> I think she said the subcommittee uh >> yeah the email that I got from Lisa indicates that the language that she sent me came from the subcommittee she
sent that to me on uh the 15th so I just need to double back with her to see if the full committee adopted that language. Okay. Maybe. >> Okay. Okay. Well, okay. We'll we'll take this up at a future meeting. Okay. Um Warren articles 11 and 12.
Where are we with respect to that? Oh, wait. Uh CTS voted to refer to COS >> as did as did full advisory committee. >> Right. So, um I move that we take no action on warrant articles 11 and 12.
Any objection to that? Are you are you recommending no action or are you recommending that we not say anything? >> No recommendation versus no action. >> I think no no action. >> Well, aren't you recommending to match advisory committee question of referral?
That's different than no action. >> Yeah. >> A referral motion is different than no action. >> Okay. Um what is our motion? >> If if you want to concurren Yeah, that's right. If you want to confir concur in advisory then you would just say I we move I move that we concur with the
advisory committee and the committee on ten organization and structure to refer the matter to cos. >> Okay. >> Consistent. >> I just want to also note that they also added language about the um existing incumbents and the recommendation that they uh stay on with their appointments.
So that I I think the board may want to have a conversation about that. >> Yeah, I was about to say. So the the recommendation is referral but there's there's a recommendation that the incumbents and any potentially impacted boards continue to serve and remain eligible for reappointment to such
boards while such study is pending. >> So does anyone object to that? >> No, that's our current practice. Right. >> Well, that says does it say that you would reappoint them or just that you would you wouldn't use that reason for
>> you wouldn't use that reason for Yeah. Right. I mean, you can appoint any you can you can reappoint anyone for any reason or no reason. So, >> can we can we stay silent on that particular aspect of the question? >> Yeah, you could just you could just vote a straight referral and not adopt their
language. >> How many town meeting members how many advisory committee members was this affecting? >> Two now. >> Two. >> Okay. Um, what are we doing here? I move that we would you >> I would make a motion I would make a
motion to recommend referral to COS. Period. >> I agree. >> Okay. And we'll be referral. All in favor? John. >> I Warren. >> I David Bowman. >> I rub Stein. I chair
>> 11 and 12. >> 11 and 12. Yeah. Yes. Final uh our next item is article four, amend the general bylaws to update and correct inconsistencies in order to provide an accessible version of the
general bylaws. Um the AC has completed their edits looks like. Is were their edits significant? >> Nope. So they changed the in chapter 4.8 They changed executive office of elder affairs to executive office of aging and
independence and then they corrected spelling of the word in section 5.3.2. >> Okay. And uh we had a thorough discussion last meeting of uh this warrant article. Any um questions or any
objections to voting favorable action? >> Did we decide on how to spell bylaw? >> I thought that was decided already. E Y I L A >> L A W. Yep. >> Okay. Um all in favor John Bencoyak. >> Hi. >> Paul Warren. >> Hi.
>> Dave Pearman. >> I >> Michael Rubenstein. >> I chair >> Boltzai. >> Public bodies handbook review of possible revisions to the select board public bodies handbook. Um you're going to present some changes. Uh >> yes. I don't have a formal presentation.
Tiffany Oliva, assistant town administrator for operations. Um the changes are redlinined in your packet. Um it includes some um changes provided by Michael Rubenstein also some um individ addressing some pieces of individual feedback received from John
Vancoyak and then um also your edits um Bernard. Uh so the in general the handbook just has some general non-substantive updates and clarification based on questions I've received from public body members and also chairs of different public bodies. Um, some of those include clarifying
what alternate versus associate membership actually means. Um, and then also clarifying that if a vacancy opens up, um, any person who is currently serving in an alternate or associate associate position would need to apply to be considered for a full voting uh,
seat. uh the three areas where the most changes were made, one was around um just public statements, media and social media use and aligning that with um the policies you approve related to media engagement and social media policies. Um
the second is around town meeting engagements. So, not all public bodies have statutory requirements to um hold hearings during um town meeting time. And so, it includes a procedure where uh select board will make specific requests to uh public bodies based on the warrant
articles received. So, when we kind of vote on the warrant um and then it makes the suggestion that other public bodies should notify the select board um if they wish to hold a hearing and and coordinate their hearings. um just recognizing that there are quite a
number of hearings that petitioners have to go through. Um so welcome your feedback on those. And then the third um big area that I didn't really make changes to, but just wanted to get your feedback on um just depending on timing for eventually voting this, there's of course the question of um Heather
Hamilton's warn article related to uh recording meetings. So, we might want to go ahead and just uh I'll defer to you all if you want to go ahead and kind of incorporate that language into the handbook. So, not expecting a vote tonight. Um those are the major changes. John, I don't know if you want to say anything because some of um what you you
reviewed with me was more than the substantive changes. Um but just wanted to get your feedback. >> No, I I don't really need to add anything tonight. I I I had some back and forth um with Tiffany um about the question of whether
the standards that we might apply to elected officials and to ourselves in terms of what we our presence on social media and our you know our behavior um in terms of just civility towards others and so on. uh whether that can also be
expected of our appointees to boards, committees, and commissions. And frankly, I haven't had a chance to fully take in how how that all shook out and and in the end, I just think it's something I hope that we can at least
express some level of threshold standard of conduct on social media. Not that we can force pe people on their personal, you know, social media pages to um take our word as to what they can say and what they shouldn't say, but at least
set an expectation that um committee boards, commission members who have social media accounts are are conscious of, you know, how the the part they play in our town government locally puts a certain level
of responsibility. on them and and I'm not I don't know if we've c captured it perfectly. I have to sort of take some time with it. Yeah. After tonight >> when I'm awake. >> And and by the way, you know, before we do um interviews of u candidates for
various committees, I I've begun to make a statement along those lines. um basically saying that um we expect people to not only work not only to have expertise in the um you know mission of the committee but also to be able to
work well with the committee members and staff that the committee works with. >> Yeah. >> So yeah just a quick word Paul I'm sorry I didn't mean to cut you this has been very much on my mind. Uh I I just want to say for the record I find the the
process by which we draft things like this to be extremely um you know no matter how good the person is to in this case Tiffany who's kind of fielding you know all of the input um it's it's just a weird process
because we'll be sent a version of the handbook and then you know with the question is there anything you would like to suggest to change And so maybe there'll be some minor tweaks suggested which imply I don't have any problem
with any of the other material but then it passes to someone else and then it passes to someone else and then all of a sudden the one that you know maybe early in the process seemed perfectly satisfactory is now you know changed in great part you know in paragraph after
paragraph with you know things taken out things added I don't by the end of the process I don't know what I've said yes to, you know, because it it constantly changes after I've essentially already acknowledged I have no problem with the way this is written except for maybe add
a line here and take out a line there. Then it changes substantially. I mean, one, you know, one option, I don't know if it would be a violation of the open meeting law, but to use more team-based um editing software so that you can make proposed revisions and then as a board
we could then, you know, deliberate on those and and decide whether we accept each one. >> You said the wrong word. >> Well, we would deliberate in person with the document, but >> but not on teambased documents.
collab it's not team it's it's collaborative uh call it but >> I I see what you're saying you say that we would I mean you basically do what we do we've done in the past sometimes with resolutions which is call it up on the screen but for a document this big you can't really go page by page that's the problem >> yeah the the other comment I want to
make was how long did you work on this for >> on this public body sandbook in total or just with these revisions oh gosh I don't know um long time >> yeah the last year >> yeah so so what I'd like to say is um I really think that we should adopt this
this evening um even provisionally if there's a few more changes because I think you've earned a vote from this board on getting it done even though we've got a few minor tweaks left but I think that that would be that would be a good thing to do >> resume include >> the public body sand >> I got it done
>> then but then we ask only that we get a clean copy at some point >> sure >> I'm okay with Does anyone object to adopting it now? >> No. >> Version two. There will be a version three. >> Yep. It's a living document. So,
>> okay. All in favor of the uh adopting the public bodies handbook, please indicate by saying I. John Ben. >> I. >> Paul Warren. >> Iman. >> Hi. >> Michael Rubenstein. >> Hi. >> Chair. >> Congratulations. Well done. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. Finally, boards and commissions reappoints. Um we have three planning board Steve Hiken, housing advisory board, Roger Blood, and building commission George Cole. Um any comments, objections uh to
appointing them. >> These are fortunate to have the three three of them serving our time. >> Absolutely. Um >> okay. I move approval of the uh uh three appointees to the planning board, housing advisory board, and building commission. All in favor, please
indicate question by saying I. >> John Bencoyette, >> hi. >> Paul Warren, >> hi. >> David Pearlman, >> I >> Michael Rubenstein. >> I chair Vosai. >> And that is the end of our official meeting. If there's any um public
comment uh that hadn't been available at the beginning, please rise and your face. >> Yes. >> Yes. Um two things. One you brought up earlier >> by yourself, please. Regina Frolley still uh precinct 16.
>> Thank you. >> Um you brought up Bernard earlier about um gee we should have public hearings on warrant articles. Actually there is a bylaw that requires you to and even if your vote is not to take a position.
It's 3.22. >> Okay. We we have public hearings in all bylaws. >> Well that's because it Yeah. So why did you bring it up tonight? to say that we will have public hearings all the bylaws even the one we don't >> you were recommending it and what I'm
saying is you it's already a done deal you have to follow it it's 3.22 22. >> It doesn't matter. >> And in case that made me worry that there's no institutional memory going on here, there's also a agreement that hang
on please. That's an agreement that if you vote for reconsideration, you give the petitioners 48 hours notice in advance so that they can be here for any kind of vote. That means right at town hall when you're having a meeting at the
the school in one of those rooms that if you decide on rec reconsideration, the petitioner should have been notified. >> Okay. Uh Tiffany, put that in your memo where you're successful. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> And last but not least, um
twice now in a row, including tonight, you are well over an hour past what you post to be for the public opening of the of the public part of the meeting. you're you're hanging out in the executive session a bit on the long side and I wonder if you can put some effort
into the agenda so that you can have a better estimate of how long and then people won't come as happened a couple of weeks ago they came there was no I think you heard an article that was scheduled for 7:30 around 9:30
people left and they didn't get to weigh in because it was they didn't actually one person wrote and said, "I thought they didn't handle it at all, but you did. You just did it later." So, it would be a thoughtful thing for the public for you to to plan better. And
then just say whatever time you think that the public part of the process will be open. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. >> With that, unless there are any other uh public comments uh from people online.
No. >> Uh, I would >> Oh, I thought I noticed. Is there a new rug? >> Yes, >> there is. Shall I end the meeting? >> The meeting is over. Done. Finished.