--------- We're all here other than Joe. Welcome everybody. Yes, thank you. In your notes and Yep. got it. Um we are we have a quorum and I Joe is fine. He just has a family obligation and he couldn't
me make it at the last minute that came up today. So family comes first. Yes, it does. Yeah. And we welcome Peggy Larson who is now going to be representing the friends. Sandra has asked her to come to our meetings. Nice. So cozy up to Peg.
Make her your best friend. Yes. No, but we're welcoming you and so it'll be nice that way to It's good to communicate. and neither or I try or both of us um always try to get to the friends meetings but we need to do that because we need to communicate keep track of you
know how we can help each other welcome Peggy thank you and anytime feel comfortable reaching out to anybody on the board for anything okay and Liz a question and it's an open meeting so if you have questions for us today you can ask us yes we have to go
through some of the stuff that you don't have to do for your meeting because this is a So, okay. Okay. So, I'm I called the meeting to order on time at 3. Mhm. And we have everyone here except Joe Knox who is absent. We do have a quorum.
Mhm. And I have to remind you that we are an open meeting. We have to follow the open meeting laws and this meeting is recorded. So, we get all of that out of the way right away. And then we go into announcements. Correct. I ask if the
board members have any announcements. I have one announcement. He has one. The craft class that is on Wednesday, yes, from 1 to 3 is going to be in this room. Okay. Room 103, not in the multi-purpose
room. Okay. Thank you. My only announcement is there are two boxes that can use food that get emptied out as fast as the food goes in. So any non-p perishables, we will re
receive them welcomely or if you need food, go check one of the two places out. Yes. Thank you for always doing it at Maryland because I we know there's a huge need in town that people aren't aware of. They
think Littleton's affluent. No, you can interrupt me. Where are the two? I know this one and one at the at the Baptist church there's one. Okay. I knew there was one. I didn't know if you meant there were two here. No, the thing that's good about the Baptist church one is it's easy to park. There's places to
park and easy to get to. This one if you were to come with a big bat, it's kind of it's a little harder with um I come on the weekends and I just Yeah. Smart. That's smart. There it is. Cuz the parking lot we all know is um is at a premium, right? Yeah. Parking spaces are
at a premium, right? I wonder how the postal workers food drive was Saturday with the rain. I know. Well, they put their bags out early enough. At least at least I got mine in my mailbox a few days ahead of time. I did. I put mine in box and he did take it. So, I remember
the days I used to volunteer at Loe's and Fishes. That was a big event for them. It was. Yeah. Yeah. I was just disappointed. my little neighborhood when I was leaving to go somewhere I can't remember there were every mailbox
had a big bag. Awesome. And but two didn't but they were big bags and they wouldn't whatever was in them was too heavy for the mail so they were on the ground. So well our development at least did a good job. Very nice. Awesome. Great. Okay. Any other announcements?
Well, we have a big event coming this Friday. I will make that announcement just in case anybody forgot. I didn't get an invitation. Wait a minute. We all got an invitation. Do we? No, but I meant, you know, so we're announcing it. You're announcing
it for anyone. Oh. Oh. Oh. Well, the whole town's invited. And of course, it's right there on the broadcast. Yes. And when and at what time? Pardon me. What day is it? At what time? Well, wouldn't you like to clarify that for
us? Yes. Okay. The event takes place this Friday. Yeah. May 16th at 1:00. Yay. And we have a lot of invited guests. I think Liz can fill us
in on that. But it is a big event. There will be a tent up. Mhm. In the parking lot, which is going to take away parking places. Oh boy. So everybody has to come early. Yeah, it's going to be a problem. We
know that, right? The weather should be nice. I think I heard um so town town hall closes at 1, so hopefully some employees will be leaving. Okay. Um Megan Murphy was calling Badgers to see if employees and staff could park over
across the street as well. That is nice. Oh, but the entire section by the library is going to be blocked off. I see. Starting Friday, 7:00 a.m. So, if even the handicap spots down by the building are going to be nonaccessible, right? Correct. Yes. The 10 will be
right there. The one up by the the patio up here will be accessible. The four Okay. sitting there. I think it's four or five something. Anyway, so anyway, just Yeah, keep that in mind. Mhm. plan ahead. However, Park and Wreck does not
close Friday early. So, so Park and Wreck will still be working Friday afternoon. So, they any cars they have. Well, I'm sure we'll manage. We always do. Yes, we figure it gets figured out.
So, all right. Any other announcements other than that big event which we will be talking more about as we go on down the list here. Okay. I don't think I have any um announcements myself. So, we will move on then to our
minutes, which Susan is so wonderful to do and she does them so quickly after our meetings. I have to tell you, I'm terrible at this time. If I waited long, I wouldn't get them done. She gets them to me in two or three days, you know, and then I don't always read them. I
realized this past month I was very bad. I didn't even look at them until the end of the month when I was going to be sending them out and I thought I never did this. And I always I run it through the spell check and all that that I have that she doesn't have I guess in her program. Well, I do but I and I catch
most many and after you sent me that one I caught a couple other things. Oh, things that I missed. So, see between the two of us, we try to make it perfect, right? Because it does get posted. We try. Yeah. Well, I'll make a motion to accept the minutes and I'll
second the move. So, we have a motion on the table to accept the minutes of uh let's see our April 14th 14th meeting and I'll second. Any further discussion? Motion was made by Anita, seconded by Marilyn. Any other
discussion? If not, all those in favor? I I That's a unanimous vote, I do believe. Any abstensions that I missed? No. and no names. Okay, great. We're done. Now, it says on our agenda, I
should have given you an agenda. I apologize. Did Liz give you one? That's okay, but you're up now. Friends always come after we do the minutes. So, you can always plan on that. So, and I apologize. I put a given agenda. So, if you just come to the microphone, and we
ask you to do that because people when they watch the tape of this meeting or are here, you can lower it. Peg. And um I see you just Yeah, there you go. Yeah, they can't hear you, you know, on the
tape if you don't use the microphone. So that's why we ask you to use the microphone. Okay. So, welcome and we're glad to have you here. Thank you. I think everybody knows Peggy Larson, right? Sure. Well, okay.
Absolutely. So, you want me to say I'm from the friends of Yes, you can just say you're from the friends and you're representing Sandra. I am representing the friends of the COA in place of Sandra. I am going to be their representative. Thank you. Glad to be
that. Good. And we're glad to have you here. Yes. Thank you. So, do you have anything to update us on? We heard you had great success with your tree. Yes. In the new building. Yes. Yes. Yeah. And we do have um some
beautiful planters that are going in the uh senior center maybe tomorrow. They will be ready for Wednesday. And I think Sandra's picking up the plants and things. I think she has some clo plants too. Are those the planters I've seen
outside in in there? So Sandra and many other helpers, including Peg, are helping with indoor plants and the raised garden beds that are outside. Wow. Um, if you walk into the center now, we've got these beautiful big um, I
think they're ceramic planters that are blue that perfectly match the color of that back study room that's in and the paint color that's carried throughout the building. and she was working getting some really tall plants like fiddle leaf figs and
other things and then smaller plants and then the entire raised garden bed on the Shadic Street side of the building. She had a plan for for tomatoes and herbs and then oh whoa flowers that you can cut and
all kinds of things. Wow. They've been busy. She'll be doing cut flowers like zenas and cosmos and um maragles and things like that. And then we're going to do a couple of vegetable bins with uh
eggplant and tomatoes and uh Gail wants garlic chives and uh basil and uh sage and stuff like that. Wonderful. So, we will probably
have two beds of herb vegetables. Will be probably flowers. Well, you can't have two better people than Peggy. Yeah. So, the two of you working on that. That's great. So, and and the planters are beautiful. They are really,
really beautiful. I saw them in her car. So, she has asked me if my son can bring them over tomorrow. He's on his way home from Maine. So I said I will talk to him. If not my husband will probably do it. So we'll get him there. Mhm. Oh,
thank you. That's wonderful. Yes. So can't wait. I know. And that makes it so friendly. Plants are always It's going to be so exciting. Yes. Opening day with everything that's been talked about to be actually be there. It's going to be awesome. Who's going to be responsible
for watering them all inside? Sandra. Sandra. Sandra. or no question. Come around the image and close it. A great task for a senior tax worker. That's a great task for a senior
task worker because some of them will need, you know, you got to know what the need is for the plant. Yeah. Weeding. So, whatever. Another little Yeah. Yeah. I think she talked about them planting too, Liz, didn't she? Maybe tax people. I think so. Planting the plant. Yeah.
And then running it like an ongoing program, too. Oh, wow. Yeah. Nice. So, that would be nice, wouldn't that? And there's there's people that are on the senior program that like to do gardening and stuff, so that would be a perfect thing for them to do. Perfect. Not me,
but you know, I kill anything I put in there, but I used to love to do garden. Put your work gloves on in the dirt. Oh, that's Marian's love. I love to play in the dirt. Wow. Now, the tree and the names will be up there Friday.
Yes, it if you don't mind. I don't know until I'm meeting tomorrow. I'm meeting tomorrow. Liz might know. I don't know. So, the installer should be here Wednesday or Thursday to get the tree up on the wall and the first 50
leaves. Um, fingers crossed that they arrive and on time and but yeah, I think last time I checked Andy's Andy Fet and I have a shared spreadsheet and I think the last time I
looked at it that raised over $22,000 my goodness 50 of the small leaves. Correct. Um, it's an acrylic. Okay. Okay. And it's an acrylic tree with etched metal leaves. I believe gold and silver. Say that's going to be some
quick painting. Oh, no. No paint. Okay. Drill some holes. 22,000. Wow. That's a lot of money. Amazing. That's great. That's going to look really good. Yeah. Well, at 500 first class. And I'm sure too. Are they not all five? They were weren't they
250? 250. 250 with silver and 500 for the gold. And I'm sure when people come in and start seeing that, they'll want to contribute, you know, other people will want to put their name on the tree or whatever. And somebody's going to be there. I think Andy or somebody or Andy
and Charlie. Charlie are going to be there. That's good. Yes. Because they might get more. How many leaves can we have on the tree? We need a forest. A lot. So, there's room for expansion and then there's room
to put things along the bottom like a basket of apples or tree leaves in a basket. We can kind of get creative with it or add different um elements kind of almost. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm excited
because I want to say my mom's name. My mom's name will be That's special. So, that is really special. Yeah, a lot of people do. Was she Was she 100 when she died last year? She was 99. 99. Yeah. God bless her. Oh, that'll be awesome to
see her name up there. You know, I was thinking about this. I wondered about it, too, because um CUA has two ameritus board members, you know, one of them is no longer with us, Mary Kay, right? But Barbara Camp still is with us and able to get out.
She's in at the nursing home. I was thinking about that and I thought and I don't know if her family will be around or anything we perhaps you know or maybe Barbara McCrae and is very close to Barbara Cam I don't know whether she can
come even when on Friday but I was thinking about it and I thought oh I don't know an invitation you mean to be extended well I don't know we I didn't even think about it until just the weekend for some reason so anyway
Okay. If anybody talks to um I could call Barbara McCrae and ask her because I know they're friend. She's very friendly with Barbara Camp. So anyway, continue. Sorry. Got off the subject a little, but I was thinking
about the tree and everybody all the past people that have been involved in this. It goes way back to 1972. Whoa. when the council on aging board was established by this town. So that's a long time. I was in town
then. I know. I was I was too. I was too. We were. So yeah, we were too. Yep. So yeah. Yeah. I wasn't here. Anyway, was like yesterday, doesn't it? Well, thank you, Peggy. Do you have anything else for us? Um, you
can always speak up. just you know indicate and if I miss you somebody will see your hand and No, I don't think so right now. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And welcome again. Yes. Oh, that's going to be really good work done. Yes. Just wanted to thank the
friends one more time for funding the entire Cinco de Mayo party. That was so fun. That was great. It was a wonderful event. Please tell them. I just signed up too late. Well, you didn't get in and you you No, I
didn't. Megan said it was full. I said that's okay. Oh, it was it was a Well, you know what? That should not be a problem for a while now. Once after this Friday because we can have 165 in that room. Is it 161 seated? 161 seated. So,
we we can have 60 more people in there on roughly. But you'll be doubling your catering. Oh, that's true. That is true. That is true. So, we might need to come to their friends for more money. Well, I guess we have it.
Well, that's nice. So, but yeah. Yeah. No, we have we are very lucky. We have a great friends group. Yeah. Okay. Perfect. So, we're moving on to the director's report. And I was so rude to Amy. I'm
not I'm not going to ever do that again. Last week I lost last month. I lost track of time and forgot to get Amy up to the microphone. I felt so bad. Still I know, but I still I still felt bad. Yeah. And I know I felt bad that I missed the last meeting. Oh, don't
worry. That's why I called you. I said I'm so sorry. That's okay. All right, Liz, where are we? Did we set any more records? We did. Oh, no. I just typed the thing for the broadcaster. I have a new one I can put in.
1,515 signins. What? 1,515 signins in April. That just Wow. Popped right out. Wait a minute. What was the number for the month before? 1477. Okay. Yeah. Wow. I have to correct
what I I sent you the article. I haven't opened it yet. You're good. Okay. Well, I'm going to have to say we have to correct that because I made the or I put in the March figure and that was an all-time record and so this is an alltime record
for the existence of the COA. Yeah, it certainly is. Wow. That new building is already happening. It is. It is. Yeah. There are people from out of town coming and wanting to be part of it. I noticed
today up in the knitts there were three new people from the knitts. Oh, nice. Up there helping out. Oh, wow. And Bev said that the um Harvard yarn place closed. That's awesome. And they had a knitting
club there. So, they came looking and they asked if they could join here. Oh, wow. How nice. and they were helping Maren and somebody move pack up all the stuff this morning. Oh, wonderful. Yeah. So, there's three more people that I haven't
been I used to be a very consistent member and I haven't been there lately and I couldn't go today. I had a medical appointment, but anyway, hopefully I'll get back. Nice. Nice. Because that's a long time group. I was a member of that. We started that. Jean Johnson and I started that way
back. You did? Yeah, we did. at the request of the existing director at the time. Oh, way back in Yeah. early 201 maybe 12, something like that. That's been longstanding. So, it's been
around for a while. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. So, go ahead. Sorry, I got us off on a tangent here, but that was striking me. Yeah. Because I just wrote want to share my next here. Just wanted to bring this to everyone's attention if you didn't see it in the
town's newsletter. Um there's an article about Alicia. Um I did see that because Alicia is our um certified Shine counselor serving the health information needs of everyone on Medicare. Um and
she got the highest amount of savings per client that she saw in our region. She saved people over $40,000 on their prescription drug costs. That's amazing. Wowee. I should have put that in my article. We
can copy and paste this whole article in because Right. Yeah. Maybe. I mean, she knocked it out of the park. The next um town down was Wilmington with $10,000 in savings. Oh my gosh. She did knock it out of the park. She
did. What was Sandy and Liz? Um, uh, the town newsletter. The town newsletter. What a great picture. It's in the book. It's a good I know. Isn't that a great photo? Oh, she's so pretty. I know. So pretty. Judy Reed from uh LCTV took that picture at one of our um barbecues last
summer. Oh, yeah. Such a pretty picture. Pretty girl. She is. You can get the town newsletter peg by going on the town website. Yep. You know how to do that. Okay. Y that's really great. And I I just my article I was saying for the
broadcaster for June is to please recognize staff and all the wonderful things they do. So you can change add whatever you want to just rewrite the letter. Just write your article. I mean I didn't know about this when I was writing it earlier today. Quite the
honor. That is quite the quite the honor. But she you could probably put it in in not two minutes flat. Yeah. I got this um an agendum to the Yeah. Yeah. The day the newsletter information was due, I received this info by email and I was Please wait.
Let me make it into an article and send it over. That's great. So, yeah. Well, that's Congratulations to Alicia. Oh my gosh. And congratulations to us because we have her. Oh, I know. I'm going to have to serious. I'm going to have to talk
about that if I can. Can I still speak? Yeah, absolutely. I put your I got your back in. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. Because I can I think I will mention that perhaps because I'm going to be talking about how wonderful our staff are, too.
Yes. On Friday, you can blow their horn for sure. Yes. Well, they deserve it in my opinion. Um, so I guess that that information is the outreach coordinator's report because everyone else is busy. Yeah.
everyone. So, the only other thing I have is reviewing this in detail with everyone. I don't know if you want me to do that now or save it for old business update from the senior center project. Well, that really it really goes under finalizing board
member duties. It's really done under new business. So, why don't we just wait and do that then? We'll move on. So, are you done with both of the directors and outreach coordinators for monthly report? I will entertain a motion to accept both of those reports. And I move that we accept both of the reports. Do I
have a second? I'll second. Mary seconding that. Okay. Any further discussion? Exciting. You ready for a vote then? Yes. Okay. All those in favor of accepting the director's report and the outreach coordinator's monthly report.
Yes. Yes. Any um people saying no? Good. So I'm Yes, too. By the way, I'll clarify that so we can move on. Thank you ever so much. So all right, we don't really need we
know I think you do you have anything you want to add about the senior center project or can we just go move on and put talk about it all under um our duties? Yeah, I they're pretty much wrapped up. I think there was like two things left on the punch list and we got
our AV um technology training this morning for all the staff so we know how to do the microphones and the projector and the play music. We can play music on our phone that goes to the speakers to fill
the multi-purpose room. We know you know what I thought was really neat. We had our meeting March Liz and I in her office over there and she sits down and pushes this button in her desk right and I was like whoa that's pretty cool. I was just going to say did that get
replaced yet where you keep kept hitting your knee. Um yes they fixed it. Oh my gosh. Boy, they're fast. Huh? Aren't they? That was only last week last week. Not even a week, Liz. I have And your floor got fixed fast. Yes. Originally was fiveweek wait time, but they Yeah, that's why I was surprised
when it got done so quickly. Yeah. Where will our next board meeting be? I was gonna I asked Amber that question. Is it going to be LCTV in our building? There is LCTV in the new building. Um I haven't quite figured out if we will
comfortably fit in the conference room downstairs or if we should get an owl and go up to program room 2 and be up there. So we can meet there. Yep. So, are the chairs in the craft room yet? Cuz there were no there were no chairs before. There's chairs everywhere. Okay.
Not sure if they're all in the right spots, but there's chairs everywhere. Okay. So, we will have to be changing there where our meeting is. I was wondering about that when I was thinking about today and thinking, is this the last time we were going to be in this room? It will be and it'll be so nice. Well, let's not say that just yet. Make
sure. Well, I asked Amber and she said, "That's a lose question, Marge, when I got here today, so but that's nice to know. I wasn't sure." Yeah, I think we'll fit nicely in the conference room. But nice. And my June craft class will be in the new room. Yes. And maybe
people would come in sometime to a meeting if it's in that environment and over there and they're there, you know, they might just stop in. They're welcome. People are welcome. Yep. So that's great, I think. Especially if they walk by and they see something going on. Oh, what's going on?
Yep. Okay. So, if we do the f We only have the board member update. We're doing well. It's 3:30. So, and I know that Liz is out straight. So, anytime that we can save for her would probably a good thing
to do. So, board member update. Do we have any any updates from either Marilyn or Susan? What I have there wasn't much except we did have a minute from senior center and
it was talking about how they're trying to figure out what they're going to do with if they get with cuts and things. Oh, their finances. The finances. Well, because part of it's federal and the money. So, there's a lot of talk about
what's going to happen. And they did say that um there'd be a 20% cut in billable enrollments. They can only and they're only going to be able to offer people 23 hours a week. It will no longer be 247. That's one of the things. Yeah.
They can only offer three hours a week, not 247. and they're not sure what's going to happen because the f federal federal fiscal year 26 is a skinny budget has been released and what we know skinny
there are some proposals for 22.7% cut for NDD funds I don't know what NDD is and that includes OA holder shine li a t five senior the
SE not valued to be gone and know there'll be cuts but don't know what level funding for services and it lists some titles and I don't know what those title I mean I know the numbers but I don't know what they are um included eliminating longterm oh it's
this includes eliminating the long-term unbudsman oh gee oh that oh that's bad that's very That's really bad. Yes. What do families do without an onbudsman advocating? And they've been around for
years. Years. Yeah. That was That'll be rough. Yeah. Um cuts to Medicaid. They don't know what's going to happen there because it they're still talking about it on I heard cuts on the radio.
Federal account the phone today. Yeah. The federal funding accounts for 6% of aging and independent budget. Just independent. So that's 6% right. Prescription plan advantage funding for shine potential for emergency 9C
whatever program title that is. 9C cuts um remove money from the home care program. Oh jeez. Oh home care is down to three hours a week. And what was it? 24/7. That was 24/7 depending on your level of need and which program you were
enrolled in. Gee, yeah. So, they're really very very concerned. They're really hoping that um they've got this event coming up in November, but it's not for people like me or anything. It's for large corporations and you know,
they're having a lunch and then they're hoping to get some plenty of money there, you know, or Yeah. donations. So locally um it's interesting because um one of the things that I caught
didn't catch I can't read it all on the screen fast enough was Stow COA had made a donation and but it I think it was probably the friends of the Stow COA that had made a donation had to be friends. Yeah. No.
So that's a strange thing. So I thought it was very strange when I saw it. it was listed under some money that they had gotten. So every year, Minute Man Senior Services sends an assessment for services to the towns to
pay towards whatever they are providing. Mhm. Um not every ASAP that like um Minute Man does this. when I was in Northboro that ASAP did not do that because it's almost seen as a donation
to and as an a government entity we can't make a donation to. So they send us a a an assessment oh for $2500ish dollars every year. So it's not a donation and we just table it. We
don't we don't because it it it's like like a donation. Oh. So we don't do that. Stow. Interestingly, they got their um meals on wheels coordinator cut due to
funding. So the first thing the director said was they're no longer paying their local assessment to Minute Man. Wow. It's interesting. There's still services Burlington, Boxboro, Wurn. They still
don't have someone there yet. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, it looks it seems like Stow might have gotten their um program their meals on wheels coordinator cut because they were doing like three days a week. I think they were the smallest sto
Yeah. So they were the smallest. Yeah. Smallest. Yeah. So yeah. None of it is favorable. No. No. It was a very down meeting the other day. Very down, I think. Well, yeah, that's
understandable. I mean, oh, just kind of really understandable. Yeah, I I left thinking I'm down to I need this. I don't like to hear the news a lot now. That's not the kind of news. Yeah.
Well, thank you anyway for sharing because we need to be aware of what's going on, especially where they're cutting things. M and then they're they're concerned that they might have to cut staff. I'm sure. Mhm.
Okay. Chop, cut, cut, chop, chop. Susan. Yes. Do you have anything for us from affordable housing trust or any of your little areas? She she's going to bring her out. You're you're adding more areas to No, no, no,
no, no. Please. um affordable housing trust. We had I think I reported last month that we signed the contract with Habitat for Humanity for the duplex on Tahadawan. So that's now
in Habitat's hands for coming up with a timeline for that um building. Um, Affordable Housing Trust is still working with consultants to write an
RFP for Derky. Um, we've also been working with the historical commission um to try and combinations of historic preservation,
historic on the house and then it would be new build for uh more units. They're hoping to get I think it's at least eight units. They will be
family. It isn't just seniors, it's family, new units, new build. Mhm. Um, yes. And that's not in the house. The the house and the barn separate is well is a big question of exactly whether the
house is capable of being u renovated at all and if it is into what. And then the barn, um, there was some talk about being able to renovate
the barn into units, but that also has to be studied. So, they're hoping to get an RFP out within the next couple of months. writing RFPs for this because there's so
many moving parts is difficult, but they have professional consultants. Oh, yes. Oh, that's good. Yeah, we've been doing having two meetings a month with them, so Oh, wow.
Okay. Well, thank you both. Yes. I I'm not cutting you off. Am I Sue? No, no. I'm sorry. I'm No, no, no, no. I just didn't want to be rude. So, but thank you both for all you do. Your two groups that you pay attention to. So,
um Okay, I think any other questions for them? Then we're down to finalizing our duties for this Friday. And that takes us to the big handout which I do in my It's right here underneath my agenda.
Our little cheat sheet here. Mhm. Okay. Liz, do you want to take the lead on this? Yes, I will. Okay. So, Friday early in the morning, facilities
is going to block off the parking lot down by the library with cones. The tent will be set up between 7 and 10:00 a.m. And they're also setting up um chairs for us as well. Two of the front rows are going to have reserved signs on
them for COA board and for friends board. So you have um seats right up front and Sumlander is helping with making name badges. So everyone has a badge.
Um we have our speeches lined up. Mark Rambacher, the select board chair, is um kind of the master of ceremonies. So Mark is speaking, then state rep. James Rciero, then Marge Payne, um then
myself, then Suzanne Dilvo, who's the uh principal and director of architecture for LLB, and then Tom Camo, who's the president of Commodore Builders, will be speaking. Then we'll do the actual ribbon cutting.
Um, and then the doors will be open. I'm hoping that you all are able to comfortably get in first and get to the assigned um, our duties stations. Yes. Hope I'm
not sure. I went back and watched the library tape because I don't want it to be a stampede into the front door. Um hopefully we're able to get our photos and our everything and allow the board members to get in um before everyone
else enters. But so everyone has a designated spot. Everyone at this table and a couple friends members also have spots. The last two pages of this are the maps and I just hand wrote where the general area where I think everyone
should kind of be stationed just so everyone has um an area to cover. So part of what we're doing is when you walk in in the multi-purpose room we'll have the tables and chairs set up. We
have a caterer with um hot appetizers in that room and Chris Carter playing guitar, just soft background music. Um the police department will also be there with a table set up with um information about the safe return program so we can
get capture people, sign them up for safe return and have kind of a display of the air tags and the um the the safety kits that we were able to purchase with funds from the Rotary and a generous we have
about five or six um beautiful baskets made from different um like assisted living and um companies we work with who have donated these baskets. Um because as you go through
the building, if you get I think Marge, we'll have you do it. We'll hand out the a little um sheet that shows you all the different rooms and if a board member or staff initials Yeah, that that you were there
and you get them all. You put them in the box at the end of your your walk. Scavenger hunt. Scavenger hunt. Okay. What is that? All right. We've got these beautiful raffles. Are we eligible to participate in that as well? Yes. Oh, okay. So, we
got to run around. You got to run fast. I just thought I would check before. Um Oh, I also forgot to say that there'll be desserts in the multi-purpose room, too. Everybody's going to go in there where the food is, you know. Yes, some people, you know.
Well, there will be some. Yeah. Um, okay. So, when we walk in, Marge, you'll be there. Um, actually, let me just follow this. Yep. Okay. Multi-purpose room. Megan Murphy is going to be there. She's meeting the caterer and that is her assigned area. Marilyn, if you could
be in that room with your badge on telling people all the different features of the room, you got it. I can do that. In the lobby will be Marge. You're like the grand welcomer. Oh, as you walk in,
you can provide direction. Which way is they kind of a map or anything or I just tell them? Um I mean I know where the multi-purpose room is in the kitchen area and then to go upstairs there were that's mostly all the activity room. the
program rooms upstairs. Direct people staircase, elevator, bathrooms kind of do that. Okay. And hand out the ideas myself. There must be restrooms up there, too. Yep. There's bathrooms upstairs. Um kind of right off the edge of the pool room. Oh, okay. I haven't
been up there myself. I got to get to do that, too. Okay. Um in the reception and staff area, push the key tags. Push the key tags. Push the key tags. Yep. Okay. So, we'll have two areas where people can
sign up for their key tags, like this little I have mine. I can show it. Um, I've got mine, too. At the front reception desk, we have a volunteer, Paula Trundy, who will be there um doing key tags. And upstairs at the second
reception desk, volunteer Dennis Garcia will be up there doing key tags as well. Sue Raymond is the staff person by the staff and reception desk showing people all of that area in the study and medical room
peaches will be located there. Um and I think on that TV that's in the study will be playing hopefully. Um, remember when we did the walkthrough with the construction hats and it was just a steel building? They filmed that.
I think I'd like to have that playing on a loop kind of in that TV. Yeah. So people can see. Um, if you go down the hall in the coffee bar area, Mary, that's your area. Okay. Um, and if you can just push the idea that this building was designed
with lots of um, conversation catchers, like non-programmable space where people can just sit and be and not have to come to an activity, just just sit be. Um, back out in the main lobby area by
the friends of the COA donor tree, we'll have Charlie and Andy there. They'll have um forms to sign up for a leaf or donations and they'll be collecting that and showing people the tree. Um the LCTV room, I was hoping
Judy Reid was still available to do that. In the kitchen, we'll have Gail Dalton and volunteer Barbara Dphano. Gail's going to talk about meals on wheels and um congregate meals, and Barbara can talk about the breakfast and everything that we do in there.
And when you go up upstairs, Anita will be in the craft room with Kathy Coughlin. I believe she's still on board. Yeah. Um you'll have your your craft display of different things we've done over the years. Um in program room 2, um Alicia is going
to be in there and she's be going to be doing like a mock trivia game because that's such a fun Oh my gosh. rowdy group. I love to show that off. Sue Milander will be in there, too. You're also a trivia connoisseur. If you can show people the various features of the
room. Um, and even outside the room where the digital signage is, kind of point that out that most of the TVs that are around are actually digital signage, not cable TVs. Um, the TV that's in the craft room, can
we upload a craft that we want pull down off of YouTube? Yep. We can you can plug your laptop right into it and show like a step-by-step video. Yeah. Nice. In both program rooms, you can do that. Okay. Okay. Then there's the pool table room.
And Jean, if you could be in that area, we're going to have some of the pool players who um advised me on this whole endeavor. Playing pool actually showcasing. Yeah. Excellent. Um they've got their friends and they're going to
be playing pool there. Um there's a couple different little seating areas there too, Jean. And digital signage. Um and you can direct people to that second floor reception desk that's right next to the pool area to if they didn't get a
key tag yet. Raised garden beds in the patio. Peggy, I have Sander written down. Um, but Peggy, a few are available as well to talk about all the great things. Our
furniture, outdoor furniture package is supposed to be coming tomorrow. Um, about 50% of the items we ordered. So, there will be chairs and tables out there. The umbrellas are already here, so it'll be staged about halfway. Okay. Um, and Liz, you know, people have been
playing botchi already out there. Yes, I've seen them multiple times. I love it. The night when the truck was still there, there were couple of couples play playing watching because we told um Amy. No. Yeah. Amy about it. Oh yeah. When the caregiver group I was there last
week too in a family, a whole intergenerational there was young kids, the mom and dad, the grandparents and they were playing. Loved it. Love seeing it. And they brought their own botchi balls. They had like this little carrying case. Yeah. It was really great to see. My gosh. It was great. Don't
need it. It's already being you when they were being when it was being question you you suggested that I bring up donations. If they want to know how to donate, what do I tell them? Oh,
specific to the um coffee. So, the coffee system in the hall there, it's kind of like a a fancy touchcreen coffee machine. So, we're just going to have for the time being probably like a a like a suggested donation box out there.
Okay. And I I want people to know that we're not trying to make money. We're just trying to break even. So, we call it a revolving account. We're leasing this machine. So, if you um they do that at the library. Yeah. If you put in $2 for a fancy espresso drink, just a
donation a dollar. Yeah. Okay. All right. I just wanted to make sure I knew what to say. Yeah. All good. This is the comfy machine. just one cup of coffee makes just one yes at a time. Um it you can there's a bunch of different options you can choose from. It does espresso
drinks and um nice nice things cuz we're trying to encourage people to stay one cup at a time, right? One cup at a time. Yeah. Don't you can't do multiple cups. I did today just inflation. Um that could that
would come in good if they were playing um board games or NASA or privilege or you know whatever. Yeah, I'm actually missing a page. Since they can't drink, they can drink coffee.
Then I'm missing a page on this one. How many pages are we supposed to have? Three. Three plus the two. Three plus the two. There is a missing page. Huh? There's a missing page. I don't know where it is. Well, I did them as they printed out. So, that means Yeah. When I
did them, one didn't go through the machine. So, this there's the bar room. Yes. Yeah. And then after that is the fitness room. I don't know what happened to that page. It didn't print out apparently. That's not on any of them. No. But none of us are in it, right? Joe Knox is in the fitness room. So, I'll
talk with him. Yeah. He said he'd get in touch with you. So, the fitness equipment rep, his name is Nick. He'll be there on site talking about the different machines and Joe can go back and forth between the two um
um fitness rooms upstairs. So, there have been a ton of questions about the fitness room and what we've got so far is we have an updated um fitness waiver from town council. M we've done the research to see what other towns are
charging for their um fitness rooms. And so the process will be you sign the waiver, you take a training course with Carol Wing, who is going to go through small groups of eight or less, train you on each machine, show you what weights are appropriate for you, and then you'll
be able to use the room. So I we still have to set the fee um and schedule Carol Wing. I haven't done those two things yet and we're still waiting on some of the fitness equipment. So, the room is technically not open yet. We
have one machine that is um not fully assembled and we're missing um one side of the room's equipment. One of the things that Kathy brought up when she was up there looking,
the the machines that you sit in and you pedal They should be facing outside so you could look at the forest instead of the white wall. So, and maybe there was a reason for that. If you turn them around, you're looking right into the
house's kitchen. Oh, you're looking at what? Into the house's kitchen. But so everything is going to be shifted because the treadmills were placed in front of the TV. So you're like this far away from a TV. So the
rower at the very end is coming down and then everything else is being shifted. So what you see in there is not the final layout. Yeah. Um still in the building we only we're still missing quite a few pieces of furniture that got
hung up with supply chain issues. Uh which I'm bummed about. Like our couches aren't in. Our big like centerpiece table for downstairs in the lobby is not in. So, it's really I'm really bummed about that cuz I wanted people to see like
I can tell people that they're hung up somewhere and we just have a little problem with getting Yeah, container that a container stuck with tariff somewhere probably. That's what I'm thinking. Yeah. So,
but when you walk into that building, even though that table isn't there, the awe of just walking into the building for the first time is amazing. I mean, if there's no table right there, that's not going to be missed. You know, there's just so much to see. I just don't want people to say, "Oh, look at
all this wasted space." There's meant to be something there. Oh, I see what you're saying. Yeah. Yeah. If I give you comments, okay, fill them in. Um, so that's that's the that's the rundown. So, everyone has their bullet points.
Amy and I don't have any assignments. We'll kind of be floating around. Floas. Yeah, floaters. Yeah, we'll change into our sneakers after the speeches and like start running. Do you want us
as you know to wear anything special clothes? Your finest ball gowns. I didn't know if you would like anything special. Yes, that's you. You don't have
to. You'll have your badge. I just um I bought myself a new outfit for graduation. One of my kids grandkids graduation. Maybe I'll wear that. I wondered if you know like she wanted us all to wear a certain color or something like that.
Wow. Now that you said now that you said that, what goes with the blue when you put down in the lower level? I just No. No jeans. No jeans. No jeans. Grand opening day. You're serving food.
Mhm. And going forward in the building, are you going to allow food? Oh, outside food. Inside everywhere in the building and drink everywhere in the building. Yes. Okay. So, on Wednesday and Thursday, Lucy's
cleaning service is going through and doing a final sparkle of the building. And then she'll be on site on Friday to make sure the garbages are emptied and bathrooms are looking nice and trash isn't accumulating anywhere. Food and drink
are allowed. Food and drink. Mo almost all You'll notice the furniture um is wipable. Most of it. Good. Good. There are a couple things that aren't, but I think the things that are going to get heavy use are um like a a wipeable
material surface. Yeah. The colors look so nice when you look at those. When you look at the chairs, the blue and gray, and then there's the green. It just sets everything off. It looks so nice. You did a good job, girl, picking all that
up. Yes. I didn't do it myself. No, I know. But you Yeah, you did a good job matching stuff, coordinating it all. Is there any chance we can go into the building before Friday? Friday? Yes. Oh, good. Yeah, because we haven't. We
haven't been in since we Oh my gosh. We got after this we'll go over. Awesome. If you're busy though, we don't want to disturb you. We No, this is more important. I'll go. Oh, you haven't been in now. I've been on the other level that
I've been in twice and we Anita and I met and we can go in like we're going to be bringing craft stuff over there and we can go in anytime, right? Yep. Beautiful. So you can even help Wednesday when we're bringing stuff over after gra if you want to see it again. I will do that. Do you need help
Wednesday? I think he sees every place most over there. The only thing we'll have to bring over Wednesday is what we use Wednesday. Yes. So okay, John is available. I'll volunteer to come with you to Oh, we won't we won't
we won't need you, but you can come along for the Oh, well, come along. If I can't help, I'll be a bump. Oh, I'll find something. Yes, hands on. John is always hands on. Yes. Make it work. Um, we have program
brochures made. I saw you referring to that. Tried my very, very best to get every donor. Oh. Um, in here. Wow. I fear that I might have missed someone, but they're to the printer. Yep. The addendum would come later. That's They
got to the printer before I knew. Garden bed donation came in. So, unfortunately, we didn't get that, but I will say that in my speech. Um, yes. Uh, wow. Yeah, there is also a list in here of things that we were able
to purchase with the use of donor funds. So, people are like, "Oh my gosh, can't believe they bought these pool tables." Donor funds. Are the donor plaques? Yes, they're up. They're up and placed where they Okay. Yeah. Even the one in the
elevator. No, I know. That one got after the last minute. Yeah. We're number two. The elevator. The elevator is number one in the library. And we got the same plaque. She was telling me, "Oh, the same
donor." Same donor. She did. And she did it. Same donor and same plaque. It's just going to be What's the wording? The village lift car. The village lift two or something like that. Oh, sweet. Yeah, I think that's amazing. Cute and sweet. That's a big donation. It is a huge
donation. I saw her at town meeting. She told me that. Who donated? It's um Kimberelli. Oh, Kim. For those donors and then the donor signage and
then the donors in here. You mean like a donor board like the library did? Did you see that? The the squares. Yeah. For so everybody who bought a room or something, they have the donor board. So
they they have those donors. if you see those on a wall. But yeah, I don't know. It's sort of redundant because they have signs where they donate it. But it's called the donor board. Yeah, that's not a bad idea to And they have like they come in different colors. Mhm.
Depending on the amount that was donated. Yep. But if you have room on another wall, but I'm sure we can find it. Yes. And also didn't who was it that
donated artwork for the hallway. Oh yeah. Um she it's a FA center. She's also in here an artist who took down her show at the Actton Library. Oh. Talked to Kimberly Stony who talked to us. Oh
my. And she still has it all in her car and her artwork. Just happens to be all blues and greens and yellows. botanical. Lovely. Absolutely lovely. I have goosebumps. And she can It fits perfectly. She's hanging it up this week.
So, her name is Face Center and she's going to leave it up for a month and a half. Very nice. Mhm. Wow. Good. I'm sure I'm missing something somewhere. No, you're not going anywhere. What?
No one is going to the important message. We were on time and under budget and here we are. Oh my god. That is And no one's going to notice if you forgot something. That's exactly right. And they walk through that door and it's
going to be shocking. I hope so. Just the idea that we're on time and under budget. Oh my. That's so big. Oh my gosh. Yes. And I just Well, I have to just tell you too, I think I I keep thinking Carol Wing makes it very clear
that she loves Liz number one. Yes, she just loves Liz and she says because she will listen to you. She will ask you questions. She will, you know, do whatever and she involves people and
you people in Littleton are so lucky to have her. She's always saying that. You know that. We know that. And that's always I know. But it's very true. Yes, it is. I have a question on the planters. You said they were ceramic. Do they have holes in them for drainage?
They do not, but Sandra had some ideas. Okay. Cuz my husband said, "You got to have holes for drainage or they'll drown in the water." Yeah. Okay. So, one of them is like this big. Hibiscus. Sander had an idea of like putting a water
gravel. It's like stilts or something and then a smaller bucket of with drainage. Okay. So, we're not filling the entire thing with dirt and then it weighs Yeah.,000 thousand pounds. Sandra had a plan. Okay. I'll discuss that with
her tomorrow. Poke holes through. Yeah. Put a put a drainage. It goes right down and outside. What time is your meeting tomorrow? 1:00. 1:00. Yeah. And you'll be meeting in the future in
your building? Yes. Yes, we will. Wow. That's nice. I'll be in the kitchen on Tuesday. That's nice though that you're going to be able to be in the new building for the meetings. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. And the kitchen is gorgeous. It is. I am not
seeing that myself. I didn't. You got a place to put your purse while you're in there. Charlie. Charlie is probably dancing a joke. Charlie seasoned the griddle top this morning. Seasoned it. Well, there's him. We're We're going to have our Wednesday
breakfast in here, right? This week. This week. Mhm. The last what? The last one. The last breakfast. Yeah. Going to be the last. Is there a plan, do you think, for cooking meals over there? We're working on it.
I have been having conversations with Charlie and Barbara and with Marilyn Converse um who are both serve safe certified um and already planted the seeds with Fincom and Select Board for a potential
cook in the budget or nutrition. Yes. Coordinator of some some sort. Um so that would be nice. What would that do? That would be ideal. Nothing. Oh, she's she does her thing. She's got her
cuz I've often wanted to do something in craft class like baking cookies and decorate and stuff like that, but we never were able to use the kitchen. And so that would be kind of cool if we ever got the opportunity to do something like that. As long as we're not interrupting
the flow of the meals on wheels. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, no. Well, I meet afterwards anyway. I don't meet till. Yeah. So put your thinking cap on girl after hours cooking classes. No matter I'm going to run. I have coming. You
just don't run. Walk. Thank you for coming. Yes. Thank you for coming. Enjoyable. Any questions there? Just give us a call. I will and I'll report to the board tomorrow. Okay. Okay. I can go out this way. Right. Y tell
them we welcomed you with open arms. I will. Thank you. The last thing on my radar that I want to share, we're working on a staff plan to be open later one evening, potentially Wednesday till 7.
Um, so that we could do like a weekly dinner type thing. So, that's in the works. We're trying to keep us all at 40 hours without going down the road. Yeah. A weekly dinner for staff or for anybody? for the community. For the
community? Oh, like a neighborhood supper, but not a neighborhood supper. Yeah, like a gift. I don't know. A $5 meal that we cook or something along those lines. Something sustainable. Wow. Liz, I have
a question because I've seen a lot of the, you know, acting and for some of the things that they do where everyone can come no matter what town you are, but for others, they will write nonre
non residents a charge. Are you going to do that with things? That's a great debate. So, because I know, you know, if it's really my So, page two of our newsletter, it
says, um, Littleton residents have priority for signing up for events. I've been going back and forth with all the directors in my regional director's group. Um, some charge extra for out oftowners. Some don't, some allow them,
some don't. Some even refer back to the their equal opportunity statement saying just because you live out of town doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to come here. Um so there's all kinds of different ways to look at it. But this is only for special ones that they
judge. It's not all the time. Yep. So for most of our special occasions like a big dinner or spring fling type event, we would do Littleton Priority. you. Mhm. Um I like the sink. I don't really Yes, exactly. I
don't love the idea of charging somebody more just because they live out of town. No, I don't either. That really making them wait to sign up. Yeah. Waiting put them on a waiting list if they had to be like with the craft class. I've had a couple ladies from ACT and they were coming almost on a regular
basis. They don't come anymore. And then there was a lady from air and she would come and there was always room for her. So, but what I did have to say once you'll have to wait over on the side and if I have stuff left after everybody
comes then you can definitely stay. The town doesn't direct anything cuz park and wreck has a resident fee and a non-resident fee. Right. That comes from not the town. Not the town. Correct. But you are a department of the town. We are a department of town and we accept
funding from the state. Our formula grant um does that say you have to be open then to they heavily imply it because they are providing money to all COAs okay across the state and we use
that money to pay for our instructors and our classes and our fun things. M um it's not written in black and white, but it's heavily implied. Once you get into charging somebody more because they're out of town, it becomes administratively hard to manage. And
then I've found that um other people in the class kind of start policing who's paid and who's not paid, which gets incredibly like awkward for people and borderline inappropriate when someone comes up to the office and says, "I don't think this person's paying." and
they might mail a check to us, you know? Right. Yeah. So, I I try not to What a can of worms. Yeah. Yeah. It's a great question, though. Great question. Because I've, you know, they've seen it recently in their Yep. bulletins, you know, like our
broadcaster. I've seen it. And it's only for like very special things. Probably things they've had to pay for, too. Yep. Yeah. I can definitely see doing something like that for a special spring fling. Yeah. golfing. Got it. Well, yeah. It's not everyday stuff. Yeah.
That was why I wondered if Yeah. Oh, touchy subject. It's very Yeah. Yeah. Um, I do want to ask the board, when I come up with a rate or suggested rate for the
fitness room, do you want to approve it? Do you want input on it or just what I know? What? I'd love to know what it is, but I don't feel that I need to approve what because you will know if
you know best. Are you thinking per per class usage or per month? Um the actual fitness the gym y in the building per every um per six months kind of thing. Oh, like a membership. Yeah, like a membership uh for the revolving fund to
maintain the equipment and pay the instructor. Yeah. And also, are we setting an age over 55, over 60, over 65? I think we do have to set an age because otherwise there'd be no time for the seniors to use it, right? Oh, yeah.
Because Yeah. Yeah. I think so, too. And there has to be some kind of a structure there. Yay. And I mean, you could set the age and start it and then if you find it's not being utilized, you can revisit, right? Can always add. It's easier to add than to take away. And you
figure there will be people probably under 60. They are going to be real interest. They're going to want a lot of them are going to want to do it on their way home from work or something when the building's closed, too. What are the hours going to be of the building to start with? Same hours we have now. So,
like the 8 to 4. And we're probably going to be adding in that evening hours until 7 probably sometime this summer. Oh, okay. that one day of the week. Yeah. Yeah. I can see that. And gradually because it's going to have to Yeah. I mean, you know, when we
were talking about the senior center and visiting other newly built senior centers way back when, you know, I remember there was a lot of talk. The town administrator at the time and the assistant town administrator at the time were asking a lot of questions about how
they operated and if they rented out the space in the building for people like if somebody has a wedding and they want to use the kitchener for a shower, etc. And who would pay for the custodian? You have have to have somebody on board and all of that. And I don't know whether
this town, our town has any of that in the library. The library does. Yeah. I have a draft policy. You do that in the library? No. The rooms are not used for personal use at all. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know whether that's down the road coming, but it, you know, because that's
because of its elder and human services and for the whole town, it might be more likely, but not for private use. They have it in other towns. In other towns, they can rent the space. They have to rent the space. Yeah. So, a lot of money and they have to pay to rent
the space and pay for the custodian, etc. Because the town doesn't do that, but they the town these towns that did it felt it was a source of income for them to help. Yeah, I know towns do do that. I had like an hourlong phone conversation with our insurance rep for
the town. I know that's interesting. about boy scouts or girl scout troops using the building. And one of the things that came up is if you're allowing an outside entity to come in, they have to have an additional insurance policy naming the
town as an additionally insured up to like a thousand or a million dollars. So like for Boy Scouts would have to have a separate writer. Yeah. And they typically already do um if you're like a large organization. So, I have a draft
policy written based on libraries and kind of sprinkled in with some other stuff from other um interesting towns and action with the insurance agent. I'm I'm sitting on it for now. Yes. We're going to live in
this building for about 6 months and then before we make Oh, yeah. You have to. I understand that. But you can just see where it can go too. Yeah. and where people will come in and ask for this and that. Make make a to-do list and six
months down the road, look at the to-do list and see if anything is able to be done or should be done. When there was a Lion's Club in town and they would do the food at the Christmas bazaar, holiday bazaar. Yeah. And they always made the meatball and the sausage
sandwiches. We at that back then because I was in the Lions Club, we had to have someone from the high school cafeteria there. Yeah. From the time we we opened till we closed. Y and we had to pay for
it. Made a lot of sense. And we never quibbled about about it. Yeah. And sometimes we had someone that was more than willing to help and other times we had someone who I'm just going to sit and get paid for not for sitting.
See, you know, but usually it was Yeah. But it's down that's all down the road too. It has to be explored. But it was, you know, you had to have someone. So I would think the same thing would be true and especially if if someone's using the
kitchen at all. Oh yeah. Jean, go ahead. So to start with your booking of your program rooms that you have now only your department will be booking those rooms. Yes. Do you have a system that books them for you? So you can see
just um the town calendar booking system. All right. Because when we book for outside organizations then you got to have a system because it gets really crazy. You have to know, you know. Yeah.
But if you're in control of it right now and all the programs will be your programs only. Yep. Then you can know I think you're right. It has to be even a year maybe before you explore other. Yeah. Because it's
just going to take time. And I mean you might be filling up those program rooms every day so there won't be room. Yeah. Well, with Megan doing her job. Oh, yes. She fills up that broadcaster so fast. Well, with everything that's been held
in the library coming over here, your rooms are going to be utilized. Well, what's coming over here from the library? Your yoga classes. Oh, yeah. Tai Chi and Oh, Tai Chi and all them. Your friends meetings, all of that stuff that you, you know, we juggle over there
for our own programming. We fight against the town. The selectmen use it twice a month. I know they're supposed to anymore though. They're using they're coming here now. But but what I'm saying is that you know Yeah. You're going to be utilizing that
building more now. Your programs are all going to come back in. You're going to use it. Yeah. Well, we got space. Yes. I know. That's the whole We have space now. Yep. So, you might not be able to open it up for outside. because you'll
be utilizing it. Yeah. Well, time will tell. That's a process. It's going to have to, you know. Yeah. Yeah. You need time to settle in. Y. So, if that question comes up, people are asking during open house. Yes. Work in process. Work. Yep. We're reviewing and one day
at a time here. We're just opening, you know, we're just in awe that we're here. Right. Let us take a breath. That is so true. Let us take a breath before we get into years to get here. 1972 was when
the Council on Aging was no in this town library. But did they want the senior center at that time? Many computers for publications. Oh, well, I did not see in print articles about a senior center, but they opened up the first thing they did was open up a drop in center in
their first year who were in. So that is an indicator of in many ways of start the start of it all. And that drop in center was where Castle and the Trees is now. Right. Because the park and wreck building there. That's right. It was
COA. Ken White was the park and wa and that's where this first COA board meetings were first meetings were held at um Curran's I forget Michael Kurr. He was the chair. They were held at his
house because I was on that board and I used to go to his house for meetings at night. When I started working here in 1972 on the conservation in 1981, the office was at my house and when there was building had to be done with
plans. They came and unrolled him on my dining room table. Was it office? No conservation commission. Conservation. I had it was on my my dining room table for three years before I I got a little space in the basement of the fire station.
Yeah, I know. It's It's fascinating though when you think back into the how things were run back then. Yeah. Y So, but any more questions? If you have any and you need to get an answer, you're going to have to call Liz or send her an
email. Mhm. But try I got my article in and I got my picture in. So I'm all done. You got your picture in. I got not my picture. The picture of what we're doing. Oh, I thought you I got my article in too, but it's already changed because of all the I think we have to we
must, you know, um my article was in for the broadcast. Well, it was a good article while it happened and now it's going to have to change. It has to change because, you know, it was all about just really appreciating the staff and telling them how much we appreciate you. And now we've got, you know, the thing Alicia that has to be put in
there. Oh my gosh. Plus the new record. I talked a big time about the record set in March. Now we beat that record already in April. So that's got to change. I think every month we're going to be beating the record. I won't I won't write about that next month, but anyway. Yes. Yes. Will your building be
recycling? Yes. Good. Are we going to be doing recycling things? Yes. Good. I bought recycle bins. So Oh, well. No, but you're not going to have a recycling event for Oh, no. Shredding. I'm thinking shredding. Forget. I was thinking about shredding. Plastic
bottles. Yes, we know John is trash man and when he looks in to see all those water bottles in with the regular trash. We love to separate. I know. I got a garbage can that has the two holes like like bottle size. Mhm. Sweet. Okay,
good. Yeah. Yeah. Hopefully the seniors will be better than the teens. David does recycling for the library. Oh. Oh, no. They don't. He gets so frustrated because the teens just throw Oh, yeah. everything everywhere.
Hopefully the seniors will respect that. Yes. Yeah. But for if we have the receptacles, we'll observe that. Yep. Okay. Do you need No, I we don't we don't need any more questions. She's got
to get going. I make a move that we adjourn the meeting at 4:20. Mhm. We have I second that. Thank you. We have a motion to adjourn the meeting at 4:20. Um made by Gan and seconded by Marilyn.
Any other discussion? If not, all those in favor? I. Anybody saying no? I'm in favor of it, too. So, what time do you think we should Part: 2
15 second delay. Good evening, Littleton. Welcome to the select board meeting for uh Monday, May 12th. We're going to begin with an executive session. Okay. Move that the select board vote to enter into executive session pursuant to
mass general law chapter 38 section 21 A2 to conduct strategy and preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with non-union personnel the police union the select board will adjourn to executive session and will
reconvene in open session after the executive session second moved by Matthew second by Karen roll call vote Gary Gary's yes Matthew Matthews Karen Karen's yes. Mark's a yes. We'll see you in about 15 minutes. It has been switched 15 seconds and we
will do that for you. Nope. Okay, welcome back. Uh we'll begin with the pledge of allegiance. He said he said it would be on before he was up. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Uh so we have the reading of the mail, select board discussions, department
updates for PRC, DPW and another PRC, a public hearing at 700 p.m. for the setting the town transfer station rates. 720 will have public input 7:15 appointments.
uh review the annual town meeting minutes and adjourn promptly at 8:25. Uh we'll start with the mail. Okay. Uh current vacancies on the uh Mr. Chairman, current vacancies on the town board. Uh we've got uh opportunities
with the agricultural commission, conservation commission, cultural council, economic development committee, historical commission, master plan implementation committee, permanent municipal building committee, zoning board of appeals, and one um opening
that's appointed by the school committee uh on the uh for the finance committee. Um we have sign up for receive public notifications for the town of Littleton. Uh, register at www.ittletonmma.org/subscribe. Community impacts, public safety activity,
transportation issues, town meeting changes, public health concerns, town events. Stay informed. Here we've got a notice of hearing of uh of compliance for Tavern in the Square, which uh with the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission
in Chelsea, Mass. They have uh the tavern has been notified that a hearing will be held with the ABCC at 954th Street, Sweet 3 in Chelsea on June 17th, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. Um uh in
regards to permitting an illegally uh uh permitting an ille illegality on the licensed premises uh to it for a delivery of an alcoholic beverage to a person under 21 years of age.
Um and here we have uh Arbor Day Foundation. We have uh extend the warmest congratulations to Littleton for achieving 2024 Tree City USA. Well-deserved recognition. This has been hard work from uh from Tim Pearson
and Conservation Commission. Um and uh this is the second year in a well at least since I've been here. It's been it's it's been every year. So, um good work. The mayor worked very hard at this too. I did. Thank you very very much. I I appreciate that. addressed to Mayor
Dugen. I have my I have my business my business cards are being made up as we speak. Um and we also got notification from the town of Sudbury that um uh that they are withdrawing from the transportation dispatch program that we
have with Actton Littleton and and Sudbury. And um currently uh we are scheduled to be spending $27 annually split into four uh uh quarterly payments. 27,000 20 What did I say?
What a bargain. Pretty good deal. Yeah. Why would they relieve? Touche. 27,000 and change. Um for that that is our share. uh sudberries is a uh is a
lesser amount and um so and the first thought is it's going to cost us more but the uh the 27,000 is based upon an average annual uh percent of the n the total number of runs. So that total number of runs with
Sbury leaving will go down. So quick back back of the envelope calculations will probably go down to 20 about $24,000 from 27. Um, but I'm communicating with uh the town management act and just to confirm that
thought process. I'll report back. Um, here we have the first uh the robotics. They finished up their season uh and uh as a result of when they came in in the when they lost the hotbreaker uh locally, then they went to the world
championships in Houston and they did a tremendous job. Um and uh they were in very very tough matches and uh they um uh it says here were selected to play in the sixth seed alliance with teams from Michigan, California and Canada
progressing three matches into a double elim elimination playoff rounds before the alliance was eliminated. But they really had a a tremendous tremendous uh from if you read through this in the mail, it really was um quite impressive on on their enthusiasm and what they did
uh all the way around. So uh very very impressive by uh by the robotics team. Berry. Um, here we have a uh gift acceptance form for EHS uh from Nancy and Bruce Morrison for
$1,000. So, the safe return program. And for those of you out there in Littleton for the Safe Return program, uh you can get it either through the police department or or EHS Council on Aging. It's a toolkit of resources for family members and
caregivers to assist in evaluating the home and taking steps to promote safety for their loved ones with dementia, neurodyiversity and/or tendencies to wander, air tags, anti- removal case,
door chimes, uh anti-wander signs, caregiver support, uh support information. So, uh please take advantage of that. I think it's uh I think it's fantastic. Uh, another gift acceptance form um for
EHS COA from the Rotary Club of Littleton, the amount of $1,100 for the safe return program. Again, thank you very much for your generosity. And we have a gift acceptance form for EHS uh Find Your Village Real Estate,
Kimberly Albertelli, the $5,000 for room naming an elevator uh for the gift fund. And uh thank you very much for that. She's cornering all the elevators, isn't she? They're kind of like the railroads on Monopoly board. The floor can't use
them unless you um and um that's it on the ABCC as those results those hearings are held um are is someone going to make an act a recommendation on the actions we should be taking? Should we be like whether we should be holding our own
hearing or sending letters or just It's your decision. According to town council, it's a matter of what what steps you would like to do as as a legislative body of the town. So, does that come to us from Pat O'Donn who does the investigations for Littleton or comes from ABC? He didn't do those
investigations. So, it wasn't Pat that that these this was ABC Sting if you will, right? But I mean, how how to Mark's point, how will we be communicated with from the ABC? Yes, we just got one very recently that they had their hearing like it just came
in an hour ago. It was not one stop. But so I guess the question is we're going to need we're going to need a little bit of background on is it second offense, first offense, third offense. We don't even know that. Yeah. Right. We're just seeing what how it went down so to
speak. So I don't know what do we I think that's we don't have really a chart that says if this is your third offense you're going to have or whatever how egregious is it or right so maybe it's something that we I mean I don't know what what kind of records we may we
may have because it uh and I'm assuming it may be at the at the police station that uh if because they would be notified like these four offenses that that occurred recently occurred that you know the town was notified And I would assume that that that same practice happened before if there were multiple
ones. So I'll find out. It seems like we should at least send a letter. Yes. Right. Warning. Yeah. Or a letter of warning or come in front of the the board of whatever we decide I guess. But maybe for another meeting we put it on there. You can Yeah. To to your point
that uh you you may request them to come in and just explain the situation, you know, what happened and and everything like that. You can take your own separate actions if you feel you want to do uh it doesn't matter what what they what they came to their conclusion their
decision if you feel that there is a whether it's a day or however long or or just a war you know confirm the warning however you would like to proceed. So this is kind of what we did one of the businesses on the common if you
recall. Um so uh I guess it's more of what have you done to mitigate this since you found out the result you know the results of this and that's maybe so the question is do we want to call in everyone or do we just
want to take the recommendation to the ABCC or react on on their recommendation? I I think we can we can look at the background. I think see what the ABCC does and also determine whether or not there have been prior violations. Yeah. I think if like
that would inform at least for me I think would be the difference between just saying be careful versus asking for some concrete change like we did with um common con uh the Littleton convenience store. So So as they come in maybe we
put them on the agenda to decide what we want to do. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Moving on. Select border orientation. My favorite part of the meeting. I'll make a motion that we elect Karen
Morrison to be the chair of the select board. Second. She'll take it. All right. We'll give it a go. Any other nominations? All in favor? Hi. Hi. Hi. Get a more.
Um, and then we've got uh vice chair. I'll nominate Matthew Nordos as vice chair. Second. Any other? No, not discussion. You good? What?
It's your turn. Um, but we don't have a clerk either, right? So, sorry. Moved by Chuck and second. Oh, there we go. Moved by Chuck, seconded by Gary. All those in favor? I. All
right. And now we have clerk. Clerk. I think it's I nominate Gary Wilson to be the clerk. Second. Right. Anyone else? Moved by Gary. Seconded by Ch. By Matt. Matthew, I can advise. Oh yeah, you'll get it. We're
off to a good start. You guys sure you don't want to reconsider? Minutes are going to be all over the Have a recall vote. [Music] Karen seconds that motion.
All those in favor? I want to switch chairs. I think we're good. Okay. All right. So, that's that. Moving on, we've got uh select board discussion regarding the next select board retreat and goal setting session. Um, oh, it's that time
of year again. Our calendars, I guess. Fill out their calendars. Let's see if we can figure something out. Did we last Did we do it on a Friday afternoon last year? So, at the fire department? Yeah. Is that right? Mhm.
I thought it was morning or earlier or something. 12 to 4. Yeah. Yeah. When um when aren't you available? Do you have any vacation income coming? No. Um no. Lisa's Lisa was giving me a vacation.
So, uh um I will uh I'll work I'll I'll work around it. I mean, so not the 16th obviously because it's ribbon cutting for Shadic Street. Mhm. We we can't do the uh 23rd either. That's uh Memorial
Day JLMC and it's JLMC mediation. So So the 30th would be the one after that. That's not so great for me. Okay. Yeah, we're still before the fiscal year, so we're okay. The 7th is that high school graduation? It
is. Uh no, the 30th is the 30th is high school graduation. Um 6th of June. 6th for me. Anybody else? 13th works better for me. I'm supposed to be away that weekend, but I have office hours on the 6th, but so the 13th would be better for me.
13th is the last day of school. Oh, okay. I could do the 6th if I can I can just leave after the meeting. 20th is wide open for me if we're willing to go back that far. I'm fine with the 20th. Uh June 20th, anybody? Yeah,
sure. That's all good. Okay. Phone number two. My my burner phone. I am at a 10 the 6. You notice how Mark and I are wide open, right? Shut up.
I just have to golf earlier. Do not like either of you. So, what the 20th? Yeah. Yeah. Jim, that's the day after Junth. Were you going to take a 4-day weekend or anything? I didn't even I can make the 6th work work at the sex work. So, I actually can't cuz I'm out of town. All
right. So, the 20th then? Looks like. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Are we doing no saying noon to 4? Yes. And we'll do goal setting then. And I guess we find out if the fire station's open. If not, we can do it over there.
If not, I mean, we have the new building will be up, right? Oh, that's true. So many options. I think we should cen it. There you go. It's got to bode well. Right. Cool. Okay. Okay. Uh, moving on. We will let's review and vote to
reaffirm the select board code of conduct policy. Anybody have any questions or uh comments about Nope. I mean board of conduct look back at the at the year we I mean we I think
um I think we did a pretty good job following I was looking through it. Uh, we didn't really have any thing that stood out that or anything we needed to add. That was the only thing. We said we're going to review this every year for potential, but we probably might
need something. Maybe Jim might have seen something. No, change. Well, although we did take some lashings at town meeting for people saying, you know, we don't trust you. just looking looking through the you know kind of the the crux of the code I
think that we have demonstrated professionalism and um transparency and and garnered trust. So I I think and as anything has come up I think we've kind of addressed it. So I think we're I think we're in a good place. I think the other thing that has become that I
thought was going to be hard but actually has turned out to be good is making sure that we go through gym before we contact any of the town department heads or employees. That's become second nature now and I think it makes a difference and I think it's not it doesn't slow things down the way I
thought it might. So I'm I'm pleased with that change. Yeah. I haven't known any other way but it's worked well for me so far. Okay. All right. Hey, clerk. Mr. Cler. Oh, so we
don't need any public sensor. I guess we we do adopt it. So, I guess um move to approve the town of Littleton select board code of conduct policy. Second. Moved by Gary, seconded by Matthew. All those in favor? I I I don't think we
need to take action there for not doing for not changing it or moving away from it, but still in effect. The motion was in it would stay in effect till whatever we start. All right. But if we were a new board, that wouldn't be the case. Correct. It's true. Don't forget to get sworn in. I
did. You even beat me to that. All right. Department board updates. Um, we've got the vote to authorize the town administrator to execute a contract with MJ Catalo, Inc. This is uh this is for the Wickham Field
improvements and the Littleton the tennis courts and uh um Littleton Middle School. Uh we were able to because the bid uh by Mr. MG Mr. Catalo uh came in under what was anticipated and um we're
able to get both at alternates in there with the with the dugouts and the fencing. Um so just just eaked it under the under the wire there and uh that is before us for uh 900 um for $900,000.
What was the budget? 922 not including on top of that is 132,000 more for uh uh activities. So the bricks and mortar budget was 922
and that's what the So it says the estimated construction cost inclusive was 922 and that's that was the estimate. That's the estimate but the actual was 900 will come in at nine. Okay. Right. With including the two uh ad alternates, right? And 16th is
the first day of construction. June 16th I believe I believe so. Yes, sir. Fantastic. Good to keep in town with another business. It's great. Yeah. Everybody good? Yep. I'll take a motion. Are we doing a motion on each one or you want to go through? Sorry about that.
How do we want to? I just didn't know. Yeah. Um, here it is. Okay. Do it that way. Move that the select board vote to authorize town administrator James Dugen to execute a contract with MJ Catalo, Inc. in the amount of $900,000 for the construction of tennis courts and improvements to Wickham Field at the
Littleton Middle School, inclusive of bid add alternates one and two. Second. Moved by Gary, seconded by Matthew. All those in favor? I. Next we have the um JP Keading contract.
Tell us all about it. Steve. Uh good evening. Uh Stephen Yi, director of public works. Uh, first thing I do want to say is the there is a typo on the the number. It's not
506. It's 527 630. Copy and paste. Okay. I'll blame Ryan. 6:30 even. Yes. Thank you. So, I apologize for that. It's in the me It's in the memo from you. Correct. Okay. Got
it. 52. 5276. Yeah, I see it. Okay, I see the motion. So, yes, uh back beginning of April, we advertised, um bids for road work. Uh PJ Key was low
bidder at the 527 630. Uh surprisingly, uh this is the most amount of bids on a project like this I've ever received, uh in my career. 11 bids. Usually, we get the, you know, five or six. Um it's a very very competitive market. Uh when you look at the bid sheet, they were
kind of grouped together or a bunch low, bunch kind of medium low, one really high. I don't know what their story was. Um but I just asked for your approval uh tonight for this um bid for road David.
Do you have the locations on the website like the the planned up the paving plan for the summer? That will be up uh shortly. I did just receive the final version of that after some back and forth. Okay. Um but I do have a final version of that. Cool.
Do the do you have the plan for not separate from Ernie's Drive in particular, but like a schedule for who you know what roads are being paved? Yep. That's why this year, next year, and so forth. Yeah. The the update to the pavement management uh system
includes a fiveyear uh capital plan. Granted, I say there's always things can move around a little bit, so I don't take it as set in stone, but yeah, sure. I inevitably get two questions a year. I got Well, I got obviously at the polls. I was Russell Street. Our roads are in
such good shape in the center of town, so but more so Russell Street. I was getting beat up on Russell Street. So, is that Russell Street off topic, I think. Yeah. No, I I can happily answer that. Uh Russell Street honestly at this point we're waiting for confirmation
from National Grid. They had three gas leaks over the winter uh and they're contemplating a little bit of main work. So trying to coordinate with them if they are or aren't going to do it. Okay. Okay. Just if if
they're off if they're back and forth, is there a plan to go forward and just have them do UV when they when they do their work? Sure. Is that possible? I just it's it's definitely something that especially now at the point people just that set that's a super highway now to get up to the point. So absolutely to Gary's point there was a number of
people at the polls that because they came in Russell Street. So yeah. Thanks Steve. 20 mph superighway. Russell exactly. Um yeah. Okay. Good. I move that select board vote to authorize town administrator James Dugen to
execute a contract with JP Keing Inc. for resurfacing in related work at Ernie Drive in various locations in the amount of $527,630. [Music] Second moved by Gary, seconded by Matthew. All those in favor? I I Thank
you. Thanks, Dave. Next up, we've got the request to solicit donations to support the Clean Lakes Committee. Yes. Uh Madame Chairwoman and members of the select board, this is uh uh the
necessary proposal for gift solicitation form for PRCE. Uh and their uh uh their goal uh for this year is to raise up to $5,000 for the CLC uh revolving fund. That was something that was discussed on efforts
on parks and wreck part to uh uh provide um financial support. And this would be the while they work to identify a more consistent source because their rates have already been set. And so they
wanted to be able to here's the opportunity to to raise some funds for this year. But in the meantime, uh, they will identify a funding source to be able to add on to going forward consistently. Is this in addition to the
beach fees that were going to um be I think when I went to a PRC meeting and they said they were going to put in some beach fee that was part of the clean lakes. Is this something supplemental to that? They talked about doing both. So,
they did. I I I'm only aware that this is going to be the only source of funding for year one the way the the director had explained it to me when I asked and I said is this going to be just for the year one or is this how it's going to move on just for the you know this is the first year they'll
already they'll I I guess the question I had is we at town meeting these these have to be voted on at town meeting to create revolving funds I'm assuming this revolving fund already exists or we created a town meeting we created this one I don't recall created that Queen Lakes revolving fund. We did. I remember
the the senior center ones and the coffee farm. It gone under consent. Did it go under consent? Yeah. Okay. I think you're right. It did cuz I knew we had the senior center ones for coffee and the Steven went up and kind of explained everything and that's made everything not seamless but Okay.
Um my only question was it doesn't so the revolving fund I thought had to be the source had to be revolving funds whereas this would not be this is a onetime gift but that's okay to put in there right anyway. Exactly as a as a jumping off point or
kickoff. Prime the pump. All right. What? Prime the pump. Well, thanks to the commission at parks and recck for moving this forward. Good. Move that select board vote pursuant to master law chapter 44
section 53A and per its policy on solicitation and acceptance of money and non-monetary gifts for public purposes to allow the solicitation of donations to support the Clean Lakes Committee's revolving fund as established at the May 6th, 2025 annual town meeting. Second
moved by Gary, seconded by Matthew. All those in favor? I I three minutes early for the public hearing which is next on the agenda. Take something out of Anybody want to sing a song or you have anything uh small we can knock
out? Do minutes. Have minutes. Do an appointment to the ZBA? Yeah, we can do minutes. Do anybody have any changes for the minutes? No, I did not. Corrections. I didn't see anything.
Good. I move that the select board vote to approve the meeting minutes from the select board meeting on April 22nd, 2025. Second move by Gary, seconded by Matthew. All those in favor? I. We now have two minutes. Do you want to do appointments? Well, we can do move to
adjourn first. Move that up. Take that out of order. Yeah, we can do appointments. Yeah. Okay. See, is David Outman the first one? Yes. All right.
So, we're uh appointing David Outman to the zoning board of appeals. He's got his application form in here outside the resume. Does anybody know him? No. Said he was on the NGO work group. Was that when you guys were on or
was that the one before? That was I think that was um th those are the two groups that he was a he was asking about. I see. I don't he was not on the he was he wasn't on them. Okay. I don't think he ever was. Okay. And this is a full a full member, not an alternate.
Correct. Yes, that is correct. Oh, he's been on Cooper Farm Preservation Committee and Open Space and Wreck. Okay. Okay, great. Well, thank you, Mr. Outman. Move that the select board vote to appoint David Outman as a member of the zoning board of appeals for a term
expiring June 30th, 2027. Second. Moved by Gary, seconded by Matthew. All those in favor? I unanimous. And then we've got uh Judy Laro to the cultural council. All right. Second. Move that the select board vote
to appoint Judy Lar Roach as a member of the cultural council for a term expiring June 30th, 2027. Second. Moved by Gary, seconded by Matthew. All those in favor? I. Good stuff. Thank you guys. Get sworn in. There we go. Get sworn in. And thank
you. Next, we've got the transfer station fees hearing. Can I just interrupt one second? Of course. Um, Mr. I don't know if he's here for we already did public take action. I'll get public input. All right. Thank you.
We took action on the on the um Wickham Field stuff. So, thank you for your bit. Thanks. Happy to do it. Oh, okay. Hearing up. You got to read the hearing. You have to read the clerk. behind it. Oh god.
[Music] Yeah, I'll read the auto. Right. Read the whole hearing. Correct. The select board will hold a public hearing on Monday, May 12th at 7 p.m. at the Littleton Town Offices, room 10337 Shadow Street, Littleton Mass on the
proposed amendments, regulations, and fees for the town transfer station effective July 1st, 2025, as shown below. Comments thereon may be submitted in writing to select board at littletonmass.org org or to the select board town administrator's office 37
Chatt Street room 306 Littleton mass 01460 by noon on Wednesday May 7th 2025 or in person at the hearing Littleton select board at that time Mark Granbacher chair um I don't think you have to read the I don't need to read the fees we have to
that's what we're going to Yep. So the rest of it is the fees as published for the 2025. Okay. Okay. Yeah, let's hear it. Y thank you again. Uh Stephen Ali, public works director. Um so the first slide is just
kind of a a look back over the last four years um at the sticker fees. Uh back in FY22, the annuals were 140 up to the um current fee of 155. Second stickers have remained the
same at 70. Senior stickers back in FY22 was $70, dropped to 50 and then have been at 60 for the last two years. And then the second senior and then the replacement stickers have been the same for the last four years at 35 and 15
each. Uh the bag fees um sort of similar, you know, incremental increases stayed the same uh for a couple of years. Like the the large bags are the that are the most popular ones. FY22 was 325 a bag.
Currently, they sit at 375 a bag as we went up last year, but they had remained the same at 350 for uh two years in between. Next slide is just kind of a look at the annual sticker sales. um pretty level. Uh this year we had a
little bit of a dip in the regular stickers for whatever reason. If you if you consider going from 736 to 706, a little bit of a dip. Senior stickers exactly the same. Uh second stickers both regular and senior more or less the
same. And the replacement ones for people that lost them, got a new car, whatever it is. Uh just marginal. Looking at the tonnage, um we've had some pretty good increases since FY22 where we were at 625 for
solid waste tonnage. Last year final number was 767. So pretty good increase. This year it looks like we're going to be somewhere around that same 750 760 number. Uh just kind of projecting out over the last couple of months. I didn't quite have April's numbers in yet, so I
kind of had to uh estimate for the last three months. Same thing with the recycling tonnage. We saw a little bit of a jump over the last three years. Again, projecting out, it looks like we're tracking pretty much the same as we were a couple of years
ago with a high point last year at 391 tons. Uh I included this slide. I don't know if it ever been included before. Um but kind of the revenues, what the monies were bringing in for bags and the sticker sales. I mean, obviously you can do your own math, but on the stickers
anyway, the bags, it's it's tough to track because we don't know what the retailers sell. We only know what the supplier sells to the retailer. So, Aishon Hardware could have a, you know, back room full of purple bags for all we know, but they paid for them. So, uh,
that's the reports we get monthly from way zero, which is the bag manufacturer. But, see, you know, the it gives a general idea. um last year FY24 sticker sales
$172,837 and we brought in uh $224,200 bag revenue. So coming into FY26, uh looking to do a increase on the sticker fees, bag prices to remain the
same because we went up last year. uh and just some some small increases in uh three or four of the miscellaneous items just due to the costs of what we're paying to dispose of the of the items. Uh with that uh the annual
sticker I'm proposing to go from 155 to 165. uh the second sticker on the the regular priced to go from 70 to 80, senior citizen sticker to go from 60 to 70, and then the second senior
sticker to go from 35 to 40. Uh again, the bags are the same. And the other increase is just a, you know, a dollar on disposal of a TV, computer, monitor, that type of thing from 24 to 25. the bulk furniture, which
is, you know, your sofas, that type of thing that go in the separate container, go from 30 to 35. And then mattresses, uh, which is the big item. The costs are increasing because you have to go to a separate facility. They have to be recycled, mandated by the state. Ours we take
them, we're in contract with UTK and Lawrence. So when the when the container is full, holds about 38 to 40, we got to hook them up to Lawrence. uh and that fee to go from 40 to 50. Okay. Anybody have any comments,
questions? Um not specific to perhaps the pricing, but I know the single source uh is switching over. I know our recycling system in itself this year, correct? Coming forward. Yep. Um, does
that affect stabilization of prices? Do you have any idea how that's going to affect the way? So really what that will end up saving when we consolidate cuz now we just obviously got approved for another compact town meeting once I get that installed and I can consolidate a
little bit more. What that'll do is honestly save us trips. Okay. where I'm hauling a container full of aluminum cans that weighs 7 lb. You know, I can couple that with plastics and other items to bring to
Bara. That's where the recycling facility is. So, I might cut my trips from, you know, 2:1, 3:2, 3:1. Okay. So, we'll see a savings that way. Okay. Uh the contract for solid waste and
recycling services is up the end of September. You remember back the stickers used to be end of September for some reason. Um my hope is with the next contract that'll line it up at the end of the fiscal year. Uh so I can have a better idea of what pricing will be. The
last few years we've seen increases 5% solid waste each year and then the recycling fluctuates. That could bring in bills from two different days and be two different numbers. So it that market's all over the place. It's not it's commodity. You know, we're not making money like only on scrap
metal and even that's not great. Yeah. Any question? Yeah. I'm just looking at I'm just doing, you know, quick quick math. The seniors are at 981. So with them going from 70 to 80 with a $10 increase which we got a lot of noise when they
went we went down for one year to 50 and then we went up and we heard a lot about why did you go up on the seniors? Mhm. People forgot about us going down seniors the year prior. But um I mean as an impact it's about it's almost 300
stickers more for seniors than there are for non- senior households. Um, so even if you were to absorb $5 of that increase into the non senior households, you're still not making up the the math's not going to work for you
necessarily. Um, so I was just trying to look at that and see if you know what impact we could potentially have to benefit the seniors because we're you we're always looking for ways to um limit limit their spending as much as possible. So um I haven't come up with a solution yet, but keep keep noodling.
[Music] Can you can you talk about can you um do you have numbers for what it costs to operate the transfer station? Can you break that out um in its own number? I'm just kind trying to figure out is this income from the stickers and the bags
neutral to as far as like what it costs to actually move the stuff out. Well, so the the intent of uh the sticker fees, the bag fees, and then the hard thing to calculate is all the miscellaneous sales because people do them online and through uni it comes up
as like miscellaneium item item miscellaneous item with the fee. So it's it's tough to track what exactly if it's a propane tank or a TV that Oh, I just mean the aggregate. Yeah. Um, so I of course I didn't bring any of
that information with me. Um, but obviously your known factors are salaries, you know, we have electric bill, we have maintenance that has to go on, uh, which is all broken down in my budget, but of course again didn't bring any of that with me. Uh, and then the
sticker and and bag and miscellaneous fees are going to help offset that, but then also should be cost neutral with disposal of everything. Right. Right. So, as I'm selling bags, the pay as you throw bags are paying to dispose of the solid waste. Stickers are offsetting
some of the recycling, um, salaries, that type of thing. And then the miscellaneous items basically pay for themselves. You know, a load of wood, load of brush, refrigerator, furniture. you know, whatever. You know, that that all kind of just is net zero
for the town. But have you done that? Have you Is that the case? Like I know it's supposed to be that way, but does that actually work? It does work. Okay. Yeah. You're not you're not operating at at a loss. No, I'm not. You're not making money either, right? When you
look at at the budget, it's almost inflated a little, but we don't spend the budget. So, the revenues we're bringing in are covering the cost. Okay. Okay, that's what I Thank you. Any questions? So, just the just on the
sticker fees, you're basically you sold basically close to 1,700 stickers. So, you're going to generate another $17,000 in revenue basically. And that 17 is enough to cover your delta in costs is what we're saying. So, if that's
correct, then I'm okay with everything. Um I just wanted to note that the um I did a little bit of math on the first stickers. I didn't go through the second stickers, but you know if you look at the um
discount rate for seniors visa v the regular sticker. So, back in FY21, the SE senior sticker was $70. The regular sticker was $140. Um, which would be a 50% discount. Um, for the proposed FY26 numbers that
um that discount is up to about 58%. Um, so more of a discount than and also it's the same price it was four years ago, right? I guess like I understand the reluctance of people to increase that
number, but it's a cost of what you have to do to live. It's not necessarily proportionate to what we're Yeah. passing on to everybody else. It does feel like Yeah. So, I think rel you know, everything's relative. But I think once you once you put that it into that context, it makes sense. Um I did have a
question actually about single stream though, a little off topic. Um, will this affect um the organizations that sponsor recycling in the shed with the like soda cans and stuff? Nope. Folks will still be able to do that. Will be there. They can people can sign up to
run the weekend or run the days and take the cans for uh be at the Boy Scouts or soccer teams or the I think the Long Lake Neighborboard Association does it or used to do it. Uh that Yeah, that's still available. Great. Thank you.
Steve, are there any other I know that at one point in time we're looking at mattress as a as a potential uh revenue generator. Are there any any of those ideas that have kind of panned out? I know introducing um the rolloff truck to to to do the hauling and and an additional
compact. You're always looking at ways to try to make it more streamlined. Are there any other thoughts that you have? I know glass was something at one point in time you're talking about shredding or grinding and yeah the town had partnered with Groten some years ago and we were hauling the well at the time
they were hauling the glass to Grot and Groten was crushing it and then we were taking it was it was a process it sounded like uh really I'm just looking to try to consolidate the operation a little bit try to be get people in and out quicker you know uh by adding that
extra compact we have the space for it it's where the mattress compactor is Well, it's already uh utilities are kind of there. I just need the compactor and one more container and I'm I'm off and running. So, you'll be able to come in, have your solid waste and basically all
your recycling. We'll still have the cardboard dumpster cuz that's, you know, the most popular thing. Uh especially Christmas time, right? Amazon boxes. Um but then the other side we can have set up even though they're side by side by side can be set up kind of the same way.
And that that'll not only streamline people using it, but streamline like I was mentioning earlier our operation of less trips to Bara which I think everybody likes. I can say that as a
Chester who wants to go to the record picking away. Have there been any talks with styrofoam days? The problem with styrofoam and I talked to waste management their rep. Uh if we were going to do just have a styrofoam
dumpster, it they will only take it if it's clean. Pure. So if it's got tape, if it's got glue, if it's got tape residue, if it's got they they're just going to charge a solid waste price for the entire for the entire line. I think
yeah, it's got to be clean. I know like Westford does styrofoam days like once a quarter or something. I didn't know if we'd consider doing something like that or if there's any way to do that. We could do something like that. Absolutely. Um once I reconfigure and get rid of some of the
extra dumpsters we have, we've talked to um just I'll stray off topic. We've talked to the Black Earth folks uh with the food composting. You start to see the little cans at the end of the driveways around town. Uh potentially
partnering with them. uh we kind of had the first initial meeting and haven't really circled back, but that's there were 50 or 60 residents in town when we talked to them as as well as four businesses uh that are partnered with
them for food composting. So, that's something I don't know if I necessarily want to introduce uh food waste containers at the transfer station because that opens up other balls of wax uh you know rodents mainly.
Um but against all things to consider. Okay. Take comments from the public. Do we have to close and then get public comment or is public comment part of it? Public comment first. Okay. Anybody have anything to add? Public comment. I think
he's doing a good job and I can tell you that price for a mattress disposal. I take a mattress to uh Demon's Recycling. I think we get back charged $150. So that's that's what he's doing. Let him keep doing it cuz
that's seriously saving you some money which is great. All right. Doesn't mean you're going to get a raise any money. Every year he gets a raise. Every year close the public hearing first. Yep. Move to close the public hearing.
Second. Moved by Gary, seconded by Matthew. All those in favor? I. Okay. Okay. Do we have to do roll call? Typically public hearing. Yes. Chuck. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay.
Move that select board vote. Thank you. Thank you. No further session. Sorry, I jumped the gun. Good. Move that the select board vote pursuant to town code chapter 181 to establish the following fee structure for the use of the town of Littleton
transfer station effective July 1st, 2025. Stickers full price $165. Seniors $70. Second sticker $80. Senior second sticker, $40 per bag, 33
gallons, 30 $3.75. 15 gallons, $2.75. 8.5 gallons, $1.75. And miscellaneous item fees for CRTs, TVs, $25. Propane tanks $15. Bulky furniture $35. Large metal items $25. And
mattresses $50. Second. Moved by Gary, seconded by Matthew. Another roll call. or is this in I think you're okay. All those in favor I I Good night. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause]
[Music] Thanks, Steve. Thank you, Steve. All right, we did the appointments. No, public input is next. All right, let's hear it. Who's got some public input? Please state your name and address.
Sure. Before starting. Uh Brian Tarox, 16 Fletcher Lane. Uh I sent y'all a note along with the chief of police and uh the minister of the Unitarian Church about concerns about ICE. Um two nights ago, we got a not a message that ICE was
snatching people over in Irish Court in Actton and they asked for people to come and witness. We a bunch of us came and stood around at a distance not interfering with cameras. Um and the ICE vehicle had both uh a screen blocking
its license plate. Um and 100% tinted windows, both of which I don't think are legal in this state from what I've checked. Yeah, okay. Um, we've also seen um a number of cases reported of pe of
bad actors pretending to be um ICE people kidnapping women and assaulting them. And uh this we yesterday in Akran there was a rally attended by uh a number of people including state senator Eldridge and he confirmed that they had
seen that as well. And the question I pose back to um uh the police department is um if I see someone with an unmar unmarked vehicle, no badge, a mask, and no warrant. If I see one of you all
getting dragged into a truck, I'm going to try to intercede and stop them because I think you're being kidnapped. Because how can you tell a kidnapping from an ICE snatching these days? And so if it's happening in Actton, it's only a matter of time before it happens here. I've asked you
all to have some kind of town forum where we come up with a plan so we're not reacting because it will happen here. And someone drives an unmarked van into um some location in Littleton and starts starts dragging people into a van
with masked men. What are we supposed to do? And it's already happening in our next town over. It's going to happen here. I think it's incumbent upon us to get ahead of this. Thank you. Uh good evening board members. Joe
Cotalo, my daughter Laura Beckler. Uh just tried to get a little thank you going for our wonderful town employees. And I'm also here to talk about our favorite subject in town, crosswalks and
sidewalks and RRFBs. Is that the right terminology? Yep. So, uh, first of all, Mr. Cat, if you could stand at the mic. Thank you. LCTV will thank you. Sorry that these are the only
ones that I have. We just got those tonight. So, good evening board members. My name is Joe Catalo. I live at 41 Robinson Road. First of all, I want to thank all the first responders from both the police and fire
department who came to the rescue of my grandson when he was hit in the King Street Foster Street crosswalk on April 29th. Fortunately, he only had road rash, bumps and bruises, and no broken bones, and he's doing well. It certainly was a scare for all of
us. I've talked with town administrator James Dugen, Chief Matthew Pernard. I have not talked to Steel Mccur, Chief Steel Mccur, but I've also spoken to Jim Aiierro, our state rep, and my daughter and her husband have spoken with him as
well, and wanted to thank them for their efforts in doing what's been done so far in that intersection with the painting and the signage and so forth. And I understand talking further with James that Mr. Dugen that um there is a plan to install
the RFBs in three sidewalks in town, but I'm here tonight to ask you to consider pushing mass DOT for the crosswalks in the center in the common. Some of those pictures my wife
took this afternoon. My wife likes to walk downtown. a lot of the children from Robinson Road try to across in the common area to go to school and uh obviously with uh Northern Bank and
um projected 550 King Street there's a lot going to be a lot more foot traffic. So, some of the problems are there is some signage on those in those pictures that you'll see. For instance, picture number one at Great Road and Adam Street heading west on
Great Road. There's there's uh one sign um and it's not it's not clearly marked. Um and and the this there there's another picture that shows a sign for
the crosswalk ahead. And in fact, there's no demarcation in that crosswalk. Crosswalk at Meeting House Road in Great Road has a problem because if somebody steps onto the street at Great
Road from Meeting House and people don't see that person in the crosswalk, cars try to go around to the right or to the left, creating a real hazard right there. And I think if
there's a and maybe what and I'm not a crosswork expert by any stretch of the imagination. I I'm I'm wondering if maybe the board and Mr. Dugen can push
Mass DO to take this engineer one step further into the common and look at that. Maybe there's too many crosswalks too close together. I I don't know. I know there's one proposed at Northern Bank in front of
Northern Bank. So that means there's going to be potentially four or five or maybe even six crosswalks in a very small area. I think the concern is much like what happened um at Foster and well it's Rogers and
and Great King Street where Jack was hit. Um there needs to be some type of flashing beacon, better demarcation, so forth. Really here to say thank you. We have great first responders in this
community. Glad to see everybody's working hard to take this to the next level, but um just wanted to give it some consideration if you could. Thank you. Thank you, Joe. Rob Brown's 25 Juniper Road. So, I'll jump on the the crosswalk. Um I forget
whether I said it or not, but along again I appreciate everything done with the safety zone, but a couple things about the safety zone. Uh the feedback that I got from two people on Goldsmith, particularly with with Crosswalks, was two individuals directly stating that
within the week before I had approached them that they were nearly hit. uh going into the crosswalk crossing from the non-L long lakes side of Goldsmith to the Long Lake side. And so there continues to be uh a real concern.
Goldsmith just you the speeds are just in excess uh significantly in excess of what would be expected. And so it's a real safety thing. I've heard from two people privately. The other part um along with the aspect of the safety zone
because of 550 King and some of the statements I just heard, I wanted you to consider there is the capability the the the same legislation that gave you the safety zone and the same approval that was done by the town vote in 2017. You
have the ability, should you care to use it, to put in a 20 m per hour safety zone along your Littleton along your town comment, I think is a state road. We can't do anything on it. And state road excl.
All right. We also don't I apologize. We own an ice cream shop. My intent, but you're correct. I I think we can we also can't change the speed limit there. So that's where I'll that's where I'll go back to do a deeper dive, but I think you're correct. I I'm sure you're
correct. Apologies. We can we can advocate, but it did. Yeah. Dealing with the state by all means. So, um, moving on. Um, the town meeting, I look forward to your agenda item tonight with your review of the most recent town meeting.
I also just want to say that um I'm concerned with regard to several of the comments that were made in response to article 12. I I thought it was problematic and just want to put to you or Tim Goddard or somebody. I I found it
challenging with regard to hearing the sentiments. I recognize everybody's got free speech and right to say things, but when somebody yelled for point of order where I felt some view or some town officials were trying to in effect
correct misstatements that were stated by the public. I think that's necessary and so somehow to bolster and not have a contentious some procedure seems to me to be appropriate because I know I was
um alarmed by a couple of people that commented about the upcoming Shaker Lane building I think the DPW facility and as people are kind of trashing upcoming items I almost wanted to be like well wait a minute where's where's the
opportunity to rebut what's being said and I don't necessarily think that's the way to go but I just want to say that aspect of the town meeting concerned me. A second aspect that concerned me was the resounding defeat of article 12. And so
with that I encouraged a public hearing because I think there's a lot to be said out there. I think it was almost deafening how there was clapping after certain comments that were directed recommending that article 12 be voted down and it got voted down
overwhelmingly concerns me because we have big items coming up and big items that um if the town um doesn't go forward with them then Shaker Lane rebuilds 7 to 10 years as part of the information delivered during the school
and the Shaker Lane at 6:00. So, I'm very much concerned about those things and I think there are potential ways out. Um, but they also have aspects that need to be vetted and
debated. Um, but one aspect I've already been with the assessor uh asking questions is the deferral available to seniors over 65 years old. Um, there's a program that allows it. It looks to me like it's capped at with an income of 55
grand. And yet what I've done so far this week is determine that the legislature actually allows you to change it from that 55 cap to be uh equal to the amount of the circuit breaker in the state um income tax which
is more like 72k for a single and almost 110k for a couple. Those would be sign my opinion. Everybody can vote it, you know, against it and say the property taxes are too high. I get that. That's a personal decision. But having a deferral
program to offer up as potentially a um you could have a single at 72K and couple at almost 110K and still be able to be eligible to defer any amount of your property taxes year after year after year and connect it to your house.
It's it's a worthwhile program. It would require changes beforehand, but I'm trying to come up and I'm going to start to work on consideration of solutions with regard to how we can offset some of the concerns that were voiced at that meeting and the April meeting with
regard to Shaker Lane, uh, excuse me, the April meeting pertaining to 37 Shadic Street. I think those are things out there and I'd love to hear more of the discussion and not just the three minute time focus of I'm voting against this etc and some of the rhetoric that
we got. But I'd love to have a legitimate public hearing to hear what people are so we can be better prepared for what I think are be very challenging uh requests of the public to vote override something like that in future. So thanks for your time. Thank you.
Thanks Jim. On the subject of crosswalks in the common, is that part of what the grant Marin's going for? We'll cover. We can get that. I know Northern Bank had crosswalks in there um in their plan. I
don't know how we go about when Northern Bank is developed to actually Well, Northern Bank's going to have a sidewalk on their side. I don't know what their plan is. when the sidewalk goes on the other side until that other side of the road's developed. I assume the crosswalk of meeting house will actually end up
going away because it's probably a dangerous crosswalk is what the state will say. But I don't know what the how we're going approaching these. And I don't know if like we're looking for the crosswalks where we could control like on Goldsmith about putting in these uh
RRFBs where we could uh to to to answer your question um yes I mean we had a meeting uh today as a matter of fact with uh uh uh Leolei companies um the uh the town and uh
LWD for the next grant uh the one-stop application and because we are an MB BTA community which makes us eligible for uh another funding round other funding uh for for grant availability. And one of the things that we want to do is is
really look at um highlighting the common and making it more user friendly and how we can do that because as as you as you connect the 550 with with the common uh you know because you're also going to have 410
great road. So there's going to be a tremendous amount of enticement for foot traffic uh for people to be around there to shop the local shops to go to 550 also. So uh that will um identifying the
the safety areas such as the RRFBs, sidewalks, uh proper uh handicap accessibility on and off uh things of that nature that will be addressed. Absolutely. And and we probably I think Mr. Galdo's idea of getting the engineer in earlier
on what whatever we can do by Northern Bank is a good one. One question I have and maybe you don't know the answer to this. So when the boy was struck two years ago on route 2A in Actton Actton was able to drop the speed limit from 45
to 40 and they policed that to this day. Grten Center I believe and I could be wrong I think that might be 25 miles an hour. Now those are both state roads. So I don't think Rotten Center is I think Rotten it's not a state road and we have
petitioned so I will we have petitioned the state to lower the speed limit. They have agreed to lower the speed limit on 19 on through um from Middle Sex to past Actton Toyota. I believe it's supposed to go down to 30 in that entire stretch.
Um they are still looking at uh the transition areas beyond that. Um, so there is something in the works there. It's just not finalized. Um, through the chair just, you know, I
this is um the fact that we don't have every single crosswalk with flashing lights doesn't make any sense to me at this point in time in that area. I mean, and we're not talking about a side road way down the middle of nowhere. Yeah. You know, there's a lot of sidewalks in
town, but so what? Every one of them should have the flashing lights like Kimbles has to me. Push a button. It's not active all the time. When someone's in the crosswalk, they push the button and the lights come on. Everyone sees it. It blows my mind that this has to go through what we have to go through. So I
I mean I would propose that we we do control a lot of the sidewalks down there. The end of Goldmith, the you know, we can start taking care of all of what we can control and immediately push this forward because the state has 50 ft. Do they? Yeah. Then
I just it's going to take a lot more force from us. This is a lot more noise from us. And if we have to use 550 King as like you just mentioned that we're about to have a population room of walkers, not just that live there, but we're enticing people to come to Littleton to walk around to commercial
businesses. What are we doing? And it it's just frustrating. I'm having a hard time understanding the state's interest in signage or changes that don't impact traffic flow. So, you know, what they're proposing putting in right now
has no impact on traffic flow whatsoever. It's a it's an awareness signal. And the fact that we have to go through the state and beg mother may I or you know, mother will you is when one of our citizens is in a crosswalk just doesn't it doesn't make sense to me. I
would love to understand why, you know, or whether there's any interest at the state level about increasing some sort of autonomy for localities and on state roads to make changes that have no impact on traffic flow. I understand, you know, that they don't want us putting in stop signs and and red
lights, but a walker on the road advis or advisory signage even if you know we could put our own pedestrian ahead. Even that doesn't that doesn't do it. the the lights, the flashing lights get you at Kimbles, you know, and I've been going on a Kimbles at an hour 45. That's the
stretch of road you're in. Yeah. Boy, you see those lights and you slam those brakes on as soon as you see them. So, um and and people get are more distracted than ever now. Yeah. And it's just and we've got Yes. The common house has the sun setting, the sun, right? That's enough of a problem. But just in
general, there's so much going on and there's only going to be more. I just I think we really I I'm not I don't want to say we can we just kind of push it forward and we we say this is really an issue, but maybe we do something where we all sign
it and this is almost like an emergency situation that we're talking about. I I think Jim made a good point though. I think that 550 and Great Road and then Northern Bank and 410 is a golden opportunity for us to like push through some significant changes in safety. I
think that, you know, there's a lot of money involved. Clearly, there's grants that we're going to get and people doing a ton of development and bringing pedestrians in. We should like absolutely take advantage of that to like push an an agenda for for making it
safe for bikers and pedestrians downtown. And we're also um uh we should have uh middle to the end the end of the summer, we will have the the the uh the traffic the traffic study for the for the
development of 550 and the and so they're as they progress in their infrastructure improvements and the infrastructure improvements that's taken in consideration for for proper lighting, signage, sidewalks, accessibility, things of that nature. and we're just trying to partner with
them in the common area um and identify those areas because we know it's going to be as we we just discussed it's going to be a uh you know a uh a tremendous opportunity you know for for example yesterday if if 550 was built out we had
the town common open gorgeous day you know mother's day and it would have been yeah the plant sale and everything absolutely I mean it would have been it would have been amazing so and that uh that is that is absolutely the goal of what we have internally as we plan to uh
make common the improvements to the common. So when we're talking improvements to the common are we also talking what to do with Steven Street and Meeting House Road because those just become almost dangerous again too, right? Yeah. Yes. site that has got to that's that that's that's that that's
got to be the whole thing has to be I mean if you look at the over the picture that we just saw the overview of the the whole common and you can see the I don't know let's say 10 crosswalks in in the common district I just don't understand this we're not talking about every one of them needs to have a flashing light but let's let's
not forget that so when it is this is probably going to be the first hard impact it's going to have in terms of an evaluation of of road improvements in that area that's been in a long time. So they'll they'll identify and they'll examine all the different what is
currently standing, what the reconfigure is going to what the reconfiguration is going to be, what the traffic count going to be, number of different factors, data points that are put in place. Then they're going to propose and say, "Okay, we're going to do a flashing one here. We're going to do one here. We're going to do one here. We're going
to do one here." So that is still information that will that will be presented to to the select board and as part of that um that development process and the planning process. So 100% there will be a a public hearing for people to for their
input. I mean we this to me is a public hearing, you know, an action that makes a public hearing to me. But just having some things you just don't need a public hearing for. This is this is so common sense to me. It it drives me crazy. Exactly. And I'm not and I'm not and I'm
not kicking the can down the road, but also if I I quite honestly I really think and not to be I'm not trying to be Debbie Downer here, but if but I think if we are looking at major improvements that that are in the in the in the in
the near future, I don't believe that the state at this point is going to invest that type of money into the RFBs. I could be wrong, but I think if they do the first I think if they do a first stage and they and they'll at least do what they've done just recently in those
three intersections. The engineers went out, they made sure that they cut back anything, they put the new signage, they painted the crosswalks and and try and bring attention to that area and not have it just blend in as much. Um, I could be wrong, Jim. It works a little
bit, but I'm telling you that same exact intersection as someone that's, you know, drives it every day like most of us, it doesn't really look any difference. I notice a little bit more paint on the road, but when you're coming east, you don't see that paint till it's too late. Y So, I
don't know. It just doesn't that just doesn't do it for me. So, and Northern Bank's well underway, and their plans have for crosswalks, but I don't know the state has plans to put the beacons out there. I guess it's I think if we don't I I would like to to have a letter
from us, you know, a sense of a more sense of urgency to that area because this is not going to end well. This isn't going to get better. We're going to be waiting on grants and the Leapolei property to build out and get the infrastructure bills and draw more attention to that. Meanwhile, the the
issues are still there. The state is already they're getting back to us in the next week or so about those threeations, right? Correct. And then I guess when we when we talk about you know the state and the grants are we do we think that they would be waiting
until after this construction is over because the construction itself is is a huge hazard. Right. Okay. the development the development. when we're talking about the traffic study and we're talking about, you know, the state will go and re-evaluate the whole,
you know, the um common and the curdage, you know, are they going to are they going to come back and say, "Okay, well, once S's done, no, then we'll start, you know, then we'll do this." It's kind of like on parallel tracks. Okay. Similar to the point when when Sand Park was
building out the point. Yeah. But but the the plan was in place although the construction was going on and you're right it was it was on parallel tracks so that there were turn lanes and traffic signals that never were there before that that were planned. Okay. Good. And you had something to say.
Yeah. Hi 33 Robinson Road. Um I just you're we're talking a lot about 550 now and a development that is to come, right? And I don't want to forget our youngest citizens in this town. Right. I mean, the crosswalk that was um where the accident was, it it it joins our two
parks in town. Yep. Right. So, we're talking about the common, we're talking about businesses, and I appreciate that. I live on the common. Excuse my emotion. Um but our students, our children should be able to have a safe space to go from playground to park, to walk to school,
to meet a friend, to ride a bike. And it concerns me that we're now talking about a development that's coming down the road and focusing on the common when I I believe that our common should extend to
our our playgrounds and our parks. Um one of the firefighters who helped my son in that day said to me, "Our playground is in the worst possible place. We are a cross through right 495 to 495. We have so much traffic that comes through our
town. I've lived nearly my entire life in this town. I just realized after my son had the accident that it's 35 miles per hour through that crosswalk. A crosswalk that is easily hidden by many of, you know, from many citizens in this town. Um, so it just concerns me. I just
want to make sure we're not overlooking that crucial area and forgetting about our youngest citizens while we're talking about the business and and what's to come. So I think if I may I think we're talking the you hear skipping over because we've seen the the
um the communication from the state that they're already on. The one you're talking about we're working that one that's in process and we're going to be hearing in in the next week or two about what their timeline is and it should be much sooner than all the other things we're talking so beacon at that location. I think
everybody realizes it's there's kids that's chalk full of kids every day and they're trying to get to school. Why didn't we do it sooner? Thank you. And yeah, I would just encourage also I think you said we can ask about the speed limit. Great that it's happening on 119, but I think that area as well. I
mean for anyone that saw the skid marks there like 35 mph is is really fast through there especially with a full full truck. Yep. Yeah. So, um I just I just wanted to make sure that we were remembering that piece,
too. Thank you. Kids are definitely important, but there was a fatality there about 15 years ago at that crosswalk. No, it wasn't. No, it was at the it was at the end of Robinson. We removed that crosswalk. The crosswalk was there was when I was a child, there was a a woman, a mother in town, who was
hit at the crosswalk, what is now the Littleton Historical Society at the other end. moved about I don't know 30 ft right and the reason the person that hit her never saw her she was heading westbound the sun was in her eyes never saw Marielen crossing the street never hit her brakes
it was at the end of Foster across to correct near the compound it moved you're right it moved down towards 300 King Street so and I mean certainly the kids are a huge priority but there has been a fatality at essentially that same location and Gary made the point about
you can't always see them and Part of it is because of topography, but part of it is because we have east west facing roads that the sun blinds you. I know you don't want to spend the evening debating sidewalks, but one thing you might push the state to do is I believe
it was approximately 40 years ago that the whole center was redesigned and that was to eliminate Steven Street as two-way and now it's one way. But now given the influx of everything that's going on in the center, I think you need
to ask the state, look at, you need to look at us as one big picture here with everything that's happening as one piece. I know you said Jim, they're going to run parallel, but I feel like the study's going to be they're going to put their arms around everything because
it's time again. You know, it's 40 years. So, if we do include 410 Great Road, Joe, to that point, um 410 Great Road, Lei also owns that house. I think it's 410 King Street, maybe the yellow
house that next to the Shell Station. And that potentially will be the access if that property is developed into housing or whatever it happens to be. My guess is that that would be access to King Street for that property, 410 Great Road, instead of coming down Great Road and banging a left into that. And if
it's if it's helpful, it has to be a broader reach, right? It's help if it's helpful for your board to get community support with a petition or something like that. I know a young lady that's got a lot of energy that'll get behind that. So, we can certainly get kicking
around. So, but thank you all tonight. Thank you. Thank you. I'd be curious to see what Steve thinks, Jim, about um different colors on our crosswalks that we do have control over like on
Goldsmith. You see it in other towns where the crosswalks instead of just pavement and white, they're blue and red or really multicolor to catch people's eye or reflex reflectives on it. Million different things. And they went to blue and white stone. It was the the
town the town clerk from Stonem was Mary Ellen's brother. Yes. That's why they did it. That's right. Had a good memory. John Henry. Yes, he does. So on that point, uh, my granddaughter played in Westford recently in the pro lacrosse game. the
optical illusion of their painting. I don't think it was blue and white, but but they were wider crosswalks. And we were stunned. My wife and I both said, "I thought that was going to have a a speed bump." I thought it was, but it
didn't. But it made us think we were going to hit a speed bump. There were multiple utilizations of pretty dramatic painting that really gave even as we're going over it and our mind knows we're not going over speed bump. It made us
pause as if and cars will stop for when they think they're about to lose control and go over speed bump until you realize it. But Chris Stoddard, our previous Steve Yonley, um he he practiced that a little bit at behind the DBW yard at the
gas pumps. He practiced the shading and how to how to create those faux speed bumps crosswalks. Westford has it very local. You want to take a take a drive by. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Lara. Thank you, Mr. Cal.
Jack's doing okay. Thank you. Okay. All right. Good conversation. [Music] You want to start Gary? Yeah, sure. Um, thank you once again everybody for attending town meeting. Um, it's always uh great a great form of
government. We get to we you know you know to Rob's point a little bit. You um it is a time for people to to speak. um as town officials, we kind of have to we we we take it and but I think you know you bring up some good points um
about um maybe comments that are not directly uh relative to the subject of warrant that's being discussed. I I and I you do see it gets people go so far off track because they're so passionate and I understand that but I I really think um we can do a better job of
reeling people back into the Tim catches it a lot but it's sometimes it's just so much. Yeah. Um so more discussion I know there's going to be a a afteraction review I think murder. Yeah. Yes. Yeah.
Um, thank the Touch of Truck people, the plant sale people, the election. Um, thank you Littleton for putting your trust in myself again for another 3 years. Um, but there was a lot going on and uh on Saturday and not the best
weather, but we made it through. Um, yeah, that's that's all I have. Look forward to another three years. Yeah, I'll jump on the back of Gary. The we wouldn't be able to have the polls, the elections without all the people that volunteer and all the people that
work the polls. So, yeah, hats off to them. Unfortunately, they weren't that busy. Um, we had about 1,200 peopleish show up, which is about 15% of our um registered voters, which you know, we we hear a lot we get a lot of um grief, but we have a lot of
apathy. So, and we're working towards communication and trying to find ways to reach people and um Well, now that you can mail in, I mean, you think everybody would vote, right? Yeah. Well, um yeah, but did want to say thank you to all those that do um show up first of all
and all those folks that do help us pull it off and to Diane and her team. Um, couple things that it's really not a u an update and obviously touch truck and and um the different things that happened and all the all the department heads that did show up at Touch a Truck to make it a great event. From what I
understand, it was very well attended regardless of the weather. I mean that it was really well attended. Um talked to some folks that did work it. Um but a couple things I just want to kind of keep on our radar is um for the future agenda item. Madam
Chair and Mr. D. Um 31 Shadic Street status, you know, what's kind of what the plan again? You go to the polls and people come up to you and you have a laundry list. Um pave Russell Street. Um 37 Shadic Street, I think Rob brought up, you know, now what? Let's let's
let's uh do some outreach and and get some input. Um the cannabis license that's out there. I know that there are people that are interested in giving us letters of interest. I think we should address that because there's some money on the table there that we should we should be jumping on. I think we should get a town seal on our podium right there. That just stared at me while I
was writing my notes down. And um also an update on the whole Grommit situation. I've heard from people that um grommet's been up at Whitesill Woods and um I think we put down the edict that grommet was not allowed on town property. So I I think that that needs
to be reviewed and revisited. That wasn't part of the decision. Are you certain? Yes. It was he off off of off of the the owner's property. Had to be muzzled and on leash. I thought we said not on town
property. No, we we said that he could only be loose on his owner's property, right? But other than that, he had to have a muzzle on, right? And on a leash. It's I I circled the decision to the select board uh when uh a neighbor or
someone had expressed concern that Can you Can you send that back to me again? Sure. Just so I can I can address it with the folks that have addressed it with me. Yes, sir. Um but I do think, you know, the cannabis license is something we should be looking at sooner than later. And um we've had letters of interest then we should start having
those people come in and if we can get another active license, not that it's you know it's kind of plateaued a little bit maybe or um but if someone's willing to open a shop and we can get 3% of whatever the revenue is and they're expecting to get a few million dollars in revenue, let's take 3% of that.
So again, [Music] uh, so I wanted to thank everyone that showed up to town meeting in the election. As well as, uh, Chuck said, we didn't get a great turnout, and I think this was the first time we actually had more mail-ins than people show up. So
that just could have been that they didn't want to say hi to Gary and myself. But um I also on a different note I attended the meeting with Clean Lakes and DCR a few weeks ago uh where they were talking about a potential plan going forward. There was a lot of
discussion about dredging versus eco-h harvesting versus herbicide. So that's all I have. There was really no conclusions other than dredging is hard. Okay. [Music] Um, I was going to just mention the how
pleased I was at the fast response to the crosswalk and and impressed. It has not been my experience that the state moves quickly, that mass dot moves quickly on anything. So, the fact that literally the next day in the morning, I walked out and that had been restriped. I was like, "Wow, they really did that."
So, that was that was great. And I I want to kudos to Jim and Matt Bernard and Steve Leaf and anyone else who was involved in in routing them. Um Jim and Jamie. Yeah. Yeah. Um also, um just on the orchard front, um the water has been
turned on to the barn and the pump for the well was supposed to be installed today, but there was too much water. Ironically, too much water in the well um because of all the rain we've had. So, they're rescheduling for Tuesday, next Tuesday. That's all I got.
Okay. Um just like everyone else, thanks to everyone who voted. Uh thanks to everyone who attended town meeting. Uh thanks to Diane and Andrew and LCTV um for the um coverage of the town meeting and um also to the poll volunteers for election
day. Um I wanted to I guess congratulate Gary and Mark on their reelection. Both of us. Both of you. Yeah. Yeah. Um and then I wanted to congratulate Kristen Mcmanis. Um, she was featured on WGBH
for teacher appreciation week. Um, and I don't know how many people saw it, but her name, her picture was huge and right there on the side of the building downtown. Um, and it was just great to see a great teacher um, from the high school um, getting the recognition that
she deserves. So, thank you. Um, and then I also uh we received a letter from the Clean Lakes Committee. I wanted to uh let everyone here know that uh Clean Lakes Committee sent a letter um thanking Jim um and us and um Mark, you
for um your help in um supporting Clean Lakes this year and particularly in helping to get um a funding source put together. And that's all I've got. Jim,
um really just um aside from the the meeting that we had today regarding uh 550 King Street and the common uh we uh I am going to start uh I'm going to take uh Ryan Scott with the Shaker Lane School and that meeting the
next meeting is on Wednesday. Thank you very much Chairwoman Morrison for the for the reminder today. Uh and uh we have the ribbon cutting obviously on Friday the 16th uh for the center on Shadic and uh there was a an extension
of time I just signed today for King Street renovation project that uh um so we'll people will be uh the departments will be moving in there in June. So fantastic. So yeah looking looking forward to a lot of good stuff. Just out of curiosity I think I mentioned this to
Is there going to be a plaque through Madam Chair? Is that is there a plaque going in that building in 36 King or over center in Chadic? Yeah, 36K. I know there's a plaque over there. Is it go is there one going in a chat to identifying it as a municipal property? That's all I
mean I I don't know. I will I will confirm that. 36 King. Yeah. What's the identification of the building being a municipal own? That's all. Yeah. I will uh town hall annex. I will let you know and um and share it with the entire select
board. Thank you. [Music] That's all we've got for updates. Yes, I think the next thing on the agenda is we're already done it. Talk
discussing town meeting. Post town meeting. Oh, I'm sorry. That's right. And it touched on it. I think I I'll I'll kick it off. I think it's no m uh no secret that I was disappointed with how 12 went. Um of
course you've got to respect what everyone's opinion. Um you know, respect the vote. Um I think it was an opportunity missed. I think when you've got an opportunity to run some information to ground, when you've got an opportunity
to come back with more information versus less information and make decisions that are more informed versus less informed, um I think that's the way to go. So, I'm sorry to see that didn't go uh the way that we wanted it to. Um
but um otherwise, I thought it was a pretty smooth meeting. Um to to that end though, it it gave us a lot of information. I mean, it gave us a lot to talk about and think about and and to, you know, to deliberate about
and get more information out there and and try to gather more information and better inform people, you know, so that there's not that apathy or that that um I don't want to call it ignorance, but you if people aren't as informed as we'd like them to be, then that's incumbent upon us to try to get them to that
point. Yep. Yep. Absolutely. I I would say from from that um you know sort of like we did after the orchard no vote we acted. I think we this is a a point of action for us where we really
um need to show what move forward with showing you know kind of some of the things we mentioned before what what it's going to cost to renovate potentially knock down build here you know for future need future purposing things like that. Um, even the layout,
um, I don't know what the layout currently is. As soon as everyone's in that building and everyone's in that building on the other side of town, I haven't what's the plan where where are people vacating to? Where is it? Where are people moving? You know, I'd just like to see kind of what the I know you probably
have some idea, but where we we haven't discussed it as a board of where people are going or what people are and and office space. And to add on to that, you know, are we mothballing sections, floors, sections of the building? And what do we expect that I to do for the
building? Are we can and what does mothballing mean? Can we turn off utilities? Yeah. This is our control, right? This building. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we So definitely with that I'm just saying be more active with that because of that vote, understanding the vote and moving forward with things we probably would have moved forward with anyway
regardless of the vote. But Exactly. Even if the vote was was was was positive, we were still going to be here for another four or five years anyways. So, we would still have to take appropriate steps to as uh um Mr. Rambacher said that uh we can uh you
know, our goal is to mothball the two ends and and and keep our operations uh within the middle as much as possible. There may be some spillover a little bit uh but that is what we want to uh we we want to do. Um and uh to your to your
point is uh in regards to action uh part of the one-stop application, we've got $250,000 we're going to include in that for uh design, feasibility, analysis, and study of 37 Shadic Street. So that data will we will we will uh taken the
appropriate steps to present data um and we'll have that information going forward uh moving forward through the one-stop program and application. Jim, who's here besides town hall? The preschool is the preschool here still
and the club. Uh and right and what and uh the offices down on the first floor will move up to the second floor and uh there's you know I understand there down the first floor of the same building but it's just there's better there's better synergy there's better communication
there's better uh uh flow they'll be on the second floor with uh with the with the with the finance team with the accountant uh I mean I'm sorry with the clerk things of that nature um but these are things we haven't even discussed I I didn't even know I you know the the prek
I didn't know I didn't know that was moving. I had no idea. Uh well I mean I they had no place to to move it over to over 36 King Street. So it's like okay then you could stay here but uh you know take take the space uh downstairs uh
which was fine. And I thought I said that in a date. So preschools moving down and the club are they staying where they are or are they moving as well? the the club the like teen after school program the the one that's on the that's second floor that that's on the third
floor or the third floor is it right third floor rear I think they're moving to 36 kids they're going to okay but so the only ones preschool okay right is it possible to have I don't know the the departments
that are going to be using this space and I know we've had some conversations during the budget process with Eric about moving, you know, um moving up to the second floor, right? And I think it would be good for all of us
to know what's happening. Okay. Yeah. Just because just mean even at a meeting or what have you. And it doesn't have to necessarily be in a in a email summary. It just uh I think it'd be good to be on TV and you know other folks will know too because if they have to come in for a permit one of the primary
reasons that we move the building department down to the first floors right off the driveway right off the parking lot right off the driveway not tracking mud and you know contractors coming in and out their own entrance and their own private entrance basically where they can't access the rest of the
building right four hours or after. Yeah. And and another thing to I mean u this Clyde said at the meeting like you know we should determine what the use of the multi-purpose room will be going forward. So yeah if we're going to put it in the rotation of rooms that can be
reserved and and I know there's still discussion of the parking up front with a slanted line you know as a study I will have uh two uh two a couple drawings of of different options for that because that's going to be done this summer. I saw that. Yeah. So, um,
that's going to be done in-house by DPW. That kind of got us sidetracked off a town meeting, I guess, but that's a big this was that was the big vote, right? Right. The rest of it kind of went um, you know, the cannabis vote um was a you always look at the no votes, you know, the the ones that get in that one um
wasn't our article, so that one that Tom voted. I haven't really heard much conversation from uh the planning board. I'm sure they'll discuss it. Um but what the future looks like for that. We must have done a great job with the budget cuz no one held any items.
Yeah. Oh, it was a great presentation. I think um Steve Fincom setting the standard for future meeting uh future town meetings um really helped. I think people that if town meetings the only they're not watching this and town meeting is the only snapshot they get
that's a good prequel to what they're voting on, you know. So I think that might have helped a lot. Yeah. Agreed. Um I think I wanted to to talk about article 12 but at a larger context of like what happened with the orchard and what happened with MBTA and it's you
know my frustration at um you know low information voters showing up on town meeting night and I I'm not disparaging that like I understand that people don't have time to look into the issues the way they do. I think that the problem is
we or volunteers spend hundreds or thousands of hours researching a topic and coming up with the best solution to have it sort of derailed at the last minute because of an emotional plea. And it is very frustrating and I I think
that we are doing all we can to expose information to people like we we can't literally I don't I don't know what else we could do in order to to give them what they want. But I wonder if um the charter committee will rep will will come up with a recommendation for
representative town meeting so that hopefully you have more informed people there. Um although it might be the same 200 people I don't know. Um, but I wonder if I just I keep thinking that there must be some way we can pre-answer
those questions or derail the sort of, you know, I the the biggest frustration was the lack the people claiming that we were l not transparent. Well, this like this doesn't help though. I will No. Well, so that was a very complicated article and and I think that there was
there was legitimate confusion about all the three motions and I think it was very hard to explain and and I understand that but I think the the tendency of people to complain that we are not honest and not transparent or corrupt. It boggles my mind. I mean I
don't I don't know how much more transparent we could be. Like none of those people who are accusing us of that have ever talked to me or any of us I bet to ask us any questions about any of these issues. And I'm pleading with the residents to just for freak's sake talk
to us. None of us has any secrets about any of this stuff. We'll talk your ear off about it. Um, and I wish there was some way that we could get that word out in advance of of town meeting so that the four people who sort of stand up and and constantly accuse us, you know,
could could at least get um, how I don't know. Uh to me the thing that concerns me the most, you know, people can say what they want to say, whatever, but there's a reason that there are
blank slots on our ballots. This is true. I I mean, and part of the reason is because the folks who do go to town meeting and even the folks who don't, I mean, we all know it. We say, "Oh, you know, what do you how do you spend your time?" Oh, I'm on the
slapboard. We all know that look. And I think I am a big believer in in being skeptical and asking questions. Um, but I also believe there is a direct
correlation between the amount of abuse that is, you know, thrown at people at volunteers. and the lack of volunteers. Yeah. And I just I I wish
that um folks would think twice about that and and for them to come back and say, you know, we don't trust you or I do trust you, but I didn't trust the people before you. Well, how do you you know, how are you ever going to get anybody you trust, right? If you're undermining the people that you're saying you do trust right now, it's it's
tricky. I I don't you know I don't want to make this a cathar you know some sort of uh catharsis or something but it's it's um it's we do have a crisis in terms of um volunteerism in this town and it's not going to get better as
people get busier and I think we really need to think about how we're going to tackle that. I mean this takes solace in the fact that there are people that put trust in us by voting for us to put us here. So yes, I you know that means something when I'm when I'm at town
meeting especially cuz that's the one where you get lamb based the most um unpopular articles. You know I think that's that's the time where you can really rely you I kind of you elected us to make decisions the body elected us to make decisions
the citizenry and um we make those tough decisions and there there's no possible way I would ever expect everybody to agree. It just cannot ever happen. So I I expected I you know initially I think I was shocked when I first started. You
were but I've grown you know to understand um that that's you can put as much information as you can out there. Um I but I I will say with article 12 I mean I I think I was sat in your office and I had a bad feeling about it from the get-go. I I
just I thought I felt the pulse of the people saying this was not going to pass and I so knowing that that's kind of why you heard me. I was skeptical of it the whole way where I didn't want I didn't think we should I thought it was premature to put it forward because I if
nothing else and you're always going to have those people that will complain no matter what we do and how much we show. You know, if we could have absolutely ahead of the game spent the next year showing what it costs, what it would cost to put a building here, what it would cost to tear it down, what it
would cost, what what it looks like to put it here, here's what it would cost, Littleton, and then how fast do we really need it? Do we need it? Some people just say, "Well, we've got a school. We've got that was brought up in DPW." Unfortunately, you know, we have a lot
of infrastructure things that we need to get done and the and the state's not exactly pouring money into us to help us with schools and things like that. Um I I think we we really have to work really hard to to
explain to people before it gets to town meeting. Um because this was a very difficult article that's if we look at the commonality of those articles that you know between the orchard orchard was just a very passionate article um but if I look at the MBTA one with this one um
they were complicated and this being complicated last second where people might have read this for the first time as they walked in that room I think was the kiss of death if it was ever going to pass anyway. I think that was the kiss of death. I think it was I mean I
don't think a I think even if it's even if you have a bad feeling if one thinks it's the right thing to do for the town one should still try to get it out there and give it a shot but two you know it was either going to be
rushed or it's going to be too late. That's fair. Yeah. you know, um it very rarely are we ever, you know, um congratulated on the fact that we had perfect timing. Yeah. Um and a pitch perfect um you know um
article, but it it was rushed, right? And I think but again, I think the question was is it going to be rushed or was it going to be too late? So, I I agree with you, Gary, that the green sheet wasn't ideal, but I think I mean Karen and I had a lot of discussions about getting to that green sheet
because we didn't feel comfortable what was what what was printed in the book and we tried to get to a point where we thought, you know, at least the board felt comfortable uh compared to what was in the book. I mean, the green sheet was a result of a
lot of hours. I can tell you that. I think that was s I think actually that was a great change. Like I that that swung me from being pretty ambivalent about it to like yeah let's do this. This is great. We can go forward and get information and not be committed to anything and we have the safety net of
town meeting has to vote on another article. I thought that was a really good compromise. So I think that was a a a huge success as far as like what we ended up with. It's just a shame have more runway. It was also unfortunate that it was so complicated and so many
moving parts. Yeah. Yeah. But we did. We went from three two. Well, I you know I I think that this this building, if I learned one thing, it people a lot more passionate about this building than we than we thought. There are there is a segment of population that, you know, likes driving through
some of the other communities and they see the brick buildings and they've got all these beautiful brick buildings that they've restored. So I and this is our only one. So, I think there's something to that uh to a lot of the voters and I at least people that spoke to me, but at
the end of the day, um we'll move we got to move forward with what what we're what we're left with. Yeah. And similar to the orchard, you know, folks are invested in the brick, you know, then we'll run it to ground. We'll find out how can we can we can we keep the brick?
Can we keep the shell? What would happen? Yeah. So, one of the problems with what you were suggesting, Gary, of going through and finding out how much it would cost to do X, Y, or Z is we really don't know if we're not if we're doing it by ourselves, right? We know how much it would cost to build a town
hall. We don't know necessarily know how much it would uh if we gave this building over how much it would that complicated things for sure. It complicates things and it um both in the process and in the cost, right? it could, you know, be s significantly
cheaper for us. Great example is 36 King Street. I mean, the the difference between what we thought it was going to cost to renovate and what came in was large. And that and as a result of that, we said, "Next time we got to go back with a bid in hand, and this was an attempt for us to go back to town meeting with a bid in hand. We did
exactly what we said we were going to do." Oh, well, that's a great point. I mean, it's, you know, we are I think we're being effective and making choices and following through, but um don't get don't get hung up on your losses.
No, I I'm fine. I mean, I you know, I I said to Jim afterwards, don't come up. I said afterwards like, "Welcome to Littleton." You know, like it's fine. Well, you know what's best? Just go watch some other town meetings and you'll be like, "Oh, wow. Five nights worth." I don't want this to come across
as as me as this sounding like us griping and doing nothing but griping. What I really am focused on is I I do wish there was a way for us to impress upon people how how open and available we are for conversations about this. I like when people disagree with me. Not
enough people come to me and disagree with me about things and talk to me about it. And I would welcome that to hear that ahead of town meeting honestly. When are your next office hours? Uh two weeks. I don't know. Rob, can you keep it to a minute or less? All right. Thank you, Marge Payne. That's
all I have to say. Yeah. Right. So, a couple things. Um, you may remember that I was there at Super Saturday and for all but the last hour, maybe. That's when we did all the big work. What's that? That's when we did all the big work. Yeah. Well, well, and and I raised
my hand. I remember Steve looked at my hand, saw it, and said, "We're not taking public comment." So, with regard to a comment earlier in this discussion about the annual budget not getting comment, I've had a difficult time trying to figure out when FINCOM's
holding a public input and I choose to not do it at town meeting. I'm not going to stand up there and and elongate all that. But I think something does need to be done and make available with regard to citizen questions, etc. And so it's
another round for me with regard to like whether it's MBTA or whatever the orchard etc or or what's going to come up in the next with regard the infrastructure needs. I think holding public hearing maybe two months out. We already know there's going to be a Shaker Lane. We know there's going to be
uh a building DPW building. There's going to be probably another, you know, this building, etc. If you hold public hearings couple months in advance before it happens, before the article's written, etc., you're
giving I would then feel more comfortable basically saying, "I respect your opinions, but where were you?" Because they're trying to get your input and you
didn't give them the opportunity. and and there's almost as Chase you know said point of order etc with regard to conflicting I'd love to hear some of those those contrary viewpoints in order to then
work up a series of citizens to combat the five six not that might change their mind but to offer wait a minute all respect Rob that's already been deliberated we've already gone through multiple meetings where all of those points encounter points have been
deliberated. So it's the the it's incumbent upon the resident at some point to pay attention. Well, you know, you're they have to educate themselves at town meeting because of something that we've already discussed. I mean, I think at least I can say you see me
here. I attend wasn't aimed at you. No, no, no. I I respect that. But what I'm trying to say is for me right now, I'm working I'll just give you a subset of Shaker and I'll try to be done. is I need more
people. I talk to them in the neighborhood, but then they're gone. And I need more people to come together when you folks are listening. And it's not just Friday office hours. It's all five of you together and really get all the
different issues. I I've probably heard six or seven different reasons why people voted against this building change, article 12. And yet I didn't have all those things in advance. I only had them that night. And therefore just one resident and there
were other people. I give the council on aging the chair credit for speaking up when she did because it was overwhelming and obvious it was going to fail and yet she spoke up. But there's some aspect of needing to be able to come together to see like-minded
citizens so that we can then see, hey, there's more than just me. There's you and you and you. And and to bring up the thoughtful comments that can compete and hopefully convince and the timing of it.
We're not going to do it at town meeting. The dynamic is it's already baked at that point in time. It needs to be something before for these big dollar items, the ones that you already know are going to have the hourlong public comment at town meeting. Anything you can do to force us, and you're right,
Chuck, terms of the individual things, but it's an individual thing when 30 people are going to watch this, you know, on LCTV and nobody's going to have that interaction aspect. So, it's just my attempt to try to to offer up I respect that and I respect the fact
that you do put the amount of time you put in. Thanks for letting me go. So, you know, just last piece. So, 250 people at Tom meeting. I don't know what was the 241. 241. Our typical meetings when we discussed that that article
five people 10 people you just probably here for something else but they hung around views on views on LCTV. All right. I'll be you know how many so you're basically I will say out of that 241 is half
are just coming to town meetings. Yeah. And getting this in the mail. Yeah. And coming to town meetings and never paying attention before that. Right. That's why this green thing when I said it didn't help. That did not help because that's they read this and they were coming to town meeting and they're like, "What?"
No. To Rob's point, I think there's there's a lot to be said for advertising something that says, "Okay, we're going to talk about Shaker Lane." versus okay, we're gonna have a meeting and you can dig through the agenda and see what we're talking about. Yeah. Yeah. One one will bringing in more people than
another. So, so it might be there's only so much bandwidth, right? 100%. Maybe like we try an experiment before fall town meeting and hold extra office hours at random times. You know, we do. Yeah, we do all represent all of the voters.
Yeah. And um I I Matthew made the point earlier, you know, very easy to get a hold of you or any one of us, right? And and I think that we each represent there's there's going to be a contingent that's going to reach out to me and not necessarily out to you. And we have to make sure that we aggregate the whole
and you know, sometimes I think each one of us has probably made a vote that wasn't necessarily the vote that we would have made, but it was the vote that we thought we thought was the town and that's what the presidents wanted. And that's that's that's what when we get elected in May, we need to be
represent we need to be representing everybody. And and if only 1,200 people show up or only 250 people show up to me that says then you're putting your trust in us to try to get the best
for the most. Yeah. So, so the other thing I was going to just circle back on is I went to an MMA talk about a month ago where they were talking about not mixed martial arts. No, the citizensmies, right? And I really think we need to figure out how to do a citizens academy. It will help
build the bullpen and fill those slots of people coming up and get people in more informed of cycle. Yeah. It's been done in the past and it should be done again. You're right. So, I'm gonna I'm not going to lie. I had a person with me today Um it was a
landscaper. Um and is that landscaping? I said I have a meeting tonight. So I I said I have a meeting tonight. I'm going. He goes, "What are you doing?" I I'm on the select. He goes, "What's that?" That's a residence. Just to let you know that there's that extreme. Yep. And then
there's they don't even people just live their daily lives and sure do what they do. So some people wasn't the same. So that's where something like a an academy would go. All right. I didn't want Karen to end on time. Ain a motion to adjurnn. So moved. Second. Moved by Matthew,
seconded by Chuck. All those in favor? I. Thank you so much. Thank you. Good job.