WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=rOC4yvpjSSM

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: rOC4yvpjSSM):
- 00:00:44: Meeting Attendees Gather and Initial Technical Difficulties
- 00:02:49: Meeting Called to Order: Agenda and Unanticipated Business
- 00:03:55: Reviewing and Approving Minutes from April 9th Meeting
- 00:12:26: Engineer Estimate: Tight Tank and Well Design Cost
- 00:15:53: Tight Tank Installation Costs and Setback Distances
- 00:20:04: Town Common Restrictions: Article 97 and Potential Issues
- 00:30:58: More Information on Tight Tanks and Installation Costs
- 00:32:36: Next Steps: Recommendations, Final Report, Bathroom Facilities
- 00:37:59: Review Committee's Charge: Conceptual Plan for Reuse
- 00:39:23: Drafting a Final Report, Timeline, Open Meeting Law
- 00:42:54: Addressing Weatherization and Building Maintenance Concerns
- 00:46:59: Insurance Requirements and Continued Building Use
- 00:48:18: Report to Town Meeting, March 17 Minutes
- 00:52:21: Motion to Adjourn, Weather, and Closing Remarks


Part: 1

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Let's see. >> Are we being lifted up or the camera? Hold on. Do you see? We're >> on stage. >> Yeah. >> Here we go. Uh, do I have to do anything else? >> Inscribed.

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Okay. Yeah, it was um Mark um Fester Ellis. Mark Paul is there too. I don't know. That's four, right? Paul, Chris, Henry, St. And Henry's, too. Okay.

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Yeah. >> I don't see the others. >> Yes. >> I don't see the others coming up. >> No, maybe they didn't collect their camera. >> And then Henry is somewhere.

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Yeah, >> he's here. >> Something. >> So >> to just be he doesn't have his camera on. >> What if we do? >> Oh, there somebody just came and left. >> Nope.

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Gallery. >> Okay, there's Henry. >> There's Henry. Hi, Henry. >> Our Kellis didn't come up. >> Hi, everybody. >> Hi. >> Hi. >> Maybe because he doesn't have scams. >> Okay. >> Oh, okay. All right. Um I am going to go

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ahead and call the meeting to order. We have I think >> we missing everybody whole crew here. Okay, great. Um so today is Thursday, April 30th, 2026. This is a meeting of the Shootesberry

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Spear Library Reuse Committee. It's um hybrid meeting and it is being um recorded. So, the first thing I'm going to do is just um uh quickly go over the agenda for today's meeting. Um we have

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minutes from our last meeting of April 9th. Um then committee reports and updates, a report including a report on the town common restrictions and then uh discussion of uh next steps, any unanticipated business. Is there any

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unanticipated business anybody wants to raise now? Okay. Um and then schedule our next meeting. So I think this will be a relatively brief meeting, but we'll see. Um I think that's what I promised the last time.

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>> Um okay. So the first um item on the agenda is to review and approve the um meeting minutes for April 9th, 2026. Do I hear a motion to approve those minutes? Goes >> second. >> Okay. Are there any um additions,

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deletions? Um >> well, in the copy that we have, >> yeah, >> uh Brennan has made this change, but if you look at 2B, >> yes, >> the very last sentence should read Delma stated the approximate cost to water

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line, it's between $70 and $250 per foot. Oh, okay. $70 to $250 per foot, >> right? >> And so that last part is about $260 a

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foot. What's that? >> That gets crossed off. >> Okay. Okay. All right. >> There's a lot of numbers being >> No. >> Okay. Great. Thank you. Any um any other changes?

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Paul, >> you can hear me. Can you hear me? Okay. >> Yes. Yep. Fine. >> Okay. I I had two minor things. U both Let me switch over to my minutes here. So, both on the last page, um this was a you know, maybe a minor thing about the

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vote to adjourn. It just says Farrell made a motion too and doesn't really say what it was. So, okay. >> I thought we should probably correct that. >> Okay. And then the second thing a little more important is under administrative actions on that right below that on the

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third bullet uh in parentheses it says as opposed to installing a tight tank. And uh I I think there's a little confusion about the difference between a tight tank and a secondary um septic tank.

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And I think this is supposed to be a septic tank. And I would look to Stephen just to confirm that. >> Okay. Which um which bullet under admin? >> Third one. >> Third one. Okay. So ask Chris for his thoughts on just pumping waste to the

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church. >> Septic. >> Oh, I think what uh Paul's referring to. >> Oh, remember we talked about two >> whether we need to have a septic tank. >> Yes. pumping station pump to their uh

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their drain field or can we just pump >> directly >> and just have a pumping station >> directly to >> Yeah. >> septic system, >> right? >> Yeah. So, it's not a tight tank per se, but it's just another septic tank.

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>> So, that that that wording should just be changed to septic instead of tight. >> Okay. To the church septic septic. It's to the church septic field then, right? Or it has to their tank. Has to go to their tank. Their tank first to be

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crossed out. Correct. >> I'm sorry. I didn't hear that. >> What's in parentheses should be eliminated. >> It could be. Yeah. or or just change tight to septic or just eliminate the word tank uh tight rather and just say,

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you know, as opposed to having a separate tank or whatever. Anyway, however you want to change it, but somehow it has to be changed, >> right? Based to the church, septic tank, what what do you think is more accurate,

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Stephen? Um, >> well, I'd probably expand it if we leave that as opposed to installing a septic septic tank uh and then pumping

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to the church's is drain field. Okay, I'm going to read that. >> You called it a drain field. >> Drain field. Okay. Well, what do you say? >> We call field. Yeah, >> bleach. That's the That's the

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>> operational difference. >> Yes. Yeah. So, um so we would now read, "Ask Christopher Stoddard for his thoughts on just pumping waste to the church septic tank as opposed to installing a septic tank and then pumping to the church's

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leechfield maybe to installing a septic tank. >> Okay. At at the Spear building. >> Is that that's what we're talking about, right? just to be just to make it like extra clear.

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>> Okay. Okay. And I actually have a question then. >> Sure. >> Was it considered that you would just pump waste to the church septic tank and then it goes to the leechfield or would it be directly to the leech field and that wasn't >> No, if you pump it If you pump it

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directly, it has to go to their tank >> first. Okay. So it's it's using their whole system. >> Yeah. >> So >> so for clarity it would need to say septic tank >> correct >> because septic also refer refers to the

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whole business. You know what I mean? You can say my septic which includes >> the tank >> the tank and the leech field and leaves the possibility that you could just because I was wondering about that. I was like, "Oh, if we had a tank, could it then just go to their leech field directly just the same way that

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>> Correct. Well, if we put in a tank, then you are pumping your leech fields." >> So, but you would never just pump waste directly to the leech field. >> Correct. >> No. Yes. Correct. So, it is to the septic tank. Yes. >> Okay. Let's vote on those changes since

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they were pretty significant. Um so um the wording the motion to adjourn um the water line between $70 to $250

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um per foot. And then the new language in the third bullet under administrative actions um asking Christopher Stoddard for his thoughts on just pumping waste to the church septic tank as opposed to installing a septic tank at the Spear

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building and then pumping to the church's leechfield. Is that are those accurate? >> Yes. >> Okay. So I hear a motion to make those um >> so moved. >> Okay. Is there a second? >> Second. Okay. All those in favor signify

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by saying I. Moer >> I. >> I. >> I. >> Getty I. >> Lion's eye. >> Carol I. Great. Thank you. Thanks for everybody. Um I think you know clarifying that is really important

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because when we go back and and reading these it's uh always good to >> right. >> What were we talking about? Um okay. So, um, do I now hear let's vote on um accepting the minutes as amended.

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Um, do I hear Well, we've made a motion and um seconded. So, let's vote on the amended minutes. >> Did we just do that? Did we do that? >> We did the amendment. >> We did the amendment. >> There we go. >> Can I vote on the whole since I wasn't here?

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>> You can. It it is okay to do that if you trust that the person who took the minutes did it accurately. >> Johnson I >> Moer I >> Thomas I >> I >> Lions I

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>> Barl I Okay, great. Thanks everybody. Um okay. So the next thing um as we talked about um as we were reviewing those minutes at the last meetings um Susie uh is

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following up with um Mr. Stoddard who is a plumber I believe. >> He's an engineer. >> Engineer. Okay. um uh about the the whole question around the septic system.

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So Susie gonna hand it over to you. So I believed that we were list looking for an estimate on the cost of a plan for a tight tank and a well on the shoots very common and um that was he

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would have because he's the engineer he would do a design and he responded that the cost for a tight tank design is as follows. Soil testing 500 tight tank design including existing conditions survey and inspections as built drawings

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and certificate of compliance would be 2500. So the total cost is 3,000 and the assumption is that the town would provide the backho operator for soil testing and that no town fees are required for permitting. So he's not

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that those weren't in his estimate. So that so we talked about we want to uh let the town know if we went down this path first part would be getting an engineering design for 3,000.

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>> Okay. And my correct me if I'm wrong, my my sense was the reason why we were leaning towards the tight tank um was because of the complexities of

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trying to to use an existing septic system that is now I can't remember how many years old, but it's it it it could need a total revamp were we to try tap into the church's septic system and that

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we were still going to need probably need to put a tank at the M and Spear building. So, we were we're going to realize that cost and then do all, you know, run all of the um the piping over

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to the church. So, it it wasn't an insignificant cost, right? And it could be really complex if we needed to let let's say the church's septic system did not meet current Title 5 standards and

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therefore that was going to need to be upgraded. We could be opening up a real Pandora's box here. Um is that is that an accurate um depiction of what everybody thinks?

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Well, I think that and maybe as a second if even just putting in a pumping station and the cost to run the line >> to their system

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uh might easily be more costly than putting in a tight tank. >> Right. >> Correct. Yeah. >> And well, right. >> So there and the well is kind of a >> Yeah. is kind of factors in here. But

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yeah, um so I just want to make sure I have that. So those costs could exceed cost of installing a TI tanker. What are the components again, Stephen?

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It's a you have to run the line, you need a pumping station, and you need a septic tank. We are >> This is This is what was suggested by the plumber. >> Yeah. >> Um well, first you would everything would go into the septic tank close to

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spear and then there'd be a pumping station that would just pump the liquid to their leech sheet. >> Right. >> Okay. Um, and we we haven't we haven't pursued

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the the question about the the will. Um, so that was kind of the first phase, Susie. Then it was like $3,000 just to kind of get the design work for that. >> Be prepared to do the certificate. >> Yeah. >> Okay. I think I'll just add that, you

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know, if we decided to pursue the other options, probably going to still have an engineering cost, which might exceed this cost. >> Absolutely. >> Because if we're going to do the uh septic tank and the pumping station.

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>> Oh yeah. >> Um >> Oh, yeah. Yes. So that would then suggest that going the tight tank route is surely the more economical approach >> and we knew that the tight tank option

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includes regular pumping. >> So that's a cost. that's that field >> right >> that's we we understood that >> and I I think we also discussed that given the

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>> probably less than regular use you know sort of minimal use right you don't have a family of six people in there every day taking showers and whatever >> we could >> that that it's more um it's a more limited use correct so that You wouldn't

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need to you wouldn't need to pump it as often. >> Okay. >> Did we ever determine if the um uh the distance between a well and a sept uh and a tight tank >> is also

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uh 100 was it 100 feet for a septic system and a and a well? >> Correct. Well, I think the plumber uh Banshaw >> Bshaw >> Yeah. that it might be uh as little as 25 ft.

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>> That's right. >> Yeah. So, we we should confirm that probably at some point because if if a tight tank suddenly has to go out in the middle of the >> of the town common, that that's going to be a very different animal than if it can be, you know, a little more

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discreetly placed somewhere else. >> Yeah. T tucked in behind the building or to the side of the building. Yeah. >> Right. And is this going to have some sort of mound? Did we resolve the issue of the ledge the rocky ledge issue? >> Yeah.

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>> And having to bury something? I remember that. >> We don't know that. That would be part of the, you know, >> Well, you're not going to put a tight tank. >> Mound. >> Yeah. >> A mound is just for a le shield. >> Oh, okay. >> That's when the soil won't percolate

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when liquid. So then you have to build a sand mound >> and that's where it percolates. Okay. >> But the tight tank, you're right. >> This has to go it has to go down >> underground potentially into ledge. >> That's that's the >> and that's what the engineering fee would uh

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>> Yeah. So I think it behooves us really, you know, my recommendation would be to invest some money into just seeing whether or not we can do this, you know, whether or not we could do it. But it does relate to the the information that right

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>> we got from Donna McNichol um which I can segue into and then maybe we'll circle back here. So, um Donna was on vacation all last week and I finally got her uh day before yesterday and um posed to her, you know, if we were to do

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something um uh with regard to the, you know, septic system and the will on the town common. and um she indicated that um you know the the town common is is like a public

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land public park you know so it's it's protected under um article 97 and the state agency that oversees um this is the executive office of environmental affairs

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and what what she indicated ated was that um any kind of change of use um to the town common would con would would require then a review potentially

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and she kind of was just you know talking about it with me kind of thinking out loud on the phone when I called her and she said you know this is an interesting one because it's there's already a library there that the town is not um is is not making a big ch change

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here. They're just trying to um reuse this historic property, but this 2022 um statute is is pretty definitive about like not making changes. And really the thought was more like you start to put

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up gazeos and you start to put up u you know somebody wants to sell a piece at the town common or you want to build something else on the town common. there are a lot of restrictions and a lot of reviews that they go through. So, she was unable to reach um the people at

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EA um before this morning. Um but what she did do is outline for us in this fairly lengthy um email, you know, the steps that you'd have to go through to um make a change

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of use. And um basically, you know, the definitions is any alteration in the use or ownership of land held for conservation or open space, including transfers, leases, or easements. Um, and then it occurs when land

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previously dedicated to public parks, conservation, or natural resources is converted to non-conservation or incompatible uses. Uh, you know, there's a kind of fine line here and that's why she really wants to talk to the people at EA about whether

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or not this, you know, this constitutes a a change in use. But she, you know, one, one thing that it came right out. So, examples include constructing buildings, expanding roadways into parkland, granting utility

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easements over protected land, or converting a playground into a parking lot. And it immediately like triggered for me when she said something about parking lot. I was like, "Oh my goodness." you know, um like we couldn't

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expand the parking there unless, you know, we we went through um the process. And then if you skip down um uh if the town was able to put the utilities under the town common, there

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could be a later could later be an issue with selling the building, but that we're not selling the building anyway. So there's a the process that you go through which is all the small print right >> on the second page. Um, so you guys are

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not here. Brennan, can you um can you send this um forward this email to Paul and Henry so they can just see um I mean I'm not going to go into this. You know, there's a whole thing. It ends

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up going to the legislature. You know, there are all these determinations that are made by EA. Um, and you know, they call it like a disposition policy because it's it's kind of seeding control of public land for another use.

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Donna's um argument was, well, you're not, let's say we were putting in a tight tank, it's not going to change the, you know, we would still have a level area there, right? We're not as Mary Joe, as you were saying, is is

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something going to be built up. So, you know, it it wouldn't change things, but she just wants to make sure that this is not going to be a problem. So, um

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>> uh so she is going to follow through with the EA people. Um I think it's information we want to, you know, we want to know regardless. Um and

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uh I guess for me, you know, the question becomes whether or not, you know, we make the recommendation to the select board to continue to pursue to spend some money pursuing

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um the whole question around the um the tag tanks in the bathroom. um if in fact we were going to have to go through this process. I I I don't because we're this of the nature of what we're doing,

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I can't imagine we're going to run into a big problem um with the EA um you know, we're so so my my recommendation would be yeah, we we keep moving forward

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and um try to get the answer out of um you know, out of EA about whether whether or not this was constituting a change in use and having that utility there and and just yeah figure out

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calling it a utility but you know figuring out um if if we can do this. So, I have a question. Would uh getting a backhoe up there to dig a test hole to see, you know, if there's a problem with

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the ledge um constitute uh being looked at by this? I mean, because you're going to fill it back in and tamp it all down. >> Yeah. >> I don't I don't believe so, but I would ask Donna. I you know and and I also you

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know would would probably you know ask I'll get in touch with her today and say when you do talk to Gaya would you tell them I mean >> yeah I find it um

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I if she's going to be out there asking I would also ask things like can a can the town build a gazebo on their town common >> yeah I I don't think we should limit. I mean, she's going to do some of the work. >> Um, and certainly for me, a town common

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has a sort of a weight to it. It is the town resource for space, and we're not trying to turn it into a different thing. We're adding its ability to be a town common, a functional town common. Yes. So, I just would like

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>> And I might have might have overstated the gazebo. You know, she she mentioned it. It says, you know, examples include constructing buildings. Is a is zebo a building or not? I don't know. So, that's a good one because a lot of towns

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do that and um have have used like CPA money and >> it's associated to tax. So, so I will I will ask her about, you know, what like what changes >> and and maybe, you know, if we're anticipating anything else, you should

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kind of go in for the whole thing at one time and say, >> well, I'll throw out another thing. >> Yeah. Um my perspective the location of the um memorials to fallen soldiers >> are very poorly placed on the common

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>> and um I think evaluating town common say as a whole space and I mean like if gazebo is being considered then I think relocating those should be reconsidered. Um

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>> we also have the um have the no the the new um town sign post the sign board right Henry sign board >> that's right >> that's right >> but that historically has been there >> yes yes it has but I'm just saying if we're relocating because there was some

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discussion when the sign board came back >> that we need to where it goes >> a little bit >> so um and Well, while we're redesigning the town plan,

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>> as I I was I was thinking about um going for a CPA project to put it's called chat benches on the common. >> Okay. >> And um so all of this seems like the common. It's not >> Yep. >> It's not turning it into a commercial

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center. It's doing what town commons have. >> Yes. So up upgrading our commons. So yeah, >> why don't I I will add that to um the list for for Donna

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>> or or the bigger picture is what kinds of things can be done. >> Yes. What what what kind of changes can we make make without triggering uh article 97? Okay. >> And let's not add that to our charge. By

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the way, we'll never be done. I can actually suggest it to the select board that it would be really good to have, you know, somebody do like it would be a great um land, you know, for landscape architecture students to to re

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rethink town common, right? >> That would be great visioning visioning thing about the town common. So, um >> Okay, great. I will I will follow through >> and we can give them the leaps document. >> Yeah. Yeah. they can they can read through this site. Um

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>> so Rita, if I could um >> yes, >> you know, I just did a little bit of research on the side here about tight tanks. Uh so before we leave that topic, I just want to uh add that the um the setback distance between a well and a

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tight tank is actually 50 feet >> in Massachusetts. Uh, >> one thing I didn't know is that the 100 foot setback uh or or separation figure is from a well to the leech field,

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>> but uh the well to a septic tank is 50 ft. So a well to a tight tank is basically you know considered a you know a the same as the septic tank. So that's why that's 50 feet. >> Okay. Uh, a typical cost for a tight

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tank installation in Massachusetts is between8 and $20,000. Uh, but a lot of that, most of it is in the excavation and the installation. I don't know if we'd be able to have the

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town do any of that for us, but uh, that cost alone is more than than half of the, uh, the total price. Permits are another big chunk of that as well from the board of health. So, if we can get those waved, then hopefully we'd be on the lower end of that that range for the

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total cost. >> Great. That's really helpful, Paul. >> Okay. Um, good. Um, so

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I anything else that um that people want to talk about because I think we're coming around to making some decisions about

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next steps and and perhaps even getting um a final final report done for the select for it. Um if everybody thinks our our work is

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close enough for the um to to hand off. Well, it it seems like we're getting close to, you know, a possible recommendation about um how to put a bathroom facility into the

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Spear building, >> but that that's just like step one in the determination about how to reuse the building or are we assuming that if we put a bathroom in, then we would recommend that the police station move

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over there. >> Yeah, I'm not sure that this committee is kind of prepared to do that. And, you know, maybe there needs to be more of a public process around um around what happens,

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you know, that that we've collected information about what it would cost to, you know, to do the bathroom. what we haven't, you know, we have very very rough figures about sort of a substantial rehabilitation and kind of

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what that would what that would take, but you know, maybe maybe it takes um having some some public forums which the select ward can oversee as opposed to this

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committee. I I you know that's that's a little bit of my gut, but >> Well, I would I would add that if if it if we put a bathroom in, we can keep it as a meeting space. It's not a change of use.

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>> Yeah. If the police department were to go over there, I'd say there's a very strong probability that it's a change of use and then then there will be uh the need for a lot more other information. I

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mean, we probably need an architect um you know to determine what codes are going to be brought into play and how to work that out, how to redefine the space for their use. So that that that I think is another step that um is going to have

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an expense unrelated to the actual move. >> Yes. >> Um >> yes. >> So um you know I think >> that's a decision I don't feel like we can make. >> No I >> um but we can lay out and say you know here's the next steps you could take

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>> right >> and here's what it might you know involve if you were to bring in an architect. I don't know, you know, we can the 15 20,000 for somebody to go in and do um, you know, schematic designs

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and maybe it's not that much. >> And I think lastly, we know from um Devon that the requirements are really, you know, what are his what are the requirements that are going to

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be enforced? Um, So that's like another unknown that you know an architect will be working with information that's available and if there's not information available

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>> the only information they might have is what building code says for a change in use >> and but not not specific to police station right >> so >> you may want go ahead

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>> so I think that we are at the point where our report would say bathroom is an option and this is what we know it would take to investigate a bathroom possibly. We know what it would cost to install one. >> We know that a bathroom that a meeting

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space does not equal change of use, >> right? >> That a bathroom does not equal a police station. and a police station. Um to pursue a police station at Spear, it would involve um assessing the expenses to do that. Yeah.

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>> So, but I think it's important to start off with that still in our process, a bathroom is an option. It's not given. >> That's correct. And then once we go through um the other options like um a meeting space could be not a bathroom

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could be with a bathroom but it doesn't equal change of change of use criteria. >> Right. it might be helpful for us maybe at our next meeting to review our uh the charge to our committee uh because I you know in reading through that I

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definitely get the sense that you know we're supposed to come up with a conceptual plan for how to reuse the building rather than you know how to you know keep our options open for the future but so anyway I think it might be a helpful exercise to go through that

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charge >> maybe it was too ambitious Paul And we could we could report back and say, you know, this was this was a lot of a lot of work. I mean, we this committee did a lot of work and I think we found we, you know, we gather a lot

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of information. Um, so, uh, yeah, you start to unpeel the onion, right? And you're kind of like, oh my goodness, there's there's a lot there's a lot here. So, >> yeah. Um, >> yeah, I don't think we necessarily have

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to, you know, check off every item on our charge, but, you know, we I just think it might be good to review it. >> Yeah. >> You know, one more time. >> That's a great That's a great suggestion. Um, does anybody want to take um

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Does anybody want to start to draft an an outline of a report? Okay. I hope you're not looking at me. >> I know. I was looking at Henry, Stephen, Susie, I know has her hands full. Um,

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Mary Joe, I mean, >> why don't I do it? I'll do it since I have nothing else to do. Um, I'll I'll start. It might be very lean, but at least kind of uh hit those three points

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that Susie just summarized. and then um you know take what uh Paul what you and Susie had done for the report to the select board and just expand upon that a little bit um and

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then using you know incorporate the chart. So let me see how far I can get with that. Um what's our what's our timing? So today is what the 30th. Today's the 30th. So this would be after town meeting which is good. Uh, I think

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I forgot my phone. Um, what is two weeks from now? I think Brennan put it on here. >> 14th. >> 14th. May 14th. May 14th. Is May 14th. Good for everybody. I think

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it works for me. >> Yep. >> Good for me. >> Yeah. Mary Joe. Yeah. >> Good here. >> Henry. >> Yes. >> Okay. Why don't we why don't we shoot from May 14th? Um,

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and in the the case where I just like can't get it done, I might push that back a week. >> Um, I might be out of town at the be very beginning of that week of the 14th, like right after town meetings. So, um, uh, that that would be the reason why I

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wouldn't be able to get it done for that timing. Um, and I guess what I can do, it's in compliance open meeting law. I could send a draft out in advance. >> Nobody talks about

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>> and nobody nobody responds, but at least you would have had an opportunity to take a look at it before the meeting and um and then we would we would work on it at the meeting. Does that sound reasonable?

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>> Y >> and I I do think we do have a response to the charge to the community to the committee concept on how to reuse. Um we conceptualized um

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the we had a survey. We headed in the direction of public town use and then we cost we re we uh re reviewed options and their costs. Yeah. >> Um so I I think one of the primary

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things we did at the beginning was to survey and movement town use. Um and I I don't know. We didn't take a handful. Um we moved in that direction. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. No. Yeah. I I'm not diminishing. I think we did a lot. So,

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>> yeah, I'm not But I I do think we answered the call. >> But we answered the call. >> Okay, great. So, I will um

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do my best to get something pulled together. And >> I don't think we need any more money numbers right now, right? >> I don't think we need any more money numbers. No, I think we are I think we're good with that. >> I do have I do have one kind of question

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curiosity because I've I've been in situations where we've had to make a big decision like this. >> Yeah. >> And then while you're making the big decision, small things go wrong. >> Oh, really? >> Well, like and I'm not talking about

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like process things. Yeah, I'm actually thinking more about the fact that we did take a pretty close look at the library as the old library as it currently stands, >> right? >> We saw some things that that kind of needed work, >> right?

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>> Would it make sense to do or or think about addressing some things just like weatherization kinds of things immediately? Yeah, I guess it would depend upon the

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complexity and cost because what you don't want to do is invest a bunch of money in to only say say a year later, oh, we're coming back and we have to rip all of that out because we're doing a major I don't know. I mean, the the one thing that's that hangs in my hood, and

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I don't know if other people have things that are sticking in their minds as well, is that window in the bottom that's just open to the elements. Um, that was repaired. >> It was Oh, great. Yeah. Did not know. >> Good. Yeah. >> And it really does still come down to use

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>> and that use has not been settled. Um, so I would not, it could be that there's a list of um thoughts, things that revealed themselves like weatherization, blah blah blah, but not um because we haven't determined its frequency of use,

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the kind of use, we really would go into working to resolve them. So you could say these pieces showed up like weatherization, but they're not in the they're not in this set of decision makings. But I would say if there was anything that put the building in

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jeopardy like if there was a leak in the right >> right or you know something that that was immediate that needed to be addressed then yes you know >> well and that they can have to use that forge but at some point that

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>> is a problem it's got to get resolved >> right >> um and just to add the buildings committee has discussed um possible improvements based on those evaluations that were done buildings and and feels

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that because the continuing use is unknown that really should hold off. >> Okay? >> Because the one thing that >> you know with those valuations that were done they put down the cost and the payback period

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>> and most things payback period is very long. I mean which uh normally you would not do something like that because the payback is so long but changing to LED lighting

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uh was the one thing that had like a four-year payback but again not knowing how the space is going to be used right I mean you can redo the existing lighting and then you know when the final use is determined

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>> it may have to be all be done. >> Yeah. >> So, >> yes. Yeah, >> that that's >> you don't want to do it twice. >> Yeah. >> Buildings committee. >> But thank you for raising that area because I I think that's a legitimate thing. There was there was some Yeah. real emergency there, but the buildings

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committee has gone through it and anything that was immediately needed to be done. >> Yeah. I mean, there was a late a couple years ago that still le u and there were some other trying to think if we

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anything else >> other than all work to repair the window, >> right? >> I adjusted the grading. >> Yeah. >> But that's about all that. Oh, I placed a couple of rusted through

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elbows on the furnace exhaust flute. >> Thank you. >> No monoxide there. So, so I'm wondering then um in terms of the insurance requirement that we continue to use it, should there be some sort of recommendation that it be meeting space in the meantime or

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>> um some sort of use? And there I think that's what the select board needs to figure out because yes that is a concern that it is that that there is some ongoing use and you know for the time being that might be storage you know

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moving putting some things over there and you know somebody should get into that building on a regular basis to make sure that there's not um squirrels have moved in or uh you know

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Exactly. >> Nice. Exactly. Very good point. And I'm going to put that into um uh >> Well, it's probably good there's no bathroom. >> There's a there's another thing to be

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thinking about. We don't want to encourage habitation. >> Yeah. Well, people move into buildings that don't have bathrooms, so Yeah. Um Okay. All right. Great. Well, thank you all. Um, >> Rita, >> yes.

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>> One one more uh question. >> You know, with town meeting coming up, we you know, town meeting starts with reports from committees and boards and so forth. Do we want to give a brief uh report to the town about our progress so far? Because I know people are wondering about it.

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>> Yeah, I think that would be great. Um, I'd rather not do it. Um, if one of you wants to give a really brief report, um, and basically, you know, outline where we've gotten to, I I mean, it could,

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um, reflect, I think, the report that was given to the select board and then any minor additions. So, Paul, if you or or Susie want to do it, that would be wonderful. >> Susie, do you want to do it? >> No, I don't, Paul.

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>> Okay. Stephen, do you want to do it? Mary Joe, I will do it if if no one else wants to, but you know, I'll defer to anyone else. >> Um, if you don't want to do it, I could probably do it. I might need some uh

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information from folks. >> Well, we had the So, Paul and Susie um did the report to the select board. um if you want to take that and then um see if you think that that

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uh has enough information. I mean really these reports should just be a couple of minutes. You don't want to get deep into this. >> You don't want to be very brief. Yeah. The committee is continuing to meet um >> and the select board will be >> Yes. And we will be handing it off to

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the select board. We've done a lot of research. we um you know we're kind of wrapping up going to come up with recommendations um and when our next meeting is so people want to come to that we'll be cra you know

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crafting a final report and I I think that would be um that would be enough if you want to if you want to draft an outline I'm happy to take a look at it

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So, uh, do I would I have the report that was prepared for the select board? >> It's in minutes, I believe. >> When was that? Long time ago already. I think Susie, you kind of gave overview

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and then Paul gave Did Paul, did you review the chart? I'm trying to remember. >> Yeah, >> I did. Yes, that's mainly what I did. >> Yeah. So, and Susie gave the overview and it's probably a little bit more of like March 17th is the minutes. >> Okay.

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you need those. Brandon could get it to you. We don't have it. Um and then yeah, that's what I would Yeah, I wouldn't be getting into any of the detailed recommendations and and the chart, but um >> just process >> just process

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>> where we are, how we got here. >> Yeah. >> And encouraging if they want to hear more to you know, they can listen to our reviewing on the May 14th at our next meeting.

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find it in March 17th. >> No. And I'm wondering because I was away. >> Oh, okay. Well, Britney, could you get um Stephen the uh March 17 >> March 17 minutes and also you have Suz's

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report to the select board from after that, right? >> March 17th. penance. >> Yep, that's it. >> Got it. >> And it's back in the back. >> Okay. >> So, yeah, >> you got it. >> Yeah. Thank you.

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>> Okay. Um, anything else? All right. Hearing nothing else, I will um here uh entertain a motion to adjurnn. So moved. >> Second. >> Okay. All those in favor >> motion. Right.

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>> Eye >> lion's eye. >> Right. Thank you everybody. >> Enjoy the rain. It's raining. >> Chilly. It's It is a little chilly, but >> you know, I hate the >> I look at the weather on the photo.

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>> Yeah. A week ago, today was going to be gorge 2