This government meeting is brought to you by Eastworks and our local cable subscribers. Okay. I'm going to call to order the meeting of the Southampton Select Board for June 24th, 2025 at 6:00. And if you
can stand and say the pledge of allegiance, please. 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. Thank you. All right. Great. Well, we have a rather hot one tonight. This is the coolest place to be in town, I think. Uh, anyway, we have a quorum. Dan may be joining us. I'm not sure. So, do we have anybody here? Open time for
the public. Seeing no one off hand. Um, we do have a first uh presentation tonight. This is our basically the annual update. Is that correct? Um, from Tyen Bond on our Southampton storm water management program. So, we have both Kelly and
Haley here. So feel free to take the podium and walk us through whatever and just make sure the the mic is on. I think the little green lights on at the bottom. Yes. Yeah. Okay. You should be good. If you need to turn it, you can move it the way you want to. Well, honorable that. Yeah, that's probably a
little bit better. Okay. So, this is your annual storm water program update. I'm Kelly Crerine. I'm the project manager. And this is Haley. She is the planner and does a lot of the field work. Not for the site, but You need to put that down just a little bit so it's
pointed at you. There you go. Um, thank you. Yep. Perfect. Uh, the purpose of this presentation is to provide an update on South Hampton's ongoing storm water management program. Um, we'll go over what you did in permit year 7, which is ending at the end of
this month, and planned activities for permit year 8 and, uh, look ahead to future permit year requirements. also solicit any feedback you might have on your storm water program. What is storm water?
Rainfall that falls on paved surfaces and lawns becomes storm water. If it doesn't soak into the ground, it heads for the nearest storm drain. Storm drains feed to outfalls that dump storm water into waterways. When storm water picks up trash or chemicals, that's
storm water pollution. Storm water pollution is the fastest growing type of water pollution in Massachusetts. This is just more um you can see the storm drains. Uh 40%
of known pollution is caused by storm water to the nation's waters. Um typical pollutants uh include trash, oil, fertilizer, sediment, sand, and bacteria. Um EPA's small MS4 storm water program.
Uh MS4 stands for municipal separate storm sewer system. It's a program jointly administered by EPA and Mass D. And Southampton's MS4 area includes all drainage within the urbanized area,
which is not very big here in Southampton. I think we talked about that last year. It's like where is the urbanized area? Yeah, the little red hatched areas in basically the corners and that little thing coming up from the bottom. Yep.
Uh, your notice of intent under the 2016 small MS4 general permit was submitted September 28th, 2018. Received the author authorization to discharge storm water on April 5th, 2019 with an expiration date of June 30th,
2022. The permit was administratively continued on May 16th, 2022 until a new permit is issued. Um, the storm water management plan was finalized July 1st, 2019 and it's updated annually. To date,
they have not issued a new permit. Just still me. Okay. Um, what is in your storm water management plan? There are minimum control measures. Um, the first one is public education and outreach. Second, public involvement and
participation. Three, elicit discharge detection and elimination program. Four, construction site storm water runoff control. Five, storm water management and new development and redevelopment. And six, good housekeeping and pollution
prevention. So, uh, Southampton has some impaired waterways and that does impact some elements of the MS4 general permit. Um, for example, uh, you are within the Connecticut River wershed, which drains
ultimately to the Long Island Sound and that has a total maximum daily load for nitrogen. Um, additionally, um, there are a few other water bodies that have a total maximum daily load, and that includes, uh, Peekquat Pond and the Manhan River. Um, and both of those are,
um, or sorry, both of those are impaired for E.coli coli and Peekquat Pond is impaired for phosphorus which means that any outfalls that discharge to Peekquat Pond or within the general vicinity of its watershed um also need to be tested
uh for phosphorus in addition to nitrogen. Um so for some of the public education and outreach um you have joined uh PVPC which is the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. um they have a Connecticut
River stormwater committee and so you uh pay them essentially a man um like a membership fee and they handle all of your annual messaging. Um but in addition, I know that Randall is very on top of any updates to your storm water
um and tends to share additional messaging as he comes across it or as it's relevant to the town. Um, for public involvement and participation, your storm water management plan is available online. Um, you also have a national prescription drug takeback day, and I'll get into this a little bit
later, but that factors into some of the requirements by the new draft of the permit that may be finalized. Um, you also have a town rain barrel program and this annual public meeting counts for your public involvement and participation. um even though there are
not many people participating there may be people watching you never know and um I uh have been involved with your elicit discharge detection and elimination program um we actually finished it back in permit year 5 which
was in 2022. Um but you have done all three phases. So um your dry weather outfall screenings were completed in 2020 which was permit year 2. Your dry weather catchment investigations were not required or possible under the guidelines of the permit because the
area within your urbanized area actually didn't have any key junction structures which are labeled as two or more systems entering into the same structure. Um all the systems you have are very small and isolated. Um so that didn't apply to you
at all. And then uh your wet weather outfall screenings. Technically that only occurs if the outfall has a system vulnerability factor and those are outlined within the permit. And technically Southampton didn't have any of those either. However, um there were a few outfalls that had dry weather flow
um in dry conditions, which means that they had flow that wasn't necessarily storm water. It might have been groundwater. And so those were instead sampled. [Music] Um okay. So you also do construction
site and post construction storm water management. Uh no application reviews, inspections or violations requiring enforcement actions were needed in permit year 7 for the compliance with storm water bylaw. Um continued project
review under bylaw and enforcement activities as needed. Um municipal storm water retrofit inventory. So, the town maintains a list of some properties in your MS4 area for
storm water BMP retrofits. There were some storm scepters installed on the East Street Bridge. Um, and then the town has selected Conan Park on Clark Street to install the demonstration BMP retrofit. We're currently in the permit
level design drawings. at about 40%. Um, and the notice of intent is also being prepared. So, we did part of it last year and then we're just continuing on um into the next permit year. When I say
last year, I meant seven going to eight. So, with the NOI, will you end up going to conservation commission? Yes. Yeah. Um uh so some good housekeeping and pollution prevention for permitty owned operations. Uh you have implementation
of good housekeeping SOPs, annual requirements, enhanced requirements due to impaired waters and recordkeeping which you do a pretty good job at all those things that you are required to do. Randall is very much on top of is
very much on top of it. That's nice because it's helpful. So, these are some planned um permit year 8 activities. I know it looks like a lot, but it's just basically what you're doing now. Nothing has really changed.
I don't know if we can see that any better, but a lot of lot of information there. Yeah, it's just um really all that you're doing already. Um you've done all your field component. Um so
it's recordkeeping, public involvement, you know, your site plan reviews, um annual reports, annual training, um any maintenance of your catch basins and manholes through the DW.
Um yeah, I mean we kind of include this list to show how much you're doing. um not necessarily for it all to be completely legible because it is just kind of repeating everything we already talked about. Excuse me. Which of them would you
highlight as particularly addressing E.coli or phosphorus? Sure. Um so really the point of noticing E.coli E coli and phosphorus is we're trying to see when
we visit your outfalls whether or not any of that is being sourced from your storm water system and therefore is being sourced from um septic systems that aren't functioning the way that they should or from sewer lines that are contaminating the storm water in some
way. Um so in Southampton we really haven't found evidence of that. However, um in any cases where we found like some elevated results, um I mean it's really hard to also control for things like uh
non-point source pollution or even um geese on the pond. Uh could you repeat that? Geese on Peekquat Pond. Oh, it absolutely could be coming from geese. It might even be coming from fertilizers that people are using on their lawns. Um and so, uh some of your annual messaging
actually goes to targeting some of that. So I think like pet waste is a is a pretty big contributor of E.coli as well. And so the annual messaging that you pay to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Um they send messages to residents through social media, through
mailings, through flyers. Um, all addressing better ways to dispose of things like pet waste or better times of year to like fertilize their lawns or what types of fertilizers to use so that it isn't contaminating your storm water.
I think so. Okay. Um, so planned permit year 8 activities uh continue with your annual messaging. like we said, you are involved in that committee that kind of does it for you, so you don't have to think too much, but also Randall's very good at it as well. Um, focus on
messages for developers and industrial facilities. You have that around here. Um, public involvement and participation. continue to make your SWIP available online for public review and comment um as it's
updated and consider other safe ways to involve public and storm water in your storm water program. So for your elicit discharge detection and elimination program, you have successfully completed all of your fieldwork and all of your sampling
efforts. However, like as those were completed, I think we did get a couple of hits that were high in chlorine and actually Randall did some investigation and found that there were water mane leaks in those areas and did work to plug those. So, at the moment, you
definitely benefited from getting that data and getting that knowledge, but at the moment, there isn't anywhere else to go. So, it really is just continuing to train your employees at the DPW for signs of any elicit discharge going into the sewer um or sorry, going into the
storm drain and being able to recognize it, identify it, and eliminate it if possible. Um for your bylaws, um you're going to continue tracking your site plan reviews and inspections and continue enforcement
of your bylaw. it is up to date with the requirements in Massachusetts and as per the 2016 MS4 general permit. Um, so one of the other things like as we start nearing permit year 10, which is the end of the permit, um, there was a
report created that actually went through all of your local code and addressed ways that you can, um, better allow for residents to implement things like rain barrels or other green solutions, allow them to have like a rain garden on their property. And so we
have submitted that report to you. Um, and I don't believe you're expected to do anything with it until closer to permit year 10. So, it is just kind of there for consideration as that deadline approaches. Um, and then for your good housekeeping and pollution prevention, a
lot of what I just said on the last slide. Um, you're going to maintain your annual requirements. You're going to maintain your good housekeeping standard opera operation procedures um and your recordkeeping and keep up to date on any signs of a potential elicit
discharge. Um in addition uh for your impaired waters requirements um we did prepare a nitrogen and phosphorus source identification report back in permit year 4. Um the point of that was to do a desktop review of your topography and
your land use and to try to identify potential catchments. So the essentially the watershed area of uh your MS4 systems and try to identify which ones would have the potential highest nutrient loadings so that we could
identify municipal properties for retrofit opportunities for BMPPS such as rain gardens or detention basins so that that water can be treated before it gets discharged into the environment. And so, um, through that, um, and in conjunction
with your bylaw, um, on any new projects, uh, when you hit a certain, um, amount of imperous surface being created, um, they will be required to incorporate some kind of retrofit activity or, um, development on the property so that it doesn't burden your
storm water system. So, Southampton is actively meeting the MS4 requirements. Um, your permit year 7 annual report will be submitted to the EPA and D by September 28th, 2025.
Um, looking ahead, you will continue with annual reporting, maintenance, inspection, and data tracking. Um, permit year 10 all has to complete all your MS4 mapping and catchment investigations which are completed. Um,
and then any new MS4 permit requirements are to be determined. However, they did issue a draft permit and they did have one round of public comments, I believe. Yeah. Um, but that
kind of stalled. And so in year 10 there's supposed to be a new permit. Well, it was supposed to be in 2022 and then they said, "Oh, we'll just continue the old permit. Um, and there was one talk of one. They issued a
draft one in 23 or 24." Okay. 24. Yep. And then, you know, they were supposed to continue on with it, but it kind of stalled out with the Okay. I have a question. The draft plan is specific to
Southampton or is it No, that's like the whole all the MS4 all the small statewide. Yep. Um and so, uh we have a few slides discussing the 2024 draft permit. These are not in stone. These are just draft proposed. Yeah.
Requirements. So, um they released the 2024 draft permit in November. Um they had been trying to release it, uh something since 2022, so this was already a few years late. Um and so, uh let's get into it. So, um some of the
changes and specifically how they apply to Southampton is, uh the MS4 urbanized area is being updated to the 2020 census information. Currently, it's using the 2010 information. And so, you can see that some of it has increased within Southampton, but it is still a pretty
small area comparatively. Um, for public education and outreach, the requirements are pretty similar. However, it does have an addition of interactive public education efforts with language translation. And so, it
specifically mentions active and interactive messages. and they want to allow for a two-way flow of information and they want it to be engaging, inspire immediate calls to action and or encourage audience participation. However, they really haven't set any specific requirements as to how to do
that yet. Um, so it it is still very much up in the air. Um, they also asked every community to determine the top three non-English languages within their MS4 based on Massachusetts environmental justice language spoken languages spoken
mapping. Um, I included a picture of that on the slide for Southampton. Um, as you can see, there are no other mapped languages in Southampton, so I'm not sure that this requirement actually applies to you. And even if it does, um,
the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission will likely continue its program. And so whatever messaging they prepare, I assume will have translation services. And so if you require something in Spanish or any other language, hopefully
they will be able to manage that for you. um for your construction and post construction. Um it's largely the same requirements, but if anything gets updated, they will likely require you to adopt any local code updates statewide.
Um which I think is pretty typical for uh how the permit runs um for impaired waters and total maximum daily loads. Um any additional nutrient and bacteria total maximum daily loads that were finalized after 2016 will be incorporated. Um, we keep up to date
with the impaired waters list already. So, I don't think this impacts you that greatly either. Um, and then just for some of the technical details, um, the new notice of intent would be due within 90 days. And, um, the storm water management plan would need to be redone
instead of updated. And so, that would be due um, one year after the permit effective date. There would be a $500 filing fee. And um it would be electronic reporting both for the NOI and for your annual reports um which is already the case for your annual
reports. Um for your IDE program um it basically just restates that you need to meet the 2016 permit schedule for completing all of your catchment investigations which as we discussed earlier you have already
completed. So it doesn't have any additional requirements. Um, but it does ask that you continue um any like field data or updating your system mapping as necessary. Um, for any of the water quality benchmark levels that we test
when we go into your storm water system, um, they did reduce um, the benchmark for ammonia, it was 0.5 mg per liter. They're reducing it to 0.1 millig per liter. Um, I don't think this changes
very much within Southampton. your your testing was relatively low, especially for ammonia. Um, and it may have a new consideration for EPA generated data, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Um, and we're not
entirely sure what that sampling parameter is going to look like yet or how that's going to be incorporated. Um, I believe, uh, many people have asked for further clarification on that element of the permit. Um, and speaking of requesting clarification, um, they
are also requesting clarification on where and how changes for ranking and defining any elicit parameters apply for communities that are significantly complete with their IDE program. So again, you're 100% complete. So, you
know, if they're lowering benchmarks for ammonia, um or if you had any elicit discharges or suspected ones, which you don't, how to go about like ranking to determine like how to disconnect those. Um again, this largely doesn't apply and
we're mostly just asking for clarification on like what are your next steps now that you have already completed this. um for your good housekeeping program. Um they have asked that each community develops a more formal drainage system
asset management program to track your different MS4 structures. Um and establish your mapping. Um it asks that this is established within two years for critical assets. Um, and the biggest element of this for a lot of communities
is that there is a catchbasin upgrade and replacement prioritization program. And it asks that the program be developed within one year. And it prioritizes catch basins that do not comply currently with the Massachusetts stormwater handbook, which means catch
basins that do not have a deep sump and hood. And it asks that 20% of catch basins in need of an upgrade be upgraded to have the deep sump hood within 5 years. Um, Southampton doesn't have an expansive storm water. Uh, it just it
doesn't in town. Um, so this likely isn't a massive lift for you if this does get finalized, but this is very controversial for communities that have much larger storm water uh, infrastructure within them. So, um, it's
probably one of the most heavily debated parts of the permit currently. Um, it is also going to have uh some more stringent requirements for your catch basin cleaning. It's going to ask that you prioritize areas that flood during major storms. Um, drain backwater to
sewer. And it is also going to ask that in your asset management program, you track the sump depth, the percent full, the volume material removed, and whether it is in or outside of flood zone for each of the catch basins cleaned. Um,
some of these you're already doing through your recordkeeping, so this isn't necessarily a major lift, but it is definitely a change. Um and lastly, um so starting in year two of the 2024 permit, it would ask you
to install a structural SEM, which is um it's a terminology change from BMP, which is best management practice to storm water control measure, and it incorporates everything that I said earlier like um rain gardens, detention basins,
um anything that infiltrates and screens out some of the potential pollutants from the storm water. Um, and you would be asked to try to track nutrient removal. So, to try to perform calculations on how much of uh the nutrient load is potentially being
removed at each site. Um, which is already a requirement of the permit currently. Um, you would need to increase street sweeping to twice per year in spring and fall. Um, which you are already doing. Um for winter road
maintenance training um you would require currently the permit says to encourage um salt reduction methods. So using less salt for storms and relying on other forms of uh roadway maintenance. Um and lastly consider
addressing water quality impacts when implementing new flood management projects. Are there any questions? I don't know. Any questions? Stephen's busy. No, I mean this this is uh the things that I'm sure that Randall uh
worry about more regularly than we do, but uh definitely he's got lots of paperwork. I know that he knows that he has to do and has been very much on top of it so far. So, thank you for coming and doing your annual review with us. Uh looks like we're pretty much on target. So, we'll Oh, yeah. You're ahead
schedule. Good. We're glad to hear that at least. So, benefits of a small town perhaps. Good. Well, thank you very much for coming. All right. Appreciate it. All right. Very good. Thank you. All right. All right. Thank you very
much. Madam Chair, move without objection take up the following appointments. Yes. Go ahead. Tom Lashista, Agricultural Commissioner Reef Commission, reappointment, three-year term to expire June 30th, 2028. Robert Fletcher, Agricultural
Commission, reappointment, three-year term to expire June 30th, 2028. Lucy Dalton, Cultural Council, reappoint, three-year term to expire June 30th, 2028. Steven Collie, Fitz Beer, reappointment, one-year term to expire June 30th, 2026.
Michael Ber Buer Greenway Committee reappointment three-year term to expire June 30th, 2028. And Janette Brown, Greenway Committee reappoint three-year term to expire June 30th, 2028. Okay. Can I have a second, please? Second. All right. Any discussion? Anybody? If not,
all those in favor? I I All right. All those appointments are in effect. That's 1 2 3 4 5 six appointments. So, thank you. And we will get those updated on uh on our website as well. So, thanks for those that have decided to reup their their time on their committees.
All right. Uh Scott, town administrator report. Um not much has gone on the last uh week, week and a half, especially with the um Junth holiday taken up on Thursday. So, uh we are going to be meeting with the uh internal uh land use planning committee uh tomorrow um to
kind of decide the next steps. So, okay. All right. any uh reports from any select board committees as assigned right now? I just have uh Norris will meet tomorrow night. It'll be the last school committee meeting of this cycle. We'll reorganize
at the conclusion of that meeting. Um and uh then we will um that they will be prepared for Monday night's special meeting on the transfers to answer the questions related to that. So someone will be there from from the Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. Good. That'll be
great. and they'll be ready to sleep this day. Very good. That's all I know. Yeah. All right. Good. Stephen, anything? Uh, housing authority met and um they continue to refine their thoughts about what would be a good fit at zero college highway. They're eager
to re-engage with that. And um the property that the town purchased on College Highway further south um is almost ready to go out for a bid. They're working on the RFP or RFQ. Yes. whatever terminology. Okay, great. Scope
of service. I think open space committee meets tomorrow night and I think it's still up in the air if we're going to pursue a land grant this year. Mhm. Yeah, that was still if I last knew about it, too. Okay, that's what I got. All right. And from my end, um bylaws
committee will meet probably not for another week or 10 days given the holidays and people's availability, but we're working on the scenic roads bylaw still. Uh and we'd like to involve uh both Randall and um Ron Lauren in that since they would have some level of enforcement on that. Um so once we set a
meeting date, we'll be sure that they get involved. Um and the grant committee is meeting to work on the park grant and this is basically reviving um the applications due on the 8th of July. And so we have been in touch to see how we
could potentially finish off the earlier project which was to install the spray deck at Konet Park and do the walking path. So we're working on that and um hopefully we'll get the application done by the 8th to have money to finish the project. Um
I think that's all we have at the moment from those committees. U master plan had to postpone and we are rescheduling that meeting. So we will get there. All right. New business. Um, water time. Yeah, water time. Water overtime policies. Scott, I know we had had you
had had some drafts at the last meeting, I think, and you had suggested some some language that didn't seem to make the most. Um, so is this the second draft?
I I talked to Brett yesterday and he said that there was another draft circulating around the water commission that I I have not been given yet. Do we want to just put this on the table? I I just my only comment on this is um make
that little this is what I believe I mean there's a certain section in here about the well shall be considered on call but my memory from QPP is is the way I read this is and I guess that's one big
sentence in the first one but uh towards the end person shall be compensated for a minimum of 4 hours overtime at a rate of 1 and a uh the employees straight time for any work performing in excess of 40 hours for
that week. I would interpret that to mean and I believe this is where the water superintendent and I have a disagreement. My reading of that is it's actual hours worked. So I would argue that if somebody took a sick day in the middle of that 40-hour week, it's not
but it doesn't say that. And I believe their their intent was regardless of whether you took a sick day or a vacation day, you got the time and a half and that's where it first broke down. So to me, 40 hours that week in excess of 40 hours, I would interpret that to mean actually worked. I would I
would offer if this we're going to act on this, I would amend that to say 40 hours of actual work. Mhm. I think this was is this the language pretty much this was your proposal to counteract what had been put in the draft I think from from the water
commissioners and I think that was the intent that if you had taken vacation time or or sick time or whatever during that week that you weren't automatically going to use all of that and then you should get also also be compensated. Yeah. You should get straight time. Straight time, right? Not to Right. I
think so that I mean that would be the normal procedure. I mean, you wouldn't get credit for all that if you were on leave, etc. You would have had to work that week in order to get get that credited. Madam Chair, um the water commissioners met uh and I was out of
town, so I've not had an opportunity to hear the full conversation that's gone on this or whether there may be a newer version. But what I what I did here
passionately is that in order to attract and retain employees, what is comparable to other communities in their research and experience and evaluation
is that it's not just hours actually worked, but it's any paid hour. So if it's paid vacation, paid medical this is the environment that they think they're competing in for employees. I
can say not much more than that. Yeah. Okay. I think the the draft that we had seen at one point which is right prior to this maybe the last meeting was that a lot of language in there sounded like it was very union oriented and we are not unionized here and I believe they might have used some of that language
from other communities that perhaps have a unionized DPW or something like that that is bigger than us. But that's why some of that language just didn't seem to fit right for Southampton um in terms of a variety of things. But Scott, go ahead with your thoughts. I mean, I think in the last year, they've been able to recruit a new water
superintendent. They've been able to recruit several qualified candidates for the water technician job. Um, so I I think that the fact that they're saying that they can't recruit and retain people when they've hired two positions out of three in the last year might be a
little bit of a I think I think the other issue it's not an issue but the concern is and and that's why this policy this looks like what came from PP well because we had the expiration to expire December 30th 2025 not to run
indefinitely because we the PPP recognized that this was really we were viewing this as an emergency situation because in essence the technician is working 365 days. the only the the water superintendent does not work Saturday and Sunday. It's
Monday through Friday and the hourly employee does their five day week, then they do the Saturday and Sunday. And I believe with the exception of when he was away for his wedding, um we've got one employee that's out there working 365 days consecutively until they hire
person and then they're able to alternate off back and forth. They can reschedule that. I mean, you can Yeah, you can have somebody for a Tuesday to Saturday position or whatever. my esteem colleague here to my left who is also a commissioner now and probably try and encourage the recruitment and selection
of a third candidate. Yeah, absolutely. So should we I mean do we want to wait until you've had a chance to meet with the water commissioners and get if there is yet another policy floating around? I mean we haven't seen it. Um, we had gotten one that they seemed to have approved when Joe was still on the
commission. And then this was your reaction, I believe, Scott, to what was in there that didn't seem to this was your suggested language that counteracted some of what we saw in the policy um that they had tried to put forward last time. So, and we've got at
least some skinny feedback from the water superintendent, right? That the expiration date was problematic in his view and um clarifying what we've gone over and over again, the different view
about what his mhm work but but since our last meeting apparently yet there's another version from them which we haven't seen yet. So, I didn't know that. So, I think I I don't know. Are we okay to again push bonus? Do we want to just tweak this and add in actual work and send this to saying this this is the
version that we have? Yeah. To just to keep the process going and at least I think that at least for the first um in that first paragraph I think that was what we had intended was any I guess any work actually yeah any yeah actually performed any hours any hours any hours
actually performed. Yeah. because who knows maybe they'll see this in the in the commissioners and we'll go along with it and then we're we're done. Well, I think this has been sent to to Brett before, but whether they've had a chance to meet and talk about it, I don't know.
Okay. No, I think there's clarity about the opposing position. I just think they are opposing. So, and maybe they've refined it further. So Mhm. Um I'm not opposed to going on
another round of Okay. We postpone it until next year. Yeah. Next time around, we'll see what they do over the next couple weeks and we'll pick it back up again. So this is which is not to disregard or dishonor their work. We rather want to make sure we include their latest, right? But if we're going to make a policy, let's make it so that
it's not particular to today's situation, but we're making a policy that makes sense for whoever's in the position. We're not, you know, trying to just accommodate certain things. If that's the case, I move we lay this on the table. Okay. All right. Do we have a second on that? We'll hold. All right.
And all those in favor? I I All right. So, we'll pick it back up again. All right. Thank you. All right. FY24 audit update, Mr. Scott. Um, on that wonderful long list of however many, 150 things. I'm I'm going to
There's a few things I'm going to start working on later on this week. So, I still want to maintain that 20 uh June 27th. Uh Bradley has submitted most of his things already. Um there are a few I got to follow up on. Um but other than
that, he's going to be on schedule for the next batch, which is um July 11th. Um I do have to follow up with Dave just on those last two items that he has to do, but other than that, he's going to be completed for the um assessors. He just needs to do the um receivables and
the um I'm not exactly sure where that is, but I'll have to defer to him. Uh and then obviously the the biggest part of that, the treasur and collector um part. So, uh we're moving forward on the assessors, all the stuff that I can do and all the u all the stuff the
accountant can do. And remind me of the June 27th date. What were you saying there? That was uh for my stuff, things like the collective baring agreements, the legal counsel, things like just the little things I can put together. Okay. All right. So, we've got some stuff going in, but not not the biggest chunk
of what we need to get in, unfortunately. Right. Mhm. And that is basically all of that is things that only the treasure collector can do, not any of her assistants that can pull it together. I mean, at this for the most part, at this point, yeah,
I mean, it would take a long time for someone just go into there to decipher something that happened two years ago and to recreate all Mhm. all that stuff, especially like the the cash books and things like that. Okay. All right. Well, as we've said, we'll
keep this as an an item on all of our select board meetings so that we know what the progress is going forward as we get things done. Um, so I guess that leads us into at this point though with with that. So
the auditors haven't started anything yet until we get all of this in or is that how that works or uh well we're going to start uploading it. Um I'm sure they'll do do some work but a lot of the stuff like you know the um the notes and and the bank books from the in the treasure side it's going to be difficult
to move forward. Okay. That's the biggest chunk of it. Mhm. Okay. All right. So, with that, let's lead that right into the treasure collector update and what's what's happening in terms of our
treasure collector um what we know, what contact we've had. Um so, I had talked to Jen on Saturday, a brief phone call. I um I let her know that we would be sending a letter for her to appear at at the psycho board meeting. uh she said
don't bother that she wouldn't be attending. Um so she did have a brief phone conversation with me. I I stressed the importance again as I have over the last month and a half month about getting a date for a resignation which we do not have. Um so for the last 30
days the office has been essentially in limbo. Um whatever the the plan is for a transition it's not going to matter if there's not a date that we can move forward with. We can't hire anyone. We can't get any consultants. We can't get any um firms in. Um you know, we can't say, "Oh, come
work on July 7th." And we still have a we still have a treasure collector there that that doesn't have any that can't share the any of the information. Um so at this point, uh it is my understanding that she comes in at night sometimes. Um
I know she's here now. Um she came in around 5. Uh but I don't know about any consistency. But I the issue is that from 9:00 to 5:00 we don't have the main financial person of the town to do conduct any town business whatsoever
for the public. So if there's a question on a tax bill, if they need if a person comes in and needs to get a waiver or if they want to wave the interest fee, it has to be done after hours and everything's delayed at at best 24 hours if we can get a response. like the
audit, we have not had a response from the treasur. Mhm. Um to do anything yet after multiple emails. Um I talked to her on Saturday and asked for a date to resign. She said she might give it. I I stopped by again this before this meeting and she said there was nothing
confirmed that she would even resign. She said I I don't know when I'm going to give it. Did we get any guidance or direction from KP Law yet? Um, yeah, there's there's a few different routes. Um, let me bring up my thing. So, the one
thing that council did bring up was the a bigger step. Sure. Um, this part, this is mass general law. Um, so the select board could uh because the current treasur collector does have
another position with another town, a full-time position. So they cannot perform any other duties of for the town of Southampton while working for the town of Weley. So that would be a conflict. So in essence that is an
absence from the position. Uh the select board could take a vote um that they are that the position is absent and move forward with appointing. So that's section 40. What's the do you
know what the MGL is? Yeah, it is 42 um chapter 41. So that that's one way. Um obviously uh there is this special town meeting and eliminating the salary for the position
um and it would essentially be an unpaid position. Um, we could involve some supervisory organizations like the ethics or the mass treasures collectors association um and and make complaints through those um organizations.
Um none of those are quick. Yeah. Um so I mean ultimately I do think the the goal of the town should be to seriously look at making an appointed position so this doesn't happen in the future. Uh an appointed position would have contract.
if they don't fulfill the contract, there's terms to um to terminate the person and you can get someone in. Um as an elected official, it's a huge gray area. But I also think we're one of the it's becoming less and less common in the
Commonwealth to have an elected treasurer collector these days. Um that's true. But that 4140 that was referenced there by KP Law said, you know, the select board would would basically declare the office absent. So to me we need to we would need to build
a case for that before we could act on that. Um so I I think next steps are in no particular order. We we need to build build a public record to that, you know, we're trying to
resolve this and and validate that it's true. Because if we go this route and say at the end of it we do and we we take a vote under 4140 and declare the the office absent um and go and appoint somebody else, we potentially are going
to end up with a current treasurer collector and refusing to to turn anything over and then we're going to be before a superior court judge. Mhm. So in my mind that's I'm thinking we need to have our ducks in our try and avoid that. Yeah. So I think like for example I think we should the
board should vote to formally send a request to our treasur collector um asking her to formally declare her date of resignation based on the fact that she has been appoint accepted an appointed position in weight for the
same position that operates during the same hours that we're open simultaneously. I don't want to assume that she has actually started in weight. I know it's on the web page of the town page, but I haven't called to verify and I don't think that's my role to do it. Um, she could have some arrangement up
there. So, I think we should also send a a formal request letter to town administrator Wley under a Freedom of Information Act asking for validation or proof that yes, she's been appointed because it's on the website, but she has actually started.
Maybe there's a delay up there. Maybe she's not performing the duties right now. I don't know. But if she is, you know, the the time records, time slips, whatever support documents are entitled to that and then assuming that comes back in the affirmative, then again, I
don't want to be the board. I don't want this body acting independently. I say at that point, we then ask the we do a formal request to the state ethics to re review if they believe a conflict of interest exists under MGL 268A, which
Scott referred to earlier. when you're collecting compensation from two municipalities for work that's being supposed to be performed at the same time but that becomes a conflict um simultaneous now going along those lines I believe all those things being true we
should exercise our authority and notify the department of revenue and department of local services that we believe that the job is not being performed here and therefore our audit is going to be impacted our cherish I mean all our
turnovers all our year reports are going to be impacted and put them on notice now that these are issues and concerns that we have and yeah sooner sooner rather than later I would agree with that yeah um and I think and then pause and then let's see what comes back and
and if everything comes back and cuz right now it's all conversations outside of this board unfortunately this board has to operate under open meeting law so we independently can't go have conversations this is the only place we can have it. We did a formal request for the treasurer collector, another elected
person to come in before this elected body so under the law and under the open meeting law, we could have a conversation. She declined our request. Okay. But we're we're trying everything within the law to Well, settled and resolved and Right. And the town administrator had put it in writing. It
was a request to come in for tonight, right? Was that a conversation or was that I talked to her. I I gave her notice that I'd be emailing it to make sure she checks her email, her town email. Uh and then she texted said she wouldn't be coming in and then she
called me on Saturday instead. Okay. Yeah. Because I think with this this chapter 40, I mean, being able to work two full-time jobs at the same hours and, you know, I mean, essentially right now, she is technically collecting a paycheck from here, whether she's coming in 2 hours a week or not at all. We
don't really have a way to know that, right? There's no there's no key card at the door to know that somebody signed in, there's no time, you know, time log thing that you have to sign in, etc. here for that job. And I don't want to assume perhaps she's waving her weightly pay. I don't I don't know. This is why
we need to get all the documents in a row. All right. Well, that sounds like at least more formal procedures. I mean, I think we've been trying to do this informally just hopefully we can just, you know, come to a meeting of the minds and and have her leave on good terms and
leave us with what we need to keep on moving forward with the audit for 24 in particular. But uh I'm guess I'm not understanding why the delay in putting any dates down even if she wanted to continue doing some handover to the current staff that are there. I don't know how and when that could possibly
happen given that she's not available unless she took a personal day from lately. She's not even available to be here during work hours to work with Angie and Anne to hand anything over. So and are we are we expecting those hourly employees to come in at night? And if so then we have a duty to pay them time
that's been approved or we don't know. No, I mean I wouldn't have expected that. No, I wouldn't expect that. I mean, I think they they have their normal work hours and that's what it should be. Um, and then lastly, I would just suggest that we schedule a tenatively a special meeting on Monday,
July 14th to take just this issue up. That gives a little over two weeks for all these other items to flow through to float in and then potentially have additional data points to act on. I concur with both of you. I certainly
wish this was resolvable and amicable and efficient way that the turnover is, you know, thorough and responsible and uh everyone leaves on good terms. But if that's
not probable, we need to prepare ourselves. Mhm. Okay. So I I mean as a motion Yeah. I think we need to try to combine that as a motion. I'll make the following motion to do the um five following items. Okay. Uh first
is to send a formal letter to the treasur collector requesting that she declare her resignation date in writing in le of the fact that she appears to have accepted a similar position in town
weight. Mhm. um that we formally seek town council opinion on declaring the office vacant and withholding pay and what those steps would be for guidance. that we request the state ethics re review the conflict of interest under
MGL268A to determine independently whether or not a conflict has arise arisen that we notify the do/dls of our operational concerns
and lastly that we send a former that we send a request for frequent information act to townly through its town administrator seeking confirmation of the start date, actual hours performed. Mhm. And such.
Does that actually have to be a freedom of information request or can that be just Well, that would otherwise that counter isn't compounded to answer us. You know, I'm I'm sure as a professional courtesy he I would think I I would leave it to Scott to word it as he sees
as long as it's in writing and traceable. Okay. Could we also add um the mass uh treasures and collectors as well as the potential ethics? We also um send a letter to the current president of mass treasures collector who just got elected
last week. Um and that we your cousin did not that we tenatively slate Monday July 14th 6 p.m. for a special meeting. Special meeting just on this just on this issue. Okay. Go back on one point
you had on the GC. I didn't capture that one on the general on the council. Well, just two things. We have the email there saying we can declare the office absent. I would like to know next steps on withholding the pay and and to do that alto together just for guidance. I
suspect that's going to require special town meeting vote. I don't think the select board can do it on its own, but I'd rather have our attorneys tell us Mhm. here's what you can do, what you can't do. Okay. Okay. That's a pretty long pretty long list uh of a motion. Uh Can we have a second then any
discussion? Yes. Second. Second, Stephen. Okay. Any thoughts and discussion, Ellen? Any thoughts? This is all kind of new for you on the board here, too, but feel free to chime in with questions you might have. It's um just it's a little confusing as to why not not confusing, but headscratching as
to why this issue even exists. um I think going forward but I think that these steps I do think that we need to be more um um formal formal about our approach to it definitely move forward I think we've been trying yeah we mean business and we need yeah I think
formalizing it is probably our next step we we've been trying to do it informally but we're not making a lot of headway here and time keeps flying by on us and uh okay so I think we have that if no further comments I'll take a vote please all those in favor I I All right, motion
passes. Thank you. So, Scott, you and I can work together on a couple letters here and get get this drafted before the end of the week. Okay. All right. Uh, next up, if you want to I don't know if you have it on your screen, the PSBC charge. Right. Okay. So, this is
not really for any decision tonight, but I just wanted to bring it up. Um, public safety building committee is going to be meeting again on Monday the 30th, I believe. Um, and as we were meeting, they were meeting last time, um, it
occurred to everybody that basically the char, excuse me, the charge for the committee as it had been developed, Scott, you can make that just a little bit bigger, please. Um, as it had been developed really has pretty much been fulfilled. So, you can go ahead and
scope down. So, um, it gets down into this of right around in there or right up above. So, uh, yeah, maybe just a little bit above that. I don't know what one more. No. Okay. Right there. Yeah. What is the meaning of the italics? That was not
This was when it was amended. So, it was originally the charge and then it was amended up in the date up at the top of the first page if you scroll all the way up. Yeah. I think it was um there was an original charge and then it was amended. I see. In March of So, it was amended later on in that same month as they
rethought things in 2022, I believe. Yeah. So the the amendment I believe is the italics language and that was when they took it one step further to go into the statement of work and the RFQ for the feasibility study. Uh look for town buildings and you know look for
possible land visit other facilities in other towns uh etc etc. So uh and then determine the recommended size layout locations of public safety and then maybe a couple more below that. Scott. Um yeah. Um work with the selected
consulting firm which has been HKT obviously. Um and then determine the potential design and construction costs and report back. So that's essentially where where things have gotten through already. So they're saying that you know for them to move forward they need to know what select board would like them
to do. Um and so it's something that I would want to put back on the agenda for when we meet again. We do have a charge for the senior center building committee that's a little bit different than that because that theirs went through the whole OPM and architectural design stage
on their charge. Um so theirs is still valid. They've got a couple of extra points on theirs already which this one doesn't have. So we might take a couple of those to add and or reformulate this charge. When the um public safety committee met after the vote to discuss
that, did did they develop or uh could they develop u next steps or action steps from their point of view um where they think this should go for us to be forefront of mind when we're considering adopting this charge? I I think we're
we're kind of in a quandry. Um and Scott, correct me if I'm wrong. Basically, they had not determined any particular direction. Uh, we did have everybody in the committee kind of give their opinion about, you know, what they thought had happened at the ballot box and then, you know, what could we have
done differently, what could we have done better, how could we have explained more, etc., etc., gotten the word out better, um, counteracted some of the information that kind of went a little bit astray in terms of its actualities. Um and then the last meeting we looked at, you know, whether we believe the
functionality, you know, the the structure that we have, did does it meet the the structural needs and the efficiency needs and the functional needs of the fire and police department? And everybody felt that that did, but um there are some thoughts
about, you know, should we just look at um just doing the fire station and not doing the police station? And then there was a lot of discussion about that in terms of efficiencies and you know cost efficiencies in terms of not having a combined facility where you've got your electrical, your mechanical, your HVAC,
all that stuff is you know doing that twice is is just going to be an incredible cost. But basically I guess I would say that right now they're feeling very cautious. They're not sure that they want to proceed for a November anything. Um they're they're feeling like they're you know this isn't going
to this isn't going to fly. Um but yet trying to figure out how to knock down the $27 million cost to anything meaningful. Um they did not seem to feel that it would get down anywhere close to this idea of a $20 million facility. Um
so that you know is is really structurally a challenge because we've been told the $1,000 or $1,100 per square foot which isn't isn't changing. I mean that is the real reality now and that's actually before tariffs came along. Um, so other
than really just chopping off rooms, which you know, again, it's an office or it's a, you know, something else. I mean, I guess the notion of combining like a lunchroom or combining showers or combining u bathrooms or something like that that can be done and that that's all part of
the tweak that an architect would have done if we'd got to that next step, which we have been kind of stopped at. However, doing that isn't going to change the basic footprint itself. It's it's the real, you know, structure that's really the the big thing. You can
still tweak a lot of stuff inside and make it less, but it's not going to be appreciable to millions of dollars worth. Um, and what this cost is that we had prepared or HKT had prepared for us, I believe Scott, was 19 or 20 million as the build
cost, but then there's a 30% on top of that, which is all of the soft costs, all the OPM architect, insurance, bonding, blah blah blah, you know, everything there. So, that's all kind of built in plus a contingency. So, if there's anything that could be reduced, maybe that 30% we might be able to tweak
it down a little bit, but still that isn't going to mean lots of savings of millions of dollars or or more clearly called it out because people bought the building, right? You can't have a building without the total, but that the
bricks and mortar are this and the people who get it done are that amount. Yeah. I mean, some of those other things that, you know, we can't totally control, but, you know, maybe there's a way to to be less than the the standard 30%. I mean, possibly there could be some savings there. So, they're kind of in a quandry. They haven't they didn't
come up with any particular thought, but go ahead. I think it's interesting because Hampton last night approved their expansion for their fire department, which right now is about 5,000 square ft, and they're adding about 6,000 ft at a cost of construction costs like 8.5 million. And then soft
costs are are going to be 11 or 12 million for 6,000 square feet for 6,000 square feet for an expansion. And they're going to redo like the second floor to keep it just but not actually use it. So I mean if you take those numbers and then you know that's only
for 12,000 square ft which is almost like what we have now. Um and if you double that for a police station now you're right around the Yeah. $24 million. So you take the basis of $1,000 a square foot and the minimum square
footage it is to do any type of functional police and fire department. Mhm. Yeah, that's that's kind of so I think that's that's the challenge of you know do we do we just say okay we're only going to do the fire department they're in the worst shape but then you know in reality you know the police are not in great shape over there too in
that facility and trying to do any kind of retrofit in that facility renovation modification try to make it ADA compliant is going to be lots and lots and lots of dollars that I don't know that we're going to have either so it's they're kind of in a quandry they they
don't know exactly where to go so we'll see what the Monday meeting brings, but they just wanted us to realize that they think they're at a standstill in terms of what we told them we wanted them to do. And we need to pick up and give them new direction. And at some point, there'll probably be some member changes. And, you know, when you get a
real building committee in most towns that I've seen, you've got, you know, people that are really, you know, much more qualified than some of us in terms of, you know, real, you know, engineers and architects and other kinds of people that are, you know, people that show up and serve on on a real building committee, per se. So, and that would
you I would think would be when we get to the OPM and and architecture point, you know, when we got to that point, that's when perhaps some new new faces would come in that would have a lot more technical qualifications to be able to have that um input. Um, so that's kind
of what I can say I guess at this point. I don't know if anybody has any thoughts on on this end, but keep the faith and let us know in particular what you want changed on the charter because yeah, I think most there's a critical need for
the public safety building and I and I do and a place building and um it coordinates with the senior center and the concept of some commercial economic
development Yeah. property. And so it it's got to hang together. Uh it can't die on the first turndown. Yeah. Well, but I guess you know what is it that's going to be palatable for for the citizens to vote on? And that's the the big challenge. And and timing, you know, where when and
where and well, so I mean on that it's what is the what is the dollar amount, you know, and I don't think anybody here knows that answer. Um, and you know, if the overall thought is that cuz I don't think the ballot was purely rejected based on costs. I think um, that might
have been an overwhelming piece, but I think some of it was rejected for other reasons than cost. So, okay. I mean, I don't think we're ever going to get 100% favor vote. Mhm. But it is cost. What is that cost number? where you know so you know how you do that study how you break
that down we certainly know the um who who was vocal about it you know is there doing you know somebody doing reach out to that group well a little bit or else no and a couple of those folks have come to the public safety building committee meeting so there was one one or one or
two people one person I believe that came to a senior center building committee meeting and then three or four I believe that came to the public safety building committee so they voiced some some opinions at that point and that's fine I mean, they're open meetings. People are welcome to come and and listen to what's going on. And maybe it is. It's the plan that's on the table
now, and that's the price tag. That's what we really need to do. It's just that the general tax base here can't pay for it. So, okay, what are if there are any, maybe we need to spend time on identifying um alternative
revenue sources outside the town, i.e. the state auditor's office or rural community support. Yeah. You know, to uh we need this. I know you you know we need it. We can't afford the 30 million. So you guys got to pay 50% of this. I know unlike you know like with the
schools or with the libraries where they you know the state picks up 45 50% of the cost. There is no such facility that exists for municipal buildings and they've been talking about establishing something like that for the old town halls and all these other buildings that need to get renovated. Public safety
perfect place to start not necessarily town halls but public. Yeah. Equally utilizes or has the potential to utilize the police, the fire, the ambulance. That's right. Yeah. And I think that that has been, you know, a bill that's been drafted for a couple years, been floating in the legislature, but it never it gets talked
about, but it never has any funding behind it. So, that's been the big challenge with that. So, so anyway, just to say if you've got any thoughts, you know, shoot me an email and and just, you know, feel free. But, uh, we will be meeting on Monday and maybe we'll have a little bit more clarity about where they think they would like to go on that
point. But we would want to pick this up and give give the current committee at least some more direction over the next 6 months. Anyway, at the risk of being dramatic Mhm. if the community cannot see their way to building a
proper facility for the police and fire, we need to actively look at regionalizing and we will not have either department local to town. That is really where we're at. These facilities are in failure. They're health hazard to
our employees. They are not open sufficiently to the entire public. They are not an appropriate way to conduct the business of either department and we've heard that in detail. So if not this, then
what? Well, and that's it. And a few years ago, the town voted to have 247 coverage, right? So we we've we've gone through we didn't have it before and this was you know this was a choice. Do we want this or don't we? So that's how these departments have created now um to
be able to respond to that expectation of of residents but it's um it's a balancing match for sure. I I don't know that any of our neighbors want to pick up the responsibility. Maybe we just sign on with the state police and acme ambulance and we're all set, right?
Yeah. Well, not so if you're expected in uh quick service, I'm not sure I would go that route, but yeah, that's where I'm going. So, all right. Well, so let's just say we'll pick that back up. Thank you. Um, select word liaison assignments. And again, this is just for thinking. We we usually do have some
liaison and Scott if you want to make that a little bigger again. So, some of these I think this is all the current committee assignments, but some of these are just because we're already on the committee. Not everyone needs a liaison. For example, Grants Technology does not need a liaison. That that's just cuz I
happened to be on the committee or Dan was on the committee. Um so when there was news, we would you know share it. But formal liaison are really probably more half a dozen committees that really need you know our attention. And some of those are um dictated by by for example
the select board has has somebody on the finance committee but they don't vote right. Uh yes on finance committee and PBPQ. Yeah public you know you're you're we have a seat on that and you are a voting member. You are a voting member on on
the U policies and procedures board. Correct. So I I think those where we have we're either on the board or we have a vote. Mhm. those we should fill those and then the rest should be discretionary and you know and actually public safety and senior center those are both voting ones
as well right yeah so those are um planning board was just a liazison I believe Stephen you were on it as a planning board member but because you were on a me as a member you were our liaison but we got to figure out you know out of these committees and before
I came on the select board we benefited from Dan being an elected member of the planning board so So a lot of what we've done is what I see missing is zoning board of appeals and that's never been a liaison one though. They they meet is it part of their charter then? No. I mean
they meet maybe once a year. Oh did I get assigned to that emergency? I don't maybe. Oh thank you. Yeah I don't think it was anything on a regular basis by any means. They meet some of them have in their charter that there's XYZ uh authority.
Yeah. So like so grants and technology I don't think we need leaison assessors probably would be good board of health would be good capital committee I don't think we need a liaison person I mean the liaison is really because well capital you're a voting member somehow I got stuck with all the vot
I'm sorry saddled with all the voting ones you're like concom or in Hampshire regionalism and like for example on the schools If if and I have no reason to believe they're not going to the new administration up there with Dr. Coron
and Dawn, they're going to attend the quarterly finance f meetings. And as long as that's happening, we'll we'll know what's going on because the the other school committee members over at Norris, if there's an issue, they're all in town. We all know each other. I mean, I'm on that committee for one more year,
but they're if there's a problem, they're going to reach out. M and I think the strongest reason for us to have the relationship with all these committees is from the financial impacts. So as long as they're talking with FICOM and we're meeting with FICOM in joint sessions, I I think we're Mhm. hearing what we need to hear. Yeah. And
I think a large part aside from those that have this as voting members, the intent was that there are certain committees that they wanted to feel like they had somebody from select board to to reach out to if they had a particular issue. they had a contact person on
select board that was there. Um so so along those lines I okay with us being you know each one of us being a liazison of something but that does not mean we're going to every single meeting. Correct. It's if you have an issue and you'd like a member of the select board present. This is your liaison to coordinate with. Okay. And then yeah
I'll certainly go and go to a meeting occasionally but not or if I know it's a select board issue. I'll find one of my temporaries here to cover for it. Okay. That might be an idea. Um, I think that's I think that's a fine idea, but I think that we need to engage every
committee chair that there's a new day in a new way. Mhm. Um, again, back to whose charter requires a select board member. I think the new housing trust requires that's how I got both hats.
That you're actually a member of the trust. You're you're as the select board. You are the select board member of the five person trust. Yes. So you're more than a year. Well, it would be this wasn't this wasn't a didn't exist. This
is last year's list mostly. We need the voting members, right? If there's a select board, right? No, you will be you are a voting member. Any committee charter, we need to right pull those to the top. Y and the liaison role that
John just very well described is something different. So maybe we can highlight all those highlight those. So the the highlight let's highlight the ones that have voting members and then that'll kind of solve that. So it would be capital. Yeah. Capital and QPP were mine. Uh public yeah uh policy and
procedure. Um both right now public safety and senior center building are both voting. Um nothing up above open space. I don't think so. No, cuz you and I I I think
it's in their chart or It might be. It's a delegation. Maybe a delegation. We can check that from their thing. Um finance. Finance. You're just a delegate. You don't You're not allowed to vote. Oh, you're not a voting member, right? Um
uh the CPA have a select board member. No, master plan is a voting member. Um because those are that takes members from various committees. So um I think that's it is it in terms of voting members community preservation.
No I don't think so. Not select board is not a member of community preservation I don't believe. Um it would be nice to have a liazison to concom for example just to keep an eye on what's going on or have them know what's going on. Right. And we're not voting members when you need somebody to be there and and we
may drop into every single meeting. Mhm. Okay. As is our habit. All right. So maybe what we'll do is is we'll just reformulate the the structure of this list so we know who's who's required as voting members have those and and take a look at that at our next meeting and then in the meantime we'll pass this
back around and just you know if there's a particular committee especially Ellen something that would interest you to be involved in Dan is going to be leaving us so um if you'd like to take looking at his two I was looking at community preservation and conservation would be
my interest okay conservation and and which one um the community preservation and conservation. All right, that's good. Okay, fine. So, I think that's the kind of thing that, you know, as of, you know, maybe our next meeting, we can kind of hash out a little bit and just see. Well, that's what I wanted to hear when you had heard enough that you Yeah. found your place
in all this. Yeah, I better find my place in it. Okay. No, that's that's good. I think that that'll work. So, let's pick this up and the next time around and u solidify it. But I think that's the notion that those that are voting members will will make that formalized and then others if we're going to be liaison we will be that
contact person but it doesn't mean that we attend every meeting like we've been trying to do and and burning everybody out. Um but you know hopefully you can meet once a quarter you might attend a meeting and just you know show a face and you know whatever you feel like you can fit into your schedule basically.
And and so there's a third category isn't there? It's the case where a select board member is separately elected to a board. Mhm. And that may be obvious to those who follow town government, but it's
not necessarily obvious to the random committee chair that oh, they have two different hats. Mhm. And to be comfortable which hat they're wearing. Yeah. Right. when I go to the housing authority now I'm not just a
community member I'm a elected member of the housing authority um but I'm not a select board member in that context so simply keeping track of that Dan has been elected member of the planning
board right um appointed to the concom we make all those appointments right um those transition yeah okay no that's valid Good point. Okay. Okay. Uh moving on. Uh Scott, conference room. Oh, furniture
stuff. So, the most important topic for the night. Um these these chairs are not great. And if we ask volunteers to sit here for 3 or 4 hours and they develop a lower back pain, I don't think we'll be able to
retain many volunteers over the years. Um, so we do have a little bit of money in the budget uh for chairs. Um, I would recommend at least six, but no more no less than five. No fewer than five. Uh, so I just did some Amazon
depending on what style you would like. Um, I can kind of shop around, but we have a um mesh style. Um, we have a fixed arm style.
And then we have a um I would probably recommend just a midback um executive chair which is a little bit um something like that. But they're actually these are actually a little bit better than than what that one is. That's that's a staple special. So I like the mesh
background. It's breathable. The um with the fixed arms or the other one? That one there is that these are all adjustable anyway, right? Yeah. So that's uh 109 give or take. disconnected by seven. Well, yeah, cuz there's some committees. So, like uh
community preservation is bigger. They're like at least seven people, I think. Mhm. So, I'm just saying we have seven around here right now. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We we would have enough. I think there's like $1,500 for this room, not for the second floor, right? Yeah. Yep. So, maybe seven seven chairs worth or
something like that. Does that do your your midback idea or No. Um Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think it would be something like it's like similar to this style, but it's mesh instead of Uhhuh. um that. So, and these are um that
a little bit bigger than what these things are, too. So, if you like the mesh style, you can you can always return them if you don't like. Sure. Amazon's got a pretty good return policy. All right. Do we need to vote on that or
just give you our Okay. The line item that you're going to attach this to, is it an appropriate line item by these chairs? Mhm. It's a chair line item. I don't know about that. Oh, it is. But then, no, you don't need the money's in the account. It matches the expens.
Go for it. Uh, I move approval for purchase of seven chairs of final selection to be determined by the 10. There is one second. All right. $1,500 bucks. Yeah. Uh, yeah,
it was definitely I remember I put in the budget. So, yeah, I know we put put money aside, I thought last year on the budget. Okay. Uh, hear a motion in a second. John and Steven. Uh, all those in favor of having Scott go ahead and choose some chairs here. Uh probably looking at that one with a mesh
background. All in favor? I I All right. Go for it. Thank you. All right. Um 250th. Uh oh, sorry. Was there anything for the upstairs? Um um depending on how much we have left. I was going to get
some um smaller portable conference tables that we could um essentially uh let me just bring it up really quick here. What happened to the big round table that was up there? Is that it's still in there? It's It's just rolled into the attic. Okay. Um and that
doesn't fit too many people, I guess, that we had what, five, maybe six people around it. So, I wanted to get um relatively maybe split it up into instead of getting eight, maybe four this year and four the next, but something like this where it's you can actually arrange it
depending on what the meeting is. So, you can do like a if you have like a budget hearing, we can do this style. If you have a joint meeting, you could do this style or just, you know, regular training exercise, you could do these types. So, it allows you some flexibility to rearrange kind of a
modular sort of thing. Mhm. Interesting. Yeah. Okay. Well, maybe let's see how much money we have left and um you know, if we have any left in that line or not by the time we're done. Super. All right. Um briefly 250th anniversary. Uh just
thanks everybody who came out to the concert. It was finally a Saturday without rain. Uh it was a beautiful night. A little warm, but uh we did okay. We had about I I don't know. I guess maybe I'm gonna say two about 200 people probably. Uh and our musician went from 5 to 8:00 with a very short
break and did pretty well. Food trucks did well. The Haml said that they did pretty well on wine sales and we sold a bunch of merchandise. So I think all in all it was a good night for everyone. So that was great up at the vineyard. Beautiful view and uh just a nice night.
So, the next one will be uh Conan Park. Um it's a Wednesday night. I believe it's July 21st or 23rd, one of the other. Uh and we're just going to help out with the Lions Club and take over one of the concerts that they were going to do. And so, this is the um Barry Surl
and Time stretchers. Uh we'll sponsor it um from from the 250th anniversary. So, that'll be the next big thing in July. Uh any other business that can't wait until our July 8th meeting? off hands.
If not, um, we do have a couple of minutes here. There's a motion to approve April 9th, April 29th, May 6th, May 13th minutes. Okay, I'll have a second on that. And couple couple discussions on just one of them for me.
You have a second? Yes, Stephen. Okay. Um, on the May 29th one, uh, just some crazy typo type things, I guess. April 29th. April 29. Um, uh, just under reports.
Uh, let's see. It's page. I can work on it with Scott later, but under reports, um, I didn't understand. It's on the first page. It's number D. It says restarting finishing up FY23 24
audits next week. So, I don't know what the restarting part was. Um and then just below that would just be Dr. Peron's with an S evaluation. Um and then the probably the biggest thing is on the top of page two. Um the
motion was not to approve the right of first refusal. It was to approve the waiver of our right of first refusal. So we need to have the word waiver in there on the top of page two. That was on the for or simply to wave whichever. Yeah.
To wave the writer first refusal. Correct. So that's at the very top of page two, Scott. Mhm. Okay. And I think it's down in the attachments. Um when she put her notes there, she noted that as a as a document she received, but it it's actually the waiver, not the um not
the right of first refusal, but the waiver of the first refusal. Um so that was all. So I think those are the only comments that I saw that needed some corrections. So, with those corrections, uh, we have a motion to approve all three of these, unless anybody else has seen anything. If not,
all those in favor? I I I All right. Very good. So, those couple directions, we'll get those done and then let us go into all of our warrants. All right. Since my last reading, the following
warrants have been approved. W25-11A the amount is $4663. W25-45 is $420,000 at $420,2927. [Music]
PD25-46A the amount is $241,810.35. W25-471,656,2147 P25-48 the amount is $364,7251. PED25-48 the amount is $60,3618. W25-49
the amount is $2,520,287.73 W25-50 the amount is $586,79987 PD25-50 the amount is 97,54766 W25-51A A the amount is $248,70
even. Okay. Thank you. All right. Okay. Opens uh just a little bit in terms of any um further information on the FY23 audit. How how are things moving from there? We're still still waiting still waiting on the auditors to
get us Yep. their final language there that like we said last time it seems to be much more complicated in their language than what we've seen in the past. Um anything on the HMP has a mitigation plan now PVPC. Um ADA door openers. Uh it's all set. I
just need a new master key for Kate to open it cuz that door just it runs on the master key. So Okay. But that should be all set. And so if that one is working well, we can go ahead and order them for the bathrooms and y that will be it. Okay. That would be great. I think we need to get those taken care
of. And we had I'm forgetting did we put money in this year's budget or was it a capital? It was it was was it capital or was ARPA? Maybe. Uh it was originally capital then ARP but then back to capital. Okay. Okay. All right. Um stormwater enterprise fund.
Uh nothing yet. Okay. Yeah. And broadband committee charge. I do have a draft uh from the committee. So I think probably our next meeting I know um both uh open space and uh uh somebody else has asked for some
changes to their charge their mandate. So we might try to pick these up. I'll see if I can make some headway with what they gave me as a starting point. Uh other than that um nothing I'm assuming on East Street. Nothing going on there yet either um for construction there. No
change. Okay. Uh our next select board meetings will be July 8th and 22nd. Regular select board meetings. Uh however, we do have a zoom meeting on this coming Monday at 6:00 with the finance committee uh just to approve end of year transfers. So that will be
happening. Uh just on that July 8th I will be away so there's a form issue. Okay. Zoom in. All right. Thank you for that. And Stephen, are you on any of those days? Are you okay? Oh, I didn't bring my up to-date calendar,
but I don't I think I've already entered them in my Okay. All right. calendar. So, okay. Um, so with that, uh, we will be, um, moving into executive session and not coming back. Uh the reason going into executive session is per MGL
chapter 30A section 21A number two to conduct strategy sessions in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel or to conduct collective bargaining sessions or contract negotiations with non-union personnel highway superintendent and town accountant. So moved. Okay. So we'll
currently adjourn at regular session here at 7:30 and uh take a two-minute break and we'll start with the executive session.