Town of Otis
All Boards Meeting Minutes
July 26, 2010
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm in the Town Hall conference room.
Present: Chairman Andy Pyenson, Chris Morris, Don Hawley, Donna Thomas, JoAnn Austin, Cynthia Ragusa, Tom Ragusa, Barry Weinstein, Anita Weinstein, Larry Gould, Don Chaffee, Arlene Tolopko, Roberta Sarnacki, Russ Loring, Richie Phair, Chris Bouchard, Bill Dyer, Sandy Pinkham, Lisa D'Orazio
Bicentennial: A time capsule was discussed and it was decided by the committee that the town should do something about a time capsule for the future. The Taste of Otis was a big hit with the community and a lot of people requested the town do something like this each year. Donna was asking Chris M. about the Community Center fund so there was always a place to have functions like this.
Assessors: The senior and veteran exemption forms are getting ready to go out. Motor Vehicle excise exceptions are ready to be mailed. The principal assessor is checking on Mountain View Campground. Everything else is going ok.
Building Inspector: The Town Hall Energy Upgrade project has started and all approvals have been issued. The panel company will meet with the contractor tomorrow. The revised Transfer Station package is together and the ad should go out tomorrow with bids due by August 18th. Larry is meeting with Maintenance on Thursday to move furniture for the tenant/landlord dispute. September 1st is the date we expect siding to be started on the Town Hall with a two to three week window for completion.
Fire Dept: It has been a busy month - we lost one of our own after a structure fire this weekend in the line of duty per the Fire Marshall and the State Police. We need to add his name to the Memorial Stone in the Firehouse Park. Fire Chief Pinkham said he was a great asset to the department, and yesterday he was directing traffic and assisting other firefighters with air pack replacements and keeping them hydrated.
Cultural Council: The Otis Arts Festival was very successful - we had over 700 people come through with 52 artists. A square dance will be conducted in Firehouse Park on August 7th, and a Harvest Festival is planned for October 16th from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The Otis Community Garden is a fabulous success! There is so much produce, Arlene recommends everyone get vouchers and get veggies. Garden bounty can be picked up from 9:00 am to 11:00 am on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Highway Dept: They've been keeping up with contractor and are currently doing slab and ramp work for the Town Hall upgrade. They are currently working on Algerie Road, and reclamation of the cemetery way and/or Lee-Westfield road will begin soon.
Historical: The commission was criticized for not having enough information on Paul Larkum, who moved to Ohio in 1825, for the Bicentennial celebration. Regarding the Otis Reservoir Dam Project on Tolland Road, the Historical Commission refuses to sign off on the destruction of the existing gatehouse - it should be saved and has a lot of historical significance and they are hoping some items can be salvaged. They would prefer to save the entire building if possible. The state is looking into purchasing three parcels in town, near the Knox Trail. There was road discussion about designating the entire Know Trail as a scenic way - Chris Bouchard recommended that we wait on that designation because he believes that would give the town problems with maintaining sections of town roads along the
trail. Worthington has been experiencing such problems in their town.
Library: The Country Fair was on July 10th - the support and help were great and the library is very thankful for that, but the weather was lousy. But the Library did match last year's profit. The Summer Reading Program has twenty-three children signed up, which is phenomenal, and residents are standing in line to take advantage of the free passes the library offers to area attractions. The library is progressing nicely with getting on board with CWMARS. We are "the little library that could". John Stanmeyer will open his studio and speak on August 12th, sponsored by the library. Several trustees are also pursuing grant monies. Donna Thomas suggested that when CWMARS is up, the library send out notices to the townspeople about how to use it -
it could be mailed with the tax bills, for example.
Maintenance: They've been busy with the Town Hall contractors and with the Erbe ramp and deck and replacing carpeting; they're getting ready to start doing work on the Library. Our resident geese are making a mess of the Town Hall property, but we can't seem to get rid of them.
Police: They've been covering events and summer traffic around the area. In August, they are having a Public Safety Day in August, the Kiwanis Fair, and the department will be working the Square Dance on August 7th. The volume of calls is still high. The two old police vehicles are going up for bid, and call volume is high - a lot of domestic issues.
Recreation: Bill inquired as to the anticipated schedule for the Town Hall renovations so the Rec. Commission could figure out their class schedules and locations. Larry Gould reported that by September 4th the contractors should be substantially complete with up to 45 additional days to wrap up the project and have the town do a final acceptance. Rec. is considering putting up a foot bridge for the 65 Mile Marker over the creek near the Big Pond boat ramp. The raft at the Town Beach still does not have a permit from DEP issued for it - the permit has been applied for and the raft will remain out of the water until the permit has been issued.
Rescue Squad: It has been a busy month - 15 calls in the last couple weeks. They now have up to twelve EMTs on staff. There has been no decision yet on the requested waiver. Once we know how the waiver will pan out, then the communities will get together again to discuss regionalizing the ambulance services. The ambulance is getting up in years and Richie has begun to check pricing for a new ambulance.
Scholarship: The check for the Donation monies was cut for the wrong amount, but the error was caught and corrected before the check was issued. Donna Thomas suggested a notice to parents be sent with the annual town census. After further discussion, it was determined we could set up the form and scholarship application information on the website so more parents have access to the information. On another note, Barry says we need a light on Beech Plain Road - a lot of people are missing the left turn and ending up in culverts. The dark intersection is causing a lot of problems and a major accident is waiting to happen.
School: The monthly meeting with the school committee will be on Monday - this will include a tour of the building inside and out which will show the repairs, replacements, and maintenance items. This tour is important as a lot of new people are on board and need to know. The curriculum writing is just about complete now that Mary is helping Joann. The school is currently closed for town use so the crews can get it ready for the new school year, but it will once again be available to the community on August 31st. The school will be reviewing security procedures and will be sending out a survey to see what the community is interested in having after school hours. We have a great resource that is underutilized, and Joann would like to change that.
School Committee: There will be a meeting on Monday.
Smart Growth: The Planning Board tabled the by-law amendments that were presented two months ago until next month.
Technology: August 14th is the meeting to set up the governance rules for the organization so it can be presented to all delegates in September. Neither Donna nor Lisa will be able to attend the August meeting.
Zoning Board: At the August meeting, someone who has been previously approved is coming back with another design change.
A moment of silence was held to honor the fallen firefighter and the meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lisa D'Orazio
Selectmen's Secretary
Town of Otis
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