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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBoard of Selectmen Minutes July 9, 2008_201402061518101160BOARD OF SELECTMEN Minutes of the Meeting of 9 July 2008 at 6:00 PM. The meeting took place in the Court Room, Town and County Building, 16 Broad Street, Nantucket, MA 02554. Members of the Board present were Brian Chadwick, Rick Atherton, Allen Reinhard, Michael Kopko and Patricia Roggeveen. Chairman Kopko called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. ANNOUNCEMENTS Chairman Kopko welcomed back Nantucket Independent reporter Peter Sutters from paternity leave. PUBLIC COMMENT None. Approval of Payroll Warrant for Week Ending 6 July 2008. The payroll warrant for the week ending 6 July 2008 was approved by the unanimous consent of the meeting. Approval of Treasury Warrant and Pending Contracts for 9 July 2008. The approval of the treasury warrant and pending contracts for 9 July 2008 were approved by the unanimous consent of the meeting. Sconset Casino: Request for Waiver of Noise Bylaw until 11:00 PM for Member Function on July 19, 2008. Sconset Casino manager Michael Goldman was present and explained that the Casino is asking for a waiver from the noise bylaw for an extra hour for an annual event scheduled for July 19, 2008. Some discussion followed with Mr. Chadwick expressing some concerns. Ms. Roggeveen, noting this is the first time a waiver has been requested, stated she is willing to “try it out.” Mr. Reinhard moved to approve the request; seconded by Mr. Atherton. So voted. Mr. Chadwick was opposed. Our Island Home/Adult Community Day Care Program: Request for Acceptance of Gift of Purchase and Installation of New Back Door for Teen Center/ACDC Building. Town Manager C. Elizabeth Gibson explained that an anonymous donor would like to donate a screen door and its installation, the value of which is estimated at $300. Some discussion followed as to whether the threshold for Board acceptance of gifts should be increased. Mr. Reinhard moved to accept the gift with thanks; seconded by Ms. Roggeveen. So voted unanimously. Discussion Regarding Development of Housing at 2 Fairgrounds Road. Ms. Gibson provided some background information explaining that one of the recommendations made by the 2 Fairgrounds Reuse Work Group in 2005, and endorsed by the Board, was to use a portion of the 2 Fairgrounds property for housing. Ms. Gibson added that an appropriation was approved at the 2007 Annual Town Meeting for professional services to pursue this option. Ms. Gibson introduced John Ryan, the consultant hired to assist with the development of a plan for the housing and to assist with the preparation of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a developer, once the plan is established. Mr. Ryan spoke about what he believes is the scope of his mission, identifying some key issues on which he is seeking direction from the Board. Some of the topics discussed were: 1) scale of project; 2) whether the Board is looking at rental units verses home ownership on the parcel or a combination of both; 3) thresholds of affordability and goals of how many households will be served at what level of income; 4) design parameters and level of control by the Board; 5) disposition of Minutes of the Meeting of 9 July 2008 – 6:00 PM Page II. the property (i.e. straightforward sale of property to the development entity, long-term leasing administered by a local Land Trust, long-term land lease administered by the Town itself); 6) resident preferences (i.e. who does the Board want this project to serve). With regard to the housing preference issue, Mr. Chadwick asked if enough data has been obtained, and Mr. Ryan responded an “employee survey” is in the works to help determine where the needs lie. After some additional discussion, Chairman Kopko stated the next step is to schedule a workshop with Mr. Ryan to further discuss these issues in greater detail. Discussion Regarding Joint Public Safety Facility. Ms. Gibson provided a brief review of staff discussion on ways in which to proceed with the joint public safety facility, in light of the failed override vote at the June Special Town Election. Discussion followed concerning ways in which voter support for the project might be gained. Ms. Roggeveen stated she feels “due diligence” was followed and discussion followed concerning a staff recommendation to send out a questionnaire to voters in an attempt to better understand why the override was defeated. Ms. Gibson clarified there is no money available to redesign the facility, although it could potentially be down-sized without the need for additional appropriation. Discussion followed about establishing a citizen advisory committee and Ms. Roggeveen stated she feels the Board must be “united” before such a committee starts its work otherwise “we will just go around in circles.” Ms. Roggeveen also stressed that the Board has already decided the facility should be a public safety facility and should not change what has been “many years in the making.” Discussion followed concerning this issue, specifically the name of the committee, membership composition; how it will be established and its mission and timetable. Ms. Gibson suggested, in a draft outline, the committee be comprised of both the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, seven citizen members and 2 ex officio (one member each from Police and Fire). Each Board member spoke on who, from the Board of Selectmen, should/should not be on the committee and, after a long debate, no consensus was reached. With regard to the membership of the committee having two ex officio members from Police and Fire, Mr. Chadwick moved to delete these two proposed members; seconded by Chairman Kopko. So voted unanimously. The Board further voted unanimously that the committee shall be called the “Citizen Advisory Committee for a Public Safety Facility.” Mr. Chadwick recommended the Chairman of the County Commissioners be represented on the committee and discussion again focused on the proposed membership of the committee. Mr. Reinhard moved that the committee be comprised of two Board of Selectmen/County Commission members (names to be determined at a later date) and seven citizen members who will be solicited by open applications; seconded by Ms. Roggeveen. So voted unanimously. With regard to the mission of the committee, Mr. Reinhard moved that the mission is to “study and advise the Board of Selectmen as to the Public Safety Facility at 2 Fairgrounds Road and prioritize public safety needs in such a facility”; seconded by Ms. Roggeveen. So voted unanimously. TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT Audit Progress Report. Ms. Gibson provided a report noting that the fy 2006 audit is completed and the fy 07 audit and corrected practices are on schedule. Ms. Gibson stated that the Department of Revenue is monitoring the town’s progress as to keeping up with proscribed deadlines. Minutes of the Meeting of 9 July 2008 – 6:00 PM Page III. 2008-09 Management and Policy Priorities Progress Update. Ms. Gibson reviewed the policy priorities noting the status of the schedule of work on each priority. Ms. Gibson noted concerns about the construction and demolition (C&D) debris citizen drop-off site at the landfill, noting that individuals with commercial license plates are removing their commercial landfill stickers from their windshields (thus avoiding going through the scales and paying the C&D tipping fees), and disposing of their C&D debris in the citizen-drop off area. Ms. Gibson noted possible ways to correct this problem, and stated Public Works Director Jeff Willett will be attending next week’s meeting to address this concern and provide options to modify the Board’s current policy to close this loophole. The meeting was unanimously adjourned at 8:20 PM. Approved the 27th day of August 2008.