HomeMy WebLinkAboutTown Managers Newsletter - 2011 05 06
From the Desk of Town
Manager Libby Gibson
MAY 6, 2011 VOLUME 2, NUMBER 5
Town of Nantucket
16 Broad St.
Nantucket, MA 02554
P: (508) 228-7255
F: (508) 228-7272
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2011 Annual Town Election/Board of
Selectmen
At the April 12, 2011 Annual Town Election, retiring Selectman Brian
Chadwick was replaced by Bob DeCosta and incumbent Selectman Rick
Atherton was re-elected. At its April 27th meeting, the Board elected Rick as
its chair and Whitey Willauer as its vice-chair. Patty Roggeveen was thanked
for her service as chair for the past year. In May, the Board will be reviewing
and is expected to adopt its annual goals for 2011-12. The Board will be
discussing goals at its May 11th meeting. Wednesday night Selectmen’s
meetings moved to the Community Room of the Public Safety Facility in April
and on April 27th the Board voted to continue meeting there until further
notice. The new meeting space has many benefits, including size and seating,
professional appearance, quality of space, better sound and facilities for
presentations and parking, among others. There have been some concerns
about moving the meetings out of downtown which may be valid; however, in
my opinion, the benefits outweigh such concerns.
June 14, 2011 Special Town Election
The Board has scheduled a special election for June 14th to take up three
ballot questions:
1. debt exclusion override for the General Fund to take over a
portion of debt from the Sewer Enterprise Fund, which would take effect in
Fiscal Year 2013 (July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013);
2. debt exclusion override to fund a prior vote at the 2004
Annual Town Meeting for repairs and taking costs for roads in the Surfside
area (specifically, Boulevarde, a portion of Lover’s Lane, Okorwaw Avenue
and Monohansett Road);
3. operating override for $100,000 for the development of a
mosquito control program.
The Town developed an informational sheet for Article 33 of the 2011 Annual
Town Meeting warrant which precipitated Question 1. Tax rate impact
information will be posted on the Town website prior to the election. A
question I have been asked several times is “why isn’t the amount noted in
the questions”? The answer is that debt exclusion overrides (Questions 1 and
2), by law, may not contain an amount. This is because while the amount of
a particular item may be known the borrowing costs which are part of the
total override amount are not known at the time of the election. In the case
of an operating override (Question 3), the amount by which the tax levy will
be raised is known.
Town Projects
Cliff Road Bike Path extension
This project is well underway and is expected to be complete by early
summer. The extension runs between Crooked Lane and Sherburne Turnpike.
Had the telephone company removed its poles from the middle of the path in
a timely manner, the project could have been complete by Memorial Day
weekend. Once complete, the path will provide a safer passage in that area
for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Stormwater Management Plan
The Board received an update from Assistant DPW Director Mohamed Nabulsi
at its April 20th meeting as to the status of projects included in the Town’s
stormwater management plan. In order to complete the projects, additional
significant funding will be needed and the remaining projects prioritized.
Sewer Projects
The Board held a workshop meeting on April 28th to discuss the development
of an Action Plan for pending sewer projects, including financing, funding and
prioritization, as well as examination of alternatives. The completion of a
plan, including a process for public review and input is likely to be a Board
goal for the coming year.
Financial Management Issues
In response to FY 2010 audit issues, Town Administration and staff from the
Finance Department are actively working on an action plan and timeline to
address the issues. The timeline will be reviewed with the Board monthly. The
first report was provided at the April 13th meeting. The Board also updated
its 2010-11 goals regarding the FY 2011 audit. The Audit Committee is
meeting monthly to review progress and has two meetings scheduled in May,
the 17th and the 31st. The Town has also engaged its auditor to perform
expanded audit services for the next few months.
Fiscal Year 2012 Department Consolidations Update
As reported in previous newsletters, economic conditions as well as the need
to examine our operations for efficiency, cost savings and activity level
reasons, our theme for the FY 2012 budget was “Changing the Way We do
Business”. As a result, three department consolidations will be effective in FY
2012 and have already been at least partially if not entirely implemented:
-- Code Enforcement (Health, Building, HDC). Richard Ray has been
designated the acting Code Enforcement Director. Collective bargaining
negotiations are mostly complete. There remains some desire to move these
departments from 37 Washington Street to 2 Fairgrounds Road for physical
consolidation purposes until a long-term space plan is developed for Town
office space; however, following a Board discussion in January, no further
action has been taken and the offices will remain at 37 Washington for the
time being. We hope to have a smooth Code Enforcement consolidation but
as with most institutional changes, bumps in the road are likely and we
anticipate addressing them as best we can as quickly as we can. We have
met with various members of the Builder’s Association and other groups to
keep them informed about this change. This consolidation also involved the
elimination of the part-time Conservation Commission (ConCom)
Administrator position and an expansion of the Beach Manager position into a
full-time Natural Resources Coordinator who will oversee ConCom activities.
-- Human Services (Our Island Home, Human Services, Saltmarsh Senior
Center, Senior Day Care – formerly known as Adult Community Day Care).
The Director of this consolidated department is Pamela Meriam. The Human
Services office, as of May 2nd, has been relocated from 2 Fairgrounds Road
to 2 Bathing Beach Road (former Park & Rec office). Pam has been working
and meeting with various human services groups, and has familiarized herself
with the completion of fuel assistance applications and is involved in several
initiatives.
-- Park & Recreation to Department of Public Works. This consolidation is
essentially complete. Some activities continue to need a permanent
“guardian”, such as the annual Island Fair; meanwhile, Jimmy Manchester,
Park & Recreation Director will continue to field inquiries about various
programs and events and will schedule use of the Park & Recreation
properties for now (i.e., Children’s’ Beach, playing fields, Tom Nevers Park).
The Nantucket Community School will take over operation of the tennis
courts for this summer.
Police Department/VIPS Program (Volunteers in Police Service)
This exciting new volunteer opportunity was created to enhance and promote
innovative public safety programs to meet the needs of our community; and,
to help introduce people to our new public safety facility.
Thanks to……….
Annie Mendelsohn, who is working hard to slowly but surely improve the
appearance of Lower Broad Street, one of the Town’s important “gateways”.
The Nantucket Town Association has put forward a plan to improve this area;
a copy of the plan can be viewed in the Town Manager’s office. Some items
may never happen, or may take more resources than the Town has and some
will happen but Annie has spent a lot of her own time purchasing, planting,
watering, and nurturing the plants at the base of trees along the street, such
as in the photo below. Thank you, Annie!
MAY TRIVIA QUESTION
In what Canadian province is there a neighborhood called “Nantucket”?
APRIL TRIVIA QUESTION
In what year did the Steamer Nobska make its final run?
Answer: 1973
This popular question generated supplemental answers! Barbara Gookin (record-setting response time; response rec’d within 10
minutes of issuance of e-newsletter)
David Sharpe (even included the date! September 18 and some memories!)
Linda Roberts (had the date!)
H. Flint Ranney
Catherine Stover (added more than I wanted to know but demonstrated the
level to which a Town Clerk will go for you): The Nobska was renamed The
Nantucket late Spring of 1928 (which most sea-faring folk consider to be bad
luck, BTW.) The Nantucket was re-named The Nobska in 1956. (MORE bad
luck, but those are stories for another day.) She made her final scheduled
trip from New Bedford on December 31, 1960.