HomeMy WebLinkAboutTown Managers Newsletter - 2012 06 21
From the Desk of Town
Manager Libby Gibson
JUNE 21, 2012 VOLUME 3, NUMBER 6
Town of Nantucket
16 Broad St.
Nantucket, MA 02554
P: (508) 228-7255
F: (508) 228-7272
Contact Us!
Town of Nantucket Website
Newsletter Archives
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Town Administration News and Updates
Office Moves
At the Board of Selectmen’s May 23, 2012 meeting, the Board endorsed a
proposal from Town Administration to relocate the Code Enforcement offices
currently located at 37 Washington Street (Health Dept, Building Dept, HDC)
to the municipal building at 2 Fairgrounds Road for several reasons which
involve the improvement of service to the public, including:
-- an improved physical layout on a single floor with a central clerical area
where staff can be co-located and cross-trained to assist the public
-- extension of hours to 7:30 am – 4:30 pm during the work week so that the
public may interact with staff at more convenient times
-- professional and support staff will be in closer proximity and interaction and
coordination can be achieved through one-stop shopping with increased
cohesion & communication with agencies related to land use being under one
roof
-- the move also advances related goals to dispose of the Mooney Building at
22 Federal Street and eventually consolidate the Finance Offices in the Town
Building campus.
Costs of the move are expected to be minimal and designed to be portable in
the future. Work already being done at 37 Washington St will remain in place
for (if the Board so endorses) temporary relocation of the Finance Department
(currently housed in the Mooney Building at 22 Federal Street) so as to begin
the preliminary steps of selling the Mooney Building, which is no longer
suitable for municipal office space (routine flooding, exterior lead paint
problem, poor records storage, heating and ventilation, poor layout for office
space, not handicap accessible). The 37 Washington Street move is expected
to occur in the early part of July and all efforts are being made to minimize
disruption in service.
Airport
New Airport Manager Tom Rafter started work on June 4th. We are happy he
is here and look forward to working with him. A forensic audit of Airport
procurement practices was presented to the Board of Selectmen at its June
13, 2012 meeting. A report of the Attorney General regarding Airport
procurement practices which was expected last fall/winter remains unreleased
but expected shortly. In FY 13, quarterly reviews of the Airport budget will be
presented to the Board of Selectmen.
Quarterly Tax Bills
The 2011 Annual Town Meeting accepted a Massachusetts General Law
allowing for the issuance of quarterly tax bills. Previously the Town had been
issuing semi-annual bills. Click here for an information sheet about the
issuance of quarterly tax bills.
Senior Work-off Program
The 2012 Annual Town Meeting accepted a Massachusetts General Law
allowing for the establishment of a program whereby senior citizens who are
Nantucket residents may “work off” a portion of their tax bill, annually. The
Board of Selectmen has adopted a Senior Citizen Tax Work-Off Program Policy
and finalization of the application and program is in progress and will be
posted as soon as possible. People may also contact the Department of
Human Services directly for more information at 508-228-4490.
Citizens Police Academy II
The Citizens Police Academy (CPA) is an opportunity for participants to meet
the police officers and dispatchers who serve our community. The intent of the
program is to allow the citizen students an opportunity to learn about the
duties and responsibilities of the Police Department and to enhance the
relationship between the Department and the community. This results in a
much clearer understanding of what the community can expect from the
officers who serve them and a general understanding of what a police officer’s
job and responsibilities are really like. The Academy is also seen as an
opportunity for the officers to become better acquainted with different
members of the community. The program runs for 9 weeks, every Thursday,
starting at 6:00 pm. During classes, students are exposed to and instructed
by most members of the Department that serve them. Students receive
presentations on such topics as police briefings, technology in policing, rights
of arrest, local and state laws, communications and 911, specialty units such
as K-9 officers, animal control, motorcycle, ATV and bike patrol, detectives
and investigations, mobile crime scene investigations, SWAT team, firearms
unit including use of force continuum and a live fire exercise, patrol operations
including the option to ride with the officers on patrol, special events planning
and critical incident response with a tour of the mobile operations (command)
unit, operating under the influence/alcohol enforcement with live
demonstrations, court prosecutions, internal affairs and the Volunteers in
Policing unit. Interested individuals age 18 or older may visit
www.nantucketpolice.com for further information and to download an
application; or, may contact Officer Keith Mansfield at
pd286@nantucketpolice.com, or Detective Chris Carnevale at
pd320@nantucketpolice.com.
The second class of the Citizens Police Academy graduated on May 24, 2012.
The first session was held in October 2012 and was attended by seven
students. The second session was attended by 14 students.
Chief William Pittman states that this “represents a vital part of community-
oriented policing and trust building between the police and the public.” The
CPA provides a productive outlet for mutual sharing of information and
concerns in order to further common goals of the community and the Police
Department, which include providing the safest community Nantucket can
have. This is best accomplished by the public and police officers being able to
have open dialogues, any time, any where. The CPA can also dispel myths
that the public has of police officers and the police department as they are
presented with unhindered views of departmental operations. A core part of
the course is students being able to, at any time, ask questions of the
presenters. The CPA II ended with a graduation ceremony and cook-out with
students, instructors, and family members attending. The third session of the
CPA is scheduled for October.
The graduates of CPA II were:
Breeana Mendez Michael Galvin
Marissa Affeldt Christian Andersen
Maria Marley Scott Shea
Ronna Reimer Terrell Skerrette
Claudia Morris Greg Wills
Stephen McCluskey Thelma Benson
Michael Torres Toby Greenberg
Several members of the VIPS program also received service awards.
The Eger-Andersen family attends the graduation ceremony (graduate
Christian, far right, will be an ATV officer this summer)
Events
Our Island Home Remembrance Ceremony
This annual event was held on May 18, 2012 at the Albert E. Lewis Dining
Room at Our Island Home, and the following individuals who passed away
over the past year were remembered by Reverend Georgia Ann Snell in a nice
ceremony followed by a short reception:
Stella Anderson Kevin Madden
Calvin Avery John Maury
Louise Benoit Janet Orpin
Dorothea Blackwood Phyllis Perelman
Gladys Descarfino George Rauch
Helene Fauth Dorothy Shailer
William Haddon Richard Veinote
Rowland Kenyon Janet Wagner
Maurice Dee
NEW E-NEWSLETTER FEATURE
“Get to Know Your Town Volunteers”. This new feature will ask a member of a
Town board, committee or commission questions about their interest in
serving and some other information about them. This month I talked with Tom
McGlinn of the Council on Aging.
Q: How long have you lived on Nantucket?
A: I was born and raised on Nantucket. I went away to school after the eighth
grade and worked mostly off island for many years.
Q: What is your job?
A: Videographer.
Q How long have you served on the Council on Aging?
A: A dozen years or so.
Q: What interests you about serving the Town that makes you want to be
involved?
A: When I grew up here everybody was interested in helping the town
because it was our town, and we were all involved one way or another
because we were all a part of it. It was a smaller place, then, and much more
isolated, and the Island fended for itself out of necessity, and we knew most
everybody and everybody was proud to be a Nantucketer. Now there is a
distance between the people and the place. The population has boomed and
the Town is much more complex and there is no longer the time to get to
know your neighbors and your Town and the Town’s history, like we used to.
The history is more academic, where before it was our history. It was
personal. And now, being involved with serving the town is more of a rational
decision, an admirable one, of course, rather than an emotional one. There’s
more of a distance between the people and the town now. All the more reason
for people to get involved.
Q: What is the most rewarding part about serving?
A: Getting to stand in for people who need a voice and expect you to
represent them.
Q: What is the most challenging part?
A: Overcoming obstacles. When people first get on boards and committees
they often arrive with a list and expect that things can get done in a hurry.
Usually a lot of patience and compromise and time go by in the process of
getting things done. That can be frustrating, but the result can be a
deliberate, well-fashioned plan, ultimately.
Q: What is your favorite spot on Nantucket?
A: Off First Point, looking back at the Town. Like the Inquirer & Mirror
masthead.
JUNE TRIVIA QUESTION
What is this dog’s name? (Hint: he works for the Police Department…)
MAY TRIVIA QUESTION
How many pairs of brothers currently work at the Nantucket Fire Department?
Answers submitted by:
Linda Roberts: Four: Christian Ray and Corey Ray; “Butch” Edmund Ramos
and Robert Ramos; Nathan Barber and Beau Barber; Gerald Eldridge and
Nelson Eldridge
Nate Barber: says it is a trick question. They are ALL brothers and sisters at
the Nantucket Fire Department!
Diane O’Neil: Three, full-time
Mark McDougall – Three, but if you add the Call and Call Reserve group this
would add two more pairs of brothers (Eldridges and Ramoses) for a total of
five. Father and son pairs would be five, bet you didn’t know that!
ANSWERS: Three, full-time (the Rays, the Barbers, the Allens); two
additional pairs of call/reserve (the Ramoses, the Eldridges) and the five
father/son pairs (Nelson and Earl “Snip” Eldridge; Butch Ramos and Kevin
Ramos; David and Brian Gray; Jeremy and Gerald Eldridge; George Vollans
and Jonathan Vollans)
As always, ideas for future e-newsletter topics are welcome!