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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!