MINUTES OF THE SELECTMEN’S MEETING
DECEMBER 21, 2009
PRESENT: Arthur P. Boyle, Jr. (Chairman), Donal P. Anderson (Vice-Chairman), Willard J. Boulter, Jr. (Clerk), Lewis W. Stone (Selectman), Daniel W. Trabucco (Selectman), John Mattison (Cable), Becca Manning (Pembroke Express), Steve Annear (Mariner/Reporter), and others.
The meeting was called to order by the Chairman at 6:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Town Clerk requested a notice to be read to advise residents that the last day to register to vote for the Special Election is Wed., Dec. 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Absentee Ballots are available in the Clerk’s Office. January 15 at 5 p.m. is the deadline to apply for absentee ballots. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 19th for the Special State Election.
CHRISTMAS TREE PICK UP: The Boy Scouts will be picking up trees on Saturday, Jan. 2 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Call 781-294-0801 or 293-6185 to schedule a pick up.
MINUTES: Mr. Anderson moved, seconded by Mr. Boulter, to approve the minutes of the Selectmen’s meeting of Dec. 14, 2009 as amended. So voted.
DPW VACANCY: Mr. Anderson moved to deny the request of the DPW Commissioners to replace the vacant position for a skilled laborer/driver due to the retirement of Dave Lewis in October of this year. Mr. Trabucco seconded for discussion purposes. There was some concern that no one from the DPW was in attendance to explain the importance of refilling this position. Mr. Anderson moved to table this item pending the DPW Commissioners coming before the Selectmen to make their case. Mr. Trabucco seconded and it was so voted.
A short time later in the evening, the three DPW Commissioners, Director Gene Fulmine, and Deputy Director Bob Demers came in to the Selectmen’s meeting. Mr. Anderson moved to put the request to fill the vacancy back on the table for discussion, seconded by Mr. Trabucco and so voted. Mr. Fulmine explained that he believes it would be most efficient to keep a person on staff rather than having to hire outside contractors or try to pay someone overtime. He also feels the town should be trying to start replacing retirees with younger persons and build a younger workforce. The department is already running 1/3 loss of manpower now. He waited until now to request the replacement because of the uncertainty of the budget. He feels he has a plan that will assure that the budget can sustain it.
Mr. Boulter moved, seconded by Mr. Stone, to allow the DPW to advertise the vacant position for a skilled laborer/driver as requested. Vote: 4-1 In favor: Boulter, Stone, Trabucco, Boyle Opposed: Anderson
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DECEMBER 21, 2009 – PAGE TWO
BROCKTON POWER PLANT: The DPW Commissioners were in attendance for the discussion about the proposal of a Power Plant in Brockton which was granted use of the potable water coming from Silver Lake. Mr. Trabucco noted that Brockton acquired rights around the turn of the century to use water from Silver Lake, but he questioned what rights the Town of Pembroke has to be sure our water is not depleted.
Mr. Fulmine advised that the state oversees this project because of the desalinization act. They probably will not be drawing down on the lake and the DEP is pretty strict on what can be drawn down. The Board of Selectmen asked Gene Fulmine to look into this proposal. Mr. Crowley reiterated that the project is controlled by the state.
KENO TO GO: The Selectmen voted to send a letter to the mass State Lottery Commission to allow Pembroke Xtra Mart at 355 Washington Street to sell KENO to Go. Mr. Boyle advised that there are actually several establishments in town offering these on-line games where you can buy a KENO ticket and check for the winning numbers on line later on.
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT: Mr. Thorne told the Selectmen that they needed to decide on one of two options relative to the application for renewal of the liquor license for The Family Crest Catering, Inc. at the Pembroke Country Club. The Selectmen must make a policy decision. They could either vote to renew the license or move to reconsider previous approval and hold a public hearing on December 30th with the licensee and the owners of the facility. There is a dispute over the control of the facility at this time. The caterer already has bookings for events into 2010 but the managers of the country club say there is no agreement in place.
Mr. Boulter moved to renew this license and it was seconded by Mr. Anderson for discussion purposes. Selectman Anderson stated that he did not like the Board being used in regards to the contract negotiations. It appears that the licensee will not have use of the premises so a license renewal should not be granted so that it would be then held as a pocket license which is not allowed. Mr. Boulter withdrew his motion.
Mr. Boulter moved, seconded by Mr. Anderson to reconsider approval and to schedule a hearing on Wed., Dec. 30, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. to consider non-renewal of this license. Both parties will be invited to attend.
TRASH/RECYCLING: Mr. Stone gave the members a copy of an article from the Dedham news regarding single stream recylcling. He asked that the Town Administrator keep the board up to date with this item. He also noted that the next Regional Selectmen’s meeting to be held on January 14th will be dealing with the topic of solid waste and recycling.
TOWN GOVERNMENT STUDY COMMITTEE: Mr. Stone informed the board that this committee has been meeting twice monthly since July. They have visited 8 towns and interviewed town administrators and town managers. They would like to schedule a
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DECEMBER 21, 2009 – PAGE THREE
meeting with other town boards and committees to discuss issues. They will also schedule public hearings and plan to have an article to submit to the annual town meeting in April.
TRAFFIC STUDY: Mr. Stone reports that the traffic studies have been completed and they are waiting for documentation.
TOWN HALL CLOSING FOR CHRISMAS EVE: The board agreed to leave the decision to the discretion of the Town Administrator on what time to release the non-union employees from work on Christmas Eve.
Mr. Anderson moved, seconded by Mr. Boulter, to go into executive session to discuss the physical condition of an individual and upon conclusion to adjourn the meeting with no public business to be discussed.
Roll Call Vote: Boulter, yes – Anderson, yes – Stone, yes – Trabucco, yes – Boyle, yes
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.