Board debates mosquito spraying in Devens
In the ongoing discussion among the Joint Boards of Selectmen (JBOS) about spraying for mosquitoes at Devens, JBOS Chairman Enrico Cappucci reported that MassDevelopment Executive Vice President Rich Montuori has said spraying decisions are in the hands of selectmen in each town.
However, Harvard Selectwoman Lucy Wallace rebutted, saying, “It takes a town meeting to do that. I’ve asked our town administrator and he confirmed that’s the case. It’s not just the selectmen. It’s because the charges [for the spraying] come out of local receipts.”
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, which manages the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board (the mosquito control program), states on its website that “the petition to join or withdraw [from the mosquito control program] must be submitted at an annual town meeting, or other legally established municipal mechanism.”
Devens Committee member Tom Kinch, who began the conversation at the previous JBOS meeting, waved a letter he claimed originated from the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board, and said, “They [the mosquito control board] have received a request from MassDevelopment on behalf of residents saying that they would approve MassDevelopment entering the program.” Kinch said the letter was dated March 28, 2007.
Wallace pointed out that Harvard did not have a quorum of its Board of Selectmen present, and said, “I’m not comfortable saying the Harvard Board of Selectmen would agree to this.”
Ayer Selectman Gary Luca ended the conversation by making a motion “to ask the mosquito control group what is required to spray on Devens.” All JBOS members except Wallace voted in favor of the motion.
MRPC financial analysis moving slowly
The Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) was given the mandate and a budget of $8,400 in July to review and analyze the revenues and expenses at Devens in order to begin to build a model of what the towns would have to work with when they resume jurisdiction at Devens.
Previously, the JBOS Financial Subcommittee, made up of selectmen Rick Gilles of Ayer and Tim Clark of Harvard, had researched the revenue-and-expense problem and found it to be complicated by differing numbers from MassDevelopment, the state Department of Revenue, and other sources. In July, the MRPC seemed confident it could complete an analysis. However, at the Oct. 22 meeting, MRPC representative John Hume reported that the MRPC had met with Gilles and Clark during the preceding week and that materials had just arrived from MassDevelopment over the last week. He said the MRPC would like to extend its contract to allow time to reorganize and analyze the data.
Wallace asked, “Is the data you got last week different than the data Tim and Rick were using?” The MRPC’s Glen Eaton replied, “I’m not sure.” In answer to a question about the amount of money remaining in the contract, Eaton replied, “You allocated $8,400; we’ve spent about $7,000.” The Devens Committee’s Kinch then commented, “So, it’s safe to say that we’re not that close to what we wanted from the $8,400.” Eaton contended that they were further along than it appeared.
Cappucci ended the discussion by stating, “I’d like to see some numbers by the first week in December; if we don’t get the numbers, we’re looking for the next step, which is to find out why.” Eaton confirmed that it was possible to satisfy Cappucci’s mandate.
New attempt made to develop Vicksburg Square
MassDevelopment issued a request for expressions of interest document (RFI) for Vicksburg Square development on Sept. 9. The RFI states, “The Massachusetts Development Finance Agency (MassDevelopment) is seeking expressions of interest from development teams regarding the acquisition, redevelopment, and long-term management of Vicksburg Square.”
As a result, Harvard Board of Selectmen Chairman Ron Ricci announced that the Vicksburg Square Subcommittee has been resurrected. MassDevelopment representatives have given the subcommittee a briefing on the RFI.
Questions and answers about the RFI were scheduled for mid-October. Responses are due Nov. 10, and meetings with selected developer teams will occur in November and December. If agreements are reached, the MassDevelopment board will recommend a developer on Jan. 14, 2010.
Ricci said that “zoning changes have gone back to the responsibility of the developer proposing to do the work,” meaning that if zoning changes are required, the developer will need to get the agreement of the towns.
