McLean bird dogs must be restrained or banishment awaits
At their regular bi-weekly meeting this week, the selectmen voted unanimously that dog owners Douglas and Vijaya MacClean must take measures to confine two freedom-loving canines with a taste for fowl to their property or else face an immediate order to send them to another town. The findings and decision were drafted and read by Selectman Tim Clark. The two Labrador Retrievers, Ace and Keith, are accused of killing privately owned exotic birds and chickens on at least four—possibly five—occasions. The dogs are permitted to leave their property, but only on a leash. The board elected to leave the means of confinement up to the owners, but warned them their decision was one of “zero tolerance,” and that if the dogs are seen on the loose again, they will be banished. The ruling also noted that neither dog was licensed, another violation the owners must remedy within 14 days.
“These are dogs worth saving,” said Clark. “It’s more of an owner problem than a dog problem.”
Selectmen act to resolve sewer policy by June 21
Although the Town Center Sewer Policy Committee (TCSPC) submitted its draft recommendations to the BOS months ago, the selectmen have yet to approve a final policy to prescribe governance, hookups, fees, and rights for users of the sewer system. With construction scheduled for later this summer, Chairwoman Marie Sobalvarro asked, “How do we get the Town Center Sewer Policy Committee to wrap this up?”
“They’re waiting for guidance from us,” said Selectman Tim Clark, who is BOS liaison to the Committee.
“Then let’s define a process,” said Selectman Bill Johnson.
And they did, agreeing unanimously to aim for a vote on a final policy by June 21, their second meeting in June.
Clark, Town Administrator Tim Bragan, TCSPC Chairman Scott Hayward, and Building Committee Chairman Chris Ashley will meet within the next few days to create a final draft, which will then go to Town Counsel Mark Lanza for review and comment. A complete and vetted draft will be submitted to the BOS on June 7, with discussion and a vote scheduled two weeks after that.
The sewer policy approved by the board will be used to instruct a future sewer commission, which the selectmen are anxious to see appointed. The policy committee, which prepared the initial draft, included residents of the town center and elsewhere, in order to assure a fair division of costs between the roughly 60 households and businesses expected to join the system and the rest of the town, which must bear the cost of connecting town buildings and upgrading the water treatment plan on Mass. Avenue. A key issue has also been how far to go in assuring that residents who opt to join can increase their use of the system if they wish to expand the size of a residence or the footprint of a business.
Selectmen appoint two of their own to Water Commission
With two vacancies and legislation pending before the State Legislature to convert the Water Commission to a BOS-appointed committee, the selectmen this week appointed selectmen Tim Clark and Ron Ricci to serve as commissioners in the interim. There were no candidates this spring for the post of water commissioner, and its sole remaining member, Joshua Gould, has not appointed interim commissioners to fill the void.
The commission has a number of ongoing duties to perform, including the setting of rates. Selectman Peter Warren observed that as of February, the town center water system was running at a deficit and new rates will be necessary. The addition of two selectmen to the three-person elected commission assures that a quorum will be available to perform its duties.
