Church request spurs protest
Elm Street resident Billy Salter says he has a longstanding and well-documented problem with overflow parking from special events at the nearby Unitarian Church. He has complained to the church, to the police, and to the selectmen repeatedly in the past without much satisfaction, he told the selectmen this week.
Salter came to the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night determined to restate his objections to parked cars blocking his driveway and unauthorized no-parking signs on his lawn. He came on time and he came prepared to argue his case for an official public hearing before the selectmen grant the church’s request for an entertainment license for the Harvard Schools Trust Gala in March.
But when he got to the meeting, Salter discovered that the board had unexpectedly departed from its posted agenda and discussed the matter well ahead of schedule, deciding against holding a public hearing. Instead, the selectmen will put the issue on the agenda for discussion at their February 5 meeting,
In the meantime, they stipulated that Police Chief Ed Denmark would meet with church officials and the town administrator to work out new strategies for preventing the problems that have fueled past complaints
But Salter insisted that a public hearing is required under the selectmen’s own policies and procedures, and that all of the church’s neighbors should be formally notified so they have an opportunity to offer comments. He was not satisfied with the board’s position that those neighbors could speak at the February 5 meeting during the time for public comment. And he was visibly angry that the board had made its decision before anyone could have an opportunity to offer input. Salter was unmoved by Chairwoman Lucy Wallace’s explanation that the board simply had time to fill earlier in the meeting due to the delayed arrival of the first group on the agenda.
After the meeting, Salter told the Press that he had called the selectmen’s office earlier in the day to confirm the time the issue would be discussed, and that Town Administrator Tim Bragan was well aware that he intended to speak. The board’s action, he said, was “pretty tacky.”
DPW to stick with roads plan
Following a lengthy discussion at the end of their open meeting this week, the selectmen voted 4 to 1 to stick with DPW head Rich Nota’s five-year plan for road maintenance and construction.
At issue was the question of whether the DPW should tackle the work of resurfacing the parking lot behind Bromfield, diverting its energies from an ongoing Ayer Road improvement project. The town could save an estimated $60,000 by having the DPW work on the parking lot, but Nota has said that he doesn’t have the resources to do both projects this year.
According to board member Marie Sobalvarro, the Capital Planning and Investment Committee is considering how to fund the parking lot project, and wants the selectmen to decide whether Nota should put off the Ayer Road work to make time for the lot. The selectmen agreed on the importance of sticking with the five-year plan they had requested and received from Nota, in which the DPW will take on a major road project every year. And several board members deplored the idea of postponing completion of Ayer Road this year, arguing that it would bump the other projects in line.
Only Tim Clark contended that all of the projects would eventually be completed by the end of five years; they would just be reshuffled, he said. But having asked for a comprehensive five-year plan for road maintenance, and committing to follow it, the board was reluctant to take a detour. On the motion of Selectman Bill Johnson, the selectment voted to direct Nota to proceed with the Ayer Road project and to help where he can with the parking lot, but not to defer progress on his other work.
HEAC to study net metering to lower town energy costs
Jim Elkind of Slough Road introduced the three members of his subcommittee and explained that the team had been formed to follow up on a recommendation of the Harvard Energy Advisory Committee (HEAC) that the town solicit bids for a solar net-metering agreement. Under such an agreement the town could buy solar credits from a third party and transfer the credit to its electricity account. This would result in a cost savings to the town; the committee would explore a range of models and discounts to find the best fit for Harvard. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in support of the committee moving forward. The group will work with Finance Director Lorraine Leonard and Town Administrator Tim Bragan to draft a Request for Proposal (RFP) for net metering, which Elkind estimated would take a couple of months. The committee would then issue the RFP and evaluate responses.
Town to host regional public safety forum in March
Ambulance Director Steven Beckman, accompanied by Police Chief Ed Denmark and Fire Chief Rick Sicard, presented plans for a symposium for public safety workers to be held in Cronin Auditorium on March 23. A panel of nationally known speakers will discuss their experiences with mass casualty situations and what they learned in their aftermaths.
The idea for the symposium grew out of a regional committee that Beckman initiated and that has been meeting monthly since last August, discussing plans for public safety in the event of a catastrophe. Both Denmark and Sicard echoed Beckman’s statement that there could be no better response training for emergency service workers than listening to the lessons learned by people who have come through a catastrophic situation.
Selectmen approve $4,000 to supplement tax aid fund
At the request of Rick Maiore, chairman of the Elderly and Disabled Taxation Aid Committee, the selectmen unanimously approved a transfer of $4,000 from the Rantoul Elderly Trust Fund to the Elderly and Disabled Taxation Aid Committee. Maiore described that every year the committee sends out requests to the community for donations to the tax aid fund. The committee then reviews the applicants for tax relief and allocates its funds according to need. Maiore added that having the Council on Aging director’s input is crucial to the process.
He explained that this year, because of a misunderstanding about the need to reapply every year, an applicant missed the deadline. By the time the request was made, the funds for 2012 had been allocated and only a small reserve remained. The committee felt the applicant’s need was genuine and acute and thus asked for supplemental funds from the Rantoul Elderly Trust, which is intended for tax relief.
Maiore ended by saying that the committee has already received a generous, unsolicited contribution for next year’s distribution.
Special counsel will represent ZBA at Town Hall variance hearing
Town Administrator Tim Bragan reported that the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) needed the selectmen’s approval to retain special counsel for the hearing on a variance for Town Hall reconstruction scheduled for 8 p.m. in Volunteers Hall on February 13. The board voted unanimously to approve Barbara Saint Andre of Petrini & Associates of Framingham as special counsel to represent the ZBA.
The Town Hall Building Committee will be represented by Town Counsel Mark Lanza.
