No deal yet on HCTV-Schools MOU
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining relations between the School Committee and the Harvard Community Cable Access Committee in regard to new cable headquarters in the Bromfield School has been approved by the school superintendent, the Bromfield principal, the school board, the cable committee, and the town administrator. But as presented to the selectmen this week, it did not pass muster because it lacked two attachments. In particular, board Chairwoman Lucy Wallace said she did not feel comfortable signing it without reading the school policies and procedures and the cable committee’s policies and procedures, both of which were referenced in the MOU but not attached. Specifically, Wallace and board member Tim Clark are concerned about the safety and supervision of minors using the cable studio after school hours, they said.
School Committee member Keith Cheveralls could barely contain his frustration at the delay, arguing that the schools have very clear policies, available online. Furthermore, the MOU stipulates that access to the cable space must comply with school security protocols, which restrict access from outside the building and between the studio and the rest of the school, he said. In support of Cheveralls, Selectman Bill Johnson pointed out that the selectmen don’t ask to see the policies and procedures of other after-school programs, to which Clark replied that in this case, the Board of Selectmen is the “responsible party” if something goes wrong.
After a long and increasingly heated discussion, Cheveralls and cable committee member John Burns agreed to submit the requested documents, and a vote was put off until the board has had a chance to read them.
Selectmen defer recommendations on planner, bylaw, and drinking
As expected, the selectmen had trouble this week agreeing on the board’s recommendations for several controversial ATM warrant articles. They remain divided on whether the town should hire a planner, with benefits, or instead contract for consulting services as needed (Article10; see related story). They could not reach consensus on a position regarding a citizen petition to exempt municipal buildings from the zoning bylaw (Article 42), nor on an article that would allow more, and less restrictive, liquor licenses in town. They will make a decision on all three at their April 2 meeting.
As for the rest of the Town Meeting Warrant, the board had no trouble recommending the other articles in which they are stakeholders, including an appropriation of $175,000 to connect the Center Fire Station and Hildreth House to the new town sewer system.
