At Monday evening’s Special Town Meeting in the Bromfield School’s Cronin Auditorium, voters will be asked to consider nine articles put forward by the selectmen and other town boards. One proposes to sell town land, another asks for money to make the old library accessible, three propose changes to town bylaws, and another asks attendees to listen to a report on the Hildreth Elementary School project.
Following is a synopsis of each article, including its fiscal impact, simply stated. If you’re looking for legalese, you’ll find it in the Town Meeting warrant, which is available at the town website and will be distributed at the meeting. The handout contains the exact wording of all nine articles, their cost, and the recommendations of the Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee. Readers should be aware, however, that the final wording and exact dollar amounts of some articles won’t be known until the motions for their adoption are read on the Town Meeting floor.
ARTICLE 1: AMEND THE PROTECTIVE BYLAW 125-18.1 ACCESSORY APARTMENT USE
Inserted by the Planning Board
Requires a two-thirds vote
Homeowners in town can, at present, supplement their homes with a small, self-contained apartment, often referred to as an “in-law apartment,” but only after the home has been standing for at least five years. This article would remove the time restriction from the bylaw.
What happens if the article is approved? If approved, newly constructed homes and homes less than 5 years old will be eligible for the addition of small apartments.
What happens if the article fails? If defeated, “in-law apartments” will remain restricted to homes more than 5 years old.
ARTICLE 2: AMEND THE PROTECTIVE BYLAW 125-2 DEFINITIONS
Inserted at request of the Planning Board
Requires a two-thirds vote
This article provides a definition for a new class of business, the “microbrewery.” A microbrewery is a business that, as its primary purpose, brews up to 5,000 barrels of alcoholic beverages per year and may allow sampling of its product on the premises. See story.
What happens if the article is approved? If approved, new microbrewery businesses could open in the town’s commercial district.
What happens if the article fails? If defeated, no new microbreweries will be allowed in the town.
ARTICLE 3: AMEND THE PROTECTIVE BYLAW 125-13 MEDIUM SCALE COMMERCIAL USES
Inserted at request of the Planning Board
Requires a two-thirds vote
Related to Article 2, this article limits the retail operations of microbreweries. It specifies that they may sell their product, and goods related to it, for off-premises consumption. To offer the on-premises consumption of alcoholic beverages, they will need a special permit from the Planning Board. See story.
What happens if the article is approved? If approved, microbreweries will be able to engage in the retail sale of their product.
What happens if the article fails? If defeated, microbreweries will be barred from retail sales.
ARTICLE 4: PURCHASE PORTABLE TRUCK LIFTS
Inserted by the Board of Selectmen and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee
Amount: $35,000
Money source: Capital Stabilization and Investment Fund
Requires a two-thirds vote
Recommended by the Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee
This article asks the town for $35,000 to purchase a small vehicle tire changer and balancer, and a portable hydraulic lift capable of lifting vehicles weighing as much as 66,000 pounds, the weight of the largest truck owned by the town. DPW Director Tim Kilhart says the equipment, which has a lifetime of 15 to 20 years, would allow an in-house mechanic to perform maintenance and repair on DPW trucks, police cruisers, and fire trucks, saving the town an estimated $10,000 annually on jobs currently outsourced to third parties. Kilhart says in-house service would also save time and help keep trucks on the road in the winter. The article has the support of Police Chief Ed Denmark and Fire Chief Rick Sicard. Annual cost of maintaining the lifts is estimated to be $400 per year.
What happens if the article is approved? The town will purchase the lifts this year and put them to work immediately, says Kilhart.
What happens if the article fails? The town will continue to use third parties to maintain and service its vehicles.
ARTICLE 5: WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL RESTORATION
Inserted by the Community Preservation Committee
Amount: $20,000
Money source: Fiscal 2018 Community Preservation Fund
Requires a majority vote
Recommended by the Finance Committee
The Community Preservation Committee voted Oct. 16 to contribute $20,000 to the War Monument Restoration Committee to help fund the restoration of the World War I memorial on the Common. The town must approve this use of CPC funds. Plans include restoration of the concrete base, painting the flagpole, and restoration of the plaques naming the Harvard residents who served in World War I.
What happens if the article is approved? Along with the 100 Cities/100 Memorials matching grant the committee received in September, the CPC funds would provide the remaining financial resources needed to complete restoration of the World War I memorial in time to rededicate it on Memorial Day 2018.
What happens if the article fails? While the committee has not yet addressed this possibility, failure of the article would put the timely restoration of the memorial at risk, which could result in the loss of the matching grant. The terms of the $2,000 grant are that the town must raise matching funds and complete restoration of the memorial by Veterans Day (Nov. 11) 2018.
ARTICLE 6: OLD LIBRARY ACCESSIBILITY
Inserted by the Community Preservation Committee
Amount: $50,000
Money source: Fiscal 2018 Community Preservation Fund
Requires a majority vote
Recommended by the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee
The Community Preservation Committee voted Oct. 16 to contribute $50,000 to the Old Library Accessibility Committee to help defray the cost of restoring the center entrance of the old library to make the building accessible. This article is to get town approval for that contribution. If Article 7 passes, the accessibility committee would put out a request for proposals for detailed design drawings for the center entrance project. See story.
What happens if the article is approved? If approved, the money becomes immediately available for use by the Old Library Accessibility Committee.
What happens if the article fails? If defeated, the money remains in the Community Preservation Fund.
ARTICLE 7: HAPGOOD LIBRARY—CONSTRUCT ADA-ACCESSIBLE FRONT DOOR AND ADDRESS ADA COMPLIANCE ISSUES
Inserted at request of the Finance Committee and the Capital Planning and Investment Committee
Amount: $472,000
Money source: Municipal note or bond, less the $50,000 provided by Article 6 and any grants awarded the town, as well as the $39,000 remaining from the $50,000 authorized by 2017 Annual Town Meeting for construction of an ADA-accessible back entrance and parking. If the town decides to fund the project with excluded debt, voters will be asked to approve the excluded debt at 2018 Annual Town Meeting and 2018 Town Election.
Recommended by the Capital Planning and Investment Committee; the Finance Committee does not recommend this article
The Old Library Accessibility Committee is requesting funding to construct an accessible center entrance to the old library at 7 Fairbank St. Neither the existing side entrance nor the rear entrance, which underwent a few improvements over the summer, is considered accessible by the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (MAAB). The town currently has a variance from the MAAB to use the rear entrance as an accessible entrance for three years, with the understanding that the town will be working on providing a suitable fully accessible entrance during that time. The committee has applied for grants and further variances on noncompliance issues inside the building to further offset costs. See story. (For further details see “FinCom opposes spending on old library entrance” in the Oct. 27 issue of the Press.)
What happens if the article is approved? If the town decides to borrow the money as excluded debt, voters will still need to approve that at 2018 Town Meeting and the 2018 Town Election.
What happens if the article fails? The committee would evaluate the Town Meeting’s decision, examine potential alternatives, and determine how to proceed.
ARTICLE 8: AUTHORIZE THE BOARD OF SELECTMEN TO SELL TOWN-OWNED PROPERTY
Inserted by the Board of Selectmen
Requires a two-thirds vote
Recommended by the Finance Committee, which also recommends that the town vote to dedicate either all or a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this land to offset the cost of Phase 2 of the Hildreth House project
This article asks residents to vote to allow the sale of 3.16 acres of land to the west and south of Hildreth House for the purpose of building senior housing. The town voted at the 2016 Special Town Meeting to create a zoning overlay district that would allow senior housing to be built there, and the selectmen voted to designate the land as surplus earlier this year. Town officials have consistently stated an intention to use any profits from the land sale to offset the cost of an addition to the senior center at Hildreth House, known as Phase 2. Town officials have also consistently stated an intention that any senior housing built there be moderately priced so that seniors can downsize from their current houses and property-tax burdens. The land cannot be legally sold for less than its appraised value, which is currently $1.2 million, and an earlier request for proposals (RFP) for the land resulted in one incomplete bid for $510,000. The Housing@Hildreth Committee intends to revise the RFP and release it again if this article passes. See story.
What happens if the article is approved? Shortly after approval, the Housing@Hildreth Committee will release another RFP. The committee will increase the proposal’s visibility to area real estate brokers who work with developers, and the new RFP will offer a 5 percent real estate commission to be paid from the sale of the land. It will also offer an installment plan for developers to pay for the land. In addition, the committee will submit a change-of-use application to the Sewer Commission to confirm the assignment of the necessary gallons of sewage for the development and will wait for the application to be approved before sending out the new RFP.
What happens if the article fails? The Housing@Hildreth Committee has not yet taken a position on what course of action it would take if the article fails.
ARTICLE 9: HILDRETH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FEASIBILITY STUDY AND DESIGN REPORT
Inserted at request of the School Committee
Amount: None
Requires a majority vote
Although no vote on the new school building project is required until next spring’s Annual Town Meeting, this article provides a chance for townspeople to see the most recent plans for the proposed school. The School Building Committee has been working with architects on a site plan, building footprint, and traffic patterns for the proposed project. See story.
