Cell tower RFP
The selectmen this week authorized Town Administrator Tim Bragan to send out a request for proposals to construct a cell tower on town-owned land, either near the Bolton Road water tower or on the Hildreth House property behind Town Hall. Bragan told the board that he had spoken with a representative of Verizon about putting a cell installation in the cupola atop Town Hall, but that the height would not be sufficient to extend cell coverage past the Bolton Road hill. “There are certain areas in town where people get dropped calls,” Bragan said, calling it a public safety issue, as well as an inconvenience.
The board noted that an earlier cell tower proposal for the water tower site had run afoul of town setback requirements, but that a new urgency makes it possible now.
Appointments to town boards and ambulance squad
Town Administrator Tim Bragan reluctantly agreed to a one-year reappointment to the Town Hall Building Committee, saying that he needs to stay on or “tomorrow night’s meeting [Historical Commission and Town Hall Building Committee) won’t have a quorum.” This would mean an even further delay in getting the project out to bid. Bragan explained that he has so many meetings to go to that there are often conflicts and that he could still give his recommendations to THBC without attending meetings. He added that his input on the operational needs of Town Hall often has not been of the “prevailing view” and that he has seen little progress on his concerns. Seeming sensitive to both his frustration and his time constraints, the board voted 4 to 1 to reappoint Bragan to THBC but to encourage him to then find a replacement for himself on the committee.
New appointments include:
- Board of Assessors: Don Graham, three-year term
- Historical Commission: Sherry Graham, three-year term in realty seat, Moe Dancause, three-year term
- Conservation Commission: Jim Saalfield, associate position
- Municipal Affordable Housing Trust: David Hooper, two-year term
- Devens Economic Advisory Team: Chris Roy, one-year term.
Reappointments include:
- MAHT: Shirley Lapierre
- Economic Development Committee: Elaine Lazarus
- Zoning Board of Appeals: Robert Capobianco was reappointed to a three-year term and all associates members Theodore Maxant, Orville Dodson, and Michael Lawton were reappointed to one-year terms.
Harvard Ambulance Director Steve Beckman clarified some of the designations in the staff roster and explained the different levels of membership within the EMT program, as well as the expectations for members beyond those required by the state. He noted that the Harvard service has been able to provide a full crew for incoming calls for more than two and one-half years. The board voted to extend all EMT appointments through June 2014. Selectman Stu Sklar complimented Beckman for the excellent job he has done of managing a large staff and meeting the needs of the community.
Selectmen to review policy for remote attendance
In response to a concern about a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals being out of state for a series of meetings, BOS will review its policy of allowing boards to send information packets to board members who are out of state but want to attend meetings remotely. Selectman Stu Sklar said he had been in favor of allowing members of a board to attend meetings using tools such as Skype, but did not think the selectmen meant for this to be done regularly. Town Administrator Tim Bragan reminded the Selectmen that they alone have to power to set policy for other boards as well as themselves. Selectmen will get feedback from boards as to how the policy as it exists is working for them.
