TOWN OF
Chairman Mary-Jo Avellar convened the meeting at
Other
attendees: Town Manager
Recorder:
The following are meeting minutes, in brief.
1A PUBLIC HEARING – FIREHOUSE #
Chairman Avellar read Public
Hearing Notice into record.
No written comments were
received.
Presentation by: Principal Robert Evans of
A & E Architects,
Russ Braun mentioned that
Option #3 has been taken off the table as they feel it is not feasible, as well
as the cost $80K for an elevator is not feasible.
Public Comments – None
Email received from Marcene
Marcoux that was sent to Selectmen Austin Knight and Lynne Davies only was read
into the record. (See attachment
#1)
Letter from Maggie Finn –
Read into the record (See Attachment #2)
Open discussion ensued.
MOTION: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to recommend
option 2.
Motion by: Michele
Couture Seconded by: Pam Parmakian
Yea 1 Nay 4
(Avellar/Knight/Davies/Parmakian)
-
MOTION: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to develop the
plans for Option 2 with cost associated of phasing it in. (i.e. winterizing,
structural repairs and having it ready to be wired and plumbed, etc.)
Motion by: Austin
Knight Seconded by: Pam
Parmakian
Yea 1 Nay
1 (Michele Couture)
MOTION: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to approve a
change order for A & E Architects of
Motion by: Austin
Knight Seconded by: Pam
Parmakian Yea 5 Nay
0
1B PUBLIC HEARING: GROWTH
MANAGEMENT REPORT
Zoning
By-Laws 6600(3)
Mary-Jo
Avellar mentioned the public hearing was published and posted on the town
website December 27, 2008, and the Provincetown Banner, January 3 and 10, 2008
and the public was encouraged to submit any comments in writing or to come in
person at the meeting.
Mary-Jo
Avellar read into the record a email from Marcene Marcoux that was sent only to
Selectmen Austin Knight and Lynne Davies (See Attachment #3)
No
other public comments were received. No
comments from the general public at this meeting.
Open
discussion ensued. Need to start
working on EDC permits.
MOTION: Move that the
Board of Selectmen vote, pursuant to the Provincetown
Zoning By-Laws Section 6600, Growth Limitation Goal Allocations, to make the
following findings (1) that the average daily withdrawal for the Provincetown
Water System decreased from 784,000 gallons in 2006 to 725,000 GPDs in 2007;
(2) that the permitted level is 850,000 GPDs; and (3) that, therefore, the Town
is in compliance with the water withdrawal permit issued by the Department of
Environmental Protection (“DEP”) pursuant to 310 CMR 36.00 and all applicable
rules and regulations by DEP with respect thereto.
Motion by: Michele Couture Seconded by: Austin Knight Yea
5 Nay 0
1C RECYCLING & RENEWABLE ENERGY
COMMITTEE
Joint
Meeting with Board of Selectmen
The Board would like to invite the Recycling
Committee to attend the meeting with Mass Technologies Collaborative when we
meet with them.
Open discussion ensued. No motions made.
1D VISITOR
SERVICES BOARD – JOINT MEETING W/BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Proposed
Five-Year Financial Plan for Tourism Fund Expenditures
VSB in attendance: Michael Peregon,
Hersh Schwartz, Rob Tosner, Michelle Haines, Kathleen Fitzgerald, Mick Rudd and
Tourism Director Lisa Bowden.
Open discussion ensued.
MOTION: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to approve the
Visitor Services Board’s recommended Five-Year Financial Plan for Tourism Fund
Expenditures for FY 2009 – FY 2013; with
FY 2009 Budget as so indicated in Assistant Town Manager’s
Motion by: Michele Couture Seconded by:
Yea 4 Nay
1 (Lynne Davies)
Regional Transit Authority is looking for
funding for the Flex service. There is a
public hearing on
MOTION: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to
approve the
Motion by:
H2B
– There is a meeting this
Thursday on this matter and everyone is invited to attend. Tentative set up for
2. PUBLIC STATEMENTS
Thanassi Kuliopulos -
Spoke on his reasons for a proposal for Wind Power. (See attachment #4)
Jeff Coho – Played tape recording of
the an alleged phone call from the Provincetown Fire Chief and asked that the
Board of Selectmen look into it and call him before the board.
Rachel White - Spoke on various items that were discussed
during the evening including the replacement of an Assistant for the Tourism
Office, Wind Turbine, charging for trash bags,
Fishermen’s Memorial, Town is lucky to have Visitor Services Board,
curious that the School had to turn back money to the General Fund.
Barbara Rushmore – Spoke on: Decorations at
Town Hall this were the best ever; When will we have another meeting on Paving
on
Rob Tosner – Comments regarding the
discussion around Firehouse #2 – I think most taxpayer would be hard pressed to
understand we are spending $19K on those plans that we saw tonight for options
that we did or did not know that we were not going to take. I think that’s what gets people upset. And then we spend another $19K on top of that
to come up with working plans that we may or may not do down the line. That is the kind of thing that gets people
upset. We’re spending $38K on plans,
half of which we may not use, but we had a long discussion about spending $15K
on municipal project that were here before.
They are not necessarily related, but they do contrast how we make
decisions. Also, I think the other
decision about making Police dormitories above a Firehouse across from Spiritus
Pizza, I think the public is going to laugh at that. I think it is a ridiculous
idea. It’s one of those things I think
we’ll agree to disagree. I think housing
above there is questionable, and police dormitories makes little sense to me.
Wind Turbines – I would
like to see that the Town benefit as a resource from that.
3. SELECTMEN STATEMENTS
Pam
Parmakian
Thank you all for you comments tonight around
Wind Turbines. I think they could not come at a better time, and I look forward
to the presentation in a few week.
MOTION: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote
to send a Sympathy Card to Roslyn Garfield on the loss of her partner Phyllis
Motion by: Pam Parmakian Seconded by: Michele
Couture Yea 5
Nay 0
I want to remind everyone that the budget
process begins next week and that the Budget Meetings are open to the pubic and
will be held on January 22,23 and
Annual Independent Audit – Tom Scanlan &
Associates is compiling the information and it will be ready by the end of
March or early April. All financial
statements are in this report.
The Financial Practices Review that will
begin this week by DOR is not an audit.
It’s a review of how we conduct business and this is the FREE service
that is provided by the State. If
anyone is interested they can go to the DOR website and check out Public
Financial Reviews and see published reports to see what they look at and what
they review, etc. Michele Couture
- At no time has the Town ever denied
DOR. Supposedly there was a free audit
and they never offered such a service. The only service they offer is to do
Technical Review, and it starts tomorrow and it lasts a couple of days.
Town Board Websites – I continued to look for Boards or emails
contacts.
Lynne
Davies
I also agree that the Town, as we look
towards wind turbines and everything, should be looking towards
self-sufficiency and maintaining the income stream for ourselves or our
consortium, our partner whether it be
I am trying to get a handle on what we truly
need for local housing … A report that was done several years ago. I would like to know how many townspeople
need rental housing, what type of – one bedroom, two bedroom, etc; how many are prepared to buy community (in
the big picture – affordable, medium, etc.).
It would be very helpful if we knew what we really had to fulfill, and
be able to check it off so to speak and monitor our success in filling what our
local housing needs truly are. A lot of
changes happened since that original information was provided us. I would like to propose that we ask that the
new Housing Council pull together that information so that we can have some way
of monitoring our success rate.
Open discussion ensue.
Michele
Couture
Contrary to what may be spreading around
town, our Bond Rating is ‘A’ with a positive outlook.
MOTION: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote
to send a letter to Mr. James Souza for his services of 43 years as a Constable
for the Town of
Motion by: Michele Couture Seconded by: Pam Parmakian Yea
5 Nay 0
To Mrs. White - in creating positions – it is in the purvue of the Town
Manager to make personnel work and function within the Town the way she sees
fit. In fact, we had a Secretary in the DRM who is now a Permit Coordinator,
and that never went to Town Meeting. We
saw the need and saw that she was doing some of those things anyway, and
without having her to go to town meeting, we now have a Permit
Coordinator.
MMA Convention – was
attended by all of us, and we attended many workshops and got a lot of
important work done for the town. The Town Manager was there along with
some FinCom members, and we all came away with some really invigorating ideas.
To Barbara Rushmore – it was a very interesting idea about soliciting
help from different avenues.
David Gardner - The
existing Fisherman’s Memorial needs to have some work done on it and where it
will be located has not been determined as of yet. A new fishermen’s memorial
is also in the works.
Public Hearing on paving is January 28th.
I
also think very highly of the Superintendent of Schools. The School gets to keep their funds every
year. They get to encumber their funds.
Outsourcing our tax bills – it is
cheaper to send your tax bills to our lock box – it saves us money.
To Mr. Tosner – I guess we will have to agree to disagree in housing
our police in a town owned building across from Spiritus.
Austin Knight
Regarding Ms. Rushmore’s question on Article 24. Town Manager Sharon
Lynn – I’ve discussed this with Mr. Schneiderhan and he is putting a letter
together and it will be forthcoming. I will forward it along to the Board when
I receive it.
Regarding Firehouse #2 - I’m not limiting it
to dormitory housing, we can also rent it and bring money into the town. The same with the Library, we can start
renting it and bring some money in … start renting the 2nd and 3rd
floor.
Future agenda uses for old Library –
Schedule for February 2008.
Encourage
Ms. Rushmore to speak to Town Manager on her suggestion of securing summer
help.
Would like to find out what the tape that Mr. Coho
was all about. Town Manager Sharon
Lynn – It is a matter under litigation. I will fill you in on it.
Recycling & Energy Conservation – I’m glad that we are have
people who are willing to take on this project.
Thursday Budget Meeting – We are still scheduled for
this meeting, unless we decide to cancel it. So, I expect everyone to be here
Thursday @
4A APPOINTMENT
MOTION: Move that
the Board of Selectmen vote to appoint David Ketchum as a Regular
Member of the Council on Aging with a term expiration date of
Motion by: Michele Couture Seconded by: Pam Parmakian Yea
5 Nay 0
MOTION: Move that
the Board of Selectmen vote to appoint John Dowd as an Alternate
Member of the Art Commission with a term expiration date of
Motion by: Michele Couture Seconded by: Austin Knight Yea
5 Nay 0
4B TOWN
MANAGER APPOINTMENT
MOTION: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to reappoint Doug Johnstone as a Regular Member of
the Disability Commission with a term expiration date of
Motion by: Michele
Couture Seconded by: Lynne
Davies Yea 5
Nay 0
MOTION: Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to reappoint Richard Kapler as a Regular Member of
the Disability Commission with a term expiration date of
Motion by: Michele
Couture Seconded by: Lynne
Davies Yea 5
Nay 0
5A TOWN CLERK - 2007 TOWN REPORT DEDICATION
MOTION:
Move that the Board of Selectmen vote to
dedicate the 2007
Motion by: Lynne Davies Seconded by: Michele Couture Yea 5
Nay 0
5B NATURAL HAZARDS
PRE-DISASTER MITIGATION PLAN
MOTION: Move that
the Board of Selectmen vote, as required by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency under the Disaster
Mitigation Act of 2000, to adopt and approve the Local Natural Hazard
Pre-Disaster Mitigation Plan for the Town of Provincetown, dated January 14,
2008.
Motion by: Michele Couture Seconded by: Austin Knight Yea 5
Nay 0
5C TREASURER’S
TRANSFERS –