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Advisory Committee
November 21, 2006 Meeting Minutes

Town of Hingham
Advisory Committee
November 21, 2006 Meeting Minutes

Present:  Port, Bierwirth, Barclay, Ellison, Farrell, Friedman, Kiernan, Lauter, Manning, Seelen

Chair Linda Port called the meeting to order at 7:36PM in the Town Hall Building.

The Committee reviewed and approved the minutes from the October 17, 2006 meeting.

Town Administrator Charlie Cristello introduced Special Town Meeting Article 2, funding for asbestos removal at Bare Cove Park, by providing a brief history of the clean up of the Park.

• The most recent funding, provided through the CPC, called for the removal of a number of structures in the park.  During this effort, asbestos was found in an amount that required notification of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
• Jim Luker, a Licensed Site Professional (LSP), provided a more in-depth analysis of the problem and the abatement process that is now the Town's responsibility.
  • While final DEP approval for the proposed abatement plan has not yet been secured, Jim Luker was optimistic that it would be approved. 
  • The initial phase would be immediate removal of the asbestos found in the rubble of the foundations.  The asbestos is most likely from asbestos shingles.  The surrounding area will be tested and the site closed in place by adding one to three feet of soil over each affected pad.  Activity will be limited at each site.

Charlie Cristello informed the Committee that the proposed funding for the asbestos abatement would come from free cash.

The Advisory Committee voted unanimously to support Article 2, funding $378,000 for the abatement of asbestos at Bare Cove Park.

Ted Alexiades reviewed the Five Year Forecast.

Jerry Seelen provided an update on the status of the Central Fire Station Building Committee project and the need for additional funding addressed in Article 1 of the Special Town Meeting.

Alison Ferrante, Fire Station Building Committee Chair, covered the project in detail: the lengthy approval process; the items driving the additional dollars required; the decision to re-bid the project; and the final dollar amount required to award the job to the low bidder.

Tom Carey recapped the strategic plan for the Town, putting in perspective the Central Fire Station renovation project.

Kate Boland, Peter Bickford, and Declan Boland, members of the public, offered comments opposing the additional funding.  Declan Boland invited a representative from Municipal Benchmarking to present comparisons on operating costs and personnel headcount. Due to the lack of relevance to the topic, the Advisory Committee declined to hear the presentation.  Chair Linda Port, thanked the representative from Municipal Benchmarking for his patience and for attending the meeting.

The Advisory Committee voted unanimously to support Article 1, funding an additional $1,539,082 for the renovation of the Central Fire Station.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:39PM.