November 9, 2004
Regular Session 7:05 PM
Ms. Tully, Mr. MacIver, Mr. Edmundson
Personnel Board Update
Mr. Claypoole and Mr. MacGillivary advised the Board that the Personnel Board had undergone difficult negotiations with Teamsters Local 25 but an agreement had been reached that is consistent with the plan set out by the Selectmen.
Voted - to sign a memorandum of agreement with Teamsters Local 25, representing the employees of the Department of Public Works, for the period July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2007.
Mr. Puzo and Ms. Harris presented the agreement reached with SEIU Local 888 representing the employees of the Hingham Public Library. It was noted that this agreement was consistent with the plan set out by the Board of Selectmen.
Voted - to sign a memorandum of agreement with SEIU Local 888 representing the Hingham Public Library for the period July 1, 2004 though June 30, 2007.
Voted - to grant request for counsel as submitted by the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Voted - to approve the request of the South Shore Lodge #1850, Sons of Italy, 39 Kilby Street to extend their hours to serve alcoholic beverages from midnight to 1:00 A.M. on November 24 and December 31, 2004.
Voted - to approve the application to change the manager of the Hingham Yacht Club Wines & Malt Beverages License from Peter Blampied to Mary Ann
Shea, subject to approval of the ABCC.
Voted - to grant Stephen K.W. Chan, Aloha, Inc., 198 Whiting Street a period of three months time to locate a qualified applicant to transfer the Restaurant Common Victualler All Alcoholic Beverages License
Voted - to appoint Mathew E. MacIver to the Wastewater Management Committee
Voted - to appoint Michael Mullaley a member of the Cable TV Advisory Committee for a term ending in 2007.
Transfers from the Reserve Fund
Ms. Foley advised the Board that just prior to the construction of the elevator addition to GAR Hall it became apparent that the structural repairs to the main building could not be put off. These unanticipated repairs were designed by Bill Thayer and carried out by Pasquilucci and Sons at a cost of $29,550.
Voted - to recommend a transfer from the Reserve Fund to the GAR Hall Repair and Maintenance of Buildings Account in the amount of $29,550.
The Building Department has been extremely busy due to an unprecedented number of building permits issued and the large projects that are underway. In order to provide timely inspections for the large number of construction projects it is necessary to have additional time from deputy building inspectors.
Voted - to recommend a transfer from the Reserve Fund to the Building Department Salary Account in the amount of $14,348.
The Selectmen’s Office had been short-staffed for some time due to a long term medical leave for one employee and the passing of Donna Mayberry Greenberg. The solution was to hire a temporary full time employee and increase other employees’ hours to cover the positions.
Voted - to recommend a transfer from the Reserve Fund to the Selectmen’s Salary Account in the amount of $4,4970.
A recent inspection of town buildings and facilities by the town’s insurer brought to light some serious deficiencies as the skating club on East Street. It will be necessary to replace the wood stove and bring the electrical wiring up to code in order to operate the skating club this winter.
Voted - to recommend a transfer from the Reserve Fund to the Recreation Expenses Account in the amount of $7,183.
The Board convened a joint session with the School Committee for the purpose of appointing a member to fill a vacancy on the School Committee created by the resignation of Irena Sinclair. The School Committee conducted interviews of the candidates on November 6.
Voted - to appoint Sara Henessey a member of the School Committee to serve until the April 2005 town election.
A majority vote.
Joint session adjourned.
The Board resumed regular session.
Mr. Edmundson said that he had received some questions and concerns about signs posted on town property, particularly at the common. It was explained that the Board grants permission for signs as long as the request meets the requirements of the By-Law. Ms. Tully remarked that it might be worthwhile to review the By-Law and the Board’s response to the requests received. It was noted that contractor signs are most problematic especially if they are in the public way. The same is true of realtors’ signs.
Public Hearing – Relocation of Pole on Hersey Street
A homeowner on Hersey Street has advised the Light Plant that it was his intention to remove a tree on his property. That tree holds a guide wire for a Hingham Light pole. The Light Plant viewed the pole which is currently located at the edge of the road and decided to move the pole to the inside side of the sidewalk and place a pole and guide wire at the edge of the road for the new pole. Ms. Argiro said that if the pole is moved 6 feet back it would be in her yard. Mr. Todjakian explained that although the pole would be on the house side of the sidewalk it would still be within the town layout. Mr. Cristello suggested that the pole be moved towards the property line and away from directly in front of the house. The Board encouraged the Light Plant to explore other alternatives.
Voted - to continue the hearing to the meeting of November 30, 2004.
Update from Hingham Light Plant Strategic Planning Committee
The committee charged with reviewing operations and practices of the Hingham Light Plant thanked Mr. Tzimorangus for his assistance in providing resources and support. The committee began meeting in September with the goal of making recommendations to the Board and the community and issuing a final report shortly after February. Mr. Whitney explained that the four broad areas of focus are: policy, growth, efficiency & controls, and governance. The committee recommends creation of a policy board that sets policy and works with various components of town and Light Company to advance projects. Examples of projects that could benefit by such an approach include the Central Fire Station and school buildings. Policy could also include regional initiatives such as the windmill.
Growth is an area of concern and consideration. The projects that are in the stream will continue to tax the ability and the town’s load will continue to grow. The strategic planning process should include a solid look at the human resource component. The upgrading the substation at Hobart street is being analyzed currently. Ten to fifteen years down the road additional land may be necessary. There should be some broad general guidelines in the area of power supply. The Light Company could like to consider generating some of our own power to mitigate future risk of being totally dependent on one source for our power supply.
The third area of consideration is efficiencies and controls. The sharing of services, brainpower, systems and assets between the town and the Light Company should be explored. There is a wealth of talent and experience on each side. There are many areas to be looked at for consolidations, cost savings etc between the two.
The final area is that of governance. Is the current system of governance in this era of growth the best way to govern the company? The current oversight is an elected group of 3. The committee discussed various options and the opinions were all over the map. This matter will be addressed over the next weeks and months.
The Board commended the committee on the progress so far in defining the specific most important questions. Mr. MacIver expressed interest in exploring a list of potential areas where efficiencies could work. Other areas of interest were sustainable energy and managing demand. Ms. Tully noted that she had recently attended a workshop at the Kennedy School about building green. The presenters at the workshop mentioned that Boston buildings from now on would be built to be certifiably silver. A lot of the code has been changed recently that will raise buildings to the green level. RFPs would follow these guidelines. A “second skin” on a building can create high energy savings. Ms. Rapahelson noted that. it would behoove the Board to make sure that there are controls in place relative to energy contracts. There are a lot of controls in place for people who are doing trading. There should also be policy on who is allowed to sign contracts, etc. The HMLP can sign contracts but not trade. Mr. Edmundson remarked that he is not anxious to see the Selectmen take on the task of governing the Light Plant. His priorities would include a better understanding policy initiatives, sustainable energy and issues of efficiencies. There should be consistencies between the different areas of the Town.
Light at Beal Street and Sgt. Terry Drive
Mr. Cook explained that during permitting the Hingham Shipyard there was one intersection that is under the control of Hingham for mitigation. At certain times traffic does back up onto Terry Drive due to commuter traffic. Commuters tend to use North and Beal Streets. With the additional traffic expected due to the development of the Shipyard it is expected that the traffic at Terry Drive and Beal will increase. The Planning Board was concerned about whether the additional traffic control might encourage additional traffic to use Beal Street instead of the state highway. The ZBA did not necessarily agree with the Planning Board decision. Shipyard would install the traffic light as part of the mitigation. There will be a light at West, Fort Hill and South Streets; a stop sign on North at West Streets; North and Thaxter Streets will most likely be a four way stop; and South and Hersey Streets will have a light. Ms. Tully asked if the queues would be long enough to back up traffic on Route 3A. Mr. Cook suggested their could be backups of up to 2 minutes. He also noted that there will most likely be significant development along Beal Street and those projects should be factored into the studies. This intersection could be deferred to another time. The Shipyard build out is estimated to be 3-5 years once the permits have been pulled.
State of the Town Follow Up
Ms. Tully said the State of the Town Forum was successful overall but it is important to analyze the program and see where improvements could be made. Mr. Edmundson noted that he had enjoyed the process thought it was productive. The most important issue was a need to communicate with the townspeople on a more regular basis. It would be expensive to send out a regular mailing on a quarterly basis. It might be better to put information on the website. Ms. Tully suggested that the Board discuss constructive criticisms of the State of the Town process at the next meeting. Ms. Tully also recommended a discussion at the next meeting of a task force for building green in order to get the rfp structure.
Correspondence
Mr. Edmundson noted that there will be a meeting about the windmill in Hull at the library tomorrow evening and the Library Trustees will meet next week. Mr. Edmundson attended a meeting about Hersey House last week. There were concerns from residents regarding whether there was a plan to move the Hersey House forward to make room units in the back. The developer is also talking about buying land adjacent to the Hersey House. Mr. Edmundson also attended the meeting about the Plymouth County health plan. The large deficit that they had two and a half years ago has been brought back into balance. He remarked that he left the meeting feeling reassured that the plan was on the right track and that within a couple of years we may feel the benefit of that through lower rate increases. .
Mr. MacIver noted that DHCD has notified the Board that the Town is housing certified. Housing Partnership meeting last evening to work on the RFP for the Selectmen’s parcel. The group is working well together and will be reporting to the Board at the beginning of December. Mr. MacIver attended a reception at Serono recently as well as a Kiwanis dinner to honor Jill Drohan and Mary Toomey. The annual ADL “No Place For Hate” meeting is tomorrow evening.
Ms. Tully advised that the Harbor Development Committee had asked the Board to accept the donation of $20,000 from the Charles Langenhagen family and friends for the compass rose at Whitney Wharf. Mr. Stigliani called to remind that the landfill will be closed on Thursday and the new configuration will be open on Friday.
Meeting adjourned 9:50 PM.