November 23, 2004
Special Session 4:15 PM
Ms. Tully, Mr. Edmundson
Ms. Tully reviewed her comments on the State of the Town Forum. She noted that attendance was good. Mr. Edmundson said he had received many positive comments about the forum and that it had provided an opportunity to communicate with the public.
In many instances people kept bringing up issues that had been previously discussed at meetings. The Advisory Committee has expressed concerned about the expense of the mailing for the State of the Town Forum. Many residents liked the written material that came with the meeting. It was suggested that possibly written materials be e-mailed or posted on the website on a more frequent basis. Mr. Edmundson suggested that the warrant be sent out as usual prior to Town Meeting, then the State of the Town Forum materials in the fall and perhaps a third mailing in January or February updating issues.
The top concerns of residents of the Town included communications, land use and livability, traffic, beautification and education.
Communication
The Board will send notes out to community organizations asking that activities not be scheduled for town meeting nights. The School and Recreation Departments should also cancel activities on town meeting night. The Board will send out an update in late January either through the newspapers or website. The idea of a neighborhood ombudsman was brought up. This individual would keep neighbors informed on what is going on and where to go when a town service is not working. The State of Town Forum will be on November 6 next year.
Land use and Livability
One suggestions was that the website be used to keep public aware of projects and development and possibly to include informational updates from the Planning Board.
The Board of Selectmen should decide if it wants to take a more active stance on development issues and, possibly, to make qualitative comments on growth. It was mentioned that the Board could work with the Planning Board and other bodies to draft town planning objectives and revise them periodically. Mr. Edmundson commented that he would like objectives that are concrete and measurable. A certain number of citizens are looking to the Board of Selectmen to make clear objectives regarding development. Mr. Cristello said there was some sense that the Town could be seeking greater mitigation from the developers. This raises the issues of what are we asking developers to do, who is doing the asking, and how broadly do we define mitigation? The water issue is something to pursue with the Water Supply Committee.
There are challenges in keeping the lower priced houses in Town. The Town has approved Brewer Meadows, a rental property, and the Housing Authority is developing a property for rental units. If the Board of Selectmen is looking at a LIP perhaps they could explore varying levels of subsidy – some at 80%, some at 60%, etc. in addition to the market rate units. The problem is there is not any federal or state money going towards this effort.
Traffic
There seems to be a dramatic improvement at High, Free and Main Streets.
The Master Plan transportation section is really a traffic study. The question regarding transportation policy is what does the town want to see overall. Ms. Tully said she would like to see a unified approach to the signs along roads, particularly at crosswalks.
Perhaps the Board should create an objective stating what the Board would like Town roads to look like. Mr. MacIver had suggested the Board look at rerouting buses.
Beautification
Another area of concern was the condition of the harbor area and expansion of the harbor park. Mr. Cristello recommended referring these issues to committees and asking for response by a certain date. The Development and Industrial Commission is looking at addressing downtown parking and seeking federal money. The Cecil report should provide a basis for such a funding request.
Education
Education is very separate from town government. The concerns about the Schools will be referred to the School Committee.
In summary, the two big areas of concern are communication, the need to get information out to people better and development. The Board plans to create a letter to update topics from the State of the Town Forum and to create a template of where the Board would like to see the Town going. The Board will also ask the School Committee to respond to the specific school issues brought up and to research the idea of a voluntary tax.
Mr. Cristello noted that there has been a reinsurance matter that has been outstanding for a number of years. Finally, a settlement has been reached through town counsel’s office.
Voted - to sign a settlement agreement between the Town of Hingham and Fidelity Security Life Insurance Company of Kansas City.
The discussion of new a new Department of Public Works facility caused the Herseys to look at the agreement with the Town for the use of the property in the rear of the public works building known as 109R Hersey Street. The proposed license agreement with the Herseys will be at a rate of $2,200 per month for the storage of salt and sand. It also provides for the Town to explore the site for clean up and remediation.
Voted - to sign a license agreement with the Estate of John R. Hersey, Sr. for continued use and occupancy of the property known as 109R Hersey Street by the Department of Public Works through May 31, 2006.
Meeting adjourned 5:45 PM.
Betty Foley, Clerk