June 9, 2005
Special Session 7:40 PM
Mr. MacIver, Mr. Edmundson, Ms. Tully
Mr. MacIver reported that a postcard had been received from CPO Keith Jermyn who is stationed north of Bagdad, Iraq. Mr. Jermyn wrote to thank the Board for his appointment to the Memorial and Veterans Day Committee.
Voted - to appoint Alison Ferrante a member of the Central Fire Station Building Committee.
Development and Industrial Commission Update
Mr. Rabuffo explained that the final look of the tunnel cap is still somewhat of an unknown. The binder contains the details of the overall strategy and the streetscape elements of the downtown. The improvements include the connection to Route 3A becoming more of a "T approach", streets will be more consistently 12' in width, the crosswalks will be more visible, bump-outs to the sidewalk will permit accessibility and the section between North and South Streets on Main Street will be a park at certain times. The Friends of Hingham Square had suggested that this area be made a park on a permanent basis. Parking for the area is adequate according to the Zoning By-Law because there are a significant number of white collar businesses which do not require a lot of parking spaces. Growth is the driving force for the garage. If another restaurant were to go into the downtown, it would most likely require a variance or more parking.
Estimated costs of the improvements are $300,000 for pavers in the alleyways, $300,000 in design and engineering expense, $500,000 for lighting and an additional $500,000 contingency. It was suggested that some of the improvements, such as trees, could be financed by way of betterments assessed to the property owners who would benefit form these improvements. It was suggested that the funding mechanisms might need more study.
Mr. Rabuffo said an economic development person is becoming critical. For example, a retail outlet is interested in coming to Town - how is that done?
Mr. MacIver noted that this provides an opportunity to make sure that each of the unique spaces is taken advantage of. Ms. Tully said she would like to see the Water Street/3A intersection included and made more pedestrian safe. The merchants have been so pleased with the one-way traffic on that section of South Street between Main and North that the Board will refer it to Traffic Committee to evaluate making the change permanent.
Fire Chief Interviews
Robert Olsson, grew up in Hingham, became interested in the fire service while in college and joined department in 1976. He then went to EMT school in Quincy and spent most of his career on the ambulance. Captain Olsson has also been involved in training, worked with Deputy Chief Duff as Deputy Director of Emergency Management. As a shift commander he has operated at a time when the chief and deputy are not there. He has included middle management in the management decisions he has made. Captain Olsson has developed the standard operating procedure for Group 2 as well as the communications master plan, which is two way communications by radio for public safety personnel since using one plan would allow for not duplicating equipment, antennae, etc. He noted the fire service has been slow to enter the computer age. The computer will allow the capability to recall and store data such as building layouts, etc. There is a new program that would allow dispensing of stroke medication in field, etc.
Captain Olsson characterized himself as a confident, competent and consistent leader.
This confidence I his abilities is based on his reading and staying current in his field. He noted that a leader must be consistent in the application of leadership style.
Captain Olsson was a member of the finance committee for his town. He has a consulting company and having his own business has given him experience in non-fire department setting.
As far as Community Outreach to the elderly and the young, the SAFE program has gone away as the money went away. Capt. Olsson would like to see that reinstated. The elderly are also a focus group that would be open to presentations such as "Smoke Detector Battery Day" when members of the Fire Department go out and meet people, talk with them and change the battery in the smoke detector. Industry is polarized in the north and south ends of town during the day but the Centre population grows in the evening. Additional demands on the fire service created by assisted living facilities may mean running ALS on the engines while waiting for a transport vehicle to come. Serono and Blue Cross Blue Shield will be a challenge since those locations cannot be accessed through Hingham. Emergency vehicles must go into Queen Anne Corner to get there. Shared response is automatic in theses cases. Rockland is helping with Serono; Hingham could help them with hotels.
Capt. David Damstra is currently the Town Fire Prevention Officer. He characterized his leadership style as liking to get help when in a leadership role. He said he is open to ideas, listens and then makes a decision. The biggest challenge in the next five years will be the growth in town. Staffing will need to be increased and there will be a need for a third ambulance. Captain Damstra said he does not have a great deal of experience in financial management since Fire Prevention has a small budget. As far as community relations, Captain Damstra said the department should be involved in other organizations. The department currently works with Elder Affairs, but could probably do a better job. The Captain was interested in firefighting fom an early age. Fire prevention is an important part of the department. The inspections include a simple one-page form that is primarily fact gathering - the name of owner, address, who is responsible, fire alarm company, extinguishers, etc. Captain Damstra stressed the importance of the Chief being in touch with the members of the department and spending time with the officers and firefighters. He said just just being personable and not going through the command structure sometimes better achieve effective communication.
Deputy Chief Mark Duff, a lifelong resident of Hingham, joined the department at age 16. One of the challenges facing the department is where to relocate during the Central Fire Station construction. Adequate storage for materials has been found and the Fire Department will operate out of two stations. Greenbush is a concern - parking lots, traffic through town, tunnel incidents, etc. If something were to happen in the tunnel it could be a very serious situation with 1200 people involved. Deputy Chief Duff said that there are born leaders and those who have had to learn - and he has had to learn. He believes in a team effort and noted that the relationship between fire and police in Hingham is second to none. Deputy Duff said it is important to listen to officers of the department but the decisions ultimately rests with the chief. As far as financial management skills, he has worked closely with the current chief on theses issues. About 90% of the budget is personal services and the remaining 10% covers everything else. It is most important to watch where the department is each month - how the overtime is doing, etc. Technology is great but operationally it comes down to being the on the ground and knowing what everyone should be doing. It is important for fire chief to be seen looking and acting professional. The Deputy Chief suggested the Fire Department needs to reach out more in the area of customer service. As chief, Deputy Chief Duff would capitalize on his strengths and fill in those weak points with others strong points. He would also implement an open door policy. It is his opinion that listening helps even if you cannot do anything about it.
MJ Shultz will be leaving as Zoning Administrator on July 7th after 21 years of hard work.
Voted, by roll call vote to adjourn to executive session for purpose of discussing real estate not to resume open session.
Mr. MacIver - yes, Mr. Edmundson - yes, Ms. Tully - yes
Open session adjourned 9:40 PM.
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