Back to Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes
June 22, 2010
Regular Session 7:05 pm
Mr. Rabuffo, Mr. Riley, Ms. Burns
There were no questions from the public.
Mr. Rabuffo advised the public that the Board of Selectmen will not meet again until July 13. The Board will also meet again on July 27th.
Alma Nove
Mr. Tocchio explained that the restaurant opened less than a month ago. Due to the success of the restaurant the owners would like to extend the weekday hours until 1 a.m. Last week the Board raised the concern that there is a residential building scheduled to be built across the street from the restaurant and noise might adversely affect the residents. A letter in support of the request for extended hours was received from Samuels and Associates. It was noted that the residential building is not scheduled to be constructed in the near future.
Voted - to conditionally approve the request of Shipyard Ventures, LLC d/b/a Alma Nove to extend their hours to sell alcoholic beverages from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Sundays through Thursdays. (This request matches the Friday and Saturday hours and would allow alcoholic beverages to be sold every day from 11:00 AM to 1:00 AM.)
This approval is granted with the condition that when the new residential buildings are completed and issued occupancy permits, Alma Nove and Samuels & Associates must appear before the Town for a review of the week day closings at 1:00 am.
When Samuels went forward with this project there was a requirement for an amphitheatre and linkage to the conservation properties. There will be a grand opening this weekend. A special purpose entity, Samuels and Associates LLC, will be the sponsor of the special events and is requesting a temporary liquor license
Voted - to grant Samuels & Associates Hingham Events LLC, c/o Joel Sklar, Manager, a temporary license to sell beer and wine at their grand opening celebration as follows:
June 25th from 4 pm to 8 pm
June 26th from noon to 8 pm
June 27th from noon to 6 pm
Voted - to close a section of Shipyard Drive for a grand opening event on June 26 as shown on a plan attached to Samuels & Associates letter of June 9.
Mr. Rabuffo said that there was an article in last week’s Hingham Journal by Shirley Rydell proposing an alternative use for the grass fields on Ward Street. Ms. Rydell suggested that there was a possibility of gaining greater access to the property that is over 100 acres. She suggested that some of the parking be dedicated to providing parking for those who would like to access the trails through the property. She also suggested a picnic area. Mr. Tocchio and Mr. Rabuffo met with her and then Mr. Tocchio met with some of the people who are working on the fields project and there was a very good reaction.
MBTA Intermodal Transportation Concept
Pablo Calderone, Communications and Public Relations of the MBTA, reported that last February he presented the 60% design of the Intermodal Center. The Governor’s Office requested that the project be scaled down due to the economy. The project manager for the intermodal center said the building is to have a modern shape and be the same height as the existing Building 45. It will house the bus and ferry operations, the Boston Harbor Police, the Environmental Police, the Harbor Islands Office and the Hingham Harbormaster Office. There were cost problems the current cost estimates are approximately $4.5 million for construction. When the project is at 100% design it will be sent out for comment. Once the agencies’ comments and peer review comments are incorporated it will be presented to the public. Despite cost problems the building will continue to be LEEDS certified. There have been some cuts made in the quality of the finishes. The $4.4 million does not include the park that will be located on the site. There will be a community meeting in early August, the bid documents should go out at the end of August and building could begin in mid-winter and continue for 18 months.
MBTA would like to form a committee to look at what it would take to make this a real intermodal center and how to connect the bus, the train and the ferry. Ms. Cleary, the transportation planner, the 220 bus currently serves the Hingham Shipyard morning and evening. This service to the Shipyard was started in June of last year and, to date, there has not been significant usage. Mr. Riley asked if it would be possible to have better bus service to Nantasket Junction. Ms. Burns said she remembered the suggestion that the bus that starts at Pemberton and takes Route 3A to Hingham loop through Nantasket Junction. Ms. Sullivan asked that the Selectmen authorize the HDIC to work with the MTBTA to review service schedules and routes and report back to the Board.
The Board requested feedback on ridership on the train and bus routes – estimated vs. actual. One of the concerns was did the train just take passengers from the boat or was there a net gain. Initially there was a 20% drop in boat ridership, that seems to be coming back. About 12-15% of the commuters appear to have shifted away from the ferry to the train.
Joint Session with the Recreation Commission
Mr. Jones, Mr. Thorne and Mr. Belyea joined the Selectmen and convened a joint session. It was announced that there are two vacancies of the Recreation Commission. It was announced that each of the five candidates would have an opportunity to speak to the group. Mr. Jones questioned the acceptance of a resume after the deadline of June 15th. A discussion took place as to whether or not to interview Mr. Curran who submitted his statement of interest after June 15th.
Voted - to interview all five candidates (Mr. Rabuffo, Mr. Riley, Ms. Burns. Mr. Belyea in favor; Mr. Jones and Mr. Thorne opposed)
All agreed that it would be wise to take the matter of appointment under advisement at the conclusion of this evening’s interviews.
Paul Paget advised that he has lived in Town for 25 years. His children went through the Recreation program and enjoyed the experience. He remarked that Rec has done such a great job he would like to see it continue to do so. Mr. Paget said he worked with youth hockey for 14 years and feels that his coaching and youth experience will allow him to contribute. In his work with technology companies there are investors, workers, founders, etc. He has been able to get things moving in the right direction by understanding the various perspectives. He has learned you have to have lines of communication by being approachable and available. One way is to do that is to show up at the Rec Department. He stressed that Recreation is for everybody in town and in five years it should be a bright star. While it has done a terrific job for youth, it might be time to look beyond that.
Trevor Byrne described himself as a lifelong resident of Hingham who participated in Rec as a young person. This is an opportunity to bring back what he has seen in other parts of the country during his time as a professional hockey player. He said he has always been a team player and has an ability to gel with different personalities. He has worked both with and against management of hockey teams. Mr. Byrne said that although his style is collaborative he is no stranger to adversity and is willing to push back if necessary. If he has a good point he said he can articulate it well – it is the dialogue that’s important. He suggested the possibility of fundraising and donations saying it is important to make sure something is beneficial to the Town and not a burden in future years. Mr. Byrne said that although he does not know a lot about the day to day activities of the Commission he likes the direction that the Commission is on. Five years from now he would like to see if there can be some sort of collaboration for students to be doing something each season. The children could build out a website about what they are doing so new students could see different ideas.
Bob Keyes explained that he had been on the Recreation Commission and involved in sports for many years. He said works well with committees when the committee members deserve respect but when there is someone who does not deserve respect it can get somewhat controversial. Mr. Keyes said he would like to see things continue the way they are going. The program should be expanded for the elderly but it would require more room. He said the ideal place to expand would be the barn across the field. Mr. Jones said commented that Mr. Keyes got a lot of good stuff done when he was on the Commission. Five years from now Mr. Keyes would like to see Recreation take over running the swimming pool at the country club.
Bernie Manning advised the Board that he has always worked with people without difficulty. He stressed the importance of Recreation Commission programs staying within the budget. The Recreation Commission room is well equipped but it needs additional pieces that are far superior to what is there. Mr. Manning remarked that a lot of people fail to understand the needs of the elderly particularly in relation to exercise. It improves circulation and reduces the formation of plaque in the brain. There should be a specific program for the elderly that could be done in the gym with specialized trainers. When questioned on his vision of Rec in five years Mr. Manning said he did not know the needs and wants of the Commission.
Matt Curran advised that he had been a Hingham resident for 10 years and would like to take this opportunity to give back to the town. He said his style is communicative and collaborative. As Director of Development for BC High he is familiar with both fundraising and budgets. As a parent and coach he is aware of field space issues and various recreation programs. Mr. Curran said he had no particular agenda as far as the Commission and would try to make the best decision for the town.
At the conclusion of the interviews Mr. Rabuffo and Mr. Jones decided to contact each other relative to the date of the next joint session.
Reports
Mr. Riley and Ms. Burns attended the dedication of Founders Park. There was an opportunity to discuss at the new lighting fixtures for lower North Street. The lighting consultant will make a recommendation soon.
Ms. Burns said that now that Town Meeting has said that there should be set terms for the Lincoln School managers. One would have a term expiring in 2011 and one in 2012.
The Personnel board would like to weigh in on the matter of pay for performance plans for senior management. Mr. Rabuffo suggested that the Board accept the offer.
The School Committee made appointments to the School Master Plan Review Committee last evening. The Selectmen have an appointee, the chair is not anxious to take on another committee commitment. He suggested that Liza O’Reilly would be a good candidate for this. The board will review the resumes received and meet briefly next week to make an appointment.
Mr. Rabuffo said he had spoken to Dennis Friedman about a strategic plan and he sent an email to each of the Board member for review. This matter will be taken up at a future meeting.
Voted - to recommend a Transfer from the Reserve Fund to the Claims and Incidentals Account in the amount of $97.34.
Voted - to approve the minutes of March 30, April 6, 13, 20, 26 and May 3.
Voted - to grant a temporary liquor license to Glenn Vinton on behalf of the Vintage Baseball team for sale of wine and beer at Derby Academy on July 4, 2010 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Voted - to waive the building permit fees for window replacement at Foster and Plymouth River Schools.
Voted - to grant a Common Victualler License to b.good LLC, Michael Berkey, Manager, 94 Derby Street, Suite 237, expiring December 31, 2010.
Voted, by roll call vote, to adjourn to executive session for purpose of contract negotiations and not to resume open session.
Mr. Riley - yes
Ms. Burns – yes
Mr. Rabuffo – yes
Open session adjourned.
Betty Foley, Clerk