BOARD OF SELECTMEN
December 13, 2005
Minutes
The Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 in the Town Hall Clark Room.
Selectmen Douglas A.G. Stevenson, Richard A. Allison, Timothy F. Hult, William R. Tice, and John
D. Williams were present for this meeting as well as Town Administrator Madonna J. McKenzie.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mr. Stevenson.
Town Administrator Report
Mrs. McKenzie said that in regard to Vivian’s Place, several rocks have been removed and
transported to the sculptor in Boston. Work on this project will start up again in the Spring.
There was nothing new to report on the Cell Tower Easement on the Anderegg land.
There was a discussion on the need to select and appoint a Municipal Hearings Officer for the Town.
Mrs. McKenzie said that through discussions with Bob Koning and David Flannery, it would seem
that the best person for this position would be her, since neither the Building Inspector nor the Fire
Chief can take on this post. On a motion made by Mr. Tice and seconded by Mr. Allison, it was
unanimously VOTED to appoint Madonna J. McKenzie as the Municipal Hearings Officer for one
year.
Carlisle Public School Superintendent, Marie Doyle requested $1,500.00 to assist a student who is in
financial need. Mrs. McKenzie recommended using funds from the Gleason Poor Fund, which
presently has a balance of $8,341.93. On a motion made by Mr. Williams and seconded by Mr. Tice,
it was unanimously VOTED to take $1,500 from the Gleason Poor Fund for financial support of a
student, at the request of Superintendent Marie Doyle.
Mrs. McKenzie spoke about the McNamara Act, an Act which was recently passed for the purpose of
providing (accidental) death benefits to call fire fighters and auxiliary police officers. The legislation
was included for the Board to review and Mrs. McKenzie said that she hopes to have some
information on coverage costs for the next meeting.
Finance Director Larry Barton was present to discuss with the Board a proposed insert for the Tax
Bills relative to tax relief available to senior citizens. Mr. Barton said that the FinTeam discussed this
item and Principal Assessor John Speidel agreed with him that the insert should not be placed in the
tax bills because this information is available at the Assessors Office. Mr. Barton said that the
Assessing office presently does a mailing to the seniors in Town. Mr. Hult suggested putting this in
the tax bills once a year. After considerable discussion a motion was then made by Mr. Hult and
seconded by Mr. Tice, to place the enclosed tax bill insert in the January 2006 tax bill. The Board
voted yes unanimously.
Mrs. McKenzie said that the Town has received a request to nominate a woman from the
community as an Unsung Heroine. The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women would
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like to honor one woman from each of the 351 communities in Massachusetts. The Board agreed to
discuss this issue in January.
Community Input
Mr. Alan Carpenito was present this evening and he spoke to the Board about the proposed nonprofit
group that may work on the Benfield housing development. He was concerned about how a
non-profit group would affect the contractors building the housing in regard to non-prevailing wage
laws.
On another note, Mr. Hult reminded everyone of the upcoming Land-use Committee meeting.
Mr. Stevenson spoke about the DPW breakfast that the Board provided for Gary Davis and his
crew. A good time was had by all.
Mr. Stevenson then spoke about the All-Chairs Forum. He said about 20 chairman attended this
meeting and there were many good discussions.
Mr. Stevenson also said that he and Mrs. McKenzie meet with members from CCTV. He added
that a few changes, though not significant, were made to the contract and the Board will see the
revised version at the meeting next week.
Town Audit Committee
The names of the soon to be appointed members of the Audit Committee and the Charter for same
were presented to the Board. After reviewing the Charter, the Board had many questions and some
changes they felt needed to be made to this document. Mr. Allison volunteered to discuss the
Charter with Simon Platt, one of the members of the temporary committee, to work out some of
the changes. The terms for the new Audit Committee members were discussed. It was decided that
the terms would be ‘1 for 3 years, 1 for 2 years and 1 for 1 year’.
New Position
Mr. Williams spoke to the Board about the work he has done on preparing for a new position in
Town Hall. He said that he went to the Finance Committee to discuss the position of an Assistant
Town Administrator. Mr. Williams said that he told the Finance Committee that a vote had not
been taken yet on this matter by the Board of Selectmen. He spoke about part time help for the
Zoning Board of Appeals. He said that the Finance Committee wanted a detailed composite of the
work the Housing Authority anticipates over the next 18 months.
The Board expressed concern over how much work there is and whether there will continuously be
sufficient amount of work for this person. Mr. Hult suggested that it would be wise to begin with
using the employees that we have, leveraging people over several functions. Planning Board Chair,
David Freedman agreed with Mr. Hult. Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Cindy Nock suggested the
need could be satisfied by a few part-time employees. No decision was made tonight and therefore
this discussion will be continued at the next meeting.
Coventry Woods
Mr. Williams drafted a letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals stating the Selectmen’s comments on
the Coventry Woods 40B development. He noted that he specifically drew attention to water, water
purity, safety issues and blasting. He provided an additional document, Local 40B Review &
Discussion Guidelines, for the Board to review. He said that this document, prepared by
Massachusetts Housing Partnership and Attorney Edith M. Netter, could provide valuable
information to developers. Mr. Stevenson asked about the blasting. Mr. Williams said that he was
not an expert, but he asked Alex Parker, a resident who was present for this discussion.
Mr. Parker, who was more experienced on the subject of blasting, spoke briefly to the Board.
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The Board thoroughly discussed the letter prepared by Mr. Williams and decided to reference (in the
letter) two letters that they felt were important. On a motion made by Mr. Hult and seconded by
Mr. Tice, it was unanimously VOTED to approve the letter presented tonight with abovereferenced
changes.
Finance Director – Bond Issues
Finance Director, Larry Barton was present to talk about the Bond Anticipation Notes for the
Wastewater Treatment Facility, the Pathways project and Benfield. He spoke about the documents
he prepared that listed principle amounts of the three BAN’S, and the interest that will be due. It
was Mr. Barton’s intent to combine the above three Ban’s into a General Obligation Bond, however
the fee for same is approximately $35,000. He offered the following ways this amount could be
covered: 1) funds from Free Cash transfer; 2) a budget transfer; or 3) a Reserve fund transfer. Mr.
Barton said that the cost for the General Obligation Bond could also be included in the bond itself.
The final alternative, Mr. Barton suggested, was to put the whole thing off, but this would be at the
risk of being charged more interest in the future. Mr. Barton said that he would discuss this matter
again with the Finance Committee.
Budget Discussions
Department of Public Works Gary Davis was present to discuss the DPW budget for FY07. He noted
that his figures were under guideline, but he was still in need of two additional employees. The cost
for these new employees would be approximately $30,000.
Town Clerk Charlene Hinton was present to go over the Town Clerk’s budget with the Board. Ms.
Hinton said that the most significant change in her budget was the need of about $1,000, which
would cover the cost of programming the handicapped voting machine. Ms. Hinton also spoke
about the cost of postage for the upcoming census.
Building Inspection Bob Koning was present to discuss the budget for the Building Department. Mr.
Koning spoke about the increased number of permits over the last 12 months. He spoke about
upcoming 2006 projects, such as Coventry Woods. Due to this increased volume, Mr. Koning said
that he would like to open the Building Department Office an additional day. Due to the difference
in the fees and the operating budget, Mrs. McKenzie suggested creating a revolving fund for the
fees. The portion of the fees for this revolving fund was not determined.
Fire Department Fire Chief David Flannery spoke about his department’s budget. He said that the
following are his needs for the Fire Department. 1. Clerical help to assist with the substantial
amount of paperwork from ALS; 2. Funds for the 3rd stage of the EMT stipend; 3. High speed
internet service for the Fire Department at about $1,500; and, 4. $1,500 for the cost of entering into
a contract with Emerson Hospital for medical control, which is required of the Town.
Appointments and Resignations
Police Chief Selection Committee was present to explain to the Board of Selectmen the process they
followed and how they reached the recommendation they were going to give tonight. Mr.
Stevenson however spoke first about the process, beginning with when the Board was notified of
Chief Galvin’s intent to retire, and the appointment of Lt. John Sullivan as acting Police Chief to the
organization of the selection committee. Mr. Allison, Mr. Tice, Mrs. McKenzie and Ms. Doris
Jafferian, were the members of the Selection Committee. Ms. Jafferian spoke to those present about
the charge given to the committee by the Board. Mr. Tice spoke about the responses received and
the interviews that had taken place. He said that various topics were discussed at these interviews
and references had been checked. Mr. Allison said that their job was only to make a
recommendation and they chose (Police Chief) Glenn McKiel from the Town of Warren
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Massachusetts. Mr. McKiel was also present and willing to speak to the Board and answer
questions. Mr. Allison then read from Mr. McKiel’s resume, going over his education and work
experience. Mr. McKiel spoke briefly, noting that he was honored to be recommended and present
tonight. He spoke about the element of change that would take place, adding that it would be
refreshing. He said that he liked Carlisle because it is community focused.
Selectmen Hult and Williams were the only two on the Board who had not met Mr. McKiel. They
both asked him a few questions. Mr. Allison suggested having a public hearing next month (January)
to allow additional time for questions and answers. Mr. Hult suggested that he and Mr. Williams
have an opportunity to meet with Mr. McKiel. Mr. Stevenson said he did not want to let this matter
linger too long so he agreed with Mr. Hult, and he encouraged them to meet with McKiel, noting
that at the next meeting the Board would make a decision.
There were many residents present who expressed their support for (acting Police Chief) John
Sullivan.
The Board later decided to forego the Public Hearing and simply meet again next week (December
20th) and make a final decision.
Resignation – The Board was informed that Richard Boule’ has resigned from the Planning Board.
On a motion made by Mr. Tice and seconded by Mr. Williams, it was unanimously VOTED to
accept the resignation of Rich Boule’ with gratitude for time he gave to the Planning Board.
Appointments – On a motion made by Mr. Tice and seconded by Mr. Allison, it was unanimously
VOTED to appoint Jane Anderson to the Household Recycling Committee for a three year term
that will expire on June 30, 2008.
On a motion made by Mr. Tice and seconded by Mr. Allison, it was unanimously VOTED to
appoint Alan Cameron to the Celebrations Committee for a one year term that will expire on June
30, 2006.
On a motion made by Mr. Tice and seconded by Mr. Allison, it was unanimously VOTED to
appoint Cynthia Schweppe to the Board of Registrars to complete an unexpired term that will end
on June 30, 2006.
Department of Public Works – Chapter 90
On a motion made by Mr. Hult and seconded by Mr. Williams, it was unanimously VOTED to
authorize the purchase of a front-end loader for the ‘DPW, in the amount of $110,536.00, to be
funded with Chapter 90 funds.
Cemetery Deeds
The Board of Selectmen, in their role as Cemetery Commissioners, made the following deed
transfers. On a motion made by Mr. Williams, and seconded by Mr. Tice, it was unanimously
VOTED to transfer to Ira and Barbara Sabran of Carlisle, Cemetery Lot 143, Graves 1 and 2, and
(also to Ira and Barbara Sabran) Cemetery Lot 143, Graves 1 and 2, both in the Green Cemetery.
Minutes
The November 22, 2005 Board of Selectmen meeting Minutes were approved as presented.
The meeting adjourned at 11:35 p.m.
Submitted by Margaret de Mare
Board of Selectmen
December 13, 2005
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