BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Natick Town Hall
December 10, 2007
6:30 p.m.
The meeting was called to order by the Chair Carol A. Gloff at 6:30 p.m.
PRESENT: Carol A. Gloff, Charles M. Hughes, Joshua Ostroff, John Ciccariello, Kristine Van Amsterdam
ALSO PRESENT: Martha White, Acting Town Administrator; Donna Challis, Secretary
WARRANTS: Payroll warrants were signed by the Board of Selectmen on December 10, 2007 in the amount of $1,603,015.91. This figure was included in total warrants signed by the Board of Selectmen of $2,288,915.56.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. Ostroff, seconded by Mr. Ciccariello, moved to enter into executive session to discuss matters pertaining to collective bargaining. By roll call vote the motion passed on a 3-0-0 vote. Ms. Gloff, Mr. Ostroff, Mr. Ciccariello voted in favor of the motion. Mr. Hughes and Ms. Van Amsterdam had not as yet arrived and did not vote. At 6:35 p.m. the Board entered into executive session after announcing that the meeting would return to open session.
The open session was reconvened at 7:05 p.m.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
On behalf of the Board Ms. Gloff wished everyone who celebrates Hanukah a happy Hanukah season.
Mr. Ostroff commended the Veterans’ Agent and everyone who put together a very dignified ceremony for Pearl Harbor Day.
Ms. White announced an open house tomorrow (December 11) from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Town Hall to provide an opportunity for citizens to meet the Town Administrator and representatives of a number of departments. This would be an opportunity for residents to get information from those departments or conduct business with those departments. The hope was to do this on an annual basis to give residents an opportunity for a one-on-one with various departments.
INTERVIEW FOR APPOINTMENT TO BACON FREE LIBRARY MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE
a. John Manning
John Manning stated that he was married with four children and had been a resident of Glen Street for the past nine years. In July he was appointed as a Bacon Free Library Trustee and would like to be appointed to the Maintenance Committee.
Mr. Ostroff inquired if the work for which the grant was received had been completed. It was Mr. Manning’s understanding there was still a punch list the contractor needed to go through, but essentially the work was complete.
A motion was made by Ms. Van Amsterdam to appoint John Manning to the Bacon Free Library Maintenance Committee. Seconded by Mr. Hughes and unanimously voted.
INTERVIEW FOR APPOINTMENT TO COUNCIL ON AGING
a. Elizabeth Killeen
Elizabeth Killeen told the Board that she was a life long resident of Natick and was respectfully requesting to join the Council on Aging.
After thanking Ms. Killeen for volunteering, Mr. Ciccariello inquired as to what her thoughts were to improve some things at the Senior Center. Ms. Killeen responded that she was not fully up to speed with the new facility and was anxious to do that. She thought there needed to be outreach to the seniors to get them more involved. A lot of seniors weren’t aware of what’s going on or how to get there. Outreach
INTERVIEW FOR APPOINTMENT TO COUNCIL ON AGING (contd)
was going on, but she would like to make it better. As a caretaker for five years for her Dad, she knew that he was not aware of things.
On a motion by Mr. Ostroff, seconded by Mr. Hughes, the Board unanimously voted to appoint Elizabeth Killeen to the Council on Aging.
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE OFFICER: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Environmental Compliance Officer Robert Bois noted this was on the agenda to provide the Board with an update on Natick’s involvement with ICLIE. The organization was a sponsor for the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) that lets cities like Natick reverse the effects of global warming.
Mr. Bois then introduced ICLIE representative Bob Jones to give the update on the progress of Natick, discuss the benefits of climate action, what other communities have done, Natick’s progress, and what’s still left to be done.
Using a power point presentation, Mr. Jones identified the benefits of climate action in terms of environmental, financial, economic, infrastructure, and leadership. From an environmental standpoint climate action helped mitigate global climate change, improved air quality and public health. Financially lower emissions equaled lower energy use equaled lower cost. From an economic standpoint it meant green jobs which aided the local economy. Infrastructure was benefited by the alleviation of traffic and through smart growth.
Mr. Jones then defined the 5 milestone process of the program – inventory emissions, establish target, develop climate action plan, implement action plan, and monitor and evaluate.
He pointed out what some other communities have done and reviewed the recent climate protection efforts in Natick which included building energy efficiency through a central energy management system, library ice compressor cooling and efficient windows, fire station garage using infrared heating, street lights use LED or high pressure, energy efficient windows. Opportunities for Natick included the new TransCanada electricity contract beginning in 2008, and the opportunity to offset increased costs with energy efficiency.
Mr. Jones continued that the next steps and available resources for Natick was to complete the Energy & Emissions inventory to determine the baseline energy use and set a reduction target and crease an action plan. For support and assistance were the ICLEI/CCP Program, the EnergyStart Community Challenge, utility programs, and the Mass Technology Collaborative.
Mr. Jones advised that he would be assisting Natick in the CCP and there were already two people from Natick signed up.
Noting that the focus was on the municipal side, Mr. Jones inquired if there were other ways people could help. Mr. Jones responded that his organization’s focus was on municipalities but there was a component to do public outreach.
Mr. Ostroff suggested that perhaps the Town Administrator and Mr. Bois could get some of this information into the newsletter.
Ms. Van Amsterdam inquired as to how long the inventory would take and when the Board would see an action plan. Mr. Jones believed the inventory would take several months and hoped to have it in the spring. ICLIE would be available to assist with an action plan, but it would be primarily the Town Administrator and Mr. Bois.
Mr. Bois added that even though the action plan was anticipated to be available in September, nothing prevented things from being done ahead of time.
Ms. Gloff commented that this was particularly timely since former Vice-President Al Gore received the Nobel Peace Prize today for his work on global warming.
Ms. White thanked the Board for pursuing this opportunity. She felt it was representative of the kinds of initiatives Mr. Bois was constantly
ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE OFFICER: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS (contd)
looking for to save the Town money and make us environmentally friendly.
PUBLIC HEARING: TAKAWAMPBAIT TRAIL
On a motion by Mr. Ostroff, seconded by Mr. Hughes, the Board voted unanimously to open the public hearing.
The Board was in receipt of correspondence from the Historical Commission and the Community Development Director Patrick Reffett in favor of naming the trail east of Union Street as the Takawampbait Trail. The trail would honor Daniel Takawampbait and recognize his contribution in the founding of Natick as a Christian Indian settlement.
Mr. Ostroff highly recommended people to walk this trail as it was a wonderful area which was established in part through the efforts of the Planning Board and Robert Eisenmenger to obtain pieces of land to create the trail.
Martin Kessel, Chair of the Open Space Advisory Committee, reported that the Open Space Advisory Committee unanimously endorsed the naming of this trail in honor of Daniel Takawampbait, but he questioned the spelling of Takawampbait. He believed the ‘b’ should be before the ‘p’.
Tim Collins, Chair of the Trails Committee, noted that the Takawampbait section was an important component of the overall trail system. It would start in the Algonquian Homeowners Association which was and head down the Sudbury Aqueduct. There was a piece in the middle that the Planning Board was in discussions of obtaining. The southern section starts on Route 16 by the David Morse House. Volunteers built a trail bridge into the Sherman Preserve and that was open to the public. That trail would connect to the Eisenmenger Trail. It was an important connecting trail system. There was a little more work in the middle, but the northern and southern sections were open.
Sassamon Road resident Jim Morley told the Board that he was active in the Natick Historical Society and those who have been researching the early history of Natick were very enthusiastic about this. This was a town of extraordinary history. Very little was known about Takawampbait but from the things that were known he was quite unusual. He was the first Indian ordained minister and an extraordinarily unique person. While several other Praying Indians have been memorialized, Mr. Morley thought Takawampbait was deserving as much as anyone and he hoped the Board would go forward with it.
Mr. Morley was asked if he knew how to spell Takawampbait, but he said no, adding that there was no accurate spelling for almost any one person in the 17th century because the written form was not the basic form of communication. Both of those spellings were popular. The Algonquians didn’t have a written language.
Chief Caring Hands thanked Mr. Ostroff, Mr. Soderholm, and Mr. Kessel for keeping her apprised of what was going on in her home. She thanked the previous gentleman for giving the history. Natick was established as a spiritual habitat and she was honored to be in the position of Sachem. She felt this naming became a reality when the Eisenmenger Trail was given to him and she was pleased that she was contacted and asked for her acceptance. It showed the acceptance of the Town for her as Chief and her people.
Chief Caring Hands continued that the Eisenmenger Trail intersected with the Takawampbait. This coming together will unite the present with its past. That was very important not just for us but our children. Takawampbait was very special and could have at any time been ordained a minister before he was but in his high regard for John Eliot who was the minister at the time he chose not to and her people respected that.
Chief Caring Hands stated that this evening was an opportunity for her to express the thanks for her tribal support. When something like this happens it goes far for healing and she thanked the Board for honoring their heritage.
PUBLIC HEARING: TAKAWAMPBAIT TRAIL (contd)
A motion was made by Mr. Hughes to close the public hearing. Seconded by Mr. Ciccariello and unanimously voted.
Mr. Hughes moved to name the walking trail east of Union Street the Takawampbait Trail. Seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam and unanimously voted. At Mr. Ostroff’s suggestion the Board agreed to change the spelling of the name by reversing the ‘b’ and the ‘p’. The name to be the TAKAWAMBPAIT TRAIL.
Mr. Ostroff believed this was a great thing the Town was doing. The time of Takawampbait was a difficult time and he believed he succeeded to the ministry when many of the Indians came back from Deer Island.
Mr. Ostroff then proposed the name be spelled as suggested by Mr. Kessel by reversing the ‘b’ and the ‘p’. The Board agreed.
NEW FRANCE NATICK, LLC D/B/A SEL DE LA TERRE: ONE DAY ENTERTAINMENT LICENSE
Representing Sel De La Terre was Jeff Gardner.
Mr. Gardner told the Board that the restaurant would like to have the Steve Sussman Jazz Trio play on New Year’s Eve on December 31, 2007 and he was requesting a one day entertainment license. The Steve Sussman Jazz Trio was based out of Needham and played sophisticated dinner jazz. The music would go to about 12:30 a.m.
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, the Board unanimously voted to approve New France Natick, LLC d/b/a Sel De La Terre’s application for a one day entertainment license for December 31, 2007 for a jazz trio to perform at the premises of 1245 Worcester St.
TRANSFER OF COMMON VICTUALER’S LICENSE FROM PIZZA HUT OF AMERICA TO REDBERRY RESTO BRANDS INTL, INC. D/B/A PIZZA HUT
Representing Redberry Resto Brands Intl, Inc. in the application for a transfer of the common victualer’s license held by Pizza Hut of America for premises at 1274 Worcester Road was the District Manager John Coco.
Noting that some time ago Pizza Hut had a liquor license, Mr. Hughes inquired if Mr. Coco anticipated another application. Mr. Coco responded that he believed they were in the process of filling out the paperwork.
When asked how many seats were in the restaurant, Mr. Coco advised there were 72.
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, the Board unanimously voted to approve the transfer of the common victualer’s license held by Pizza Hut of America to Redberry Resto Brands Intl, Inc. d/b/a Pizza Hut for premises at 1274 Worcester Road.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: COMMONWEALTH CAPITAL PLAN
Community Development Director Patrick Reffett requested the Board’s authorization to pursue a Commonwealth Capital grant application with the State. The Town would notify the State of the Town’s various undertakings many of which they would like to see communities do. It has to do with planning for Smart Growth, housing opportunities, environmental improvements and was used when the State evaluates very competitive grant applications. They look to see who was working with their policies and who may not be. He noted that he tabulated the scoring based on his review of the questions.
To Mr. Hughes it sounded like a nice program, but who made the judgment that these things were a good idea for Natick, i.e. traffic calming action.
Mr. Reffett felt that was a very good point and noted that he hadn’t scored a lot of items. It was up to the local community which ones they want to pursue. There were a lot he wouldn’t advocate for either and the State had the prerogative to tell the Town if they liked what Natick did or didn’t do.
Ms. Gloff inquired if 74 was a good score, and Mr. Reffett responded that he thought it was a good score. Natick has done a lot of things and he thought the DPW had done things over the last several years to
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: COMMONWEALTH CAPITAL PLAN (contd)
make environmental improvements and there were a lot of opportunities to create housing.
Ms. Van Amsterdam commented that there was only an upside to submission of this application and Mr. Reffett’s reply was, “absolutely”, adding that it didn’t commit the Town to anything. The Town may not go for a grant for the rest of the year, but if it did and the grant was competitive, this may help.
Mr. Ostroff inquired if this was a tool that would give the Town more leverage for more beneficial development if a parcel was up for sale. Mr. Reffett felt it was possible. He believed it was to the Town’s benefit to undertake it and reiterated that it didn’t commit the Town to anything.
Mr. Ostroff moved approval of submitting the capital plan as presented to the state. Seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam and unanimously voted.
SOHEYLA EMAMI: REQUEST SEWER CONNECTION FEE ABATEMENT
The Board was in receipt of a request from Soheyla Emami for an abatement of the sewer connection fee for property at 103 Glen Street. In an e-mail to the Board, Dr. Emami stated that they decided to connect into the Town’s sewer system about two years ago. She contacted the Engineering Department and was informed there were no stubs in place for their house during the initial construction of the main sewer line in Glen Street several years ago. She referred to the Engineering Department several times inquiring if the Town was going to install the stubs. No one brought up any remote possibility of an increase in the connection fee.
The e-mail continued that if they were informed that the connection fee was going to increase in 2007, they would have finished the work last summer. The connection fee for their house was about $1,300, but increased to $7,000 in early spring of 2007.
Mr. Ciccariello noted that Dr. Emami mentioned that she had contacted the Engineering Department and had discussions with the individuals in Engineering, but the Board had correspondence that said Engineering didn’t have any record or feedback relative to that. He asked if Dr. Emami knew to whom she spoke.
Dr. Emami responded that she didn’t have written documentation. It was very informal. The last time she spoke with William DeRosa. Asked when that conversation took place, Dr. Emami said it was in the summer of 2007. The other times she spoke to different individuals going back to 2005 when she started requesting the work to be done. Her main intention in going to Engineering was to see if the Town was going to have some work done so a stub could be placed for their house.
Mr. Ciccariello pointed out that Dr. Emami wasn’t really asking for an abatement because she hadn’t paid the fee. Dr. Emami agreed, noting that the work hadn’t started. Usually payment of the fee was part of what the contractor would pay and she would pay the whole amount to the contractor. This (fee amount) was according to estimates she had. She was in the middle of negotiating with the Town regarding this issue and the fee was increased. The work was started but not connected as of yet because she hadn’t paid the fee.
Mr. Ciccariello understood that Dr. Emami was asking the Board to waive the increase in the fee. Dr. Emami indicated that was correct. She was not looking for a total abatement of the fee, but a waiver of the addition. Mr. Ciccariello asked DPW Director Charles Sisitsky if he knew what the actual fee was for this project, but Mr. Sisitsky didn’t know.
Mr. Hughes inquired as to when Dr. Emami contracted to have the sewer work done and was told by Dr. Emami that she had been working on this since the summer of 2005. Asked when she contracted to have the work done, Dr. Emami said it was the summer of 2007.
Mr. Hughes inquired if the Town had done any sewer work on Glen Street since 2005 and Water & Sewer Supervisor Jack Perodeau advised that the Town had not. The sewer was put in when Apple Ridge was built. When the sewer was put in the contractor went house-to-house to see if anybody wanted to put in a stub. That was quite a few years ago.
SOHEYLA EMAMI: REQUEST SEWER CONNECTION FEE ABATEMENT (contd)
For clarification, Mr. Ostroff noted that Dr. Emami had come to see him in office hours a few months ago. It was his understanding that Dr. Emami started with the work a couple of years ago but the work did not progress. She found another contractor and the Town established a new fee. He questioned if it would have been possible for Dr. Emami to do the connection in 2005.
Mr. Perodeau advised that there was no reason it couldn’t have been done. People have been connecting since the sewer was put in.
Dr. Emami repeated that had she known the Town was planning to raise the fee, she would have finished the job last year before the increase. She referred to the Engineering Department many times and there were many chances when she could have been given a clue there was a chance of increasing the fees. She would have been more than happy to give somebody more money to do the work for them. The fee for each bedroom was about $300 and the new fee was $1,500.
Ms. Gloff inquired as to when the Town started considering the increase in fees. Mr. Sisitsky didn’t believe there was a long lead time between the first time the DPW decided to propose a fee increase and the Board’s vote, but noted that a lot more had gone with these people. It revolved around the number of bedrooms. No specific action was taken to pull a permit because of the confusion or lack of knowledge about the number of bedrooms. There were a lot of conversations but no specific proposals for a permit. They didn’t pull a permit before the fee increase because they didn’t know how many bedrooms.
Ms. White believed that most of that conversation took place after the increase. There was debate about modifying the house that would result in fewer bedrooms and discussion of the use of bedrooms and if they should be counted and the Assessors told them the rooms would have to be counted as bedrooms.
Mr. Hughes asked if the permit was pulled to do the work after the increase and Mr. Sistsky’s answer was, “yes”. Dr. Emami noted that she requested the permit early summer or late spring 2007.
Mr. Ostroff raised the issue of precedent as he didn’t want to encourage claims from people who say they were planning work. On the other hand he recognized that February to March (from discussion to approval of increase) was not a long time.
Ms. White noted that was an area of concern to her as well and it was an important consideration. She didn’t think the Town could begin to assess the number of folks out there who engaged a contractor, encountered delays, and when they moved forward found the fees had increased. It wouldn’t surprise her to find there were at least a handful or more.
Mr. Ostroff inquired if any fee had been assessed under the new policy. Ms. White responded that she would think there had been a number of them. Mr. Perodeau confirmed that since the Board’s vote the DPW had been collecting new fees.
Mr. Ciccariello noted that since the Board of Selectmen instituted the fees two applicants have come before the Board and he thought Town Counsel had given an opinion that if someone had pulled their permit or filed an application with the Planning Board or ZBA that was sufficient justification to not pay the fee increase. In this case the permit was not applied for until after the additional fees were instituted. It was no different than when the Board increased fees for all types of things. If someone didn’t pull a permit before the fee was raised, they were stuck. The policy had already been established and he didn’t see how the Board could reconsider it.
Dr. Emami responded that she did not apply for the permit. She had one of the estimates before the fee was raised and she believed the contractor applied and got the permit. She always assumed the contractor would apply. She was negotiating with the contractor and contacting the Engineering Department on the number of bedrooms. There was a room they never used as a bedroom. The contractor said he would go after the permits and request her to pay the total amount.
SOHEYLA EMAMI: REQUEST SEWER CONNECTION FEE ABATEMENT (contd)
Mr. Ciccariello commented that Dr. Emami never signed a contract with that contractor to do the work. Dr. Emami confirmed that was correct. Asked why, she explained that she was very busy and postponed the job until it was too late.
Ms. Gloff stated that she was having a difficult time with this and recalled that she considered getting her windows replaced for over five years. She never signed a contract and when she finally did she had to pay whatever the permit fee was at that time. Although she recognized this was a large amount of money, she had difficulty going back in time saying you were thinking about doing it but for various reasons you didn’t do it.
Dr. Emami countered that they were very serious and the increase from $300 to $1,500 was not a small sort of predictable increase.
Mr. Ciccariello noted that the DPW and the Board of Selectmen never thought they would be increasing these fees. The Board was forced to do this to comply with statutes and laws that the Board didn’t create.
While he had empathy with Dr. Emami and understood that she had the intention to perform the work but it didn’t get done for whatever reason and the Board imposed the fee on relatively short notice, Mr. Ostroff expressed concern that were these fees to be waived, the Board would be faced with many situations where people would come in and say they had an estimate. The Board was not in an easy situation. What seems fair to one may invite unfairness to another. The fees were going to good use and intended to repair and protect the system.
Dr. Emami indicated that she understood but she felt that from the beginning this has been the subject of precedence and this was not an ordinary situation. What was being talked about was that there were other people who may come forward. She didn’t want to cause anything unfair but felt if there was a 400% increase in the fees it could have been a little more distributed to the people of Natick. She would expect not to be charged on the basis of setting a precedent.
DPW AWARD CONTRACTS
a. Town Forest & Broads Hill Reservoir Rehab
Representing the DPW were the Director Charles Sisitsky and Water & Sewer Supervisor Jack Perodeau.
Mr. Sisitsky explained that this was the first phase of a substantial amount of work and would begin the process to prepare for automatic chemical treatment feeds at the two reservoirs and upgrade the electrical. Two bids were received. Waterline, the low bidder, has done work in town before and did quality work. The recommendation was to award the contract to Waterline.
There being a substantial difference in price between the two bids, Ms. Gloff questioned why the difference in the two bids. Mr. Sisitsky didn’t know. Mr. Perodeau believed that Natgun Corp. thought they were going to get the job as they originally built the tank.
Mr. Ciccariello inquired as to what the DPW had estimated and was told by Mr. Sisitsky that the total job was $450,000, but he didn’t have a breakdown for this part of the job.
Asked about a payment and performance bond, Mr. Sisitsky advised there were both as well as a deadline for finishing the work and a penalty to be applied if it was not finished on time.
As to the start time, Mr. Sisitsky advised that the work would begin as soon as the contract was signed.
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, the Board unanimously voted to award the contract for piping repairs and additions at the Town Forest and Broad Hill Reservoirs to the low bidder Waterline Industries Corp. in the amount of $67,756.00.
b. Springvale Well #4 Rehab
Mr. Sisitsky advised that this was an ongoing program where the DPW was attempting to replace all controls for the pumps at all the wells which would allow for the installation of variable frequency devices. It will make it a lot more energy efficient. The controls will bring the
DPW AWARD CONTRACTS (contd)
pumps gradually up to speed as water demands. Nine bids were received. A reference check was done on the low bidder, Brothers Electrical Co., and the references contacted said they did satisfactory work in their community. The recommendation was to award the contract to the low bidder.
Mr. Ciccariello asked the same questions on insurance and performance bonds, and Mr. Sisitsky replied with the same answer.
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Mr. Ciccariello, the Board unanimously voted to award the contract for the replacement of electrical equipment at Springvale Well #4 to the low bidder, Brothers Electrical Co., in the amount of $83,251.00.
ABRAHAMS GROUP: WATER & SEWER RATE STUDY REPORT
Ms. White prefaced the presentation by noting that the Town had commissioned a water & sewer rate study and tonight’s presentation would be in anticipation of the Board holding a hearing at the December 17 meeting. She noted that during the presentation the Board would find the recommendation for a number of changes to the rate structure although the complex changes couldn’t be implemented right away. The study recommended a flat 10% rate increase which would bring the rates to about the same level as 2003. If the increase was voted at the hearing, the three billing districts would each be billed twice.
Mark Abrahams of Abrahams Group referenced three documents – the submittal letter, the narrative report, and the schedules. He noted that the report was presented in draft to several Natick officials last week, the comments were taken into consideration, and some edits were made.
Mr. Abrahams began by providing a summary of the scope of work. The scope included nine specific areas:
· Review of the existing rate structure
· Analysis of the rate structure’s effectiveness in promoting water conservation
· Recommended steps for compliance with proposed changes to the Town’s Water Management Act Permit
· Feasibility of implementing fire suppression charges
· Review current split sewer rate (1. local service charge – 2. MWRA assessment) and recommendation regarding single sewer rate including MWRA assessment
· Recommended changes to the rate structure
· Analysis of multiple housing units (primarily condominiums) served by a single master meter
· Review and recommendation on billing rates for water/sewer services provided to “non Natick” accounts
· Recommendation on analysis tools for usage tracking and rate setting
Mr. Abrahams highlighted the specific areas of study. Under the existing rate structure Natick utilizes several water and sewer rate structures. Each generally has a minimum bill calculation and ascending water rate tiers. All have static sewer rate tiers. The structures are: elderly water and sewer rates, water only rates, 799 water rates, irrigation rates, combined water and sewer rates, sewer only. He noted that in theory minimum bills did not promote conservation.
Under the recommended steps for compliance with the proposed changes to the Town’s Water Management Act permit, Mr. Abrahams pointed out that Mass Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) was targeting two key criteria: per capita consumption not to exceed 65 gallons per person per day; unaccounted for water not to exceed 10%. He found that Natick was meeting the two targets and should be proud of that accomplishment; however, MDEP was still asking for more conservation and Natick needs to continue to meet the targets through the rate design and programs such as the leak detection program.
Notwithstanding the positives that Natick has accomplished, the Town could do more with its rate design to promote conservation. The policy issue was how far Natick emphasizes or will emphasize conservation.
ABRAHAMS GROUP: WATER & SEWER RATE STUDY REPORT (contd)
With respect to the feasibility of implementing fire suppression charges, Mr. Abrahams noted the theory was to calculate first the costs associated with maintaining the fire suppression. The Town would need to develop a cost of service study that would allocate system costs to fire suppression and general water services in order to establish the amount of revenue that would be needed from fire suppression charges.
Mr. Abrahams continued that the Board had a proposal from Finance Director Robert Palmer to increase rates for FY08. The study recommends some structural rate changes, not to implement this coming Monday, but to look at and perhaps be effective for FY09.
Mr. Hughes inquired if there was a number that would be imposed that would affect new growth to get to the DEP 65 gpd requirement, and Mr. Abrahams responded that there were talks of lowering that down to 50 but that was nothing official. He also heard that summer use should not be more than 1.3 times the winter use. MDEP tried with Ipswich. They sued and it was his understanding that DEP backed off.
Mr. Hughes thought there had been talk that DEP was going to say you could only pump 4 mpd so if new people were added, there was a problem. Was that still coming? Mr. Abrahams responded that he didn’t know what was coming. Natick had the argument to say it met and exceeded their targets.
Mr. Ciccariello questioned why it took so long to get the report done. Mr. Abrahams explained that it started in August so it ran into vacations and the second reason was the data file. Mr. Ciccariello questioned if the data file was the result of Mr. Abrahams’ office or Natick. He reminded Mr. Abrahams there was a contract to deliver in 45 days. That didn’t happen and he (Mr. Ciccariello) wanted to know if it was because of his office or the Town.
Mr. Abrahams responded that he was waiting for information from the Town. He got the information and had to write a macro to get the information reorganized.
Mr. Ciccariello noted that some communities charged fire suppression connection fees that were substantial and he wondered if Mr. Abrahams was suggesting that the Town go back and retroactively charge buildings with systems or was he suggesting it be going forward. Mr. Abrahams advised that what the Town could do would be to take an inventory of the number of sprinklers or the size of the service serving the protection. Do the allocation of the protection and suppression and general systems and see what the fees would be. Right now the Town did not have an inventory to answer the question.
The report mentioned a hydrant charge and Mr. Ciccariello asked if Mr. Abrahams was suggesting that Natick residents be charged for the hydrant system. Mr. Abrahams replied that the Town could. There were two ways to recover. Either figure out a hydrant cost and have the cost for the public covered by the general fund or it’s incorporated into the general taxes and that would be assessed based on property values. Mr. Ciccariello commented that in either case the money would go from the general fund to the enterprise fund. Mr. Abrahams advised that was correct.
With regard to retrofitting with low flow devices, Mr. Ciccariello inquired if Mr. Abrahams was suggesting that if there weren’t low flow devices in place that the Town go back and do it. Mr. Abrahams responded that the Town could do that thereby reducing the amount of usage in public buildings.
On irrigation meters, Mr. Ciccariello questioned if Mr. Abrahams was suggesting that an alternative to charging at a higher tier would be to restrict people to a certain number. Mr. Abrahams advised that was an approach DEP was taking, but it was not clear that approach attains conservation. Hopkinton has not seen a tremendous reduction.
Ms. White noted that it would be her intent to prioritize the recommendations she thought were most feasible and provide the biggest bang for the buck. She expected to have that for the public hearing.
Mr. Ostroff thought this was a good process and thought it was prudent not to impose a lot of these structural changes in setting rates for
ABRAHAMS GROUP: WATER & SEWER RATE STUDY REPORT (contd)
the current fiscal year. In his observation the utilization of discount elderly rates was not as high as it could be and he thought the Town would be looking to see that people use it.
Mr. Ostroff then noted that he would like to know the best practices being done in other communities. Was there something else out there that the Town could be doing. Mr. Abrahams responded that he was impressed with what he had seen from the Town. Natick had radio readings for 100% of the customers and the Town read monthly and billed quarterly. The Town could bill more frequently and that might change behavior, but it could be an administrative burden. If the Town chose to bill monthly it would be one of 5% of communities to do that. What he liked about Natick’s billing was the ability to pick up spikes quickly.
Ms. Gloff asked if the Board had to vote to accept the report, but Ms. White didn’t think it was necessary. She noted that the recommendations would be prioritized and implemented over the next year.
FINANCIAL PLANNING COMMITTEE UPDATE
Ms. White reported that the Financial Planning Committee comprised of two representatives of the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, and School Committee along with the Town Administrator and Superintendent of Schools had been charged at looking at the financial forecasts for the community to determine a recommendation of whether an override would be needed and if so in what amount. The committee reported that an operational override would be needed to maintain existing service levels for Fiscal 2009 and 2010, but had not as yet come up with a number. One item the committee had been grappling with extensively was the capital needs. There was some amount of consensus that the community needs to do more to invest in its capital needs.
She noted that the committee had been meeting every week or every other week and hoped to report out soon. The urgency of coming up with a recommendation to the Board of Selectmen was recognized as well as the importance of informing the community and if the Board of Selectmen voted to move forward there would be extensive information provided to the community.
Ms. Gloff announced the committee was meeting tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m.
Mr. Ostroff noted that information had been provided on some of the things brought to light, for instance at the School Committee the Superintendent talked about cuts that may be looked at. When asked about it, his (Mr. Ostroff) response has been that when the budget was presented in January there would be a better understanding. He asked Ms. White to comment.
Although it was recognized that the general government and the Schools were part of one community, Ms. White pointed out that the budgetary process was separate and distinct and the Schools were putting together their budget independently from the general government. The Superintendent has been looking at limitations the current projections impose and as a result of the apparent limited funds he has put forward some optimal cuts and those have been met with some resistance from the community. The budget process was a work in progress.
Ms. Gloff added that although the Schools were part of the same Town government, the School Committee made the decision as to what things under their purview they would propose to cut. On the flip side the Town Administrator and Board of Selectmen make recommendations regarding what cuts would be made and Town Meeting makes the final financial decision.
Mr. Ciccariello noted that the Town Administrator mentioned existing level service and what that means was where we were today and not where we should be moving forward. Talking about existing assumes no increases in employees or staffing or increases in other types of services the Town would be providing. When talking about the budget, did it account for additional services or employees that were required to continue to maintain the services provided throughout the years. Mr. Ciccariello inquired as to when the Board could expect a list of
FINANCIAL PLANNING COMMITTEE UPDATE (contd)
items or proposals that might have to be cut if they couldn’t be accommodated in the budget.
Ms. White responded that Mr. Ciccariello was right to suggest there was a different interpretation of level service. The budget will be presented to the Board at the first meeting in January that will establish a goal she wasn’t sure could be achieved but would put forth some conceptual cuts if an override was not put forward or not voted.
Mr. Ciccariello recognized the Board of Selectmen had to take a vote to put something on the ballot, but he didn’t want to be in a position in mid to late January trying to decide what should be put on the ballot. With an election in March it didn’t give much time.
Ms. Gloff shared the concern, but given the progress the Fin Ops Committee needed to make she thought it was realistic that the Board would be looking at this mid to late January.
Ms. Van Amsterdam inquired if the Fin Ops Committee was at a standstill on the five year capital plan because of the level of detail. Had the committee accepted the five year plan? Ms. White advised that the committee was trying, adding that there was a temptation and a need to be as certain as possible of the items that should be prioritized in those two years and the means of funding and how much would be funded from immediate sources and how much borrowed. By nature the capital plan was a fluid document.
In follow-up Ms. Van Amsterdam asked how buildings and new structures were coming into discussions with the Fin Ops Committee. Ms. White explained that was part of the five year capital plan dilemma. There was a proposal for a new senior center so what should be done with the critical needs for the existing senior center and court house until a decision was made. What if the boiler in the court house goes? In terms of the schools there was a number the School Committee plugged in for the high school.
Ms. Gloff noted that the Fin Ops Committee primarily focused on the next two years and was not looking at extraordinary capital projects such as a high school and community center.
CONFIRMATION OF APPOINTMENT OF TREASURER/COLLECTOR
Mr. Hughes recused himself from the discussion of this matter.
Ms. White advised that 6-4 of the Charter stipulates that the Treasurer/Collector be appointed by the Town Administrator and confirmed by the Board of Selectmen. Robert Palmer has served as the Town of Natick’s Finance Director since September 6, 1994 and was initially appointed as the Town Treasurer/Collector on March 28, 2001. Ms. White told the Board that she was putting forward for the Selectmen’s consideration her intent to appoint Robert Palmer as the Treasurer/Collector and in conjunction with his appointment was proposing a 4% performance raise from the current salary of $99,420.64 to $103,397.46. She noted that Mr. Palmer had not received a salary increase other than cost of living increases averaging 2.6% per year since his appointment as Treasurer/Collector and she felt an adjustment in pay was
long overdue. What was being proposed was still within the pay grade.
Ms. White continued that she had enjoyed and appreciated working with Mr. Palmer while serving as Acting Town Administrator and subsequently as Town Administrator. A solid plan has been put in place to emphasize Mr. Palmer’s role as Finance Director through delegation of much of his day-to-day obligations to the Assistant Treasurer/Collector. The plan would enable utilization of Mr. Palmer’s extensive budgeting and financial planning skills to best serve the community now and into the future.
Mr. Ciccariello recalled that Natick had a Finance Director and an independent Treasurer/Collector that was an elected official. The Town decided to do away with the elected position, but he didn’t believe the Town ever intended not to have an independent Treasurer/Collector and his feeling was that the Town should have an independent Treasurer/Collector. He asked if that had been considered and if it would be considered in the future.
CONFIRMATION OF APPOINTMENT OF TREASURER/COLLECTOR (contd)
Ms. White responded that it would not be in the foreseeable future given the financial situation at present. There were far more pressing staff needs that she would want to address prior to that. She felt the current structure does and would continue to work well and would be enhanced when the assistant was able to assume more of the day-to-day duties so Mr. Palmer could function more in the Finance Director role.
With regard to the 2.6% in salary increase, Mr. Ciccariello pointed out that the 2.6% was what was approved by Town Meeting through the budget and he assumed everybody received the same increase other than perhaps some individuals received increases because of position changes or moving up in steps.
Ms. White explained that non-union personnel move up through steps. What was unique as opposed to the union was that when someone reached Step 4 they reached the performance range and there wasn’t a system for moving through the performance range. There were a number of people at the top and the Personnel Board was working toward creating a system. Mr. Palmer’s position was a little unique.
Ms. Van Amsterdam moved to confirm the appointment of Robert Palmer as Treasurer/Collector for a three year term at a salary of $103,397.46. Seconded by Mr. Ostroff. The motion passed on a 4-0-0 vote. Ms. Gloff, Mr. Ostroff, Mr. Ciccariello, Ms. Van Amsterdam voted in favor of the motion. Mr. Hughes had recused himself from discussion and did not vote.
Speaking to the motion Mr. Ostroff thought the Town was well served by the financial team in place. He commended the Town Administrator, Mr. Palmer, and the Comptroller for working together positively and commented that he didn’t think the Town could navigate the difficult course ahead without a good team.
Ms. Gloff inquired if money was available to fund the raise, and Ms. White advised that an amount remained in the Town Administrator/Board of Selectmen Budget to fund the increase.
NOTIFICATION OF JOB TITLE CHANGE FOR COUNCIL ON AGING DIRECTOR
Ms. White noted that the current Council on Aging Director had a number of additional responsibilities added to the job most notably Human Services, but it was never added to the job description. She characterized what was being done now as a formal ratification of previously implemented changes. The Personnel Board had been asked for their approval of both the title and job description and they have voted their approval of both such that the current job title is Director of Human Services and Council on Aging.
It was Ms. White’s understanding and the Personnel Board concurred that no further approvals of the changes were needed. Both job titles were included within the current personnel pay plan and they were at the same pay grade. Although this was somewhat symbolic, she (Ms. White) felt this change was very important to clarify and enhance the role of the incumbent in the delivery of human services on behalf of the Town. She also felt it was responsive to the vote of the 2007 Spring Town Meeting which referred the subject matter of Article 30 to the Council on Aging Director and Acting Town Administrator.
In conclusion Ms. White stated that she was bringing this to the Board as an FYI.
A motion was made by Ms. Van Amsterdam, seconded by Mr. Hughes, to ratify the formalization of the job title changes to Director of Human Services and Council on Aging. Seconded by Mr. Hughes and unanimously voted.
Ms. Gloff thanked the incumbent for everything she has been doing from taking on the Youth Advisory Board to social services functions.
Current Human Services and Council on Aging Director Moira Munns thanked the Board for their kind words and added that the change in title increased the visibility of the services of the Department.
COUNCIL ON AGING – DONATIONS
Ms. White informed the Board that the Council on Aging had received two donations. One was from the firefighters union in the amount of $500
COUNCIL ON AGING – DONATIONS (contd)
in support of the upcoming holiday dinner to purchase supplies. The second was a $500 donation from an anonymous donor in gratitude for services they received from the department.
Mr. Hughes moved to accept both donations. Seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam and unanimously voted.
With respect to the upcoming holiday dinner to be held on December 20, Ms. Gloff announced that anyone wishing to volunteer or make a reservation should contact the Council on Aging.
Ms. Munns noted that in her spare time she served as the Chair of the Natick unit of the Salvation Army and they were looking for volunteers to ring the bell. Ms. Gloff stated that she did a two hour shift last year and what she didn’t know was if Ms. Munns could find someone to ring the bell at these locations the money goes to help people in Natick. If someone not from Natick came in to cover the locations, i.e. a Framingham resident, the money collected would go to Framingham. There were four locations of which two were indoors. Anybody who could find a two hour shift would be appreciated.
LIQUOR LICENSE ALCOHOL SALES
Ms. Challis explained that when the liquor licenses were renewed restaurants were required to submit an accounting of their percentage of alcohol sales to gross sales. As part of the 2008 renewal package One Forty-Eight on Central (Maxwell’s) reported that alcohol sales represented 32% of their sales for 1/1/06-12/31/06 and 35% of their sales for 1/1/07-9/30/07. Since being granted a license Maxwell’s has always exceeded the 20%. The first year alcohol sales represented 28% of their sales. At that time the Board had them come to a meeting and they demonstrated to the Board’s satisfaction that their wine list was quite expensive which accounted for most of the alcohol sales.
Last year Maxwell’s reported 30/31% alcohol and the year before they reported 29.5%/29.5%.
Ms. Challis further explained that the statute requires liquor licenses to be renewed during the month of November. The Board votes to renew subject to submission of all the required paperwork, payment of delinquent taxes, and required certificate of inspection. Maxwell’s did comply by submitting the documents requested so at this point the Board would not be able to vote not to renew the license for 2008. However, if the Board felt Maxwell’s was not in compliance with the rules, the Board could schedule a hearing to suspend or revoke the license.
Ms. Gloff commented that the alcohol sales were inching up and Mr. Ciccariello expressed concern because every year they were going up and up and were now at 35%. Maybe the Board had to look at the policy, but was it appropriate to allow one restaurant to increase their alcohol volume while restricting all the others.
Mr. Hughes agreed with Mr. Ciccariello that perhaps the policy had to be looked at, but he wanted Maxwell’s to come back before the Board.
Having recently gone to dinner at Maxwell’s, Mr. Ostroff attested that it was not a watering hole, but they do serve expensive wines and cocktails. Alcohol was absolutely incidental to the service of food. He thought 28-35% was a reflection of their pricing.
Ms. Gloff requested that Maxwell’s be invited to attend the January 14th meeting.
Mr. Ostroff had no objection to having them come in, but pointed out that it was likely the Board would see this again next fall and since there was no grounds to not renew at this time, he wondered if the Board should have them come in in September.
Ms. Gloff agreed with some of the other members that the Board may want to look at changing the policy, but she thought it made sense to have them come in now.
SCHEDULE JOINT MEETING TO FILL VACANCY ON PLANNING BOARD
Robert Eisenmenger had resigned from the Planning Board and in accordance with the Charter it was up to the remaining members of the
SCHEDULE JOINT MEETING TO FILL VACANCY ON PLANNING BOARD (contd)
Planning Board and Board of Selectmen to fill that vacancy. With the upcoming holidays and the need to focus on the budget, Ms. Gloff proposed scheduling the joint meeting for January 14. However, since the position would be up for election in March, people should be aware that they could file papers to run for that position. The filing deadline was January 8, 2008.
It was Mr. Ciccariello’s understanding that one member of the current Planning Board had to recuse himself on one of the projects. If the associate was appointed to fill the vacancy was it the intent to appoint an associate as well.
Ms. Gloff pointed out there was no vacancy in the associate member. If the current associate chose to apply and if the two boards appoint that individual, then there would be a vacancy in the associate. If the individual did not apply or was not appointed, then there would not be a vacancy in the associate member. If the associate member submitted her name and was appointed, then the position of associate could be advertised with interviews on January 28.
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Mr. Ostroff, the Board unanimously voted to set the joint interviews with the Planning Board for the meeting of January 14, 2008.
RATIFICATION OF MODERATOR’S APPOINTMENT TO THE WEST NATICK FIRE STATION STUDY COMMITTEE
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, the Board unanimously voted to confirm the Moderator’s appointment of Douglas Farquharson to the West Natick Fire Station Study Committee.
RENEWAL OF LICENSES FOR 2008
a. Common Victualer’s
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, the Board unanimously voted to renew the following common victualer’s licenses for 2008:
Agostino’s Restaurant A’Loto Gelato
23 Washington Street Petroco,Inc. dba Peter Belezos
127 West Central St.
Au Bon Pain, ABP Corp.dba *Restriction: 16 seat limit
Natick Collection
1245 Worcester Road Bakery On the Common
Ranz, Inc. dba
Barber Brothers, Florist, Inc. (Raymond Anzick)
215 West Central Street 9 South Main Street
*Restriction: Maximum 58 seats *Includes 3 seats outside
Hour Restriction
Beijing Kitchen Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
LCC Group, Inc. dba Glenelg, LLC dba
Wai Man Chiu Lars Mohlin
195 West Central Street 1265 Worcester Road, Suite 4
Black Cow Café, LLC Boloco, Stellar Restaurant Group dba Adam Liebman
Tai Dong 1265 Worcester Street
251 West Central Street Includes outside seating
*Restriction: 16 Seat Restriction
California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. Cajun Café & Grill
Natick Mall Henry fong Investments, dba
1245-1321 Worcester Road Natick Mall 1245 Worcester St
Casey’s Diner Central Street Grill
South Avenue Pabla Ferraz Henriques
158 East Central St.
Charles River Coffee House The Cheesecake Factory
Steve Cote The Cheesecake Factory
57 Eliot Street Natick Collection
1245 Worcester St., Suite 1098
Chuck E. Cheese, Corporate Chefs (Cognex)
CEC Entertainment dba 1 Vision Drive
801 Worcester St
*Hour Restriction
RENEWAL OF LICENSES FOR 2008 (contd)
Common Victualer’s
Corrado’s Sub Sandwiches Crazy Jayne’s LLC
7 Middlesex Avenue Paula Felopulos
29 Main Street
*Includes 2 tables with 4-6 seats outside
Culinary Delights, Inc. Curry Leaf
Michael Khalip Natick Restaurants, Inc. dba
229 North Main Street 1328 Worcester Road
Dah Mee Restaurant DeliMax, Inc.
Soon Young Lee Stephen Stelmach
25 Washington Street Luiz Pereira Ferraz
6A Wethersfield Road
Delops, Inc. dba Delops,Inc. dba
D’Angelo’s Sandwich Shop D’Angelo’s Sandwich Shop
381 Worcester St. Natick Mall 1245 Worcester St.
Dolphin Seafood Restaurant Dunkin Donuts
Dimas, Inc. dba East Central Street Donuts dba
7 South Ave. 50-52 East Central Street
Dunkin Donuts Marval, Inc. dba Dunkin Donuts
NatDun, LLC 249 North Main St
1362 Worcester St.
*24 Hours
Edmund Tocci dba Ed’s Place Finale, Room for Dessert, LLC dba
3 Union Street 1245 Worcester Str
Flamers, Inc.,BFR Enterprises, Inc. Franco’s Ristorante-Pizzeria
Natick Mall-1245 Worcester St. Tano’s, Inc. dba
Francisco Bruno
Fresh City of Natick, LLC dba 218 Speen Street
Fresh City *Restriction: Hours
1400 Worcester Road
Friendly’s Ice Cream Corp. George’s Pizza (George Kalfas, Inc.dba
Natick Mall 1245 Worcester Rd. 41 South Main St.
Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffee
RMF Java Co. dba RMF Java Co. dba Michael Forest
Natick Mall-1245 Worcester Rd 1245 Worcester St. 2nd Location
Gourmet Decisions, Inc. Gourmet India
Richard Prioli India House of Burlington
12 Washington Street Vishal Sood
1245 Worcester Rd.-Natick Mall
Honey Dew Donuts
Nisha Donuts,Inc. dba Java Jim’s, dba Melina Shapiro
Hushmukh G. Patel 22 Main Street
179 West Central St.
Joan & Ed’s Deli Jordan’s Furniture, Jorwest LLC dba
The Deli, Inc. dba 1 Underprice Way
1298F Worcester Rd
Sherwood Plaza
Jordan’s Furniture Kelly’s Roast Beef
Imax Theatre Concession Stand 2 Underpriced Way
1 Underprice Way *Hour Restrictions
King Wok, Inc. Liberty Ice Cream Parlor
7 South Main Street Ionnis Bouris
2B Mill Street
Liberty’s Pizza Lola’s Italian Restaurant
Athanasios Kotsias Anthony Matarazzo
2D Mill Street 9 Main Street
Maham Field DugOut Committee McDonald’s of Natick
c/o Michael Melchiorri 290 Worcester St.
5 Melody Way
Mahan Field-Natick High School
RENEWAL OF LICENSES FOR 2008 (contd)
Common Victualer’s
McDonald’s Corp. Mandarin Café, Inc.
Natick Mall Yong He Lin
1245 Worcester St. 5 Wethersfield Road
Melt Gelato & Crepe Café Metropolitan Bar & Grill
Chill Inc. dba-Natick Collection The Metropolitan Club dba
1245 Worcester St.,Space #4075 Suite 3009
Minado Restaurant, Moonstruck Chocolate Co.
Namee Enterprise,Inc. dba dba Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe
1282 Worcester St Natick Collection-Space 4021
Natick West Ctr-1245 Worcester St.
Morrison Management Specialists,Inc Natalie’s Italian Kitchen
MetroWest Med Ctr. Employee Cafeteria Weder Marra dba
Food & Nutrition Services 319 North Main Street
67 Union Street
Natick Dairy Queen, Inc. Natick Pizza Palace
323 North Main Street 58 East Central St.
Natick Recreation & Parks Natick Sports Club,Racquet Club dba
Sassamon Trace Golf Course Longfellow Sports Club
233 South Main Street 203 Oak Street
Nicholas’ Restaurant Nick’s Pizza House
85 East Central St. Cosendey & Cosendey,Inc. dba
179 West Central St.
Nordstrom, Inc. Nordstrom, Inc.
Dba Nordstrom Café Bistro dba Nordstrom E-Bar
290 Speen Street 290 Speen Street
Oga’s Japanese Cuisine One Forty-Eight on Central
Minoga, Inc. dba 24 Associates,LLC dba
915 Worcester St. Mitchell Maxwell
148 East Central St.
Papa Gino’s,Inc. Park Street Ice Cream Shoppe
292 Worcester St. SEND TO: 14 Park Street
Papa Gino’s,Inc.
Licensing-600 Providence Hgwy
Dedham,MA 02026
Performing Arts Center Pieces,Ltd.Inc.
14 Summer Street John Bertin
*Restriction:VALID ONLY DURING 160 West Central St.
PERFORMANCES *Hour Restriction
Pizza Hut of America #611042 Pizza Market
1274 Worcester St. Latifa Bassou
Sherwood Plaza 5 South Main St.
Mail to: Pizza Hut of America
Licensing-PO Box 323430
Louisville, Kentucky 40232
c/o Amy Lear
Pizza Peddler & Deli, dba Beleco,Inc Pizza Plus
Petros Belezos Y.S.A.Inc. (Maged Amin,Yasser
127 West Central St. Lawendi,Kamil Saied)
*Restriction:Limited to 16 Seats 16 North Main St.
Pizza Salonico,Inc. Quiznos
Haralambos Kiourouktsidis SB,LLC-Pawan Mannan
179 West Central St. 61 Worcester Rd.
Russ’ Main Street Lunch Salad Creations,Salid Enterprises,Inc
Costas Vasiloupoulas Irina Salgan-Natick Collection
45 Main Street 1245 Worcester St.,Suite 2002
Sarku Japan,SJ Burlington Food,Inc dba Sarku Japan Sushi Bar
Natick Mall-1245 Worcester St. SJ Burlington Food,Inc. dba
MAIL TO:7650 Birchmount Rd., Markham 1245 Worcester Rd
Ontario,Canada L3R3B9
RENEWAL OF LICENSES FOR 2008 (contd)
Common Victualer’s
Sbarro Sel De La Terre
Natick Mall-1245 Worcester Rd. New France Natick,LLC
MAIL TO: 401 Broadhollow Rd Natick Collection
Melville, NY 11747 3032 Natick West Shopping Ctr.
Shangai Tokyo Cuisine Skipjack’s, Lampara,Inc. dba
A.T.Pan Corp. dba 1400 Worcester Road
54 East Central St. Sherwood Plaza
Starbucks Coffee Co. Station 5 Grille, MCJ Corp.dba
1346 Worcester Road 17 Watson Place
Sherwood Plaza *Hour Restriction-Seating Restriction
MAIL TO: PO Box 34067-Tax
Super Stop & Shop Supermarket Co.LLC Subway-Anish & Anjali Corp dba
Operating a Starbucks Coffee Mitesh Patel-251 West Central St.
829 Worcester Road *Maximum 16 seats
Subway Sandwich Shop Theo’s Pizza, Tsitos Enterprise,Inc
Kogo, LLC dba 231 North Main Street
189 Worcester Road
Three Lucky Stars Uptown Gourmet
G.M. Huang, Inc. dba Olson Meat & Seafood Co.Inc.dba
West Central St. 3 Apple Hill (MathWorks)
*Hour Restriction
Vinny T’s of Boston Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers
BUCA Restaurants 3, Inc. 303 West Central St. SEND TO:
Natick Executive Park Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers
801 Worcester Road Tax Department
PO Box 256 – Dublin Ohio 43017
West Suburban Arena
Facility Management Corp.
35 Windsor Avenue
b. Innholder’s
A motion was made by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, to renew the following Innholders licenses for 2008. Unanimously voted.
Natick Hotel Associates N.H.Hotel Associates,Inc.& Owen
Dba Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza O’Leary’s,Inc. dba Owen O’Leary’s
1360 Worcester road Restaurant & Brew Pub
319 Speen Street
GSH CY Natick,LLC
Dba Courtyard by Marriott-Natick
342 Speen Street
c. Class I
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Mr. Ostroff, the Board unanimously voted to renew the following Class I licenses for 2008:
Bernardi’s, Inc. Bernardi’s, Inc.
Dba Bernardi’s Honda dba Bernardi’s Audi
960 Worcester St. 521 Worcester St.
Bernardi’s, Inc Brigham Gill
Dba Bernardi Honda 817 Worcester Road
1000 Worcester St.
Connolly Buick Co.,Inc Herb Chambers of Natick, Inc.
Dba Herb Connolly Hyundai dba Mercedes Benz of Natick
157 West Central St. 253 North Main Street
Herb Chambers of Boston Post Road, Inc. Metro West Subaru, LLC
Dba Foregin Motors West BMW Frank Hanenberger
253 North Main Street 948 Worcester Road
Quality Emergency Vehicles, Inc.
Richard Willis
85 South Avenue
RENEWAL OF LICENSES FOR 2008 (contd)
d. Class II
A motion was made by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Mr. Ostroff, and unanimously voted to renew the following Class II licenses for 2008:
Advantage Automotive Aku-World
Michael A. Frasca dba Moses Osagie-Victor Igue
11 Middlesex Avenue 179 West Central Street
*Restriction:Maximum 3 cars for sale *Wholesale Only
stored on property at one time
Auto Wholesalers Bernardi’s, Inc.
135 West Central St. 910 Worcester St.
Central Auto Parts Coach & Carriage
327 West Central St. Joseph Gagliardi
*Maximum of 4 cars on display 55 Middlesex Avenue
E & M Auto Consulting,Inc. European Performance Locators
Eugene Bushmelov David E. Maynard, President
3 Penobscot Road 15A Cochituate St.
*Restriction:Wholesale Only-No *Restriction 4 cars
cars sold or stored on premises
Glidden Auto Sales Graham’s Garage
William Glidden Richard Graham
124 East Central St. 134 East Central Street
Greg Malany dba Gassiraro Auto
Greg’s Repair Service Ed Gassiraro dba
47 Summer Street 10 Rear Cochituate Street
*Wholesale Only
Hamid a. Haider John J. Ingemi
10 Squire Court Unit #6 26 Bacon St.
*Wholesale Only *Restriction: Wholesale Only, No
cars sold or stored on the premises
MPL Auto Sales Natick Auto Clinic, Inc.
Lentini, Michael Gordon Russell
72A Oakland Street 193 Worcester Road
*Wholesale Only. No cars to be sold or *Restriction: Maximum of 5 cars
repaired on premises. Storage of 1 car stored on premises
approved
Natick Citgo Olympic Rental
George Matukas dba Tom Pratts Auto Care Center
East Central St. 1 Homeward Road
Open Road Motor Cars Riders Repair
Scott Morrissey, David Schultz Richard Knights
217 West Central Street 6 Leach Lane
*Restricted to 2 cars
Wholesale Auto Services, N.E.
Ronald Garodel dba
17 Wilson Street
*Restriction: Wholesale Only
No cars stored or sold from premises
e. Class III
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Mr. Ostroff, the Board unanimously voted to renew the following Class III licenses for 2008:
Central Auto Parts of Natick, Inc. Sansossio Auto Body
327 West Central Street Natick Used Auto Parts, Inc.
*Maximum of 4 cars on display 13 Cochituate Street
f. Automatic Amusement Device Number of machines
A motion was made by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Mr. Ciccariello, to renew the following Automatic Amusement Device licenses for 2008. Unanimously voted.
American Legion, E.P.Clark Post 107 6
13 West Central St.
Amvets 6
Prime Parkway
Golf on the Village Green 25
315 Worcester St.
SEND TO: Paul Cohen
50/60 Worcester Rd
Framingham, MA 01701
Kiddie Koncepts, Inc. 6
Steven Edelstein
Natick Mall-1245 Worcester St.
SEND TO: 118 Rockwood Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
Natcik VFW 6
West Central Street
NH Hotel Assoc. & Owen O’Leary’s 4
Dba Owen O’Leary’s Restaurant & Brew Pub
319 Speen Street
CEC Entertainment dba Chuck E. Cheese 66
801 Worcester Road
MAIL TO: Texas
Papa Gino’s 2 (claw machine & juke box)
292 Worcester St.
SEND TO: Papa Gino’s
600 Providence Hgwy
Dedham, MA 02026
g. Daily & Sunday Entertainment Licenses
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, the Board unanimously voted to renew the following daily entertainment licenses for 2008:
American Legion 1 Live music
13 West Central St.
Dimas Corp. dba Dolphin 1 live entertainment, piped
12 Washington Street
Natick Hotel Associates 2 Licenses-Dancing-Sound Music
Dba Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza
1360 Worcester St
*Restriction
NH Hotel Assoc. & Owen O’Leary’s, Inc. 2 licenses – piped in music
Dba Owen O’Leary’s Restaurant & Brew Pub
319 Speen Street
Cheesecake Factory 1 license-Radio, TV, Amplifiers
Natick Collection-1245 Worcester St.
Papa Gino’s 1 Juke Box
291 Worcester St.
SEND TO: John Spellman
Melo-Tone Vending,Inc.
130 Broadway
Somerville, MA 02145
Finale, Room for Dessert dba 1 piped in music
1245 Worcester St.
Java Jim’s Live Entertainment
22 Main Street
*Restrictions: Performances limited to Monday-Friday between the hours of 7:00pm-11:00pm. Saturdays between the hours of 1:00pm to 8:00pm. Occupancy
maximum 52. Front door must be closed if amplification is used.
The Center for Arts in Natick 1 live entertainment
14 Summer Street
Jordan Furniture 1 license-movie theatre
Imax Movie Theatre
1 Underprice Way
Lampara,Inc. dba Skipjack’s 1 license-Piped in music
1400 Worcester St.
Fresh City of Natick, LLC dba Cable TV
Fresh City
1400 Worcester SRd.
Metropolitan Bar & Grill Televisions w/cable
The Metropolitan Club dba piped in music
1245 Worcester St.,Suite 3009 Juke Box
Ni8cholas’s 2 licenses-live Bouzouki
85 East Central St. Cable TV
Nordstrom, Inc. Piped in music
Dba Nordstrom Café Bistro
290 Speen St.
Sel De La Terre Cable TV, piped in music
Neew France Natick, LLC dba
Natick Collection
3032 Natick West Shopping Ctr.
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, the Board unanimously voted to renew the following Sunday licenses for 2008:
Natick Hotel Associates 2 Licenses – dancing, sound music
Dba Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza
1360 Worcester St.
*Restriction
NH Hotel Associates & Owen O’Lear’s,Inc. 4 licenses
Dba Owen O’Leary’s Restaurant & Brew Pub Live Entertainment
319 Speen Street Piped in music
Automatic Amusement
Billiards
The Center for Arts in Natick 1 License
14 Summer Street
h. Lodging House
The Board unanimously voted to renew the following Lodging House license for 2008. The vote was taken on a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Mr. Ciccariello.
Robert Krauss
25 Pond Street
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR’S INTENTION TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO THE GOLF OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
Ms. White informed the Board of her intention to appoint George Richards, III to the Golf Course Oversight Committee.
A motion was made by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, to approve Mr. Richards’ appointment. Unanimously voted.
TOWN ADMINISTRATOR EVALUATION/GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Believing that many members of the Board had not yet performed their duties with regard to the Town Administrator goals and objectives and evaluation, Ms. Gloff said she had a conversation with the Town Administrator and Mr. Hughes who was responsible for coordinating the evaluation and since it was already December 10, Ms. White would be comfortable with the Board not completing the evaluation until January. With regard to the goals & objectives, Ms. Gloff asked the members to try to get those to Mr. Ostroff this month.
If people preferred, Mr. Ostroff offered to have a conversation with the members and then collapse it into a written document.
REVISED KENNEDY TRUST FUND PROCEDURES
At a previous meeting a question arose concerning eligibility for the Helen M. and Waldo Kennedy Trust Fund. Ms. Gloff referred to an opinion from Town Counsel in which he advised that the scholarships were not limited to Natick High School, and noted that the guidelines had been changed to reflect Mr. Flynn’s opinion.
A motion was made by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Ms. Van Amsterdam, to adopt the revised procedures for the Board of Clergy for the Helen M. and Waldo H. Kennedy Trust Fund. Unanimously voted.
NATICK HOUSING AUTHORITY: REQUEST FOR SUBSCRIBER CABLE DROP
Ms. White advised that a request had been received for Comcast to install and maintain free subscriber cable drops as requested by the Natick Housing Authority. Under the terms of the license the Town as the issuing authority must request the cable drops to service those facilities and upon receipt of that request Comcast will install for free. A letter had been drafted for the Board’s consideration.
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Mr. Ciccariello, the Board unanimously voted to send a letter to Comcast requesting the installation and maintenance of subscriber cable drop(s) as requested by the Natick Housing Authority. The letter designated the Housing Authority to determine the exact locations of said drop(s).
MINUTES
With the correction of the spelling of the name Intinarelli on page 1, Mr. Hughes moved to approve the minutes of the July 9, 2007 meeting. Seconded by Mr. Ciccariello and unanimously voted
ST. PATRICK’S: USE OF COMMON TO DISPLAY CRECHE
On a motion by Mr. Hughes, seconded by Mr. Ostroff, the unanimously voted to approve St. Patrick Church’s request to erect a crèche on the Common for the period December 10, 2007 through January 8, 2008.
SELECTMEN’S CONCERNS
a. Updates
Ms. White updated the Board on a number of the previous concerns.
With respect to sandwich board signs, she noted that the Zoning By-Laws defined it as standing signs and they were prohibited. It was an enforcement matter. Mr. Hughes indicated that he would call the Building Inspector.
Regarding the Oak Street intersection, Ms. White referred to correspondence written to the Mass Highway Commission explaining where that project and Route 27 was at.
Water Meter Replacement – Despite the fact that the Town was billing the extra fee, Ms. White reported there were still five people that had not replaced their meter. For future discussion Mr. Hughes raised the possibility of increasing the fee.
Payroll Service – Ms. White advised that the Comptroller met with a pay roll service and he would be scheduled to meet with the Board some time in January. The Board had asked for quarterly meetings. October slipped away and he would be here in January.
Web Site Address on Letterhead - Ms. White noted this was ongoing and she was asking the department heads to follow through when ordering new letterhead.
Signage for South Avenue Construction Project – It was Ms. White’s understanding that sometimes the construction equipment for that project took up a good portion of travel lanes. She had talked to the Police Chief and he assured her that should the occasion arise he would put in place no parking rules when equipment was taking up a part of the roadway.
Scheduling a Bulk Pickup on Line – Ms. White informed the Board that this was a little more complicated than it appeared. Sometimes it was hard to determine the fee over the telephone and it was often a case that a DPW crew member goes out and looks at the stuff to determine the fee. Mr. Hughes still thought there had to be a way to do it on line.
Loker Park Courts – Ms. White reported that the work was completed.
Double Poles – Ms. White advised the utilities were scheduled for the December 17 meeting.
Additional Signage around Oak Street Gravel Pit Area – Ms. White noted that she met on site with the Recreation Director to look at the placement of the Math Works field sign. At that time she brought up the signage issue and there was a plan in place to provide clarity in entering and exiting.
Schedule Open House for Boards/Committees – Ms. White reminded the Board that the open house was scheduled for tomorrow night.
Chain Link Fence at Station 4 – Ms. White advised that the fence was going to be left up. It hadn’t been authorized but it provided some safety.
b. MBTA Parking Garage
SELECTMEN’S CONCERNS (contd)
Ms. Van Amsterdam inquired as to the status of the MBTA parking garage and Ms. Gloff responded that Representative Linsky was trying to arrange a meeting. Ms. White added that she received an e-mail this afternoon with a firm date of December 18.
c. Cochituate Rail Trail
Mr. Ostroff advised that he was tracking an issue on the title and should have it for the next meeting.
d. Pot Holes
Mr. Ostroff requested the IT Director to put a link on the front page of the web site for people to get to the form where they can report pot holes, street lights.
e. PERAC
Mr. Ostroff referenced correspondence from PERAC on the Town’s appropriation. It went up $80,000 and was scheduled to go up 4-4-1/2% over the next four years. He (Mr. Ostroff) would like to have the Board’s appointee come in and give an update on some things. At first glance at some material published by
the Retirement Board it was the taxpayer that will have the greatest obligation and he thought the Town needed to get a handle on it.
f. Home of Champions
Noting that Representative Linsky got through the bill proclaiming Natick as the Home of Champions, Mr. Hughes asked that the DPW put up the signs at the entrance of Town.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m.
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Joshua Ostroff, Clerk
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