Select Board Meeting Minutes 1/18/24

Minutes of the meeting of 1/18/24

Meeting Opened at: 6:02pm

Select Board Members Present: Justin Makuc, Chair, Susan Cooper, and Frank Abbott

Also present: Dennis Lynch, Melissa Noe (Town Administrator)

Also present remotely: Don Coburn, Courteny Morehouse, Roger MacDonald, Kenn Basler, Michael Hale

Items discussed:

1. Call to order 6:02pm
2. Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to discuss RT23 culvert: Courteny Morehouse reviewed the estimated construction costs for the RT23 culvert project. The estimated cost to keep the road open with a temporary bridge is $3,591,000 and if we were to close the road the estimated cost would be $3,324,000.  The engineer is still working on the timeline and necessary permitting. Courteny confirmed that closing the road is not a feasible option due to the lack of detour options for the size of trucks that come through Monterey. The Board did not feel is was worth putting any more resources into looking at the option of closing the road due to the lack of reasonable detour options. The engineer pointed out that removing the walkway is not really a cost saving option as the town would then have to cover the cost of insulating the water lines. Courteny reviewed four possible grants for which we may also be eligible to help pay for Monterey’s share. Courteny recommends applying for phase 3 of the MVP grant (Municipal Vulnerability Program) and the DER Culvert grant (Department of Environmental Resources). The Board needs to decide whether to put the match into the FY25 budget. Dennis said that we have tried the culvert replacement grant in the past and we have been unsuccessful as they look for a high ecological value and we do not meet the criteria. Dennis suggested we could also try the Massworks grant along with expanding the business district to promote economic development as suggested in the Master Plan.  Courtney will also talk to her BRPC colleagues in the roads division to see if there is additional grant money available through other sources.
3. Grant request submitted by Dennis Lynch to research the MVP grant and 604b grant for phase 3 of the RT23 culvert replacement for up to 8 hours. A motion was made to approve the request as submitted.  The motion was seconded. The Board unanimously approved the request.
4. Town Administrator position: The Board reviewed the Town of Monterey Town Administrator Recruitment Profile with Michael Hale of the Collins Center. The section that elicited the most discussion was about salary, benefits and hours. The Board agreed on posting a salary range of $80,000-$85,000. Final amendments were made, the Collins Center will now send it to their graphic artist and will post it on the MMA (Massachusetts Municipal Administration), the Small Town Administrator’s listserv and any local regional options.
5. Appoint Director of Municipal Inspections: Don Torrico: A motion was made to appoint Don Torrico as the Director of Municipal Inspections for a three year term.  The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
6. Operational control for weather related closings of the transfer station; Composting update
   1. The Board discussed granting the authority to the Director of Operations in conjunction with the Town Administrator to make the decision on whether to close the transfer station during a severe weather event rather than trying to chase down the Board for their approval. Justin felt that if there was a shortage of help at the transfer station the Director of Operations and Town Administrator should try to find someone else to cover, including asking Select Board members. The Board agreed that during bad weather events, the Director of Operations will make a decision about whether to close the transfer station.
   2. Susan updated the Board on the changes the Director of Operations will be making to the current composting system to try and lower the costs. One large covered bin has been purchased to collect the compost and the highway department will now bring the material to Lee one - two times a month, saving roughly $400/month.
7. The Board set the Special Town Meeting date for 1:30pm on Saturday, March 2^nd.
8. FY25 draft budget: Justin went over a few line items that he would like more information on for next week’s meeting. Frank provided the Board with a summary of the work that Roger, Melissa and himself have been working on with regard to future IT needs and the budget. Frank commented the costs were still more than we liked and they would be speaking to the vendor on Friday. The Board also discussed an issue that the Tree Warden brought to Frank’s attention, which the Board all agreed is something that we should seek counsel advice. The Board agreed the Tree Warden had permission to speak to counsel.
9. Town Administrator Items:
   1. Community Compact Efficiency & Regionalization Grant – The Board approved applying for the grant to pay for the AED’s and electric installation that the Parks Department is proposing.
   2. Regional Traffic Safety Grant letter from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission – The Board agreed to tentatively support the project but would like more information prior to committing the $1,000.
10. Approve minutes:
    1. A motion was made to approve the minutes of 12/19/23 as amended. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
    2. A motion was made to approve the minutes of 1/4/24 as amended. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.
11. Unanticipated business - none
12. Comments & questions from the public - none
13. Adjournment

A motion was made and unanimously approved to adjourn the meeting at: 8:40pm

Submitted by:

Melissa Noe, Town Administrator

Approved by:

Monterey Select Board

cc: Website (www.montereyma.gov)

Select Board Members

Minutes Book

Town Clerk

Any documents used in the meeting are listed below and are available by request at town hall.

1. RT23 estimated construction costs
2. RT23 additional grant options
3. Town of Monterey Town Administrator Recruitment Profile