(7/2/07)  The Select Board met Monday, June 25th at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.  Gerry Weiss, Hwei-Ling Greeney, Anne Awad and Rob Kusner were present, and Alisa Brewer was absent.  Town Manager Larry Shaffer was present as well.

Public Comment

Bill Elsasser thanked the Town Manager for acquiring three whisky casks to be filled with flowers, and suggested that the Town Manager and Mr. Weiss might decide on their placement.  Mr. Elsasser confirmed that he is continuing to water the flowers in all the new planters.

Request for Special Municipal Employee Status – Finance Committee

Mr. Weiss said that the Finance Committee's written request noted several specifics about members who might need SME protection:  one who does consulting with the Amherst Regional Schools and who will become a school employee, a lawyer who might need to represent people before other boards, one who serves as an election worker, and one whose spouse does work with the Jones Library.  He said it was uncertain if SME provided any sort of protection regarding a spouse's situation. 

Kay Moran, of the Finance Committee, said that the election worker situation was a complex one, and that it was possible to seek and obtain a special dispensation from the Select Board.  She said that the easiest solution was to decline the election worker pay, because if there is no pay involved, then there is no conflict. 

It was noted tat the election worker question had also been raised in relation to the Public Works Committee, and Ms. Awad said it was important to get that clarified because there is a significant need for election workers.  She said that they don't want to have barriers to filling those positions and do want to find a way to protect those individuals. 

Mr. Shaffer said that his understanding was that it was a matter of being an employee in any capacity and at any level of compensation, which was problematic, versus being a volunteer, which was not.  He said he would check with Town Counsel.

Ms. Awad said that when she was first elected to the Select Board, she worked for the State, and she was told that as long as she declined the Select Board pay, she had no conflict.  She suggested that the person with a spouse at the library might recuse him or herself from library issues.  Alice Carlozzi, Finance Committee Chair, confirmed that this person does that, and Ms. Awad and Mr. Weiss said they would assume recusal to be sufficient.

Ms. Carlozzi said that many reasons for wanting SME status had to do with future “what if” situations, and noted that not all Select Board members had agreed that that was a good reason for granting it.  She said that whether or not the Finance Committee has the status might affect the Moderator's ability to make appointments to the committee.

Mr. Kusner said he thought the decision should be deferred to a future meeting because he had questions that he wanted Town Counsel to consider.  He said he wanted to know about what sorts of family relationships would constitute a conflict – just spouses or perhaps parents and children.  Noting that an SME issue is allowing citizens to serve who might represent a private interest before another Town board or committee, he was concerned about whether that included Town Meeting, and said he assumed that Finance Committee members wouldn't do that.  Ms. Carlozzi said she couldn't think of an example of that potentially happening.

Ms. Greeney said that SME status remains until or unless it is revoked by the Select Board, and said that because committee membership changes, it might be advantageous for all committees to seek it in case they need it in the future.  She moved to grant SME to the Finance Committee.

Mr. Kusner said he thought they had decided to delay it to a future meeting so questions could be answered by Town Counsel.  Mr. Weiss said he didn't think the issues Mr. Kusner raised precluded granting the status.  Ms. Awad seconded Ms. Greeney's motion and said she thought it would be helpful in general to get Mr. Kusner's questions answered.  She said that granting the status doesn't mean it would be acceptable for a Finance Committee member to work with another board on a warrant article and that she expects self-governance by boards and committees.  Ms. Carlozzi said the member who is a lawyer has said he would resign if the specifics of a situation required that, and said that all members understand what they should and should not do.   

Mr. Kusner said he was comfortable voting to support the status, but said he had wanted more formal opinions on his questions from Town Counsel, and said he thought the Board had been “looking for that higher comfort level for Town Counsel to answer these questions.”  Mr. Weiss said that if Town Counsel's determination changes things, they could always take SME status away.

There was more talk about the Finance Committee member who will become an employee of the Schools.  Several Select Board members and the Town Manager expressed their belief that that person would need to resign from the Finance Committee.  The concept of a special dispensation from the Select Board was raised again, and Mr. Shaffer called the required process “fairly rigorous” and suggested that the person might be better off choosing between the employment and the volunteer options.  Mr. Weiss said the conversation demonstrates the complexities of what is and isn't covered by SME status.

The vote to support granting SME status to the Finance Committee was 3 in favor, 1 abstention and 1 absent.  Mr. Kusner abstained. 

Request for Special Municipal Employee Status – Human Rights Commission

Reynolds Winslow, Chair of the Human Rights Commission, said that body was seeking SME to protect members from possible conflict of interest issues in the future.  He said no members faced potential conflicts currently, and that the committee would not be negatively impacted by not having the status now.

After brief discussion reiterating the basics of SME, the vote to approve SME for the Human Rights Commission was 4 in favor, 1 absent.

Request for Special Municipal Employee Status – Housing Partnership/Fair Housing Committee

Nancy Gregg, Chair of the Housing Partnership/Fair Housing Committee, said that body currently faces no conflicts other than the election worker situation.  She said they decided to seek SME in case they were to need specific expertise as the planned Olympia Drive housing advances.  Mr. Weiss reiterated the point that all committee can have experts and that SME is only an issue for those experts who appear before other Town boards and committees as part of their livelihood. 

The vote to approve SME for the Housing Partnership/Fair Housing Committee was 4 in favor, 1 absent.

Public Hearing – Liquor License for La Piazza

Clare Aniello, owner of 30 Boltwood Walk, said she and her husband Mauro Aniello were seeking an all-alcohol license for La Piazza Ristorante  a new restaurant they will open in the space formerly occupied by La Cucina di Pinocchio.  She said she and Mr. Aniello had previously run Pinocchio's before selling it.  She said there would be seating for 110 and outdoor dining as well as delivery service. 

There were questions about music.  Mr. Aniello said the music would not be amplified or piped outdoors, but would just be background music within the restaurant. 

The hours were discussed, and Mr. Aniello explained that business would cease at 1:00 a.m., but cleaning and other closing tasks would continue until 3:00 a.m., which he said was a common element of downtown restaurant licenses.

No members of the public commented during the hearing.

The vote to approve the liquor license for La Piazza Ristorante was 4 in favor, 1 absent. 

Walpole 40B Letter

Mr. Kusner said that Ms. Brewer had distributed a number of newspaper articles from other communities about the Chapter 40B issue.  Mr. Weiss said it was interesting that there was not unanimity on the issue, and that there seemed to be an equal split between support and opposition to the proposed moratorium.  Mr. Kusner said that those in opposition tended to be similar to Amherst in trying to stay above the 10% affordability threshold and affirmatively creating affordable housing.

Mr. Weiss said they had also heard from Eric Nakajima, Jean Haggerty and Connie Kruger, who he said all strongly and eloquently made the case against supporting Walpole's moratorium request. Mr. Kusner said he thought that Mr. Nakajima's letter might be the foundation of one the Select Board might send to Walpole and the State legislature about the issue.

Ms. Gregg spoke of having been to a conference on affordable housing and how much support she found there for 40B among people from other towns.  She said there had been changes to the legislation in recent years, including limiting the sizes of 40B developments.  She said that 40B is responsible for a significant amount of housing across the State, and that more housing is a State-wide need.  She said that she opposed supporting Walpole's letter, and referenced a point made in Mr. Nakajima's letter – that if a moratorium is imposed, 40B might never be reinstated. 

Mr. Kusner called 40B a “double-edged sword” and said that the Select Board could oppose a moratorium and still not support 40B.  Ms. Gregg noted that there are reasons to support it because it is a vehicle for creating more affordable housing.  Mr. Kusner said it is just one way of achieving affordable housing.

Vince O'Connor spoke of communities in the eastern part of the State being “overwhelmed” and “devastated” by 40B projects.  He said that getting Rolling Green to renew its affordability status before it expires in 2013 should be a Select Board priority and that efforts to do that should begin now.  He sad it might be possible to join with Walpole to support changes to 40B, but not a moratorium.  He said there is 1% population growth in the Pioneer Valley, which he attributed to “white flight” from Hampden County, and said that is “not something we should either encourage, participate in or justify by saying we need more housing.”  He said he agrees that Amherst needs more affordable housing but not more housing in general.  He referenced his minority report on the Community Preservation Act funds for affordable housing and said money should be used to make repairs to existing apartments and to leverage State and Federal money for such improvements, and that some of those units might be made affordable housing units. 

Mr. Weiss and Mr. Kusner suggested that some of Mr. O'Connor's statements be included in a redrafting of Mr. Nakajima's letter. 

Parking Task Force Update

Mr. Shaffer said the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission would undertake a parking study that would inventory downtown parking spaces, analyze accumulation and turnover, and create a report with recommendations.  He said that PVPC will fund 75% of the study and that the remaining 25% would come from DPW funds.  He said the study and report would take place in October and November of this year.  He said the report would provide baseline data for those interested in downtown parking issues, and that there is no consensus in the community regarding downtown parking needs.  He said the last such study was done in 1999, also by PVPC, and that it was appropriate to move forward and collect this data now.

Mr. Kusner said he hoped the study would include the private lots and parking spaces around the center of town.  He said that Town Meeting and the Comprehensive Planning Committee have considered asking PVPC to do a regionally focused transportation study, and said he hopes their work will include the alternative and public transportation as ways of getting to and around town.

Mr. Shaffer said there is discussion of an intermodal transportation center that could include a parking element as well as bus, rail and bicycle elements.  He said the planned study would be designed to fit with Federal models, and contribute to information that could help to fund and locate such an intermodal transportation center. 

Ms. Greeney asked about the components of the study and whether there were related documents about which the Select Board could offer input.  She said she was concerned that it would focus just on parking and not on finding different ways of getting people into town.  Mr. Shaffer repeated the description of the study components, and emphasized that this would be a parking study, not a transportation study. 

Mr. Shaffer said that the results of the parking study would be integrated into the Town's GIS system so that it would be available to anyone who wished to analyze it. 

Main Street Parking

Nick Seamon, owner of The Black Sheep, said he hoped the Chamber and the Promoting Downtown Amherst Group are asked to be part of the study.  He said he was pleased to learn that it would be professionally conducted, which he said was different from some past experiences.

Mr. Seamon talked about recent work that was done on Main Street by Comcast that involved trenches across the sidewalks and the bagging the parking meters 24-hours a day for more than a week.  He said that took up a lot of parking spaces unnecessarily because work stopped by 4:30, and reduced parking during the Taste.  He said he also felt too many meters were bagged for use by Taste vendors, at the request of the Chamber.  He said that at one point, more than 100 meters were bagged.   He said that there was no communication from the Town to abutters that this would be happening, and that notifying abutters of such work should be part of the permitting process.  He said he was only seeking notification, and not an ability to appeal the work.

Mr. Shaffer said that the there could and should be better notification.  He said that in emergency situations that wouldn't be possible, but in this instance there would have been plenty of time to do so.  He said that Comcast hadn't been required to notify abutters, nor had the Town, but that that doesn't mean they should not be doing that.  He said he would like to work with DPW Superintendent Guilford Mooring to determine a process.

Mr. Kusner thanked Mr. Seamon for bringing the issue to the Select Board's attention, and for suggesting a possible solution as well.  He said sidewalk work seemed like the sort of thing that would come before the Select Board in order to let the public know it will occur.

Mr. Seamon said the business community wants to be considered during such decision making, and talked about the bad timing of this work in relation to the Amherst College reunion, which is a significant catering occasion. 

Mr. Mooring said the work that the Town does could involve notification also, but that it might be too late for the upcoming North Pleasant Street work.  He said that a permit gets pulled and the work then gets scheduled as needed.  He said they would be able to make notifications for work planned for mid-July.

Mr. Shaffer said that a big part of notification is providing contact information, with a name and number of a person to deal with for issues such as a blocked driveway or other accessibility issues.  He also said it was important to let people know when they can expect the work to be done, but that that is hard to predict. 

Mr. Weiss suggested that until a formal process exists, the Town might notify the Chamber of planned work, as they have access to many downtown businesses, and Mr. Mooring agreed that that would be an easy thing to do.  Mr. Mooring said the more formal process will have to consider and quantify the cost of notification.  Mr. Shaffer said the GIS system is well-suited to dealing with automated notification issues. 

Ms. Greeney referenced Mr. Seamon's comment about more meters than necessary being bagged for the Taste, and said that she agreed, based on her own observations of vendor parking during the event.  She suggested that this be mentioned next year when the issue comes to the Select Board again.  Mr. Weiss noted that the Select Board is considered unfriendly to business if they approve the parking requests from the Chamber, and if they don't. 

Mr. Seamon emphasized that he believes the contractor should pay for notification of abutters, not the Town. 

Common Victuallers License – Rolando's

Bob Lowry, owner of Rolando's sought a Common Victuallers license for the restaurant, which serves roast beef and falafel at the site of the former Fatzo's on North Pleasant Street. There was some discussion of the hours of operation, which varied somewhat from the written application.

Ms. Greeney noted that Mr. Lowry's other downtown establishment, Bueno Y Sano, does good recycling of its bottles and cardboard.  Mr. Lowry said Rolando's would have a similar system. 

The vote to approve the Common Victuallers license was 4-0, 1 absent.

Water Rate Increase

Robert Pariseau, Director of Water Resources, said that there were four elements from the last year or two that were impacting the water rate:  UMass' successful water conservation program, whereby they have cut their consumption by about 30%; increased fixed costs, such as fuel and utilities; last year being the final year of a grant for the Atkins water treatment plant; and an effluent re-use project at UMass. 

Mr. Shaffer said much time was spent comparing rates within the State to see where Amherst stands, and said it is on the lower end of the rate spectrum.  He said the factor that differentiates Amherst from other towns is that our largest water customer has done such an effective job at conservation that it has decreased the Town's water revenues, requiring rates to rise to make up for that.  He said that the costs of production stay the same even if less water is used, and that that would be the case unless so much less were used that one of the treatment facilities were no longer needed, but that is not anticipated.

Ms. Greeney asked if less water use requires fewer employees, and Mr. Pariseau said no, because the same numbers of people are still needed to maintain the three treatment plants, three wells and 130 miles of water mains.  Ms. Greeney said the report from Mr. Pariseau indicated a budget deficit at the end of FY08 with an anticipated 40-cent rate increase next year.  She asked at what rate the deficit is expected to be eliminated.  Mr. Pariseau said computer models are used in determining the rates based on projected revenues and expenses.  He said that the in FY12 and FY 13 there are projected surpluses, and said the goal is to get to those years with the smallest rate increases possible.

Mr. Pariseau said that the Town is benefiting from UMass' conservation and decreased usage, because without it, Amherst would need to look for new water resources which, he said “would be hugely expensive.”  Mr. Shaffer said that their conservation also gave the Town additional capacity that provided opportunities for economic development which might otherwise not be possible because of water limitations.  Mr. Shaffer said the Town is transitioning to UMass' decreased usage, and that is involving price increases for other customers, but he said that that would smooth out, and he congratulated the University for its success in this area.

The Select Board voted 4-0, 1 absent to set the water rate at $3 per cubic foot as of July 1st.

Town Committee Evaluation Task Force

Alan Root asked that the Town Committee Evaluations Task Force be extended.  He said that the Master Plan is heavily engaged and the League of Women Voters is examining the committee system, and said that the Task Force might be able to make recommendations based on that research or serve as a clearinghouse for committee suggestions and ideas.  He asked that the Task Force's charge be extended long enough to consider possible recommendation for the fall 2008 Town Meeting.  Mr. Weiss noted that no one other than Mr. Root had applied to be on the Task Force yet, and Mr. Root said that the new focus by the League might get people interested.

Mr. Kusner said that he and Ms. Greeney had agreed to look at the committee list over the summer and said that perhaps they would consult with Mr. Root and the League.

It was determined that the Task Force's original charge did not include and end date, so no official action was needed to keep it going another year.  Mr. Kusner noted that Mr. Root could be appointed to the Task Force later in the meeting. 

Massachusetts House Bill 60

Mr. Weiss noted that the 20 or so people in the audience were there to discuss House Bill 60, which he said would be taken up by the legislature the next day in Boston.  He said he was concerned that Ellen Story's name was on the bill.  He said he called her and she said she thought it was anti-big box legislation, and he said he thought it was the opposite of that.  He said that Ms. Story said she wouldn't vote for it if that turns out to be case, and that she said it wouldn't be voted on for a while, so people have plenty of time to get their comments in. 

Mr. O'Connor said the bill is designed to undermine the process for surplus State land.  He said that currently a committee in the community where the land is located creates a plan for its use, and then the representative from that district asks the legislature to approve the surplusing of the land and its planned use.  He said that doesn't usually involve payment, and the municipality gets the surplus land.  He said the new proposal would have a committee chair bringing a bill to have land declared surplus, without a re-use plan.  He said that the disposition of the land would occur in a non-public way and that it would go to those considered most worthy, and Mr. O'Connor said that this was not a proper way to dispose of public land.  He went on to talk about a sponsor of the bill being from Waltham and Lexington, and said that the bill is aimed at the Fernald School, and how this same person sponsoring the bill was responsible for disposing of Waltham Hospital by selling it to a developer for $8 million, and the developer then sold it for $55 million the next year.  He said the same person had opposed gay marriage a few years ago but switched his vote at a “very opportune time.”  He said despite the fact that the list of bill sponsors seem like liberals, this is “a bad piece of legislation.”  He said that the representatives whose districts include the former Northampton and Belchertown State Schools were not among the bill's sponsors.

Mr. Kusner said he had tried to read the bill and tried to draft a letter about it from the Select Board.  He said that the part of the bill that talks about assisting those with mental health issues who would be displaced from the State land might have been “sugar coating” that made the bill “palatable” to Ms. Story.  He said that because UMass represents significant amounts of State land, Amherst should be concerned about the bill, and he said it would short-circuit the Comprehensive Plan process.  He said he wanted to deal with this at this meeting so that a response from the Select Board might be given to Amherst's representatives the next day. 

There was talk about how Ms. Story might have become involved in the bill, and how strong opposition from the public early in the process can have an impact on legislators.

John Strickland talked about the bill being a “Pandora's Box” or “Trojan Horse,” that would be tempting to towns because they are all desperate for money, and the bill would provide them with a percentage of the proceeds from land sold at auction.  He said that government is easiest for citizens to understand at the national level and that “local boards are practically incomprehensible.” He called the bill a “shell game,” and said he intended to be at the State House the next day.

Mary Wentworth said that if the Select Board feels that it needs more details on the bill, they might ask Ms. Story to attend the hearing and to report back to them about her impressions afterwards.

Frank Gatti talked about an editorial in that day's Boston Globe about the Fernald School and the vulnerability of its residents.  He said that they are cared for by well-paid State employees now but would be cared for by low-paid private employees with high turnover rates if they end up in new homes.  He said the issue represents a conflict between advocacy groups and suggested reading the editorial for more information about the situation.

Mr. Root talked about having bicycled and hiked on the Fernald land and said it would be attractive to developers.  He talked about knowing people who had lived at Fernald, and how the proposed legislation was bad for all concerned, “maybe with the exception of the developers who might win that auction.”  He favored the Select Board sending a letter regarding their concerns about the bill.

Ms. Awad said that Mr. Kusner's draft letter was a start, and suggested a more brief initial communication, saying that the Board would continue to study the legislation and would provide comments to our representatives in Boston, and would encourage citizens to do so as well.  Mr. Weiss said that for him to sign his name to it, the letter would need to be general and not specific because he didn't have enough information about the bill yet.  

Larry Ely said he was with the Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities, and that he had encouraged the attendees to be at this meeting.  He said he apologized that the Board felt rushed by the lateness of the request for comment.  He said this was indicative of what they were facing:  developers making deals behind closed doors, those deals favoring the wealthy and well-connected, and how the state of democracy is “abominable.”   He reiterated points about the bill being a “Trojan horse” and needing to be concerned locally because of so much State-owned land.  He said that any State property including conservation land could made surplus.  He said that it takes a 2/3 majority of the legislature to remove conservation protections, and said the legislature has voted to do that more than 250 times since 1989.  He said the situation represents the worst of both worlds—the bureaucracy of the Democrats, and the Republican's favoring of the well-connected, despite the majority of what he said were “so-called Democrats” at the State House.

Ms. Awad urged the attendees to call and write to Ms. Story.  She said the Select Board should send a letter with a few sentences expressing concern and urging that legislative action not be undertaken hastily and without sufficient public comment.  She moved that Mr. Weiss be authorized to send such a letter.

Mr. Kusner seconded the motion and suggested as an amendment that the individual members be authorized to address the committee chairs in the legislature in their official capacity as Select Board members.  He then decided that that should be a separate motion, and Mr. Weiss agreed, but such a motion was not made. 

Ms. Greeney suggested that Ms. Story be invited to a Select Board meeting to share what she has learned about the legislation.  Mr. Weiss said he would contact Ms. Story, and reiterated that Ms. Story had said that she didn't expect the issue to be voted on in the near future.  Ms. Greeney said that it would aid citizen mobilization on the issue if they have more details sooner, and suggested that Ms. Story be invited to attend at her earliest convenience. 

The vote in favor of the Select Board sending a letter of concern on the issue was 4 in favor, 1 absent.  

Boltwood Parking Lot closure

Big Brothers - Big Sisters had submitted a request to close the Boltwood Parking Lot early in the morning of July 14th, before their artisan fair fundraiser, for the artisans to park and register for the event.  The requested closure was for 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., before paid parking time begins.  The request had sought the assistance of a parking officer to prevent others from parking there during that time, but the Chief of Police had said he could not pay overtime for that purpose, and the Select Board agreed.  After some discussion about ways in which the group might informally address the lot closure, the Select Board voted 4-0, 1 absent to approve the request, without the parking officer.

Minutes

With discussion and amendments, the Select Board approved the minutes of the June 13th, 18th and 20th meetings with a vote of 4 in favor, 1 absent.  Mr. Kusner requested that the minutes of the joint meeting with the School Committee be done in executive session.

Committee Reappointments

Mr. Kusner recommended the reappointment of Arnold Alper to the Personnel Board and Alan Root to the Town Committee Evaluation Task Force.  The vote to approve both reappointments was 4 in favor, 1 absent.

Planning Board Zoning Subcommittee Meetings

Mr. Weiss said that the zoning subcommittee of the Planning Board would be meeting several times over the summer to prepare zoning proposals for fall Town Meeting.  He said it would be useful for the Select Board to understand those plans.  He said the meetings would be held at 5:00 p.m. on July 18th, August 1st, August 15th and August 29th. 

Mr. Kusner questioned how the zoning subcommittee could have set an agenda, saying he thought all the members had resigned.  He said some of the items on the agenda had been recommended at Town Meeting to be reconsidered as part of the Comprehensive Planning process, particularly the South East Street – College Street issue.  He said there was still much work to do before that was ready for consideration.

Mr. Shaffer said he had asked the Planning Board and the Planning Director to expedite three issues for fall Town Meeting:  rezoning of Spring Street, rezoning of the South East Street – College Street area, and a biotech zoning ordinance.  He said he hoped those would be completed by the end of August and brought to the Select Board at that time, rather than the night the issues are addressed at Town Meeting.  He said timing is critical and that he wants to move forward on those issues.

Mr. Kusner said he didn't want to get into a zoning debate that evening, and said that there had been several major issues raised in relation to the South East Street proposal.  He cited an assessment of the East Amherst Common and the possibility of using “contract zoning” as a way of addressing infrastructure needs, as issues brought up at Town Meeting last spring when this proposal came forth.  Mr. Weiss said that wasn't a discussion to have at this meeting.

Ms. Greeney asked about appointments of Zoning Board of Appeals members, and referenced the complications last year of terms expiring while public hearings were ongoing.  Mr. Kusner said that appointees serve until a successor is qualified, and that there are several members in full- and associate-member status due to a pending case.  He said he hoped to explore the issue with the Town Manager, Town Counsel and others, but that until new members were appointed, two or three current members would remain. 

Town Manager's Report

Mr. Shaffer said he would be happy to answer questions about the recent Planning Board resignation, and that he thought his letter and comments in the press were an accurate description of his feelings on the subject. 

Ms. Greeney said she felt that the Gazette didn't provide Mr. Shaffer an opportunity to comment and suggested that reporter Mary Carey include Mr. Shaffer's response letter.  Mr. Weiss said there was a follow-up article about that on the Amherst Bulletin's web site.  Ms. Carey said that she hadn't written the article, but that one had appeared in the Gazette as well.

Ms. Awad said that she appreciated that the Town Manager had chosen not to comment and that she thought the article was one-sided and didn't include the Town Manager's perspective.  She said that he had been attacked in the letter from Rod Francis.  Mr. Weiss said that Mr. Francis attacked his Planning Board colleagues as well.  Mr. Weiss reiterated that a follow-up article with the Town Manager was available on-line.

Mr. O'Connor said he appreciated the Town Manager's response and said the original letter reflected badly on Mr. Francis and said it was “not professional” and “inappropriate.”   Mr. O'Connor said that “no one who leaves a job does that.”  He said he appreciated Mr. Weiss' comments in the paper, and said that neither he (Mr. O'Connor) nor Carol Gray had been contacted for the article, and said the article should have stated earlier that Mr. Francis was leaving the Planning Board because he was moving and not because of the issues he was raising. 

Summer agenda

Mr. Weiss said he had lists of agenda recommendations from four members so far, but had not collated them yet.  Ms. Greeney requested another day or two to submit her list.  Mr. Weiss said that they would find a way to prioritize the suggestions and move forward with them.

Adjourn to executive session

The open session ended at 9:45 p.m., in order to convene an executive session to discuss negotiations for a land purchase.  The meeting would immediately adjourn without returning to open session.

The next Select Board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on July 9th at Town Hall. 

-- Stephanie O'Keeffe