HomeMy Public PortalAboutSelect Board -- 2022-10-03 Minutes'down of Brewster
MINUTES OF THE SELECT BOARD MEETING
DATE. October 3, 2022
TIME: 6:00 PM
PLACE: Remote Participation
2198 Main Street
Brewster, MA 026314898
Phone: (508) 896-3701
www.brewster-ma.gov
Office of:
Select Board
Town Administrator
REGULAR SESSION
REMOTE PARTICIPANTS: Chair Whitney, Selectperson Chatelain, Selectperson Hoffmann, Selectperson
Bingham, Selectperson Chaffee, Town Administrator Peter Lombardi, Assistant Town Administrator Donna
Kalinick, Chief Heath Eldredge, Chief Moran, Deputy Chief Varley, Earl Hinton, Joan Pernice, Cynthia St.
Amour, Conor Kenny, Colette Williams
Call to Order, Declaration of a Quorum, Meeting Participation Statement and Recording Statement
Chair Whitney called the meeting to order at 6:01pm, read the meeting participation and recording
statements and declared a quorum by announcing members of the Select Board present.
Public Announcements and Comments: None
Select Board Announcements and Liaison Reports: None
Town Administrator's Report
Mr. Lombardi shared that Mass Audubon is re -affirming their continued commitment to donate $1.510 in
financial contributions for the acquisition costs of the Long Pond property. The contingencies remain in
place that would be held jointly by Mass Audubon and Brewster Conservation Trust. Mass Audubon has
affirmative rights to host educational programming on the property. Mr. Lombardi shared that at this point
Mass Audubon has already secured their full pledge amount, but they recognize that the Town will be
working through a planning process with public input.
Mr. Lombardi noted that for the State election, Room C will be open in Town Hall for in person early voting
starting on Saturday October 22"d. Early voting will be available Monday through Saturday October 24tH
through October 291h and again October 3111 through November 4th. More information is available online.
The next forum for the Wing Island Boardwalk project is targeted for the first week of December. More
information will follow.
Consent Agenda
a. Meeting Minutes: September 26, 2022
b. Appointment: Michelle Bitzer- Brewster Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee
c. Fee Waiver Request: Blueberry Hills Property Owners Association (Recycling Center)
d. Proposed Fee Increases at the Brewster Recycling Center
e. Proposed Snow and Ice Contractor Rate Increases
f. One Day Liquor License Applications- Brewster Ladies Library, Brewster Chamber of Commerce
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2198 Main Street
Brewster, MA 026314898
Phone: (508) 896-3701
www.brewster-ma.gov
office of.
Select Board
Town Administrator
Selectperson Hoffmann moved to approve the Consent Agenda as written. Selectperson Chaffee second. A
roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Bingham -yes, Selectperson Hoffmann -yes, Selectperson Chatelain-yes,
Selectperson Chaffee -yes, Chair Whitney -yes. The Board vote was 5 -Yes, 0 -No.
Public Safety Update- Police Chief Eldredge &Fire Chief Moran
Police Chief Eldredge shared the following statistics from the time frame between Memorial Day through
Labor Day, this is not every call responded to by the Department, but the ones that have the most
seasonality:
• 316 motor vehicle stops
• 1,692 parking tickets written
81 motor vehicle crashes were investigated
•
•117 medical emergency calls responded to
• 1 drug overdose response • 20 cases of mental health crisis
• 108 well-being checks completed • 38 noise complaints responded to
• 29 larceny or fraud cases investigated • 25 domestic disturbances responded to
• 13 operating under the influence of alcohol or drug arrests
The Chief shared that the Department was able to participate in events throughout the summer including
the 3�d Annual Jr. Police Academy led by Lt. Mawn, Touch a Truck event at the former Sea Camps property,
and traffic control for events at the former Sea Camps. The Department has continued their engagement
with the MLK action team, where Police Departments can help build bridges between Police Departments
and historically underrepresented communities. There is a newly formed community outreach team, an
interdisciplinary team with representatives from Police, Fire, Health, Building, and the Council on Aging that
works as a unit to try to help residents who find themselves in difficult situations to connect with the
appropriate resources.
Chief Eldredge noted that regarding staffing, with the most recent hire, the Department is fully staffed, and is
possibly one of the only Cape departments that can say this. Brewster Police Department participated in
active shooter response training at Nauset Regional High School, coordinated with Eastham, Orleans and
Wellfleet Police Departments. Security measures were reviewed with staff at both elementary schools in
Brewster. Chief Eldredge reminded us that as we move through the seasons, make sure to have our own
emergency plans in place.
Fire Chief Moran shared the following information for the Brewster Fire/Rescue Department:
• For calendar year 2021, total of 3,052 responses (Fire and .EMS).
• As of September 1St, 151 responses above last year and as of October 1St, 186 responses above this
time last year.
• Service requests continue to challenge the department response capabilities and staffing.
• The department was awarded the AFG award.
• The Fire Inspector position was filled with Phil Burt, started September 12th 2022.
• Provided remediation support for the fuel oil spill this summer.
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• Community event support included, the Brew Run, Sea Camp events, 9/11 memorial, and
Conservation Day.
• From an Emergency Management perspectivethe department continues to provide training to Town
,
staff and will be conducting a table -top exercise, as well as continuing to work with the CERT team.
• Participation in Community Outreach Task Force to help residents in need of services.
Chief Moran reviewed upcoming activities and programs that the Department will be participating in. The
Department will be applying for State Fire Equipment Grant as well as others. Chief Moran will continue to
implement the Strategic Plan and will oversee the staffing and organizational study. The Harwich, Brewster
and Chatham Fire Departments have partnered with Cape Tech to start a program of recruitment in the High
School and already have 20 students that will be working with instructors from these departments.
Uadate on Brewster. Fire Department 2022-2026 Strategic Plan Progress &Discuss and Vote on Fundin
Request for Staffing Study- Chief Moran (Select Board FY23-24 Strategic Plan Goal G-8)
Fire Chief Moran provided an update from the April 25, 2022 meeting when the Strategic Plan was first
presented. There were five goals identified in the plan and twenty-one objectives or action guides. Within
the objectives there are forty-seven strategies or measurable activities supporting goal achievement.
In summary, 25 of the 47 strategies have been completed, initiated or are in progress. Chief Moran noted
that some of these strategies will take up to five years to implement fully. Some of the most notable
updates include.
• Staff inclusion and empowerment targets are being met
• Staff are held accountable to their chosen goals and objectives
• Internal communication notably enhanced
• Professional development and training strategies continue as primary elements
• The department continues to evolve from a combination type organization to a full-time public safety
department
Chief Moran reviewed the Staffing and Organizational Structure Study, the department is looking for
approval of $35K to fund the study to evaluate current and forecast future staffing needs and the
organizational structure of the department. Chief Moran explained the current staffing structure of
overtime mandates and some of the negative effects. Deputy Chief Varley shared the regional staffing
comparisons of local fire departments, this shows the potential need for additional staffing in Brewster.
Mr. Lombardi stated that the model we have had in place doesn't align to where we are today and this study
is meant to ensure that we make decisions that are grounded in the data. We need to be cognizant of
implications that staffing decisions have. This request is on the Special Town Meeting Warrant for Select
Board decision, the proposal is to use $25K from ambulance reserves and $10K from free cash.
Selectperson Hoffmann moved to approve funding for the request for the Staffing Study for the Brewster
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www.brewster-ma.gov
Office of:
Select Board
Town Administrator
Fire Department. Selectperson Chatelain second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee -yes,
Selectperson Chatelain-yes, Selectperson Hoffmann -yes, Selectperson Bingham -yes, Chair Whitney -yes. The
Board vote was 5 -Yes, 0 -No.
Presentation on Diversitv. Equity. and Inclusion (DEI) Sociodemographic Report and Discuss Potential Next
Steps- Earl Hinton (Select Board FY23-24 Strategic Plan Goal CC -3)
The Board and Town Administration has talked about this topic on several occasions, at the annual retreat
this summer it was decided to assemble and aggregate the sociodemographic data across the community.
This project will identify the opportunities for targeted activities, discussions and potential changes in
programs or policies.
Earl Hinton introduced himself and led a presentation on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Town of
Brewster. The presentation included the following:
• Context and Background; definition of each term and outline of the protected classes that must be
included and optional classes. Equity is where most municipalities place their efforts and resources.
• Report Design, Content, and Data Sources were reviewed. The content includes Ancestry and
Nativity, Race and Nativity, Age, Education, Brewster and the Sexes, Other, and Economic Security.
• Many socio -demographic factors were highlighted such as; total population and households, the
average household size, total families, ancestry, ethnicity, males vs. females, median age, education,
persons with disabilities, ethnicity of school enrollment, and median household income.
• Options and opportunities for the Town include sharing the data, examining the composition of
boards and committees, considering conducting equity audits or reviews of select Town policies,
programs, services, and practices to address opportunity gaps, and providing training to groups that
formulate public policy and provide direct service to residents, assessing disability inclusion, factoring
senior and elder population needs into local strategic planning processes, monitoring the labor
market to ensure pay competitiveness and creating a culture of belonging and inclusion for all
Brewster constituents.
Mr. Hinton stated that it is important to acknowledge intersections of different identities among people who
are white and live in the Town — intersectionality —because then Brewster technically is much more diverse
when looked at through this lens than when looking at race alone. The three areas where there may be gaps
are; lack of racial diversity, lack of generational diversity and lack of economic diversity.
Mr. Lombardi noted that on the Open Space and Recreation Plan the State flagged accessibility constraints
and concerns regarding some conservation lands the Town has acquired. There have been discussions on
how best to address these concerns. Adding that there are items on the capital plan to address ADA
accessibility at Town fields.
Discuss and Vote on Proposal to Apply for Community Compact Best Practice Grant Funding to Support DEI
Policy Audit &Updated 5 -Year Age -Friendly Community Action Plan (Select Board FY23-24 Strategic Plan
Goals CC -3 & CI -2)
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Is Lombardi noted that the Community Compact Best Practice program supports all 351 cities/towns across
the State in providing relatively small grant funding to endorse best practices across a number of different
policy areas. The Town has used this program for financial management, a HR policy audit, as well as the
Drummer Boy Park Master Plan update. The Town is eligible again to apply for funds for the following two
best practices:
• Updated 5 -Year Age -Friendly Community Action Plan
o The Council on Aging conducted a needs assessment and developed an age -friendly
community action plan several years ago that is nearing its conclusion.
o Would like to partner with UMASS Boston Gerontology Institute again, as they are subject
matter experts statewide.
o Council on Aging and Town Administration has developed the scope of work to have them
complete an updated needs assessment including outreach to our senior population and soon
to be senior population. Then use this data to complete an updated action plan.
• Support DEI Policy Audit
o Hire a consultant to assist in a policy audit in the Town's policies with a lens towards DEI
compliance and consistency.
o Provide training opportunities for staff and volunteers to help orientate our work together.
The DEI report was meant to lay the foundation for future initiatives, this is the next step in
terms of understanding what we are doing and what we can do to better to address our DEI
efforts.
The Age -Friendly 5 -Year Community Action Plan is not specific to the Council on Aging, one key element that
will be addressed through the process is the notion of bung an Intergenerational Community Center and
how those services should best be structured.
Selectperson Hoffmann moved to approve the proposal to apply for Community Compact Best Practice Grant
Funding to support the DEI Policy Audit &Updated 5 -Year Age -Friendly Community Action Plan. Selectperson
Chatelain second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Bingham -yes, Selectperson Hoffmann -yes,
Selectperson Chaffee -yes, Selectperson Chatelain-yes, Chair Whitney -yes. The Board vote was 5 -Yes, 0 -No.
Review and Vote on Potential Library Renovation Project and to Disband Library Building
Committee -
Select Board FY23-24 Strategic Plan Goal CI -1
Mr. Lombardi reviewed the past meeting decisions made by the Select Board. There was a meeting with the
Massachusetts Building Library Commission (MBLC) to get feedback on the original application and
understand the grant program going forward. There is also a group that is actively advocating their
respective legislative delegation to see if there are opportunities to help potentially cover the funding gaps.
The Town has been included in these conversations but has not taken any formal action with our legislative
delegation. The MBLC noted that the way the process has been structured, the State was inclined to
support all the projects that were submitted, moving forward changes will be made to the grant program.
The focus will be on the community needs, facility needs and financial needs and grant funding will be
awarded on an annual basis based on the funding that the State has in that year.
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Members of the Select Board shared their thoughts on the Library Building project, it was clear that there are
improvements needed at the library that the Board supports. There also needs to be thought about the
Town's potential Intergenerational Community Center.
Mr. Lombardi noted that with the new grant process and guidelines, he would not expect the Brewster
Ladies Library to be competitive for grant funding again. There are a lot of facilities in dire need of upgrading
and financial needs.
Joan Pernice stated that it would be very difficult to meet the programmatic goals of the MBLC if we were to
scale down the original design, as the renovation included the lower level 5,000 sq ft that adds all the
additional programmatic goals. Adding that we would have to rescope out the purpose of the Library
Building Committee to determine what role if any they would have in making decisions about a re -design and
funding. Mr. Lombardi shared that Town staff, representatives from the Library Board and the Select Board
will work together to identify options for upgrades.
Selectperson Hoffmann moved to disband the Library Building Committee. Selectperson Bingham second. A
roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chatelain-yes, Selectperson Chaffee -yes, Selectperson Bingham -yes,
Selectperson Hoffmann -yes, Chair Whitney -yes. The Board vote was 5 -Yes, 0 -No.
Selectperson Hoffmann moved to inform the State that the Town will not be moving forward with the grant
from MBLC on this project. Selectperson Bingham second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee -
yes, Selectperson Chatelain-yes, Selectperson Bingham -yes, Selectperson Hoffmann -yes, Chair Whitney -yes.
The Board vote was 5 -Yes, 0 -No.
Discuss and Vote on Fall 2023 Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles
The following warrant articles were reviewed;
• Article 12- Private Road Engineering Services: Vesper Pond Drive
Conor Kenny summarized that a private road betterment occurs when the Town facilitates the repair
of a private road, financed through an assessment on the tax bills of the residents of the road. Mr.
Kenny reviewed the process and procedures followed for this to be placed on the warrant, as well as
the next steps should this article be approved at Town Meeting. Noting that once the repairs are
completed the roads will remain private ways.
Selectperson Hoffmann moved to recommend Article 12 as printed in the draft warrant. Selectperson
Chaffee second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Bingham -yes, Selectperson Chatelain-yes,
Selectperson Chaffee -yes, Selectperson Hoffmann, Chair Whitney -yes. The Board vote was 5 -Yes, 0 -No.
• Article 16- Local Adoption of State Statute: Local Election Deadlines
Colette Williams proposed the acceptance of MGL Ch41 Section 110A which would allow the deadline
for voter registration for local elections to be moved to Friday or the workday before the Holiday if it
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fK:;ll on a Saturday or Holiday. If approved, should the date fall on a Saturday, voter registration for
election deadlines would fall to the business day prior from 8:30am — 5:OOpm and nomination and
petition papers would fall to the next business day 8:30am — 4:00pm.
Selectperson Hoffmann moved to recommend Article 16 as printed in the draft warrant. Selectperson
Bingham second. A roll call vote was taken. Selectperson Chaffee -yes, Selectperson Hoffmann -yes,
Selectperson Bingham -yes, Selectperson Chatelain-yes, Chair Whitney -yes. The Board vote was 5 -Yes, 0 -No.
• Article 2- Capital and Special Projects
The Board made the decision to postpone this discussion until the next meeting on October 171h
For Your Information
Ms. Kalinick announced the community meeting that the Preservation of Affordable Housing and Housing
Assistance Corporation will hold around the community housing initiative off Millstone Road on October 13th
at 5pm via zoom.
Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair: None
Questions from the Media
Rich Eldred inquired about the Nauset Regional High School project because in the recent Orleans Select
Board meeting it was mentioned that the sub bids were in and about $20M over the estimates. Mr.
Lombardi answered that the Town has not received any direct correspondence from Nauset School officials
or committees about the filed sub bids. Mr. Lombardi is set to meet with the school Superintendent and
other Town Administrators later this week and this may be a topic of that meeting.
Next Meetings
October 12, October 17, November 7, and November 14, 2022
Adjournment
Selectperson Hoffmann moved to adjourn at 8:59pm. Selectperson Bingham second. A roll call vote was
taken. Selectperson Bingham -yes, Selectperson Hoffmann -yes, Selectperson Chatelain-yes, Selectperson
Chaffee -yes, Chair Whitney -yes. The Board vote was 5 -Yes, 0 -No.
Respectfully submitted by Erika Mawn, Executive Assistant
Approved:
10 / 18 / 2022
Signed:
Date Selectperson Hoffmann, Clerk of the Select Board
Accompanying Documents in Packet: Agenda, TA Report documents, Consent agenda items, He
Department 2022-2026 Strategic Plan,
DEI presentation, Community Compact Best Practices documents, Library Renovation project information, Fall 2023 Special Town
Meeting draft warrant, FYIs.
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