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Home My Public Portal About20180605 - Select Board - Meeting Minutes TOWN OF HOPKINTON Board of Selectmen Meeting Minutes – June 5, 2018 HCAM-TV Studios, 77 Main St., Hopkinton MA 6:30 PM Board of Selectmen Members Present: Claire Wright, Chair, Brendan Tedstone, Vice Chair, Brian Herr, Irfan Nasrullah, John Coutinho Officials Present: Director of Land Use and Town Operations Elaine Lazarus CALL TO ORDER: Ms. Wright called the public meeting to order at 6:15 PM in the HCAM TV Studio. The Chair entertained a motion to enter into executive session to consider litigation strategy with respect to Petition of Eversource Energy for Zoning Exemptions (DPU) because an open meeting may have detrimental effects on the litigating positions of the Board, to reconvene in open session at the conclusion of executive session, and to allow the following official to be present: Elaine Lazarus. MOVED by Mr. Herr and SECONDED by Mr. Coutinho. ROLL CALL: Ms. Wright-Yes; Mr. Coutinho-Yes; Mr. Tedstone-Yes; Mr. Nasrullah-Yes; Mr. Herr-Yes. VOTE to Approve: Yes-5, No-0. REOPEN PUBLIC SESSION: Ms. Wright reopened the public meeting at 6:30 PM in the HCAM-TV Studios with the Pledge of Allegiance. She congratulated the graduating Class of 2018. PUBLIC FORUM: Kevin Shea, 60 Pleasant St., asked the Board to consider changing the speed limit to 20 mph on Hayden Rowe between the existing school campus and the Marathon School, noting that there is a 40 mph section between them now. Mr. Shea also requested that the Board consider banning smoking on the Town Common and other public places. CONSENT AGENDA: MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Herr to approve Consent Agenda items i and iii: 1) Board of Selectmen Minutes 5/22/18; 2) Parade Permit, Horribles Parade, 7/4/18. Vote to Approve: Yes-5, No-0. The Board of Selectmen reviewed an application for a Parade Permit for the Jimmy Fund Walk on 9/23/18. Ms. Wright questioned the start time of 5:30 a.m., and it was stated that some participants begin very early. It was noted that all public address announcements are made inside the Center School gym. It was stated that the route in Hopkinton will be patrolled to 1 collect all litter at the end of the event. MOVED by Mr. Herr and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone to approve the Parade Permit for the Jimmy Fund Walk on 9/23/18 as requested. Vote to Approve: Yes-5, No-0. The Board of Selectmen reviewed an application for a Parade Permit and Special Temporary Alcohol License for the Evan N. Gerardi Memorial 5K Run/Walk on 10/6/18. Mr. Tedstone questioned the temporary alcohol license. It was stated that the finish line will be at EMC Park, and the alcohol service has been approved by the Parks & Recreation Commission. MOVED by Mr. Tedstone and SECONDED by Mr. Herr to approve the Parade Permit and Temporary Alcohol License for the event on 10/6/18 as requested. Vote to Approve: Yes-5, No-0. BOND ANTICIPATION NOTE RENEWAL: Michael Connelly, Treasurer/Collector, described the request to approve borrowing for three capital projects, the Library, Middle School Auditorium and Water Tanks, projects that are nearing the end. He noted that the temporary borrowing will be rolled over into another in 6 months, which will extend to the end of the fiscal year. In response to a question, Mr. Connelly noted the rate is 1.9%. MOVED by Mr. Herr and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone to approve the sale of a $2,360,000 1.90 percent General Obligation Bond Anticipation Note (the “Note”) of the Town dated June 12, 2018, and payable December 12, 2018, to Eastern Bank at par. Vote to Approve: Yes-5, No-0. LIAISON REPORTS: It was stated that the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Marathon School is June 9, and there will be a public forum on the reuse of Center School on June 13. Ms. Lazarus provided a Town Hall update, noting that a moving schedule for town departments will be set soon. JEFFREY LIEBMAN, CEO OF METROWEST MEDICAL CENTER: Jeffrey Liebman, MetroWest Medical Center, reviewed the mission and plans for the hospitals in Natick and Framingham, and how the Medical Center can be part of each community in the region. The Board and Mr. Leibman discussed the current opioid crisis. Mr. Leibman stated the hospital is interested in early identification and will work with communities to set up a task force if desired. Mr. Leibman was asked if the hospital is adequate to serve the growing region, and he stated that with respect to inpatient beds it is. He expressed the desire to meet regularly with community leaders for planning purposes. TRAILS AT 192 HAYDEN ROWE (“HUGHES” PROPERTY): Eric Kraieski, 9 Blackthorne Cir., stated that the Deer Run/Blackthorne Circle neighborhood group would like the Board to formalize a hold on the Deer Run trail spur construction as discussed with town staff, would like the Board to address trail planning and implementation, and would like the Board to provide guidance as to how to move forward. He stated that trail and neighborhood connectivity isn’t always good, and cited neighborhood concerns relative to use and safety, as it relates to the construction of a trail off the end of Deer Run into the Hughes property. Jean Papagni, 7 Blackthorne Cir., cited concerns with additional activity in the neighborhood, noting that she moved to the quiet neighborhood to best serve her daughter, a 2 young adult with Down’s Syndrome. She stated she wants to maintain the character and safety of the neighborhood, and the trail would compromise that. Ms. Wright agreed that there should be a process regarding town assets, and she likes to find middle ground. The area at the end of Deer Run was described. Residents noted that people park on the streets to access Echo Lake, which should not be permitted. Board members discussed the use of the area by the public, the mission of the Upper Charles Trail Committee, which is separately studying trail feasibility in the area, and the desire of the community for trails and connectivity. Board members noted that the process, which may not provide for abutter notification, should be fixed, and expressed appreciation for the work done by Peter LaGoy on planning and constructing trails for the Town. John Spinale, 42 Alexander Rd., asked the Board to stop construction of all trail spurs in Town. MOVED by Mr. Herr and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone to charge the Town Manager’s office with gathering best practices information on community-wide trail network processes, which also include abutter rights, and management, and reporting those findings to the Board by 10/1/18. Vote to Approve: Yes-5, No-0. The Board noted that a committee to undertake trail planning and management, that would interact with residents, could be put together after the information is reviewed, if needed. The Board discussed the proposed spur trail off Deer Run. Peter LaGoy, 21 Hayden Rowe, described the proposed trail extending from Hayden Rowe to the westerly Hughes property line, largely using the existing cart path. He noted the surface will be stone dust, and the spur was to be stone dust as well. He noted that a parking area will be added on Hayden Rowe. He suggested leaving the grass at the end of Deer Run unchanged and not build the trail there, which he agreed to in the meeting with town staff, but would like to preserve the option of using the area for construction purposes. He noted that there could be a problem accessing the trail from Hayden Rowe with construction vehicles due to an informal bridge over a stream, which may not be useable. He stated that if Deer Run was used for construction access, the area would be largely restored, but some trees would have to be cut. MOVED by Mr. Herr and SECONDED by Mr. Tedstone that the Board of Selectmen, as caretakers of the Hughes property, place a moratorium on construction of the Deer Run spur trail in any form, and the use of the Deer Run spur trail for any trail project purpose, until additional information is received by the Board from the construction company as to how they will access the site for delivery of materials and for construction purposes, with the preferred alternative being access from Hayden Rowe, and until there is an understanding of how the Deer Run spur trail might affect the Upper Charles Trail Committee work to date. Vote to Approve: Yes-5, No-0. TOWN MANAGER’S REPORT: Ms. Lazarus stated that the Means-Tested Senior Tax Relief petition is going through the State legislative process, and the Town was just informed that the Committee on Bills in the Third Reading has required that the Board vote to approve the revised language as drafted. Ms. Wright stated that the Chair did not anticipate that the Means Tested Senior Tax Relief legislation would 3 need to be on the agenda this evening. She stated that the vote of the Board is needed so that it can move forward, as the legislative session is drawing to a close. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Nasrullah to approve the re-drafted language of H4389, An Act Authorizing the Town of Hopkinton to Establish a Means-Tested Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemption. Vote to Approve: Yes-5, No-0. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Mr. Tedstone asked about the Thomas McIntyre Town Barn grand opening and the installation of the sign. Mr. Coutinho stated the Board should continue to look for additional parking in the downtown, and conduct a review of municipal parking. It was stated that the DPW Director should attend a future meeting to discuss the DPW strategic plan and the tree management issues raised by Joe Regan at a previous meeting. MOVED by Mr. Coutinho and SECONDED by Mr. Nasrullah to adjourn the meeting. Vote to Approve: Yes-5, No-0. Adjourned: 8:54 PM Approved: June 19, 2018 Documents used at the meeting: ●Meeting agenda ●Minutes of the 5/22/18 Board meeting ●Parade Permit Application and supporting documents, Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk on 9/23/18 ●Permitting Team Comments, Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk ●Parade Permit Application and supporting documents, Horribles Parade on 7/4/18 ●Permitting Team Comments, Horribles Parade ●Parade Permit and Special Temporary Alcohol License Application, Live4Evan 5K Run/Walk on 10/6/18 ●Permitting Team Comments, Live4Evan Run/Walk ●Memo dated 5/31/18 to Norman Khumalo from Michael Connolly, re: BAN ●Blackthorne Circle & Deer Run Handout ●Plans entitled “Hughes Trail”, prepared by Beals & Thomas, dated 2/20/18 ●Letter dated 5/18/18 to Hopkinton Conservation Commission from Peter LaGoy, re: Amendments to Notice of Intent filing, Hughes Trail Construction Project ●H4389, An Act Authorizing the Town of Hopkinton to Establish a Means-Tested Senior Citizen Property Tax Exemption 4