HomeMy Public PortalAbout20161019 - Upper Charles Trail Committee - Meeting Minutes1
UPPER CHARLES TRAIL COMMITTEE
Wednesday, October 19, 2016 7:00 PM
Room 211, Town Hall, 18 Main St., Hopkinton, MA
MINUTES
Members present: Bob Snyder, Barry Rosenbloom, Jane Moran, Eli Post, Eric Sonnett, Kelly
Karp, Ken Parker
Members absent: John Coutinho, Jeff Barnes, David O’Brien,
Associate members present: Brian Fitzgerald
Town Officials present: Assistant Town Manager Elaine Lazarus, Town Counsel Ray Miyares
Citizens present: Mike Boelsen, Peter LaGoy, Rick Flannery, Jeff Furber, Gail Clifford
1. Town Counsel presentation: Mr. Miyares handed out copies of Massachusetts General Law
Chapter 30A, Section 21(A), “Convening in Executive Session under the Open Meeting
Law”, and then spoke to the verbiage therein. He stressed in particular that Open Meetings
Law “favors” open meetings and “works against” executive sessions. He focused on two of
the Purposes for Convening in Executive Session:
To consider the purchase, exchange, lease, or value of real estate, if the chair declares
that an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the
public body.
To comply with, or act under the authority of, any general or special law of federal grant-
in-aid requirements.
The first purpose above has been the typical grounds used by HUCTC. The second purpose
may be used to discuss a document that is not a public document. (A non-public document
becomes “public” once it is discussed in an open meeting.) Ray spoke to a litany of nuances
and caveats that accompany each of these purposes according to guidance that he has
received from the Massachusetts Attorney General. In particular, for property discussions,
negotiations must be underway and the property to be discussed needs to be part of the public
record. For documents, the document may need to be restructured or have sections redacted,
for the purpose of keeping the total document “non-public”. The final takeaway was to “error
on the side of open meeting versus executive session” when we are uncertain about which
forum to use.
Ken moved that VHB reports 1 and 2 be submitted to the public. His motion was not
seconded and hence dismissed.
As a result of the above discussion, Jane suggested asking VHB to split up their documents
for the purpose of discussing specific sections in executive session.
2. Treasurer’s report: HUCTC has $51,500 available for expenditures between now and
6/30/17.
3. Review of the 10/5/16 joint meeting: Jeff Furber asked for a summary of the meeting. Jane
spoke to it. Mike Boelsen also spoke to it. Eric suggested not combining the regular HUCTC
meeting with the joint session. Bob endorsed Eric’s suggestion.
4. Center Trail work: Mike Boelsen talked about how the town DPW could help with the
substantial brush that he is accumulating. A superior solution seems to be to contract with the
2
J&B for their services in chipping and hauling the brush after Mike’s team assembles it in an
appropriate location. HUCTC voted unanimously to authorize up to $300.00 to J&B for this
service. HUCTC also voted unanimously to authorize $2500.00 to Bartlett Consolidated LLC
for the Locking Bollard Installation project at the Loop Road entrance to Center Trail. The
Bartlett quotation is attached to these minutes.
5. Review of the Town Master Plan: Elaine suggested that HUCTC members read and
familiarize themselves with this public document. Jane suggested that HUCTC members
think about and bring to Elaine any ideas they have about how the Town Planning Board can
better address HUCTC needs.
6. Next agenda topics: Master Plan discussion and a discussion of which town trails “belong to”
HUCTC and which ones don’t.
7. Approval of past minutes: Deferred.
8. The public meeting was adjourned at 8:25 PM.
Approved: November 2, 2016
Documents used at the meeting:
Meeting agenda
Handout from Miyares and Harrington LLP regarding Open Meeting Law
Bartlett Consolidated LLC quotation to Hopkinton DPW
Various previous meeting minutes