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To the Select Board:
At the Select Board meeting of 12/29, too much time was occupied with trying to make an unworkable situation at Sawyer Hall workable. Perhaps the strategy was to make it clear that some issues simply can’t be resolved. But the effect of the discussion was to put a lot of time and energy for over an hour and a half suggesting ideas that were problematic from the outset instead of evaluating other options. All the discussion dealt with closing-but-not-closing the offices in Sawyer Hall and focusing on specific details, ignoring the fact that all the ideas offered did not deal with the major issue: that access to Sawyer Hall is problematic and that it does not have adequate facilities to continue to be operated during COVID. It seems to me that there is a very simple solution: Close the Town Hall entirely for all town use except for the Post Office and the Library. That way there will be no issue of anyone having to enter the building except for the entryway for the post office. No one would need or want to go beyond the post office entry, and therefore no ticketing will be necessary. The library is already closed for visitors, given its window for book pick-up. All other town functions (including [internal/committee mail] delivery and pick-up) that cannot be done from home should be moved to 18 Jacobs Road. On a final note: All reliable forecasts about the length of time we will need to be vigilant indicate that it will be many months before the two-dose vaccinations will have been administered to everyone requesting one. Already it has been announced today that Franklin County has received fewer vaccine doses per capita than any other county. Our rural character obviously will put us well down the list of vaccine distribution. We should not let down our guard. I support the creation of a speedy plan of how to utilize space at 18 Jacobs Road so that the Select Board can act forthwith. Margaret H. Freeman
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COVID Safety: In Support of Move 12/15/2020
I support Robyn's proposal to move the town clerk/coordinator, treasurer, accountant, and assessors to space in 18 Jacob's Road Town Building that would be public and handicap accessible as well as able to be socially distant and able to mitigate the risk of COVID for the duration needed to keep our town employees in a safe working environment. From: Barbara Rode <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Dec 15, 2020 at 12:00 AM Subject: Moving Town Employees for Social Distancing To: HeathTownCoordinator <[email protected]> Dear Select Board - I was in attendance at last Tuesday's Select Board meeting on 12/7/2020, and have been in attendance for most of the Tuesday meetings since March 2020, and since the COVID-19 pandemic changed so much of our everyday lives. First, thank you for all the hours and hard work you put in to attending to the Town's business. I have listened to the Select Board go back and forth countless times on closing and opening the entrance to Sawyer Hall, and managing the townspeople's access to town employees for town business services. The town has tried the numerous solutions proposed and yet continues to receive complaints of unsafe congestion, inability to maintain social distancing, and inaccess to town services for the public in a satisfactory manner. I support Robyn's proposal to move the town clerk/coordinator, treasurer, accountant, and assessors to space in 18 Jacob's Road Town Building that would be public and handicap accessible as well as able to be socially distant and able to mitigate the risk of COVID for the duration needed to keep our town employees in a safe working environment. It is a common sense solution to an ongoing challenge that will also offer more cost effective employee productivity per hour as Charlene and Hilma will not have to serve as constant doormen. I appreciate the opportunity to share my opinion and offer any assistance I can to physically assist in the move to defray costs to the taxpayers already struggling. I have an enclosed SUV or pickup truck to assist with that as well. Thanks for your time, Barbara Rode Thank You Robyn 12/14/2020
Dear Robyn, Thank you for asking the Board to carefully consider how best to protect the health and safety of our town employees and residents. As you continue the work of using available grant money to improve and preserve the Center, it makes all the sense in the world to consider using the former school building to preserve our health and safety. It is not just the people living in or near the Center who are affected by the congestion at Sawyer Hall. It is anyone who works there or uses the post office or does business with the town that is affected by it, not to mention their families and any others with whom they come into contact. Under the circumstances it would be, as you said, irresponsible not to consider making use of a building we own, if it provides a safer place to work and do business. We have to be able to face all the challenges of our situation. It takes courage and leadership to do this and I am grateful to you for exercising both. Sincerely, Pam Porter To: the Heath Select Board
Here is information regarding Bob Gruen’s question about the use of classrooms at 18 Jacobs Road before the ventilation had been repaired. The standard for ventilation used by the town for learning hubs was one that was set by MTRSD [Mohawk Trail Regional School District] and DESE [Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] for students sharing remote learning space. The school gym was approved for use as a learning hub by the Superintendent of MTRSD and the Community Hall was also approved, as long as windows could be kept open. On the basis of the Superintendent’s approval, the Select Board voted to approve both the former school and the Community Hall for educational use, as long as the windows at the Community Hall could be kept open. * The use of the Art Room by Tri-wire is not subject to DESE and district standards for ventilation. The standards for Tri-Wire's use of classroom space are the same as those which allowed us to continue to use the office space at Sawyer Hall, which also lacks mechanical ventilation, to conduct town business. It’s possible, under these standards, that Tri-Wire could have rented Community Hall for their purposes, but that is not the space they requested. Finally, it is true that the Learning Hub used some classrooms before the ventilation was repaired, but only for one household or family pod per classroom. In other words, the classrooms were not used for shared learning space. They were used for individual learning space. * In the end, you will recall, the Community Hall was not used for educational purposes first, because of fire code violations and then because of the lack of adequate internet access. Northeast IT refused to boost the free WIFI signal at the Hall because it would have put the security of the town’s data at greater risk. According to their contract they may not do anything that increases the security risk to the town’s data. Pam Porter, Manager of Remote Learning Hub |