Blog Archives

Notes Tue, Jan 27

1/27/2026

5:00PM Appointment: Council on Aging – Patio Discussion/Presentation

Margaret Freeman presented a grant proposal to put a patio in the area in front of the senior room
The grant is given by Lifepath. The Select Board (SB) asked for verification that there would be no cost to the town and were assured that was true.
The Select Board agreed that the application could be submitted.

6:00PM Appointment: Municipal Light Board & Municipal Light Plant– Financial Update & National Grid 3-Phase Project Discussion:. Board Chair, Art Schwenger, Members, Ann Emmet, David Peters. MLP Manager, Bailey Cole

The MLB is sending $60,000 back to the town
Baily Cole gave a status report that should be loud enough on the tape to hear.
Baily Cole is working on a one-time exemption for moving the wires from the old poles to the new poles. This cost would otherwise fall on the town.

7:00PM Appointment: Finance Committee – FY ’27 Budget Planning Initial Discussion

Concern was expressed that with CAF II [Connect America Funds] money going away and broadband costs to the town rising with inflation, this may impact the payment of the broadband debt.
It was not clear at Town Meeting when broadband was presented, that everyone with land would pay the premium for broadband whether or not they have the benefit.
Stipend review is on the FinComm agenda for this week.

Review Minutes: 12/09/2025, 01/13/2026
Public Comment - none
Other Business
➢ Parks & Recreation Committee – Discussion re. Grant(s) Status, Budget, Project(s) Status, & Burnt Hill-Catamount Trail Enforcement Order
Center Basketball/Pickleball Court

No documents can be signed until town meeting.
Land must be subdivided to designate the park area which would require a survey. P&R needs to propose how much space/what area would be included.
There would need to be a warrant article to designate the court as a park.
SB is concerned about using all the P& R funds on this one project.
There seems to be many obstacles to the project and the SB asked if P&R still wanted to move forward.
Pat to raise issue with P&R, but did state that the committee was committed to the project. P&R needs to suggest what space to designate as park area.

Culvert Enforcement Order

Not covered at this meeting.

Wayfinding Trail Kiosks

Kiosks placement in Town needs to be reviewed in relation to zoning bylaws. Bob Dane to get back to the SB on placement.
Kiosks were paid for by a grant which also paid for the new street signs in town.

➢ Sawyer Hall Rental Proposal - SB voted to rent the former meeting room to an artist for $350 a month the first year with the renter compensating the town for the lower rent with free classes desirable to residents. The rent to go up to $500 a month the following year.
➢ Warrant Article Submission Deadline

Alice would like to see the warrant posted 3 weeks before Town Meeting (3rd week of April)

➢ Green Communities Grant Project - Heat Pump/Mini Splits for JRMC Front Offices – Vote
Anticipated

Per Brian DeVries who has been working on the grant, this will save money by only heating and cooling these offices if the rest of the building is not in use.

➢ Northeast IT (NEIT) Annual Contract

The contract is up for renewal. An upgrade is required to the town's server. Instead of the upgrade NEIT proposed the town move to remote storage. More review is required to compare costs of a server upgrade verses online storage.
Some of the departments will need PC/laptop upgrades for Windows 11.

➢ CEC, Inc. (Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc) Change Order – Tri-Town Landfill

SB signed an updated contract for environmental testing of the former landfill on Burrington Road that was used by the towns of Heath, Charlemont, and Hawley.

➢ District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) Request

FRCOG offers member towns technical assistance on a wide variety of priority issues. Municipal Resources – FRCOG
SB prioritizes what areas where they would like technical assistance.

➢ Community Hall Storm Windows - Replacement

Robyn been trying to get quotes for the storms but has not been successful yet.
SB needs to review the donation account for the window repair to determine what is left towards storm windows.

➢ JRMC Security Camera System – Vote Anticipated

I left the meeting so I don't know if this was discussed—the room was 60 degrees and I couldn't take it.

➢ File Sharing Software

Same as above

➢ Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)– ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan

The former Town Coordinator (Hilma) submitted a grant to have the town grounds and buildings evaluated for ADA coompliance.
Once the evaluation is done, the town can apply for a grant to have the work done.
The SB reviewed the plan for required additions and/or deletion

Mail Not Previously Discussed Above

CodeRED contract may not have been auto renewed which may explain why the link to it on the web page was broken. The Town Coordinator to check on the issue.
Concern about cars parking in front of the building on both sides making it difficult to get through.
Email from the Town of Buckland about affordability of Franklin Tech expansion

Extension of Hilma's agreement

Discussion regarding extending the transition agreement of the former Town Coordinator to assist the new Town Coordinator.

CodeRED

CodeRED contract may not have been auto renewed which may explain the broken link on the webpage
There was a data breach at the company which may have been something to do with the problem.

Meeting Adjournment
Posted in accordance with the provisions of MGL C. 30A §§ 18-25 by Mia Francesconi
HYPA

Half of the $1000 security deposit ($500) is still outstanding.
Must be paid by Feb 10 when HYPA meets with the SB

Parking at JRMC

Resident is concerned about congestion caused by persons parking on both sides of the driveway and that persons working in the building all day are taking up space for persons doing short term business.
SB discussed signs and will work on possible options to solve the problem.

Plowing

Wing plow is currently not in use
Discussion of the past use of the wings
SB member, Will Emmet, to speak with highway superintendent to determine why wings aren't in use.

Front Door Issues at JRMC and Sawyer Hall

Sawyer Hall doors have been fixed
Building Manager, Tim Lively, has called a locksmith and parts have been ordered for the JRMC doors.

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Notes for Tue, Jan 13 2026

1/12/2026

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5:00 p.m. Call Meeting to Order
Present: Robyn Provost, chair; Elissa Viarengo. Absent: Will Emmet
Review Agenda
5:00 p.m. Appointment: Parks & Recreation, Mike Cucchiara—update on activities
Parks & Rec Chair, Mike Cucchiara
PARC Grant discussion - the town just needs to acknowledge the Center Court's current status as a park.

The quote does not include shimming. Bob Dane said the court is level and has a good base.
Current Parks and Rec accounts total $5065.
Contingency is needed, say 10%, so that needs to be added on to price making a total of $26,290 instead of $23,900.

Regarding the Enforcement Action

Mike is concerned about the legal implications for the Town and feels that the EO should have been reviewed by the Town Council before being issued.
Felt it should have been addressed with a less adversarial process

Kiosks

Kiosks now have the signs on them, but the location does not meet zoning standards because it is not setback 50 feet.
Bob Dane to seek a compliant location for the kiosk and P & R will apply for a special permit for the location.

Other Activities

Badminton net is in the gym - I need to announce the availability of both badminton and re-announce ping pong.
Parks & Rec will be sending out color palettes for the CH facelift at the end of this week. We have gotten $200 towards the project from the the Heath Cultural Council.
[Pickleball is going strong, we have PB on Mon, Wed, and Fri]

Review Minutes: 12/09/2025, 12/16/2025
Public Comment

Praise for highway department on the condition of Avery Brook Road on stormy night.
Request for more timely posting of draft minutes. Draft minutes can only be provided by request.
Request for microphones to improve quality of audio recordings. Response: Would require speakers.

Other Business
Sawyer Hall Rental Proposal

Artist wants to rent the upstairs meeting room.
Looks promising, but SB wants to wait for Will to be present before voting on it.

Green Communities Grant Project—Heat Pump/Mini Splits for JRMC front offices. Brian DeVries.

Would save money by only heating and cooling spaces that are mainly used.
There is a quote for $27,655 from the JAMROD company, which is on the preapproved contractor list and does other work for the town.
All cost is covered by the grant.

NEIT (North East IT) Annual Contract

Town will need to upgrade some servers [I'm not sure if it is a HW or SW upgrade].

CEC (Civil and Environmental Consultants)

Former landfill contract change order. Seemed

Mileage Reimbursement Rate for 2026—vote anticipated
DLTA (District Local Technical Assistance) Request Form

SB needs to list their requests

Community Hall Storm Windows—replacement

One broken storm window needs to be replaced
SB would like to replace all storms, but Robyn has not found a contractor yet that wants to do it.

JRMC Security Camera System

SB is getting an updated quote for the interior of the building that will include prevailing wage.
Cameras to cover the main entrance and the long hallway.
NE Security Systems is charging a monthly fee. Mia to look into why we are being charged a fee.

Mail Not Previously Discussed

Office assistant proposal: Hilma would continue to consult during the transition time using money already approved for this purpose. Mia expressed that it would be very beneficial to her because a big part of the job is the historical knowledge.
ADA Memorandum of Understanding with FRCOG for an ADA evaluation needs to be signed. It requires a change (removal of the fairgrounds from the list as the grounds are not owned by the town. SB to be re-review after change(s).
The front doors need to be fixed, do not always lock. Robyn to look into.
Letter from resident regarding need for a grant policy.

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