SB Notes

Notes for Tue, June 17 2025

6/17/2025

5:00 p.m. Call Meeting to Order (This meeting may be recorded.)
Review Agenda
5:10 p.m. Pole Hearing: No. # 31070899 Avery Brook Rd. & Taylor Brook Rd.—National Grid

Questions on fees for attachment, NGRID says their policy does not require a fee, Verizon does charge and poles are co-owned.
Concern expressed on the time required to move our fiber to the poles. NGRID reports the info needed has been communicated to the MLP Manager.
Question on trees. Town owned trees vs private tree. Private trees are separate agreements between the tree owner and NGRID. Town owned trees are worked out with the Tree Warden, Steve Thane.
The tree plan is completed, but if a home owner has an issue, it can be discussed, but may be too late to make a change does.
Trees along Avery Brook Road are in a runoff area. NGRID follows Mass guidelines for environmental control and Mass is one of the most stringent.
Concern expressed regarding bringing in fill that may carry invasive plants. NGRID said plan does not currently require
Concern about erosion and future cost to the town to maintain, and guardrails. NGRID is cognizant of erosion issue. Tyson reports that he has no issues. NGRID does not install guardrails, erosion is part of design process.
NGRID can not cut down privately owned trees, will make an adjustment if needed.
Concern about a pole being placed in a drainage ditch. NGRID will have to adjust within a 5 foot radius.
If a pole has to be moved such that the fiber no longer reaches ones home, the homeowner is responsible for the cost to reconnect.
The Select Board voted to approve with contingencies,, one of which was regarding tree concerns and another the potential repositioning of poles that could effect homeowners.

Review Minutes: 6/3/25
Public Comment

Thank you to Robyn Provost-Carlson and Kyle Jarvis for spreading wood chips on the Jacobs Road playground.
Question from resident as to why the Town has to pay for reattachments in perpetuity. One response is that this issue is larger than Heath and has been escalated to our representatives.

Other Business
Salt Shed update

Iron Horse (the contractor) base setup needs further discussion—raised the issue about how to finish around the structure (not landscaping).

Highway/Fire Dept

Fire door malfunctioned, may need to address other doors. Door has been repaired.
Highway Dept has been using rain time to paint the inside of the building and do other tasks to upgrade the space.
Jason Boutwell has had his 3 month review and SB voted to take him off his probation period.
Owen Heilman of Evergreen Lawn and Landscaping, bidding for lawn and cemetery mowing for the Town was given the bid conditionally awaiting insurance certificate.

Delineation of Town Parks—Steve Thane—votes possible

Tree Warden needs to have the park areas in Town clearly designated and delineated.
Parks & Rec also has the some need as it is part of grant applications.

Sawyer Hall Generator— The electrician, Palmieri, is coming Thursday to look at the generator at Sawyer Hall, the two generators at the Highway Dept and electrical work needed. The Highway Dept has two services there now, would like to make it one.
Facilities repair report

Robyn has someone coming to look at an overhang on the Jacobs building near the tower by the playground end of the building.

Lemelin well water - delayed to gather more information
JRMC Location Sign

A design was presented and discussed.
A base coat will be applied to allow for future changes.

Annual Appointments—votes to appoint for FY 2026

SB voted to approve the current filled appointments.

FY 2025 end-of-year financial reports

Robyn seeking an appt with the Accountant for July 2.
Bills need to be paid by July 15

Mail
A resident has an issue with the new trail kiosk in center. The kiosk will be completed and later moved to a new location.

2 Comments

Notes for Tue, June 3 2025

6/3/2025

0 Comments

Agenda Items
5:00 p.m. Call Meeting to Order, Review Agenda, Review Minutes: 5/20/25
Public Comment
6:00 p.m. Appointment: Tax Collector and Treasurer to discuss regulations & timing of tax liens/takings

Normally the tax collector gives homeowners a year to comply.
If we accelerate tax collecting to before July 1 , then there would be hundreds of letters to send out.
As of Nov 1, the state has added more posting requirements.
A compressed schedule would cause a lot of work for not much difference in free cash.
September could be a good time for Bette to do the tax taking notices.
Once there is a lien on a property, it goes immediately to the treasurer.
SB voted to move demand notices up to 4 months after the tax due date.
SB voted to increase the demand fees from $10 to $25 effective July 1 2026.

7:00 p.m. Appointment: Hilltown Youth Performing Arts
[It is the Hilltown Youth Recovery Theatre (HYRT) which offers camps and recovery programming for the town's young people and the community that is negotiating rents. Representatives for HYRT were Board Members Laura Iveson and Jonathan Diamond, and ardent supporter, Judith Roberts, former director of the Literacy Project.]

HYRT paid $6000 to cover Jan, Feb, and March at the meeting.
HYRT has been seeking many grants for programs. Some grants do not come until the summer.
One HYRT board member feels that the value of the program justifies asking for minimal payment or no fee at all. [ As a municipality, I don't believe the Town can donate space.]
HYRT would like to continue to use rooms if there is no response to the RFP.
In consideration for the contribution HYRT has made to the town and hilltown youth, the SB proposed a reduced rent going forward until the August performance.
Not clear but I think this is the current plan:
- To pay $500 per month for April, May, and June for 3 rooms which was paid at the meeting. HYRT to free one room by July 1.
- To pay $500 in July and August for 2 rooms and gym storage closet and stage area (depending on response to the RFP).
- Going to the block system as of June 4 for the shared space.
- Have the right to shared space thru July and August plus current storage.
- I don't think there was a vote.
There may be some changes based on any responses to the RFP.

[Excerpts from subsequent feedback provided by an HYRT board member. ]

The $6,000 paid on 6/3/25 by Hilltown Youth Recovery Theatre (HYRT) to the Town of Heath, brought the total HYRT has paid in rent to the town of Heath to $90,000 over 3 years and 3 months.
HYRT agreed to a $30,000 lease 3 years ago because the Axion Corporation, a real estate and cannabis company from MI, entered into an Host Community Agreement (HCA) with the town that would be paid to HYRT to cover the rent.
The BOS, initially, negotiated an HCA for $20,000 but I asked Axion’s CEO if they could increase their contribution to $30,000 as I knew the town was wanting to generate $30,000 in rents to help with the utilities and overhead. Axion agreed to the increase.
In 2024, In an effort to make the rent more sustainable without the HCA and thus possible for the program to remain in Heath, HYRT requested the rent be reduced from $30,000 to $20,000 and then reduced again to $15,000 the following year.
The BOS voted to reduce our rent from $30,000 per year to $24,000 (or $2,500 to $2000). Robyn, suggested HYRT track our building use during the coming year so we could revisit our request in 2025.
During those deliberations in 2024, HYRT asked the town to advertise the space as we felt we were paying considerably above market value but they said they were not permitted to do this.
Last summer, the town’s attorney informed the BOS that their lease with HYRT was improper, it needed to be a “license”. The town spent 6 months trying to sort out how to license the space so they could be in compliance.
During that 6 months period, HYRT was without a lease but continued to pay the full rent without one.
In January 2025, our current lease expired, and HYRT was still without a new one. HYRT assumed they would be negotiating a new agreement that would be retroactive to January, which, given our last deliberations and based on the data we collected on our building use, we were hoping would be reduced again.
In a meeting with the BOS on 2/11/25, HYRT was informed that, as a result of moving from the lease to the licensing process, an RFP would be circulated no later than April. In the same meeting, the BOS agreed that March would be HYRT’s last rent payment to the town prior to the RFP posted no later than April and gave HYRT additional time to make it.
The BOS put the RFP process on hold until after the ATM.
On 5/27 HYRT received an invoice from the BOS for $12,000, the implication being that HYRT was expected to continue paying $2000 per month until the RFP was sent out, which ignored nearly everything agreed to in the meeting on 2/11. This is what resulted in the meeting earlier this week.
In both the 2/11 and 6/3 meetings, HYRT board chair Laura Iveson was present. So was one of HYRT’s consultants, Judith Roberts, former director of the Literacy Project, who said the Literacy project paid 1/3 less for an entire floor in Greenfield.
Both advocated strongly for a rent reduction and that HYRT, a nonprofit that benefits the town and its young people and their families, was paying well above market value. The licensing agreements and RFP will allow the BOS to find out what the space is actually, worth (i.e., what individuals and/or other entities will pay).
Board chair, Laura, asked the BOS not to leave rooms empty for two months while our free summer programs were in full sail and the RFP process was playing out. The $1,500 paid on 6/11 was for April, May, and June when the BOS was supposed to have put the RFP out to bid but wasn’t able to meet their deadline.

Other Business
Facilities repair report
Sawyer Hall Generator—review quotes with vote possible.

Need further clarification on quotes from Palmieri and Kingsley. Will to also contact Current Electric.
Options for generators are Generac or Kohler depending on contractor chosen.

RFP for Rental Spaces

Went over the additions to the document and verified the RFP is ready to go.

Homeowner Paul Lemelin well water issue

The homeowner at 133 Branch Hill Road which is near the salt shed has a salt contamination issue with a new well he is digging. He is currently using spring water.
The SB will be contacting the person the homeowner is working with and Bill Lattrell to gather information to find the best solution.

Annual Appointments

SB reviewed list of appointments with only definite change is Transfer Station Attendant.

Mail

Some topics already covered above.
Notice of open house for Sheila Litchfield retiring as MLP manager (Broadband).
Letter of resignation from the Veterans Memorial Committee as their task is complete.
Letter from resident regarding town meeting attendance, also stating civic classes are taught FCT school, and a thank you to Robyn for reading the Memorial Day Proclamation from the governor.
Letter from Parks & Rec member wishing to clean up structures and debris from the Jacobs ball field.

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Notes for Tue, June 17 2025

Notes for Tue, June 3 2025

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