Agenda Tue, Feb 17 2026 at 5 PM

➢ Call Meeting to Order , Review Agenda
➢ Welcome Finance Committee – FY ’27 Budget Planning
➢ 5:00PM Budget Hearing: Highway Department – Tyson Howard, Highway Superintendent

• Sidearm mower parts needed for John Deere tractor which would eliminate need for two passes Currently there is a cutter pass followed by a blower pass. Former mowing equipment would be sold as surplus.
• Doors for Highway garage and Fire Dept.  Had two quotes, the better quote has been updated. Considered a high need.
• Pickup truck replacement needed as the current truck is not adequate for plowing. Tyson spec'ed  a pickup with an 8-foot bed with a sander and plow for $89,730 This truck does not require a special license to drive which is important when hiring contract plowers.  This pickup has the same equipment as the 550 so Tyson could keep fewer parts on hand. The existing truck could go to the Fire Dept which needs a new pickup.
• Tyson' has a goal to standardize the fleet as much as possible in order to use the same parts
• Paving:
  • Number 9 Road: Chapter 90 is not sufficient to do Number 9 road properly.  Something must be done on the road.  Shim and top coat will buy some time at cost of $242,550 from Chapter 90.  Possible to get a STRAP grant for $1 mil this year and $1 mil next year, then that would free up money to pay someone to do needed culvert work. There was discussion of doing Number 9 properly in two parts.
  • Colrain Stage Rd is a priority as safety vehicles use this road to come to Heath (emergency evacuation road). Cost of $839,187 Chapter 90 money available.
  • Sumner Stetson Road - on the list, needs to be done properly, [not clear from the meeting that it will be tackled this fiscal year.]
  • East Main Street—drainage by Community Hall lower door will be part of this project when done
  • Jacobs Road—on the list of needs [again I was not sure what the plan/schedule will be]
• Crack Filling: State will do 8A from town line to state line. May not be done until next year.  $20,000 has been allocated for other roads in town.  
• Culvert work needed on 8A and Burrington Road which will come to approx. $200,000. Can use 2 different grants to get the work done.
• Last year's budget items
  • Tyson has gone over the winter salt and sand budget of $110,000.
  • Tipping budget and winter maintenance will stay the same budget amount.
  • Went up 2% in salary
  • Summer temp help went up
  • Parts and equipment went up between 2% and 7%

➢ 5:45PM Budget Hearing: Fire Department – Nicholas Anzuoni, Fire Chief

• There is a lot of turn out gear in the Jacobs attic that is expired.
• Nick needs two sets; people cannot take training without compliant gear.
• The UTV purchased with a Trail grant is now in service and is able to access areas previously inaccessible.
• Elissa asked about dry hydrants in Town which are only plastic and need to be protected. Costs are covered for that. There are two that don't work and are currently in wetlands.  The one in the center is protected. [Search Assistant results: "A dry hydrant is a non-pressurized pipe system installed in a water source, such as a pond or lake, that allows firefighters to easily withdraw water for fire suppression in areas without traditional fire hydrants. It provides a reliable water source for fighting fires in rural locations."]

➢ 6:30PM Budget Hearing: Board of Health – Sheila Litchfield, Member

• Focus is on Town Nurse position. Currently budgeted at 8 hrs a week for $12,000.  Hourly rate is $29.51
• Priority is anything that could prevent hospitalization and focuses on the entire population. 
• Aides the emergency services by knowing who is alone and who is at risk.
• Nursing is the number 1 trusted profession.  Doctors appreciate when a town nurse is in the community.
• FRCOG is an augmentation of public health nursing.  Cooperative Public Health Service (CPHS ). There are 5 nurses serving 15 towns. It is a collaboration with the rural town nurses. 
• Sheila spoke of rural health inequity. Doctors rely on nurses to report on patients at home and their support system. Isolation is a number 1 issue. There are 44 people at risk in Heath. 
• State does not want to see towns lower their public health budget.
• Robyn asked about stipends and required training for BoH members (36 hours a year training per member). There are also several meetings the BoH members have  to attend. 
• We are running out of credits for the mosquito testing that has been done the past years.  Testing is done to determine what mossies can turn into carriers. The next step is to treat those mossies before they can grow into carriers.
• CodeRED cost is on the BoH budget. The CodeRED system limits how many calls we can make, but there are other reverse 911 companies. There is now a quote for unlimited calls from Code RED. Should be in the Emergency Management budget.

➢ Review Minutes: 02/10/2026
➢ Public Comment

• Resident expressed concern about Mass solar initiative and wants to make sure the town was tied into anything needed.
• Resident expressed appreciation that there was a Greenfield Recorder reporter attending the SB meetings.

➢ Other Business
Planning Board – Proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment(s) Language – on hold
Parks & Recreation Committee – Enforcement Order; PARC Grant FY ’26 Next Steps

• Mia attended the ConComm meeting. Engineer said there was a simple solution which the ConComm liked.
• SB voted to not accept the PARC grant . It was not a right fit for the Town due to the requirement to set aside the land as a park in perpetuity.  

Fire Department Fee Schedule – Inspection Fee Increase – SB voted to adopt FD inspection fee of $50.
Sawyer Hall Rental Proposal – Discuss Draft Lease Agreement Details
Green Communities Grant Project - Heat Pump/Mini Splits for JRMC Front Offices – Robyn to review grant and where any additional monies will come from.
Board/Committee Email Addresses – Discussion; Email addresses; Post Office and Boards Clerk
        Alice W is not in favor of the Boards Clerk handling some email at this time because we are in a lawsuit.
        Post Office wants an email address, but does not have a laptop. 
Community Hall Storm Windows - Replacement Updates

• Robyn called a supplier that already said no to revisit replacing the storm windows.
• Mia had asked if the grant manager would at least reimburse for the window restoration portion. No response yet.
• Elissa wanted to know what the deadline was for using the grant.

JRMC Security Camera System – Discussion/Review  - no notes
 MTRSD/HRSD 2D8T Plan of Action – Discussion/Update - no notes
FRTS Proposed New School Building – Discussion/Update - no notes
➢ Mail - not already discussed. 

• Letter from resident for a proposal for Flag Hill Road Branch - Tyson to do a follow-up for the SB
• Letter from FCSWM regarding costs and  return of money from RDP (Recycling Dividends Program).  SB to see about using the money to improve the transfer station area.
• Mass-Care letter re. HCGIT (Hampshire County Group Insurance Trust) Financial Crisis

➢ New business that could not be anticipated 48 hours prior to the meeting

• Town of Colrain surplus vehicle offer.  Robyn is not comfortable until she understands all the needs.
• ATM Report - Liz Canali, who does the report is requesting information. Needs to know who the report is dedicated to.