SB Notes for Tue, April 28 2026

Call Meeting to Order – THIS MEETING MAY BE AUDIO RECORDED➢ Review Agenda ➢ Consent Agenda
o Meeting Minutes: 04/21/2026 - Approved
o Accounts Payable/Payroll Warrants
➢ Appointments
o 5:30PM – Sabra Billings, Candidate for State Representative – Discussion re. Challenges with State Funding

• Understands the issues of Chapter 70.
• Bundling of amendments makes it impossible to have discussion on a specific amendment.
• Rural education funding is of great concern to Sabra.  Brought up State Pilot Programs:  ["Overall, pilot programs can hurt rural communities by failing to address their specific needs and challenges. Instead of enhancing educational opportunities, they may inadvertently undermine the resources and support systems that are crucial for rural students' success."]
• Addressed energy initiatives that often create financial challenges.
• Top third in the county with percentage of state owned land but we are not getting our fair share of state money.
• Rapid discussion of many topics. [I recommend listening to the tape.]

➢ Select Board Discussion/Decision Items
o Select Board Annual Town Meeting Hand Outs – Review Final Draft Handouts: still requiring changes

• Robyn and Elissa recommended changes to the format to make it more readable.
• No recommendations for the content of the notes themselves
• Waiting until next week to sign off on the notes

o Lease Agreement, Hilltown Youth Performing Arts – Approve & Execute One-Year Lease 

• A signed lease was returned from HYPA.  Payments are up to date.

o Office Assistant & Boards’ Clerk Positions – Review/Discuss Next Steps; Job Descriptions

• Boards Clerk: Only two boards are using the clerk- Planning Board and Board of Health. Need to re-envision the position. No applicants for the position yet
• Office Assistant: Interview scheduled

o Town of Colrain Surplus Police Cruiser – Review/Discuss Vehicle Information, Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and Bill of Sale  - no updates​
➢ New Information/Updates
o Community Hall – Elevator & Cupola

• Elevator: part was fixed and will be shipped back to Florida, but we do not have an install price yet. 
• Cupola: Two of 4 decorative pieces have fallen. Colrain has a bucket and we are working on getting use of it to take down the last two.

o Highway Department – Salt Shed; Taylor Brook Road Bridge; Street-Sweeping; Colrain Stage Road Paving

• Salt Shed:  Tyson is renting a trencher to get the electrical work done to tie the salt shed into the Highway Garage.
• Street sweeping: may need some finishing up. So far have not rented a street sweeper, still assessing
• Colrain Stage Road: starts on May 7, Tyson would like to close the road while some work is being done.

o HVAC – Sawyer Hall & Jacobs Road Municipal Center

• JRMC: seems to be working
• Sawyer Hall: need more input on how to correct the heating there.

o Tri-Town Landfill – Clearing of Vegetation; Invasive Species Eradication

• Still waiting for additional mowing and removal of invasive species quotes.
• A contractor is doing a walk around on Wednesday, April 29.

➢ Public Comment:

• Resident has an issue with the sand road cleanup. The blower has been used in front of resident's homes.  The sand and salt mix coated windows and lawns.  We need a better plan for next year about what we use and how to clean up. "Blowing is not sustainable as a remedy for putting sand on the roads."
• Resident expressed concern about high cost listed for the light bar on the Police Cruiser

➢ Mail
Part 1

• DRAFT Annual Town Meeting Warrant &  Budget Notes (7 pgs.)  
• Hilltown Youth Performing Arts Lease Agreement FINAL (16 pgs.)

Part 2

• Office Assistant Job Description, Approved October 26, 2021 (2 pgs.)
• Boards’ Clerk Job Description, Approved June 18, 2024 ( 3pgs.)
• Town of Colrain re. Surplus Police Cruiser Information (7 pgs.)
• W. Lattrell re. Taylor Brook Road Bridge (1 pg.) - Insurance company forgot and is now taking action
• B. Kovacs re. Property on Bray Road (1 pg.) - Town cannot take any action if there is no violation
• C. Curtis (DRWA) re. Letter of Support for Waterway Designations (3 pgs.)
• L. Cregan (Franklin Land Trust) re. Behl-Amter Conservation Restriction (1 pg.) - Liam will be in attending a future SB meeting.  Elissa to meet with him on Thursday.
• FCSWMD re. April Recycling Costs (2 pgs.)  

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

• JRMC Signage  - needs to be paid for before the end of this fiscal year (beginning of June)
• 8A culvert: there are no landmarks for right of way. Engineers said it would be $10 to $20,000 for the Engineering & Design, to have it surveyed and to make a Metes & Bounds plan.  [Metes and bounds is a system used to describe land boundaries by referencing physical landmarks, directions, and distances, starting from a specific point known as the "point of beginning."]

➢ Meeting Adjournment