Town of Chatham, MA - Selectmen's Meeting Minutes 2/6/07

Chairman Whitcomb called the meeting to order at 4:00PM with Ms. Connors, Mr. Bergstrom, Mr. Summers and Mr. Hinchey present.

Ms. Connors moved the Board of Selectmen vote to approve the minutes of the January 30, 2007 Board of Selectmen’s meeting. Mr. Bergstrom seconded the motion and the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor.

The young adults from the “We the People” contest who represent Chatham High School attended this meeting. The Chatham group has won the 2007 State Championship. They will be going to Washington DC for the next competition. The team would appreciate any donation toward their the expenses for their trip. Donations can be made to the Chatham High School with a designation of “We the People.”

The Board of Selectmen received a memo from Health Agent Judy Giorgio explaining proposed changes to Board of Health Regulations: Minimum Requirements for the Disposal of Sanitary Sewage. Specifically the addition of:

Section 14; General Enforcement and Section 15; Orders: Service and Content; have been added to allow for proper variance procedure. These sections were left out of the regulations.

Section 4.2 was revised to change the required set back from a crawl space wall to a leaching facility from 10’ to 20’ to be consistent with the latest version of Title 5 promulgated in April 2006.

Board of Health Chairman Ed Sheehan attended this meeting. Mr. Sheehan said the changes were brought to his attention when he became Chairman. There will be a public hearing televised on March 19, 2007 for the Board of Health to ratify the changes.

Mr. Whitcomb introduced this subject. Director of Community Development Kevin McDonald attended this meeting. Mr. McDonald asked the Board for their comments which will be forwarded to Mass Housing as part of the application process. The Board of Selectmen will reiterate their comments of June 22, 2006 and request notification if the plans change substantially.

Mr. Summers would like to see the parking moved from Route 28 to the rear of the proposed buildings. Mr. Summers feels these types of projects should be addressed in the Town bylaws to allow cooperation between developers and the Town so that we are not dictated to by the State as to what is permitted.

Mr. Whitcomb said the comments from various Town agencies are still applicable. The Affordable Housing Committee would like to see another unit in this proposal be designated affordable. Mr. Whitcomb also said he feels there is a general consensus that the parking being moved to the back would be desirable.

Ms. Connors moved the Board of Selectmen vote to set the deadline for petition Articles for the Annual Town Meeting 2007 as March 1, 2007. Mr. Bergstrom seconded the motion and the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor.

Mr. Alan McClennan attended this meeting to update the Board of Selectmen on his negotiations with the respondents to the MCI property Requests for Proposals.

The Hook Fishermen’s Association, on February 3, 2007, told Mr. McClennan they needed to remove the schedule from the Tentative Designation letter because they have missed deadlines for funding applications. They also wanted to remove a caveat saying they would not apply for CPA funds.

Mr. McClennan advised these changes would not substantially change the negotiations. Ms. Connors moved the Board of Selectmen vote to allow the redactions made by the Hook fishermen’s Association from the Tentative Designation letter of December 20, 2006. Mr. Bergstrom seconded the motion and the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor.

Mr. McClennan also told the Board of Selectmen the Association will not proceed without an exemption from the prevailing wage law and a 99 year lease. This is contrary to the provision of the RFP that clearly states the length of the initial lease would be a function of a fair amortization of the costs incurred by the tenants in their initial investment in the building.

Mr. Summers said he feels it is presumptuous for the Board to envision what the Town’s needs will be in the future and he is not comfortable with long term leases most especially a 99 year commitment.

Mr. Bergstrom feels there will not be another entity forthcoming to develop this building and he fears the MCI buildings will deteriorate further. Mr. Bergstrom feels the Town needs to do what it can to continue the process, since so much time and effort has been expended. Ms. Connors agreed.

Mr. Whitcomb said he always supported groups that could develop these properties without expense to the Town. He does not support a 99 year lease. He also said he feels the Town has not expended all the options for further proposals for the property and there may still be other possibilities.

Mrs. Norma Avellar spoke from the gallery she feels it is a mistake to give the building over to any group with no obvious benefit to the Town.

Mr. Paul Parker addressed the Board. He said it is the Association’s goal is to keep fishing viable in Chatham. Mr. Parker feels continued dialogue will benefit the Town as a whole.

Mr. Summers said he does not agree with the terms of the lease, though he does not have a problem with using Town funds to refurbish the building and lease it out to entity at some future date.

The Chatham Housing Authority also met with Mr. McClennen and during their discussions it was revealed the Authority’s proposal is not financially viable. HOME funding from the County would require lowering the rents on the MCI houses and make the rent to own escrow program conflict with its original intention. The Authority’s consultant will revise the financial plan and it will be reviewed by the full board of the Chatham Housing Authority. Mr. McClennan will report again as the negotiations progress.

Mr. Summers feels the rent to own program could continue without giving thirty year leases for all of the six houses to the Authority.

Fire Chief Michael Ambriscoe attended this meeting to present his proposal for improved emergency and fire services in Chatham.

Chief Ambriscoe’s presentation included a plan to build a fully manned, fully equipped sub-station on land at the intersection of Route 137 and Route 28.

Chief Ambriscoe’s power point included other possible options that have been considered but were discounted because they are not the most advantageous for the Town.

Ms. Connors said she would like to see statistics on calls to the Fire Department from different areas of Town.

Mr. Bergstrom moved the Board of Selectmen vote to place this Article to purchase the land on Route 28 and Route 137 on the Annual Town Meeting Warrant. Ms. Connors seconded the motion and the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor.

Mr. Summers has reservations about the location and the possible use of other Town property for a new sub-station. Mr. Summers suggested the Town could sell the South Chatham fire station to help with funding a new station.

Toddy Everett from South Chatham suggested another meeting for the public to provide input regarding the proposal. Mr. Whitcomb noted the Town Meeting is a proper venue to discuss all the Town’s business.