Town of Chatham, MA - Selectmen's Meeting Minutes 5/29/07

Chairman Whitcomb called the meeting to order at 4:00PM with Mrs. Bohman, Ms. Connors, Mr. Bergstrom and Town Manager William Hinchey present.

Mr. Whitcomb announced that Selectman Summers could not attend this meeting because his father John Summers, a lifelong citizen of Chatham, passed away. Mr. Whitcomb called for a moment of silence for Mr. Summers.

Ms. Janet Daley, Chairman of the Chatham Housing Authority, told the Board of Selectmen the Housing Authority has received the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials 2007 Outstanding Agency Awards. These awards are given to member agencies for outstanding achievement in the industry.

Ms. Daley said she feels the Award belongs to all of the people of Chatham who should be commended for their support of the housing programs. She thanked the Board of Selectmen for their leadership and support.

Mr. Bergstrom moved the Board of Selectmen vote that, in recognition of Chatham’s efforts on behalf of the various affordable housing initiatives, June 10, 2007 be proclaimed Affordable Housing Day in the Town of Chatham and urge all residents to participate in the Telethon on June 10, 2007 from 2:00-6:00PM on Channel 17. Mrs. Bohman seconded the motion and the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor.

Mr. David Rauscher, a member of the Chatham Airport Commission, told the Board of Selectmen he is working with the Cape Cod Commission and happy to report their meetings have been going well. Mr. Rauscher said the Airport Commission will be building two new hangers and the Cape Cod Commission said they would require one of the hangers to be shingled on the outside wall facing the street, but if the Board of Selectmen agreed it was not necessary, they would waive that condition.

Since this was not a scheduled agenda item, the Board of Selectmen will consider this request at its June 5, 2007 meeting.

Mr. John Halgren thanked the Channel 18 staff for their efforts. He said it was nice to watch the video streaming when he was away this winter. Mr. Halgren also said he felt the bicycle crossings on public ways need to be re-marked.

Mr. Collie Yeaw suggested monitors for the gallery in the Downstairs Meeting Room so that the foam core visuals could be seen in the room as well as on television.

Ms. Cindy Ladd attended this hearing which was continued from May 8, 2007. It was noted there are some private roads on the proposed route but Mr. Bergstrom said the Federal Bird Sanctuary has an easement over those road and since Ms. Ladd has spoken to them about parking he didn’t see any barrier to issuing the permit. Ms. Connors moved the Board of Selectmen grant a Street Crossing License to Cindy Ladd d/b/a Cape Cod Scenic Tours from June 1, 2007 to June 1, 2008. Mrs. Bohman seconded the motion.

Ms. Gloria Bernard told the Board of Selectmen this is already a high traffic area and she is opposed to commercial traffic being allowed. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor of Ms. Connors’ motion.

Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce Danielle Jeanloz attended this meeting. Ms. Jeanloz told the Board of Selectmen the Chamber would like to remove seven of the seventeen banners in the downtown area. These banners acknowledge Chatham National Trust for Historic Preservation Distinctive Destinations Award. Eight banners would be placed in different areas of the Town. She also asked that the Board allow the Chamber to display the banners until Columbus Day.

Mr. Bergstrom felt the Chamber could celebrate the award in written information and does not see the need for the banners. Mr. Whitcomb said he is appreciative that the number on Main Street will be reduced and he thinks it makes sense to have them spread around Town.

Mrs. Bohman said she didn’t have concerns about having them up until Columbus Day because this is a new award. She felt perhaps next year they could consider placing the banners for just Historic Preservation Month. Ms. Connors moved the Board of Selectmen grant the request. Mrs. Bohman seconded the motion. The Board voted three in favor, one opposed (Mr. Bergstrom).

The Board received a request from RedPeg Marketing asking for permission to Display Goods outside on Main Street. They will be distributing free samples of a new product from Pepperidge Farm. Police Chief Mark Pawlina told the Board of Selectmen he would like to know the location where the planners will be stationed and also the ingredients to be sure they were not given to any children who may have allergies. This item will appear on the Agenda next week to allow time to answer questions that were raised.

Mr. Norbert Timmins, representing the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, attended this meeting to ask the Board of Selectmen to permit the St. Vincent de Paul charities to charge $5.00 for parking in the Church parking lot on July 4, 2007. The monies raised are to be used to send children to various summer camps. Ms. Connors moved the Board of Selectmen grant the request. Mrs. Bohman seconded the motion and the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor.

Police Chief Mark Pawlina attended this meeting and told the Board the Union has voted and ratified their latest contract which will run until June 30, 2009. He highlighted some of the changes in the contract.

Mrs. Bohman told the Chief she appreciated the executive summary. Mr. Bergstrom moved the Board of Selectmen vote to sign the contract. Mrs. Bohman seconded the motion and the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously in favor.

This agenda item was prompted by a public forum statement previously made where Mr. Oppenheim questioned the amount of time and cost to obtain public documents.

Harbormaster Stuart Smith said the department received a request which was responded to within ten days. The response told the requesting parties, it would take some time to gather the information they wanted. Mr. Smith said he called the State and they felt the time frame was reasonable.

Ms. Rocanello, from the Harbormaster’s Department, said the request came in at a time when she had just send 3,000 mooring permit renewals and she had to make time to satisfy the request for information.

In response to Mr. Bergstrom inquiry, Ms. Rocanello explained it took time to retrieve the information requested from previous files in the computer.

Ms. Connors said she understands that this is a busy time for that department, but asked Ms. Rocanello about the hard copies of the mooring lists that could have been duplicated. Ms. Rocanello said they did not have space to store them and she was not concerned about disposing of the past years because she has the information in the computer and could generate them if needed. Ms. Connors suggested saving the information on a disc.

There was a question about the costs. Mr. Hinchey said .50 per page of computer generated information is set by the State.

Mr. Oppenheim said the total time assessed was 4.5 hours spread over four weeks and he felt it could have been done sooner. He also said he talked to someone at the State level and they said would only get involved if there is a denial to a request for public records.

Mr. Oppenheim felt the correspondence from Mr. Smith was creating an “adversarial” relationship. He suggested the Board of Selectmen establish a policy for public documents requests so it is the same in all departments.

Mr. Whitcomb said the public has a right to information, but the departments have to prioritize their work, and the mooring lists have to be done in a timely manner as it benefits the public.

Mr. Bergstrom suggested we assess the way information is being handled and if it could be improved. He feels that if information is developed by the staff it should be available from the point it was generated. He also asked about staff taking vacation at such a critical time of year. Mr. Hinchey said staff is allowed vacation after notice to the department head. The day to day operations could be accommodated while Ms. Rocanello was on vacation, but this special request had to be done by her.

Ms. Connors feels the Town should have a policy of costs for documents. Ms. Connors moved the Board of Selectmen direct the Town Manager to provide information regarding costs: of, 1. if it is the computer what is the cost per page; 2. what is the cost of xeroxing, 3. what is the cost for a disc, 4. the cost to upload to website. Mr. Bergstrom seconded the motion. Mr. Bergstrom said any document should be available to the public. He said there is a requirement to save certain documents and also feels there is a need for policy as to what we are required to keep.

Mrs. Bohman said these special requests do take time away from the employee’s regular work. Ms. Connors said that should be reflected in the costs for information. The motion was voted unanimously.

Mr. Smith said Mr. Oppenheim’s comments were not accurate as it was less than four weeks for the information to be produced. He also said he does not see the relationship as being adversarial.

The Board of Selectmen will meet on June 7, 2007 at 4:00PM in the downstairs meeting room to invite public input on the preliminary design of the new Police Department/Annex.

Mr. Whitcomb referred to Mr. Hinchey’s memo concerning the Board of Selectmen’s goal to review all committees and their respective charges. The Committee Summary was divided into four groups.

Ms. Connors said she would like to discuss the interview process. She said she doesn’t feel all five members of the Board of Selectmen need to meet to interview for regulatory boards. It was agreed among the Board members that all would be notified of regulatory board interviews but it was not required that five attend.

Mr. Bergstrom said he does not think it is necessary to re-interview committee members whose terms have expired and seek reappointment.

The Board of Selectmen would like all committees that have charges review their charge and make comments to the Board of Selectmen regarding changes or additions.

Mr. Hinchey will draft a charge combining the Main Street Design Advisory and the Underground Utilities Study Committee.

Ms. Connors asked about the need for a Personnel Advisory Committee. Mr. Hinchey noted it is required by the Charter. She suggested asking the Charter Review Committee to consider that section of the Charter.

Mr. Hinchey also told the Board he will draft a charge for the Traffic Study Committee as well as the Waterways Advisory Committee.

Mrs. Bohman said we should get the word out to the public that the Board of Selectmen is accepting applications for a Charter Review Committee.

Mr. Bergstrom suggested the Charter Review Committee should call key departments for their input on the Charter. He also suggested the Board of Selectmen have input on a charge for the Charter Review Committee.

Mr. Whticomb said the Board of Selectmen will be updating the list of Selectmen liaisons to committees on an upcoming agenda.

Mr. Collie Yeaw asked the Board to consider the requirement to be a registered voter in order to serve on committees. He felt the Board of Selectmen should take advantage of citizens with certain expertise that are not registered voters in Chatham.

He also said he does not understand why five of the committees include a stipend for serving. He suggested that perhaps that could be discussed during the Charter review.