My email exchange today with DCAM about the Medfield State Hospital site –
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Sandra,
I am glad to learn that I am not the only one working today. Please call me Pete. Also, I am no longer the chair of the Board of Selectmen. Ann Thompson was elected chair at our meeting last Tuesday evening – we have a nice system of taking turns.
Mediation –
Yes, the Board of Selectmen did agree a week ago today at our 4:30 PM meeting to accept Commissioner Cornelison’s generous offer to mediate the Medfield State Hospital clean up, and at that time we appointed the crew I listed to do so for the town. We also like the suggested mediator, so thank you too for a great selection. I apologize if the information of our interest in mediation has not yet reached DCAM, as I know you are trying to adhere to a tight schedule to get the clean up accomplished this year. The town is holding our annual town meeting on 4/30, so we are fully engaged with making that process happen, perhaps to the detriment of other tasks.
Medfield State Hospital Purchase –
Finally, please know also, that at the Board of Selectmen meeting one week ago the selectmen also decided to proceed to investigate the possible purchase of the Medfield State Hospital site by the Town of Medfield, and to that end look forward as a first step to getting the materials that the Commissioner mentioned when we met at her office about how that process has occurred with other towns.
Second, we also look forward to the feasibility study DCAM has commissioned, and renew our requests that (1) it be released in a draft form the town first, so that the town can make suggestions, before the study gets released in final form, and (2) that we would welcome any other opportunities to take part in the study. While we do not know how to do such a study, we do know our town well.
Third, we are trying to mobilize the expertise needed to responsibly react to and deal with the possible purchase of the Medfield State Hospital site from the state.
Fourth, while not DCAM’s issue directly and not yet the Board of Selectmen’s position, I have suggested that the town make use of the services of someone like Lawrence Susskind to come to a town wide agreement about the Medfield State Hospital site – where the town will have a complicated factual and political process through which to go, if it purchases the site. I heard Professor Lawrence Susskind speak to the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s Leadership Conference last June, and was impressed by his use of his system to get complex entities to agree on resolutions to complex problems. “Breaking Robert’s Rules” is his book on how to conduct such a process. What follows was the blurb about Lawrence Susskind from the MMA’s program –
Lawrence Susskind, a renowned public dispute mediator, is the Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at MIT and Director of the Public Disputes Program at Harvard Law School. He is the author of more than 15 books, including “Breaking Robert’s Rules” (2006).
My thanks all at DCAM – I am personally enthused both by the offer to sell the site to the town and that we seem to be renewing the collaborative approach to solving the issues we share surrounding the Medfield State Hospital.
Best,
Pete
Osler L. Peterson, Attorney at Law
PETERSON | Law
580 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02458
66 North St, PO Box 358, Medfield, MA 02052
T 617.969.1500
T 617.969.1501 (direct)
M 508-359-9190
F 617.663.6008
osler.peterson@verizon.net
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—– Original Message —–
From: “Duran, Sandra (DCP)”
To: “Olson Peterson (osler.peterson@verizon.net)”
Sent: 4/06/2012 11:33AM
Subject: FW: Friday Special Medfield Selectman’s meeting
Mr. Chairman:
Commissioner Cornelison asked me to reach out to you regarding her offer to engage in mediation. We saw your blog of April 3rd and want to confirm with you the Town’s interest in mediating and the list of participants.
Would you mind responding to this email to clarify/confirm the above? We would like to schedule the mediation sessions as soon as possible.
Thank you,
Sandra
Sandra R. Duran
Director of Building Maintenance and Operations
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