Monthly Archives: April 2012

Take the Medfield Open Space and Recreation Survey

Posted on April 6, 2012 | 1 comment

FROM PATCH –

The Medfield Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee is updating the 2002 Open Space and Recreation Plan.

The plan assists town government by assessing needs and setting priorities as expressed by residents. Additionally, a current Open Space and Recreation Plan qualifies the town for open space grants that help fund the acquisition of open space and the protection of important town resources.

In order to complete its plan update, the committee needs your help in completing its survey by accessing this link: www.surveymonkey.com/s/VHX2MQF.

The survey addresses the open space needs of the town and need for active recreational facilities. Any questions should be directed to Leslee Willitts, Conservation Agent, at (508) 906-3028 or lwillitts@medfield.net.

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Posted in Open space

MSH – discussions with state today

Posted on April 6, 2012 | Comments Off on MSH – discussions with state today

My email exchange today with DCAM about the Medfield State Hospital site –

======================================

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
—– 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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Posted in Medfield State Hospital

Should Medfield reconsider a meals tax

Posted on April 5, 2012 | 3 comments

The state Dept. Of Revenue’s Cities and Towns email today focuses on the meals tax.  Medfield’s annual town meeting (ATM) voted not to impose the 0.75% local option meals tax a couple of years ago.  I wonder if it is not time to ask the voters once again whether they want to impose the meals tax.  I support the local option tax because:

  • to me, meals at restaurants are more a luxury than a necessity
  • Medfield restaurants draw from out of town, so we would get revenue from non-residents
  • getting those meals tax monies would lower our property taxes
  • we pay that meals tax when we go to restaurants in the 151 cities and town outside of Medfield that have the tax

This was the emailed material from the DOR –

Cities and Towns Have Collected Nearly $500 million in Local Option Meal and Room Taxes Since FY10

Since the local option meals tax took effect in FY10, 151 communities have approved levying the .75 percent local option meals tax in addition to the state’s 6.25 percent meals tax, which has generated more than $150 million in local option revenue for those cities and towns. .  .
And during that same time period, the local option room tax has generated $332.7 million, with 96 communities now choosing to levy a six percent local option.
Those two revenue sources have generated more than $482 million in revenue available for appropriation in cities and towns.
The meals tax has grown each year, from $27.1 million in FY10 to $60.7 million in FY11, and, with the final June distribution yet to come, to $62.3 million in FY12.
The room tax has followed a similar course, growing from $94.5 million in FY10 to $126.0 million in FY11 to $111.6 million in FY12, with the final distribution coming in June sure to push the total revenue ahead of FY11.
These local options are additional tools for the communities that choose to use them in tight fiscal times, and cities and towns have used them to maintain services levels and bridge financial gaps.

Robert G. Nunes
Deputy Commissioner & Director of Municipal Affairs

3 Comments

Posted in Budgets

Medfield.TV’s programs on MSH & 40B

Posted on April 5, 2012 | Comments Off on Medfield.TV’s programs on MSH & 40B
Pam Jones of Medfield.TV has grouped their shows related to the Medfield State Hospital and those related to 40B issues under links on the Medfield.TV home page, for easy access.  http://www.medfield.tv

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Medfield State Hospital

DCAM granted the town a 20 day extension to respond

Posted on April 4, 2012 | Comments Off on DCAM granted the town a 20 day extension to respond

Emailed extension from DCAM last night for town’s time to respond to DCAM’s Phase II and III remediation materials – permitting to proceed –

From: Duran, Sandra (DCP)

Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 9:41 PM
To: Kristine Trierweiler
Cc: Wiggin, Allen (DCP); O’Donnell, John (DCP)
Subject: RE: Meetings and Extension Request for Phase II/Phase III

Ms. Trierweiler:

DCAM intends to proceed with its planned PIP and permitting efforts as we are trying to keep the work on track for implementation this summer.  As such, we have scheduled our next PIP meeting with the Town on April 12, 2012 from 7-9pm.  At this meeting, we plan to present the Phase IV Remedy Implementation Plan to the community.  This plan will speak to the specific construction design aspects of the currently proposed remediation effort.

On March 27, 2012, the Town of Medfield requested a 20-day extension to the public comment period of Draft Final Phase II Comprehensive Site Assessment and Draft Final Phase III Alternative Analysis MCP Documents.  These documents were provided to the Town on March 15, 2012 (presented on March 22, 2012).  We have considered the Town’s request.

Please be advised that we will grant the Town the requested 20-day extension request; however, we will file the various permit applications simultaneously with the circulation of the Phase IV and the requested PIP extension.  Those permit proceedings would run on a parallel track with the Phase IV PIP Comment period.  If  those Phase IV comments warrant revisions to the permit applications, those revisions can be made for each application as needed.  All permit proceedings would still be open beyond the Phase IV comment deadline.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments regarding the above matter.

Sandra

Sandra R. Duran

Director of Building Maintenance and Operations

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Division of Capital Asset Management

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Posted in Medfield State Hospital

Weekly Political Report – Week Ending March 30, 2012

Posted on April 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Weekly Political Report – Week Ending March 30, 2012

The Weekly Political Report is prepared by a political consulting group, Rasky/Baerlein, and shared with me by John Nunnari.

Patrick Administration Outlines Review of State Tax Breaks

Secretary of Administration and Finance, Jay Gonzalez, presented a proposal to the Tax Expenditure Commission on Tuesday that called for tax credits, such as the sales tax exemption on food and clothing, to be assessed every 10 years. Gonzalez recommended that the historic rehabilitation credit, the life science credit, the low-income housing credit, the Economic Development Incentive Program, certified housing development credits, dairy farmer tax credits, and donated land credits be subjected to review and renewal every five years. Any recommendations made by the commission pertaining to sunset provisions would have to be adopted by the Legislature. The Tax Expenditure Commission is due to issue a report with recommendations for how to manage the state’s unequal tax expenditure programs by the end of April.

 

Senate Postpones Debate on Energy Bill

The Senate began debate on a major energy bill on Thursday. After taking action on a number of amendments, the Senate agreed to postpone further consideration of the energy bill until next Thursday. The proposed amendments to the energy bill that are being debated include doubling the cap on net metering that would allow homeowners, businesses and government agencies to sell additional excess power generated from on-site solar, wind or other renewable energy sources back to the grid at retail cost. The bill will also more than double the amount of renewable energy utility companies will be required to purchase through long-term, competitively bid contracts. Supporters of the bill say it will inject a dose of competition into ramped up state efforts to force utilities to help grow the renewable energy industry and jobs within that sector. Senator Downing (D-Pittsfield), co-chair of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, said some members wanted to take their time on pieces of the bill, particularly how rate review cases are handled by the Department of Public Utilities, net metering, and the central procurement by the state of renewable energy in cases of shortages.

 

MBTA Fare Hike First Step in Transportation Finance Plan

State leaders took a first step this week in addressing the state’s transportation finance needs. The State’s Transportation Finance Commission has estimated an unmet transportation financing cost of $1 billion dollars per year. Governor Deval Patrick endorsed the MBTA’s fare increase of 23% on Wednesday and has committed to working with legislative leaders on a comprehensive transportation financing package. House Speaker Robert DeLeo said that a discussion of a larger transportation financing package will be one of the first issues the Legislature addresses in the next session.

 

 

John Nunnari, Assoc AIA

Executive Director, AIA MA

617-951-1433 x263

617-951-0845 (fax)

 

MA Chapter of American Institute of Architects

290 Congress Street, Suite 200, Boston MA 02110

http://www.architects.org

 

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Posted in Weekly Mass Political Summaries

Mediation team for MSH clean up

Posted on April 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Mediation team for MSH clean up

At Friday afternoon’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen, the team to mediate with DCAM over the clean up of the Medfield State Hospital site was selected.  That mediation team will consist of the following individuals:

  • John Thompson, SHERC chair
  • Peg Stolfa (the town’s new attorney for environmental issues)
  • Bill Massaro, PIP member and active resident
  • Kristine Triereweiler, Assistant Town Administrator
  • Andrea Stiller, an LSP and town consultant on the clean up
  • Ann Thompson, the Board of Selectmen representative as its chair

DCAM announced a willingness to mediate the clean up issues at its March 22 meeting, and the town has elected to engage in that mediation.

I asked that the Board of Selectmen get our new environmental attorney’s opinion as soon as possible on our ultimate legal rights, so we know how much legal leverage the town actually possesses if it opts to exercise those rights.

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Posted in Environmental, Medfield State Hospital

Medfield State Hospital purchase

Posted on April 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Medfield State Hospital purchase

The Board of Selectmen met in executive session, at the request of Ann Thompson last Friday afternoon, to discuss the possible town purchase of the Medfield State Hospital site.  Ann’s question for the board was, given how complicated it will be for the town to buy the Medfield State Hospital site from the state, did the town really want to proceed to even consider its purchase.  Mark and I both agreed that the town needs a lot more information to make that decision, and at the moment that we have little salient information on which to base the decision, so the town needs to first gather the all the data and then to make a reasoned decision based upon all the facts whether it makes sense for the town to buy the property.

DCAM has promised the town copies of the materials they used for similar sales of state lands to other towns.  The Board of Selectmen members and town administrators will seek counsel from those with expertise in the redevelopment of similar large, complex sites.   If any one in town has that sort of expertise, please let us know.

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Posted in Medfield State Hospital

Truck route for MSH Clark Building demo

Posted on April 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Truck route for MSH Clark Building demo

I just contacted DCAM at the request of a Hospital Road neighbor, who noted that the trucks related to the demolition of the Clark Building no longer appear to be routed directly out to Route 27, and instead seemed to be set to go through the residential neighborhoods.   At the request of the alert Tracey Hogan, I have asked DCAM to have the trucks instead use the direct route from and to Rte 27.

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Posted in Medfield State Hospital

Jazz up your day on Saturday, April 7

Posted on April 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Jazz up your day on Saturday, April 7

Notice of this really creative and fun event, from the Medfield Music Association –

As part of the “Dollars for Duke” campaign to send the Medfield High School Jazz Band to the Essentially Ellington competition at Lincoln Center, May 4 to 6, Jazz Band members will be taking part in “Jazz ‘Round Town” on Saturday, April 7.

Members of the band will be giving public performances at various locations around Medfield on April 7, kicking off with a 9:30 to 11 a.m. performance at Blue Moon. They will also be playing in front of Needham Bank from 10 to 11:30 a.m., and at Lovell’s from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The last performance of the day will be at the Gazebo from Noon to 1:30 p.m. All performances are rain or shine.

In keeping with the campaign theme, Jazz Band members will be using top hats to collect both cash and check donations at each “Jazz ‘Round Town” site. (Checks should be made payable to Medfield Music Association.)

To date, the association’s “Dollars for Duke” campaign has raised more than $3,000 toward its $12,000 goal to cover the Jazz Band’s trip to the Essentially Ellington competition. (The estimated cost of the trip has increased due to the need for an additional day of lodging and travel.)

In addition to the funds raised for Essentially Ellington through the “Dollars for Duke” campaign, a portion of the proceeds from corporate sponsorships for the annual Jazz Night at Medfield High School on May 30 will also help to fund the trip.

The Medfield High School Jazz Band is only one of 15 high school bands chosen from across the U.S. and Canada to compete in Essentially Ellington, judged by jazz great Wynton Marsalis.

This is the second major competition for the jazz band in just a matter of months. It also earned a spot in the Charles Mingus High School Competition in New York in February, with senior Paul Wagenseller taking home an outstanding soloist award.

Donation checks for the jazz band can also be mailed to Medfield Music Association, P.O. Box 115, Medfield, MA 02052. “Dollars for Duke” should be noted on the check.

For more information about “Dollars for Duke” and the Medfield Music Association, go to www.medfieldmusicassociation.com.

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Posted in Entertainment