Monthly Archives: June 2012

ANNUAL BUDGET CONFEREES NAMED

Posted on June 5, 2012 | Comments Off on ANNUAL BUDGET CONFEREES NAMED

Per email from John Nunnari –

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The crew of negotiators that will decide how the state spends about $32.4 billion over the next 12 months has been fully assembled. The House last week named Reps. Brian Dempsey (D-Haverhill), Stephen Kulik (D-Worthington) and Viriato DeMacedo (R-Plymouth) as its budget negotiators and the Senate on Monday appointed Sens. Stephen Brewer (D-Barre), Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) and Michael Knapik (R-Westfield). The six-member conference committee has less than four weeks to agree on a final budget and settle myriad policy and spending differences between the House and Senate budget bills (S 2275 and H 4101). The new fiscal year begins on July 1. Conference committees may hold open or closed meetings, with most opting in recent years for closed deliberations.

** These are the folks that will determine whether Sen. Timilty’s amendment re: the state hospital will be part of the budget that goes to the governor or not.

 

John

John Nunnari, Assoc AIA

Executive Director, AIA MA

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Posted in Budgets, Medfield State Hospital

On being a selectman

Posted on June 5, 2012 | 1 comment

1 – I have learned as a selectman that I acquire lots of specialized knowledge on how town governments budget and operate in Massachusetts.  As a result, I got to thinking that it might make sense for the Town of Medfield to tap into that specialized knowledge that is shared by its former selectmen, all of whom have gone thorough a similar process of being educated about how to run a town in Massachusetts.  So, I began to ask our former selectmen, when I came across them, if they would be willing to serve the town as part of an ad hoc advisory committee, and they have indicated that they would.

I could imagine such an advisory body opining on such current topics as

  • the future of the Medfield State Hospital (to purchase or not to purchase),
  • how the town should deal with the affordable housing issues,
  • land acquisitions, and
  • how to deal with the financial budgetary pinch that is unique to Medfield.

I will bring the issue up to my colleagues on the Board of Selectmen this evening.

2 – I attended the installation of the new officers at the Legion on Friday evening.  An impressive event, run by an impressive group of individuals.

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Posted in On being a selectman

Hearing on the DPW garage this Thursday

Posted on June 5, 2012 | 1 comment

Mike Quinlan of the Permanent Building Committee has posted the following notice about that committee’s public hearing –
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Public hearing RE: Medfield Public Works project. Thursday, June 7th at 7:30pm, Town Hall, 2nd Floor

The Town of Medfield Permanent Building Committee invites you to attend a Public Hearing regarding the potential development of a new Public Works Facility for use by the Department of Public Works. The intent of this meeting is to furnish residents with information that will be helpful when this matter comes to a vote in a special town meeting to be held this fall. It also is an opportunity to have your concerns heard and your questions answered.

The existing Public Works Facility, built in the 1970s, has been determined by the Committee to have the most pressing needs amongst all Town permanent buildings. Since its construction, the DPW has grown from 14 vehicles to 56 and the Town has grown from 115 streets to 238. Work has been ongoing for many years to develop an economical and responsible plan to address the inadequacy and potential liability of this existing facility and the Committee would like to share the result of that work with all who are interested. We welcome feedback from residents and encourage all to attend the public informational hearing to take place on Thursday June 7th, 2012 7.30pm at Town Hall on the second floor

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Posted in Budgets, Buildings, Town Services

DCAM applies for a dredge permit at MSH

Posted on June 4, 2012 | Comments Off on DCAM applies for a dredge permit at MSH

Medfield State Hospital abutters have received certified mail notice from DAM of its application for a dredge permit, as follows –

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Notification to Abutters

Pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 91, 314 CMR 9.00, notice is given of a Dredge Permit application. You are hereby notified of the following:

A. The name of the applicant is: MA Division of Capital Asset Management
John 0′ Donnell One Ashburton Place 15th Floor
Boston, MA 02108

B. The name of the owner is: same as above

C. Work will include the re-grading to stabilize banks of the Charles River and
remediation of contaminated sediment within the Charles River.

D. The address of the lot(s) where the activity is proposed: 45 Hospital Road.

E. Copies of the Dredge Permit may be examined at:

MassDEP Central Regional Office
627 Main Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01608

F. Information regarding the project may be obtained from Anthony Zerilli at Weston & Sampson, by calling (978) 532-1900 ext. 2414 between the hours of 8:00 – 5:00 on the following days of the week: Monday – Friday.

Written comments on the Chapter 91 Dredge Permit must be sent within fifteen,
(15) days of this notice to:

MassDEP Central Regional Office
627 Main Street
Worcester, Massachusetts 01608

Any group of ten persons, any aggrieved person, or any governmental body or
private organization with a mandate to protect the environment who submits
written comments may appeal the Department’s Certification and Dredge Permit.  Failure to submit written comments before the end of the public comment period may result in the waiver of any right to an adjudicatory hearing.

NoticeChpt91permit Appl 6-4-12.PDF

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Posted in Medfield State Hospital

On being a selectman

Posted on June 1, 2012 | 2 comments

Today with my lunch I reviewed the minutes of our last Board of Selectmen meeting.  A few niggling things to note and/or follow up on next Tuesday.

Mike sent me the minutes of the Building Committee’s 5/29 meeting and a 2010 report on the condition of the water tower at the Medfield State Hospital.  The water tower sounds like it is  in good shape, which is good news, as I thought that Ken had said it would need replacing soon, so I had been focused on it as a future town problem.  I recall seeing the state have it painted inside and out within the last ten years.

Bill Maassaro used me to get per pupil costs over time so he can analyze the prior 440 unit Medfield State Hospital development for the new MSH committee, and today I got those figures from Charlie Kellner, the schools business manager.  Bill emailed today with requests for information about the assessed values of the proposed buildings and the other town costs used in the DCAM proforma – good analysis by Bill.  I sent out to Bill the pupil costs and sent along Bill’s analysis and request for the other information to Mike and Kris.

Spoke to the owner of car dealerships about how he liked to arrange his buildings, to try to get some insight into the proposed new DPW garage.  The car dealer opined that he did not think it would be that much more expensive to make a building wider to allow for a center turning aisle, as it just requires a “little more steel” for the spans.  A DPW garage like Framingham’s has just one or two doors, but then needs a center aisle to drive through the building.  Our design has a square for offices with two opposing wings with many rows of bays, each with a pair of doors.   The repair shops on the car dealerships are basically big enclosures for moving vehicles through, and I notice that the new ones all seem to have few doors, so I got to wondering.  The Building Committee says it adds to much to the cost to add the center turning aisle to make it make sense, and that the site may not accommodate a building that shape in any event.

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Posted in Buildings, Medfield State Hospital, On being a selectman