Monthly Archives: January 2013

Volunteer fun

Posted on January 8, 2013 | Comments Off on Volunteer fun

Nominate an extraordinary Medfield volunteer now, and then join the fun at the Medfield Foundation reception at The Center at 4:00 PM on March 10 to personally fete your nominee before your fellow residents, and to the whole world (Medfield TV both broadcasts the reception locally, but also puts it onto the Internet).  The reception is sponsored through the generosity of the Rockland Trust Charitable Foundation.

See the past nominees and the all fun in the Patch articles from 2011 and 2012 (84 great photographs by Colleen Sullivan in 2012).

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Posted in Uncategorized

Nominate Volunteers Now

Posted on January 8, 2013 | Comments Off on Nominate Volunteers Now

Medfield Foundation Opens
Nominations for 2013 Volunteer Awards

Do you know someone in Medfield who dedicates countless time and energy to a worthy community cause or initiative?  If so, now is your chance to nominate him or her for a Medfield Foundation volunteer award – the adult, the youth, or the lifetime achievement awards.

This year’s nomination form, due January 25, 2013, seeks to capture information about the volunteer’s work in specific areas, including:

•    Action     What does the nominee actually do in his/her capacity as a volunteer?
•    Need         What community need(s) does the nominee address?
•    Impact     How is nominee’s volunteer work making a difference?
•    Inspiration     What makes the nominee unique or special?

Anyone interested in submitting a nomination for one of the 2013 Medfield Foundation volunteer awards can download the official form from http://www.medfieldfoundation.org. Completed forms should be e-mailed as attachments to MFiVolunteerAward@gmail.com no later than January 25.

The  MFi’s 2013 volunteer recognition reception will be held from 4 – 6 PM on Sunday, March 10 at The Center, and all are invited.

In 2012, Bill Massaro received the Volunteer of the Year award, Jane Garofalo received the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, and John Harney was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.   Massaro, Garofalo, and Harney, along with all those nominated were honored with official proclamations presented by MFi president, Stephen Phillips.  More than twenty Medfield residents received recognition for their volunteer efforts at last spring’s reception.

The Medfield Foundation, Inc. is a volunteer-run private nonprofit, tax deductible 501(c)(3) corporation created in 2001 to raises private monies for public purposes in the Town of Medfield, which allows donors to designate their donations for particular purposes.  The Medfield Foundation allows motivated groups to fund raise for Medfield purposes as part of the MFi.  To date, the Medfield Foundation has raised over $1,400,000.00 for the Town of Medfield.

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Posted in Medfield Foundation, Volunteers

Lord’s site future

Posted on January 8, 2013 | 3 comments

The new owner of the Lord’s site reportedly told town officials, while the deal to buy the Lord’s site was still in the works, that

  1. they had no actual new tenant(s) lined up for the site,
  2. they were thinking of wrapping the building’s exterior façade in brick so as to match and continue the brick fronts of the adjoining buildings right on around the corner onto South Street, and
  3. they were thinking of dividing the space to make three separate stores.

3 Comments

Posted in Downtown

MMA annual meeting schedule

Posted on January 7, 2013 | Comments Off on MMA annual meeting schedule
This is the schedule for the Massachusetts Municipal Association’s upcoming annual meeting, which I will be attending 1/25 and 1/26.  I always get lots of good new ideas from meeting with my fellow municipal officials.  After all, we are all dealing with the same basic issues, and yet some have tried new and different approaches.  Let me know if there is something listed that you feel I should not miss.
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MMA Annual Meeting & Trade Show

All events are held at the Hynes Convention Center and the Sheraton Boston Hotel.

 

Thursday, January 24, 2013
Noon-4 p.m. MIIA Board of Directors Meeting Sheraton, Riverway Room, 5th floor
3-5:45 p.m. Conference Registration Hynes, Hall C foyer, 2nd floor

Friday, January 25, 2013
8 a.m.-5 p.m Conference Registration Hynes, Hall C foyer, 2nd floor
9:30-11 a.m. Opening Session
Keynote Speaker: Neal Petersen		 Hynes, Ballroom A
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Municipal Trade Show Hynes, Hall C & Auditorium
Noon-1:30 p.m. WEMO Luncheon (preregistration required)
Speaker: U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz		 Hynes, Ballroom C, 3rd floor
2-3:30 p.m. CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS – Friday, 1st session
• A Visitor’s Code of Conduct
• Cultivating Development: Strategies and Tools to Leverage Economic Assets
• Housing That Works: The Importance of Housing in Economic Competitiveness
• Local Government and the Medical Marijuana Law
• Making the Switch to Retirement: A Primer on Pensions
• Massachusetts Health Care Reform, Phase II: Controlling Costs
• Municipal Human Services: Helping All Ages Together
• Municipal Law Update
• Open Meeting Law Update
• State and Local Economic and Budget Outlook		 Hynes, 2nd floor meeting rooms
3:45-5:15 p.m. CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS – Friday, 2nd session
• Clean Energy Projects: Getting to Yes
• Disaster Recovery Part II: A Comprehensive Catastrophe Response Plan
• Labor Law Update
• Lighten Up! An Overview of New Regulations for Electronic Billboards
• Looking for Answers on Unfunded Mandates
• Navigating Sustainable Water Management Regulations
• Procurement and Public Construction Law Update
• Seeking a Career in Municipal Management? Getting In and Staying In
• The Municipal Unemployment Insurance System: What You Need to Know
• Your Community’s Credit and Bond Rating		 Hynes, 2nd floor meeting rooms
6-7 p.m. Trade Show Reception Sheraton, Constitution Ballroom foyer, 2nd floor
7:15-9 p.m. Banquet Dinner, MMA President’s Address
Special guest: Tom Rush
(Preregistration required)		 Sheraton, Grand Ballroom, 2nd floor

Saturday, January 26, 2013
8 a.m.-3:30 p.m Conference Registration Hynes, Hall C foyer, 2nd floor
7:30-8:45 a.m. Member Associations Breakfast Hynes, Ballroom B, 3rd floor
BUSINESS MEETINGS FOR MEMBER ASSOCIATIONS
8:30-10 a.m. • Massachusetts Municipal Councillors’ Association Hynes, room 313
8:30-10 a.m. • Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association Hynes, Ballroom C, 3rd floor
8:30-10 a.m. • Massachusetts Mayors’ Association Hynes, room 300
8:30-10 a.m. • Massachusetts Municipal Management Association Hynes, room 309
10 a.m.-2 p.m. Municipal Trade Show

 Hynes, Hall C & Auditorium
10:15-11:50 a.m. MMA Annual Business Meeting Hynes, Ballroom A, 3rd floor
11:50 a.m.-noon MMA Board of Directors Meeting: Election of Officers Hynes, Ballroom A, 3rd floor
noon-1:45 p.m. MIIA Luncheon and Business Meeting (by reservation only) Hynes, Ballroom B, 3rd floor
2-3:30 p.m. EMERGING ISSUES FORUMS
• Modernizing Public Employee Benefits in Massachusetts
• Moving Toward a Sustainable Transportation System
• Finding a New Normal in Local, State and Federal Relations		 Hynes, 2nd floor meeting rooms
4-5:15 p.m. Closing Session
Keynote speaker: Mara Liasson		 Hynes, Ballroom A, 3rd floor
6-6:30 p.m. Presentation of Innovation and Town Report Awards Sheraton, Independence Ballroom
6:30-7:30 p.m. President’s Reception Sheraton, Constitution Ballroom foyer
7:30-9:30 p.m. Annual Banquet (preregistration required)
Entertainment: TBA		 Sheraton, Grand Ballroom

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Posted in Massachusetts Municipal Association

COA respite grant continued

Posted on January 7, 2013 | Comments Off on COA respite grant continued

Roberta Lynch tells me that the Council on Aging’s grant from the Metrowest Health Foundation to provide respite care at The Center has been extended for another year.  Roberta said that the Metrowest Health Foundation expects them to get their census up over the next year.  The hope is that the program will become self-financed once the census increases.

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Posted in Council on Aging

Municipal finance school

Posted on January 7, 2013 | Comments Off on Municipal finance school

Last Saturday morning, for about three hours, Mike Sullivan ran his annual municipal finance program for the Warrant Committee members, the Moderator, and this selectman.  Mike called it his “municipal finance 101” course.  Here are part of his materials.

This must be at least the third time that I have attended, but I find that I learn something new every time, so it is well worth the time.  Kudos to Nick Athanasiadis, who was there, honoring his pledge to continue to be involved, as well as other new Warrant Committee members Tom Marie and Mike Marcucci.  Existing Warrant Committee member Joanna Hilvert and Greg Sullivan were also there, along with Scott McDermott.

My biggest issues from Saturday’s session –

  • there are some town held endowment monies that are not covered by arbitrage rules against making money, and I think the town should decide whether it wold like to see those more actively managed
  • to more actively manage those town monies, I think it makes sense to make the Trust Fund Commissioners be appointed, instead of elected, as they are currently, so we could perhaps get some money managers who live in town to help out (ie. it is generally complicated enough to run for office, that we cannot expect volunteers to do so)
  • the school budget totals 65% of our total town budget of $52 m., when one adds in the costs the town pays for the schools, mainly the health insurance for the teachers

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Posted in Budgets, On being a selectman

Business of Medfield is homes

Posted on January 7, 2013 | 2 comments

Yesterday, on my way to Shaw’s for the weekly groceries, I made what was for me a long postponed first visit to an open house at Olde Medfield Square, and learned several surprising things.

20130107-Olde Medfield Square-picture

  • it is comprised of 42 customized and all different condo units of 2-3,000 sq. ft. each, on a total of under 7 acres, each selling for upwards of $1 m.
  • 2 school children total live in the 25-27 homes that have been sold – one of whom just moved in and the other will graduate come June (so, basically, one school child)
  • property taxes to the town will run $600,000+ per year, making it a major revenue generator, profit center for Medfield
  • no architect was used, instead Ralph Costello, the developer, Sharon Bartelloni, his Marketing Director, and their staff just work out each unit on their own, saving about $25,000 per unit per Ralph
  • they have copyrighted each design, so they can easily replicate the homes
  • they have had requests form municipal officials in other towns, asking them to replicate the whole project in their towns
  • original plans to construct four large five unit buildings along Rte. 27 were altered when they learned people preferred the detached, but closely situated units
  • this density is allowed, as of right, in our RU zone in the downtown.
  • I really like the look from having the garages in the rear
  • while the units are close together, one can see that the fenestration is planned mainly on only one side of each unit, so that adjoining units  do not have the feel of looking into one another’s homes

Lessons for Medfield:  The business of Medfield can be providing the housing that draws people to town, as it is not just the schools that draw people to town.  Given Medfeld’s distance from major highways, it will always be a hard sell to get large businesses and retail to locate in Medfield, so we cannot count on expanding our tax base in reliance on those fronts.  Therefore, the town will be better served in the long run if it actively promotes more of the type of housing, such as Olde Medfield Square, that requires few municipal services.  Such projects will balance our existing single family housing stock which attracts the high numbers of school children.

Ten years ago, as a new selectman attending a seminar on municipal issues sponsored by the Attorney General, I heard the former town planner for Lexington say that his studies in Lexington discovered that it averaged 1.5 school children per single family detached house, but only 0.15 school children per unit in attached housing.  He recommended to us was building housing to increase our tax base, but the “right” type of housing.

The Olde Medfield Square example shows us that it it not just attached units that have fewer school children, it is also the densely packed detached units without yards large enough for a swing set.  In addition to having dramatic curb appeal and providing a different housing option, these homes are a real fiscal win for the town.

2 Comments

Posted in Budgets, Development, Downtown, Planning, Town Services, Zoning

Lord’€™s t-shirt benefits Bill Kelly scholarship

Posted on January 7, 2013 | Comments Off on Lord’€™s t-shirt benefits Bill Kelly scholarship

This from Cris McCue Potts –

Lord’€™s t-shirt benefits Bill Kelly scholarship

In response to customer requests for a Lord’€™s souvenir after it was announced the store would be closing at the end of February, Nancy Kelly-Lavin is now taking pre-orders for a first-ever Lord’€™s t-shirt with 100 percent of the profits going to a scholarship fund in the name of her father and long-time Lord’s owner Bill Kelly, “€œwho is still the heart and soul” of Lord’€™s after passing away last spring, said his daughter.

“€œIt seemed the moment the word got out about the store closing, I’€™ve had a flood of requests from people coming into the store looking for souvenirs,”€ said Kelly-Lavin.   “€œI hope by creating and selling t-shirts, and directing the profits toward a scholarship fund to benefit the Medfield community and pay tribute to my dad, we can bring a little bit of comfort to people who are sad to see the Lord’s legacy coming to an end.”

It will take about a week for the shirts to arrive, so Lord’€™s is taking pre-orders (and flat donations to the Bill Kelly scholarship fund) at the front counter. Youth shirts are $10 each for medium to extra large; adult medium to XL shirts are $15 each; and XXL shirts are $18. Shirts will be short sleeved, grey, with the trademark red Lord’€™s logo prominently displayed.

One of the store’€™s sales staff noted that the Lord’€™s owners have never been a fan of self-promotion, so other than a postcard featuring the store’€™s neon sign, it has shied away from selling merchandise that touts the store’€™s name. The Lord’€™s t-shirt will mark the first time in its 73-year history that the store will sell an apparel item featuring its own name.

Lord’€™s Department Store will close Feb. 28.

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Posted in Charity, Downtown

Eagle Scouts CoH

Posted on January 6, 2013 | Comments Off on Eagle Scouts CoH

Andrew Sullivan and John Powers becoming Eagle Scouts Sunday afternoon, with their families.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Selectman office hours

Posted on January 4, 2013 | Comments Off on Selectman office hours

Issues discussed and ideas generated at my first selectman office hours:

  • Install solar photvoltaic panels on the roof of The Center.  Roberta Lynch indicated that she was in favor of getting more information.
  • The concrete crushing facility a the end of Adams Street is seeking to move to a West Mill Street location – the old Varney Concrete site.  John Santucci operates the concrete crushing facility at his father’s property on Adams Street, and is looking to permit it at the new site, which he would share with  Mike Lueders, who needs space to store his Brook street company’s fleet of landscaping and tree care vehicles.
  • Council on Aging has a capital budget request in for a new van this year.
  • Pay raise for the Council on Aging’s director.

I had a great time, good conversations, plus had coffee and a raspberry croissant and took a Tai Chi class.

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Posted in Council on Aging, Energy Committee, On being a selectman