On being a selectman

No summer hiatus, slow down at the end of August this year –

• Tuesday evening with the Bylaw and Charter Review Committee, as they work through the General Code suggested codification of the town charter, bylaws, and zoning bylaws.  Most town departments and boards did submit their rules and regulations, to be added as an appendix.  Questions raised as to how the material will be maintained in the future once the Bylaw and Charter Review Committee completes its work and disbands.
• Medfield State Hospital Advisory Committee meeting last night, with lots to report on the Medfield State Hospital wellfield & water tower legislation, the public visioning session, and the building condition survey.  Ironically, this member and Bill Massaro of the negotiating committee had to leave when they went into executive session to discuss the negotiations with DCAMM scheduled for this evening.  Bill and I had our own discussion in the parking lot of what to do, before heading home for the second night in a row of a dinner after 9PM (being a selectman has accustomed me to eating really late dinners, but I still continue to get overwhelmed when leaving the town house late, tired and hungry, by the smells wafting from Zebra’s kitchen).
• Tonight I meet with DCAMM to discuss their offer to sell the Medfield State Hospital property to the town.  See what Westboro is doing under the same state program/initiative about buying the Westboro State Hospital for $2.2 m. in this article.  SEE THE ARTICLE
• The town has received the mandatory notice of its right of first refusal to buy 20+ acres of land that were in agricultural tax status.  The property owner placed the land into the agricultural status, in exchange for which they pay lower property taxes, but by the statute are then required to give the town the right of first refusal when they go to sell it.  The town now has 120 days to buy the land if it opts to do so.