Monthly Archives: September 2014

Youth Outreach position also open

The Medfield Youth Outreach office is seeking an MSW to fill an open position caused when Liz Loveless recently went to Needham.

MPRC seeks employee

The Park and Rec is looking to fill a FT/Temporary Administrative Assistant position in the Park and Rec Office. Position will need to be filled from 10/8/14 until at least 12/1/14. Hours are 8:30 to 4:30.  If you know of anyone that would be interested please have them contact me. The position has the potential to run through 12/31/14 but I don’t anticipate it running longer than that.

Kristine Trierweiler

Assistant Town Administrator

Town of Medfield

459 Main Street

Medfield, MA 02052

508 906 3011 (p)

508 359 6182 (f)

Dukakis Center’s 15th anniversary celebration

The Dukakis Center at Northeastern University held its 15th anniversary by inviting municipal officials to a dinner event with lots of information provided about what they are doing.  I picked up lots of information to use with the redevelopment of the Medfield State Hospital.

The Governor, Senator Markey, Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Murray, and many more.

Dover cell tower postponed to 11/19/14

This today from the Chair of the Dover ZBA –


Cell Tower Junction Street, Dover, MA

1 Attachment Download

DOVER ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, NOTICE OF FURTHER RESCHEDULING OF HEARING AND SITE WALK

CELL TOWER 64 JUNCTION STREET DOVER,MA

 

 

At the request of the Applicant(SEE ATTACHED), the Site Walk, which had been rescheduled to October 8, 2014, at 6:00PM at the entrance to the property adjacent to 24 Evergreen Street in Medfield, and the adjourned Hearing, which had been rescheduled to October 8,, 2014, at 6:00PM at the Dover Town House, ARE BEING RESCHEDULED AGAIN.

 

The  new Site Walk and Hearing dates, places and times are :

 

(a) the Site Walk has been postponed indefinitely and may be rescheduled as determined in a continued hearing; and

 

(b)  Wednesday, November 19, 2014, at 7:00 PM, at the Dover Town House for the continued Hearing.

 

 

Notice of the revised schedule will be posted at Dover Town House and on the Dover Town Webpage and at the entrance to the lower hearing room at the Dover Town House where the original hearing was opened.

 

 

IN SUMMARY, THE REVISED SCHEDULE IS:

 

Site Walk –   has been postponed indefinitely; and

 

Adjourned Hearing – has been continued until Wednesday, November 19, 2014, at 7:00 PM, at the Dover Town House.

 

 

Gary P. Lilienthal
Two Seaport Lane, 9th Floor
Boston, MA 02210
617-790-3360

MFi volunteer nominations open

Logo_Small_RGB

MEDFIELD FOUNDATION OPENS NOMINATIONS
FOR VOLUNTEER AWARDS

Do you know someone in Medfield who volunteers countless time and energy to a worthy community cause or initiative?  If so, now is your chance to recognize that person as part of the Medfield Foundation volunteer awards.

Anyone interested in submitting a nomination for one of the 2015 Medfield Foundation volunteer awards can download the form at www.MedfieldFoundation.org.  Completed forms should be e-mailed to MfiVolunteerAward@gmail.com no later than January 31.

The  MFi’s 2015 volunteer recognition reception is scheduled for 3 -5 PM on Sunday, March 23.

Thompson, John  RGB-croppedJohn Thompson was the 2014 Volunteer of the Year for his work with the Medfield State Hospital Mediation Committee, and also for the State Hospital Environmental Review Committee, Medfield Archeology Advisory Committee, Medfield Conservation Commission, Friends of the Dwight Derby House, and Vine Lake Preservation Trust.

Andrea Nevins-2
Andrea Nevins was the 2014 Youth Volunteer of the Year for her work initiating the Miss Amazing Massachusetts event, and for volunteering with the Medfield High School Student Council, Project 351 Alumni Leadership Council, Boston Cares Teen Advisory Council, Best Buddies, Special Olympics, and as a Adaptive skiing volunteer instructor.

Andy Thompson
Andy Thompson received the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with Little League, Soccer, Lacrosse, Ice Hockey, Boy Scouts, Medfield Park & Recreation Commission, operating the football scoreboard for 47 years, Medfield Physical Fitness Association for 48 years, The Center, the American Legion, and MPRC activities on Medfield Day.

Ten Medfield volunteers received recognition 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.  The MFi allows donors to designate their donations for particular purposes.  The MFi also allows motivated groups to raise monies for Medfield purposes under the rubric of the Medfield Foundation.  To date, the MFi has raised over $1,500,000.00 for the Town of Medfield and celebrated over one hundred volunteers.

State grant website

The state has a new website that lists all state grants

http://www.mass.gov/anf/budget-taxes-and-procurement/grants/

BoS agenda for 9/23

Tuesday September 23, 2014@ 7:00 PM

AGENDA (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

7:00 PM Superintendent Feeney and Cemetery Commissioners
Discuss cemetery regulations

7: 15 PM Selectman DeSorgher wishes to discuss Pine Street widening with
Superintendent Feeney and Police Chief Meaney

7:30 PM Medfield Energy Committee, Marie Zack Nolan Chair
Update on committee projects

ACTION

Vote to award Joint Salt Bid as recommended by Superintendent Feeney
Boy Scout Troop 89 requests permission to post a sign at the Transfer Station announcing their annual Christmas Tree Pick-up and Recycling Program, in its 19 year

PENDING

Vote to sign water tower contracts

Discuss Sudbury Senior Tax Program

Other business that may arise


Town of Medfield
TO: Board of Selectmen
FROM: Kenneth P. Feeney, Supt. ,-l1JF
DATE: September 17, 2014
SUBJECT: JOINT PURCHASE OF SALT 2014-2015 BID RESULTS
It is my recommendation that the following bid be awarded according to the
low bid prices and the Town of Medfield specifications:

Joint Salt Bid

  • Morton Salt    cc    $59.98
  • Eastern Minerals   Solar   $63.00

State grant website

Per the DLS of the DOR, in its newsletter, Massachusetts has launched a website that lists all state grants that are available.


New One-Stop-Shop Web Portal for Municipal Grants Now Available
Executive Office of Administration and Finance

The Patrick Administration has recently unveiled a new web portal for cities and towns to easily identify grant opportunities that could benefit their communities.

The Municipal Grant Finder is a one-stop-web shop for local officials and residents to learn about grant opportunities across state government, regardless of which state agency manages a grant program. This tool represents the latest of the Patrick Administration’s initiatives to help local officials deliver core services to residents and businesses effectively and efficiently.

The web portal will highlight what resources exist and where to find them, as management of these grants and resources is decentralized among a multitude of state government agencies. The Municipal Grant Finder will now help them navigate state government, by succinctly profiling more than 60 funding and support opportunities for cities and towns.

To use the Municipal Grant Finder, a local official simply selects the appropriate category and is presented with a list of available resources. The user is then connected to detailed information about the grant, the available funding, how to apply and contact information. Local officials no longer need to know which of the Commonwealth’s many state agencies manage a specific grant program. With a few clicks, the Municipal Grant Finder can help a local official identify:

  • Training to enhance local public safety responses to complex emergencies
    .
  • Resources to rehabilitate abandoned and vacant property in a community
    .
  • Funding to reduce the municipal solid waste and household hazardous waste in the general waste disposal stream
    .
  • A program to support residents transitioning from renting to purchasing a home for the first time
    .
  • Funding for renovations to a local library
    .
  • Financial support to mitigate the cost of adding a local transit station
    .
  • A grant to convert an old railway line to a scenic recreation trail

Working together, the Patrick Administration and the Commonwealth’s municipalities have already achieved real, meaningful savings and structural changes to keep costs down so municipalities can make the necessary investments in community services that keep them thriving. Municipal health care reform is providing significant and immediate savings to cities and towns and 257 communities and school districts across the Commonwealth have already collectively saved more than $247 million in health insurance premiums over the past three years as a result of the landmark municipal health care reform law signed by Governor Deval Patrick in July 2011.

Including Municipal Health Care reform, the Patrick Administration has provided cities and towns with the tools to realize $3.78 billion in savings, revenue and investments through new local option taxes, increased capital investments and pension reforms.  Communities are also achieving savings through innovations achieved through the Community Innovation Challenge Grant and municipal performance management programs.

To utilize this new tool, click here.

The Pianos Are Coming! The Pianos Are Coming!

Calling all piano players!  This today from cultural instigator Jean Mineo –


 

Hello,

An update – the two pianos are due to arrive in the two parks tomorrow afternoon, Friday Sept. 19. I’ll be there for the installations and hope you’ll come check them out and help spread the word inviting people to play. My home and cell phone are below if needed (not for public distribution, please), I’ll be around on Medfield Day to keep an eye on them. Starbucks and Larkins have agreed to help un/cover the piano in the Straw Hat Park daily, and the library and Zullo will do the same for the one in the gazebo. I welcome any and all “eyes” on them during their stay, they will be going to new homes at the end of the project during the weekend of Oct. 4 – 5. If you get to enjoy an impromptu performance during lunch or a break, please post phone photos on the Facebook page!

Thanks everyone, for your support on this exciting project!

Jean

H 508-242-9991

C 617-877-5158

 

Pianos In the Parks

(Medfield, MA): The Medfield Cultural Council is pleased to bring two pianos to two parks in the Medfield Cultural District for public play for two weeks beginning Sept. 19. The pianos are located in the Straw Hat Park and under the gazebo. They have been generously donated by two local families and will be covered overnight and in the event of inclement weather. They are available for anyone to play otherwise.

 

“The idea is based on the wildly popular Play Me I’m Yours project that installed 75 pianos in Boston and Cambridge last year,” says Cultural Council member Jean Mineo. “I was lucky enough to experience several impromptu performances and each one was amazing. This past summer, I heard local musician Tom Duprey playing outside on the Zullo roof deck one afternoon and thought we could do something similar here.” The Council encourages families, friends and others to share their talents either solo or in ensembles in these unusual venues. “Lots of people can play,” said Mineo, “we hope to entice them to play in public a little bit.” The pianos will be available through Oct. 4.
The Council invites everyone to post their photos and share stories and videos of performances on its facebook page: www.facebook.com/MedfieldCulturalCouncil. For more information about the Cultural Council, visit www.MedfieldCulture.org.

 

“This program is supported in part by a grant from the Medfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.”

 


 

BoS news

At the board of selectmen meeting last evening there were several important announcements and pieces of information:

  • Jim Snyder, director of Medfield Parks and Recreation Commission, has submitted his resignation, effective September 30. Jim has accepted a job as the assistant recreation director for the town of Framingham.I spoke with Jim this morning to thank him for his 16 years of service to the town of Medfield in which he greatly improved and enlarged upon the offerings by the Medfield Park and Rec Commission and I can report that he is looking forward to his new job in Framingham, despite having a slightly longer commute.
  • Ken Feeney, Superintendent of Public Works announced his retirement effective next year. The specific date was not stated.
  • Members of the Permanent Building Committee presented status updates on both the new Highway Garage and the proposed Public Safety Building.
  • The garage is reported to be 95 to 98% completed and about $750,000 under the $11.1 million budget.  Mike Quinlan, committee co-chair, has been in charge of the garage project for the committee, and he handled the reporting.  He stated that their current goal is to get the DPW in before the snow flies.
  • John Nunnari, the other committee co-chair, in charge of the Public Safety Building, handed out budgets and Gantt charts with timelines indicating that the total cost of the 40,900 sq. ft.  Public Safety Building will be $20,350,000, about $450/sq. ft. The committee has approved design documents as of June 6, 2014. The value engineering process resulted in the committee accepting about 56% of the $1.3 million of suggestions for value engineering changes. The schedule has the bidding getting started at year-end, approval at a special town meeting on March 23, 2015, an override vote at the annual town election on March 30, 2015, and construction, if the project is approved by the town, starting April 1, 2015 and finishing around December 9, 2016. During construction the Fire Department would be relocated into the new Highway Garage and the Police Department would have temporary quarters in the Comark building on West Street.
  • It was announced at the meeting that the Larkin Brothers, real estate developers, who are currently building a 10 unit townhouse condominium on North Street, and have just finished a four unit development on Harding Street at the intersection with West Mill Street, have agreed to donate $15,000 towards the construction of Straw hat Park.  Construction figures for the park have so far been estimated at around $80,000.
  • Look for the two pianos to be located at Straw Hat Park and the Gazebo starting this weekend and staying for several weeks.
  • Mike Sullivan opined that the town will have to build a parking deck on top of the municipal parking lot behind the Ord’s Block due to the high demand for parking in the downtown with the opening of Brothers Marketplace and the other new development in the immediate area. The new development of the Ord’s Block would have required 53 parking spaces for the various proposed building uses (plans showed four retail establishments on the first floor, three offices on the second floor, and three apartments on the top floor) whereas the site actually has very few spaces on-site. A zoning bylaw permits the ZBA to exempt new uses from the parking requirements for businesses located in the downtown business district.  I suggest that in the future the town seek contributions from developers towards a parking fund when their developments do not provide sufficient parking, so that the town can accumulate monies to then later provide such needed parking.
  • Cities and towns got extra monies from the state this year to cover the cost of road repairs due to the extremely harsh winter.  Mike Sullivan reported that Medfield got $59,000 of such extra monies, which are being put towards the repaving of Route 27 that is currently ongoing.