STM warrant articles & ballot question re MSH purchase

Posted on February 17, 2014 | Comments Off on STM warrant articles & ballot question re MSH purchase

These are the warrant articles for the 3/10/14 special town meeting (STM) and the ballot question on whether to purchase the former Medfield State Hospital site.

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

Norfolk, SS.
TOWN OF MEDFIELD
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
WARRANT FOR MARCH 10,2014
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING

To the Constables of the Town of Medfield in said County, greetings:

In the name of the Commonwealth, you are directed to notify and warn the Inhabitants of the Town of Medfield, qualified to vote in elections and in Town affairs, to meet at the Amos Clark Kingsbury High School Gymnasium, located on South Street in said Medfield, on Monday the tenth day of March, A.D., 2014 at 7:30 o’clock P.M., then and there to act on the following articles:
Article 1. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money and determine in what manner said sum shall be raised and to authorize the Treasurer/Collector with the approval of the Board of Selectmen to borrow in accordance with the provisions of G.L. Chapter 44, Section 7, clause (3), or any other enabling statute, for the purposes of purchasing or otherwise acquiring a portion of the Medfield State Hospital property, so-called, and to authorize the Selectmen to enter into an agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to accomplish said purchase, provided that said borrowing shall be contingent upon the passage of a debt exclusion override in accordance with the provisions of G.L. Chapter 59, Section 21 C, Paragraph (k) or any special enabling legislation governing such debt exclusion override, or do or act anything in relation thereto.
(Board of Selectmen)

Article 2. To see if the Town will vote to appropriate a sum of money and determine in what manner said sum shall be raised, for the purposes of maintaining and/or securing the land and building of the former Medfield State Hospital property, so-called, or do or act anything in relation thereto.
(Board of Selectmen)

Article 3. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to petition the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for special legislation to authorize the purchase of all or a portion of land and buildings at the former Medfield State Hospital, shown on the Town of Medfield Board of Assessors’ Maps as Lot 001, Map 71 and Lot 004, Map 63, further shown as Parcels A and B on a Plan entitled Location of Land Parcels Medfield State Hospital Medfield, Massachusetts provided by The Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), legislation to include such terms, conditions, and language as the Board of Selectmen determines to be in the best interest of the Town of Medfield, or do or act anything in relation thereto.
(Board of Selectmen)

And you are directed to serve this Warrant by posting an attested copy thereof, in the usual place for posting warrants in said Medfield, fourteen days at least before the time of holding said Town Meeting.

Hereof fail not and make due return of this Warrant with your doings thereon, unto the Town Clerk at the time and place ofthe Town Meeting aforesaid. Given unto our hands this __ _
day of February, Two-Thousand and Fourteen.
Mark L. Fisher, Chairman S/ ________________ _
Osler L. Peterson S/ ____________________ _
Richard P. DeSorgher S/ ________________ _
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
By virtue of this Warrant, I have notified and warned the Inhabitants of the Town of Medfield, qualified to vote in elections and at town meetings, by posting attested copies of the same at five
public places, fourteen days before the date of the town meeting, as within directed.
Constable: S/ _________ _
Date: February __ , 2014
A TRUE COPY ATTEST:
Carol A. Mayer, CMC, CMMC S/ ________ _
Town Clerk

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

PROPOSITION 2 1/2 DEBT EXCLUSION QUESTION
Shall the Town of Medfield be allowed to exempt from the provIsions of proposition two and one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the. bond issued in order to purchase from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts all or a portion of the former Medfield State Hospital site and buildings thereon, identified on the Board of Assessors’ Maps as Lot 001, Map 71 and Lot 004, Map 63, further shown as Parcels A and B on a Plan entitled Location of Land Parcels Medfield State Hospital Medfield. Massachusetts provided by The Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM), consisting of approximately 134 acres.

YES __ NO _

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Posted in Medfield State Hospital, Town Meeting

MEC notes from 2/11

Posted on February 17, 2014 | Comments Off on MEC notes from 2/11

Medfield Energy Committee Meeting Notes for Tuesday February 11, 2014

Attendees:  Fred Davis, Fred Bunger, Emre Schveighoffer, Mike Sullivan, Pete Peterson, Cynthia Greene

  1.  Meeting minutes from the January meeting were not ready and so were not discussed.
  2. OATA study – Fred D. gave the application for the State to Mike S. for signatures.  The letters that will go out to five potential consultants for the town were reviewed.  Fred D. will email the final letter to Mike S. so that it can go out February 14.  At the Massachusetts Municipal Association meeting  on January 24 and 25th Fred D. met Beth Greenblatt from Beacon Integrated Solutions http://www.beacon-llc.com/

and she will become the 6th consultant the RFP will be sent to the week of February 17.

  1. Sagewell letter that will be sent to homes using oil-heat was reviewed and the changes Pasi suggested were accepted.  There will be no signature on the letter but it will say it is from the Medfield Energy Committee and all questions will go to Mike S.  The letter will be on one page and it is expected that it will go out to 1,000 homes in Medfield.   Fred D. will confirm that the letter will be copied and sent by Sagewell and will ask if a brochure with house photos will go out with the letter.
  2. GCA designation – Fred B.
  • PV bylaw written by Sarah Rapossa town planner, sent to Kelly Brown for comment.  The State says that it complies, but asked why it is an overlay district and a designated area (basically West Street).  Fred B. stated that we will know after the solar study is completed what the overlay district will be.  Marie and Fred B discussed the PV bylaw with the Planning Board and they are reviewing it.  The planning board will conduct a hearing on 3/17/14, but the planning board does not want to sponsor the bylaw.  Pete Peterson asked if we would like it to be sponsored also by the Board of Selectman and all agreed we would like that support.   The PV bylaw will be on the warrant and in order to pass it will need a 2/3rds majority.
  • The Stretch code was discussed and Fred B. stated that it only applies to homes over 3,000 square feet.  It will be on the warrant and only needs 51% to pass.  Pete also offered to see if the Board of Selectman will support this as well.  70% of energy use in Medfield is residential and the stretch code will be in effect till July 2014 when a new stretch code will take effect.  Fred B. is working on how to describe this to the community.
  • Expedited permitting – Mark Cerel will write.
  • 20% reduction of energy plan will be due in August.  Cynthia G suggested looking at water reductions and Mike S stated that the rerouting of some water piping will require less pumping and that we could take credit for that energy reduction. The plan has to be specific for 15% of the reductions.  The Board of selectman and the School Board need to sign off on the plan.
  • The auto purchase policy is still being written.
  1. Marie helped Mike S. write the energy manager grant that will go in on February 14, 2014.  Mike S. said that if the town receives the grant that it would bring in an energy manager and then make him or her an energy and buildings business manager as well at the end of the two years when the grant funding runs out.  The state grant would pay 50% the first year and 75% the second year for a part time position.
  2. Public safety building.  Adam Graber has not been able to make their meetings and Marie is the back up.  They are going into the final design.  Mike S. will get the schedule for the meetings so that others might be able to go.  Their next meeting is 3/19 at 7 am.
  3. Next meeting Monday March 3, 2014.  It was suggested that we ask Kelly Brown to join us.

 

Adjourned 9:15 pm

 

Respectfully submitted by Cynthia Greene

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Posted in Energy Committee

Skiing better this Saturday

Posted on February 15, 2014 | Comments Off on Skiing better this Saturday

The skiing as actually much better this week because the snow had a crust that kept you from breaking through.  Last week the powder show needed to be packed down to make a track before it was good.  Today it was all fast where ever you went.

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Posted in Uncategorized

MEC on GCA

Posted on February 14, 2014 | Comments Off on MEC on GCA

This from Fred Bunger of the Medfield Energy Committee –

Green Communities Process Status Report 2/12/14:

  1. Kelly Brown DOER Green Communities Area Coordinator confirmed Medfield would be eligible a $148,000 grant if it meets the 5 criteria for Green Communities Act (GCA) in 2014.
  2.  To met GCA criteria #1 and #5, the Medfield Energy Committee is sponsoring two articles on the Warrant for the April 28, 2014 Annual Town Meeting.
    1. Overlay district for solar PV installation
    2.  Adoption of the BBRS Stretch Energy Code.

Selectman Peterson will request the Medfield Select Board to be Co-Sponsors of these two warrant articles.

  1. A By- Law for Large-Scale Ground-Mounted Solar Photovoltaic installations drafted by Town Planner Sara Raposa and Town Counsel Mark Cerel.  The By-Law is under review by the Planning Board.  Kelly Brown has had the DOER expert review and comment on the Medfield By-Law.  It meets the requirements for GCA Criterion 1.  After Planning Board Review, the By-Law will be sent to DOER for review of the updates.   The Planning Board has scheduled the required Public Hearing on the Solar By-Law for Monday March 17.
  2. In preparation for the Town Meeting, the Medfield Energy Committee GCA activity will concentrate on education and information to secure passage of the two GCA articles.  I will prepare for meetings with local community groups.  I will also prepare a set of talking points and FAQs for all members of the Medfield Energy Committee to use.
  3. The 2009 Massachusetts BBRS Stretch Energy Code will become the base Building Code for the State in July 2014.  A new Stretch Energy Code will be presented by the BBRS in 2014.  When Medfield adopts the 2009 code in April, it will also be expected to comply with the 2014 code when it is presented.

The concern that the Town in the future would be subject to an energy code currently in development must be countered by a strong campaign to explain the purpose and benefits of the energy code: to reduce the life-cycle costs of owning and operating a residence.   The added investment to comply with a more energy efficient code would be balanced by the savings in energy costs over the life of the residence.  Kelly Brown has offered the resources of the DOER to conduct public information sessions to explain the Stretch Energy Code and the benefits to homeowners.  I have asked Kelly to provide example costs and savings for a typical 3000 square foot home in our area.

Adoption of a building code to encourage energy efficiency is important to Medfield. Over 70% of community energy consumption is for residences. By encouraging up-front investment in making homes more energy efficient, homeowners pay less in energy costs over the lifetime of the home.

  1. Medfield permitting process meets the GCA criteria for expedited permitting.  A letter from Town Counsel Mark Cerel to DOER will complete this criteria.
  2. The other 2 GCA criteria (Energy Efficient Vehicle Purchase policy and Plan for 20% reduction in municipal energy use) will be worked on after Town Meeting.  These two criteria require approval by the Select Board and School Committee.

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Posted in Energy Committee

Committee will look at plastice bag use

Posted on February 14, 2014 | Comments Off on Committee will look at plastice bag use

Selectman DeSorgher queried several BoS meetings ago whether the town should examine whether to limit plastic bag use.  Per Richard’s email today (a copy of the email appears below), the Board of Selectmen will be asked to constitute a committee to look into the issue at our next meeting.  If you are interested in serving on the committee, please let Richard, me, or Evelyn Clarke at the Town House know.

2/14/2014 10:41AM
Plastic Bag Committee
DeSorgher, Richard P.
===========================================================
Hi Evelyn,
A month or so ago we voted for me to see if there was interest in forming a committee to look at ways to reduce the amount of plastic bags distributed in Medfield and to increase awareness through education on the problem of plastic bags to our environment. I now feel I have enough people who have come forward willing to be on such a committee, four adults and four MHS students. I would like to have them come in on the February 25 meeting to have them sworn in and give them a charge as to what we are looking for them to do. When would be a good time to schedule them on the 25th?
Richard

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Posted in Recycling & Solid Waste, Select Board matters

Andy Thompson recognized for lifetime achievement

Posted on February 13, 2014 | Comments Off on Andy Thompson recognized for lifetime achievement

ANDY  THOMPSON IS THE MEDFIELD FOUNDATION LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT FOR 2014
Andy Thompson    The Medfield Foundation proudly recognizes Andy Thompson with its 2014 Lifetime Achievement Awards for his almost five decades of work to benefit Medfield.

Most of Andy’s volunteering has been around sports, and primarily youth sports, which came naturally to him where he was a college All American lacrosse player at Penn.

Andy has been a town resident for forty-nine years:

  • for forty-eight of those years he was a  member of the Medfield Physical Fitness Association, which exercised together and raised money for scholarships.
  • for forty-seven of those years he ran the Medfield High School football scoreboard at all home games.

    Andy’s primary volunteering has been sports-related; helping the town youth through coaching and inspiring them to be team players and to learn to love sports.  Not only was he actively involved in youth sports when his children were playing, until recently, he was always on the sideline of any grandchild’s game.  Andy has six children, and he volunteered for their teams as they grew up.  His daughter Barbara noted “when my dad started being involved in youth sports, there was no soccer or lacrosse in town.”

  • Little League Coach for 11 years; President of Little League for 3 years
  • Soccer Coach for 5 years
  • Lacrosse Coach for 5 years
  • Ice Hockey Coach for 9 years

    Andy was also an Assistant Scout Master of Troop 20, Boy Scouts of America, for five years, and he served two terms on Park and Recreation Committee.  He volunteered until recently at The Center at Medfield, was an Executive Board member and many year member of the American Legion, and helped run Medfield Park & Recreation Commission’s children’s activities on Medfield Day.  Andy was a political volunteer in his wife, Ann’s campaigns, and more recently her driver as she served in town government.

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Posted in Medfield Foundation, Sports, Veterans, Volunteers

Woodland Theatre

Posted on February 12, 2014 | Comments Off on Woodland Theatre

Letter of thanks today from the Woodland Theatre.  Some of the things we do as selectmen are really fun, such as watching this play partly from the stage.  Their play was a high quality production and really entertaining –

February 5, 2014

Mr. Osler Peterson
Selectman
459 Main Street
Medfield, MA 02052

Dear Mr. Peterson,

On behalf of Woodland Theatre Company, I would like to express our many thanks for your participation in our recent production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” . Many of’ the patrons commented with delight upon recognizing you, and were impressed not only with your spelling ability, but your good-natured personality.

A show such as “Spelling Bee” relies in part on the entertaining guest spellers able to join in the fun , and you did not disappoint!
Again, thank you for donating your time and talent, and we look forward to seeing you in our audience at a future production.

Sincerely,

Kelly Hodge

Director of Operations

Woodland Theatre Company

P.O. Box 538 • Sherborn , MA 01770 • 508- 655 – 0687 • www.woodlandtheatre.com

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Posted in Entertainment, On being a selectman, Uncategorized

Meeting reminders

Posted on February 11, 2014 | Comments Off on Meeting reminders
Get a daily morning email with notice of town committee meetings.  Click the link to get the time, place and agenda.  Never miss another meeting (except the Building Committee, which tends to meet at 7AM before the email arrives).  This was mine from today.  Click the link at the bottom to sign up.
info.lists.town@medfield.net | Add to Contacts
Today, Tuesday, Feb 11 12:10 AM | Show Details |  View source
[Meetingsdaily] (no subject)
Upcoming Meetings and Events – Feb 11, 2014
Date Description Department Type Page Type
02.11.14 Warrant Committee Meeting February 11 2014 Town Finance Meeting Meetings and Events
02.11.14 Library Trustees Meeting February 11 2014 Town Services Meeting Meetings and Events
02.11.14 Open Space and Recreation Planning Committee Meeting February 11 2014 Land and Property Meeting Meetings and Events
02.11.14 Medfield Energy Committee Meeting February 11 2014 Town Administration Meeting Meetings and Events

 

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Meetingsdaily@lists.town.medfield.net
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Posted in Technology

Best skiing in Medfield

Posted on February 9, 2014 | Comments Off on Best skiing in Medfield

This morning just before noon at the former Medfield State Hospital

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Posted in Uncategorized

Pocket park naming #2

Posted on February 9, 2014 | Comments Off on Pocket park naming #2

The Pocket Park Steering Committee Naming Contest Continues

Deadline: Friday February 21, 2014 at 5 pm

 

The Town of Medfield owns a small 5,352 square foot parcel of land between Zebra’s and Starbuck’s that has affectionately been called the Pocket Park for lack of an official name. The Pocket Park Steering Committee was appointed in Oct. 2013 to initiate a public planning process to both design the park and recommend its name.

 

The first round of public voting received 176 entries with 52% writing in their own suggestions for a park name. “We received some really creative suggestions” said Committee Chair Jean Mineo. “Since the public couldn’t see the write-in names, and many suggested the same name, we decided to present another round of voting on just the two most popular names of Straw Hat Park and Isaac Fiske Park. They really represent two different aspects of Medfield’s history around the park property, though interestingly, their timing overlaps.” Residents are now asked to select one, and the winner will be recommended for approval at Town Meeting.

 

The link to cast your vote is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/N9N6F7J

 

The relevant history of each name to the park is also included in the survey (with thanks to Richard DeSorgher).

 

Straw Hat Park

From 1801 until 1956, Medfield’s most important industry of straw hat making was centered in the area around the park. The industry employed highly skilled men and women seasonally, and the pay was excellent. One manufacturer recorded over $1 million worth of goods in 1875.

 

The Montrose School property was originally built to manufacture straw hats in 1876. Eventually, the Excelsior Straw Hat Factory employed more than 1,200 people (larger than the town’s population), producing over 2.5 million hats a year, and becoming the second largest straw hat factory in the US. In 1956, owner Julius Tofias closed the factory after workers voted to unionize, thus ending Medfield’s largest industry.

 

Isaac Fiske Park

Isaac Fiske was born in Medfield in 1813 and died 1883. In 1842, Fiske purchased an existing store located next to the park where Starbucks stands today. Fiske ran it for 40 years and was known as the town merchant. Fiske built a hall over the “new” Old Corner Store used for lectures, dances, and by famous abolitionists who spoke against slavery. Eventually, the hall was divided into bedrooms for rent. Fiske was also elected to the Massachusetts state legislature, and served Medfield as Town Clerk (15 years), Treasurer (40 years), and Postmaster (20 years), running the post office out of his store. The Old Corner Store continued in operation under subsequent owners until the building was torn down 1935.

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Posted in Uncategorized