By Beth David, Editor
Acushnet passed a proposal to borrow more than $2 million for the roof of the elementary school building, which was largely the reason the town held a Special Town Meeting on Saturday, 11/14/20. The meeting was held in the gym of the Ford Middle School, with chairs spread apart to adhere to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. Everyone wore masks, and everyone’s temperature was taken by an automated gadget at the entrance.
Former Selectboard member Roger Cabral ran his first meeting as Town Moderator, and moved things along, but also let everyone speak.
The school roof was article 1, getting right to the heart of the matter.
Acushnet School Department Business Manager Kristin Flynn addresses town meeting on 11/14/20, when the town approved $2,570,759 in borrowing for a roof for the elementary school. Photo by Beth David.
School Business Manager Kristin Flynn told town meeting that 67,000 square feet of roof needs to be replaced on the elementary school. She said the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) called it one of the “must needs” projects.
The partial replacement will cost $2,570,659, with MSBA reimbursing the town $1,334,232.
Selectboard chairperson Kevin Gaspar told town meeting that the borrowing means there is no debt exclusion, meaning no added taxes. He said he felt the town will have sufficient funds to pay back the loan at about $85,000 per year.
The article passed unanimously.
Town Meeting did not, however pass Article 2, which would have added $15,750 to the salary of Town Planner Henry Young for the purpose of updating the town’s Master Plan.
The controversial proposal was opposed by Mr. Gaspar who said that Mr. Young already receives $11,000 for “special projects.”
“If this isn’t a special project, I don’t know what is,” said Mr. Gaspar.
He also said Mr. Young should look for grants to cover the cost. Mr. Gaspar also noted that the $15,750 was for half of this year, so TM could expect another request for $30,000 next year.
Mr. Gaspar also said that the town needed to be more specific about what it wants in and from a master plan. Also, because of COVID-19 restrictions, it is not practical to start a master plan process, which involves meeting with lots of people, and includes a lot of “community involvement.”
“Why don’t we sit down like big boys and girls,” said Mr. Gaspar, and lay out what they want exactly in a master plan. “All I ask is for everybody to take a step backwards.”
Resident David Davignon pointed out a number of discrepancies and contradictions in the town’s bylaws. He said the town planner should be working on fixing those problems. Mr. Davignon said he was on the Master Plan committee 25 years ago and many of the things including in the MP are still relevant, and have come to pass, such as the new library and public safety facility. He said the MP is not out of date, and the town does not need to spend $30 to update it.
Planning Board Chairperson Marc Cenerizio sang the praises of Mr. Young, saying he successfully led the projects that were outlined in the MP, including the new police station, town hall renovation, library renovation, rezoning projects, waste management plan and creation of the Acushnet River Historic district.
He said the MP has been widely implemented and has a “real impact on Acushnet.
He said it was time to write the next master plan and that the town was lucky to have Mr. Young on staff to help them plan for the next 10 years.
Selectboard member David Wojnar said that the town should not stop because of COVID. He said experience shows they should “capture the opportunity.” In 2021, he said, the federal Government will be looking for “shovel ready projects” to fund.
Resident Bob Meunier said that the town planner was already getting paid and that other people in town would love get a 33% raise. He also asked how it would affect the town in the future because it might boost Mr. Young’s pension plan.
John Howcroft urged passage of the article, saying that good planning protects the values of the town. He compared it to paying for maintenance of a house, instead of waiting for problems to arise. It is a small amount of money, and they should spend a little to protect the future of Acushnet.
Mr. Davignon noted that he could not find the master plan on the website, asking if it is so important, why is it not on the website for everyone to see.
For that, he got a round of applause from the floor.
Mr. Wojnar noted that Acushnet does not have a full time planner. He said the $11,000 for special projects was included simply to give the Selectboard some control over the position, which reports to the Planning Commission.
“It’s just semantics,” he said.
Mr. Gaspar disagreed saying that the town planner is on the books as full time.
Selectboard member David Desroches said looking at the salary was “very narrow minded.”
“This is about the future of Acushnet,” he said, not how much money someone makes. “This motion is about the future of Acushnet and where we want it to go.”
The measure failed by a wide margin, with only a handful of voters supporting it.
That was only article two, but Mr. Cabral did a mea culpa after realizing he did not introduce the people on the stage and in front of the room until that point.
“I reserve the right to make additional mistakes here today,” said Mr, Cabral.
The other vote that got a “no” failed by a very close 20-24, and required a count. Article 6 asked for $275,000 from free cash for a loader for the Department of Public Works.
Several people spoke against the expenditure saying that the loader the DPW had was not old and that loaders can be rebuilt.
DPW Director Dan Menard said there was a difference between a construction company’s needs and a town’s needs. If a company’s loader breaks down, it is no big deal. But if a town’s equipment breaks down, the road will not be cleared of snow or other debris.
After more discussion and a questioning of the logic, Mr. Menard took to the microphone again.
“I did not say it was not capable of doing its job,” said Mr. Menard, just that as the machine got older, they were “taking a chance of it breaking down.”
He said the old one will by used at the recycle center.
After the close vote, Mr. Menard and several others briskly left the meeting.
TM also approved $110,000 from free cash for the school sewer pump, after some discussion. The pump has already been replaced. The town used sewer funds for the project in anticipation of being able to have residents hook up to the system. However, the pipe “runs uphill,” said Mr. Gaspar, making it impossible to let Peckham Road residents tie in.
Town Meeting also approved three spending articles from Community Preservation Act Funds, including: $10,000 for repairs to equipment at Pope Park Playground; $75,000 for improvements and cleaning to the Lake Street recreational area; and $5,000 for improvements and cleaning at Riverview Park.
In other business town meeting:
• Approved $15,000 from the Capital Expenditure Fund to refurbish Fire/EMS vehicles;
• Approved $71,500 from the water surplus fund for a Risk and Resilience Assessment and an Emergency Response Plan required by the Environmental Protection Agency;
• Approved $150,000 from the water fund to replace the water pipeline on Nye Avenue, which is 125 years old;
• Approved $60,000 from free cash for a four-wheel-drive pickup truck with commercial utility cap for the Animal Control Officer, whose van often gets stuck in mud and snow;
• Approved transfer of $80,000 from Golf fund for various repairs and equipment replacement at the golf course;
• Approved $77,249 from free cash for science ($11,499), reading ($50,000) and AES curricula for the school department;
• Voted not to approve any transfer of funds to the OPEB Fund.
The meeting is available on the town’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70nntaYwrdQ
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