By Mary Macedo, Neighb News Correspondent
At its meeting on Tuesday 6/22 the Fairhaven Board of Public Works discussed voting on a new BPW representative for the Marine Resources Committee, and also hired a parking attendant for the weekends for the Town Beach.
Board member Robert “Hoppy” Hobson said he wanted to discuss the BPW representative position on the Marine Resources Committee. He said that last year he gave up his seat on the MRC so that BPW member Frank Coelho could stay on the committee as the Chairperson. He asked if they could switch off every other year, taking turns as the MRC representative.
Mr. Coelho explained that he never would have run for the BPW position if he knew it meant he would not be able to be on the MRC.
Mr. Hobson explained that no one guaranteed Mr. Coelho a spot on the MRC when he ran for the BPW.
“You’re only upset with me because you walked out of a meeting over nothing,” Mr. Hobson said.
“I’m not upset with you,” Mr. Coelho said.
“We have been friends for 50 years,” Mr. Hobson said. “And I haven’t spoken to you since that night.”
Mr. Hobson said if Mr. Coelho does not get his way he just picks up his things and leaves.
“Evidently if you don’t get your way you walk out, like Mr. Silvia on the Board of Health. He didn’t get his way so he quit,” Mr. Hobson said. ”Are you a quitter?”
Mr. Coelho said that the board should just vote for a representative.
Chairperson Brian Wotton said that the BPW used to have one representative for the MRC and a secondary in case the first one had to be absent. He said both used to attend the MRC meetings, and suggested they go back to having two people.
Mr. Hobson said that he wanted to be the member not the secondary. Mr. Hobson said he never told Mr. Coelho to run for BPW and he did not guarantee that Mr. Coelho would stay on the Marine Resources Committee.
Mr. Hobson also said he did not understand why the BPW needed a representative on the MRC anyway.
He made a motion to nominate himself as representative on the Marine Resources Committee. Mr. Wotton seconded the motion with board member Cameron Durant and Mr. Coelho against.
Mr. Coelho made a motion to nominate himself as representative on the Marine Resources Committee.
Mr. Durant seconded the motion and said that he had a conversation with Mr. Coelho two to three months ago and promised him a vote. Mr. Durant said at the time he did not know there was other interest or debate about the representative position.
“I don’t care, it has nothing to do with the Board of Public Works,” Mr. Durant said.
Mr. Hobson and Mr. Wotton voted against the motion, therefore neither motion passed.
Mr. Hobson said that they should motion not to have a representative on the MRC.
Mr. Durant explained that whoever is the representative is only there to speak about BPW issues and that he does not care who is at the MRC meetings but they are there to serve the BPW.
“I’m not happy about this, and I’m not going to leave the meeting like he did,” Mr. Hobson said pointing at Mr. Coelho.
Mr. Hobson said if Mr. Durant does not care then he should vote to have no member. Mr. Hobson said that Harbormaster Tim Cox calls BPW Superintendent Vinnie Furtado if he needs something anyway, so why does the BPW need a representative.
Mr. Furtado said he did not think that they could vote not to have a representative.
Mr. Hobson told Mr. Furtado to go to the Selectboard and tell them they do not need a representative.
“He (Mr. Coelho) got to you before the meeting,” Mr. Hobson said addressing Mr. Durant. “I should report you and him to the ethics committee, because you’re discussing business and it’s unethical.”
Mr. Coelho and Mr. Durant said it was only the two of them speaking, not the whole board.
“You’re the guy that reports everybody,” Mr. Hobson said to Mr. Coelho. “You reported him (Mr. Wotton) three times,”
Mr. Hobson said he is reporting them.
“This is why I did not want to do this,” Mr. Wotton said, adding that they should have waited until they got a new BPW member.
Mr. Wotton said until they get a new BPW member it stays as Mr. Coelho being the representative, and they can revote when they have a full board.
In another matter Mr. Furtado said they will be hiring a parking attendant at Town Beach for the weekends.
Mr. Furtado said the person they have hired is Gary Lavalette and he will be meeting with the police to discuss protocols and rules that need to be followed and monitored.
Mr. Hobson said he is concerned about people parking on Fir Street and walking in. They need someone older person working the parking lot because it is hard for teenagers to tell residents they cannot go in.
Mr. Furtado said he has requested no parking signs for Fir Street.
The board voted 3-1 to hire Mr. Lavalette as the weekend parking attendant. Mr. Coelho voted against it because he said they should have advertised the position.
The board also met with Raul Moreira. BPW Superintendent Vinnie Furtado explained that Mr. Moreira has been paying the $20 permit fee for the recycling center for the last few years for his truck.
Mr. Furtado explained that BPW Administrative Assistant Becky Vento noticed that the gross weight of the vehicle was over the 10,000 pound limit and the truck was categorized as a dump trailer, which means that a recycling permit for that type of vehicle would be $400.
Mr. Furtado said that Mr. Moreira brought the title of his car which states his vehicle is actually 9,900 pounds and the RMV rounds up or down the weight of vehicles now.
BPW Chairperson Brian Wotton said it may be they can classify the truck as a non landscaper vehicle of over 10,000 pounds and the cost of the permit would only be $100.
Mr. Wotton said that the problem is that the truck is categorized as a dump trailer.
Mr. Hobson said that the rules are the rules, and they really should be charging people by the weight of the load like other cities and towns do, not a permit, just pay by the load.
Mr. Coelho agreed that they should stick to the rules.
The vote to allow Mr. Moreira to use his truck within the $100 permit ended in a tie because the board is down one member after Keith Silvia was elected to the Selectboard.
Mr. Wotton and Cameron Durant voted yes, while Mr. Hobson and Mr. Coelho voted against it.
Mr. Wotton said Mr. Moreira can return in two to four weeks when the BPW has a fifth member and they can go back for a vote of the full board.
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