By Beth David, Editor
The Fairhaven Select Board began its meeting on Monday, 11/25/24, with a moment of silence for Heidi Hacking, a former Board of Health member and active member of several nonprofits, who died on 11/19/24, after a year long battle with brain cancer. SB member Andrew Roman read a quote from her during her campaign for BOH: “We need to think about the next generation and how we can be good role models. Participating in town government shouldn’t be intimidating or exclusive. It should welcome all people, ideas and involvement.”
Arrangements were by Fairhaven Funeral Home earlier this week.
During the meeting, the board released some executive session minutes as requested that were specifically requested to be released by former SB member Bob Espindola.
The board voted to immediately release the minutes from 5/13/24 in full; to release in full after December 5, the minutes from 5/8/24, 7/30/24, 9/30/24, 10/15/24, 10/28/24; to release redacted minutes from 4/8/24, 8/19/24, 3/11/24. The minutes will be available from the town clerk’s office.
The board also voted to dissolve the Broadband Study Committee after receiving letters of resignation from chairperson Sean Powers and committee member Bob Espindola. Both of them cited the vote by the SB at their last meeting not to fund a consultant for an RFP (Request for Proposals) the committee wanted to issue, and misinformation
SB chairperson Stasia Powers said she missed the last meeting, but if she had been there she would have supported the use of the funds, which had been specifically allocated for that reason a few years ago.
She said the committee put forth options as they were supposed to.
“So, I’m disappointed,” she said, adding the maybe it will come back another time.
SB member Andrew Romano, the board’s representative on that committee, spoke against dissolving it, saying he was seeing an email from Mr. Espindola for the first time that outlined some funding sources. Ms. Powers also seemed to refer to the same email citing other communities getting grant money to pursue broadband. That letter was not in the public packet or available by press time.
SB member Andrew Saunders said the two people who resigned called for the dissolution of the committee, so they should dissolve it.
The board voted 4–1 to dissolve the committee, with Mr. Romano voting “no.”
SB Member Charlie Murphy will reach out to Verizon, which has shown an interest in going into other communities because federal grants are available, and ask them to present options to the town.
In another matter, the board heard from Facilities Manager, Kevin Fournier, on the status of the Rogers School and other projects.
Mr. Fournier told the board that the Rogers School maintenance account had about $39,000 left for maintenance and repairs. He said it would last about two years if there are no real issues at the building.
Right now, he said, there are some minor issues, that will cost a couple of thousand dollars. He did note, however, that the town spend $40,000 in the last few years because there were major issues.
He said in a couple of years, the town will have to look for a source of income for the building.
“But I can’t tell the future,” said Mr. Fournier.
Time has simply taken its toll on the building, which sat unattended for at least two years at some point.
Other projects include a new key card system for town hall, which is completed; the boiler project, which is also completed; replacing some blinds in Town Hall. Work will start soon on a retaining wall that is failing, so that pushed out work on other projects, such as windows.
The fire panel will also be replaced, but it will require someone to keep watch in the building for about a week while it is shut down.
Mr. Fournier aid that the fire and police building is also in need of a lot of work, especially the police side.
The board also heard from Nils Isaksen with an update on the new lights around town hall and the Millicent Library. He said the plan is to add more lights on William and Walnut Streets on the library block. He said no public funds are being used.
He also asked about a couple of wires that are no longer being used, one for a fire alarm, and one for telephone. Acting TA Anne Carreiro will have Mr. Fournier contact the appropriate entities to get them removed.
The board also discussed the purpose and use of the agenda item for “Board Member Items/Committee Liaison Reports.” At two separate meetings, SB member Keith Sylvia “yielded” his time to others so they could speak for longer than the two minutes allowed in public comment.
The board voted unanimously to limit that item to be used by board members only.
In other business, the board voted for Mr. Saunders to work with Ms. Carreiro to make a recommendation for a new Labor Counsel firm. The town currently contracts with Clifford and Kenny.
Ms. Power said the town needed to search for new labor counsel, but did not say why.
During the public comment period, Patrick Carr, who is on the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals, addressed the board, saying he was speaking as a “private citizen.”
He questioned by the board released some of the executive session minutes and not all of them. He said the minutes that include the amount being paid to TA Angie Lopes Ellison to terminate her contract early, should be released in full, with the full amount of money being paid to her.
The board also met in executive session to discuss “complaints or charges against an employee (Name withheld), and to review the executive session minutes.
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