By Beth David, Editor
The Fairhaven Select Board heard from three department heads at its meeting on 1/8/24.
Tree Warden Don Collasius told the board he planted 100 trees in 2023, removed 65, and closed out about 150 requests. Based on feedback from other towns, Fairhaven is doing a better job than most in getting trees planted and removed.
Trees are infrastructure, Mr. Collasius told the board, and all infrastructure has a lifespan. For street trees that is 7–29 years, due to the way they are planted: in small spaces, with pavement all around. Fairhaven has 4,500 street trees, with many of them much older than 40 years, and they are showing their age.
The town should be removing and replacing 150 trees each year. The town needs to plant 200 trees annually to maintain the canopy.
He is also working with the highway superintendent, town planner and conservation agent on a shade tree bylaw.
Mr. Collasius told the board he is excited to start a Junior Tree Warden program to entice kids to “take ownership and stewardship of trees and learn about them.”
He said he is working with the library and town committees to get the program going.
The department is always looking for volunteers to help with watering trees. Young trees require watering for 2–3 years. Email him at dcollasius@fairhaven-ma.gov if interested.
The board also heard from Police Chief, Michael Myers, and incoming chief, Sgt. Daniel Dorgan.
Chief Myers said they are getting ready for the succession plan, and preparing for re-accreditation with a mock assessment to prepare for the real assessment in February.
So there are a “lot of moving parts going on,” he said.
Sgt. Dorgan has been working with the Opioid Task Force and told the board that Fairhaven is the smallest community participating.
The work the department does in educating people about addiction and helping people with addiction puts the town in a good light, said Sgt. Dorgan. It shows the town cares about not only the people who live in town, but those who work and visit Fairhaven.
The department refers people who call and are in crisis to a variety of resources to help them. He said they are now trying to do the same thing with mental health crises.
The department takes referrals for mental health and will go out to help them, he said.
Chief Myers said the department answered more than 15,000 calls for service in 2023.
He also addressed the incident at the Bayside (see 1/4/24 issue), where a man was killed by police after he shot at them.
Chief Myers said it was a “very tragic incident,” that the department is trying to get through.
Some officers are finding it “emotionally difficult,” he said.
The DA is investigating the incident, but the Fairhaven Police Department will run a “parallel administrative review,” he said for use of force and to make sure all policies and procedures were followed.
He said what the DA released to the press is pretty much what happened.
Chief Myers also thanked the board and the town for providing the training and tools to deal with situations like that.
“I can’t thank you enough.”
SB member Stasia Powers said it was the first time she hads heard how the opioid settlement money is being used, calling it “fabulous.”
She said it was not something people think about when they think of policing, and it is “tremendously heartwarming to know our community is doing that.”
Fire Chief Todd Correia said it was an historic year for the department. They answered 4,300 calls.
There is a lot of training going on, he said, between Nero’s Law and battery fires.
The department is preparing two FEMA grants, one to help with firefighter salaries and one to help offset costs of capital planning expenditures; and they are working to finalize reimbursement for COVID emergency response expenses.
The Emergency Management Agency trained 12 new volunteers who have been “instrumental, especially with the unsheltered migrants that came in,” he said.
They staffed the center on Saturdays, sorting through supplies and delivering, saving the department a lot of time.
The department is also expecting a new shelter supply trailer in a couple of weeks that they got with a grant. They are also applying for a grant for lighting for the EMA truck.
Ms. Powers joked about Chief Correia getting a retirement job as a grant writer, thanking him for making the effort to offset some of the “immense expense of running the Fire Department.”
SB member Bob Espindola asked for some tips for homeowners on lithium batteries.
Chief Correia said it is the older batteries that are expired that are a problem if they are overcharged. He said no batteries should be thrown in with the trash. They should go to the recycle center at the BPW.
The department has a variety of ways to contain the smaller batteries, but the larger ones just need to burn out, he said.
In another matter, Ms. Ellison addressed some “misinformation” about flooring that was installed in the Select Board office.
Laminate click flooring replaced some carpeting that had covered sublooring, not hardwood she said.
“The floor was not replaced,” she said, explaining there was carpeting and “whatever” was underneath that.
It was plywood and other materials, not the old hardwood floors. She said to put in new hardwood floors, the preparation of the subfloor would require asbestos removal.
She opted to put in the floating floor, which does not damage the existing floor, it sits on top.
People were tripping on the carpet, she said, and the laminate flooring makes it more ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
She said there is some criticism that it is not authentic to the original building. She pointed out that there is linoleum in the main hall.
The only thing that would be authentic is full hardwood floors, she said, and the laminate flooring gives that “illusion.”
The laminate cost about $6,000, while hardwood floors would be tens of thousands due to the asbestos removal.
She said she welcomed a way to meet ADA compliance and remove the hazard for less cost.
“It’s an overlay on top of the floor,” said Ms. Ellison. “I want to say publicly not everything in this building is authentic to when it was orignally built.”
Ms. Powers said it seems when people disagree with Ms. Ellison, she is not just questioned, but criticized to the point that she must be fired.
“It is not appropriate for the level of this situation,” said Ms. Powers. “I mean, this was a floor in an office.”
And, she added, it looks pretty close to the color of the other flooring.
She said she could not help but think it was because Ms. Ellison is a woman and a woman of color.
“I can’t imagine someone would be blowing up if a white man had made that change,” said Ms. Powers, adding that if people are worried about the costs, they should start paying attention to budget season, which is starting up. “But please, let’s stop trying to destroy each other over things that really are miniscule.”
Mr. Espindola noted that he never noticed there was linoleum in the hall until someone pointed it out to him.
“I think it’s a fresh look. The carpet was kind of ratty,” said SB member Keith Silvia, adding they had bigger problems than that to worry about. “We should move on.”
Select Board chairperson Leon Correy was not at the meeting. There was no explanation for his absence.
The board also met in executive session to discuss Civil Service. Executive sessions are not open to the public and board members did not elaborate on the item. Sources indicate, however, that the session was in regards to the hiring of the new police chief, who will start in August when Chief Myers retires.
The Fire and Police Department unions voted to remove the departments from Civil Service requirements, and Town Meeting approved it in May. However, that provision has not gone into effect yet. According to Ms. Ellison, the police chief hire was conducted under Civil Service guidelines. It is unclear why the issue is being discussed in Executive Session.
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