Blandford selectman William Levakis and new selectmen’s secretary Karen Shaw of Westfield (Photo by Amy Porter)
BLANDFORD – New selectman Cara Letendre took up the gavel at Monday’s meeting in the absence of chair Adam Dolby. Among the first orders of business was the introduction of Karen Shaw, the new secretary for the board. Shaw, of Westfield, said she retired from the City of Westfield’s Law Department after 16 years. Following her retirement, she took on another position with Liberty Mutual. She said she had been looking for an interesting part-time position.
In other business, assessor Stephen Jemiolo, who said he just completed a week of assessor’s school, questioned whether assessors would be compensated for attending the mandatory training. Jemiolo said the Board of Assessors had voted for the compensation, but when he submitted the invoice, it had been questioned. He said three years of the school is required for members of the Board of Assessors.
Finance Committee member Eric McVey said at the Town Meeting they had voted pay raises for assessors that went into the salary line, and an additional $3,000 that went into training.
Mary Kronholm said as a prior assessor the town had paid for the cost of the school and multiple workshops, as well as meals and mileage, but no hourly rate. She said a category used in the past for payment is special projects, which does not come out of the salary line item.
Jemiolo said it would be difficult to get new assessors to fill vacancies if they have to take weeks off from work with no compensation.
“We cannot pay you a salary for going to the school. Best solution, submit it as a special project out of the training line item,” suggested town administrator Angeline Ellison.
McVey said in his opinion, elected officials receive a salary and the responsibilities of the office go with the salary. He also said the issue may need to be addressed at a Special Town Meeting. Letendre said she would first like to see what the policy of other towns is on the matter.
Jemiolo also said that the Board of Assessors had been using a contractor to reconcile names and building size lots in real estate tax records. He said the Assessor’s Department was “so far behind and so out of sync, they have to match them up with property cards,” due to tax bills being returned. He said the work was halted until compensation for the contractor was approved by the Board of Selectmen.
He also said the assessors would like to start sending out tax bills by email, which has been approved by the state. Letendre said they may need to create a town policy for sending bills by email. Ellison said she would draft the policy.
Westfield resident Gary Hagar came before the Board of Selectmen to ask for permission to put up a clothes recycling bin at the Highway Department for his company Pay It Forward Recycling. He said he had recently bought the local, small for-profit business of 40 recycling kiosks. He said he pays $200 to $400 for a spot per year.
Ellison said she was concerned about the precedent of allowing a for-profit business to put a bin on town property. Hagar said he lives 20 minutes away, and would police the bins, making sure there were no problems. He said he has similar arrangements in Russell and at the Huntington Fire Department.
“I’m concerned about the parking lot there. It’s not the best spot, I don’t believe,” said selectman William Levakis. He suggested looking at the water pump past the fairgrounds. Letendre said she would follow up with Russell, and asked about a contract. Hagar said he does contracts with small businesses on his own. The matter was continued for further consideration.
Highway superintendent Brad Curry asked about the progress of paperwork submitted for loans for new highway equipment, approved at the Annual Town Meeting. He said the department was planning to auction off the truck and loader to be replaced. “Once those items go, you don’t have a big truck with wings, so you don’t have a backup plan,” Curry said. “I’m trying to prod everyone along. Even if we order a truck now, you’re not going to see it until February,” he added.
Curry also said the dump truck needed a new body. He said they have repaired the current one so many times, there was “nothing to weld to.” He said the cost of a new dump body is $8,000. McVey suggested he replace it with his repair budget. Curry said he would put in the request to Ellison.
Letendre said at the next meeting when they have all of the details from the equipment needed for the Highway and Fire Departments, the board could talk about how to move forward, and also about items that might need to be addressed at a Special Town Meeting.
Former selectman Andy Montanaro, who was present at the meeting, asked Curry about the progress of a drainage plan, which has been requested the past couple of years. Curry said it was in the works, and that he had been meeting with Ellison on the plan.
Curry also gave an update on the small bridge grants for Blandford and Gore Roads. Blandford will be receiving $500,000 from MassDOT to replace the bridges that have deteriorated and are structurally deficient.
Curry said he has contacted engineers, and is looking into companies selling pre-fabricated parts. He said they are also getting started with MassDOT with pre-permits. He said work should begin in the spring. “We’re trying to find out the best bang for the buck, so we can get started,” Curry said.
