7 November, 2014
The Board of Selectmen held their biweekly meeting on Thursday, November 6th, due to the election held on Tuesday the 4th.
With a packed agenda, the board began with a public forum, where they acknowledged Patti Howell's recent certification as a Massachusetts Accredited Assessor. They also brought to the public's attention the recent resignation of Planning Board member Deb Holbrook, and made known the need for a new planning board member.
Next, the board recognized the accomplishments of four Hopkinton boys on their Eagle Scout projects. Scout John McCabe renovated the prayer garden at Saint Matthew's Church in Southboro. Michael Protas earned his Eagle Scout ranking by playing a series of concerts at the respite center. The selectmen commended the boys on their work, and commented on how remarkable it was to have four boys earn their Eagle Scout ranking at once in Hopkinton.
The Board of Selectmen then heard from two potential candidates for the open position on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Darlene Hayes was the first candidate to speak, and noted that as the chief development officer for the Boston Lobsters, she was familiar with the realm of recreation. She stated that one of her main goals would be to initiate CORI checks for Parks and Rec volunteers. Then, candidate Bob McGuire spoke; he has coached multiple sports, and wanted to bring attention and more traffic to the high school ice rink. After both the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Board of Selectmen voted, it was decided that Bob McGuire would fill the empty seat on the commission.
Following the vote was a request from Verizon NE Inc to install new poles to accommodate the new development at Hunter's Ridge. The board was concerned that an independent contractor spoke on Verizon's behalf, rather than an employee from Verizon. They also expressed frustration at their repeated attempts to contact Verizon to correct existing issues in the town; up to this point, the board told the contractor, their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Some members of the board briefly considered denying the request for the new poles at Hunter's Ridge, feeling that if they denied this project, Verizon would have no choice but to open up direct communication with them. They weighed the options and considered the consequences of denying service to Hunter's Ridge; Mr. Cestari said he had, up until this point, been too trusting with Verizon and was willing to make them work a bit. But after repeated requests from the contractor to not deny service to the development, coupled with concern from some board members that they would be doing more harm than good in denying Verizon's request, the board ultimately approved the request for additional poles to accomodate Hunter's Ridge.
Then, the board quickly approved a parade permit for the 2015 Boston Marathon. Road closures and accommodations for a similar crowd as last year were requested. The board approved accommodations for the expected 30,000 runners.
The Board of Selectmen then opened up a public hearing for the request of stop signs at A Street and Walcott Street, and B Street and Walcott Street. The Board first heard from Police Chief Ed Lee, who did not feel that a stop sign would address the core concern of the residents, which is that people drive far too quickly on the street. Chief Lee felt that stop signs might encourage people to speed up in between the signs, and they could potentially increase the number of rear-end incidents and traffic violations. Ms. Gates compared the situation to a comparable road in Milford, where people stop at a sign, only to immediately floor it through the intersection, potentially going faster than they would without the sign. Marlene Troupes, a longtime resident of Walcott St, stated that she has seen an increase in traffic over the years. She said that not only do people disobey the one-way traffic on Walcott St, they go over double the 20 mile per hour speed limit; as she stated "somebody's gonna get killed".
The Board was concerned, given Lee's testimony, that the stop signs might only last a few months before they discover that they aren't very effective. Troupes pleaded with them to not table the issue, stating that she had been trying to get something done for over five years. The board considered speed bumps, but Town Manager Mr. Khumalo said those have never been supported by the town. Ultimately, the Board voted 4-1 in favor of installing the stop signs, however temporarily.
After the hearing, the Board of Selectmen heard a series of updates from various town organizations. The Elementary School Building Committee gave an update on their work this fall. Youth Services Director spoke on, among other things, her activities since becoming full time and the National Depression Screening Day results. The board also got an update from Chief Lee, as he has been with the Hopkinton Police Department for six months.
The Board of Selectmen tabled the issue of promoting a fire department lieutenant.
The next Board of Selectmen meeting is scheduled for November 18th.
