9:00 a.m. morning everyone for joining us it's bright and early today um fairly short agenda uh public comments and then we have the dunable pasas cost recovery program filing a claim and joining litigation annual reappointments director of the senior services with added Recreation responsibilities um looking for a position in contract for that the mass do bike signs and then any topics not reasonably anticipated by the chair so we'll start with the public forum is anyone here with public comments concerns I for Jason a couple of these but the blue bins and whether we should just move them down to the we're not responsible for okay they they they're going to move them they he's been talked to a couple times about moving those pins okay yeah he he wanted to I think we had offer to do it and he's he wants to be responsible for yeah all right um and another one is I've had a couple residents reach out to me about monuments and memorials for the more recent conflicts we've had both Afghanistan and Iraq global war on terror so I think we sort of have to figure out a plan for where that Memorial will go in general um and I don't know if that's just the group or if that's a larger plan for the town to make sure we get that out there we have nothing for them yeah no I I agree I think it would first start with the group come up with I you and I had actually had was last year sometime kind of looked around in the center I I don't think there's a huge appetite to expand that but I think there are places within it that you could probably put something yeah CU I know Joe D and I talked and he thought maybe we could get a top line or someone up that you know I know I think top out of buiness yeah but there's a Hudson some of the people there moved up to Hudson gr or something right they did um so we might be able to discuss with them there's also another one in hher that does some donations um and the catch with that group is it's it's really just Joe and I we've had a tough time getting a third person we sort of need a third person yeah otherwise there just two of us making a call on something um yeah but yeah I know like a firefighters I think the firefighters group had done their own memorial work or something too so I think there was some of that going on as well so so the memorials committee does not have a quorum there's two of us so I think that's a quorum but it's just it's only a three okay yeah we have we've pushed that out a couple times at least getting any address but we can I think we just did again so yeah that's um Joan you missed the public form did you have just look up your meeting minutes from the last your last 8:00 meeting and just just transcribe That Into You into this weeks and that make any S I don't [Applause] I thought about it and you know the alternative is is these days you can meet at 5:00 and nobody can go to those meetings either so doesn't make any difference that's all I okay did you have anything else Ken that's all I got okay we're on anybody else okay all right nothing else and we'll move on to the next thing um the duno past cost recovery program so we've been approached by um an attorney Hank notton to um ask if the town wants to join in a lawsuit against three of the main um companies that produce p pass and going after them and we've since reached out to another company SL is that SL yeah based out of um I think is it Texas and California no they're up in New Hampshire actually oh they have offices then I read something so there was um they're pretty big firm okay there was a there's a third um there's a bunch of third using Tex oh okay all right so I guess we have two sort of draft agreements and we need to choose which one we want to go with um yeah I mean nap schnick or SL environmental law group um I've had Town Council review both of their draft Legal Services agreements they've reviewed them they've redlined them um all changes that were made by Town Council were accepted by both firms so there weren't any issues with that okay good I did send you um an email that um that my sent us sent me um with his with their preference their preference was the SL environmental law group um Han n was before you he presented at our last meeting from nap schnick I think the in my view the most important thing is choosing one um because we don't want to miss a deadline to get um um a claim filed for the two the DuPont set two. deadline and I guess the 3M um deadline is approaching as well so that's uh to me that's the most important thing um both firms seem to be um well represented in the space there you have a lot of clients um and seem capable of doing the work so so we have prle has gone with Napoli nap and Gren is with not SL but another another one right that's right yeah so I I have the name I just forget about the to in I head yeah yeah but it's neither of these two it's neither of these two right okay so I guess you I I I I understand our town council's recommendation but you said at the end of the day they both legitimate and fine and we'll should be able to do the job for the town um I do like the fact that um Mr noton did come to us specifically and gave a presentation and has reached out and addressed a lot of our concerns regarding this issue um we don't really have any sort of personal contact with SL environmental at all the fact that peil is working with Napoli as well and pepp were sort of hand inand with PE through this process if that sort of simplifies things for us or for PPP or not I don't really know but sort of having that personal contact that I mean does kind of I don't know I guess sways me just a little bit but I'm not a lawyer so I can't really analyze these agreements as to which one is better for us or not I don't really have a preference either way I like that the guy Hank came here but if our Town Council is saying you use SL napol or SL environmental law group they yeah so SK game because they sort of know these yeah conglomerates if you will more than else but doesn't I mean at the end of the day it's going to be more than likely the same amount of money and same amount of result from what you know either these Mega corporations settle out with so yeah R well I um you know I have some concerns about SNL um if we engage them then what we are going to do is amongst peil Gren dunable we will all have different law firms and I'm just not I'm just not saying that being advantageous it's and I'm kind of lined up with where Leah is with regards to peppol if they're using Napoli I think that you know let's more lawyers it becomes lawyer stew and it can really get to be tough you know um nton was here retired I did I did did some reconnaissance on him and he he comes back as a pretty stal guy comes back as a pretty stal guy yep he does and because I you know I did a little bit of leg work checking him out last week and um my mind says we're going to do this with them I just think that that's the better of the choices I'm a little fuzzy about why Mar's recommending someone else I you know they those those guys are the Morgan and Morgans of the environmental world I don't I don't necessarily want a Morgan and Morgan with 900 lawyers because that's going to get us to the end quicker it's not it's just and so I think he he did a he did a nice job he did sit on the bench and wer for a good number of years and he is tapped into the legislative component you need there there's an aspect of this that's that's legislative and he's definitely tapped into it and so um I'm going to Echo what Leah is doing here with that I think that they're the guys or the law firm that we we want to hire I just don't I just don't think adding another lawyer into the equation is going to be advantageous to us it's just going of did you talk to Dave McKay about his response and why he thinks this the SL1 is fairer than than the other I mean but I didn't no I didn't she didn't explain it but no what what um all I have was what he sent and what I sent you just so you have that as background I mean from what I could tell reading between the two docum looked pretty much the same but again I'm not the legal expert I I asked him as a followup if um he felt that way even with his red line to yeah the napoi and he he just responded Yes he still felt that way so yeah um all right but you know like I said environmental they have I think about 20 clients in Massachusetts but they have clients throughout the country in Napoli has 80ish clients in Massachusetts and the same they they're representing folks throughout the country as well so I think um think well I think we've got the approval of both yeah um I it's the same result at the end of the day we're we're not the city of Boston or somewhere some group that's going to pull more clout in this yeah legal and we're part of a little old group here so we just got to pick a horse and R it yeah I think the important thing is just timeone okay John um except that um you know would we know it sounds kind ridiculous that we all have to have our own Law Firm but maybe we should you know well there's there's there's more to it than that I mean there this this the litigation against the manufacturers is very significant and I think there's $1.2 billion dollar that's been put aside to a trust fund for well yeah from there are three different at least that amount yeah we we we we we can't we DUS can't go on this premise that we're just going to kind of see how it all shakes out we just we can't we there are filing deadlines there's a tracking order from the court and there are filing deadlines that you got to meet and we're either going to be in joined or we're not going to be and if we lose um an opportunity with a filing deadline there are some recovery periods but it's not really where you want to be so we we need representation um I have some concerns Beyond this that we need to have pasas mitigation program for the to because I don't know where this is going to take us right we already had one complaint last week right and then maybe other those along uny Brook that haven't even shown up yet so this could become pretty significant for us and I like I like the loc I like um not and he's other than that day he never met him didn't talk to him but he he just he he came back with some pretty high references from a couple of Austin law firms that I know he was and he was I will say responsive following the meeting he he was quick to send his Client List as requested yeah he did some research for us on whether we can um file an additional claim for the um for the addition funding we had to seek for the pass mitigation work with the high school which came back as he that he could so he did do some um leg work in addition to kind of the formula um you know fre Consulting yeah so I thought all right we ready to you may have one more question Tiffany I just split on Ron's point of kind of keeping an eye on where this is all going I'm feeling it's going to be coming in from the Nashville River too so it's kind of that area not to know yeah where came from right yeah it's everywhere it's going to be [Music] tricky anybody else what was the name of n group nap so I moved for the town to enter illegal Services agreement with Napoli schneck skull neck skck for the purposes of investigating and assessing potential claims arising out of the presence of pfas contaminat in the town's drinking water and to provide representation of the town in any civil action that may be filed in one or more State trial courts or the United States District Court I will second that any further discussion being none all those in favor I I good all right next we have the annual reappointments we have a short list of appointments to the community preservation committee economic develop committee Nim COG recre ation Commissioners historical commission memorials and monuments Animal control officer and Conservation Commission um did you see my email I believe they should have been yeah I wrote you that we did him last meeting we did okay that okay may I ask to add one the um maybe n had an alternate we I don't think we appointed an alternate they us toint you were the I was they asked they asked for real yeah okay so we'll add you in as an alternate to the nip Cog and that's to expire 2025 as well yeah I move to appoint Town officials boards and committee members as presented in the document entitled entitled appointments staff committees boards and commissions dated June 11th 2024 with the addition of with the yeah with the addition of an alternate to nard being uh the Town Administrator second okay I all those in favor I I great all right uh next thing we have the review of the job description for the director of senior services with added Recreation responsibilities so as we all know an Fetti has retired from the position of the senior services director and um in responding to a request by the recreation and parks department in which they would like to have someone sort of um join in with this role to be a director of Park Service activities and sort of event planning and things like that um we Jason put together a job subcription for a one part-time job that will incorporate all of those um it's a pretty lengthy list of job duties for 17 hour for a 17 hour job there's a lot going on there but um makes it very clear on what the person is asking to do I did have someone wanted to in this meeting who had an interest um was not able to go and just wanted to yeah thought that would be good for this position to offer exercise classes to benefit the seniors um I don't know if that needs to necessarily put in the job description but it's certainly something to be included into what they may do there is the bone Builders program that goes through that um but I this may be a little bit A Step Beyond an exercise program so a little bit yeah yeah um so as as you said um at one point at some point um Tiffany had mentioned that um they would really benefit from some administrative support on the re and park commission um or commissions and um and so as with that in mind and then as the conversation started with uh respect to um the event what was it event planning committee and the desire to have more um events in town um it dawned on me that with this position given the nature of the position being mostly um programmatic that we might be able to wrap it all in one um and um ensuring that you know the the um the foundation of the position being Senior Services um and making sure that that remains um intact but also adding hours um to help support the Recreation Commission and Parks Commission and potentially kind of looking at not not only administratively but also looking at potentially adding um rep programming to the mix um we I have had some conversations with the rep commission informally um on kind of how how they might go about funding to additional hours so um I think between budgetary funds and potentially revolving funds um the idea hopefully would be adding some Rec programming um would be a revenue generator and um generating Revenue um hopefully would help fund hopefully all of the additional hours to be honest that would be the goal I think um but that's kind of the the concept at the moment um that's on the table for some discussion um I think the rec commission is meeting wck and park commissions are meeting tonight to talk about this as well um just to make sure that they were all on I guess the same page um but um I think that thms it up I think um so I think it's a great idea and this is something that once it starts it's a new position essentially well part of it a new position it could just morph into something more and fulfill that need that the economic development committee is asking for and really and maybe then sort of combine some of the other activities that are going on in town at least work jointly with like the summer concerts committee and the jinglefest and you all those things there's a lot going on and they're all sort of in their little separate groups but sort of a joining of hands that that may work out great but I think it's a good idea and this person's going to report directly to you we got yeah I mean we'll have toig proba yeah that's what we'll have to figure out kind of the reporting structure and all that because they're going to have to work in hand with um with par but also with the the select board and hopefully me so um figuring out that but I I mean we all have great working relationships so um in the COA board don't forget so like all so all of those um but but I don't it you know it might be a little yeah exactly there thank you some work that definitely needs to be done in terms of making sure we all have the reporting structure down but um and there's there's a lot of stakeholders involved in the 17 hour position but um but I think we can I think we can op that and we think that 17 hours is enough so we're not this person this isn't stretched too thin you could be down to like one hour per week based on a given week sometimes with the shifts and schedules and stuff like that that's my only sort of I think you talked about this my concern is these this is a lot of duties for someone that's a part-time position it's less than 20 20 hours per week y though I think it's a pretty good pay rate you'd have to have someone who's willing to do almost more hours than they could be compensated for to make this sort of shake out prop I think which is is a rarity a lot of those grow on trees I think acknowledging that this position is going to be there for support but also still heavily rely on volunteer effort needs to be like understood because there's no way that this position will be able to do it all and you know figure it all out and do all the work I mean it's still we're still going to need volunteer effort to make make the thing work so um I think this position would and could help just kind of bring It together um and make sure that and help you know when there's a volunteer rushing down to make it a posit or I mean you know bring payments in downstairs like maybe staff could do that rather than volunteers having to pick up some actual workload um but no it's going to require it's still going to require heavy volunteer wies to get it work um get it to work but you know 5 hours a week that's what we're probably talking about for wreck um and uh you know I was doing that math this morning on my way and I'm like all right there's 52 weeks a year it's five five hours a week so it's like 2 you know 250 hours a year what could you do in 250 hours a year like how many programs Could you actually do so like even if it's you know five new programs um the first here and there's two big events and we were talking about like a 5k like maybe we can do a 5K in town maybe that could generate Revenue to help support the salary you know I know yeah the the CHS are going to be head that I can see but you know things like that like if if you can if you can develop a couple programs that you think will be Revenue generators help pay the salary and then the rest is gravy um you know but anyway that's all that needs to still be worked out but and there's room for the position to grow too you know based on the success of what they're saying and we'll see how it goes and right now we're sort of limited by our budget constraints and we have to start somewhere so the revolving account that we have is kind of where we're starting and there's enough money in there to fund our portion for two to three years oh great good yeah they don't any okay so that's a great jumping Point yeah we think we so with these different groups you know we can illustrate a schedule to potential candidates like hey you're five hours on Monday for parks and wrecks and your you know the remaining out like if I'm looking to apply to the job I want to understand what's the expectation of the schedule and like when am I going to be you know sitting in a chair here or how much time on the road do we have that sort of laad out too premature I think it wait I I wouldn't even know where to start honestly at at this point and I would think like I think at the end of the day I mean there may be some weeks where W's two hours and seniors are 15 hours then there might be a week that wrecks seven hours and seniors are you know like I think there will be some some uh they'll have to be some flexibility with that because like if they if you know there's a pro big rep program coming up they may have to dedicate a little more time to that okay and vice versa so um and I also think importantly for this position um there are um you know seniors that are the Aging population um the how I try to say no no that's why um no I think the um expectations for programming vary greatly depending on um your age and so like I think there are you know 60 65y olds who want more active exercise program Etc but they're also a a group more vulnerable um residents who need basic services so like with the in in a lot of communities are kind of moving to this where um they're kind of thinking of recreation in Senior Services as one so that you're not leaving you know um those who are coming into their senior years who have different um desires for programming than those who are currently being served by um by this by the senior by senior services so I think combining them um in general could really benefit um everybody involved and I think that's kind of um that's where a lot of communities are are bu if that makes sense I don't know if I explain that awesome I think we have to keep it under a th000 hours for the year right that's the insurance minimum uh I don't know is that the math it's um just 19 hours a week has to stay under a th000 they become eligible for insurance yeah it's got to be 84 with 17 time2 is 884 it's like 20 hours because the tra right yeah yeah you have a question from the audience so is this the involv in here is this um solely in relation to the seniors or is this in relation tode yeah everything townwide yeah anything to do with you know Jason I mean not J was it it was I forgot who talked about these Road Race things right you know put that's not a senior event wouldn't be but and there were a lot of other things the the Parx and rexs I don't know who I saw food truck from Friday yeah that's starting this yeah those are the how many trucks are going to be there well does it cost you have to pay for two when you when you say senior programing I think what we correct me if I'm wrong Tiffy but I think any new programing it's like all ages yes seniors are welcome to participate like that's the idea having these programs that everybody is invited yeah they're not separate events they're not they're not right like a lot of the stuff does not have to be you know for young and old it's for there for everybody all there are seniors that could run a 5k that's my point that's my point there are not that can Library whatever you know they don't participate B but there is a you know another group of seniors that you know come to Bone Builders religiously and I think would definitely benefit by any connected you know recreational activities you know I think they'd be interested in so sure I think it's think it's worth yeah too I think it's important to note that U like kind of Youth only based programming wouldn't really work here because it's kind of so I think the program either need to be leaning toward seniors right yeah that makes sense I think it's also critical to understand too that while we're adding this like this the foundational you know meals phone builders that stuff that need that's like you know a priority to remain So Co yeah all right anything else no I move to approve the senior services and Recreation program director job description as presented on June 11th 2024 second further discussion being all those in favor I I awesome thank you Jason Tiffany thanks okay the mass do bike signs so there was a request by a resident um who is a Avid biker bicycle biker and um to put the road signs up throughout town that have been I guess they've been given to us by mass do no they offered they offered them some time ago I have no idea if they have any remaining we missed the deadline to apply for them okay um yeah so I did I did reach out I did reach out to them just to ask if there were any more available okay and I never I have not heard that you okay well just the the road signs are a um a cautionary sign asking motorists to give bicyclists a 4ot wide when they pass them on 11 on 11 foot road yeah so you're you're over in you're over in the oncoming traffic AIC how did we make it how did we make it this far it is without those signs right that's well I mean there's no doubt it's a dangerous situation for people to be riding bikes on these roads it's dangerous for cars to be on these roads it's dangerous for pedestrians horses Etc um and you know I I appreciate this resident's concern and I I understand the point that this person is coming from it's a valid concern we don't have the signs presently um there was a a recommendation that was provided showing where they could possibly go um personally I thought there was too much I wouldn't be opposed to put you know a couple around as you may enter the town on some of the more dangerous roads but everybody knows that riding bikes on these roads you're taking your life into your hands regardless of a sign um but I'm not opposed personally not speaking for the board I'm not opposed to putting a reminder up in a couple of places but ala how's our sign budget looking these days well they're free we don't free free if we were able to get them from them away the labor to get them yeah well there are a lot of them around in a surrounding town so people are seeing them anyway you know they there's one right on the groten sign that as you enter grotten you see it so the so the word is out um so do you have any comment on that [Music] Ian I came to the board with a list of St St people going the main road put a [Music] sign yeah well the of our roads are just just tricky and that's you know it's it's they're dangerous yeah I guess I don't disagree that there might be a couple spots to put up you I I like the idea of the entry point to town like somewhere there and otherwise our streets are too narrow we're just we're just going to add more clutter right there's a lot of signs we don't yeah and I think a lot of our residential bike riders are pretty Savvy to know that you don't go on 113 at rush hour you know it's just it's common sense they do they but like I mean they're out there in a snowstorm I know yeah but for the most part like I think the folks that know the roads know which ones to pick and choose you know I doing the best we can with what we got so maybe a couple signs but otherwise I think it was a lot of locations in that message there were a lot yeah and I appreciate that residents ideas but maybe they could work with our new recreation person to create more virtual awareness of times to ride and not as an activity like a good SP a we may be more effective to put a note out in to put awareness messages out through our social media and our Publications and whatnot to just you know it's like the turtles like we tell people that watch over Turtles they still get smoked so we don't want our bikers to be smoked either nor do we want our Turtles to be smoked I mean we obviously care about the safety we know how many how many Bic bicyclists have been injured or in some other way we you know had a problem in town I don't know do you have a statistic on that [Music] [Applause] so we really had you know no reports of B was being law you know that we find not state that allow to use the off well and I mean we should push that message out onto our social media as I didn't realize that was a new law I okay years yeah yeah wasn't that far ago I know I do know in Boston they're pulling people over Boston cops are pulling people over in tagon I I I watch them do it yeah they really pushing in City yeah but you know how that's I'm not going with that one but that's this thing called Blue bikes and they're everywhere Cambridge is the worst Kendall Square I put a camera in the car because I know some day I'm just going to whack somebody because it's that bad so I guess right now we don't have any signs no and so I think the board's interest is to maybe put two or three of these things around the town just to create some situational awareness yeah once we get the signs which it sounds like I don't know I mean the only I David the only thing I could think of I I know you're not crazy about this but you know does Perle have one and go have one that they want to okay they're all up they put them up so yeah let's see if we can maybe find what two or three and then identify a couple SPAC is more at the entry point to town yeah Street yeah there's yeah bikes go by there all the time yeah no we're good thanks yeah hi barar Road [Music] around know move the all to ride to the they just allow to ride down that lane of traffic and just you know and the cars behind them can just go scr you know they just have to wait till they get out of the way you know this is this is unbelievable Okay so will I we don't need to take a vote on this so we can move on to the next item and that is topics not reasonably anticipated do there anything else we need to discuss no anything else no I know there's um we had a good update for the MUD district yes y so that's approved so that now is going to go to the zba Y and we will be getting assistance from hopefully hopefully getting assistant from Mass housing to walk them through the process I have a meeting with them next week to go through the projects with them and um just so they have a better understanding of the projects and what we're looking for but they seem open and willing to help which is great yeah and the EBA is yeah eager to get the assistance which is is great too so yes they've had a couple things hit their agenda recently and we did did you received the email on um the Town Center zoning Amendment yes yes okay yes that's you get that town center own amendment was approved yeah okay so the Attorney General's office got back to us with their decision they approved the amendment however they did not allow the prohibition of lottery sales so we can't prohibit that because they had they had some concern with regulatory Authority between State just another what what about the nips they did not weigh in on the nips so the nip I thought that was yeah the hips are not prohibited I me they are prohibited yes yes they they did not um you're talking about the little bottle right yeah yeah and we're talking about this letter that came yesterday right yeah oh you have't it out there my email I don't call I sent you know what I sent it to Carol so she probably yeah yeah um they they are not restricting so a nip is a bottle of alcohol with 2 ounz or less they not but we have that in our bylaw anyway so but they're not so the the select board when going through that process already has prohibited the sales in pable so yeah and they're not changing that no they they can't they they're only offering their opinion from their at their level some of these things are still local rule right yeah you have the local licensing Authority for alcohol so you not you areow we don't nips are nips and single serup beers are not permitted in the town correct right and they're not changing that no they're not okay they're just saying in this letter if I read it the right way is they don't have there's no they have no authority over driving that Lottery and 2 ounces or less of auth they they are not restricting it they're saying you you they're not they're not restricting the lottery ticket sales right they're not making any opinion about the nips right well they have no over either one of those why well they do have the authority over the lottery apparently but our bylaw which was approved says no sale of nips and we are the commission regulating body for that so they haven't changed that the only thing they're changing is that they're saying we can't prohibit lottery sales because that's a different ball game right is that I'm interpret that is exactly what it say y all right anything else is there a motion to adjourn so move second all right all in favor I I thanks for joining thank you have a good day everybody you guys going to sign up for that 5K