Selectmen's Meeting Minutes 11/05/2019
Board of Selectmen November 5, 2019
Chairman Joseph Pacheco called the open meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the meeting room at Veterans’ Memorial Town Hall, 558 South Main Street. In addition to Chairman Pacheco, Selectmen Marie Smith and Patricia Riley were in attendance.
Ms. Riley led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance and Mr. Pacheco informed everyone that the meeting is being recorded live by RayCAM.
Acceptance of the Minutes
Ms. Riley made a motion to approve the minutes of the meeting held on October 29, 2019, as printed. Mrs. Smith seconded and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous. Ms. Riley also stated, “At the last meeting, I neglected to mention that we were returning from Executive Session with nothing to report and no votes were taken.”
Department Heads & Committees
Chief Jim Donovan was present to give his monthly report. Chief Donovan stated, “For the month of October, the Police Department logged 1,494 incidents, 241 calls were reported by 911, 56 people were booked, and there were 2 overdoses, one being fatal. There weren’t too many significant issues, except the head-on crash on Thrasher Street.” Chief Donovan discussed the suggested implementation of speed bumps on Thrasher Street. He stated that he had also discussed this with Highway Superintendent Ed Buckley. He pointed out that, although the accident is still under investigation, he is not sure if speed bumps would have been effective in this case. Both he and Mr. Buckley will look into other options that could be effective in helping prevent accidents such as markings and making the guard rail more visible on the street. As far as the issue of speed bumps, Chief Donovan stated that they are legal and are approved by MassDOT. There are, however, other issues associated with them, such as snow removal and potential damage to fire trucks. He added, “On Thrasher Street, the Town insists that Waste Management Trucks use that street to get in and out and that could be problematic.”
Chief Donovan also stated that the ABCC requires the Police Department announce when there will be liquor stings. He stated that licensees can fully expect that in the next coming weeks, “We will be in to check to see if they are selling to minors.”
Chief Donovan then requested the appointment of Jason Randall as a Special Police Officer. Chief Donovan stated, “Mr. Randall is a long-time resident of Raynham and is retired from the Department of Corrections.” Ms. Riley made a motion to appoint, Mrs. Smith seconded, and Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
Mr. Randall thanked Chief Donovan and the Board for allowing him to continue his Civil Service as a Special Officer with the Raynham Police Department.
Old Business
Mr. Pacheco stated that he has received the contract from Mass Generators, LLC, to furnish and install the generator that Town Meeting voted in the affirmative to purchase for Town Hall. Mrs. Smith made a motion to approve the contract as presented, Ms. Riley seconded, and Mr Pacheco made it unanimous.
Town Administrator’s Report
Town Administrator Graham Waters reviewed his weekly report.
Mr. Waters stated that he has scheduled a Department Head meeting for November 14th. He explained, “These meetings are a good opportunity for Department Heads to inform each other of upcoming and ongoing projects and to seek outside input on ideas and challenges.” He also reported that Veterans Service Officer Michaela Britto has resumed her position with the Town after being out for a few months and “We welcome her back to her post and encourage Veterans to stop by.”
Mr. Waters also said, “Our Health Agent informed us that we have received a hard frost of 28 degrees for a total of six hours and this will eliminate the threat of mosquito-borne diseases for the season.”
Mr. Waters attended the Government Study Committee meeting last Wednesday and it was a productive meeting. Chairman John Donahue will attend the Board’s next meeting on November 12th to give an update on the Committee’s deliberations. The next Government Study Committee meeting will be held on November 20th, at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room.
Mr. Waters reported that the Master Plan, which was completed in 2000, has finally been posted on the Town’s Website. It took considerable time to upload it because it is so large. He noted, “If you are looking to review it, it takes a few minutes to load on the website.”
Upcoming Meetings
In his report, Mr. Waters also noted that the next scheduled Selectmen’s Meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 12th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Hall meeting room.
Mr. Waters will be meeting with a SRPEDD representative on November 19th to discuss the Town’s Master Plan project that was approved at the Annual Town Meeting. He noted that he will coordinate a time for SRPEDD to address the Board concerning the project.
The Town Offices will be closed on Monday, November 11th, to observe Veterans’ Day.
Selectmen’s Report
Ms. Riley wanted to extend a warm welcome to a new establishment on Rt. 44, PlanIt Eats, which offers many healthy meal options. She also reported that the Raynham Historical Society will hold a celebration of its “The Way We Were” Vintage Clothing Exhibit on Wednesday evening. The Friends of the Library will hold their Fall Book Sale on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The First Congregation Church, will hold its “Homespun Holidays” craft fair on Friday, November 8th, from 12:00 noon until 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday, November 9th, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Ms. Riley stated, “I just want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all Veterans as we commentate Veterans’ Day with events being held this weekend and also to all members currently in the military and first responders who serve and protect. All Veterans, military personnel and first responders are cordially invited to attend our annual commemoration on Friday in our Raynham Schools. This will be our 17th annual event at the Raynham Middle School and Gold Star Dad, Mr. Paul Monti, will be our guest speaker, in memory of his son, Sergeant First Class Jared Monte, and the 772nd Army National Guard Unit from Taunton will participate in the event. Following that, we will have our 10th annual Veterans’ Day assemblies in the Merrill and LaLiberte Elementary Schools. There is also a special event taking place in Weymouth on Sunday at 12:00 noon when the Patriots Squadron will honor Sergeant Monti at Shea Memorial Grove. On Monday, the American Legion Post 405 will hold their traditional Veterans’ Day ceremony at the Post on Mill Street beginning at 10:00 a.m. and everyone is invited to attend.”
Ms. Riley also said that the flags have been put up at the four-corner intersection to commemorate Veterans’ Day and she wanted to thank Mr. Buckley and his department for all of their work putting them up and the Fire Department who will take them down and pack them away after Veterans’ Day. She also offered special thanks to those R.A.V.E. volunteers who assisted in placing the small flags along the roadway including Bridgewater-Raynham students Mike Dolan, Trent Smith, Jack Costa, Bryce Stasiuk, and Kiernan Carron, and RMS student Caden McNally, along with RAVE’s “Salute To our Veterans” Chairperson Sandy Leahy and RAVE Coordinator Becky George. She also offered thanks to everyone who has supported the fundraising effort to purchase the flags either through donations or by attending one of RAVE’s fundraisers.
Correspondence
The Board received a proclamation from Governor Baker’s office proclaiming Monday, November 11th, Veterans’ Day. Mr. Pacheco gave the proclamation to Ms. Riley to use for the Veterans’ Day ceremonies in the Raynham Schools.
Correspondence was received from Michael Heylin, Executive Director of RayCAM, stating that they will be renovating the Town Hall studio with new High Definition gear next week on Tuesday, November 12th, and possibly on Wednesday, November 13th. Mr. Pacheco said that the Selectmen’s Meeting next week will be recorded and played at a later date.
Micaila Britto was present at the meeting. Ms. Britto said she would not be attending the Raynham events on Friday because she will be attending an event at the State House in Boston. She wanted to thank the Board and everyone for their support while she was recuperating. She announced that she has been granted a service dog to help her. She will be receiving an Unsung Hero Award on Thursday and on Friday she will be at the State House for an event honoring women Veterans.
Adjournment
At 7:15 p.m., Mrs. Smith motioned, and Ms. Riley seconded, to adjourn for the performance of administrative duties, signing of Bills and Warrants, with no business to be conducted afterwards. Mr. Pacheco made it unanimous.
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Murphy
Recording Secretary