Town of Wendell, Massachusetts

Selectboard Report

The composition of the Selectboard experienced a rather dramatic change in 2009, when longtime Selectboard chairperson Ted Lewis, lost his seat to Jeoffrey Pooser.  Although the remaining members, Christine Heard and Dan Keller, were dismayed by the loss of their esteemed colleague, they found that Jeoff brought new energy and new interests to the Board that have proven very useful and beneficial to the Town. The Board is very fortunate to continue to work with Nancy Aldrich as Town Coordinator, Laurel Brenneman as Selectboard Clerk, and Joy Gorzocoski who handles the clerical duties in the Selectboard office. Larry and Lori Ramsdell, town custodians, did an outstanding job cleaning and maintaining the Town Hall and Town Offices and providing additional custodial assistance in other town buildings.
 The two new town buildings, the Wendell Free Library and the Town Offices, continue to serve the town well.  A world wide interest in greening our environment led to an increased appreciation for their excellent energy efficiency.  However the heat circulator pumps in the Town Offices and Library continue to cause problems; Dan Keller and Jim Slavas, with Nancy Aldrich’s help, have worked hard to hold the designers and the installers of the heating systems accountable.
Alerted by the December, 2008 ice storm and the prolonged power outage that followed, the Selectboard arranged for five generators to be purchased and installed at the Town Hall, Town Offices, Library, Highway Department/Fire Station Building and the town well.  Funds were provided by Town Meeting, the Building Fund and several maintenance accounts.  By the end of 2009 four generators were installed and three were operating at the Town Offices, the Highway Garage/ Fire Station and at the town well on Cooleyville Road.
Clean-up from the ice storm damage to trees and roads continued long into 2009.  FEMA reimbursed the town approximately $40,000 for clean up costs; MEMA reimbursed almost $6,000.  Obtaining this reimbursement required much of the Town Coordinator’s time; Nancy is to be commended for the persistence and attention to detail she needed to complete reimbursement paperwork. The Selectboard is still pursuing partial reimbursement from the state for emergency expenses related to the tornado in 2006.  Although the state legislature again voted reimbursement of $150,000 during the summer, no payment was made in 2009. 
The Selectboard continued to address needed improvements to town buildings and infrastructure. The exterior siding and the roof of Highway Garage/Fire Station building were repaired. At the suggestion of the Full Moon Coffeehouse, the Hall’s insulation was examined.  During December new insulation was installed in all ceilings and cellulose insulation was blown into the walls of the building. The Selectboard thanks the Full Moon Coffeehouse Committee for their donation of materials and installation of new lighting for the stage and improved wiring for the audio system. Potential solutions are being considered for drainage problems at the Town Hall that affect a neighbor.
Members of the Town Offices Interior Design Committee hung the newly framed bicentennial quilt in the entry hall during 2009, completing their plans for permanent exhibits in the main hallway.  They began work on an historical display for the meeting room.
    A self-emptying dehumidifier was installed in the basement of the Senior Center to address high humidity problems.
    Dennis Hudson kindly agreed to take over the volunteer job of putting up and taking down the American flags on the Common, when Ted Lewis retired from doing it.  Dennis also clears snow to make a path across the north common to the Library.  In addition, he repaired the basketball court fence, which had been damaged by the tornado in 2006.
    In late December the Selectboard heard a proposal from the Historical Commission for an educational use of a piece of property on Wickett Pond Road recently acquired by the Town through tax taking.  Permission was granted for the Historical Commission to look into the possibilities.
To comply with new state regulations regarding trench construction, the Selectboard designated the Board of Heath as the issuer of trench permits.  A permit must be obtained for any trench that is open overnight more than 24 hours.  There is no charge for this permit.
The Community Gardens were enlarged this year with 17 households utilizing one or two plots.   Two fruit trees under planted with daffodils were added. John and Barbara Craddock built a beautiful arbor of mountain laurel branches to mark the entrance to a new ornamental garden.
A problem with the south boundary of the site for the new library, discovered during a survey in 2004, continues to be researched and discussed with the adjacent property owner.
    Jeoff Pooser worked extensively with the Wendell Broadband Committee to help bring wireless broadband technology to parts of Wendell.  A receiver was installed at the Wendell Free Library; as a result, internet access at the Library is faster and more dependable with less latency.  A test receiver has also been installed on the Wendell Police Station in hopes of providing service to Town buildings in the center. 
At the recommendation of the Website Committee Christine Texiera and Christopher Parker were hired to create a new website for Wendell.  The result is attractive and user-friendly both for the public and for town officials and committees.   Check it out: www.wendellmass.us.
    To comply with the State’s requirement for an inspection of the dam at the Fiske Pond property owned by the Town, the Selectboard hired an engineer at a cost of $3,000.  Members of the Fiske Pond Advisory Committee volunteered to accomplish the required improvements.  They cleared trees and brush along the dam, removed debris from the spillway and lowered the level of the water.
    In June the Selectboard sent a letter to officials in Greenfield and other Franklin County towns and to our state representatives to express our concerns about the biomass facility proposed in Greenfield.
    The Selectboard received numerous complaints from outraged Wendell townspeople about an extensive, invasive, and potentially illegal helicopter and land search for marijuana that took place in late August.  Jeoff Pooser investigated, but was unable to clarify which state or federal agencies authorized or performed the search.  A letter of protest was written by Jeoff, signed by the Selectboard and sent to all state and federal agencies that might have been involved.  The only response received was a phone call from Assistant District Attorney Britte McBride, who promised to look into the matter.
    Janet Swem resigned in March from her position as Town Accountant.  The Selectboard acknowledges Janet’s excellent work for the past three years to organize the work of the Accountant’s office, to provide all reports in a timely manner, to answer our questions in a clear and succinct manner and to facilitate the town’s fiscal operations with her professional manner and expertise.
    During the year the following appointments were made: David Bock as Highway Supervisor; Brian Morton, accountant; Doug Simon to the ZBA and Myron Becker, alternate member of the ZBA; Jonathan von Ranson, Laurie DiDonato, Gloria Kegeles, Bob Shulman and Laurel Facey to the Energy Committee created at the Special Town Meeting in July; Jim Henly and Jean Forward as alternates to the Energy Committee; Rebecca Patnode to the Open Space Committee; Ted Lewis as Coordinator of Grounds and Buildings, a position created at the July Special Town Meeting to oversee Town properties; Anne Hartjens as Liaison to the State Ethics Commission, a position required by a new state law; Don Chappell to the recently created New England Trail Stewardship Council, Christine Texiera to the Website Committee and Laurel Facey as representative to the Franklin Regional Transit Advisory Board.
    A subcommittee was formed late in the year to make recommendations for updating the Personnel Policy; Carolyn Manley, Sylvia Wetherby and Harry Williston graciously accepted this task.
In addition to activities mentioned above, Board members or their representatives attended meetings with the Route 2 Task Force, the Franklin Regional Council of Government (FRCOG), and the Veterans’ District.  Nancy Aldrich attended meetings of STAR, Stand Together, Act Responsibly, a committee of representatives from small towns in the Commonwealth, which is working to ensure that small towns receive adequate and fair payments in lieu of taxes for state owned property.  The Selectboard met this year with the Town Treasurer; the Town Accountant; state legislators, Stan Rosenberg and Steve Kulik; Road Commissioners; Cemetery Commissioners; frequently with the Finance Committee; Open Space Committee; Planning Board; Community Gardeners; Board of Assessors; Police Chief; Emergency Management Committee; Wendell School Committee; Board of Health; and others.
        Jim Slavas was awarded Citizen of the Year at Old Home Day to recognize his more than thirty years of dedicated, thoughtful service to the town including Selectboard, Building Committee and, currently, the Finance Committee. 
The Selectboard thanks the many citizens of Wendell whose generous commitment of time and energy enable the work of town government to go forward.  These people and many others who work in unofficial capacities help to create the strong, vibrant community that we so love.  In addition we wish to acknowledge the hard work of our Finance Committee whose members have tackled various issues that affect the Town now and may do so in the future.

Respectfully submitted,
Christine Heard, Chair