MINUTES OF THE DUXBURY SELECTBOARD November 14, 2005 Members Present: Paul Brusa, JoAnn Berno, Jill Smith, Todd Liberty, Fred Collins Others Present: David Quenneville, Bob Magee, Jason Dalley, and Ken Scott The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m. Minutes of Last Meeting: Jill Smith made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 10, 2005, meeting. Todd Liberty seconded the motion, and it passed by a vote of 4-0. Executive Session: Paul Brusa moved to go into executive session at 6:07 to discuss a town employee with the town clerk/treasurer, Ken Scott. Jill Smith seconded the motion. All were in favor. The board came out of executive session at 6:17 with no action taken. Townperson’s Concern: Bob Magee was present to voice his concern about the Camel’s Hump Road and the back of the river road. It hasn’t been in good condition lately despite the fact that we’ve hired a third road person. If we are going to do spot grading, let’s do it right. David Quenneville stated that he is aware of the situation, but we have had so much rain recently that it’s difficult to keep up with the declining conditions. Both Paul Brusa and Fred Collins agreed that Bob had a legitimate concern; however, Fred stated that he drives a school bus in other towns and has noticed poor road conditions there too, perhaps because we had 12.3 inches of rain last month, and it’s wetter than it’s even been at this time of year. David said he would go work on that section of road once more. Road Report: David feels that most of the roads are in good shape, and Todd stated that the Hump Road is a hard one to maintain. Most agreed that if we get 6-inch pot holes they need to be filled with gravel. Paul stated that we need to make sure we have enough money for blades next year. Todd stated that when the board agreed to a third employee it was because the roads were getting a lot more use and so more vigilance on the bad spots would be a good idea. Todd explained that the Deforges up on the hump had complained of water in their living room, and David explained that he had gone up there, looked over the culvert situation, and changed the culverts so that no water goes to Deforges. Todd reported that David wants to work on Turner Hill. We may need to have Barb Ripley re-write deeds etc. Todd reported that currently there are no equipment issues, and the tires are all set for winter. To fix the problems with the answering machine at the town garage, Todd has asked the guys to put a pager number on there. They will be rotating on weekends. Jill suggested that poles be put up around the new town sign for winter so that the area doesn’t get damaged. Meeker Road Update: Jason Dalley reported that nothing has happened since the last meeting and that he has a meeting tomorrow morning with his attorney to go over the current document. Paul said that the bills are paid for the culvert Jason has used and that all he needs to do is get that document to Barb Ripley, town attorney, so that at least three people can sign it along with Jason. Bills: JoAnn will be questioning service charges on the phone bill. Paul raised the issue of insurance quotes; Fred noted that the new quote was about the same as last year. JoAnn volunteered to send copies of the quote to five different insurance companies asking if the quote is reasonable. Paul Brusa moved that we accept the Stowe Insurance Agency’s proposal for the year which is $23,523. Fred Collins seconded the motion which was approved by a 5-0 vote. Regarding problems with the radios, it was decided that Todd would get an inventory on the radios because they have needed quite a bit of repair. Thatcher Brook School Renovation: Fred Collins reported that the state isn’t going to kick in the 30% for the parking lots so they may have to work with less money. Fred has been pushing for energy recovery and for new windows; however, that would require going back to the historical preservation people. They have hired Pizzagalli to do the pre-construction management. The project will be sent out to bid in February or March. Budget Discussion: The board began its initial budget discussion. The board decided it wanted to hear more about the $25,000 for sand and gravel. Jill reported input from various commission requests. There were questions about the phone bills and after some discussion JoAnn said that she would ask the phone company for an analysis of the bills since January, 2005. Duxbury Grange: The question of the Duxbury Grange property being for sale was discussed; the property is for sale with a realtor. Some of the grange members would like the grange to be available for use by the people of Duxbury. After some discussion Jill Smith made a motion that Fred Collins write a letter to the Grange expressing our willingness to present an opportunity to the Duxbury people to vote on acquiring the Duxbury Grange property. Todd Liberty seconded this motion. There was no more discussion and the motion passed by a vote of 5-0. Traffic Study: The town was given results of a traffic study of Duxbury Corners; however, due to some questions about the information, no action was taken. The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Pamela Dever