Coordinator report December 15, 2016

At the previous meeting the board set the pay rate of part-time plow truck drivers ($17)
and did not act on approval of the requested three part-time hires. We have to this date
used one of the individuals and need this as our procedures require Selectboard approval.

I have no progress to report on advancing cellular in the past two weeks. Broadband
committee is not totally enthralled by the project and rank it at best a second tier
priority. I have suggested that they gather data through a survey and that we aggregate
demand. That means poll our community members and come up with a list of "customers" for a
cell phone provider to count on if they deploy. I have called Coverage Co; Vanu.com; and
Mobilitie but know nothing more.

We have about $50k in Green Communities funding that must me expended by June 30. I am
bidding the town hall heat pumps once again. The bids are due 1/23 for what I think will
be about a $25k project. Additional projects in process are same heat / cooling appliance
at highway garage office, wing plows for our two heavy trucks, ceiling fans in the town
hall main hall. The committee meets this Thursday evening to consider other ideas.

Warwick net meter host project is slated to be completed by January 1 and the net meter
credit purchase agreement is delayed until March 31, 2017

We are working with MBI management and staff on the terms of our construction grant. They
announced conditional approval last week which is subject to final ratification by the
executive committee of the MA Tech Collaborative, the parent organization.

Nothing to report on the McKnight vacant property

I recommend we set the Personnel Policy Hearing for 6:30 pm on 1/16. Highway department
employees pointed out the vacation is becoming accrued in a way that is fundamentally
different that the current scheme and unacceptable. In the current policy, with nine years
of service, I get three weeks of paid vacation and must take it during the year. When July
1 comes around I get another three weeks. But under this policy unless I don't use my
vacation I have in this Fiscal Year, I won't have any vacation time on July 1 and won't be
able to take two weeks in August. In fact I won't be able to take two weeks' vacation
until March 1. A second matter is comp time which is once again limited. Finally one
employee doesn't appreciate that they can't keep a firearm locked up in their vehicle.
I'll say as a proponent of the ban at town hall that I don't think we need to adopt the
post office approach which says no firearms even if in your vehicle and otherwise legally
secured.

We have a tentative date to meet with and in Bernardston on Jan 10, a Tuesday regarding
Pioneer school budget. My school sub committee assignments are the budget and building and
grounds sub-committees and I am the chair of the latter. That is a scheduled Pioneer
budget committee meeting so I'll be at PVRS prior to the meeting down the road.