Coordinator report December 16, 2015

Conservation Commission has recruited Chris Duerring as a new member.
Since she is already a member of the Forest Committee I ask that she be
granted a Chapter 268 Section D exemption so she may hold two "jobs" in
town government. Both positions are not compensated.

The accountant cites MGL which says we can't prepay our stipends to the
end of December before Christmas so I told her to change my Bill
Schedule submissions for Clock Winder through School Committee to five
months. I offered to personally guarantee repayment if anybody gets paid
and resigns before January 1 but that offer was not accepted.

Chief Shoemaker will be in to give a report and to seek approval of his
department's policy on use of Narcam, an opioid treatment.

I am still in the planning stages on the LTE trial. On whole the more we
learn the better this wireless option appears. A coverage "heat-map" was
created and the results looked pretty spotty at first glance. However
when the modeled coverage was overlaid to a map of Warwick it does
indeed hit most homes and this from the cell tower only so addition of
the Mt. Grace site will add even more coverage. The 900 MHz repeater
site we recently added to the former Iverson wind turbine mast has
provided coverage to Chase and Royalston Roads.

Four of us from Warwick attempted to attend the MBI informational
meeting in Greenfield on Monday night. After seating the folks who
RSVP'd (we hadn't thought to do so) I was the only one from Warwick
granted admission. Fire code was the reason a hundred or more folks were
turned away. The meeting scheduled to follow in Worthington has been
postponed until January. MBI released the consultant's report I had
requested, a request that they initially refused under a Public Records
exemption.

I found the presentations by the MBI hired attorney and the MBI hired
consultant compelling. My take is WW tried to shepherd through an
ownership model that had the WW coop owning the assets while the debt
will be to the respective towns. WW would also own half or more of the
assets paid for by the state grant. A town's interest is provided for by
membership in WW and an undivided interest in the endeavor. This has a
town on the hook for repayment and with no solid line of ownership. The
answer is in my mind is a condominium model. Each town would own the
fiber in its town and there would be some facilities owned in common
because they serve more than one town. WiredWest becomes the
"association" providing governance. In Leverett, the Holyoke Light &
Power does the installations and repairs as a contractor, and Crocker
operates the network. Both are already in the business and ongoing
entities. In Leverett the town budget (property tax) pays the debt
service on the built network.

The business consultant concluded that: All business functions should be
outsourced to existing companies. The Towns need to plan on paying the
interest and principal on the debt from town budgets and need to fund
from their budgets as well the operating costs of the MLP (light
plants). Pricing needs to be increased at least 25% and probably as much
as 50%. Even with these increases to avoid operating losses, there is no
money to repay the bond debt. And finally some towns need to consider
wireless technology.

After presentations by MBI consultants and rebuttal by WiredWest
spokespersons there was a question and answer period where I learned
very little. We want good things and we want others (the state) to pay
for them. It is fiber or nothing; and nothing is unacceptable. MBI
sucker punched WW. I sat though about seven "questions" that were
statements. Some were of adoration for WiredWest and other of
condemnation of MBI. This remains a "faith based" effort to too large an
extent. It is not dead in the water. Ownership as currently conceived
has run this aground.

Planning Board Chair Cady has requested the Selectboard request
technical assistance under the Local Technical Assistance Grant Program
delivered by FRCOG. One project which I have listed as priority number
one is to get assistance in updating our town maps and specifically the
maps related to the pipeline route for surficial geology, vernal pools,
and other "resource areas". The other, second priority seeks assistance
and review of the town's bylaws to protect the community from possible
negative impacts of the pipeline project.

One of the questions on the DLA request form has to do with "Community
Compact" which is a voluntary activity to promote best practices in
local government. I am unsure whether to just say no, not interested, or
in the alternative include my project with Cleargov.com. This project
graphically depicts the town's budget and spending, current and past and
will have ability to predict individual tax changes due to future
borrowing / spending. As such this addresses a "best practice" and has
benefit of already happening.

Town of Orange has called a meeting with officials from New Salem,
Wendell, Erving and Warwick. All these towns use Orange Ambulance. The
Town of Orange "assesses" us as a town for providing coverage. We have
considered this a contribution. I wrote the following in response to
Orange's Town Administrator: "Some feel the assessment unnecessary as
the ambulance service bills insurance and those provided service.
Warwick considers this a contribution not an assessment. We think this
should be done solely as a fee-for-service offering. Be prepared to show
that EMS contributions by towns are not subsidizing Orange Fire
Department operations and Orange general government. Warwick holds onto
its (ambulance) contribution until end of year because there have been
instances where Orange EMS was down to one vehicle and other companies
were providing our resident's with service. Former EMT and current
resident Bruce Kilhart is interested in attending this January 5 meeting
at 7 pm at the Tully firehouse. I contacted him as he has been offering
opinion and advice on this subject for a couple of budget cycles.

I attended a Selectboard Essentials presentation on USDA Rural
Development loans, loan guarantees, and grants. Ted attended as well. I
see opportunities to fund broadband build and Ted is interested in the
funding for the Town to develop solar at the closed landfill.

Unlike most grant awards, the DOER Green Communities isn't a
conventional reimbursement grant. Having documented that we have met
with the utility and gotten all available utility incentives we are
eligible to receive we get a drawdown of 25% of the grant. Then having
expended 25% or more of the grant on eligible activities they send us
the next 50% of the award. The final 25% will come when the entire
$137,500 has been expended on grant eligible work.

The Conservation Commission has delineated the wetland boundaries
affected by the Northfield Road project. The consultant is submitting
Notice of Intent where protected resources are near and Request for
Determination of Applicability to demonstrate that jurisdiction exists
in other areas.

The ZBA, Building Inspector, Planning Board Chair, Selectboard Chair and
Town Coordinator met with Town Counsel in advance of the final pretrial
conference on the WagonWheel appeal of our ZBA's decision. The
conference is the final meeting before going to trial and occurs
December 17.