Coordinator report September 22, 2017

Larry says the water is too high to conduct bridge repairs. I predict we
will have to wait until next July or August.

DLS issued advice to towns on how to fiscally handle broadband builds
and operations. In short it says we are on track with how we handle WBS
with our Enterprise Fund for operations and our Capital Build-out
Account for the construction project.

The next two paragraphs relate to the upcoming Special Town Meeting. The
Board should consider getting TM to increase the fund 65 / Transfer
Station appropriation by an amount of $3,000 to avoid having to go to
Reserve Fund at year end, and in recognition that the Commissioners need
to increase fees for us to obtain breakeven on Transfer Station and
without an increase in appropriation, (not raise, just appropriate) we
could not spend money we may collect.

Doc has proposed a Roundup ban. I think if a ban is desired to be more
than a symbolic act, like our nuclear transport ban, it is premature and
should fail to pass for lack of process. Doc did go to the Board of
Health and they weren't interested. I recall a draft invasive species
vegetation control plan drafted by all or some constellation of the
Planning Board and Open Space and Conservation Commission. Invasives are
mentioned according to my key word search of the town website in the
Hazard Mitigation Plan, Zoning, and Subdivision Control. And I recall
concerns from former Highway Superintendent regarding the plan
specifics. In the 2009 Open Space Plan invasive species made the top
five environmental challenges and I perceive that the problem is
worsening. Moreover the Town Forest Committee is considering
recommending action to address invasive species in the Town Forest. In
closing I want to quote our former Moderator, Miryam, who once wrote me
to say, "STM articles should be about matters where waiting to attend to
them will harm the town. " That is a good lens through which to view all
our proposed Special Town Meeting Articles.

I posted the meeting agenda on time at 5 pm yesterday and have made no
changes. I won't write much more so you can get your meeting materials
today and I do expect to write something on the subject of last night's
Pioneer School Budget Subcommittee meeting on which I serve and Martha,
Sue and Doc attended. A recent legal opinion said that only the
sub-committee members can deliberate. We were meeting previous to the
regular school committee meeting because of auditor concerns about the
state of balance, or "structural deficit" that our current budget may be
in, our continued losses, and perhaps even a "going concern" note were
they to look further forward. We have not yet fine-tuned Health
insurance costs, nor imputed hourly labor encumbrances. We have reviewed
our revenue budget and based on the level of state transportation
funding reimbursement are $300k in deficit for the current year. We meet
next Wednesday as a subcommittee to prepare to recommendations to the
full committee the following night. I am somewhat hopeful that reality
is sinking in and the committee will cease trying to restore items cut
and seek the required additional cuts.

Salt use practices remain to be addressed.  I recommend that the board
rather than Town Meeting vote an interim policy directing Highway
Department to affect minimal salt use and identify areas / locations of
special concern. Dictating that the mix of sand and salt be a weaker
salt mix won't necessarily reduce our salt use and could drive up the
tonnage of salt/sand we administer to our roads in order to be
effective. I am suggesting we titrate our dose of salt as when I take an
Aleve and follow the directions; I don't take two pills if one is
equally effective. And I fully recognize that if I break them in half,
and take four halves, I have still swallowed two pills.

Greenfield PD was awarded the 911 dispatch regionalization study grant
which Warwick signed on for.

In the Chapter 90 highway grant factoid department, I've attached
apportionment formula I discovered researching neighboring town's road
miles to analyze salt use data. It is weighted based on three factors;
road miles, population, and employment levels. A copy is attached.