Town of Warwick
Selectboard
April 1, 2013
                                                                 Minutes 
Members present: Dawn Magi, Nick Arguimbau, Patricia Lemon (via Skype at
6:05 pm)
Others present: Town Coordinator David Young, Town Secretary Rosa
Fratangelo Calcari, Fire Chief Ron Gates, Firefighter Joe Paul, Police
Chief David Shoemaker, Jon Calcari

I.   Call to Order 
Chair Magi called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm in Town Hall. 

Public Comment 
None.
III.  Minutes
Arguimbau MOVED to approve the minutes of March 18, 2013 as printed.
Magi SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 2-0-0.
IV. Presentations and Discussions
1.   Firemen's Association Progress Report--Fire Chief Ron Gates said
that he had spoken with Brian Gale earlier in the day, and that Gale
told him that he was working on pricing materials, and that the plans
are finished but not yet stamped. Chief Gates said that Gale said that
there should be more information available within the next two weeks.
The Chief also noted that there will be another meeting of the Public
Safety Building Committee by mid-month.
2.   Fire Department Report --Joe Paul said that he had been designated
by Chief Gates to handle the matter of Road Closed signs. Paul said that
he had spoken with Highway Superintendent Tim Kilhart, and that it had
been determined that wood signs were illegal. Paul said that Kilhart had
ordered several signs. Young said that he believed four new "Road
Closed" signs and six "Road Closed to Through Traffic" signs had
arrived.
	Chief Gates said that Joe Paul is next in line for Deputy Chief.
	Current Deputy Roland Weld will have to retire in a couple of years.
	Young pointed out that the State requires public safety personnel to
	retire at age 65. Gates noted that Paul is receiving all requisite
	certifications and is also learning the necessary paperwork that is
	part of the Deputy position.
	Gates gave the Board Chair and the Coordinator each a copy of the
	current Fire Department roster.  The Chief said that the
	firefighters were well trained, and pointed out that mutual aid can
	be called in if need be. Paul said that the first one on scene can
	call for mutual aid if it is determined that the situation warrants.
	He also said that if no officer responds within five minutes that
	Shelburne Control automatically calls for mutual aid. The Chief said
	that he and Paul have completed the 40-hour ICS 300 training course,
	and will begin the 400 level training in late May.  Young noted that
	this vital training also helps with grant eligibility for the Fire
	Department.
3.   Rescind a Prior Selectboard Ban on Dogs in Town Hall --Magi said
that she has noticed several well behaved dogs in Town Hall and that she
saw no reason for a general ban.
Arguimbau MOVED to rescind the ban on dogs in Town Hall. Magi SECONDED.
Motion CARRIED 3-0-0.
	Arguimbau raised the issue of leashing dogs in Town Hall, at least
	for those dogs brought in by members of the public. He wanted a
	report on whether or not to have dogs in Town Hall on leashes for a
	discussion at a future meeting.
4.   Assign an Agent to Represent Town for Perambulation of Richmond, NH
Boundary--Young said that he had been contacted by Richard Drun, an
agent for the Richmond, NH Selectmen. Drun requested that the
Selectboard appoint someone to participate in the perambulation of
Warwick's boundary with Richmond. There has not been a perambulation for
at least five years, and there are six boundary markers to identify.
Magi volunteered to participate. Lemon noted that Jim Toth participated
in the previous perambulation.
Lemon MOVED to appoint Jim Toth to accompany Dawn Magi and the Richmond
agent. Magi SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0.

5.   Police Department Report--Chief Shoemaker said that the inaugural
Franklin County Junior Police Academy will begin in late June or early
July. The Chief said that this five and a half day course, for youth
from 15 to 18 years of age, will be like a mini police academy. He said
that the expected 15 - 20 participants will be given demonstrations of
various aspects of police work, including a K-9 and a helicopter
demonstration. He said that all Police Chiefs in Franklin County are
involved in this. He will report more once the syllabus and locations
are set.
	The Chief said that the six ballistic vests, also known as
	bullet-proof vests, need to be replaced. He explained that sunlight,
	sweat, and heat degrade the vests over time, and that they should be
	replaced approximately every three years. He pointed out that the
	current vests have been in use for five or six years. He said that
	the estimated cost for six vests would be around $6,000.00, but a
	federal grant would cover half the cost. Chief Shoemaker noted that
	handguns, vests and radios are considered capital expenditures, and
	that he preferred this to be a line item in the FY 14 budget so that
	the townspeople can vote on it. Young preferred the anticipation of
	such expenses over time and the encumbrance of funds from year to
	year until the items need to be replaced. He said that he would
	bring this to the Finance Committee for their review and
	recommendations.
	The Chief said that his officers have started the yearly 40 hours of
	training mandated by the State. He also noted that the breaking and
	entering cases have decreased. He gave high praise to the Athol
	Police Department for their part in the investigation and arrest of
	two suspects who are currently be held on high bail.
Annual Town Meeting Warrant Articles and Budget--Young said that the
Board needed to open the Annual Town Meeting (ATM) warrant and set a
date and time to close it. He recommended opening the warrant now and
closing it on April 16th at 7 pm. This would give people the chance to
bring in any petition articles during the first hour of the next
scheduled Selectboard meeting. ATM will be held on Monday, May 6th at 7
pm.
Lemon MOVED to open the Annual Town Meeting warrant today and close it
on Tuesday, April 16th at 7 pm. Arguimbau SECONDED. Motion CARRIED
3-0-0.
	Young said that there are four proposed by-law changes that are
	currently being reviewed by Town Counsel. One by-law would allow the
	Highway Superintendent to close dirt roads for mud season between
	mid-February and mid-May and also allow the fines to be enforceable
	by law and paid to the Town. The open container by-law currently
	allows a $25.00 fine and is a civil infraction. Chief Shoemaker has
	proposed to change the wording of the by-law to eliminate
	ambiguities, have the fine be recoverable in court, and bring the
	language of the by-law more in line with the Attorney General and
	Mass General Law (MGL). The Chief also proposed a change in the term
	of Police Officer appointments to bring it in line with MGL and to
	declare a specific length of an appointed term. The current wording
	is for one to three years; the Chief wishes to remove the ambiguity
	and have a specific term of appointment for police officers. The
	fourth proposed by-law change involves the request from Planning
	Board Chair Ted Cady that the Planning Board be like the ZBA and
	allowed to have some alternates.
7.   ZBA Alternate Appointment -- Young said that the Zoning Board of
Appeals (ZBA) has not been at full strength since former alternate Joe
Paul resigned. He recommended the appointment of Arthur Long as
requested on behalf of the ZBA by Moderator Miryam Williamson. Arguimbau
said that the Planning Board also wants Long to become their alternate,
and expressed concern because he was uncertain if it would be legal for
Long to serve on both the ZBA and the Planning Board. Lemon suggested
appointing Mr. Long to the ZBA and asking Town Counsel to check into the
legality of his also serving on the Planning Board.
Lemon MOVED to appoint Arthur Long of 35 Chestnut Hill Road as alternate
on the ZBA. Magi SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 2-0-1. Lemon and Magi - AYE;
Arguimbau ABSTAINED.

8.	Execute Election Warrants--Young said that the Annual Town
Election and the State Primary Election were being held concurrently on
Tuesday, April 30th. He handed out all requisite warrants, which were
signed by Magi and Arguimbau.
9.	Tax Collector Hiring Update--Young said that he had legally posted
and advertised the position as "open until filled". So far the only
applicant is Terry Kemerer. Young said that about one week ago someone
from out of town called to inquire if the position was open to
non-residents. He noted that while he told the caller that the position
is open to non-residents, no other applications have been received. He
recommended taking action at the next Board meeting.
10.	Selectboard Reports--Lemon said that she wanted to know if the
people in Town would like to have a post office here. She wanted to
gauge interest and investigate the matter further depending on the level
of interest. Lemon said that she was willing to be the person to contact
with any input from residents.
11.	Coordinator Report--Young reported on the solar hosting contracts
voted on at a Special Town Meeting in 2012. These contracts will allow
the Town to be paid for putting our name on a project being built out of
town. Young said that two sites in Ware and one in Oxford are becoming a
reality. The two proposed hosted projects in Ware will be 6,000kW and
2,500 kW respectively, while the proposed Oxford project will be 1,500
kW. Warwick will start making $50,000.00 a year within a few months of
the projects going live.
	Young also noted that the next Hazard Mitigation Plan meeting will
	be held Wednesday, April 3rd at 2 pm in Town Hall.

V.  Adjournment

At 7:17 pm, Arguimbau MOVED to adjourn the meeting.  Magi SECONDED.
Motion CARRIED 3-0-0.
Minutes taken by Rosa Fratangelo Calcari