Town of Warwick
Selectboard
May 10, 2013
                                                                 Minutes

Members present: Dawn Magi, Nick Arguimbau, Patricia Lemon (arrived at
6:05 pm) 
Others present: Town Coordinator David Young, Town Secretary Rosa
Fratangelo Calcari,   Firefighter Bill Lyman, Rod Whipple, Jon Calcari
I.   Call to Order 
Chair Magi called the meeting to order at 4:45 pm in Town Hall. 

II.   Presentations and Discussions
1.   Fire Department Evaluation --Magi announced that she had received a
letter of resignation from Deputy Fire Chief Roland Weld. Arguimbau
asked that the letter be made a part of the minutes. The letter, in its
original format, was as follows:               
                                                                        
                                Roland Weld
                                                                        
                                Dept. Chief Fire Dept.
									         862 Orange Road 

	To the Warwick Selectboard
	I am resigning from the Warwick Fire Dept. effective May 16, 2013.
	After the Selectboard meeting May 8, 2013 I find the lack of support
for the Warwick Fire Dept by Dawn Magi, Patricia Lemon and the hostile
attitude of David Young most disheartening. I can not see myself staying
in the dept under these conditions.
	I would like to thank the town for allowing me to serve them for the
past 19 years. I will miss the Department and wish the personnel the
best.
	I wish to thank Selectboard member Nicholas Arguimbau in the matters
before the Board and Fire Department.

	Young noted that the Town Clerk handles resignations, and that he
had given her a copy of Weld's letter. Magi said that she chose not to
accept Weld's resignation. She said that she felt he and she were
speaking different languages.
	Arguimbau asked if Magi had directed Young, without the other Board
members' knowledge, to seek information for the purposes of firing Fire
Chief Ron Gates. Magi said that she had not. She explained that she had
been bombarded with many issues and wanted to document any information
that would clarify the situation.  Lyman said that the manner in which
the Board had handled this situation had caused more divisiveness within
the Fire Department. Magi stated that her intent was to review the Fire
Department for the purposes of improvement, if necessary. She said that
in no way did she have any punitive intentions. 
	Lemon spoke about the Massachusetts Fire Chiefs Association (MFCA)
free evaluation program that she researched after Lyman had suggested
this option during the May 8th meeting. She had contacted Western
Massachusetts Fire Chiefs Association president Stephen Burkott and New
England Association of Fire Chiefs president Richard K. Wehter. Lemon
reported that they offer a mentoring program, not an evaluation. She
said that a mentoring program would not provide the necessary
information, and therefore an evaluation was still needed.
	Young said that he works three-quarter time for the Town and does so
with minimal direction, and that he does not come before the Board for
approval and assignments of every task. He said that serious problems
had been brought to his attention, and that he attempted to quell the
problem by providing information to the Selectboard Chair, who told him
that we needed to be sure these things were documented. Young said that
his Email to Chair Magi summarized "a score of issues" but due to the
lack of clear delineation between the Fire Department and the Firemen's
Association, some issues were erroneously attached to the Fire
Department. He said that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were
central to the query, specifically what were they and where were they.
Young said that it was the honest attempt by Chief Gates, Chair Magi and
himself to address the issues out of the limelight. 
	Lemon said that it was never her intent, nor did she believe it was
either Magi's or Young's intent to gather information to fire Chief
Gates. Lyman asked that the Board please ask Chief Gates to conduct an
independent review. He said that everyone wants the Fire Department to
be working better. He also said that, as a citizen, he requested copies
of any and all Emails and minutes pertinent to this matter. He
reiterated that he was at the meeting as a citizen, not as a member of
the Fire Department. 
Arguimbau MOVED to postpone the meeting until he can go home and get the
Email. Motion FAILED for lack of a Second.
	The Board went into recess at 5:07 pm.
	Arguimbau wanted it on the record that on or about May 5th he
received an Email from David Young which described what Young felt he
was authorized to do with respect to the Fire Department. Arguimbau said
that the first sentence had a request from Dawn Magi to document
criticisms Young had received to build a case for the dismissal of the
Fire Chief.
	Young went to print out copies of the Email he believed to be the
one to which Arguimbau had referred, plus two more that provided further
context. Arguimbau continued to insist that the Email was not among
those provided by Young, so he and Young went together to look for the
Email in question.
	Young printed all Emails sent by him to Arguimbau in the months of
April an May 2013 and handed them out.
	The meeting went back in session at 5:31 pm. 
Lemon MOVED that the Selectboard identify sources for a payment of
$3,000.00 for the consultant assuming the Fire Department requests it.
Magi SECONDED.
	Young said that if the Board took this action then he would be
looking for another job. He said that he felt the Board should not make
a decision based on anyone's threats. Arguimbau said that the Fire
Department needed to know that this was not a threat to the Chief and
that the Department would be on board with the hiring of an independent
consultant. He then stated that no one on the Board wanted to fire Chief
Gates.
Lemon Called the Question. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0.

Whipple License Agreement --Young presented to the Board the revised
contract for the granting of legal access to a fire pond by Rod Whipple.
Young noted that the language about the Town erecting a gate was
removed, and that this license agreement would come at no cost to the
Town. He said that if the Board saw fit to sign the contract it would be
sent to the Conservation Commission for their ruling prior to its being
sent to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
Lemon MOVED that the Board sign the contract with Rod Whipple for fire
pond use. Arguimbau SECONDED. Motion CARRIED 3-0-0.
All three Board members signed the necessary documents.
Young said that the Board should not take too seriously his intent to
look for a new job.

III.  Adjournment
At 5:47 pm, Magi MOVED to adjourn the meeting.  Lemon SECONDED. Motion
CARRIED 3-0-0.
Minutes taken by Rosa Fratangelo Calcari