Approved 2/3/04

TOWN OF HAMPDEN, MASSACHUSETTS

BOARD OF SELECTMEN/HEALTH

January 20, 2004

Town Hall, 625 Main Street, Hampden, MA 01036

Meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm.

Present: Duane E. Mosier, James D. Smith, Mark R. Barba

Doug Farmer (Wilbraham/Hampden Times)

Appointments:

Don Collins - Personnel Review Committee:

• The Board of Selectmen requested Don Collins to take a look into the position description of the Secretary to the Board of Health. Mark Barba stated that they want this position description to be reflective of what the responsibilities truly are. He handed Don a memo, which includes a description of the various roles of the position and its additional duties, and asked that they come back to the Board with an actual job description and a more appropriate job title. James Smith stressed that the said position should no longer be of a direct-report but should be parallel to the Administrative Assistant. Duane Mosier submitted the original job description as well as his notes on how the position has changed. The Board agreed to have the Committee consult with Tabor Consulting regarding this matter. Don Collins will review received materials and will meet with the Committee on Monday, January 26, 2004 at 7pm. Beth Perkins will arrange for posting the meeting and reserving a meeting room.

• Don Collins and the Board reviewed the newly distributed version of the Employee Handbook. Some of the changes needed to be made are:

- add a statement that clarifies how the guidelines affect bargaining and non-bargaining employees

- include bi-weekly pay schedule that will be soon implemented

- create different sign-off forms for bargaining and non-bargaining employees.

Ben Bump, Cecelia Melville - Hampden Housing Authority

As a follow-up to the meeting held last Jan. 6, members of the HHA are back to conclude discussions regarding services performed by the Highway Department for private ways.

During the discussion, the following was decided:

- The Board will write a letter to Dana Pixley of the Highway Dept. stating that the HHA wishes to continue to receive services from the Town, or from contractors hired by the Town, on a billable basis. The HHA will contact him regarding the specifics of the services that they require (i.e., catchbasin cleaning, snow plowing, salting, street-sweeping).

State Representative Mary Rogeness - School Building Assistance Program

Representative Mary Rogeness gave an update regarding the Town of Hampden and about funding projects through the School Building Assistance Program (SBAP).

Richard Green - Recreational Association of Hampden

Mr. Green addressed the almost 40 year old gym floor at the Thornton Burgess School that is in great need of replacement. He presented to the board a petition with 40 signatures, which he will turn in to the Town Clerk for signature verification, for this item to be included as a warrant article or a ballot question for an override. The new floor that is being proposed is a 1 piece type, made with rubberized membrane. Initial estimates are in the $35-40K range. The Board told Richard that they will need more time to decide on what to include in the warrant / ballot. In the meantime, Mr. Green will get more estimates and will provide more details in the next week.

The Board brought forward a copy of capital improvements requested for the Thornton Burgess School, which included the gym floor.

Todd Ely - Police Department

Officer Todd Ely spoke to the Board regarding the problem of people riding motorized vehicles on Mill Pond. He said that although there is a bylaw that prohibits anyone from riding on someone else’s property without written authorization, he thinks that posting signs will “spell out” the law and will be more effective. The Board asked Officer Ely to consult with Officer Tony Tranghese regarding this matter. Officer Ely came back to say that he just spoke with Officer Tranghese, and he (Officer Tranghese) encouraged the Town to post signs. The Board stated that they will coordinate this with Dana Pixley and Parks and Rec Department.

REVIEW OF MEETING MINUTES:

Minutes of 12/16/04 Meeting: Corrections were as follows: Indicate time the meeting was called and who were present. Remove “as well” from second to the last paragraph. Motion to approve the minutes as corrected was made by Mark Barba, seconded by James Smith. VOTE: Mark Barba yes, Jim Smith yes. Duane Mosier abstained since he was not present during the meeting.

Minutes of 12/18/04 Meeting: Corrections were as follows: The minutes should state that it is for an Executive Session. Two other minor corrections were noted. Motion to approve the minutes as corrected was made by Mark Barba, seconded by James Smith. VOTE: Mark Barba yes, Duane Mosier, yes, Jim Smith yes.

Minutes of 1/6/04 – Selectmen reviewed the minutes and submitted their corrections. Motion to approve the minutes with corrections was made by Duane Mosier and seconded by James. VOTE: Mark Barba yes, Duane Mosier, yes, Jim Smith yes.

Minutes of 1/17/04 – Motion to approve the minutes was made by James Smith and seconded by Mark Barba. VOTE: Mark Barba yes, Duane Mosier, yes, Jim Smith yes.

OTHER TOPICS:

The Selectmen discussed the budget for the FY 2005:

• MIIA will increase by 11%
• Employee benefits will increase by 15%
• Ambulance will go up by 1%
• Add a line item in the Capital Budget planning for 2 compactors for the transfer station.

• Duane Mosier brought up an article from the Springfield Union News about December Snow Disaster Relief which Hampden was listed as eligible for some reimbursement. Copy of article will be forward to Dana Pixley of the Highway Department.

• The Selectmen acknowledged receipt of the resignation letter from Patricia Smith from the position of alternate member and clerk for the Conservation Commission. Duane moved to accept her resignation with regret and Mark seconded. VOTE: Mark Barba yes, Duane Mosier, yes. James Smith recused himself from the votes since Patricia Smith is his mother. The Selectmen further agreed to write a letter of thanks to Mrs. Smith, with a copy for the Town Clerk.

• Wording for the subject of Longevity will be as follows: I move that the town reinstate the lump-sum payment of longevity benefits for all employees who were eligible as of July 1, 2003, with such benefits to be paid on the employee’s employment anniversary and frozen at the levels in effect for each employee as of July 1, 2003. Employees receiving longevity benefits as of July 1, 2003 shall continue to receive this same benefit annually as long as they maintain their employment status with the Town and will be paid annually at their current employment status (casual, part-time, full-time). Longevity benefits shall be phased out and such benefits shall not be granted to any current or new employees who were not eligible for such benefits on July 1, 2003.

Respectfully submitted

Beth Perkins

Secretary – Board of Health/Selectmen