[0:00] [clears throat]
[0:03] Well, I think it's easier to talk to
people face to face, but when you're on
[0:07] like the camera is a different
[0:16] » No, we went over everything and you sent
that to me and I read about
[0:23] this. We need to talk more about it.
>> Well, yeah, because that's kind of your
[0:27] Yes.
>> Well, it's fine. Yeah, totally.
[0:31] And then pictures are
not that,
[0:40] » you know,
[0:44] and then I really
[0:58] have
[1:12] Good evening everyone.
>> Good evening.
[1:16] » We'll call this select board meeting to
order. 6 pm on Monday, July 20th.
[1:25] Okay. Um, open meeting law states that
any member of the public wish to speak
[1:31] at the meeting must receive permission
of the chair. The listening agenda items
[1:35] are those reasonably anticipated by the
chair and discussed at meeting. Not all
[1:41] items listed may in fact be may in fact
be discussed. Other items not listed may
[1:48] be brought up 15
by first step is the minutes from July
[1:54] 6th, 8th and 15th.
[1:59] » Motion.
>> I'll make a motion we receive them as
[2:02] presented.
>> I'll second.
[2:05] » All in favor?
>> I
[2:08] minutes
and administrator update. Um so that um
[2:16] the digital equity grant that we got
that pays that's going to pay for uh
[2:21] Wi-Fi down a cart pond in the next
couple weeks. National grid inspector
[2:25] are going to get the lines run to to the
shed and then um we have an electrician
[2:30] that's going to get that all set up. So,
you know, that's coming up. And also,
[2:35] the library is going to be getting um
additional hotspots uh for lending and
[2:41] um some I think iPads, few more things
I've just granted. So, that'll be coming
[2:47] up. I also wanted to say so that
everyone knows we I actually work with
[2:52] Kathy and we have a nurse from the
health alliance that's going to be
[2:56] coming. She came once already. She's
going to come the third Wednesday of
[2:59] every month to do blood pressure checks
in the hallway there. So, we're going to
[3:04] Kathy and I are going to try to get some
other things going, but for now, that's
[3:07] already on the calendar, the website
calendar to remind everybody. So,
[3:13] » that's it.
>> This also hotspot.
[3:17] » Well, anybody can use here, but this is
something they can take.
[3:30] Um, citizen speak to ensure that every
interested individual has an opportunity
[3:35] to speak and to ensure that the board
has the ability to complete its business
[3:40] in a fashion. It will follow the rules
and proceed worldwide. Total time
[3:45] allowed for public comments is 10
minutes. Before sharing substantive
[3:50] comments, the individual wishing to
speak shall be shall wait to be
[3:54] recognized by the chair and then they
shall state their name and address.
[4:00] Each speaker will be limited to speaking
once for a maximum of three minutes.
[4:04] Speakers may only raise issues within
the jurisdiction of the board. Absent
[4:09] extraordinary circumstances, the board
will not respond to or discuss the
[4:13] issues raised during public comment and
all remarks are to be addressed through
[4:18] the chair and all speakers are
encouraged to present their remarks in a
[4:23] concise, orderly and peaceful manner.
Anyone like to speak citizen speak?
[4:38] Uh Joe Roy Jr. 3 Miller Lane uh vision
committee chair. Uh just a quick update
[4:43] about two things that uh we we are
discussing at the vision committee. One
[4:48] is that we we updated you on the scrims
and the fact that we're about to
[4:53] probably order a few to get the ball
rolling. Um and I just wanted to let you
[4:57] know that the board has considered when
we showed them to you in in color. We're
[5:02] considering doing them in black and
white. I didn't know if you had any
[5:05] objections to that. I know you can't
discuss it now, but if you if you have
[5:09] any feelings as a board about it, uh
just get in touch with me and because
[5:14] we're about to vote on it, I just let it
know or let Andy know. He he attends our
[5:18] meetings and we're having one in about a
week. So, uh that would be great. The
[5:23] other thing about uh vision committee is
uh about a year ago during the past year
[5:29] we've spent uh about six months
seriously discussing west welcome to
[5:34] West Stockbridge signs and uh and we
kind of dropped the ball on that because
[5:39] the board wanted to consider what future
signs in West Stockbridge should look
[5:43] like if there should be any continuity
to them or do we just pick all we have
[5:47] left to do for the signs is uh pick
colors and on one size. Uh everything
[5:53] else is done. Uh it's just a matter of
deciding how they should look. And if
[5:58] you haven't done anything more on that,
let me know uh if there's anything the
[6:02] vision committee can do to help with
that. Thank you.
[6:10] Anyone else for citizen speak?
[6:16] » No.
>> Okay. Um, first
[6:20] discussion business item is the
appointment of Don Rose. Uh, Chief,
[6:27] would you like to?
[6:36] » Good evening.
[6:43] Officer Donald Rhodess joined the West
Sock Police Department last September
[6:49] following an honorable 30-year law
enforcement career in Texas where he
[6:54] served both as a municipal police
officer and later the chief of police
[6:59] for our college police department. Since
joining our agency, Officer Rhodess has
[7:04] quickly become an invaluable member in
the department.
[7:08] Although he has been with us for less
than a year, Officer Rhodess has made a
[7:12] tremendous impact on both his fellow
officers and the residents of West
[7:16] Operation. I regularly receive letters
in the mails from members of the public
[7:21] recognizing our officers for their
professionalism and service and officer
[7:26] Rose has been the subject of several of
those commendations. In fact, just last
[7:31] week, I received another email from a
resident expressing appreciation for his
[7:36] professionalism and assistance.
Officer Rhodess has also dedicated
[7:42] himself to learning the nuances of
Massachusetts law and has developed into
[7:46] a confident and capable member of our
department. His extensive experience,
[7:52] positive attitude, professionalism, and
unwavering commitment to the department,
[7:57] his fellow officers, and the community
have earned the respect of both his
[8:00] peers and the public.
Given his proven leadership, decades of
[8:05] law enforcement experience, and
dedication to serving the town of West
[8:08] Stockbridge, I believe Officer Rhodess
is exceptionally wellqualified for the
[8:13] vacant sergeant position. Accordingly,
I respectfully request that the select
[8:18] board approve my recommendation to
promote Officer Donald Rhodess to the
[8:22] rank of sergeant.
[8:26] » Thank you. Any comments from my
colleagues?
[8:31] » I'm good.
[8:35] » I'm enthusiastically
supportive. I I think my own
[8:39] interactions with with Officer Roads
have been um reflective of of what Chief
[8:45] Ren has said. So I'm
in great support.
[8:51] » And before we call a vote, would Officer
Rhodess like to say anything before we
[8:57] » I am in support of this myself.
[laughter]
[9:01] I really want to thank you guys, Chief
Written and specifically Officer Wilton,
[9:06] because without these two, I wouldn't
have gotten to where I'm at now. Kurt
[9:09] would answer the phone at 2 or 3:00 in
the morning almost nightly. Got me where
[9:13] I'm at. So, I appreciate everything you
guys have done. And like I said, I'm
[9:18] enthusiastically in supporting myself
also. [laughter]
[9:22] Well, we we appreciate what you've done
and it's certainly a a glowing
[9:27] recommendation from
now Chief Ren who was your
[9:33] colleague and has since taken on a a a
superior position. So I would say with
[9:40] that recommendation and everything else
that we've heard about you that will
[9:43] join my colleagues and wishing you uh
congratulations and uh calling I guess
[9:52] we have we have a vote we have second we
don't have any discussion
[9:57] » and um I'll make a motion that we
appoint
[10:03] Don Rhodess as police sergeant. Thank
you very much. Call 13.
[10:08] » All in favor?
>> I
[10:11] congratulations.
[10:17] » Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[10:22] » All right. Thank you.
>> Thank you.
[10:27] » Um Mark Wilberg,
you're up next.
[10:31] » Um Michael will actually Oh.
Michael will speak from our
[10:38] so thank you for casting
Simon Dport fellow commissioner and
[10:44] Michael the chief sewer water operator
license um we want to we have an
[10:50] opportunity to Kurt's retiring as you
know and Kurt helps out and fills in um
[10:57] with Michael and we have a young
gentleman who is fully licensed and
[11:02] terribly capable
And we I think we're just lucky in that
[11:07] we could find that person. Um and he is
willing and able to to slide in with
[11:15] cars. Is that correct?
>> Yeah. Yeah. So, uh Peter Carlado um
[11:20] pretty sure he's a junior. His father
was a lineman for National Grid for many
[11:25] many years around here. And Peter grew
up in Utah. He's worked for the schools
[11:29] um since they built the wastewater plant
at the new elementary and middle schools
[11:34] down at for Berkshire Hills. So he is
fully licensed, has all the licenses
[11:38] required for the job and he's been doing
it boy a long time. Schools have been
[11:43] there quite a while already. Um and we
would love him to be able to fill in the
[11:50] spot that Kurt um Kurt does a ton for
us. It's going to be tough to make the
[11:56] transition because he does so much
behind the scenes during our because
[11:59] we're part-time. He's here during the
day and I rely on him greatly for stuff
[12:04] that needs to be done during the workday
for so I don't have to take time off of
[12:08] Stockbridgeidge and come over the hill
and work over here. But um we'll we'll
[12:12] we'll transition into that as best we
can. But um so we're hoping to have uh
[12:19] Peter Carl Jr. uh join the the staff. I
did uh request a packet. He has all the
[12:26] paperwork for town hall fill out all the
HR stuff. Um and uh he's he hasn't
[12:34] returned yet. But um so we're just
hoping that we can
[12:39] make that transition while we're in the
hiring mood.
[12:44] » When is done?
>> Well, Kurt's done it officially like
[12:48] November 20th or something.
Thanksgiving,
[12:52] » but he's with the vacation time and sick
time and stuff, he's gonna like I think
[12:58] in September he's kind of be phasing
out. So,
[13:02] » um we'd like to have Peter shadow us for
quite a bit. There's a lot to learn with
[13:06] the water and wastewater here in town.
Um so, the sooner we can get him to
[13:11] follow us around after work um and get
him on boarded be would be great.
[13:19] and finding licensed operators for what
we have is it's just it's super tough
[13:24] and
been friends with him for 35 40 years.
[13:29] I've known him for a long time and he's
very reliable. He's right. So emergency
[13:34] wise he's close for making emergency
calls for what as well. Very fortunate.
[13:40] » Yeah. Yeah.
So Mike, can you just explain a little
[13:44] bit what that looks like? If, as you
said, Kurt's here during the day, so he
[13:47] handles a lot of minutes to minutes of
of it won't be exact apples to apples.
[13:54] » Correct. Place,
>> right? We do need we do need a third
[13:57] operator. Um, as far as what Kurt does,
he does like payroll. I I sign off
[14:03] payroll and do bills. He brings them
down here, which I can handle. We'll
[14:08] just have to do a timely thing with with
a lane. But if a plumber needs water
[14:13] turned off during the day, we're still
going to have to figure this all out.
[14:16] This is the stuff the dayto-day that
Kurt does. Um
[14:21] Peter's obviously not going to be able
to do, but we'll have to figure out u
[14:25] something with
uh we've all thrown the word around
[14:30] shared services or whatever, but I I
mean I've been here for 31 years, so
[14:34] I've been taking a lot of time off of
work to come over here to work. So it's
[14:38] if I have to do it more, I just have to
do it more. Um, as far as Peter, we just
[14:42] need we need another operator. So, um,
the, uh, D regulations and requirements
[14:50] and all that. So, we need we have have
to have another person. But um
[14:56] the day-to-day stuff that Kurt does um
like I said, plumber needs water turned
[15:02] off. He has to go do a sewer hookup
inspection or a water hookup inspection.
[15:07] Uh read random meters. There's just a
lot of stuff during the work day that
[15:12] gets done that is going to be a
transition for all of us water operators
[15:18] over there to
that to come over the hill and take time
[15:23] off of work and make it happen so to
speak. So to your point Kathy it is a
[15:27] partial resolution but a needed section
of it because we need that by the
[15:33] license.
>> Yeah. Yeah. because I I mean it the plan
[15:38] has to be touched seven basically can't
do it every day. So that's that's the
[15:43] » essentially the need of the other ones.
>> Yeah.
[15:47] » So you're saying we we need another
person?
[15:50] » No, we got to figure it out.
>> Just scheduling.
[15:53] » Yeah. The day-to-day stuff that Kurt
does, we've got to really I've been
[15:58] pushing the board to think about that
for quite some time. We just need to
[16:03] figure out a way to it because it it
burns up a lot of my time. You know, my
[16:08] vacation time gets chewed up very
readily to come over
[16:13] on often. You know, it's multiple, you
know, a wastewater alarm or a pump
[16:17] station alarm or a water alarm or
there's all kinds of stuff and it
[16:21] happens when I'm at work most of the
time or two in the morning and you got
[16:26] to drop with a gentleman, head over and
take care of it. most of the time is a
[16:30] phone call occur and he takes care of
it. So that is
[16:35] a thing we're going to dear leaving us.
So
[16:40] So getting a new operator on board and
transitioning into
[16:44] um taking on what care does for us is
going to be a little not a super
[16:49] challenge but it's going to be more
time.
[16:53] » Right. Right.
Any thoughts guys? I guess my question
[16:59] would be budgetwise how how you I assume
Kurt hasn't been paid out of water
[17:06] sewer.
>> Oh yeah,
[17:07] » he has. Okay. All right. So that
>> that's more than covers what we're
[17:11] talking about.
>> Current is that's got changed.
[17:14] » Okay.
[17:18] And as a followup to that, do do we
foresee potentially a time that we might
[17:23] need to look at the budget and look at
filling another seat at on a part-time
[17:28] basis or you mentioned shared services.
Is there any type of shared service
[17:32] agreement to be had?
I mean, I just hate to we can't be in a
[17:38] shortfall, right? So, we're
>> as far as the three operators, that's
[17:41] all we will need. Um
I have
[17:48] the the retirement word with me is five
and a half or so years away. So when
[17:53] that comes there's going to be and Mark
is going to actually can potentially
[17:58] retire before me because he's a little
older than I am. Mark Bell Jr. So
[18:03] there's going to be a hurdle there. Um I
I don't know. Um when I retire I want to
[18:09] be like Kurt. I want to just say I'm all
done. I don't want the two in the
[18:13] morning phone calls. And I was up at the
wells for a few hours uh at 1:00 in the
[18:19] morning um last week uh and Fourth of
July weekend with the storms that rolled
[18:25] through. So,
um that'll be a hurdle for sure. Um
[18:30] finding another operator to take my
spot, but that's like I said, five and a
[18:33] half years down the road. Um, and as far
as the shared service go, I think, um,
[18:39] I've talked to Mike Canal and Marquez as
well. I think to simplify things as far
[18:45] as,
um, I just think an agreement between
[18:49] the two towns where I can leave work and
come over here, do my thing, and go
[18:56] back, not have to use time. However,
this will work out. But I don't know how
[18:59] we can work at alpha.
>> Um
[19:04] I I
we've gone down different path different
[19:08] » machinations
but and we to your point when Michael
[19:13] and Mark retired will have to in all
likelihood do combination miss offers
[19:20] being the obvious partner um because
going back to Mr. Kada there just aren't
[19:27] folks with licenses out there. And it's
not like look at the water turns and
[19:31] east.
>> And the tough thing with water and
[19:34] wastewater is is that you have to work
in a system for five years before they
[19:39] will give you full status. So you can't
just come in go get you can't go get
[19:42] your license and run a plant without the
experience. And water systems is even
[19:48] more difficult because you have to take
the the uh grading the licenses in
[19:54] stages. You can't just because our
wastewater is a grade four wastewater
[19:58] plant. We can actually wastewater
operators can say I want to take the
[20:01] grade four. You you can skip the one,
the two, and the three and go to four.
[20:05] But with water, you can't. So it's a
little bit more difficult with water and
[20:09] it's timely. And if you work at a
part-time
[20:13] facility, they take a 40hour work week
and look at that. So, like for instance,
[20:21] Mark who works over at Stockbridge with
us full-time, he works 50/50 water and
[20:25] wastewater. He had to work eight years
before they would get full status to be
[20:29] a full status operator in in Stockage.
So, they look at it and when D comes,
[20:35] they know everybody's how the hours are.
They know all that. So, that's a that's
[20:40] finding and Peter's done this long
enough where he's full status. So, and
[20:43] he's not going to be the primary
operator, but he's going to be an
[20:47] assistant operator, but the primary
operator is the is where you got to have
[20:50] full status, which is tough because a
lot there's a lot of if you find people,
[20:56] you're either going to steal somebody
from another town or you're going to get
[20:59] a younger operator that's starting out,
but they don't have the full status
[21:03] can't come in and take over. So
when we get to that stage, it'll be a
[21:09] little more difficult five, six years
down the road, but we're not quite there
[21:13] yet. So
>> sounds like we may be just short of
[21:16] that.
>> And Peter's younger than I am, and he's
[21:18] got all those licenses. He's younger
than both and I, so by four or five
[21:23] years. So,
>> but he likes his current job, so he's
[21:25] not going to work.
>> Yeah.
[21:28] » So,
um, yeah, it's a great parttime It's a
[21:32] great part-time job. There's a lot But
there's a lot to it. It's, you know, the
[21:35] utilities world is 24/7 365. It's it's
all kinds of phone calls and stuff. So,
[21:45] but I think Peter will be a great
addition. I think moving forward the
[21:48] water and sewer commissioners, we can
talk with uh Mike and Stock and
[21:53] Stockbridge and try to figure out a
solution and we'll keep you board
[21:56] selecting updated on where we where we
move with that.
[22:00] » Yeah. I'm just wondering if there's
anything that this board can do to help
[22:03] to facilitate that or support you guys
in in those efforts because it doesn't
[22:09] sound like it's really that far away to
>> No, it is.
[22:13] » If it if it takes five years to bring
someone on to full license, that's eight
[22:17] years or three more years.
>> The D with water and sewer and stockers,
[22:20] they made us do a succession plan
because all three of us are water and
[22:24] wastewater certified. But most towns
don't they don't do that. It's either a
[22:27] water or a sewer operator. So, you're
either going to get a water operator or
[22:31] a sewer operator, and somebody's got to
go get one or the other licenses, and
[22:34] that's the five-year thing that they
thought about. So, it's very difficult.
[22:38] Um, and I think eventually, like Mark
alluded to, we're eventually going to
[22:43] potentially maybe be the water operators
and Stockbridge and wastewater will do
[22:49] both because it's a part-time facility,
so it can be taken care of within the
[22:53] workday of the the workforce and
stopage. That was that was one of the
[22:58] right conversations we had.
>> So what it looks like is we're looking
[23:03] to avoid a problem whether it be now,
three years from now or five years from
[23:08] now and we're preempting that problem by
going through this process and hopefully
[23:12] appointing Peter.
>> Yep.
[23:15] » Yep. [clears throat]
[23:21] » Yeah. Sounds like a good thing to think
about. And I think the idea
[23:25] » we've been at least since I've been on
this board, the the idea of borrowing
[23:32] » from other towns, it just seems like it
doesn't work. You know, [clears throat]
[23:37] doesn't endear us to our neighbors and
then you get into budget conflicts and
[23:42] » we don't we we don't call it steal. Oh,
you said good
[23:46] steal.
>> Yeah.
[23:48] » And we used to do it a lot more than we
have just never seemed in my mind to
[23:54] work out. So in any case, um I entertain
a motion.
[24:01] » I'd like to make motion to appoint Peter
Kawado as WWTP employee.
[24:08] » I'll second. Any further discussion?
All in
[24:14] » favor.
>> Thank you. Thank you.
[24:20] [clears throat]
[24:24] » Uh Joe, you back up.
>> Father Joe.
[24:27] » Oh, brother Joe. [laughter]
It has no one, two, or three.
[24:32] » That's why I said junior. I'm a junior.
It's anybody who's confused about
[24:38] » Good evening. Hi. I'm representing uh
parks and wreck today and I've got a
[24:42] handful of items that I sent a little
packet. I don't know if you all had a
[24:47] chance to review it or not or I'll just
go over it real quick. Um parks and
[24:52] recck is looking to add a handful of
things to our um playground and town
[24:56] grounds area and we have a few ideas
that we just want to run by before we
[24:59] pull the trigger on some of these things
and get any input or concerns that you
[25:03] may have. Uh the first is a gaga gaga
ball pit added to the playground area.
[25:09] Uh PNR would like to add a gaga gaga
ball pit to the playground area at town
[25:14] hall. We've already talked with DPW
about this and they're okay with the
[25:17] addition gaga a gaga ball pit. It's
about a 14 to 20 foot octagon or hexagon
[25:23] made out of steel uprights and pressuret
treated 2x4s. It's only about 2 ft high.
[25:28] Um and it's just basically just a little
enclosure for kids to play a game called
[25:32] Gaga Ball. Um, we've asked a bunch of
kids around the neighborhood for wish
[25:36] list items. This is a big one. Um, and
it's relatively cost-ffective. It's
[25:40] something we can do ourselves and we
already got the okay from DVW to do it.
[25:44] Um, location is still to be determined.
Um, one thing for sure is that it's
[25:49] definitely going to be in the playground
section, like somewhere around the swing
[25:53] sets, somewhere around the playground
area. We were originally potentially
[25:58] over near the pavilion, but we don't
want to get too close to the offices
[26:01] because we don't want to disrupt people
during the hit. Um, you know, bunch of
[26:05] kids yelling and screaming outside
Marie's office, so she probably has
[26:08] something to say about that.
>> She'd be out there.
[26:11] » Yeah, that's true. She might join in.
Um, but that's that. Um,
[26:17] uh, pause here real quick. Any concerns,
questions about that?
[26:21] And oh, that'll 100% be funded by our
budget. So
[26:26] » my only thing would be just to continue
to talk about location because lots of
[26:32] things are being talked about for for
the
[26:37] space behind this building. I don't know
how much.
[26:40] » Sure. It's quite small. It's like um
like from here to the corner of the
[26:46] room. It's it's very very small. It's
not it's not like a baseball field or
[26:49] anything like that.
>> I've never seen it happen.
[26:51] » Well, you will. You will.
>> [laughter]
[26:54] » Um, no, it's quite small, but absolutely
we'll see. We'll certainly keep you
[26:57] informed about the location and if um,
uh, I plan on having a on-site meeting
[27:02] with Kurt, Frank Alonso, members of our
board, and we'll certainly let you know
[27:07] when that's going to be. So, if you want
to put in your two cents, please let us
[27:10] know. Um, we've also talked to the
library, too, and they are thrilled. So,
[27:15] um, next thing on the list is a
hopscotch. Um, this just a stencil just
[27:19] added to um a stencled hopscotch setup
on the walkway to the library. Pretty
[27:28] self-explanatory, just a traditional
oldfashioned thing we'll just do with uh
[27:33] paint for on on the ground there on the
pavement. And we already checked out
[27:37] with the library. Library again thrilled
for the addition. Again, would pay for
[27:41] that 100% out of the parks and record
budget. Um,
[27:46] any questions about that? Any concerns?
No. Okay. Um, the next thing, uh, the
[27:52] idea, we have an idea about a skate park
painting day. Did Did you want me to do
[27:56] this or you want to do it?
>> Okay. Um,
[28:00] Parks and Rex is floating around the
idea for kids to submit ideas for
[28:03] painting fun pictures or scenes on the
side of the skate park ramps. Uh, we're
[28:07] in the process of researching this a
little bit more. Uh we're going to talk
[28:11] to the guy who built the uh structures
and see if there's any special paint
[28:15] that we should use or if there's any
safety concerns to consider um visual
[28:19] issues, whatnot. Um
fully funded again by parks and recck
[28:25] budget. Um before we just go ahead and
start painting things, we definitely
[28:30] wanted to talk to you guys first and
just see if you had any concerns about
[28:33] this. We would definitely have the kids
submit their ideas first before we just
[28:38] let them go and we would supervise the
whole thing. So any questions or
[28:41] concerns in that regard?
>> No question.
[28:46] » Yes.
>> Permanent pain.
[28:48] » I mean as any paint is permanent.
>> Well the reason why I'm asking is let's
[28:53] say a year from now, six months from now
come with other ideas paint over it or
[28:58] change it or redo.
>> I I think we hope to make this a regular
[29:02] thing. So, if it's a success,
>> updated and keep it nice for the
[29:05] community. And we also thought that it'd
be a great idea because when you pull
[29:07] into the parking lot, you can see the
new Gaga pit and like kind of like
[29:11] revamp the skate park situation. Bring
bring it visually better with some kids
[29:16] ideas that are approved by adults.
>> Yes.
[29:20] » Part of the reason why we are suggesting
[clears throat] this is because um one
[29:24] thing that is being done, I don't know
if you noticed about the skatepark is
[29:27] being painted. All the sides of the
plywood is being treated with the
[29:30] special primer to help prolong the
lifespan of the wood part of it. Um,
[29:34] some of it needs to be rebuilt. We're on
top of that, too. But we were just
[29:38] saying like, you know, if we're going to
paint it,
[29:41] » fun for the kids.
>> Then kids can get involved. It'd be fun.
[29:44] So, that's that idea.
>> Great.
[29:46] » Um, next is a walking path, soccer
field, and grant application. Um, as you
[29:52] know, Parks and Rec's been researching a
walking path idea for the town hall
[29:55] grounds. uh we've been in touch with the
Berkshire design group and have done um
[30:00] more re research about this about about
how best to go about the project. After
[30:04] some research, we're thinking about
shifting gears on this slightly. First,
[30:09] everybody up to speed about the walking
path idea. Toby, I don't know if you
[30:12] were okay. The the original idea was to
construct a about a six-foot
[30:19] pave like airport compacted airport mix
walking path around the perimeter of the
[30:24] town hall grounds. Mhm.
>> Um, this has only been in research phase
[30:27] so far. Uh, we did make a CPC um,
application for this. It didn't pass
[30:33] this time around. This is just a little
too much money. So, we decided to start
[30:36] looking into grant applications to fund
this project. Um, but we in our
[30:41] research, we talked to a lot of
different people. We talked to the dog
[30:44] park. We talked to people who were doing
little league games, soccer games,
[30:48] neighbors. Um, and it's not that we
really got a lot of kickback, a lot of
[30:54] push back from the idea, but it just
brought up a lot of concerns. It
[30:58] wouldn't be able to be used during
soccer games. It wouldn't be able to be
[31:01] used during little league games. It
wouldn't be able to be um I mean, some
[31:06] people were concerned about exposure to
their backyards, and that's totally
[31:09] legitimate. So, we're shift we'd like to
shift gears about this a little bit, and
[31:14] the idea is to kind of change things to
the soccer field. Um, we like to
[31:20] research the idea of rebuilding our
existing soccer field. Um, our soccer
[31:24] field is, um, a great field, but it
could really use a lot of upkeep and
[31:31] some and some refurbishing. Um
[31:37] see um the idea is to basically just um
pull up all the existing grass, pull up
[31:44] the um basically level out the ground,
reseed it and then treat it over the
[31:49] years. Um that would basically require
um the uh assistance of a groundskeeping
[31:56] company to come in. I talked to DPW
about this. Um they said they could
[32:00] definitely take care of the regular
mowing, but another company would have
[32:03] to come in, keep up with the actual
grounds. Um so basically any weeding, uh
[32:08] fertilizing, grub, removal, things like
that. Um so basically it would just be
[32:12] like a true true green like company or
something like that that would come in
[32:16] basically just treat the lawn twice a
year most likely. Um and then the idea
[32:22] would be to around the perimeter of the
new soccer field do like a small paved
[32:27] walking path. So basically as long as
like more of like a track kind of like
[32:31] what they have up at Monument up at the
school. Um so that that could be dual
[32:36] purpose. That would be a walking path
and that would also be a nice way of
[32:39] delineating the new soccer field from
the existing lawn because we're not
[32:42] looking to do the entire lawn because
that would be a fortune. Um it's a big
[32:48] project that would have to be funded by
grant money. Um so we'd basically be
[32:51] applying for a grant for this idea. Um,
and that's pretty much the gist of it.
[32:58] Um, we got a lot of research to do
still, but before we proceeded with that
[33:02] research, we just wanted to check to
have see if you had any questions or
[33:05] concerns.
[33:10] » Yeah,
>> I like it. Okay, cool.
[33:12] » It's good. The uh Joe,
>> yes. Uh I've been involved with
[33:16] tournament teams on Long Island and one
of the biggest problems they had is not
[33:21] that you're going to have it. One of the
biggest problems was the geese on the
[33:24] field. Ah
>> so I would check that out to with the
[33:27] environmental. See how we can keep the
geese away because the geese are big
[33:33] problem. Not only are the geese the
problem but they lay trap.
[33:36] » Yeah.
>> Okay. So and you don't want that. So
[33:38] just check that out before anything goes
through. And I'm not saying not to.
[33:43] Yeah.
>> Just it's an annoyance to the kids.
[33:46] » Oh, god damn it. Yeah.
>> Yeah. That is been those geese have been
[33:49] the bane of my existence for a very long
time. [laughter]
[33:54] » We finally just gave up and hired a guy
to just pick up the geese stuff.
[33:59] » Right.
>> Um Okay. Um any other questions
[34:03] regarding the
>> I I just a point of curiosity. Yeah. How
[34:07] often are the different elements of the
playground used? like how the beach
[34:14] safety
fans do have.
[34:17] » So Marie could answer to that time. It's
way more than you think. It's
[34:21] » all the time except the winter.
>> Yeah,
[34:23] » there's fall league, spring league.
Little league uses a little league
[34:27] field. Adults use the in the summer use
the soccer field.
[34:31] » It's used all the time and there's
always kids on the playground during the
[34:35] day.
>> So from my personal experience, first
[34:38] and foremost, let me be perfectly clear.
I have a tremendous bias to this idea
[34:42] because my son's in soccer. [laughter]
Um, but it's it's um just from my
[34:48] experience, I can tell you that um my
son's team practices there twice a week
[34:53] during the fall and the and the summer.
Um that's 20 plus kids twice a week.
[34:59] Then plus they have all their home games
here. Um we're just one team. Birkshire
[35:03] Hills um middle school has two teams.
They also use that. Um, not to mention
[35:09] any other local team in the area. I I
don't know if any of the high school
[35:12] teams are here, but I do know that it is
a premium spot during the spring and
[35:16] fall soccer season every weekday.
There's I would say probably at least
[35:21] what 50 people out there throughout the
day.
[35:25] » Yeah.
>> So, it's it's used a lot. Um there was a
[35:28] game um not too long ago where we had a
soccer game going on and there was a
[35:33] little league going on and everywhere in
between there's a bunch of little kids
[35:36] playing all over the playground. It was
awesome and I really want to foster
[35:41] that. So um that's what this idea is all
about. [snorts]
[35:46] » So the teams are not are through all
through the school
[35:51] district
or
[35:54] » Yeah. So, our school system certainly
does use it um a lot. Um there are other
[36:01] » It's only Bergkshire Hills.
>> Oh, I thought there was like adult teams
[36:05] that
>> there is adult teams in the summer
[36:07] months in between the spring and fall
seasons of Berkshire Hills soccer.
[36:12] » Okay, I was mistaken though.
>> There's no schools.
[36:15] » No other schools, right?
>> There's no schools. I mean, Berg Hills
[36:18] is not necessarily school. It's a just a
youth sports team,
[36:23] » right?
So, it's almost 100%
[36:28] our our people. Yeah.
Um,
[36:34] » moving on.
>> Yeah.
[36:36] » Excellent. Okay. And we'll certainly
keep you updated that goes. Well, last
[36:39] question that we have on on the list is
the open gym night. Um, we are very
[36:45] thankful. Now, to Toby, are you up to
speed about our efforts for the open gym
[36:48] night? You are. Okay, cool. Uh we are
very thankful for your input on open gym
[36:52] night uh for the information that you've
given us from town council and from the
[36:56] insurance councils. We understand that
both the insurance company and town
[37:00] council would like open gym to involve
some level of supervision and signed
[37:04] waiverss. If let me just say right now
if if that's your guys wish too, we're
[37:09] probably just going to drop the idea
because none of us really want to put
[37:12] that level of involvement into it. We
just don't have the time. But that and
[37:16] if that's the case, okay, we'll drop it.
Um
[37:21] however after reviewing the information
we never saw a reason as to why these
[37:26] restrictions are required uh where other
similar places do not require such
[37:30] restrictions. Um so why does the gym
require this level of scrutiny where
[37:35] other like places like the outdoor
basketball court, tennis court, card
[37:39] pond, skate park require no waiverss or
supervision. All those places listed are
[37:44] town owned property where someone is
just as likely, if not more likely, to
[37:48] be injured in its use. Meanwhile, the
town gym is right next to the police
[37:52] state department and under 24-hour video
surveillance. Rest assured, we're not
[37:57] trying to butt heads with you guys at
all. We're just looking for some clarity
[38:00] on it. That's all. So, I don't know if
you guys have an answer to that question
[38:04] or
>> Yeah. So, I I'm from town council, which
[38:07] I did give the board this information
before, but it says um he said with
[38:13] regards to outdoor facilities, because I
did ask why nothing out there. Oh.
[38:17] » He said such as the skate park and the
soccer fields, most towns do not require
[38:21] users to sign a waiver. This is likely
because doing so would be impractical
[38:25] and prohibitively expensive to enforce.
However, if you're looking, you should
[38:29] look to reduce the town's exposure by
installing signs, which we do. Skate at
[38:34] your own, everything's at your own risk
out there. We already have that out
[38:38] there. As for the gym, you should limit
your risk in a number of ways using
[38:43] requiring users to sign a waiver, a sign
in at the gym stating users voluntarily
[38:48] assume all risks, having town employee
monitor the gym during open hours, or a
[38:53] combination of any of these. It's the
board's policy what they want to do.
[38:58] Okay.
>> Um he recommended that the um requiring
[39:02] participants to sign a waiver and it's
advisable to have them resign it every
[39:06] year. In terms of adult supervision,
it's a matter of policy for the board to
[39:10] decide, but he re recommends they
require supervision.
[39:16] That's the board's discretion. So, I'm
just giving them the information that I
[39:20] received. Okay.
>> Um from that. And then as far as the
[39:23] insurance company, um, waiverss should
be in place for the town's protection.
[39:28] It's not a requirement for your
insurance, but would help in a claiming
[39:31] situation if the town were to the
carrier strongly suggest utilizing it.
[39:37] So,
>> but that's just a generic thing for
[39:40] probably any town owned property, right?
They didn't specifically say indoors for
[39:44] that.
>> Well, no, I specifically asked her about
[39:46] the gym.
>> Oh, okay. Got it. Well, like
[39:50] » so I'm just giving you the information
that I got asking the questions that you
[39:53] had asked.
>> I appreciate it. Thank you, M. Um well,
[39:57] like I said before, we're just not
prepared to do the supervision part. Um
[40:00] it's just too much of a um a big an ask.
So,
[40:04] » but we do kind of agree with like a sign
in like if the kids are able to come
[40:07] here, the kids can sign in and perhaps
the parents have signed a waiver
[40:10] previously for the year for their kid to
play at the best at the gym,
[40:15] » right? you know, like so it's under
surveillance and also we know the kids
[40:18] that are going to be here and also the
police station is across the hall and
[40:22] also they will sign in. I think having a
gym and being able to use it is really
[40:26] important for our youth and our
community.
[40:29] What I would like to suggest is if we
could put together um our list of what
[40:34] we are prepared to do for an open gym
night following as much of the criteria
[40:38] as we're willing to do present it to you
guys and see if it's okay
[40:43] maybe at a future date and if it's if it
doesn't meet the criteria that you want
[40:47] then we'll we'll show the idea.
>> Yeah. I I
[40:52] » go ahead.
>> I I would love to see the gym used. I
[40:56] think it's it is an asset. Yeah, that
>> the town has. And so I think we should
[41:00] I'm all for exploring
>> how to sort of thread that needle a bit.
[41:05] And uh yeah, I I encourage it.
>> Joe, here's a little tweak. As far as
[41:10] the usage of the gym is concerned, as
far as talking about supervision,
[41:14] um if you had one of the parents
definitively at the site, meaning the
[41:18] gym
>> during [clears throat] the usage and
[41:21] they're there, that could be deemed as
supervision. So um it it might be it
[41:29] might be used under the supervision of a
parent but the parent has got to be
[41:34] diligent and a person's got to be there
and not there holding the
[41:39] responsibility. If the kid gets injured
but that it's supervised
[41:43] kid gets injured call the police call
the ambulance as opposed to nobody
[41:48] supervised that had to go away.
>> Yep. I do feel like as a person that
[41:52] lives kind of close by, my kid is riding
his bike around here all the time and he
[41:58] doesn't have my supervision to do that.
He rides his bike over here. He crosses
[42:02] the streets. He might skin his knee.
It's happened before. He's come home
[42:05] crying a couple of times. He plays with
a couple older kids. Um it's just
[42:10] » hard to
say yes to supervising something inside
[42:13] when we're not supervising the same
thing outside.
[42:17] The kids are kind of like independent,
you know? they are like in a little West
[42:21] Ori biker gang. And
>> to kind of tee off that and what Toby
[42:24] said, I think what we're just trying to
do is make best use of the asset that we
[42:29] have that's for the most part by the
community mostly [clears throat] don't
[42:32] use um and let kids be kids. Um but I
also understand the legal point of it
[42:38] too. So hopefully we can thread that
needle as you put it. So, um, we'll put
[42:42] together a list of suggestions and see
what you guys think and we considered a
[42:47] first draft and say, "Here's where we're
willing to move, here's where we're not.
[42:50] We can bounce back ideas back off each
other."
[42:53] » Thanks.
>> I appreciate you taking that.
[42:57] » Oh, absolutely. Happy to do it.
>> Yeah. And to piggyback on that, I think
[43:01] that we we talked about too that the gym
did used to be used by more than just
[43:06] kids. There used to be yoga classes in
there. There used to be Zumba classes in
[43:09] there. there could be more things I
think Kathy Porty mentioned for for the
[43:15] the seniors
>> to to do in there. So to Toby's point,
[43:22] using the gym as an asset for the town
as a whole, you know, maybe it requires
[43:29] a little group to look at the types of
opportunities, look at what other towns
[43:34] do in their gyms or, you know, some way
to have it become more of a thriving
[43:40] part of of a community center. Yeah.
>> Which I think is would be pretty
[43:45] wonderful. McMurray, did you send that
>> a long time a while ago when they talked
[43:51] about this before? This was back in
April.
[43:54] » We did do a couple um gym nights over
the winter time when it was easier to
[43:59] use the gym because outside was not
great. And I was the parent in charge
[44:03] one time and I had about 15 kids and
they all signed waiverss and you know
[44:08] eventually my husband and I were here.
One of us went and got pizza. The kids
[44:11] had a little pizza. We cleaned up after
ourselves and I think the police joined
[44:14] us for pizza. not trying to throw
anybody to the boss here, but it was it
[44:18] was really nice for the kids to interact
with the police as well and become more
[44:22] friendly with them in a friendly
situation. So, I think the more
[44:27] opportunity we have to do that, it's
really good for the police and the kids.
[44:34] » And that's everything on my list.
>> One more,
[44:38] » Joe. Yes.
>> Use of pavilion. Yeah, I drive by all
[44:42] the time and I'm not telling you to
round up and knock on people's doors to
[44:46] use the pavilion, but I don't see
anybody at the pavil pavilions and it
[44:50] saves me to figure these hot days.
Nobody's at the beach any
[44:55] » during the day. There is
>> Yeah.
[44:57] » And they all sit on the chairs that you
bought. The chairs were there yesterday.
[45:01] » Nice. Nice.
>> Or today.
[45:03] » Um it's it's mostly it's used a lot
during soccer season, tell you that
[45:07] much. Um, you know, when the the younger
siblings and stuff like that are sitting
[45:11] around waiting for their older sibling
to be done with soccer practice,
[45:14] » right?
>> Um,
[45:15] » it's kind of the only shaded place.
Yeah.
[45:17] » Between the dog park and the playground,
it's kind of the only shade that's
[45:20] provided.
>> Yep.
[45:22] » Um, just
>> I know the books from the library even
[45:25] allowed to sit out there, read a book.
Um, it it does get a decent amount of
[45:30] use. I I had about uh 25 kids under
there after a soccer game. Um, and they
[45:35] all had Subway sandwiches. It was great.
>> And I actually had somebody reserve it
[45:39] for a birthday party at 21.
>> Well, I'm glad you So, that is a thing.
[45:43] We can actually do that. I might need to
talk to you about that. Okay. All right.
[45:47] So, we can advertise it as such that it
can be reserved for
[45:50] » just like they do for the gym for
birthday. And maybe that could be
[45:52] another community event for people
outside of just kids. Maybe, you know,
[45:56] ladies book club wants to meet there on
Thursday nights at 6:00 or something.
[46:00] » Serve the serve it and use it.
>> Um, better exposure though. Uh I we can
[46:05] serve a rake. We're it's finally going
to be finished within the next like
[46:09] month or so. Um it's getting a whole
gravel bed and some trim around the
[46:13] outside and at that point I can take
some really nice pictures and put in the
[46:16] yoke. Let people know that it's
available.
[46:18] » Good. Thanks. You bet.
>> Thank you very much for your time.
[46:21] » Thank you. Appreciate it.
>> Thank you.
[46:23] » Thanks.
[46:26] » Okay, Toby.
Um yeah, so this uh this item Bob
[46:33] Auststerhout um you might remember Bob
Solerno brought to us uh the request by
[46:41] Bob's granddaughter Tori. Um, and the
history is
[46:47] um that that section across from Bob's
house on um Woodruff
[46:54] uh he maintained for
as long as I can remember in fact
[47:00] » many many years and did so meticulously.
Um
[47:05] » uh I think it's worthwhile to entertain
Tori's request to put some sort of u
[47:11] memorial there on his behalf. Um Kurt, I
I talked with Kurt about this. He had
[47:17] some ideas regarding a tree and possibly
a bench or or something. And um just
[47:24] something simple to to recognize his
many many years of maintaining that. Um
[47:31] and so with your permission, I would um
I would commission Kurt to uh present
[47:38] some ideas and and for our approval.
[47:43] Yeah, I think it would be nice. I think
obviously the thing that we have to be
[47:46] concerned about and not that everybody
doesn't deserve their plaque, but
[47:51] we have a population who since stay
around forever and we can't have
[47:58] a town full of plaques. But I think the
idea of it, you know, does I wonder if
[48:03] it makes a difference if say for example
it's a bench and maybe we should just
[48:07] hear the ideas first.
>> I think so. And I think the the
[48:09] difference in this case is of you know
it was not asked of him. It it was just
[48:15] something he took on for for a long time
and the town in a way that now we're
[48:20] going to figure out how to deal with you
know now to maintain that's going to be
[48:24] um
>> back on town resources. So I think it'
[48:28] be worthwhile.
>> Let's look at it.
[48:35] » Okay.
So let board speak
[48:40] » said my piece
>> nothing for me
[48:45] » and uh nor for me.
>> So with that I'll make a motion to
[48:49] adjurnn.
>> Second
[48:53] » and I'm up.
>> Nice. Nicely done.
[48:59] » It's nice up.
>> I was just going to interrupt for one
[49:02] question now that we're on a shift. When
town council said
[49:08] supervision, did he request town
supervision or somebody to supervise the
[49:13] people they bring?
>> He said having a town employee monitor
[49:19] the gym during hours or a combination of
volunteers or town employees.
[49:27] » Be a parent.
>> Yeah, I would say
[49:28] » that would solve a lot. I think it's
just really to have an adult
[49:33] because the police are not always here.
That's true.
[49:37] » So, you can't count on them to be taking
care of that.
[49:41] » Yeah.
on the top.