[0:01] like to call the select board meeting
September 9th, 2026
[0:05] at 603
p.m. to order. Um,
[0:15] this meeting will be held in a hybrid
fashion with the opportunity for both
[0:19] in-person attendance and remote
participation. Please note that while an
[0:24] option for remote attendance and/or
participation is being provided as a
[0:29] courtesy to the public, the meeting or
hearing will not be suspended or
[0:33] terminated if the public um if technical
problems interrupt the virtual broadcast
[0:40] unless otherwise required by law.
Members of the public with particular
[0:45] interest in any specific item on this
agenda should make plans for in-person
[0:50] versus virtual attendance accordingly.
The meeting will be held in person in
[0:56] the main meeting room of Deerfield
Municipal Offices in accordance with
[1:00] Mass General Law Chapter 38. Anyone in
intending to record the meeting must
[1:06] identify themselves to the clerk and
provide their name and address for the
[1:10] record.
[1:15] Okay.
[1:19] So, we are going to do public comment at
the start of the meeting. So, if anybody
[1:25] has something that they'd like to say,
please come forward.
[1:36] » Good evening. How are you? Okay.
[1:43] Hi Nikkowski, 35 State Road. Welcome.
Good evening everyone. Um this is from
[1:50] both Peter and myself. Um concerns with
um senior housing bid from RBI.
[1:57] First of all, we are totally in favor of
senior housing. We appreciate the
[2:01] efforts and the ad hoc um senior housing
committee. Unfortunately, the site at um
[2:07] 83 to 85 North Main Street is just not
the right location. There are many too
[2:12] many workarounds and deficits at this
site. Never mind the added expenses that
[2:18] we will illuminate below. Many have
compared our project to Sunderland
[2:22] Sanderson Place. Sanderson's development
is on 2.8391
[2:28] acre site with a total of 33 units.
Deerfield proposed site is 2.1 acres and
[2:36] they are suggesting 34 units.
Deerfield purchased the site at 38 to um
[2:43] excuse me 83 to 85 North Main Street for
420,000 with CPA funds, our tax dollars.
[2:51] We were led to believe that that would
be the extent of our financial support.
[2:56] In the RFP, RDI requested $750,000
from our town to help balance their
[3:04] budget. More CPA money, more tax
dollars. RDI states the abatement and
[3:10] removal of the existing structures will
cost 560,000 to 749,000.
[3:17] RDI expects our town to cover this. RDI
also asked our town to remove the
[3:23] existing decommissioned monitoring wells
that would be more expense for our town.
[3:30] RDI is planning to apply for grants to
cover another deficit of 750,000 for
[3:36] their budget. And if they do not get
these grants, will they look to
[3:40] Deerfield to cover the balance?
Our town's expected expense of 420,000
[3:48] may rise to 1,730,000
[3:54] to um excuse me 1,730,000
to 1,919,000
[3:59] or even more. RDI states they will need
relief from current ST town statutes.
[4:07] Section 2300 maximum building height is
35 ft. Their proposed building is 47
[4:15] feet. Section 3100 parking spaces needed
for a 34 unit building is 85. RDI is
[4:26] only planning on 29 parking spaces.
That's not even one space per unit and
[4:32] no spaces for visitor parking. A
suggestion made at one point of the
[4:37] meeting was that people can park on
North Main. What's going to happen when
[4:41] it snows?
storm water permit. RDI advised they
[4:47] will strive to meet our requirements. I
underline the word strive, not meet our
[4:52] requirements, but they will strive to
meet them, but additional waiverss may
[4:56] be required.
In the first year project task, RDI
[5:01] states they will assist Deerfield with
any offset mitigation by bloody brook.
[5:07] This may create additional expenses for
Deerfield.
[5:11] RDI is proposing using permeable grass
pavers in the parking area. This will
[5:17] create uneven terrain that will be an
issue for people with mobility issues.
[5:25] They're also per our request planning to
use permeable pavement. A quick look at
[5:31] the Liry lot will show how much this
pavement deteriorates after a short time
[5:36] of use. another walking hazard for
people with mobility issues.
[5:43] Permeable payment pavement is also more
expensive. So of course that's adding to
[5:48] it. The lot is small to begin with. How
will RBI set up project fencing to not
[5:55] impact buggers and ensure the safety of
both workers and the residents? We are
[6:01] totally in favor of senior housing, but
RDI's proposal is not the path to take.
[6:07] Submitted by Peter and Holly Lancowski.
Thank you.
[6:11] » Thank you. Thanks for your time.
[6:21] » Thank you. I'm sure there's no cords.
[6:27] » Thank you.
>> Oh, great. Thank you very much.
[6:29] Appreciate it.
[6:33] Anybody else?
[6:54] This is from
[6:57] Jason Clark, 81 North Main.
[7:02] Dear members of the select board, we the
underside residents, neighboring
[7:06] property owners, respectfully submit
this letter requesting the select board
[7:10] not make a final decision to accept or
approve RDI's senior high housing
[7:14] proposal until an on-site meeting and
review of the property has taken place.
[7:19] We believe the on-site meeting involving
RDI representatives, the select board,
[7:24] the appropriate town committee members,
and neighboring residents, property
[7:27] owners is necessary before a town makes
a decision concerning this proposal.
[7:33] There are several several important
questions and concerns that we believe
[7:36] need to be addressed directly and
clearly. Property boundaries.
[7:41] These are outstanding questions regard
or there are outstanding questions
[7:44] regarding exact boundaries of the
property and how the develop or the
[7:48] proposed development hold relate to
adjoining properties. We request we
[7:52] request that the property boundaries be
clearly identified and reviewed during
[7:57] an on-site visit. This will allow the
select board, county representatives,
[8:01] RDI, and neighboring property owners to
have a shared understanding of where
[8:05] these proposed developments will be
located and how close it may be to
[8:09] existing homes or properties.
Adequacy of proposed parking. We have
[8:15] concerns that the number of proposed
parking spaces may not be sufficient for
[8:19] the size and anticipated use of this
development. An on-site review would
[8:23] allow the town and neighbors to better
understand the proposed parking
[8:26] arrangement, including vehicle access,
traffic patterns, guest parking,
[8:31] emergency access, and the potential for
vehicles to overflow on surrounding
[8:35] streets and neighboring properties.
We believe this issue should be fully
[8:39] addressed before the proposal is
accepted. Storm water and water runoff
[8:44] to Bloody Brook. We're also concerned
about water runoff and drainage from the
[8:49] proposed development, particularly in
the area near Bloody Brook. Given the
[8:54] potential amount of new impervious
service or surfaces associated with the
[8:58] development, including buildings,
driveways, parking areas, and other
[9:01] improvements, we believe it's important
to understand how storm water will be
[9:05] managed and where that water will
ultimately flow.
[9:09] He respectfully requests that RDI
explain its proposed drainage and storm
[9:13] water management plans on site and
answer questions regarding potential
[9:18] impact on neighboring properties in
Bloody Brook.
[9:22] Request for on-site meeting before
decision. We're not asking the select
[9:25] board to reject senior housing or to
prevent RDI from presenting its
[9:29] proposal. Rather, we're asking that the
town take the necessary time to fully
[9:34] understand a proposal and its potential
impact on the surrounding neighborhood
[9:38] before actually making a decision.
An onslate meeting would provide an
[9:43] opportunity for RDI to explain its
proposal and answer questions, the
[9:47] select board and town committees to
inspect the property firsthand. Property
[9:51] boundaries to be identified and
clarified. The proposed parking
[9:55] arrangement to be evaluated in relation
to the actual site. Drainage and storm
[10:00] water concerns near bloody brook to be
discussed. Neighbors to ask questions
[10:04] and identify concerns that may not be
apparent from plans or documents alone.
[10:08] and all parties to have a common
understanding of the existing conditions
[10:11] of a property. We therefore respectfully
request that the select board postpone
[10:16] any decision to accept or approve REI's
proposal until an on-site meeting has
[10:21] been conducted and the concerns outlined
have been addressed. We believe that
[10:25] conducting this review is in the best
interest of the town, the future
[10:28] residents of the proposed senior
housing, RDI, and the neighboring
[10:32] property owners. We appreciate the
select board's consideration of this
[10:36] request and respectfully ask that this
letter be made part of the public record
[10:40] concerning the RBI senior housing
proposal. Thank you for your time.
[10:45] » Thank you for your comments.
>> Thank you.
[10:58] » You have anybody else?
[11:03] Ley.
>> Yes. Thank you. Thank you for hearing
[11:08] me. Um I would just like to strongly
urge the select board to go forward with
[11:14] this proposal with RDI. Um to address
some of the concerns that were mentioned
[11:21] by Mr. Clark which were also appeared in
uh Deerfield. Now, um there will
[11:27] actually be less pvious surface in the
new development than there I mean
[11:32] impervious surface sorry than there is
in the current site with that massive
[11:38] parking um lot. Um there we had the site
surveyed by a professional surveyor and
[11:46] that is included the plot plan is
included in the RFP packet. Um the
[11:54] parking is a conversation that we have
certainly had and I think needs to
[11:59] continue with RDI but they are going to
have uh a number of parking spaces and
[12:06] there is also delivery lot and there is
on street parking there so I honestly
[12:11] don't think it's going to be a big issue
since most of the people when we did our
[12:17] surveys most of the people who were
interested in moving in are uh very much
[12:22] older and I think we'll be moving in so
that they don't have to drive for the
[12:27] most part. Um, and as to the Bloody
Brook concerns, we too have been very
[12:33] concerned about that and we went to the
conservation commission a couple of
[12:38] years ago and we have walked the site
with the chair of the conservation
[12:42] commission, Pete Law, and also I believe
every member of the select board has
[12:46] walked that site uh at least on one
occasion. And so I do not see the need
[12:54] to delay and I would prefer not to delay
since we've been working on this for 25
[12:59] years. Um absolutely we need to include
uh neighbors and the neighborhood
[13:08] in the conversations when it comes time
to working with RDI to develop the real
[13:14] plan. This is a preliminary concept of
the scope and so I would strongly urge
[13:21] you all to please
move this on to the next step and um
[13:27] start working with RDI so that we can at
last house our desperate seniors. Thank
[13:32] you.
>> Thank you.
[13:41] » Welcome. Yes, please.
[13:45] Clark, 81 North Main Street. Um, I just
want to point out that um,
[13:50] on Founders Day, they came out with
something that said residents should be
[13:54] involved at every step of the process.
It is important to give people ample
[13:58] time to provide feedback rather than
host a public meeting after decisions
[14:03] have been finalized. All we're asking is
for RDI to come. So, I look at the plans
[14:10] and I see, okay, they got to cut my tree
to put a building back here. I want them
[14:14] to come and physically show me.
>> That's That's all I'm asking.
[14:20] » Thank you.
>> I think that that that's a fair answer.
[14:23] That is not a hard ask.
>> Thank you very much.
[14:28] » Yeah. Thank you. Comment.
[14:38] Any comments? More comments on this or
anything else?
[14:46] All right. Thank you.
[14:50] Uh we have um Trios Brewing Company
summer concert season review and half
[14:56] marathon preview for September 13, 2026.
Chris,
[15:04] » sure. So, as folks have probably
noticed, the Treehouse summer concert
[15:08] series has wrapped up. Um, and uh, we're
looking forward to the half marathon is
[15:13] Sunday, September 13th as well. Um, we
thought it would be prudent to just take
[15:19] a minute to take stock of the concert
season. Um, we have some, uh, you know,
[15:23] I think folks saw an email circulated
from Sergeant Sakaloski about public
[15:27] safety's experience this summer. Um and
then I know uh Greg Senkar, our
[15:32] assistant town administrator, has some
additional information in regards to um
[15:35] noise complaints that we heard. Um so
again, this is all while still fresh in
[15:40] our memory. Um just to, you know, kind
of do a quick debrief. Um we were hoping
[15:46] to see if someone from Treehouse could
be present tonight that doesn't appear
[15:49] um that was possible. Um but uh so
turned over to Greg to speak to any of
[15:55] the the noise complaints that we've
received uh this summer.
[16:00] Yeah, sure. In your packet, I think you
can find uh sort of the rundown of where
[16:06] the complaints came from. I think there
was a total of 44 um and I think it was
[16:11] across is it 11 11 residences.
Um so just to you know it's it's a
[16:18] little more concentrated I think in in
terms of
[16:22] most of them about I think it was 57% of
them came from about three residents.
[16:27] So, we should be looking at, you know,
the the sound and how it's traveling
[16:31] towards those residents and continue to
to monitor that.
[16:34] » Yeah.
>> Um, but uh, you know, those are those
[16:37] are the ones that we received. There
may, you know, have been chatter from
[16:42] other residences that weren't reported
and uh, so, you know, but that's that's
[16:47] a record of what we received.
>> Okay. So, what about the the base as far
[16:52] as that goes for this season? because I
didn't hear a lot of complaints about
[16:56] the base.
>> Yeah, I Yeah, I went and visited a
[17:00] number of times and traveled around the
the town as well to to check out the
[17:06] base volume and how the transference was
was traveling through the town. Uh it
[17:10] does appear that the array has helped.
Um I think complaints are down primarily
[17:16] from that, not from all. Um, and and
again, I think it's one of those things
[17:20] where because the way drip bass travels,
even with the the double sort of array
[17:26] that they were using, um, you know, it's
not it's not perfect. Sound is going to
[17:30] travel,
>> but I do think it it definitely had a
[17:34] positive impact this year.
>> Okay. Thank you.
[17:44] Yeah, I I want to thank you for
compiling this list. It just kind of
[17:48] gives a good understanding of kind of
where the complaints were coming from
[17:51] and when. And then um I was just reading
through Adam. Somehow I missed his
[17:56] email. So now I was just looking at he
did a great job of like listing the
[18:01] date, what the concert was, and just
kind of any issues that that that they
[18:06] had to deal with. Um,
and they look, you know, pretty
[18:11] pretty well under control for most
everything here. Um,
[18:17] you know, every once in a while you have
somebody intoxicated, which seems kind
[18:21] of obvious, but but uh but they seem to
handle it pretty well. And um
[18:28] there were there weren't any, you know,
major medical issues or ma major um
[18:33] issues there at all. Um, so I I do think
we have made great strides in trying to
[18:40] kind of tamp down the noise as best we
can. Um, yeah, I would only chime in uh
[18:46] with the times that I visited. I did
check in with the emergency services.
[18:51] Uh, they were actually pleased with the
way the changes that were made for this
[18:56] year. Yeah.
>> How things were operating, uh, how they
[18:59] were counting uh, attendees. And so that
all definitely improved. Yeah, it was
[19:05] great to tour the command center and see
kind of all the assets that they had and
[19:09] cameras that are up and the work that uh
all the staff has done u you know keep
[19:15] people safe and um I have a chance to
kind of listen to the music and see the
[19:20] sound and walk around and understand
what we've done under the stage and
[19:23] around the stage and try and limit the
sound and not to diminish that people
[19:27] still are concerned because I saw every
email that came uh for complaints but
[19:33] Um,
so I think we just continue to work on
[19:36] that, try to find ways to to make it um,
more palatable for the people that are
[19:42] having to deal with that those those
noise issues. Um, it seemed a shorter
[19:47] season. I mean, we we definitely closed
earlier than that
[19:50] » in August.
>> In there was there was five less
[19:53] concerts. I think there were 33 last
year and there were 27.
[19:57] » Yeah.
>> So they did wrap it up early. I think
[19:59] the last one was I think August 22nd.
>> Yeah, correct. Yeah. Yeah. It was
[20:04] » modest mouse I think was the last one.
>> Yeah. Again would love to hear from them
[20:08] how how it kind of went because I know
you know uh cost is a concern for them
[20:12] too and like I'm sure that's why the the
the stage went away sooner and just
[20:17] wondering how the economic development
went. Was it you know did are they
[20:21] finding a a sweet spot is the number of
concerts good you know number of
[20:25] attendees that kind of thing. So just
love to know that curiosity. Anyway so
[20:29] yeah thank you. I mean, just to I assume
you're sharing this information with the
[20:35] treehouse in terms of complaints and I
hope that we have more granular so that
[20:42] they can say we got most complaints
because of these two bands or
[20:46] » on these two nights and maybe there's
something about those two acts that uh
[20:53] contributes and maybe they want to take
that into consideration when they're
[20:58] making their lineup.
>> Yeah.
[21:00] Um
and and just for the I I assume we're
[21:05] all geared up for the marathon this
weekend. People are aware in town that
[21:09] we have of a half marathon going on and
um notifications have gone out. Path is
[21:15] good. Um police is aware, EMS is aware.
>> Okay.
[21:21] » Great. Thank you.
>> All right.
[21:28] Okay. Um,
again with the half marathon, I think
[21:32] we've got to keep an eye on that as well
to make sure that that goes as as
[21:36] smoothly as possible. I know that uh
I've seen the the flyers that they've
[21:40] sent out to the residents as far as
closures and stuff like that. So, I
[21:43] think that's that's a good start with
it. We're going to make sure that again
[21:47] it's minimum inconvenience to the town
people. So,
[21:54] all right. Next uh is um we've applied
for the Purple Heart community for um
[22:01] Deerfield and uh we're actually going to
have uh the ceremony for it on November
[22:07] 12th, the day after Veterans Day. And um
the way that it's set up is we're going
[22:14] to have signs that will
that are going to be at the entrance to
[22:19] the major roadways going into Deerfield
right now. And um
[22:24] so it I think that as far as the
ceremony itself goes going to be here,
[22:30] right?
>> Yeah, we're still coordinating the the
[22:33] exact details with Alvarillis from the
Order of the Purple Heart. Um but yes,
[22:38] likely in the afternoon, November 12th,
that was something that was instituted
[22:43] by the Savage family, family from uh
Eastern A. they uh their uncles
[22:50] or great uncles were the Broncos. I
think there were two of them that were
[22:53] killed in World War II and that's why
they were bringing it up and um so we we
[22:59] move forward with it and so we are now
going to be a Purple Heart community and
[23:04] probably something we should have done a
while ago but we're getting it done now.
[23:09] Uh the next thing is commemoration of
the 50th anniversary of Walter O.
[23:14] decision's death in the line of duty on
October 2nd, 1976.
[23:19] Walter was a Deerfield police officer
that was hit by a vehicle and was killed
[23:24] out of five and 10. And um he has uh his
family has always lived in town and
[23:32] Walter was regarded as a uh just a great
guy all around but as far as police
[23:38] officer goes he's the guy with the jelly
beans and uh he was just a really really
[23:44] nice guy and he was always there to
help. He was either coaching working for
[23:50] the fire department, the police
department. He was an allaround great
[23:53] guy. So, uh this is this ceremony again
will be uh basically just to rededicate
[24:01] his memorial in the front of the town
hall and uh his two sons will be there
[24:07] for it and uh that's Friday the 2nd at
9:00 a.m. October 2nd 9 a.m. And I just
[24:16] want to apologize. I'm not going to be
in the country at the time. So I will
[24:19] have to miss miss this ceremony. But I'm
thoughts are with the decision family.
[24:30] » You got anything else you want to add to
that? Can we get it covered?
[24:35] » Okay. Um
board of health. We have
[24:40] anything on the board of health agenda?
>> No. No. um continuing to wait on some
[24:44] updates on the housing court case for
next week. Um I I believe um Ned
[24:50] attended the the MAFCO event yesterday.
Jennifer, I don't know if you have any
[24:54] from that.
>> I I uh I attended as well. Pretty quick
[24:57] meeting. Um u
Archer dropped off the certain uh books.
[25:05] There's a toolkit and a um
and the guide. So we should kind of get
[25:10] familiar on that. Uh there is going to
be a training coming up on um
[25:16] public health 101 and
I think that we're going to try and fit
[25:22] in another training as well, but that's
I'll I'll get some updates for you on
[25:26] the dates on that. They haven't dated
yet.
[25:28] » Is that going to be a tabletop type?
>> Uh it wasn't going to be tabletop, but
[25:31] it was going to be a kind of a grouping
group uh inerson training on some of
[25:36] that stuff. So, I'll get some more data
on that soon as soon as they have a date
[25:40] for us.
>> All right.
[25:43] Before we move on, I've got a couple of
things. Um, first I want to make a
[25:47] request. Could you um actually post to
the Deerfield Massachusetts Facebook
[25:51] page and share to other social media the
course the half marathon course or
[26:00] whatever information you have. It's not
on our website at the moment. So, town
[26:05] website
Facebook page just so we can share with
[26:08] people. Um,
>> yeah, I'm thinking I may have done it a
[26:11] while ago. It's time to update it.
>> Yeah. Yeah. And, um, couple of other
[26:17] things I just wanted to say that uh, the
solar array on the Tilton library is up.
[26:23] It functions. It's waiting for
Eversource to um, review and approve the
[26:29] system operation. So, it's capable of
producing electricity. It just has to
[26:34] wait until Ever says it can. Um, and the
solar array on the 1888 municipal
[26:40] offices building is probably going to be
completed this week or early next week
[26:45] and it will go through a similar period
of waiting for Eversource to recognize
[26:50] that it can start operation.
[26:55] Also, that speaking to Tilton, I know
it's a little early, but October 8th
[26:59] they'll have the grand opening. um so
everybody can see see it all. I think
[27:02] it's open now, but they'll have a a
ceremony so you can go and um check it
[27:07] out. That's at 4:00 between 4 and 6 on
October 8th.
[27:16] Um
[27:20] » Yep.
So uh I guess we're going to approve the
[27:24] minutes of last meeting. So I move that
the select board approve the meeting
[27:28] minutes of September 2nd, 2026 as
presented.
[27:32] » Y now they're they're they're almost
done. They'll be on the next meeting. So
[27:35] okay, not quite available,
>> right? In reading.
[27:41] » Okay, disregard that.
Um
[27:47] okay, so the next one is the review vote
on the facility use policy. You want to
[27:52] explain that one?
>> Yeah. And um I'm sorry I keep passing
[27:56] things to you, Greg, but but uh yeah, so
essentially this this is something that
[28:00] came up last year. Um you know, once the
the Tilt Library moved back into, you
[28:06] know, its permanent home at the Tilt
Library, um you know, we wanted to
[28:09] figure out what to do with the 1821
meeting house. Um we've certainly been
[28:13] having a series of um you know,
different groups and events uh using
[28:17] that space. Um, and it felt logical to
kind of come up with an actual policy on
[28:22] how to have outside groups use town
facilities. Um, so Greg working with um,
[28:28] Matthew Morris, our DPW superintendent,
came up with a a proposed schedule fees
[28:33] and then some other policy questions,
but I'll pass it over to him to speak to
[28:37] the details there.
>> I think the really the the main sort of
[28:43] conversation we should have is do the
fees look reasonable? uh is there
[28:48] anything that we haven't considered with
the fees? Uh if nonprofits should be
[28:54] given a waiver of fees uh and then
finally um you know what how do we want
[29:00] to proceed with any sort of alcohol on
the premises if at all. It's it's really
[29:06] up to you. Um you can issue one day
liquor licenses for for events but they
[29:12] do have to follow uh you know proper
procedure in terms of um being legal,
[29:17] they can't serve unless they have
someone that's
[29:21] certified.
>> So, um it's really up to you. Um I'm
[29:27] open to hearing your thoughts on it.
>> I I would think it's um I would think we
[29:34] would follow the same policy as, you
know, anybody else that needs is wants
[29:38] to do a certain wine and beer or
something like that. Um
[29:43] and we would have a one day liquor
license. uh they would need to have
[29:46] insurance and I mean I'm not sure how
often it would would take place for
[29:51] events there but you know if somebody's
having a community wants to do a
[29:56] retirement party or something there
people are going to serve beer wine it's
[30:00] you know I think yeah you'd need to be
tips drain certified and all of that and
[30:05] have insurance so I'm in favor of it
[30:11] » the other question that I had is that uh
we were thinking about some of the
[30:15] groups in Deerfield that might be using
it as a permanent home such as you know
[30:19] like the VFW that was in they were in
the 1888 building and if the women's
[30:25] club wanted to have that as a place for
them to go and if we have anything to do
[30:29] with scouting and that type of thing
that the fee would be waved for those
[30:33] groups
>> that are could be meeting on a monthly
[30:36] basis or some some weekly basis. So I
wanted to know if you could throw that
[30:42] in there as well and you
thoughts on that agree with that too for
[30:46] sure.
>> Yeah. I basically think that the fees
[30:51] that we're starting out with are logical
but for you know
[30:56] public service groups should be able to
use town space without fees.
[31:08] All right. That being said I'll read the
motion on this one. We did do this one.
[31:13] Right.
Move that the select board adopt the
[31:16] town of Deerfield facilities use policy
and application as presented effective
[31:21] immediately.
[31:24] » Second with adjustments that I think
you'll make to the
[31:29] » Yep.
[31:34] » All those in favor Daniel I. Tin LG
>> Lakemore High
[31:40] be a learning process. I'm sure
>> revisions to come.
[31:44] » Yeah.
[31:52] » Okay.
[32:09] Okay. Um, execute the hazard mitigation
plan update contract with Furco in the
[32:17] amount of $30,000.
>> Sure. So earlier this summer, as as you
[32:21] may recall, uh the town was notified
that we were awarded a $30,000 grant um
[32:27] from the municipal and uh tribal um
forgetting the acronym, but MTA
[32:36] um
>> Amy Han, our land use coordinator, had
[32:40] kind of went out and applied for this
grant. Um, we think, you know, kind of a
[32:43] logical body to carry this work forward
and updating our multi-hazard mitigation
[32:47] plan would be our municipal
vulnerability group. Um, so certainly
[32:51] that's going to be on their agenda for
next week is taking this up. Um, Amy did
[32:56] seek out a number of quotes for those
services. We had uh, I think moved
[32:59] forward with the application with a
quote from GZA. Um, ultimately that
[33:05] wasn't going to fit in the award. Um, we
contacted Ferg and they were able to, as
[33:10] they've done in the past, you know,
provide a fee for a proposal for this
[33:14] work. Um, so I would suggest at this
time that the, you know, the motion
[33:18] before you is, um, you know, contingent
upon receipt of grant funds. We don't
[33:24] have those just yet. So, we'll finalize
execution after that.
[33:29] » Sounds good.
So, in other words, we're going to vote
[33:33] on it with
>> Yes, but we're not going to send it to
[33:38] Furk until we get the money.
Move that the select board authorize the
[33:43] chair to execute the memorandum of
understanding between the town of
[33:46] Deerfield and the Franklin Regional
Council of Governments for hazard
[33:50] mitigation plan update services in an
amount not to exceed $30,000 contingent
[33:56] upon the town's execution of and receipt
of funding under the municipal and
[34:01] tribal technical assistance grant
agreement from the Commonwealth's
[34:05] federal funds and infrastructure office
and further authorize the town
[34:10] administer ministator to execute any
nonsubstantive
[34:13] documents necessary to implement the
project.
[34:17] » Second
>> discussion to go.
[34:21] » All those in favor Daniel I.
>> Tim LG I
[34:25] » Gilmore I was getting great to get a
grant to do this work. It's awesome.
[34:31] » Awesome.
>> Okay. Now we're at a senior housing
[34:36] proposal for 8385
street.
[34:43] » Sure. So I'll just give a little
background here. Um you know this is the
[34:47] second time around that the town put out
an RFP for senior housing for 8385 North
[34:52] Street, also obviously known as the the
St. James Church site. Um we received
[34:58] one proposal from RDI. Uh they're the
development way of the Franklin Regional
[35:03] Housing Authority. Um
you should have a copy of that proposal
[35:09] in front of you. Um back in July, the
board appointed members of a a basically
[35:15] a proposal evaluation committee to to
vent the proposal. Um that committee
[35:20] ended up meeting a number of times. Um
they did a site visit with RDI to
[35:25] Sanderson Place. We had a a one-on-one
meeting with RDI to actually discuss
[35:30] some concerns that that committee
members had um and ultimately committee
[35:35] members um evaluate the proposal and
submitted that back to Furco who has
[35:39] been handling the procurement process
for us. Um so on most fronts
[35:43] advantageous or highly advantageous was
the the rating for the the proposal. Um,
[35:49] Burkhog then opened our price proposal
which we knew was going to be um, you
[35:54] know, not not a mind-blowing amount of
money. It's a it's $1. Um, and that was
[35:59] expected given the the budget that uh,
RDI had put forward which requires as
[36:04] was mentioned earlier tonight some
additional subsidy from the town.
[36:08] So, at this point um, that you know the
board has the proposal in front of them.
[36:13] um you know we need to whether it's
tonight or at a future point make a
[36:17] decision about either selecting RDI as
the the developer for the site uh or
[36:23] moving on and and and um you know
finding out a different way to approach
[36:26] the project. Um Lisa me from town
council is here uh to answer any
[36:33] questions that the board may have. This
is obviously new territory for the town.
[36:36] This is kind of further along the path
of senior housing than the town has been
[36:40] previously. Um, so certainly if there
are questions about what we're doing
[36:44] tonight or about uh a prospective land
development agreement with RDI, should
[36:48] the the board decide to go that way, uh,
Lisa is available here to to talk to.
[36:54] » Great.
[36:59] You got what? Yes. So Lisa, I want to
ask a little bit um about the process in
[37:04] that, you know, we we've been asked to
kind of move the move the ball forward
[37:10] down the field a little bit and uh allow
the town boards to kind of start start
[37:15] their work to see if this project is
feasible. Um do we have one one swing at
[37:21] the bat? or should we have um should we
hold and get other I mean it seems like
[37:28] the questions that were asked um tonight
will be flushed out in multiple meetings
[37:33] through different boards like ZBA
conservation all of that stuff um if we
[37:40] accepted this proposal to move forward
down the road do we have other um other
[37:47] steps in the process where we could pull
it back or um you know just looking for
[37:53] a timeline of how this project would go
forward and what kind of control this
[37:58] board has.
>> Sure. Um so let me let me first say that
[38:03] um I have um I've reviewed the RFP and I
have reviewed the proposal
[38:09] um and nothing in the either the
financing or the timeline that's
[38:14] presented by the proponent um strikes me
as unusual.
[38:20] » Right. Um, in fact, I think that the
timeline that is set forth is a very
[38:26] realistic timeline. Um, over this past
year, I think I've negotiated
[38:33] three other LDAs for other communities
um related to uh moderate and lowincome
[38:40] housing.
um none of them senior although I have
[38:44] been a proponent on a senior housing
project um in a community on behalf of
[38:49] uh a private entity. So none of it is um
strikes me as being unusual. Um and the
[38:58] the part that they're looking for
funding from further funding from the
[39:04] CPA um is also not unusual in these
projects. if you're going to get fund if
[39:09] you're going to get housing that is um
60 50 and 30% um AMI not at all unusual
[39:19] um that having been said um I there are
comments as you suggested um Trevor that
[39:27] uh are going to be addressed in a zoning
process for example you know all the
[39:33] storm water for you know in conservation
um the the design of the building. All
[39:38] of that is all part of a comprehensive
permit process in front of the zoning
[39:42] board of appeals and anything like that.
I think that this firm would sit with
[39:46] the zoning board of appeals to um help
them with the comprehensive permit proc
[39:51] process because I don't think that the
board has been through very many if any
[39:56] of those um permits. Mhm.
>> Um so the from a timing point of view
[40:02] the next step really is if the board
decides um that they would accept
[40:07] tenatively accept the RDI proposal based
upon the negotiation of a land
[40:13] disposition agreement then we get to
negotiate the agreement. Now, there's a
[40:18] sample agreement that was included in
the RFP, but you know, a lot of the
[40:23] details that are in the proposal now
have to be worked into the land
[40:27] disposition agreement. And so, that's
your second bite of the apple, if you
[40:32] will, right? So, you you say, "Okay,
tenatively we accept the RDI proposal as
[40:38] it's presented." And there'll be
contingencies, right? There's going to
[40:41] be contingencies on this. You don't have
any control over the CPA. So there's
[40:46] contingencies on whether the or the CPC
the contingencies on whether that gets
[40:51] funded and whether town meeting agrees
to fund that. There's contingencies in
[40:54] here relative to them getting initial
funding. Right? Then there's
[40:59] contingencies on them getting their
permits. Then there's contingencies
[41:03] based upon whether or not they get their
final funding. But so those would all be
[41:07] worked into the LDA. And I think
probably if I'm them, one of the first
[41:13] things I am going to do is seek that
funding from the town, at least approval
[41:19] by the CPC committee and town meetings
because then I'm I'm going to know if
[41:23] I'm going to be able to go forward.
>> Right.
[41:25] » Um right. So that that's going to be
worked into the LDA, but I'm not going
[41:29] to if I'm them, I'm not doing that. And
and as the town, you don't want them to
[41:34] do it until we have a signed land
disposition agreement. So those your
[41:38] your first trigger is tonight or
whenever you decide to make the decision
[41:43] to move forward contingent on the you
know the agreement of an LDA and and
[41:50] assuming the parties can reach an
agreement on an LDA then the next
[41:55] contingencies will be laid out in the
LDA related to funding and things of
[41:59] that nature.
>> Yeah, that I that helps quite a bit. I I
[42:04] kind of I assess that that would would
generally be it. You know, this is just
[42:07] kind of saying, hey, there's a developer
that's interested. They put a proposal
[42:12] together. It's really a rough proposal
and what they think they could make
[42:17] happen there, but there is a lot of
decisions that still need to be made.
[42:20] Can you fit 34 units on this thing? Um,
you know, can you can you get a approval
[42:27] for the height of the building? Can you
get uh approval an exemption for the
[42:31] number of parking? I have I have some
concerns about the size of it, the
[42:34] parking, um, and you know, some other
things, but I know our conservation
[42:39] commission will deal with kind of the
water and out to the ri out to the
[42:43] brook. Um, there's quite a bit of work
that still needs to be done. I just want
[42:48] to make sure that this this board still
has a say at like if if we start through
[42:53] this process and realize that you know
that it isn't going to be feasible uh
[42:59] it's going to be too much um that we
have a way to back that off and then
[43:03] also all the residents in town have a
say whether this is going to go forward.
[43:07] Do they want to fund the CPA um to to
make the project worthwhile? I
[43:13] personally I think yes money is you know
it's a lot of money for sure. Um the way
[43:19] I look at it it's you know a million and
a half investment to a a 30 something
[43:25] million dollar project in your community
that will provide housing for our
[43:29] seniors that we've been looking for for
a quarter of a century. Um I think it's
[43:34] worth doing but I you know I I wish
there was a better spot for it. you
[43:38] know, we've looked around and looked
around and looked around and really
[43:42] having a hard time finding a good spot
for this. Um, so this is an option and I
[43:47] don't think it's finalized and I would
be curious to see it go forward and just
[43:52] see what can come of the process and
what the other boards feel about it. Um,
[43:57] and what the residents want to vote for
it, you do do they want to fund it?
[44:02] » Yeah. So, let me let me just say um that
the you're not going to get any more the
[44:08] town isn't going to get any more details
yet about
[44:13] you know about you know the storm water
and the height and all of that. They've
[44:17] done some preliminary work and so the
next effort is really negotiating the
[44:23] land disposition agreement.
>> Yeah. And then once that happens,
[44:26] they're going to make sure they at least
have, you know, a portion of this
[44:29] funding in place, right? Yeah.
>> And then once that happens, then they'll
[44:33] start to refine the design. Now, I think
it's fair and I I frankly I just did
[44:40] this in another community where there
was some concern about some of the
[44:44] design and some of the parking, for
example, and we work that out in the
[44:48] land disposition agreement between the
select board and the developer. So that
[44:54] you know certain if there are
overarching concerns those are worked
[44:57] out in the land in the land disposition
agreement so that when it's presented to
[45:02] the zoning board of appeals
your
[45:06] concerns are addressed in in that
process. But they're not going to
[45:11] they're not going to spend the money to
do civil and architectural drawings now.
[45:16] They're just not going to do that.
Nobody's going to do that.
[45:19] » No. You don't have a Yeah. They don't
have a a pathway yet.
[45:23] » No.
>> Um, so I guess the first step is to kind
[45:27] of move it down the down the field so
that people could decide is and and they
[45:31] can decide and we could find out is
there money, is there funding, is it
[45:35] worth flushing this out to be something
um where we'll address a lot of concerns
[45:39] of the town and and and maybe we won't
address them all and maybe it maybe the
[45:44] project doesn't move forward, but it um
we we have to kind of move it forward to
[45:49] find out, you know. You can't right
unless well I mean you could reject a
[45:54] proposal for sure but then but then
>> back is where you know
[45:57] » where are you and then
>> but nobody's going to do anything until
[46:01] they know how they have an agreement and
the agreement is going to have a number
[46:04] of contingencies in it right
>> and I think I think I would like um to
[46:11] meet with the members of the town who
are against the project initially to
[46:17] find out uh you know I we have some
detailed questions here, but just to
[46:21] fully understand that so that when we
when this board negotiates um the land
[46:27] disposition agreement, we can try to
capture most of that in that we can. And
[46:32] then of course, it's not it's not all up
to us. It's up to ZBA and it's up to um
[46:38] CPA and up to the conservation
commission to kind of hash out the rest
[46:42] of it. But um we just really want to
have a good list of what the objections
[46:46] are and can we can we bridge those? you
know, we you won't always bridge
[46:51] everything, but you want to get as much
as you can figured out. So,
[46:55] » so just to recap shortly, basically,
there's lots and lots of steps between
[47:01] saying to RDI, we would like to discuss
negotiating a land disposition agreement
[47:07] and an actual project. And so, planning
board, zoning board, conservation
[47:12] commission, um
community input, etc. will all come
[47:18] after we either say yay or nay to
>> negotiate.
[47:23] » Yeah. So um if I could Tim um no
planning board, right? So the proposal
[47:29] is to do
>> a 40B, right? So the zoning board sits
[47:33] as the permit granting authority for all
local boards and commissions except the
[47:38] conservation commission which will sit
to apply the state wetlands act. the
[47:42] zoning board would apply the local
wetlands act in so far as um if the
[47:47] applicant were asking for any waiverss
from the local bylaw. So um it's the
[47:52] zoning board and the conservation
commission.
[47:55] » Great. Thanks for that clarification.
[48:01] So Lisa, moving this forward is just
basically going to start the ball
[48:07] rolling as far as getting all the and
I'm just rehashing this so I I
[48:11] understand it so that the other boards
can react. we can we can actually start
[48:18] uh looking at some of the problems that
we have with this and negotiating with
[48:22] them on that aspect as well and be able
to get some of the concerns of the
[48:27] residents in town as far as having them
be addressed by RDI.
[48:34] » Yeah. So I I so yeah let me give you
some examples, Blake. Um, so I I kind of
[48:40] heard one of the neighbors um talk about
a concern about a tree, which is really
[48:45] important, right? And so it may be that
that tree is on the on the town side of
[48:52] the property line. I don't know where
the tree is, but and but let's say it's
[48:56] on the town side of the property line.
And if it's possible for example that
[49:02] because of the importance of that tree
that RDI site plan retains that tree
[49:07] then then we need to put that in the LDA
that you know any plans moving forward
[49:12] will retain the tree for example and
protect it during construction. So those
[49:17] are you know those are the kinds of
things and then obviously you can you
[49:21] know they're going to have to comply
with the state storm water policy. So
[49:24] that's going to you you can they have to
do that no matter what, but you can put
[49:28] it in the agreement if you want to make
sure that it's in the agreement, right?
[49:31] So if you if you're concerned about
parking and you understand what their
[49:36] issues are with parking, then maybe you
all work out that maybe there's a few
[49:40] more spaces. I don't know. So those are
the kinds of things you can work out
[49:44] initially in the in the land disposition
agreement in addition to the very
[49:49] important factors related to the timing
and the finances. All
[49:55] right.
>> Yeah.
[49:58] » So, as far as us pulling this back in,
if there's again there's an impass
[50:04] land acquisition,
>> how it would be through that?
[50:08] » Yeah. If in the negotiations of the land
disposition agreement, if the parties
[50:12] either you or RDI say, "Nope, I'm
sorry." RDI says, "Nope, that wasn't in
[50:16] our proposal. There's no way we can do
that." and the select board says, "Well,
[50:20] that's not that's not a hill I'm willing
to die on. Forget it." Then then it's
[50:25] over. Right? Because
>> so you're you would be saying, "Okay, we
[50:31] vote, let's say you decided to vote
tonight. Uh we vote to move forward with
[50:36] the RDI proposal and start entering
negotiations on a land disposition
[50:42] agreement." And either you come to terms
on land disposition agreement or you
[50:47] don't, right? And if you don't, you're
done. If you do, then you move forward.
[50:54] » I don't think we can address all the
questions that residents have unless we
[50:59] start the process.
>> Um cuz we have the proposal as it is,
[51:03] you know,
>> they really need to know, can they get
[51:06] the funding? Are we moving forward? And,
you know, can we come up with a deal
[51:10] somewhere? And there and there's there
may be some things that you can't that
[51:15] the zoning board may have to weigh in
on, right? Just but those things that
[51:20] are priorities of yours um and
understanding more in depth perhaps some
[51:26] of the funding mechanisms. Yeah.
>> Then that's what you pull out during the
[51:31] negotiation of the um land disposition
agreement.
[51:36] Good.
[51:40] » All right.
[51:44] I want to ask a question. Lisa, I'm just
curious to hear if in these other
[51:49] projects you've been involved with,
there is some kind of uh project
[51:52] committee that's formed um just to make
sure that all these different
[51:56] stakeholders and boards and committees
we're talking about are at the table in
[51:59] some way, shape or form.
>> In the land disposition agreement,
[52:02] usually there is a team that the town
administrator or manager might have they
[52:08] appoint, right? So it's an
administrative team that they would
[52:12] appoint that might have a financial
concern in might represent the select
[52:17] board uh might represent the senior
housing committee uh might represent the
[52:23] citizen or something like that. So, a
small that would be the small
[52:26] negotiating committee and that would
then um go back to the select board,
[52:31] right? So, the select board might say,
"Here are our concerns, Chris. We want
[52:35] to make sure you address these
concerns." Then the committee sits down
[52:39] and negotiates the agreement myself. You
know, I know I do the drafting, go back
[52:44] and forth with the committee,
>> and then we bring it back to the board.
[52:48] » Sounds like a good process.
[52:53] Yeah. Now, as far as this goes with the
I know that was brought up tonight as
[52:59] well that um the neighbors would like
people that are uh around this project
[53:06] would like to have a um a a view of the
site with RDI. Can we make that as a
[53:14] contingency of this as we're moving this
forward or we don't have that option?
[53:19] Well, so I think there's um so of course
you have the option and and the question
[53:25] is um when and how, right? So it may be
a good idea early on and everybody, you
[53:34] know, and I'm not here to argue RDI's
case. I've just seen this enough. They
[53:39] do not have enough specifics,
>> right,
[53:42] » to address all of the questions that
have been put forward. They're just not
[53:45] there in the process yet, right? But
importantly, it would be good if they
[53:52] heard the concerns of the neighbors as
they walked around the site. I don't
[53:57] think there's anything wrong with that
at all. But I don't want to um put
[54:01] unrealistic expectations out to those
abutters because they're ju they just
[54:07] don't have the details yet and they're
not going to have the details for a long
[54:12] time.
>> Right. Yeah. I mean, it's a it's several
[54:15] years of a project and um yeah, there's
just a lot of work left to do,
[54:20] » right? A rough schematic, a rough layout
of a property, but
[54:26] this is not a guaranteed building in a
guaranteed spot. You know, it's about
[54:30] they can guess at, you know, with the
money that they've,
[54:33] » you know, put forward in a bid. So, um,
but yeah, it would be great once once we
[54:41] get the ball rolling to, you know,
because I I'm sure they're going to want
[54:43] to hear those concerns and say, "How do
we address them? Can we address them?"
[54:48] » Yeah. I don't think there's any problem
with RDI meeting the neighbors out on
[54:52] site and,
>> you know, and Christopher and, you know,
[54:56] one or two of you, not too well, you'd
have them posted, but one of you to walk
[55:01] around.
>> Yeah.
[55:03] » To walk around the site.
>> Yeah.
[55:04] » Right. I I don't think that hurts at
all.
[55:06] » Right. Would benefit for sure.
[55:12] » That's fine. I don't I don't have a
strong feeling about
[55:14] » I think we should post it and we should
go. Yeah, that's fine. That's fine.
[55:19] Okay. Thank you.
Anything else?
[55:24] All right. So,
[55:28] I don't think we're going to learn
anything more by delaying this than we
[55:32] already know. The committee reviewed
this RFP that came back with favorable
[55:37] or advantageous or highly advantageous
I believe almost unanimously if not
[55:43] unanimously. Um there's a process in
place. The abutters are definitely uh
[55:49] going to be a big part of the process
moving forward. Their rights are
[55:52] protected in any development. So,
um I think we should go ahead and start
[56:00] the vote to approve this RDI as a
developer and try to negotiate a land
[56:07] development agreement and uh
>> and then, you know, add conditions that
[56:12] we have. I know that the ZBA knows more
about parking than I do and that they
[56:18] will probably require certain things to
occur if this project moves forward um
[56:23] that will inform their decision about
whether they need more or fewer parking
[56:27] spaces. Um, so you know, that's my
opinion is that we should vote tonight
[56:33] to approve RBI as the approved
contractor or or proponent of this
[56:39] senior housing project, whether it is 34
or whether it goes through the process
[56:45] and it's reduced or whether it falls
apart.
[56:49] » You know, this is this is a great site.
There are some things about it that are
[56:53] not perfect, but it's in the center of
town. It's walkable. You can walk to the
[56:59] uh library, you can walk to Chesix
Market, you can walk to Buenois, you
[57:04] can, you know, uh walk church probably.
So, uh you know, it's it's centrally
[57:11] located in the most densely populated
area of town, which is really where you
[57:16] want it. You don't want it out in a
field somewhere in the corner of town
[57:20] because then all the seniors are
isolated from the center of town for the
[57:24] same reason that the town hall building
makes sense as a community senior center
[57:28] because it's centrally located. Senior
housing makes sense seniorly centrally
[57:33] located. So hopefully
uh you know these issues can be worked
[57:39] out through a process but the process is
going to be a year or two years. It took
[57:43] it took Sunderland three and a half
years to complete their process before
[57:48] Sanderson Place was built.
>> So, it will take a long time. And I
[57:51] think I'm glad that the, you know,
because we have CPA involved, uh, funds
[57:57] involved in this project. It's up to the
residents, too. Once we get that final
[58:01] plan figured out and, you know, we get
it flushed out far enough that everybody
[58:05] understands the funding, then it's up to
the residents. Do do we really want to
[58:08] fund this and move forward?
So I think I can't get an answer.
[58:14] » So if I if I could just if your vote Mr.
um Hilchie it would be um that you would
[58:19] approve them subject to successful
negotiation of land disposition
[58:23] » to the the motion that we have prepared
for us. Yeah.
[58:29] » You got Yeah, you've got two motions in
front of you, Blake, but uh Lisa's got
[58:33] one to suggest. Take that one, too.
>> I'm sorry. Well, listen. Can I maybe
[58:39] read that one and then listen to
>> what?
[58:42] » Well, the thing is is that I think that
this one's what you said doesn't
[58:47] necessarily line up with the one I have
in front of me. So,
[58:50] » we'll take we'll give you a friendly
amendment once we're done. So, read it
[58:53] and then we'll
>> you're going to do an amendment.
[58:54] » Yeah. see what says it. Move that the
select board designate Rural Development
[58:59] Incorporated RDI as the preferred
developer for the development of 8385
[59:04] North Main Street, a senior housing and
authorized town council and the town
[59:09] administrator to enter into negotiations
with RDI regarding the terms of a
[59:14] disposition and development agreement
subject to further select board approval
[59:19] of any final
agreement and compliance with all
[59:24] applicable procurements disposition
permitting and funding requirements.
[59:30] » That works.
>> Okay.
[59:32] » Second.
>> All those in favor?
[59:35] » McDaniel. I
>> Tim Hilchi. I
[59:37] » Blake Gilmore. I
>> do.
[59:40] » Well, great.
>> Ball's going down. We'll see where it
[59:42] goes.
>> Great. Thank you all for being
[59:47] Thanks for joining us.
>> So, bye.
[59:55] What else do we have?
[1:00:09] » Question.
This limited development agreement. Will
[1:00:15] the terms and all the information in
that agreement be available to residents
[1:00:20] to see when it's prepared?
I believe when it's done. Yeah.
[1:00:24] » Yeah. The contract, any any agreement
will certainly be a public record. Yeah.
[1:00:30] » Before it's approved.
[1:00:33] » Yeah. We'll we'll we'll have to talk to
council about exactly what can be um
[1:00:39] made available to residents during the
negotiation process.
[1:00:43] » Thank you.
[1:00:47] » Moving on to appointments.
Um
[1:00:52] Samantha Zish full-time paramedic
effective September 30th 2026 and she
[1:00:57] used to replace one of the two that have
already left being
[1:01:01] » Yeah. Yep. And Samantha was already with
SKIMS. Um she was she was you know
[1:01:05] essentially on leave unemployment for a
bit of the summer. She's back. Um and so
[1:01:11] uh uh Chief John has uh you know put
forward an offer letter to bring her
[1:01:16] back on board.
>> Great.
[1:01:18] Move that the select board appoints
Samantha Zish as full-time paramedic
[1:01:22] effective September 30th, 2026.
>> Second.
[1:01:27] » Any other discussion? All those in
favor?
[1:01:29] » Chairman McDaniel.
>> Tim.
[1:01:31] » Blake Gilmore. I
[1:01:40] the next one is to designate Christopher
Dunn, town administrator as a local
[1:01:45] government representative or LGR under
consolidated local permit for energy
[1:01:52] sighting
uh as of 225 CMR 29.
[1:02:00] second.
>> No.
[1:02:04] » Yeah. So, um you know, October 1st, uh
you know, the state's new energy
[1:02:09] sighting and comprehensive permit law is
coming into effect. Um every community
[1:02:14] needs to have a local government
representative. So, that's essentially a
[1:02:18] point person to make sure that the
various boards and committees that would
[1:02:21] be involved in approving a permit um can
be, you know, essentially have someone
[1:02:26] doing air traffic control for them. Um,
and most towns are appointing their town
[1:02:31] manager or town administrator. Um, and
I'm actually going to be attending on
[1:02:36] Friday a training in Springfield about
this energy energy sighting law. None of
[1:02:41] this is to say we have or will receive
any applications for this type of
[1:02:45] sighting, but it is um, you know, it's a
reality that that towns are preparing
[1:02:50] for and so this is just a step in case
we do receive any applications.
[1:02:55] So just so people can understand what
this what this is about this is
[1:03:02] developers coming out and saying they
want to build a large solar array or
[1:03:06] they want to build a large battery
battery energy storage system um and the
[1:03:11] state is trying to expedite this process
so that developers can't be delayed
[1:03:16] without cause for a long period of time.
So, does this compress this process to
[1:03:21] like a year? And can you just talk?
>> Yeah, correct. A year. Um, and then
[1:03:26] they're, you know, essentially they're
prescribing the process that the, uh,
[1:03:30] the applicant has to go through. Um,
and, you know, to what you're saying,
[1:03:36] obviously, we have very high energy
costs here in Massachusetts right now.
[1:03:40] So, this is part of, as I understand it,
the Healey administration's approach to
[1:03:43] try to bring those costs down um and
also meet goals in terms of climate
[1:03:48] change um and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions. So, the the general idea is
[1:03:54] you know, speed up the development of
these um you know uh these energy
[1:03:59] projects um and and hopefully bring cost
down. Obviously,
[1:04:04] every small town has major concerns
about this because we want to make sure
[1:04:08] that we're protecting our sources of
water, our forests, our fields, our
[1:04:11] farms
>> and money.
[1:04:14] » And money. Yeah. So, there's there's
there's certainly uh a lot of concerns.
[1:04:18] I'm certain when I go to Springfield on
Friday and and attend that training, I'm
[1:04:22] going to hear from a lot of fellow town
administrators about those very
[1:04:25] concerns.
>> Yeah. I remember at the uh at the spring
[1:04:29] um gathering we had um M&A does a does
the rural uh meeting in the spring. This
[1:04:36] was a serious you know Blandford was
dealing with it and you know because
[1:04:39] they just come in and you know you don't
have really any say and just the cost
[1:04:43] that it was laying on the towns was
difficult. So I'd love to hear what you
[1:04:47] hear and if it's anything's changed you
know if they make any changes.
[1:04:50] » Yeah. I I will say, you know, one one
thing in our favor, the uh I think the
[1:04:54] the point person for uh the Department
of Energy Resources on all of this is uh
[1:04:59] Doug Finn, who's a former town
administrator for
[1:05:03] » for Deerfield and also was recently town
administrator for West Hampton. So, he's
[1:05:08] certainly familiar with the concerns
that a lot of the small towns have.
[1:05:11] » He's a good man.
>> Y
[1:05:14] » All right. So, move.
>> Did we vote?
[1:05:17] » Uh yeah. So we just need a second.
>> No, we got a second.
[1:05:21] » We got a second.
>> All those in favor.
[1:05:24] » I said so moved after he read the
paragraph. So
[1:05:27] » no, we did get a second.
>> Sounds good.
[1:05:31] » Would you please
>> All those in favor Daniel
[1:05:35] » Gilmore I
think we do.
[1:05:40] » Thank you Christopher for this.
>> Next item is being tabled.
[1:05:45] » Okay. uh the green communities grant for
Frontier Regional School Building
[1:05:51] Management System.
>> Great news.
[1:05:53] » And they got 250,000
for the
[1:05:57] » Yeah. So, this is kind of part two of a
grant that um uh that the schools got
[1:06:03] last year to update the building
management system for the Deerfield
[1:06:07] Elementary School. Now they've gotten it
for the Frontier Building. Um you know,
[1:06:11] Shelby and everyone are related. This is
great news. Yeah. Um, so we're going to
[1:06:15] have a kickoff meeting uh with the our
green communities representative on
[1:06:19] Monday. Um, and I just wanted to, you
know, give everyone a heads up and uh,
[1:06:24] you know, it's it's an exciting um,
project to be moving forward on as I
[1:06:28] said, kind of part two in terms of
updating our our school buildings
[1:06:32] management systems.
>> And I'd love to just thank the staff
[1:06:35] here and the school and um, and our
energy committee.
[1:06:39] I know the crew there
and and all that are on that committee
[1:06:44] have really worked hard to try and um do
this regionally. You know, apply for all
[1:06:50] the three towns to try and get money
together for a regional school. Um it's
[1:06:55] in Deerfield, so that's kind of how we
we apply. But um they've done great work
[1:06:59] to try and find ways to, you know, apply
for grant money that could could benefit
[1:07:05] all of us. So,
>> yeah, the energy department, this is
[1:07:09] bringing us close to $900,000 in grants
we've received under green communities
[1:07:15] and it's reduced our energy usage close
to 100,000 a year, all of these
[1:07:20] projects. So, um kudos to the energy
committee. They uh bringing good good
[1:07:26] stuff to the town,
>> bringing money. Yep, it's good.
[1:07:33] » I think that's it.
[1:07:39] or you have any other things you want to
hit?
[1:07:41] » All right.
>> No, I think uh do do we have uh the ZBA
[1:07:45] application
member application? I Well, we can bring
[1:07:50] that up next week. That's fine. That's
all right. No, no items unanticipated
[1:07:55] right now.
>> Okay, sounds good. Do we have a a
[1:07:59] meeting coming up? I know Jim's going to
be away.
[1:08:02] » Yeah. So, so we were looking at we were
initially looking at uh September 16th.
[1:08:06] Uh now I think we were going to look at
September 23rd. We are going to strive
[1:08:10] to keep that agenda light.
>> You know, Tim might have be tuning in
[1:08:15] tuning in at midnight or whatever.
>> I'll dial in at a reasonable hour. Yeah.
[1:08:21] » Um
>> so looking at September 23rd in all
[1:08:25] likelihood.
>> Okay, sounds good.
[1:08:29] » Entertain a motion.
>> Motion to adjurnn. Second.
[1:08:32] » All those in favor McDaniel. I
>> Tim I