Selectmen retreat coming up; some goals for the next one year to three years:

Ask Town Meeting to amend their vote and create ambulance revolving fund so the town can fully fund the service and follow MGL.

Create special stabilization fund for roads / infrastructure.

Clean up / get money from the many special town meeting articles straight. (Been there for 5 or 10 years, work to get off the books and into a good use.

More funding and a real plan to address town trees rather than letting the weather to do it for us.

Re-do or get out of intermunicipal agreements that do not benefit Templeton.

What is Free Cash?

IT IS NOT FREE and IT IS NOT CASH

• Free Cash is the surplus from a previous fiscal year

 Revenue over forecast – Unexpended appropriations

• Defined by state statute

• Certified by the State each year

• Must create Free Cash each year 

Overestimate appropriations to generate enough “free cash” to have to spend / fund things.

Templeton Board of Selectmen

c/o Carter Terenzini

Town Administrator

160 Patriots Road, P.O. Box 620

East Templeton, MA 01438

By e-mail only: cterenzini@templetonma.gov

RE: Open Meeting Law Complaint

Dear Mr. Terenzini:

This office received a complaint from Robert May on July 1, 2020, alleging that the

Templeton Board of Selectmen (the “Board”) violated the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §§

18-25, as modified by Governor Charles Baker’s March 12 order temporarily suspending certain provisions of the Open Meeting Law. 1 The complaint was originally filed with the Board on June 1, and you responded, on behalf of the Board, by letter dated June 24. 2020 The complaint alleges that the Board violated the Open Meeting Law when it held a meeting on May 27 and did not provide the public with real-time access.

Following our review, we find that the Board violated the Open Meeting Law as alleged.

In reaching this determination, we reviewed the original complaint, the Board’s response to the

complaint, and the request for further review filed with our office. In addition, we reviewed the

notice and open session minutes of the May 27 meeting, as well as a video recording of that

meeting.

1 All dates in this letter refer to the year 2020.

2 We take this opportunity to remind the Board that the Open Meeting Law requires that within 14 business days of receipt of a complaint, a public body must meet to review the complaint’s allegations; take remedial action, if appropriate; send to the complainant a response and a description of any remedial action taken; and send to the Attorney General a copy of the complaint and a description of a any remedial action taken. G.L. c. 30A, § 23(b); 940 CMR 29.05(5).

See OML Declination 8-7-2019 (Pepperell Board of Selectmen). Here, the Board did not respond to the complaint until June 24, although its response was due June 19. We remind the Board of its obligations under the Law.

(working on posting the complaint / response in its entirety)

By GREG VINE

For The Athol Daily News

Published: 8/19/2020 5:31:36 PM

Modified: 8/19/2020 5:31:26 PM

ATHOL — The Fire Department has landed a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which will help pay for a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE) for firefighter/EMTs. The grant totals nearly $16,000.

Guarnera said some of the protective equipment purchased is likely unfamiliar to the general public.

“We have new SCBAs (self-contained breathing apparatus) that we got with a grant last year,” he explained, “and there’s an adapter that goes onto the Scott SCBA masks that you can put a cartridge on, and that cartridge helps protect from hazardous materials, it’s good for COVID, it can be good for anything. So, that’s one thing we bought.

“Another is PAPRs (powered air purifying respirators). Again, they work with the Scott masks, but you’re breathing air that’s filtered through cartridges, also. We didn’t have any and were very much in need of those for both hazardous materials and biological and viral/bacteriological problems, which would be COVID-related.”

Guarnera said he was also able to use the grant to purchase 1,600 N95 masks.

“I was also able to get half-face pieces,” he added, “so that a firefighter doesn’t have to wear a whole SCBA mask; they can use the half-face piece with the filter, also. It’s a lot lighter on their faces, both for hazardous materials and something like COVID.”

Finally, said the chief, he was able to use some of the funds toward the purchase of an electrostatic sprayer “so we can decontaminate the ambulance in the station.”

Guarnera said the grant was critical to securing the items for his team.

“This is equipment we did need, and we did not have the money to buy it,” he said.

While some of the PPE is disposable, some is not.

“The face masks are for always — you just have to decontaminate them. The filters are for one-time use. But I did order 200 of the filters that go on the mask and another two- or 300 that go on the face piece. And those are predominantly for hazardous materials, but can be used for COVID as need be. So, if indeed we run out of the masks that we have — the N95s — we can use these masks, also.

“But hazardous materials is a big issue with this town, as far as having the trains coming through here, and having Route 2 with trucking moving up and down the highway. It’s definitely a problem.”

Guarnera explained that the FEMA AFG-S (Assistance to Firefighters Grant – Supplemental) is among the most competitive grants of its kind. Applications are open to every fire department in the United States and its territories.

“So,” Guarnera concluded, “with this grant, we were able to kind of kill two bird with one stone — both the COVID side and the hazmat side.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com

By GREG VINE

For The Athol Daily News

Published: 8/18/2020 5:38:34 PM

Modified: 8/18/2020 5:38:27 PM

PHILLIPSTON — The Selectboard and Finance Committee last week voted their recommendations for each of the eight articles that will appear on the warrant for the upcoming special town meeting. Most of the articles dealing with routine town business were recommended for passage with little or no discussion. Such was not the case, however, regarding several related to the town’s relationship with the Narragansett Regional School District.

Most discussion, and a fair amount of disagreement, was generated by Article 1, which calls for the town to fund a portion of the FY21 school district budget.

At the annual town meeting in June, residents voted to fund the district to the tune of $1 million — well short of the $650,000 recommended by the district’s school committee, and more than $200,000 shy of the amount the state has set as Phillipston’s minimum contribution.

“I’m going to recommend the original number of $1,646,239,” said Selectboard member Kim Pratt. “That’s the requested number now — that’s been certified — and at the Special Town Meeting, as we’ve done before, it can be discussed and changed, if so desired.”

Pratt then made a motion to recommend the article with the amount she suggested, but the motion didn’t go far.

“I don’t agree with that, so I’m not going to second it,” said fellow board member Gerhard Fandreyer. “I think we should stick with the $1 million figure and let them change it on the town meeting floor.”

“I think that’s irresponsible, Gerhard,” Pratt responded. “We know that’s not even the (state mandated) minimum contribution. There’s been a one-twelfth budget set that we know we have to pay ...”

“There’s nothing in Chapter 70 or 71 that says we have to pay that minimum amount,” Fandreyer said, cutting Pratt off mid-sentence. “It only says we have to go to a Special Town Meeting if we don’t agree. There’s nothing in there that says each town has to have that minimum amount. So, until you find it and show me exactly where it says that, I’m not going to agree to that.”

“I know the Commissioner of Education has set the one-twelfth budget,” Pratt said, when getting the opportunity to continue, “and I believe that is what we are going to have to pay until Dec. 1, at which time — if we haven’t set a budget — the commissioner will set a budget.”

Pratt then said she stood by her motion, with Fandreyer insisting he would not provide a second.

Fandreyer then motioned that the board should approve the inclusion of the article on the warrant, minus any hard figures for the voters to consider until the article is offered up for consideration on the floor of the town meeting. The motion passed 2-1, with board Chair John Telepciak voting in favor and Pratt opposed.

Then came the Finance Committee’s turn to consider the article.

“Alright, guys,” said FinCom Chair Tom Specht, “what’s your pleasure? How about a motion that we recommend the article; and let’s try with a sum of money.”

Committee member Ruth French moved to recommend the article, including the figure of $1,646,239.”

Specht explained that the article will appear on the warrant as recommended by the Selectboard; minus any dollar amount. Below the article summary, however, voters will see that the FinCom recommends passage with the amount sought by the School Committee.

The committee ultimately voted 4-1 to approve French’s motion.

Both boards voted, each unanimously, to make no recommendation regarding two other articles, placed on the warrant by citizen petition or request.

Article 2 is a non-binding resolution which, if passed, instructs the Selectboard to move — as soon as possible — to pull the town of Phillipston out of the Narragansett Regional School Distict. Templeton and Phillipston formed the district in 1955.

Article 6 asks residents to take a vote of no confidence in the NRSD School Committee.

Each committee also voted unanimously against placing an article on the warrant which would have reduced the salary of the Town Treasurer.

The final four articles of the seven that made it onto the warrant are considered general “housekeeping” matters.

The Special Town Meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Aug. 28 at Phillipston Memorial Elementary School.

DANIEL MONAHAN | dmonahan@sentinelandenterprise.com | Sentinel & Enterprise

PUBLISHED: August 14, 2020 at 6:20 a.m. | UPDATED: August 14, 2020 at 6:52 a.m.

FITCHBURG — The Fire Department has been awarded a federal grant totaling $387,709 to purchase new equipment for firefighters.

On Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it was awarding $42.3 million in grants to 290 fire departments nationwide through its Assistance to Firefighters Grant program.

The federal grants provide funds for expenses such as the equipment, apparatus, training and salaries necessary to protect and serve communities.

The money Fitchburg received will be used to purchase 54 self-contained breathing apparatuses, which are used by firefighters to breathe safely during fire rescues.

A breathing apparatus includes a full face mask, regulator, air cylinder, cylinder pressure gauge, remote pressure gauge, and an integrated PASS device which helps locate downed personnel.

Fire Chief Anthony Marrama said the much-needed upgrades will protect firefighters as they work to save lives.

“Our equipment is currently about 15 years old,” Marrama said. “This equipment is of critical importance. We simply could not do what we’ve been trained to do without it.”

Marrama said the air cylinders currently used by the department are set to expire next year and this grant will help replace them.

“This grant is actually going to save the city quite a bit of money,” he said.

If one goes to the Templeton Town website at Templetonma.gov and click on town contracts and agreements, you can find the animal control agreement with Winchendon, MA. You will see it expired June 30, 2020. I inquired with the Templeton Town Administrator; his response was "Police Chief (and I’m not quite sure he had the authority so am checking) signed a one-year ACO"

Also, on the ethics liaison front, time flies; after the June 22, 2020 election, there is a 30 day time frame to submit paperwork that you have taken ethics test and have signed form, stating you have copy open meeting law, understand it, etc. and every two years, you are required to do it again. That is the responsibility of ethics liaison. I goofed and did not submit within time period. I caught it, did those things and brought it to town hall. That is an important requirement and task, to ensure all who are suppose to do it, actually follow through. The Town Administrator was appointed ethics liaison, so that seems to be another task not complete.