Selectmen Brief FinCom on 2011 Warrant Articles

In a public hearing at Westwood High School Tuesday night, Westwood Board of Selectmen Chair Nancy Hyde, among other town officials, presented the Selectmen's 2011 Warrant Articles to the Westwood Finance Commission.

The presentation took place during the second of two public hearings held this week, the first being on Monday. During that meeting, FinCom received an overview on , as well as a look at the .

During Tuesday night's hearing, however, FinCom reviewed the Selectmen's Warrant Articles, which ranged from road improvements, to one-day liquor licenses, to adoption of a Stretch Energy Code.

Road Improvements

One article pertains to road improvements throughout the town, and if passed through Town Meeting, a vote would allow the Board of Selectmen to apply for state funds that would be used as reimbursement for road improvement projects.

"It's a necessary step in accepting state funds for roadway improvement," said Hyde Tuesday night. "There's no mystery to it; it's a vital part of what we need to do to take that money in . . . this is an article that just allows us to do what we need to do."

Amendment to Town Bylaw, Chapter 30, Section 9

A vote at Town Meeting would simply allow the for an change in language to this bylaw, which mirrored a Massachusetts General Law that stated a town could rescind a license or permit issued to an individual or business if a payment was  past due for at least 12 months.

In 1999, the town changed the bylaw's time frame from 12 months to 90 days, as recommended by the Westwood Police Chief at the time in an attempt to make sure payments were made for reimbursements for private traffic details. However, because 90 days is not in compliance with the 12 months as stated in the State General Laws, the wording of the bylaw needs to be changed.

Hyde said Tuesday night that the issue is simply a "housekeeping" matter and that the only thing that needed changing was the time frame of 90 days back to 12 months.

Colburn School Reuse

A proposal for the reuse of the Colburn School, Monday night, is calling for a mixed-use project that would allow for a bank or similar business to utilize the first floor, and residential units to occupy the second and third floors.

Coffman Realty, Inc., which submitted the proposal, was approved Monday night to enter a 60-day period to seek a purchase-and-sales agreement for retail space of the building.

What made Coffman a top choice for the town in terms of who was to remodel the building was that the group is looking to keep the Colburn School on the site of the current library once construction of the new library is complete, which was an original goal of the Colburn School Reuse Task Force.

What's more, the building would be rotated 90 degrees, so that the front of it would overlook the new library, and not High Street traffic, allowing for a more aesthetically-appealing landscape.

"It makes an interesting courtyard approach to the front part of the parking lot," said Economic Development Officer Chris McKeown Tuesday night. "It also puts the parking more in relation to the front entrance of the building, so the building is used more the way it was originally intended."

The idea was well received by several members of the Finance Commission.

"This is spectacular," said FinCom member John Grogan. "When we started this, you couldn't fantasize about something like this."

Home Rule Petition: One-Day Liquor Licenses

A vote in favor of this article at Town Meeting would allow the Board of Selectmen to grant approval for one-day liquor licenses to businesses or individuals looking to hold a one-day event at which they would like to distribute alcoholic and/or wine and malt beverages.

Hyde said not having the authority to grant such a license could persuade an individual or business to hold an event somewhere else.

When asked by FinCom member Peter Frodigh if the town could be held liable for such licenses, Town Counsel Tom McCusker said the town would simply be issuing a license, as is done with restaurants in town.

Added Town Administrator Mike Jaillet, "Usually with these events, they're catered events, where the alcohol service is part of the service they provide. They will have their people trained. There is very little liability with regard to that."

Easement for Hoover Avenue

If voted on, the town would accept an easement on land formerly referred to as "Hoover Avenue" in order to provide a pedestrian path between Sexton Avenue and Buckmaster Road.

At Town Meeting back in 1986, the town approved a discontinuance of Hoover Avenue as a public way between Sexton and Buckmaster. Neighbors in the area had blocked vehicular access to the area by putting in a park and a pedestrian path.

Certain residents of the road, such as Margery Eramo Young and her husband Dalton Young - who were present at Tuesday night's hearing - have asked that the language of the article be such that they would not have liability in the matter, similar to the way residents who agree to have public sidewalks in front of their property are not liable.

"We just want to make sure that whatever language is crafted doesn't affect our land," Eramo Young said Tuesday night.

Conservation Easement for Holbrook Farm

The easement for the Holbrook Farm area would allow for a .

Stretch Energy Code Adoption

An optional appendix to the Massachusetts Building Code, would bring the town

The Stretch Code aims to arrive at a 20 percent reduction in energy use for both residential and commercial buildings.

"It's important for the future of our kids and everyone else to be thinking about energy efficiency and environmental issues," said Peter Kane, Co-Chair of the Westwood Environmental Action Committee, who explained the Stretch Code to the Finance Commission Tuesday.

Kane stressed that while a the costs to adhere to such a code seem high at first, the benefits in the long run outweigh those costs.

But there was some concern Tuesday night as to how beneficial adopting the code would be in the long run for the town. Several FinCom members asked questions that touched on how stringent the code could become over time to what incentives are involved.

Kane explained that if adopted, and the town eventually became considered a "green community," the town could be eligible to receive grants from the state level in order to pursue energy-efficient projects.

McKeown, on the other hand, said it might be too early to see if the benefits are worth it in the long run.

"My concern is that we're trying to fund some of our savings on the backs of residences," said McKeown. "I see actually a potentially-negative impact for a possible benefit that we really can't measure at this point. I really do believe in it, I just don't know if we'd get the gain that we'd think we'd get in the long haul."

Snow Emergency Bylaw

The harsh 2010-2011 winter, which resulted in the town having to on several occasions, also prompted the idea of creating a new bylaw that would give the Westwood Department of Public Works and Westwood Police the right to tow vehicles that are deemed obstructive to the path of snow plows during certain hours.

The bylaw would enforce that drivers cannot park on any public street or place where traveling has the right of way between 2 and 5 a.m. between December 1 and March 31.

"We need a little more muscle behind our ability to clear snow in bad weather," Hyde said Tuesday night.

However, under the bylaw, DPW officials and police would contact residents in the event they are under the care of a health or related service that would require a vehicle be parked at their home.

"We have to be respectful of our residents' needs," Hyde said. "You've got to give someone the chance to move it first."

Westwood Station

At the moment, it is not entirely clear whether an article related to Westwood Station will be brought before Town Meeting, Hyde said Tuesday night.

However, there is one article that is being held for potential discussion, which pertains to the taking of two parcels by eminent domain necessary for the construction of certain ramps and roadways. The two areas include a ramp off the southbound side of Rte. 128/I-95 to Blue HIll Drive, and a portion of the proposed Westwood Station Boulevard.

But the fact that an actual sale of the land to a new owner has , in addition to the town having taken , it is unclear if anything will change between now and Town Meeting that would result in the actual transfer of ownership.

"If it's worth saying, 'Let's go fowrard,' we'll go forward," Hyde said. "There's really nothing to ask you for action specific to Westwood Station article this year at this time."

The Westwood Finance Commission will resume a public hearing to review the 2011 Warrant Articles on March 21.