Tri-Town Meeting of Tuesday, January 5, 2010.
Attendees:
Brimfield:
Holland:
Wales:
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission:
Emergency Shelter
At the beginning of the meeting there was talk about plans to organize a shelter for emergencies.Appointment with Paul Bracciotti.
Paul Bracciotti, senior Planner and Community Development Specialist of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC), informed the five selectmen present about the need to hold a public hearing on future availability of grants to update septic systems, rehab, and other projects. In Wales expenditures would primarily be used for septic system repairs. Some funds would go towards the tri-town domestic violence prevention task force and Brimfield would get a grant to design and build an elevator for the Hitchcock Academy. According to Bracciotti, the Academy “got two floors anybody with impairment can not use.” Only the main floor is accessible with wheel chairs according to Bracciotti.Mr. Bracciotti emailed the following statement to the Holland Blog:
January 7, 2010
TO: Peter Frei, Holland Blog
FR: Paul Bracciotti, Senior Planner, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
RE: Tri Town Selectmen’s Meeting, 1/5/10 @ Wales Selectmen’s Office
I met with the members of the Tri Towns boards of selectmen as part of our efforts to establish and maintain a helpful relationship among the towns the PVPC to the extent it can assist in providing information and help securing state and federal funding.
This evening was one in a series of those discussions. As the time draws near for the February 12, 2010 deadline for the electronic submission of community development block grant applications, the landscape becomes more and more crowded. There are policy writings to be prepared, reviewed and adopted,(the Community Development Strategy). There are departments, town, regional, state, to be met with to gain opinions and program ideas and statements of support, (for instance the variety of such agencies which financially assist low and moderate income home owners in the repair and operation of what are often quite old structures such code enforcement officers, fuel assistance/weatherization/heating system agencies; the US Department of Agriculture which assists very low income seniors with grants and families with very low cost mortgage loans; HAP in Springfield which makes loans for the removal of lead from homes, especially important in those households with children.)
Above all, there are citizens as individuals and as members of groups to be kept informed, listened to and permitted to shape and influence the program as it is submitted to the MA Dept of Housing & Community Development. Citizen participation is a cornerstone of the federal Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. In small communities this process seems to work most effectively when it is informal, meaning that the ‘professionals’ need to spend time in town during the day and attending evening meetings. This is quite time-consuming. In the larger communities, participation can be made more formal and fit into a schedule which saves the time and energies of all.
Remaining in the process that affects Brimfield, Holland and Wales is the preparation of the actual grant proposal descriptions and budgets. There are also many forms, some ‘boiler plate’ to be prepared and signed by the submitting officials. For this year that will be the chairman of the Holland selectmen for the Tri Town program and the Wales chairman for the town’s “stand alone” request for drainage and road improvements in Woodland Heights with supporting housing rehabilitation loans. In both cases what the chairman signs is to reflect the citizen participation and accompany professional planning that will have occurred during the many weeks and, hopefully months, prior to the applications’ deadline. This is the process in a small nutshell. I have attached Holland’s; draft strategy statement; a coupon ad recently run in the local papers so people can register their interest in housing rehabilitation, septic repair and water well assistance.
Paul Bracciotti, Senior Planner
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission
Paul Bracciotti can be reached at 413 781 6045 or at pbracciotti@pvpc.org.
Click here, to view or print the Housing Rehabilitation Assistance Application Form to apply for assistance.
This application is to be mailed directly to the PVPCC and will be treated strictly confidential. Holland Town Officials will not be involved in the selection process. Whether you qualify for assistance depends on your household income. The limits to qualify for an application are listed on the form.
Click here, to view the PVPC Questionnaire submitted to the various Departments, Boards, and Agencies.
Click here, to view the “FY 2010 Town of Holland Community Development Strategy” Report.
This report which was “Reviewed, discussed and accepted by te Holland Board of Selectmen following an advertised public forum held on its public
meeting of November 17, 2009,” (see page 6 of the report,) mentions, the “exploration of municipally-sponsored electric power generation
facilities.” Aeronautica made a presentation to the selectboard during its regular meeting of July 8, 2009. The Holland Blog reported about the presentation. Aeronautica subsequently approached the selectboard with the question whether the town would be interested in the new technology. According to Auronautica, the selectboard showed no interest due to the dismal financial position of the town.
The LaMountains’, James and Mike, recognized the possibilities of the new technology and its advantages for the future of this community and will be the first to utilize the green technology on their hillside property. The Holland Blog reported about that too, click here to read Mike’s piece about their planned wind-powered generators!
The report also includes the incorrect statement: “Holland makes extensive use of local cable television broadcasts, including a period during which the selectmen take telephone calls at each of their meetings.”
Fact is that the selectboard has not taken any phone calls during the past entire year and stopped recording meetings altogether. Interested individuals unable to view the live broadcast of the meeting were previously able to borrow a VHS tape with recordings of missed broadcasts. The Holland Blog will offer videos embedded in the Blog of selectboard meetings starting with the meeting of January 5, 2010 as part of the reports of such meetings. On page three, the report mentions the rezoning of the parcel owned by New England Land and Lumber from Special Conservancy to Commercial (Parcel where Grossi and Bergeron intend to build the Flying J truck stop.) The report refers to the plan as “within the context of sustainable development principles.” The report further states: “Additional outdoor recreation fields and a skate park facility have been developed...”
The mentioned “skate park” shown in the picture below and mentioned in the report has been closed indefinitely back on July 1, 2009, more than four month prior to the time the Board of Selectmen accepted and signed the report.
The Holland Recreational Committee (HRC) issued a Memorandum announcing the closure of the skate park, click here, to read the Memorandum by the HRC addressed to the Residents of Holland.
The Memorandum blames the following reasons for the park's closure; “due to insurance exposure ... limited funds ... along with lack of adult supervision.”
The Memorandum goes on to state: “It is the Recreation Committee’s hope to utilize this space for other activities that would better benefit the youth of our town.”
I suggest installing a large screen TV and a comfortable couch. Nobody would move around this way and the danger of an accident would no longer jeopardize our youth’s recreation... Supervision could be established utilizing a video camera wired into the town hall...
Once the truck stop is built, our youth could then spend their recreational time in the video-game room typical of truck stops and familiarize themselves with hookers and pimps hanging out in those places.
Nothing changed; where I grew up a truck stop was also more important than a skate-park. Our Youth has no voice and can not vote, that’s why they are neglected by our selectboard; it is that simple! Some things will never change!
The report goes on to state under the heading “Community Development Priorities,” to mention as the first of the priorities, to “Expand recreational facilities.” See page 5. How about at least maintaining the few we have?
At this time the report is only a "DRAFT" according to Bracciotti’s email and subject to change?
Click here, to view Paul Bracciotti’s original statement he emailed to the Holland Blog.
Tri Town Dog Kennel.
Discussion continued on a tri-town dog kennel. Wettlaufer made the point that the new dog kennel would not be larger than the one we have and raised the question what would happen if the three planned stalls for dogs would not be enough and the kennel would overflow. Valanzola’s response was that they could temporarily split stalls to accommodate up to six dogs.There was talk about the transportation of dogs to the dog kennel. Valanzola stated that Wales would use an old police cruiser; Panaccione stated that in Brimfield they would use private cars, and Wettlaufer stated that in Holland they would use private trucks/cars. Panaccione stated that Brimfield had only two dogs last year in need of a dog kennel.
Brimfield Cable Commission.
According to Panaccione, there is an opening on the Brimfield Cable Commission due to the resignation of the cable clerk. The position pays $168 a month. The Cable Commission in Brimfield convenes once a month and the clerk is in charge of updating the notices.Wettlaufer's son needs new kitchen cabinets.
Wettlaufer informed Panaccione that his son is in need of new kitchen cabinets. Diane Panaccione’s husband is in the business of manufacturing custom kitchen cabinets.
Next Tri-Town Meeting.
The next tri-town meeting was scheduled to take place in Holland at 18:00 hours on February 3, 2010 at the town hall in Holland.January 7, 2010, Peter Frei