In the lead up to Fall Town Meeting on November 21, Mattapoisett’s Finance Committee has been meeting with department heads. And although it appears as if the warrant will be light on articles, conducting the financial business of the town remains in high gear.
Meeting with the committee members led by Town Administrator Michael Gagne was School Facilities Director Gene Jones. In what Gagne called a “housekeeping” move, monies previously allocated for the school roof repairs will be redirected to purchase additional security cameras and to build security vestibules in Center and Old Hammondtown Schools.
Jones explained that although front door access at the schools is presently by buzz-in only, once a person gains interior entry, there is nothing stopping full access to the entire school building.
“Once a person is buzzed in, they can go anywhere,” Jones said.
The new vestibules will contain visitors near the front doors until staff clears them for full entry.
Several committee members voiced strong concern that the Council on Aging is located in the Center School building and that restrooms used by adults are positioned next to restrooms used by students. Finance Committee member Paul Amoruso asked why the COA was in the school saying, “It shouldn’t be there.” He voiced longstanding concern about the location of the COA and now the Recreation Department is currently headquartered in vacant classrooms near the student restrooms. Gagne responding to his concerns by asking, “Where should we put it?”
Gagne said that he agreed the location of the COA entrance was not “comfortable” and that the bathrooms used by COA visitors and staff weren’t isolated from the corridor used by students and teachers.
Jones said he had been looking into securing the double doors near the COA entrance to prevent someone from being buzzed in at that location and accessing the school, but that didn’t resolve the issue of restrooms. There aren’t any restroom facilities on the second floor where the COA is located.
Clearly that issue would not be resolved easily and the committee agreed that the new security vestibules would be a good investment towards protecting the students. Jones said that construction would take place during the February vacation.
Jones also informed the committee that 32 additional security cameras would be installed at Center and Hammondtown Schools, and that the police would have authorized access during emergency incidents.
Gagne explained that the $60,000 needed for these security updates would be moved from the roof repair column, that the school department would not be asking for new monies, and that the roof repairs would be planned for FY18.
Regarding security upgrades at the junior high school, Jones said those would start in June.
Also meeting with the committee members was Water and Sewer Superintendent Henri Renauld. Renauld presented a spreadsheet that illustrated a FY17 versus FY16 budget for sewer treatment and explained why he is planning an increase.
The FY17 budget remained static year-over-year at $350,000, but Renauld explained that Mattapoisett’s sewer treatment portion would increase to 13.4 percent, with a daily flow increase of 40 percent. He said that due to drought conditions, “I and I impacts the system.”
I and I stand for infiltration and inflow. I and I create a dilution in systems that decrease the efficiency of sewer treatment in turn causing volumes to increase. Renauld said, “Water tables are down, you end up with more costs…”
Renauld said he anticipates a deficit of $64,478 that could be mostly covered by retained earnings.
Winding up the evening was a meeting with Harbormaster Jill Simmons who presented the committee with a packet illustrating potential harborside projects. Simmons said that once waterfront surpluses had been confirmed, everything was on hold.
The project list contains such items as additional dinghy spaces via floats positioned at the Barstow Street wharf, the piling work at Mello Wharf, a permanent relocation of fire boat at the Barstow Wharf, a new harbormaster 25-foot work boat, the setting of navigational aids in the harbor, and building and placing additional kayak racks.
On the theme of piling repairs, Simmons discussed the serious need to fix problems in “the area known affectionately as Hurricane Alley,” as she stated it.
This location between two wharves off Shipyard Park is home to skiffs using a cable system. Simmons said that tides affect the viability of using that location. She suggested dredging the area and replacing pilings.
Simmons also said that she is working with town counsel to determine whether the town or the skiff owner is responsible for ladders affixed to the wharf. She said once legal responsibility is determined, a letter will be sent to boat owners stating terms and conditions.
The Mattapoisett Finance Committee will continue warrant article review on November 3 at 6:30 pm in the town administrator’s office and again on either November 9 or 10.
By Marilou Newell