Select Board Re-organizes at June 1st Meeting

2020 – 2021 Select Board Chair John Cronin called the June 1, 2021 meeting to order at 7:00 pm. The first order of business was to elect a Chair, Vice-chair, and Clerk.

The Board elected Tina Hein Chair for the 2021-2022 year; Ben Sparrell was elected Vice chair for the same time period; and John Cronin was elected Clerk for the coming year.  Congratulations and best wishes to our Select Board members for the coming year.

HPD Sergeant Candidate Interviews:

Chair Hein led the interviews for a vacancy at HPD for a Sergeant.  Two serving officers were asked a battery of the same questions to make an apples-to-apples comparison.

Above, Officer David Charette provides the Board with his background on HPD having served for the past 3.5 years after serving as an Auxiliary Officer for 7 years before that.  He passed the Sergeant’s exam early in his tenure and is anxious to serve the Department and Community by taking on additional responsibilities.

Above, Officer Andrew MacGray, a nineteen-year veteran of HPD who has held a variety of roles during his tenure and wants to more formally lead the newer / younger officers joining our department.  He feels that Holliston’s training has positioned the Department to adopt the requirements of the recently passed police reform act in Massachusetts.

The Board unanimously selected Officer MacGray to be appointed as the next Sergeant by Chief Stone at the appropriate date in the future.  Congratulations Sergeant-select MacGray.

Coronavirus Community update

What’s missing from this picture??  Masks!  Chief Cassidy led off his update with a reminder that gentlemen will now need to shave more regularly.  Holliston, like the rest of the Commonwealth, is trending in the right direction by all the metrics we have tracked for the past 15 months or so.

As of last Thursday, 57% of 12 – 15-year-olds have at least one shot; 101% of the 16 – 19 age group have begun the vaccination process!

Cassidy reminded everyone that face coverings are still required in many situations and he would not be surprised if case counts trend up in Fall with the cooler temps and more indoor interaction – keep your masks handy.  Variants of the virus are still emerging / spreading.

The Board is closely following the Governor’s Executive Orders and legislation that would continue the remote participation option we have grown to rely on to make meetings truly open to all.

CARES Act / ARPA Programmatic update

The Board designated John Cronin to sit on the ARPA Steering Group.  Chief Cassidy shared that additional information on ARPA funds was received by the Town on Tuesday, stay tuned for details.

Warrants: The Board approved the weekly warrant of $507,953.71.

Public Comment:

  • Mr. Cronin: Thanked all who participated / attended the Memorial Day Parade, he pointed to Mrs. Hein’s speech as a highlight for him, seeing the veterans once again marching was inspiring.  He thanked Steve Bradford for the professional way he organized and executed the entire event.
  • Mr. Sparrell: Thanked all who voted last week; the Town Clerk for running a safe and efficient election, and the many volunteers who staffed the polls.
  • Mrs. Hein: Thanked the Town Hall staff for displaying the Pride Flag on Town Hall starting early Tuesday morning, the beginning of Pride Month.

Comments from Town Administrator: Mr. Ahern provided the following updates:

  • The Woodland St. Heavy Commercial Vehicle Exclusion (HCVE) signage will be installed soon.  HPD’s education phase will begin when the signs are up.  The Board asked Mr. Ahern to prod MassDOT on the several HCVE applications we have pending.
  • The Board will receive an update on the Marshall St. Solar project at its June 14th meeting.
  • June is the month for many Committee annual appointments to be made – stay tuned.
  • The Blair Square RFP (Request for Proposal) is getting the finishing touches before going out to bid.
  • Likewise, the DPW feasibility study paperwork will be released soon.
  • The Asst. Town Administrator job has been posted.  Applications close on June 18th.  Mr. Ahern has screening committee in place to start the review process ASAP.  His goal is to have the Assistant hired by August.
  • The Board designated Mr. Sparrell as the Select Board’s rep on the Comprehensive Long Range Planning Committee (CLRPC).  Now that the election has filled Board and Committee seats, the other members of the Committee will quickly be identified.  Look for CLRPC info on the Town’s website soon.

Sustainability Coordinator Update:

Holliston’s Sustainability Coordinator, Matt Zettek (above) updated the Board on two energy (and money) saving programs available to Holliston residents and businesses.

  • MetroWest Solar + Clean Heat Challenge (MSCHC); project update and agreements with selected vendors

Holliston, along with Framingham, Ashland and Natick have formed a buying consortium to get reduced pricing on products services provided by vetted energy vendors.  This is an optional service available to Holliston residents for the next 6 months.  Mr. Zettek laid out the basics below and encouraged citizens to learn more – online and at a booth at the upcoming Farmer’s Market.

The Board authorized Mr. Ahern to sign agreements with the three recommended vendors: Ace Solar, New England Ductless, and Achieve Renewable Energy.

  • Eversource Main Streets Energy Efficiency program

Below, is a postcard that Holliston businesses will receive this week announcing a service provided by Eversource’s partner Rise Engineering during the week of June 7 – 11, 2021.

Joan Levisohn and Rich Rosenberry (above), along with Facilities Manager James Keast, worked with Mr. Zettek to help select the vendors and they thanked the Board for its endorsement of the program and thanked Mr. Zettek for his excellent work on behalf of Holliston.

Board Business:

  • The Board approved the proposed driveway expansion at 10 Shaw Farm Rd.

Other Business:

The Board briefly discussed how to begin organizing Holliston’s 300th Anniversary in 2024.  It will like be an Article on the October 2021 Town Meeting Warrant.

The meeting adjourned at 8:43pm.

Chris Cain

2 Comments

  1. Ken Campbell on June 2, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    How do you have 101% of the 16-19 year old group and 102% of people over 75 receiving shots?

  2. Michael Cassidy, Fire Chief / Emergency Management Director on June 2, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    Percentages are calculated by comparing actual shots in arms to census numbers for specific age bands (e.g. 969 individuals age 75+ with at least one shot, compared to 941 in that age range in the prior census). We are merely presenting the data which DPH publishes for our community (we cite the data source on the weekly slide).

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