At 7:00pm on Monday, February 14, 2022, Select Board Chair Tina Hein called what she described as the Valentine’s Day edition of the weekly meeting to order.  Mrs. Hein invited Barry Sims from Holliston’s Cable Advisory Committee to update the Board.

Below, Mr. Sims (right) provided an overview of the proposed contract.

The contract highlights are shown below.  The current cable contract runs through October 2023.

Mr. Sims expects to return to the Board in 2 – 3 months with another update.  He expects the final contract to be signed in 2023.  The Board thanked Mr. Sims for his ongoing work to bring the best service at the best price to Holliston.

FY23 Budget Review

• Council on Aging: $267,853  +2.68%

Below right, Senior Center Director Lisa Borchetta presented the proposed FY 23 budget (above).  Director Borchetta highlighted that even with the pandemic restricting some activities, the Sr. Ctr. provided an average of 806 services / month to Holliston’s seniors.  Ms. Borchetta covered the plans for new activities and ARPA-supported projects focused on senior needs and safety.  The Board thanked Ms. Borchetta for her work in her first year on the job.

• Youth Services: $161,813  +0.17%

Youth and Family Services Director Jackie Winer (below) presented the proposed FY 23 budget for her department. 

The modest increase in the proposed budget is due to the movement of funds from one line within the budget to a more appropriate line.  The Board commended Ms. Winer for the excellent work done during the pandemic – most especially in coordinating the use of $75,000 of CARES Act funds to provide residents with rent and mortgage support.  Holliston is applying for a substantial Drug Free Communities grant which should be awarded in October 2022.

• Conservation Commission: $56,547   +1.85%

Conservation Agent Ryan Clapp (below) presented the Conservation Commission proposed FY 23 budget.

Mr. Clapp received compliments from the Board for his “professional and fair” approach to his work and Holliston’s citizens.  The proposed budget includes funding for continued professional development and necessary official correspondence.

• Building Inspection: $226,194 +34.58%

Building Official Mark Kaferlein (below right) presented his department’s proposed FY23.

Mr. Kaferlein is proposing the addition of another full-time building inspector to handle the continuing increase in construction in town.  Kaferlein and Town Administrator Ahern shared the chart below that illustrates the increase in number of permits (center column) and fees collected (right column).

A comparison of Holliston’s building department with surrounding towns supports the request for additional personnel. 

Work will continue to find the best solution to cover the increasing workload, which by statute, must be completed within specified timeframes.

• Any other items of interest:
  • Mr. Ahern presented the Zoning Board of Appeals proposed FY23 budget: $11,189  +1.21%
  • Mr. Ahern has compiled the proposed budgets from all departments / committees EXCEPT the Schools.  That total is about 5.3% than the FY22 budget.
  • Below is a projection of revenues for FY23.  The amount includes a sizable reduction in debt service.

ARPA Steering Group Recommendations:

For those who have missed Fire Chief Michael Cassidy (below right) at the weekly Board meetings, he returned to the table to present two items the ARPA Steering Group recommended for funding.

The two items highlighted in blue were discussed and approved by the Board for ARPA funding.

• Public Health Response – Q3 & Q4 FY22 ($25,000) This is a supplement to $20,000 of CARES Act funds to do contact tracing earlier in the pandemic.
• Wastewater Treatment Plant – Feasibility Study ($150,000) This item received support from the LRRP report as a possible upgrade for downtown businesses.

Warrants:  The Board approved the weekly warrant totaling $2,356,119.90.

Public Comment:

• Mr. Cronin:
  • Asked than an Article be placed on the Town Meeting warrant regarding the 300^th Anniversary Observance.
• Mr. Sparrell:
  • The Envisioning Future Holliston data sub-committee will be sharing the recently completed survey results to the entire committee at this Wednesday’s meeting.  It’s available via Zoom.
  • A second survey will be crafted based on the input from the first survey.
• Mrs. Hein: None
• Public: None

Comments from the Town Administrator:

Mr. Ahern shared the following with the Board:

• State Senate President Karen Spilka will be attending the Board’s March 14^th meeting – save the date!
• Presently the Town Administrator is tracking 36 separate studies, projects, and grants.  18 of these have been completed / grant received.
• The Select Board’s proposed list of “shovel-ready” projects result in the request (below) from the State through Senator Spilka.

The Board commended Mr. Ahern for his compilation and tracking of all the important work that must get done to keep Holliston growing.

Board Business:

• Approved the minutes of the January 18, 2022, meeting.
• Appointed Ben Clarkson, the owner of the historic Littlefield Tavern, to the Historical Commission term to expire June 2023.
• Accepted the second installment of Chapter 90 Reimbursement for the Mudville drainage / paving project; $657,442.24

Other Business: None

The meeting was adjourned at 9:36pm