WASHINGTON PLANNING BOARD

Minutes

September 18, 2012

Planning Board met to work with the CIP Subcommittee to go over their interim report on the town buildings and space needs.

PB Members present: Lynn Cook, Tom Marshall, Nan Schwartz, Lionel Chute, Jim Crandall, Jean Kluk, Steve Terani

CIP Subcommittee members: Jean Kluk, Lionel Chute, Steve Terani

The meeting was called to order by Lynn Cook at 6:30 PM.

Cook turned the meeting over to Jean Kluk who made a presentation about the work that the subcommittee had done and the status of their efforts.

She passed out booklets to everyone that she put together compiling all the information and updates made using the previously done Energy reports, Task Force reports, Bill Cole’s Old School House survey, Monahon/Cole report on the Meeting House crawl space and Meeting House Advisory Committee report. There is a spreadsheet in the back of the booklet that we will each go over before our next regular meeting for discussion. The booklet had copies of all interviews done with town employees and items discussed with them. The committee sent a questionnaire to each department prior to their interview to give them talking points and ideas for what was going to be discussed. They had great cooperation from the departments and still have a few to speak with, i.e. Joint Loss, Cemetery Committees and the Library. The Welfare department declined to meet with them.

She also showed us a survey that was sent to all the Commissions/Boards/Committees and we filled out the survey for the Planning Board. She has received several of these surveys back and more are due by September 20. The subcommittee will compile all these questionnaires and add the information to our booklets later.

In discussing PB’s needs, Chute asked if we could request that applicants to provide digital copies of maps/plans so we can project them on the wall during hearings and meetings. Everyone thought that this would be very helpful, along with a laser pointer to use for discussions and questions. This would also make it easier for the public to see what is being discussed.

We went through the booklet and looked at all the information on each building. They still need all the information on Camp Morgan Lodge and will try to get it from the Selectmen. They had extensive notes for most other buildings and departments. They had spoken with representatives of Fire, Rescue, EOC, Police, DPW, Washington Elementary School and Town Hall. The buildings covered were Washington Fire Station, East Washington Fire Station, Police/Old School House, Old Highway Garage, DPW/Transfer Station, Town Hall, Washington Elementary School and they will include the Library and Camp Morgan at a later date. We went over the uses, needs and future considerations for each building/department.

Kluk asked if there is an asset listing for all town buildings, Marshall answered no he didn’t think so. We all thought that this might be a really helpful tool for the town. We should know when a certain furnace (or other equipment) was purchased and installed. Marshall said that the Selectmen are responsible for all town buildings and they rely on departments who use the buildings to let them know when there is a problem and they take care of it. We discussed scheduled maintenance, computer back up policies, etc.

We discussed going over the spreadsheets separately and discussed coming up with a strategic vision for the town. The board needs to prioritize items for funding and come up with CIP recommendations.

The subcommittee will keep working to finish up their report and information gathering. We will discuss everything more at our next meeting and use the report to help make decisions after we get the CIP request forms back from all the departments in October.

Terani thanked Kluk and commended her for all the work she put into the project and putting the booklet together. Kluk thanked Terani and Chute for all their help. The whole board thanked Kluk and the subcommittee members for their diligent work and briefly discussed what will come next for them. We will continue the discussion later.

Kluk and Chute said they can’t be at our regular October meeting due to conflicts, so we may schedule another working meeting during October to keep moving forward with things.

Marshall made a motion to adjourn, Crandall seconded, all voted in favor.

Meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Nan Schwartz

Planning Board Secretary