Adams Bond Reassignment Expected to Save $185,000
 The Selectmen plan to reach out to their peers in Cheshire to ensure better communication over the school budget. |
ADAMS, Mass. — The Selectmen have voted to reassign a bond at a lower interest rate a combine the Town Hall, library, and Police Department renovations project to save nearly $185,000 over a 10-year period.
The Selectmen suspended workshop rules and acted on the time sensitive item Wednesday night. Town Administrator Tony Mazzucco told the board it must vote that night in order to lock in the amount.
Mazzucco said Treasurer Kelly Rice and Accountant Mary Beverly found the savings.
"Kelly and Mary deserve all the credit for this one I did nothing," he said.
Selectman Joseph Nowak said he was concerned about a recent statement by the Cheshire Selectmen feeling they were left out of last-minute negotiations that altered the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District budget.
"They are our neighbors and I know there is no malice intended on our part, but I think they did have some legitimate things in here," Nowak said. "There was nothing intended on our part to affect the town of Cheshire."
Mazzucco said he had met with Cheshire Town Administrator Mark Webber along with the school superintendent, and the School Committee to discuss the budget.
"Cheshire was very much involved ... we were emailing back and forth to try to set up a meeting with their board chair, their financial committee, and the schools ended up working with them on that," he said. "So I'm going to take it that maybe they forgot about that."
Chairman Richard Blanchard said the board will reach out to the Cheshire Selectmen to have a meeting.
Blanchard also advocated for a townwide service day to help the Department of Public Works clean up the town or help with other various projects.
"With a lot of the cutbacks there are things that aren't happening," Blanchard said. "Maybe we can have a service day for anyone who wants to step up with a rake, a broom, or whatever. We will take some project."
He also asked that the selectmen themselves conduct a service project and freshen up the dog pound, which is in disrepair.
Mazzucco said he would also like to consolidate selectmen subcommittees and dissolve those that are no longer in use.
"I would like the subcommittees to meet more, and I think it is beneficial if we had fewer of them we could set up more regular meetings," he said. "I think we could get more use out of them as a tool."
The Selectmen also decided to keep board liaisons the same except for a few additions.
Selectman John Duval said he would be liaison for the economic development committee when it is created, and Selectman Jeffrey Snoonian agreed to take the arts commission when it is formed, along with the Board of Health and the Planning Board. Selectman Arthur "Skip" Harrington agreed to take the shared services committee and Nowak agreed to take the Agricultural Commission.
Mazzucco also brought up changes he would like to make to the Selectmen meeting agenda.
"It's just a cleaned-up version of the agenda that I think would be more clear to the public and streamline the process a bit," he said.
He said he would like all action items to come under new business and citizen's conference to be changed to public input because people are often unsure when they should speak.
"Citizen's conference is a unique term we are using in Adams ... if you are familiar with our meeting process that makes sense, but I think we need to move toward something more generic," Mazzucco said.
Nowak asked if a meeting could be set up with developer Stephen Stenson to discuss the progress on the Mausert Block, which seems to have hit a standstill.
"I want to know what is going to happen over there. He has brought forth a lot of promises ... he hasn't done anything, and I think it is time for him to come forward and explain what the problem," Nowak said. "We have skin in the game, and he received $125,000 of state money."
The board voted to appoint the building inspector as the Americans With Disabilities Act coordinator and the Trench Board member.
The board also approved a policy that states all town employees and volunteers must undergo a CORI, or criminal background, check. The town has practiced this in the past, but never had a policy.
Tags: Mausert Block, public input, school budget,
