Dalton Briefs: Bardin Property, Sidewalk & Town Hall Updates
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board was given updates on a variety of projects and bids during its meeting on Monday night including, the Bardin Property bid, sidewalk repairs, and Town Hall renovations.
Bardin Property Update
The town has received its first bid for the Bardin Property from Charlotte Crane, Town Manager Tom Hutcheson said.
Crane bid $150,000 and meets all the requirements of the request for proposals.
Hutcheson said he is planning on declaring her the winning bid pending a final review from town counsel.
Town counsel will notify the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources in accordance with the requirement that the town give them 60 days notice so the board can consider exercising its right of first refusal, he said.
Sidewalk Update
Department of Public Works Superintendent Edward Hall is working on a sample area of downtown to pilot a sidewalk planning program.
It would involve accounting for the causes of sidewalk disrepair and providing options for addressing them.
The program would inspect, estimate the cost, and repair town sidewalks. The program should indicate the amount of funds needed to expand the program to other areas in town.
Town Hall Update
The electrical work is almost done for the Town Hall renovation, Hutcheson said.
The insulation is being installed and there are a couple of items remaining for the general contractor.
Before general cleaning and a scheduled steam cleaning of the carpets finishes their work the asbestos abatement contractor has been patching up some damage that was done removing tape, Hutcheson said.
The ceiling tiles being the last major part of the renovation.
The fiber ring is almost completely strung so the town is almost ready to make the Town Hall connections. The internal data wiring installation is set for July.
In other news:
• Bids were due this Wednesday at 2 p.m. for the electric vehicle charging stations that will be installed behind the Community Recreation Association.
• Dalton was voted as a member of the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District.
• The board approved an alcohol license for Dalton HD Pizza. The restaurant is not looking to operate a bar and has limited seating, only 20 individuals are allowed at a time.
• The board appointed Brittany Miller as recording secretary, Dr. Cindy Geyer to the Board of Health and Todd Logan to the Green Committee, all effective July 1.
• The town has found a candidate for the buildings and grounds superintendent in Jeffrey Burch.
Burch has experience with complex projects, including moving two parochial schools within a building cluster, Hutcheson said.
Burch accepted Hutcheson's job offer and, pending a security clearance and pre-employment physical, is planning to attend the July 17 Select Board meeting for his appointment ratification.
• Town counsel is working with the engineer on some of the process details for the sewer repair project so the project is almost ready for bid.
• The Zoning enforcement officer has found that Zinky's is "substantially in compliance" after completing an inspection of the parking situation. The officer did find an ADA compliance issue that needs to be resolved.
• There was a request that the board have a nuisance dog hearing at their next meeting following a complaint that the animal control officer received and investigated against a resident regarding dogs.
• The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency judged that the town completed the "tabletop" emergency management exercise with "great success" on Tuesday at the Stationary Factory, Hutcheson said.
