WORCESTER, SS.
To
either of the Constables of the TOWN OF
In
the name of the
on
SATURDAY,
MAY 3, 2008
AT
1:00 P.M.
then and there to vote on the following articles:
CUSTOMARY ARTICLES
ARTICLE 1. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into a contract with the Massachusetts Highway Department or other appropriate state agency for the construction and maintenance of public highways for the ensuing fiscal year, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 2. To see if the Town will vote pursuant to Chapter 40, section 4 of the General Laws to authorize the Board of Selectmen to enter into any and all contracts on behalf of the Town for the ensuing fiscal year unless otherwise provided by law, on such terms and conditions as are in the best interest of the Town, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 3. To hear reports of any committees appointed to act on Town affairs or in its behalf.
ARTICLE 4. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the establishment of a Hazardous Materials Recovery Revolving Account as provided for under section 53E1/2 of Chapter 44 of the Massachusetts General Laws, into which account receipts for charges to responsible parties for the disposal of hazardous materials collected pursuant to Chapter 251, section 8 of the Town Bylaws shall be deposited, and to authorize the Fire Chief to expend funds received and deposited into said account for the purpose of paying expenses incurred by the Fire Department for the recovery and disposal of hazardous materials, and that the total amount which may be expended in the current fiscal year for this purpose shall not exceed $12,000, or act in relation thereto.
OPERATING BUDGETS
ARTICLE 5. To see if the Town will vote to fix the compensation of officers, provide for a Reserve Fund, and determine what sums of money the Town will raise and appropriate, including appropriations from available funds, to defray charges and expenses of the Town, including debt and interest, for the ensuing fiscal year, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 6. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds a sum of money to operate the Water Enterprise, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 7. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate or transfer from available funds a sum of money to operate the Solid Waste Transfer Facility Enterprise, or act in relation thereto.
MISCELLANEOUS CAPITAL ARTICLE
ARTICLE
8. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate,
or appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the abatement of
hazardous materials and the demolition of buildings located on town-owned
property at
CUSTOMARY MONEY ARTICLES
ARTICLE 9. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for oiling, sealing, resurfacing, installing drainage or otherwise reconstructing town roads, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 10. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or appropriate from available funds, a sum of money to supplement the amount funded under Article 9 to perform additional road improvements, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 11. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the Conservation Fund as provided for in Section 8C of Chapter 40 of the General Laws, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 12. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the Westminster Cultural Council, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 13. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or appropriate from available funds, a sum of money to purchase a police cruiser and related equipment for the Police Department, said appropriation to include the trade-in of a Police Department vehicle, or act in relation thereto.
NON-RECURRING NON-CAPITAL MONEY ARTICLES
ARTICLE 14. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the operating budget of the Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District, in addition to the sum voted under Article 5 for said operating budget, provided that no funds voted under this article shall be appropriated unless the Town has first voted by ballot at a special election to exempt this expenditure from the provisions of Proposition two and one-half, and further provided that the Town of Ashburnham also votes to appropriate its assessed share of said operating budget, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 15. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or appropriate from available funds the sum of $10,000 for expenses of the 250th Anniversary Committee, or act in relation thereto. (Submitted by Citizens’ Petition.)
ARTICLE 16. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money to provide grant writing
services for the Historical Commission, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
17. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the purchase of emergency
communication equipment for the Emergency Management Department, or act in
relation thereto.
ARTICLE
18. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the purchase of cell phone
amplifying equipment for the Town’s emergency shelter located at the
Westminster Elementary School, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
19. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the purchase of a DVD/CD
cleaning machine for the Library, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
20. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for supplemental expenses of
the Building Department, Board of Health, Board of Assessors, and other land
use related departments; said sum to be used for the potential increase in
building construction activity for such purposes as retaining services to
assist with the review and evaluation of plans, conducting inspections,
providing mileage reimbursement for the use of personal vehicles, providing
additional clerical assistance, and any other related expenses; further, to
provide consulting services for the Department of Public Works; said sum to be
spent under the direction of the Town Coordinator, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
21. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money to supplement gasoline and
building utility expenses for the various town departments; said sum to be
spent under the direction of the Town Coordinator, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
22. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money to establish a “Tween” program
for the Parks and Recreation Department, or act in relation thereto.
CAPITAL EXPENDITURES
ARTICLE
23. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the purchase of
bullet-proof vests for the Police Department, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
24. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the purchase of GPS modems
for Police Department vehicles, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
25. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the purchase of a utility
vehicle and related equipment for the Fire Department, or act in relation
thereto.
ARTICLE
26. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or appropriate
from available funds, a sum of money for the purchase of a dump truck with
sander and related equipment for the Highway Department, or act in relation
thereto.
ARTICLE
27. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the purchase of a sidewalk
maintenance tractor for the Highway Department; said appropriation to include
the trade-in of the current sidewalk tractor, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
28. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, $40,000 for building improvements at the Highway
garage, to include siding, window replacement, door replacement and
architectural/engineering and construction-related costs for emergency backup
power, or act in relation thereto. (Submitted
by Citizens’ Petition.)
ARTICLE
29. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for ongoing computer system updates
and technology-related items for the various town departments; said amount to
be expended under the direction of the Town Coordinator, or act in relation
thereto.
ARTICLE
30. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, or
appropriate from available funds, a sum of money for the Town’s contribution to
due diligence costs related to the purchase of Conservation Restrictions in
connection with the Southern Monadnock Plateau Forest Legacy Project, to be
placed on land located on South Ashburnham Road and Bragg Hill Road, further
identified as the property shown on Westminster’s Assessors’ Map 18, Lots 9 and
10; Map 25, Lots 1, 2 and 8; Map 31, Lot 1; Map 46, Lots 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 and
22, comprising approximately 467 acres, or act in relation thereto.
MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES
ARTICLE 31. To see if the Town will vote to accept a gift of land from Hager Realty Trust, located off Hager Park Road (Route 140), being a portion of Assessors’ Map 137, Parcel 2 and shown as “Parcel A” on a plan prepared by Global Engineering Consultants, dated 18 September 2007; custody and control of said property to be held by the Hager Park Commission, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
32. To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Board of
Selectmen to enter into an intermunicipal agreement with the Town of
ARTICLE
33. To see if the town will vote to authorize the Board of
Selectmen to apply to the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council of the
Massachusetts Department of Economic Development for the designation of a new
Economic Opportunity Area to consist of approximately 254 acres in the Town of
|
ASSESSOR'S
MAP/LOT |
ADDRESS |
ACRES |
OWNER |
|
71-2 |
|
152.90 |
|
|
72-1 |
|
42.46 |
|
|
76-12.3 |
Industrial
Dr. |
6.03 |
|
|
76-12.4 |
Industrial
Dr. |
4.39 |
|
|
76-12.5 |
Industrial
Dr. |
3.90 |
|
|
77-12.1 |
|
41.76 |
|
|
77-12.2 |
|
2.55 |
|
and further to accept such financial and economic assistance including tax incentives, for which the town may qualify in accordance with Chapter 23A of the Massachusetts General Laws, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE 34. To see if the Town will vote to transfer custody and control of a parcel of land known as the “Wachusett Rambler Recreation Area” located off Hager Park Road (Route 140), shown on Assessors’ Map 137, Parcel 5 and more particularly described in a deed filed with the Worcester Northern District Registry of Deeds, Book 1022, Page 372, from the Westminster Conservation Commission to the Hager Park Commission; said property to continue to be known as the “Wachusett Rambler Recreation Area” and to continue to be used for recreational and conservation purposes, or act in relation thereto.
ARTICLE
35. To see if the Town will vote to approve the demolition of
the
ARTICLE 36. To see if the Town will vote to amend the Emergency Communication Bylaw adopted at the May 1, 2007 Annual Town Meeting (and as subsequently amended by the Attorney General’s Office) by adding the following section, or act in relation thereto:
Emergency Radio Communications
12. Violations and penalties
Any person violating any
provision of this chapter shall be fined not more than $300 for each offense.
ZONING/LAND USE ARTICLES
ARTICLE 37. To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning Bylaw at Article VIII, “Off-Street Parking,” § 205-32, “Number of required spaces,” as follows, or act in relation thereto.
§205-32.
Number of required spaces.
A. The minimum number of required parking spaces shall be as follows:
Principal Use Minimum Number of
Spaces
Permitted
offices in residences 3, plus 3 1 for each nonresident employee
EXPLANATION – This article was carried over from the last
ATM when it was discovered that there was a typo in the home office parking
requirements. The entry should read “3,
plus 1 for each nonresident employee.”
This is a housekeeping item.
ARTICLE 38. To see if the Town will vote to accept the provisions of Chapter 43D of the Massachusetts General Laws, as amended, pursuant to Section 11 of Chapter 205 of the Acts of 2006, and to approve the filing of an application with the Interagency Permitting Board for the designation of land listed below as Priority Development Sites, or act in relation thereto:
|
ASSESSOR'S
MAP/LOT |
ADDRESS |
ACRES |
OWNER |
|
71-2 |
|
152.90 |
|
|
72-1 |
|
42.46 |
|
|
76-12.3 |
Industrial
Dr. |
6.03 |
|
|
76-12.4 |
Industrial
Dr. |
4.39 |
|
|
76-12.5 |
Industrial
Dr. |
3.90 |
|
|
77-12.1 |
|
41.76 |
|
|
77-12.2 |
|
2.55 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
115-2 |
|
14.30 |
Town
of |
|
|