2026-10-27 - Select Board Meeting

00:19Good evening. We will call this meeting

00:20to order. This is the October 27th, 2026

00:24meeting of the Shrewbury Select Board.

00:26We will start with introducing board and

00:29staff members present. I am Terresa

00:31Flynn,

00:32>> Carlos Garcia,

00:33>> Michelle Conland,

00:34>> Greg Richards, On

00:36>> Kevin Mizakar, town manager.

00:38>> Keith Baldinger, assistant town manager,

00:39public works.

00:40>> Christina Ordong, assistant town

00:42manager, administration and finance.

00:44>> Kim Dehal, assistant to town manager.

00:48>> First item on our agenda is to approve

00:50the bill's payrolls and warrants.

00:52>> So moved.

00:53>> Second.

00:53>> All in favor say I.

00:55>> I.

00:56>> Opposed?

00:57Motion carries. Item number two is to

00:59review an act to approve the minutes of

01:01the October 13th and October 20th

01:06meetings. Board members, I'll take these

01:07separately just because I was not

01:09present at the October 13th meeting.

01:12>> Okay. I move that we approve the minutes

01:17of the October 13th meeting.

01:20>> Second.

01:21>> All in favor say I.

01:22>> I.

01:23>> I will abstain.

01:25and the October 20th meeting.

01:28>> Uh move approval.

01:29>> Second.

01:30>> All in favor say I.

01:31>> I.

01:32>> Motion passes. Item number three is

01:34announcements and reports. Board

01:36members.

01:38>> Yes. I do have two announcements, madam

01:40chair. The first is regarding the FY27

01:44road rate improvement program uh October

01:47milling and paving updates. The

01:49Department of Public Works has confirmed

01:51the following roadway work scheduled for

01:54this week. Prospect Street, Wednesday,

01:56October 28th. Milling will begin at 7

01:58a.m. Alternating traffic will be

02:01maintained around the work zone with

02:02police details directing vehicles.

02:05Motorists should expect delays. And on

02:08Oak Street, Saturday, October 31st,

02:11paving of the southbound lane from Maple

02:13A to Route 9 will take place between

02:155:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. Traffic will be

02:18restricted to oneway northbound travel

02:20during construction. Work will be

02:22completed by 3 p.m. to minimize impacts

02:24on Halloween activities. Paving of the

02:26northbound lane will be scheduled

02:28following completion of the ADA

02:30accessible sidewalk ramps. Motorists are

02:33encouraged to allow additional travel

02:34time or seek alternate routes. The DPW

02:37appreciates everyone's patience as these

02:39roadway improvements continue.

02:43And my second announcement is regarding

02:46board vacancies uh vacancies on boards

02:50and committees. The select board seeks

02:52applications for openings on several

02:54boards and committees. These include an

02:56opening on the form of government study

02:57committee, an opening on the historic

03:00district commission, and an opening for

03:01a high school junior or senior on the

03:03sustainability committee. The town

03:05manager also seeks applications for

03:07three other boards and committees. These

03:10include two openings on the Commission

03:11on Disabilities, two openings on the

03:13Historical Commission, and one opening

03:16on the Soldiers Memorial Commission.

03:18Deadlines for applications is on

03:20November 3rd, and we encourage residents

03:22to apply on our website at

03:23shrewsburymma.gov

03:26and we look forward to seeing your

03:27applications. Thank you,

03:30>> Madam Chair. I have two announcements.

03:31Um, I have a recap and update on the

03:34Amazon Prime Air. The board, the select

03:37board held a special meeting on Tuesday,

03:39October 20th, at which we voted to join

03:41with 15 other surrounding towns to send

03:43a letter to the Federal Aviation

03:45Administration calling for a

03:46sightspecific environmental review of

03:49Amazon's Prime Air launching facility in

03:51Westboro.

03:53Amazon has acknowledged the select

03:55board's letter that we voted to send at

03:57the October 13th meeting. While they

03:59have not committed to the town's

04:00requests, they have been responsive by

04:02indicating that they would respond by

04:04sometime this week.

04:07I have a second announcement um

04:09regarding the Shrewsbury Trails

04:10Committee announcing the opening of

04:12Eaton Pond Trails. On Saturday, October

04:1531st at 10:00 a.m. The Trails Committee

04:18will officially open six new trails and

04:20dedicate two new bridges on town

04:22property around Eaten Pond. The

04:24dedication will occur near the Leonard

04:26Parkway entrance off of Walnut Street.

04:29The property is on the east side of

04:30Shrewsbury near Dean Park and bound by

04:32Main Circle, Walnut Street, and Main

04:34Boulevard. The Eaten Pond property

04:36consists of approximately 40 acres of

04:38town land with six entrances. The Eaten

04:42Pond Trails consist of six trails

04:43totaling 1.2 miles of new easy paths.

04:47The land consists of rivers, wetlands,

04:49meadows, and woods. The six trails took

04:51a year to complete, including planning,

04:54conservation commission approval, and

04:55hundreds of volunteer hours. The

04:58completion of these bridges and trail

05:00projects provide easy foot access to an

05:02oasis for many neighbors in this compact

05:04neighborhood, said Stefan H, the trails

05:06committee chair. This is a continuation

05:08of our master plan to enrich the

05:10neighborhood and connect the town. The

05:12opening of Eaton Pond Trails

05:14accomplishes both. The trails committee

05:16is an appointed committee and is

05:17responsible for developing new trails

05:19and enhancing existing trails and public

05:21property within the town of Shrewsbury.

05:23More information can be found at

05:25shrewsburymma.gov711berry-trails-

05:32committee.

05:35>> Great. Thank you.

05:37Item number four is the town manager

05:39report. Mr. M car.

05:41>> Good evening board members. I am happy

05:43to report that the Department of Revenue

05:45has uh certified the town's tax rate at

05:48$11.38

05:50as you voted for at your meeting on

05:54October 13th.

05:56Um, a couple other matters to review.

05:59Um, there was recently an article uh in

06:02Bloomberg News regarding uh public power

06:05and it featured Celco.

06:07>> [snorts]

06:07>> did a really good job at documenting

06:10the um cost advantage of living in a

06:13public power community. It actually did

06:15a comparison on either side of Lake

06:17Quinn Sigman between Shrewsbury uh

06:20resident and a resident of the

06:23investorowned utility national grid in

06:25Worcester. And the the savings and the

06:29other competitive advantages of a public

06:31power community like Shrewsbury is quite

06:33remarkable. uh with power bills being

06:36roughly half in Shrbury of what they are

06:38in Worcester. Um so if you have the

06:41opportunity to look at Bloomberg News,

06:43there's a great public power article on

06:44there featuring Selco.

06:47Um, pleased to inform the [snorts] board

06:49that the Department of uh Environmental

06:51Resources has awarded the town a

06:54municipal energy technical assistance

06:56grant for $15,000 so we can review uh

07:00the um systems within the water

07:03treatment plant and look for energy

07:04efficiency as that building nears uh 10

07:08years of of operations. We'll take a

07:10look at that and see if we uh can sh

07:12save any utility costs there. And the

07:17council on aging along with um the COA

07:21staff is partnering with UMass Boston to

07:25um do an aging in Shrewsbury study

07:28looking at a community needs assessment.

07:31And there'll be plenty of time for

07:33residents to engage with us throughout

07:35that process. and we're excited to have

07:36UMass Boston uh lead us through this

07:39process. And then finally, I'm really uh

07:42excited to share that our new animal

07:44control officer uh Matt Deicero um has

07:49received the Golden Bone Award and that

07:52award is issued by the Animal Control

07:56Association of Massachusetts. Um, and it

07:59recognizes

08:01uh Matt's service that stretched far

08:03beyond his daily calls for service and

08:05building uh relationships within the

08:08communities that he worked um and going

08:10above and beyond his professional

08:12responsibilities

08:13and quote representing the absolute gold

08:15standard of what an animal control

08:17officer should be. [clears throat] Um,

08:19so while most of Matt's time uh in this

08:22award period was within a different

08:24regional uh community, we're happy to

08:26have him on board and uh take a little

08:29bit of pride in the Golden Globe Award

08:31for 2026.

08:32>> Is this an actual physical

08:34[clears throat]

08:34award? I would like to see

08:36>> it's solid gold. [laughter]

08:39[gasps]

08:40>> Well, that's many congratulations.

08:42That's quite an accomplishment. It's

08:43nice to say

08:44>> it is.

08:47>> Item number five is public comment

08:50pursuant to select board policy 31. We

08:53did not receive requests for public

08:55comment this evening and we certainly

08:57encourage residents to notify us if they

08:59would like to speak at future meetings.

09:03Item number six is to review an act to

09:06sign the December 7th, 2026 special town

09:09meeting warrant. And Mr. Makar, you did

09:12review this at our our last meeting. Do

09:15you want to quickly walk us through the

09:18the six articles that are included?

09:20>> Sure, I'd be happy to. Uh, the first

09:21article is a request to petition the

09:25general court for special legislation to

09:28um overcome uh the provisions of chapter

09:3231, which is the state's civil service

09:34law. So all of our public safety

09:36positions outside of a few uh ranks uh

09:39fall under the provisions of civil

09:41service.

09:43Through this act, we're looking to

09:44exclude uh two additional titles. The

09:47title of and title and rank of deputy

09:50chief uh police chief and uh police

09:52captains. So this uh acknowledges their

09:56senior management role within the

09:57organization. allows for a more

10:00business-like um approach to selecting

10:03candidates uh to serve in those those

10:06roles rather than a traditional civil

10:08service test.

10:10So this would uh these positions would

10:12join with the deputy fire chief and the

10:16police and fire chiefs of being excluded

10:19from civil service.

10:22The second article is also related to um

10:26civil service and hiring. So the town

10:30originally adopted

10:32um section 58A of the mass of chapter 31

10:35of the general laws in 2001 that set a

10:39maximum age restriction for any new hire

10:42within a civil service position. So

10:44again that would be police and fire uh

10:47for the age of 32 years. So that would

10:50be the maximum age that we could hire.

10:52And um it was really targeted and

10:55ensuring um that individuals hired into

10:58the civil service system um weren't um

11:02feeling compelled to work into their 60s

11:05in these very demanding jobs to achieve

11:07their maximum uh defined pension

11:10benefits uh through a community like

11:12Shrewsbury. Um but what we're seeing now

11:14that this creates a challenge especially

11:16whenever we're hiring for uh new

11:20emergency medical services um program

11:23and EMT positions. We need um

11:26experienced people on the job in day

11:28one. Many of those individuals are older

11:30than 32 years and haven't worked in

11:33civil service communities. So we're

11:35looking to remove this pro uh provision.

11:37It will also help within the police

11:39department um in their hiring and just

11:42broadening our pool. Uh [clears throat]

11:44still be a very rigorous process that

11:46will include physical ability test and

11:48those will all still need to be

11:49achieved. Uh but it will remove the

11:52maximum age restriction of 32 years.

11:54>> Kevin, real quick question. Isn't there

11:56a is there still a state limit on age?

11:59>> There's still is it 38 the maximum?

12:04>> There is. So, this will remove there

12:06won't be any

12:07>> won't be any

12:08>> there won't be any hiring um age

12:11maximum. Some communities have adopted a

12:13higher than 32 uh age maximum. I think

12:16Worcester just did 39. That would

12:18require special legislation to do it

12:20another one. So, we're just eliminating

12:22any maximum. There still is a state

12:24maximum age that you're allowed to work

12:26in uniform service. Um so, you can't

12:29work beyond the age of 70. I believe it

12:31is 65. 65. Okay.

12:37Um, article three is a zoning bylaw that

12:43looks to regulate the um, landbased

12:47controls and standards for commercial

12:49unmanned aerial systems uh, and drone

12:52ground support facilities.

12:55Um so as the board is very aware and

12:58you've worked on in the last few months

13:00uh commercial drone delivery develops

13:02throughout the region and beyond uh

13:04staff have been working at your request

13:07with council to develop uh groundbased

13:09infrastructure regulations specifically

13:11[clears throat] around launch uh and

13:14landing pads um and accessory uh matters

13:17related there too like charging stations

13:19and staging areas and maintenance

13:21facilities. Um, we've had to uh take

13:24into account the FAA uh preeemptions in

13:27these areas where we can't regulate the

13:29aerial activities, but I think we've

13:32proposed a very uh strict and strong uh

13:35zoning bylaw in the areas that we're

13:37allowed to uh govern and regulate. So,

13:40this proposal would um limit these

13:43facilities to be permitted exclusively

13:45in the office research district through

13:47a planning board special permit. The

13:49office research district was chosen uh

13:52for two primary factors. The first um uh

13:55we are building off the definition of

13:57helport which is an existing definition

13:59within our zoning bylaw. Uh that is only

14:02allowed within the office research

14:03district. [clears throat] Um the office

14:05research district geographically within

14:07the community is located primarily

14:09between Route 9 and Route 20 in the area

14:11of 333 South Street and uh Sent Park

14:15North where we have uh office and

14:17industrial-like activities. uh we chose

14:20not to expand it beyond this uh because

14:23many of our other zoning districts have

14:25lot uh greater connections to

14:27residential districts in the community

14:29and uh first and foremost we're trying

14:31to prevent noise and nuisance and

14:33disruptions to residents through these

14:35types of facilities. Um,

14:38further within the regulations that

14:40we're proposing to safeguard any abuing

14:43neighborhoods, [snorts] the bylaw

14:44requires a mandatory 500 foot setback

14:47from any residential boundary and a

14:49thousand setback thousand foot buffer um

14:52from any sensitive receptors like homes

14:55and schools. Um and a different uh

14:58additional provisions based on the

15:00planning board's uh oversight like

15:02landscape perimeter buffers and strict

15:05uh ground noise ordinances

15:07um where we have the ability to regulate

15:10them through the mass uh code of um code

15:13of Massachusetts regulations. So um this

15:18zoning bylaw will be considered on

15:20Thursday, November 4th by the planning

15:22board at their public hearing at 7

15:24o'clock. Um, we have the opportunity to

15:27still adjust and shape this based upon

15:29uh board comment and feedback and uh the

15:32planning board's feedback on the evening

15:34of November 4th. I'll just pause there

15:37maybe. I know this is a big topic to see

15:39if there's any feedback that board

15:41members want to provide on what we've

15:42drafted so far. So uh I compare with the

15:46bashbor um general law and with our our

15:51joing law and I can see there are a lot

15:53of things are missing and we should

15:56incorporate incorporate in our joing

15:59when we are creating the first is the

16:01noise level when is coming and dropping

16:04uh the item from the drone we have to

16:06like the neighbors can disturb so why

16:08multiple times he's coming so we have to

16:10what kind of noise level how we can

16:12control That second one is the wildlife

16:15and drone is going and it can go in the

16:18some sensitive area where like matting

16:20is happening or some kind of disturbance

16:22going that can totally disturb the

16:24wildlife in those areas when it's

16:26crossing uh there. The third point I

16:29want to put the privacy also it has the

16:31cameras and those cameras can scan your

16:34backyard your front yard kids playing

16:36your card number plate it can be any how

16:39we can control it. So we have to see

16:41that part also. Uh the other one is the

16:44operating hours. Uh the operating hours

16:46like what will be like 7 to5 7 to 7

16:50those we have to decide it. So that way

16:52we can have some control uh over that

16:55frequency is coming in case we are not

16:58able to control uh the safety also other

17:00things like when drone uh going and

17:02coming their chances can fail or any

17:05emergency landing it can damage the

17:08house uh it can like any car or any

17:12human is walking on the street they it

17:13can be harmful for them and how we are

17:16going to deal with that and most

17:18importantly is uh how we are going to

17:21inform supports all those joining vlog

17:24what kind of like the police will

17:26involve or how we can uh take care of

17:28that like when we implementing uh those

17:31joining vla so those are things are

17:33missing and I would like we can look

17:35into and add those things in uh this law

17:40thank you

17:45I just have a couple comments uh

17:49and I I don't know if Kevin if you can

17:51relate talk to it because I think until

17:53West Bro's bylaw is actually reviewed by

17:55the attorney general's office.

17:57I I believe I mean I'm no expert

18:00attorney but I do believe looking at

18:03Newton and the Singer decision that some

18:05of the things that Westboro had

18:07incorporated

18:09may not survive scrutiny.

18:11>> So I I completely agree with Mr.

18:13chararmas like I'd love to be able to

18:15add as much restriction as possible but

18:17my fear is I just want to caution the

18:20public I guess that regardless of what

18:22Westboro passed a town meeting it still

18:24has to go through a review process on

18:26the legal side and there are FAA

18:30um you know regulations and rules that

18:33you can't violate and that has already

18:35been through a a process in Newton so

18:37you can pass anything you want at town

18:39meeting but until it goes through the

18:41complete review process legally

18:44Um, and even if let's say the attorney

18:46general would would allow some of it,

18:48that doesn't prevent Amazon from though

18:50going ahead and litigating and possibly

18:52overturning some of those. So, I just

18:55think it's important for the public to

18:56understand that that is a first step of

18:59passing a bylaw and town meeting. It has

19:01to go through a lot of scrutiny before

19:03it's actually put into practice.

19:05>> Um, so I know that that's what we did.

19:08Um, I think my only question and I don't

19:13on the way we wrote it is have we

19:16reviewed um and we may have I just I

19:19don't know the answer about when you

19:22talk about the office research district

19:26is there parcels there that meet the

19:29criteria meaning that have the correct

19:32that are 500 feet from residential and

19:341,000 ft from existing dwellings because

19:37I know I don't believe you're allowed to

19:38have like an out outright prohibition

19:41because no parcel meets that criter Have

19:43we have we done that? Are we pretty

19:44comfortable that yes for me? Okay.

19:46>> There are lots within there and there is

19:49already a permitted helellipad. I know

19:51it's not envisioned as a drone he

19:54helipad but there is a permitted uh

19:56helipad at 333 South Street when I

19:59believe it was from when it was digital

20:01that era.

20:02>> Okay.

20:03>> So, but that still is valid.

20:05>> Yes. But yes, it's not what is it like

20:08prescriptive or or whatever denial. But

20:11it can happen.

20:12>> Correct.

20:12>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, because I

20:14know even depending on how we pass this,

20:16it still has to go through that same

20:17scrutiny through the attorney general

20:19process as well to make sure that

20:21[snorts]

20:21>> it meets

20:23>> everything that we're allowed to

20:24regulate. But, yep, I think if we've

20:26talked before, I'm completely in favor

20:28is maximi regulate as much as we

20:30possibly can to minimize the impact to

20:32the community.

20:33But once again, we only have so much as

20:35this board only has so much authority of

20:37what we are allowed to regulate.

20:41Yep.

20:49>> I keep going there.

20:50>> Yes, sir.

20:50>> Okay. Uh so the second zoning bylaw that

20:53we're proposing uh that the board

20:55requested us uh to develop is the um a

21:00framework to regulate data centers uh

21:03proportional to their impact on the

21:05community. Um certainly not allowed to

21:07prohibit data centers just like we're

21:08not allowed to pro prohibit any other

21:10use outright. Um but we have developed

21:13what I think rigorous and enforceable

21:15controls tied directly to uh utility

21:19consumption uh consumption and the

21:21community's ability to serve them. So

21:23the bylaw established a four tier

21:26classification system uh governed

21:29strictly by maximum electrical demand at

21:31full full buildout. Um so tier 0 offers

21:36a small scale um incidental um facility

21:40up to 500 kilowatts. Uh tier one up to

21:44two megawws and uh so forth um up to

21:48what we would call hypers scale

21:50exceeding um 10 megawws. um that final

21:56um 10 megawatt facility or tier three

21:59are prohibited uh across all zoning

22:02districts in the community. Um but

22:04because we're allowing the other scale,

22:07um we do believe this passes all legal

22:10requirements. Um the area that we're

22:12proposing these in falls into a couple

22:14zoning districts. Um the um

22:20let's see

22:22the larger facilities above tier one and

22:26above um are restricted exclusively to

22:29the office research and the limited

22:31office research districts. Um and the

22:35tier one facility, tier 0 and tier one

22:38facilities, um the planning board can

22:41issue a special permit for them in the

22:43commercial and industrial corridors such

22:45as Route 20 and Cent Boulevard. Uh and

22:48again in the um north of the community

22:51um between 140 and 290. So in addition

22:55to regulating them by size and normal

22:58land use setbacks um to safeguard our

23:01utilities, applicants are also required

23:04to submit independent capacity and

23:07utility impact report and secure formal

23:10written verification from Celco and the

23:12town's water and sewer divisions which

23:14certify the demand will not degrade

23:17reliability system capacity and fire

23:20protection for existing uh utility

23:23customers. customers, rateayers, and tax

23:25uh payers. Um and the planning board is

23:29granted the explicit authority to

23:31condition permits on binding electric

23:34and water caps and mandate water

23:36efficient uh cooling systems and enforce

23:39low frequency uh noise limits. So, uh,

23:43one approach that we're taking in

23:45mitigating the concerns that we've heard

23:46about these facilities across the

23:48community is using, um, DBC noise limits

23:53versus DBA, uh, noise limits, which is

23:56the traditional noise standard. So, this

23:58DBC noise limits prevent that low almost

24:01unaudible, inaudible hum um, that many

24:05abutters um, hear or feel uh, when

24:09they're located next to a facility like

24:11this. So, um,

24:14again, this is special permit process.

24:16It's our most restrictive, uh, land use

24:18process granting that permitting to the

24:20board. And I think we have some pretty

24:22rigorous provisions in there that, um,

24:25will safeguard the community for, um, if

24:29a development is proposed for a facility

24:31like this. Again, this will be up on the

24:34public hearing for November 4th at the

24:36planning board. Just quick

24:38clarification. I think we had discussed

24:41>> November 5th

24:42>> about the um

24:43>> November 5th, I'm sorry,

24:45>> capacity question that I I know they

24:47said you that

24:50you have to [snorts] look at electrical

24:52consumption and if they can't meet it,

24:53that's allowed for denial. But I think

24:55one of the questions was if a um

24:58developer said what's okay, we want to

25:01make the investment with Celco. Can

25:03Selco

25:05do they have to be compelled or are they

25:07allowed to say we're not going to

25:09upgrade our service even if you're

25:10paying for it to support it? Does Celco

25:12have the ability to

25:14>> I don't know. Yeah, I don't know the

25:16answer to that. I'll have to get you

25:17that.

25:18>> I'd just be curious to know the answer

25:20to that because I could see somebody

25:21just saying, "Yeah, how much is it going

25:23to cost?" And I'll

25:24>> Right. That's what I've heard. Yeah.

25:26>> So, I'd just be curious if the Sco board

25:28has the ability to deny that.

25:34So so tier one is 500 and megawatt. Tier

25:39two is of 2 megawatt and uh the capacity

25:42on the tier three uh how we are going to

25:46control like if we don't want to beyond

25:49that like so um situation like 2

25:53megawatt is okay then we are the conjun

25:55doing the consumption of the power 2

25:57megawatt is okay but beyond that uh if

26:00town doesn't want to go approve anything

26:04how we are going to control the tier one

26:07because tier four you say like is is

26:08prohibited.

26:09>> Mhm.

26:09>> But the tier one how we are going to

26:11control if we don't want to go that far

26:14or we don't want to allow any developer

26:17to come and make the tier three

26:21data center. [snorts]

26:23>> Um so you're saying you prohibit all

26:27data centers above 2 megawatts.

26:29>> Yes, that's right.

26:31>> Well, the provisions right now would

26:33allow uh facilities up to 10 megawws.

26:37So as it's constructed right now, they

26:39would have the ability to construct up

26:42to 10 megawws subject to all those other

26:45provisions. [clears throat]

26:45>> Yes. So 10 megawatt consumption is

26:47pretty high like

26:49>> um it definitely going to affect the

26:51residential rate whatever we are like

26:54drawing from the celco it going to

26:56affect the water uses it going to affect

26:59the environment because it's going to

27:01generates a lot of heat and the

27:02surrounding neighbor might disturb. M

27:05>> so as per whatever I study and learn

27:08from that 2 megawatt for town like us is

27:12a good size and we can support up to the

27:142 megawatt and special case we can think

27:18about special use for town or something

27:21government use we can consider the tier

27:24three but there should be prohibit also

27:30um yeah I mean I mean

27:33you know my conversations with Celco,

27:36they would um

27:38not entertain an offer that would cause

27:42the surrounding rates to increase. And

27:45that is one of the provisions that's

27:46within the bylaw is that um not only at

27:51the time of application, but after the

27:53five, you know, up to five years after

27:55opening that it would be reviewed to

27:57ensure that it hasn't caused that. Um,

28:00we do that in other types of

28:02developments more on the traffic side,

28:03but this would be reviewed. Um, but

28:06again, and I understand what you're

28:08saying, above two megawatts, but the the

28:10bylaw as we have it drafted right now

28:12would permit facilities up to 10. So

28:15>> 10 is like pretty high. Sure. As

28:18electrical engineer, I can see the 10

28:20megawatt power consumption is pretty

28:22high.

28:22>> Mhm. And I can say it can like using the

28:27power of around two 300 houses.

28:29>> Mhm.

28:31>> So we would not do more than two. We can

28:35have option if in the future maybe some

28:38cooling system is changed not generating

28:40the heat.

28:41>> It could be like the power consumption

28:44because more like different mode of

28:47power consumption more greener is coming

28:48and the heat is not generating.

28:50[clears throat] So we can consider those

28:52charact characterist of the like

28:53consumption we can consider those but at

28:56this point we should not go more than 2

28:58megawatt.

29:00I can give you the example of the other

29:02multiple town like men's bill also they

29:04limit on the 2 megawatt couple of town

29:07already put the moratorium and they

29:09don't want to go for two years on that.

29:12So why we have to open our door for 10

29:14megawatt?

29:31>> Yeah. Can you check? I'm just curious

29:33too, Kevin, with Celco that I don't know

29:35that any of what trans or let's say not

29:39the main transmission line, but coming

29:40off of a substation,

29:43>> what

29:44if 10 megawatts and any of the existing

29:47infrastructure is actually going to be

29:48able to be delivered to one location?

29:50>> Well, I don't entire town on an average

29:53day consumes 15 megawatt.

29:55>> Yeah. So that's like

29:57twothirds of our existing

30:00distribution.

30:01>> So it' be massive. So there's no way

30:03that

30:04>> our current infrastructure could even

30:06close to support.

30:07>> But to your point, we, you know, the

30:10stories that you hear is that these

30:11facilities will come in and build

30:13whatever they want if they can find the

30:14location.

30:15>> Well, and I think in here too,

30:16theoretically, they could drop it there

30:18and say, "Well, I'm going to bring in a

30:20gas turbine and I'm just going to

30:21generate right power.

30:25I mean, so I mean, I'm I'm happy to to

30:27look into a lower regulatory level than

30:3110 megawws if if you know that is a

30:34concern. I'll need to engage with

30:36council to make sure that there's not

30:38some provision and you know, circle back

30:40with Chris McGold, but I'm I'm happy to

30:42look at a lower max.

30:43>> No, I I I like the you put the tiers

30:46like one, two, three, and that allow in

30:48the future if anything change so that

30:50way we can control. I like that idea.

30:52>> Okay. But uh it allowing for on that up

30:55to the 10 megawatt is kind of like

30:57>> okay

30:58>> too soon to deal with that.

31:01>> Do you anticipate the state's going to

31:02come up with kind of an own board? I

31:04know they're doing that on battery

31:05storage where they're actually having

31:06their own kind of taking the

31:09>> energy permitting sighting

31:10>> taking that sighting responsibility. I

31:13mean

31:14>> I guess we don't really know. I don't

31:15know if you're hearing anything. I

31:16haven't heard that yet, but it wouldn't

31:18surprise me given that approach on those

31:19facilities if they're going to consider

31:21as we know they are data centers to be

31:23critical for

31:25>> economic activity.

31:27Okay.

31:32>> So, to the collective points, Kevin,

31:35we'd like things to be as restrictive as

31:37possible while giving us a fighting

31:39chance of actually

31:40>> Yep.

31:42Okay.

31:42>> being able to enforce it.

31:43>> Yep.

31:47Okay, thank you.

31:55Um, that takes us to [clears throat]

31:58article five, which is

32:01um, dealing with 15 Maple Avenue. So, as

32:05most folks are probably familiar that

32:06the town took 15 Maple Avenue, the

32:08Empire Dry Cleaners through a tax taking

32:10process. When that's done, it's held in

32:13the care, custody, and control of the

32:15tax custodian who is the treasur

32:17collector. What we're looking to do

32:19through this article as is have Town

32:20Meeting designate that property for

32:22general municipal purposes. And that um

32:26first and foremost for town meeting

32:28members will mean that if the town would

32:30choose to sell 15 Maple Avenue in the

32:32future at any point, they would have to

32:33come back to town meeting for approval.

32:35if it's under the care custody and

32:36control of the treasure collector, um

32:39they have the authority to dispose of it

32:41on behalf of the town. Um it um also

32:44gives us the opportunity to take into

32:47consideration the feedback that we've

32:48seen from the public and um make an

32:51investment in the property in the

32:52future.

32:54And then uh the final article, which is

32:57article six, which is new and was not on

32:59the draft uh warrant that we brought to

33:01you two weeks ago. Um but since we have

33:04uh certified tax rate, we have the

33:07ability to consider um a transfer from

33:12the community preservation fund annual

33:15revenues

33:16um for the purpose of planting trees for

33:19Dean Park at the um at Dean Park and the

33:23Maple Avenue recreation fields. Um and

33:27I'm sorry I'm just picking up on this. I

33:29we can talk about the content if there's

33:31any question in this, but then I would

33:33just suggest one minor edit to this

33:35language before the board signs the

33:36warrant, which I'm happy to to walk

33:38through for you.

33:43>> What would that change?

33:44>> So, it's just it wouldn't say to see if

33:46the town will vote to appropriate or

33:48transfer. It would just say to see if

33:49the town will vote to transfer from the

33:51community preservation annual revenues.

33:54Um, and then also strike or available

33:57funds. So, I just want to limit this

33:59[clears throat] to only CPA funds. I

34:01don't want the opportunity to expand it

34:02beyond that. We have sufficient money in

34:05the in the CPA accounts and um the

34:09proposal would just be for the use of

34:11that and that'll further limit any risk

34:13to the tax rate that we've already set.

34:15So, I apologize for not catching that in

34:18the draft.

34:19So, is the project executed by the

34:21Department of Public Works or is it like

34:23a normal bid process for the project of

34:26planting trees? You're just transferring

34:28it to the Department of Public Works.

34:30Does that mean you're doing the work?

34:31>> Um, so we would oversee the work. We'd

34:34put it out to bid. Yeah. Okay.

34:35>> And um have someone come in

34:38>> just like kind of we did with the

34:40playground

34:41>> when the resident proposed it. We'd

34:43oversee the project.

34:54So, we know that um November 5th is the

34:58planning board public hearing

35:00and then we will review

35:04presentations regarding these warrant

35:06articles at our November 10th meeting

35:10and make our recommendations

35:12and then um the articles will move to

35:17a public hearing with the finance

35:19committee on November 19th

35:23and then town meeting members will

35:25receive all of the details for final

35:28consideration in their packets leading

35:31up to the December 7th special town

35:34meeting.

35:36If there are no other questions or

35:40comments, I would say we would have a

35:42motion um including the

35:46um edited language that Mr. Musakar

35:49noted.

35:51>> So moved.

35:53>> All right. [snorts]

35:54>> So move it.

35:56>> Second. All in favor say I. I. Opposed.

36:00Motion passes. Thank you.

36:01>> Thank you.

36:04>> Okay.

36:06Agenda item number seven is to review

36:08and adopt the 2027 Medicare eligible

36:10health insurance plan rates. These are

36:13the costs for retired town workers who

36:16are enrolled in our Medicare plans.

36:18There are five options and the increases

36:21range from 2.7% to 13.2%.

36:27We offer these through um the West

36:29Suburban Health Group which is the

36:32collaborative that we are part of for

36:34our insurance plans. So these rates are

36:37set for all towns that participate.

36:44>> So for my understanding I have question

36:46what what was the last time and uh which

36:49one did you choose this time and why we

36:52choose that one?

36:54So we offer all of these different plan

36:56options and all these different networks

36:58that are there to all of our retirees.

37:00It's not just one of them.

37:01>> Okay.

37:02>> Yeah.

37:03>> So they can choose

37:04>> they can choose anyone. [clears throat]

37:05Correct. And we have um different uh

37:08cost shares with them.

37:10>> So the lowest cost uh plans to

37:12incentivize them. uh we um provide more

37:17of the cost share up to 70% and then um

37:2072% and then um the more expensive plans

37:24we only provide 50% of the total

37:26premium.

37:26>> Okay. So they can choose either one of

37:28the

37:28>> Okay. Thank you.

37:33>> I move the board adopt the 2027 Medicare

37:35[snorts] eligible health insurance plan

37:37rates as presented.

37:38>> Second.

37:41[clears throat]

37:41>> All in favor say I. I

37:42>> I

37:43>> opposed. Motion passes. Thank you.

37:47Um

37:50Okay.

37:52Agenda item number eight is to review

37:54and act on the recommendation of Selco

37:56pursuant to the streetlight request of

38:00Xanlu Lenin 12 Prospect Street. So board

38:04members, you'll recall this request came

38:06to us. We sent it to Selco for

38:08consideration. Selco has reported that

38:12the current street lighting meets the

38:14standard setup for that neighborhood and

38:17that the homeowner can choose to pay for

38:19an extra light on the pole through

38:21Celco's protective lighting program and

38:24the resident would work directly with

38:26Celco if they would like to pursue that.

38:30So in other words, um Selco has

38:32determined that this is not um needed

38:35based on their standards for uh lighting

38:38in that that current neighborhood, but

38:40the the residents would still have an

38:42option to um implement something

38:45directly with Celco.

38:47So um I would recommend that we notify

38:51the residents of this decision and have

38:54them work directly with Celco. And if

38:57there's not disagreement on that

38:59approach with this board, then I would

39:02say we do not have any further action at

39:05this time.

39:09Great.

39:15Agenda item number nine is to review an

39:17act to reappoint the retiree

39:19representative to the insurance advisory

39:22committee.

39:23So, by state law, the committee has to

39:26include one retired town worker to be

39:29appointed by the select board. And

39:32Robert Pine is the um current committee

39:36retirey representative and has expressed

39:39his desire to be reappointed.

39:43>> Move approve.

39:44>> Second. All in favor say I.

39:46>> I.

39:47>> I.

39:48>> Opposed? Motion passes.

39:52We are moving on to correspondence.

39:54Um items 10 and 11 relate to resident

39:58concerns regarding the historic district

40:01commission. Town staff is working with

40:04the residents and will report back if

40:06there are matters requiring board

40:09attention. Item number 12 is an email

40:14dated October 21st from Deborah Wagner,

40:17Massachusetts Department of Revenue. As

40:19Mr. Miss Zakar noted um our fiscal

40:24fiscal 27 tax rate has been certified

40:28and agenda uh correspondence number 13

40:31is an email dated October 22nd from

40:34representative Hannah Kaine regarding

40:37the letter sent to Amazon from Mass DOT

40:40aeronautics administrator Garcia and we

40:43appreciate the continued advocacy from

40:45Representative Kaine and Senator Moore.

40:49If there's no other business to come

40:52before the board, I will entertain a

40:54motion to adjurnn.

40:55>> So moved.

40:56>> Second. All in favor say I.

40:58>> I.

40:59>> Oppos.

41:00>> Motion passes. Meeting is adjourned.

41:02Thank you and good evening.

```*