All Department Report
September 2019
September
The Executive Office worked with Department Heads and staff this month to develop goals for Fiscal Year 2020. Staff members worked to create goals related to professional development, meeting the town’s overall vision and improving department operations. To see the FY2020 Department Goals, visit here. The Town Administrator also worked with the Board of Selectmen to develop his goals for the coming year. The Town Administrator will focus on staff development, continual budget management, economic development and special projects. To see the Town Administrator’s FY2020 Goals, visit here.
The Town Administrator worked with the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee to develop the warrant for the Special Town Meeting on October 21, 2019. The Special Town Meeting is needed to finalize the FY2020 budget. Although Town Meeting voters rejected the increased Quabbin Regional School District assessment, four of the five QRSD towns approved the budget. This means town officials need to trim $14,293 from this year’s operating budget. Cuts will include town hall staff hours, road maintenance money and Finance Committee reserve funds. In addition to the budget article, town meeting voters will consider a measure to continue funding the engineering and design of the Town Center Project.
The Executive Office worked extensively with the QRSD administration to begin the feasibility phase of the Center School Roof Project. Currently failing, the Hubbardston Center School Roof needs a full replacement. Town Meeting voters approved funds for the feasibility study which will detail potential replacement options and eventual roof replacement costs. The feasibility study will conclude prior to the Annual Town Meeting in June. Town officials, with resident support, are targeting 2021 to replace the roof.
The Town Administrator recognized Director Michael Moriarty (Rutland Regional Dispatch) for securing a State 911 Development Grant totaling $82,150 for the district. This will reduce greatly FY20 assessment costs and is a strong example of how our departments continue to look for ways to cut costs.
September
This was a productive month for the Library. We were available at the Hubbardston Center School’s Open House and processed 22 Library card applications. We also were at Field Day, where we processed an additional 9 applications.
The 22nd 5K Library Road Race was held on Saturday September 7th. We had 74 runners for the race, with a number of raffle prizes. I would like to thank Mark Wigler and his family for organizing the race, the custodians at the Hubbardston Center School and the Hubbardston Police and Fire Departments for their support the day of the race. The Race would not have happened without them.
The Library Director attended the quarterly CWMARS Users Meeting, which is a meeting between the Executive Board at CWMARS and Library Directors. They discussed their FY21 budget and Boston Public Library gave a presentation reminding us that any resident of Massachusetts is eligible to get a Boston Public Library card, since they are the designated state library. This meeting was immediately followed by a new director orientation meeting, which was very helpful. The week of September 22nd to the 28th was banned book week. We displayed a variety of books that have been challenged or banned in the past.
September
- Replaced a large section of rotted culvert pipe on Chicopee Drive
- Began replacing culverts on Flagg Road for next year’s paving project
- Completed brush mowing on Old Princeton and Williamsville Roads
- Hot Patched the Center School driveway
- Oversaw Monty Tech students building a Lean-to off the back of the salt shed to cover some of our machinery
- The Small Bridge Grant Project has started on Ragged Hill and Williamsville Roads
- Refurbished the 2004 Mack, 2014 F450 and the 2009 Sterling
- Millings were applied to Lowell Street and a part of Pitcherville Road
Next Month
- Continue work on Flagg Road, Hale Road Extension, part of Mt. Jefferson Road, part of Williamsville Road to prepare for next year’s paving project
- Continue refurbishing the 2012 Freightliner
- Get all equipment ready for the winter to come
September
The Treasurer finalized the Statement of Indebtedness, Treasurer’s Year End Cash Report, the Schedule of Outstanding Receivables, and the Cash Reconciliation reports for Fiscal Year 2019 and submitted them to the Mass. Dept. of Revenue before the September 30th deadline.
Excise bills that were due on Sept. 6th that remain unpaid have now been sent demand notices. Preparation of FY18 real estate tax title taking advertisement is complete. These will be advertised in mid-October and the liens placed on them by mid-November.
October
October will be a busy month collecting preliminary real estate taxes that are due November 4th. We will also be preparing for the actual tax bills that will be sent out the end of December for taxes due February 1 and May 1.
This Month
This was a productive month for the Town Clerk’s office. Although a historically quiet month, it left time for projects and training. Laurie attended the Massachusetts Town Clerks Association Fall Conference in Springfield with training focused on the 2020 Elections and the Massachusetts Voter Registration Information System. A one on one training from the Massachusetts Elections Department has been scheduled which will provide Laurie with the resources needed to process any/all requests in the Voter Registration System.
A new Board & Committee software was implemented at the end of the month which has been a main focus for updates. The software will ensure training is current and in compliance with all laws. The software allows for easy reporting which will be a big asset to all departments for vacancies and terms.
Next Month
October is looking to be a busy month for training. Laurie has scheduled a Record Retention training for all Employees and Senior Workers to attend. The training will point the departments in the right direction to ensure documents are being properly maintained or destroyed according to the law. An Open Meeting Law training has been scheduled with KP Law for Town Staff and Volunteers to review the guidelines for conducting town business. A voting machine demonstration has been scheduled with ES&S for mid-October. Election Workers will be in attendance for the demonstration and have been encouraged to ask questions and voice their opinions. A new voting machine is expected to be implemented for the March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary.
September
This month saw continued traffic enforcement and targeted enforcement based on citizen’s complaints. The Hubbardston Police Department has concentrated radar enforcement on Main Street for School Zone infractions. Violators will be issued tickets for speeding in this area.
The HPD also began our Pink Patch sales at Field Day. Sales were good and we look forward to more sales. All proceeds go to PinkRevolution, which is a local support company for cancer fighters.
On September 23rd. the Hubbardston Police welcomes Kayla Fontaine to the department as a part time officer. She will be a valuable asset to this department and the town.
September
On the morning of September 24th, Engine 1 was dispatched to an address on Madison Way to investigate a fire alarm activation. On arrival they found a condo unit with a smoke condition due to a tablet that had caught on fire while charging, which had also burnt some papers next to it. The fire alarms sounding alerted the sleeping occupant who was able to extinguish the fire prior to Engine 1’s arrival. Without working smoke alarms this minor incident could have ended much differently! Make sure you have working smoke alarms and test them regularly; it could save your life.
On Sunday September 22nd, Rutland Regional Dispatch began receiving calls for a reported building fire at 27 Brigham Street in Hubbardston. Engine 1 arrived with fire showing from a 15’x30’ sauna house/barn. The fire was quickly brought under control and there were no injuries. Car 1, Engine 1, Engine 2, A1 and Barre Engine 6 operated on scene. This was the middle of a busy afternoon/evening for the department as A1 was working a motor vehicle accident when the fire began and later responded mutual aid to Barre for a medical emergency.
September Calls:
Total Calls 48
Fire 5
EMS 34
Public Service 6
Haz-Mat 0
MVA 2
Alarm activation 0
Inspections:
6 Residential Smoke/CO
This Month
Our new Administrative Assistant, Iris Rivera has been doing great! While entering during the time of transition between buildings, Iris has been a fast learner, and is a huge asset to the assessor’s office.
Staff from Regional Resource Group will continue to provide training and assistance for Iris, and will always be available in the future for any issues and/or concerns that may arise.
All Chapter Land applications have been received by the October 1 deadline and are being reviewed and processed.
The process of revaluation certification, overseen by the Mass Department of Revenue continues, however is nearly complete. The annual Tax Classification Hearing will be announced shortly.
Ongoing assessor’s activities include:
· Building permit inspections
· Sales ratio review
· Motor vehicle excise
· Assisting with efforts for Department of Revenue revaluation certification
· Periodic/Cyclical property inspections.
September
This month the Planning Board office worked on the following items:
- There was one meeting in the month of September. To see those video please go here.
- Completed initial Gravel Pit Property List for the Town of Hubbardston, using AXIS GIS map data (for visual cross reference – see above), former Planning Board reports, and Assessor’s Data
- Began checklists for Scenic Road Application and Gravel Pit Reclamation Processes
- Continued work on Planning Board Operational Procedures
- Began work on a project in conjunction with the TA and Planning Board Chair to identify all town-owned land.
- Investigated Training Opportunities for Planning Board Members through CTPC
- Began work on Special Permits Project to determine which Special Permits issued in Hubbardston are active / inactive and how the Planning Board can follow up on adherence to permit specifications
- Continued with move of files from previous location to Planning Board’s new office in the former Assessor’s Office (NOTE: Assessor’s Office is now located in the Slade Building).
- In addition to these items, the Planning Board Office worked on the other documentation to support Planning Board meetings.
October
The Planning Board Office will continue to work on:
- Continue creating new process work sheets / checklists / operational procedures for applications / processes typically handled by the Planning Board.
- Continue special permits project to identify open permits and ensure adherence to permit specifications.
- Continue project identifying all town-owned land.
- Send out correspondence to identified former gravel pit operations so as to facilitate the Planning Board’s intention to progress with pit reclamation.
- Continue moving of all Planning Board-related documentation into the new office location.
This Month
Received the final numbers from the prior accounting firm. This enabled me to reconcile the financials to tie the old system into the new software. The transition to the new forms and process has been improving each week and is in very good shape.
Council on Aging
September
Along with our regularly scheduled programs, the Council on Aging worked many Hours on our Go 4 Life Family Fun Walk. We obtained a grant sponsored by the MA Council on Aging and Blue Cross / Blue Shield for this walk!
We also began organizing the Christmas Trip for December 8 & 9 (Christmas New York Style) and completed our successful Mohegan Sun Trip.
About Us
Email: admin@hubbardstonma.us
Website: www.hubbardstonma.us
Location: 7 Main Street, Hubbardston, MA, USA
Phone: 978-928-1400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TownofHubbardston/
Twitter: @hubbardstonma