All Board Report
October-November 2018
The Select Board completed a busy two months by holding its annual Tax Classification Hearing and setting the FY19 tax rate.
The final large-scale infrastructure project of the calendar year completed just after Thanksgiving. The Elm Street Sidewalk Reconstruction Project added an additional 800 feet of five-foot wide sidewalks to the town in addition to improving school traffic safety.
Several contracts were approved in October and November to include engaging the Helene-Karl architectural firm to update municipal building upgrade assessments, hiring Murphy Specialty, Inc to install an exhaust mitigation system for the Fire Department and signing a 7-month IMA with the City of Gardner to regionalize building inspectional services.
Financial management continued to be a board focus, reviewing and approving several financial management policies, setting goals for the FY20 budget process and receiving a tax title report from the Town Treasurer.
The Select Board continued to meet their goal of improved communication with peer boards, reviewing 2018 survey results with the Cultural Council and discussing policy and procedure with new Quabbin Regional School District Superintendent Sheila Muir and staff.
And finally, the Select Board helped get ready for the winter months by assisting the Town Center Committee with their tree lighting ceremony in addition to hearing the revised winter operations plan from DPW Director Travis Brown.
To see videos of Select Board meetings, follow this link.
Planning Board
Over the course of the last two months the Planning Board has been working on research and/or updates to the following:
- The town’s Master Plan
- The Fee Schedule associated with Planning Board Applications
- The Scenic Roads and Shade Tree Bylaws
- The current state of town Gravel Pits
- Noise Levels as they pertain to local mandates and complaints
- Economic Development Planning
For further details, please read the Planning Board Minutes.
The Lions Haunted Hayride was great! Lots of people came out that weekend and enjoyed a scary night filled with zombie, killer clowns and creepy dolls.
The Annual Halloween Hoedown sponsored by The Ruptured Duck was another big success! Lots of little goblins and ghost trick or treating. Special thanks to the Hubbardston Police Department for their efforts.
Lots of kids came to march in the Halloween Horrible parade. They all enjoyed snack and a magic show after the parade.
The Harvest Breakfast for the Hubbardston Scholarship committee was yummy! Glad that so many came out to support them.
Next Month
Brunch with Santa will be held December 8th from 10-Noon at the Hubbardston Center School cafeteria.
The Hubbardston Light Fight will run over two weekends! It runs December 7-9 and 14-16. The hours for both weekends is 5-8pm. Participants will follow the map to see all the houses that entered and vote for their favorites!
This has been a busy couple of months for the Council on Aging.
We recently reinvested time and energy into our SHINE program. This health insurance counseling offers two educational meetings per month and private appointments every Friday with Glen Gregory, our new and dedicated counselor.
Our singers are continuing to prepare for their Christmas Concerts to include completing a performance at the Holden Nursing Home on November 27th.
We are still renovating our Senior Center with Monty Tech students helping to construct a new sign for the Senior Center
Some special events in November included the Veterans Breakfast on November 10th, our flu shot clinic for seniors and town employees, assisting with the Nativity Scene by the church on the corner of Williamsville road and Route 68 and decorating the Senior Center for the holidays the day after Thanksgiving.
Regularly scheduled monthly events included providing eggs and produce, cards, bingo, walking club, Meals on Wheels meals, singing and bowling!
To see our monthly newsletter, please click here.
October and November brought both unseasonably cold and wet weather to Hubbardston but there have still been hardy souls out on our local trails and to our conservation areas. The trails have been kept clear so that hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders have been enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery they have to offer. Now that the leaves have fallen, a whole different view has been exposed. For those interested in exploring the Mt. Jefferson and Malone Conservation Areas, trail maps can be found in the mailboxes placed at the entrance to their trails.
At their annual walk of the Mt. Jefferson Conservation Area earlier this year, representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) expressed concern over degradation of existing trails by off-road vehicles. Most people are probably unaware that as part of the agreement to make Mt. Jefferson a multi-use recreation area, some conservation restrictions were required – one of which is the prohibition of operation of these vehicles in the area. To assist in informing visitors to Mt. Jefferson, the DCR has provided signage that we have begun posting at trailheads and access-ways to the area to emphasize this restriction.
Work with the North Quabbin Trail Association has continued towards creating trails at the Malone Conservation Area that can be accessible to people with disabilities that might otherwise prevent them from enjoying the area. During the past month, potential routes that had previously been identified have been made accessible to the GRIT Freedom Chair (http://www.gogrit.us), a self-propelled, allterrain wheelchair, designed by MIT students. It allows people with physical disabilities to negotiate rough trail terrain, giving them access to outdoor areas that have previously been impossible for them. VA Certification of the trails at Malone for use with the Freedom Chair is pending.
In no time at all, there’ll be sufficient snow on the trails and fields for cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. Committee member, Mark Kresge, will hopefully be grooming areas of the fields and some of the trails for their enjoyment of our New England winter.
October
On October 15th, 2018 the Board of Assessors approved of 2 chapter 61 liens; Hubbardston Rod & Gun Club and to Martin & Carol Ellowits.
The Assessors approved of 10 Motor Vehicle Abatements for the month of October totaling $1,225.10
November
On November 5th, 2018 The Board of Assessors reviewed the LA4 and LA13 and held a discussion regarding the proposed FY19 total valuation for the town and the estimated new growth. The Assessor’s also approved the LA3 and signed the documentation.
The Assessors granted 50 Statutory Exemptions that totaled $25,555.00 for the 2019 Actual Bills and Approved the FY19 Senior Work-Off abatements; granting $8,375.68 for 10 recipients.
The Assessors approved of 8 Motor Vehicle Abatements for the month of November totaling $891.88
The Board of Health would like to remind everyone that all permit applications will be mailed in December for renewal for 2019. We wish everyone a safe and happy holidays.
Be sure to make sure your smoke and carbon dioxide detectors have new batteries, and remember to turn off indoor tree lights when you are not home to prevent a fire hazard!
The town's conservation commission held two Notice of Intent (NOI) Public Hearings and conducted two site inspections. The Department of Environmental Protection also came to Hubbardston to provide training to the commission's clerk on NOIs, Certificates of Compliance and Requests for Determination.
Next month the commission will oversee the writing of procedures for processing NOIs, Certificates of Compliance and Requests for Determination.
The Finance Committee met in October and was treated to good news by our Town Administrator - a volunteer had stepped forth to fill one of the vacancies on the Committee. David Conaghan's appointment was confirmed by the Selectboard and he will be joining the Committee as its newest member at its December meeting.
At the October meeting the Committee discussed, among other things, a proposal to prepare the Town’s annual budget within the context of goals set by the Selectboard with input from the Committee using comparable towns as “benchmarks”. The Committee also reviewed draft financial policies submitted by the Town Administrator and approved them for forwarding to the Selectboard for review and approval.
The holidays are not far away now, and once they are behind us budget season will be upon us. The Finance Committee will meet again in early December to take up these and other budget planning matters so that we are on track in the new calendar year.
The Hubbardston Cultural Council held meetings on Oct 2nd and November 5th, 2018. We have received and begun to review the grant applications for FY 2019. We have a listed budget of $4,800 to disperse. We have received 24 applications from area individuals and groups offering cultural activities to Hubbardston residents of all ages. We shall be making our selections at an upcoming meeting on December 27th at the Senior Center.
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