Selectmen Selections
September 2021-Edition 38
Introduction
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information
Town Hall has reopened to the public, without the need for an appointment.
An advisory from the MA Department of Public Health (MDPH) has been issued for non-vaccinated and fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.
Shrewsbury, Worcester County is now categorized as “high” level of community transmission. Therefore, all employees and visitors in all municipal buildings are required to wear a face mask.*
*Exemptions from the Mask Requirement: Those with medical and other eligible conditions.
Email: Health@worcesterma.gov
Website: shrewsburyma.gov/coronavirus
Phone: 508-799-1019
Departmental Update #1: Shrewsbury Police Department
Chief Anderson gave an update on the new police station construction. They are three weeks into construction and the project is on budget and on time. He also summarized the hiring process that they go through to hire new officers. In 2021, they had 10 vacant positions. He explained some of the different challenges they face due to Covid-19 and other complexities of the hiring process. Chief Anderson explained how the department is constantly looking for and applying for grant opportunities to help improve services in Town for the residents of Shrewsbury, including a grant for a co-response mental health clinician and jail diversion program.
Chief Anderson summarized the various trainings that he requires for officers in the Town of Shrewsbury. These trainings range from de-escalation trainings, how to respond to mental health emergencies, and -Law Enforcement Officer Mental Wellness, Critical Incident Stress Management and Suicide Prevention. Other trainings that the department takes place in are the Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training, provided by Georgetown University, which two Sergeants participate in and then they are able to train officers in the department afterwards. ABLE training focuses on training officers to intervene when they
witness other officers or individuals acting inappropriately, including types of incidents such as using excessive force.
Chief Anderson also shared that the police department is actively updating all of the policies for the agency through the Lexipol Policies and Procedures partnership. Lexipol actively reviews legal updates, and updates their policies at least two times per year or more, if necessary (if laws are enacted or change quickly). The department has also updated their scheduling software.
Finally Chief Anderson gave an update on the department's efforts surrounding Lake Patrol in the Town of Shrewsbury. From Memorial Day to Labor Day in 2020, the police department had 419 Lake Incidents. From Memorial Day to Labor Day in 2021, the police department logged 749 Incidents, which marks a 78% increase. The Shrewsbury Police Department was part of a Lake Patrol Task Force. The Task Force is composed of law enforcement and vessels from
Shrewsbury and Worcester along with the Massachusetts Environmental Police, and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Chief Anderson's presentation can be accessed HERE.
Fiscal Year 2022 Board of Selectmen Goals
The goals were approved by the Board and they can be found HERE.
Fiscal Year 2022 Town Manager Goals
The goals were approved by the Board and they can be found HERE.
Preliminary Year End Closeout: Fiscal Year 2021
FY21 Unexpected Budget Appropriations (turnbacks). The Budget was $125,200,201; Turnbacks $1,943,146.14, and the per cent expended: 98.45%.The Town saw less real estate collections this Fiscal Year. Mr. Mizikar gave a summary of the local receipts and the prior 4 year actuals. He then provided a fiscal year 2021 receipts analysis. Mr. Mizikar noted that this was the highest year on record with license and permits category.
Ms. Casavant noted that the budget has always been a moving target, but that Mr. Mizikar has been really good about being conservative on estimates to help the Board make good on their promises with the override and to help reduce the burden on tax payers in any way that they can.
Special Town Meeting Warrant
Traffic in Shrewsbury
They noted that traffic concerns continue to be one of the most common complaints made by residents. The presenters described a three prong approach that they use to address traffic concerns; Education, Enforcement, and Engineering. Education would be utilizing social media posts or visual radar signs on roads. Enforcement would be having officers monitoring the roads, but is challenging without dedicated traffic division as enforcement needs to be both continuous and consistent to be effective. Engineering would be traffic calming which consists of things like narrowing roads and installing speed bumps/platforms.
The current plan to address traffic for the Police Department is to forward the traffic complaint to the Operations Division Commander for investigation and follow-up, purchasing 3 additional radar signs to make residents aware of the speed limit, conduct specific traffic enforcement during the 5 periods throughout the year through the Municipal Road Safety Grant, and having officers conduct radar during their tour of duty when staffing allows.
Mr. Howland explained when DPW receives a complaint from the Board about speeding on a road they perform a preliminary traffic study. The preliminary traffic study allows them to see the trends of the traffic.
Chief Anderson proposed for the future, the best solution to address traffic concerns would be accomplished with a dedicated traffic unit in partnership with the town engineer, town planner, and representative from public works or a combination of Local Traffic Advisory Committee and Traffic Enforcement Unit. The Goal of the committee would be to identify project areas, identify speed and cut through problems, etc.
The presentation can be viewed HERE.
Green Communities Competitive Grant Program
- Building Operator Certificate Level 1 Training - This course teaches building managers how to operate buildings more efficiently with the main focus on HVAC and lighting systems
- Replacement of the weather-stripping on exterior doors at Shrewsbury High School. The project has a proposed annual savings of 2,949 natural gas therms, which equals $2,537.00.
- Installation of new interior LED fixtures and exterior LED retrofit kits throughout the first floor of the Town Hall. The expected annual electric reduction is 66,499 kWh which equates to $10,640.00.
- Installation of new interior LED fixtures and exterior LED retrofit kits throughout the Shrewsbury Senior Center. The expected annual electric reduction is 31,813 kWh which equates to $5,840.00.
- SELCO is to install and maintain two dual-port publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations at the Shrewsbury Public High School, in order to support the adoption of electric vehicles in the Town of Shrewsbury. This stations will contribute to the state’s goal of reducing emissions to reach net-zero by 2050 and the community’s Energy Reduction Plan.
- The Town of Shrewsbury Police Department is replacing two aging vehicles with new Hybrid Ford Explorer utilities. The expected fuel savings for the first vehicle replacement is approximately $530 annually as the 2007 vehicle has an average of 18 mpg and the replacement vehicle has an average of 25 mpg. The expected fuel savings for the second vehicle replacement is approximately $1,364 annually as the 2016 vehicle has an average of 19 mpg and the replacement vehicle has an average of 25 mpg.
Board of Selectmen Meeting
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2021, 07:00 PM
Richard D. Carney Municipal Office Building (Town Hall), Maple Avenue, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
Special Town Meeting
Monday, Oct 18, 2021, 07:00 PM
Oak Middle School, Oak Street, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
Board of Selectmen Meeting
Tuesday, Oct 26, 2021, 07:00 PM
100 Maple Avenue, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
About Us
Email: selectmen@shrewsburyma.gov
Website: https://shrewsburyma.gov/535/Board-of-Selectmen
Location: 100 Maple Ave, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
Phone: 508-841-8504
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShrewsburyMassachusetts
Twitter: @ShrewsburyMAGov