Meeting Notes: Selectmen Focus Discussion on Medfield State Hospital Site

Medfield Town Administrator Michael Sullivan told the Board of Selectmen he wasn't sure a lot was accomplished at the Aug. 5 meeting with the Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAM) on the environmental issues at the site.

"I was appreciative of [DCAM] allowing me to meet with them," Sullivan said. "I'm not sure a lot was accomplished [at the meeting]. One of the things [DCAM] did indicate was the cap for the oil in the [Charles] River was temporary and they would definitely be required to remove that and [find] a permanent solution."

Sullivan said the other thing to come out of the Aug. 5 meeting was discussion on the delay in the process because the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was requiring DCAM to issue a review of the alternatives as part of its Phase III report for permanently removing the oil from the Charles River before it could proceed with the cleanup. 

"I would say there really wasn't a lot accomplished at the meeting," Sullivan said. "Other than the main thing I can say is that [we knew] we were going to have this meeting Friday [Aug. 19] with DEP in Worcester and that [DCAM] would definitely be removing oil from the river." 

Sullivan and several members from Medfield's State Hospital Environmental Review Committee (SHERC) are meeting Friday, Aug. 19 in Worcester to discuss the immediate response action plan and Phase III feasibility evaluation of the C&D area with DCAM and DEP officials. 

Selectmen also reviewed discussion from the held at the Medfield Town Hall, which Frank Ricciardi, engineer at the Weston & Sampson engineering firm, reported the hospital salvage yard site is now a "very nice, natural meadow" after seeding. It was also reported at that meeting that 17,500 tons of asbestos was removed from the salvage yard site.

Check back at Medfield Patch Thursday and Friday for more on the environmental issues surrounding the Medfield State Hospital site and concerns that residents Bill Massaro and John Harney voiced to the Board of Selectmen about the cleanup.  

Volunteers for Swap Area at Transfer Station:

The Solid Waste Committee met last week to discuss volunteers at the swap area of the Medfield Transfer Station forming a subcommittee.

“Several of the volunteers were [at the Solid Waste Committee meeting] and they really like the idea of being a subcommittee,” said selectman Ann Thompson. “We talked about rules, regulations and guidelines and [the volunteers] were going to get together on their own and formulate guidelines and rules for their subcommittee that they are going to suggest to the Solid Waste Committee.”

Sullivan said the volunteers did not want the subcommittee to be too formal and would rather keep it informal for now.

“They’re really dedicated,” Thompson said. “It’s amazing to me how much time they’ve spent down there and they seem to enjoy it.”

Peterson said the volunteers “do an excellent job and it really benefits the town.”

The selectmen do not have any formal names of volunteers willing to form a subcommittee yet but the Solid Waste Committee has a list of people to contact and see who will be interested in becoming more of a formal volunteer and ultimately form the subcommittee.

Other Town Business:

• Selectmen approved DPW Superintendent Ken Feeney’s request to vote to sign Chapter 90 documents, specifically the final report for the 2011 Cat Skid Steer in the amount of $32,771 and Feeney’s reimbursement request for the North and Green Street project of $10,556.45.

“The Cat Skid Steer was one of the items on the capital budget approved at this past Town Meeting and the North and Green Street project is part of the work in town we are using Chapter 90 funds to do the design and hopefully it we’ll be able to get that program for state funding for construction.”

This is part of the reconstruction north of Green Street running from Friary Street to the area of Pine Street.

• Selectmen approved Aug. 2 meeting minutes.
• Selectmen discussed the use of a selectmen’s calendar for the upcoming year.

“I had suggested [a calendar] sort of what Evelyn [Clarke] has prepared,” Peterson said. “What I had suggested we do is an annual calendar, where we don’t just have budget items but also have the things that we’re going to do every year.”

Peterson listed examples of what he would like to see on the calendar: “Set goals for the selectmen for the year; evaluate the town administrator; meet with the different committees in town and have them present their five year plans.”

Peterson suggested the selectmen take the calendar presented to them as a “beginning” and that it is amended to the way he mentioned above.

The goal of this calendar, in Peterson’s opinion, is to keep the selectmen organized and on task but to also to keep residents informed of what’s happening in town government.

“I think people in town will really appreciate this document once we get it more formalized so they can see what the selectmen’s schedule for the year looks like,” Peterson said.

• Sullivan had a phone conversation with Needham’s town administrator Tuesday morning regarding election procedures for the elected municipal seats on the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).

"[There was] communication two months ago that [MPO] was expanding the size of the board and there had been some concern about the suburbs not getting fair representation," Sullivan said. "[Needham’s town administrator] had said at one point they thought about running the chairman of the selectmen in Needham for the regional seat but there is a gentleman from Norwood who has been very good about attending all the meetings and is very knowledgeable about transportation issues so they are going to defer to him in terms of running for the regional seat. They are still considering asking the chairman of the selectmen to run for one of the seats. To do that they need nominations from five towns in the seat’s district."

Sullivan said Needham still hasn't decided on whether it will nominate its selectmen chair or not.

"[Needham town administrator] will let me know if they do go ahead with nominating [the chairman]," Sullivan said.