by Nancy Farrell
5/21/2015

The Board of Selectmen made the change of roles for the Board. Jay Marsden is now Chairman, Jay Leary is Vice Chairman, and Kevin Conley is now Clerk.

In the Public Comments section of the meeting, Jay Leary talked about the water main break at the corner of Dodd and Day yesterday. The break occurred at 5:30 in the evening in a section of road the Highway Department was working on. He commended the work crew and DPW Director Sean Reese and the head of the Highway Department Tom Smith for their impressive work fixing the break which was completed at 1:30am. It is, he said, referring to three recent water main breaks, a reminder of the importance of getting the brittle water pipes replaced.

Paul LeBeau thanked the DPW, the Fire Department and the Holliston In Bloom committee for all their good work sprucing the town up. And offered a thank you to all the people who came out to vote yesterday.  He also said that the Economic Development Committee is looking for members. Anyone who would like to be a member should send him a letter of interest.

Chief of Police John Moore presented Letters of Recognition for Years of Service to three members of the Department. Sergeant George Leurini was recognized for 12 years of service, excelling in street and traffic patrol, breath test operation and supervision and in all information technology matters. Officer Andy MacGray was recognized for 13 years of service, excelling in firearms instruction, firearms licensing and use of force issues. Officer Todd Hagen was recognized for 12 years of service, excelling in areas of significant importance to the administrative functioning of the department, including scheduling of personnel, as a training officer and field training officer, and as a resource in all dispatching matters.

Chief Moore presents award to Robert and Susan Bradley.

Robert and Susan Bradley

Chief Moore gave a very heartfelt presentation of the Civilian Distinguished Service Award to Susan and Robert Bradley for their courageous and compassionate actions to provide aid and comfort to a young man at the scene of a tragic motorcycle accident. When his motorcycle had crashed into a tree and burst into flames, Mr. and Mrs. Bradley, at great risk to themselves, pulled the young man from his bike and extinguished the flames engulfing his body. Awaiting emergency services, they stabilized his movements and gave comfort. Chief Moore said that it was a horrific scene that even a trained professional might find difficult. He commended the Bradleys for their courage and for their quick and decisive actions in a valiant effort to try to save the young man's life. "We are extremely proud of your actions, " he said. Truly amazing and inspiring, Robert and Susan, thank you so much!

Thivakkar Mahendran shares his plan for a "Holliston App."

Holliston High School junior Thivakkar Mahendran presented a proposal for a "Holliston App" for improving communication in the community. He displayed a software program he has been working on for several months for use on Smartphone platforms iOS and Android to dynamically gather information feeds from various sources. His main goal, he said, is community engagement.  Among the possible feeds he presented are local news and weather sources, live feeds from the Police, Fire and School Departments, and Town events from the Town of Holliston Web site. The App would allow for interaction with and among residents. The information would be delivered via RSS feed and would not require administration. Fire Department Chief Michael Cassidy endorsed Thivakkar Mahendran's project, saying that there has long been a need for better communication and that the App provided an additional way to access information. The Selectmen were impressed with the thoughtful diligence of this project, and fully endorsed moving forward with it.

Event Permits for the Briarcliff Lane Block Party, Kampersal One Pitch Tournament and the Ashland Lion's Triathlon were approved. The annual agreement with the MWRTA was approved. 

The Board of Selectmen tentatively set June 3 (and June 4, if more time is needed) as the date to interview candidates for Town Administrator and host an informal gathering for residents to meet the candidates.

In the meeting's final discussion, Vice Chairman Jay Leary expressed concern that misinformation prior to yesterday's election regarding Ballot Question 1 had caused confusion among voters. He said Question 1 regarding the plan to move forward with one of the two proposed traffic plans for modifications to the downtown area did, in fact, count. The existing traffic plans had been rejected at Town Meeting, but if Question 1 had been approved by the Town Election, a Special Town Meeting would be convened for a second vote. The Motion that had passed at Town Meeting was to form a committee to create a new plan, incorporating ideas endorsed by the Downtown Visioning Survey.  Question 1 failed to pass at yesterday's election by just 52 votes.  Jay Leary, noting that he had previously said, "I am done," [if the existing traffic plan was not approved] said that the number of votes for the plans yesterday indicated that "people do not want this to go away."  In a further issue, citing Article 3, Section 4 and Article 25, Jay Leary asserted that the appointment of members to the committee approved by Town Meeting was the responsibility of the Board of Selectmen, not that of the Planning Board. Paul LeBeau will review the final transcript of the Motions at Town Meeting and consult with Town Counsel and Town Moderator regarding this. The formation of the committee is on the agenda for Planning Board meeting tonight (5/21).