by Matt Ristaino
8/7/2018

Mike Tyman was recognized as an “extraordinary community leader” by the Board of Selectmen at its meeting on Monday evening.

Tyman has been a resident of Holliston for over 25 years. He is the scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 73, an active member of the Holliston Lions Club, and has volunteered on numerous projects throughout town.

“Mike touches the lives of many of the citizens of Holliston,” said selectman Mark Ahronian. “He is an extraordinary example of the community spirit of Holliston.”

“You’d be hard pressed to find yourself at an event in town where Mike is not,” added chairman Jay Marsden.

The Board also approved the committee charge for the brand new Pinecrest clubhouse committee. The committee will be responsible for presenting both a short term and long term plan for improvements and possible expansion to the clubhouse.

The new committee will be made up of five people: two with a background in construction management, one with an event planning background, one with a financial background, and one who is a member of the Pinecrest golf course committee, to serve as a liaison between the two committees.

Town administrator Jeff Ritter gave the Board updates on various ongoing projects and issues in town. Ritter said that the town has received strong interest in the soon-to-be open position of building inspector, and the field has been narrowed down to four candidates, who will be interviewed on Wednesday.

The library roof is now complete, and was finished on-time and on-budget, according to Ritter. He and Marsden will take a walkthrough of the downtown lights project on Wednesday with McMahon Associates to see what can be done to address any remaining concerns.

Ritter also said that the town bylaws regarding town personnel need to be looked at and updated. Selectman John Cronin said that he wants to do a thorough review of the salary structure of all town personnel to go along with the updated bylaws. The Board agreed that the bylaws will be dealt with first, as a starting point for a full review of the town’s salary structure in the future.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Lesley Kennally told the Board about how the runoff of silt from the empty Andrews School lot is becoming a problem in Mudville. She said that the barriers around the lot are inadequate for preventing runoff into the surrounding lawns and streets. Ahronian agreed with Kennally, and Ritter said that he would reach out to the contractor in charge of the lot on Tuesday.

Ahronian gave a special thank you to the department of public works for their continued hard work, especially during the recent heat wave. Marsden gave a shout-out to the 75 high schoolers who went on the St. Mary’s mission trip to Rockport, Texas last week (of which Marsden was a part). The mission trip was focused on Hurricane Harvey relief, and Marsden said everyone on the trip was tremendous and represented the town very well.

In other business, the Board made various appointments to the youth advisory committee, historic commission, golf course advisory committee, and youth and family services. The Board also approved the event permit for the Celebrate Holliston parade, which will take place September 22nd, and opened the Special Town Meeting warrant.