Wayland Select Board ratifies police contract, advances Loker windows project
WAYLAND -- February 9, 2016, Wayland Select Board ratifies police contract and clears the runway for the Loker windows project. The board unanimously approved a successor agreement with NEPBA Local 176 covering July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2017, which HR director John Senchyshyn said puts every town union back on a single bargaining cycle. Members also ranked Design Technique of Newburyport first among owner's-project-manager finalists for the library project, with a $40,000 not-to-exceed contract, and authorized a Statement of Interest to the MSBA for window and door replacement at Loker Elementary, a $1.9 million capital project with $160,000 in planning funds to be sought next year. The board voted 3-0 to back the Historical Commission's revised demolition delay bylaw, which raises the protected-home threshold from 50 to 100 years and now covers roughly 169 properties, but declined to support a Board of Public Works temporary-signs bylaw, saying it was not ready and needed to be coordinated with parallel sign policies.
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WAYLAND -- The Select Board on Tuesday ratified a three-year successor contract with the police union, approved the ranking of finalists for the library project's owner's project manager and authorized a state filing to pursue funding for window and door replacement at Loker Elementary School.
Acting after a brief executive session, the board unanimously approved a memorandum of agreement with the New England Police Benevolent Association, Local 176, dated Dec. 21, 2015, covering July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2017. Human resources director John Senchyshyn told the board the agreement was the last of the town's union contracts to be brought current, putting all town bargaining units back on the same cycle through June 30, 2017.
The board also approved the recommendation of the library owner's project manager selection committee, ranking Design Technique of Newburyport first, Project Planning Professionals of Norwood second and Pinck and Company of Boston third. Town Administrator Nan Ballmer said the contract carries a not-to-exceed price of $40,000, within funds previously authorized at town meeting. The Permanent Municipal Building Committee concurred with the rankings.
In a third action, the board authorized the school superintendent to submit a Statement of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority for replacement of windows and doors at Loker Elementary School under the Accelerated Repair Program. The full project carries a $1.9 million capital estimate, with $160,000 in planning funding to be sought next year. The board amended the motion to date the vote Feb. 9, within the MSBA window.
Much of the three-hour meeting was spent positioning warrant articles for the April annual town meeting, which now stands at 47 articles. The board voted 3-0 to support Article W, the Historical Commission's demolition delay bylaw, after commission member Lisa briefed the board on revisions intended to address objections that defeated earlier versions, including raising the affected-home threshold from 50 to 100 years and lengthening the commission's response window from 15 days to 21 days. The Historical Society's list of qualifying homes runs to roughly 169 properties. Planning Board member Ira said his board was supportive: "Unfortunately, Wayland is just losing some of its historic buildings."
The board also voted to support four Board of Public Works articles brought by member Chris: transferring a half-acre of Lakeview Cemetery from Recreation back to Public Works (Article AA); a $300,000 traffic signal replacement at Five Paths (Article BB); a $300,000 reconfiguration of the East Plain Street/School Street/Route 30 intersection (Article CC); and formal acceptance of the modified Route 30/Route 27 layout (Article DD). The board declined to support Article EE, a temporary-signs-in-the-right-of-way bylaw, asking that it be coordinated with parallel sign-policy work underway with the Planning Board and Select Board. "I think we owe it to the residents and those who come to town meeting to bring something that comes from good government working together," the chair said.
On the OPEB trust article (Article R), the board agreed to ask town counsel whether language drafted by former OPEB Committee members Cliff and Jay Sherry, modeled on the town's existing special act with added trust, governance and reporting provisions, falls within the scope of the printed article. If not, the article will be pulled.
The board next meets Feb. 22 to take additional positions on warrant articles and revisit the question of whether to schedule a fall special town meeting to absorb articles that cannot be reached in the four nights scheduled before April vacation.