SHERWOOD FOREST ROAD MAINTENANCE DISTRICT

Prudential Committee Meeting

July 23, 2005 Minutes

Committee Members Present: Bill Brownhill, Vice-Chairman; David Bonney, Robert Ronzio, Michael McEnerney

Staff Present: Chuck Andrews, Road Superintendent; Maryellen Lake, Clerk/Treasurer

Public: See Sign-in Sheet

The meeting was called to order at 10:30 a.m.

Reading of the Minutes: Minutes of the previous meeting were distributed. One correction was made - to add Gilles Beaudoin’s name to Bob’s motion to hire him to do the mowing. Bob moved to accept the minutes as corrected; David seconded; motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s Report was read. Bob moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report, David seconded, motion passed.

Reading of the Warrant: Warrant #1 was read in the amount of $5,646.87. David moved to accept the Warrant and pay the bills, Bob seconded, motion passed

Communications:

Bob moved to accept the letter to be sent to the current attorney, with one deletion. After some discussion regarding the advisability of discharging the current attorney before formally hiring another, Bob withdrew his motion. There was a brief discussion of the four listings of property received from Ann Spadafora; from the Internet information on grants; letter to Moulton; quote on culvert costs from Ribco; letter to Richard Furlong re street signs. Regarding the quote received for cost of culverts, Chuck noted that they can be purchased under the County program at a savings of $3.65 per foot. Cost would be approximately $4,400.00.Wants to order 20 lengths of 18 inch and 10 lengths of 15 inch. He will check on the cost of connectors. Bob moved to give Chuck approval to purchase of the culverts; David seconded; motion passed.

Road Superintendent’s Report: Regarding the Special Project, he will have the copy for the legal and all specifications on Monday or Tuesday to be sent out for bids. If a new attorney is appointed today, we can get out the re-bid. In the meantime, there are still some short side streets to be done, as well as more work to be done on Excalibur Drive. Some emergency work was also done on Little Robin Road. There has been some difficulty because last year many roads were not graded. Chuck noted that Benton Egee had submitted a bill directly to Maryellen, rather than to him as he had requested. Chuck needs to check all bills and approve them before they are submitted to the District. David moved to accept the Road Superintendent’s Report; Bob seconded; motion passed.

OLD BUSINESS

Workshop with Attorney: Bob noted that the workshop went extremely well. He was very impressed with Mr. Aaronson’s knowledge regarding all plans involved, he has worked with the town, etc. We should hire him. Bill agreed. David objected to the attorney’s opinion on one vote for each piece of property - one vote per lot. There was a lengthy discussion of this issue, as well as the many other issues involved in changing the By-Laws, the differences between Becket Woods and the Forest. The attorney has noted that this change would be well over a year in the making. Bob moved to send a letter to Attorney Harris Aaronoson informing him that he is now in the employ of the Sherwood Forest Road Maintenance District; David seconded; motion passed unanimously.

Mowing: Gilles Beaudoin reported that about one-third of Lancelot District is done - cutting back on roadsides and corners. The problem on Mystic Isle was also taken care of. Bill noted that another person is interested in doing part of it, too. He asked if Gil could handle the whole job. There is a lot more to do - cutting of trees, grinding of cuttings, etc. Chuck noted that the additional work has to be a separate item under General Roads for roadside cutting and trimming. Gil stated that he would be able to do the additional work, depending on how long it would take. Chuck answered that roadside work, as opposed to the immediate problem with intersections, usually takes about two weeks - 70-80 hours. There was a lengthy discussion, including an explanation of the cutting usually done by the power company. Dennis LaChapelle is the other interested party. He will be asked to come to the next meeting and to supply a letter of interest. Gil will supply a copy of his workmen’s compensation insurance for the District records.

Audit: Maryellen reported that she and Bill had met with Mr. Paul Tsatsos of Southwick. He is an accountant who specializes in State and IRS taxes, but who is also a member of Southwick’s Finance Committee. He has quoted a price of $3,000.00 per year for an audit. Bob moved to hire Mr. Tsatsos and get the books to him in Southwick with the understanding that the cost will not exceed $3,000.00 per year for fiscal years 2003 and 2004. David seconded; motion passed.

By-Laws: The attorney will send a copy of his notes.

Computer: The needs of the Treasurer were discussed. Maryellen mentioned Microsoft Word and Excel. Mike suggested she check with the accountant and ask him what system would best for accounting.

Special Project: Chuck will have the proposal Monday or Tuesday.

Office Relocation: There was much discussion of the use of a camping trailer on a temporary basis. Chuck reminded the Committee about the five acres available. Other alternatives were discussed, such as purchasing an existing structure, purchasing other land and building, to be done through a short-term/long-term loan or grants, etc. Chuck pointed out that room on the property would be needed for sand and salt storage. No decision was made at this time.

NEW BUSINESS

DSL Service: Bob said that other people have looked into other systems - wireless. Mike Falk will give him more information on that. Maryellen announced that, according to Verizon, there is too much copper in the wiring here. They plan on upgrading, but don’t know when. Mike suggested that people who are investigating a wireless system in Egremont have expressed a willingness to come to Becket and outline the system for our information. Bob’s feeling is that other than that, there is not much chance that we will be able to get satellite DSL service. Verizon is working on a system that will come through the phone lines which might be available in the future.

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION

Discussion with Al Barvenik regarding that Paw Lane not be graded due to Fran’s problem with walking on soft soil. Chuck noted that the Prudential Committee had ordered all roads to be graded and there was no choice but to follow the directions given by the Committee. He recommended that dense grade be put down to improve the surface, which will make it firmer. Bob moved to dense-grade Paw Lane; David seconded; motion passed.

There being no further business to come before the meeting, Bob moved to adjourn; David seconded; motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 12:12 p.m.

TRUE COPY

Maryellen Lake Clerk/Treasurer