$5 Million for Sutton Brook Cleanup Funds, Zoning Bylaw Changes, a Land Transfer and More

Photo Courtesy The United States Environmental Protection Agency, New England

Special Town Meeting Tuesday night will vote on 19 articles, including one to allow the town to borrow $5 million to cover the cost of construction and engineering for the closure and remediation of the Sutton Brook Landfill, which the town is required to authorize as part of an agreement signed in 2009.

Additionally, Town Meeting will decide whether or not to approve amending the Town Charter to remove the requirement that the town manager must live within a 10 mile radius of the town.

Special Town Meeting is set for Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. at Tewksbury Memorial High School.

There are 19 articles on the Special Town Meeting warrant.

Here’s a quick look at all warrant articles:

• Article 1: This article raises and appropriates $1,137,871 to FY2016 Budgets. The additional funds are available since State and Local revenue will be higher than projected.

• Article 2: To raise and appropriate $117,000 for a new labor agreement with the International Association of Firefighters AFL-CIO, Tewksbury Firefighters Local 1647 and implement the labor agreement and distribute funds in Fiscal Year 2016.

• Article 3: To raise and appropriate the sum $30,214.54 to Fiscal Year 2015 budgets in order to pay for the following outstanding bills from the previous year.

• Article 4: Allow the Town to utilize funds from both Water and Sewer Retained Earnings that were considered available as of July 1, 2015, to purchase a Utility Truck w/crane and box for use by the Water and Sewer Divisions for pump station maintenance. The cost of the vehicle is $130,000.

• Article 5: To see if the town will vote to transfer from the certified General Fund Free Cash a sum of $220,000 to be expended by the Town Manager to fund Hazardous Material Removal and Demolition Former Police Station ($100,000) (a previous warrant article appropriated $50,000 for the work, but based on projected costs more funding is needed), and Backhoe with Attachments and Accessories ($120,000)

• Article 6: To see if the Town will vote to transfer from the certified General Fund Free Cash the sum of $207,500 for School Department Capital Expenditures including: Pickup Truck with Plow ($49,000), Water Boilers for the Wynn and Ryan Schools ($70,000), Pipe work at Dewing ($15,000), Water tank for back of truck ($3,500), Wynn Presentation Systems in the classroom ($20,000), Center School Feasibility and Conditions Study ($50,000).

• Article 7: To see if the town will vote to re-allocate $41,815.85 or any amount remaining from the original appropriation of $90,000.00 as approved at the October 7, 2014 Special Town Meeting for Article 6 concerning Cafeteria Tables for four Elementary Schools. This re-allocation of funds shall be for the purpose of purchasing furniture for all Schools.

• Article 8: This article allows the town to utilize funds considered surplus from Assessors Overlay Reserve to fund a Senior Tax Relief Program/Veterans Tax Relief Program that allows eligible Senior Citizens /Veterans of the Town to work for Town and School offices and receive a reduction in their property tax bill.

• Article 9: To see if the own will vote to transfer from the certified General Fund Free Cash the sum of $350,000 to the Other Post Employment Benefit (OPEB) Account. Funds will be transferred from Free Cash certified as of July 1, 2015 into the Other Post Employment Benefit Account to fund the Town’s outstanding unfunded liability of $166 million for Retiree Health Insurance

• Article 10: To see if the town will vote transfer the sum of $1,637,157 from certified General Fund Free Cash to the Town Stabilization Fund. This article seeks approval to be set aside these funds in the Stabilization Fund and used for future emergencies or one time purchases or projects.

• Article 11: To see if the town will vote to appropriate and transfer the sum of $202,125 from the Tewksbury Community Preservation Fund to Rehabilitate Strong Field at Tewksbury Memorial High School, 320 Pleasant Street. Funding the rehabilitation of Strong Field (the High School baseball field) would include replacing the fencing and back stop, improving the infield clay, grass and pitching mound, replacing the bleachers with ADA accessible seating and modifying the outfield for use by other sports programs, such as field hockey and lacrosse. The current condition of the site is unsafe and prohibits full use of the facility due to its condition. The proposed fencing will be the black vinyl-coated type similar to those in the other areas of the High School Complex

• Article 12: To see if the town will vote to appropriate and transfer the sum of $200,000 from the Tewksbury Community Preservation Fund to Rehabilitate Livingston Street Recreation Area Fences. To fund this Rehabilitation of a Recreation Use, $100,000 shall be transferred from the Tewksbury Community Preservation Open Space Reserve Fund and $100,000 shall be transferred from the Tewksbury Community Preservation Undesignated Reserve Fund. The Town Manager as the Parks Director and the CPC request approval of CPA funds to rehabilitate the Livingston Street Recreation Area by replacing fencing on the following athletic fields; Obdens, Antonelli, Memorial, Earnest, Millett and the Lacrosse Field, under the direction of the Town Manager, DPW and Town staff. These athletic fields serve several male and female town leagues and school teams. The current condition of the fences and backstops are in an unsafe condition. The proposed fencing will be the black vinyl-coated type similar to those at the existing tennis, basketball and Funway Park areas at Livingston Street.

• Article 13: This article authorizes the Town to borrow $5,000,000 for the cost of construction and engineering for the closure and remediation of the Sutton Brook Landfill. In accordance with the agreement signed in 2009 with the potentially responsible parties, which requires the town to authorize this amount.

• Article 14: To adjust the pay scale for the Outreach Worker and Activities Coordinator in Addendum D of the Personnel By-Law and adds a new position of Nutrition Aide.

• Article 15: The Article seeks town approval to petition the State Legislature amend the Town Charter to remove the requirement the Town Manager live within a 10 mile radius of the town.

• Article 16: This article provides for an exemption of up to $1,500,000 in value for eligible non-profit Veterans organizations.

• Article 17: Ask the town to vote to transfer a town-owned parcel of land to the Tewksbury Conservation Commission to allow for protection under Article 97 of Commonwealth Constitution. At Town Meeting in 2004, residents voted to put a conservation restriction on this parcel due to the findings of a Wildlife Habitat Study that found two vernal pools on the property

• Article 18: This article seeks town approval to vote to amend the Tewksbury Zoning Bylaw to amend the recently approved Westside Neighborhood Business District by allowing commercial and industrial uses to the larger commercial/ industrial parcels that are on the east side of Woburn Street abutting the town of Billerica and immediate abutters to those parcels.

• Article 19: Will ask Town Meeting to vote to accept Crystal Circle as a public way (Town Street)

View complete details in the full Special Town Meeting Warrant here >>>