WILMINGTON, MA — On Tuesday, I shared five highlights from Monday night’s Board of Selectmen Meeting. On Wednesday, I shared another five highlights from that meeting. Here are, a little late, the final five highlights from the meeting.
#1) Town Manager Jeff Hull provided the Selectmen with an overview of how the town will inform the public about the upcoming transition to automated collection of trash and recyclables starting July 1.
According to his memo, sample trash and collection containers, plus posted guidelines, were on display at each polling location during Town Election and will be on display at Town Meeting.
“Publicity about the change and how the change will impact residents will ramp up beginning with town elections and continue for the next two months,” wrote Hull. Efforts to inform the public include a postcard to be mailed to residents, presentations in several public forums, information in print media and social media along with a detailed booklet providing information about the program that will be mailed to each resident. I will be working the Chair to establish a time during an upcoming Selectmen’s meeting for a full presentation.”
#2) On behalf of the Department of Veterans’ Services and the Memorial Day and Veterans Day Committee, Veterans Agent Lou Cimaglia formally invited the Board of Selectmen to the town’s Memorial Day Parade, which starts at the Market Basket parking lot at 10am, and the Memorial Day Ceremony at Wildwood Cemetery, which begins immediately following the Parade.
#3) Town Manager Jeff Hull indicated he will be re-appointing Kathleen Black Reynolds and Diane Harvey to the Historical Commission to 3-year terms. He will also be re-appointing Diane Allan and Paul Melaragni to the Permanent Building Committee to 3-year terms. Hull, however, is looking to fill vacancies on the Historical Commission (an unexpired term to expire in 2017) and the Commission on Disabilities (a full 3-year term). The vacancy on the Commission on Disabilities must be filled by a handicapped resident. If interested in either position, contact the Town Manager’s Office at 978-658-3311.
#5) Town Manager Jeff Hull provided the Selectmen with a list of incumbents on various town boards, commissions and committees who they may consider reappointing to new terms at their next meeting. These incumbents include: Ed Loud (Board of Appeals); Alice Hooper (Board of Registrars); Sara Brook (Council for the Arts); Marguerite Elia (Council for the Arts); Diane Giamberardino (Council for the Arts); Linda Molloy (Council for the Arts); Paul Alunni (Fence Viewer); and John Spaulding (Fence Viewer). The Selectmen must also decide whether to reappoint John Foskett – of Deutsch, Williams, Brooks, DeRensis & Holland, PC – as Town Counsel.
#5) During public comments, resident George Lingenfelter ripped into the town with various grievances, particular focusing on the town’s building permit process.
Lingenfelter referred to a package of information he provided to the Selectmen at its last meeting, alleging that: a neighbor was issued a building permit for a change in a structure; the neighbor wound up building an entirely new structure; the town’s building inspector took months to respond to Lingenfelter’s complaints; and then the inspector ultimately granted the neighbor a building permit for the new structure. Lingenfelter said a state review board had ruled in his favor on the matter.
“How you might want to clean up that process?,” asked Lingenfetler. “Am I whistling in the wind or will I see everyone in court in a few months?”
“If there’s an issue that Mr. Lingenfelter feels aggrieved about, if he needs to take certain actions, we will respond accordingly. This has been a longstanding issue and I don’t have any particular response,” said Town Manager Jeff Hull.
Hull later added, “It appears that anything the town does, Mr. Lingenfelter does not think is right… He thinks we don’t know what we’re doing and everything we’re doing is wrong. I’m not going to debate the legal issues.”
NEXT MEETING: The Selectmen next meet on Monday, May 11 at 7pm at Town Hall (Room 9).
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Watch the meeting, in its entirety, courtesy of Wilmington Community Television:
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