Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday,
December 08, 2010
photos/EverythingWestport.com
Quick Article Index .
. .
Four
hours, 20 articles. Score: 16 wins, no losses, 4 pass-overs.
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Four hours, 20 articles. Score: 16 wins, no losses, 4 pass-overs. EverythingWestport.com Tuesday, December 07,
2010
For
the articles' authors, however, the holiday season came early as no article
was defeated. There’s just a hint of irony that Pearl Harbor Day was selected
for the town meeting as the town’s finances are under attack by painful
reductions in state aid and local tax collections. When After Article 1, a provision to transfer $272,000 from
free cash and overlay surplus accounts to balance the town budget took over
an hour to pass, it was obvious to meeting attendees they had a long night
ahead. The
$272,000 was reduced from the original Selectmen's projections of $364,00 needed
to balance the budget, reflecting additional budget cuts. Article
1 was necessitated when lower than expected excise tax collections from the
town's new meals tax, and reduced tax revenues created a budget shortfall. 339
registered voters turned out and let their voice be heard. 17 articles passed, most unanimously, and all
were supported by the finance committee, most unanimously. All three articles
authored by the Highway Surveyor, Jack Sisson, were passed over. "It
was very unusual for a special town meeting to run that long," said Town
Clerk Marlene Samson. "I was very
surprised how long it took on some of the articles, especially when those
articles didn't face any opposition."
Click here to read the town warrant. PDF Voter attendance by
Precinct
Seen by many as being the most valuable
historic property in town, the Cadman/White/Handy house provides not only a
portal into two centuries of architectural paradigms, but also a rich
personal history of the trials and tribulations endured by Westport's
earliest residents. The town meeting vote was a wonderful victory for
historical preservationists. The Westport Board of Selectmen (4 to 1) and
the Community Preservation Committee had previously endorsed funding the
project up to the amount of $415,000. The Finance Committee was 8 - 0 in
favor. Voters, after hearing lengthy discussion of the merits of installing a
new septic system, overwhelmingly voted for article 18. Article 19 - The town will accept a gift from the
present owners of the Handy house of approximately 8 acres (map 54, lot 41A)
that abuts the town's landfill. The donation was made to thank the town for
the support of CPC funding that will enable the Westport Historical Society
to acquire the Handy house. The town already has a deeded easement for
monitoring the landfill's test wells, and the land comes with a conservation
restriction.
The article is a one-time tax override, and
will not add to the town's tax base. There was some confusion over the funding
exclusion language, but Town Counsel assured voters it would have no impact
on the legality of the article. Voters unanimously passed the $2.5 million override
for green school building capital improvement projects. "In order to receive reimbursement for
energy efficient repairs on some buildings from the Massachusetts School
Building Authority, a successful vote
on this warrant article is required, demonstrating to the MSBA Westport
voters' intention to make a financial commitment to the project," Colley
told town meeting attendees. "A Yes vote now will enter Westport
into a lottery to get reimbursed. A No vote leaves Westport out in the
cold for reimbursement," he added. Even the most conservative of groups voiced
no opposition to this article, as the state's contribution makes it a win-win
for taxpayers and the Westport school system. Article 7 - Turbulence still
surrounds proposed wind turbine installation in bucolic Central Village. There is still unease
from town residents and even from within the town's Alternative Energy Committee,
supporters of the project, about the wisdom of installing a monolithic 462'
high 1.5 megawatt tower at the site of the town's new fire station #1. Exploding
blades, flying ice, imploding towers and blade flicker were all sited as safety
concerns by some town residents. Nevertheless, many seem to agree with the There
was no shortage Tuesday night of consultants, experts, and pundits who either
sang the praises or criticized the aggressive wind- generated energy project.
Portsmouth RI's Personnel Director, David Faucher
appeared at the meeting in support of the turbine. Faucher (pictured right
with Atlantic Design Engineer's president Simon Thomas in background) spoke
of higher-than-expected returns from their turbine, while Alternative Energy Committee
member Ed Goldberg said that the committee
didn’t give proper consideration to other locations. "As a member of the Alternative Energy Committee,
I have repeatedly asked that multiple sites be reviewed and scored to
determine whether the proposed location is not only good but in fact the best,"
Goldberg said. "My requests have been denied," Goldberg
said. "The Board of Selectmen also made a similar request last spring
that was neither honored nor enforced," Goldberg added. "Equally
bewildering is that Governor Patrick while in Westport this summer expressed
support for leasing land in the Horseneck area but this offer was dismissed
in the interest of expediency as well." Goldberg also said that wind maps prepared by the
Community Wind Collaborative suggest that the area closer to the coast has
persistent wind 26 percent greater than the current proposal which could
materially increase the energy output." In one of the rarer moments of the evening the Finance
Committee wasn't unanimous with a vote of 7-0 with one abstention to support the
granting of an additional $19,137.50 for a wind/feasibility study. Town
meeting voters, putting location aside, decided to continue funding the study,
and "we will deal with location later if the study prompts it" said
David Dion, chairman of the Alternative Energy Committee.
Article
20 - Fireworks
were promised over the reimbursement to Henry's
Diesel Performance Plus for repairs to a highway vehicle involved in a snow
removal accident last year. The issue became a political football as the
state Inspector General, following up on an earlier decision made by the town
administrator, has ruled that the bill cannot legally be paid by the town
because bid laws were not followed. This decision was disputed by the highway
surveyor, who said the insurance company had paid the town the full claim equaling
the damages to the town truck, which is now back on the road and in service. At the request of Highway Surveyor, Jack
Sisson, the article was passed over, and Board of Selectmen Chairman Steve
Ouellette, who said with the help from our new state representative, Paul Schmid, they would file a "home rule petition"
to get the bill paid. This article was passed over unanimously by town
meeting.
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