Select Board Meeting Recap (August 14)
If you missed Monday night's (August 14) Select Board meeting, here is a recap. The Select Board welcomed Jeremy Thompson, Medway's new Planning and Economic Development Coordinator. He shared that he recently hit his two-month milestone and has enjoyed working for the Town thus far. He is working closely with Barbara Saint Andre, Community & Economic Development Director, and others to get up to speed on all the projects in Town. Before coming to work for the Town of Medway, Jeremy worked for the 495/Metrowest Partnership for four years. The Board approved the appointment of Rita Larrabee to the Board of Assessors by a 4-1 vote, Michael Billeri to the Affordable Housing Committee by a 5-0 vote, and Peter Pelletier to the Survey Board by a 5-0 vote. The other members of the Survey Board include the Fire Chief and the Building Commissioner. By a vote of 5-0, the Board authorized to expend the following grant funds: 1. Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 State 911 Department Support and Incentive Grant. The grant was written by Hannah Furno, recently promoted to Dispatch Department Head, 2. FY2024 State 911 Department Training Grant, 3. Emergency connectivity fund grant to support digital learning and remote access to technology (Chromebook distribution), and 4. Environmental Protection Agency grant for Water Treatment Facility. The Board voted unanimously to accept an easement at 7 Sanford Street.
At the request of Medway officials, members of CME and Hecate Energy presented their concept for the newly proposed Medway Energy Battery Storage System off West and Stone Street. Phase 1 of the proposed Battery Storage System consists of a 300 MW system on 83.7 acres of land located off West Street/Stone Street in Medway, with future phases in Bellingham and Medway. The system will have an electrical tie to the West Medway substation. The developers stated that the site is a great candidate for the battery energy storage system as the location is adjacent to existing natural gas and electric utility infrastructure. The developers would enter into a host community agreement with the Town, and the system would become one of the Town's top taxpayers. The initial project (Medway location) is anticipated to be up and running by the end of 2025 if approved.
The Board also listened to a request by Paul Atwood for a conservation restriction to remain on the 15-acre estate at 116 Winthrop Street. The Hoag Trust donated the land to create open space. Mr. Atwood came forward to ask the Town to uphold these wishes. The Board stated that the conservation restriction would have to be brought before the Conservation Commission and, once approved, got in front of the board. No vote was required.
Public meeting workshop #1 for Medway Hazard Mitigation Plan. Members of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council gave a presentation on the work done on Medway's Hazard Mitigation Plan. The MAPC serves 101 municipalities, and Medway is one of them. Hazardous plans are required to be updated on a 5-year cycle. The latest project was from 2018, so it is time to correct it. The team is looking at Natural Hazards, climate change, and processes, and will be putting together a draft plan for presentation to the Select Board at its September 4 meeting.
The Board voted 5-0 to approve the Community Choice Aggregation Plan prepared by Colonial Power. This plan allows buyers of electricity (residents) to combine for lower energy bills.
The following contracts were approved:
- New England School Services for Senior Center Exterior Doors - (5-0 vote).
- TEC, Inc. for Bridge Asset Management Services - 8 bridges (5-0 vote).
- Woodard and Curran, Inc. for On-Call Engineering Services (5-0 vote).
- Denis L. Maher for the Oakland Street Well Replacement (5-0 vote).
- Change Order #3 for Water Treatment Facility Additional Electrical Services (5-0 vote).
- Open Town Meeting Warrant (5-0 vote).
The next meeting of the Select Board is September 5 at 7:00 pm in Sanford Hall.