INTEROFFICE MEM ORANDUM

TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: CC:

BOARD OF SELECTMEN PETER L. FOHLIN, TOWN MANAGER TOWN MANAGER'S REPORT 2011-13 JULY 25, 2011 http://www.williamstown.net JULY 25, 2011 DEPARTMENT HEADS

Mass. DOT immediately acknowledged receipt of the Selectmens letter concerning the Route 2 truck ramp. A formal response has not been received and the requested on-site meeting has not been scheduled yet. MassDOT has already surveyed the area and begun trimming and removing trees obstructing visibility to the ramp.
PUBLIC WORKS

The Highway Department is shimming town roads in preparation for chip sealing. Blacktop shimming has been completed on lower Petersburg Road, Buxton Hill, Hawthorn Court, Belden Street, Knolls Road, Observatory Lane, Cluett Drive, Hopper Road, and Sloan Road. Catch basins have been rebuilt recently in Eastlawn Cemetery, Henderson Road, Cummings Avenue, Moorland Street, Scott Hill Road, Elliot Drive, and Park Street. DPW has also been picking up trees felled by order of Tree Warden Robert McCarthy on Stratton Road, Mill Street, Sloan Road, Oblong Road, and Gale Road.
FINANCE DEPARTMENT

Joseph Barbieri from Mass. DOR completed his on-site visit Thursday, July 14, on schedule as part of the triennial revaluation process. Additional information on secondary site and apartment land residuals has been requested and provided. Williamstowns FY12 state aid in the final budget passed by the legislature on July 1 is almost exactly the same as the Governors January proposal upon which we based our May ATM budget at $1,979,291 net. The amount however is $45,339 less than last year and is less than any year in the last 12.
MILNE LIBRARY

The Childrens Reading Program has been the most popular by far in years with 163 readers signed up and all programs very well attended. The Teen programs have all been filled and reading logs are showing heavy reading. Between June 15 and July 15 just under 7,000 people came through the front door. The usual average is 3,200.

COUNCIL ON AGING

Marion Quinn-Jowett, the new COA outreach worker is fitting in quite well at the Harper Center. A veteran human services worker, Marion knows the key players in the elder care network and her experience allows her to troubleshoot client issues with relative ease. She has spent her first week meeting town elders and visiting other agencies as a formal ambassador from the COA. Incidentally, everyone enjoyed Meghan Foleys recent article in the Transcript that made her introduction process go a lot faster! Staff at the Williamstown COA contacted local housing complexes including Meadowvale, Proprietors Fields, The Spruces, and Sweetwood as well as individuals in the community to remind everyone of precautions to take during the heat wave, and to assess the availability of a/c in each complex. Each housing center has air conditioned space available. Additional information on cooling centers in town as well as printed material with helpful hints to avoid heat related episodes were made available to interested individuals. COA van operator Kathy Vareschi will be away from the office on sick leave beginning August 2. David Larabee and Alan Horbal will be substituting for her during her absence. During this period, the COA will operate full day transportation on M, Tu, Th and Friday. The vehicle will be idle on Wednesday until Vareschis return later in the fall. Individuals who utilize the van should plan accordingly. Agencies served by the van on Wednesday have been notified of the disruption in service. The shut-in grocery program normally operated by the COA van will be handled internally by the COA director and other staff/volunteers.
PUBLIC SAFETY

There were six (6) crashes recorded during this reporting period: two (2) multi-vehicle roadway collisions, one with minor injuries; one (1) single vehicle causing property damage; one (1) motorcycle causing property damage; one (1) vehicle/deer collision; one (1) parking lot collision. A total of eighty-seven (87) vehicle stops were conducted during the reporting period, with eighty-five (85) citations issued recording ninety-nine (99) violations. Seventy-nine (79) parking violations were issued this reporting period. Since the last reporting period, five (5) criminal charges were taken against three (3) individuals for the following: 07/14/11 07/15/11 Operate MV with Registration Suspended; Uninsured MV; Operate MV with License Suspended; Unregistered Snow/Rec Vehicle; Unsafe Operation of Snow/Rec Vehicle; Protective Custody

In addition to the above arrests, the following were held in cells overnight: 07/12/11 Seven hundred sixty (760) calls for service were received at the Dispatch Center from Thursday, July 7, to Wednesday, July 20: Police 701 Ambulance 52 Fire 7