The Board of Selectmen unanimously voted in favor of signing the Memorandum of Agreement between the School Committee and the board regarding the formation and structure of a new Department of Facilities. It is the culmination of over two years of work on the part of the Consolidated Facilities Committee which was tasked by the Selectmen to explore the viability of the idea.

The Department will consolidate maintenance and custodial resources from individual town departments (e.g. Schols, Police, etc.) into a single department. The reason is to accomplish two things: manage limited resources as efficiently as possible and to establish a capital plan that will evaluate and account for major building repairs and maintenance.

Selectman Shields noted that this “helps us tremendously as a town .  .  .the Superintendent [of schools] and administration have to be congratulated.” He was remarking on the Superintendents flexibility and willingness to compromise. They were the ones with “the most skin in the game.” Selectmen Sweeney added that “Charlie would be very happy.” He was referring to Charlie Winchester who spearheaded the reconstruction of Milton’s schools. He has since passed away.

Town Administrator Mearn said that a job description for the position had been drafted in anticipation of approval of the MOA and that it would be posted shortly. The hope is to have a person on board by the first of next year.

The other major topic of discussion regarded the Stoughton land. There were two meetings regarding the property. Mr. Sweeney and Mr. Mearn met with Philip Bergen of the Massachusetts Historic Commission and Ms. McEttrick met with Johanna Soris from the Public Charities Division of the Attorney General’s Office.

Mr. Sweeney reported that the Stoughton Land, also known as the Milton Poor Farm, is eligible to apply to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. He noted that being placed on the register does not prevent the Selectmen from developing the property or place any limitations on what might be done in the future. The application can take a couple of years to work its way through the system and there are some costs incurred, “up toward $5,000” said Mr. Sweeney.However, he said that local residents had done quite a bit of “homework” and that both the cost and time to achieve the designation would be reduced.

The other selectmen did not seem to share Mr. Sweeney’s enthusiasm for historic designation. Mr. Shields related his experience with the closing of the quarry and opportunity missed to have a transfer station that would have saved the town significant amounts of money. He attributed the loss to concerns of historic preservation. “I don’t trust these people,” said Shields. His concern is that any historic designation might impede or restrict what is in the best interests of the town. While achieving a place on the National Register of Historic Places may not have any limitations, grants that are applied for may. Mr. Sweeney returned to the historic designation several times during the discussion. Ms. McEttrick reported that based on her meeting with the Attorney General’s office, the merits of historic preservation were not germane to the intent of the will. Neither were arguments regarding a return to farming the property or building affordable housing. In short the message McEttrick conveyed from the AG’s office was, “You’ve got to fund the trust.” How that happens does not concern the AGs’ office. McEttrick said there were a number of questions regarding how the poor were identified, what was the size of the that population, how much 40B and section 8 housing was available in town etc. There was also a caution against identifying the use of the land as benefiting the poor. For example, if the land was farmed and benefited disadvantaged youth, then how would that benefit elderly poor? McEttrick said the recommendation was to have monies fuel a fund that is then distributed according to well established policies that account for poor independent of age or any other possibly limiting factors.

McEttrick asked that the selectmen come to the next meeting with a number of possible options for the property. They agreed that going forward that the Stoughton land would stay on their agenda. They need a plan of attack and “The onus is not on the Attorney General,” said Mr. Shields, “It’s on no one but us.”

Other business included but was not limited to:

• a discussion of the East Milton Library. The Selectmen reviewed a draft of the RFP that is about to be issued to solicit bids to prospective tenants. Bill Clark, Planning Director, indicated that there are 4 parties interested; a Montessori School,  a graphic design firm, a dentist, and a realtor from Hingham who wants to create an “incubator” space (ie  outfit the building with desk spaces for people who need temporary office space).
• Mr. Clark also gave update on installation of solar panels on Town Hall. He estimates that they will save the town $4500 – 5500 dollars a year. There will be 136 panels which will take up almost the entire roof. Installation should start next week.
• Dave Levy of the Cultural Council appeared to inform Selectmen that the ranks of the council are thinning. The cultural council is the local arm of the Massachusetts Cultural Council and awards grants to local institutions. Most of these are to assist in bringing in performers, lecturers etc to schools and non-profits. People interested in serving on the council should email the Board of Selectmen.