At last night’s Selectmen’s meeting the board put the finishing touches on the RFP for the Governor Stoughton land. The board brought closure to one key outstanding issue, the length of the lease. The land may be purchased outright or leased. If leased, the selectmen agreed on an initial 20 year lease with an option to renew for another 10 years  assuming the lessee is not in default and of good standing.

Mr. Sweeney said he received an email asking why the board was taking a giant step rather than a baby step where a baby step might be restoration of the buildings that are on the property rather than an outright sale. At issue is the amount of funds in the trust. That amount is approximately $400,000. As Mr. Shields pointed out that amount would disappear pretty quickly for renovations. There really is no option other than to take a pretty big step.

Town Counsel will make the final wordsmithing changes requested and then the RFP will be issued (note, the current draft can be found here. It does not reflect most recent changes.) Developers and interested parties will have 30 days to respond. The Town Administrator will vet the proposals to determine if they are “responsive” (i.e. address the specific points hose proposals that are in compliance with RFP will be passed along to the Selectmen. The Selectmen are not obligated to chose one. They may reject them and start the process over if need be.

Two other points related to the Stoughton land were discussed. Mr. Shields recommended that the board consider how the money, when it comes in, be managed. “Is it going to be business as usual?” he asked. He is in favor of a change such as possibly forming a foundation. The other members concurred.

The Selectmen will also issue an RFQ (Request for quotation) for an updated appraisal of the property. The property is single family A zone. An appraisal that looks at single family homes and factors in the density of nearby Quisset Brook development is desired.

Other business included but was not limited to:

• A review of town finances from Richard Sullivan, CPA of Powers and Sullivan an accounting firm retained to provide an audit of the town’s books. In short, the towns books are in good shape. r. Sullivan noted, “This is not a bad report card.” There were 11 comments overall, 3 carried over from last year (There were originally 5. Two had been resolved.). These comments pertained mostly to improving overall process and procedure specifically as it relates to timeliness. For example, monthly accounts should be reconciled and reflect what is happening at the banks so that time frames are easily synched. There were a couple of instances where tighter budget control is warranted. However, he noted there were no “material weaknesses” or “significant deficiencies.” Bob Sweeney thanked him for his constructive suggestions on “how we can make Milton better.”
• The board reviewed articles for Annual Town Meeting. These included an article from Conservation Commission to set up revolving fund that could be used for tree plantings etc and one from Planning Board to revise article regarding ancillary structures.
• The board discussed the issue of snow removal from sidewalks and personal property. They acknowledged it was a safety concern. Ms. McEttrick said, “If you are able-bodied we’d like you to do it. . .make an extra effort so there is a safe route for kids.”
• Town Administrator Mearn said that FAVA had taken another site walk of the East Milton Library and remain interested and enthusiastic about becoming tenants.