January 29, 2018 minutes

Chairman Barrett called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. He led those assembled in the Pledge of Allegiance. He announced the meeting was being recorded for cable television.

Release of Conveyance of Ways, Easements and Utilities, 16 Essex Street

Attorney John H. “Jay” Kimball explained that a subdivision plan known as Georgie’s Way was at one point approved by the Planning Board. Subsequently, the owner decided not to proceed with the creation of the subdivision, and the Planning Board rescinded the subdivision plan. In the creation of the subdivision, the Town was granted by the owner a conveyance of ways, easements and utilities. Now, the owner is seeking to offer the land for sale and has requested that the Town release these conveyances. Town Counsel Thomas Mullen advised that it is proper for the Board to grant this request.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move the Board vote to release the conveyance of ways, easements and utilities at 16 Essex Street and execute the document provided by the owner’s attorney and reviewed by Town Counsel for this purpose.

Board members signed the document, averring that it is of their free will and deed.

Presentation, proposed zoning change request for Sagamore Golf Course property, Main Street

Attorney Theodore Regnante introduced the development team associated with the proposed senior living residences at the Sagamore golf course. They include Sagamore Real Estate Trust principal Richard Luff, developer Ron Bonnvie, Tory Spillman of Bonnvie Homes, economic impact consultant Mark Fougere, Pater Ogren of Hayes Engineering, and marketing director and real estate broker Richard Tisei.

Mr. Regnante said that he plans to present three petition articles for town meeting. One would propose redistricting a 105-acre portion of the east side of the Sagamore property to Elderly Housing District A second would allow a golf course as a permitted use in that district. A third would increase the maximum number of units in that district from 136 to 154.

He said he has scheduled meetings with the Planning Board, Fire Department and a neighborhood meeting to discuss the proposal.

He estimated the gross revenue from the project to the community would be $1,863,000, and acknowledged there would be some additional costs borne by the community, chiefly in the area of police and fire protection. A detailed financial impact report will be prepared prior to town meeting. There will be no increase in the school population associated with the project, as children under 18 will not be allowed as permanent residents of the development.

Units will be two-stories high with two bedrooms, in duplex or triplex buildings. Square footage would be 2400 to 3000. All will have two-car garages. The sales price would be between $700,000 and $900,000, and the design would be in keeping within the character of the Town. The complex would include a new clubhouse with a pool and fitness center.

Ronald Bonnvie said he has 31 years of experience in the active adult marketplace, building lifestyle communities with amenities. He reviewed the Southport development from his firm which won an award for Best Home Design in America. He reviewed his past projects and the credentials of his team.

Engineer Peter Ogren said the golf course has nine holes on the west side of Main Street and nine holes on the east. The proposed housing would be integrated into the east side of the property. He said the closest residential streets are Pocahontas Way, Smith Farm Trail, Main Street, Friendship Lane, and Peabody’s Catherine Drive. The closest home is 400 feet away.

He said they are seeking to rezone the entire area for elderly housing, and that they will relocate the maintenance building and build a new clubhouse. The site plan includes 8.9 acres of wetland and has ample frontage.

Housing would be situated along fairways, in two buildings with seven units, three buildings with 24 units, and four buildings with 17 units. The developer is proposing a golf cart and maintenance equipment tunnel under Main Street. This gated community would include walking and jogging trails and other amenities.

Mr. Bonnvie reviewed the preliminary exterior design, which he said was prepared especially for this development.

Mr. Fougere said the project would be valued at about $123 million, which would create annual tax revenue of $1,695,000. He estimated additional revenue from excise taxes and other local receipts. He estimated about 10 to 15 percent of the Town’s revenue from the project would be expended on additional costs related to the project. He also noted the project will generate about $700,000 in permitting fees.

Mr. Tisei said there is a regional demand for senior housing, as the target age group is the fastest growing demographic group in the nation, and Greater Boston has a very high concentration of this group. Existing senior housing communities in Lynnfield serve the community. This project would also draw from nearby communities. He said this will be a first-class project.

Mr. Luff said the family has owned the property since 1949. He said it has been looking at development options for several years. It is important to the family to preserve the golf course.

In response to questions from Board members, the development team gave the following responses.

Mr. Regnante said that the property could be developed by right for single-family homes. Mr. Bonnvie estimated 50 to 80 units could be developed. Mr. Ogren said that senior housing would yield far fewer peak traffic time trips than the single-family home development.

Mr. Ogren said that they are looking at options for water service, but have no agreement yet. An on-site septic treatment plant is anticipated.

Chairman Barrett estimated that 80 to 85 new school-aged children could result from traditional residential development on the site. Selectman Dalton said that resident want to maintain the character of the Town. He said this plan is responsive to that need, and would be far more desirable than 60 to 80 new houses. Selectman Crawford said that while none of the residents of the new development would have school-aged children, there would be some increase in school population from current senior residents moving to the complex from their current homes and selling them to younger families. Mr. Bonnvie said many of those residents will otherwise just move to senior housing outside of Lynnfield, creating the same effect.

Resident Patricia Campbell commented that single-family age-restricted housing could also be developed. She expressed concerns about the high unit prices, and asked when the traffic study was done. Mr. Ogren said it was done earlier this month.

Resident Katie Shea said that the area already has water bans due to low availability and that there are no fire hydrants on Friendship Lane.

Chairman Barrett thanked the team for its presentation.

FY19 budget presentation: School Department

Superintendent Jane Tremblay, Special Services Director Kara Mauro, School Finance Director Thomas Geary, Curriculum Director Kevin Cyr, and School Committee members Jamie Hayman, Timothy Doyle, Dorothy Presser, Salvatore Gesamondo, and Richard Sjoberg presented the school budget request.

Ms. Tremblay reviewed the School Department mission statement, vision, and district strategy. She discussed how the budget is tied to school improvement plans and educational goals.

Ms. Tremblay noted that the department in recent years added the Director of Curriculum and Instruction positon, implemented free full-day kindergarten for all students, and other initiatives. She also discussed efforts to enhance professional development. New advanced placement classes have been added at the High School, and programming has been introduced to address school culture and student social and emotional needs.

Chairman Barrett said an additional positon would be added at the Middle School to address these issues. He asked if such a position could be funded from insurance billing for services. Ms. Mauro said the position musty be publicly funded, and can be supplemented by services paid for privately by families. Mr. Geary said the schools bill Medicare for about $50,000 in services annually, which goes into the Town’s general fund.

Ms. Tremblay discussed the most recent MCAS scores. Lynnfield Public Schools ranked 10^th of 334 school districts in the state. Summer Street School ranked first of 934 elementary schools, and Huckleberry Hill School was 23^rd. The Middle School was 42^nd of 476 schools, and the High School was 25^th of 340. Lynnfield High School was commended for high achievement. The district also outperforms the national average eon the SAT and ACT tests, and has been named to the Advanced Placement (AP) honor roll for the past three years.

Ms. Tremblay said priorities for FY19 include preserving class sizes and full-time staff, professional development opportunities and extracurricular offerings. She said it is important to move forward while demonstrating fiscal responsibility.

Special education costs are rising, and the district is making great efforts to serve students within the district, which is both good for the student and the budget. She reviewed the budget development process and the School Committee’s class size guidelines for each grade level.

Ms. Tremblay said the budget request reflects a new grade 1 teacher in Summer Street School, which would result in class sizes of 20 instead of 25. Ms. Tremblay said reasonable class size is determined by the policy as well as the makeup of each class, including special needs students served within the classroom. She said that she is watching kindergarten numbers and said if additional kindergarten enrollment is experienced beyond what is anticipated, she may have to review other class levels to shift teachers.

In response to questions from Board members, Ms. Tremblay said she did not believe redistricting of the elementary schools would yield a significant savings, and that moving the preschool from the central office to the Summer Street School was advantageous educationally, but created a possible space concern in the future. Mr. Doyle said enrollment sees ebbs and flows, and that the district is keeping an eye on the possible need for modular classrooms in the future,  Mr. Hayman said that enrollment increases are related to the district’s performance, as well as new housing developments.

Ms. Tremblay outlined reductions in the proposed budget, including academic tutor hour reductions at the elementary schools, which will require larger groups and fewer meetings; reduction of a media center aide at the Middle School, requiring more of the media specialist, and elimination of the guidance clerk position and a nurse’s aide at the High School, putting additional burden on existing staff in both areas.. She said the most difficult part of these propose cuts is the loss of personnel instrumental to the success of the school district for many years. She said the decisions were guided by a desire to stay away from cutting academic classrooms.

In the area of special education, the district has seen an increase in out-of-district placements, adding to tuition and transportation costs. Students have moved into Lynnfield with existing educational plans the district must honor. Lynnfield still works hard to keep students in district whenever possible. An annual; grant of $20,000 also expired.

The total operating budget request is for $24,850,140. The capital budget request is for $250,000, as in the past several years, for technology purchases and upgrades.

Selectman Dalton thanked the school officials for expediting their budget process. He said the requested 4.5 percent increase in the operating budget took him back a little because the Board wants spending levels to be sustainable. He commended the officials for bringing the budget in at a three percent increase exclusive of mandated costs. He said he did not see much choice than to support the request when the underlying causes were outlined to him in a meeting with school officials last week.

Selectman Crawford also thanked the officials for their presentation and asked about projected special education costs. Ms. Mauro said they are hard to predict beyond the coming fiscal year. She said some students with placements will be aging out in coming years. She said some of the students who have moved into the district have residential educational placements, which are fiscally challenging.

Selectman Crawford discussed the efforts of the Healthy Lynnfield coalition and potential programming that may require additional staffing in the nurse office, which is being reduced. He asked the school officials to look for ways to preserve the positions targeted for reduction. Ms. Tremblay said she understood these concerns and said that a line-item review was conducted.

Frances Fleming, media center aide at the Middle School and a local resident, said reductions would violate the recommendations of the school accreditation report. She said without a library aide, doors to the library will have to be locked during times when the librarian is not available due to lunch and preparation periods and other circumstances to secure equipment.

Special State Primary warrant, February 6, 2018

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move the Board approve the state special primary warrant as presented. Vote was unanimous.

Special State Election warrant, March 6, 2018

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move the Board approve the state special election warrant as presented. Vote was unanimous.

Selectmen Update:

A Healthy Lynnfield (Selectman Crawford): The parent survey should be available in a month.

Senior Citizen Advisory Council (Chairman Barrett): Tax abatement programs for qualified seniors are being considered and may be presented for approval in April.

Recreational Path Committee (Selectman Dalton); Chairman Barrett recused himself from this portion of the meeting as his sister own property abutting the proposed rail trail. Selectman Dalton said he and Robert Almy attended at Department of Transportation meeting with the town administrator and public works director from Wakefield. Project engineer firm World Tech addressed DPT comments on the 25 percent submission. He asked that the Recreational Path Committee be added to the February 26 meeting agenda, he said the 25 percent hearing is at least six to eight weeks away. He said he sees no need for a ballot question on this issue at the upcoming Town election, and believes that is the consensus of the Recreation Path Committee.

Town Administrator Update:

Interim Town Administrator Robert Curtin gave brief updates on the Perley Burrill project and the hiring of Emilie Cademartori as Conservation Administrator. Ms. Cademartori was the director of planning and conservation in Wenham previously.

Public Comment

Resident Vincent Inglese noted the Swampscott School Committee had endorsed the rail trial project in that community, and that other boards had endorsed the project there. He asked local boards to consider a strong endorsement of the local rail trial proposal.

Resident Mark McDonough asked about scheduling of a meeting with the project engineering firm.

Resident Jill Giugliano asked questions regarding Transportation Improvement Plan allocations and grants for the recreational path.

Resident Patricia Campbell asked about costs related to maintenance of the rail trail and liability issues, as well as its impact on police and fire services.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move to approve the contract between the Town and Community Paradigm Associates for the Town Administrator Search Process as presented.

MOTION by Selectman Dalton, duly seconded by Selectman Crawford: I move the Board adjourn. Vote was unanimous.

The Board adjourned at 9:37 p.m.