Wrentham Selectmen Appoint Members to Committees, OK Board of Health Net Upgrades

 

At their meeting June 18, the Wrentham Board of Selectmen did the following:

-The board approved the transfer of $1,000 from salaries to general expenses to help pay for the restructuring of the Board of Health’s online network. The current network setup for the Board of Health does not allow staffers to access a network hard drive with department files. Currently, staffers can only access files on other staff member's computers. A network setup would allow for the department to put all files on a centralized server.

The Wrentham Board of Health will now seek an estimate for the actual cost of the setup. An additional $725 was moved from salaries to personal expenses. The money came from extra cashed saved from retirements.

-Dr. Hedley Marks was approved as an associate member of the landscaping committee. The part- time veterinarian who practices on Cape Cod was named an associate member because of the potential time conflicts that may arise. The position is for one year and expires in June 2013.

-Michael McKnight was added to the planning board by a vote of 4-0 from the board of selectmen and a vote of 2-0 with one abstention from the planning board. McKnight brings years of construction and engineering experience from his job at Ahold, the parent company of Stop and Shop. Because of his relationship with the supermarket, chairman Joseph Botaish recused himself.

-Troy Neubecker’s 9/11 Memorial Project is now one step closer to becoming a reality. The memorial, which will be placed in front of the flag poll in front of Town Hall, cleared another hurdle. The board voted to have the department of public works remove the tree currently in front of the flag poll and plant a new one at town hall in a designated area. The removal of the tree will allow the memorial to be built where the tree currently stands. There was discussion of removing and replanting the tree but the price tag of $5,000-6,000 was considered too steep.

-John Flynn of Fiesta Shows came in front of the board to discuss the American Legion’s fund raising carnival. While it was suppose to begin on Wednesday, miscommunication meant that Flynn did not appear in front of the board in time and was forced to cancel the carnival. Flynn, who was brought in by the American Legion to run the carnival, hoped that he could have it later in the year or next summer. While the board was supportive of the event for the American Legion, they felt that the location of the carnival at their building was too small of an area and too close to a residential development. The board did suggest that a new location be found such as the Wrentham Developmental Center.

-Unable to find someone willing to represent the selectmen on the environmental protection and advisory committee, the board agreed to table the discussion until the next meeting to allow its members to look at their schedules and see who would be available for the meetings.

-Officer Barry McGrath and Fire Chief Jay McMorrow discussed the advantages of a regional dispatcher. The plan, which would regionalize the Wrentham, Plainville, Norfolk, and Franklin dispatchers, would put the towns' four dispatchers in one office. In addition, it would allow for faster response from the participating towns if outside help were needed by the fire or police departments.