July 20 Town Council Meeting Update

Last night I attended my first full Town Council meeting as a councilor. The meeting was broadcast on GCTV, and will be available on the http://www.gctv.org/ website. I can’t possibly transcribe the entire meeting, but here are a few points which may be of interest:

• Mayor Martin reported that Greenfield will be one of two 7 area Massachusetts communities to receive electric vehicle charging stations. There will be two located in Greenfield, one at GCC and the other at a location to be determined, either at the DPW or downtown. Updated/more info on this here: http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/franklin/7-area-towns-getting-charging-stations
• Mayor Martin reported that six teens will participate in a six-week work-and-learn life skills program in Greenfield. Greenfield received program funds, but unfortunately Franklin County was the only county in the state not to receive county-wide funds. 
• Mayor Martin reported on 200th anniversary celebration plans. This Saturday, July 23, from 8am – 4pm, Main Street will be closed to vehicle traffic beginning at Chapman Street. Vendors and activities will be set up for pedestrians along Main Street. Check the Recorder or the Town of Greenfield website for a detailed schedule -- too much to detail here! 
• Superintendent Hollins reported that on July 27 a meeting will be held by the School Building Authority to review the classification of planned work to be done on the High School building. At issue is whether the work will be classified as “repairs” or a “renovation.” If the work is classified as a “renovation” more adjustments can be made to the building structure: for example, the physical size of classrooms could be increased to be more in line with current standards. Greenfield will likely qualify for 80% reimbursement from the state (the highest level of reimbursement) for this project. More information, certainly, to come.
• ”Green repairs” are underway for our elementary schools. This mostly involves replacement of old windows with new, more energy-efficient windows. Repairs have been approved but purchase of windows has been delayed until next year in the anticipation that unit costs will decrease.
• Superintendent Hollins reported that $750,000 in salary has been lost as of 6/30 due to non-recurring federal grants. More information on positions and impact will follow.
• Greenfield High School has had very positive results from the expansion of its AP math and science program.
• The Council approved various departmental budget and reserve fund transfers to help wrap up the fiscal year and balance the budget.
• The Council approved the following appointments: Keith McCormic, to the School Building Committee (transferring from his position as School Committee representative, remaining on the committee); Gary Longley, to the Public Safety Commission, and Frederick G. Clark, to the Public Safety Commission.

Comment below, or email me, if you have any questions (or corrections, for that matter), and I’ll do my best to find answers, or else point you in the right direction.

The 200th celebration is going to be a blast: local vendors, kids' activities, beard and mustache contest, traveling dinosaur bones, geology and history talks, trolley tours, performances by local bands, including my friends “Shag!” and of course, the weekly farmer’s market – hope to see you there!
Updated 7/22/11.

Committee Assignments

I have been appointed to the Economic Development Committee (to be chaired by Mark Wisnewski) and to the Community Relations and Education Committee (to be chaired by Iris Vicencio-Rasku). I look forward to working with my fellow councilors.

Day One

Today I was sworn in by Mayor Martin on the Town Common, along with my fellow new and re-elected councilors, School Committee members, and trustees. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the town of Greenfield, and look forward to working with my colleagues on the Council.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, the Council met to elect its new President and Vice President. David Singer was unanimously elected President, and Patrick Devlin was elected Vice President. I was elected Council Treasurer. Councilors McLellan, Ronhave, and Sluter were unable to attend today's meeting.

The swearing-in ceremony and the Council meeting will be available for viewing on the www.gctv.org website. Meeting notes will be posted on the Town of Greenfield website.

It appears I've had a little trouble receiving forwarded emails from this blog, so I promise to do a better job at manually checking comments and emails. My contact information will also be posted at the Town of Greenfield website.