PHILLIPSTON — The Board of Selectmen met this week to discuss various agenda items including the announcement of a joint meeting Monday, Oct. 15 at the Narragansett Regional High School Library.
Along with the Templeton Selectboard and both town’s Finance Committees, the board is invited to start budget discussions for the upcoming budget cycle with the Narragansett Regional School Committee at 5:30 p.m.
The board also voted to approve three policies they had previously discussed: one regarding the board’s policies and procedures for conducting board business, another regarding the use of public meeting space and the last regarding controlled access to areas of town buildings that are not open to the public.
All documents are public records and available on the town’s website. The meeting space policy permits the use of town facilities, including the Phillipston Memorial School, the Town Hall meeting room, the Town Hall Annex meeting area, the fire station station meeting room and the Phillips Free Public Library meeting area, by town departments, residents, groups and others. According to the policy, access to the meeting rooms must not interfere with town business.
The municipal facility policy states the police station, fire station, highway barn and grounds, rear of Town Hall Annex beyond the public office space and town work sites are all designated controlled access sites.
Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Flynn presented an updated version of the town’s website policies to the board as well. Flynn said the updates adopted by the board at the meeting were to incorporate newer language and more detail.
The board approved a change in job description and title for former highway superintendent Rick Tenney. According to Flynn, Tenney signed a three-year contract with the town as the new director of public works.
“Tenney does his work in the highway department but also takes care of issues with public buildings or public property elsewhere around town that is not strictly highway work. The board decided they would change his title and job description to reflect the kind of work he actually does,” said Flynn.
Lastly, the board signed a grant agreement for a recycling grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to help underwrite additional work on the town’s recycling program, said Flynn.
The Selectmen’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 9.